Transcript Poverty - International Volunteer Group
Awareness Workshop
Image adapted from originals by flickr users iamperegrino and nzdave .
Poverty: From India to Japan
Facilitators: Joe Pournovin & Ralph Chambers
Please note that the views expressed by volunteer facilitators in workshops represent their own opinions and not necessarily those of Oxfam Japan.
AIESEC
―
110
is…
the World’s Largest Student Driven Organization
countries and territories ― over
60,000
members Our Vision
Peace and Fulfillment of humankind’s potential
What we do
Offering Youths the Opportunities to be Global Leaders by Managing International Internships
What are the International Internships??
•
I
nternational
V
olunteer
G
roup • Support Oxfam Japan • English-speaking volunteers • Organise events in and around Tokyo
Regular Events
• Awareness Workshops • Pub Quizzes
Other Events
• Sea-to-Summit • Tokyo Yamathon • Halloween Party • Gig nights • ...and more!
Workshop activities
• What do you think of when we talk about poverty?
• India's poverty and its recent wealth • Poverty in Japan • Japan and India similarities and differences
What do you think of when you think about poverty?
Maybe images like this?
Or maybe images like these?
Poverty
Poverty is a lack of a certain amount of things and or money.
Absolute poverty
is a lack of things and or money needed for the basic human needs; clean water, food, shelter, education and clothing. It is absolute because it is a fixed figure across the world. Currently $1.25 a day is absolute poverty.
As nations become richer the number of people who can afford the basics (see above) should increase. The number of people without these things should decrease. But many countries see their populations wealth increase at very different rates.
Relative poverty
is the lack of usual or socially acceptable resources compared to others in a society. Or 50% of the median household income. Holidays, sports and eating out are all things many of us expect to do, but if you can not afford these things you may suffer from the effects of relative poverty. You may lose friends, contacts at work etc.
India's growth, poverty and super rich
.
http://www.economywatch.com/economic statistics/country/India/
India's growth, poverty and super rich.
India's growth, poverty and super rich.
India has 8,200 ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals whose combined wealth amounts to $945 billion.
The combined wealth figure of these UHNW individuals is equivalent to about 70 per cent of India's total economy.
Merrill Lynch Report
Poverty in Japan
• Immediately after the war absolute poverty was a serious problem. Then with time, hard work and an abundance of young cheap labor Japan’s economy grew to become the second biggest economy in the world and living standards improved.
• In the 1990’s the economic bubble burst.
• Relative poverty increased from 8.1% in 1994 to 15.7% in 2007.
• Only the USA has a higher rate of relative poverty out of the OECD countries.
• Peoples savings have decreased and the number of people on welfare has increased since the 1990s.
Poverty in Japan
Who are the poor in Japan?
Single mothers, homeless, elderly people with small pensions, cyber homeless and the working poor.
Japan and India similarities and differences
Differences • Poverty in Japan very rarely results in people dying from lack of food. • India has a much bigger water problems.
• The poorest states in India battle against high infant mortality.
Similarities • The poorest in both societies feel excluded.
• They live shorter lives than their countries average.
• Children born into poverty in both countries often don’t break out of poverty.
Quiz
1. What is the average age of a homeless person in Japan? 31 46 56 2. Can you claim social security in Japan if you have no home address? Yes No
Quiz
3. What percentage % of the Indian population falls below the absolute poverty line of $1.25 a day?
6.1% 12% 42% 4. Which has more people in poverty, Africa or India?
Africa India
Quiz
5. What percentage of the population of India is illiterate?
30% 35% 40% 6. Does India have a minimum wage?
Yes No 7 Which prefecture has the most people living on welfare in Japan?
Osaka Wakayama Kanagawa
Quiz
1. What is the average age of a homeless person in Japan? 56 2. Can you claim social security in Japan if you have no home address? Yes
Quiz
3. What percentage % of the Indian population falls below the absolute poverty line of $1.25 a day?
42% 4. Which has more people in poverty, Africa or India?
India
Quiz
5. What percentage of the population of India is illiterate?
30% 6. Does India have a minimum wage?
Yes 7 Which prefecture has the most people living on welfare in Japan?
Osaka
Cyber homeless
BBC report on Japan’s cyber homeless.
Poverty line in India
Case study sequence
In groups can you put the cards into order?
Can you guess which country they are from?
Mrs A Hisa Hashidate 88- Japan Mrs. A’s husband died 30.
She has relied on government assistance since his death.
Government assistance was enough for her life.
