Poverty And Welfare

Poverty is a chronic lack of money, goods, or other necessities required for a minimal existence.

Welfare refers to government policies intended intended to provide solutions to the problems of poverty, including homelessness, lack of medical care, care of the aged, etc.

The following are examples of campaigns about poverty and welfare around the world:

EUROPE

Oxfam GB

“Poor people can imagine what itis like to be rich, but he who is rich cannot imagine what itis like to be poor. My daughter went to school in shoes that cost L4.95 and she came back in tears because kids were taunting her.” –Participant at a workshop held by the UK Coalition Against Poverty

SocietyGuardian.co.uk

Tina is pregnant and was about to drop out of school when she was allocated a teenage pregnancy learning mentor who is ensuring that the education system accommodates the birth of her child. Tina will be able to attend classes up until the delivery, with time off to attend hospital check- ups, and will return to her studies when she is ready.
Read about 15-year-old Tina in Analysis: a look at the government’s social exclusion policies.

Child Poverty Action Group(CPAG)

There are 14 CPAG branches throughout the UK that play an important role in campaigning on local issues and informing local people of national campaigns in which they can participate.

UNITED STATES and WORLDWIDE

National Coalition for the Homeless

“What is it like being homeless? That’s like asking what it’s like living in a house-there are many diverse experiences. Being homeless is like being a suspect and a potential victim. It’s like being ignored. It’s like really appreciating the coming of springtime. It’s like paying special attention to the forecast to see if and how much you’ll suffer at night. It’s like the sinking feeling you get when you have no blankets and your call to the hypothermia hotline goes unanswered.”
Read personal experiences of homelessness and find out what you can do.

Oxfam International

Oxfam International is a confederation of 12 organizations working together in more than 100 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, suffering and injustice.

PovertyVision.org

Visit this online portal to find information on poverty issues worldwide, programs, solutions, and resources.

UN-HABITAT, United Nations Human Settlements Programme

Homeless children are to be found all over the city, where the neighbourhood offers a chance of picking up a living at daytime and of turning in at night with a promise of security from surprise. In warm weather a truck in the street, a convenient out-house, or a dug-out in a hay-barge at the wharf make good bunks.
Learn more about The International Forum on Urban Poverty’s work.

Concern Worldwide

Concern works with poor people to empower them to become the central actors in the development of their communities. View their Work Overseas Map, which covers 25 countries including:
Afghanistan
Burundi
East Timor
Liberia

Speak Truth to Power

Meet the Speak Truth to Power’s Defenders struggling against poverty around the world:

-Bruce Harris, Guatemala/U.K. is the Executive Director of Covenant House Central America, he is the leading advocate for street children in the region.

Action Center to End World Hunger

The Action Center to End World Hunger uses hunger as an organizing symbol of poverty, helping to explain and illustrate the challenges that lay behind it, such as poor agricultural practices, inefficient markets, weak health and education services, environmental degradation, conflict, and lack of access to clean water. By identifying and highlighting these underlying issues, the Action Center seeks to generate the public will necessary to end hunger in our lifetimes. Learn how you can Take Action on the fight against world hunger.

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