Currently, 1.3 billion people around the world live in extreme poverty. These people live on less than $1.25 per day, which roughly equates to enough money to purchase food, clean water and fuel for two meals.
The Development Committee of the World Bank set the goal of ending extreme poverty by the year 2030 and there has been some progress toward helping those who live in poverty. In the last 30 years, the proportion of the world’s population that lives below the global poverty line has been cut in half.
This was a steady decline, going from 52 percent in 1980, to 43 percent in 1990, 34 percent in 1999 and the latest numbers state that the percentage of people living in poverty was last at 21 percent.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people living in poverty has declined from 58 percent in 1999 to 49 percent in 2010.
“Eradicating poverty in a generation is an ambitious but feasible goal,” stated the United Nations General Assembly.
The decline from 1.9 billion to 1.3 billion is a great change, but there are still 1.3 billion people living without the means to properly support themselves and their families.
However, there are tools that can help elevate people from poverty, including education, health care, water and sanitation, economic security and child participation.
When children receive a quality education, they gain the knowledge and life skills that they need to break the cycle of poverty. Studies have shown that a better-educated workforce, along with a highly trained workforce, is more likely to enjoy higher earnings. This can also allow them to access better healthcare.
Poverty and poor health are “inextricably” linked. The causes of poor health for those around the world can be rooted in political, social and economic injustices. Poverty increases the chances of poor health, which then in turn can trap communities into poverty. Marginalized groups and individuals who may be vulnerable are often affected the worst, deprived of information, money or access to health services that can help them prevent and treat diseases.
Diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria account for nearly half of all child death globally, and many other diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, have affected over a billion people worldwide, thanks in part to poor water and sanitation.
“Sanitation is a cornerstone of public health,” said World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. “Improved sanitation contributes enormously to human health and well-being, especially for girls and women. We know that simple, achievable interventions can reduce the risk of contracting diarrhoeal disease by a third.”
Preventing the spread of diseases also helps improve education for children, allowing them to be an added asset to their community. When children take part in their community, it helps engage them as citizens and aids them toward a higher economic prospect.
Allowing people to grow by giving them what every person should have allows them to grow economically, but by also providing ways to prevent and treat preventable diseases, the economies of developing countries will grow as well — thus shrinking the number of people who live in extreme poverty around the world.
– Monica Newell
Sources: Heath Poverty Action, Global Citizen, Prospect, WHO, New York Times
Photo: UN Foundation
Iranian Population Increases and Contraception Decreases
As the rest of the world begins to tackle the growing population problem and the threat humans have to the environment, Iran pushes forward with a goal in mind to increase the country’s population.
Hovering around 77 million citizens, Iran is no small country. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently announced on his website that he wishes to “strengthen national identity” with this proposed Iranian population increase.
He also blamed Western culture for the rise in contraception usage and stated that the country should avoid these “undesirable aspects.”
The inherent expectation to come of this campaign is the reduction in access to contraceptive health, damaging the future of women’s rights as well as public health in Iran. Contraception was only introduced to Iran in the 1980s, and its likely disappearance will surely not be taken lightly. Not only will the population increase with no access to contraceptives, but so will the rates of sexually transmitted diseases. Contraceptives have long held more function than simply birth control.
Groups such as the AIDS Research Center at Tehran University have recognized the dangerous path this campaign is heading toward. Without complete access to contraception, educators will not be able to teach community members ways to practice safe sex and prevent the spread of AIDS.
This population policy does not address the needs of the modern Iranian citizen as represented in the reformist group. Those in poverty who struggle to support a small family will face great hardships if they have restricted control over the size of their family.
Iranian reformists are concerned with the future of the country under this new ruling due to its potential impact on women’s equality.
Many believe Iran is taking steps backward with this course of action, shying away from progressive women’s rights. Women’s rights in Iran have seen dismal support and this does little to eradicate that.
Since 1986, the population of Iran has fallen about 2 percent, which may play a part in the government’s decision to incite this new ruling for Iranian population increase. However, according to the World Population Review, Iran’s population is already on the road to rapid increase, with a majority of the population being held in the younger generations and immigrants from surrounding countries. It’s possible that with this new decree, the population will shoot up at alarming rates and threaten the stability of the country.
