essay on helping the poor

Essay on Helping the Poor

Students are often asked to write an essay on Helping the Poor in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Helping the Poor

Understanding poverty.

Poverty is a global issue. Many people worldwide live under challenging conditions and struggle daily to meet basic needs.

Why Help the Poor?

Helping the poor is important. It’s about compassion, empathy, and making the world a better place. It helps reduce inequality and suffering.

Ways to Help

There are many ways to help. Donating money, food, or clothes can make a big difference. Volunteering time to community service or teaching skills also helps.

Impact of Helping

Helping the poor not only improves their lives but also makes us feel good. It promotes love, unity, and peace in society.

250 Words Essay on Helping the Poor

Introduction.

Helping the poor is not just a humanitarian act, but it is also a powerful tool for societal transformation. It involves more than just providing financial aid; it encompasses understanding, empathy, and a commitment to creating a system that fosters equal opportunities for all.

The Importance of Empathy

The first step towards helping the poor is cultivating empathy. Empathy allows us to understand the challenges faced by the less fortunate, thereby enabling us to devise effective solutions. It is not about pity; it’s about acknowledging their struggles and working towards alleviating them.

Education: The Key to Change

Education is a powerful weapon in the fight against poverty. By providing quality education to the underprivileged, we equip them with the tools to break the cycle of poverty. It fosters self-reliance, opening doors to better job opportunities and a brighter future.

Creating Sustainable Systems

Merely providing aid is not a sustainable solution. We need to create systems that promote equality and provide the poor with the resources they need to improve their circumstances. This includes access to healthcare, clean water, and affordable housing.

Helping the poor is not a one-time act, but a continuous process that requires collective effort. It is about creating a society where every individual has an equal shot at success. By fostering empathy, promoting education, and implementing sustainable systems, we can make a significant difference in the lives of the less fortunate.

500 Words Essay on Helping the Poor

Helping the poor is not just a moral obligation, but a societal necessity that promotes overall societal growth and development. It is a topic that deserves serious attention, especially in an era where wealth inequality is at its peak.

The Moral Imperative

The moral grounds for helping the poor are deeply rooted in empathy and compassion. The understanding that all humans deserve a decent standard of living regardless of their socio-economic status is fundamental. When we help the poor, we are not just giving them a lifeline, but we are also affirming their worth and dignity.

Economic Perspective

From an economic perspective, helping the poor can stimulate economic growth. The poor, when given the right resources and opportunities, can contribute positively to the economy. They can become consumers, producers, and even innovators, thus driving economic growth. This concept is also known as ‘inclusive growth’, which suggests that including everyone in economic development is beneficial for the economy as a whole.

Social Cohesion

Helping the poor also enhances social cohesion. In societies with high levels of poverty, there is often a corresponding increase in social unrest and crime. By addressing poverty, we can reduce these negative social phenomena, thus fostering peace and unity in the society.

Challenges and Solutions

Despite the clear benefits, there are challenges in helping the poor. The first is the issue of dependency. Handouts can create a dependency syndrome, which is counterproductive. To solve this, aid should be linked with empowerment programs that equip the poor with skills and knowledge to break the cycle of poverty.

Secondly, there is the issue of corruption and mismanagement of funds meant for the poor. This can be mitigated by promoting transparency and accountability in the distribution of aid.

In conclusion, helping the poor is a multifaceted issue that involves moral, economic, and social aspects. It is not just about giving handouts, but about empowering the poor to rise above their situation. By addressing the challenges and implementing effective strategies, we can make a significant difference in the lives of the poor and, by extension, the society at large.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Happy studying!

10 Ways to Start Helping the Poor

Last Updated: April 18, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Direct Relief and by wikiHow staff writer, Janice Tieperman . Direct Relief is an award-winning humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries. They focus on helping people affected by emergencies and natural disasters. Direct Relief has been highly rated by Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and the Center for High Impact Philanthropy at University of Pennsylvania, for their effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 493,109 times.

There’s no denying that poverty is a serious concern all over the world, including your own community. How can we as individuals hope to make a difference when facing such a widespread issue, though? Don’t worry—by offering your voice and using your time and resources wisely, there are plenty of ways for you to make a positive impact on the world around you.

Things You Should Know

Support businesses with a track record of giving back to impoverished communities, like Kroger, The Home Depot, and Johnson & Johnson.
Donate to charities dedicated to helping those in poverty. Resources like Charity Navigator can help you find high-quality organizations to donate to.
Support local food banks in your area by donating groceries.

Support businesses that donate to charity.

A little research can turn your shopping into meaningful advocacy.

The Home Depot
Johnson & Johnson

Give money to reputable charities.

Not all charities and non-profits are created equally.

Evidence Action Inc
Haitian Health Foundation
Amref Health Africa
Equalize Health
Tip: Try to make thoughtful purchases when you go out shopping. Before making an impulse buy, ask yourself if you really need the item. Could that money be better used as a charitable donation?

Donate groceries to local food banks.

A simple food donation can make a big difference in someone’s life.

Not sure where your local food bank is? If you live in the United States, click here .
Does your community not have a local food bank? Think about starting one yourself .

Volunteer your time.

Soup kitchens and homeless shelters are both good options to consider.

Make meals with groups like Orphan Grain Train or No Kid Hungry
Build homes with groups like Habitat for Humanity
Help out at a local soup kitchen
Volunteer at a homeless shelter [3] X Research source

Distribute meal kits to the local homeless community.

Fill large plastic bags with food, water, and helpful toiletries.

Pads and tampons
Toothbrushes and toothpaste

Start a fundraiser.

Bake sales, fun events, and contests are all great ways to raise money.

Hosting a collection drive
Hosting a dance-a-thon
Organizing a charity BBQ
Organizing a charity quiz night

Call your government officials.

Government officials can take more direct action to help the poor.

Not sure who your local representative is or how to contact them? Check out this website for more information.

Advocate on social media.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the low-income families in our community. Did you know that United Way offers healthcare support to families in need?”
“As a new mother myself, it breaks my heart to know that some mothers are struggling to provide for their little ones. I’m grateful and relieved to know that charities like Life of a Single Mom and Bridge of Hope are offering support to this vulnerable community.”

Talk about poverty-related issues with others.

See if you can motivate some of the people in your life to take action.

“Did you know that about 1 in every 6 kids in America is currently experiencing poverty?”
“Did you know that over 15 million Americans are currently making 50% below the poverty level of income?”
“I learned recently that over 10% of American families/households don’t have food security.” [6] X Research source

Live empathetically and help others to the best of your ability "We have a responsibility to be aware of others. We need to make justice the norm, not the exception."

Research and learn more about poverty.

Understanding poverty is a valuable step to help those in poverty.

