Did You Know: 50% percent of the world’s population is currently living in Poverty?
Most are surviving on less than $1.25 per day which is equivalent to buying a bottle of water or a pack of M&Ms. Unfortunately, the majority of those in poverty are women and children. Lack of resources, economic systems, hunger, and conflict are among some of the causes of poverty. Everyone should have access to food, water, clothes, and shelter as a basic human right. The World Food Programme says, “The poor are hungry and their hunger traps them in poverty.” Hunger is the number one cause of death in the world, killing more than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. People need to understand what the definition of poverty is and how even doing the smallest things like educating and promoting awareness can go a long way to ending it by 2030.
Poverty has many meanings. Some define it as “the state of being extremely poor” (Merriam-webster). Others such as Nobel economic laureate, Amartya Sen mentions in her interview with the NY Times about her views on poverty. She defines it as: ”… really the lack of freedom to have or to do basic things that you value” (Uchitelle, 2001). Poverty is a complex concept in itself since it has to do with various layers of politics, sociology, education, geography, ethnicity, and gender. In “Teaching With Poverty In Mind”, author Eric Jenson goes in-depth about poverty as a whole. Jenson describes it as “ a chronic and debilitating condition that results from multiple adverse synergistic risk factors and affects the mind, body, and soul.” Those in poverty are more likely to suffer from mental and physical illnesses such as depression, anxiety, malnutrition, and HIV. He also talks about the six types of poverty; Situational, Generational, Absolute, Relative, Urban, and Rural.
- Situational poverty is generally caused by a sudden crisis or loss and is often temporary. Events causing situational poverty include environmental disasters, divorce, or severe health problems.
- Generational poverty occurs in families where at least two generations have been born into poverty. Families living in this type of poverty are not equipped with the tools to move out of their situations.
- Absolute poverty, which is rare in the United States, involves a scarcity of such necessities as shelter, running water, and food. Families who live in absolute poverty tend to focus on day-to-day survival.
- Relative poverty refers to the economic status of a family whose income is insufficient to meet its society’s average standard of living.
- Urban poverty occurs in metropolitan areas with populations of at least 50,000 people. The urban poor deal with a complex aggregate of chronic and acute stressors (including crowding, violence, and noise) and are dependent on often inadequate large-city services.
- Rural poverty occurs in nonmetropolitan areas with populations below 50,000. In rural areas, there are more single-guardian households, and families often have less access to services, support for disabilities, and quality education opportunities. (Jenson, 1)
Most in developing countries fall under both Generational and Absolute while in developed countries fall under Situational and Relative. As described in our lecture on social class, the underclass is often overlooked and misrepresented against the other social classes. The media’s portrayal of the poor as the “outcasts” among social classes. In addition, those in the middle and upper-class automatically cast them as deal dealers, criminals, and dropouts. In reality, most affected by poverty are regular people with families. 70% live in both Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia. Poverty is an important issue because it can impact anyone and affect everything around them. The more we educate others about poverty, people’s perceptions will change and those in poverty will feel more represented & accepted into society.
Poverty doesn’t only affect the families directly involved but their countries’ educational and economic systems. Without proper education, a child in poverty will be three times more likely to drop out of school and not contribute to society in a positive way. Thur, have a hard time securing a decent job and continue to struggle as their parents have done before them. However, due to the aid of after-school and various outreach programs, those numbers are dropping in recent years thanks to giving these children from low-income families access to better opportunities. Thur, rising economic productivity for the future. People becoming more involved politically has also proved to impact reduced poverty overseas more than sending volunteers to Africa.
There are tons of organizations that are trying to do good but fall short on their promises by not providing ways to actually aid in reducing poverty. The problem with these kinds of organizations is their method of gaining sympathy by manipulating the viewer’s image of the poor as being “helpless” individuals who need to be pitied. One non-profit is trying to change that narrative. The Borgen Project is an organization whose mission is to fight extreme global poverty which includes issues of food security, access to clean water, and mother & child survival. Borgen Project was founded in 2003 by Clint Borgen after being inspired by his own experiences as a refugee camp volunteer during the Kosovo war. He noticed a need for an organization who can advocate foreign aid for extreme poverty, politically. The Borgen Project’s four values include Advocate, Mobilize, Educate, and Issue Message. For them, volunteering or donating to the poor was not enough; they decided to become their ally in the fight to end poverty. Their main objective is meeting with Congress and proposing various strategies to break the cycle of poverty one law at a time. They not only talk to congress but teach those in developing countries advocacy skills to meet with their governments. Today, they have over 800 active volunteers worldwide and helped passed over fifteen laws & legislative. Some notable ones include the BUILD Act (2018), Global Food Security Act (2016), and Electrify Africa Act (2014). We have made progress over the past decade due to technology and sheer determination but the war on poverty is still going strong in the right direction. As long as we become more informed and become aware of ways to reduce poverty, then the goal of ending poverty in 2030 will not just be a possibility but a reality.
