Living below the line

How much do you spend every day? How much money do you actually need to get through a day in life? Today, more than a billion people in the world live on less than $1.25 a day. These people do not have easy access to the conveniences that we take for granted: water, food, electricity, education, etc. Children living in poverty have stunted growth due to malnutrition, and many die before reaching adulthood from unclean water.

People living below the line are constantly struggling to feed themselves, but with less than $1.25 a day, you are bound to go hungry.

“There are people, women and children, all over the world who don’t have a choice. And there is no finite end to their hunger; the hunger just continues for their entire lives.” 
-Tom Hiddleston

It is hard to comprehend what it is actual like to live below the line when you have become used to the amenities of the developed world. The best way to understand the extent of poverty is to experience it yourself. UNICEF has a fundraising event for people to experience life under the poverty line. Try going out now with $6.25 and buy all the things you need to live five days, then try to live five days with all the things you just bought. You will not have three meals a day. You will go hungry. But there is an end to your hunger at the end of the five days. Imagine living that five days again and again. For 1.2 billion people in the world, such is life.

Look back and reflect upon your lifestyle. How much money do you spend? How much money do you actually need? I am not asking people to cut their living costs, but it is important to be aware of the things we consume.

Living Under 1 Dollar

Living Under 1 Dollar

What is Poverty? People are living in poverty if their income and resources like material, cultural and social are also preclude them from having a standard of living.

Currently, there are so many global issues occurring and many need help from us. The main issue is poverty which occurs all over the world. They live on just a few dollars a day. Whether you live in the wealthiest nation in the world or the poorest, you will see high levels of inequality in jobs, opportunities, education, health, and other services. They have a very less access to these services, such as almost ⅔ people lacking access to clean water.

There are 2.2 billion children in the world and 1 billion are in poverty. Education is a big 

thing to the children. This issue needs to be acknowledged for the poor to be able to grow 

up and survive. There are 121 million children out of education worldwide. Nearly a billion 

people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

BORN UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES

BORN UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES

Imagine yourself living in such condition: living on one to three dollars a day. Keep in mind that not only would you have to pay for the food, but also shelter, clothes, medications, education, etc. Currently there are about seven billion people in the world, over 3 million (or almost half of the world’s population) are living on less than 2.50 dollars a day. Three countries have eighty percent of their population below the poverty line: Chad, Haiti and Liberia. Roughly third countries have half of their population under the poverty line. The number of people under the poverty line is a lot more than we can imagine. Because of the such great luck we have we do not experience the same issues most of the people are facing.

Although there plenty of food and resource for everyone in the world; the problem is, not everyone can afford such costs. Getting the right amount of nutrition greatly affects a person’s growth and health. If a person is malnourished, they would easily become weak and sick. Without the strength they would not be able to work, which leads to no income, causing them to be even poorer and hungrier. The cycle continues on and on. The final outcome is death. According to the United Nations, roughly 21,000 people die of hunger every day. To have a better view that is four second per person, and mostly it is the children who are going through this.

Other facts about poverty:

• Nearly a billion people who enter the 21st century either don’t know how to read or sign their names.
• One billion children (one out of two children in the world) live under poverty.
• 640 million people live without adequate shelter
• 400 million have no access to safe water
• 270 million have no access to health services
• 10.6 million died in 2003, approximately 29,000 children per day) before they reached that age of 5
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  

How to make Thailand a better place.

During the course of a lifetime, how often do you see people out on the streets? How often do you see people begging for money? Asking for food? Picking up cans just so they would have some money to eat? I’d say you lost count, or maybe you just didn’t care. How many of you knows that those people usually live under a dollar per day, which is around 35 baht per day. Can you imagine living life like that? Poverty has been a global issue since forever and it still is all around the world. People have always been trapped in this system that limits them to continue striving for what they want. They are limited to do what they have to in order to survive. For me, I think this is an issue that we all will have to commit to solving. There are a total number of 19 million poor people in Thailand and in which 5.8 million are ultra poor people that live under a dollar a day. To solve this issue, everyone will only have to commit to helping the poor people and giving donations to them. Just a 100 baht donation from every person will be an enormous amount of money that can help the poor. This should also be a place that taxes go to!  Although Thais are known for their farming, but earning a consistent living through farming is difficult because of an unpredictable climate and varied rainfall as well as poor soil conditions. With little income for family support, parents must make difficult choices. Children suffer from a lack of nutrition and little access to education. Regular health care is often neglected. Help these people. Please… How often in your life that you spent money on things that is not necessary? Give those money to people who really needs it, help them out. HELP THEM SURVIVE… HELP THEM LIVE… HELP THEM OUT OF THE SOCIETY AND SYSTEM THEY’RE IN… Please… help them.

