Nadharia asilia ya ubepari inataka kuongezeka kwa uzalishaji na, kwa sababu hiyo, kuongezeka kwa utajiri wa mataifa. Zaidi ya hayo, inadai kwamba uzalishaji ulioongezeka pamoja na nguvu za ugavi na mahitaji na utaratibu wa bei utahakikisha usambazaji bora wa utajiri uliozalishwa kwa wanachama wa jamii. Uzalishaji wa utajiri chini ya ubepari umeendelea kuongezeka katika miaka mia moja iliyopita, isipokuwa chache wakati wa vita vya dunia. Wakati huo huo, idadi ya watu wanaoainishwa kuwa maskini kwa kuzingatia viwango vya kitaifa, vya ndani na vya kimataifa iliendelea kutojali ukuaji wa utajiri. Jambo hili ni la kidunia, likijumuisha mataifa tajiri sana kama Marekani pamoja na mataifa maskini sana kama Haiti na Afrika ya kusini mwa Sahara.

The original theory of capitalism calls for the increase in production and consequently the increase in the wealth of nations. It further claims that the increased production coupled with the dynamics of supply and demand and the price mechanism will guarantee the best distribution of the produced wealth to the members of the society. Production of wealth under capitalism has continuously risen over the past one hundred years, with few exceptions during world wars. In the meantime, the number of people who are classified as poor based on local national and international standards continued to be indifferent to the wealth growth. This phenomenon is a worldwide phenomenon which includes extremely rich nations such as the USA as well as extremely poor nations such as Haiti and the sub-Saharan Africa.

Katika taarifa iliyotolewa na wakuu wa nchi na serikali katika moja ya Mikutano ya Chakula Duniani ya Shirika la Chakula na Kilimo (FAO), walionyesha wasiwasi wao mkubwa kuhusu kuendelea kwa njaa, ambayo ni tishio kwa jamii za kitaifa na pia kwa utulivu wa jumuiya ya kimataifa yenyewe.51 Kwa mujibu wa taarifa hiyo, "ni jambo lisilokubalika kwamba zaidi ya watu milioni 800 duniani kote, hasa katika nchi zinazoendelea, hawana chakula cha kutosha kukidhi mahitaji yao ya msingi ya lishe." Viongozi hao wamethibitisha kuwa upatikanaji wa chakula umeongezeka kwa kiasi kikubwa, lakini umaskini na njaa bado vinaendelea. Licha ya kukiri kwao kwamba upatikanaji wa chakula umeongezeka bila kupunguza njaa, walisisitiza kwamba suluhisho litakuwa ni zaidi ya hayo hayo, yaani "kuongeza uzalishaji wa chakula."

In a statement made by the heads of state and government at one of the World Food Summits of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), they expressed their deep concern over the persistence of hunger which constitutes a threat both to national societies and to the stability of the international community itself51. According to the statement, “it is intolerable that more than 800 million people throughout the world, and particularly in developing countries, do not have enough food to meet their basic nutritional needs.” The leaders confirm that food supplies have increased substantially, but poverty and hunger continue to persist. Despite their recognition that food supply has increased without reducing hunger, they insisted that the solution will be more of the same “increased food production.”.

Katika tamko hili, viongozi wa dunia wanakubali kuwepo kwa tatizo kubwa la umaskini na njaa. Wakati huo huo, wanaendelea kutangaza kwamba suluhisho ni kuongeza rasilimali na bidhaa. Walipaswa kutambua kwamba kasoro haipo katika uzalishaji wa chakula; badala yake, ni utaratibu wa usambazaji wake unaoshindwa kumwezesha kila mtu kupata chakula, bidhaa na huduma kwa njia inayostahili. Utaratibu wa kusambaza rasilimali bado haujabadilika. Matokeo yatabaki yale yale. Kuongezeka kwa uzalishaji wa rasilimali kutazidisha utajiri wa wale ambao tayari ni matajiri, lakini hautawanufaisha wale wanaohitaji rasilimali hizi zaidi.

