Imagine relying on a small bowl of stale, tasteless, and mushy porridge from school as your only meal every day. You look down to see week-old soggy oats. Owning a school uniform, shoes, books, clothes, and food is a dream. You have to help your family fetch water and collect leftover flour from the maize mill after school and depend on money your fellow villagers give you out of pity to survive. This is the story of 9-year-old Nyamiti, one of the 356 million children living in poverty worldwide, as stated by unicef.org. 

There are currently 659 million people, 8.5% of the total global population, living on less than $2.15 per day, says worldbank.org. While this is lower than in 2015, when there were 736 million people affected by poverty, according to Valerie Forgeard from brilliantio.com, it is still a considerably large number. Homi Kharas and Megan Dooley from brookings.edu remark that poverty continues to spread in Africa because of “rapid population growth and stagnant economic growth,” and, recently, it has been a “pandemic-induced rise.” Life for those suffering from poverty is not pleasant. Due to constantly worrying about tomorrow’s meal and being fatigued, many of these people develop mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Mentalhealth.org.uk mentions, “…evidence from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey found that the prevalence of severe mental health problems was around three times higher among children in the bottom quintile of family income than among those in the top quintile.” On account of the widespread effects poverty has worldwide, it is the most important social issue to eradicate. 

Though some people may believe other widespread issues may be more important, and those issues they worry about are important, they don’t consider how poverty worsens these issues. Take climate change as an example. Some effects of climate change include hotter temperatures, more severe storms, increased drought, famines, and displacement of communities. According to un.org, “Higher temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and make working outdoors more difficult,” “storms often destroy homes and communities, causing deaths and huge economic losses,” and “climate impacts… [harm] health through air pollution, disease, extreme weather events, forced displacement, pressures on mental health, increased hunger and poor nutrition… Every year, environmental factors take the lives of around 13 million people.” Clearly, most of the effects of climate change harm impoverished people and communities more than their wealthier counterparts, who can afford medical expenses to alleviate illnesses caused by climate change, won’t be deeply affected by local famine or water scarcity, don’t have to work outdoors, and can afford to move back or to another place after being displaced. Whereas, people in poverty cannot afford the payments accompanying medical treatment, food, and proper housing. Since so many issues more severely affect the poor, poverty should be solved first, as it will also dull the effects of other social problems. 

Poverty is a constituent of medical illnesses. Impoverished people do not have fresh, reliable, and nutritious food sources. According to The Guardian’s video, The Food Deserts of Memphis, Memphis, a city in Tennessee, is a “food desert”. Food deserts are places where the majority of the population doesn’t have access to supermarkets and reliable transportation. One Memphis resident claims “The journey to the grocery store takes, I’d say, an hour and a half if the bus come on time. Having to take two buses is stressful and it’s frustrating, but I still have to go, you know, to have food in the house.” The video goes on to say that grocery stores in the poorer areas of Memphis, labeled the “hunger capital of the United States” are rare- business owners know they will turn more profit opening their doors in the wealthier areas of Memphis. The Guardian also claims that, due to ⅓ of the poorer Memphis population not owning an automobile or having reliable transportation, and grocery stores being so far away, they often go to local convenience stores that only sell sugar-dense sodas and junk food, such as chips or candy. A diet constituted of sugary, high-calorie, and low-nutrition foods leads to medical diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart problems. Additionally, medical issues like hypertension, normally found in middle-aged adults, are now appearing in children starting from 8 years old. Simply stated, poverty leads to malnutrition and consumption of unhealthy food- which, when daily, eventually leads to medical illnesses.

Lack of access to medical care caused by poverty is a leading factor in lower health and life expectancy for impoverished people. Aafp.org says “Economic prosperity can provide individuals access to resources to avoid or bugger exposure to health risks. Research shows that individuals with higher incomes consistently experience better health outcomes than individuals with low incomes and those living in poverty.” WHO, or World Health Organization, claims “Affordability matters for households and health budgets. If a household is forced to sell an asset, like the family cow, or take its children out of school, this payment can be the final nail in the coffin that buries the family in intergenerational poverty.” Additionally, “…each year, large numbers of households are being pushed into poverty because they must pay for health care out of their own pockets.” If poverty leads to less access to health care and medical expenses push families under the waves of poverty, then this cycle clearly links these two social issues. Therefore, if poverty is abolished, then the number of people who cannot receive medical treatment will decrease significantly. These people deserve to receive authentic healthcare, regardless of their economic status. 

