The Epidemic Of Global Poverty

Poverty has always been an issue the world is looking to solve. People in modern society are often caught up with the newest cars or the latest clothing trends and often take for granted the luxuries we are able to afford. Sure, it’s easy to donate money here and there or toss your loose change in the bucket to give to the less fortunate. But then we go back into our daily routine - oblivious to the world around us. A cell phone in today’s society has become a necessity while there are still people that do not have shoes to wear or clean water to drink, so the fifteen cents you dropped in the bucket outside the Macy’s isn’t going to do much to provide the basic necessities of life to the impoverished population. According to Maslow’s Hierarchy

Television commercials or billboards advocating for the less fortunate and persuading their audiences to donate are constantly running. There are many that argue donations would go a long way in helping minimize poverty solely because these funds would come from the “planet’s rich countries” and the money would only constitute about 0.5 percent of the gross national product (Sachs). This would amount to about 160 billion dollars which (when/if distributed properly) would have a significant impact on communities in need of aid. Countries that would be able to donate this kind of money include Germany, the United States, and others. Germany, being the most economically stable and thriving, would theoretically be able to donate the most money towards foreign aid and relief programs to help alleviate poverty. This being said, why don’t they? The problem is with funds not being properly raised, monitored, or distributed. Furthermore, without the proper funding and aid, no sustainability can be achieved. A poor country can have all the money in the world but once it is all used up, what are the people supposed to

As said earlier, a country can be extremely wealthy, but if they did not gain this wealth on their own, the money will run out and they will be stuck back at square one again. Aid is about deciding where the money needs to go. In America’s donations to assist sub-Sahara Africa, it was said that “most of this aid has come in the form of “technical cooperation” (which goes into the pockets of consultants)” … “little of this support has come in a form that can be invested in systems that improve health, nutrition, food production and transport” (Sachs 64). Although the money sent was a step in the right direction to aid and care for famine victims and those in debt, there must be some sort of maintaining a suitable lifestyle. Money cannot always be sent and it shouldn’t have to be. Celebration of Hope is an organization that packages fruit and vegatable seeds to send to African villages. These outside organizations are able to supply the necessary materials to ensure a long-lasting form of work that will allow the impoverished countries to maintain a healthy economy. One can argue that a healthy economy is largely due to good governance including transparency in actions. Examples of this are seen in Germany, Denmark, etc.. There is the argument that “extreme poverty persists because governments fail to open up their markets, provide public services and clamp down on bribe taking” which emphasizes the idea that donations alone will not aid