In this declaration, the leaders of the world confirm the existence of a serious problem in poverty and hunger. In the meantime, they continue to declare that the solution is to increase the resources and products. They should have noted that the defect is not in the productivity of food; rather it is the mechanism of its distribution that fails to enable each and every person to have the proper access to food, commodities, and services. The mechanism of distribution of the resources remains unchanged. The end result will continue to be the same. The production of resources will increase the wealth of the already wealthy, but will not benefit those who need these resources the most.

Kwa kweli, jumla ya pato la taifa (GNP) la nchi binafsi pamoja na lile la dunia kwa ujumla limekuwa likiongezeka kwa miongo kadhaa. Kielelezo 3 kinaonyesha ongezeko la takwimu za GNP za Marekani tangu mwaka 1929. Isipokuwa kwa kipindi kifupi, GNP imekuwa ikiongezeka daima. Baada ya mwaka 1970, GNP ilianza kuongezeka kwa viwango vya kiasi cha kielelezo; huu ndio wakati ambapo Marekani iliachana na kiwango cha dhahabu; tutazungumzia hili kwa undani zaidi baadaye. GNP ya sasa ya Marekani inazidi dola trilioni kumi na nne.

In fact, the gross national or domestic product of individual nations as well as of the world at large has been on the rise for decades. Figure 3 shows the increase in GNP figures for the United States since 1929. Except for a short period of time, the GNP has always increased. After 1970, the GNP began to increase at exponential rates; this is the time when the United States departed away from the gold standard; more on this later. The current GNP in the United States exceeds fourteen trillion dollars.

Idadi ya umaskini na viwango vyake nchini Marekani vinaonyeshwa kwenye kielelezo cha 4. Zingatia kwamba idadi ya watu maskini iliendelea kuongezeka baada ya mwaka 1970, licha ya ukweli kwamba utajiri wa jumla wa nchi ulikuwa unaongezeka kwa kasi ya kiasi kikubwa. Viwango vya umaskini vinaendelea kuwa karibu asilimia 12.5 kwa wastani, licha ya ongezeko kubwa la utajiri (kutoka dola trilioni 1 mwaka 1970 hadi dola trilioni 14.5 mwaka 2008).

The poverty numbers and rates in the United States are shown in figure 4. Note that the number of poor people continued to increase after 1970 despite the fact that the total wealth in the country was increasing at an exponential rate. The poverty rates continue to average around 12.5% despite the tremendous wealth increase (from $1 trillion in 1970 to $14.5 trillion in 2008).

Kielelezo 5 kinalinganisha ongezeko la utajiri nchini Marekani na viwango vya umaskini. Angalia jinsi utajiri unavyoendelea kuongezeka wakati idadi ya maskini inabaki wastani wa takriban watu milioni thelathini. Takwimu hizi zinahusu Marekani, nchi tajiri zaidi duniani na kiongozi wa ubepari.

Figure 5 contrasts the wealth increase in the United States with the poverty rates. Note how the wealth continues to increase while the number of poor people remains averaged around thirty million people. These figures pertain to the United States, the richest country in the world and the leader of capitalism.

Athari za ubepari kwa dunia nzima ni mbaya zaidi. Takwimu na viwango vya umaskini vinakatisha tamaa. Ukweli huu unatambuliwa na viongozi wa dunia, taasisi za dunia na mashirika kama Benki ya Dunia, FAO, na mengineyo.

The impact of capitalism on the world at large is more devastating. The poverty numbers and rates are disheartening. This fact is recognized by world leaders, world institutions and organizations such as the World Bank, the FAO, and others.

Umaskini unasemekana kuwepo pale mtu anapopata fedha kidogo kuliko kiasi anachohitaji kweli ili kutimiza mahitaji yake ya msingi. Ufafanuzi huu unaendana na mtazamo wa kibepari kuhusu bei na nafasi yake katika kuamua nani ataweza kukidhi mahitaji yake na nani hataweza. Mtu anayepata fedha kidogo (bei ya juhudi zake au biashara yake) kuliko thamani ya bidhaa anazohitaji ili kutimiza mahitaji yake ni maskini.

