Poverty

Poverty is defined as the condition where the basic needs of a family, like food, shelter, clothing, and education are not fulfilled.

It can lead to other problems like poor literacy, unemployment, malnutrition, etc. 

A poor person is not able to get an education due to a lack of money and therefore remains unemployed. 

An unemployed person is not able to buy enough & nutritious food for his family and their health decline. A weak person lacks the energy required for the job. A  jobless person remains poor only. 

Thus, we can say that poverty is the root cause of other problems.

Causes of Poverty

According to the Noble prize winner South African leader, Nelson Mandela – “Poverty is not natural, it is manmade”. 

The above statement is true as the causes of poverty are generally man-made. 

There are various causes of poverty but the most important is population. The rising population is putting the burden on the resources & budget of countries. 

Governments are finding it difficult to provide food, shelter & employment to the rising population.

The other causes are- lack of education, war, natural disaster, lack of employment, lack of infrastructure, political instability, etc.

For instance- lack of employment opportunities makes a person jobless & he is not able to earn enough to fulfill the basic necessities of his family & becomes poor.

Lack of education compels a person for less paying jobs & it makes him poorer. 

Lack of infrastructure means there are no industries, banks, etc. in a country resulting in a lack of employment opportunities. Natural disasters like floods, earthquakes also contribute to poverty.

In some countries, especially African countries like Somalia, a long period of civil war has made poverty widespread. This is because all the resources & money is being spent on war instead of public welfare. 

Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. are prone to natural disasters like cyclones, etc. These disasters occur every year causing poverty to rise.