This post is in response to the question “Are there paths for a person to get out of extreme poverty by themselves or is it nearly impossible for one to get out without help?” posed by @stonemasoner
Escaping Extreme Poverty
The definition of living in extreme poverty, as stated by the World Bank in 2015, is living on less than $1.90 a day (Global poverty, 2021). The cycle of poverty is extremely hard to break out of simply because so many factors that contribute to poverty are out of the control of the individual who suffers from poverty. Certain concepts that contribute to the cycle of poverty are lack of education, low opportunities for employment, instability of the local government and economy, inequality, and an inability to access basic necessities (Kharas, 2015; Global poverty, 2021).
Thankfully, due to global attention and effort, extreme poverty worldwide decreased from 36% in 1990 to the current estimate of 9.2% (Global poverty, 2021). Revenga (2016) estimates that somewhere between two-thirds and eighty percent of this decrease is due to the economic growth that comes from providing the extreme poor with “income-generating opportunities.” Other important contributing factors are providing education and setting up effective social safety nets (Revenga, 2016).
Is Escaping Extreme Poverty Dependent on Outside Assistance?
As we have seen, extreme poverty is a product of many factors. I believe that theoretically, it is possible to escape extreme poverty without outside assistance, but this opportunity would be dependent on changing factors like resolving a conflict, the discovery of new national resources, or another event that would increase the wealth of all people in a population.
Since those events are not dependent on the works of a single person, but of a collective part of a society, I would argue that it would be nearly impossible to escape extreme poverty without outside assistance. As Revenga (2016) points out, the structure, donations, and organizations that come from rich countries are essential to reducing poverty worldwide.
However, where the individual comes into play is after this first step of assistance by others to help people start to escape extreme poverty. Once a person is able to start moving up financially, in the interest of their long-term success, they have to develop the drive to keep moving forward to increase their wealth. They will have to put in work to provide a reliable means of revenue for themselves and their family, however, outside help is crucial to be able to reach this starting point.
Works Cited
Revenga, A. (2016). Ending Extreme Poverty. World Bank. Retrieved October 12, 2021, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2016/06/08/ending-extreme-poverty
Kharas, H. (2015, July 27). Can the world end extreme poverty? Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2015/07/27/can-the-world-end-extreme-poverty/
Global poverty: Facts, FAQs, and how to help. (2021, August 23). World Vision. https://www.worldvision.org/sponsorship-news-stories/global-poverty-facts