This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read about the truth on giving of our finances. It is the most Biblically sound book I have read up to date on giving.
-Pastor Steve-
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Book- The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
This is one of the most amazing books I have ever read about the truth on giving of our finances. It is the most Biblically sound book I have read up to date on giving.
-Pastor Steve-
Book- Crazy Love by Francis Chan
I highly recommend this book for the Christian's who will admit their love has grown cold. If you don't think so then please read it and find out.
It's one of the most amazing books I have ever read.
-Pastor Steve-
It's one of the most amazing books I have ever read.
-Pastor Steve-
Giving- How should Christians respond to global poverty and hunger?
How should Christians respond to global poverty and hunger?
Answer: According to the latest statistics, over 840 million people worldwide are chronically undernourished. Every day, 26,000 young children die due to poverty, hunger, and preventable diseases. With so much of the world’s population in such lamentable condition, what’s a Christian to do? How should the Church respond?
Christians should respond to global poverty and hunger with compassion. Having true compassion for the needy, as modeled by Jesus (Mark 8:2), means we are aware of the need, we care about the people involved, and we are ready to act on their behalf. Having compassion on a needy brother is proof of the love of God within us (1 John 3:17). We honor God when we are kind to the needy (Proverbs 14:31).
Christians should respond to global poverty and hunger with action. Of course, prayer for those in need is something every Christian can do. Beyond that, Christians should do all they can to alleviate the suffering caused by global poverty and hunger. Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. . . . For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:33-34). Like Tabitha, we should “always [be] doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).
The believer who selflessly gives to the poor will be blessed by God. “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, / and he will reward him for what he has done” (Proverbs 19:17). These divine blessings may be spiritual rather than material, but a reward is guaranteed—giving to the poor is an investment in eternity.
There are several Christian relief organizations that work not only to combat global poverty and hunger, but also to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Groups such as Elijah's Cry International strive to meet the needs of the total person, both physical and spiritual.
Christians should respond to global poverty and hunger with hope. Believers can act on behalf of the poor with the confidence that they are helping further God’s work in the world: “I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor / and upholds the cause of the needy” (Psalm 140:12). Believers labor with the hope that Jesus will return, and “with righteousness he will judge the needy, / with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth” (Isaiah 11:4).
Until that day of ultimate equity, Jesus said, “The poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11). That being the case, we have unlimited opportunities—and the urgent obligation—to serve the Lord by serving others.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Giving- Why Is Ministering to The Poor So Important?
Why Is Ministering to The Poor So Important?
 |
| 2011 Manila, Philippines |
Because...whoever is kind to the needy honors God (Pro 14:31—NIV) He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done. (Pro 19:17—NIV) A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Pro 11:25--NIV) …then you shall take delight in the Lord…and ride upon the heights of the earth... (Isa 58:6-14—NRSV) ...And you will be blessed, because they can not repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (Luke-14:13-14--NRSV)
Because...He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever (2Cor 9:9-NIV) …not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also over flowing in many expressions of thanks to God. (2Cor 9:12—NIV)
Because...Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. (Acts 10:4—NIV) …Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto Me. (Matt 25:40) He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? Says the Lord. (Jer 22:16)
Because...you should not leave undone the more important things. (Luke 11:42-NLT) He that gives unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hides his eyes shall have many a curse. (Proverbs 28:27) …give to the needy…and you will be clean all over. (Luke 11:41-NLT)
Because...Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I (Isaiah 58:9—NIV) …God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. (Acts 10:31-NIV) Blessed is he that considers the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and You will not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of sickness: You will restore him in his sickness. (Ps 41:1-3)
Because...the poor shall never cease out of the land: therefore I (the Lord) command you, saying, You shall open your hand wide unto your brother, to your poor, and to your needy, in your land. (Deut 15:11) …remembering the words of the Lord Jesus who said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) …give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver. (2Cor 9:7)
Because...by this service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for your obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. (2Cor 9:13-14—NIV)
Because...The righteous considers the cause of the poor: but the wicked regard not to know it. (Pro 29:7) …among my people are found wicked men…they have become great, and grown rich…they shine: … they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not…the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy they do not judge. …shall not My Soul be avenged on such a nation as this? (Jer. 5:28-29)
Because...the Lord Almighty says: Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor… but they refused to pay attention…and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the Lord Almighty was angry. When I called, they didn’t listen; so when they called, I would not listen, says the Lord Almighty. I scattered them with a whirlwind among the nations where they were strangers. (Zech. 7:9-14--NIV)
Because...this was the sin of … Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. (Eze. 16:49-50—NIV)
Because...If my people, which are called by My Name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (2Chron 7:14) …break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity (Dan 4:27—NKJV).
