Addressing Poverty
To truly address poverty we need to evolve beyond the ravages of the industrial age socioeconomic model and recognize that poverty is the result of all the inter-dependent sectors of life addressed by the UN Millennium Development Goals. From education to health care, access to technology, sustainable development, food security, over coming the water crisis, and increasing Human Rights; all are interdependent to address poverty.
There are many kinds of poverty, the causes of which vary depending on where you're looking, a rich country or a poor county.
As we enter the Information Age, humanity has real potential to address the "causes of poverty" in both rich and poor countries alike. The technological fixes available are the easy part, the hard part is having a cooperative spirit with greater respect for the Human Rights of a diverse planet, if we can achieve that we will succeed in all achieving the goals.
In poorer countries practical coordinated action needs to be taken to;
- Improve supplies of clean water, to reduce time spent gathering often foul water and reduce illness caused by foul water supplies. (see Water Crisis Facts)
- Improve the supply of accessible, affordable health care information and services, to reduce the vulnerability to disease of children and the elderly especially.
- Improve training and equipment of farmers in poor countries related to agriculture and natural resource management, include help with seeds and expertise from groups like ECHO.
- Increase access to education in combination with Information Age technology such as computers, ICT Systems, and cell phones via communty Access Points.
- Relieve countries of the "Interest" charged on their debt, and reduce debt.
- Help governments to outside help sustainable development help for non-governmental organizations, non-profits, and health missionaries.
In richer countries coordinated action should be taken to;
- Improve the quality of educational opportunities and incentives with emphasis on the poor.
- Increase diplomacy, international cooperation, and sustainable trade options to decrease necessity of future growing military expenditure. Make friends of foes, now the world is so interdependent we must cooperate; as individuals we do it all the time, now our governments acting as our collective voice needs to pursue options that lead to greater Peace.
- Improve work training and apprenticeship incentives for the poor to focus on new Information Age opportunities. Using the Internet an individual can now get a job with someone else or work for themselves by offering their knowledge, art, music, and time. The industrial age is coming to a close, we need to educate for the new world because the factory jobs in places like Detroit are not coming back; we need to train for the present and future.
- Increase the use of local exchange systems in communities to increase recycling, keep more wealth in the local economy for it's development, and stregthen community ties between the living people creating or growing available goods.
