By Tiina Mustakangas-Laukka
25,000 people die of hunger and malnutrition every day. What if you had no other choice than to eat oat meal every day? Or to go to bed hungry? Every fifth person in the world lives on less than one dollar a day, and at the same time, the 500 richest people in the world have the same total income as the 416 million poorest people in the world. Poverty is the biggest development problem in the world, and it causes other problems. For example, a great social inequality causes conflicts which may even lead to a war.
What does poverty mean? What does it cause? How much is one fifth out of your school? Out of your country? Out of 6 billion people of the world? What can you get with a dollar a day if you need to pay your housing, food, clothing, health care, education and everything else with it? If we could reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, how much would it be? How much food should a person eat a day to stay alive? What can we do to help?
(The Ministry for Foreign Affairs. http://www.vuosituhattavoitteet.fi/)
16 comments:
I have known about this before, but those numbers was absolutely horrifying. If 25,000 people die of hungry every day, something isn't right. I am thinkig also that, what happens if everybody have warm food and own houses. Then global warming brighten up and maybe we all die?? But that is only idea what came into my head. Of course it's wrong that example in Africa, environment is so much worse than us in Finland. But we have to make all these intentions to action.
By Tintti
I love your last line! That is exactly what we should do. We have a saying in Finnish which I feel is quite perfect for global thinking and for our intentions to help the poorer countries of the world: "Small streams create big rivers."
It is stunning to think how this world is in imbalance. There is extreme poverty and hunger, but somewhere there is extreme wealth. And we can throw away food. It is crazy to think how much we buy food, but how many eat nothing at all. Food is decaying in a fridge, becuase there are too many choices. Selections are so wide. We can't abolish the poverty problem but we can do little things. One way is to collect money and try to destroy problems' roots. Those roots are wars and conflicts. But there are natural disasters too. And it is hard to do anything directly and by oneself. But there are organizations which collect money and send it to poor areas. Together we are stronger and we can do something to destroy poverty and hunger. One thing I have been thinking is that we have to start respecting normal life and not to idealize riches.
Niko Karonen said...
I think it’s a pity that some people can live on less than a dollar a day and then suffer from hunger. Some of these are working people and others are unemployed and they don’t get any social support. Usually those minimum wage works are dangerous and you have to work 24/7. Workers don’t have any vacations and working environments are horrible. Some of these factories are own by rich western countries. I think that rich factory owners should give the workers bigger salary or give money for these poor countries that they can have their own social support system.
It's so sad to hear of all of the poverty and hunger in the world when we are always wanting more and complaining while those that are really in need are greatful for every small thing they have. I had the chance to visit a place of extreme poverty, and it really made me realize how blessed we all are to have so much. It is so humbling to be able to help those in need and see the joy that we can bring to their lives. Instead of satisfying our wants by buying things we thing we "need", it is a much better use of our time putting others before ourselves and helping others.
We should all be glad that we dont have to live like these people in Africa, it sure makes you think about what you REALLY have. Im so grateful im an american and tat i dont have to live like this.
"Only when the last tree has died
and the last river been poisoned
and the last fish been caught
will we realize we cannot eat money"
Our world revolves around one thing......money. It defines ourselves in each and every way. It also determines if we are going to live.
The only way to help is by donating.
But to who??
How will i know that this money is being spent on these people?
We need to realize that we are one big family. Our planet will not survive if we don't stick together.We should stop paying ridiculous amounts of money on wars we don't want, people who don't make a difference, and buildings that serve no purpose.
Instead the thing that defines us(money) should be used to help others live their life.
True happiness is to give to others and not only yourself.
Chris!
Your comment includes a great poem, and a very nice quote in the end! Could you please go to the last page of this blog, and write us a little poem there!
Looking forward to seeing MHS students' creative writings in the poetry section of the blog!
i think that the poverty rate is ridiculously high and people need to care more. Anyone can lend a helping hand, or even say a prayer.Fundraising is a great way to help those in need and even if you feel you cant spare money yourself, just think about how you would feel living on less than a dollar a day?
I think that the number of people dying because of this is just horrible. I also think that the number of people living off of just one dollar a day is insane also. I mean one dollar a day is only 30 dollars a month. I don’t know anywhere in the U.S. that you can live for that much never mind have to pay for utilities and clothes and food. I think that the 500 richest people in the world should donate a million dollars each that way we would have 500 million dollars for this. Or I think that every person with a descent paying job should give one dollar of each of their paychecks to this that would help out a lot. I mean one dollar from everyone isn't much but it can save the lives of millions.
I do find these statisics very tradic. I know that i love my food,and i am very grateful to say that my pantry is full and i could go out to eat if i wanted to. I love it whenever my church does a fundraiser that donates food to people in need, it makes me feel like im making a difference in others lives, its something that we all need, food that is, we just need to help others when they are less fortunate and can't help themselves.
I think it is really wrong that the poorest people have to suffer from hunger every day when some of the richest people spend their money on fancy clothes or sport cars. The rich don’t have to think about how to get food or how to stay healthy. There are too much people in the world that can’t have a proper meal every day. With the poor there is always the struggle of staying alive.
-By Minna Torro
I think that it is a huge problem that 25, 000 people die every day of hunger and malnutrition. And it is terrifying that the numbers are growing too fast. But what can we do? In my opinion we can just send money. However, we do that all the time but it hasn’t stopped the problem. In developing countries there are people born every second, so it is difficult to stop poverty and hunger there. But maybe we get rid of the problem someday in future. But then we have a new problem - nature will be overloaded and we all suffer. We should all ponder this serious problem and try to find solution to it. - by Tiia Pätsi
I am doing a research paper on extreme hunger and poverty. There is poverty that is happening all over the world. Sending money will help a little, but it is not enough to end poverty. I believe if there are programs to help provide a better education, or to be able to provide education, they will be able to produce more jobs. But for now, we will have to continue to donate food and clothing till there is a way for people to start opening their eyes and to start being selfless. People in the world care only for materialistic things and i have a feeling that is the way its going to be for a long time. People should realize what is happening around the world, people dont acquire enough knowledge on the subject. Programs are needed to be built to help end this!!
i would also like to say that a dollar a day is overexaggerated. A dollar there is worth more than a dollar here. Yes it is still tragic. But a dollar there is worth more. But I still believe it is wrong!
Thank you so much for your comments Kelsey!
It sounds really interesting that you're doing a research paper on extreme hunger and poverty. Would it be possible to publish your research on this blog as soon as it is done?
Inspired by your example, I've also asked some of my students to do a research paper either on Foreign Aid Assistance or Global Partnership for our English Course on Economic Issues.
Looking forward to getting more feedback from you, as well as the students of Medina and Haukipudas High School.
Tiina
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