WINNER A Global Education resource from World Vision Issue 9 – Global Inequalities May 2011 $9.90 Why is global inequality important? What are the physical and human factors in global inequality? What is the world doing about global inequality? Contents Issue 9 – Global Inequalities Contents Poverty on our doorstep 3 Poverty on our doorstep Global inequality 4-5 Human Development Index 6-7 World Vision, a non-government organisation (NGO) is My name is Aaron. I’m just an ordinary 18 year old, working with these families and their communities. What is poverty? 8-9 but three months out of school I was boarding a plane to East Timor as a World Vision Youth Ambassador. I met farmers who had been given training and were Poverty and hunger 10-11 Just an hour flight from Darwin and I found myself in a now reaping crops four times bigger than ever before. whole other world – a world of injustice and poverty, a I met other families who now not only had enough Give a man a fish ... some poems 12-13 world that together we must change. I had heard about food for themselves but were selling produce to Physical and human factors 14-15 poverty, seen pictures of poverty, even talked about supermarkets. World Vision works in partnership with poverty, but never before have I been exposed to such communities so the people believe in themselves again East Timor – an information report 16-17 raw and uncensored poverty. and see a way out of their situation.They give training and hope. This made me proud to be an Australian – Education – an explanation 18-19 East Timor is the poorest nation in all of Asia, knowing that we can help break the shocking effects of and poorer than some African nations, but unlike Child mortality 20-21 poverty on people’s lives. Africa it’s not on the other side of the world – it’s Maternal health – a recount 22-23 on our doorstep. Now, I will be speaking in schools encouraging Australian students to do something – to think Water and sanitation 24-25 While I was in East Timor, it was the middle of the differently about our world and what we can do – to five-month-long hungry season. Each year many of the What is the world doing? 26-27 get involved in the 40 Hour Famine, buy fair trade or Timorese endure months with no food, and many are write a letter to the Australian Government. We can’t Visual literacy 28 reduced to eating cooked tree bark. It gives them no be aware of this poverty on our doorstep and not nutrition ... just stops them feeling hungry. This is how do something! many of the families I met were living. We are so close to them but our lives are very different. After seeing the country, meeting the people and About this resource hearing their stories, my perspective on life has been Many of the families I visited lived in situations that changed. Never again will I stand in front of a fridge of Why is global inequality important? appeared hopeless. You will meet some of them in the Get food and tell mum there’s nothing to eat. What are the physical and human factors in global inequality? Connected DVD. At the same time, I also got to see how What is the world doing about global inequality? This issue of Get Connected encourages you to explore these questions and do something constructive with what you learn. For additional resources visit worldvision.com.au/schoolresources Your comments on this resource are welcome at [email protected] ISSN 1834-5018 Published by World Vision Australia. 1 Vision Drive, Burwood East 3151. World Vision Australia ABN 28 004 778 081 is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organisation dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. ©2011 All material contained in this publication is subject to copyright owned by or licensed to World Vision Australia. All rights reserved. Ref #6440 Acknowledgements: Written by Rod Yule with cartoons by Julie Smith. Lily is seven years old and lives in East Timor – Australia’s 1 East Timor is also commonly known as Timor-Leste – the locally preferred Portuguese name World Vision Youth Ambassadors (Aaron left back row) with nearest neighbour and one of the newest and poorest nations for the country. Timorese children at an Early Childhood Development Centre. in the world. 2 | Get Connected – Issue 8 Get Connected – Issue 9 | 3 Global inequality One way of measuring global inequality is to measure the wealth of different countries – the amount of goods or However, this doesn’t mean that everyone in Qatar or Australia is rich and everyone in Zimbabwe and the Democratic products and services produced (the Gross Domestic Product or GDP). Republic of Congo is poor. There is inequality of wealth between countries and there is inequality of wealth in every country. There is poverty in Australia and people with great wealth in Zimbabwe. Also, money or GDP is only one measure of global inequality. Robert Kennedy, a US Presidential candidate, said this a few weeks before he was assassinated: 2010 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) – in US$ (per capita) "Our gross domestic product counts air pollution and advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for those who break them. It counts napalm, the cost of a nuclear TOP 15 warhead, and armoured cars for police who fight riots in our streets. It counts rifles and knives, and the television US$ BOTTOM 15 1. Qatar US$ programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children. 88,230 168. Guinea 2. Luxembourg 1,056 Yet the gross domestic product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy 80,305 169. Ethiopia of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public 3. Singapore 1,018 debate or the integrity of our public officials. 57,240 170. Afghanistan 4. Norway 998 It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion 52,240 171. Mozambique 5. Brunei 982 to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile." 47,200 172. Madagascar 6. United States of America 910 47,125 173. Malawi 7. Switzerland 908 41,765 174. Togo 8. Netherlands 847 40,775 175. Sierra Leone 9. Australia 803 For You To Do! 39,690 176. Central African Republic 10. Austria 764 1. Find the countries listed on p. 4 on a world map (see worldvision.com.au/ 39,455 177. Niger 11. Canada 720 schoolresources) and identify the region of the world where each is located. What do you 39,035 178. Eritrea notice about these countries? 12. Ireland 676 38,685 179. Burundi 13. Kuwait 410 Europe Asia Oceania/ Africa Latin North Middle 38,295 180. Liberia 14. Sweden 396 Pacific America America East 37,775 181. Zimbabwe 15. United Arab Emirates 395 36,975 182. Democratic Republic of 340 Source: World Economic Outlook, International Monetary Fund, 2010. www.imf.org Congo 2. Read the quote from Robert Kennedy (above) and identify the important things he says that GDP does not measure. Can you suggest any ways that these could be measured? Important issues Measure What evidence of global inequality is shown in these photographs? 4 | Get Connected – Issue 9 Get Connected – Issue 9 | 5 Human Development Index Over the past 20 years, another way the world measures Income – Do the people have a decent standard of living? global inequality is the United Nations Human Development Measure – What is the average income or wealth of the Index (HDI). This is a way of measuring human wellbeing people? around the world and includes health, education and wealth. Together, these measures indicate what life is like for people Health – Do the people have a long and healthy life? in different parts of the world. When you look at these Measure – What is the average life expectancy of people? measures, you can again see that there is great inequality Afghanistan India in the world. Some people have good access to a decent Education – Do the people have access to knowledge Health (Life expectancy): 44 years Health (Life expectancy): 64 years standard of living, and quality health and education services, and learning? Education (Years of schooling): 3.3 years Education (Years of schooling): 4.4 years while people in other parts of the world do not. Indonesia Measure – What is the average number of years spent at Income (GNI per capita): US$1,419 Income (GNI per capita): US$3,337 Health (Life expectancy): 71 years school? Education (Years of schooling): 5.7 years Income (GNI per capita): US$3,957 Nigeria Health (Life expectancy): 48 years Education (Years of schooling): 5 years Papua New Guinea Income (GNI per capita): US$2,156 Health (Life expectancy): 62 years Education (Years of schooling): 4.3 years Very High Human Income (GNI per capita): US$2,227 Development High Human Development Medium Human Development Low Human Development No Data Brazil Health (Life expectancy): 73 years Education (Years of schooling): 7.2 years Income (GNI per capita): US$10,607 For You To Do! Malawi East Timor Australia Health (Life expectancy): 55 years Health (Life expectancy): 62 years Health (Life expectancy): 82 years 1. Download the worksheet at worldvision.com.au/schoolresources and graph the following Education (Years of schooling): 4.3 years Education (Years of schooling): 2.8 years Education (Years of schooling): 12 years data: life expectancy, years of schooling and GNI in the countries above.