Poverty USA (poverty in America)
UNICEF (child poverty)
World Bank (learning poverty)
World Vision (global poverty)

Expert Q&A

About This Article

You can help the poor by donating food, clothing, or toiletries to a local shelter or giving your old books to a books for prisoners program. You can also donate your time by volunteering in an community center or soup kitchen. To have a greater impact in your community, try joining an organization or starting a petition to help low-income kids in your community. To learn more ways to help the poor through activism, keep reading. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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5 Essays About Poverty Everyone Should Know

Poverty is one of the driving forces of inequality in the world. Between 1990-2015, much progress was made. The number of people living on less than $1.90 went from 36% to 10%. However, according to the World Bank , the COVID-19 pandemic represents a serious problem that disproportionately impacts the poor. Research released in February of 2020 shows that by 2030, up to ⅔ of the “global extreme poor” will be living in conflict-affected and fragile economies. Poverty will remain a major human rights issue for decades to come. Here are five essays about the issue that everyone should know:

“We need an economic bill of rights” – Martin Luther King Jr.

The Guardian published an abridged version of this essay in 2018, which was originally released in Look magazine just after Dr. King was killed. In this piece, Dr. King explains why an economic bill of rights is necessary. He points out that while mass unemployment within the black community is a “social problem,” it’s a “depression” in the white community. An economic bill of rights would give a job to everyone who wants one and who can work. It would also give an income to those who can’t work. Dr. King affirms his commitment to non-violence. He’s fully aware that tensions are high. He quotes a spiritual, writing “timing is winding up.” Even while the nation progresses, poverty is getting worse.

This essay was reprinted and abridged in The Guardian in an arrangement with The Heirs to the Estate of Martin Luther King. Jr. The most visible representative of the Civil Rights Movement beginning in 1955, Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. His essays and speeches remain timely.

“How Poverty Can Follow Children Into Adulthood” – Priyanka Boghani

This article is from 2017, but it’s more relevant than ever because it was written when 2012 was the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. That’s no longer the case. In 2012, around ¼ American children were in poverty. Five years later, children were still more likely than adults to be poor. This is especially true for children of colour. Consequences of poverty include anxiety, hunger, and homelessness. This essay also looks at the long-term consequences that come from growing up in poverty. A child can develop health problems that affect them in adulthood. Poverty can also harm a child’s brain development. Being aware of how poverty affects children and follows them into adulthood is essential as the world deals with the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Priyanka Boghani is a journalist at PBS Frontline. She focuses on U.S. foreign policy, humanitarian crises, and conflicts in the Middle East. She also assists in managing Frontline’s social accounts.

“5 Reasons COVID-19 Will Impact the Fight to End Extreme Poverty” – Leah Rodriguez

For decades, the UN has attempted to end extreme poverty. In the face of the novel coronavirus outbreak, new challenges threaten the fight against poverty. In this essay, Dr. Natalie Linos, a Harvard social epidemiologist, urges the world to have a “social conversation” about how the disease impacts poverty and inequality. If nothing is done, it’s unlikely that the UN will meet its Global Goals by 2030. Poverty and COVID-19 intersect in five key ways. For one, low-income people are more vulnerable to disease. They also don’t have equal access to healthcare or job stability. This piece provides a clear, concise summary of why this outbreak is especially concerning for the global poor.

Leah Rodriguez’s writing at Global Citizen focuses on women, girls, water, and sanitation. She’s also worked as a web producer and homepage editor for New York Magazine’s The Cut.

“Climate apartheid”: World’s poor to suffer most from disasters” – Al Jazeera and news Agencies

The consequences of climate change are well-known to experts like Philip Alston, the special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. In 2019, he submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council sounding the alarm on how climate change will devastate the poor. While the wealthy will be able to pay their way out of devastation, the poor will not. This will end up creating a “climate apartheid.” Alston states that if climate change isn’t addressed, it will undo the last five decades of progress in poverty education, as well as global health and development .

“Nickel and Dimed: On (not) getting by in America” – Barbara Ehrenreich

In this excerpt from her book Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich describes her experience choosing to live undercover as an “unskilled worker” in the US. She wanted to investigate the impact the 1996 welfare reform act had on the working poor. Released in 2001, the events take place between the spring of 1998 and the summer of 2000. Ehrenreich decided to live in a town close to her “real life” and finds a place to live and a job. She has her eyes opened to the challenges and “special costs” of being poor. In 2019, The Guardian ranked the book 13th on their list of 100 best books of the 21st century.

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of 21 books and an activist. She’s worked as an award-winning columnist and essayist.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

7 Ways You Can Help Fight Poverty in Your Community

CommonBond Communities
October 5, 2022

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, 7.8 million people have fallen into poverty—the biggest jump in a single year since the government began tracking poverty 60 years ago. It’s easy to think about poverty as a national crisis that is bigger than you, but there are actually lots of things you can do to influence this systemic problem right in your own community. CommonBond works to help fight poverty through housing in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Iowa, and we’ve outlined some examples of how you can help fight poverty in your community .

How to Help Poverty Issues in Your Community

1. challenge ideas and assumptions.

Whether you have preconceived notions about poverty within your community, or as a concept in general, it’s important to challenge those assumptions so you aren’t unintentionally spreading harmful biases. One common misconception, for example, is that people experiencing homelessness choose not to work. This misconception is incredibly harmful because it negates the many uncontrollable and systemic conditions that can cause housing instability or poverty. In reality, there are many factors people have to deal with that make it hard to find employment, including loss of affordable housing , inequitable access to training and tools, and mental illness.

If you recognize this myth, be sure to challenge it. Want to go a step further with how to help the poor and fight poverty in your community? Learn about the specific poverty issues your town or city faces; this will educate you on matters and enable you to apply context and critical thinking while pushing back against assumptions and myths.

2. Create awareness/get informed

Poverty is in every community, so it’s important to know where the issues lie within your own. Get informed about the resources that are already available and those that are still needed. There are local groups doing this work that could use your help—you can then do your part in getting the word out and listening to these community experts about where you can be helpful in fighting poverty in your community. A great resource in Minneapolis, for example, is the Twin Cities Mutual Aid Map . This map shows a myriad of organizations and mutual aid efforts around the Twin Cities area that are accepting donations or other resources.

3. Donate funds and time & find volunteer opportunities

One of the most straightforward ways to help fight poverty in your community is to donate funds to organizations whose mission it is to end these economic disparities. No amount of money is too small or too large. As these donations add up, organizations can put the funds toward fixing housing inequalities, education gaps, food insecurities and more.

Another helpful option is to p artner with local organizations that help the community by donating time. Whether it’s helping out in a food kitchen or working with children after school to get their homework done, there are ways that don’t require money that can still make an impact. We’ve created a volunteer list that you can join to support our work, whether you’re in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, or Iowa.

Fighting Poverty in Your Community is as Simple as Donating a Few Dollars.

Donate Today!

4. Make kits or fundraise for those experiencing homelessness in your neighborhood

In addition to donating time, you can also reach out to local organizational leaders to see what specifically folks who are experiencing poverty in their communities need. To ensure your donations have the most impact, listen to these community experts. Be sure to donate items that are specifically being asked for, not just what you have in your pantry! Use that info to create meal kits or baskets full of food or house cleaning products that will keep people stocked up on essentials for a while, and give it to local organizations and community experts to distribute.