Furthermore, poverty is a cycle. “The cycle starts when a child is born into a poor family with zero or limited resources to create opportunities for advancement,” says Maryville University (maryville.edu). From their data, people with no high school diploma have a 24.7% poverty rate in America. Contrast this 24.7% with the 4% of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Evidently, lower education correlates with poverty. Children born into poverty do not have the same amount of opportunities as those born into wealthy families. The American Psychological Association (apa. org) says, “In 2009, poor (bottom 20% of all family incomes) students were 5 times as likely to drop out of high school than high-income (top 20% of all family incomes) students”. Impoverished children are more likely to drop out of school because their parents can’t afford to give them an education or because they need to help out around the house, which means that they will stay in poverty later on in their lives. In this way, poverty repeats itself. 

I’m grateful to be able to go to school, eat healthy food, and have a roof over my head. However, not everyone is so fortunate. All of us have an obligation to aid the less fortunate, however little or much, and whenever possible. Some ways to assist impoverished people include donating to respectful charities and helping the homeless we see on the streets.

Unquestionably, it is vital we work to terminate poverty immediately. The health issues stemming from poverty cause impoverished people to have, on average, a 10-15 year lower life expectancy, according to The Equality of Opportunity (equality-of-opportunity.org). Moreover, those in poverty cannot escape poverty, due to a lower number of opportunities available to them. We need to abolish poverty as soon as possible, in order to create better lives for Nyamiti, and others in her position. 

Imagine relying on a small bowl of stale, tasteless, and mushy porridge from school as
your only meal every day. You look down to see week-old soggy oats. Owning a school
uniform, shoes, books, clothes, and food is a dream. You have to help your family fetch water and collect leftover flour from the maize mill after school and depend on money your fellow villagers give you out of pity to survive. This is the story of 9-year-old Nyamiti, one of the 356 million children living in poverty worldwide, as stated by unicef.org.

There are currently 659 million people, 8.5% of the total global population, living on
less than $2.15 per day, says worldbank.org. While this is lower than in 2015, when there were 736 million people affected by poverty, according to Valerie Forgeard from brilliantio.com, it  is still a considerably large number. Homi Kharas and Megan Dooley from brookings.edu remark that poverty continues to spread in Africa because of “rapid population growth and
stagnant economic growth,” and, recently, it has been a “pandemic-induced rise.” Life for
those suffering from poverty is not pleasant. Due to constantly worrying about tomorrow’s
meal and being fatigued, many of these people develop mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Mentalhealth.org.uk mentions, “…evidence from the Child and Adolescent
Mental Health Survey found that the prevalence of severe mental health problems was around three times higher among children in the bottom quintile of family income than among those in the top quintile.” On account of the widespread effects poverty has worldwide, it is the most
important social issue to eradicate.

Though some people may believe other widespread issues may be more important, and
those issues they worry about are important, they don’t consider how poverty worsens these
issues. Take climate change as an example. Some effects of climate change include hotter
temperatures, more severe storms, increased drought, famines, and displacement of
communities. According to un.org, “Higher temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and
make working outdoors more difficult,” “storms often destroy homes and communities,
causing deaths and huge economic losses,” and “climate impacts… [harm] health through air
pollution, disease, extreme weather events, forced displacement, pressures on mental health,
increased hunger and poor nutrition… Every year, environmental factors take the lives of
around 13 million people.” Clearly, most of the effects of climate change harm impoverished
people and communities more than their wealthier counterparts, who can afford medical
expenses to alleviate illnesses caused by climate change, won’t be deeply affected by local
famine or water scarcity, don’t have to work outdoors, and can afford to move back or to
another place after being displaced. Whereas, people in poverty cannot afford the payments
accompanying medical treatment, food, and proper housing. Since so many issues more
severely affect the poor, poverty should be solved first, as it will also dull the effects of other
social problems.

