Menor, Carla H.

BSOAOUMN 3-1
Prof. Jane Carillo Zamora
Science, Technology and Society

If you will be given a chance to solve any existing problem in the world, what will it be
and why?

POVERTY

“Poverty is the worst form of violence.”   — Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and
spiritual leader

What first comes to your mind when you hear the word “poverty”? Well, when we say
poverty, it defines as a condition where the basic needs of the family such as water, food,
shelter, articles of clothing, and education are not fulfilled. It was one of the most concerning
world problems these days. Poverty is the cause of many problems. Tha main cause of it was
inequality. The barriers that leads to people going without representation in their communities
leaves them further behind in terms of resources and opportunity.  In order for a community, or
even a country, to alleviate poverty, all groups and identities must be involved in creating
solutions. The World Bank Organization describes poverty as “hunger”. It has been estimated
that around 60% of the world’s population lives on less than US$10 per day and around 10%
on less than US$1.90 per day. The world’s poorest people frequently experienced hunger,
limited access to proper education and serious health problems, and even death. Even before
Covid-19 pandemic, extreme poverty often goes hand in hand. According to United Nations,
“Forecasts for 2022 estimate that 75 million more people than expected prior to the pandemic
will be living in extreme poverty”. Poverty is the cause of many problems. How poverty is
being measured? Poverty is not the same for everybody. Poor people in the US are not the
same as poor in the Philippines. Developing countries like the Philippines have also a massive
number of people who struggles to survive although our country is improving in the past years. 

Nobody wants to be poor. But there are circumstances that some people are born to be
poor. To live, poor people strive hard and do their best just to fill their empty stomachs on a
day-to-day basis. To be honest, we can’t just solve poverty in a blink of an eye, but we can
reduce it little by little and it is doable. We just need to exert too much effort, funds, patience,
unity, and love to make it. Having strong social protection systems is essential for mitigating
the consequences and preventing people from falling into poverty. Some modern technologies
and organizations could help us to solve this problem. Below is my solution on how to reduce
poverty and these includes:

I. QUALITY EDUCATION

Education can end poverty. It provides knowledge and life skills to realize our full
potential. 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. If all adults completed secondary education, we could cut the global poverty rate by
more than half. Giving free education to the less fortunate, it changes their lives by helping
them overcome poverty. Education is often referred to as the “ great equalizer”.This will lead
them to better health and increase income opportunities. This is why access to quality
education is the globally-recognized solution to poverty.

II. ELIMINATING POVERTY THROUGH EQUITY

To alleviate poverty, all groups and identities must be involved in creating solutions.

One of the biggest inequalities we need to address is gender inequality. According to the UN’s
High-Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment, women’s unpaid labor adds up to
$10 trillion per year — 13% of the global GDP. According to the Food and Agriculture
Organization, women own less than 20% of agricultural land in parts of Africa and Asia, yet
they makeup 60% of the agricultural workforce. “Women are the backbone of our work in
agriculture…” By equality, we mean that every person must have equality of results versus
equality of resources. This may mean additional resources for the furthest behind, in order to
ensure that they have all they need to succeed.
 III. POVERTY ALLEVIATION THROUGH PEACE

Guns, bombs, and deaths represent war. It disrupts food systems, by undermining food
production causing rapid inflation in food prices that we’re experiencing now and preventing
people to earn money to buy food. Ending all wars is a big help to solve poverty. Sounds
impossible right? Sounds ambitious but ending war means that budgets allocated to cover the
cost of conflicts can be used to deliver public services. This reduces the risk faced by the most
vulnerable communities and ensures the goals towards equality and inclusion can be
maintained.

IV. END HUNGER AND THIRST BY DONATING FOODS

The regular meal of a normal person is three times a day but not all of us can eat three
times a day due to poverty. When a person doesn’t meet the required nutrients needed by the
body, they lack the strength and energy needed to work. Contaminated water can lead to
debilitating illnesses. Improving access to clean water can mean that those who live in rural
communities. In the meantime, it is important to lend a helping hand. The impact of donations,
both cash, and food, have had an immense impact on world hunger. Organizations such as
Food for All have customers donate $1-5 when checking out. Last year they raised a whopping
$60 million to fight world hunger.

V. SOCIAL CHANGE

Increasing the supply of affordable social housing, improving schools that less fortunate
children attend and the schooling they receive, and expanding real childhood education for
poor children. Also by providing them better nutrition and health services for poor families with
young children. Ideally, this will happen when world powers, such as the United States and
many western European nations, choose to focus on solving these issues instead of
exacerbating them. However, this can only start when people in developed nations begin to
care about those issues as well and pressure their governments to be productive in ending the
conflict.

VI. URBAN FARMING

Small things count. Urban farming can help reduce poverty in several ways. It improves
local economies by stimulating commerce and creating jobs, helps the environment, and
provides healthy, affordable food local to communities. Almost one-quarter of undernourished
people live in an urban environment. Recently, there has been a big push for urban farming.
Urban farming empowers families to gain control over their food source.

VII. BIRTH CONTROL

Family planning programs are associated with a decrease in the share of children and
adults living in poverty. Having high birthrates pose a problem when trying to solve hunger.
Many people are not educated on reproduction or do not have access to contraceptives.
Gaining access to contraceptives allows for family planning and economic freedom. It found
out that cohorts born after federal family planning programs began were less likely to live in
poverty in childhood and that these same cohorts were less likely to live in poverty as adults.
Family planning programs could increase investments in children through both income and
price channels. First, they may induce greater parental investments in their children by
reducing the relative price of child quality. Second, they may raise the incomes of the average
parent, for instance by reducing the cost of delaying childbearing so that parents can
themselves increase their human capital investments, find better partners, and, ultimately, earn
higher wages.

VIII. GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION

This is not much different from many programs available in the United States but Aid to
foreign nations needs to be more focused on government intervention, like programs that
provide food to mothers and their children in poor areas. If governments support less well-off
families, by expanding working tax credits, nutrition assistance, health care, housing vouchers,
and similar programs, this would not only help poorer citizens in the short-term but also grow
the economy in the future.

Referrences:

Poverty in the World Today (theworldcounts.com)

2022 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) | Human Development Reports (undp.org)
— SDG Indicators (un.org)
7 Solutions to poverty that will get us to 2030 | Concern Worldwide US (concernusa.org)
10 Effective World Hunger Solutions | The Borgen Project