globalfootprints.org
 

6. Rich and poor

   
Having both rich and poor people in the world makes life more interesting (3)
It has to be wrong that there are some very rich people when many people do not even have enough to eat (-3)
It can't be helped that there are rich and poor people -it's just the way the world is (2)

Looking through a newspaper you can often read about the stunning dress or expensive jewellery being worn by a rich and famous film star on one page and on the next page read about people dying of hunger in Africa. This isn't interesting - it's sick! It doesn't have to be this way. Human greed and selfishness have made some people very rich and kept others very poor. There is enough in the world for everyone if it is shared more equally. As Gandhi once said, there is enough in the world for people's needs but not enough for people's greed.

Do you agree? Add your voice to the debate on this issue

Did you know?

  • Today, 24,000 people will die of hunger
  • Two and a half million children die every year from illnesses they get because they don't have clean water
  • One out of every three people in the world do not have electricity or a telephone
  • The three richest people in the world have as much wealth as all the people who live in the world's 48 poorest countries put together!
  • Switzerland is 500 times richer than Mozambique

Take Action
Check out some of the following websites to find out how some organisations are taking action against world poverty and what they are asking people to do to help.
Oxfam www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet
Christian Aid Children's site www.globalgang.org.uk
CAFOD www.cafod.org.uk
top