Poverty is said to exist when a person earns less money than he actually needs to fulfill his basic needs. This definition is consistent with the capitalist view of the price and its role in determining who would be able to satisfy his needs and who would not. A person who earns less money (price for his efforts or trade) than the price of the goods he needs to fulfill his needs is a poor one.

Kwa hiyo, njia moja ya kupima umaskini ni kukusanya takwimu za watu wanaopata chini ya dola moja, mbili, au zaidi kwa siku. Takwimu za Benki ya Dunia zinaonyesha kwamba mwaka 1981 kulikuwa na watu bilioni 1.899 ambao mapato yao yalikuwa chini ya dola 1 kwa siku. Idadi hii ilipungua hadi bilioni 1.374 mwaka 2005. Mstari wa umaskini unapopanda hadi dola mbili, tatu, tano, au kumi kwa siku, hali ya dunia chini ya ubepari inakuwa ya kutisha kabisa.

Hence, one way to measure poverty is to collect data on people who earn less than one, two, or more dollars per day. World Bank figures show that in 1981 there were 1.899 billion people whose income was less than $1 a day. This number was reduced to 1.374 billion in 2005. When the poverty line goes up to two, three, five, or ten dollars per day, the state of the world under capitalism becomes absolutely frightening.

Mchoro 6 unaonyesha data ya umaskini kwa viwango kadhaa vya mstari wa umaskini53. Tambua kwamba, isipokuwa kwa data ya dola 1, idadi ya watu maskini iliendelea kubaki juu ya asilimia 40 ya idadi ya watu duniani.

Figure 6 presents poverty data for several poverty lines53. Note that except for the $1 data, the number of poor people continued to stay above 40% of the world population.

Kielelezo 7 kinaonyesha upungufu wa viwango vya umaskini kwa miaka (1981-2005). Upungufu mkubwa zaidi ni katika idadi ya watu waliopata chini ya dola 1 kwa siku; kiwango cha watu wanaoishi chini ya dola 1 kwa siku kilipungua kwa nusu kwa miaka ishirini na mitano (kutoka 50% hadi 25%). Uboreshaji mdogo sana ulionekana kwa watu waliopata dola tano au kumi kwa siku. Mwaka 1981, asilimia 95 ya idadi ya watu duniani, bila kuhesabu Marekani na Ulaya Magharibi, waliishi chini ya dola 10 kwa siku; miaka ishirini na mitano baadaye, asilimia hii ilipungua hadi 93 tu. Katika kipindi hicho hicho, bei na mfumuko wa bei vimepanda sana duniani kote.

Figure 7 shows the reduction of poverty rates over the years (1981-2005). The largest reduction is in the number of people who earned less than $1 a day; the rate of people living under $1 a day was reduced by half over twenty-five years (50% to 25%). Very little improvement was observed for people who earned five or ten dollars a day. In 1981, 95% of the world population excluding the United States and Western Europe lived under $10 a day; twenty-five years later, this percentage was reduced only to 93%. Over the same period, prices and inflation have soared worldwide.

Kwa maneno mengine, asilimia 50 ya wale waliokuwa wakipata dola 1 mwaka 1981 na kuhamia kundi la dola 2 si lazima wawe katika hali bora zaidi. Ofisi ya Takwimu za Kazi ya Marekani (Bureau of Labor Statistics) hutumia chombo cha kukokotoa ili kupima kiwango cha mfumuko wa bei wa fahirisi ya bei kwa watumiaji (CPI)54. Kwa kutumia chombo hiki, kile ambacho dola 1 ingeweza kununua mwaka 1981 kinahitaji dola 2.15 mwaka 2005. Kwa maneno mengine, watu waliokuwa chini ya dola 1 mwaka 1981 wanaendelea kuwa katika hali ile ile ya umaskini mwaka 2005, ingawa nusu yao sasa wanaishi kwa dola 2 kwa siku. Fahirisi ya bei kwa watumiaji kwa kipindi cha 1947-2009 imeonyeshwa katika kielelezo 8. Angalia jinsi bei zilivyopanda kwa kasi baada ya mwaka 1972 (huu ndio wakati Marekani ilipoacha mfumo wa kiwango cha dhahabu).

