Causes and Effects of Poverty

Poverty is defined by the dictionary as “The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support”. This is an extremely vague definition and covers Poverty as a whole, although this speech will elaborate on the details of poverty in Africa. The focus of this speech is to educate you on the Causes & Effects of Poverty in Africa and the ways you can help these victims.

What causes poverty? There are many reasons why this would occur, the most prevalent of these being corruption, and lack of resources in the region. Corruption occurs in Africa when the governments do not use money responsibly and instead use it for themselves. Corruption destroys trust between the government and its people in ensuring that money is used responsibly. A lack of resources in the region is another main factor of poverty. Even though there are abundant natural resources in Africa, the people living there lack the infrastructure and knowledge to obtain the resources. Clean sanitary drinking water is usually directly underground and yet Africans have to walk several kilometers to get water which is not clean.

In Africa, poverty can have a devastating effect. No food, improper healthcare, homelessness and lack of jobs all play a role in the effects of poverty. A lack of food leads to health problems. Food and water is in low supply because of unmaintained or non-existent infrastructure. While water is easily found underground in vast amounts, these families must rely on finding ground water which is often dirty and unclean. When the human body does not have sufficient calories or nutrients, it begins to “borrow” nutrients from fat stores, and parts of the body where they are non-essential. The body continues to break down its tissues, until eventually the body’s internal organs are damaged enough to cause serious health problems. One of the most popular ways to help victims of poverty is through charities. Every donation counts. Some people do not donate to