POVERTY

Professor Athanasios Tom

Kokkinias
GNED 500-003,
500-003 Assignment 4
Date: Dec. 14, 2010

Submitted by:
Baole Liu
Hannah Oladepo
Insuk Shin
Jessica Weber
Tamara Ellis
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEFINING POVERTY 3

VIDEO OF POVERTY 4

SOME OF OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT POVERTY 5

CAUSES OF POVERTY 6

TAKING ACTION AS AN INDIVIDUAL 11

TAKING ACTION TOGETHER 14

VIDEO ON TAKING ACTION TOGETHER 16

CONCLUSION 18

BIBLIOGRAPHY 19
 Definition of
Poverty
“Poverty is the lack of basic human needs
such as clean water, nutrition, health care,
education, clothing and shelter, because of
inability to afford them (www.wikipedia.org).”

In other words, poverty is a complex and multi-dimensional

issue. It affects how a person can function, “what a person can
do or be (Wallis & Kwok 302).”

“When we talk about poverty, we are talking about a person’s

well-being (Wallis & Kwok 302).”
 Video about
Poverty
The following You Tube video shows
visibly the affects of poverty. It shows
images of both local and global poverty. It
shows how poverty is a global issue, not just
confined to one continent or one climate.
The affects of poverty can especially be seen
in the children’s eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
=F31Y8UZT59A&feature=related
 SOME OF OUR
THOUGHTS ABOUT
POVERTY
• Poverty perpetuates poverty

• Poverty has a HUGE affect on children

and the kind of life they have as adults
(if they make it that far).

• Poverty can be alleviated

• Money is power, so poverty = helplessness

 CAUSES of
Poverty
Some suggested causes of poverty according to Fight Poverty are:
 Overpopulation
 World Economy
 Lack of Resources
 Lack of Jobs
 Lack of Education
 Individual Responsibility
 Environmental Issues (such as Natural Disasters)
(http://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com/poverty/reasons.html)

However, many countries that are known for their poverty have:
 Uncaring Leadership (For example, in Zimbabwe)

 Incompetent Leadership (For example, in Haiti)

 Evil Leadership (For example, in North Korea)

 Corrupt Leadership (For example, in Somalia)

 Discriminating Leadership (For example, in Myanmar)

 CAUSES of
Poverty
According to the CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX 2010 RESULTS the following

VENEZUELA, ANGOLA,
countries scored the worst out of 178 countries:
EQUATORIAL GUINEA, BURUNDI, CHAD, SUDAN,
TURKMENISTAN, UZBEKISTAN, IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN,
MYANMAR, SOMALIA
(http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010)

Is it a coincidence that most of these countries are also known for poverty and lack of

human rights?
 INCOME,
ECONOMICS
“The concept of income…
does play an important role in
defining poverty (Wallis & Kwok 302).”
BUT

“It is not just a matter of having low

income, but it is referring to a more
broader scope of not having control or access
to economic resources (Wallis & Kwok 303).”
 CAUSES of
Poverty
In class we talked about:
 The power of corporations to:

 Manipulate governments and those in power (Moore Sicko)

For example, in the documentary Sicko, we see evidence of the
American health insurance companies try to manipulate the government
(Moore Sicko) .

 Oppress the poor by unfair treatment of people who provide

the goods and/or services (Kokkinias 2010).
 CAUSES of
Poverty
An Interesting Cause Of Poverty We Read About:

“Globlalization – the increased economic,

political, and social interconnectness of the
world – has produced the opportunities for
unthinkable wealth. Yet at the same time,
it
has produced widespread poverty and
suffering (Giddens et al 196).”
TAKING ACTION

AS AN INDIVIDUAL
 I CAN…
Become more knowledgeable about poverty – by researching
where the poverty is, who specifically it is affecting, and the causes of
poverty in that particular area
so I can consider how to help.
– The internet is an amazing tool to get information
For example, I can check out WORLD STATISTICS on the internet to
find out where there is abject poverty in the world

– Read newspapers, magazine articles, blogs

– Go to forums, listen to visiting speakers like Stephen Lewis

– Study international issues in depth at university

– Spend time around people who are concerned about poverty and doing
something about it, therefore learning from them not only about the
problem, but about what works and what doesn’t work
 I CAN…
 BOYCOTT (do not purchase anything from) companies that contribute to poverty by oppressing the poor
(Kokkinias 2010). This would include companies that purchase their materials from other suspect companies.
It would also include refusing to personally work for companies who prey on the poor.

 Vote for political leaders in my municipality, province and country who have a proven record of compassion
towards the poor, who have implemented policies that help strengthen and stimulate the economy, who have
cancelled debts to impoverished nations.

