10. Don’t
hang out of the window or
you may fall.
11. She usually wears smart
casual
clothes.
AUDIO SCRIPT 7
What is poverty?
Poverty is about not having
enough money to meet basic needs
including food, clothing and shelter.
However, poverty is more, much
more than just not having enough
money.
The World Bank Organization
describes poverty in this way:
“Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack
of shelter. Poverty is being sick
and not being able to see a doctor.
Poverty is not having access to
school and not knowing how to
read. Poverty is not having a job, is
fear for the future, living one day at
a time.
Poverty has many faces, changing
from place to place and across time,
and has been described in many
ways. Most often, poverty is a
situation people want to escape. So
poverty is a call to action - for the
poor and the wealthy alike - a call to
change the world so that many more
may have enough to eat, sufficient
shelter, access to education and
health, protection from violence,
and a voice in what happens in their
communities.”
In addition to a lack of money,
poverty is about not being able
to send children on a day trip
with their schoolmates or to a
birthday party; not being able to
pay for treatment for an illness.
When people are excluded within
a society, when they are not well
educated and when they have a
higher incidence of illness, there are
negative consequences for society.
There is no one cause of poverty,
and the results of it are different
in every case. Poverty varies
considerably depending on the
situation. Feeling poor in Canada
is different from living in poverty
in Russia or Zimbabwe. The
differences between the rich and
the poor within the borders of a
country can also be great.
Despite the many definitions,
one thing is certain; poverty is a
complex social issue. No matter
how poverty is defined, it can
be agreed that it is an issue that
requires everyone’s attention. It is
important that all members of our
society work together to provide the
opportunities for all our members
to reach their full potential. It helps
all of us help one another.
AUDIO SCRIPT 8
1. Poverty is no shame, laziness is.
2. The two made
unimaginable
amounts of money.
3. I told the hairdresser to do what
she wanted to my hair, and look at
the
consequences!
4. She did not
perceive herself as
disabled.