Nicholas Kristoff believes that 2016 has been the best year in the history of humanity and it may be true. Living here in Vietnam I can't see it though. The rich are getting richer, the poor stay the same or their situations get worse, unless they have outside help and support.
Policies introduced here mean that many of the poor will receive less help, or no help and already we see some families falling into despair having lost what little support they were receiving.
Now some families have family members dying instead of being able to control major health issues as they now they can't afford the medications they need to help control their health issues. Families with poor health or serious problems are not going to the doctor to find out what is wrong as they can't afford to get there or afford the medications.
More families are contacting us at CEF to ask for educational support as they no longer have any reductions at school for their children. We believe more families will withdraw children from school and send them to work as now they can't afford not to have them working and contributing to the family.
The results of these new policies? Less people will be listed as poor giving the appearance of reduced poverty. How many other countries have introduced similar policies giving the false appearance of reduced poverty?
Link to the article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/opinion/sunday/why-2017-may-be-the-best-year-ever.html
Beginning of the article by Nicholas Kristoff and a link to read the remainder of it:
"There’s a broad consensus that the world is falling apart, with every headline reminding us that life is getting worse.
Except that it isn’t. In fact, by some important metrics, 2016 was the best year in the history of humanity. And 2017 will probably be better still.
How can this be? I’m as appalled as anyone by the election of Donald Trump, the bloodshed in Syria, and so on. But while I fear what Trump will do to America and the world, and I applaud those standing up to him, the Trump administration isn’t the most important thing going on. Here, take my quiz:
On any given day, the number of people worldwide living in extreme poverty:
A.) Rises by 5,000, because of climate change, food shortages and endemic corruption.
B.) Stays about the same.
C.) Drops by 250,000.
Polls show that about 9 out of 10 Americans believe that global poverty has worsened or stayed the same. But in fact, the correct answer is C. Every day, an average of about a quarter-million people worldwide graduate from extreme poverty, according to World Bank figures....."
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