What is
poverty?
Poverty is multi-faceted. You can see the effects in the starving, swollen bellied children in
famine-hit lands, in parents who are forced to sell children into slavery, in refugees fl eeing war,
and in limbless beggars.
Poverty is the presence or absence of something which prevents us from doing all that God wants us to. It
denies people the chance to live life in all its fullness ... 55.6 per cent of the planet’s population live on less
than two US dollars a day.
It is not simply a lack of food, shelter and clothing which makes people poor; it is the lifestyle they are forced
into.
Unscrupulous businesses cash in on their desperation. They offer unskilled and low paid jobs in frequently
appalling conditions. It is estimated that 250 million children between the ages of fi ve and 14 work; of these,
120 million work full-time. Hours are long; conditions are bad and soul destroying.
Every year a million children are forced into the sex trade where they are at great risk of further sexual abuse,
sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. Where exploitation occurs the cycle of poverty continues.
Health is a cause and effect of poverty. Without an adequate infrastructure, sanitation systems, access
to wholesome foods, and facilities in which to cook and prepare food, the chances of getting ill are greatly
increased. Doctors and simple medicines are hard to come by. Diarrhoea is a common killer. Children are more
susceptible to illness and many die unnecessarily at a young age.
Malnourishment means stunted physical and mental development. Inability to
concentrate at school leaves children without the qualifi cations they
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