Poverty:
Understand absolute and
relative poverty in Afghanistan.
The discussions and group work in class about the poverty. Condition where people's basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. Poverty
is generally of two types: (1) Absolute poverty is synonymous with
destitution and occurs when people cannot obtain adequate resources (measured in terms of calories or nutrition) to support a minimum level of
physical health. Absolute poverty means about the same everywhere, and can be eradicated
as demonstrated by some countries. (2) Relative poverty occurs when people do not
enjoy a certain minimum level of living standards as determined by a government (and enjoyed by the bulk of the population) that vary from country to country, sometimes
within the same country. Relative poverty occurs everywhere, is said to be
increasing, and may never be eradicated.
The war in Afghanistan — preceded by decades of
conflict — has had a profound impact on many families. Insurgent attacks,
complex international governance and enduring poverty have made life in
Afghanistan particularly challenging for millions of children. Many families
who fled the country in earlier years have gradually returned to Afghanistan,
but are greeted with poor infrastructure, including a lack of health-care
facilities, substandard sanitation and not enough clean water. Data from the
World Bank suggests that 36 percent of
Afghans live in poverty —
more than 9 million people — but that figure may be higher because of a lack of
representative data from Afghan households. Families at risk of falling below
poverty guidelines face an uncertain future, as many factors could affect their
ability to provide for their children.
Afghanistan is one of the most impoverished
nations in Asia. With 36% of its population living below the poverty line,
Afghanistan is only second to Bangladesh as Asia’s poorest country. Poverty is
most heavily concentrated in the rural areas of Afghanistan. While 90% of urban
households have access to electricity, only 29% of rural households do.
Additionally, 58% of urban households have access to safe water, but only 19%
of rural homes do. Illiteracy is also most prevalent in rural areas. The
province of Paktia, a rural province located on Afghanistan’s south border, has
an illiteracy rate of 73%. Most of its jobs are concentrated in agriculture,
with 71% of all employment found in that sector. Its poverty rate stands at
76%. The lowest rates of poverty occur in Afghanistan’s urban areas. The
province of Kabul has a poverty rate of 29% while 36% of Afghans in rural areas
and 54% of nomadic Afghans live in poverty. The World Bank has found that “the
higher the human capital endowment of the household head, the lower the risk
for the household to be poor.” Thus, those who live in rural areas in
Afghanistan and have less access to education have a higher risk of living in
poverty. To address the problem of poverty, Afghanistan must improve school
enrollment rates. Only a minority of children are enrolled in primary school in
Afghanistan. A meager 36% of the poorest Afghans attend primary school, while
46% of the richest Afghans do. Additionally, 43% of boys are enrolled in
primary school, while only 31% of girls are. The effects of the lower school
attendance rates of females are evident in women’s literacy rates in
Afghanistan. In seven of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, the female literacy rate
is 1%. Even in Afghanistan’s most educated province of Kabul, where the overall
literacy rate is 47%, the female literacy reaches only 30% ?
These statistics suggest that poverty reduction
programs in Afghanistan can begin by focusing on improving the education of all
Afghans while also closing the gender gap that is seen in school enrollment. In
order for more Afghans to be lifted out of poverty, they must have improved
access to education. With better education, Afghans will have better
opportunities to earn a higher income and lift themselves out of poverty.
I think it is useful to improve my insight in
the future.
References :-
Business Dictionary, Poverty.
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/poverty.htmlhttps://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7965323269624471083#editor/target=post;postID=5328228382289829875
Child
fund, Beyond the War: Poverty in Afghanistan.
