Poverty in Azerbaijan

Poverty in Azerbaijan

Part One: Catholic Social Teaching Statement

About 42% of rural people in Azerbaijan live below the poverty line and 13% of people live in extreme poverty including Rzaeva Tegran who is a native resident of the Imishli district. Her husband died in 1999 and she was left to raise their five children. She had no higher education because it is thought that women do not need it. The church believes that God does not want us to live in poverty, but he wants us not to put faith in wealth, but to be able to have appreciation of his grace and share the bounty with the have not. Rzaeva Tegran was loaned only 500 dollars and she started a bread baking business, she has started to get her life on track. However, Poverty is still and has been a serious problem in Azerbaijan since the collapse of the U.S.S.R. The average wage is low even by Soviet standards and due to the political and economical turmoil that followed independence; the country’s poverty was worsened even more. By 1990, more than 35% of the country was living in absolute poverty. Even though the situation has improved over the last 20 years, the conditions of Azerbaijan need improving.
“We are called to show a special preference, as God shows preference, for those who are poor, weak, or marginalised. Jesus spoke more about wealth and poverty than any other subject.” (Pope John 23rd)

By helping and teaching the poor people of Azerbaijan to become self-sufficient and improving education, agriculture and health systems, it will reduce and eventually abolish poverty in Azerbaijan altogether. Jesus said that if you give a man a fish, you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime. What Jesus said is the backbone or main theme of this solution. This plan of eliminating poverty is more practical than other plans including the ”pumping” of money into poor countries, although this might help in the short term the poor people will not know how to live...