Poverty
This module encounters the multi-faceted nature of poverty in both, developing and industrialised countries
Introduction to the topic
You can see four names here, each of which is connected to a fictional story. Please read all the stories first and then answer the questions.
Amanda, 65 years old.
Since our house was forcibly auctioned off, three years after the finance and housing crisis, I have been living with my husband in a small caravan in a trailer park in the USA. The last few years were dominated by huge changes in fortune for us. At first we tried to pay off our house with all our savings. However, when my husband lost his job and I became ill, the interest on the repayments was simply too high. The high costs of medical treatment ate up my pension. I had to end my membership of various clubs, have lost contact with many friends and worst of all for me are the looks people give me when I join the line for warm food at the soup kitchen.
Yousef, 10 years old.
I have three siblings and live in an apartment in the 10th district of Vienna with my mother. I share my room with my older sister, my two younger sisters sleep with my mother. In winter we are often ill as our apartment is so cold. This means we want to move soon. My youngest sister now goes to kindergarten too and mum can look for work straight away. So far she has had no luck, she has to improve her German and so she is taking a course laid on by the employment agency. Many jobs are out of the question for her because she had a slipped disk and therefore cannot lift heavy loads. It is always stressful at home when my sister and I want to go on school trips as mum always needs a lot of money for this. I would like to visit my grandmother in Egypt this summer but the flights are unfortunately too expensive, so we will probably have to postpone the visit once again.
Anton, 45 years old.
My home is the streets, bridges, benches and parks of Vienna. That wasn’t always the case. When my wife divorced me, moved out and took our two children with her I was very sad. I became truly depressed shortly afterwards when I lost my job and saw the unpaid bills in front of me every day. I tried to find work again but I was unsuccessful. Eventually I was forced to leave the apartment, firstly I tried my luck at homeless shelters but I could not get used to the rules. The way I live my life now, I can make my own choices about how I fill my day. I always thought that life on the streets was only a short-term solution but I have been homeless for a long time now.
Naima, 14 years old.
I live with my mother and four siblings near Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Due to the prevailing civil war we are constantly in danger and are always forced to go away from home. I hate it because when we leave, we always leave my sick sister behind and never have enough to eat and drink. Also, I see my dad rarely then and miss the stories he reads to me. He has often told me of his schooling. I would also like to go back to school, but in the city it's too dangerous and I have to stay with my mom and my siblings to take care of our land.