How People Live - An Unequal World - Poverty & WealthLiving in Poverty

Lesotho – A Poor CountryPoverty

Food for a Hungry WorldThe Food Market

CoffeeSafe Water ShortageRoof Over Our Heads

Kenya’s WealthInequalities in Health

Infant MortalityAIDS the Global Killer

Education For AllThe Sudan

Different Life Opportunities for WomenAustralia and Overseas Aid

Living in PovertyEleven-year-old Thabiso has just completed fifth grade and dreams of becoming a teacher. He is just one of the thousands of orphaned children from Lesotho in Africa.

Thabiso's home district of Leribe suffers from a high rate of HIV/ AIDS infection and severe food shortages resulting from widespread drought. Thanks to monthly food distributions from the CARE aid agency, children such as Thabiso are saved from starvation and the necessityto leave school and find sources of income to support themselves. Thabiso lives in absolute poverty and requires regular food packages to survive. His life expectancy is just 40 years.

Lesotho – A Poor CountryThabiso's country, Lesotho, is one of the poorest on Earth. Nearly half of the population lives on less than $1 per day. For every 1000 children born in Lesotho, 133 die before they reach the age of five. Only 78 per cent of the population has access to clean water and annual deaths from AIDS climbed to 25 000 in 2001. unequal access to resources.

In the 1950s, nations were described as being `developed' or `undeveloped', reflecting the obvious differences between their wealth, opportunities, infrastructure and living conditions.

Poverty Absolute poverty is the condition of having so little food, money or resources that the people, no matter where they live in the world, can barely survive.

Relative poverty is where there is not a lack of sufficient resources to meet basic needs, but a lack of resources required to be able to participate in the lifestyle enjoyed by other people in the country.

We live in an unequal world where the wealthiest 20 per cent of the population receives 85 per cent of the world's income.

Food for a Hungry WorldIn the next hour, 9000 babies will be born and by this time tomorrow, the world will have over 200 000 extra mouths to feed. Many experts wonder whether the world can feed this growing population. Every day 24 000 people die from hunger and malnutrition, but in reality there is enough food to feed everyone on Earth.

Like many of the world's resources, food is unequally distributed. Poverty is both a cause and effect of famine and hunger. World hunger is caused by a long-term lack of access to food. More than 850 million people go to bed hungry each night; most of them are women and children.

In contrast, famine is a severe shortage of food in a region. Wars, droughts, floods and pests can cause crop failures and food shortages. Famine also leads to skyrocketing food prices, reducing the access of more and more people to food.

Since 1960 there has been a decrease in the number of hungry people thanks to active global citizens such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and non-government organisations (NGOs) such as Freedom from Hunger. In 1995 the United Nations introduced an `Oil-for-Food Program' to help the growing number of hungry people in Iraq.

This program allowed Iraq to export oil and use the money to import essential food. The Iraqi Government distributed these food rations to 22 million people. The scheme finished in 2003 following the war in Iraq. To understand more about the hunger issue and how we can improve the quality of life now and in the future, we need to examine some key geographical questions surrounding the issue.

The Food MarketFood is a commodity that is bought and sold on the global market. Australia exports live lambs to Saudi Arabia, rice to Japan, beef and wine to the USA and wheat to China, Iraq and Vietnam.

At the same time our local supermarket shelves are filled with mangoes from Kenya, cocoa from the Ivory Coast, grapes from Chile, tea from India, coffee from Colombia and avocados from South Africa.

Much of the world's food trade is controlled by transnational corporations (TNCs). Nestlé, the world's largest food manufacturer, has factories in more than 80 countries and a turnover of A$97 billion. These large, global companies can determine how much food is produced, where it is grown, where it will be sold and at what price.

