Developing Countries and Problems They Face

I will begin by defining what is meant by developing it is often seen
in three different ways.

· Developed countries - rich countries like the USA and Western Europe

· Developing Countries - countries which are becoming richer like
Brazil and Mexico

· Less-developed countries - countries which are still very poor and
have people starving like Sudan and Bangladesh.

There are the basic needs which developing countries lack in part or
in total. Such as Food, Water, Housing, Health, Education and Work.

Food is a basic need because food helps people grow and develop. It
gives us energy to keep us health and work. Without the right amount
of food or the right kinds of food, people suffer from malnutrition
which can result in death. At least one in eight of the world's
population does not have enough to eat.[IMAGE]

[IMAGE]Water, clean, safe drinking water is essential for life. It is
vital for the control of diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid and
cholera. About 80% diseases are from dirty, unsafe drinking water.

[IMAGE]Housing is a major problem, which can affect the developing
countries because more and more people in developing countries are
drawn to cities in search of work and a better life. The cities
getting overcrowded and the supply of affordable housing in the cities
does not match the population growth so there is a serious of lack of
houses, so in developing countries there are nearly more than half of
the population living in shanty towns.

[IMAGE]Health care is important to 'ensure a state of complete
physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of
disease or illness. 70% of the population in Third World countries do
not have access to any organised health care.

[IMAGE]Education is another problem in poor countries. There are only
four adults in ten who can read and write and less than one in four
children go to secondary school. Education is a very important basic
need for developing a country.

Work can give us identity, security and the means to meet many of our
other basic needs. Today world unemployment stands at around 500
millions, 300 millions of there are in the less-developed countries.

[IMAGE][IMAGE]These countries are not developed because many LDCs
suffer from wars. Wars destroy crops, homes, schools and Hospitals
etc. causing even more poverty. They also force many people to leave
their homes and become refugees in other safer countries. These
neighbouring countries may have been developing, but a sudden influx
of refugees with no money or food can make that country poor again.

Natural disasters are another reason for why these countries are not
developed. There are a lot of natural disasters, such as floods,
earthquakes, and droughts. Disasters like there destroy homes and
crops, causing people to become poor again.

All LDCs have had to borrow money from the banks of rich countries.
They have to pay interest on these loans and this money could have
been spent on development. For example Chile borrowed $3.0 billion and
has paid $12.8 billion in interest, but still owes some of the loan
because the interest is so high, in that case the LDCs will get poorer
and MDCs will get richer. Many LDCs also have a lack of education,
lack of fresh clean water, health problems, population problems which
also prevent these countries from developing.

[IMAGE]Christian attitudes towards the poor are to help them, because
they believed that the only way to do this was to show the poor that
Jesus loves them. They run hotels for the homeless, taking hot food to
those sleeping rough at night, running lunch clubs for poor old
people, collecting clothes for the poor in the inner cities and
running rehabilitation centres for alcoholics and drug addicts. They
do this work because of Christian teaching about helping the poor.
They raise their money through flag days and playing carols etc and
from government grants.

Christians use the Bible to explain their attitude towards the poor
for example:

" The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has chosen me to bring
good new to the poor. He has sent me to prodaim liberty to the
Captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the
oppressed."

(Luke 4, verse 18)

"I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty and you gave me a drink; I was a
stranger and you received me in your homes, naked and you dothed me; I
was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you visited me."

(Mattew 26, verse 35-36)

"The group of believers was one in mind and heart. None of them said
that any of their belongings were their own, but they all shared with
one another everything they had."

(Acts 4, verse 32)

"Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a
full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands all that you
can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use
for you."

(Luck 6, verse 38)

"I have shown you in all things that by working hard in this way we
must help the weak remembering the words that the Lord Jesus himself
said, 'There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.'"

(Acts 20, verse 35)

"What good is there in your saying to them, 'God bless you! Keep warm
and eat well!' - if you don't give them the necessities of life. So it
is with faith; if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is
dead."

(James 2, verse 16-17)

Other religions also believe they should help the poor, for example:

[IMAGE]Jews must share their wealth with the poor because the Torah
says Jews must give 10 per cent of their wealth to the poor (Zedaqan),
it teaches that Jews must be fair and kind to poor people. The Prophet
Amo said God would punish rich people who do not help the poor. All
Jewish homes and synagogues have a charity box and the rabbis say that
the best charity makes sure the poor will never need charity again.
For these reasons Jews help the poor in Britain through organisations
like Jewish Care. They help less-developed countries through
organisations like World Jewish Belief.

Like Christians, the Jews also use their Holy Book to explain why they
should help the poor.

"Lord, I know that you defend the cause of the poor and the rights of
the needy"

(Psalm 140, verse 12)

"When you give to the poor, it is like lending to the Lord, and the
Lord will pay you back."

(Proverbs 19, verse 17)

"Do not neglect the Levites who live in your towns; they have no
property of their own. At the end of every third year bring the tithe
of all your crops and store it in your towns. This food is for the
Levites since they own no property and for the foreigners, orphans,
and widows who live in your towns. They are to come and get all they
need. Do this, and the Lord your God will bless you in every thing you
do."

(Deuteronomy 14, verse 27-29)

There are many Christian organisations such as -

[IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE]Christian responsibility towards disadvantaged
people, they help relieve poverty outside Britain through organisation
like Christian Aid, CAFOD or Tearfund. Christian Aid began as the
British Churches Ecumenical Refugee Council set up in 1944 to help the
hundreds of thousands of Europeans who had been made homeless by the
Second World War. In September 1945, it became Christian Aid, a
department of the British Council of Churches. Christian Aid works in
over sixty countries providing emergency aid and long-term assistance
to church and community organisations working to overcome poverty.
Christian Aid Prefers to work through local organisations, believing
local people knows best how to solve their own problems. Christian
Aids works on the basis of need regardless of race or religion.

[IMAGE]We had a visitor form Tearfund. She showed us a video about
what works they have done to help the Africans. She said that Tearfund
believes that the poor, like the rich, are people, made in the image
of God, and of equal value, regardless of their colour, religion or
gender. It believes that the dignity of the poor should be respected.
She also said as part of its strategy, Tearfund has identified three
key areas of intervention such as, Public health, Children at Risk and
Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation.

Public health (including HIV/AIDS)- To support communities in managing
their own healthcare, including HIV/AIDS prevention and care, within
the context of broader development initiatives.

Children at Risk - To focus on children at high risk, allowing them,
as active member of their community, to participate in defining their
needs, and contribute to programme planning.

Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation - To help vulnerable communities
improve their food security, develop safe housing, and address
environmental issues through advocacy at local and top levels.

The work that our visitor was involved in was to provide clean water
to African Countries. She said there are more than 1.1 billion people
worldwide lacking access to safe water and 2.4 billion lack basic
sanitation facilities. As a result 2.2 million children aged under
five die from diarrhoeal diseases each year. Women and children in
poorer countries spend hours each day collecting and carrying water.
The weight of water carried can be over 25 kilogrammes. The work they
need to do is to reduce the lack of clean water.