 Author |
 Post
|
 |
|
Chagall Hannah
Joined: May 1, 2003
Posts: 3 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Tongue-tied
User is
Offline
Province/State: Ontario
City: Toronto
|
Poverty in developed countries
July 4, 2003 - 08:31 AM
|
|
There is a large, inter-related web of factors that causes poverty in affluent countries.
- Illness
Illnesses such as cancer and chronic fatigue are more likely due to smog and environment factors. If people are ill, they are unable to work normal jobs and are unable to contribute to society in the normal ways. Therefore, mainstream society begins to look down on them and think that they do not contribute at all, and are only a burden.
- Lack of financial literacy
School does not teach people how to use capital, it prepares us for becoming workers to grow someone else's capital.
- Lack of family supports
When family splits up due to abuse and living in distant areas, people who do run into trouble are less able to recover.
- Jobs going overseas
Slave factories are a global problem that reach into every area of life, causig job loss in affluent countries, which causes a greater gap between the rich and the poor.
- High cost of living
When you are poor in an affluent country, you can get clothing easily from shelters and food banks (except for underwear and socks). However, the food available at food banks is not exactly the healthiest, and fresh food becomes prohibitively expensive if you are on a fixed income. If you have an illness that requires an alternative or preventative form of care, you can forget about it.
- High cost of housing
The worst problem to face the poor of affluent countries. There are so many laws against substandard housing, that people who cannot afford the standard or luxury housing cannot find any place to live at all, and are not allowed to make their own place without building permits, land ownership, etc, all of which cost a lot of money.
- Lack of sufficient support for chronic poverty, chronic illness, and chronic joblessness
In Canada, a single person on social assistance recives a maximum of $520 per month, of which $325 is "allowed" as the maximum cost for housing. You can receive the extra benefits such as transportation and special nutritional allowances, you can get up to $770, if you fight and hassle your caseworker for it. Most people on assistance are not informed that these special allowances even exist! So they live on $520 per month.
A bachelor apartment in most cities costs a minimum of $500 per month... and an average of $750. I have seen bachelor apartments advertised at $1400 per month!
A room in a shared living space costs a minimum of $350 per month, however rents of $450 and possibly even $800 are common!
To find a job or to contact the people necessary to help you, you need a phone. The minimum cost is $36 per month for local access and the cheaper option is not always available.
Transportation for job search and visiting your caseworker costs a minimum of $19 per month for 10 one-way trips, or $98 for unlimited trips.
If housing costs were within the range allowed by social assistance, it might be possible to survive, and it might be possible to take better care of yourself in order to become stronger and eventually become self-sufficient.
This amount of money may seem like a lot to someone in a less affluent country, however the costs of living in an affluent country put these people into poverty that is more insidious because it is invisible.
No-one wants to hire someone in smelly clothes because they couldn't afford to do laundry, with uncut hair because they couldn't find someone to do it for free, with bad breath because of poor diet and dental problems from long-term malnutrition. Yet the people who need the help the most in order to get off assistance and stand on their own feet again are refused it.
We concentrate so much attention on the poor of remote coountries... and yes, it is good to be caring and to be aware of poverty wherever it is... the poverty in developing countries is horrible. What is even more horrible, however, is ignoring the poor in our own neighborhood.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Elizabeth
Joined: Jul 1, 2003
Posts: 90 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Chatterbox
User is
Offline
Country: United States
Province/State: Massachusetts
|
So True!
July 6, 2003 - 08:20 AM
|
|
There is a definite danger to blindness. I believe it is much easier to acknowledge that poverty is in foreign lands. Yet, when it hits home, it is an utter shock. "How can this be," you may wonder. Truth be told, most of us ignore the poverty in our own country. The so called "bums" on the streets are mocked as drunkards who can't become sober enough to find work. Is the always true? No of course it isn't. But do those who brutalize those people think of what alternate circumstances may have put these people into their current positions? No, of course not! Everyone, clearly, needs to stop pretending that poverty cannot strike anywhere and everywhere it can be hosted.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Jessie Giles
Joined: May 27, 2003
Posts: 45 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 27
Country: Australia
Province/State: Northern Territory
City: Darwin
|
Poverty is all around
July 7, 2003 - 02:11 AM
|
|
Poverty is every where, yet people never help people who are in poverty in their own countries, they always send money out side of there country. I believe we need to work from inside first then move outwards. Start with healing your self so you have the strength to then help family and loved ones, then people in your neibourhood or town or community, then our country and then once you feel you have down that then help other people in other countries, I am not saying helping people outside your country isn't good, I am just saying work from with in first.
