Persistent poverty in Northern Ireland 'twice that of Great Britain'

Teenia Harmon
11-27-09
3:35
Ireland suffers from poverty at a rate far exceeding their southern neighbors. “The level of persistent poverty in Northern Ireland children is more than double that of those in Great Britain.” Persistent poverty is defined as suffering from poverty for at least three of the four years in which the test was done (2003-2007). Ireland also has a higher population of families in poverty when compared to Great Britain. One in five Northern Irish families suffers from poverty in comparison to one in ten in Great Britain. There are many speculative causes for these poverty rates that include high amounts of unemployment, low wages, and disability. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation are trying to figure out a way to combat such high levels of poverty, and one of those ways is to start with the children. They want school budgets to provide for all the children’s needs, from books to field trips. They also want to provide underprivileged children with extracurricular activities that they can participate in without having to pay. I think this is a very interesting article. While it is very sad that any person of family has to deal with poverty, I think that the Joseph Rowetree Foundation is offering some very smart alternatives to help those in poverty. School supplies can be very expensive (as we all know) but education is not something that most parents feel is an option, they may go without solving more pressing needs so that they can provide a better future for their children. I think that supplying the needs for a child’s education could free up a good amount of a family budget in order to take care of other needs. I as think that the idea they proposed for extracurriculars is a good one. Parents can leave their children at school, were they will be safe. The children can play sports or whatever, while the parents can work a little longer and make more money- without worrying about having to pay for a babysitter.
Source: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/persistent-poverty-in-northern-ireland-twice-that-of-great-britain-14559100.html