, Jeayan Krish

- 1A
NSTP
When the pandemic finally arrived, no one could quite believe it. The earth was torn open
to receive the bodies of the dead. The toll of the lives and livelihoods lost to the coronavirus
mounts, inexorably. The much-anticipated changed world waiting for us on the other side of the
pandemic remains blurry and dim; its contours just barely visible through a thick blanket of
terror and hope. Whether it will arrive remains an open question. Since the pandemic hits the
Philippines, the state of poverty even worsen than before.
Poverty is one of the longest-standing problems facing governments and populations
throughout the world. Whether in prosperous times or during depressions, whether in
agricultural, industrial or post-industrial societies, no matter how it is measured and despite
anti-poverty programme and aid to the poor, poverty continues. This is a consistent problem
which has presented political and moral challenges to all societies at all times. I can clearly see
that poverty means survival; the poor are those who, even in normal circumstances, are unable
to feed and clothe themselves properly and risk death as a consequence. I have seen how greatly
it affects my community, my family, and even myself. People do not have any time to rest and
have to spend their lives trying to make just a little bit of money; they do not have a good
standard of living adequacy and have no education. These people have to slave day after day to
earn just enough to put food on the table and afford a place to stay. I have seen how my parents
struggle also to keep our family financially stable at the same time helping our workers, whom
during this time in dire need of assistance. It is really an awful experience and it shatters you
into pieces. These pieces are then further crushed into useless grains of guiltiness when
someone dies because you could not provide food and necessities of the life to them.
There are ways we can prevent these and we must start in our own homes to remedy this
kind of poverty. As a student, all I can do for now is to take action on my own and help others by
giving even the smallest things that would be essential to them because no matter how small it
is, it could mean a big thing for them. I know how it could be significant for them since I have
been doing it already for years; I have always given our workers some of our leftovers, some old
clothes, and some necessary gifts in special occasion that would put a smile on their faces even
in times of difficulty. Another action I want to take is by creating awareness through social
media. As we already know, social media has been our voice where we can easily disseminate
information quickly and it where we can spread the help wider not only within the city. I would
also volunteer in a charity programme and donate things to other people considering that
another helping hand could make a bigger change. Lastly, I want to educate everyone how
poverty is a serious issue and how many lives were greatly affected by it. Being literate to these
kind of problems would help them know the hardships that often accompanies poverty plainly
and psychological well-being. And I want them to know that poverty has broad economic
consequences and have serious social and political consequences.
When the end of poverty arrives, as it can and should in our own generation, it will be
citizens in a million communities in rich and poor countries alike, rather than a handful of
political leaders, who will have turned the tide.