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During one month we'll know the truth,
The reality of
Millions of chileans, that even if they're not considered "poor" by the statistics,
They are really vulnerable.
I want to have my own house, that way my daughter would live in it...
But i don't think i can do it...
Today, we don't have a thing...
we'll have to wait until the end of the month so we can get paid...
Evelyn, according to the statistics,
is above the "poverty line". While her sister, Verónica,
is below the line...
If we update this Poverty Line,
we wouldn't have a 15% of poor people,
we'd probably have about 25% or 27%.
We'll witness how these two sisters fight their way until
the end of the month, and that both of them, besides the statistics, live with the same problems.
and their quality of life, is pretty much the same...
Poverty, is not the people we see living under the bridge...
Poverty is represented by a large amount of people
That work, that have jobs...
But, with the current incomes that they have,
it's impossible to surpass this "Poverty Line"
According to the 2009 budget, it was established that for the next
edition of the poll (Casen)
It should have been updated (the Line)
But it's not...
the current goverment owes this obbligation.
They owe this to he pople. I'd like that someone from the government come
to my house
with 70 lucas (140 USD)
To see what they are going to be able to buy with that money.
Our goal must be to strenghten our forces, for the people that live below this "Poverty Line", leave their situation,
But we must also block
the ones that can fall under this line...
And that requires not only to attend the "Statistically poor" But also the "statistically vulnerables".
I consider myself a poor woman
We moved to Talagante
This city has almost 70.000 inhabitants
Of wich 6.000 live in poverty
This is the Campamento San Enrique, A wasteland with 15 houses along Maipo's river side.
Living conditions are very harsh
the precariousness in which these families live
is very easy to perceive
Veronica is 29 years old, she is a housewive, she is divorcee and lives with
three children; Ignacia, Nefi and Brenda
Her house is support by effort and happiness, where everyone provides something
to withstand the harsh reality with which they live
day by day
- I don't know...If I start crying because I don't have this
Or the other
I do not resolve anything
- And If i don't do something for myself, I don't resolve anything either
The reality of the older sister of Verónica is not much better...
Evelyn is an ex farmworker
And now, because she suffers from epilepsy, she can not work anymore.
She lives in the house of her passed mother, located in Las Hortencias village of Talagante
And she is a neighbor of her sister Verónica.
She has a hard time keeping her home standing... only with the purpouse of giving everything to
Her only daughter, Yamilé.
She, like thousands of chileans, lives over "the line" of poverty
- Sometimes she ask me for something and I don't have the money
to buy it
in school,
they ask for some things
and that's money...and I have to buy things too...
but I don't have any...
Evelyn gets 75.000 pesos (150 USD) for her disability pension
And 77.200 pesos (155 USD) for the maintenance payments of Yamilé
This gives a total monthly income of 76.100 (152 USD) per person.
On the other part, Verónica receives 80.000 pesos (160 USD) from her ex husband, 38.000 (76 USD)
For the family subsidy, on her part, 70.000 (140 USD) and for the Cityhall benefits
25.000 pesos (50 USD)
With this, the total monthly income per person is 53.250 pesos (107 Dolars)
Technically Evelyn's family is above the poverty line
Because she receives a total month income superior at the 72.098 pesos (144 USD) per person
That limits the line of urban poverty in Chile.
- You can live in a Campamento
You can have more that 72.000 pesos (140 USD)
per person
in one home
and in reality, you live in conditions
very precarious housing and this brings other consequences, like
Aggravation of diseases for children, poor sanitation and environmental
generate impact, but also
it generate psychological stress
and all these factors are not covered today in
the Chilean poverty
Housing conditions of Evelyn are precarious
Practically there is no difference between this house and her sister Veronica's house in the Campamento San Enrique
"There are houses that do not fall "
- We dont have the floor cement
My mom won government benefits before she died
to fix the house
but that didn't work
The project was never finished
they did not fix good the house
actually they left the ceiling with cracks
¿What happend there? - " the ceiling is broken"
In contrast to Evelyn
Veronica is part of the state benefits system, despite this
She still cannot get a decent home for her family
- We have the same roof since we bought the house
The house gets wet with the rain, the bedroom are wetted
the house gets wet inside just like the rain outside...
"There are..
..Non-skid floors"
"There are joys that do not talk..."
