Poverty and Poor Health in Asia - Case Study Example

The Health of Hong Kong children a) The issue Condition Poverty and poor health in Asia have for a long time had adirect correlation in that the number of those living below the poverty line is high than that of those living above it. This means that Hong Kong’s margin between the rich and the poor continues to widen each day hence influencing the poor health statuses of the children of Hong Kong. According to statistics, the poverty line in Hong Kong has been on a steady increase from 1995 with a margin of almost 3% meaning that almost two hundred and nine thousand children below the age of eighteen were living in poverty by the year 2010 (Lam 3). Analysts have intimated that the growing disparity between the rich and the poor is one of the greatest contributor to the poor health of the children in Hong Kong as there is no possibility of bridging it to make things better. In essence, the rich only associate with the rich while the poor have no option other than to keep by themselves meaning that it is a continuing cycle of poor health for the poverty stricken because they cannot free themselves from it. According to the General Household survey of 2012 (89), a significant percentage of the population above 15 years and less than 65 is economically inactive in Hong Kong hence explaining the high levels of poverty in the region. The statistics also shows that Sha tin, Kwai Tsing, Kwun Tong, Wong Tai Sin, Yuen Long, and Tuen Mun are the principle districts in Hong Kong that have continued to register high numbers of poor households. The effects of poverty on children Ideally, child poverty tends to have an effect on the feeding of the same in that it creates malnutrition for those affected by the scourge because these children cannot afford to feed properly as per the nutrition requirements. Most of the children living in Hong Kong are underweight as this also creates the possibility of developing poor dental and the overall health of the child. Other than this, children living in poverty tend to have self-esteem issues as they tend to feel marginalized and humiliated because of their non-desirable financial status (Ngo 2013). Poor health and poverty also means that these children are likely to fail attending school because they are forced to fend for themselves. On other the other hand, children in Hong Kong that have an association with poverty may also not acquire education because of the social stigma that comes along with being poor, which in turn affects their psychological health. Research has also indicated that family transitions for children living in Hong Kong are a common event that may include frequent relocation and the changing of schools. This means that these children cannot settle in one area as either them or their parents are in constant search of places that they may income that can sustain them. The implication of this is that children are likely to attend public schools that receive lesser funding from the government because of the possibility of them living in poor settlement areas. Other than this, the parents to these children also argue that they cannot afford to feed their children regularly with the various food requirements because of their income levels hence influencing the deterioration of their children’s health further. Most of these children also tend to keep by themselves as those from the well-off cluster of society may not want to associate with them as many may hold the view that they are health hazards. In many cases, children that live in poverty in Hong Kong are left unattended as their parents leave them to go in search of food to feed their families. Subsequently, the children that may have the opportunity to attend school in Hong Kong that come from poor backgrounds may also not participate in extracurricular activities as they may not be in a position to afford this luxury. These children also exhibit high anxiety levels when allowed to interact with children from the wealthy families and many at times end up being violent as this is the only defense mechanism that they may have. This also trickles down to poor relationships between these children and their parents because of the high stress levels that they live under and the fact that their parents or guardians may not meet up to their responsibilities. In other cases, parents find it hard to deal with these children, which force these children to grow into the lives of crime or viewing poverty as their cursed way of living. As compared to children from average earning households, children from families associated with poverty are highly likely to resort to suicide as their solution to the financial problems that they may be experiencing. This also inclines towards affected psychological health of these young children making them to lose hope in life as they view no solutions to the problems that they face. In essence, the minimal income attained by the poor population in Hong Kong focuses on fulfilling the most basic of needs while the rest such as fruit uptake come as a bonus to a few. In matters related to technology, the poor have limited access to technology tools as compared to their wealthy counterparts because they view this as a leisure tool (Ngo 2013). Essentially, only a small fraction of the poor population may have access to a desktop as compared to the children of those living above the poverty line that may own laptops hence creating a disparity between these two divides of the population. Many of these parents also lack sufficient funds to access healthcare services from government-funded clinics as they argue that these services are unaffordable to them. With these financial difficulties experienced in the poor population of Hong Kong, a significant number of these children have to drop out of school or have lost faith in ever making better futures for themselves. In essence, 60% of those living in poverty in Hong Kong believe that there is no possibility for them to become successful in life and that goals and dreams to them are attainable. Using this as a basis for argument, the children of the poor in Hong Kong are at a greater disadvantage because the perils associated with this level of living is both substandard and unhealthy. In order to mitigate on the improvement of the health standards of the children living in poverty within the Hong Kong region, emphasis should also be the other correlated issues that correlate with the poor societal health. b) Measures “People’s food bank” According to the surveys conducted on a majority of the poor living in poor conditions in Hong Kong, the most necessity that they lack is food as most of them do not feed as healthy as required. This has resulted increased numbers of malnourished cases in this region hence forcing organizations such as “People’s food bank” to emerge. Ideally, “People’s food bank” initiative began operations in 1997 as a relief center for the homeless in the Hong Kong Island and as an