Why do we still have poverty in the U.S. and the world?

Poverty in America is one of the major themes for the month of January. Despite a variety of social programs in our country and U.S. aid to other countries, many believe that poverty is increasing rather than decreasing.

Just what constitutes poverty in the U.S. in comparison to other countries?

Using photos and statistical tables, help students compare living conditions between the U.S. and three foreign countries: the Dominican Republic, Ghana, and India.

Begin by explaining the concept of life expectancy. An overview is provided on our Concepts and Terminology page. Emphasize that life expectancy figures indicate the overall health of a population, and whether the people have access to nutritious food, clean water, health care, and proper sanitation.

Have students access the World Edition Comparison Table. Instruct the student to select the United States, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, and India. For the categories, have students select Life Expectancy (Female) and Life Expectancy (Male).

Lead a discussion on what these figures reveal. Which country has the highest life expectancy? Which has the lowest? What factors could cause people in Ghana to die, on average, nearly 20 years earlier than in the United States?

In our Photo Gallery, have students access photos of the Dominican Republic, Ghana, and India that relate to health and living conditions in those countries.

For example:

Dominican Republic
"Making Casabe," "Los Barrios," "Blood Soup", "Peeling Platanos,"
"Home in Enriquillo," "Children at Play"

Ghana
"Water Collection," "Urban Community," "Mud Brick House"

India
"Ganges River Steps," "River Washing"

Lead a discussion about what the photos reveal. Where are people doing their washing? What does their drinking water look like? What does their housing look like? How are these things different in the United States? How might these factors impact the life expectancy figures? Have students write a short paper on what they discovered.