CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

From the beginning of mankind, man has been engaged in a continuous battle to liberate himself from the shackle condition of life called poverty. Consider the following situation.

A.  A destitute is begging for alms at Public Park to buy food from a nearby food stand.

B.  A young university trained professional lost her job a few months ago and her bills are mounting because she is still employed.

C.  An investor is unable to pay his children’s school fees this semester because his expected earning from investments did not materialize.

D.  A millionaire needs to take tranquilizer every night because he cannot sleeps without them.

Which of these four people would you consider poor? A is both income poor and socially deprived. B may not be socially deprived. Being well educated but she is income poor, being educated but she is income poor, being out of employment. C is cash poor, but only for a short time because he can convert has investment into cash if necessary. D is not poor by any material standards but he is spirit poor because money cannot buy him a sound sleep.