Poverty

There are many things that we take for granted living in the United States. Most of us never have to worry about having running water in our homes, where we are going to sleep or how we are going to get our next meal. However, in many places such as Bolivia, Peru, and Beirut this is an everyday battle. Many people are struggling to find a drink of water, a few crumbs to eat, and even sleep on mats outdoors at night. According to an article "Poverty Facts and Stats" by Anup Shah, over 3 billion people live on less than $2.50 per day. I have to wonder how that is even possible. What would $2.50 buy? At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 per day. After thinking about that, you can easily see why these people are unable to eat a meal or have a house to sleep in. Nearly one billion people entered the 21st century unable to read or even write their own names. I think education is another thing we take for granted in the United States. But, in many low income countries, children will never be able to go to school or even learn how to write their names. 1 billion children live in poverty. 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe drinking water, and 270 million have no access to health services. In fact, 10.6 million children died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5, which is equivalent to about 29,000 children per day. How sad is that?

http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats