Hunger in the world: No society can surely be flourishing and happy, of which by far the greater part of the numbers are poor and miserable. – Adam Smith, 1776

WEALTH OF NATIONS:
AFFLUENCE vs POVERTY

Poverty doesn't need definitions. It speaks for itself. It is all about lack, which could be absolute or relative. But the United Nations gave a definition of poverty which is actually a definition of extreme poverty. It says: “Fundamentally, poverty is the inability of having choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity.

It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one's food or a job to earn one's living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation.” Truly, if life comes to this level, then the saying also comes true: the living for whom death is preferable. And that's exactly what about 3.3 billion people are facing today. 

Hunger is the worst of the weapons of poverty. If you have been really hungry once and remember the woe you went through before you ate, then you'll probably feel another woe to learn that millions of human beings die every day because of hunger. Some die slowly over several years of deprivation, not just because of a single pang of hunger but due to no food of any sort for miles and miles around. Can't they farm, you ask? Yes, they can, if the land were not parched and drought-hit. 

Can't they leave that environment? Yes, they would, if those living on good land were kind and not violently opposed to sharing with them. Can't the government intervene? Yes, if those in government were of one mind and of consistent vision: one endorses aid today, the other jettisons it tomorrow. Soon warlords emerge and civil war follows; the hungry remains hungry and in some cases come in danger of being hit by bullets from the crossfire of war. 

What about foreign aids? Yes? Only about 40 billion US dollars are needed to completely take care of basic social services in the developing countries (basic education, water, sanitation, basic health and nutrition and reproductive health for women). But the world spends 400 billion US dollars on narcotics (drugs) and 780 billion US dollars on military annually: ten times and twenty times the poor's budget for deliverance. So, aids come but how much and who gets them? Read more at: https://gozydane03.blogspot.com.ng/

Share: