What Causes Poverty And Inequality?

Poverty vary across rural and the urban areas. Rural areas have a higher poverty rate than urban areas due to low-wage jobs and a higher rural unemployment. Poverty rises as the area becomes more rural. Poverty could become a very serious issue everywhere. Lack of basic needs can increase the poverty rate. Urban areas are not likely to be affected to poverty but not all places.

What is Poverty?

For some people poverty could mean being poor or having no money. But to me personally poverty could mean so much more.Its when people lack the basic necessities for survival. For instance they may have been starving, lack of clean water, proper housing, isolated from family and friends, experiencing racism and discrimination, having problem in getting your basic needs, sufficient clothing or medicines and be struggling to stay alive. Poverty can mean different for each individual. It could mean

What causes Poverty and Inequality?

Some people may think that countries such as MEDCS (more economically developed countries) no one can be poor or if they are, it’s just due to some failings and problems. However, that is not the case. In reality it is more a measure of inequality. For example, a person who is relatively poor in a rich country usually suffers less material deprivation than someone who is living in a country with low overall standards. In these countries poverty could be an extreme major problem you are more likely to lack basic needs and survival can be more of a struggle, but because the general living standards are lower in these countries, there may be less relative poverty this will be less difference between the poor and the living standards of everybody else.

How can poverty affect inequality?

Poverty hits children hardest, like every lack of goods and services hurts every other human being. Poverty can damage children’s environment in every way whether it is physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. For example, women who must walk long distances to fetch household water may not be able to fully attend to their children; this may affect their health and development. And children themselves who walk long distances to fetch water for their family have less time to attend school. This problem particularly affects girls. Poverty can lead to malnutrition, which in turn is contributing factor in half of the under -five deaths in developing countries. Approximately 300 million children all around the world go to bed hungry every day. Fulfilling children’s right breaks that cycle. Poverty has been a very big problem in our world today. Poverty can affect inequality, the gap between the rich and the poor which is quite high and often getting wider and wider..People look at term poverty in a different way depending if the country is poor or rich.

 

World Hunger and Poverty

World hunger is a terrible indicator of world poverty. There are many issues causing hunger which are related to factors that cause poverty. These are famine, drought, poor crop yields etc. The causes of hunger are related to the cause of poverty. One of the major causes of the hunger is poverty itself. According to the UNICEF over 9 million people die worldwide each year because of hunger and malnutrition almost 5 million are children.

Poverty is transmitted from one generation to the next generation. For example malnourished babies often may give birth to an under -weight baby. These babies are more likely to die, but if they survive they are less likely to grow and develop to their full potential.

The first goal of The United Nations Millennium Development Goals is to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. UNICEF helps by building national capacitors for primary health care, healthy children become healthy adults. These people will create better lives for themselves, their communities and their countries. Helping the world’s children survive and flourish is another way in which UNICEF is helping. UNICEF also purchases and helps distribute to vaccines to over 40% of children in developing countries. UNICEF along with other governments and non-governmental organizations at national and community levels work to strengthen local health systems and improve at home care for children including re-hydration to save lives of infants with severe diarrhea and other diseases.

Reducing Poverty

Reducing Poverty should start with children. Every 3.6 seconds one person dies. This mostly applies to small children .Small children around the world die because of poverty. Poverty is a serious issue our world is facing today for countries all around the world especially countries in LEDCS (low economically developed countries). It is most threatening to children’s rights: survival, health and nutrition, education, participation, and protection from harm and exploitation. It creates an environment that is damaging to children’s development in every way – mental, physical, emotional and spiritual.

How Can Poverty Be Measured?

Generally people who have been below at-risk-of poverty line for several years are likely to be in a more extreme situation than those who are only in such a situation for a short time, these people are those who live below the poverty line.  It is also important to measure the length of time that people are living in poverty.  However in many countries, it does not exist covering several consecutive years and this thus limits the possibility to measure those who are longer term below the relative income poverty line and they are likely to be in a worse situation.

Global Perspective on Poverty

Some countries are much poorer than other countries due to various reasons. Some countries such as USA and China are well developed and most people might not be suffering poverty. But as I said Poverty is present in this world, it does not matter where you are; it is always present. Some countries could be richer and some may still be developing. The gap in equality between countries has been widening in recent year. I think rich countries should be more aware of countries which have more problems due to poverty, this relates the developing countries. This might help the developing countries. The rich countries could help by giving money to provide poor countries food, Shelter, water and human basic needs.

 

Local Perspective on Poverty

Countries all round the world have been trying to solve this problem in many ways. For instance Poverty has decreased in Ethiopia for the past few years. Ethiopia is a developing country for now but few years later it is going to be one of the more economically developing countries. Some parts of Ethiopia, especially over the country side the government has helped to give some shelter and some food and water. Some big organizations have been helping try to overcome this issue. The ESCO and the UNICEF should be one of those who have given more consideration due to this issue; this helps our country solve this problem much faster way.

Personal Perspectives on Poverty

Being poor is a very repellent issue. We are very lucky students; we are able to sleep with our stomach filled and shelter to live in. I feel we are very lucky. Small children go to sleep hungry and die easily. We have the chance to be well educated and become successful. While as children which are poor don’t even have money to eat or drink. They usually go to bed hungry. Some don’t even have a place to live in this indicates that I think we are very lucky. Our parents have the money to send us to a proper school and we could get educated and become successful if we take our chance and use it properly.

 

Conclusion

As a conclusion all I can say is that poverty is the worst thing that could happen to a human being. Poverty doe not only happen in poor countries but it is also present in rich countries. Poverty and Inequality have been a major problem. One of the millennium goals is to solve this problem. If this problem is solved our world would have peace. Adults or children would be happier than before they will not go to bed hungry and this will make them stay alive and go to school.

Work-Cited List (MLA CITATION)

·        Shah,Anup.Causes of Poverty.web.Acessed on 21/11/11

 

·        UNICEF.Millenium Development Goals.web.Acessed on 21/11/11

 

·        Shah,Anup.Causes of Hunger are related to poverty.web.Accessed on 21/11/11

 

·        European Anti-Poverty Network(EAPN).Poverty and Inequality in the European Union(EU).web.accessed on 21/11/11

 

·        Rogers,C.Carolyn.Dimensions of Child Poverty in Rural Areas.web. Accessed on 4/12/11