-Elena Lopez
Sources: Reuters, NY Times World Population Review, Khamenei
Photo: LA Times
Can the ICC Spur Change in the DRC?
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—a country currently at the bottom of the Human Development Index—the sentencing of Germain Katanga at the International Criminal Court (ICC) this past week has brought mixed reactions.
The Court convicted the former commander of the Forces de Résistance for his role in the February 2003 attack on the village of Bogoro in North-Eastern DRC that resulted in the deaths of over 200 people.
Conflict has consumed this area of the DRC, and more specifically the Ituri region, for years. The power struggle stems from the drive to control the local natural resources, namely gold. Approximately 130,000-150,000 persons in Ituri alone mine gold, often working over 12 hours a day.
High gold taxes and exploitation of small-scale miners prevents many from achieving a decent standard of living. This, in partnership with low agricultural production, produces hunger throughout the population.
Of the two convictions the ICC has realized since its inception, both defendants committed their crimes in Ituri. Critics of the Court point to the prevalence of indicted African leaders as an example of political influence. The failure to enforce their indictments, as in the case of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, has weakened the Court’s credibility.
Signatory states to the ICC’s Rome Statute can also refer certain cases to the Office of the Prosecutor, which means governments may use the Court as a weapon against political opponents rather than a source of justice. Critics have also questioned the influence of the West on the Court, considering 60 percent of ICC funding comes from the European Union.
The ICC appears to be arriving at a crossroads between political showcase and legitimate enforcer of the law. Were the Court to gain its intended footing on the international stage, it would have the opportunity to affect change in the DRC. Deterrence aside, criminal trials allow victims to finally describe their experiences, which can help in the process of national reconciliation.
Implementing law promotes the stability that could do little to harm an economy destroyed by years of warfare. Each trial brings media coverage that can be harnessed to advocate for aid to the DRC. Regardless, the relationship between the ICC and the DRC will be interesting to watch in the coming years.
– Erica Lignell
Sources: Brookings, European Commission, International Policy Digest, IRIN, La Presse, World Bank
The Relationship Between Aid and Security
Since the end of World War II, foreign aid and national security have evolved in close proximity. Indeed, in the decade that followed, United States foreign assistance would range between 1.5 percent and 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP.)
Since then, foreign aid has played an important role in advancing national security through several of its components: “bilateral development aid, economic assistance supporting U.S. political and security goals, humanitarian aid, multilateral economic contributions and military aid and assistance.”
However, during the Cold War, this relation began to change. As the U.S. refocused its foreign policy toward containing the Soviet Union, foreign assistance began to drop as a percentage of GDP. But still many development programs remained in place, working toward bringing about political reform and democratization. The dominant logic that political reform and development would create stable and open regimes that could resist communist ideology.
The purpose of many programs did not changed since then: expanding access to healthcare services and education, reducing infant mortality rates, reducing hunger and even protecting the environment. Following the end of the Cold War, the main purpose was refracted; by then, the main target was no longer to contain the Soviet Union but to foment development and economic growth in poor countries.
This also meant that the share of military assistance versus aid also changed. During the Cold War, almost 50 percent of the foreign aid’s budget was allocated to military assistance. By 2001, it had dropped to 24 percent. While the humanitarian and development aid budget increased from 33 percent to 46 percent. The period between the end of the Cold War and the September 11 attacks is characterized by a shift toward prioritizing economic development and opening access to healthcare and education in poor countries. Although no imminent threat existed at the time, national security consideration always remained at the heart of foreign aid.
After the attacks of September 11, this relation between national security and foreign aid changed once more. By 2005, the war on terror had the U.S. engaged in providing foreign assistance to almost 150 countries. Once more the shift was toward containment, but this time of jihadists and extremist activities. Since September 11, the region that has received the bulk of U.S. aid is the Middle East.
Despite the many ups and downs in the road of U.S. foreign aid, the world still looks to U.S. to provide leadership in response to erupting crises around the world. If we are to take a few lessons from this close relationship between aid and security, they are that no matter what the threats are, a key component of national security is a stable world and the best way to achieve is by bringing people out poverty and giving them access to healthcare and education.
