Untold Realities: The Many Faces of Poverty – A Personal Exploration by RAPAR Members


Poverty affects people in many ways, and understanding these differences can help us address it better. Recently, some members of the Refugee and Asylum Participatory Action Research (RAPAR) group came together to talk about what poverty means to them personally. This discussion took place at the RAPAR office a few weeks ago, providing a space for people to share their experiences and views on poverty. Our conversation was about both individual hardships and our struggles as a community.

During our meeting, we found that the idea of poverty is very personal and can mean different things to different people. For some, poverty means not having basic things like food, shelter, and clothing. For others, it means not being able to get education, healthcare, and other important services. Despite these differences, we all agreed that poverty affects every part of our lives daily.

As refugees and displaced people living in the UK, we all agreed that we experience poverty in deep and significant ways. This might not be true for every refugee or displaced person, but for those of us in the discussion, it is a fact. The challenges we face are many and affect our housing, education, health, and mental well-being.

We decided to focus on how poverty affects health. One member shared her story about health problems. She was told to follow a specific diet for her health, but because of money issues, she couldn’t. This shows a bigger problem: how not having enough money can make health problems worse, creating a cycle that is hard to escape.

Food banks are a crucial help for many, but they are not a perfect solution. The same member mentioned that while food banks provide much-needed help, the food they offer often doesn’t meet the dietary needs of people with specific health issues. This gap between the food provided and what people need makes the tough situation of living in poverty even harder.

Our discussion at RAPAR showed us how poverty affects health in many ways. Not being able to afford a healthy diet, get necessary healthcare, or live in decent housing severely impacts our physical and mental health. These challenges affect not just individuals but our whole community.

In conclusion, understanding the many faces of poverty means listening to those who live it every day. Our stories and experiences as members of RAPAR show how complex poverty is, especially when it comes to health. We hope that by sharing our experiences, we can raise awareness and inspire action to address the root causes of poverty and improve the lives of refugees and displaced people in the UK.


This piece is part of the Untold Realities of Poverty in the UK which is a key tool within our campaign “Poverty Is a Human Rights Issue”. The campaign aims to: