A submission to Global Teacher Digital Narratives 2016

All around the word there are children living in poverty. Sadly, 29,000 children under the age of five – 21 each minute – die every day from it


What is poverty?

Poverty is much more than not having enough money. Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time.

Poverty can usually be measured in two ways. Firstly, absolute poverty. The level for absolute poverty is measured in terms of the basic necessities for survival. This includes things like; food, shelter, safe drinking water and education. Secondly, it can be measured by comparative or relative poverty. A person is said to be in relative poverty when they do not meet a specified income.


The cycle of poverty

A poverty cycle or a poverty trap is a vicious cycle where low incomes leading to poverty are responsible for low savings which are able to finance limited investments leading to low income levels.

The effects on economic development due to low incomes can also lead to low levels of education and healthcare, when this happens the human capital is negatively affected due to the unhealthy and uneducated labour market, lastly this will lead to low levels of productivity. The poverty cycle is a self-perpetuating cycle that is extremely difficult to escape…


Escaping the Cycle

Even through all of this, there is hope to break the poverty cycle. Throughout the world, there are good people and organisations helping to break the poverty cycle and bringing food, water and education to those who need it.
Creator(s): Benjamin Slater