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InspirationPhotography

This Kind of Poverty: A photographic exploration of children's views on poverty

In This Kind of Poverty, award-winning photographer Spencer Murphy teamed up with the charity Save the Children to investigate what children living in one of the most deprived areas of the UK think about poverty.

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Via direct submission

Via direct submission

Visiting the Poplar Boys and Girls Youth Club in London's Tower Hamlets, Murphy photographed Billy, Claire, Amira, Sydnee, Trey and many more – pairing their portraits with their own written notes on the very subject.

Frank, honest and heartfelt – the pictures and accompanying words set out to highlight the charity's UK Poverty campaign, which aims to call on the government to encourage more employers to pay the living wage, strengthen the new Universal Credit welfare system and help parents afford to work by providing extra childcare support.

Reading Adam's thoughts, poverty means "not having the basic things to live, like food, clothes, education". For Jaden, it's about "not having toys" and "no showers". Put simply, Claire believes poverty means "not being able to have anything".

According to Save the Children, which commissioned this unique series to mark the launch of its first-ever domestic appeal and survey of child poverty in the UK, Britain's poorest youngsters are bearing the brunt of austerity, while parents on modest incomes are increasingly struggling. To find out more, or to get involved, visit www.savethechildren.org.uk.

Handwritten note on grid paper reading "not havin toves no showes" with a small blue drawing below
Young child in profile wearing a white t-shirt, with braided hair, looking downward against a plain grey background
Handwritten note in red ink listing items with "no" prefix: shelter, food, clothes, water, electricity, lunch and toys
Young boy wearing a navy New York Yankees cap and white t-shirt holds coiled cables around his shoulder, looking directly at the camera
Handwritten note in pink pen on white paper reading "NOT being able to have anything
Young girl with blonde hair wearing a pink and white striped cardigan, looking directly at the camera against a neutral background
Hand-written note listing electrical appliances (lights, toaster, kettle, oven, fridge, microwave, TV) with sketch of a kettle and explanation that these are things the writer wouldn't have without electricity
Young girl with braided hair and a patterned hair clip wearing a red top, photographed by Spencer Murphy for the This Kind of Poverty series
Child's handwritten list on grid paper showing things that cannot be bought by clothes, food, footwear, houses, motors and cleaning supplies like bleach, toothpaste and toothbrush
Young person with curly dark hair wearing a black t-shirt, photographed in profile against a neutral background
Handwritten note in pink ink on lined yellow paper expressing thoughts about fairness and what children lack, from Spencer Murphy's This Kind of Poverty project
Close-up portrait of a young person with short dark hair and green eyes wearing a black t-shirt against a neutral background
Handwritten note in pink pen describing poverty, with simple drawings of a shoe, dog head, t-shirt and tent below the text
Young girl with long dark hair wearing a floral patterned sleeveless top, photographed against a neutral background for Spencer Murphy's This Kind of Poverty project
Handwritten note stating "a family get and food i wuold be sad if i didnt have these" with simple line drawings of two pets labelled Coco and Sachar below
Young person in blue polo shirt looking downward with a contemplative expression, part of Spencer Murphy's This Kind of Poverty photographic series
Handwritten note on grid paper in red pen stating "I feel special due to the fact that their are many children who can't afford to get the basic thing to life, like food clothes education
Young boy in a red t-shirt with printed design, looking directly at the camera against a white background
Handwritten text on lined paper reading "I did going to school
Young boy with short dark hair wearing a white vest top, looking directly at the camera against a plain background
Two young people stand against a grey background wearing casual sports clothing, looking directly at the camera with serious expressions
Young boy with short dark hair wearing a navy mesh sports vest, looking directly at camera against a neutral background
Young woman with black braided hair and white hair clip, wearing a white crop top and light blue jeans, looking directly at camera against neutral background
Young child wearing a light blue t-shirt and grey cap, looking directly at the camera against a neutral background
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