An Encounter With Extreme Poverty: Yesterday I got a call from an Uncle who lives in Mararaba, a densely populated suburb of Nasarawa state in conurbation with Abuja. His wife lost her sister. I had to go and pay homage and mourn with them. First of all I had to park my car along the road on the Abuja-Keffi express road because the roads leading to the house are not motorable. The next shocker I noticed was the fact that the geo - spartial mapping of the area defiled Google map such that even with house code you are surely not going to end up in front of your destination. You know those kind of address your host will ask you to wait for him by a popular landmark where he will come and meet you before taking you to the house. That was the situation I found myself yesterday. I waited somewhere for my guide after I Parked. When he came I suggested we take Okada but he insisted it is trekable, so we embarked on our journey by foot. What a journey across some of the rugged terrains you can think of. I was short of breathe and made a mental observation about my level of physical fitness and declining stamina. We ascended a hill and I was able to get a birds eye view of the landscape. Impulsively I reached for my camera and started clicking away, snapping pictures of poverty in its crudest hobbesian state. A picture they say speaks more than a thousand words. Words fails me, so take a hard look at the pictures I shared and relate it with the definition of some of the concepts of poverty were going to be looking at: 1) Poverty is defined as a general scarcity or dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. 2) Absolute poverty or destitution refers to the deprivation of basic human needs, which commonly includes food, water, sanitation, clothing, shelter, health care and education. 3) Relative poverty is defined contextually as economic inequality in the location or society in which people live. According to the United Nations, fundamentally, poverty is the inability of getting choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to feed and clothe a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation. The World Bank sees Poverty as a pronounced deprivation in well-being, and comprises many dimensions. It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty also encompasses low levels of health and education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice, and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one’s life. Copenhagen Declaration: Absolute poverty is a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social services. The term absolute poverty is sometimes synonymously referred to as extreme poverty. Absolute poverty refers to a set standard which is consistent over time and between countries. First introduced in 1990, the dollar a day poverty line measured absolute poverty by the standards of the world’s poorest countries. The World Bank defined the new international poverty line as $1.25 a day for 2005 (equivalent to $1.00 a day in 1996 US prices) but have recently been updated to be $1.25 and $2.50 per day. Absolute poverty, extreme poverty, or abject poverty is a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to services. The term absolute poverty, when used in this fashion, is usually synonymous with extreme poverty: Robert McNamara, the former President of the World Bank, described absolute or extreme poverty as, ...a condition so limited by malnutrition, illiteracy, disease, squalid surroundings, high infant mortality, and low life expectancy as to be beneath any reasonable definition of human decency. Enough said about poverty. Am sure we are up to speed and understand what poverty means. So let me throw the question back at you: Looking at the pictures, do you think the inhabitants of Mararaba are living in a state of abject, absolute or extreme poverty? Wont it be nice if poverty is wiped out completely instead of reducing it by 50%? Enjoy your day! S. A
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 08:20:34 +0000
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