Month: November 2014

Picture an image. Close your eyes and imagine that you are in a warm cosy house. Big turkey, roast potatoes the whole christmas dinner surrounded by the nice company of your loving family. It’s a good feeling isn’t it. Now imagine a cold, one room flat. It is damp, and there is no food on the table. You have no money and are starving. Such a horrible feeling is felt for those in Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa each and every day living in absolute poverty, deprived of the luxuries of modern society, stripped of the basic necessities that enable human beings to live a decent life. Absolute poverty is a  state of poverty in which income is insufficient for maintaining a minimum standard of living.   This way of living is unjust and must be stopped, and there are many ways to help change this way of life. Poverty MUST be stopped.                                                                                                                     

Over the last 30-40 years, absolute poverty on a worldwide scale has drastically decreased from  around 45% to 20%, however to this day poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa has hardly dropped. Over 40% of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa are still living in absolute poverty.

45-50% of people in Africa live below the poverty line. 40% of Africans live off less than a dollar a day. These people live in overcrowded slums with no clean food, water or proper clothing. They dig through bins to find anything valuable to sell just so they can eat. Sub-Saharan countries are all countries south of the sahara desert(excluding Sudan).

“I can’t understand why the front pages of newspapers can cover bird flu and swine flu and everybody is up in arms about that and we still haven’t really woken up to the fact that so many women in sub-Saharan Africa – 60 percent of people in – infected with HIV are women.”

Annie Lennox stated this after coming back from a visit to south Africa. “The first thing that drew me to the things I do was witnessing injustice towards women and children in circumstances that were so extreme and yet so ignored.”

Is the world even focussing on poverty? well the answer is yes. countries worldwide have gathered to discuss this very dilemma.  in 2005, the G8 leaders met in scotland to discuss ways to improve poverty especially in africa.”The G8’s $50 billion aid promise acted as a catalyst to significantly boost total aid levels over the 8 years since Gleneagles, with total aid levels rising by around 35% from 2004 to 2010. Africa received around US$11 billion more aid in 2010 than in 2004”. charities like red cross, children in need and many more are dedicated to raising money in order to improve the quality of living in africa and around the world.  “Since early 2009, the American Red Cross has worked with the Kenya Red Cross on a comprehensive HIV prevention, care and support project. In the Siaya and Busia districts of western Kenya, we are working to reduce the number of people contracting HIV, decrease the number of HIV -related deaths and improve the quality of life for the chronically ill.” However these countries need donations in order to function, thats where we come in.

its time to recognise that the people want to rid the earth of this cruel, cunning and crooked world known as poverty. to stop this inhumane treatment. its time for the western society to realise that the people are hungry for action against poverty. poverty is not a natural occurrence, it is man made so man can overcome it. we want action NOW!!

we have to realise that its not what our country can do for those living in poverty, it is what we can do for them as well. most of us who are against poverty sit behind the tv watching the countless adverts about poverty go by without picking up the phone to donate.if everyone in the world just picked up the phone to donate, the process of eradicating poverty will move a lot quicker.take matters into your own hand and give money to charities like red cross who go out to these countries providing food and water to those who need it most. they also provide medical treatment to the sick and provide clothes.

i believe in equality and right now, the world is trapped in the shackles pf inequality. as long as there is poverty in the world/ true freedom can never be achieved. the steps that need to be fulfilled by developed countries such as england and america are visible. trade justice is a clear way to show that they are seriously committed in improving the quality of life for those living in poverty.

lets put an end to poverty so we can all stand proud with our heads held high.

Running along the beach, the scorching sun castigates the unsuspecting people below.  Those who have not brought sun umbrellas sprint to find shade underneath the few exotic palm trees available. Individuals surf towards the illusion of the calm, turquoise waves of the deep blue sea, only to be hit by the harsh reality of its sheer might and ferocity.  Boards and bodies are sent flying towards the coast in a matter of seconds.

The sun is shining. A cluster of children gaze in awe at the sapphire sea, desiring the feeling to float in it.  One child cannot resist the urge any longer and makes a fast break for the sea. The ocean tickled his feet as he got closer and closer to achieving his goal; however his attempt falls in vain as his attentive carer swiftly snatches him and returns him to his exasperated friends. He is angered at the fact that he did not get to play.

The big beach volleyball tournament is officially underway. A voice screams through the megaphone. The preliminary round has started. As the heat increases, bodies are soaked to the skin in sand and sweat. The discordance of clapping and cheering make a perfect scenario for a private conversation. “I hate you! This is all your fault we are late, you were too busy sorting out your makeup now I can’t en…” but we hear no more as the huge uproar of cheers block out the rest of the conversation. The boy stomps off into the crowd, leaving his frustrated mother worried about his whereabouts.

The sky is clear. A cluster of teenage boys head towards the quiet side of the beach, there intentions however are to gaze at the young teenage girls with ‘perfect’ figures harmlessly attempting to gain a natural suntan in the hope of not getting sunburnt. The girls have noticed the boys and are glad that they are receiving attention from the opposite sex. One of the boys pluck up the courage to mingle with the girls however their conversation is cut short by a couple asking them for directions. As they walk away to their destination the couple turns back to thank them for the directions, but are met with fierce stares of jealousy. Puzzled by this they shrugs it off and walks away hand in hand with his girl.

“The big beach volleyball tournament has come to a close. “Huge cheers are given to the host. The victors are the newlywed couple, the Johnson’s. A tremendous round of applause is given to the winners, who receive a luxury getaway to Hawaii. The Johnson’s are ecstatic with the prize and thank everyone for their support. They then leave and enjoy the rest of their day at the beach.

A careless mother has left her seven year old son to wonder off near the shore. At first the dazzling waves were calm but in a matter of seconds, the once calm waves turned into a thunderous tsunami dragging the boy away from the shore and closer into the ocean. He tries to make his way back to shore racing the rising tide but is swiftly overpowered by the sheer force of the current and is pulled further towards sea. The boy shrieks cries of help but is not heard by anyone.  He is started to be dragged below as he now wrestles with the sea fighting and gasping for the as much air as he can before he is pulled under again. His fate seems inevitable until by utter luck, a life boat sails past him spotting the boy. The lifeboat throws a life ring to the boy in which he attempts to grab but fails as it is too far out. The lifeguard reel it in and throw it further out in which he clutches it almost instantly and is pulled on board. The battle for the boys safety is not over yet as he now suffers from hypothermia.  Foil is wrapped around the boy and he is given hot cocoa to drink in order to raise his core temperature back to normal.  As the boy is brought to shore, his mum runs towards him, a stream of tears flow down her worried face.  Tears filled with anger as well as joy cloud her vision as she makes her way to her son with haste.  A quick walk soon turns into a run as she pushes through the masses.

Screaming “move out my way, let me see my son.”  As she reaches her son the crowd’s part and she falls to her knees, “how many times have I told you to stay away from the sea? Don’t you ever do that again do you hear me.  You had me worried sick.” At this point the tears are overflowing, her emotions of joy overwhelm her and she succumbs in her guilt of letting him out of her sight. The crowd then walk off to leave them alone. Sobbing, the boy apologises for shouting at his mum earlier about her makeup and she humbly accepts the apology.  The two then walk off into the distance.

By noon, the tide begins to close in at a rapid rate on the beach dwellers and the coast guards decide that it is no longer safe to be on the beach. The coast guards begin to vacate the remaining people.  Lumps of sand are left where mighty sand castles once stood, forgotten spades and buckets are washed off into the distant sea never to be seen again, the day at the beach has officially ended.