How to Combat Poverty

By Aileen Aurell Setiawan (Grade 12)

With a rising number of people living in severe poverty, there is an ever-widening wealth gap across different world areas today. Urgent action is required, and the first step must undoubtedly be to increase awareness of the problem in in richer countries. To achieve this, there would appear to be two possible approaches.

Firstly, the media might cover global poverty considerably frequently and thoroughly. Despite the appalling conditions in which hundreds of millions of people spend their lives, media rarely focuses on this human catastrophe. On the other hand, regular in-depth stories will undoubtedly remind viewers that this horrible situation never goes away, putting more pressure on governments to take actions like boosting international donations.

Schools might also have a significant impact. Although students must learn about their own country’s socioeconomic concerns, they should also be educated about the difficulties people face in impoverished countries. Students need to understand why such terrible living conditions exist, both by studying the history of those countries and by looking at the political, economic, and social elements that make eradicating poverty so challenging.

Nevertheless, relying on the educational system would take several years to produce effects, whereas immediate change is needed now. It should also include the entire population, not just the youth. Only the media can have such a direct influence, and practically everyone nowadays pays attention to the media.