Do you recall the last time you were so full that you couldn’t eat even one more bite.? When your stomach was full and you feel drowsy and uncomfortable. I bet that you have experienced that uncountable times. But there are millions of people in this world who don’t even have a mouthful of food to eat in a day.

Poverty is a word that has regrettably become familiar to almost all of us. So, anyway, what is poverty? Poverty is not only the lack of income and basic resources but also includes malnutrition, hunger, lack of education and social discrimination. It is a fact that more than 700 million people which is about Ten per cent of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty, without access to proper education, sanitation, health services, food and more.

There are basically two types of poverty: relative poverty and absolute poverty. People living under relative poverty are not in total poverty but don’t enjoy the same types of comforts and standard of life as others in the country. It is changeable depending upon the economic growth of the country. On the other hand, people living under absolute poverty don’t have access to a decent lifestyle. They don’t get enough food, water, sanitation, health services and education.

There are many reasons for poverty. One of the main reasons is inequality in society. When a community is not able to participate in decision-making, their interests are often ignored. So, their problems are left unsolved. Then, there is the case of conflicts and wars. When a country is attacked or at a state of war, the people are the ones who suffer. Bombings and airstrikes often destroy entire homes and kill thousands. The survivors are forced to flee without food, water or any resources at all. This is the case in countries like Sudan and Yemen. Some countries have poor infrastructure and thus cannot provide all the necessities for their citizens, like proper roads, food, water, sanitation, health services and employment.

Ending poverty is the first of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN. The idea was to achieve all the Sustainable Development Goals ’s by 2030. But unfortunately, as of now, the world is not on track to eradicate poverty by 2030.

The ‘no poverty’ Sustainable Development Goals could be set back even more because of the current Covid-19 pandemic. The crisis has caused several companies to shut down for the time being and as a result, hundreds of people have lost their jobs. In the US alone, more than 26.4 million unemployment claims have been reported.

But, having a job doesn’t guarantee a decent living. In fact, 8 per cent of employed workers and their families worldwide lived in extreme poverty in 2018.

Poverty is an issue that has to be taken seriously by each and every one of us. There are several reasons for this but the thing is that as human beings, all of our well-being is linked to each other. Millions of people living in poverty can drastically affect our countries as well as the world’s economic growth.  But, above all of these reasons, it is because all of us are humans and each and every one of us deserves the same opportunities and comforts.

So, what can we do? The world’s governments are the ones in charge of making sure that proper sanitation, health services, education and work is available to all. But we can make ourselves aware and express our views and opinions about poverty on social media and other platforms. There are also several charities in the world that collect money for families that live below the international poverty line. We can do something for them by donating the slightest amount. After all, every act counts.

There are millions of children, women and men around the world who live in poverty. Some kids are so starved that they can barely stand and their ribs are clearly defined. They don’t have even a morsel of food to eat and clean water is scarce. The houses are just simple mud huts with straw roofs.

Compared to them, we are the luckiest people on earth. We have a proper home, go to an amazing school and have all the things we would ever want. Only when we actually compare their situation with ours, do we realize how blessed we are.

In short, poverty is a problem that has plagued the world for a long time. We will be only able to eradicate poverty if we come together and work as one. After all, our fellow humans are in need, and we need to help them. No matter what we are all human in the end.

“Poverty is the worst form of violence.”-Mahatma Gandhi