Another option is to hold fundraisers. How about fighting poverty in your community by throwing a pizza party where the proceeds go to local shelters or other organizations that provide critical services? Get bigger local businesses to donate services for a silent auction. Doing fundraisers like this can be a fun way to bring people together for an important cause.

5. Attend demonstrations or rallies to increase awareness

Another way to create and increase awareness and help fight poverty in your community is to attend events like demonstrations and rallies. These may be block parties or parades or any other kind of peaceful event that will grab the community’s attention and turn it toward fighting against systemic poverty. There are organizations that regularly hold events that both raise awareness, as well as stand in solidarity with those affected by poverty—and by joining their work, you may learn how to be a better advocate.

6. Create jobs

If you own a business or an organization in the community, look for areas you could use some help with. Many people living in poverty may not have had access to higher education or specialty certifications, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have skills to contribute. Identifying areas of opportunities within your business or organization, expanding your recruiting pool, and paying a living wage is one way to make a change to help neighbors living in poverty in your community.

DONATE TODAY!

7. Provide paid leave and paid sick days

If you’re a business owner within your community, offer paid leave and paid sick days. Although it’s an investment for you, taking a day off every now and then without pay can seriously hurt some of your employees, especially if they’re under the poverty line. Your employees are going to get sick from time to time—let them rest easy by offering paid sick leave. For staff who are earning under the area median income, consider offering stipends for childcare, or even consider an on-site childcare option to create an environment where working families don’t have to choose between income and childcare.

CommonBond Can Help

Poverty affects more people than you think, and as you now know, there are many ways to help fight poverty in your community. Serving your community by donating time or money is a valuable way to get involved. Our team at CommonBond wants to help you in your fight, whether you’re in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, or Iowa. Get in touch to learn more about how to help the poor and fight poverty in your community today!

Donate Today!

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Sample Essay On Helping Poor People

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Social Issues , Charity , Human , Children , Family , World , Life , United Nations

Words: 1300

Published: 03/28/2020

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Introduction

Human life is guided by principles, thoughts and considerations, which determine what activities, are right or wrong to undertake in any situation. The ability to reason and act out of a set of determined principles differentiates humans from animals. All activities conducted by humans, therefore find their basis in some ethic that makes them acceptable or not. Humanitarian effort finds its foundation in the willingness by other people to sacrifice some of their resources for the improvement of someone else’s life. The decision to participate in a humanitarian effort is voluntary and not guided by formal laws. Additionally, the choice of the effort to expend one’s resources towards is a voluntary decision guided by individual preferences and value for each cause they chose to participate. In making such choices, however, people often find guidance from discourses carried out in the past relating to the subject in determining the best cause to contribute towards, and one that will offer the best satisfaction. Such discourses include the golden rule, which states that one should do onto others what they would want done unto them. In relation to philanthropy, this would relate the situations of a person with the means to help, with the person in need. In a reversal of the roles, the person with the means to help should do as he/ she would want done unto them if they were in the opposite situation. By application of the golden rule, it is, therefore, paramount that anyone in a privileged position finds it their duty to assist those in disadvantaged situations. The essay on poverty by wattles brings the question of how much should a person contribute towards charity. Although it is an over-simplification, I would hold that one is obliged to contribute as much as they can, and as long as they fee3l they are contributing to a good cause; Wattles holds that one should contribute a sum close to the entirety of their earnings, after the deduction of basic amenities. While it is a good benchmark, it is seldom applicable. Wattles donates a fifth of his earnings to charity, which is not a reflection of his earnings minus expenses for basic amenities. Additionally, the determination of what are the basic requirements for an individual is prone to various interpretations. This essay seeks to explain the charity I would consider donating towards in case I happened to chance upon a $10,000 windfall. Deciding on what charity to donate towards, for me is much a moral decision as it is a decision guided by preference and logical deduction. There are good causes, to which one can donate towards, the environment, saving animals, medicine, famine-relief, the list in exhaustible. I chose to help poor people incapable of meeting their basic needs such as proper feeding, housing and basic clothing. It is the right of every human being to achieve a life of some decency. While this right is espoused in many constitutions around the world, few countries, if any achieve the goal of citizens who can be considered to live a decent life. The right to life is protected in many all countries that adopt the universal bill of rights, but it is the concerted duty of the individual, and the ethical obligation of a person of means to preserve that right to life, towards achieving a dignified life for all. The choice that informed my decision to contributing to the cause for human life preservation, other causes in need of support arise out of the deliberate actions of human beings. The environment, for instance, is faced with numerous challenges such as melting glaciers, decreasing forest cover, radioactive contamination and many more. The cause for these challenges afflicting human beings is because of human activity. The attempt to stop or reverse these activities would succeed only from the willing cessation of the injurious activities to the environment. Animals also fall under this category, animal welfare is the subject of conscious human consideration, preservation efforts would always negate, if the human agents putting the animals at risk are not persuaded not to do so. I chose to concentrate on charities that improve on the lives of human beings, in particular, the most vulnerable to factors beyond their control, the children. I found several charities with causes that impact on the welfare of children both indirectly and directly. The organizations I targeted for consideration include; save the children, Oxfam, UNICEF, CARE, and World vision. UNICEF is concerned with the overall welfare of children, ranging from feeding the underfed children, promoting security in conflict areas for the welfare of the children, educating underprivileged children, promoting emergency aid to children and providing humanitarian services. According to the UNICEF website, they are actively involved in ensuring the welfare of children afflicted by various threats against their welfare around the world. Their involvement in the conflict, in Lebanon shows their commitment to ensuring child safety amongst all children despite the nature and origin of the threat facing them. Children fleeing conflict in Syria are facing a different crisis in Lebanon where the threat of malnutrition faces them. According to a report compiled by a UNICEF correspondent, Soha Bsat Boustani, http://www.unicef.org/media/media_72726.html , she reports on the fate several women and the different realities their children are facing away from home. UNICEF utilizes its global reach to raise awareness on issues such as the plight on the Syrian refugees and the impact the affected children suffer as a means of mobilizing resources towards alleviating their suffering. Oxfam is another charitable cause towards which I would consider contributing. It deals with global alleviation of poverty and as such, is involved in activities aimed at reducing the poverty levels experienced by people around the world. Some of its activities include the setting up of infrastructure aiding in the creation of wealth such as irrigation systems and preservation of existing production resources. Additionally, they are involved in situations where there is the risk of deteriorating the livelihood of the people through crisis. Through an article reported in the Philippines’ information agency, Oxfam helped in the alleviation of suffering caused by typhoon Yolanda in the country. Th program initiated seeks to offer temporary assistance to the residents, before rehabilitating them back into their normal livelihoods for a sustainable way to earn income. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=5&cad=rja&ved=0CEQQqQIoADAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.pia.gov.ph%2Findex.php%3Farticle%3D1231392861916&ei=34oPU4elJqOH4gSS-YEw&usg=AFQjCNF2loi8yg11dN_k6iHAwVsOLGMTyg&sig2=iQyHXCiWtQmoTFNqR07Ojw&bvm=bv.61965928,d.bGE I would choose to donate my $10, 000 on UNHCR for the reason that their cause appeal to me more than Oxfam’s. While both organizations help individuals in desperate situations, a child is always vulnerable in comparison to an adult. The dedication by UNICEF to champion the issues affecting children, expressly, and exclusively, means that they afford the children a chance to change for a better future. The immediate well-being of the child is important in determining their presence in the achievement of future aspirations.