Pressure to grow cash crops such as coffee, cocoa and tea to supply large TNCs has resulted in land in developing countries being devoted to crops that developed countries will buy. Less land is devoted to local food, essential to feed hungry populations.Wake up and smell the coffee Whether it is exotic mocha java, decaf, skim or latte, coffee is sold in busy cafes all over the world. It is grown in more than 45 countries, mostly located around the tropics. About 70 per cent is exported from Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by African and Asian countries, such as Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

CoffeeCoffee is the second most traded global commodity, after oil. Four TNCs Ð Sara Lee, Kraft, Procter & Gamble and Nestlé Ð buy 50 per cent of the world's coffee, mostly from developing countries. They sell two out of every three bags of coffee to the United States and the European Union.

Large TNCs undertake contracts with farmers, selling them seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, and in return buying their harvests at low prices. As a result, 25 million small coffee farmers receive only 25 to 50 cents for every kilogram of coffee sold.

Today millions of farmers are facing hunger as the price of coffee plummets. This has led to the growth of non-government organisations (NGOs) such as Oxfam who promote a `fair trade' movement for producers in developing countries.

Fair trade supports a higher price for farmers by distributing their coffee through democratically run cooperatives and allowing them a share of the profits. As a result 500, 000 farmers now produce and sell coffee to 35,000 stores.

The World’s Main Coffee Producers

Safe Water ShortageWater is Earth's most precious resource. About 80 per cent of the world is covered by water, yet only three per cent of it is fresh. Three-quarters of this fresh water is frozen in icecaps and most of the remainder is found underground.

This leaves about one-half of one per cent of the world's fresh water for our use. If 100 litres represents all the world's water, less than half of a teaspoon of it is fresh water we can use.

Over the past 100 years we have greatly expanded our use of water to meet the needs of industry, agriculture and the exploding population. Australians are one of the highest consumers of water in the world - about 350 litres per person per day.

People in Asia, Africa and Latin America use 50 - 100 litres per day and people in the USA use 400 - 500 litres per day. Water scarcity is the single greatest threat to human health, the environment and the global food supply. It also threatens global peace, as countries in Asia and the Middle East seek to cope with freshwater shortages

Safe WaterLittle can be done to increase precipitation or ground water but more sustainable development of limited water supplies is essential for long-term survival. Recycling of water and the use of drought-tolerant crops and desalination plants is essential.

In Burkina Faso and Mali, with the assistance of Oxfam, the local community has placed lines of stones along the contours of sloping ground to slow water run-off and reduce the amount of water required to grow crops.

Water is essential for our survival and, like other natural resources, it is unevenly distributed around the world. Even if wealthy countries are relatively dry - like Australia - they are fortunate to have enough money to build dams, irrigate crops and improve water quality.

In contrast, the lack of access to water in Africa, Asia and Latin America is linked to poverty. In many communities in the developing world, women and children may have to walk for hours to collect water.

Water Quality & DiseaseIn the developing world the water crisis has arrived. As many as one in every five people in the world lacks access to clean drinking water.

One in three lacks basic sanitation. Drinking and washing inwater from polluted rivers and ponds is believed to be responsible for 80 per cent of the diseases that affect developing countries.

Nearly half of the deaths are due to diarrhoea that kills nearly five million children under five every year.

Polluted water also brings people into contact with other water-related diseases such as malaria schistosomiasis and hookworm (a parasitic diseases).

Hookworm

Roof Over Our HeadsAmong the 4.4 billion people living in developing countries, about one in four lives in substandard housing. Many others have no home at all, displaced by war and the need to be continually moving on in the search for better food and water supplies.

Nairobi was founded by the British around 100 years ago. It is Kenya's principal economic, administrative and cultural centre, and one of the largest and fastest growing cities in Africa. Its multiracial population is now over two million.

Nairobi also has a large tourist industry which makes it a city of contrasts. Nairobi's centre lies on a relatively flat plain, while the areas to the west and north are hilly. In general, Nairobi's wealthy residents live to the west of the city centre, whereas the least wealthy residents live to the east.

