The Sensation Ten Fold

Everyone knows that feeling of waking up when sick and having a mouth so dry that it feels as though no amount of water can quench it. This predominantly affects those in subject matters such as propensity for poverty, shortening of their life span, and predisposition for death rates among infants.

A child in Ethiopia experiences the sensation ten fold almost every day. Poverty emerges when food and water become luxuries rather than necessity, a circumstance in which your middle class American will rarely, if not, ever encounter.

Though Ethiopia shows key signs of improved economic and living conditions, it still stands with a vast 30% poverty rate. (The World Bank) This is slightly over American poverty rate, which currently remains at 14.3%. (UCDavis) "The level of poverty is so high, the state of the people's health is so poor, and there are so many contributing factors that to address any one of them alone is not going to make any difference," Don Peden. (International Development Research Centre) Conditions in Ethiopia are devastatingly high, illustrating how much of an issue this is. Until major impact takes charge, it is difficult to target one solution since there are multiple issues in current Ethiopian living systems.

“The poorest households have become poorer than they were in 2005; high food prices that improve incomes for many poor farmers make buying food more challenging for the poorest.” (The World Bank) Due to baseline needs becoming household luxuries such as buying food, the maximum life expectancy age has become a mere 63 years old. Though this age has risen by at least ten years over the past decade, it is comparably 15 years less than the life expectancy rate of the United States.

But while this data also proves that poverty in America is a major issue as well, we need to remember that the statistic for affected by death is 55.77 to 1,000, while this remains a 6.17 to 1,000 in America. That makes an infant in Ethiopia nine times more likely to die at the age of one or even younger. (If It Were My Home) The life of a child in Ethiopia is taken as quick as it happens. Ethiopian children suffer the risk of getting taken from this world they were birthed into before they can experience their life.

Though those affected in Ethiopia currently experience the shock of poverty at larger rates than others, this does not necessarily mean hope is lost. By focusing on narrowing solutions to substantial poverty, shortening life span, and expected death, the future of Ethiopia has potential to improve drastically. Research in Yubdo Legabato, Ethiopia proves that their farming families the chance to recover the problem that is lack of food and increase income up to ten times the current rate. One way this can be done is through a slow sand filtration system that uses 100-litre clay vessels crafted by their local clay potters, which goes for about $4 US per vessel. (International Research Centre)

Works Cited
"Ethiopia." Compare The United States To Ethiopia. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

"Ethiopia in numbers." African Business, July 2016, p. 20+. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A459722134/GIC?u=los42754&xid=fa348945. Accessed 13 Mar. 2017.

"Poverty in Ethiopia: Causes and Solutions." The Borgen Project. N.p., 07 Dec. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.

The World Bank Group. "Ethiopia Poverty Assessment." World Bank. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

"UC Davis Center for Poverty Research." What Is the Current Poverty Rate in the United States? N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

Crawley, Mike. "CASE STUDY: Ethiopia - Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in Ethiopia." IDRC - International Development Research Centre. N.p., 11 July 2016. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.