Works Cited

Korenromp, Eline L., John Miller, Richard E. Cibulskis, M. K. Cham, David Alnwick, and Christopher Dye. "Monitoring mosquito net coverage for malaria control in Africa: possession vs. use by children under 5 years." Tropical Medicine & International Health (2003): n. pag. Print. Oxfam. "What we do." Oxfam GB. Oxfam.uk, 27 Feb. 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. ""Peter Singer's Solution to World Poverty," New York Times Sunday Magazine." Brandeis Users' Home Pages. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. "Press centre report: Silent threat emerging among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon."UNICEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

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The Working Poor: Helping The Poor And Needy

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Poverty Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on poverty essay.

“Poverty is the worst form of violence”. – Mahatma Gandhi.

How Poverty is Measured?

For measuring poverty United nations have devised two measures of poverty – Absolute & relative poverty. Absolute poverty is used to measure poverty in developing countries like India. Relative poverty is used to measure poverty in developed countries like the USA. In absolute poverty, a line based on the minimum level of income has been created & is called a poverty line. If per day income of a family is below this level, then it is poor or below the poverty line. If per day income of a family is above this level, then it is non-poor or above the poverty line. In India, the new poverty line is Rs 32 in rural areas and Rs 47 in urban areas.

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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. Rising population is putting the burden on the resources & budget of countries. Governments are finding 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 lack of employment opportunities. Natural disasters like flood, earthquake 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 in war instead of public welfare. Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc. are prone to natural disasters like cyclone, etc. These disasters occur every year causing poverty to rise.

Ill Effects of Poverty

Poverty affects the life of a poor family. A poor person is not able to take proper food & nutrition &his capacity to work reduces. Reduced capacity to work further reduces his income, making him poorer. Children from poor family never get proper schooling & proper nutrition. They have to work to support their family & this destroys their childhood. Some of them may also involve in crimes like theft, murder, robbery, etc. A poor person remains uneducated & is forced to live under unhygienic conditions in slums. There are no proper sanitation & drinking water facility in slums & he falls ill often & his health deteriorates. A poor person generally dies an early death. So, all social evils are related to poverty.

Government Schemes to Remove Poverty

The government of India also took several measures to eradicate poverty from India. Some of them are – creating employment opportunities , controlling population, etc. In India, about 60% of the population is still dependent on agriculture for its livelihood. Government has taken certain measures to promote agriculture in India. The government constructed certain dams & canals in our country to provide easy availability of water for irrigation. Government has also taken steps for the cheap availability of seeds & farming equipment to promote agriculture. Government is also promoting farming of cash crops like cotton, instead of food crops. In cities, the government is promoting industrialization to create more jobs. Government has also opened ‘Ration shops’. Other measures include providing free & compulsory education for children up to 14 years of age, scholarship to deserving students from a poor background, providing subsidized houses to poor people, etc.

Poverty is a social evil, we can also contribute to control it. For example- we can simply donate old clothes to poor people, we can also sponsor the education of a poor child or we can utilize our free time by teaching poor students. Remember before wasting food, somebody is still sleeping hungry.

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We Can Help Poor People by Treating Them With Respect

ATD Fourth World organized an event during the 30th World Day for Overcoming Poverty in Paris on Oct. 17, 2017.

A bhijit remembers walking into a meeting at the EU headquarters and immediately noticing that this was very different from the ones he was used to. No suits, no ties, no high heels; lined faces, scruffy winter jackets, and also an eagerness he associated with college freshmen in their first week. These were people, he was told, who had experienced extreme poverty and were still very poor. They wanted to participate in a conversation about what the poor wanted.

It turned out to be nothing like anything he had ever encountered before. People quickly intervened and talked about their lives and about the nature of poverty and the failings of policy, drawing on their own experiences. Abhijit tried to respond, trying at first to be as delicate as possible when he disagreed. He soon realized he was being patronizing; they were in no way less sophisticated or less able to argue back than he was.

He left with enormous respect for ATD Fourth World , the organization that had convened the meeting, and an understanding of why its slogan is “All Together in Dignity to Overcome Poverty.” It was an organization that puts dignity first, even before basic needs.

Travailler et Apprendre Ensemble (“Work and Learn Together”), or TAE, is a small business started by ATD Fourth World to provide people in extreme poverty with permanent jobs. One winter morning, we went to Noisy-le-Grand in the east of Paris, to observe one of their team meetings. The group was discussing a company event. The atmosphere was relaxed but engaged, problems were discussed with seriousness, and everyone then went off to work. It could have been the weekly meeting of a small start-up in Silicon Valley.

What was different was the activities they were scheduling (cleaning services, construction, and computer maintenance). And the people around the table. Chantal, for example, had been a nurse, but disabled in an accident and unable to work, she lost custody of her four children to the state and ended up homeless. ATD offered her housing and directed her to TAE when she was ready to work. She had been working there for ten years when we met her, going from cleaning to software to becoming a leader. She was now contemplating starting a small NGO to help disabled people find work.

The key to the program’s success, according to Bruno Tardieu, a leader of ATD, is that “all their lives people have given them things. No one has even asked them to contribute.” The extreme poor are robbed of their dignity and their agency, made to understand that they should be grateful for help, even when they don’t particularly want it. Their resistance to the “gifts” they are offered, is often taken for ingratitude and obstinacy, which further deepens the trap in which they are stuck. In TAE, they make decisions together, train each other, eat together every day, and take care of each other.

What can a small business in France, employing less than a dozen very poor people and struggling to get by, teach us about social policy more generally?

First, given the right conditions, everyone can hold a job and be productive. Second, work is not necessarily what results when all the other problems have been solved and people are “ready,” but is part of the recovery process itself. Third, the deep disregard for the humanity of the poor is endemic in the social protection system. The suspicion that poor parents are bad parents, which led to Chantal losing her children for 10 years, is widespread. As a result, people will go to great lengths to avoid having anything to do with the social protection.

And this does not just affect some small sliver of the extreme poor who are different from the rest of us. When social “protection” symbolizes punishment and humiliation, it is the entire society that recoils from it. The last thing a worker wants when he has just lost his job is to be treated like “those people.”

