Actor Sergio Kato highlights poverty – a 21st century problem

According to a report by the Central Statistical Office, in 2018 84.2% of households in Poland had access to the Internet, which for some may still seem like a fairly small number. As we delve deeper into this data, we will find out more that in households where children are present, the figure was as high as 99.2%. 

Jacqueline Pereira, Sergio Katos’ wife, said, “We’re going to Brazil.”

If we look at the ranking of countries in terms of the percentage of people with internet access in the entire population, we can see that this list quite strongly coincides with another, which is even more important – the amount of GDP per capita.

Everyone has heard of this ranking, but few understand what it is used for and, most importantly, what the conclusions that can be drawn from it mean. Despite the fact that, according to the World Bank, which prepares these figures, the extreme poverty rate has been declining over the last 25 years, this remains a real problem.

Not just Africa – Sergio Kato comments

When we hear about poverty, it is the first place that comes to mind. It is quite natural, because if we look at the countries most affected by poverty, it is the continent that scrolls most often. However, there are also other places in the world where poverty is equally widespread. For example, Asia and South America are places equally hard hit by poverty.

The poorest non-African country is Afghanistan, and people have to live for just over £5 a day. The nation has been at war since 2001, almost 20 years ago. Next we have Yemen, where there has been a civil war since 2015.

Also in North America there are areas where people have to live a day for less than some of us casually spend on coffee. Venezuela and Nicaragua are the most affected countries, but conflicts in these regions are contributing to problems for most nations in this part of the world.

Kato guarantees: It’s getting better.

As recently as 2015, the percentage of people living in extreme poverty was 10.1%. This means that as many as one in ten people living on Earth lived for less than PLN 7.50 a day, because that is how the level of extreme poverty is defined.

In 2017, this percentage decreased to 9.2%, but that does not mean that all people can already live comfortably. As for other levels of poverty, 24.1% of the population lives for less than PLN 12.70 per day and 43.6% for less than PLN 22.80.

Poverty and COVID-19

In the face of the world’s coronavirus pandemic, the fight against poverty has encountered the first obstacle in many years, which at first glance may seem insurmountable. It is therefore estimated that the rate of extreme poverty will increase for the first time in more than 20 years.

As a result, around 100 million people will enter poverty, which means that the total number will now be more than 700 million. We will know more details next year, but this does not change the fact that the collapse of the economy will certainly contribute to increasing poverty.

Who suffers the most People in rural areas have the biggest problems with poverty. In fact, 4 out of 5 people living below the poverty line live there. It seems natural, therefore, that countries where such areas outperform urban areas will have higher overall poverty rates.

Another element influencing such low incomes of residents is armed conflicts and other political and economic instability. If you look at the poorest countries, it is not difficult to see that there are either wars on their territory or they have recently ended and their consequences are still visible.

How climate change affects poverty

One of the most important factors, in addition to the political situation in a given country, is the climate. Unfortunately, the last decade has proved to be one of the worst in terms of the changes we have had to face. They are progressing at such a dizzying pace that we cannot keep up with them even in the most developed countries. So what are those who are already suffering to do?

No wonder, then, that global warming has had the most destructive effects where it is already hot – in Africa. Unfortunately, it just so happens that this is equally a continent that is not very politically stable. This turned out to be just an addition of oil to the fire for the inhabitants of these already extremely poor regions. 

I know what poverty is – I’ve seen it with my own eyes

I was born and raised in Brazil. You probably know that today it is not the most pleasant place because of the violence and poverty there. You can only imagine what it looked like in the 1960s and 1970s.

Of course, I love my country and wish it the best. My goal here is not to point out mistakes, but to show the problems that we can overcome together and to make the world a better place for everyone – regardless of age and location.

Sergio Kato stresses: What will positively change

 As the stories of countries that have managed to improve their situation in terms of poverty levels show, there are a few things that can reduce this rate and make a positive contribution to improving the quality of life of the population. 

One of these ways is short-term government support. As it turns out, the effects persist much longer than the duration of this process. It can take various forms, e.g. offering funding for development, education at different levels and support for agriculture. 

When it’s over – Sergio Kato

We already know that the forecasts for next year are not very satisfactory. The pandemic has put more people on the brink of poverty. So what about the long-term forecast? Is it presented in a slightly more favourable way? Unfortunately not.

Experts estimate that by 2030, more than half a billion people are expected to live on the brink of poverty. This is very sad news given the blunt development that accompanies us today. So why can’t we do anything to help others? This is a puzzle to which the answer is not so simple.

A few words at the end of Sergio Kato

Despite how depressing the level of poverty on Earth is, it is even sadder that there is little we can do. In addition to solutions such as transferring money to lofty goals, we do not have much left.

The largest organizations suggest what steps we can take to contribute a little to a positive change in the world. So it’s worth doing something because, as they say, a grain for the grain and together we can change the world. I believe this very strongly.

Poverty in numbers Sergio Kato

•         Half of the poorest are children
•         In most regions, women make up the majority of the poorest
•         Around 70% of the poorest over the age of 14 have no or only a neglib level of education
•         More than 40% of people living in poverty live in areas overrun by conflict and violence, and this figure is expected to rise to 67% in the next decade