Sustainable development #18: Poverty

Good day steemit friends, Today I will be writing on poverty which is at the core of every challenge facing humanity ranging from environmental, social, educational e.t.c. At the top of the United Nation Sustainable Development Goal is the eradication of poverty in all it forms, globally more than 800 million individuals still depend on less than $1.25 per day with many lacking food, potable water and sanitation. The rapid growth of some economy such as that of China and India has reduce the number of poor persons.

Sustainable Development Number 1 Goal

What is poverty?

In defining poverty we have two approaches, which are;
The qualitative approach: Using the qualitative approach, poverty is defined as the inability of an individual to meet his or her daily needs and necessity of life.

The quantitative approach: using the quantitative approach, poverty is when the total consumption of capital per day is below a unified acceptable societal standard of living ( 1.90USD ) monetary value or index is placed on the aspect of life.

Indicators of poverty
Here are some indicators of poverty:

• education: the level of literacy determines the rate of poverty in any given country, the higher the literacy level the lesser the rate of poverty.

• Water: the amount of water required by each person for daily use is between 50-150 litres, if the available water for use is less than 50 litres, then we can classify such person to be poor. Also, the quality of water (it must be potable) and source of water is a determinant of poverty.

• Health: every individual is supposed to have access to basic medical care and also live in good sanitary condition.

• Clothings: the ability to afford clothings during harsh weather conditions to protect from exposure.

• food: individuals which cannot attain 3000-4000 calories, food security and food with good nutritional value are poor.

Classes of poverty

• Transitional Poverty this is a temporary state of poverty, it happens when someone loses a job for short time.
• Marginal PovertyA state of poverty that occurs when a person lacks a stable employment.
• Residual Poverty: Chronic and multigenerational poverty, it is just like an inherited type of poverty.
• Absolute Poverty: this poverty is so severe that one lacks the resources to survive
• Relative Poverty: this type of poverty occurs when we compare ourselves to individuals around us.

A great majority of people living below the poverty line are found in two regions: Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the country have developing or underdeveloped economy.

what is responsible for poverty in sub-Saharan Africa?

• Extreme climatic conditions: some part of Africa is been affected by extreme climatic conditions such as drought, most persons living in sub-Saharan Africa depends on agriculture as means of livelihood. Drought leads to low productivity and famine leaving these agrarian families without income and exposed to food shortage. This is common with countries in the sahel vegetation belt.

• Disease and poor health conditions: disease pandemic also causes poverty, a recent example is the ebola outbreak in some West African nations. During the outbreak, economic activities in the affect countries were almost at a halt, which dealt a major blow to the economy of the infected countries, leaving some people in poverty.

• Ethnic and socio-cultural violence: ethnic violence is very common in sub-saharan countries, example is the Democratic Republic of Congo where years of continuous ethnic violence has led to slow economic growth of the mineral rich country. The inability of rival ethnic groups to settle their differences have caused war and genocide, displacing many people who are now without homes and livelihood.

• Technological hazards: technological hazard is associated with countries who exploit their petroleum and mineral resources, unsustainable mining activities leads to the pollution of land, water and air, thereby denting the chances of making a living from the environment and pollute clean water source. Also dam failure causes flooding and loss of farmlands, shelter and infrastructures.

• High population growth rate: the ever increasing population of Sub-Saharan countries (which is the fastest in the world) have cause spike in the rate of poverty. The population growth rate in comparison to resources is not sustainable, the overwhelming usage of available resources is more faster than it can be replenished leading to resource depletion or even extinction.

• Lack of education: education is one of the key needed to over come poverty. Most Sub-Saharan countries allocate only a small fraction of their budget to education which is not enough, for this reason illiteracy is very rife in this region, which is the reason for the increased poverty rate.

• Corruption: the rate of corruption in Sub-Sahara Africa is quite appalling, leaders of these countries who are entrusted with these nations wealth mismanage it, even in some cases direct this monies into their personal bank accounts, thereby leaving their citizens in abject poverty.

Coclusion
The Sub-Sahara region is the most retarded in the world in terms of socio-economic development. However there is still hope for this region, in the past five years there have been change in governance, corrupt and repressive government paving way for open democratic governments which are trying to get their country to top.

Reference
United Nations
UNDP
Wikipedia