POINTS TO BE DEVELOPED ON POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Poverty rates average 30 per cent of the Caribbean population. Social and human
development indicators show that Barbados, Antigua-Barbuda and the Bahamas are doing
better than Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica and Suriname. Plagued by political and
economic problems, Haiti consistently scores lowest.

1. Education
Quality education empowers people to take advantage of opportunities around them. Children
need to have the tools available to them in order to learn to go to school to gain the finances to
support not only themselves, but also their families. By having education available for children
and having people that support and believe in the education of children this can reduce poverty
for many people and give these children the opportunity to live a wonderful and rewarding life. It
helps children get knowledge, information and life skills they need to realize their potential.
Training teachers, building schools, providing education materials and breaking down that which
prevents children from accessing education are important features of poverty alleviation
programmed.

2. Water and Sanitation

The World Bank says that “Access to clean water and sanitation is one of the most cost-
effective development interventions, and is critical for reducing poverty.” The reasons for
this are that women can use the time that they would have spent fetching water to work,
and produce more. Agricultural production could increase, and the costs of services and
goods could go down by a fair amount. Not only that, but because “diseases caused by
unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation are the most significant child health problems
worldwide,” having access to clean water could significantly lower the health care costs
of many of these children.

3. Access to Health Care

Access to health care is essential, For example health clinics, train health care workers
and invest in equipment and medicine so children can grow up healthy and strong.
EDUCATION – HAITI

Almost all schools in Haiti are privately run

In the early 2000s, about 90% of schools were private. These are very diverse and are run by
religious organizations, non-governmental organizations, or for-profit institutions.

Most schools ask for tuition fees, a barrier for many

Being privately owned, these schools usually require tuition fees.  Along with the cost of
transport, books, and the mandatory uniform, it is very hard for Haitians to send their children to
school. 

Due to the high cost of schooling, poor families would send their child to school only during
months or years when they could afford it. As such, several children lose years of schooling and
are too old for their grade level when they come back. Literacy rates hover around 48.7% for
both sexes.

Currently, less than 50 percent of eligible children attend primary school, and less than one-third
of these children will reach the fifth grade. Some cannot afford to continue their schooling, and
others are ill-prepared and therefore unable to pass necessary exams. In general, high dropout
rates are not attributed to disinterest in education but rather to limited family resources.

The education sector in Haiti lacks the quality and access necessary for sustained social and
economic development. Despite improvements in enrollment and the commitment of the Haitian
government to strengthen public education, challenges in funding, teacher training and access
remain prevalent. These issues put a generation of Haitian youth at risk of not receiving the
knowledge and basic skills necessary to succeed in the labor force. To address education issues
facing the country, the Government of Haiti has made free and universal education a
priority. During the fall of 2011, the Government of Haiti’s Ministry of National Education and
Vocational Training (MENFP) began the rollout of an operational plan to enroll 1.5 million
students in school by 2016, and to improve curricula, train teachers, and set standards for
schools.

EDUCATION – TRINIDAD

According to United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) literacy level
in Trinidad and Tobago is 98.8%. Education is available for free to all nationals, with the
exception of exam and administration fees at the tertiary level, and 50% of postgraduate tuition.
This reflects a school and university system designed to distribute the wealth generated by the
country’s dominant energy and petrochemicals sectors. The government has made education a
priority by allocating TT$7.222b in the 2016/2017 budget to the Ministry of Education.

https://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/overview/trinidad-and-tobagos-education-system-multi-
faceted-and-well-funded
THESIS: Poverty exists in Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti and they both also share
commonalities in their approach to education; however they tend to differ in their approach to
sanitation and access to health care.

Topic Sentence Outline

Education While Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti are both subjected to poverty,
they have also made free and universal education a priority.
(similar)

Water and Sanitation In contrast, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti differ in their approach to
deal effectively in their respective water and sanitation systems they
(differ) provide to the public.

Health Care Notwithstanding, Trinidad and Tobago having a highly effective health
care system, there exists no structure or system in place to provide
(differ) adequate health care in Haiti.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

INTRODUCITON

Poverty is a global problem, and it has existed from the beginning of civilization. It has many
faces which vary from country to country, place to place and across time. Poverty is the
condition of being financially unsettled in need, or a lack of sufficient resources necessary to
maintain a minimally adequate standard of living Over the years poverty has been a problem that
has affected third world (developing countries) countries, for example Haiti and Trinidad and
Tobago. While Poverty exists in Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti they both also share
commonalities in their approach to education; however they tend to differ in their approach to
sanitation and access to health care.

