Social Welfare Programs and the Need for Reform in the US

Introduction

Social service programs and welfare reforms have been in high demand to serve populations around the world since the rise of income disparity and the globalization of the world economy. Poverty-stricken regions and areas that lack the means to satisfy basic necessities of life — including food, shelter, clothing, and security — are a major concern requiring attention from social service organizations such as USAID, CARE, and hundreds of international, national, regional, and local organizations (Purtell, Gershoff, and Aber, 2012). The disparity in income between the rich and the poor, as well as the economic gap between developing and developed nations, are equally responsible for hunger and poverty worldwide.

According to United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization statistics, approximately 870 million people out of a total global population of 7.1 billion did not have access to adequate food on a daily basis (Worldhunger.org, 2014). This amounts to one in every eight people going to sleep hungry each night and suffering from malnutrition (Fang et al., 2012). While this number has been decreasing in Asia and Latin America, it has been rapidly increasing in parts of Africa. Even in developing countries, approximately 15% of people and children suffer from malnutrition and lack access to basic amenities (Worldhunger.org, 2014). Meanwhile, the wealthy are becoming wealthier, and the middle class in most countries is shrinking. Beyond basic needs, there are other social requirements — such as life security, healthcare facilities, and public housing — needed to attain a minimum standard of living (Purtell, Gershoff, and Aber, 2012). There is an immense need for revival through aid, donations, and social service and welfare programs committed to helping those in need.

Social service organizations and welfare reforms help people through beneficial programs and financial aid to individuals across the world who were either born into poverty or struck by natural or financial disasters. Financial aid alongside health and food support provides some degree of self-sufficiency to such individuals, which helps deter them from turning to criminal activities, child labor, or illegal sources of income. These organizations also provide public housing and projects that expand both unskilled and skilled employment opportunities, enabling some degree of financial stability within families (Ahn, 2014). International organizations play a particularly significant role compared to local or regional ones, as they command international resources and currencies of greater relative value. When donations are spent in underdeveloped countries on projects and supplies, the purchasing power of those funds multiplies due to currency differences, allowing organizations to help more people than originally anticipated. This is part of the reason why, over a span of two to three years, more than 20% of poverty in third-world countries was eliminated, with the total number of undernourished people decreasing from 870 million to 563 million (Worldhunger.org, 2014).

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