“There is enough food in the world today
for every man, woman and child to have
the nourishment necessary for healthy and
productive lives.”
- World Food Program
for every man, woman and child to have
the nourishment necessary for healthy and
productive lives.”
- World Food Program
Poverty Reduction Success Stories
Think poverty can't be addressed? Think again. In recent years, millions of
people have been assisted out of extreme poverty. Below are some of the many
victories in reducing human suffering:
Think poverty can't be addressed? Think again. In recent years, millions of
people have been assisted out of extreme poverty. Below are some of the many
victories in reducing human suffering:
- Over the past 20 years, the number of the world's chronically
undernourished has been reduced by 50 percent.
- Life expectancy in the developing world has increased by about 33
percent.
- Smallpox has been eradicated worldwide.
- More than 3 million lives are saved every year through USAID
immunization programs.
- During the 1990's, hunger was cut in half in China.
- Forty-three of the top 50 consumer nations of American agricultural
products were once U.S. foreign aid recipients. Between 1990 and
1993, U.S. exports to developing and transition countries increased
by $46 billion.
- More than 50 million couples worldwide use family planning as a
direct result of USAID's population program.
- In the past 50 years, infant and child death rates in the developing
world have been reduced by 50 percent, and health conditions
around the world have improved more during this period than in all
previous human history.
- Early USAID action in southern Africa in 1992 prevented massive
famine in the region, saving millions of lives.
- Literacy rates are up 33 percent worldwide in the last 25 years, and
primary school enrollment has tripled in that period.
- USAID child survival programs have made a major contribution to a
10 percent reduction in infant mortality rates worldwide in just the
past eight years.
- Investments by the U.S. and other donors in better seeds and
agricultural techniques over the past two decades have helped make
it possible to feed an extra billion people in the world.
- According to UNICEF's State of the World's Children Report, the
child mortality rate in developing countries has decreased by 27%
since 1995.
- An estimated 135 million people were assisted out of extreme
poverty in low-income countries between 1999 and 2004.
- Today, more children go to school than ever in human history, and
tens of millions more today than in 2000.
- Since 2000, measles deaths have been reduced 74 percent
worldwide due to a focused effort to vaccinate children in
developing countries.
- Between 1970 and 2000 the infant mortality rate fell from 96 to 56
per 1000 births.
- In 2008, the World Food Programme (WFP) has purchased a
record-breaking 552,000 metric tons of food in southern Africa, the
equivalent of providing 2.75 million hungry people with a full food
basket for an entire year.
- Botswana doubled school enrollment rates in 15 years.
- Sri Lanka increased life expectancy by 12 years in less than a
decade.
- Despite sub Saharan Africa being one of the most challenging
places to tackle poverty, since 1999, the share of people living in
poverty has fallen by nearly 5 percent across the region.
- Since 1990, 800 million people have gained access to improved
water supplies and 750 million to improved sanitation.
View more successes at USAID
5 WAYS YOU CAN HELP
RIGHT NOW
Direct from the President of The Borgen
Project, these are the five most important
ways you can help advance the cause and
improve living conditions for the world's poor.
1. Call your congressional leaders
The Borgen Project has quickly become a
politically powerful ally for the world's poor
and much of that influence has come from
Borgen Project supporters across the country
who make weekly Hero Calls to their
representatives in Congress. Political leaders
receive a weekly report from their staff that
tallies the number of calls they received on
each issue. Every call you make gets noticed
by your political leaders!
Time requirement: 30-seconds per call.
2. Mobilize your People
Mobilize your friends and family to call their
congressional leaders. Oftentimes a political
leader in Congress will support a
poverty-reduction bill with as few as 6-7
people calling their office.
Time requirement: 60-seconds per person.
3. Donate
President Barack Obama was able to build a
highly-effective, well-funded movement,
because everyday people donated what they
could $10, $25, $50. It all has an impact in
bringing political attention to global poverty.
Time requirement: 3-minutes
4. Build Buzz
Email, call, chat, Facebook... There are many
ways can you build buzz for the cause and
engage those around you.
Time requirement: Varies
5. Sign-up for E-Alerts & News
Our research shows that people who receive
The Borgen Project's E-Alerts become more
knowledgeable of the issues and engaged in
the cause.
Time requirement: 15-seconds
RIGHT NOW
Direct from the President of The Borgen
Project, these are the five most important
ways you can help advance the cause and
improve living conditions for the world's poor.
1. Call your congressional leaders
The Borgen Project has quickly become a
politically powerful ally for the world's poor
and much of that influence has come from
Borgen Project supporters across the country
who make weekly Hero Calls to their
representatives in Congress. Political leaders
receive a weekly report from their staff that
tallies the number of calls they received on
each issue. Every call you make gets noticed
by your political leaders!
Time requirement: 30-seconds per call.
2. Mobilize your People
Mobilize your friends and family to call their
congressional leaders. Oftentimes a political
leader in Congress will support a
poverty-reduction bill with as few as 6-7
people calling their office.
Time requirement: 60-seconds per person.
3. Donate
President Barack Obama was able to build a
highly-effective, well-funded movement,
because everyday people donated what they
could $10, $25, $50. It all has an impact in
bringing political attention to global poverty.
Time requirement: 3-minutes
4. Build Buzz
Email, call, chat, Facebook... There are many
ways can you build buzz for the cause and
engage those around you.
Time requirement: Varies
5. Sign-up for E-Alerts & News
Our research shows that people who receive
The Borgen Project's E-Alerts become more
knowledgeable of the issues and engaged in
the cause.
Time requirement: 15-seconds