emergency respondent to cases of hunger for the poor. According to the data held by this organization, Hong Kong is the highest ranked developed nation in the Asian continent to have a high margin between the rich and the poor and number three in the globe. Over the years, the number of referral cases to this organization for food relief has been increasing because of the high unemployment percentages and a poor performing economy. The provision of temporary food offered at no cost by the food bank began in 2003 through the St. Jame’s settlement and has continued to do so to date. This has served has a temporary reprieve to the poor in Hong Kong as the food donations received by the organization help in ensuring that a fraction of the population eats healthy. In a way, this organizational measure has been substantive to the Hong Kong poor population as those involved in the program have succeeded in staying healthy though temporarily. “People’s food bank” receives donations from the government and through subsidies, but a significant percentage of these food donations come from corporate, individuals, and learning institutions. The organization runs operations through its four arms that are the hot meal service that serves the elderly, the People’s Canteen, Lee Hysan Food Assistance, and the Milk Powder sponsorship scheme. However, accessing food from this organization is not easy as those intending to benefit from the programs have to provide proof of them being low income earners. Using this criteria, the poor can access much needed food supplies such as dried food and meal boxes through a meal voucher. This also means that those wishing to receive temporary food supply from “People’s food bank” have to apply by providing valid documents that show their income level in order for them to be eligible to join the program. Community Care Fund The other way that Hong Kong has been able to handle the health of the poor population is the Community Care fund that began operations in 2011. The project began as an initiative for supporting specific groups within the Hong Kong society with financial aid in order for them to improve on the quality of their lives. These under privileged groups include persons living with disabilities, children from poor backgrounds, poor immigrants and the elderly in the Hong Kong population (Lam 4). The fund makes investments in community-established projects as a way of generating income for those that intends to help without aiming at realizing any profits. Further, the fund has diversified its areas of operations since its inception to almost twenty-four assistive programs whose impact has been significant across the poor population. These programs cover areas such as social welfare, settlement, education, health and medicine among a list of several other relevant programs. Those that require financial assistance from the fund go through an application process that makes them eligible for the grants offered, which is relatively a competitive process. The fund relies on donations from well-wishers and those that support the cause of helping improve the living standards of the poor children in Hong Kong. On the contrary, the operations of the fund have not been without challenges as critics viewed its establishment as a way of narrowing the gap between the poor and the privileged in the Hong Kong society. The fund began is a government initiative that would help students from needy upbringing with subsidies that allows them to engage in learning outside the Hong Kong region (Lui 89). The fund began as a response to public outcry regarding the spread of welfare services for all through the various programs established to meet these demands. The kitty is mainly a donations kitty funded by government, charity organizations, and some business corporations that targets the overlooked population. However, the fund raised criticism over its ability to meet the financial demands of the poor because the rich do not contribute towards the fund meaning that they still want to maintain the already existing poverty gap. The CCF works closely with the Commission on Poverty in order for their contributions towards poverty eradication to be more fruitful. The other key responsibility that this initiative has is to influence social mobility and providing education opportunities for all, which are vital pillars in the fight against poverty in both children and adults. Remarkably, the fund works together with the community in this process making it to be applicable approach in the poverty fight in Hong Kong. The fund also has an inclusion for minorities that tend to also be affected by the poverty scourge in greater effects as compared to locals. With this, the fund seeks to create a safety net for the under privileged in the Hong Kong society with the understanding that their poverty also affects the health of their children. Most recently, the fund announced its intention to expand subsidies for those living in deplorable housing conditions, which the fund views as a possible way of drawing these people out of poverty. Ideally, the inclusion of other needs other than proper nutrition into the poverty eradication picture is seen as the best solution to dealing with this menace in Hong Kong. This means that poverty that result from societal problems draws from several roots hence dealing with one of them would be an inapplicable practice. Therefore, CCF is an immediate response to poverty and can be ineffective if there are no sustainability structures put in place. In essence, this may only serve as a temporary reprieve for the poor in Hong Kong, but the government should also establish measures that are likely to retain them in their improved states. However, this intervention has been effective to some extent in reducing the poverty levels of the Hong Kong underprivileged population as much as there are a lot more than can apply in order for it to be a more relevant approach. In the fight against poverty, the rich also have to show effort towards reaching to those that lag behind in the financial ladder in order for this process to be effective. In essence, when one fraction of a population ails then entire population feels the ripple effect as progress never be for one side. In this regard, the health of the poor children of Hong Kong lies in the hands of both the government and the rich through policy making and accommodating of those that are below the poverty line (Lam 1). Works cited Census and Statistics Department (2012).General household survey, Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong Lam, Carrie. Hong Kong’s First Official Poverty Line-Purpose and Value. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. Lui, Hon-Kwong. Widening Income Distribution in Post-Handover Hong Kong. 2013. London: Routeldge Publishers. Print. Ngo, Jennifer. Poll reveals widening income gap in Hong Kong, 2013, April 10, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong. Web 23 Feb, 2014. Read More