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Kerene Phillips-Ross
NUR 310
The Global Effects of Poverty on Nutrition
2
The Global Effects of Poverty on Nutrition
Many people across the globe suffer daily from extreme poverty, malnutrition ,and its
adverse effect on overall health. Poverty is defined as a condition where people's basic needs for
food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. In 1995, the United Nations placed poverty into
two different categories which are overall poverty and absolute poverty ( Mack,2016). Overall
poverty is "lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods, hunger
and malnutrition, ill health, limited or lack of access to education and other basic services,
increased morbidity and mortality from illness, homelessness and inadequate housing, unsafe
Absolute Poverty is defined as, "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic
human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education,
and information" Those in absolute poverty has an income of less than less than $1.25 a day
( Mack, 2016).
Haiti is the poorest country in the world. In January 2010, Haiti was struck by a
affected ten of thousands of Haitian citizens. Many homes were destroyed which left many
people homeless and in dire need of food and clean water. This devastating natural disaster left
an already impoverished nation in great need of help and resources. Sadly before the earthquake
hit, 1.9 million Haitian citizens were in need of food assistance. Haitian citizens struggle with
poverty daily. About 60 percent of the Haitian population lives on less than $1.00 a day. As a
The Global Effects of Poverty on Nutrition
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result, malnutrition and anemia run rampant. Haiti has a poverty rate of 77 %; it is the third
Poverty is the fundamental cause of hunger and malnutrition. The United Nations
announced that by July 2017, "more than 20 million people in Somalia, South Sudan, Nigeria
and Yemen risk death by starvation" (Sile, 2017) According to the United Nations, about 795
million people are estimated to be undernourished, across the globe. More than 90 million
The Millennium Development Goal to eradicate hunger is first on a list of eight goals.
The goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger sets three targets which aim to:
Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women
and youth.
specific criteria are met: when one in five households in a certain area face extreme food
shortages, more than 30 percent of the population is acutely malnourished, and at least two
people for every 10,000 die each day" (Sengupta, 2017). The United Nations reported that "20
million people are on the brink of famine, including 1.4 million children at imminent risk of
4
One of the leading countries suffering from famine is South Sudan. Sudan's famine crisis
is not only due to poverty but also a devastating civil war. In March 2017 the United Nations
announced that "In South Sudan, 100,000 people are affected by famine in a part of the country
that is most troubled by the fighting between two warring armies." (Sengupta, 2017)
"According to the U.N., the greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945 is unfolding in South
Sudan. The U.N. declared a famine in two parts of the country and warned that nearly half the
population is in urgent need of food assistance."(Beaubien, 2016). What is being done to bring
forth change?
The United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization, reported in 2016 that the
adverse effects of climate change would also impact and affect agriculture (Sile, 2017).
Though the efforts to affect change in global poverty and nutrition seem futile, many
active milestones have been reached. The United Nations reported that in Eastern Sudan the
Government and humanitarian partners have stepped up their treatment of children suffering
from severe malnutrition. "The number of under-fives treated has increased from 27,000 children
There is hope, according to Dustin Green, who wrote the article, 'Ending World Hunger is
Entirely Possible'-so why hasn't it been done, ending world hunger is very possible, this is
because there is not a global food shortage, there is just a problem in the allocation or resources
(green, 2012).
In summary, the demand for food continues to swell with global population projected to
grow by another 2 billion by 2020. " (Sile, 2017). Many people across the globe suffer daily from
extreme poverty, malnutrition, which very negatively affect their overall health. Though many
efforts have being made to combat the effects of poverty and eradicate hunger so much more can
The Global Effects of Poverty on Nutrition
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and need to be done. A good place to start is to inform the public of ways they can help. No one
References
Sudan: fighting the double burden of child malnutrition. (2013, December 10). Retrieved March
25, 2017, from http://www.unocha.org/top-stories/all-stories/eastern-sudan-fighting-double-
burden-child-malnutrition
UN launches web-based guide to help combat all forms of malnutrition. (n.d.). Retrieved
March23,2017,from http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?
NewsID=39268&Cr=nutrition&Cr1=%23.WNhSRpJjA4A#.WNjdnbCguM8
Evans, C. (2015). Top 5 Facts about Poverty in Haiti . The Borgen Project. Retrieved
March 23, 2017, from https://borgenproject.org/top-five-facts-about-
poverty-in-haiti/.
Sengupta, S. (2017, February 22). Why 20 Million People Are on Brink of Famine in a World of Plenty.
Retrieved April 19, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/world/africa/why-20-million-
people-are-on-brink-of-famine-in-a-world-of-plenty.html?_r=0
Sile,A.W.(2017,April18).Thisfundamentalglobalproblemtoucheseverythingfromfarmingtotechnology.
RetrievedApril19,2017,fromhttp://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/18/thisfundamentalglobalproblemtouches
everythingfromfarmingtotechnology.html
Beaubien, J. (2017, March 14). Why The Famine In South Sudan Keeps Getting Worse.
Retrieved April 19, 2017, from
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/03/14/520033701/why-the-famine-in-south-
sudan-keeps-getting-worse