Poverty in Developing Countries
Around the world, 1.2 billion people (22 percent) live on less than $1.25 a day. Increasing the income poverty line to $2.50 a day raises the global income poverty rate to about 50 percent, or 2.7 billion people. This is a serious issue because poverty dominates our world creating ripple effects throughout countries. Basic needs cannot be accessed because people don’t have the resources and money to get them. Poverty is leading to disease and starvation. The Cooperative Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE) is an international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty by supplying tools like rakes and seeds, or scholarships to developing countries. CARE has helped supply basic needs to many people like Salwa, a Syrian refugee stuck in poverty.
CARE, a non-profit organization, wrote a true story about a Syrian refugee called “Surviving Yet Another Winter.” Salwa, a Syrian refugee, is struggling with the hardships of poverty and effects of war. Salwa is 30 years old and is staying in an apartment in Jordan. The winter is the hardest time of year for her and her family. The rain during the winter months floods her apartment and creates hard living conditions. It is unsafe for her one-and-a-half-year-old son to be left unsupervised. Her husband is a construction worker from Syria and typically get jobs a couple of times a week, but in the winter he goes weeks without work. As winter continues to grow closer, Salwa is worried about how her family will survive this winter. Without a heater, closing the door and bundling in blankets is the only way to stay warm. However, when blankets cost 80 JOD ($113), she prefers to spend it on food. Luckily, the CARE organization is giving Salwa’s family and many others winterization cash to help them get through the cold winter. Families will receive 400 JOD ($565) to spend on the necessities they think are most needed. Salwa will use this money to buy winter clothes and food for her family.
In 1945, 22 American organizations came together to make care packages for survivors of World War II, founding the CARE organization. The packages were originally just used for emergency food, but later tools, blankets, clothes and more were sent. CARE not only provides emergency relief, but is working on long-term projects to help solve problems. This organization gives support to survivors of wars and natural disasters. Their mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities and has a special focus on women. They believe the people they serve deserve nothing less. CARE offers many options for people to donate. These options include: donating money, creating individual care packages or buying specific supplies. Some examples are: a goat ($45), a scholarship to attend school ($143), seeds for a half-acre of farmland ($29), 3 rakes ($27), or even 2 soccer balls for a community center ($40). Donating can be an immense help, but there are other ways to get involved. One way is fundraising, if 33 friends and family members donate $3.33 (one latte a day) for 90 days, a total of $10,000 can be raised. Another way is planning an event where CARE will send a pre-assembled event tool kit pertaining to the event. CARE is a leading organization hoping to overcome world poverty and restore hope, tolerance, and social justice in the world.
All around the world, there are people suffering from lack of resources. I doubt Salwa’s family would have survived the winter without CARE’s help. CARE provides hope to struggling people and communities by providing food, money and supplies. It is saving lives. If we help those in need through donations and raising awareness, we can make a difference in the world and get one step closer to ending poverty completely.
Works Cited
"About." CARE. N.p., 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.
"Human Development Report 2014." Human Development Report (2014): n. pag. Human Development Report. UNDP, 2016. Web. 3 Mar. 2016
"Surviving Yet Another Winter." CARE. N.p., 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.