- The land is not even mine
at anytime someone can throw me away to the street
What I do if someone can throw me out on the street? The only thing that I can take with me is my house
and everything inside, because the land is not mine.
Because Evelyn has a high score on the social protection tab,
She cannot enter the state benefits system
- When my mother died
I should have lowered score
but not. I have the same score...
and I have nothing
- The difference with the social protection tab and the Casen
Is that thesocial protection tab does not determine if someone is poor or not
the tab measures many more variables than the total income
measures education,living situation and health.Accordingly, the Chileans are ranked from the poorest
to the least poor.
And with that we deliver benefits in relation to the goverment budget
- The Casen helps us to measure how we are progressing and which policies are working
It allows us to take a snapshot of the country
By contrast the social protection tab is much more targeted
We use it to determine
if a particular family
Deserves to receive state benefits because they are in situation of poverty
Therefore, the Casen is a sampling
of families and
is not complete
Today, like every month
Verónica is going to pick the money of the family subsidy
To make purchases
- Of the Family Subsidy i receive 38.000 (70 USD), because they raised it.
For example, the money that we're getting
the 25th. I have it designated to buy groceries. Because we buy the 15th and at the end of every month.
The most essential is the sugar, the oil and tea
- I didn't receive the family subsidy
Because supposedly I do not have a "family burden"
So I'm not in the system
They don't give me the family subsidy
And I'm fighting to get it...
Juan Carlos Feres was in charge of the Casen during their work in the CEPAL
Now he is the Vice President
of the Foundation for Overcoming Poverty
- For saying in some way,
Some errors in identification
Of the poor groups
In the survey Casen
Does not display automatically on improper exclusion or
inclusion
of a certain group of beneficiaries
Anyway
What everyone expects
that there were
a good match.
Because
Otherwise, the diagnostic
That we made
From the Casen survey would not be accurate
They would not be realizing
of the reality as it is. The Casen measured the poverty
By the cost of a basket of basic needs
That is composed for two other baskets
One of food needs and one of non-food needs
The food basket that was created in 1987 and is the one that is still used.
It consists of a series of products that contains the caloric supply
necessary for human survival.
According the National Statistics Institute the cost of this basket is 36.049 pesos (72 USD)
The first social goal needs to be that
allows them buy a minumum of 2.000 calories per day
That's what set the basket and that is what we still measure in Chile.
That's an alert voice that although it is insufficient to measure only by income
We have to beware that with the basic parameter
we still have in Chile
2.400.000 persons
who don't have the money to enable them to buy at least 2000 calories per day
With the money that she received from the Family subsidy
Veronica goes to buy food.
That she will need for the coming two weeks
- For example, today we spent
more that "100 lucas" (200 USD)
because we had to buy in different places
- It is a bit complicated for us
we eat a lot of chiken
"Cazuela" of chicken, mashed potatoes with chicken
or french frites with chicken.
Sometimes with the money of the Family Subsidy
you can manage better the month, because even if it isn't
a huge amount of money
It is a sh*tty amount of money what they give to you
¿Did these products that Verónica bought, have something to do with
the food basket of 1987?
Products like red meat, fish and others,
really represent what Verónica buys and needs for the coming
weeks?
- The consumption pattern of Chileans has changed
We do not consume the same that was consumed in 1987
It doesn't represent
exactly, which is the real situation
of home economics
because
The products have changed
even the poorest people are consuming
- I bought hamburgers for the week
Because we were really lacking food
We had nothing...
So I bought hamburgers and hot dogs
for the fridge,
Not for eating now!
- Food consumption has now been diversified.
Today the legume consumption
Is not the same as it wast in the past, and that is something that must to be recalculated
- In the food basket there is half liter of oil, today no one sell oil in a bag
you go to a poor village
I live next to one
And it's impossible to find someone selling oil in a bag
in the past, every store sold it, but not anymore
The potatoes, fruit and vegetables, I do not buy that at the supermarket
because it is much more expensive. I prefer buying it
in the street market.
We bought a few things for the house
but to date, we have non...
It is hard to being poor...
It's very difficult...
you know, because...
sometimes
when your Children come and say:
- "Mom..I'm hungry"
And what do I say to them? if we don't have a thing?