Because...the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish forever. (Ps 9:17-18) Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy. (Pro 31:9)
Because...Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…(James 1:27—NIV) Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised to those who love Him (James 2:5—NIV) …remember the poor…(Gal 2:10)
Because...What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and have not works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit? Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone. (Ja 2:14-17)
Because...In Christ Jesus…the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal 5:6--NIV) This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? …let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His Presence. (1Jo 3:16-19—NIV)
Because...the Kingdom of God is... righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit... (Rom 14:17--NIV) Your Father's good pleasure is to give you the Kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the poor; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:33-34--RSV) ...By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so they may take hold of real life (1Tim 6:17-19--NLT)
Because...If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your desire with good things, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (Isa 58:10-11—RSV) …you shall be called Repairer of the Breach…(Isa. 58:12—RSV) …and…ride upon the heights of the earth…(Isa 58:14—RSV)
Because...the noble man makes noble plans, and by noble plans he stands. (Isa 32:8—NIV) And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. As it is written, "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever." He…will supply and multiply your resources and increase the harvest of your righteousness. (2Cor 9:7-10--RSV) only… remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do. (Gal 2:10—RSV)
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Poverty- Poverty in the Philippines
Poverty in the Philippines
I lived there for 6 1/2 months on two different islands and in two different cities. I traveled to Manila, Cebu and Cagayan De Oro. Everywhere I lived and traveled the poverty was very extreme in the cities, country side and mountains. Yes there are the rich who mostly ignore the poor. Their children are fat, full and dressed nice and they live in big beautiful secure houses.. The poor live in shacks or makeshift homes they can find a place to build. They and and their children wear clothes many years old and some with holes. The children don't get any education since the family can't afford to send them to school. They usually only have enough rice each day so they don't starve. I planted a church in a small impoverished fishing village where I saw this first hand. When they couldn't catch fish they would try to gather coconut shells and fallen tree branches to sell as fire wood to others to have some rice that day. Some of the children had lice and a few ran around with only t-shirts on and nothing covering the lower parts of their bodies. They are wonderful and humble people but have been born into generational poverty in a class system where it's next to impossible to ever come out accept for the grace of God.
I'm willing to sacrifice all again and go and minister to there needs.
Will you send me? Can you help?
See the pictures and the story at www.elijahscry.com
-Pastor Steve-
13M Filipino kids live in poverty, deprived of basic needs -- study 13M Filipino kids live in poverty, deprived of basic needs -- study By Jerry E. Esplanada Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 20:10:00 09/26/2010 Filed Under: Children, Poverty MANILA, Philippines ? Over 44 percent of Filipino children aged 15 and below live in poverty, according to a joint study by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the non-government Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). The figure, representing over 13 million kids, showed an increase of about four percent over early 2000 data, according to the same study. It revealed that the children "do not only suffer from income poverty but also from other dimensions of poverty, such as deprivations in terms of food, shelter, health, education, water and sanitation facilities, and information." The study, called "Global study on Child Poverty an Disparities: Philippines," showed "large disparities across regions in the country...The national estimate does not truly reflect what is happening in the regions." The largest number of poor children can be found in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (69.3 percent of more than 820,000 children), CARAGA (67.8 percent of over 516,000 children), MIMAROPA (63.9 percent of more than 673,000 children), Bicol (63 percent of more than 1.32 million children), and Eastern Visayas (62.2 percent of over 963,000 children). "The child poverty rate in the ARMM is four times that of Metro Manila...The rate in CALABARZON is only half that of its neighboring MIMAROPA...The number of poor children in Bicol is about six-folds the number in the Cordillera Administrative Region," the study also said.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Poverty- Today, around 21,000 children died around the world
Today, around 21,000 children died around the world
Author and Page information
- This page: http://www.globalissues.org/article/715/today-21000-children-died-around-the-world.