Temporary shantytowns have grown up adjacent to some residential areas. Nairobi's slums house 60 per cent of Nairobi's population. The Mathari Valley, built in an old rock quarry, is the oldest, largest and worst slum in the city. Nearly half a million people live in its cluster of tin-roofed shanties, open sewers, bars and brothels.

A yellow haze hovers over the valley, which has the highest suicide, murder and infant mortality rate of any of Nairobi's many slums. For the tourist to Nairobi, there are theatres, five-star restaurants, email facilities and firstclass accommodation. The entertainment sectors of the city are constantly alive, especially at night

Nairobi Contrasts – Housing, Shanty Town and Five Star Hotels

Kenya’s WealthThis is not evenly distributed and a large percentage of its people live in poverty. Many people from rural areas migrate to the cities each year, hoping to find a better lifestyle.

Most have low education levels and lack the skills employers want, therefore finding it difficult to gain stable employment. As a result they usually end up living in run-down, disease infested slums.

Inequalities in HealthEveryone has the right to adequate health, including food and medical care. Unfortunately not all people have access to doctors, hospitals, drugs, clean water, sanitation and a balanced diet. Inequalities in health exist between countries and within countries - between rural and urban areas, men and women, and ethnic groups.

The life expectancy of people around the world varies greatly. People in countries with high standards of living live much longer than people in countries that suffer food shortages, unhygienic living conditions, diseases such as AIDS, and warfare. At a local scale, a person's environment, work and lifestyle have an impact on how healthy they are and how long they expect to live. For example,most people who live in Potosi, Bolivia, do not live beyond their fortieth birthday. They suffer from silicosis and other forms of lung poisoning, caused from long hours working in the mines.

Infant MortalityAlmost 12,000 of the 350,000 babies born each day will die within their first month of life and 98 per cent of these deaths will occur in developing countries. It is estimated that one and a half million babies die each year because they are not breastfed. Breastfeeding in developing countries rapidly declined when the market for formula milk to diarrhoeal diseases (caused by polluted water and poor hygiene). When women went back to breastfeeding infant mortality rates fell.

AIDS the Global KillerEleven-year-old orphan Nkosi Johnson addressed the 2000 World AIDS Conference in Durban. He had suffered AIDS from the day he was born. Nkosi knew that he had defeated the odds to survive so long. He stood on the stage and pleaded for people to show compassion to AIDS sufferers. `You cannot catch AIDS from hugging or kissing or holding hands,' he said. `We are normal, we are human beings.‘

Less than 12 months later Nkosi died, after the virus attacked his brain leaving him speechless and unable to move. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a sexually transmitted virus that damages the body's immune system leaving it defenceless against infection. HIV/AIDS is the world's fourth largest killer and as yet there is no cure.

There are over 42 million people living with AIDS and 78 000 deaths a day caused by AIDS. Sixty per cent of new cases are under 25 years old and 70 per cent of them live in Africa. HIV typically spreads through unsafe drug use and sexual activity.

The malnutrition, poor sanitation, overcrowding and substandard healthcare facilities typically associated with poor communities Ð together with certain cultural practices and lack of education - are helping to spread the disease.

Stigma keeps victims from being tested; infected women don't tell their partners for fear of violence or abandonment. Social and economic circumstances of girls and women make it difficult for them to avoid unsafe sex if they have to feed their families. Ignorance is also a problem - in some areas of Africa, as many as 40 to 70 per cent of young girls do not even know about the disease.

The African TragedyDue to insufficient educational programs and financial resources, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in Africa has risen dramatically. In some countries, such as Zambia and Botswana, 20 percent or more of the adult population is infected with HIV - the virus that develops into AIDS.

Tragically, the children of Africa suffer the most from this pandemic disease. AIDS has orphaned more than 12 million children in Africa, leaving many with the disease. For more than 90 per cent of these children the virus is transmitted from their mother. Of thirty children born to HIV-positive mothers, ten will acquire the virus simply by being born and another four will become infected from breastfeeding.

