H. O.
1. Poverty in Africa
Our group researched poverty. First, when I looked up the definition of poverty in the Cambridge Dictionary (2023), it said, "the state of not having enough money to buy basic things." It is very difficult to live a cultured and healthy life without changing the basics. I think poverty is an important problem for the world to solve. Next, I focused my research on the African region. First, I looked at the poverty rankings in Africa. The 10 poorest countries in Africa are Western Sahara, Burundi, Somalia, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Congo, Niger and Eritrea (Wise Voter, 2023). And, I focused my research on the African region. First, I looked into poverty rankings in Africa. The ten poorest countries in Africa are Western Sahara, Burundi, Somalia, Central African Republic, Mozambique, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Congo, Niger, and Eritrea. Western Sahara is the poorest country in Africa, located in the Maghreb region of North Africa (United Nations, n.d.). The main major industries are fishing and phosphate mining, yet due to the long-running Western Sahara War, there is almost no economic activity (United Nations, n.d.). Therefore, I learned that conflicts have a serious impact on a country's economy and development. I believe that the main causes of poverty in Africa are political instability, conflict, and lack of economic development. I believe these problems contribute to high poverty rates, low life expectancy, and low educational outcomes. Therefore, I have learned that political instability, conflict, and lack of economic development need to be resolved.
This time, I researched Japan's support for poverty in Africa. First of all, I learned that the Japanese government approximated 10 million human resources and a total of $30 billion in aid in 2016 and 2018 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 2019). The financial support is used for quality infrastructure development, EMT, and health system improvements. To escape poverty, people need to work and earn money. I thought that Japan's assistance is not only financial assistance, but also poverty assistance that will be beneficial for the future.
In 2022, the 8th African Economic Development Conference will be held in Tunisia (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 2018). This conference is organized by the Japanese government and brings together many developed countries and developing countries in Africa to discuss the future development of Africa. I was surprised because I did not know that Japan was the main organizer.
2. Japanese NPO Organizations
Next, I researched Japanese NPO organizations. After doing some research, I found that there are countless NPOs providing support in Japan. This time, we focused on World Vision Japan and AAR Japan (n.d.). Both organizations are actively working to resolve poverty issues in Africa. However, I learned that our support is essential for these activities. I think it is important to support us by making donations in a way that we can do.I researched two articles on poverty. According to the 2021 Comprehensive Survey of Living Conditions released by the welfare ministry on July 4, Nearly half of single-parent households in Japan are living in a state of poverty (The Asahi Shimbun, 2023, July 5). Also, according to Yumiko Watanabe, the representative of Kidsdoor, an NPO that provides food assistance to impoverished households, who was interviewed in. (2023, Asahi Shimbun), “Price surges are putting the lives of parents and children at risk.” Most of the everyday items we buy have gone up in price. However, on the other hand, wages have not increased, and the budget remains the same, so the only option is to either increase expenses or buy fewer items. I thought that this was contributing to the food shortage among children. Also, according to a survey by NHK (2021, September 7), about 70% of people answered that their income has decreased due to COVID-19 and will not return even now. The survey suggested that 60% of people said that the amount of food decreased due to high prices. An increasing number of households are having difficulty securing enough food each day. As a result, some organizations that provide food assistance have seen a sevenfold increase in applications. As a result, NPO staff are struggling to secure food. In future research, I would like to find out about organizations that provide food assistance.
K. N.
3. Poverty in the United States
There is not just one poor country in the world; there are poor countries everywhere. Therefore, this time I decided to conduct research as a group and focused on various countries. In my group, I was in charge of the United States.
According to Debt.org (2021, October 12), the United States may be considered a wealthy country, but 34 million people live in poverty. This figure is 10.5% of the country's population. There are many different types of poverty. Therefore, let's take a look at Mississippi, which ranks first in poverty rates in the United States.
According to Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity (n.d.), rates for various areas are aggregated. In the assets included in this data, the asset poverty rate is 25.4%, and the number of unbanked households is 15.8%. In education, the spotlight article suggested that the percentage of college graduates with debt is 57%, and the percentage of teens ages 16 to 19 not attending school and not working is 10%. In economic well-being, the percentage of jobs that are low-wage is 34.3%, and the unemployment rate is 5.5%. In the justice system, incarcerated persons per 100,000 residents are 619 people, and the number of youth residing in juvenile justice and correctional facilities is 273 people. Although this data is just excerpts, there are many areas of poverty (n.d.). I was very surprised to see this data. Looking at these data, I realized that if the environment is not maintained, various types of confusion will occur.
