Voices of the poor from many lands

Living through hunger and physical hardship from infancy to premature old age; living through economic shifts that close factories and strip currency of its value in an instant;living through social turmoil, political upheaval, and war, through it all, poor men and women in communities around the world keep coming back to their deep longing for a better future for their children. Whatever happens, they say let the children be all right.From Many Lands presents experiences of people who are worn down by persistent deprivation, and buffeted by severe shocks they feel ill equipped to overcome. Poor people's stories are a testimony to their resilience, their struggle against hopelessness, their determination to accumulate assets, and their will to live for their families - particularly their children. The stories reveal some of the reasons why poor people remain poor, despite working long hours day after day. They document frequently demeaning encounters with state, market, and civic institutions that distort well-intended political, economic, and social policies. Poor people's stories also communicate their growing insecurity in an area of global changes. Volumes 1 and 2 of the Voices of the Poor series explored the striking commonalities in the experiences of poverty across countries. In this final volume, we focus on the diversity of poverty across countries. In this final volume, we focus on the diversity of poverty in fourteen countries, highlighting key findings.