In Hinduism their belief is quite different, one of their 4 main aims in Hindu life is to pursue wealth. This must not however be allowed to dominate someone’s life. This is mostly because Hinduism is a main religion in poorer countries such as India where the whole family depends on how much money the working person earns. This is called the ‘householder’ phase. Their holy book, the Upanishads, teaches Hindus to earn money in a righteous way. During the Hindu festival of Divali, Hindu businessmen pray to Lakschmi, the goddess of wealth for her blessing on them and their business. One of the great Hindu preachers, Mohandas Gandhi says;
"It is health that is real wealth and
not pieces of gold and silver."
This shows us it is more important to be healthy, and keep healthy and therefore live longer than to spend a short lifetime earning money, because money will not make your life any longer.
In Hinduism wealth does not belong to one person, but to the whole family, it is also passed down in generations, so the more money you earn the better a life style your grandchildren will lead. Hindus are expected to give away wealth that they do not need to the poor, especially in countries such as India where begging is a common activity. Giving money to the needy means that you will improve your karma and gain merit in your next life. As a person grows older, and moves beyond the householder period, they need their wealth less and less. They give their wealth away either through temples in the areas of a town where there is a lack of money or through organisations such as the Swaminarayan Hindu mission in the UK.
Aii. Explain why there is a need for World Development.
In certain countries of the world there is definitely a need for world development. People in countries, which face ‘absolute poverty’ means that they do not even own the basic amenities to sustain life. Countries like this are mainly found in the Southern part of the World, and are in desperate need for development. These countries can sometimes be called “Third World” countries. ‘Relative poverty’ means that people in a certain area of a country are poorer than those living around them. The Northern part of the World mainly consists of highly developed countries with a better standard of living. Overall the population of the more developed countries is less than of the undeveloped ones. Developing countries can also be known as “First World” countries. Even though not all countries in the North are rich, this may mainly be due to the fact that they have suffered through harsh political events or wars. These countries are known as “Second World” countries.
You can easily tell how developed a country is by looking at how many people in the country are malnourished. This is mainly because people in less developed countries depend on primary jobs, such as farming and fishing, which means that at the same time the people are harvesting to feed their family, but also to sell to bigger firms and therefore make money.
“O God, to those who hunger give bread;
And to those who have bread give the
Hunger for justice”
…Latin American Prayer
The only way an ELDC can make enough money for their debts is to grow cash crops, which are grown for sale rather than consumption. This is a very sad idea, because many people who live next to a field of corn could easily take a handful and bake some bread, but instead they have to grow the food and starve to death.
“Give a man a fish; feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish; feed him for a lifetime.”
Another way to tell how developed a country is to look at how high the education and literacy rates are. People who are illiterate are bound to poverty, and live in less developed countries. This is because in third World countries the government cannot afford to build so many schools, or universities, and when they are then the option is only open for boys.
ELDC also have a high level of illness and disease. In poor shantytowns the government does not provide any hygiene, and even if there is medical health available it is too expensive for the people to afford. Most babies die at birth or during the early years, if not however they are vulnerable to serious illnesses and disease.
This is also another reason why ELDCS have a high rate of infant mortality, either because of disease reaching the vulnerable child or because the mother is too malnourished to provide her children with food.
Most economically less developed countries also have a low life expectancy. Which means that most people die at a younger age. This is mainly due to the fact that as soon as you are old and can n longer work for yourself you depend on your family to look after you because in ELDCS old people do not get pensions. There is also a lack of nursing homes, so many die from poor living conditions.
The main barrier to World Development however is World debt. The less developed countries owe the First world countries vast amounts of money, which they borrowed to try to improve their standard of living.
“The question to be asked is not what we
Should give to the poor, but when we will stop
Taking from the poor. The poor are not out
Problem; we are the problem.”
…Jim Wallis, American Christian Activist, 1986
When LEDC borrow money from banks in developed countries. However these banks charge interest, so that a less developed country can find itself paying more in interest than they earn in foreign currency. If our governments really do care for other countries, and want them to develop then they should at least give them a chance and not make it harder for them. In the end it will be us that suffer as well because we are all interdependent. If we want people in a different country to grow and harvest food or cotton for us then we need to provide them with the basic necessities, and treat them fairly not take advantage of them.
The distribution of wealth and food is unequal throughout the world. Nearly a fifth of the world's population live in absolute poverty. These people are malnourished and suffer from high infant mortality and low life expectancy. They also lack education, employment, sanitation and safe water, access to health services or transport. They are trapped in extreme poverty. More people have died as a consequence of hunger in recent years than have been killed in all the wars, revolutions and murders for over a century. Poverty is a problem for every country in the world. In developing countries like Ethiopia and Mozambique, hunger and poverty are widespread and threaten whole communities with starvation and disease. This situation should not be allowed to continue. The conditions are well beneath anything that could be considered a reasonable level and are an insult to human dignity. The world needs development because most of the deaths from poverty could be prevented. With help, developing countries could become more self-sufficient and individuals would be able use their skills and abilities and so fulfil their potential.
It is in the interests of everyone, both those in the first world and those in the third world, to help those in poverty to become more self-sufficient. It is a humanitarian as well as a practical solution to the problems of the Third World. When a society is allowed to become more developed and educated they are able to tackle more of their own problems. They cease to be dependent upon others for their basic needs such as food and clothes etc. This also helps to promote human dignity and self esteem and reduce the need for countries to borrow from others.
