Understanding poverty
When you think of poverty, what comes to mind? For many in the western world, poverty is that family across town who lives in government-subsidized housing. Perhaps we think about the commercials we see with children in a third-world country that are hungry. Certainly, we understand that poverty is a huge problem and that someone should do something about it, but who? Can anyone make a difference?
Statically speaking
Children collect garbage, UNICEF
To begin, let’s clarify what we understand poverty to be. The World Bank is one of the largest organizations that track poverty worldwide. They place the bar at US$1.90 per day, meaning that an individual lives on, or has the resources equivalent to, US$57 a month. That’s less than some of us spend on coffee every month. The organization estimates that approximately 9.2 percent of the world population, or about 689 million people live below that level. Sadly, more than half of that number are children.
It’s important to understand that poverty has devastating effects on people. Malnutrition, poor living conditions and lack of clean water lead to various health issues that are often deadly. UNICEF estimates that about 22,000 children die each day as a result of poverty. And we’re not just talking about the third world. A Columbia University study indicated that about 4.5 percent of deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to poverty. Poverty is truly a global problem.
Seeing past the numbers
Mother Theresa said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” It’s in her words that we find a method to relieve the effects of poverty. It starts by helping people see — really see — the poor. For those of us who have worked directly with people at the lowest end of the economic spectrum, poverty has a face and a name. We’ve looked into the eyes of hungry children and spoken to the person desperate for help. The problem isn’t half a world away. It’s real, and it’s close. Suddenly we understand those words “we belong to each other.”
This is where video can be a tremendous asset. Video is a storytelling craft. Think of how a small story is often packed into a 30 or 60-second advertisement. Imagine how we can tell the story of poverty one person at a time and reach people on the other side of town or the other side of the earth. We can open the eyes of just one person — one who could make a massive difference.
Our visual story doesn’t have to be an epic. It doesn’t even have to be made with the best quality equipment. It just has to be a story of one person in need and getting the right person to see it. Perhaps it’s viewed by a politician who can help form legislation. Maybe it’s simply seen by one person who can give to a cause. The point is visual story is the starting point for change. Whose story will you tell?