What is real poverty?

AIMS:

•To understand some of the differences between the world’s North/South divide

STARTER:

Write down 3 Advantages and 3 Disadvantages of being rich

3 Advantages of being rich

3 Disadvantages of being rich

Give a definition of poverty - what does being ‘poor’ really mean?

Being poor means having little money, few possessions and your basic needs are not being met.

ABSOLUTE POVERTY: looks at basic human needs – e.g. shelter.

RELATIVE POVERTY: Depends on the wealth of the community you live in at a particular time – e.g. if you don’t have a television in a society where having one is the norm.

There are two definitions of poverty:

What three facts that shock YOU the most. Why?

600 million children live in poverty. 125 million primary-school-age children are not in school. 120 million children between five and 14 work full time. 300,000 child soldiers are actively fighting in 41 countries throughout the world. In the 1990s war and conflict made 4 million maimed or disable.34.7 million children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS. 2 million children are involved in prostitution. 35,000 people starve to death everyday.15 million children die every year.825 million adults are illiterate. 800 million people have no access to health care.

If the world was reduced to 30 people…5 live in the rich world

(two girls and three boys)

20 live in the poorer countries (ten girls and ten boys)

5 live in the very poorest countries (four girls and 1 boy)

WHAT DO YOU NOTICE? Complete Worksheet

If we could shrink the earth’s population to30 people, it would look something like this:

• 80% would live in substandard housing• 70% would be unable to read• 50% would suffer from malnutrition• 2 people would possess 59% of the world’s

wealth and they both would be from the United States

What shocks you most about these statistics? Why?