 Buy Fair Trade products. Buy as direct from those countries as you can when you can.
For example, there are charities that sell products made in Africa and Haiti, especially jewellery, purses, and
art. In Toronto there are stores like in ‘Sistering’ where people can purchase local art made from
local people that are suffering from poverty here in Toronto or ‘Ten Thousand Villages’ which sell items
from around the world fairly.

 Go to concerts and watch movies where the proceeds go to fight poverty or where the artists are big on giving.
For example, a U2 concert might be an idea because Bono gives so much of his money to charity. Also,
watching a movie that has Angelina Jolie in it means that part of the money from that project went to
charity because she spends 1/3 of her salary on the poor. Both Bono and Jolie advocate for the poor
and rally others to do so as well.

 Give someone a job (if able to), especially if they are in poverty.
It could be simple like hiring a youth, whose family is struggling, to shovel the snow. Or letting a girl
who is putting herself through school by herself babysit once a week. There is even more opportunities
for individuals who are in positions to hire.

 Give someone from a family that is struggling a scholarship or money towards their education.

 Give to an organization that is geared to helping the poor (such as Yonge Street Mission)
TAKING ACTION

TOGETHER
 WE CAN…
 JOIN with others who are making a difference to combat and/or alleviate poverty.

TOGETHER, we can:

 Put pressure on the political parties in our country because they have power to affect social policies
on a macrolevel. In a democracy, they are to act on behalf of the will of the people.
For example, we can phone, write and/or email our Member of Parliament. We
can send a petition.

 We can put our money towards charitable causes that are recognized by the
government. This does two things. First, the government can see which agencies
people are giving to through the income tax receipt system. Second, the
government sometimes matches funds with what individuals give to specific
approved charities. For example, during January 2010, the Canadian government
matched funds through a variety of reputable charities that Canadians give to.
Double the money means more can be done to fight against the devastating blows
poverty deals.

 We can put our money and/or time into grassroots initiatives that directly work
against poverty.

 We can boycott as a group corporations that sustain or increase poverty (Kokkinias 2010). This is
even more powerful than that of an individual (Kokkinias 2010).
 Video about
TAKING ACTION
The following You Tube video shows how one
person has moved beyond doing something as an
individual and is rallying others to join in to
fight poverty. He has become an advocate of
poverty, a voice for the voiceless.
This particular person, Bono, is famous, but he
believes that there is more power if we all
work to fight against poverty together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Eih_ybKdVXU
 THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS

LET US WORK TOGETHER

 CONCLUSION
The effects of abject poverty on individuals is
profoundly disturbing. Even if we disagree on the causes of or
solutions to poverty, if we all do something, there is bound to be
more change towards diminishing the crushing effects and
perpetuation of poverty. Humans have a right to dignity.
Because of that, we need to face up to poverty and care about
those who suffer because of poverty. Our research shows that we
can do something about poverty and our consciences tell us that
we have a responsibility to do something about poverty. It is
encouraging to know that we can do things to make a difference
as an individual and as a group. That makes us powerful. It is the
power to give another human being hope, maybe even life. In
conclusion, we feel that we have a personal responsibility to not
only acknowledge and face that poverty exists but to act on that
knowledge.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fight Poverty. www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com/poverty/reasons.html December 14, 2010. Internet

Giffens, Anthony, Mitchell Duneier, and Richard P. Appelbaum. Essentials of Sociology. New York: W. W.
Norton & Company Inc. 2006. Print.

Global Issues. www.globalissues.org December 13, 2010. Internet.

Google www.google.ca December 2010

Kokkinias, Professor Athanasios Tom. GNED500-003 Global Citizenship. Centennial College. 2010. Lectures.

Moore, Michael. Sicko. 2007. Documentary.

Ontario Provincial Website. http://news.ontario.ca/mcys/en/2009/05/ontario-passes-historic-poverty-reduction-act.html

December 14, 2010. Internet.

Profy. http://profy.com/2008/07/28/povcaprecap/ December 14, 2010. Image of signpost in Slide 1.

Transparency Internations, The Global Coalition Against Corruption. www.transparency.org/policy_research/

surveys_indices/cpi/2010 2010. Internet.

United Nations. www.un.org/en/ December 14, 2010. Internet.

Wallis, Maria, and Siu-ming Kwok. Daily Struggles: The Deepening Racialization And Feminization Of Poverty
In Canada. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press Inc. 2008. Print.

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. www.wikipedia.org December 6, 2010. Internet.

World Bank. www.worldbank.org December 6, 2010. Internet.

You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F31Y8UZT59A&feature=related (general video on poverty)

You Tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eih_ybKdVXU (Bono video)