Important Issue to me

My name is Manena. I am originally from Zambia and have lived in the United States for five years. I speak four Zambian languages, English and some French. I have currently enrolled into Towson University’s International Studies/ International development program because being from a third world country; poverty is a great issue for me. I have also been living in Baltimore city for the last four years, and I believe poverty is a great issue in this city too from what I have observed.

I grew up in a country with people living on less than a dollar a day, people starving, the highest rate of orphans, at least one in five people are HIV positive, eighty percent of the population is illiterate, and the health care system is disastrous to say the least. I was in great shock when I moved to Baltimore to find that most of the problems I observed in Zambia where the same problems they were facing here in a “rich” nation. The problems in my country are highly complex and I understand they can’t be sorted by just fixing one thing.

I have great concern for all the wars in the world, for this increases refugees and poverty. Poverty also breeds more terrorists and crime because desperate times call for desperate measures. Poor people leave way for others to be prejudiced against them and also for stronger people to abuse them. For the young, this is more problematic because when they grow up, they either become the tormentors or the perpetually abused.

There is also a tendency for the poor to die of curable diseases because they can not afford health care when sick or prescreening check ups, or medication once their maladies have been identified.

For the most part, poverty is exacerbated by some corrupt leaders who have either been elected or have come into power through a coup d'état. They misuse money that is sent in by donors to assist the country’s poor and they abuse any available sources of income for their own benefit. There are a few great leaders who are trying to make a difference in their countries are have many obstacles to deal with in order for changes to take effect or make an impact.

I have a great interest in learning more about the global economy and how countries relate to one another. I think an integral part to ending some of the world paucity is to understand cause and effect. The more people become less ignorant of the situation, the better able we’ll be as a people to come up with solutions to this global issue. I am confident that poverty in most nations can be alleviated in some way if more people are informed about the various issues that cause or can potentially cause poverty.

I'm hoping the BBC will hire me as a reporter after reading my blog, and i am a very funny person...so call me:)