Causes of Poverty

Practice: HDI Development

Poverty Prediction Questions Which TWO population groups are most vulnerable to effects of global poverty? Name 2 challenges facing children living in poverty Name a medical pandemic or medical illness that is currently devastating populations living in poverty Which region of the world is most at risk to global poverty? What is the name for neighbourhoods on the outskirts of cities where people living in extreme poverty?

Review: Four Levels of Dev’t 1. Highly Industrialized (Very High) 2. Newly Industrialized (High) ~ 3. Developing Countries (Med) 4. Highly Indebted Counties (Low)

Global GDP

Today’s Topic CAUSES OF POVERTY

What is Poverty? Hard to define Depends on where you are discussing ~ context Canada vs. Congo $2.00 a day ~ barely anyone can survive on this Short Film “Wilbur Goes Poor: Part 1” – what does it mean to be poor in India’s context?

Poverty in Developing Countries Almost half the world – over 3 billion people – live on less than $2.50 a day The GDP of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s richest people combined Women and children are the most vulnerable to issues of poverty – trapped in cycles of poverty The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to a reasonable standard of living – we need to help make sure that people have the access to basic needs that we do in Canada

The difficulties a developing country faces in breaking the poverty cycle Hunger & Malnutrition HIV/AIDS Malaria and other diseases Lack of educational opportunity ~ Gender Inequality War and Conflict Family planning issues – lack of contraception Corrupt governments Environmental disasters – desertification, famine Scarcity of resources – fresh water Debt ~ Structural Adjustment Programs

Region At Risk: Sub-Saharan Africa

History of colonization Lack of infrastructure Poor sanitation & High Fertility (birth rates) Disease Pandemics such as HIV – high death rates

Urban Poverty ~ Cities 1 billion people live in “slum-like” conditions in urban areas of the world (UN, 2010) People move to the cities in search of work, end up in ‘temporary housing’ that ends up being permanent for them Incredibly poor living conditions, breeding ground for disease like malaria, and incredibly prone to natural disasters

Favelas, Rio MOVIES: BRASIL City of God Grand Central Station

Shanty Towns, South Africa Movies: District 9

Slums: Mumbai, Kolkata “amchi wasti” Movies: Slumdog Millionaire

Sahakum, Cambodia Movies: The Killing Fields

Haiti: Recovery Not In Sight

Who’s Most Vulnerable? Women, Children, Elderly

Violence against women~ Gender Inequality Ex. Dowries, Rape, Forced Marriage, Honour Killings Disease transmission ~ forced sex, passed on through childbirth, breastfeeding Children ~ malnutrition, lack of education because school costs money, water diseases, malaria, weak immune systems, no breast milk Children ~ child labour exploitation, child soldiers

Disease and Pandemics HIV/AIDS ~ huge issue since 1980s Massive spread in urban areas due to lack of education about transmission Lack of access to cheap drugs that can help deal with symptoms Population pyramid/demographics greatly affected because adults have died ~ grandparents forced to care for children Children weak, can’t attend school Lack of doctors to help identify and test victims

How do we break the cycle of poverty 1. Forgive foreign debt ~ no point collecting extremely high interest rates and then giving money in form of aid to nations…. Effects of Structural Adjustment Programs have been devastating

Solving Poverty REAL Solutions R – Realistic solutions that are simple, and make sense to the local communities – ex. Bed nets for malaria E – Education: Health, literacy, trades, etc A – Alternatives: Micro-credit organizations L – Regulations and laws surrounding resource use; lending to corrupt gov’ts; Debt Forgiveness of Highly Indebted Countries, Greater Foreign Aid G ~ GRASSROOTS