To paraphrase Wikipedia, poverty is the deprivation of common necessities which determine the quality of life. In our age of Nintendo Wii’s, online banking, flat-screen TV’s, and more, poverty is still a huge problem in our world. Poverty affects about half of the world’s population.
Here are some of the main causes of poverty:
- Environmental factors: This includes erosion, desertification and overgrazing, deforestation, drought, and lack of natural resources included fresh water and fertile land.
- Economic factors: Unemployment; food prices; capital flight; unfair property laws; and unfair trade.
- Health factors: Inadequate access to health care, poor nutrition, disease, and substance abuse.
- Government factors: Lack of democracy; weak rule of law; poor resource management; corruption.
- Demographic and social factors: Overpopulation; crime; cultural causes; war; discrimination.
About half of the world population suffers from poverty!
What can we do?
Kiva.org is an organization that provides micro-lending to the working poor. In impoverished nations it’s very difficult to get loans. Kiva helps by giving small loans so people can improve their livelihoods.
End Poverty 2015 Millennium Campaign - In 2000 189 world leaders made a promise to meet the eight-point development goals to help end poverty by 2015. Check out the goals and what you can do to help achieve them.
This post is part of Blog Action Day 2008. Blogs from all walks of life are getting together to discuss poverty and what can be done to end it. Go check out the Blog Action Day site and the participating sites.
Poverty can be wiped out if we want it to. It’s up to us to push that goal!
photo credit: jamesfischer
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Hello!
Thanks for including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in your blog post. I work for an organization called Millennium Promise, working to achieve the MDGs by 2015. Our organization was co-founded by Professor Jeffrey Sachs and we work on the Millennium Villages project, an integrated, community-led, sustainable development initiative that aims to show how the MDGs can be achieved. Right now, we work in 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
If you get the chance, check out our site!
Thanks again for writing.
@ Katrina - No, thank you for the work you do and for stopping by to further inform my readers of the problems of poverty!
i love kiva.
am currently unable to make a donation though, so i put up its banner on my blog (as well as that of freerice and goodsearch).
saw this post via the front page of blog action day. it’s great that you’re participating.
@ Kouji - I noticed that Kiva is getting bogged down with traffic. That’s a good thing since it means people are looking to donate or are at least looking for information.
HI all.
KivaB4B is contributing $10,000 to support Blog Action Day. KivaB4B is a new partnership between Kiva and Advanta Bank that lets you double the loans you make through Kiva, up to $200/month. It’s a very cool program. Check it out at KivaB4B.org. There’s also a very unique affiliate program they offer to blogs and other sites. There’s a description on the blog, http://b4bcommunity.org/2008/08/the-kiva-affiliate-program-hel.html
KivaB4B Team
That sounds great!
I really appreciate you going over the causes of poverty..awareness is the first step my friends, the next step though is action. We can all do something, even if you can’t afford a monetary donation, warm clothes, blankets, and food are just as helpful to someone who has nothing.
As a non profit and a community resource we’re also discussing Blog Action Day and poverty, check us out! Our blog provides resources to those in poverty and attempts to give them the skills they need to get into the workforce and survive in our expensive world.
Hi, Do something to help those hungry people in Africa and India,
I created this blog about that subject:
at http://tinyurl.com/5pul7l
poverty is a big issue in the world and it is taking over the world i am doig a huge project on it nad i found out more than i wanted to and it makes me sick that i am doing things to cause poverty. But it also makes me want to change nad become a better person. Everyone is causing this huge otrage and it has to stop and it needs to stop.
# Destiny - If we all did just a little bit I bet it would make a huge difference.
Dear Contributors,
I am a postgrad of Ms in Quantitative Development Economics in Kampala Uganda,Poverty and Income Distribution is my major target because our people are dying while crying of hunger.Thank you very much for having brought such information to help us learn more about Poverty and its eradication strategies as well as donating to the hungry. All the best, God Bless.
Rwakinanga Ezrah
Kampala Uganda
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