Alright– you might as well know that on Wednesdays, we get the best amounts of site traffic than any other day during the week. It’s a mystery as to why this happens, but we might as well take advantage of the extra attention to do some good.
Thus, every Wednesday will be “Solve a World Problem” Wednesday. We’ll introduce a world problem and ask for your serious evaluation of the issue, with some brainstorming on what can be done to help.
Unlike the other days in the week where typically readers only give one comment, please feel free to check back throughout the day to respond to the solutions suggested & add your further thoughts. 
There are a lot of things in the world that need to be think-tanked. So we might as well volunteer for the job right here on Human Census!
If we ever come up with solutions that we feel deserve some serious attention from those who are actively working on these issues, perhaps we’ll forward them the info.
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Without further ado, here is today’s “Solve A World Problem” Wednesday question:
On Global Poverty…
There is a real inequality of capital, “development”, technology, and economic strength being unevenly distributed throughout the world.
What can be done to help countries & individuals in poverty around the world?
July 18, 2007 at 19:12
(Apologies in advance for starting out with a world problem that is near and dear to my heart…
)
I think microenterprise is the answer.
Countries with access to capital need to be developing and supporting microfunding organizations… Not only with capital, but also with ideas, programs, staff, volunteers, supplies, buyers, business partners, mentors, etc. to assist those in poverty, who are willing to start a microbusiness, to be successful.
We’ve been “fishing” for a long time, and need to focus on teaching others “how to fish” as well.
What’s stopping wealthy countries from being more able to help underdeveloped nations?
Well, for example, in 2004, American households spent $412 billion in credit card charges.
Microloans are typically between $100 and $1,000. Couldn’t those credit card charges have done a lot more good being invested in 3rd world country micro-entrepreneurs?
Anyway, stepping off my soapbox now…
This is one solution that I see as being viable, but the problem is, how do you motivate people to support it, and, how do you free up some of these excess funds being wasted?
July 19, 2007 at 02:04
I think the first step is to move away from a mindset that says the only way I can be happy is if someone else is unhappy. Not everything is a zero-sum game, and the mindset that if you give something to someone, you must lose something yourself, is the biggest impediment to people being willing to help.
Next is the idea of the undeserving poor. There was a song about a year ago that said that a guy was asked for change by someone on the street, and his first reaction was to say “But you’ll only use it to get drunk” but upon further thought, the singer realised that he’d do the same, so he shouldn’t judge the street-person for how he used the money.
Personally, I can’t save the world. I can only start by helping those in my immediate vicinity. So I’m trying to. It’s the idea that a rising tide raises all ships. I figure that instead of competing with those around me, I have to start helping those around me. By doing that, they’ll help me, and we’ll all advance.
As for saving Africa, the third world, and anywhere else, that hopefully can come soon if I start at home.
July 19, 2007 at 02:31
I am going to have to agree with Carolynn on this one - small amounts of investment capital tightly planned with education concerning capitalism and enterprise. Way too often we (the developed world) philanthropically throw money at problems, but it is often for short term and unsustainable solutions. And often we create more dependence, making the situation worse for the people, rather than better.
A great example of microenterprise that I have seen first hand is a man named Ray, in NY. He had a stroke, and only has use of 1 hand. The rest of his body is very limp. However, with his limited physical resources, he was able to make a decent living making copies of rare videos (old ones that were hopefully public domain) and selling them on ebay. He also bought and sold other things on ebay, making arbitrage style profits. He is an example of a using available resources to derive a profit, even in sub-optimal circumstances.
The problems facing the impoverished countries need to be solved from the inside out, rather than having “solutions” thrust upon them. The developed world needs to help where possible, but as Carolynn said, we need to “teach them how to fish”.
AND…….
We need to stop with farm subsidies. They are hurting the third world countries. For example, the EU last year spent as much on subsidies of sugar beets as it did on development aid to South Africa. If certain EU countries had simply not subsidized their farmers, South Africa would have been able to make that money on their own, through the free market. But because farm subsidies drive the world price of crops so low, and developing countries tend to have agriculture be a much larger part of their economy than smaller ones, this lowered price can drastically affect the GDP of developing countries.
Removing barriers to trade can have benefits for all nations involved.
July 19, 2007 at 02:55
Great question! As a father of two younger children, much of my focus is on how to improve their quality of life. In my lifetime (I’m in my 30s), technology has impacted lives–at least in the U.S. But I’m not sure these “improvements” have been good for the quality of life. I’ve been attempting to ween my kids from TV, video games, etc. and trying to spend as much time enjoying the outdoors as possible. We recently moved from a postage stamp lot to 5+ acres, complete with many trees and a little pond. Every night (weather permitting), we try to go out and enjoy all the nature has to offer.
