what are the major problems of the poor?

1 Problems Faced by the Poor Different sites reported a variety of problems ranging between 11 to 26 in number. The rich/prosperous category of households is thought to experience only 1-5 of them. The middle category faces 1-12 of them and the poor/very poor face the maximum possible number everywhere, i.e. 11-26 kinds of problems. Group discussions about priority problems revealed distinct rural-urban differences. Gender differences were less pronounced. Regional variations in priority problems indicated the greatest impact of the economic crisis at West Java sites, which seemed to have the greatest number of the “new poor” as compared to the rest. East and Central Java groups’ priorities suggested a mix of old and new poor and a lower impact of the crisis than in West Java. Priorities of the poor in NTB and NTT follow patterns of older poverty, further aggravated by the recent crisis. The foremost urban problem, which overshadowed all others, was the difficulty in earning an income due to a scarcity of jobs. Compounding the problem were the massive labor lay-offs from urban industries, which was ranked second. Lack of capital / capital assets/ access to capital to run one’s own trade was third. The fourth cluster of problems centered on poor environmental sanitation and lack of clean water supply. The fifth cluster included exorbitant prices for daily necessities, school dropouts, government aid (Social Safety Nets programs) not reaching the targeted poor and rise of alcoholism (See Figure 4.1). The major gender difference was the high priority urban women placed on poor environmental sanitation. They placed it second on their list whereas it was eighth on men’s priorities. Several urban sites were low-lying areas with poor drainage, prone to frequent flooding. Pegambiran is an example , situated on a north Java coastal strip where high tide and rainstorms bring seawater into homes. The river next door that flows into the sea is no more than a natural drain choked with silt and garbage it brings from the city. Semanggi situated next to a river and Tanjung Rejo also have non-functional drains that cause rainwater to enter homes and lie around in stinking puddles. Due to brackish water in wells in the area, Pegambiran families have to buy drinking water from vendors. All urban sites in Java reported lack of latrine facilities.