Love to All
Jess
I am just going to add a little...... On the note that people don't focus on their own countrys or communities, I lived on a cathoic indigenous australian comunnity in Central australia, which the people who lived there could hardly afford to feed themselves more than 4 or 5 days of the week and lived in poverty of all kinds, yet the church still passed the money bowl around during church on sunday for the people to put money in it for people in other countries faced with poverty. It made me sick that the church was taking money from these really poor people who needed every cent of that money for themselves. I don't see any thing wrong with giving to other people but only if you are capable of doing so with out putting yourself at risk or your family, whether that risk is physical- not being able to eat, or emotional.
Thanks
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Nourhan Mohammad Aboulabbas
Joined: Apr 13, 2003
Posts: 2 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Tongue-tied
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 26
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
Unemployment and Poverty
July 7, 2003 - 04:28 AM
|
|
The financial status of every country is considered the cornerstone of its development.Consequently, Poverty is a serious threat to the prosperity of any country. The poor are a part of every society, and in every society the tragedy repeats itself. They don't start as being poor.Instead, they start as being healthy people with so many skills and so many ways by which they can serve their country. Sadly, they can not find a means to support themselves. They drain their energy looking for a job to satisfy their increasing needs but all in vain. The result is that they get ill due to hard living conditions, and become a load on their economy rather than contributing to enhance it. Poverty can be the main cause of so many problems; increased diseases, housing, illetracy, etc.. but in my opinion the main reason behind it is unemployment. The answer to the problem is to start planning to use human resources effectively, provide jobs that guarentee an acceptable standard of living, train youth to aquire certain neccessary skills that will help them find jobs, regulate birth rates and have the courage to open our eyes to see our problems and the faith to discuss them, analyze them, and solve them.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
TT
Joined: Jun 11, 2002
Posts: 23 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 31
Country: South Africa
Province/State: Gauteng
City: Johannesburg
|
Re: Poverty in developed countries
July 7, 2003 - 05:58 AM
|
|
Affect your locality - i very much agree...when i am out of my part of the world i make it a point to see the 'ghetto' of the Northern Nations, its an eye opener and disheartening.
I must say though that poverty transcends beyond the physical that we asssociate it with most times- its a State of the Mind as well...
Can we talk about that a little?
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Abdallah Diwan
Joined: Sep 29, 2000
Posts: 122 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Chatterbox
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Male, 31
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
linking poverty reduction and environmental management
July 7, 2003 - 06:24 AM
|
|
i think this will be one important way for poverty reduction .
linking poverty reduction and environmental management focuses on ways to reduce poverty and sustain growth through sound and equitable environmental management. it seeks to draw out the links between poverty and the environment, and to demonstrate that sound and equitable environmental management is a prerequisite for effective and sustained poverty reduction.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Me
Joined: Jun 9, 2003
Posts: 156 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Chatterbox
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 25
Country: United States
|
Re: Poverty in developed countries
July 7, 2003 - 06:31 AM
|
|
The mindset of many I know, and to some extent myself, is that organizations to help the poor can be trusted, but the poor themselves cannot. Most organizations help overseas, not at home, and people also don't like to view poverty in their own country as intense. I think the US has something like a 25% poverty rate though, which is terribly high. Anyways, back to beggars. They suffer from the perception that they're most likely to go out and buy alcohol with the money the get...which is somewhat true. And also, somewhat justifiable. In such a situation, many people prefer the oblivion of the bottle to the harsheness of reality. But there is definitely an issue of trust, or rather the lack thereof of the general population. I gave some money to a homeless man today, and in thanks received a lecture from a 70 year old man in an electric wheel chair! Lastly (and I apologise for the poor organization of this post) people in developed countries feel their money is worth more abroad. Which is also true. A dollar in the US does very little. A dollar abroad can provide sustenance for days.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Mohammad Kandil
Joined: Jul 8, 2002
Posts: 2 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Tongue-tied
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Male, 34
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
New Concept
July 15, 2003 - 06:27 AM
|
|
Poverty has been always related to heavy population , i'm talking here form a developing country point of veiw.
