The 2007 National Insurance Institute poverty report, which was published last month, showed a slowdown in the growth of poverty and improvements in many factors, including a fall in the rate of child poverty. But when examining the situation of those defined as poor, it becomes clear that poverty may not have widened, but it has deepened.
According to the Alternative Poverty Report for 2008, which was published today by Latet Israeli Humanitarian Aid, there has been a 24% rise in the number of people requesting food from various NGOs. There has been an 8% increase in the number of NGOs reporting that they are unable to grant assistance to all those who ask for it. In addition, there has been a 25% rise in the number of needy who reported that they are not able to meet rental or mortgage payments, and an increase of 33% in the number of poor who are compelled to send their children to residential schools, due to their economic plight.
Latet explains that the worsening situation stems from, among other things, a drop in contributions to NGOs that provide food assistance, due to the economic crisis. For example, 56% of the NGOs that participated in the Latet survey, reported a 27% decrease in contributions.
"The poor don't need a security net because they have already fallen," said Latet's Chairman Gilles Darmon. "They need an immediate rescue plan that will allocate resources in 2009."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 9, 2008
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