The resulting methodology to measure child poverty or referred as the Bristol Method by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) described by Professor David Gordon and Shailen Nandy at Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research in University of Bristol. The Bristol method is adopted by UNICEF, as a child poverty measure for the global study on child poverty and disparities; it is designed to create significant scientific contrasts of child poverty between countries and UNICEF regions. Among the seven deprivations such as nutrition, water, sanitation, health, shelter, education, and information and given the ability to reduce the number of children who suffers from one of the deprivations measured by the Bristol method to zero or 0.0 in one of the regions of the developing world, I would rather choose deprivation on shelter in Sub – Saharan Africa. Before I would give the reason of choosing this region, it is significant to define poverty. Why it is necessary to measure poverty?
Poverty is the condition of being extremely poor; a deprivation in well – being, linking well – being to control over commodity, the poor are those who do not have adequate consumptions or income to set them on top of some adequate bare minimum thresholds. However, poverty is defined or what it is taken to mean really depends on who asks the question, how the question is being understood, and who responds to the question. The common meanings are constructed by those people who are not poor; it implies that their definitions are according to their perceptions. The extensive approach to well – being and poverty focuses on the ability of the individual to function in the society. Poor individuals frequently lack key abilities such as inadequate education or income, unhealthy, powerless, and lack of freedom. There are several reasons to measure poverty; to keep poor individuals on the program, to identify poor individuals and to aim suitable interferences, to keep an eye on and assess projects and policy interferences equipped to poor individuals, and to assess the efficiency of organizations whose objectives is to assist poor individuals.
There are many issues involving how poverty is defined and measured. Are the definitions given applied in the same way in different countries and utilized for comparison? Poverty needs a better specification since many individuals move in and out of poverty over period of years, the longer the period of perspective the less poverty will emerge. The monetary approach identifies poverty with an underperformance in consumption or income from some poverty lines. The capability approach rejects monetary income as its measure of well – being, it focuses on indicators of freedom to live a life valuable enough. Poverty is well – defined as failure to attain certain basic capability. The social exclusion describes the procedure of deprivation and marginalization that still occur in rich countries with full benefit conditions, a prompt of the many features of deprivation. The participatory approach intends to obtain individuals to take part in decisions concerning the true meaning of being poor and the amount of poverty; it is multifaceted and always holds multidimensional study.
The deprivation on shelter in Sub – Saharan Africa as I decided to reduce the number of children who suffers among the deprivations measured by the Bristol method to zero or 0.0 in one of the regions of the developing world. Considering the summary on sample size details by region, Sub – Saharan Africa has the highest rates suffering severe deprivation with respect to four of seven indicators; it shows that more than half of the children in the region are deprived on shelter severely about 198 million. An overcrowded dwelling facilitates the spread of many diseases like measles and respiratory infections. In addition, it can result severe stress and mental health problems among adults and children that leads to injuries and accidents. The United Nation addresses the issue of poor shelter or housing deprivation in this region. Through the sincere efforts of some organizations can assist the needy individuals, live better lives, and better future especially the children.
Reference
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David Gordon, S. N. (2003). Measuring Child Poverty and Deprivation. Bristol, University of
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Khandker, H. a. (1992). What Is Poverty and Why Measure it. In M. Ravallion, Poverty and
Inequality (pp.1- 6). Washington DC: World Bank.