A different model is possible. In Sénart, near Paris, we observed a meeting of “young creators” at the local unemployment office. A dozen young unemployed were talking about the businesses they wanted to start, e.g. a gym, a beauty parlor, and an organic beauty products shop. If this were a traditional unemployment program, the counselors at the meeting would pretty soon tell them what made sense for them to do (perhaps based on some machine-learning algorithm). The youths then have to conform (or lose their benefits).

Didier Dugast, who conceived the creators program, told us that more often than not, this approach fails totally. Most of these young people are used to being told what to do. They have also been told, in school and perhaps at home, that they are not good enough. They arrive bruised and wounded, with extremely low self-esteem, which often translates into an instinctive suspicion of everything offered to them.

The idea behind the young creators program is to start by taking the project they propose very seriously. We sat in on several long initial interviews: one of them was with a young woman who wanted to start a pharmacy for Chinese medicine. The caseworker took time to understand the project, without ever obviously judging it. More in-depth interviews followed, as well as a few group workshops. In all these conversations, the caseworker was focused on convincing her that she was in control of her destiny and had what it took to succeed. At the same time, it was also made clear that there was more than one way to succeed; perhaps the aspiring Chinese pharmacist could start training to become a nurse or a paramedic.

We were involved in the impact evaluation of this project. Nine hundred young unemployed who had applied for it were randomly assigned either to this program or to its traditional alternative. We found that the new program generated more employment and higher earnings, especially for those who were most disadvantaged to start with. Strikingly, the program actually reduces the probability of being self-employed, even though it begins with the applicant’s idea for starting a business. This is because the self-employment project is meant to be a starting point for a conversation that is effectively a form of therapy aimed at restoring confidence. A deep respect for the dignity of the young people is what made the Sénart young creators initiative work—many of them had never experienced being taken seriously by anyone in an official position (teachers, bureaucrats, law enforcement officials).

The same shift in attitude, from patronizing to respectful, was built into the Becoming a Man program , in inner-city Chicago. The program seeks to temper violence among young people. But instead of telling them it is wrong to be violent, it starts with recognizing that for teens in disadvantaged neighborhoods violence may be the norm, so being aggressive or even fighting may be necessary to avoid developing a reputation as a victim. Instead of telling participants not to fight, Becoming a Man asked kids from poor neighborhoods to think about when fighting was the appropriate reaction and when it might not be. Participation in the program reduced the total number of arrests during the intervention period by about a third, reduced violent crime arrests by half, and increased graduation rates by almost 20 percent.

What goes for youth in the Paris suburbs or Chicago’s South Side, also goes for fifty-something white men who were just laid off? While they may have problems, they are not the problem. They are entitled to be seen for who they are and to not be defined by the difficulties besieging them. Defining people by their problems is turning circumstance into essence. It denies hope.

The goal of social policy, in these times of change and anxiety, is to help people absorb the shocks that affect them without allowing those shocks to affect their sense of themselves. Unfortunately, this is not the system we have inherited. Our social protection still has its Victorian overlay, and all too many politicians do not try to hide their contempt for the poor and disadvantaged. Even with a shift in attitude, social protection will require a profound rethinking and an injection of lots of imagination. We clearly don’t have all the solutions, and suspect nobody else does either. But as long as we understand what the goal is, we can win.

Adapted from their new book Good Economics in Hard Times , published by PublicAffairs.

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Paragraph on Helping Poor | 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 400 + Words

Paragraph on Helping Poor- 100 Words

There are many ways to help the poor . One way is to donate money to charities that help the poor. Another way is to volunteer your time to help the poor. You can also help the poor by donating items that they need, such as clothes, food , and furniture. One way is to volunteer with or donate to organizations that aid the poor. Another way to help is to raise awareness about the issue of poverty and advocate for policies that would help alleviate it. Additionally, people can directly help those in poverty by providing them with food, clothing, or other necessary items. By helping the poor, we can make a difference in their lives and work towards a more just and equitable world.

Paragraph on Helping Poor- 150 Words

It is always better to give than to receive. When we help others, we not only make their lives better, but we also make the world a better place. Helping those in need not only benefits them, but it also benefits us. It feels good to know that we are making a difference in someone’s life. There are many ways that we can help those who are less fortunate than us. We can volunteer our time at a local soup kitchen or food bank. We can donate clothes or food to a local shelter. We can also simply lend a listening ear to someone who needs someone to talk to. We can help the poor, by providing things such as by giving them money, food, clothes, or shelter. Whatever way we choose to help, we should do so with a loving heart. We should also try to help them in other ways, such as by providing them with education or job opportunities. By helping the poor, we not only improve their lives but also make the world a better place.

Paragraph on Helping Poor- 200 Words

There are many ways that people can help those who are less fortunate. One way is to donate money to charities that help the poor. Another way is to volunteer at soup kitchens or food banks. This allows people to directly help those in need by providing them with food and other necessities. People can also advocate for policies that will help the poor, such as increasing funding for social welfare programs. By helping the poor, we can make society a better place for everyone. No matter what our personal circumstances may be, we can all do something to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Whether it’s volunteering our time, donating money or simply offering a friendly smile, every act of kindness makes a difference. So let’s make a commitment to helping the poor and needy whenever we can. Not only will it make the world a better place, but it will also enrich our own lives in the process. There are a lot of ways to help the poor, and no one solution is perfect. But if we all work together, we can make a difference. Every little bit helps, whether it’s donating money to charity, volunteering your time at a local soup kitchen, or simply spreading awareness about poverty and its effects on people’s lives. Let’s commit to doing our part to help those in need and make the world a better place for everyone.

Paragraph on Helping Poor- 300 Words

There are many ways that people can help those who are living in poverty. One way is to donate money to charities that support poor communities. Another way is to volunteer with organizations that provide services to the poor. And finally, people can advocate for policies that help reduce poverty and improve economic opportunity for all. People can raise awareness about poverty and advocate for policy changes that would help the poor. By doing these things, we can make a difference in the lives of those who are struggling. You can also advocate for policies that will help reduce poverty. Whatever way you choose to help, you can make a difference in the lives of the poor. No one deserves to live in poverty, and yet millions of people around the world do. Poverty is a vicious cycle that can be hard to break out of, but it is possible with some help. There are many ways to help the poor, whether it’s through donating money or time, or even just raising awareness. Any way that you can help make a difference in the fight against poverty is worthwhile. Let’s work together to end poverty once and for all. We should all do our part to try to help those in need. Whether it’s volunteering at a local soup kitchen or donating money to a worthy cause, every little bit helps. We should also be mindful of the way we talk about and treat those who are less fortunate than us; remember that everyone deserves respect and compassion. Let’s work together to make the world a better place for everyone. We should all do our part to help the poor. By helping the poor, we are not only improving their lives, but we are also making the world a better place. Helping poor people is not only the right thing to do, but it can also have a positive impact on our own lives. When we help others, we often find that our own problems become smaller and more manageable. Additionally, helping those in need can make us feel good about ourselves and increase our overall satisfaction with life. If you’re looking for ways to make a difference, consider volunteering your time or donating money to charities that help poverty-stricken individuals and families.