EDUCATION

While Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti are both subjected to poverty, they have also made free
and universal education a priority. However, Haiti faces challenges in funding and teacher
training. As opposed to Trinidad and Tobago where training for teachers is a priority and
education is free and compulsory for children from ages 5 to 15 years and the government
provides free education at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. There also exist Early
Childhood Centres (ECC) that accepts children from as young as 3 years which is also free.
According to United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) the literacy
rate in Trinidad and Tobago stands at 98.8% while in Haiti it stands at 48.7%. The role of
education in poverty eradication, in close co-operation with other social sectors, is crucial. No
country has succeeded if it has not educated its people. Not only is education important in
reducing poverty, it is also a key to wealth creation.

WATER and SANITATION

In contrast, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti differ in their approach to deal effectively in their
respective water and sanitation systems they provide to the public. Haiti faces key challenges in
the water supply and sanitation sector: Notably, access to public services is very low, their
quality is inadequate and public institutions remain very weak. Sewer systems and wastewater
treatment are non-existent in Haiti and there is no adequate sewage collection service. In
contrast, Trinidad and Tobago has improved sanitation facilities which are available to 98.7% of
the population. Despite the fact that 93.6% of the population of Trinidad and Tobago have
access to clean drinking water, Haiti, only has 62.4% of the population being able to access clean
drinking water. Lack of drinking water and basic sanitation has a devastating impact on
development processes. Low access to clean water and improved sanitation make it easier for
certain diseases to spread. Poor quality-water and lack of sanitation and hygiene leads to diseases
like cholera, malaria, dengue and diseases associated with the ingestion of chemical
contaminants present in water. For example, according to the World Health Organization
(WHO), coverage of sanitation services in Haiti is below 20% and almost half the Haitian
population lacks drinking water coverage. Haiti has both the largest number of deaths and the
greatest risk of dying from diseases related to water and sanitation.

HEALTH

Notwithstanding, Trinidad and Tobago having a highly effective health care system, there exists
no structure or system in place to provide adequate health care in Haiti. Trinidad and Tobago has
prioritized and made significant progress in improving the health of its population by each
Regional Health Authority (RHA) having at least one hospital with a number of health centres.
On the other hand, Haiti has no system, no structure, and no plan – at least not one that has been
implemented to deal with healthcare. Trinidad and Tobago also provides free medication at all
public facilities through the Chronic Disease and Assistance Programme (CDAP) which provides
citizens with free prescription drugs and other pharmaceutical items for treatment of various
chronic conditions. Healthcare facilities in Haiti however, are wholly inadequate – and the lack
of hospitals, medicines, doctors and equipment ultimately cause the spread of diseases.
CONCLUSION

Poverty is one distressing situation that the majority of people in third world countries have to
contend with in their daily lives. It is a constant struggle that cannot be ignored. As a result
poverty alleviation involves the strategic tools such as education, water and sanitation and health
care.
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As developed countries quench their thirsts for petrol, developing countries around
the world are left behind, force to watch on without any help from the outside
community. Being poor means to be disadvantaged in every single way. It means not
being able to support yourself or your family or have the basic necessity to life.
Without substantial help for these helpless people then we should be feeling guilty
that we are living lives far better than what others are experiencing. Poverty may
because by wars, disease or lack of education and infrastructure and the resulting
consequences may be hunger, starvation, crime and ultimately death. If poverty is
not eradicated then injustice will continue, increasing death tolls and lives.
Not everyone is born into a life of the rich and glamorous. Those who are fortunate
enough know that they are very lucky to be in their position. Others however are
totally in different situations. They need to fend for themselves and having meal is
something which comes only once a day. Malnutrition is the obvious result of not
consuming the right amount of food. This therefore will lead to outbreaks of diseases
but in poverty stricken countries there are no hospitals to cure this. Lacking
infrastructure means lacking educational rights. People who are living in poverty can
not afford to send their children to school so this will mean an unclear future for
their children. Furthermore, living in crowded areas, this has a tendency to increase
the chances of disease as people are drinking from unsafe sources of water. People
around the world are not aware of how immense this issue is and sometimes
hesitant to believe the scale that it has risen to. Without understanding for people
living disadvantage from the rest then there is no cure for the problem.
One of the most basic teachings in the Catholic Church is to ?Love one another as I
have loved you.? This can be implied towards people living in poverty as we can
follow the steps that Jesus had undertaken to love other people even if they are your
enemies. By showing love and compassion we can create a world that is aware of
poverty issues and help the declination of poverty. Countless organisations are
heavily involved in carrying missions to help ultimately eradicate poverty. These
charities and organisations include CARITAS, World Vision, Oxfam, St Vincent de
Paul and many other ...

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