Poverty is a constituent of medical illnesses. Impoverished people do not have fresh, reliable, and nutritious food sources. According to The Guardian’s video The Food Deserts of Memphis, Memphis, a city in Tennessee, is a “food desert.” Food deserts are places where the
majority of the population doesn’t have access to supermarkets and reliable transportation.
One Memphis resident claims, “The journey to the grocery store takes, I’d say, an hour and a
half if the bus comes on time. Having to take two buses is stressful, and it’s frustrating, but I still
have to go, you know, to have food in the house.” The video goes on to say that grocery stores
in the poorer areas of Memphis, labeled the “hunger capital of the United States” are rarebusiness owners know they will turn more profit opening their doors in the wealthier areas of Memphis. The Guardian also claims that, due to ⅓ of the poorer Memphis population not
owning an automobile or having reliable transportation and grocery stores being so far away,
they often go to local convenience stores that only sell sugar-dense sodas and junk food, such
as chips or candy. A diet constituted of sugary, high-calorie, and low-nutrition foods leads to
medical diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and heart problems. Additionally, medical issues
like hypertension, normally found in middle-aged adults, are now appearing in children
starting from 8 years old. Simply stated, poverty leads to malnutrition and consumption of
unhealthy food- which, when daily, eventually leads to medical illnesses.

Lack of access to medical care caused by poverty is a leading factor in lower health and
life expectancy for impoverished people. Aafp.org says, “Economic prosperity can provide
individuals access to resources to avoid or bugger exposure to health risks. Research shows
that individuals with higher incomes consistently experience better health outcomes than
individuals with low incomes and those living in poverty.” WHO, or World Health
Organization, claims, “Affordability matters for households and health budgets. If a household
is forced to sell an asset, like the family cow, or take its children out of school, this payment
can be the final nail in the coffin that buries the family in intergenerational poverty.”
Additionally, “…each year, large numbers of households are being pushed into poverty
because they must pay for health care out of their own pockets.” If poverty leads to less access
to health care and medical expenses push families under the waves of poverty, then this cycle
clearly links these two social issues. Therefore, if poverty is abolished, then the number of
people who cannot receive medical treatment will decrease significantly. These people
deserve to receive authentic healthcare, regardless of their economic status.

Furthermore, poverty is a cycle. “The cycle starts when a child is born into a poor
family with zero or limited resources to create opportunities for advancement,” says Maryville
University (maryville.edu). From their data, people with no high school diploma have a 24.7%
poverty rate in America. Contrast this 24.7% with the 4% of people with a bachelor’s degree or
higher. Evidently, lower education correlates with poverty. Children born into poverty do not
have the same amount of opportunities as those born into wealthy families. The American
Psychological Association (APA. org) says, “In 2009, poor (bottom 20% of all family incomes)
students were 5 times as likely to drop out of high school than high-income (top 20% of all
family incomes) students”. Impoverished children are more likely to drop out of school
because their parents can’t afford to give them an education or because they need to help out
around the house, which means that they will stay in poverty later on in their lives. In this
way, poverty repeats itself.

I’m grateful to be able to go to school, eat healthy food, and have a roof over my head.
However, not everyone is so fortunate. All of us have an obligation to aid the less fortunate,
however little or much, and whenever possible. Some ways to assist impoverished people
include donating to respectful charities and helping the homeless we see on the streets.

Unquestionably, it is vital we work to terminate poverty immediately. The health issues
stemming from poverty cause impoverished people to have, on average, a 10-15 year lower life
expectancy, according to The Equality of Opportunity (equality-of-opportunity.org). Moreover,
those in poverty cannot escape poverty due to the lower number of opportunities available to
them. We need to abolish poverty as soon as possible in order to create better lives for
Nyamiti, and others in her position.