Defining poverty
Knowing, however, that the wheels of government often turn slowly, CHF also shared the information with the residents themselves. "We gave the volunteers from each household who collected the data summary statistics that they could bring back to their communities," English says. The idea was to enable households to better understand their communal problems and self-organize in an effort to improve their conditions.
In one case in Pune, a group of households sharing information learned that the husbands in their community were drinking heavily and then abusing their wives. They also determined that the majority of the liquor was coming from a single store, which they were later able to shut down to help alleviate the problem, according to English. About 85 projects—constructing drainage pipelines, setting up classes for school dropouts and establishing a library for women, to name a few—have been implemented in Pune as a result of information-sharing efforts.
A distinct characteristic of SCALE-UP is its broad definition of poverty. In Ghana urban poverty has traditionally been a measure almost exclusively of income. CHF's poverty map for Sekondi–Takoradi, the country's third-largest urban area, takes into account access to housing; room and housing density levels; solid-waste services; sanitation and water; and income, says Ishmael Adams, acting country director for CHF in Ghana. The Sekondi–Takoradi study (pdf), published in February 2010 with help from the Sekondi–Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, found that in one of the slum areas studied, among 400 houses there is only one house with a toilet. The rest of the 9,000 residents share a public latrine built in 1958.
The poverty atlas generated significant interest from the mayor of Sekondi–Takoradi, according to Adams, who adds that data in the poverty atlas was used to prepare the city's current Medium Term Development Plan. "Because of CHF's poverty atlas, and the bright light it has shed on several deprived slums, over 30 new projects are now in the works to support the development of the most in-need areas," he says. This includes the construction of water and sanitation facilities at Ngyersia, Kojokrom, Kwesimintsim and New Takoradi—all slums in the Sekondi–Takoradi metropolis.
"This project is not just about Ghana nor is it just about India," Adams says. "This is an approach that is going to have to be taken around the world, and many other similar organizations are trying to do the same."
Plotting better cities
Of course, CHF International is not the only organization to create urban poverty atlases. The United Way of New York City and the Community Service Society of New York created a map of that city in 2008 (pdf). The U.S. Census Bureau has a map of the country based on 2005 census data, whereas the World Bank has a comprehensive series of maps for countries worldwide (pdf).
"The power of this project is that the data is not just extracted and put in presentations for policymakers—it's also given back to the communities themselves and used to empower them," English says. "We tell them where to push in their local governments and if there is no place to push, we tell them how to mobilize their own resources to do this." Slums are not the result just of urbanization but also of failed policies and practices of marginalization and exclusion of the poor, he adds, "so it is quite possible to not have slums although it's hard for cities to imagine it."
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Add CommentSince Texas is known to have a lot of ultra rich people ((R)Perry who is running for president in 2012, for example - a billionaire) because of their mass oil supply.... How many slum areas are in their cities and who are these slums major cultures, ie - maybe black or Hispanic or both (just a guess) and what are these ultra rich people doing to elevate the poverty there?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWest Virginia is probably one of the richest state in coal and natural gas combination, yet it is the second poorest state in the nation (major Irish/Protestant population, but European/Catholic owned businesses and industries) and at the bottom of every bad list in the country. Isn't it somewhat clear what or who causes the poverty and why? England has a strong foothold in India and Africa.... Do you really need to keep trying to figure out what or who causes poverty and how to fix it?
Open your eyes and take a good look and trace the trail a little ways back in history and you may figure out where and how poverty got started and who is its major causer. I do not like to point fingers, but you probably can start at the house of Rothchild in France and the Catholic church. That's where I would start if I was you. We really can learn from our history if we are willing to accept the facts for what they are.
I feel that your analysis of poverty in Africa may be too superficial, former British colonies do have big problems but tend to be richer and more stable than the former colonies of Portugal, Belgium and France (a long term approach to exploitation always beats the short term rape and pillage approach). It is also well known that the richest country in Africa is the former British colony of South Africa. To add to the lack of logic in your argument, Britain has not been under Catholic domination (unlike the other major colonial powers) for many hundreds of years.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBritish colonial domination ?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAccording to the UN, the two countries with the highest quality of life in the world are Canada and Australia. Both 'victims' of British colonial domination.
I agree with you, "bern1005" and "geojellyroll"; British colonies do dominate and they do have a high quality of life in India, Australia, Canada and Africa, but I have to disagree with you, "bern1005", when you said that "Britain has not been under Catholic domination for many hundreds of years." The Catholic Church still controls all of Europe, greatest majority of South America, Australia and Africa. The British rule South Africa and look at the natives of these British ruled countries; they have the highest poverty level in the world. Learn from your past and use it to better every ones future.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMaybe if you average out quality of life accross all citizens today your statements appear to mean something, but if you only look at the aboriginal populations, those who lived "under" colonization, their quality of life is certainly way below the national average.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this--
Poverty is a direct result of overpopulation. Population always increases as long as resources exist and then overtakes resources. Its a basic rule of nature. Once intelligence develops, we learn to control population. Affluent nations are the ones that did this.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAffluent nations will not remain affluent for long, if they discard population control. There is already a tendency towards this. Religion is the evil force demanding uncontrolled population growth. Religion also demands uncontrolled access for illiterate religious immigrants, under the guise of refugees to dilute the power of literacy.
In a democracy, numbers matter, religion is seeking to regain its medieval absolute powers. Islam is a shining example of what religion can accomplish, the rest of the religions seek to follow its example.
What people here and also elsewhere mostly fail to realize (although Adams obviously does) is that 'poverty' in Third World countries is actaly SYSTEMIC. By this I mean that such communities have to live in such conditions in order for 'westerners' and local elites o have their vastly more opulent style of life available to them. In order for Mary in Toronto to go to a shop and buy an affordable dress off the rack, there has to be a labourer making it in Ghana or somewhere else where the labour is cheaper - optimally prison labour or child labour, of course. That labourer (say it's a Ghanaian worker) works 12 hours a day and so can't find time to cook after traveling home on the horrible roads. That means he/she has to have support systems in place when he/she gets home - a wife, daughter, sister, mother, brother, grandmother or any combination of same. These extra people have to be supported by the one labourer. Somtimes a whole extended family of 35 or so people are forced to depend on the earnings of one educated man - as frequently happens in Northern Ghana. The agricultural workers in the country are hardly paid what one would consider to be a living wage and often they support two to five kids (most agric workers are female) and in some cases a husband.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSince a Northern lifestyle can't be supported on these kinds of wages, it's necessary that there are folks here living in abject poverty in order for Mary to be able to buy her dress there.
Auntie Adjeley: If they practised birth control,educated themselves, discarded their superstitions and religion they would be in a much better position.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFurther we in the first world (if you believe the world is currently so dividable - a fallacy in my opinion) would then pay appropriate prices for what we buy and goods would have more value.
In Australia, where I live the plight of the aboriginal people is wept over, billions have been spent to improve their plight. No results! Why? They do not want change, they want to live the life of hunter-gatherers. No society can provide mobile schools & hospitals for small wandering tribes. The men rule and treat their women like slaves. All they want from the modern world is sex, drugs & alcohol and they get the dole to pay for it.
Some Homo sapiens appear to be sentient humans, not all are.