thecausesofpoverty-group4


 * By Hannah Dar



INTRODUCTION** Poverty is an issue that I think everyone in the entire world is aware of, but perhaps some do not know the extent that poverty has got to in our world today. Statistics show that almost three billion people in the world live on less than one pound a day. That seems appaulling when you think that the minimum wage in the UK stands at five pounds thirty five an HOUR! It's disgraceful... And because poverty like this seems to be immanent in the same countries, these countries now have huge debts, and even though charities are contributing towards paying them off, it just isn't enough. For example, this statement is shocking: “The lives of 1.7 million children will be needlessly lost this year [2000] because world governments have failed to reduce poverty levels”. It seems that as the western world has far too much wealth, whilst countries such as Africa (probably the country most associated with poverty) seems to be lacking greatly in it, for example: "A few hundred millionaires now own as much wealth as the world’s poorest 2.5 billion people". Does this unbalanced world really seem fair?

Obviously, there are a multitude of factors that can lead to poverty... A prime example in the UK is that a person could be a single parent and therefore unable to work and provide for their children. Where as in places like Africa, diseases like HIV Aids spread rapidly and millions of children are orphaned and therefore have to fend for themselves, meaning that they have no money and very little food and water. Also, in Africa, contraception is not readily available and so women have many children (the average being around five!), meaning that parents have even more people to feed and look after making it increadibly difficult for them to overcome poverty. And because some African areas are so poverty stricken, children are unable to learn to read and write: "Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names", and so this means that they are unable to get jobs and provide for their family, and so the cycle goes on...
 * CAUSES OF POVERTY**



Poverty in the UK is sometimes unrecognised as it is not as sever as in other countries, however it still goes on. 1 in 5 people in the UK do not have enough to live on, that is astounding considering the wealth in our country today! It seems that poverty is everywhere, and it is some people's view that we should stamp out the problem in our country, before we begin helping others - but is this right when there are much more severe issues abroad? Statistics show: "The UK has a higher proportion of its population living in relative poverty than most other EU countries: of the 27 EU countries, only 6 have a higher rate than the UK". This is very surprising, but like it is stated above: it can often be because children have single parents and so are unable to work, also, if they have not had a good education, they would not be able to find very much work and so not earn money for their family.
 * POVERTY IN THE UK**


 * By Reema Kibreab

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RELATIVE AND ABSOLUTE POVERTY** Definitions of poverty can vary, so I am stating the difference between **absolute** and **relative** poverty
 * Absolute** poverty is where the person is deprived of food and shelter and has fallen under the poverty line and has reached the point where he has to depend on someone else to aquire these things. However **relative** poverty deals with the socio-economic status of an area; for example, a person earning a low income who lives in an area where everyone else has high incomes is living in relative poverty; however that person could most probably live comfortably somewhere else with that income.



Welfare is financial assistance paid by taxpayers to people who do not support themselves. Some welfare is general, while specific and can only be invoked under certain circumstances, such as a scholarship. Welfare payments can be made to individuals or to companies or entities, these latter payments are often considered corporate welfare. Individuals may apply for welfare due to disability, lack of education or job training, a low demand for unskilled labor, substance abuse, or an unwillingness to work. Assistance may also take the form of other relief, such as tax credits for working mothers. The amounts paid to recipients are typically modest, and may fall below the poverty line. Recipients must usually demonstrate a low level of income such as by way of "means testing", or financial hardship, or that they satisfy some other requirement such as childcare responsibilities or disability. Those receiving unemployment benefits may also have to regularly demonstrate that they are periodically searching for employment. Some countries assign specific jobs to recipients who must work in these roles in order for welfare payments to continue. In the United States and Canada such programs are known as workfare.
 * GOVERNMENT AID**



The bible states that we should be "forgiving" towards one another and ultimately, be caring, good people. The general idea is that we should be harmonious and caring towards eachother and never hold grudges.
 * BIBLE'S BELIEFS**