Why don't we stop poverty?

[Rcb]

England alone ( I guess ) has the money to help them all out, but definitely with all the richest countries in the world could put a lot of money together to help them easily. I really don't understand how this still exists in 2005.

Are the governments racist? Who knows, all I know is that when poverty does stop, they won't be too happy with the Western world which will cause more hostility in future generations.

Discuss

[skuzgib]

You can't just throw money at a problem and hope it will go away...

[megah0]

Throwing money at 3rd world countries leaves a couple of mega rich politicians and the rest of the country in crippling poverty.

its an old story

[5lab]

stone the commie!!!!!

[Meiapaul]

You can't just throw money at a problem and hope it will go away...

You can when the problem is debt

Its very easy for people to say that governments should cancel out third world debt, but it just isn't that simple. It would obviously be a step in the right direction, but even without debt repayments, many African countries still cannot afford to provide food or clean water, never mind long term healthcare or infrastructure. The countries may be able to afford more food, or provide slightly more support to prevent humanitarian disasters, but they still will not be able to implement ways of preventing drought or famin, or providing affordable healthcare, or services and amenities, this will take many tens, if not a hundred or more years, along with many billions of pounds. Money is the answer, but in amounts which simply is not available to give.

[Rcb]

You can't just throw money at a problem and hope it will go away...

True, but all they need is money in this case. Wouldn't it be better to spend money on helping poverty than making weapons etc?

[skuzgib]

Exactly. They need to root out people like Mugabe (the americans did it in Afganistan, Irag, why not african countries?).

[nichomach]

Exactly. They need to root out people like Mugabe (the americans did it in Afganistan, Irag, why not african countries?).

[Stewart]

Lovely stuff Nicho.

[GreenPiggy]

Not according to my mate John Gibson..
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,158862,00.html

[rajagra]

Why don't we stop poverty?

1) Because the people who demand that we end poverty use a definition of poverty that ensures it will always exist. (E.g. "anyone earning under 40% of median income is in poverty.")

2) If a geographical area is unable to support the people living there, what happens when you give aid to them? The population rises. The area is even more unable to support the population, so the suffering is even greater than before. That's a high price to pay for salving our conscience, don't you think?

3) They say "Give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him his entire life." Just how many times do we need to teach them to fish???
But being less facetious, that quote shows an incredibly arrogant attitude. People in the 3rd world aren't inherently stupid or ignorant. If we lived there, we'd probably cope less well than they do. The problem is the area. See point 2.

[iranu]

England alone ( I guess ) has the money to help them all out, but definitely with all the richest countries in the world could put a lot of money together to help them easily. I really don't understand how this still exists in 2005.

Are the governments racist? Who knows, all I know is that when poverty does stop, they won't be too happy with the Western world which will cause more hostility in future generations.

Discuss

This is why.
1. and 2. and this

Unfortunately the majority of aid given to African countries ends up in the foriegn bank accounts of it's corrupt leaders aswell as providing food and arms for the armies that prop up these despotic governments.

If noBo and Geldork said right we need loads of money to form an army to get rid of Mugabe, set up democratic institutions, buy farm machinery and get the farms producing again, hold free and fair elections monitored by the UN, try the previous government for crimes against humanity, train the next generation of police, doctors, civil servants etc etc, build the homes of some 200,000 people who have just had them demolioshed (see above) by Mugabe's police, return the Constitution of Zimbabwe to it's original form, remove the currupt police, oh the list is endless, then I would give my money freely. As this will not happen I won't because it will not make a bit of difference until you sort out the root cause and that my friends is corrupt and bad government. Phew.

Rcb and Meiapaul - you could give Mugabe and the King of Swaziland all the money in the world, every penny and say there you go mateys now you have no excuse. You can have a standard of living for your people beyond their wildest dreams. Do you know what would happen? You wouldn't see any difference. None. Nada. Nil. They would simply embezzel it and keep their cronies in ever more lavish lifestyle. Sad but true.