Paragraph on Helping Poor- 400 + Words

Paragraph on Helping Poor

It is often said that charity begins at home. What is meant by this is that a person’s first duty is to help those who are close to him or her – family, friends, neighbours and so on. Only after a person has fulfilled his or her obligations to these people should he or she think of helping others who may be less fortunate.

The current state of poverty

There is no question that the current state of poverty is unacceptable. Over 22% of the world’s population lives in poverty, according to the World Bank. That means over 1.6 billion people are struggling to meet their basic needs on a daily basis. The causes of poverty are complex and multi-dimensional. They include factors like unequal distribution of resources, conflict, and natural disasters. But one of the most important drivers of poverty is simply lack of opportunity. Too many people are trapped in a cycle of poverty because they lack the skills or education to get decent jobs. In order to address poverty, we need to address these underlying causes. We need to create more opportunities for people to get out of poverty and into decent work. This means investing in education and training, promoting economic growth, and tackling inequalities. There are lots of ways we can help reduce poverty. We can donate money to charitable organizations that are working to tackle the issue. We can also lobby our governments to do more to support those living in poverty. But perhaps the most important thing we can do is raise awareness about the issue and show solidarity with those who are affected by it.

How you can help the poor

There are many ways that you can help the poor. You can donate your time, money, or resources to organizations that help the poor. You can also volunteer your time to help with various projects that help the poor. Whatever you do to help the poor, you will be making a difference in their lives.

Why you should help the poor

There are many reasons why you should help the poor. One reason is that it is the right thing to do. When you have more than enough, it is important to share with those who don’t have enough. Another reason to help the poor is that it can actually help to improve the economy. When people have more money, they spend it, which helps businesses and creates jobs. Finally, helping the poor can also make you feel good about yourself. It can give you a sense of purpose and make you feel like you are making a difference in the world. If you are thinking about helping the poor, there are many ways you can do so. You can donate money to charities that help the poor, or you can volunteer your time to work with organizations that help those in need. You can also simply donate items that you no longer need, such as clothes or food. Whatever way you choose to help, know that you are making a difference in the lives of those who need it most.

What are some ways to help the poor?

There are many ways that people can help the poor. Some ways include: 1. Donating money to charities that help the poor. 2. Volunteering at soup kitchens or food pantries. 3. Helping to build homes for families in need through Habitat for Humanity or other organizations. 4. Tutoring children from low-income families. 5. Collecting clothes and other items to donate to shelters or people in need.

The Problem of Poverty

Poverty is a huge problem in the world today. There are billions of people around the globe who live in poverty, and many of them are children. Poverty is not only a problem of money, but also a problem of opportunity. Too often, people in poverty lack the opportunity to improve their lives. They lack access to education, healthcare, and good jobs. There are many ways to help the poor. One way is to donate money to charitable organizations that work to improve the lives of the poor. Another way is to volunteer your time to help those in need. You can also advocate for policies that help the poor, such as increasing access to education and healthcare. No matter what you do, remember that every little bit helps. By working together, we can make a difference in the fight against poverty.

The Causes of Poverty

There are many causes of poverty. Some of the most common include lack of access to education, lack of jobs, and inequality. Lack of access to education is a major cause of poverty. Many children in poverty-stricken areas are unable to attend school due to the high cost of tuition. In addition, many schools in these areas are underfunded and lack the resources needed to provide a quality education. As a result, children in poverty often have little chance of escaping the cycle of poverty. Lack of jobs is another major cause of poverty. In many poor communities, there simply are not enough jobs to go around. This lack of employment opportunities can lead to crime and desperation, which can further perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Inequality is also a major cause of poverty. In many countries, the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. This growing disparity makes it difficult for those in poverty to improve their economic situation. These are just some of the causes of poverty. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this complex problem, we must work together to find ways to reduce poverty and improve the lives of those who are struggling.

What Can Be Done to Help the Poor?

There are many ways to help the poor, and it all starts with each individual doing what they can to make a difference. Here are some things you can do to help the poor: 1. Donate money or goods to your local food bank or soup kitchen. 2. Volunteer your time at a local shelter or food bank. 3. Advocate for policies that will help the poor, such as increasing the minimum wage or expanding access to healthcare and education. 4. Educate yourself and others about poverty and its causes. 5. Be a supportive friend or family member to someone who is struggling financially. No one solution will solve poverty, but by working together we can make a difference in the lives of those who are struggling. What will you do to help the poor?

The Government’s Role in Helping the Poor

There is no question that the government has a role to play in helping the poor. There are many programs and initiatives in place that aim to provide financial assistance and other resources to those who need it most. However, some people believe that the government should do more to help the poor. There are a number of ways the government could help the poor more effectively. For example, they could provide more targeted assistance to those who are truly in need, rather than providing blanket assistance that often goes to people who don’t really need it. They could also create more job opportunities for low-income individuals, which would help them escape poverty. Ultimately, it’s up to the government to decide how best to help the poor. But there’s no doubt that they have a responsibility to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Private Charity and Helping the Poor

When it comes to helping the poor, private charity is always going to be more efficient than government welfare. This is because private charities are able to target their assistance more specifically to those who need it the most, whereas government welfare programs often have much more bureaucratic overhead that can eat up a large portion of their funding. In addition, private charities are also generally better at holding donors accountable for how their money is being used. When you give to a private charity, you can often specify exactly what your donation will be used for, and you can track the results to see if the charity is actually making a difference. With government welfare programs, it can be much harder to track where your tax dollars are going and whether or not they’re actually helping people. If you’re looking to make the biggest impact possible with your charitable donations, then giving to private charities that focus on helping the poor is always going to be your best bet.

It is always better to give than to receive, and this is especially true when it comes to helping those who are less fortunate. There are so many ways that we can help the poor, whether it be through donating money or clothing, or volunteering our time at a local soup kitchen or food bank. Every little bit helps, and we should all do our part to lend a helping hand to those in need.

Why Do We Disagree about our Obligations to the Poor?

Published: 14 February 2019
Volume 22 , pages 121–136, ( 2019 )

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Peter Seipel ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6019-6522 1

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People disagree about whether individuals in rich countries like the United States have an obligation to aid the world’s poorest people. A tempting thought is that this disagreement comes down to a non-moral matter. I argue that we should be suspicious of this view. Drawing on psychological evidence, I show that we should be more pessimistic about our ability to attribute the disagreement to a difference in factual beliefs.

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Are We Violating the Human Rights of the World’s Poor?

If You’re an Egalitarian, You Shouldn’t be so Rich

The Poor and the Rich

See also Appiah 2010 : 236–237, Brink 2000 : 161, Hursthouse 1999 : 244–245, Levy 2014 : 24, Rachels 2009 : 41, Shafer-Landau 2003 : 219, Sturgeon 2012 : 164, and Vavova 2014 : 323.