According to Campbell-Smith and Barefiled (n.d.), one in five people in Mississippi lives in poverty. Children who are not attending school or without health insurance are more prominent there. Mississippi also has a high unemployment rate, with 55 out of every 100 people over the age of 16 living in poverty, either not working or having given up on finding work (Campbell-Smith & Barefiled, n.d.). I actually looked into the subjectivity situation in Mississippi and was very heartbroken. This is because of living in Japan, I don't feel the reality of poverty. Things that Japanese people take for granted are extremely wealthy in a poor country. I wanted poverty to be solved as a U.S. problem, not a state problem.
4. Child Poverty in Japan
This time, I researched child poverty in Japan. Japan is a developed country, and there are few images of poverty. However, Japan also has poverty issues. I think Japan neglects child poverty. Therefore, I wanted to investigate the current situation.
According to Zen Bird (n.d.a.), it seems that poverty in Japan is becoming more serious. The collapse of Japan’s economic and real estate bubble of the 1980s led to higher unemployment rates, which still affect Japan today. Many citizens and residents in the 1990s were laid off from their jobs, which gave rise to low-income, non-regular employment among individuals (Zen Bird, n.d.a.). Due to these harrowing circumstances, it can be said the economic collapse may have had a hand in Japan’s growing poverty problem regarding children. I am familiar with this bubble, but I never thought that it was the cause of poverty.
Bayley (2020, September 9) refers to the difficult current situation where the Japanese government did not address the issue of child poverty until 2009. I was very surprised by this. Many children must have suffered during this period. They should have known that. I think that this is the reason why poverty has worsened. However, recently there seems to be a variety of initiatives being taken.
A representative initiative is the children's cafeteria. An organization called The Nippon Foundation opened a facility where up to 20 children of elementary school age can go between 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. to relax, study, and have a hot meal (Hernon, 2017, May 11). I am very supportive of this initiative. I think that having a place for their child to stay makes them feel less lonely. Unfortunately, this facility is still only available in some areas. I think they should create more facilities where children can have a place to stay.
5. Movement of Japanese Organizations Against Poverty
Previously, I researched child poverty in Japan. There is little image of poverty in Japan, and few people know the reality of it. But there are also organizations working to solve child poverty. I would like to introduce such an organization.
According to Yuasa (2018), Musubie acts as an intermediary, offering vital support to children’s cafeterias (kodomo shokudo). They collaborate with corporations and organizations interested in supporting children’s cafeterias to deliver donations and programs to children’s cafeterias through regional network organizations. They provide support in the form of food and other supplies, activities to enhance safety and peace of mind at children’s cafeterias, and a variety of hands-on programs for children (Yuasa, 2018).
Additionally, Japanese organizations are contributing to world poverty, so I would like to introduce one. According to Bertetti (2019, November 9), one Japanese organization is the Nippon Foundation, which participates in several areas of activity, including how to enrich communities and bring them closer together. The Foundation set up an initiative in Africa to teach agricultural farmers how to increase their production, wishing to teach farmers how to process and preserve crops rather than only provide resources. In Myanmar, the Foundation supported the building of schools and treatment for leprosy.
These surveys revealed that there are issues such as child poverty in Japan and that there are organizations that deal with these issues. However, not all children can be helped, and there are still children waiting for help. I strongly think that the government should take more measures so that as many children as possible can lead happy lives. However, it is also true that poverty exists not only in Japan but all over the world. I thought it was a great thing to have a Japanese organization that contributes to world poverty.
M. Y.
6. Poverty in Europe
I researched poverty in Europe. To be honest, I did not have any images of European poverty before reading articles, due to the fact that I thought that European nations are developed enough and the economic level is much higher than the other nations. On the other hand, these situations are more serious than I imagined. Overall, 95.3 million people, or about a quarter of all residents in the EU, are at risk of poverty in 2022, according to Fleck (2023, July 14). Especially in Eastern Europe, countries such as Romania (34.4%), Bulgaria (32%), and Greece (26%) are at high risk. In addition, Spain and Italy are in the same boat. For instance, my friend, who is from North Italy, told me that there are huge economic gaps between the North and South of Italy owing to the differences in industries. In North Italy, it is famous for manufacturing; by contrast, the main industries are sightseeing and agriculture.