Government cuts to welfare mean she gets 12% less money each month.
Mrs. A stretches out one piece of fish for two days’ worth of meals.
With less money she is unable to afford traditional offerings of money at weddings and funerals, so she has stopped attending them. Living costs increase but welfare remains the same.
Although Mrs. A is nearly blind, she switches off the lights at 8 p.m. to save electricity. "I almost never go out anymore," she said. "What is out there for me? I have no money."
The observations of Masanori Matsumura, a primary school teacher- Japan A single mother loses her full time salaried job.
Has to rely on savings whilst finding another job.
After time she finds only temp or contract work at a lower pay than she had before.
Has to take a second and then a third job to make up the shortfall in money.
Her children see less of her.
The children can not afford stationery or go on school trips because of the costs.
Other children bully them because of their clothes and not fitting in.
The children dislike school and do badly.
Mr C Mr Naik- Andhra Pradesh, India Mr. C was a cotton farmer. 30 years ago the crop fetched a high price in the market place. Mr. C’s family were well provided for. There were farm subsidies to help if crops failed due to weather etc.
The prices of cotton fell a lot.
Subsidies were removed in 1997.
Bad crops due to weather wiped out the families savings.
Crops switched to GM cotton seeds. It caused crop failure because it needed to be used with pesticides and fertilizers.
Mr. C borrowed money to buy new pesticides, fertilizers and new seeds but still he lost money in the market place.
With huge debts Mr. C committed suicide.
France 24 report on Japan’s homeless
Discussion
Who was being the most helpful in the video?
What challenges/problems did the homeless people have?
Who should be responsible for lifting people out of poverty?
What is more important for helping the poor education or welfare or other schemes?
How
you
can help?
Oxfam:
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/countries/india.html
Oxfam's work on livelihoods in India is its largest and oldest programme, focusing on three main areas.
• • Improving economic security of small producers and farmers, especially women and those prone to natural disasters.
• Expanding access to better and fairer markets.
• Safeguarding rights of the urban poor.
How
you
can help?
Unicef
: http://www.unicef.org.uk/ • UNICEF is fully committed to working with the Government of India to ensure that each child born in this vast and complex country gets the best start in life, thrives and develops to his or her full potential.
HelpAge India:
http://www.helpageindia.org/ • HelpAge India is secular, not-for-profit organization registered under the Societies' Registration Act of 1860. We were set up in 1978, and since then have been raising resources to protect the rights of India's elderly and provide relief to them through various interventions.
How
you
can help?
• Giving money is extremely helpful BUT more good can be done with the EOF!
• Raising Awareness • Bringing people together • Raising even more money
How
you
can help?
Japan •
Second Harvest Japan
“Second Harvest Japan distributes food to soup kitchens, orphanages, the elderly, emergency shelters, single mothers, the homeless, migrant workers, and many others.”
More than 650,000 people in Japan cannot afford to eat daily. At the same time, more than 6,000 metric tons of food is thrown away in Tokyo every day.
Second Harvest Japan (2HJ) collects waste food from food manufacturers, farmers, and individuals, and distributes them to people in need such as children in orphanages, battered women and their children in shelters, and the homeless in Japan.
How
you
can help?
•
What can you do to help??
• Friday: Go to the Warehouse in Akihabara and volunteer to help cook the food.
• Saturday: Help give out the food to homeless people in Ueno Park or help clean the warehouse afterwards.
• Collecting food and taking the food to the warehouse by car.
• Donating food to Second Harvest Japan • Donating equipment, such as paper cups, plates, chopsticks, etc.
• Donating money.
: http://www.2hj.org/
How you can help?
The Big Issue
The Big Issue Japan is a business response to the social problem of homelessness.
Est. 2003. The Big Issue is a magazine sold by the homeless.
How you can help?
Once someone has proved they are homeless TBIJ gives them 10 free Big Issues. The homeless person must sell these for ￥ 300 each. Then the person can buy more copies for ￥ 140 and sell these on again.
Ex.
Rental deposit ￥ 60,000 60,000/160 ＝ 375 copies@10/day 38 days to get into a real apartment. This is of course very optimistic- BUY the Big Issue!!
Thank you!
Next Awareness Workshops
• February ?th – Ben & Linden - TBC • March 10 th – Shivonne + you? – GM Food
• "People associate the homeless with the '3 K's,'" says Sano. He holds up the corresponding number of fingers as he enumerates these. "One, they are kitanai [dirty]; two, they are kusai [smelly], and three, kowai [scary],