- To print all information e.g. expanded side notes, shows alternative links, use the print version:
That is equivalent to:
- 1 child dying every 4 seconds
- 14 children dying every minute
- A 2011 Libya conflict-scale death toll every day
- A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring every 10 days
- A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring every 11 days
- An Iraq-scale death toll every 19–46 days
- Just under 7.6 million children dying every year
- Some 92 million children dying between 2000 and 2010
This web page has the following sub-sections:
Some more numbers on the state of the world’s children
From UNICEF, the world’s premier children’s organization, part of the United Nations:- 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation
- 1 billion children are deprived of one or more services essential to survival and development
- 148 million under 5s in developing regions are underweight for their age
- 101 million children are not attending primary school, with more girls than boys missing out
- 22 million infants are not protected from diseases by routine immunization
- 7.6 million children worldwide died before their 5th birthday in 2010
- 4 million newborns worldwide are dying in the first month of life
- 2 million children under 15 are living with HIV
- >500,000 women die each year from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth
, UNICEF, p.18-19. See also ChildInfo.Why is this tragedy not in the headlines?
Back in 2000, UNICEF’s Progress of Nations report for that year tried to put these numbers into some perspective:The continuation of this suffering and loss of life contravenes the natural human instinct to help in times of disaster. Imagine the horror of the world if a major earthquake were to occur and people stood by and watched without assisting the survivors! Yet every day, the equivalent of a major earthquake killing over 30,000 young children occurs to a disturbingly muted response. They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.
— A spotty scorecard, UNICEF, Progress of Nations 2000
Images © UNICEF
It feels as though even when there is some media attention, the ones who suffer are not the ones that compel the mainstream to report, but instead it is the movement of the celebrities and leaders of the wealthy countries that makes this issue newsworthy.
Even rarer in the mainstream media is any thought that wealthy countries may be part of the problem too. The effects of international policies such as structural adjustments, the current form of globalization, and the on these processes is rarely looked at.
Instead, promises and pledges from the wealthy, powerful countries, and the corruption of the poorer ones — who receive apparently abundant goodwill — make the headlines; the repeated broken promises, the low quality and quantity of aid, and conditions with unfair strings attached do not.
Accountability of the recipient countries is often mentioned when these issues touch the mainstream. Accountability of the roles that international institutions such as the World Bank and IMF, and their funders (the wealthy/powerful countries), rarely does. The risk is that citizens of these countries get a false sense of hope creating the misleading impression that appropriate action is taken in their names.
It may be harsh to say the mainstream media is one of the many causes of poverty, as such, but the point here is that their influence is enormous. Silence, as well as noise, can both have an effect.
Recent headlines in context
When this page was initially written, the BBC’s top story on prime time television was about a British child kidnapped in Portugal. This is definitely a tragic story that needs reporting, but why, for the BBC and other British media outlets that pride themselves in outstanding international media coverage, is the plight of millions of children not daily headlines?Another recent tragedy that sustained days of headline and prime time media coverage was the Virginia Tech massacre’s in the US. When media critics at Media Lens asked for the BBC’s rationale for such sustained coverage compared to more people dying each day in Iraq and receiving just a few minutes in comparison, the BBC responded that it happens every day in Iraq. See Putting Virginia Tech in Perspective for the follow up from Media Lens.
Some people fear there will be fatigue at hearing those depressing stories all the time, or the advertisers will pressure the media companies to put a bit more entertainment or good news on so that buying moods are not affected.
And does it have to be just bad news? Despite the tragedy, there is some measure of progress, which, perhaps with further public attention, could spur on more efforts in these areas and highlight important related issues.
However, news of tragedies in Iraq are also depressing, but nevertheless do received regular headline coverage.
Also there is worry that the lack of sensationalism attached to reporting the same news story each day will result in lower television viewing ratings and this may have various consequences—especially where advertising is concerned.
Finally there is the question of whether people want to hear about such depressing news stories. After all the media feels it is delivering what its viewers would like. However, it is difficult for people to know what they do or do not want to see, if they are never given the options of the alternatives. If the magnitude of this suffering is hardly reported in a sustained manner, how can viewers judge whether they wish to watch it or not?
About Child Deaths
Of the 7.6 million child deaths (under-5s) in 2010, the vast majority occurred in just two regions:
Breaking that down further,
Why is child mortality important to understand?
UNICEF summarizes the importance of child mortality:The under-five mortality rate, often known by its acronym U5MR or simply as the child mortality rate … has several advantages as a barometer of child well-being in general and child health in particular.
First, it measures an ‘outcome’ of the development process rather than an ‘input’, such as per capita calorie availability or the number of doctors per 1,000 population—all of which are means to an end.
