In the world we live in there is a lot of poverty. When we stop to think about the concept of poverty we think about an economic question, but it is not only that, but also the lack of basic capacities to live with dignity. People living in poverty are regularly exposed to the denial of their dignity and equality. But what gives the most pain of all this is the child poverty that exists in the world. The childhood of children who have few resources is very difficult, since they do not have any medical guarantee in case they get sick, to have clothes and shoes, and even less to go to school and have the right to an education.
Thus we usually associate poverty with deficiencies or deprivation, however, it goes much further, since poverty brings with it another series of processes, not only economic, but also social, that condition the existence of people. Poverty is related to exclusion, inequality and lack of opportunities. In the case of childhood, it is especially serious that the child does not have the possibility to opt for decent living conditions, since this will mark his future forever. For this and for many other reasons, our group has decided to talk about child poverty, which affects millions of children and kills thousands of them every day.
In this photo we can see two girls, one older than the other, carrying too sacks on their shoulders and going around what appears to be a dump, probably in search of useful objects or food. The landscape in the photo makes me think that it may have been taken in Brazil, since we can see n the background large buildings that look luxurious and modern. That is due to the fact that in that country there are a lot of differences in classes and historically, wealth has been disproportionately distributed. Those at the top of the social class system have a lot, while those at the bottom have very little, and many of the poor children unfortunately live in the so-called "favelas" in absolute poverty. Favela is a slum or shantytown located within or on the outskirts of the country’s large cities, especially in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Favelas are generally characterized by a type of housing consisting mainly in makeshift structures out of wood scraps and daub, allthough over time more durable materials such as brick and metal sheet metal have been incorporated. The lack of infrastructure gives rise to improvised plumbing and electrical wiring. In addition, water must be often ported over great distances, and rudimentary methods of waste disposal pose health hazards. As a result of the crowding, unsanitary conditions, poor nutrition, and pollution, diseases are rampant in the poorer favelas, and infant mortality rates are quite high. Despite the fact that various social and religious organizations aimed at obtaining improvements in rights and services have developed in favelas, these unregulated informal settlement neighbourhoods have over the years rather experienced governmental neglect or, at worst, were "socially cleansed" as it happenned in runup to the World Cup 2014 and the Olympic Games 2016. What makes me sad about this image is the huge differences in the Brazilian social class system , since these children are surely aware of the upper-class standards of living but know at the same time that they will never be able to reach a better fate.
This image is a clear example of poverty suffered by thousands of children. Surely they must feel very sad because they have to see every day how other people from a different social class than theirs happily make their lives and have access to everything they want. So I think that we ourselves should be grateful every day for what we have and try to value it more, because surely all these children would value it.