What is the Cycle of Poverty?

The cycle of poverty has been described as a phenomenon where poor families trapped in poverty for generations because they have no or limited access to critical resources, such as:

           ·          Education

           ·          Financial services,

Subsequent generations are also impoverished.

There are multiple cycles of poverty-based on, among other things,

           ·          Economic,

           ·          Social,

           ·          Spiritual and

           ·          Geographical factors

Many cycles overlap or perpetuate new cycles and therefore any attempt to depict the cycle of poverty will be far more simplistic than realistic.

The Figure below shows-in very simplistic terms- how a cycle of poverty related to hunger keeps a person or household poor in one of the world’s developing countries.

8+ Goals

In September 2000, Koffi Annan, former General Secretary of the United Nations, suggested that we could do something to end world poverty worldwide. 189 countries met in New York City and agreed that by September 2015, we can acheive 8 goals towards ending global poverty. The 8 goals are:

• Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty
• Acheive universal primary education
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat diseases HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Develop a global partnership for development