See for example Cowen 2009 , Fagelson 2009 , Gomberg 2002 : 54–63, Kekes 2002 : 515–516, Kuper 2002 : 111–112, Jamieson 2005 : 167–168, Narveson 2004 : 339–342, Schweickart 2008 : 479–482, and Wenar 2011 , among others.

Unsurprisingly, factual disagreement may stem from motivated reasoning. This idea is hardly new. See for example Prinz 2007 : 192 and Smyth 2017 : 466–467.

See Berkey 2016 : 3022–3023, Lichtenberg 2009 : 236, and McMahan 2000 : 102–103. For a helpful overview of alternative methods of explaining moral disagreement, see Enoch 2009 : 24–27.

Singer gives stronger formulations of the principle but claims that this version is sufficient for his purposes. By “morally significant,” he means “causing anything else…bad to happen, or doing something that is wrong in itself, or failing to promote some moral good” ( 1972 : 231).

Aid skeptics offer several reasons for thinking that aid may be harmful. Here are a few of them. First, aid promotes unsustainable levels of population. Second, by redirecting our resources to aid programs, we often harm local economies and prevent developing countries from becoming economically self-sufficient. Third, aid supports oppressive regimes and tends to distract us from the need for political change. For a helpful overview of the empirical debate over aid, see especially Cullity 2004 : 36–42, Lichtenberg 2014 : 192–194, and Singer 2009 : 111–125.

Singer writes: “the right kind of aid can help the poor whether or not it promotes economic growth” and “even if it does not lead to better institutions” ( 2009 : 111, 117). He also claims that aid can “help achieve a sustainable population” ( 2009 : 124).

Other commentators have also noticed the benefits of retreating to the weak thesis. For example, expanding on Singer’s work, Garrett Cullity writes: “The important question is whether you can easily do something to help. If you can, there remains an argument from beneficence for doing so” (2004: 47–48; cf. Lichtenberg 2009 : 237).

As Lichtenberg points out, “despite the titles of [their] books,” critics of aid “almost invariably have suggestions about what can be done to alleviate global poverty, including ideas about what affluent people and countries should do” (2014: 190).

See footnote 6.

Global trade and political activism, according to Singer, are not enough. Global trade fails to help many poor people ( 2002a : 122) and even seriously harms some of them (2013: 325–326). Efforts to bring about political change, moreover, appear to have little chance of success ( 2009 : 36), including efforts to eliminate trade barriers in the United States ( 2009 : 114).

To be fair, Unger argues that the intuition in question is distorted by psychological factors such as “futility thinking,” the tendency to believe we have no duty to the distant because we cannot save everyone ( 1996 : 63; cf. Singer 2009 : 60). But this aspect of his view does not undermine the present point. For discussion, see Berkey 2016 : 3023–3024.

Thanks to Jim A.C. Everett for sharing this data with me.

Someone might argue that there could still be factual disagreement here. Participants in the study may just have had conflicting views about the benefits of purchasing a new cell phone. Yet it is unlikely that this difference alone would lead people to affirm such radically different moral judgments. Discrepant beliefs about the effectiveness of aid seem much more able to account for the conflicting judgments but participants know that John has no doubt his contribution will save a child from dying of malaria. Of course, some participants may have thought that John is mistaken. But even when participants are explicitly instructed to assume that aid benefits the poor, the perceived wrongfulness of not donating to aid agencies remains both comparatively low and significantly less than the perceived wrongfulness of failing to help a nearby drowning child (Kahane et al. 2015 , study 3). I am indebted to Jim A.C. Everett for the results of this study.

Someone might worry that the psychological evidence does not provide a strong case against the empirical explanation, as efforts to replicate psychological studies often fail to reproduce observed effects. Granting that further research is still needed to determine the replicability of the findings in Kahane et al. ( 2015 ), initial indications are nonetheless encouraging. In a recent paper, Conway et al. ( 2018 ) replicate many of the key findings of Kahane and his colleagues. Even when researchers stipulate that “aid organizations are working effectively” and “saving lives,” the perceived wrongfulness of non-contribution to foreign aid is low (2.45, on average, on a scale of 1–7, where 1 = not at all wrong and 7 = very wrong ). A replication study of the Envelope Case* produced a similar result (2.47). By contrast, the perceived wrongfulness of failing to help a drowning child is very high (6.8) (Conway et al. 2018 ). I am grateful to an anonymous referee for suggesting that I consider this issue.

I am grateful to Jonas Nagel for sharing the results of this study.

How do we know that my argument is not vulnerable to the charge of suppressed evidence or “cherry picking”? First, as we have seen, the envelope cases fit with a growing body of psychological evidence. Numerous studies support the idea that people tend to align their factual beliefs with their moral judgments. Several powerful and well-established cognitive mechanisms appear to generate this tendency, including biased assimilation and dissonance avoidance. Cultural cognition researchers in psychology and the social sciences argue that these mechanisms predispose us to align our factual beliefs with our moral values (Kahan et al. 2007 ). Second, in my experience, the envelope cases are not unusual. Students continue to deny having an obligation to donate to foreign aid even when they grant that aid reduces suffering and saves lives. I am indebted to an anonymous referee for pressing me to reflect on this issue.

If our intuitions are generally untrustworthy, then it is unclear whether we can rely on them to obtain moral knowledge. However, for the suggestion that criticism of common intuitions need not lead to skepticism, see Singer ( 2005 ).

However, for discussion, see Binder and Heilmann ( 2017 : 549–555).

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Seipel, P. Why Do We Disagree about our Obligations to the Poor?. Ethic Theory Moral Prac 22 , 121–136 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10677-019-09975-9

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The Christian’s Responsibility to the Poor

Meh. Ho-hum. Blah. With COVID-19 still making the rounds, this summer seems exceptionally under-whelming. With not much to look forward to, each new day feels pretty mundane. Needless to say, I’m not expecting any Top-10 hits about the “Summer of 2020,” unless, of course, it’s a parody.

I have to stop myself right there. That kind of thinking is what is commonly known as a “first-world problem.” That self-focused, woe-is-me mentality has no business among Christians.

When our focus is on ourself, it’s easy for other unproductive mindsets like boredom, laziness, and entitlement to creep in. I see this is true for my kids too. I argue with my 9-year-old to get out of his pajamas as lunchtime approaches, and then have to convince him at the day’s end that he can’t go to bed in his clothes. It’s only natural to feel unmotivated when every day is as uninspiring as the next.

Don’t Let Time Slip Away

God didn’t put us here so we could just lay around in our pj’s day after day. Further, there are people around the world who are counting on us to remember them. Summer is a laid-back time of year, and this summer, maybe even more so than others. But we cannot let the time slip away.

Extreme poverty doesn’t take a summer vacation. For the millions of people living hand-to-mouth in slums and remote villages around the world, there’s no time of the year designated for their rest or recreation. For those living in extreme poverty, the days are the same: try to find work, try to earn enough money for today’s needs (and often fail), hope to save a little extra for a better future, go to sleep hungry, and repeat the cycle tomorrow.

