What is poverty?

Poverty is not just just not having enough money to meet our daily needs such as; food, clothing or a shelter but much more. Poverty is hunger, lack of having a roof over our heads. Poverty is being sick, and not being able to treat yourself because of money and due to this your healthcare is ruined. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to do basic things like read or write. Poverty is not having a job, an occupation, is fear of the future, living one day at a time. Poverty has many different types, such as world hunger or not being able to afford resources or healthcare, most often, poverty is a situation people want to escape. In addition to the lack of money, poverty also refers to the inability to engage in leisure activities, send kids on field trips with their classmates, even to birthday parties or afford to pay necessary treatments. These are all expenses related to poverty. People who are barely able to cover their basic needs just cannot think about these additional costs. There are negative effects on society when people are isolated from society, when they are uneducated, and when they have a high chance of getting sick, there are negative consequences for society.

We all pay the price for poverty. The increased cost on the health system, the justice system and other systems that provide support to those living in poverty has an impact on our economy.

Poverty, however, is not only about the money, it is a bigger conversation about criticism and exclusion. The poor are always judged based on their appearance or the way they look a certain way which is all because of their living conditions.

For example at school life or even work life, poor people are judged because they don’t have the latest fashion or have to wear old hand downs, sometimes don’t have a washer and dryer therefore cannot wash their clothes when needed. Sometimes cannot smell the best because of the use of water and can’t afford the huge water bill.

Certain people decide not to donate nor believe in poverty as it is seen as individual failure and inadequacy. Some believe that poverty is the result of lack of effort and individual failing, then the poor have no one but to blame themselves.

For example, in the United States, poverty is typically seen as the fault of the individual, that individuals are largely to blame for their situation, and consequently, the rest of society bears little responsibility for their difficulty.