While Poverty is Preventable, Billions are Effected by It World Wide
Poverty is an entirely preventable and yet horrifying state. We might not realize how we are affected by poverty on a daily basis if we are fortunate enough to live in comfort, but the decaying effects can and will be felt by us all if left unchecked. We at No More Poverty hope to eliminate poverty worldwide for the good of the global community.
Even if we were to look at poverty as an insular phenomenon, we still couldn’t ignore the horrible suffering in the regions where poverty is the prevalent way of life. Diseases that are unheard of in the developed world routinely kill millions of people every day in underserved regions. Clean water and sanitation—things that are considered indestructible birthrights to those living in affluent communities—are alien to a disheartening percentage of the global population. Simple measures such as hand washing with clean water and soap could reduce incidences of fatal Diarrheal disease in a staggering 40 percent of the at risk population.
Wherever poverty is found, there lies the danger that its devastating effects could spread to other regions, in the form of disease, crime or economic hardship.
Poverty is Not Only a Problem for Under-Developed Countries
As sickening as the effects of poverty may be on those that suffer from it directly, poverty isn’t merely an insular phenomenon. Wherever poverty is found, there lies the danger that its devastating effects could spread to other regions, in the form of disease, crime or economic hardship. We might think of poverty as being remote; the problem of underdeveloped nations in far-flung corners of the world.
However, the United States has the second highest percentage of children living in poverty of any developed nation. It is estimated that approximately 15 percent of the U.S. population lives under the poverty line, something that gravely affects the rest of the nation. Impoverished communities have no job opportunities, cannot stave off sweeping infections and tend to harbor dangerous criminal elements. While we might feel driven to help societies blighted by poverty in order to assuage the suffering of those who live in them, we must offer help so that surrounding communities might be saved from the highly communicable effects.
Cases of animal abuse and improper handling in processing plants and slaughterhouses can lead to major public health concerns. After the Hallmark Beef Packing plant in Chino was infiltrated by animal rights activists and secretly filmed, a massive recall of products was initiated (over 143 million pounds of beef). This recall was especially disturbing because approximately one third of the recalled beef had been sent to schools.
Those Living in Poverty Are Statistically More Likely to Be Exposed to Violence and Crime
A person living in poverty is not only statistically more likely to be exposed to violence and crime than someone living in an affluent community, but is also deprived of resources and opportunities that their wealthier peers take for granted. Schools in underserved communities do not have valuable programs that foster academic curiosity; arts programs, music programs and even physical education are woefully absent in poorer districts, and these are the programs that are proven to help children develop the cognitive skills that are critical for academic achievement.
A child growing up in poverty is less likely to achieve scholastic success, and his or her opportunities for high earning employment are significantly lower than a child raised in a comfortable environment. Children growing up in poverty also have limited access to preventative healthcare and early education at a time when the human brain is the most receptive to stimuli (during the first three years of life).
The devastating effects of poverty on society as a whole, as well as the immediate suffering of all those living in it led my brother Julian Omidi and I to found No More Poverty. It is our hope that we can contribute to the eradication of this epidemic. We would like to encourage everyone to help us take a stand against this crisis, both at home and abroad.