User:Cheikhali 12/Poverty

Poverty Over 3 billion people of the world population live on less than $2.50 a day.(Global Issues,1) Poverty is the state where one is extremely poor, suffering through malnutrition or hunger. Poverty is a growing issue throughout the world. Populations around the world are continuously growing, making it very difficult to provide help for those in need. According to the World Hunger Education Service, "There is enough agriculture in the world to provide everyone in the world with at least 2,720 kilocalories (kcal) per person per day (FAO 2002, p.9)." Many are not able to acquire such needs due to insufficient income or land. Climate also plays a major role in poverty. Climate change can greatly affect arable lands. Increasing drought, flooding, and changing climatic patterns requiring a shift in crops and farming practices that may not be easily accomplished are three key issues. The increase in populations, climate changes, and conflict has resulted in the increase of poverty over the years.

Poverty and Conflict Everyday thousands of children and women die due to poverty, according to The United Nations. Many of these people who have died from poverty have been forced to follow the path of poverty because of war. War is an act violence portrayed by supreme leaders in order to obtain what is needed. What people don’t realize is these actions are being taken on the sake of the people. War causes displacement of people’s lives or refugees, loss of jobs, political and economic instability, destruction of infrastructure, and the difficulty of acquiring resources such as, food and water. Which ultimately leads to poverty. We shall all take it to our interest as citizens of the world to help these people and use political force to create an alternative to war. War leads to displacement from homes. Not being able to go home because of the violence or because of the destruction that has occurred on the house can cause one to have a very tough time trying to find a place to sleep. War is causing the number of refugees to greatly increase in many different regions of the world. According to The International Rescue Committee, the Syrian citizens have been forced to leave everything behind and abandon their homes to take refuge in neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey. Their lives in these countries have not been any better with the hardships they face as refugees. Many of the Syrian refugees are facing death because of the inability to obtain food, water, and medical treatment. Many other people are forced to face the same situation. For example, refugees from Sri Lanka faced similar problems of, “overcrowding (some people are sharing a tent with 10 others), malnutrition, ill health, trauma and shortages of water and food are among the serious problems” according to the staff writers of Ekklesia.co.uk. The following problems are forcing these people who once lived well to take the path of poverty because of being displaced from their homes. War also causes loss of jobs, which leads to destruction of ones lifestyle. The destruction that is caused by war is devastating. Buildings, and factories are destroyed, which could have been work places for many individuals. Those individuals are left with no source of income, so they can’t support their families. “Afghan widows and wounded are two groups that face extreme barriers to safety, health and gainful employment. Without marketable skills and adequate income, these individuals are forced into poverty and are unable to provide for their families. Despite their best efforts, they need help.” (Canadian Red Cross)

This quote from the Canadian Red Cross informs of how war can affect individuals and how it leads poverty. Not only are most of the individuals who are in a state war wounded they are also poor, which makes life even more difficult. These people truly need help. Without assistance these people can be left to die.

Economic and Political Instability Economic and political instability is also one of the most crucial factors in the creation of poverty. A time of war for a third world country could lead to widespread corruption within the government. Poverty at Large: A Dark Spot In Humanity, this article explains, “Corruption is both a major cause and a result of poverty around the world”. Government officials will scramble around to obtain as much power and wealth, which will bring hurtful consequences for the citizens of that country because they depend on the government to aid them. Money being stolen by officials can be used for healthcare programs and development projects, which could lead to formation of jobs. When a country is in a time of war the country’s government is in need of money to fund its troops and purchase military supplies. The amount of money available for the citizens of the country is limited. For example, “Nations experiencing civil war will experience stunted economic growth rate. For example, from 1990 to 1993, the period encompassing Desert Storm, per capita GDP in Iraq fell from $3500 to $761”. (Poverty at Large) The great drop in GDP in Iraq greatly affected public income, which led to high unemployment.

