Poverty and social Poverty and social exclusionexclusion

Jurate MatikovieneJurate Matikoviene

EAPN LithuaniaEAPN Lithuania

Caritas LithuaniaCaritas Lithuania

Poverty?Poverty?

Dictionary of terms for social security Dictionary of terms for social security describes poverty as a status, when describes poverty as a status, when there is not enough:there is not enough:

material, material, social and social and

cultural cultural

resources to guarantee the minimum resources to guarantee the minimum for the standard of living. for the standard of living.

Poverty?Poverty?

- Personal experience and - Personal experience and perspective of the person living in perspective of the person living in poverty. poverty.

-Gap between the richest and the -Gap between the richest and the poorest members of society. poorest members of society.

DisabilityDisability

as a phenomenon from the point of as a phenomenon from the point of illness which has physical expression;illness which has physical expression;

as a social limitation which sooner or as a social limitation which sooner or later leads to poverty. later leads to poverty.

Affects on personAffects on person

disability affects:disability affects: physical, physical, emotional/ psychological, emotional/ psychological, Financial, Financial, social functioning. social functioning.

Financial effect of illness results in Financial effect of illness results in economical poverty.economical poverty.

But we should not forget that there But we should not forget that there are many faces of poverty- we should are many faces of poverty- we should not describe it as only the lack of not describe it as only the lack of means. means.

Social functioningSocial functioning

Personal relation;Personal relation; Governmental attitude ;Governmental attitude ; Societal mindset. Societal mindset.

Personal relationPersonal relation

I don’t care;I don’t care; to dare to open my eyes, to dare to to dare to open my eyes, to dare to

see, to dare to speak on what I see see, to dare to speak on what I see and to dare to act to change it and to dare to act to change it

Governmental attitudeGovernmental attitude

economical value- to invest into the economical value- to invest into the disability and old age- pays back or disability and old age- pays back or not?; not?;

double standards- words vs actions; double standards- words vs actions; inconsistent policy- allowances inconsistent policy- allowances

instead of services.instead of services.

Societal mindsetSocietal mindset

stereotypes;stereotypes; unattractive;unattractive; ugly;ugly; not sexy at all…..not sexy at all…..

Solutions???Solutions???

Macro levelMacro level Mezo levelMezo level Micro levelMicro level

to involve in to the system of support to involve in to the system of support for those who experience poverty all for those who experience poverty all possible levels starting from the possible levels starting from the grassroots and to cooperate between grassroots and to cooperate between different social groups. different social groups.

In our days of “running” society we In our days of “running” society we should switch our mindset from should switch our mindset from High High TechTech to the most of all we do need- to the most of all we do need- high Touchhigh Touch

Thank you very much for Thank you very much for your attention!your attention!

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