Second, the U5MR is known to be the result of a wide variety of inputs:
… among other factors.
- the nutritional status and the health knowledge of mothers;
- the level of immunization and oral rehydration therapy;
- the availability of maternal and child health services (including prenatal care);
- income and food availability in the family;
- the availability of safe drinking water and basic sanitation; and
- the overall safety of the child’s environment
Third, the U5MR is less susceptible to the fallacy of the average than, for example, per capita gross national income (GNI per capita). This is because the natural scale does not allow the children of the rich to be 1,000 times as likely to survive, even if the human-made scale does permit them to have 1,000 times as much income. In other words, it is much more difficult for a wealthy minority to affect a nation’s U5MR, and it therefore presents a more accurate, if far from perfect, picture of the health status of the majority of children (and of society as a whole).
— State of the World’s Children, 2008 , UNICEF, January 2008, p.2 (see also p.149 for more details) [Emphasis and list formatting added]
, UNICEF, January 2008, p.2 (see also p.149 for more details) [Emphasis and list formatting added]Cautious optimism in reducing child mortality
UNICEF also notes that the global child mortality rate declined by over a third between 1990 and 2010:
Significant declines in under-five mortality rates between 1990 and 2009 in all regions, Child Survival and Health, ChildInfo, UNICEF, September 2010.
report, “progress has been unevenly distributed” (p.25). For example,
good progress was made by a few nations with large populations, but many
countries made “no progress or insufficient progress” (p.iii)Also of concern is that the global financial crisis, largely the making of rich countries, is affecting the poorest. Margaret Chan, director-general of the WHO, estimates between 200,000 and 400,000 additional children will die because of this global financial crisis.UNICEF’s State of the World Report 2010
was compiled in August 2009. They noted at the time, “The risks to
child rights from the current economic crisis and other external
challenges must not be underestimated.” (p. 60). Furthermore, “The full
impact of the crisis on child rights will not be evident for some time,
and will only become apparent as new international estimates of global
poverty, child development and nutrition emerge.” (p.62)
Notes and Sources
Sources for child deaths
These mortality figures are from UNICEF. 92 million covers deaths between 2000 and 2010, the latest figures from UNICEF at time of writing.The term “Children” in this context means infants under the age of 5. The tragedy is therefore even worse if older children, adults, and the elderly are to be considered.
The approximate number of deaths in those 10 years is calculated by averaging the deaths per year for known figures in that range and multiplying by the 11 years that cover 2000-2010, which gives a total of 92 million deaths.
Given the population is increasing, the percent of deaths being reduced over those 11 years seems small (0.16% of world population in 2000 and 0.11% of population in 2010).
In a way, this feels like a very small reduction given that many of the illnesses and conditions that children suffer are easily preventable, technically.
Taking a longer term view, since 1960 (when child mortality numbers were first being recorded) the annual number of child deaths has more than halved, from around 20 million in 1960 to just 7.6 million in 2010.
The rate of reduction varies by region, with poorer regions having higher child mortality rates, though all regions are seeing a reduction as the years go by:
In addition, given the population in 1960 was 3 billion whereas 2010 was about 6.8 billion this means that there has been a six-fold improvement in saving lives of children from a percentage basis. That is, although population has increased (a lot), the number of child deaths has reduced even more.
Note also, the above numbers are not precise; the estimation techniques improve with more data, so for 1960 the data and estimates may not be as reliable as more recent years, but it gives an idea of the reduction achieved so far. The 1960 figure comes from a 2007 UNICEF report as the latest figures from UNICEF do not include 1960s number of deaths (unless I missed it!), but nonetheless the results should at least give a rough idea of the trend.
The sources are typically the UNICEF web site and their progress of nations reports. They have a statistical database, which (at the time of writing) uses 2010 as the latest available data. The childinfo.org web site, also by UNICEF, presents these statistics, too.
| Year | Per year (millions) | Per day | Per hour | Per minute | Per second | Population (approx) | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Values rounded for display. Sources:
| |||||||
| 1990 | 12.0 | 32,904 | 1,371 | 23 | 0.38 | 5.2 billion | 0.23% |
| 1995 | 10.7 | 29,320 | 1,222 | 20 | 0.34 | 5.7 billion | 0.19% |
| 2000 | 9.6 | 26,232 | 1,093 | 18 | 0.30 | 6.1 billion | 0.16% |
| 2005 | 8.5 | 23,197 | 967 | 16 | 0.27 | 6.5 billion | 0.13% |
| 2009 | 7.8 | 21,249 | 885 | 15 | 0.25 | 6.8 billion | 0.11% |
| 2010 | 7.6 | 20,860 | 869 | 14 | 0.25 | 6.8 billion | 0.11% |
Sources for Libya comparison
The 2011 Libyan conflict/civil war has been difficult to get accurate death tolls for. Wikipedia lists a number of different sources that say between 10,000 and 30,000 deaths between February and September 2011 (though not all go as far as September).At 21,000 child deaths per day, that would be approximately 0.5 to 1.5 days.