Aiii. Analyse and explain the work of one religious agency working for world development.
CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. It is the official overseas development and relief agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.
CAFOD has been fighting poverty in developing countries since 1962. CAFOD believes that all human beings have a right to dignity and respect, and that the world's resources are a gift to be shared equally by all men and women, whatever their race, nationality or religion. Those who work with CAFOD believe that all people are equal in the sight of God.
“The goal of CAFOD is to promote
Development and social justice in witness to
Christian faith and Gospel values.”
…CAFOD mission statement
As all Christians, including Catholics, believe that loving your neighbour as yourself is essential to the good life, and as love involves helping people when they are in trouble, CAFOD tries to assist people whose lives have been damaged by natural disasters, injustice and war. They will help with emergency relief, but Christians also believe that human dignity is important, so they help people to help themselves by giving them long-term aid so that they develop as self-reliant communities and individuals. Christians also believe that justice and love cannot be separated, so they try to help the poor of the world to fight against injustice. This makes them give aid to those who have suffered through war and oppression, and they also campaign for justice for the poor, for example, working for Fair Trade in which the poor get a good price for their goods.
CAFOD believe that it is good to help others, so they try to help poor people to help other poor people. For example, they give a village some goats and later, when they have bred more goats, they want them to pass some goats on to another poor village, and so the cycle of good goes on. Christians believe that community is a very important part of people’s lives, and so CAFOD will work to develop strong communities among the people whom it helps. They do this by helping people to work together rather than against each other and helping them to stay together rather than drift to cities to work. This can involve developing projects in the local area. Christians believe that the sick should be healed, so CAFOD work against sickness and disease, providing medicines and training to help in the fight.
CAFOD raises funds from the Catholic community in England and Wales, the UK government and the general public so that it can promote long-term development, helping people in need to bring about change for themselves through development and relief work. It can also respond to emergencies, providing immediate help for people affected by conflict or natural disasters. CAFOD can also identify the causes of poverty and raise public awareness of them, encouraging supporters and the public to challenge the structures, policies and attitudes that reinforce inequality. It can also speak out on behalf of poor communities, explaining the underlying causes of poverty and challenging governments and international bodies to adopt policies that promote equality and justice. CAFOD may also promote human development and social justice in witness to Christian faith and gospel values.
“It is the determined work of agencies like CAFOD that has helped put third world poverty at the heart of the political agenda at the start of the new millennium”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown
CAFOD is aiming to achieve to make all people live in world in which the good things of creation are cherished, developed and shared by all and in which the rights and dignity of each person are respected, discrimination is ended and all are gathered into a single human family from which no-one is excluded. They also aim for the voice of the poor is heard and heeded by all, and lives are no longer dominated by greed. But mainly all people should have access to food, shelter and clean water and to a livelihood, health and education.
CAFOD and its partners are creating lasting change. Through listening to local needs and finding out how best to meet them, CAFOD, its partners and hundreds of communities are working together to improve lives and livelihoods.
This long-term development work includes ensuring reliable food supplies for vulnerable communities, providing education and job-skills training, improving nutrition, healthcare and sanitation, building irrigation and safe water supplies. And also developing better farming methods and crop yields, supporting people living with HIV and AIDS, creating employment and income opportunities and also promoting fair and peaceful societies. In most cases, development programmes are planned and run by local organisations with in-depth knowledge of the communities in which they work. This creates trust and ensures that the voices of those best placed to understand local needs are heard.
“What you are giving us is worth so much more than money.
You are helping us to stand on our own feet.”
Vicente Gomez Gutierrez, coffee farmer, Chiapas, Mexico
Many people in the First World believe that "Education for all", but in some Thirds World countries, education is a luxury. In rich countries, people have an average of ten years of schooling; in developing countries the average is four.
Education, is not just attending a good school, it has many aspects, which are mean to help us when we grow up and are looking for a decent job. Main aspects of education may include reading, writing and arithmetic are an important foundation for people to understand their rights and improve their standard of living. Job-skills training: improvements in vocational training such as carpentry or tailoring can increase productivity and improve income. Personal development: developing people's potential, knowledge and attitudes improves their quality of life. But in poor countries this cannot be offered to all because the family is poor and parents cannot afford the costs. Even if schooling is free, children are often needed to work to help the family income. Also because there is poor provision of school facilities in rural areas; poor transport and long distances to school make it more difficult to attend. Refugees and people displaced within their own country by war or famine are unable to send their children to school. Also in some cultures fewer girls than boys attend school because social traditions may not encourage education for girls.
CAFOD does not just provide for schooling it also helps adult literacy, which gives people the ability to read about their rights. This is important, for example, in improving pay and conditions or in enabling minority groups to defend their land rights. It also creates awareness raising which is an essential first step in overcoming injustice, awakening people’s consciences about unjust situations, and helping them take action. CAFOD increases community leadership training so that local people can make a valuable contribution to the development of their own local community, helping people understand theirs and other people’s needs, culture and traditions.
CAFOD mainly raises money through sponsored events such as sponsored fasts during lent and October each year. Church congregations and individuals are encouraged to go without food for a day and to give their money raised to CAFOD projects.