To donate to child poverty in Thailand : https://www.childfund.org/thailand/

Savor what you already have!

Today we’re gonna talk about poverty in Taiwan. Before we talk about it, we should talk about what it means. Poverty has different aspects. Poverty can be hunger, lack of shelter, being sick and can’t see a doctor, can’t go to school, can’t read, not having a job, fear for the future and living one day at a time. Poverty has existed on Earth since humans were born. Reducing poverty has become an concerned global issue around the world.

Taipei, Taiwan

Fortunately, Taiwan’s poverty population is less than 1% of the total population. That’s what I’m proud of. This means that more than 99 percent of the population enjoys the benefits of Taiwan’s economic and greatly improved quality of life. In Taiwan, families are classified as the low-income family if their average monthly income didn’t reach the monthly minimum set by the city or province. In Order to reach the family’s needs in Taiwan, they need to earn at least US$337 (10,647.852 NT) monthly. As a result, I think we should look further and help the others.

Appreciate what you already have !

Poverty has been one of the world’s major problems for centuries. But how does it affect you? It might not affect you directly since we’re all living comfortably in our house with an air conditioner and three full meals a day. Think about the children living in hunger in every corner of the world, starving men and women along the streets, and people struggling for a tiny income to support their family. “Poverty” basically means hunger. Are you still comfortable sharing the same world with these people? Nelson Mandela once said, “Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of a charity, it is an act of justice”.

Poverty can be caused by various reasons including lack of education, changing in trends of economic status, overpopulation, and epidemics. Income inequality is also one of the major problems causing world poverty, the wealthy just keep getting richer and richer while the poor are barely surviving each day. The poorest 40 percent of world’s population accounts for only 5 percent of the world’s income while the top richest 20 percent of world’s population get to hold almost three-quarters of the world’s income. This statistics clearly shown the inequality and injustice of the economic world. This problem, which arises  due to lack in education; surprisingly, nearly 1 billion people entered 21th century without ability to read or write. Having low human capital keeping them in labor force earning scap income.

Majority of U.S. public school students are in poverty!

What is poverty? It is the condition where people's basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. Poverty is a growing problem within our world. According to some statistics, nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. Can you imagine yourself walking on a street, meeting people who couldn’t even read or write? This is terribly shocking.

Did you know that the world is currently going through an education crisis? Yes, it’s true. More than thirty million children are growing up in poverty. In one low-income community, there was only one book for every three hundred children. Children living in poverty were forced to leave school because they are more likely to have to work or take care for their family members. Dropout rates of sixteen to twenty-four years old students who come from low income families are seven times more likely to drop out than those from families with higher incomes.

A new study shows that the majority of public school children in the United States are living in poverty. These children came from low-income families. “The United states must make improving educational support for low-income students a priority”, said the researchers at the Southern Education Foundation.

The United States should be serious about fixing the troubled parts of its education system. Schools in high-poverty districts should also receive the same amount of public money as schools in wealthy neighborhoods. The United States should have a higher standards for their education system, which would eventually allows every individual to be able to go school and graduate.

Poverty is not just money

      Poverty is not just money  

By: First, Pro

What is Poverty?

Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter.  However, poverty is more, much more than just not having enough money.

The World Bank Organization describes poverty in this way:

“Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time.

Poverty has many faces, changing from place to place and across time, and has been described in many ways.  Most often, poverty is a situation people want to escape. So poverty is a call to action -- for the poor and the wealthy alike -- a call to change the world so that many more may have enough to eat, adequate shelter, access to education and health, protection from violence, and a voice in what happens in their communities.”

Poverty in our world is a very big issue that is still occurring throughout the whole world, and in our opinion, we think that poverty is really bad and people suffer from it pretty roughly. Imagine if you could only use 1$ per day for the  expense of everything you need, could you really make it and survive?

Cause of Poverty

• Overpopulation
• Economic problem
• Income inequality

Effect of Poverty

• Education
• Hunger

• Malnutrition

• Health
• Homeless

Poverty Facts

• At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day
• The poorest 40 percent of the world’s population accounts for 5 percent of global income. The richest 20 percent accounts for three-quarters of world income.
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. (didn’t go to school)

Example

Poverty in Africa

Over the last 30 years, worldwide absolute poverty has fallen sharply (from about 40% to under 20%). But in African countries the percentage has barely fallen. Still today, over 40% of people living in sub-Saharan Africa live in absolute poverty.

