‘When COVID-19 struck in 2020, sending many Asian countries into lockdown, CNA’s Insight series zoomed in on its impact on the poor - with teams on the ground in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, India and Hong Kong. Poverty rates soared for the first time in almost two decades, dealing a blow to decades worth of poverty alleviation efforts.
‘With well over 100,000 views per episode, Poverty in Asia drew thousands of comments, ranging from words of encouragement for our profiles, to asking questions such as “is this poverty porn?” and “Why do the poor have so many children?”.
‘The producers behind the episodes, Aji Yahurti from Indonesia, Chen Yih Wen from Malaysia, Lolita Lachia from Philippines and Insight’s Ikhwan Adrian Rivai answer viewers’ questions and talk the about the challenges faced in recording the stories of the poor, amid a pandemic.
‘They also share about unexpected kindnesses and life lessons they learnt from those living in scarcity. One profile from the Philippines, Tricia Borromeo, had received $2,000 in donations to resume her university education, after the episode was released.’
View here (Channel News Asia video, Feb 18, 2021)
