Hunter R. Patton
Health 410
Assignment #1
TITLE
Poverty is an aspect of life many Americans will never encounter and never truly understand because most U.S. citizens measure poverty in a monetary sense. This is a valuable way to measure a person’s wealth, but it is still only one aspect of poverty. People around the world experience poverty in a variety of ways other than economically. Towns, cities, and countries, around the world deal with poverty on social levels, spiritual levels, health levels, and even in natural resources. One of the biggest ways poverty affects the world is by depriving individuals of one of life’s most necessary natural resources, water. Water is necessary for everyday household activities, hygiene, health, and hydration. Poverty inhibits individuals from purchasing or obtaining sanitary water, limits countries and governments from providing public water supplies, and the effects are devastating.
Kathryn Jacobsen’s book, Introduction to Global Heath (p. 215) discusses, five important features regarding water access including proximity, quality, reliability, cost, and quantity. It is rare for people in underdeveloped areas of the world to encounter a region that is able to provide all five of the key features that promote easy, reliable access to consumable water. In poverty stricken areas such as the Sub Saharan Africa and Asia, governments are not in a position to provide public water systems, and even if they were the individuals who inhabit these nations are unable to afford the cost of water. Many individuals must travel far distances to obtain water, and there is no guarantee that water will be present. If the presence of water is discovered, quality then becomes a concern. There is always the possibility that it has come from a surface water source or a dug well. Water acquired from such sources is unreliable and frequently found to be unsuitable for human consumption. Individuals are then limited to quantities that they can carry, and afford. Often times it is not enough to cover the combination of everyday household activities such as cooking and cleaning, hygiene needs such as bathing, and health needs such as drinking and sanitation for an entire family.
The Term Paper on Poverty and Health in Developing Countries
Poverty tends to be the main issue for United Human Development and Wold Human Organisation. Poverty usually reflects to the poor society in a country. Who are the poor? Obviously, rural dwellers where rural Asia and Africa have 60% to 80%, women constitute 70% of world poor, elderly, children and ethnic minorities. The degrees or magnitude of absolute poverty in developing countries, understand ...
According to the Global Issues website there are 2.2 billion children in the world and at least 400 million who do not have access to a safe water supply. These children suffer from numerous health problems. Diseases, diarrhea, infection, viruses, and parasites are a small portion of the devastating effects of handling and consuming contaminated water supplies. The limitation of access to clean water is abundant in poverty stricken areas increasing the death rates of these children.
The lack of clean water supplies in these underdeveloped regions has many secondary effects that impact the poverty level of family units and nations as a whole. Many women spend most of their day traveling in search of water and have no time to earn an income, raise a family, or earn an education. The overall education system of these regions is affected because the prevalence of absences is increased due to illnesses caused by the lack of water and the consumption of contaminated water. Many families make a living dependent on water such as farming. The inaccessibility to water can destroy crops causing a decrease in a family’s income and a nation’s overall poverty level.
Poverty is far more than just a dollar amount. As I have recently discovered, it contains many aspects that range from education to health and even simple resources like water. As discussed above an insufficient supply of water can lead to an increase in the overall poverty level of individuals, families, and nations.
The Essay on Working Cass Families and Modern Education Systems Redefined under Neo-Liberalism Policies
Connell’s (2003) article focuses on the problematic relationship between working-class families, and modern education systems, which is being redefined under neo-liberalism policies. Connell explores this issue in relation to an Australian reform, which was created with an intention to make upper secondary education more inclusive, in particular ¬– through more extensive vocational education ...
Works Cited
1. Jacobsen, K.H. (2008).
Introduction to global health. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
2. Shah, A. (2010, September 20).
Poverty facts and stats. Retrieved from http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats