[Christien]

I've always said there's no such thing as true poverty in this country (or the US). You have to go to places like India, where living on the street is the norm for half the population, to see true poverty.

My belief lies with the old saying about teaching a man to fish. You have to teach someone responsibility, life skills, etc. so they can pull themselves out of poverty. IMO, however, by the time a person is an adult, it's far too late to learn these skills. So do we just keep giving them fishes? I don't know. But I do know that we should be teaching life skills in elementary school - starting from kindergarden through grade 8. I believe it's the only way to make a real difference. Kids involved in the cycle of poverty don't need to learn science, they need to learn how to make a life for themselves.