For being under the poverty line
Verónica can go to the Cityhall to ask for help
- When I go to the Cityhall to ask for help
They help me
It could be food
and they do give it to me
But I can't go every month
because there is other people who need help
Despite the notorious difficulties of Verónica to be able to have food in her
house
There are others factors that make it even more harder for her and her family
to satisfy all their needs...
- Then
I go to the school, Ignacia finished Middle School this year
I have to pay arround 20.000 pesos (40 USD)
Of my kid Nefi
I have to pay the party for the end of school year
or a school trip
it about l10 lucas (20 USD)
And for Brenda it's less
like 7 lucas (14 USD)
plus the food for the break, the coins
for the jeans day on Fridays
and all that, I spend more money on the "extras" that on things for the house
To the value of the food basket we have to add the value of the
non-food needs basket
composed by education
transportation, housing, hygiene and communications
According to the program of Chilean poverty estimation of 1987, satisfying
this kind of needs has the same money value
that the food basket needs
So,, for years the estimation of the urban
poverty line in Chile is:
The price of the food basket
multiplied by the "2 Factor"
leaving the poverty line today in 72.098 pesos(160 USD) per person
- With 36.000 pesos (72 USD) for food I can not live...
It's imposible...
It's imposible...
I'd like that someone from the goverment to came to my house
with 70 lucas (140 USD)
we'll see what he's going to be able to buy with that 70.000 pesos (140 USD)
- The first, is the food basket.
It happened that the food price has grown,
At least in a 70%, so the prices are now crazy
And then you multiply by two?
has nothing to do with it!
Also, consumption is different
has nothing to do with 1987
a poor person today spends between 80 and 100 USD
in transportation every month
with that, it changes the pattern of consumption, it changes the entire basket.
- The poverty line is arbitrary
It's a line that
loses significance over time, I mean the basket
are becoming obsolete, however it's very difficult
find a equivalent line
with a basket more appropriate
Here is the question about
If the poverty line in Chile is representative
Can the non-food needs be satisfied
with only 36.049 pesos (72 USD) per person by month?
We spend 10.000 pesos (20 USD) in electricity
5.000 or 6.000 (12 USD) in water
And
like 11.000-12.000 (24 USD) pesos in gas
In only basic housing costs Verónica spend 28.000 pesos (56 USD) per month, without counting
costs in health or education
On electricity I spend between 15.000-20.000 pesos (40 USD)
20.000 maximum
On water is 11.550 (23 USD)
The gas
that now is more expensive
I spend 12.000 (24 USD)
total
Evelyn spends 43.000 pesos (80 USD) on housing costs
- Food have lost relative price, regarding the
total consumption
accordingly that "factor 2· now can be 2,2 2,4 or 2,6
but higher that 2!
actually, that's what other surveys indicate it in the late 90's
and later again
in the 2000.
For the sisters San Martin
These non-food costs are the most difficult to deal with it
They can hardly afford them.
but paradoxically for Evelyn it is even more difficult that for her sister
Verónica
For Evelyn
even if she is over the poverty line, it's harder for her than her sister
that is below the poverty line.
And the worst part is because of her disease she can not do anything about it
- I think
that if she can have a little more money she would not have so many problems
because
she
She pays the money for the school for her daughter, other things for her daughter
some food for the month and then the money is finished...
With our budget we can help
Our estimate of 2013 is for 250.000 families
but watch it.These are families.
If you multiply by 4 people per family, that's what the CASEN says
about the numbers of family members in Chile,
We can help at least 600.000 people approximately
they will receive some benefit from the state
- There are people who get all the benefits...
and why she can't she have them?
She lives in my mother house
She has much less than I do.
Sometimes I have nothing
then it hurts not being able to give money to her
when she needs it
In here, with my kids, we get cans,
iron
things to sell in the street market
This Saturday
I started working with Felipe Barros
he is a political councilor running for reelection
We go to work at "La Manrresa"
We work
just one day of the weekend, is Saturday or Sunday
for 4 hours it's 6 lucas (12 USD), it's not that bad
"bye take care!"
But i have more possibilities
Because I can work, while she can take care of my kids
Anyway I
give money to her for taking care of the kids.
I would like
the government to take better care of the people.
