Poverty: Solutions

More than 700 million people don't have enough money to afford food, shelter, clothing, or medical care. That's every tenth person on the planet! Half of them are children or teenagers. Does it have to be this way? Is there no solution that can eliminate poverty?

We need to realise that poverty is more than just not having money. There are often other problems that affect the lives of people. People suffer from military conflicts, a lack of jobs, limited access to education, and much more! If we want to reduce poverty, we often need to understand and tackle these problems first. Let’s take a look at the two poorest regions of the world - Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

For historical and political reasons, these regions haven’t had equal opportunities to develop at the same rate as the rest of the world. Many poor areas still lack good roads, factories, power plants, or schools. Building roads, factories, power plants, or schools can help the region. These help the region to develop, create jobs, and reduce poverty. Most researchers agree that there is a direct link between poverty and education.

The better-educated a person is, the lower the risk of them living in poverty. Providing children with free and equal access to education can help them escape poverty in a number of ways. The more you go to school, the easier it is to find a job afterwards and earn money. But at school, children also learn many practical skills that can help their families and communities improve their situation. Children can also be inspired to strive for a better future.

Political leaders, authorities, and non-governmental organisations can provide other solutions to reduce poverty too. At an international level, they can help prevent or resolve military conflicts. Securing peace is extremely important for economic growth and the well-being of people. Some researchers believe that poverty can be eliminated by free market economy. If authorities don't control - don't regulate - what is sold and at what price, money is exchanged freely between companies and consumers.

This can improve the economy in the region. Other researchers believe that some international laws are needed, for example to make trade around the world fairer. In this way, economic differences between countries and regions could become smaller. Decisions by local authorities can have an even more direct impact. For instance, it is often up to local authorities to introduce laws to protect people against violence and injustice.

Labour laws, including the right to fair and equal pay or good working conditions can also help improve the situation. The different causes of poverty and how they are linked are very complicated. Researchers and organisations, such as the World Bank and United Nations, try to understand these problems and how they are linked. Many hope that this will help find effective solutions. In fact, a lot has already been done.

In the last twenty five years, the number of extremely poor people has dropped by more than 1 billion, and the living situation of many people has improved significantly. But there are still many challenges to face and it will take effort and cooperation of many people at different levels.