Professional Documents
Culture Documents
This PowerPoint highlights the key issues of urban poverty for secondary
school students. It is intended as a flexible teaching tool for teacher use.
There are suggested discussion questions, tasks and additional
information in the ‘Notes’ sections of the slides. There is also a suggested
learning task at the end, which can be printed and distributed as a group
activity.
It is our hope that you will use these slides in a way that best suits your
purposes. As such, the slides are editable so that the content is flexible for you
to adapt to your needs. If you do edit this presentation, please ensure content
and photos from this resource remain with the appropriate credit to
Caritas Australia and the photographers.
Also see ‘Urbanisation: One City-two ways of seeing: Sao Paulo, Brazil’ resource pack, suitable
for Senior Geography.
URBAN POVERTY
THE HOLY YEAR OF MERCY
DEC 2015 – NOV 20 2016
THE HOLY YEAR OF MERCY
DEC 2015 – NOV 20 2016
FACTS AND FIGURES
Half of humanity – 3.5 billion people – live in cities today.
Source: globalgoals.org
FACTS AND FIGURES
828 million people live in slums today and the number keeps
rising.
The world’s cities occupy just 3 per cent of the Earth’s land,
but account for 60-80 percent of energy consumption and 75
per cent of carbon emissions.
Source: globalgoals.org
URBANISATION
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) defines ‘urbanization’ as:
• More employment
opportunities.
• Better education and
healthcare.
• Higher living standards.
sanitation,
• insecure home ownership
• increasing residency in slums and
informal settlements.
URBAN POVERTY: SLUMS
The United Nations characterise
slums or ‘informal settlements’
as lacking one or more of the
following five conditions:
dwellings, and
5) security of tenure.
MEASURING WELLBEING
Information about the poverty that What are the limitations in measuring
exists in countries is often measured poverty and progress in financial
financially; living on less than $1.90 terms?
a day is considered ‘extreme
poverty’. This was set by the World What else is poverty about?
Bank and is used widely.
What public transport, public green landslides or their proximity to roads and train lines. Photo credit: Erin Johnson
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SEMITI’S STORY- FIJI
The program develops the understanding of informal settlements, a well resourced
shared goals by community members, and educational environment for children. Children
empowers community members to advocate for who were working are now back at school.
their rights as citizens to housing, education, and Unemployed young men and women can
a secure future. undertake training, and there are homework
SAVU: We journey together with the people in centres where children from surrounding
saying that a new world [is] possible … where settlements can use computers or get help from
families have access to new housing, to land the teachers or other students. Through PCN,
security, to better education. Committees have marginalised voices are now raised in hope:
been formed in each settlement to deal with TEVITA: PCN is not only about housing. It’s not
many issues – health and hygiene; care of the only about money. In talking about saving, they
elderly; activities for women, particularly those taught us to save your relationship, to save
not working; education; and employment, to health, education, and look after your senior
enhance the skills of young people. PCN has also citizens. PCN is like a raft that was thrown to us
established savings groups across Fiji, with in the waves. They gave us hope that there was
women in leadership roles. These groups still life within if we stand together and hold each
encourage people in the community to make other’s hand and move together forward.
weekly savings so they can access education, Caritas Australia is proud to support this network
healthcare and housing. of communities as they work in solidarity and
VANI: education is the most important thing in our grow in resilience.
life, because that is our future. PCN offers
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MARISTELY’S STORY- BRAZIL
Brazil is the fifth most populous country in the Movement for the Defence of Favela Residents is
world. Over the past decade, the country has working to improve living conditions within her
undergone strong economic growth, and at 2013 community and other favelas in the city.
is the largest economy in Latin America. With an Dark and cramped, favelas are groups of
abundance of natural resources, much of its irregular, self-constructed houses often built on
economic growth has been through agricultural, land that no one wants to live on due to threats of
mining and manufacturing industries. floods, landslides, or their proximity to roads and
Yet not all people have benefited from Brazil's train lines. Many locals face daily discrimination
economic growth. Substantial income inequalities from the wider community.
existing in the country. The poorest 10 percent of When Maristely was growing up, her family’s
Brazil’s population earn just 0.8% of the country’s house, like many others, was made of cardboard
income (World Bank, 2009). One in seventeen and had no electricity, water or connected
people in Brazil live on less than $US1.25 a day. sewerage.
