Top 5 Documentaries about Poverty that Will Make You Think

Intro: Documentaries about Poverty

According to the World Bank Organization, “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is a lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time.”

Poverty is more than lack of money; it goes beyond financial hardship that affects people’s health, security, education, and other opportunities. A lot of people still die due to poverty. Over 26,000 children under five years old die every day, and over one-third of child deaths happen within the first 28 days of their life based on a UNICEF report in 2008.

While poverty has been a global issue for a long time, it is alarming that it does not end. If you want to learn more about this topic, take a look at the documentaries about poverty below:

1. Poor Kids Documentary

Poor Kids Documentary is one of the best documentaries about poverty in America. It explores the real life situations of children suffering from poverty. The documentary is set in the Quad Cities to learn how children deal with poverty and how it is like to grow poor. It also offers perspective about the effect of financial distress, foreclosure, and unemployment through the eyes of children themselves.

2. Poor Kids Documentary: Below The Poverty Line - Child Poverty Documentary

This child poverty documentary reveals that almost 3.5 million children grow up poor in the UK, which is among the worst rates in the industrialized world. It is produced by True Vision Productions and shows the actual situation of how the governments continuously struggle to solve this issue. This documentary hopes to be the light that can make everyone involved in fighting poverty.

3. Growing Up Poor In America - Documentary about Poverty in America

This documentary tells the viewers how it is really like growing poor in America. It follows three young children alongside their families in Ohio’s battleground. The sad thing is that the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the struggles of these families at staying afloat. The beginning of 2020 has recorded about 12 million children who live in poverty.

4. A Poor Filipino Family Living in Extreme Poverty in Manila - Documentary about Poverty in the Philippines

This documentary about poverty in the Philippines delves into how extreme poverty impacts the lives of many Filipino children. One of the documentary highlights is following the life of a mother with seven kids and currently pregnant and living as illegal settlers. None of her kids go to school, and her husband only makes $23 weekly a a part-time construction helper.

5. Poverty in Europe - Documentary about Poverty in Europe

This poverty documentary answers why almost 119 million people live under the breadline in Europe. It points out that deprived children, indigent workers, and unemployed young adults contribute to the situation. Every day more and more kids struggle and still have no voice to tell their stories, and this documentary is a good start.