UNDERSTANDING

POVERTY

by: Stan Burkey

 "Basic needs are
those things that an
individual have in
order to survive as
human being"

The survival of the human race

depends not on the survival of a
single person...

but on the survival of the

communities

Learn More
 Ø Sexual Regeneration
Ø System of Communication
(Language)
Ø Belief and Educational System for
Cultural Continuity
Ø Physical and Cultural Security
Ø Political System defining
leadership and decision making
Ø System of health and recreation
for maintaining well-being
Basic Individual needs to
among sufficient members to
include those of a maintain the community
community
Poverty

Can be defined in
terms of basic needs
 POVERTY
Can be defined in terms of
basic needs

Absolute Poverty
Is the inability of an
individual, a community or a
nation to satisfactory meet
its basic needs
 POVERTY
Can be defined in terms of
basic needs

Relative Poverty
Is the condition in which basic
needs are met, but where
there is an inability to meet
perceived needs and desire in
addition to basic needs
 POVERTY
Can be defined in terms of
basic needs

Poorest of the poor

Those unfortunate individuals
who because of serious mental
or physical handicaps, were
incapable of meeting their
basic needs by themselves
What are the causes of Poverty?

The reasons that have been given for the

continued existence of poverty in the Third World
can be grouped under five (5) headings:

Lack of
modernization
tendencies

Physical Bureaucratic
Limitation Stifling

Dependency
Exploitation by
of Third World
local elites
Countries
 Lack of Modern
Technology
It is argued that poverty exists
because the poor is lack modern
techniques of agriculture, fishing
industry etch.

Profits have become concentrated in the

Farmers lack not only modern equipment, hands of merchants, middlemen, large
improved seeds, fertilizers and pesticides landowners, and government bureaucrats
but also the necessary knowledge use
these techniques
Lack of Modern
Outlook
Poor people are said to resist change
because they are ignorant,
superstitious, fatalistic, traditional etch.

They lack innovativeness and are

unable to see the advantage of
investing today for a better tomorrow
 Physical Limitation

Many areas of the Third World are

subjected to, long periods of drought,
rain when it comes all at once causing
flooding and waterlogging; soil are thin
and delicate; cyclones and earthquake
supplement drought and flooding in
frequent cycle of natural disaster

however, the problem is not the natural

disaster but a nation's inability to respond to it
effectively
Bureaucratic Stifling
of Development

The lack of genuinely representative

local government prevents the
emergence of local initiatives

There is a widespread conception that

all bureaucrats and government
officials are corrupt, that their actions
and decisions are related primarily to
their desire for personal gain and
prestige
Dependency of
Third World
Countries
Third world countries are
dependent on the developed
countries for capital, technology,
and markets

The world has been polarized into

the rich and powerful 'haves' and
the poor and dependent 'have nots'
Exploitation of
the Poor

The poor are never visited by the

government extension agents.
They can’t get bank credit. They
have no say in cooperative
decisions.

Their children are discriminated

against at school, as are the
women at health clinics
Analysing Poverty

"The third culture of rural people in a

particular place is the true center of
attention and of learning... The village is
the center; you are peripheral..."
(Chamber 1983)
Vicious Cycle of Poverty

One problem causes another which in turn

causes a third and we keep finding new
linkages until we are right back where we
started from and the vicious cycle starts all
over again
Disease/Malnutrition

Lack of Health
Poor Health
Facilities

Low Taxation Low Production

Low Income
Vicious Cycle of Poverty and
Disease

Disease/
Malnutrition

Lack of Health
Poor Health
Facilities

Lack of clean water Poor Sanitation

Superstition/
Misdirected Priorities
Tradition

Lack of Knowledge
Low Taxation Low Production

Low Income
 Causes of Poverty

Some causes of poverty had their

roots in local communities, others at
national level and even some in the
realm of international relationship

This categories may help

us to identify the key
constraint to development
at each level of
intervention - local,
national and international
Physical - Social - Political