Unequal wealth distribution and substantial urban Young favela leaders and Caritas Australia’s
migration has led to a growth in favelas partner, the Movement for the Defence of Favela
(shantytowns) in the larger cities of Brazil. Drug Residents (MDF), is working to change lives
trafficking and gang-related violence are major across 40 favelas in São Paulo. MDF
problems in these poorer areas. Favela residents understands the difficulties of favela life such as
– particularly young people – are often dense population, limited space, a lack of
marginalised and experience discrimination from available jobs, constant threat of eviction and
the wider community. widespread poverty.
Maristely, 18, lives in a favela (city slum) in São
Paulo, Brazil. Caritas Australia’s partner
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MARISTELY’S STORY- BRAZIL
Through MDF, Maristely’s family, along with runs art programs in the favelas, where young
thousands of others, now has access to clean people can channel their passion and creativity
water, electricity and connected sewerage. They into meaningful outcomes. Mentoring is an
also have a certificate of home ownership which important part of the program and the young
provides greater security and means they can no people develop a sense of dignity, self-worth,
longer be evicted. self-respect and respect for others. The art
This program aims to address social and political workshops give young people a chance to
issues through community participation and develop skills and contribute to the wellbeing of
empowerment. MDF offers legal education and the entire community.
support to communities to obtain land titles and In 2011, MDF introduced a pilot module to the
land ownership. It also works to provide access to program that uses multimedia as a tool for
clean water, sanitation, and important countering the culture of drugs and violence of
infrastructure such as community and childcare the favelas.
centres. Maristely featured in Project Compassion 2014.
MDF encourages representation and participation In 2016, Maristely continues to be a committed
by shanty town dwellers in municipal and state advocate for human rights. She is in the final year
governments. It offers capacity building initiatives of her Cultural Events course at university. She
such as adult literacy and leadership programs to continues to participate in MDF more specifically
achieve this aim. at the monthly meetings and in the training for
As part of the program, the Centro de Culturas new leaders for favela residents. She is a
member of her local parish Council.
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VANNAK’S STORY- CAMBODIA
Cambodia is still recovering from the Khmer members.
Rouge’s brief but destructive reign between 1975 When he was 15, Vannak left school to support
and 1979. Somewhere between 1 and 3 million his family. Around the same time, in the hopes of
people - one in four Cambodians - were killed achieving a better life, his parents had borrowed
under the regime, and the country’s economy and money. So every week he would give most of his
social structures were devastated. 70% of the 12,000 Riels (US$3) a day earnings to them.
population (15,677,100) live on less than $3 a Although he was helping his family, Vannak felt a
day. sense of hopelessness and knew that he could
Vannak, 19, and his family live in Andong Village, end up in a youth gang, passing time by drinking
the largest slum in Cambodia. Home to alcohol and gambling.
approximately 8,000 people, Andong was “Adults thought I was useless ... However they
established in 2006 when the inhabitants were sometimes praised me as a good boy because I
driven from their homes to make way for was helping my parents to pay off their debt.”
development.
When he heard about the Youth Empowerment
The youth living in Andong face a myriad of Project (YEP), which is run by Caritas Australia
everyday problems, including a lack of nutritious partner, Youth for Peace, Vannak decided to give
food, healthcare, adequate shelter and financial it a go. Designed to provide life skills and
resources to attend school. As a result, there are vocational training such as handicrafts, gardening
high rates of unemployment, substance abuse, and small business, the goal of YEP is to
gang activities and violence. Furthermore, the increase youth employment, as well as build a
youth are often viewed with distrust and sense of responsibility and solidarity.
experience discrimination from other community
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VANNAK’S STORY- CAMBODIA
The Youth Empowerment Project supported by “My parents and other villagers recognise that I
Caritas Australia is based on the conviction that am a new person … I offer advice to other youth
youth are the future of any country. The program and help the community to be aware of the
therefore aims to help youth take actions towards importance of education, child protection, and
reaching their personal goals, to take initiatives to hygiene,” he says.
work towards improving the situation in their With YFP’s support, Vannak’s family has
families and communities, and also to improve improved their living conditions, plus they have
cooperation between youth, their families and paid off all their debt. They can now afford their
community leaders. basic needs, can pay for their children’s
At first, Vannak wasn’t focused on learning; he education and are expanding their small
was so hungry that what he most looked forward business.
to was eating the food provided! However it didn’t “We are not in debt any more. My family has
take long for his hunger to grow for something changed a lot. My two siblings and I are able to
else – learning; in particular silk screen printing pursue our study. These are the results of initial
and gardening. support from Caritas Australia’s office in
Now 19 years old, Vannak, is in grade 12 at Cambodia – Australian Catholic Relief, Caritas
school. He's working hard as a student, earns an Australia and Youth for Peace.”
income, participates in peer counselling and is
contributing to his community.
Vannak also enjoys giving back to his community.
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