In other words, the 50% of those who used to earn $1 in 1981 and moved to the $2 bracket are not necessarily better off. The Bureau of Labor Statistics in the United States uses a calculating tool to compute the consumer price index (CPI) inflation rate54. Using this calculator, what $1 could buy in 1981 requires $2.15 in 2005. In other words, the people who lived under $1 in 1981 continue to be in the same poverty status in 2005 even though half of them now live on $2 a day. The consumer price index for the period 1947-2009 is shown in figure 8. Note how sharply the prices increased after 1972 (this is the time when the United States departed from the gold standard).

Labda matokeo mabaya zaidi ya umaskini ni njaa. Mara nyingi watu hurejelea umaskini kwa urahisi tu kama watu wanaopata kipato kilicho chini ya kiasi fulani cha fedha kilichowekwa kabla.

Perhaps the most devastating result of poverty is hunger. Quite often people refer to poverty simply in terms of people who earn less than a predetermined amount of money.

Tatizo linakuwa kubwa sana pale maskini anapobaki bila kuweza kujaza tumbo lake kwa chakula kinachohitajika ili kuendeleza maisha yenye heshima. Ubepari kama mfumo haushughulikii tatizo la njaa. Kwa kweli, kanuni za ubepari zinazaa uwezekano kwamba baadhi ya watu katika jamii hawataweza kutimiziwa baadhi ya mahitaji yao; mahitaji hayo yanaweza kabisa kuwa ni hitaji la chakula, ambacho ni muhimu ili kuondoa njaa. Ubepari unadai kwa udanganyifu kwamba rasilimali (katika kesi hii chakula) hazitoshi kulisha kila tumbo lenye njaa. Kukabiliana na jambo la njaa chini ya ubepari, taasisi nyingi ziliundwa kupambana na njaa. Kuwepo kwa taasisi kama hizo ndani ya jamii za kibepari ni ushahidi rahisi kwamba ubepari kama mfumo hauondoi tatizo la janga la njaa, bali kwa kweli unalisababisha. Uislamu, kwa upande mwingine (kama itakavyojadiliwa baadaye), unaita kuondolewa kwa njaa na unafanya wito huu kuwa kanuni ya msingi ya Uislamu. Mtume Muhammad ﷺ ameripotiwa akisema: “Allah na Mtume wake watajitenga na jamii inayomruhusu mmoja wa wanachama wake kulala akiwa na njaa.

The becomes problem really serious when the poor actually remains unable to fill his stomach with the necessary food to sustain a decent life. Capitalism as a system does not address the issue of hunger. In fact, the principles of capitalism give rise to the possibility that individuals in a society will not be able to satisfy some of their needs; these needs could very well be the need for food, which is necessary to eliminate hunger. Capitalism speciously claims that there is not enough resources (in this case food) to feed each and every hungry stomach. In response to the phenomenon of hunger under capitalism, many institutions were created to fight hunger. The existence of such institutions within the societies of capitalism is a simple proof that capitalism as a system not only fails to resolve the epidemic problem of hunger, but in fact it causes this problem. Islam, on the other hand (as will be discussed later), calls for the elimination of hunger and makes this call a fundamental principle of Islam. Prophet Mohammad is reported to have said, “Allah and his Messenger will disown a community which allows one of its members to sleep hungry.