We must ask...Why if the food basket value is update
every year then
Why isn't the value of the non-food basket (Factor 2) updated as well?
the most important topic is about the "Factor 2"
We have to know that half of the family consumption is the food or if it is
less than that. If you multiply by 2,5
you get a totally of 340.000 pesos (650.000) and that
increases the number of people living in poverty
up to the level of 30 %
There is no doubt
That it's essential to update the parameters that we're using to measure
Poverty.
And it is possible to do so because we have the information available.
Required to do it
There's no reason to keep postponing
this update.
The doubt is even bigger if know that they already had the
technical tools
To update the calculation. Why hasn't it been recalculated then?
It hasn't been made only because political reasons.
there are no technical reasons to not do it.
There actually is an apparent cost for the goverment that changes the measure,
only for a single change in the methodology.
Off course, that cause your popularity to decrease. Bur it's better to be honest
Because that way you can make the right corrections
and for the future, will really help the people under the line of poverty. And to
stop repeating actions and measures
that will never allow us to eradicate poverty.
When my kids come to me and say:
"Hey mom... i'm really hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
- There's nothing...
Sometimes, he works for a gentleman, doing any kind of job,
even fixes his tires...
and gives my kid "2 lucas" (4 Dollars)
He gave me that money.... so I could
afford the bread
or for something to put inside that bread...
And it breaks your heart hearing your kid going out... only to work...
By the year 2009, the department of planification and development,
By the year 2009, the department of planification and development,
Commited himself
along with the chilean Congress
that according to the 2009 budget, it was established that for the next
edition of the poll (Casen)
it should have been updated.
But it's not. Chilean goverment
is still owing something to the people.
- It hurts that, for example,
during Michelle Bachelet goverment, poverty increased and during this current goverment
has decreased...
Why is this not possible? if this actually was what happened
In relation with the polemic double result of the Casen survey, that the goverment announced,
of a 15%
and then a 14,4%, methodological doubts were born, an example, was the question "Y11",
and then a 14,4%, methodological doubts were born, an example, was the question "Y11",
which was counting a "family assignation bonus" as part of the income.
On the other hand, this affected the Cepal as an institution
And put it's reputation in danger working with the Casen,
in which since the beginning of the survey,
has been a major collaboration on it's execution.
It's absolutely essential that
the current department of social development
besides that Cepal, during that time, hadn't asked them to do it,
answers the whole country
Being completely transparent
about how
they had the background, but didn't listen the Cepal anyway.
- Not having a single thing... That's being poor...
because,
all rich people have a lot...
when my daughter asks me to give her something..
that's when i feel terrible...
She says to me: "Mom, I want buy something"
And i don't have a thing to gave her...
How can you made a "big thing"
about the results that the Casen survey delivered, this 14,4%,
if in the metropolitan region (Santiago), or the 8th region,
and the 5th region (Valparaíso)
the poverty, actually, increased?
And that's where half the population of Chile lives.
In the end,
it shows that
Poverty in the country,
is decreasing.
And that the chilean economy, has recoved
it's capacity to reduce poverty.
After all the political discussions that during months, where on the front page of newspapers
It's important to highlight that the experts agree
that the Casen Survey needs an urgent update.
- We want to get pass this discussion,
and get out stronger than ever
and that's why we decided to wait
for the INE (National Institute of Statistics) to be completely autonomous and independent from the goverment.
and that we have, also,
a new, more demanding, line of poverty in the country.
- Our goal must be to strenghten our forces, for the people that live below this "Poverty Line", leave their situation,
Our goal must be to strenghten our forces, for the people that live below this "Poverty Line", leave their situation,
But we must also block
the ones that can fall under this line...
the ones that can fall under this line...
And that requires not only to take care of the "Statistically poor"
But also, the "statistically vulnerables"....
These sisters give eachother an unconditional support,
But it's Verónica the one that has to be constantly taking care financially
emotionally so she can have a better life...
A total paradox if we think that, according to statistics she's the poor one
and not her sister, Evelyn.
The composition of the food basket,
and "Factor 2"
Are the key factors to establish the poverty line in the country
and at the moment, this has been taken out of the picture in the current polithical discussion.
and at the moment, this has been taken out of the picture in the current political discussion.
This outdated line of poverty, make us think in the actual amount of poor people
and vulnerables that live in Chile today?
Has poverty really decreased?
How many poor people are in Chile?
We'll have to wait for the start of a new survey
To know all these answers...