Why Poverty? Films and Discussion Guide

The Why Poverty? documentary film series is comprised of eight one-hour films and thirty-four shorts originating from 28 different countries, which are designed to get people thinking and talking about poverty. "It has been said that, in this century, we have the tools and potential to overcome extreme poverty. But poverty persists, and the gap between the poor and the wealthy continues to widen. The demographics of poverty are also changing, with new poverty emerging in the North and new wealth emerging in the previously poorer South. Poverty and inequality is global, and the causes for its continued existence are largely structural." The long films explore these structural causes, while the short films provide glimpses into people's lives as they try to deal with poverty and inequality.
The films were screened on seventy national television networks in November 2012, and are now available as a DVD box set and free to download for public screenings provided it is for non-commercial use. According to the producers, the films can be watched as separate and complete stories, "but as a collection, they provide a great platform from which to delve into questions about why poverty still exists in a world of plenty."
The long films are as follows:Education EducationSolar Mamas - Are women better at getting out of poverty than men? Stealing Africa - How much profit is fair?Give Us the MoneyWelcome to the World - Is it better to be born poor or die poor?Poor Us: An Animated History Land Rush: How do you feed the world? Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream
In order to encourage discussions and deeper understanding of the issues, the films are accompanied by a Why Poverty? Facilitator's Guide. The facilitator's/educator's guide includes information on how to organise and facilitate a screening as well information on how to use social media to join the Why Poverty? debate. It then offers separate pages for each film with key issues, activities, suggested readings, and questions based around each film.
The Why Poverty? project was initiated and produced by Steps International, a non-profit organisation that combines documentaries, new media, old media, and outreach to get people talking about big issues. Steps ran a similar project, Why Democracy? in 2007, and Why Poverty? builds on that (See Related Summaries below for more info).