Summary:

At the heart of sustainable development lies the wish to eradicate poverty around the world. But what is poverty? Poverty has many different definitions, most taking income as a base. The World Bank defines poverty as follows: "a person is considered poor if his or her income level falls below some minimum level necessary to meet basic needs". This minimum level is usually called a poverty line.

What is necessary to satisfy basic needs varies across time and societies, therefore the poverty line varies as well. Each country assesses a minimum which is appropriate to its level of development, societal norms and values. The poverty line in the UK for example is set at 60% of the average income. So if a household earns less than 60% of the average UK income they are considered to be living in poverty.

Several children in the series live under the poverty line.

• We all know that poverty isn't good, but what challenges does it bring?
• Ask students to watch the film clips for Erodo, Rosemary, Panjy, Angela and Vusumzi
• Students can discuss the challenges each of these children face due to their poverty
• Students can also complete activities 2, 10 and 11 and try activity 21