Background In today’s world, poverty is one of the worst problems, causing millions of deaths every year. Poverty is a very widespread problem in every country around the world, even the industrialized, like the United States. Mostly in “third world” countries such as South Africa and other countries in Africa. Poverty kills approximately 12 million people each year. Thirty four thousand children die each day just because of hunger and disease. 800 Million people don’t have enough money to eat with every day. The Webster’s definition of Poverty is the state of being poor; lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts. Poverty is the state of being poor, but it leads to much bigger, and more harsh problems worldwide, such as hunger, which leads to famine. There is enough money in the world to provide for every single, but because of power inequalities throughout the world, the money isn’t distributed properly. In the world today, there is enough food to provide each person with approximately five pounds of food per day.

There is not just one specific cause for poverty in today’s world, but there are actually multiple factors that contribute. Poverty and its severe ness vary per country. For example, Africa compared to the United states. The two main causes of poverty for countries is debt, and uneven distribution. A country’s debt, can result in a major downfall for itself. Depending on how you look at it, poverty is the governments fault. Most people would agree, arguing that the governments shouldn’t borrow money that they cannot pay back; and that the larger, more developed countries help distribute the wealth. Hunger and poverty are closely related to each other. The poverty problem around the world actually isn’t fair because the takes and prices of goods are raised for third world countries that depend on larger nations, because the smaller nation has to do whatever it can to survive, so it can’t do anything. (Causes of Poverty, 3/21/05)

Reasons As stated before, There is not just one specific cause for poverty in today’s world, but there are actually multiple factors that contribute. The two biggest reasons for the poverty problems worldwide are Debt, and power inequalities. Around the 1970’s, a leap in oil prices caused developing countries to start borrowing significant amounts of money in order to continue their economic growth. (PG.##) Now these small countries owe millions of dollars to the larger nations, therefore they can’t spend their money on what they need, like health care, food, and water, instead they have to put their income toward paying back the larger nations.

Most smaller, developing nations would agree that the world is not fair. Because most third world countries depend on larger, more developed nations, the larger countries can raise the prices of goods and taxes because the smaller country has to do whatever it needs to survive, so it can’t do anything. (Man Against Poverty, 3/22/05)

Poverty is not just restricted to developing countries, even the most industrialized nations, such as the United States are witnessing an increase in poverty. For example, the United States sees an increase in the number of poverty-stricken citizens every day. In America, poor, hungry, homeless people can be seen in just about every city, on just about every street. The whole poverty problem isn’t a main focus of developed nations, the problem could be easily solved if poor people simply get more attention or resources to help alleviate their problems. Hunger is also another cause of poverty. A hungry person will do what ever he or she has to for a meal. They will pay a whole weeks work to feed their family. Countries without enough food are also causing an increase in poverty, because the little food that they grow has high prices, and most of the poor people can’t afford it.

Current Status Today, poverty can be argued as the worst problem that our world is facing, that’s how bad it is. Every single country, big or small, developed or developing is experiencing at least a little bit of poverty. Right now, poverty is as bad as it’s even been, with the cost of oil soaring sky high, the price of cars, and the overall cost of living increasing monthly, even weekly. Today, many smaller, developing countries owe money to larger, more developed ones, such as the United States, causing them to put their money toward paying the other nation back, instead of providing their country with food.

Today, approximately 1 billion out of 2.2 billion children are living in poverty worldwide. (“Fight for life,” U.S News, 3/19/05) In some countries, poverty is somewhat based on education. A person can be poor, because they were lazy in school, or didn’t even go to school, therefore they won’t have a job to provide themselves and or their family with the food and shelter they need to survive. The current status of the poverty issue is very bad. Right now, in America, we are at an all time high, with more homeless, and poor people than we’ve ever had before. Right now, in the United States, I would say that the middle class is dominating the rankings. But if our government keeps spending money on things we don’t need, and raising the prices of goods, then the middle class will soon vanish.

Today, throughout the world, there are about 2.2 billion children, and according to my research, approximately 1 out of every 2 children doesn’t have either a roof to sleep udner, an adequate amount of food/water, or enough money to survive; that is about 1.3 billion kids. Poverty kills approximately 12 million people each year. Thirty four thousand children die each day just because of hunger and disease. 800 Million people don’t have enough money to eat with every day. (Causes of Poverty, 3/24/05)

Analysis Poverty is a very widespread problem in every country around the world, even the industrialized, like the United States. When the word poverty comes up in a conversation, the normal person would think of a family of five in a house for two. That sounds bad, but it gets way worse. Either in the streets of Los Angeles, or the fields of Iraq, you can find a case of poverty on the loose.