Sources for Haiti comparison
The BBC reports that “Haiti’s government says about 230,000 people died” in the devastating earthquake in January 2010, although later, a minister said there were 217,000 verified deaths.At 20,860 deaths per day, that would be 10 – 11 days approximately.
Sources for Asia Tsunami comparison
This site’s article, Asian Tsunami in December 2004, notes that approximately 230,000 people died in that disaster.At 20,860 deaths per day, that would be about 11 days.
Sources for Iraq comparison
For the Iraq estimate, the John Hopkins study (reported in the Lancet) found 400,000 to 950,000 deaths since the 2003 Iraq invasion (average of some 655,000).Dividing 400,000 by 20,860 gives 19, and 950,000 by 20,860 gives 46, approximately.
As an aside, George Bush and many others dismissed this study in the Lancet as lacking credibility, using discredited methodologies, and instead used the Iraq Body Count statistics (of 30,000 at the time, though it is now reported at about 66,000).
If Iraq Body Count statistics are to be used, then the number of days in which child deaths match the post 2003 Iraq death toll is just two or three days. The Iraq Body Count statistics are often criticized because they rely on mainstream media reporting, which is heavily censored and managed by the US in Iraq. Nonetheless they provided criticism of the John Hopkins study (often referred to as the Lancet study as that is where it was published).
The authors of the study defended it noting that they used the very methodology that the US government is teaching others (and thus dismissed Bush’s claim of using discredited methodologies). The full report in the Lancet also notes that casualty reporting in war time tends to be grossly underestimated, so their numbers may not be as hard to accept as it initially sounds. This caused controversy when reported in October 2006, and is detailed further on this site’s Iraq media reporting section which includes the relevant links.
Related Information
Throughout this site, many issues are discussed that rarely sustain (or enter) mainstream media coverage. The articles listed below are ones that provide a bit more detail behind the above figures.- Poverty facts and stats
- G8 Summit 2005—an example of the paradox of extensive media coverage but of only a few issues
- Mainstream Media
- Health Issues
Where next?
Related articles
- Poverty Facts and Stats
- Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
- Poverty Around The World
- Today, around 21,000 children died around the world
- Corruption
- Foreign Aid for Development Assistance
- Causes of Hunger are related to Poverty
- United Nations World Summit 2005
- IMF & World Bank Protests, Washington D.C.
- Economic Democracy
Poverty- Poverty Facts and Stats
Poverty Facts and Stats
Author and Page information
- This page: http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats.
- To print all information e.g. expanded side notes, shows alternative links, use the print version:
- Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.Source 1
- Some 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water, and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation.
- Almost two in three people lacking access to clean water survive on less than $2 a day, with one in three living on less than $1 a day.
- More than 660 million people without sanitation live on less than $2 a day, and more than 385 million on less than $1 a day.
- Access to piped water into the household averages about 85% for the wealthiest 20% of the population, compared with 25% for the poorest 20%.
- 1.8 billion people who have access to a water source within 1 kilometre, but not in their house or yard, consume around 20 litres per day. In the United Kingdom the average person uses more than 50 litres of water a day flushing toilets (where average daily water usage is about 150 liters a day. The highest average water use in the world is in the US, at 600 liters day.)
- Some 1.8 million child deaths each year as a result of diarrhoea
- The loss of 443 million school days each year from water-related illness.
- Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.
- Millions of women spending several hours a day collecting water.
