J.K. Rowling may be most famous for her adventurous and classic tales of witchcraft and wizardry, but the author of the Harry Potter franchise has much more up her sleeve. The Lumos Foundation, Rowling’s charitable organization, has bettered the lives of millions. A well-known advocate for international human rights, Rowling spent time volunteering for Amnesty […]
93 million children around the globe have a moderate or severe disability. Many of these children live in developing nations that do not have the financial or social tools to make necessary accommodations for special needs children. Even more disturbing is the discrimination against children with special needs, making children who need our support the […]
In an age where the acquisition of wealth and all of its shiny, glossy and overpriced accompaniments dominates the American dream, groups of individuals around the world elect to relinquish their worldly possessions, embracing a life of material destitution. Individuals who take the formal vow of poverty typically belong to a religious order, specifically, the […]
Often, the assumption is that the world’s poorest countries must have a low cost of living; unfortunately, the average annual income (GNI) in poor countries is often too low to purchase many of the things Western Civilization considers basic necessities of life. With this discrepancy, it is possible to see how so many people are […]
On January 22, the Geneva II Middle East Peace Conference opened in Montreux, Switzerland. One of the major focuses of the conference is an attempt to curb the civil war in Syria. Since the beginning of Syria’s civil war in spring 2011, over 100,000 people have been killed. The Oxford Research Group posted an independent study […]
Global issues such as homelessness, hunger and addiction have long inspired captivating portrayals of poverty in film and television characters. The Hunger Games The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins depicts an alternate universe in which 12 districts are controlled by a single malevolent leader. Each year all twelve districts must offer up tributes to compete […]
1. Poor Countries Will Remain Poor “Poor countries are not doomed to stay poor,” Bill Gates says, “By 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world. Almost all countries will be what we now call lower-middle income or richer” Botswana, Cape Verde and the Maldive Islands graduated from the UN’s Least […]
“Elementary students across America are taught that slavery ended in the 19th Century. But, sadly, nearly 150 years later, the fight to end this global scourge is far from over.” Hillary Clinton wrote these words in an op-ed she penned as Secretary of State. Her words were calling the world’s attention to the hideous prevalence […]
There were only 148 cases of Guinea Worm infestations reported worldwide last year, which is a leap forward compared to the 3.5 million cases less than two decades ago. This disease is known to many as “dracunculiasis” which means, “affliction with little dragons,” due to the pain the worm causes on the skin. Hope remains […]
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and inspiration for Jesse Eisenberg’s role in The Social Network, has committed $1 billion to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVC). Audiences who remember the movie might be surprised by this contribution, considering the depiction of Zuckerberg in the film was essentially that of a ruthless and self-serving young man. […]