Licha ya ukuaji mkubwa wa uchumi na utajiri wa Marekani, Kikosi Kazi cha Madaktari kuhusu Njaa Amerika (kilichoanzishwa mwanzoni mwa mwaka 1984) kilihitimisha kwamba njaa ni tatizo la kiwango cha janga kote nchini; inazidi kuwa mbaya, si bora. Walihitimisha zaidi kwamba sera zilizopo hazipunguzi njaa Amerika56. Ukweli huu unaweza kukubaliwa kwa shida na wengi, kama anavyosema Ardis Armstrong Young57. Yeye anauliza swali “Kwa nini Waamerika wanaruhusu watu wafe njaa wakati wanaweza kulima chakula cha kutosha kulisha dunia, na wanapoteza chakula zaidi ya kile ambacho wenye njaa wangeweza kula?” Larry Brown, mkurugenzi wa Kituo cha Taifa cha Njaa na Umaskini, alifupisha tatizo la njaa nchini Marekani katika kitabu chake Hunger in America: The Growing Epidemic58, ambapo anaandika:

Ikiwa njaa ni tatizo lenye kiwango cha janga nchini Marekani, nchi tajiri zaidi duniani, basi njaa inachukua sura gani huko Haiti, Bangladesh, Kenya, na katika nchi nyingine zote zinazoendelea na zisizoendelea? Takwimu kuhusu njaa duniani zinashtua, zinastaajabisha, na zinatisha. Ukubwa wa tatizo unadhihirika tunapotambua kwamba chakula na rasilimali zinazopotea duniani zinatosha kabisa kuwalisha wenye njaa. Mara kwa mara, ni wazi kwamba utaratibu wa usambazaji ndio unaoshindwa; si upungufu wa rasilimali.

If hunger is a problem with epidemic proportions in the United States, the richest country in the world, then what proportions does hunger have in Haiti, Bangladesh, Kenya, and the rest of the developing and underdeveloped world? The statistics on world hunger are shocking, startling, and terrifying. The magnitude of the problem is signified when we know that the wasted resources and food in the world are more than sufficient to feed the hungry. Time and again, it is clear that the mechanism of distribution that is failing; it is not the insufficiency of the resources.

Kulingana na data na takwimu zilizochapishwa kuhusu njaa na Benki ya Dunia na mashirika mengine, mtu mmoja kila sekunde mbili hufa kwa sababu ya njaa na utapiamlo, na 85% ya hao ni watoto. Katika nchi za Asia, Afrika, na Amerika ya Kusini, zaidi ya watu bilioni 1.3 bado wanaishi katika kile ambacho Benki ya Dunia imekiita umaskini uliokithiri (chini ya dola 1 kwa siku), jambo ambalo husababisha aina mbalimbali za magonjwa, utapiamlo, na uwezekano wa kifo. Katika taarifa aliyotoa Katibu Mkuu wa Umoja wa Mataifa Ban Ki-moon kwenye ripoti ya Malengo ya Maendeleo ya Milenia ya 2009, anasema,

According to published data and statistics on hunger by World Bank and other organizations, one person every other second dies out of hunger and malnutrition, 85% of these are children. In the Asian, African, and Latin American countries, well over 1.3 billion people are still living in what the World Bank has called absolute poverty (below $1 a day)53, which results in various types of illnesses, malnutrition, and potential death. In a statement made by the secretary general of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon to the Millennium Development Goals report 200959, he says,

Tumekuwa tukisonga polepole mno kufikia malengo yetu. Na leo hii, tunakabiliwa na mgogoro wa kiuchumi wa dunia ambao athari zake kamili bado hazijaonekana.

We have been moving too slowly to meet our goals. And today, we face a global economic crisis whose full repercussions have yet to be felt.

Angalau, hili litatuvuruga kwenye maeneo kadhaa muhimu, hasa katika nchi zinazoendelea. Katika hali mbaya zaidi, linaweza kutuzuia kutimiza ahadi zetu, na kusukuma mamilioni zaidi katika umaskini, na kuleta hatari ya machafuko ya kijamii na kisiasa.

Eneo la Sahara ya Afrika (Sub-Saharan Africa) linakabiliwa na hali mbaya zaidi kuliko zote, ambapo asilimia 30 ya wakazi wake wako katika hatari ya njaa, utapiamlo na kifo cha ghafla kila siku. Kwa mujibu wa Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO)60, zaidi ya watu elfu hamsini hufariki kila siku kutokana na sababu zinazohusiana na umaskini. Watoto ndio kundi kubwa zaidi linaloathiriwa na njaa, huku vifo elfu thelathini vya watoto kila siku vikiripotiwa na ripoti ya UNICEF61.