- To these human costs can be added the massive economic waste associated with the water and sanitation deficit.… The costs associated with health spending, productivity losses and labour diversions … are greatest in some of the poorest countries. Sub-Saharan Africa loses about 5% of GDP, or some $28.4 billion annually, a figure that exceeds total aid flows and debt relief to the region in 2003.Source 10
- Number of children in the world
- 2.2 billion
- Number in poverty
- 1 billion (every second child)
- Shelter, safe water and health
- For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world, there are:
- 640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)
- 400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)
- 270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)
- Children out of education worldwide
- 121 million
- Survival for children
- Worldwide,
- 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (same as children population in France, Germany, Greece and Italy)
- 1.4 million die each year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation
- Health of children
- Worldwide,
- 2.2 million children die each year because they are not immunized
- 15 million children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS (similar to the total children population in Germany or United Kingdom)
The poorest 10% accounted for just 0.5% and the wealthiest 10% accounted for 59% of all the consumption:
Source 16| Region | Millions without electricity |
|---|---|
| South Asia | 706 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 547 |
| East Asia | 224 |
| Other | 101 |
- The world’s wealthiest countries (approximately 1 billion people) accounted for $36.6 trillion dollars (76%).
- The world’s billionaires — just 497 people (approximately 0.000008% of the world’s population) — were worth $3.5 trillion (over 7% of world GDP).
- Low income countries (2.4 billion people) accounted for just $1.6 trillion of GDP (3.3%)
- Middle income countries (3 billion people) made up the rest of GDP at just over $10 trillion (20.7%).Source 19
- 3 to 1 in 1820
- 11 to 1 in 1913
- 35 to 1 in 1950
- 44 to 1 in 1973
- 72 to 1 in 1992Source 27
- Growth: The fall in economic growth rates was most pronounced and across the board for all groups or countries.
- Life Expectancy: Progress in life expectancy was also reduced for 4 out of the 5 groups of countries, with the exception of the highest group (life expectancy 69-76 years).
- Infant and Child Mortality: Progress in reducing infant mortality was also considerably slower during the period of globalization (1980-1998) than over the previous two decades.
- Education and literacy: Progress in education also slowed during the period of globalization.Source 29
| Global Priority | $U.S. Billions |
|---|---|
| Cosmetics in the United States | 8 |
| Ice cream in Europe | 11 |
| Perfumes in Europe and the United States | 12 |
| Pet foods in Europe and the United States | 17 |
| Business entertainment in Japan | 35 |
| Cigarettes in Europe | 50 |
| Alcoholic drinks in Europe | 105 |
| Narcotics drugs in the world | 400 |
| Military spending in the world | 780 |
| Global Priority | $U.S. Billions |
|---|---|
| Basic education for all | 6 |
| Water and sanitation for all | 9 |
| Reproductive health for all women | 12 |
| Basic health and nutrition | 13 |
Notes and Sources
- Sources:
- Shaohua Chen and Martin Ravallion, The developing world is poorer than we thought, but no less successful in the fight against poverty, World Bank, August 2008
- For the 95% on $10 a day, see Martin Ravallion, Shaohua Chen and Prem Sangraula, Dollar a day revisited, World Bank, May 2008. They note that 95% of developing country population lived on less than $10 a day. Using 2005 population numbers, this is equivalent to just under 79.7% of world population, and does not include populations living on less than $10 a day from industrialized nations.
The new poverty line of $1.25 a day was recently announced by the World Bank (in 2008). For many years before that it had been $1 a day. But the $1 a day used then would be $1.45 a day now if just inflation was accounted for.The new figures from the World Bank therefore confirm concerns that poverty has not been reduced by as much as was hoped, although it certainly has dropped since 1981.
However, it appears that much of the poverty reduction in the last couple of decades almost exclusively comes from China:
- China’s poverty rate fell from 85% to 15.9%, or by over 600 million people
- China accounts for nearly all the world’s reduction in poverty
- Excluding China, poverty fell only by around 10%
The use of the poverty line of $1 a day had long come under criticism for seeming arbitrary and using poor quality and limited data thus risking an underestimate of poverty. The $1.25 a day level is accompanied with some additional explanations and reasoning, including that it is a common level found amongst the poorest countries, and that $2.50 represents a typical poverty level amongst many more developing countries.
The $10 dollar a day figure above is close to poverty levels in the US, so is provided here to give a more global perspective to these numbers, although the World Bank has felt it is not a meaningful number for the poorest because they are unfortunately unlikely to reach that level any time soon.
For further details on this (as well as some additional charts), see Poverty Around The World on this web site. back
- 2007 Human Development Report (HDR), United Nations Development Program, November 27, 2007, p.25. (The report also notes that although India is rising economically, “the bad news is that this has not been translated into accelerated progress in cutting under-nutrition. One-half of all rural children [in India] are underweight for their age—roughly the same proportion as in 1992.”)
