Imagine if ... "you're able to eradicate poverty"

Hello everybody, this happens to be the third post in my series of 'Imagine if...' posts. Essentially they are just my ramblings and my thoughts on a particular topic. It may not overly interest you because some of the possibilities I discuss are in fact real-world impossibilities, but there's no harm in discussing them anyway. Why poverty, you may ask? Well, I understand why you're perturbed because within the previous two posts, I have discussed things that are quite frankly impossible. However, this particular post discusses a subject that poses a very real threat to the world and is a task that so many charities and organisations are trying to complete. Unfortunately, it's a lot easier for me to sit here and write about it, than it is to actually put some work into progress to ensure the eradication of poverty. One of the major problems is that poverty hasn't just been a recent development due to the rapid development of some countries in the world, it has been present for several decades, even centuries, even though it seems a problem of the 'present'.

Poverty is a difficult topic because it has so many different sections. Primarily, however, I think it's due to a lack of education and more importantly, a lack of access to education. I think we take it for granted just how lucky we are to have a readily available education system, which gives us more opportunities and prepares us for the life ahead of us. Unfortunately, there are several adults and children alike that simply do not have the access to any form of education that will ensure a good future for them and their family. Yes, I know, maybe it's because they can't afford it, but that relates back to their parents and their lack of education. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, that it's all a vicious cycle, which we can help to break. Education can be an important stepping stone out of poverty for many people. I know everyone is stereotypically thinking of the poverty-stricken families in Africa, but poverty is far more widespread than any of us could imagine.

Along with the lack of education, there are so many other factors that can contribute to the extent of poverty. Obviously illness, starvation and eventually death are major issues that leading charities in the world are striving to eradicate. I wonder whether we'll ever get to a time when everyone on the Earth has access to clean water, the necessary medicines (especially vaccines, as highlighted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) and enough food to sustain a healthy lifestyle. I'm going to make a wild guess here (and please, statisticians out there, I would like you to prove me wrong) and say that complete eradication of 'poverty' as we know it may never be achieved within my life. I try to be an optimistic person, so I'm going to hope and wish that it will be achieved at some point in the future. It's just that the way the world is heading, the prospect seems unlikely (I know, how depressing and pessimistic). The problem is, that I want to help as much as possible, but everything has to be done in moderation. Additionally, I think it's important for this to be a collective goal, because eradicating poverty on your own can be very daunting, so raising money and awareness with others always benefits the cause.

Just in case I haven't hammered on about the subject of poverty, I'm going to offer you some statistics obtained from this particular website: http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

• Almost half of the world (that is over 3 billion people) live on less than $2.50 (£1.65) a day.
• The poorest 40% of the world's population account for 5% of global income, whereas the richest 20% accounts for 75% of world income. Pretty self-explanatory I suppose, but still fairly significant.
• According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. To me, that is an incomprehensibly high death rate. Don't you agree?
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st Century unable to read a book or even sign their names. 
• Every year there are 350-500 million cases of malaria, with 1 million fatalities. 
• Some 1.1 billion people living in developing countries do not have access to clean water and 2.6 billion people lack basic sanitation.