Percentages are often bandied about without really realising the full impact of the data that they are attempting to convey.

One such instance surfaced on Wednesday, as a study regarding poverty in Malta was published. The preamble to the study pointed out that 9% of the population were living in severely materially deprived households. It’s easy to brush the figure away, saying that it doesn’t really sound that high.

But if you dig your calculator out and extrapolate the numbers, you are faced with a totally different reality. 9% of our population works out to roughly 40,000 people. It suddenly seems a lot higher.

Severely materially deprived households are those where people cannot afford to heat their homes adequately in winter. It also means that the occupants cannot afford to eat a dish of meat, fish, chicken or a vegetarian equivalent every other day. It also means that these people cannot afford to pay for unexpected expenses. It is actually quite harrowing to think that such a number of people amongst us live in such a precarious state.

Another fact which emerged from the study in question showed that roughly half of one parent families are at risk of poverty. More often than not, these families involve a single mother and one or more children.

The study also showed a clear correlation between unemployment and poverty. Out of those 40,000 – 73 % were unemployed, and again, if we crunch the numbers, the figure comes up to about 30,000.

So, if we look past all the percentages, 40,000 people in Malta and Gozo can be classified as extremely poor, and out of those people, 30,000 do not have jobs. It all then becomes a relentless circle of deprivation. To have a job, one must look good and be able to at least afford a suit. To afford a suit, such people will have to scrimp and save – and that means more deprivation on the home front. If such people have children, what are they going to do? Let the children go hungry, or feel cold?

President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca has already said that her tenure as president will be characterised by a drive to eradicate poverty. It certainly seems that she has her work cut out for her. When one looks at the figures again, her appointment starts to become more apparent, in terms of the government saying that it wants to work hand in hand with the presidency to really grab the bull by the horns and close the gap between rich and poor. The government has started doing its bit. Utility rates have been reduced, VAT refunds have been given and efforts are being made to put more money into people’s pockets. But now, the government must also assist the presidency in targeting those areas of Maltese society where poverty is endemic and so engrained that it is next to impossible to change. We owe these people in our society more, especially those who are actively seeking to improve their lives.