- Millennium Development Goals Report 2007
.
The report importantly notes that “As high as this number seems,
surveys show that it underestimates the actual number of children who,
though enrolled, are not attending school. Moreover, neither enrolment
nor attendance figures reflect children who do not attend school
regularly. To make matters worse, official data are not usually
available from countries in conflict or post-conflict situations. If
data from these countries were reflected in global estimates, the
enrolment picture would be even less optimistic.”
, p.44
- World Bank Key Development Data & Statistics, World Bank, accessed March 3, 2008
- Luisa Kroll and Allison Fass, The World’s Richest People, Forbes, March 3, 2007
- World Bank’s list of Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (41 countries), accessed March 3, 2008
- World Bank Key Development Data & Statistics, World Bank, accessed March 3, 2008
- Luisa Kroll and Allison Fass, The World’s Richest People, Forbes, March 3, 2007
- Total debts of the developing world in 2006: $2.7 trillion
- Total official development assistance in 2006: $106 billion
- Holding Transnationals Accountable, IPS, August 11, 1998
- Top 200: The Rise of Corporate Global Power, by Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh, Institute for Policy Studies, November 2000
Where next?
Related articles
- Poverty Facts and Stats
- Structural Adjustment—a Major Cause of Poverty
- Poverty Around The World
- Today, around 21,000 children died around the world
- Corruption
- Foreign Aid for Development Assistance
- Causes of Hunger are related to Poverty
- United Nations World Summit 2005
- IMF & World Bank Protests, Washington D.C.
- Economic Democracy
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Children- FACT SHEET:CHILD VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
FACT SHEET:CHILD VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Human
trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Victims are young
children, teenagers, men and women. Victims of human trafficking are
subjected to force, fraud, or coercion to compel them to engage in
commercial sex or involuntary labor. What’s more, any child who has
engaged in commercial sex is a victim of human trafficking.
Approximately
600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked across international borders
annually according to the U.S. government. More than half of these
victims worldwide are children, according to the U.S. Department of
State. Child victims of trafficking:
•Considered persons under the age of 18
•Exploited for commercial sex, including prostitution, pornography and sex tourism
•Exploited for labor, including domestic servitude, migrant farming, landscaping and hotel or restaurant work
•Most frequently come from the Pacific Islands, the former Soviet Union, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa as well as developing countries.
•Can be trafficked by close family members
The reasons for coming to the U.S. vary, but often children succumb to exploitation under the guise of opportunity— children may believe they are coming to the United States to be united with family, to work in a legitimate job or to attend school. Additionally, children may be subject to psychological intimidation or threats of physical harm to self or family members.
A Lasting Effect: Physical and Psychological Consequences of Trafficking
Child victims of human trafficking can face significant problems. Often physically and sexually abused, they have distinctive medical and psychological needs that must be addressed before advancing in the formative years of adulthood.
For child victims of exploitation, the destructive effects can create a number of long-term health problems including:
Physical Symptoms Mental Symptoms
•Sleeping and eating disorders
•Sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, pelvic pain, rectal trauma and urinary difficulties from working in the sex industry
•Chronic back, hearing, cardiovascular or respiratory problems from endless days toiling in dangerous agriculture, sweatshop or construction conditions
•Fear and anxiety
•Depression, mood changes
•Guilt and shame
•Cultural shock from finding themselves in a strange country
•Post traumatic Stress Disorder
•Traumatic Bonding with the Trafficker
Child victims of human trafficking face significant problems. Often physically and sexually abused, they have distinctive medical and psychological needs that must be addressed before advancing in the formative years of adulthood.
How to Recognize a Child Victim of Human Trafficking
Traffickers frequently confiscate their victims’ immigration and identification documents. Traffickers frequently instill in their victims a fear government officials— particularly law enforcement and immigration officers. These are two of the challenges in identifying victims of trafficking. But whether you are a law enforcement officer, health care professional or a social service provider, there are clues that can alert you to a victim:
•Child victims of labor trafficking are often hungry or malnourished to the extent that they may never reach their full height, may have poorly formed or rotting teeth, and later may experience reproductive problems.
•The psychological signs of torture are helplessness, shame and humiliation, shock, denial and disbelief, disorientation and confusion, and anxiety disorders including post traumatic stress disorder, phobias, panic attacks and depression.