The Truth of Poverty

Poverty means people who live without much money or below standard. Almost half the world live on less than $2.50 a day, which is shocking. I hardly believe that there are that much people who suffer from poverty. Not that I don’t know there are people suffering from poverty, but it’s unbelievable that over 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 a day. They can’t even feed themselves properly with that little amount of money.

There are many negative effects from poverty. People won’t be able to buy books or afford to go to school. Nearly a billion people in 21st century can’t read a book or write their names. This is so sad while most of us complain about our school or even are too lazy to study when we have the chance. Some developing countries spent every year on weapons instead of putting every child into school. It also implies that people live in a war without going to school. They certainly suffer from poor living conditions.

Despite these problems caused by poverty, is it enough to blame poor people? Is it because they are too lazy to go to school or make poor decisions? It’s fair to say that it’s not their fault at all while government or rich people should be responsible or be helping these poor people out. The government of poor nations and their people are often powerless. Should the wealthy nations give them a hand when they have the ability?

I believe everyone doesn’t want to see people dying from hunger, wars and poor living conditions so if you have the power, please go help them by donate money or any other helpful ways. We need to spread awareness and let the world know that half the world live on poverty. We need to stop poverty now!

What more could one ask for?

To people who are reading this blog:

Since we have access to the internet, it’s reasoned that we are NOT living in poverty. We are lucky to have enough to access of food to eat with three meals a day. According to the The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the estimated number in the world that is going through poverty is 1 out of 9, 805 million people in the world.  Our children are able to live and grow up healthily, and have enough education to provide better impacts to the world. BUT. Think about it… With scarcity issues in our economy, what do the people in the corner of the world eat? Survive their hunger?

Poverty can be divided into relative and absolute poverty, but it’s usually defined as the shortage of minimum food or shelter to maintain life. Close to half of the world’s population lives on less than $2.50 per day, and approximate 14 percent of 35 million American live in poverty. This results in the relatives poverty, which people have low earning to efficiently spend on their needs. However, in extreme poverty or absolute poverty, 1.3 billions people live in less than $1.25 per day. Lower it to another level, worldwide of 805 millions people don’t even have enough food to feed their hunger.

What causes poverty? Many saying said that poverty is caused by the poor themselves. They don’t have the looking toward their own future, and it’s more preferable for them to live at the current moment. However, this is a stereotype. Researchers’ poverty theories state that poverty is caused by the middle class. People in the middle class have a higher percent of finding jobs, and leaving the poor ones to work in lower condition. This is more of an accurate saying, yet theres no right solutions to poverty’s existence.

We are living a better life, so be enough to what we have. Think about poverty, think about the poor, think about those people in the corner. What more could one ask for?

The truth that is never noticed

The truth that is never noticed

Poverty means a state of being poor. According to “The World Bank”, 1.2 billion people across the globe are at the state of poverty and extreme poverty. Most of the people now that are at the state of poverty have a daily income of $1.25. This income is very low, especially for those who have families. It is very stressful for them to earn money and feed their families or parents. According to “The World Bank”, the poorest countries in the world are India, China, Nigeria Bangladesh, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many Children die because of poverty. They don’t have access to medication, clean water, electricity, and food. Approximately 22,000 children die each day because of poverty.

Poverty is the main cause of hunger.  People can’t access resources or food. About 843 million people are suffering from chronic hunger in the year of 2011 and 2013.  The top 85 richest people control as much wealth as the poorest half of the world. They hold four times the money as the poor. With all the money that the rich people have earned, they could stop poverty by improving living conditions and job slots.

I Just Want A Piece of Bread!

I just want a piece of bread!

Bread is often associated with word hunger, but why? Is it because the “Bread Riot” back in the eighteenth century when most of the rich spent their time in their rich gold decorated castles. In short, people starve and people died just because they don’t even have bread to eat. Not having bread is bad isn’t it - but do you know, now, in the twenty first century there are people who are very poor, so poor that even water are so hard to find.

Poverty is an issue that occurs in every country. Nowadays, the news all over social media shows how poverty affects people in many countries, how poor they are to be living their lives with no food or anything needed to live a life. According to globalissues.org, shows the fact about poverty, said that there are up to one billion children worldwide who are living in poverty. Furthermore, the UNICEF also reported that 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. Hearing and seeing those news make our heart shake a little bit from knowing about it. Poverty not only impact people who are in need, but impact worldwide. The news from social media show about the poverty almost everyday. They wanted us to donate for the poor people out there to help make our world a better place.

Poverty is harsh. It is harsh back in the eighteenth century, as it is now. The question is if this problem occurred before why is it still occurring now. As time past things slowly get better, the technology are better, commuting system are better, medicine are better. Can’t we just make our world better? Stop hunger!