Sub-Saharan Africa experiences the worst of such conditions, where 30% of its population faces the danger of hunger, undernutrition and potential death on a daily basis. According to the World Health Organization60, more than fifty thousand people die every day from poverty-related causes. The children are the largest segment hit by hunger with thirty thousand deaths daily according to UNICEF report61.

Njaa huwanyima watu, hasa watoto, lishe inayohitajika kwa ukuaji. Athari ya njaa kwa idadi kubwa ya watu huonekana katika asilimia ya watoto walio chini ya umri wa miaka mitano wenye uzito pungufu. Asilimia thelathini na moja ya watoto walio chini ya miaka mitano (yaani, mtoto mmoja kati ya kila watoto watatu) barani Asia, Afrika, na Amerika ya Kusini walikuwa na uzito pungufu mwaka 1990. Hali ya watoto haijaboreka sana tangu wakati huo; mwaka 2007 zaidi ya asilimia 26 ya watoto katika eneo hili bado walikuwa na uzito pungufu, na kiwango hiki kinatarajiwa kuongezeka zaidi kutokana na mgogoro wa kifedha wa sasa.

Hunger deprives people, especially children, from receiving the necessary nutrition for growth. The impact of hunger on large populations is visible on the percentage of children under age five who are underweight. Thirty-one percent of children under five (that is, one out of every three children) in Asia, Africa, and Latin America were underweight in 1990. The status of children has not improved a lot since then; in 2007 more than 26% of the children in this region were still underweight and this rate is expected to rise even more due to the current financial crisis.

Alama za umaskini na njaa zinaonekana katika nyanja nyingi za maisha ya binadamu. Jambo lenye umuhimu mkubwa hasa ni viwango vya vifo vya akina mama na vya watoto wachanga (watoto wachanga walio chini ya siku ishirini na nane tangu kuzaliwa) vinavyoonyeshwa katika kielelezo cha 9. Shirika la Afya Duniani linakadiria kuwa zaidi ya wanawake laki tano hufariki kila mwaka wakati wa kujifungua watoto. Idadi kubwa zaidi ya vifo hutokea Afrika ya Kusini mwa Sahara (asilimia 50 ya jumla), ambako kiwango cha umaskini ndicho cha juu zaidi duniani.

Footprints of poverty and hunger are visible in many aspects of the human life. Of particular significance is the maternal and neonatal (newborn babies less than twenty-eight days old) death rates shown in figure 9. The World Health Organization estimates more than five hundred thousand women die every year in the process of delivering children. The largest number of deaths occur in the sub-Saharan Africa (50% of the total), where the poverty rate is highest in the world.

Tofauti kati ya hali ya ustawi wa mama katika ulimwengu wa viwanda na ule wa nchi zinazoendelea inaonyesha usambazaji usio wa haki wa rasilimali. Kwa mfano, nchini Niger, nchi yenye hatari kubwa zaidi ya vifo vya uzazi, kati ya kuzaliwa 7 kimoja kitasababisha kifo cha mama, ikilinganishwa na kimoja kati ya 47,600 katika nchi kama Ireland.

The disparity between the well-being of mothers in industrial world and the developing world speaks for an out-of-balance distribution of resources. In Niger, for example, the country with the highest risk of maternal death, 1 out of 7 births will result in the death of the mother compared to 1 out of 47,600 in a country like Ireland.

Vile vile, vifo vya watoto wachanga (uwezekano wa mtoto mchanga kufariki ndani ya siku ishirini na nane baada ya kuzaliwa) vinatarajiwa kuwa juu sana kutokana na umaskini uliokithiri na njaa. Shirika la Afya Duniani (WHO) linakadiria kwamba takriban watoto milioni 3.7 walifariki baada ya kuzaliwa mwaka 2004. Kielelezo cha 10 kinaonyesha tofauti kubwa kati ya dunia maskini na dunia tajiri. Watoto wachanga 40 kati ya kila 1,000 hufariki katika maeneo yenye kipato cha chini, ikilinganishwa na watoto 3 tu kati ya 1,000 katika ulimwengu ulioendelea kiviwanda.