Then, I would like to identify the other reasons for poverty. The European Anti-Poverty Network (n.d.) described the European issues with main factors. First of all, unemployment and poor-quality jobs are regarded as the main causes due to limited access to decent wages. The next one is the low educational level, which prevents people’s abilities from gaining job access Anti-Poverty Network, (n.d.). Then, the size and type of family are also one of the reasons. If it is a huge family, there would be necessary high costs for household and education, and if it is a lone-parent family, the wage tends to be lower. Moreover, people in Europe are still struggling with the gender gap and people with severe illnesses.
Therefore, all these factors create additional barriers and disadvantages in Europe as well as in other areas such as Asia, Africa, and North and South America.
7. Poverty in Japan
I focused on poverty in Japan with some data. According to Zenbird (n.d.b), in 2018, Japan’s poverty rate was 15.7%. Compared to the poverty rate of OECD member states, it was 12.5%, so the article indicates that Japan has a higher possibility of being in poverty than other developed countries. The editorial board suggests that the main factors of the fact are the labor system and gender equality. As you know, the payment and insurance are different between heaven and earth, whether the employees are full-time or part-time in Japan. Actually, nowadays, the number of people who work in full-time positions at companies is on the decline dramatically. In contrast, part-time job positions are steadily increasing, especially among women owing to difficulties in the compatibility of working and taking care of children. This is because Japanese companies were used to forcing long working hours and overtime to laborers, and there was a traditional view that it is normal that men should work at the company for many hours to make a living and women need to look after their children (Fleck, 2023, July 14). Even though the situation is getting better finally, thanks to restrictions by the government and law, workers still have difficulties having enough time to be with their families (Fleck, 2023, July 14). Therefore, even now, women are likely to choose part-time jobs because of a lack of time to work at the office due to the necessity of taking care of their children instead of their husbands who are in full-time positions. It also creates an economic gap between genders. If it is a single parent, the condition becomes more complicated, because they need to do everything by himself or herself without depending on anyone. At the same time, the income would be half.
In conclusion, to solve poverty and these old-fashioned issues, I believe that the government ought to improve payment for part-time laborers. Also, I would say that limiting long working hours and introducing more policies to achieve appropriate work-life balance are essential.
8. How do Japanese Organizations Tackle Issues?
From the research so far, I can say that poverty in Japan is more serious than I expected before starting this project. In order to improve this situation, there are many organizations in Japan. First of all, I would like to introduce one of the non-profit organizations called "Kids' Door." According to Japan for Sustainability (2016, October 18), since its establishment in January 2007, it has been providing study support programs for children under the theme "for the smiles of children across Japan." The main activity of the program is study support, which is conducted by local volunteers and university students. What I was surprised at was that the seminars are free of charge, and every child is welcome. I am sure that these classes are very popular with students and their parents. In demand, especially from families who are unable to send their children to cram schools due to their financial situation.
In addition, a research by Japan for Sustainability (2017, September 17) shows that "Chiki Mirai Juku," which means "Future Cram School," has offered the same kind of lectures for teenagers. One of the differences with Kids' Door is that Mirai Juku is organized by the Japanese Government and 2,000 junior high school districts. I believe that the classes are also held in local high schools, making them much more accessible to students too!
I felt that if I had known about these two volunteer activities when I was a junior high school student or a high school student, I would have liked to participate in them because I could have saved extra fees for cram schools to prepare for exams, so I hope they will be more appreciated and known by every teenager.
9. Conclusion
We learned that poverty in the world and Japan has an urgent assignment for the global society, by comparing the situation of Africa, the United States, Europe, and Japan, researching some non-profit organizations that try to pursue better societies to support people in need. We hope that our webpage will be a great chance for readers to be interested in social facts.
Thank You for Reading!
10. References
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Bertetti, D. (2019, November 9). Japanese organizations combating poverty globally. https://borgenproject.org/japanese-organizations-combating-poverty-globally/
Bayley, M. (2020, September 9). 5 facts about child poverty in Japan. https://borgenproject.org/tag/child-poverty-in-japan/
Cambridge Dictionary. (2023) Poverty. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-japanese/poverty
Campbell Smith, R., & Barefield, A. (n.d.). Mississippi economic and financial well-being: Patterns and trends. http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/mississippi-economic-and-financial-well-being-patterns-and-trends
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