Many orphans take on the responsibilities of caring for younger siblings and running the household, with little time to attend school. Most of these children will not live to see their fifth birthday.

Facing the AIDS ChallengeIn response to this global crisis UNICEF, UNAIDS, the World Bank and governments (e.g. AusAID) have raised financial and humanresources to support AIDS awareness and support programs. Non-government organisations (NGOs) like Aids Orphans Education Trust in Uganda, provide education to poor, forgotten AIDS orphans.Uganda has managed to drop the adult HIV prevalence rate from 8.3 per cent in 1999 to 4.5 per cent in 2003. An extensive prevention campaign has led to:• delayed age of first sexual encounter• less casual sex• high condom-user rates• reduction in the stigma associated with the disease by bringing

discussion of sexual behaviour out into the open• · the ABC program (Abstain, Be faithful, or use Condoms) that

focuses on what individuals themselves can do to reduce risk of

AIDS in Africa

Education For AllImagine your life without school, exams and teachers. To many students this sounds the ideal life, but the ability to read your wage slip, warning signs on a poisonous container, order food in restaurants and read street signs are important life skills.

Without the ability to read, write and calculate, your choice of jobs is limited. Unfortunately, this human right is not equally distributed as 25 per cent of adults living in developing countries can not read or write and, of the 115 million primary-aged children who do not attend school, 60 per cent are girls.

Keeping students at school in developing countries is difficult as 35 per cent who start primary school `drop out' before they have completed four years, often to work so their family can survive. Large class sizes, insufficient trained teachers and out-ofdate resources all contribute to lack of interest in school and the desire to leave. Education is important for the development of a country.

Education (2)Education is important for the development of a country. It is more than a source of knowledge. Education empowers people to understand important issues such as:

Providing clean drinking water and adequate sanitation to reduce disease · improving farming methods to reduce hunger and malnutrition, the problems of overpopulation and sexuallytransmitted diseases such as AIDS.

Global illiteracy has been reduced from 25 per cent in 1990 to 19 per cent in 2003. Many countries have success stories such as the increase in the number of students since school fees were abolished in Kenya, and the Internet project to provide every student with free access to email and online learning in South Africa.

The SudanEducation, the essential success factor for girls in Sudan's nomadic communities KHARTOUM, 7-7-2003 (UNICEF) Gaining access to education is no mean feat for children in the remote nomadic communities of Sudan's North Kordofan State, but the challenges are even greater for girls, as domestic duties and traditions pose significant hurdles.

Eleven-year-old Bhahkita's day starts at 5am. First she milks the goats, then boils the milk, washes the kitchen utensils and prepares tea for the family, as well as readying things for the baby. By contrast, Bhahkita explains, `The boys say their prayers, have their tea and prepare for school.‘ Bhahkita attends the nomadic Goes El-Markh School, located in the Sodary Province of Kordofan State.

During the school break just after midday, she runs home together with two of her girlfriends, Leila and Hawa, to collect jerry cans and donkeys to fetch water from one of the hand pumps located some five kilometres from the village.

On their return, the donkeys are offloaded and the girls take them out again to collect firewood. This takes them about eight kilometres away from home in another direction. At least twice a week, the girls must also fill up the 400-litre drum that provides water for the school.

Bhahkita aspires to be an engineer so that she can `build water pumps and better houses in my community'. Her teacher praises her as `one of the brightest in the class, with a strong determination to learn'. Today the average marriage age for girls is 15, which gives Bhahkita a four-year cushion, but her odds for early marriage may be even greater as her family proudly proclaims Bhahkita's domestic abilities. Bhahkita has proven herself a strong and capable teacher and this may ensure broader opportunities for her in the future. It is girls like Bhahkita who are tasked with female adult literacy as the male teachers appointed by the Ministry of Education to work with Sudan's 80 nomadic communities are forbidden all dealings with adult women.