SOME HAVE NOTHING TO EAT... WHILE SOME HAVE TOO MUCH.

BY: Mean and Tangmo

Boko Haram attacks Key Nigerian City of Maiduguri

Boko Haram

• Founded in 2002
• Initially focused on opposing Western-style education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
• Launched military operations in 2009 to create Islamic state
  
  
  
• Killed thousands of people, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria  
• Attacked police and UN headquarters in capital, Abuja
• Has abducted hundreds, including at least 200 schoolgirls
• Controls several north-eastern towns
• Has launched attacks on Cameroon
  News
  Boko Haram has attacked Maiduguri, a strategically important north-eastern city of Nigeria on January 25, 2015. Its last attack on Maiduguri was on December 2013. Fierce fighting and gunshots have been reported on the borders of Maiduguri. The city is under curfew and several militants and officials have been killed as a result of the conflicts.
  With elections coming up in the February, John Kerry, the US Secretary of state, has visited Nigeria for the second time urging for all parties to a peaceful election. The main reason of John Kerry’s reason of visiting Nigeria is to “show solidarity in the fight against Boko Haram, which has increased its attacks in recent days.”
  
  
  The BBC's Will Ross in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos:
  
  
  People in Maiduguri woke up to the sound of explosions and heavy gunfire as Boko Haram launched a pre-dawn attack on this strategic city. Ground troops, air strikes and local vigilantes managed to stop the jihadists from penetrating the city. Much of the fighting was around a barracks. In a separate attack the town of Monguno was captured - the latest to be seized by the group. With the insurgents gaining more and more territory Maiduguri is increasingly vulnerable. It is home to tens of thousands of people who have fled their homes because of the conflict.
  
  

  
  

  
  

  -Jeen&Hans

  
  

  

  
  

  

Causes of Poverty

Facts about poverty:

Almost half of the world (3 billion people) live on less than $2.5 per day.

1 billion children live in poverty 

640 million live without adequate shelter

400 million have no access to safe water

270 million have no access to health services.

Causes of poverty:

In most countries today, the gap between the poor and rich is widening. And what are the causes of the widening of the gap? The causes include overpopulation and corruption.

A country being overpopulated can increase the percentage of poverty by having lack of resources to support each person’s lives. The lack of resources, on the other hand, can create more and more poverty.

A government being corrupted is also a cause of poverty. People living in higher standards have the power to eliminate small businesses. By doing this, there are less or no business that can be built up due to the domination of large and popular businesses. People don’t really notice it because corruption affects the poors, or the poorest of the country.

How people living in poverty is a feeling that those of us who are not impoverished might never be able to relate to. They live day to day, worrying if they’re going to get any food to eat while those of us who are privileged live day to day,  wondering which restaurant we’re going to eat at tomorrow. The next time we look at the expensive meal on our plate, maybe we should think about the people in poverty who are struggling to get enough food just to stay alive.

Women Work More, But are Still Paid Less!

“The informal slogan of the Decade of Women became “Women do two-thirds of the world’s work, receive 10 percent of the world’s income and own 1 percent of the means of production.”— Richard H. Robbins, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism,

(Allyn and Bacon, 1999), p. 354   

In every country in the world, women continue to be paid less than men even though they do the same amount of work. Over the past 10 years, women have accomplished as much as men. Women earn an average of ⅔ of men’s  wages, and sometimes, they are denied opportunities that lead to better jobs. It’s like the world does not trust women to do top jobs because they think less of women than of men. More women work outside the home, and when they look for jobs, they are only offered ones that are in the lower echelons of the workforce. Despite the fact that they have the capability to work in these positions, they are often denied executive positions due to their gender. Just because of their gender, they are treated differently, and it is not right. If the person is suitable for a job, then they should get it regardless of what gender they are or what religion they believe in.

An example is the employers in Bangladesh. They believe that women are willing and able to work longer hours for less pay. They make up to 85% of the workforce, but are earning the minimum wage of $37 USD a month, which is $0.22 an hour. Bangladesh women are the lowest underpaid laborers in the world.  

The capability of women to work in important jobs should be recognized. For example, like the current Thai president Ying-lak wasn’t turned down for running in the election for president. People believed in what Ying-Lak is capable of, so that’s why the people voted for her to lead the country.

Women need equal pay for equal work. Many of them faint from exhaustion during the work day and some are poor and suffer. This applies to women all over the world, no matter what job or the level of the job. Women should be treated the same as men and be payed as much as men, and should permitted to work in the same jobs as men.