COVID-19 has made life even more difficult for many of the poorest people around the world. The International Monetary Fund reports that “COVID-19 is set to increase extreme global poverty for the first time in decades, with 26-39 million people thrust into extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa alone.” More than ever, the poor need our help.

How can I help the poor? What’s the best way to make a lasting difference?

Offer a Hand Up

What is helpful is a hand up. Same as when you or I are down. The poor need someone who will extend a hand and lend their strength.

Why is that My Responsibility?

Is it really my responsibility to help the poor? Well, if you want to obey God’s Word, the answer is yes. Scripture says:

“If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person? Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” ( 1 John 3:17-18)

“Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” ( Isaiah 58:10)

“John replied, ‘If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.’” (Luke 3:11)

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

How Can I Lend a Hand to the Poor?

But how does a person like you or me do that? How do we lend the poor a hand? What if we feel like what we can do isn’t really enough to make a big difference? Two comments:

Feelings shouldn’t stop us from obeying God’s Word.
Helping the poor doesn’t have to be complicated.

You can pray for the poor. Bright Hope has an up-to-date prayer wall that shares the specific prayer requests of the poor. You can use this as a guide as you pray for them.

You can financially support programs that give the poor a figurative “hand up.” Bright Hope has many such programs in place. Learn more about what we are doing. Ally Connection , our quarterly newsletter, is a great way to find out more about our programs.

Advocating for the poor is another way you can help. The next time you read or learn something that is interesting to you, share it on your social media, or tell a friend about what you learned. The more people praying and supporting the fight against extreme poverty, the bigger impact we can make in breaking those chains of poverty.

This summer, remember it’s easy to care for the poor. Pray for them, give to programs that help them, and advocate for their needs.

Learn More About Bright Hope

When Hope for Today Makes Tomorrow Possible

Hope for Tomorrow: Sometimes Poverty Alleviation is Simple

Hope for Eternity: Jesus Cares for the Poor

Bright Hope, a Holistic Ministry Meeting the Needs of the Poor

Grow. Change. Impact: The Power of Mutual Transformation

Leslee Baron

My position at Bright Hope has expanded my worldview and passion to help those living in extreme poverty. Being able to use my gifts to help those living on less than $2/day is not just fulfilling, but also an honor and a privilege.

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Helping the Poor – Short Essay

Category: Essays and Paragraphs On March 8, 2019 By Ananda

Helping the poor means helping a needy person in terms of money or any other stuff e.g. Food, Clothes, household stuff or grocery. This is a very generous act and is loved in all the religions and countries of the world.

Why help the poor?

Mentioned in all the religions: Every religion whether Christianity, Hinduism or Islam taught us to help the poor people in time of their needs. This will bring GOD”S Happiness and Blessings on you and in the family.

Purpose of our life: We should all focus on the meaning of our life. We are here to serve our nation and locals.

Good and kind Gesture: Moreover helping poor people is a very good act and it helps to build trust on masses. In this way you are considered more respected.

Build a good economy: This all will on a bigger hand build economy which is more healthy and unsustainable in the long run.

Ways to help a poor:

It’s a long list. Some ways of helping the poor are as follows:

Conclusion:

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Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor Essay (Article Review)

Environmental and economic problems, associated with the rapid growth of the world’s population, scholars and thinkers are considering the possible models which allow eliminating the crisis at least partially. Garrett Hardin in her article entitled “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor” presents a scholarly approach to the existing state-of-art in international relations and the ways the support of the poor countries enables the misuse of limited resources. The author argues that wealthier states should not provide financial and food aid to poor countries, neither should they let in huge numbers of immigrants from the developing world, as it will result in planet overpopulation and exhaustion of the main resources.

The author successfully defines most concepts and ideas she puts forth. First of all, the main idea of the lifeboat is explained at the very beginning of the paper: there is a limited number of people a boat can take aboard, so if viewing the situation from the Christian perspective and saving everyone, the rescuers are likely to swamp along with the rescued. Similarly, helping poor nations automatically means multiplying their populations, which will need increasingly more aid and make extensive use of exhaustible resources. The concept of the tragedy of commons is also described clearly, so one can understand from the article that if everyone has unlimited access to a certain resource, the common possession will soon disappear due to its misuse. The Chinese fish metaphor is also elucidated and effectively put into context: it is much more helpful to teach a person or a whole nation to provide for themselves instead of turning them into dependents. However, the spaceship argument the scholar seeks to repudiate is not defined clearly, so the reader can only suppose what the spaceship model is.

Although the author in general builds her argument logically and makes each link explicit, there are several unstated points the author probably believes are common knowledge. First of all, the author doesn’t note the threat of global warming as a serious environmental issue, close-knit with human economic activity. Because the human population is growing, economic activity is intensifying for the purpose of meeting the needs of this huge global community. At the same time, with the expansion of economic activity, air pollution becomes more evident, so the author relies on this fact stating that resources are vanishing quicker with population boosting. As it has been proven above, this assumption is logical and true.

However, there is one substantial fallacy in reasoning. The author implies that developing nations will remain dependent on the wealthy world for centuries and fail to learn to build their infrastructure from the inside. Therefore, the author underestimates the object of her criticism and approaches it as unable to gain new skills at the national level. In addition, the author is not fully objective, as she fails to provide the positive progress developing states are making in terms of self-regulation. For instance, in African countries and India, birth control campaigns have thirty-forty-year history, so it is important to understand that they are not mere consumers of the West’s food, but also independent and “intelligent” structures which are able to fix their internal problems with the support of the “civilized ” world.

It also needs to be noted that the author approaches immigration in a biased way and reduces it to mere recruiting of cheap workforce from poor countries. In fact, the issue is much more complex in the context of developed countries like the United States, which have to put so many resources in people arriving in the country, in order to ensure they adapt in the proper way and become true members of the wealthy nation, not the poor community. For the first years after moving abroad, such people really do non-qualified work, but the fact of their immigration proves that they seek success and finally obtain it by gaining additional education and making a career. Therefore, the evidence about immigration is not actually true.

Works cited

Hardin, G. “ Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor ”. 1974. Web.

Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, November 2). Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lifeboat-ethics-article-by-garrett-hardin/

"Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor." IvyPanda , 2 Nov. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/lifeboat-ethics-article-by-garrett-hardin/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor'. 2 November.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor." November 2, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lifeboat-ethics-article-by-garrett-hardin/.

1. IvyPanda . "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor." November 2, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lifeboat-ethics-article-by-garrett-hardin/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor." November 2, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/lifeboat-ethics-article-by-garrett-hardin/.

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Home / Essay Samples / Social Issues / Poverty in America / Critical Analysis Of Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping The Poor

Critical Analysis Of Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping The Poor

Category: Social Issues
Topic: Poverty in America

Pages: 2 (859 words)

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Works Cited

Hardin, Garrett. 'Lifeboat ethics.' (1974).
Pojman, Louis P., Paul Pojman, and Katie McShane. Environmental ethics: Readings in theory and application. Nelson Education, 2015.

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