•Environmental factors can also aid in identifying child victims of trafficking, including whether the child is living at the workplace or with the employer, living with multiple people in a cramped space, and attending school sporadically, not at all or has a significant gap of schooling in the U.S.
•Victims may experience Traumatic Bonding (Stockholm Syndrome) – a form of coercive control in which the perpetrator instills in the victim fear as well as gratitude for being allowed to live or for any other perceived favors, however small.
•Traffickers of children are sometimes family members or sometimes conditon their victims to refer to them by familial titles (e.g., uncle, aunt, cousin).
Help for Child Victims of Human Trafficking
Prior to the enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) in October 2000, no comprehensive Federal law existed to protect victims of trafficking or to prosecute their traffickers. The TVPA and the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2003 and 2005 is intended to prevent human trafficking overseas, to increase prosecution of human traffickers, to protect victims, and to provide Federally funded or adminstered benefits and services so that qualified vicitms can safely rebuild their lives in the United States.
Children as well as adult victims may be eligible for the T visa, which allows victims of trafficking to remain in the United States and become eligible for work authorization. Through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), unaccompanied trafficked children are also eligible for the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) program, which provides a comprehensive range of services for children and places them in culturally appropriate foster homes, group homes, or independent living arrangements, appropriate to their developmental needs. URM also assists in family reunification and repatriation services, when appropriate for the victim. Children are eligible to remain in foster care until they turn 18 or such higher age, depending on the foster care rules of the state.
If you think you have come in contact with a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1.888.3737.888. This center will help you determine if you have encountered victims of human trafficking, will identify local resources available in your community to help victims, and will help you coordinate with local social service organizations to help protect and serve victims so they can begin the process of restoring their lives. For more information on human trafficking, visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking.
National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1.888.3737.888
Children- Who is the Global Child?
Who is the Global Child?
The
world’s population is just over 6 billion people with children constituting for
over 3 billion (51%) of those persons.Globally, 1 in 3 children live in abject poverty which is defined by a family with an income of $1 or less per day.
One of every 12 children dies before they reach five due to preventable causes like diarrhea.
28% of the world’s children are malnourished.
Each year, 17 million children starve to death.
The
Face of AIDS/HIV
22
million people have died of AIDS; 4.5 million of them have been children.
AIDS has orphaned 20 million children and left million more extremely vulnerable.
About 6,000 young people between 15 and 24 become infected with HIV every day.
AIDS has orphaned 20 million children and left million more extremely vulnerable.
About 6,000 young people between 15 and 24 become infected with HIV every day.
Every
day in Africa:
- HIV/AIDS kills 6,500 people
- 9,500 people are infected with HIV
- HIV/AIDS kills 6,500 people
- 9,500 people are infected with HIV
Street
Children
The
UN says that the street children situation is one of the worst crisis facing
the nations of the world.
150 million children live on the streets because of poverty, neglect and/or abuse.
If you counted one street child per second, it would take you a total of 1735 days or 5 years.
150 million children live on the streets because of poverty, neglect and/or abuse.
If you counted one street child per second, it would take you a total of 1735 days or 5 years.
Child
Labor
246
million children are child laborers.
Over 50 million children between the ages of 5-11 are engaged in bonded or slave labor.
Over 50 million children between the ages of 5-11 are engaged in bonded or slave labor.
Sexual
Exploitation
10
Million children are involved in the sex trade industry.
An estimated 1 million children are believed to enter the multi-billion dollar market each year.
On average a family can earn US $150 for the sale of a virgin daughter.
An estimated 1 million children are believed to enter the multi-billion dollar market each year.
On average a family can earn US $150 for the sale of a virgin daughter.
Children
of War
In
the last decade:
About 300,000 are exploited as child soldiers.
2 million children have been killed
2 million have been disabled
12 million have been left homeless
About 300,000 are exploited as child soldiers.
2 million children have been killed
2 million have been disabled
12 million have been left homeless
Girl
Child
60
to 100 million girls have “gone missing” from the world’s population.
- They were of infanticide, malnutrition and neglect
About 2 million girls are forced to undergo genital mutilation each year.
Of 100 million children worldwide between the ages of 6 and 11 who are not attending school, 70% are girls.
*This
information if from the web site of “Hope for the Nation” in a Power Point
presentation.
- They were of infanticide, malnutrition and neglect
About 2 million girls are forced to undergo genital mutilation each year.
Of 100 million children worldwide between the ages of 6 and 11 who are not attending school, 70% are girls.
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