In honor of the United Nations' International Day for the Eradication of Poverty last Friday, 2005 Wharton alumnus Gabriel Mandujano examined the poverty issue just blocks away from central campus.
Mandujano, executive director of the Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation, spoke at Houston Hall on his efforts to alleviate poverty and revitalize the neighborhood of Walnut Hill, which encompasses the area from 45th to 52nd streets, between Market and Spruce streets.
His talk incorporated elements of the work he has done through the Enterprise Center, TEC-CDC's current plans for Walnut Hill, the inner workings of non-profits and how Penn students can become involved with West Philadelphia communities.
Mandujano's talk focused on the social aspects of poverty, claiming that isolation is a major player in the problem. He said, "A really key part of being impoverished, particularly in Philadelphia . is not having anyone to help you."
Rejuvenating a neighborhood should be focused on what should be expanded, rather than eradicated, according to Mandujano. His corporation, TEC-CDC, approaches the community of Walnut Hill by finding out what individuals like about their neighborhoods and building upon those ideas.
TEC-CDC also hired inhabitants to form a Street Team, who confer with their neighbors in their own terms.
One of the most important aspects of TEC-CDC's plan was to begin addressing social isolation by knocking on every door of the area in order to hear resident opinions on social conditions.
TEC-CDC plans to turn people in Walnut Hill into "do-ers and implementers," not subjects, according to Mandujano. He said an important way to make a temporary solution sustainable is to create a resolution that involves the people within a community, not just an outside organization.
TEC-CDC's goals for the future include using the Street Team to form connections within Walnut Hill and providing people with knowledge of all the available resources that non-profit organizations provide.
The company also hopes to eventually integrate service organizations and to re-weave the social fabric of the neighborhood by building connections among neighborhood residents. The goal is to encourage the community to deal with issues itself without foreign influence.
College senior Sruthi Sadhujan said of Mandujano, "I have become very attached to Philly, and it's very inspiring to see somebody come back and do something for the community we've taken so much from."
Wharton freshman Pallavi Thatai agreed. "A lot of people can come and speak about poverty on an international level . but this really touches home."
