RESEARCH IN DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

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".

We can define poverty as the condition where the basic needs of a family, like food, shelter, clothing,
and education are not fulfilled. It can lead to other problems like poor literacy, unemployment,
malnutrition, etc. A poor person is not able to get education due to lack of money and therefore remains
unemployed.

Poverty entails more than the lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods.
Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services,
social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-making.

CONCLUSION

Poverty is the lack of resources leading to physical deprivation. Poor people are unable to fulfill basic
survival needs such as food, clothing, shelter. These are the needs of lowest order and assume top
priority. Poor people are unknown of their lack of voice, power, and rights, which leads them to
exploitation.

What is poverty? In general terms, poverty is when the income available to an individual or household
does not meet their needs. This then restricts their ability to participate in society. Poverty is usually
defined as having less than 60% of median household income.

HERE ARE SOME CAUSES OF POVERTY:

•Lack of access to clean water and nutritious food.

•Lack of access to basic healthcare.

•Inequality or social injustice.

•Conflict and instability.

•Lack of education.

•Lack of access to jobs and livelihood.

•Poor basic infrastructure.

•Climate change.

AND HERE ARE SOME OF THE PREVENTIONS OF POVERTY;

1. ELIMINATING POVERTY THROUGH EQUITY

One of the main causes of poverty is inequality. The systemic barriers that lead to groups of people
going without representation in their communities leaves them further behind in terms of resources and
opportunity.

2. REDUCING POVERTY WITH RESILIENCE

Poverty happens when a high amount of inequality meets a high amount of risk. For instance, the
Democratic Republic of Congo has suffered ongoing conflict since gaining independence from Belgium in
1960.

3. COMMIT TO CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS AND CLIMATE JUSTICE

Resilience against climate change is especially important and deserves its own mention.

4. ERADICATING POVERTY THROUGH EDUCATION

According to UNESCO, if all students in low-income countries had just basic reading and writing skills
(nothing else), an estimated 171 million people could escape extreme poverty.

5. HALTING POVERTY BY ENDING HUNGER (AND THIRST)

Simply eating three meals a day and getting a healthy amount of calories and nutrients can go a long
way to breaking the cycle of poverty.