Poverty kills approximately 12 million people each year. Thirty four thousand children die each day just because of hunger and disease. (Global Poverty, 3/24/05) 800 Million people don’t have enough money to eat with every day. With the poverty problem at full strength, many innocent lives are being taken every day. Out of the 2.2 billion children in the world, every second child (1 billion) lives in poverty, with no shelter, no water, not enough food, or no access to health service. More than 50 developing countries depend on three or fewer commodities for over half of their export earnings. Twenty countries are dependent on commodities for over 90 percent of their total foreign exchange earnings.

If you think about it, poverty shouldn’t be causing the world all the problems that it is. Considering that there is enough money for everyone, and enough food to give everyone 5 pounds per day, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. But, due to debt, and power inequalities. (Causes of Poverty, 3/19/05) Poverty is severely affecting our population, because it is hurting the education system. Approximately a billion people entered the twenty first century not able to read a 5^th grade book, or sign their own signature. The whole poverty thing is rather disgusting, because it causes too many innocent lives, even though it can easily be solved by the governments worldwide. If finding a solution to poverty was on the government’s “To do list,” then the world would be a much more fair, and safe place to live on.

Solution There are many solutions possible to fix the poverty situation around the world. There can be no possible reason to get violent, to find a solution to the whole poverty conflict, unless its anger from a small, undeveloped country. Poverty would be such an easy problem to solve if it was a main focus in the world today. All the governments from different countries should put their heads together and try and come up with a solution. The world today has more than enough resources for the whole wolrd to live comfotabl, they just need to be distributed to each country evenly. The most action must come from governments of the larger, more developed countries, for instance the United States, because of the power that it has in the world. Even though the small countries are far away, you can provide them with much more help than you think.

There are three main ways to think of a solution to this problem. We can start solving this through education, empowerment, and through actions. First, Cultivating an awareness of how the poor can improve their lives is one of the most important ways to overcome poverty. Knowledge is the key to success in motivating people and providing them with work. Don’t just educate the people in poverty, the rich class is also very important, because they are the ones with the power to make the difference. Empowering the poor through tax, credit, and land reforms will combat poverty. And last but not least, the action part of it. We can say all we want, but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t act on it. Lots of people are helping out the fight to end poverty. Every once in a while, you will see a celebrity on T.V. helping out a third-world family. You don’t have to be rich and famous to help, you can help too, just start by educating yourself. Again, in today’s world, poverty is one of the worst problems, causing millions of deaths every year.

Future In my head, this whole poverty thing can go two ways. We can get rid of it, or we could keep getting deeper and deeper into the poverty hole. I can’t see the problem getting solved anytime soon, but I would like to think so. The problem could easily be solved. I think that all the governments should have equal money to start out with. This would end the whole argument about unequal distribution of money. The government would be able to do whatever it wants with the money, buy guns and ammo, or spend it on the issues that need it such as health care, and the homeless. Then we will be able to put our ideas and thoughts together and come up with a reasonable solution, that will result in a decrease in worldwide poverty.

Now on to what I think will happen. Athough the poverty problems would be fairly easy to solve, I don’t think they will be soon. Maybe when a couple more million people die from this, then the government would pay attention. But, at this time, the government doesn’t think that poverty is a major issue. Our governments are actually digging our population deeper into the hole of poverty. I predict that the numbers of children and people in general in poverty will incrase. Even some well off people are having trouble paying off their car notes, their house notes, their bills, and especially gas money. I think our population is going to go in the gutter. For the future, I see the middle class disappearing, I’m predicting a large upper class, a very small middle class, and a very large lower class in poverty. I say this because the middle class, is made up of hard working people, like most of our parents, that go to work every day, and earn a living fair and square. I think that those people arent going to be able to survive in the future, because the prices of goods are raising steadily increasing. I hate to say it again, but I think, the poverty issue will get a lot worse.

1)Blaustein, Arthur. Man Against Poverty: World War 3. New York” Random House, Inc., 1968.

2)Brink, Susan. “The Flight for Life.” US News 17. 1 2005: 22-26

3)Engardio, Pete. “Global Poverty.” Business Week 14 10. 2002. 02 03. 2005 http://www.globalissues.org/traderelated/poverty.asp

4)Galbraith, John. The Nature of Mass Poverty. Caimbridge: John Kennath Glabraith, 1979.

5)Haank, Derk. Personal Interview. 04. 04 2002

6)Shah, Anup. “Causes of Poverty.” 18 2. 2005. Shah, Anup. 1.3. 2005 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_41/83803601.htm.