Poverty can be defined as a lack of money and/or vital resources which renders it impossible or challenging for human beings to live with dignity and provide for themselves.
Worldwide, 836 million people still live in extreme poverty. The 2 most affected regions are SubSaharan Africa and South Asia. In these regions, 70% of the global population lives under the poverty line.
Why Education is crucial to achieving SDG-1
Access to education contributes to poverty reduction because an educated population is able to take informed decisions contributing to equal rights, economic and natural resources and to granting basic services for all men and women, including ownership and control over land and property, inheritance, appropriate new technologies and financial services. (Access to Learning objectives for SDG-1)
At this level, the objective is to raise awareness among learners about themselves and their immediate environment. By engaging and interacting with classmates, they develop and promote values such as empathy, generosity and sharing. (Access Educational materials here)
At this level, learners are introduced to the different concepts of poverty and to the real-life implications of living in poverty. At the same time, they learn about possibilities for reversing this situation and identify actions that support poverty reduction efforts. While doing so, they develop confidence in the belief that extreme poverty can be eradicated during their own lifetime. (Access Educational materials here)
At this level, learners are introduced to key concepts such as sustainable development, equity and scarcity, and explore the interconnections between gender and access to resources and livelihoods. These connections are made while understanding and applying the learned concepts to the real world, by developing practical solutions to the causes and consequences of poverty in a collaborative and investigatory manner. In parallel, learners become aware of the existing diversity within current societies and develop a critical capacity to challenge stereotypes. (Access Educational materials here)
Multimedia Educational Resources
- A Day In The Life Of A Fairtrade Cocoa Farmer - “A Day in the Life of a Cocoa Farmer” explores Alvaro Pop, who is a fairtrade cocoa farmer from Belize (Video)
- Come Celebrate SDG 1 No Poverty With Lulu Love & Eco Boys And Girls (Poster)
- Dos Veces - This image tries to show the reality of a dual world in which, those who work the land do not have the necessary resources to live, while others obtain scandalous benefits at the expense of the exploitation of nature and people.
Get Inspired
- Cambodia - Supporting Maternal and Child Health Improvement and Building Literate Environment (SMILE) - Page 51- This programme works with women and children. It has strong links in the communities in which it operates. It aims to promote self-sufficiency and self-reliance in Cambodian communities and to advance women’s economic and social rights. The objectives are to improve women’s conditions with regard to education and health, to build a literate environment at home and in the community, and to improve the health of mothers and children.
Pedagogical Resources
- Geography Of Human Well-Being - This resource addresses among other issues: How places, people and cultures differ globally; The economic, social and environmental impacts of variations in development; How governments, groups and individuals respond to such inequalities.
- Poverty Toolkit - This toolkit helps to explore the complex issue of poverty in the developing world, where many children and their families face a daily struggle to meet their basic needs.
Ideas for Classroom Activities
- Everyone Counts - This maths resource introduces pupils to children from four Young Lives countries: Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam examining disparities in wealth, income and access to health and education.
- Lucy’s Story - Students learn about the life of a girl in rural Uganda and consider the differences and similarities between their own lives in Australia and hers while learning storytelling skills.
- Pumpkins Against Poverty - 'Pumpkins Against Poverty' is a resource for Key Stage 2 pupils (aged 7-11 years). It offers cross curricular opportunities for pupils to explore the difference growing pumpkins can make to people living in flood-affected Bangladesh.
Multimedia Educational Resources
- What Is Poverty? - This animation explores the nature of poverty and its relationship to human well-being. Students identify the different dimensions of poverty and recognize that it is much more than a low income.
- What Causes Poverty? - This animation examines the physical and human factors that cause poverty and impact on human well-being. It also highlights the spatial variation in human well-being through a comparison of Australia and Timor- Leste.
- How Do We Measure Poverty? This animation and worksheet looks at different ways to measure poverty and human well-being
with a special focus on the Human Development Index. This includes measures of income, education and health comparing Australia, Timor-Leste and Bangladesh.
Get Inspired
- Protecting Biodiversity and Clean Environment. Pakistan for Sustainable Development - Page 65 - This project consists of Education for Sustainable Development. It focuses on educating people who live in deplorable conditions. They are guided in a comprehensive manner to learn good practices in order to achieve a better and healthier sustainable environment. For the execution of the project, the students of Academia de Averroes first acquired theoretical knowledge on the pollution of the river, and then they visited the field to observe and address the actual problems. Afterwards, they shared their experiences and submitted project reports. This project is a simultaneous effort to clean the river, to revive its adjoining environment, and to increase local people’s awareness of the problems related to river pollution.
Pedagogical Resources
- No Poverty: Why It Matters - Technical Note presenting SDG 1 and asking why there is so much poverty in the world, why we should care about other people’s economic situation, and how we can achieve this goal.
- Respect My Rights, Respect My Dignity - This first module is a general introduction to the subject of Poverty and Human Rights. The resource pack aims to enable young people and those working with them to understand the links between human rights violations and poverty.
- A Measured Approach To Ending Poverty And Boosting Shared Prosperity - This Policy Research Report includes: An overview the World Bank's twin goals; The goals in a wider context; Empirical monitoring of the goals.
Ideas for Classroom Activities
- The World Is Not Equal – Is That Fair - This resource explores: different types of inequality and the impact they have on wider society and the economy and presents a concise but persuasive argument based on research.
- The Global Goals Food Project – Every Plate Tells A Story - This resource help students to: Understand how the Global Goals were created and are to be achieved by 2030 and draws connections with their own lives; Evaluate a representative meal and identify alternatives that support the Global Goals.
Multimedia Educational Resources
- SDG 1 – No Poverty - This video presents the Draw Disability campaign, which is: An educational initiative to raise awareness in children and youth on disability and inclusion; A global art project collecting drawings youth worldwide; An advocacy campaign.
- What Causes Poverty? - This animation examines the physical and human factors that cause poverty and impact on human well-being. It also highlights the spatial variation in human well-being through a comparison of Australia and Timor-Leste.
Get Inspired
- Egypt-Learning and Earning in Cairo’s Garbage City - Page 41- The Spirit of Youth Association (SOY) is an Egyptian non-governmental organization located in Manshiyet Nasser, one of the largest Zabaleen community districts in Cairo. Set up by members of the community, the NGO aims to empower young community members through educational projects. SOY’s core project is the Recycling School for Boys, which aims to enhance the diffusion of practical knowledge both to improve qualification levels and to empower the community in the recycling business. The school’s broader goal is to reduce poverty and marginalization, and improve health standards within the Zabeleen community. These objectives are met through literacy programmes, which are mainly delivered in the specific work-oriented practical context familiar to the learners. Boys learn about their rights as well as their duties towards people and their environment.