Destruction of Infrastructure War also causes great destruction to infrastructure. Infrastructure is an important necessity for a community; it is needed for communication and transportation. Destruction to infrastructure means destruction to people’s lives. The citizens of a country will be left to suffer if no source of help can be reached to them. For example, “Widespread poverty and a breakdown of the country’s infrastructure have left thousands of people without access to even the most basic supplies and services”. (Canadian Red Cross) The following exert from the newsletter informs of how infrastructure is a basic need for individuals to survive. The loss of infrastructure means the loss of food, water, electricity, and medical attention. A country that is in time of war is in great danger. The infrastructure of the country is also in danger, which is the basic foundation of a country from communication to transportation. The previous quote from the Canadian Red Cross is of Afghanistan’s recent struggles with violence and terrorism, which has put detrimental effects on the countries infrastructure. Which has caused a great increase in poverty within the country.

Loss of Resources War makes it impossible for individuals to acquire resources, such as, food and water. According to the Culture of Peace Initiative: “When food and water systems are disrupted by war they take a long time to recover. Armed conflict disrupts the food supply. Production goes down when it becomes unsafe for farmers to leave their homes for their fields. Fewer acres are planted resulting in lower quantities. Farmers have a hard time accessing seeds and may not be able to travel to bring their crops to market. In some areas landmines planted in fields restrict access to agricultural land, even after the conflict ends. Livestock may be killed as a strategy of war, or incidentally, as a result of disease.” As explained in this article war can bring a great destruction to food and water. The scarce availability of food and water can lead to many deaths. Individuals need food and water to survive. Water is greatly affected in war. Water systems are in great risk of pollution. Water pollution is very difficult to get rid of. It costs an enormous amount of money to filter and clean polluted water. That is money the people and the government don’t have in a time of war. As mentioned in the article livestock is destroyed as a strategy of war. That strategy greatly affects the people. It can lead to thousands of deaths because the needed nutrients were not obtained for them to survive. War can greatly take its toll on people’s lives.

Poverty is a widespread problem around the world that needs to be fixed. The sad thing is that many people are forced into poverty because of war and violence. War destroys people’s lives by forcing them to move and leave everything behind. Infrastructure is destroyed, so individuals don’t have a source of obtaining basic needs of food, water and health care. War has destroyed many people’s lives, forcing them to live in poverty. The citizens of the world should give a hand to these victims and support them with all their will. Alternatives of war are necessary, so individuals are not forced to live in poverty.

References

Shah, Anup. "Poverty Facts and Stats." - Global Issues. N.p., 07 Jan. 2013. Web. 07 Nov. 2013. <http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/>.Food and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, World Food Program. 2002 "Reducing Poverty and Hunger, the Critical Role of Financing for Food, Agriculture, and Rural Development."

Food and Agriculture Organization. 2006. State of World Food Insecurity 2006 Food and Agriculture Organization. 2010. The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2010 http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1683e/i1683e.pdf Food and Agriculture Organization. 2012. "The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012" http://www.fao.org/docrep/016/i3027e/i3027e00.htm Dollar A Day (n.d.): 1-9. Canadian Red Cross. Canadian Red Cross. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.redcross.ca/cmslib/general/ewhl_dollar_a_day.pdf>. "Globalisation and Development News Brief Refugees Sri Lanka Tamil Tearfund World News." Sri Lanka's War Refugees Face Continuing Hardships. N.p., 19 June 2009. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. <http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/9682>. "POVERTY AT LARGE : A DARK SPOT IN HUMANITY." Causes of Poverty -. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. <http://povertyhci.weebly.com/causes-of-poverty.html>. "Poverty Is Another War Rolling through Iraq." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2007. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://articles.latimes.com/2007/feb/19/world/fg-poverty19>. "Syria: A Regional Crisis." Rescue and Refugee Support. IRC, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 3 Feb. 2013. <http://www.rescue.org/crisis-syria-0>. "War on Food and Water." War on Food and Water. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://cultureofpeace.org/impactofwar/item/261-war_food_and_water>.

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