Global Section

History of Poverty (Question one)

Poverty, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a "The condition of having little or no wealth or few material possessions," is a condition which has burdened and pulled the world since ancient times. The Bible, one of the western worlds oldest historical documents, often describes, both in new and old testaments, the great masses of poor and the terrible conditions in which they lived. The creation of charities, such as the Ursuline Sisters, also attested to the historical size of the poverty problem. Still, even up to recent times, poverty wasn't necessarily viewed as a problem. Strict social hierarchies, where aristocrats lived in luxury and the commoners lived in wretched conditions, were the norm. Serfdom, a system of "modified slavery", even existed as a way of keeping the poor poor and the rich rich.
It wasn't until the enlightenment, which brought a new "rationalism" to thinking, that poverty became a "problem" that needed to be dealt with. The rulers of Denmark, for example, virtually abolished the serf system, while Fredrick the Great of Prussia set out on an organized program of poverty fighting aimed at improving the lot of the worst of his citizens.
More recent times have seen the expansion of poverty fighting beyond the traditional warriors of Church and state. NGOs (Non governmental organizations) with no strong affiliation to religion have flourished with groups such as Doctors without Borders and Save the Children continuing the fight without government support. Governmental conglomerations, which run with the help of multiple governments have also appeared with groups such as UNICEF coordinating the efforts of many nations. Private individuals, ranging from the great industrialists of Carnegie and Rockefeller, to the philanthropists of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, have also attacked poverty with both their dollars and their influence. Government work has also continued with many nations, such as the United States, spending sizeable portions of their budget on the plight of the poor.
The actions of all these groups have had a telling effect on poverty. The number of impoverished in the world has fallen steadily (see graph) and prosperity has become a real prospect for millions more. Still, the fight is far from over. Even one person in poverty is too many. Perhaps, with the continued efforts of governments, ngos, and private individuals, poverty truly can become history.


Global Poverty (Question 2):

According to the World Bank, poverty is the state of being extremely poor. It includes financial hardship, hunger, homelessness, illiteracy and lack of medical care. According to a World Bank classification, nearly 1.2 billion people--one fifth of mankind--continue to live in absolute poverty, with incomes of less than $1 a day. Some of the world’s poorest nations are in Africa, the Caribbean, South America and Indonesia. People living at the poverty level can be found in most countries--including the United States--where over 12% of the population lives at or below the official poverty “threshold.” There are many charitable and government organizations working to end domestic and international poverty. They include the National Center for Children in Poverty, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Labour Organization. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are the large financial backers of many programs. Organizations like these seek to address immediate needs as well as the issues that cause chronic poverty. Opinions vary on this point but many agree that simple charity or loans from world banks may be doing more harm than good due to complex economic factors which need consideration. Illiteracy is also a major factor. Over a billion people in the world today are illiterate. This affects one’s ability to participate in local or national government or to reach one’s potential in other areas, including education and employment.

Global Solution (Question 3):
The consequential aftermath of poverty is hunger and disease. As is stated in poverty.com, the United Nations World Food Program approximates “an average of 25,000 people die every day of hunger; that’s one person every three and a half seconds.” Yet the problem is not rooted in a lack of food; the high level of obesity in the United States can attest to that. Rather, it is the lack of available funding for poverty stricken families, to buy the necessary provisions to keep them nourished and strong. “In September 2000, the United Nations unanimously agreed to spare no effort to free our fellow men, women, and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, specifically hunger, and the major diseases that afflict humanity.” To help eradicate poverty and the problems that stem from it, a plan was conceived which proposed that 0.7% of the national incomes of each country be committed to help “substantially eliminate” poverty. To this day, only six of the one hundred eighty nine countries have yet to pledge 0.7% of their national income to raise money to contribute to the international aid enterprise. The US is one of these countries. To change US lack of initiative, print and send the following letter encouraging the President to act now and pledge a mere 0.7% of the national income to help combat poverty ( http://www.poverty.com/letters/united_states.html ).

1.www.alternative-hawaii.com
2.http://starbulletin.com/2006/08/30/news/story06.html
3.http://www.ecanned.com/HI/2007/01/income-and-poverty-in-state-of-hawaii.html
4.http://www.cbpp.org/2-22-06sfp-pr-hi.htm
5.http://www.med-quest.us/eligibility/EligPrograms_ACE.html
6.http://www.hcdch.hawaii.gov/news/index.htm
7.http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Improving_Lives2&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=21630
8.http://www.poverty.com/letters/united_states.html

Plan of Action (Question 4):

What can one do to help global poverty on a realistic level? First of all, the easiest way for anyone to contribute to ending world poverty is by simply donating money to charitable causes that improve the world. One of the best websites today is The Hunger Site, for all proceeds go to improving poverty and other issues in the world. A few dollars can make a big difference for those who only make cents a day, and a few dollars a day can feed a family. Charity is the easiest way to help the less fortunate in the world, without really having to do any work. One receives a great feeling after giving to charity, for how could one not feel good when they give others a chance to live? Giving to charity is the easiest way to distribute funds and material to the less fortunate, http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifand really takes little effort.

Another step that one can take in order to help global poverty is by spreading awareness through organizations such as the United Way and the Red Cross . You don't have to create a large organization, you can simply create a group of people that works to solve worldwide problems. We have several clubs already that contribute to such work, such as Military History Club, and Club Hope (which deals with issues such as genocide). Sometimes, awareness can be the most effective form of support for an issue, for the more people know about an issue, the more inclined they are to help out. By creating blogs and other forms of literature that spreads the word, we can all make a difference to help out with poverty in the world.