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  • Essay / Overview of the Poverty Issue in Uganda

    Table of ContentsThe Effectiveness of World Vision UgandaConclusionBibliographyIn recent decades, Uganda has experienced war, economic downfall and political instability, making it today today one of the poorest developing countries in Africa. To combat this phenomenon, many NGOs have contributed to improving the lives of many people by meeting basic human needs in order to give more chances of eradicating poverty in this region. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayPoverty is the insufficiency of money to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. But it is also about the lack of education, health and drinking water. It is measured by the number of people who are below the poverty line – the income needed to ensure a basic standard of living. The absolute global minimum international poverty line is currently $1.90 per day. Poverty is a serious problem in Uganda that affects everyone and does not discriminate. It encompasses everything about a person's life, including their health, education, access to basic sanitation and clean water, employment, etc. Poverty is concentrated among the most disadvantaged: residents of rural areas, young people, the elderly, women, people with disabilities and those from ethnic minorities. As of February 2018, more than 8 million people out of 40 million were living in poverty, which in percentage terms amounts to just over 21%. This means that in 2018, one in five people in Uganda lived on less than $1.90 per day. From 2013 to 2018, the poverty rate gradually increased from 19.7% to 21.4%. Despite this, Uganda has one of the highest rates of income poverty reduction in the world. When comparing Uganda to other African countries in terms of the extent of poverty, the problem tends to be more moderate. Uganda was ranked the 15th poorest country in 2018, measured by its GDP per capita which was A$1,032. Other African countries have a higher or lower poverty rate due to economic and political stability, education, access to clean water, etc. Due to high financial costs and low income, poverty has a higher relationship with the infant mortality rate overall. country. The infant mortality rate is measured by the number of children who die before reaching the age of one, per 1,000 deaths in a given year. The infant mortality rate in 2017 was 35 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is lower than the infant mortality rate in 2000, which was 170 deaths per 1,000 live births. These statistics show the immense improvement in Uganda's household economy and health care facilities in 17 years. Poverty impacts every aspect of a person's life. Not just economically, but mentally, socially and physically. Poverty results from high unemployment and its consequences are lower levels of health and disease. Poverty can also affect a person's lifespan due to the lack of resources they have access to. In 2018, the average life expectancy for a person living in Uganda was 63 years. In today's society, 2% of Ugandans are unemployed, 7% are employed in industry and 47% are employed in agriculture. Few people are able to find a job paying minimum wage – or even find a job at all. Income is unequally distributed, the average income of aperson being about $1,000 per year. Structural unemployment due to technological change has caused many workers to lose their jobs and the skills required for this profession. The most important sectors of work are: agriculture, light consumer goods and textiles, electricity and cement. The pie chart below shows the types of employment in 2018. The main effects of poverty are linked to lower levels of health and higher rates of illness, particularly in early childhood. According to Save the Children, children in northern Uganda are twice as likely to die as children growing up in cities, due to the lack of access they have to resources to help them and the lack of education to prevent prevent these problems from occurring. Diseases such as HIV/AIDS, influenza, pneumonia and heart problems are the most common health problems that cause death among the poor. They have lower life expectancies and higher mortality rates than the rest of the world. The Effectiveness of World Vision Uganda World Vision Uganda is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was established in 1986. Their vision is to end poverty through development. , relief and advocacy. Their goals are to provide drinking water and sanitation to all by 2030; improve health and reduce mortality; ensure that all boys and girls receive an education and protect children. They are able to provide educational support, build and equip schools and health centers, and provide clean, safe water. They have successfully helped over 128,000 children in over 50 districts across Uganda. World Vision is slowly working towards achieving all of its goals by completing simple tasks that make such a difference. World Vision has truly succeeded in improving the quality of life of children through many different solutions. In November 2017, they provided solar lights to children so they could read books, do homework and walk around in the dark. Lang Lok (pictured right) reads using his solar lamp provided by World Vision. World Vision has also created literacy programs that ensure children get the education they deserve. The impact of these programs is that almost 400,000 children have improved their learning skills and more than 34,000 different copies of books have been distributed to children. These are two World Vision achievements that help ensure that all boys and girls receive an education. World Vision also provides opportunities for South Sudanese refugees who have fled to stay in refugee camps in Uganda. Charity Yabang is a refugee mother who fled South Sudan in February 2017. Along the way, she picked up three children and is currently caring for fifteen children. For the people she had to feed, she had no income, which left her hoping for a miracle. World Vision came to her aid with a program called Cash for Work, paying her money to do various activities. With this, she used this money to support her children and bought them food, clothes and uniforms for her children. This is another example of how World Vision Uganda has moved forward to achieve all its goals. The effectiveness of World Vision in Uganda is massive in the communities that receive their assistance. Without World Vision, children would not have gotten far in life without the basic needs that World Vision aims to meet for the less fortunate. The stories of people who have been helped by World Vision explain how World Vision aims to achieve 28 2019