Poverty, Ireland, and the Web – Blog Action Day 2008

Today is Blog Action Day ’08, which has the theme of Poverty. The idea behind Blog Action Day is that people give their time, support or blog over to the worthwhile theme of Poverty. Because it’s worthwhile, I spent a bit of time learning about something I knew very little about: Poverty in Ireland. In doing so, I also had a chance to reflect on how the web, and blogs in particular, fit into the picture.

Poverty in Ireland is drowning in some some shocking statistics; here are a few that jumped out at me:

The latest poverty data (2006) show that 17 per cent of the population (equivalent to 721,000 persons) are ‘at-risk-of-poverty’ using a threshold of 60 per cent of median income (estimated to be €220 per week in 2008 values), [Source: CPA, 2008];
6.9 percent of the population (293,000 persons) is in ‘consistent poverty’ (at risk of poverty and experiencing enforced deprivation of basic necessities; [Source: CPA, 2008, as above];
The figures for children (0-18 years) in poverty are 22.4 per cent ‘at risk of poverty’ and 10.8 per cent in consistent poverty (282,000 and 69,000 children), [Source: CPA, 2008, as above];

In the words of the Chairman of the Combat Poverty Agency (Ireland):

It is a disturbing fact, however, that after twenty years of these momentous social and economic changes in Ireland, poverty still remains a reality for many in our society and that, while much progress has been made in tackling poverty, there is still much to do. [Source: Annual Report, 2007]

In light of the shocks to the Irish and International economies in recent times, these figures are unlikely to get any better. While many people who have done well during the economic boom will feel a pinch, there are huge numbers that will be in serious trouble.

Silent People

To get away from the cold statistics that surround the majority of publications on Poverty I saw, I had a read of the moving “Silent People & Other Stories“, (2007) Susan McKay, photographs by Derek Speirs (incl. photo above). Below are some excerpts:

Sharon:

“All I would want is just not to constantly worry, worry, worry,” says Sharon. “Everything that comes up – where are you going to get the money? Financially, my situation is just desperate. I pay my bills, I can’t buy my messages. If I buy my messages, I can’t pay my bills.”

Tina:

“The doctors say we won’t get over the depression til we get out of here. The Corporation offered us a place in St Michael’s House in Inchicore – I said, ‘You must be joking. Would you bring up your kids there? I used to go there to score!’ I want to live somewhere with less drugs and that you aren’t afraid to let your children out to play.”

Michelle:

“I am ready, able and willing to work,” she says. “But employers just won’t give us a chance. There’s hundreds, thousands of us out there. I’d say 99.9% of my close friends who have a disability are in the same boat.”

Her desire to work and be independent has so constantly been frustrated that she has been tempted to give up. “I was so determined to get out of the special education system and I did, but it seems no matter what you do, disabled people just can’t get jobs,” she says. “There are only so many courses you can do.”

Michael:

The night before we met Michael he’d slept outside Connolly Station. He doesn’t know where he’ll sleep tonight. It is a matter of phoning the night bus and waiting to see which hostel it will take you to, and if you miss it, sleeping rough. He shows us the way his jacket zips up to the neck, and the pockets inside in which he keeps his bus pass, his disability certificate and his money.

While statistics such as those listed above do surprise, it is not until you read how individuals & families are affected by poverty that the extent of the problems become clear.

Poverty & the Web?

Source: St-Steve (CC License)

Given the relative isolation in which blogs operate, how effective are they when dealing with this type of topic? While there is a huge community online, does publishing information on a topic such as Poverty impact or even reach those that need it? Given the extent of the Digital Divide in Ireland (and to a much larger extent in the developing world), is this type of activism worthwhile? When I started looking into the topic, I thought no, how could it be? After thinking about it, my opinion has changed somewhat.

Perhaps the effect of such a day is that while it may or may not move readers to either some form of activism, or a direct donation to organisations, it forces the authors of such posts to educate themselves. Given that many of these authors have large followings, and that they are in a better position to discuss these topics with the communities that are centred on their site, they can (hopefully) affect some change over time.

So, if you fancy doing something to help combat Poverty, why not do something nice for one of the following organisations:

If you would like to find more about the theme of Blog Action Day, their site has a list of resources that you can read. I found that getting information specific to Ireland was a bit more difficult. As well as the two listed above, other sources of information include:

The Combat Poverty Agency (their publications section is good)
The Government’s Office for Social Inclusion

David Kelly