Responding to crisis world wide does not have to entail military might. While development and economic aid results can be longer term than military intervention, the long history of the U.S. as a major aid contributor shows that it certainly pays off.
– Sahar Abi Hassan
Sources: Foreign Aid and Foreign Policy: Lessons for the Next Half-Century, The Foreign Policy Initiative
Photo: ForeignPolicy
Rise of Private Education for the Poor
In recent decades, substantial progress has been made in student enrollment in primary schools around the globe. Even in some of the most poverty-stricken regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, enrollment has risen from 54 percent in 2000 to 69 percent in 2011.
However, despite the dramatic increase in the number of children who are in school, just being in a classroom does not translate into students receiving a proper education — one in which they are able to keep up with global standards or are even acquiring the skills they need to be successful.
Challenges like malnourishment, lack of educational resources and teachers who are ill-equipped or ill-prepared to teach, all lead to situations where although students are in school, they are not actually learning.
As a consequence, there has been a rise in private education for the poor, addressing the needs of children in even the world’s most impoverished countries.
For example, in Pakistan, where more than half of the population lives on less than $2 a day, many parents are spending 10 cents a day to send their children to the private schools where they know their child will get a better education.
In India, 28 percent of children attend private schools and, maybe even more revealing, four out of five public school teachers send their kids to private schools.
Private schools are filling a gap in providing an education that ensures students are not just sitting in a classroom idly, but that they are acquiring skills and knowledge. Yet, private schools are not able to truly address the educational needs of a nation and often are only available for those who can afford the cost and who are in the right location.
Despite the fact that literacy has dramatically improved around the world, the rise in private education demonstrates an on-going need to make sure public education is providing students with skills they need to be successful. If all students in low-income countries were able to read at a basic level, 171 million people would be lifted out of poverty (equivalent to a 12 percent cut in world poverty).
Access to free primary education is enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights and therefore is intended to be provided by a country’s government.
Providing strong primary educational opportunities is an investment into the future of a country.
Each additional year of schooling for children can lift the average annual gross domestic product of a country by .37 percent. Education provides skills that open opportunities to jobs and helps boost productivity and economic output.
The rise in private education is a great motivator for governments to make sure that the education they do provide is not only meeting global standards allowing their students to compete and grow the economy, but also that it will provide them with the skills they need to be successful individuals in their local communities.
– Andrea Blinkhorn
Sources: Foreign Policy 1, UNESCO, Cato Institute, The Borgen Project, Global Partnership for Education
Photo: Education News
UNICEF and Star Wars: Force for Change Campaign
Ever wonder what it would feel like to be a Wookie? Or how about a Jedi Apprentice with a knack for pod-racing? Well thanks to Disney, Lucasfilm and Bad Robot productions, fans can turn their dreams into a reality by supporting the Star Wars: Force for Change campaign, a movement dedicated to finding innovative solutions for some of the world’s biggest challenges.
“We’re thrilled to offer a chance to come behind the scenes as our VIP guests and be in Star Wars: Episode VII. We’re even more excited that by participating in this campaign, Star Wars fans will be helping children around the world through our collaboration with UNICEF Innovation Labs and projects,” said director J.J. Abrams in a recently released YouTube video.
In coordination with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Innovation Labs, the Star Wars: Force for Change campaign will give fans the opportunity to appear in the new movie by contributing $10 through the Omaze fundraising platform. All funding will go toward aiding impoverished children living in places such as China, Uganda, South Sudan and Zambia.
“UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to help the world’s most vulnerable children and young people identify solutions and create change,” said Christopher Fabian, UNICEF Senior Adviser on Innovation and co-Lead of the Innovation Unit.
Contributions from the Force for Change campaign are already being funneled into sustainability projects across the globe, most recently in China, where solar-powered learning kits were recently distributed to underprivileged children who lacked access to basic education.
“We work together with the greatest technologists and designers of our time to create open-source solutions that help millions of people. The support from Star Wars: Force for Change will help to bind these innovators together on a mission to solve the world’s most pressing problems, and create a better future,” said Fabian.