I think as a parent, I have the responsibility to help shape my children. I obviously want them to become wonderful citizens of this planet. My wife and I also try to reinforce humility and gratitude for all that we have. We are truly fortunate. We also make a routine of weeding through toys, clothes, etc. and donating them to worthy causes and those in need. The kids are involved in this. During the holidays, we take part in buying toys and clothes for those less fortunate.
I’m not sure if this qualifies as a world problem. But I want to give back as much as possible and to help where I can–whether it be through donations of money, goods, or time. If we all try to help one person, the world will certainly be a better place.
July 19, 2007 at 05:51
@aurelius I really appreciate this statement, “the mindset that if you give something to someone, you must lose something yourself, is the biggest impediment to people being willing to help.” yikes. thanks for bringing that up, because it made me stop & think.
@stephen that anecdote is awesome. Brigham Young University put together a documentary called Small Fortunes– http://www.pbs.org/kbyu/smallfortunes/
It’s filled with tons of stories by microentrepreneurs who have been well-served by grants & loans of even as little as $10-$100. One woman received a grant and started a micro-business, now she employs 70 other people in her area, and whereas before her husband treated her poorly, she now has dignity and takes care of her children’s physical & nutritional needs more aptly.
@jonspeer i think it has to start at home, that’s your first sphere of influence, right? so kudos for teaching the next generation about sharing & life.
i recently saw a video clip of a “documentary” making fun of modern kids as being “deprived”, like when their iPods run of out power, or when they have to have a limit on how long they can play video games, etc.
As more expensive technology is available to children younger & younger, we move further away from relating to global “poverty”, even some of our U.S. citizens who live below the poverty line.
Do we really understand the kind of real deprivation that does actually exist in our world, even right now…? I don’t think I do.
July 19, 2007 at 07:02
P.S. I just found this site–
http://globalrichlist.com/
Making “only” $50,000/year puts someone in the top 1% richest in the world…
Holy cow!
July 19, 2007 at 08:56
Carolynn, I think you saw that “teenage affluenza” mockumentary from my site - I thought it was brilliant, because it put poverty in terms that the Youtube generation can understand.
I think a lot of the sentiments expressed so far here are commendable. But let’s face it, unless we’re Congressmen at the very least, our chances of ending farm subsidies (which I agree are terrible for the poor people) are pretty limited.
The micro-enterprises thing is fantastic though - wasn’t the Nobel Peace Prize this year won by someone who was involved with this movement? Grameen Bank and all that?
I recently blogged about setting aside one percent of your income for the purpose of helping others. In the short term, I envisage this would be for the immediately nearby needy, but eventually, pooling this money with like-minded souls, there’s no reason that it couldn’t be used for micro-loans in places like the third world, through organisations like the Grameen banks.
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/001484.php is one blurb I found along these lines. (Sorry, I am crap at inserting HTML code in comments - if you want to edit it C, then feel free!)
July 19, 2007 at 08:57
Oh, and Carolynn, of all the questions you have asked, this is the one I think has been most inspiring.
July 19, 2007 at 14:10
@Aurelius, thanks– I couldn’t figure out where I had seen that video!! Here’s the YouTube link–
July 19, 2007 at 16:13
Radical global reeducation. Of course, I’m the type that thinks that the answers will all come with the revolution.
Don’t get me wrong, small local changes will make a difference, but the improvement will be barely noticeable in our lifetimes. If a culture of charity, microeconomics, whatever, is dedicated enough to persist over several generations, it will succeed, but my own observations of human nature cause me to believe this is unlikely. Human nature being what it is, it will be necessity that will change things: When everyone is desperate, no one is poor.
I’m hardly praying for the End Times, I’m just too much of a cynic to think that the good intentions of a small percentage of the population can overcome the greed and desperation of the larger portion of mankind. Doesn’t stop me from trying, though.
July 19, 2007 at 16:35
Individual action must be taken. The IMF and World Bank are crippling third world nations as they impose requirements and restrictions on their governments, thus subsidizing the collapse of self-government and autonomous problem solving.
Relying on governments to solve poverty has only resulted in corruption and escalated poverty. The money and aid must be given at a grassroots level in order to achieve its intended purpose, otherwise the money and resources often will not see the light of day.
We can’t sit around and expect our government to help people for us—we must take the initiative to bless and help others.