Despite being one of the most important social issues our society faces, global poverty is deeply misunderstood. As I started working at a non-profit focused on this problem, The Borgen Project, I realized that many “facts” I believed in were, in reality, myths. Therefore, I gathered in this article the 5 most common misconceptions and myths about global poverty:
- Myth: By reducing global poverty, overpopulation would become even worse.
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Imagine this situation: You know that the life expectancy of your children is really low, and that there is a strong chance that they will not survive. A logical solution would be to have more children, right? This is what happens in regions where death rates for children are high. By reducing global poverty, the number of births will accordingly reduce. This has been shown in Guatemala and Cambodia. Even Bill Gates has spoken about this myth saying, “the key thing you can do to reduce population growth is actually improve health.”
- Myth: Around 20% of the American Federal Budget is spent on foreign countries.
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Even though most Americans believe that a significant part of the Federal Budget is spent on international affairs, the reality is much different. The American government invests around 0.8% of it’s federal budget on foreign nations.
- Myth: Investing in International Affairs would not have positive consequences to the United States.
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Increasing the investment in other countries would have a strong positive impact in the economy and create new job opportunities. What many people may not know is that 50% of American exports currently go to developing nations. By investing in those nations, people become more economically stable and can, consequently, become consumers of American products. Therefore, investing in developing nations is not only aiding foreign countries, but it is an indirect investment in America itself. The economy is positively impacted, and jobs are created as there are more consumers. Nearly all of America’s top trading partners were once recipients of U.S. foreign aid, including Germany and South Korea.
- Myth: Global Poverty is an issue that is not solvable.
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Actually, according to a study done by the United Nations in 2015, Global Poverty could be over by 2030. This would require an additional investment of $264 billion yearly. It is not impossible, considering that the United States alone spends $283 billion on the military per year. If many countries contribute together, we can reach zero hunger in less than 30 years.
- Myth: There is nothing I can personally do to diminish Global Poverty.
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What if I told you that you can, and it would only take you five minutes? By contacting your senators and saying that you would like to see a support for the International Affairs Budget, this topic could be discussed as something that people are interested in – especially if many people call. So if you want to act on this issue today, Google your senators’ contact information online and just ask. If everybody does their part, we can make a positive difference in the world.