The incidence of extreme poverty is higher among Indigenous and tribal peoples than among other social groups and they generally benefit much less than others from overall declines in poverty. The audit of 14 countries include: Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cambodia, Guyana, Honduras, Kenya, Lao PRD, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Viet Nam and Zambia. The ethnic audit shows that there are significant differences between regions and, within regions, between countries in terms of whether and how indigenous questions are addressed.
Poverty and health
Indigenous and tribal peoples: an ethnic audit of selected Poverty Reduction Strategy papers
Tomei M: International Labour Office 2005
Namibia: No rest - and limited government support - for the aged
Sasman C: Inter Press Service (Johannesburg), 20 March 2006
The sight of an elderly person caring for children with AIDS-related illnesses (and grandchildren who may have been orphaned by the pandemic) has become a common one in Namibia, and the Southern African region as a whole. Have policies in Namibia kept pace with the extent to which the aged are taking on responsibility for sick children, and orphaned grandchildren?
No magic bullets to end poverty: Q&A With Jeffrey Sachs
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks : 20 March 2006
In 2005 economist Jeffrey Sachs presented an action plan to meet the UN's poverty-slashing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, which included practical and affordable interventions such as bed-nets to fight malaria, vaccinations to combat infectious diseases, the provision of anti-AIDS drugs, fertilisers to improve crop yields and drilling wells to provide safe drinking water. In this wide-ranging interview with IRIN, Sachs defended his plan and provided some details on how the project is going to help poor countries help themselves.
Geographic aspects of poverty and health in Tanzania: does living in a poor area matter?
Mahmud Khan et al, Health Policy and Planning 2006; 21: 110-122.
Previous studies have consistently found an inverse relationship between household-level poverty and health status. However, what is not well understood is whether and how the average economic status at the community level plays a role in the poverty–health relationship. The study investigated the concentration of poverty at the community level in Tanzania and its association with the availability and quality of primary health care services, the utilization of services, and health outcomes among household categories defined by wealth scores.
Health and wellbeing in Udaipur and South Africa
PAHO
This paper presents a descriptive account of health and economic status in India and South Africa – countries in very different positions in the international hierarchy of life expectancy and income. It analyses the correlates of health and wellbeing in our sites.
Modelling PRSP II & poverty reduction in Mozambique
This paper outlines the regression analysis addressed to determine variables and factors influencing poverty alleviation in Mozambique and estimate their magnitude; its aim being to support the careful interpretation of poverty estimates and to emphasise the need for policy makers to account for poverty measurement in their work.
Oxfam warns of poor donor response for East Africa
SARPN
This newsflash from Nairobi this week emphasises how "..a searing drought that has put at least 11-million people across East Africa on the brink of starvation risks turning into a catastrophe if donors fail to respond quickly to the situation, an aid agency warned on Thursday".
WFP bought R600m food from Southern Africa
The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) in Southern Africa on Tuesday announced that it spent nearly R600-million ($100-million) in 2005, double the amount in 2004, buying more than half a million tonnes of food in the region to support vulnerable people across Africa. About 337 000 tonnes of food, worth R372-million ($62-million) was purchased in South Africa by WFP's regional headquarters in Johannesburg.
Reaching the poor with health services
World Bank publication
The poor suffer from far higher levels of ill health, mortality, and malnutrition than do the better-off; and their inadequate health is one of the factors keeping them poor or for their being poor in the first place. The health of the poor must thus be a matter of major concern for everyone committed to equitable development, from policy makers to service providers. Health services can make an important contribution to improved health conditions among disadvantaged groups. Yet as the contents of this volume make clear, the health services supported by governments and by agencies like ours too often fail to reach these people who need them most.
Pathways from poverty: Evaluating long-term strategies
John Hoddinott, Agnes Quisumbing, Alain de Janvry, and Tassew Woldehanna
The Millennium Declaration of the United Nations committed the global community to halving, by 2015, the proportion of the world's population who live in poverty and suffer from hunger. Attaining the United Nations' goal requires good governance, a genuine political commitment by both developed and developing countries, and increased resources. Yet, reducing global poverty also requires a clear understanding of the factors that predict whether an individual or household will become less poor or more poor over time. Intervention programs often are evaluated on a short time frame, even though such interventions may have long-term effects.