Other technology-related projects that are being explored include solar-powered computer kiosks, mobile tracking applications and text messaging solutions which set out to notify families of medical results. While such news is encouraging, many will remain in the dark as most of the world’s poorest regions lack access to basic technology. It is estimated that nearly 60 percent of the globe’s population—around 4.2 billion people—lack access to the Internet, a statistic that Star Wars: Force for Change hopes to decrease.
“We wanted to honor and carry on that positive spirit as we start production on Episode VII and use Star Wars to make a difference in the world. Star Wars: Force for Change will help us do that, letting us give back to the fans who keep Star Wars alive, and raising much-needed funds for programs,” said Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm productions.
As UNICEF works toward creating innovative solutions for some of the world’s most troubling challenges, fans and supporters alike can show their support by making donations through Omaze through the end of May until July 18. While a $10 donation gives you the chance of winning a role in the Star Wars movie, there are a number of different giveaways and reward levels you can reach by increasing your donation amount.
– Jeffrey Scott Haley
Sources: CNET, LA Times, Omaze, UNICEF, UNICEF USA
Photo: Charity Streams
Photo: Flickr
Victims of Rape in Haiti Stand Up for Justice
Loutchama was just 12 years old when she was a victim of rape in Haiti. Her attacker, a man named Etienne Rene, and Loutchama’s neighbor at the time, reportedly had noticed none of her family members were home on April 30, 2011. After hearing of the rape, a physical altercation between Rene and Loutchama’s mother, Adrienne, would result in Adrienne’s eventual arrest. Yet, while Rene, too, was arrested at his home soon afterward and would eventually be put on trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison, Adrienne feels devoid of justice. Loutchama died on August 26, 2013, and Adrienne believes it to be a direct result of Rene’s sentencing.
It would not be until a year and a half after Loutchama and her mother filed for rape against Rene that he would be sentenced. Haiti’s Minister of Justice, Jean Renel Sanon, says that it usually takes “four months” from the time a rape is reported to make it to court. Yet, all too regularly, cases are prolonged. Inevitably discouraged by Haiti’s judicial patriarchy, cases are usually given up by the victim mere months after their happening.
Poverty is a factor, too. Those with more money can afford to have warrants served expeditiously, guaranteeing them quicker justice. Yet, for the majority of poor Haitian women, their cases — which are at the hands of the judge — can be held stagnant for as long as five years if they are not dropped prior. A UN study conducted in 2012 proved just this. In a sample of 2010 reports, only one of a total of 62 rape cases filed over a three-month period made it to court.
For women like Loutchama, going through the judicial process is a constant reminder of their attack. Many of these women, most who work as street vendors, cannot afford a day off from work to go to trial and, subsequently, resort to unofficial monetary arrangements with their rapists. Of course, this poses a major problem. More often than not, poor rapists cannot actually afford to pay their victims, and zero judicial ties to the promise results in complete injustice.
Now crippled by her daughter’s death and worried for her own safety, Adrienne — who, prior to the case, had never even heard of the term “human rights” — believes Rene’s payback has just begun. “I’m poor,” she said. “And I will never have justice.”
Yet, Rene’s 15-year sentence may just be the long-awaited beginning of said justice for rape victims in Haiti. Through the recent works of Haitian organizations such as the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, more rapists are being persecuted than ever before. In 2011, 13 of 22 rape cases resulted in conviction. While rape culture in Haiti is still all too prominent, many of these women are just beginning to feel secure enough to stand up for their own human rights.
– Nick Magnanti
Sources: IJDH, JJIE, Salon
Photo: Ehowzit
#YesAllWomen Dominates Twitter
In light of the recent Santa Barbara massacre, Twitter users have taken the web by storm through the #YesAllWomen hashtag. The result has been incredible: voices around the world have given personal (yet all-too universal) recollections of misogyny as it exists in their professional, social and familial lives. An example of social media’s power to do good in the world, the campaign is only growing as more than a million posts (and counting) have been spreading around the web.
Elliot Rodger killed six students from the University of California-Santa Barbara last week, and wounded 13 others. Just before the massacre, Rodger wrote a 140-page “manifesto” crippled with misogynistic remarks, claiming that he would take “retribution” for the crimes against him and would punish the world for those women who refused to sleep with him. The media frenzy that followed proved unique: the massacre and its aftermath was about more than just one mentally disturbed man exacting revenge. It is about a culture of misogyny and the detriment it can cause.