By the same token, neonatal mortality (probability of newborn dying within twenty-eight days of birth) is expected to be very high due to extreme poverty and hunger. WHO estimates that around 3.7 million babies died after birth in 2004. Figure 10 illustrates the wide disparity between the poor and the rich worlds. Forty out of every 1,000 newborn babies die in the low-income regions compared to only 3 out of 1,000 in the industrial world.

Mbali na athari ya moja kwa moja kwa maisha ya wanawake wanaojifungua watoto na kwa watoto wachanga, umaskini na njaa vinazuia maendeleo ya mataifa kwa kukwamisha elimu. Umaskini uliokithiri unazuia kujifunza kupitia lishe duni, afya mbaya, ukosefu wa vitabu, mwanga usiotosha na mahali pa kufanyia kazi za nyumbani, pamoja na elimu duni ya wazazi. Umaskini huongeza kiwango cha watoto kuacha shule. Ukosefu wa elimu ni kikwazo kinachozuia upatikanaji wa njia muhimu za kuboresha ubora wa maisha.

Besides the direct impact on the life of women who give birth to children and the newborn babies, poverty and hunger impede the progress of nations by inhibiting education. Extreme poverty obstructs learning through poor nutrition, bad health, lack of books, insufficient lighting and places to do homework and parental poor education. Poverty increases the rate of dropout of schools. Lack of education constitutes an obstacle which prevents the acquisition of the necessary means for improving life quality.

Hali hii huzaa mzunguko ambao ni mgumu sana kuuvunja: umaskini huzuia elimu, na ukosefu wa elimu huendeleza umaskini. Watu maskini sana wana nafasi ndogo zaidi ya kupata elimu bora, ambayo ni muhimu ili kushindana kupata kazi na watu walioelimika zaidi; bila ajira inayofaa, ni karibu haiwezekani kutoka katika shimo la umaskini. Chini ya utawala wa ubepari, sehemu maskini zaidi ya idadi ya watu ndizo zisizoelimika zaidi; na wale wenye elimu ndogo zaidi ndio maskini zaidi. Umaskini na njaa huathiri uwezo wa kiakili wa watoto shuleni. Ripoti za UNESCO zinaonyesha kwamba watoto wenye uzito pungufu na waliodumaa kwa sababu ya lishe duni hawawezi kuzingatia masomo shuleni na huwa katika hatari ya kuacha shule61.

This leads to a cycle which proves to be too difficult to break: poverty impedes education, while lack of education sustains poverty. Extremely poor people have lesser chance of getting proper education, which is necessary to compete for jobs with more educated people; without proper employment, it is almost impossible to get out of the poverty plunge. Under the dominance of capitalism, the poor segments of the population are the least educated; and those with the least education are the poorest. Poverty and hunger affect the cognitive ability of children in schools. UNESCO reports show that underweight and stunted children due to poor nutrition cannot concentrate in school and are likely to drop out61.

Sera na sera za sasa chini ya utawala wa mfumo wa ubepari zimeshindwa kuvunja mzunguko huu. Katika miongo michache iliyopita, maskini waliendelea kubaki nyuma katika elimu, na viwango vya umaskini viliendelea kudumu. Watoto milioni sabini na saba wa umri wa shule ya msingi katika nchi zinazoendelea hawakuwa shuleni mwaka 2007, na asilimia 57 yao walikuwa wasichana61. Karibu bilioni moja ya watu waliingia karne ya ishirini na moja wakiwa hawawezi kusoma kitabu wala kutia sahihi majina yao.

