Added: 12/20/2005 |
Poverty in El Salvador: will it become history?Currently, 48% of El Salvador population lives below the poverty line. The economic history of the country includes both ups and downs, but in general the level of poverty in El Salvador always remained high. It is very easy to explain just by looking at the country's violent and unstable history. El Salvador experienced its most terrible economic downturn in the 1980s. It was caused by the armed conflict in the country and took away the lives of over 70,000 Salvadorians. The country's infrastructure was almost completely ruined also affecting health and education. However, in the 1990s the average income in El Salvador slightly increased, but still remained very low. This was mainly connected with hurricanes and earthquakes, which were another hard blow for the country's economy.
Another problem is the inability of the El Salvador people to benefit from the economic growth due to unfair income distribution. Moreover, despite the problem of poverty in El Salvador, the population of the country is still growing, which makes it even more difficult to deal with the lack of resources. To cope with poverty in El Salvador people prefer to live in extended families, which allows them constantly helping each other. In rural areas people usually live in small houses made of wood and metal sheeting. The locals` lifestyle is mostly patriarchal with men earning money to satisfy the needs of all members of the family and women taking care of the household and the children.
Many people who live in rustic areas are forced to leave their children to the grandparents` care in order to search jobs in the cities. A lot of working places are provided by American and European transnational corporations, which build factories and plants in El Salvador and hire workers at extremely low minimum wages to work in hard conditions. This does not make the situation with poverty in El Salvador any better, since the payment in such companies usually complies with the standards of the country being very low.
However, people of El Salvador look into the future with optimism trying to make the most of the important source of income for ordinary people: the tourists. People who visit the country, especially those interested in the Hispanic culture, simply adore Salvador folk art, famous Salvador handicrafts in particular. The sales of these crafts are what a lot of people in the rural areas of El Salvador depend on. One of the examples of this is La Palma, a small town in the northern El Salvador. This location is famous for its distinctive style of folk art, which makes the living of most people here. Every item of Salvador handicraft reflects the image of everyday life of the people who live in this region.
At present, the situation with poverty in El Salvador is getting better. The president of El Salvador from 1999 to 2004 Francisco Flores recently said, 'What is El Salvador's secret? I believe that it is the systematic application of the concept of freedom to public policy'. When the people of El Salvador gained freedom to choose their way and took the responsibility for their decisions they started changing their lives for the better. The economy of El Salvador shows positive trends during previous years, and while the changes are slow, it is to be hoped that they will not be stopped by a war or a disaster, and widespread poverty in El Salvador will finally become the past.
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