Today is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

According to the United Nations, every three and a half seconds someone dies from hunger or hunger related causes. There is more than enough food in the world to keep all of these people fed, healthy, and alive, but because they are so poor they cannot get enough food.

What Can We Do?

The media is abounding in pictures and stories of people around the world who are living and dying in poverty. Like most people, my heart aches when I see these images and I wonder, "What can I do, especially in these difficult times when I, myself, am just eking by?" 

In 2002, at the Monterey Conference and again at the Johannesburg Summit, The United States and 21 other countries signed an agreement to give 0.7% of their national income in aid to poor countries. Five of the countries have met their goal. Eleven countries are scheduled to meet their goal by 2015 or sooner. Six countries, which include the United States, have not yet made a schedule for when they will meet the goal. 

If all 22 countries meet their goal it would generate $195 billion dollars a year, enough to effectively end hunger and extreme poverty in the world. If you go to Poverty.com, you will find a letter that you can print, sign, and mail to the White House urging the United States to schedule a date and work toward fulfilling this world altering agreement.

Find Out More
Also on Poverty.com you will find a list of informational resources to help you learn more about poverty, what is being done to eradicate it, and what you can do to help. There are people out there coming up with answers, and they need as much help as they can get to make their plans a reality. If each of us does as much as we can, one day the faces of poverty might just be a memory.

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