International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: How far we have reached and how far we need to go?

The 17th day of October is observed as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, or informally, World Poverty Day, to raise awareness about the need to bring an end to poverty on the earth. It aims to acknowledge the effort, struggle, and constant suffering of people living in poverty throughout the world and bring help in any possible way to uplift the economic conditions of the poor.

The seed to obverse 17th October as the World Poverty Day was sowed back in 1987 when more than 100,000 people gathered in Paris on this day to honor the victims of extreme poverty, violence, and hunger. Five years later, in 1992, the United Nations declared this day as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty to recognize the struggles of the impoverished and make their plight known to the government and the citizens.

Since then, decades have rolled by, billions of dollars came in the name of funds from millions of compassionate people around the globe. Also, thousands of schemes have been launched by the respective governments. But has the scenario changed?

Well, the answer is not as straightforward as the question. Let us look at both sides of the coin.

Facts that make us realize we have a lot to do:

• Today, approximately 736 million peoples around the world are living in extreme poverty. They cannot manage even USD 1.90 per day to sustain their basic needs throughout the day. For an estimate, the number of 736 million is greater than half of the population in India.
• One out of three children in the world is in multidimensional poverty. As you are reading this article in the comfort of your house, around 385 million little children around the world are either out in the streets to earn or are in their shabby huts hoping that their parents would bring some food so that they do not have to sleep with an empty stomach today.
• Every day, more than 22,000 children die throughout the world due to poverty. The number looks horrifying, but it is the reality; 22,000 children deaths in 24 hours. It means that with each minute passing by, roughly 15 mothers around the world lose their child.

Facts that bring in a ray of hope:

• The number of people living in extreme poverty fell from a whopping 1.9 billion in 1990 to 736 million in 2020, which is a tremendous achievement.
• The awareness raised by various organizations, NGOs, and governments has created a productive implication, and billions of dollars of funds are generated every year throughout the globe to eradicate poverty.
• Adoption is becoming familiar nowadays, with the privileged people adopting one or more children and bearing all their expenses, including the education of the little ones as they stay with their parents and slowly move towards a brighter future.
• Discussing eradicating poverty in India, the governments that have taken charge since independence has taken many steps. They include introducing and debugging the Public Distribution System (PDS), the development of proper infrastructure, accelerating human resource development, and introducing programmed like the National Rural Employment Programme, Antyodaya Plan, Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Yojna, and many more.

Although we have progressed far to make poverty a term of the past, still, we have a lot more to do. But, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global aim to bring poverty to an end by 2030 seems to be at stake. Citing the loss of employment and economic slowdown, the World Food Program estimated that 265 million people will be on the brink of starvation, and many more who had been uplifted would again fall into the pit of poverty.

Today, millions of people around the world can live a life of higher standards because of the unified efforts of the privileged around the globe. But those still left behind should not be left out.

What can we do as students?

Only a compassionate mindset is required, and things will get sorted as you make up your mind.

• Hundreds of genuine funds are there around the globe in which you can donate an amount you want. Saving a few hundred rupees from our pocket money won’t harm us much, but will bring a smile worth watching on the face of a person who has experienced life much harsh than us.
• Supporting local products and vendors, as urged by our PM Mr. Narendra Modi, will be a great initiative to empower those who work the hardest to satisfy their hunger. We all have seen the most recent example of “Baba ka Dhaba” and how the unified efforts have turned the lives of an elderly couple for good.
• Every little initiative helps. Sort out and donate your old clothes, enroll yourselves for some drives or medical programs in an economically deprived area organized by various NGOs. On our campus, we have got the LPU-NSS, which has been undertaking such tasks regularly for the betterment of the society and the world at large.