Current policies under the dominance of the system of capitalism have failed to break this cycle. Over the last few decades, the poor continued to lag behind in education, and the poverty rates continued to persist. Seventy-seven million children of primary school age in the developing world were not in school in 2007, 57% of them were girls61. Nearly a billion people entered the twenty-first century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Ripoti ya Ufuatiliaji wa Elimu kwa Wote (EFA) ya UNESCO61 inaonyesha kwamba "watoto wadogo wanaohitaji zaidi, ambao pia wangefaidika zaidi, hawana uwezekano wa kupata programu za kuboresha elimu." Upatikanaji wa huduma hizi bado ni mdogo sana katika maeneo mengi ya dunia inayoendelea, na programu chache zipo kwa watoto walio chini ya umri wa miaka mitatu. Kikwazo kikuu cha elimu ni umaskini na njaa.

The UNESCO Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report61 shows that “young children in greatest need, who also stand to gain the most, are unlikely to have access to education improvement programs.” Coverage remains very low in most of the developing world and few programs exist for children under age three. The main barrier for education is poverty and hunger.

Takwimu (11-14) zinaonyesha viashiria vya elimu katika nchi 125 kulingana na ripoti ya UNESCO. Viashiria vyote vinaonyesha kwamba nchi maskini zaidi zimebaki nyuma katika usomaji na uandishi wa watu wazima, viwango vya kuandikishwa shuleni, na kiwango cha wanafunzi wanaoendelea hadi darasa la 5; matokeo yake, Kielelezo cha Maendeleo ya Elimu (EDI) kwa theluthi moja ya mataifa ya dunia kiko chini ya 80%, huku nchi kama Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea na Msumbiji zikiwa na kielelezo cha elimu chini ya 60%. Kiwango cha kujua kusoma na kuandika nchini Chad na Niger ni chini ya 30% ya idadi yote ya watu. Kwa kuzingatia uhusiano mkubwa kati ya umaskini na elimu, ni vigumu sana kuona uboreshaji wa ustawi wa maisha ya watu katika mataifa haya ya Afrika, isipokuwa mabadiliko makubwa yatokee katika njia na mtindo wa usambazaji wa utajiri duniani.

Figures (11-14) show education indicators in 125 countries based on UNESCO report61. All of the indicators show that the poorest countries lag behind in adult literacy, net enrolment ratios, and survival rate of students to grade 5; as a result, the education development indicator (EDI) for one-third of the nations of the world is below 80%, with countries like Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Mozambique having lower than 60% education index. The literacy rate in Chad and Niger is less than 30% of the total population. Given the strong correlation between poverty and education, it is very difficult to see an improvement in the well-being of Figures (11-14) show education indicators in 125 countries based on UNESCO report. All of the indicators show that the poorest countries lag behind in adult literacy, net enrolment ratios, and survival rate of students to grade 5; as a result, the education development indicator (EDI) for one-third of the nations of the world is below 80%, with countries like Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, and Mozambique having lower than 60% education index. The literacy rate in Chad and Niger is less than 30% of the total population. Given the strong correlation between poverty and education, it is very difficult to see an improvement in the well-being of the life of people in these African nations unless a serious change occurs in the method and style of wealth distribution in the world.

Nchini Marekani, nchi kubwa na tajiri zaidi ya kibepari, kiwango cha kutojua kusoma na kuandika bado ni cha juu hadi asilimia 14, yaani, mtu mmoja kati ya saba hana ujuzi wa msingi wa kusoma. Takwimu zinaonyesha kwamba kiwango cha juu zaidi cha watoto kuacha shule kimekuwa kwa jamii maskini zaidi nchini Marekani, yaani wenye asili ya Kihispania na wa jamii ya watu weusi. Uwiano wa wanaoacha shule kati ya wazungu, watu weusi na Wahispania umebaki vile vile katika miaka thelathini na mitano iliyopita, huku Wahispania wakiwa wastani wa mara 3.6 zaidi ya wazungu, na watu weusi ni mara 1.5 zaidi ya wanaoacha shule wazungu (kielelezo 15). Hili linathibitishwa zaidi na ukweli kwamba asilimia 75 ya watu wanaopokea misaada ya ustawi wa jamii nchini Marekani hawawezi kusoma.