In my opinion the is a direct relation between the number of people living together in a society and the demand and needs of a single person, this is due to many things , one of it for example the governamental services like drinking water, with large sum of people in a certain area each one will have a small share............ another example transportation , medical services ............ etc.
So i think governaments and descision makers muct consider developing new societies, maybe small towns , in new areas . It could be a hard solution but i think it could share in a big deal in solving the problem of poverty.
I for myself have seen some small examples of these new societies and they really give hope .............
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Abdallah Diwan
Joined: Sep 29, 2000
Posts: 122 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Chatterbox
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Male, 31
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
Re: Poverty in developed countries
July 15, 2003 - 06:56 AM
|
|
yes kandeil , i really agree with u , but also i think that we should consider the family planining process , and the Egyptian Government is developing the huge project of Touski which will creat thoushnds of job oportunities for youth.
Abdallah Diwan
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Haythem Kamel
Joined: Jul 12, 2002
Posts: 50 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Male, 34
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
yea
July 20, 2003 - 10:07 AM
|
|
thats a good analyzing for the problem
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Eslam Shaaban
Joined: Sep 3, 2002
Posts: 33 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Male, 30
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
think about it
July 21, 2003 - 07:25 AM
|
|
hyper growth of populion rate,we can think for the first while that its acatastrophe !
yes of course can u omagine the efforts must be done by the gov. in order to provide those living in their country with the main needs of living ite really abig problem
but how can we use this hyper growth of population and use it as development tool?????
yes its acrazy idea but think about it,
think how, just think and iam waiting for your replies
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Abdallah Diwan
Joined: Sep 29, 2000
Posts: 122 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Chatterbox
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Male, 31
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
Re: Poverty in developed countries
July 21, 2003 - 10:26 AM
|
|
yes i agree with u
but i think there is also a great role for youth
and for the civil society as well to cooperate with the government. cause i think it is too hard to that without the help from the civil society
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Jennifer H.
Joined: Jul 9, 2002
Posts: 10 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Soft-spoken
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Female, 24
Country: United States
Province/State: Minnesota
City: North Branch
|
Re: Poverty in developed countries
July 22, 2003 - 10:28 AM
|
|
The theme this month, especially this discussion, has totally rocked my world. I never realised how blind I was to poverty in affluent countries! Now that I've read your post, Chagall, I'm just shocked. I mean, I don't even know what to say! I've been so blind to poverty here in my own hometown, I just feel naive. This has really inspired me to get out there and do whatever I can to help. Thanks for waking me up, everyone.
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
Eslam Shaaban
Joined: Sep 3, 2002
Posts: 33 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender & Age: Male, 30
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
facing poverty
July 23, 2003 - 08:06 AM
|
|
Facing povety,yes...
poverty is our enemy but in order to start our war with povety , we must know well ehats this enemy`s army consists of , so as to fight them one by one or to stary to organize ourselves so that every group can fight a part of his army
so first lets highlight them
illetracy, health proplems,unemployment,unequal opportunities,enviromental proplems lack of awarness and the governmental lack of experience in treating and solving at least one of those proplems
so before we start our war we must know our enemy as well as we can
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
khaled hammad
Joined: Sep 29, 2000
Posts: 22 (view all)
Poster Rank:
Talkative
User is
Offline
Gender: Male
Country: Egypt
Province/State: Al Iskandariyah
City: Alexandria
|
shaping the future
July 24, 2003 - 10:55 AM
|
|
I think we need to know exaclty we mean by overty.. here..
i think it tragets those people who can`t find the bacis conditions of life..
or of living..
how to face proverty.. there was many answers but nothing we can touch yet..
i think the main.. answer
is rearranging the recousces of any country .. again so every one live init caneven find the base to live..
they used to say poor people is another open mouth
but they got one mouth and two hands..
so they can be also usful to the community but.. we need to use there powers..
we need to give them a motive..
activate in them thir internal power..
we were born the same.. no body did choose to be poor ot rich..
but we shape our future.. to be or not to be..!
those people is part of us..
they can be the answer not he questions.
they can be the solution not he problem..
they can be..
but we need to help them..
we need to support them..
poverty is just a nightmare we need to end it up..
|
|
back to top |
link to this post
|
|
|
Display posts from:
|
Home
Community