Different Life Opportunities for WomenMany opportunities in life remain out of reach for poor, rural, uneducated females living in developing countries. While some women are free to express their opinions and earn an income equal to men, there are millions who are discriminated against from birth, just because they were born a girl. The majority of poor people in the world are women. Females make up 70 per cent of the 1.5 billion people of the world living in absolute poverty. More than three-quarters of a billion women live on less than $1 a day. Women often lack access to resources that might help them get out of poverty, including education, credit, land, inheritance or a say in the government. The high rate of poverty among women is referred to as the `feminisation of poverty'.

There are poor women in all countries, as mass poverty in developing countries and aspockets of poverty amid wealth in developedcountries. For example, of the 35 millionAmericans who live below the poverty line,60 per cent are women and 41 per cent aresingle mothers. The poorest tend to be uneducatedsingle mothers, indigenous and ethnic minorities

The Effects of Taliban Rune on WomenIn 1996 the Taliban captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. They ruled until 2001 when they were overthrown by American forces in a war that followed the September 11 attack on America.

During the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, women suffered severe discrimination. They were expelled from the workforce, banned from attending schools and universities, compelled to wear the burqa (a costume that completely covers the body, leaving only a small opening through which to see), prohibited from being examined by male doctors and forced to appear in public only with their father, brother or husband.

Facts – WomenWomen constitute the majority of the world's poor. According to the United Nations, women do two-thirds of the world's work yet they earn only five per cent of the world's income.· Women receive less education than men and make up 66 per cent of the illiterate population.· Poverty and illiteracy make women more vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies andsocial abuse. Every day, 1400 girls and women die giving birth.· Women make up 43 per cent of the global agricultural workforce, yet they own less than one per cent of the world's land and cannot borrow funds to improve their lives.

Contrasting Lifestyles For these women

Opportunity of an Education Improves Quality of Life

Providing women with an education and paying women for their labour helps improve the quality of life of their family and their country. A woman in Sweden, for example, with the opportunity for higher educational qualifications, is able to express informed opinions on the governing of her country as well as earn a high income that enables her to enjoy the luxuries of a good quality of life. An educated woman in Bangladesh increases food supplies by learning about improved farming methods, reduces infant death rates by learning about clean water and healthy living, can earn an income for her labour and is able to express her opinions on community activities, such as the importance of sanitation.

Women in developing countries can improve the quality of life of their family if given the opportunity. For example, Maisana used to work husking rice with a wooden mallet in her landlord's house from 6 am to 7 pm in return for half a kilogram of broken rice. She was able to get a small loan from the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh to purchase mustard seeds to crush on her father's old machine. As she began to work her way out of poverty, Maisana took out further loans to finance the rebuilding of her house, and purchase a new machine, oxen and land.

Australia and Overseas AidThe Australian Agency for International Development(AusAID) manages the Australian Government's official overseas aid program. The main objective of this program is to reduce the gap between rich and poor countries by helping developing countries reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development. AusAID works closely with Australian businesses, non-government organisations (such as World Vision and Care Australia) and international agencies (such as the Red Cross and the United Nations).

Australia’s Foreign AidForeign aid is the transfer of money, food and services from developed countries to developing countries. Australia gives aid to help reduce world poverty and to improve our regional security (aid improves regional security by helping to ensure that neighbouring countries are more stable).

Australia's overseas aid program is funded by the Federal Government and managed through AusAID. From 2003-04, Australia provided $1.894 billion worth of aid - about $1.70 per person per week. This amounts to around one per cent of the Federal Government's total expenditure. Every year the Australian overseas aid program reaches more than 58 million people living in poverty. The program also responds to humanitarian and emergency relief situations such as helping the victims of natural disasters, terrorism, war and famine.

Australia’s Foreign Aid (2)A range of growing global issues such as HIV/AIDS, the illegal trade in drugs and small arms, and illegal immigration remain an ongoing priority for AusAID programs.

If left unchecked, these issues pose a serious hreat to regional development and security.