In Pakistan, welfare scheme shows signs of success, By Chris Brummitt (AP), April 17, 2012, Albany Times Union: “Clutching photocopied ID cards in bony fingers, a roomful of Pakistan’s poorest women sit on gray plastic chairs and wait in silence for something many have never experienced: a little bit of help from the government. It comes in the form of a debit card that is topped up with the equivalent of $30 every three months, enough to put an extra daily meal on the table, buy a school uniform or pay for medical treatment in a country where soaring food and fuel costs are hurting millions who already live hand-to-mouth. The program is something of a success story for a government widely seen as corrupt and inefficient, as well as for international donors that help implement and fund it. But the very need for the scheme highlights the poverty stalking a country whose stability is seen as key to the fight against Islamist extremism…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty