Poverty As Defined By ...
What is Poverty? We all know that very word relates to the very poor, but what else?
"Poverty is the deprivation of common necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life."
- Wikipedia
Generally, the term poverty refers to :
1) the lack of daily necessities
-- water(potable water, of course)
-- food
-- clothing
-- shelter
2) financial incapability for education and other
With the lack of daily necessities comes many problems. Without potable water, the risks of contracting cholera, a disease contracted upon contact with dirty water, are higher. Without food, malnutrition, and other diet-related probelms begin to emerge. With no proper clothing, these people have nothing to protect their skin from the roughness of the environment. Death rates among the populace will increase, creating environmental problems. With that, more problems shall rise as each reaction leads to another.
Without education, children of poor families cannot take on higher-paying jobs since they lack the academic qualifications required, and are thus forced to take on low-paying jobs i.e. contract worker, construction worker, cleaner, etc. With a low paying job, these children will eventually be unable to support their families, let alone support him or herself. With that, the vicious cycle goes on.
“The World Bank reports that global food prices rose 83% over the last three years and the FAO cites a 45% increase in their world food price index just the past nine months. The Economist’s comparable index stands at its highest point since it was originally formulated in 1845. As of March 2008, average world wheat prices were 130% above their level a year earlier, soy prices were 87% higher, rice had climbed 74%, and maize was up 31%.”
— Eric Holt-Giménez and Loren Peabody, From Food Rebellions to Food Sovereignty: Urgent call to fix a broken food system, Institute for Food and Development Policy, May 16, 2008