Today, more than 311 million working-age women live in countries where sexual harassment is not outlawed in the workplace. In many less-developed countries, a third of women are married or in a union by only 18. Around 60 percent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime, and 2.6 billion women live in countries where rape within marriage is not outlawed.
These statistics are what the campaign #YesAllWomen stands for: across the world and in varying degrees, women are still treated as lesser citizens. #YesAllWomen works to teach that we have remained all-too blind, and it is doing so in strides.
Accessible to most of the world at any time or place, the campaign has brought a unique, understandable perspective of feminism to the most-reached platform in the world: the Internet. Yet despite the campaign’s current popularity, many wonder if it will do any good to solve the problem in the long run, comparing the campaign to short-lived, social media frenzies like #BringBackOurGirls (which has died down in response to the now popular #YesAllWomen.)
These social media phenomenons, some argue, do little to prevent or change the actual circumstances of the problem. Yet it can be argued that their real success is by infiltrating and educating by providing a much-needed lesson as to why misogyny is a serious problem we must work to fix. #YesAllWomen attempts to bridge this problematic gap.
– Nick Magnati
Sources: CNN, Chicago Tribune, UN Women, Foreign Policy
Photo: The Province
Are Global Standardized Tests Hurting Education?
Academics from around the world are questioning the validity of global standardized tests. This concept is not new. Standardized tests have been the center of educational controversy for years. This time, however, a specific global standardized test is being targeted as unfair to the students taking it and detrimental to the education systems administering it.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an exam given to 15-year-olds as a way to determine the strengths and weaknesses of education systems. PISA is administered every three years, and it focuses on reading, mathematics and science. It is examined on a national level, allowing countries to evaluate their education systems and make changes based on their students’ performance.
PISA was created by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The initial goal of the survey was to allow countries to learn from the educational policies of other countries that scored well. OECD claims that because the exam is not curriculum-based, it should allow for a true testing of how students can apply their knowledge to real-life situations.
Academics worldwide, however, believe that PISA is hurting the education systems around the world by making countries compete for the top rankings and decreasing the value of education in the long run.
In an open letter to Andreas Schleicher, the President of PISA, academics and school activists from around the globe express their concerns with the test and its consequences on education. The letter has received over 115 signatures.
The letter addresses many concerns about PISA and its long-term effects on education systems. The signatories believe that the rankings provided from the results of the exam cause countries to take drastic action to improve their ranking in three years. This may provide short-term results for a school system, but an entire education system cannot be improved in three years. It can take decades for educational policies to prove their effectiveness. PISA is causing schools to take short cuts to get higher in the rankings instead of creating real policies that can improve the education their students are receiving.
The academics opposed to the test also believe that PISA is causing schools to focus on preparing their students for the workforce, and therefore teaching a very narrowed curriculum. A strong point in their argument states that the goal of education should be “to prepare students for participation in democratic self-government, moral action and a life of personal development, growth and well-being.”
PISA is also being accused of diminishing the importance of the arts, increasing the idea of “teaching to the test” and taking away the freedom of teachers to teach how they choose.
The competition spurred by the exam means that PISA is not doing what the OECD intended for it to do. Instead of learning from other education systems, nations are attempting to drastically change their policies to get ahead in the educational race. As the PISA committee prepares for the 2015 exam, academics hope that a reevaluation of the consequences of the exam will bring a change to the assessment.
– Hannah Cleveland
Sources: Desert News, Diane Ravitch’s Blog
Photo: enseignons
5 Most Successful Education Systems
Most countries around the world claim to make education a priority for their children, but some countries outshine others. The education group, Pearson, created a list of the top 20 most successful education systems. Factors like international test scores, graduation rates, amount of people pursuing higher education and other things are considered. But what is it that differentiates these nations from the average ones? What characteristics of the systems of the top five countries award them their ranking? Let’s take a look at the characteristics of the best of the best.
Top 5 Education Systems in the World
1. Finland- Finland’s success begins with its teachers. They are chosen from the top 10 percent of college graduates and are required to obtain a master’s degree in education. In the classroom, teachers are entrusted with the success of their students. There is not a strictly outlined curriculum; instead, teachers are able to do what is necessary to see their students improve. In Finland, 30 percent of students receive special tutoring .
