Poverty
Relative poverty is a term used on the news to mean people who have less money than those living around them. This term is generally used when talking, for example about "UK child poverty". (Politicians even argue about whether such differences in wealth are a good or bad thing.)
Absolute poverty is different. Some people are much poorer. For them, a whole week's income is less than the amount someone in the UK, on the legal minimum wage, earns in an hour (£5.93).
Absolute poverty means people whose income is less than 75p - £1.50 a day ($1.25 or 75p a day being "extreme poverty" according to the World Bank).
75p a day is typically not enough money to pay for the basics (food, clean water, clothing, shelter) needed to survive in reasonable health. In some of the videos on this website you will see examples of everyday poverty; like the video on the right of a boy in Malawi who was unable to go to school because he could not pay for soap to wash his school uniform.
Poverty in Africa
Over the last 30 years, worldwide absolute poverty has fallen sharply (from about 40% to under 20%). But in African countries the percentage has barely fallen. Still today, over 40% of people living in sub-Saharan Africa live in absolute poverty.
Poverty is sometimes more about how a society shares money out than how much money there is overall. Some African countries are very poor, but others are wealthier (often from oil) with extreme inequalities between their citizens.
Some people take an unsympathetic view of poverty and starvation in Africa. Others suggest that more political initiative is needed. In fact, the situation is very complicated. Each African country has a unique history, and today faces unique challenges. Development efforts require many different parts of society working together towards the same goals. In reality, this is hard to
Chapisha Maoni