Money by itself cannot get rid of poverty. The richest landlord in a mountain village in South America may be quite helpless if there are no health services available in the village. And girls and women in some parts of the world are denied the opportunity to attend school regardless of whether their families are rich or poor. Much progress has been made in recent years, but much more needs to be done. To be successful in the long run, poverty alleviation efforts must address the roots of poverty, and not just immediate needs.
People remain poor when they are denied access to basic opportunities for human development.
A man who suffers from chronic disease, such as diarrhea from unclean water, cannot reach his potential. Nor can a young girl who is unable to go to school because of chores, or who attends a school where the teacher shows up only twice a week and there are no textbooks. The reasons behind this lack of opportunities are not always simple. They can be linked to any number of factors, from geographic isolation to ignorance of the causes of disease. The problem lies not with the poor themselves, but with their lack of opportunities.