Poverty In The Philippines

Since the 1980s, the Philippines ’ Anti-Poverty situation remained a major problem in the Philippines .
According to the Population Commission, there are about 30.6 million Filipinos suffering from poverty.   Out of all the Southeast Asian countries, the Philippines is the worst when in comes to poverty.   About 15.3 million Filipinos are subsistence individuals meaning that they do not make enough money to provide for basic food requirements.   
In 1999, the World Bank said that the Philippines had a per capita GNP or gross national product for each person of $1,050.   This is being compared to China 's $780, Indonesia 's $600, Vietnam 's $370, Lao's $290, and Cambodia 's $280.   By looking at this, you probably think that these other Asian countries have a higher percent of people living in poverty.   That assumption is wrong.   The Philippines has a higher percent of poverty because the wealth is only concentrated on few people.   In the Forbes magazine, there were at least five Filipino billionaires.   Places like France , Finland , the Netherlands , Norway , and Sweden do not have even one representative to the billionaires circle.   This shows that money is not distributed equally in the Philippines .   


There are many causes of economic difficulties leading to mass poverty and hunger.   One cause could be foreign debts servicing.   This means that the Philippines must owe money to the World Bank.   More than 60% of the Philippines budget goes to the World Bank.   Unequal distribution of land and other resources is another cause that leads to poverty.   Out of the whole population, only 20% own and control agricultural lands.   Another cause could be under cultivation of agricultural lands.   Only 13 million hectares are cultivated.   There are about 17 million hectares of land that are not being used.

  

Did you know a couple of years ago in the Philippines a little over half of the country’s population was living below the poverty line? These statistics show just how vital health is. The high rate of people in need of a job is very insufficient because the lack of access to land, also which makes it very tough to build buildings and open up more job markets. A history of inappropriate economic policies contributed to high unemployment and a high proportion of the labor force. Most Filipinos doesn’t have work or if they do, their salary is below the minimum wage. In the Philippines an average family of 6 only earns $140.00 (6300 php) a month, and an average family in America can earn that within one week of work. Based on National Wages and Productivity Commission.

I have concluded that the Philippines are living in poverty due to the uneven distribution of lands and that should be given to farmers for farming, mismanagement of the government, and corruption. The government should pay attention to this problems, all they need is sincere public service, being selfless and caring for their fellow Filipinos, Philippines will be free from poverty.

Sources:

• "Poverty in the Philippines ." Understanding Poverty October 2001 .
• "Debunking the Myths of over Population." Pro-life (2005) 08 Oct 2006 .
• http://www.txtmania.com/articles/poverty.php

Kenya's World Ranking Regarding Poverty

A 2005 report by the United Nations ranked Kenya as 154th out of a list of 177 countries, in terms of life expectancy, literacy levels and overall gross domestic product. Just three years earlier, the country had ranked 134th. For comparison, Uganda was ranked at 144th, and Tanzania was 164th. Both are immediate neighbors of Kenya.

There are several factors contributing to the ongoing problem of poverty in Kenya, though the issue of Kenya's economic state is far more complex than a simple list of causes.

Mass Poverty in Kenya

More than 15 million poor people in Kenya

Poverty in Kenya reached an alarming level over the past 30 years; poverty has been on the rise. Poverty seems to be a paradox in a country that has the best-developed economy in eastern Africa , with relatively advanced agricultural and industrial sectors and substantial foreign exchange earnings from agricultural exports and tourism. Yet Kenya is a low-income country, with per capita income averaging about US$360. It ranks 148th among 177 countries in the United Nations Development Programs human development index, which measures a country's development in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and standard of living.

More than half of the country's 31.3 million people are poor, and 7.5 million of the poor live in extreme poverty. About 80 percent of the population, including three out of four poor people lives in rural zones. Most Kenyans live in areas having a medium to high potential for agriculture, which comprise about 18 percent of the country's territory. Population density in high-potential areas is more than six times the country's average of 55 persons per km2. While the poorest of the poor are found in the sparsely populated arid zones of the country, mainly in the north, over 80 percent of rural poor people live in higher-potential areas surroundingLake Victoria and in the Mount Kenya region.

. The Government of Kenya and project beneficiaries have contributed about US$56.0 million and US$11.0 million respectively.

A growing population and rising poverty levels

Kenya's population has tripled over the past 30 years, leading to increasing pressure on natural resources, a widening income gap and rising poverty levels that erode gains in education, health, food security, employment and incomes. The causes of rural poverty include: low agricultural productivity, exacerbated byland degradation and insecure land tenure, unemployment and low wages, difficulty in accessing financing for self-employment, poor governance, bad roads, high costs of health and education, HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS is most prevalent among young and middle-aged Kenyans, the most productive segment of the population. Almost half of the people in Kenya are under 15 years of age. An estimated 700 Kenyans die daily of HIV/AIDS-related causes. HIV/AIDS leaves orphans and woman-headed households even more vulnerable to poverty. The burden of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and water-borne diseases weighs heavily on both the country and Kenyan families, affecting income, food security and development potential.Life expectancy is down to 46 years, from 59 years in 1989.

Kenya's rural poor people include: small farmers, herders, farm laborers, unskilled and semi-skilled workers, households headed by women, people with disabilities and AIDS orphans.

Women are particularly vulnerable because they do not have equal access to social and economic assets. For about 70 percent of women, subsistence farming is the primary -- and often the only -- source of livelihood.

The few studies on inequality in Kenya show that it is manifested in various forms including: income, lack of equal access to productive assets, social and political exclusion, and inability of certain groups of the society to access key social services. Distribution of high potential land in the country is highly skewed, favoring Western, Rift Valley and Central provinces .

Source: IFAD http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/english/regions/africa/ken/index.htm

Independence of Kenya

In the year 1957, Kenya gained its Independence and it they had rights to vote and they had Republic as the system of their government. 






Indeed, Kenya was free. :)

A first look (history of Kenya)

After giving you a glimpse about Kenya, let's talk about their history.


So, Kenya is a country that was populated by small tribal groups. The groups that dominated there nation were as follows: Kikuyu, Kamba, Luo and Masai.

By 1st Century, Kenya was invaded by the Arabs because of the Arabian Peninsula where they established colonies in Kenya. 

By 1498, Portuguese arrived and Arabs dominance on Kenya weakened, but soon enough the Portuguese gave its way to Islamic Control.

Then, time passed and 19th Century came and another European influence came along to conquer Kenya, it is United Kingdom. 

As you can see, Kenya was dominated by other countries and preferably by the western countries, they used their good location to enable trade in that country. 

Did you know that?

Yes, did you know that East Africa was divided into several territories due to the influence of the European countries.

The British Government founded the East African Protectorate and not later they allowed white settlers in their land. 

During the British era in Kenya, Asians and Africans are excluded from political partaking until 1944. During this time many Indians are brought to Kenya to work on the Kenya Uganda Railway Line

Kenya Uganda Railway is 

a historical railway system linking the interiors of Uganda and Kenya to the Indian Ocean at Mombasa in Kenya. 

Just like the Philippines, Kenya also wanted to break free from their British colonizers, they even took a secret oath to fight for their freedom. 

It is clear that Kenya suffered in the hands of the colonizers, they work for them while they are in their own native land and I guess, with these happenings in the past, Kenya underwent a serious poverty because of the fact that they are colonized by other countries.