The Fight Against Global Poverty

Poverty is typically thought of as a curse reserved for Africa, the Caribbean and South America, and some parts of Asia. However, many people living in “first world” countries fail to realize that poverty happens there as well. Some people believe that it simply does not exist, while others view poverty as attributional, as opposed to situational, of the people it affects. Because of this, the poor in the United States oftentimes goes unnoticed, resulting in a lack of adequate aid for those who need it the most. Recently, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates launched Coop Dreams, a charity that donates livestock to west African families. The goal of this initiative is to give these people more financial independence and improve the quality of lives in their communities, countries, and eventually the world. Despite Gates’s initiative being a wonderful program for those in need, Coop Dreams is unrealistic and Gates needs to focus more of his resources into fighting poverty in the United States first.

Coop Dreams is unrealistic because the war against world poverty has been long fought yet continues to be lost, as evidenced by charities such as World Vision which has been doing much of the same work as Gates’s foundation yet have been around for longer. Furthermore, charities oftentimes target the poorest in countries. While this is great, it leaves out the rest of the country, including the government. Bottom- up change is oftentimes difficult to implement, so not much change would occur if done this way. Also, livestock is not enough to end poverty, and oftentimes those that receive animals end up selling them. While a good start, medicine and education is far more important, as this would allow for more opportunities for more people and families.

Worldwide poverty cannot be ended if the fight isn’t worldwide, either. Many Americans live in adverse poverty around the country, yet aid oftentimes doesn’t go beyond sub par government subsidies. However, programs such as these could go much further in a country such as the United States because residents have much more of a voice in government; therefore, a bottom- up change would see more fruition. Also, a lot of poverty in the United States is based in large cities. Aid would have to arrive in a different form than livestock, but it would be easier to use what is already there-- infrastructure, government programs, and schools, amongst others-- to change the lives of those in need.

There is not one solution to global poverty. While programs such as Coop Dreams are a good start, much more must and can be done to end poverty. Poverty must first be ended in western countries before it is other places because it is easier to mobilize people in the United States to help others, since America is one of the richest countries in the world; however, this cannot be done until all American residents are taken care of first. Furthermore, the fight against poverty must also involve attitudinal changes amongst people. Many people refuse to believe that poverty exists in the United States or blames it on the individual. If people continue to think this way, aid to countries that need it the most may never arrive. Fighting global poverty is a lot bigger than donating chickens. It requires everyone being in a strong financial position and attitudinal changes in those with privilege to help others.