2. South Korea- South Korea has invested heavily in education over the past decade. By making education a priority, young people are more willing to pursue higher education. The value of an education in South Korea is highly revered. Young people understand that obtaining a degree is the best way to ensure success later in life. A lot of pressure has been put on South Korean students, creating a competitive atmosphere in which each student wants to thrive.
3. Hong Kong- Hong Kong provides 12 years of free public schooling for every student. These schools are very structured and organized, ensuring that each student is receiving the same education. Teachers, administrators and the government are all invested in student success. Hong Kong school systems put a lot of emphasis on parent and community participation in the education of their students. Parents are devoted to helping their children both in the classroom and outside the classroom, including helping with homework and studying for exams.
4. Japan- The Japanese education system is based heavily in producing well-rounded students. From an early age, students take classes in all the regular subjects, but also take art, homemaking, music and physical education. By putting an emphasis on these subjects, students are able to learn a wide range of skills and to apply them to other subjects. The pre-high and high school years are the most important for Japanese students, as this is a time when many exams are taken to secure entrance into the best high schools.
5. Singapore- Much of Singapore’s education system consists of high-stakes examinations. Teachers are encouraged to teach what is going to be on these exams and to do it in a way that students will understand. Students from all of Singapore receive the same education because they take the same exams. Teaching is coherent and effective. Singapore also makes education a financial priority, allowing schools to have the best resources and teachers possible.
– Hannah Cleveland
Sources: CIEB, Education in Japan, Huffington Post, ICEF Monitor, MBC Times, Smithsonian Magazine, The Conversation
Photo: Smithsonian
Solutions For Ending Extreme Poverty By 2030
Currently, 1.3 billion people around the world live in extreme poverty. These people live on less than $1.25 per day, which roughly equates to enough money to purchase food, clean water and fuel for two meals.
The Development Committee of the World Bank set the goal of ending extreme poverty by the year 2030 and there has been some progress toward helping those who live in poverty. In the last 30 years, the proportion of the world’s population that lives below the global poverty line has been cut in half.
This was a steady decline, going from 52 percent in 1980, to 43 percent in 1990, 34 percent in 1999 and the latest numbers state that the percentage of people living in poverty was last at 21 percent.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people living in poverty has declined from 58 percent in 1999 to 49 percent in 2010.
“Eradicating poverty in a generation is an ambitious but feasible goal,” stated the United Nations General Assembly.
The decline from 1.9 billion to 1.3 billion is a great change, but there are still 1.3 billion people living without the means to properly support themselves and their families.
However, there are tools that can help elevate people from poverty, including education, health care, water and sanitation, economic security and child participation.
When children receive a quality education, they gain the knowledge and life skills that they need to break the cycle of poverty. Studies have shown that a better-educated workforce, along with a highly trained workforce, is more likely to enjoy higher earnings. This can also allow them to access better healthcare.
Poverty and poor health are “inextricably” linked. The causes of poor health for those around the world can be rooted in political, social and economic injustices. Poverty increases the chances of poor health, which then in turn can trap communities into poverty. Marginalized groups and individuals who may be vulnerable are often affected the worst, deprived of information, money or access to health services that can help them prevent and treat diseases.
Diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria account for nearly half of all child death globally, and many other diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, have affected over a billion people worldwide, thanks in part to poor water and sanitation.
“Sanitation is a cornerstone of public health,” said World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. “Improved sanitation contributes enormously to human health and well-being, especially for girls and women. We know that simple, achievable interventions can reduce the risk of contracting diarrhoeal disease by a third.”
Preventing the spread of diseases also helps improve education for children, allowing them to be an added asset to their community. When children take part in their community, it helps engage them as citizens and aids them toward a higher economic prospect.
Allowing people to grow by giving them what every person should have allows them to grow economically, but by also providing ways to prevent and treat preventable diseases, the economies of developing countries will grow as well — thus shrinking the number of people who live in extreme poverty around the world.
– Monica Newell
Sources: Heath Poverty Action, Global Citizen, Prospect, WHO, New York Times
Photo: UN Foundation