Archive for category: Poverty Reduction

Information and stories about poverty reduction.

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Poverty Reduction in the New Congress

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The recent shakeup of the U.S. Congress could prove to set different standards when it comes to dealing with poverty. In the past, Republicans and Democrats have been at odds about how to handle Americans living in poverty.

Historically, the main difference between the two parties stemmed from a difference in opinion about the funding of social services intended for the lower classes. Republicans contend that spending on social services creates a feeling of entitlement among the poor.

Many social services providers are wondering how their organizations will be affected by the newly elected Republican majority. Democrats and Republicans remain staunchly divided on issues including raising the minimum wage and increasing support for Medicaid and others. Both parties want to help the 45 million Americans living below the poverty line. The problem remains that there are vastly different views on how to tackle this issue.

The economy negatively affects the middle classes as well. Senator Tom Harkins of Iowa supports a bill that raises the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour. He says, “The sluggish recovery has left us with chronic unemployment and a middle class in crisis. For the vast majority of American workers, incomes have stagnated for decades.”

As prices on goods and services rise, American jobs pay relatively the same amount to their employers. The inequality between the upper and middle classes is growing and it seems that corporations and businesses are the only ones who are benefiting.

Marge Clark, a lobbyist for poverty alleviation in the U.S., notes the main reason why poverty in America is growing without a large public response; It is the indifference of of the middle- and upper-class Americans. Inequality and poverty do not garner nearly as much attention as hot button social issues.

Senator Dave Camp (R-Michigan) states that jobs are primarily what lift people out of poverty. So they shift the focus to creating jobs and that regulations should be lifted off companies so that they are better able to produce more jobs. Some say President Obama has stymied job creation. According Senator Camp, taxes and environmental regulations only inhibit job creation.

Whether or not the new GOP majority congress will cut social spending or continue to provide financial services that benefit the poor remains to be seen. What is likely is that anti-poverty groups will seek bipartisan support in congress now that the Democrats are no longer the house majority.

Anti-poverty groups expect a fight. In the past Republicans have sought to cut spending on government subsidized food stamps and other programs many Americans rely on to buy food. In the coming months it will become more evident about how a GOP-led House will respond to this increasingly important problem.

– Maxine Gordon

Sources: Washington Post, USA Today, NPR
Photo: The Nation

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Poverty in Cuba

poverty in CubaThe largest island of the West Indies, Cuba, has often been scrutinized for its turbulent political history. A variety of factors have come into play to make the island nation one of the poorest countries in the world, with a significant portion of the population living in poverty. Such a statistic goes hand-in-hand with Cuba’s unfortunate reputation of struggling to provide housing, healthcare and other necessities. Here are the top five facts about how many people are adapting to living in poverty in Cuba.

1. Agriculture and Climate: Much of Cuba’s economy has heavily depended on the farming of specific crops such as sugarcane, one of the main export products used in trade. In addition, a significant portion of industrial work goes into processing much of these crops for commercial use, such as turning sugarcane into sugar crystals. In total, agriculture and industrial production of these goods make up nearly 30% of Cuba’s GDP. Unfortunately, this dependence on agriculture imposes limitations on Cuba’s ability to make great advances in infrastructure and maintain economic stability. The situation is only made worse due to the tropical climate and prevalence of hurricanes during the rainy season, which can cause widespread damage, suffering and loss of life. When Hurricane Irma struck in 2017, the cost of damages reached well over 13.6 billion pesos (more than $628 million). Over 7,400 acres of plantation farmland were destroyed, causing a brief food shortage and exacerbating poverty in Cuba.

2. The United States Embargo: After the rise of Fidel Castro in 1961, the United States placed an embargo that suddenly deprived Cuban exporters of a significant majority of their exports. Since that point, the embargo continues to restrict trade and access to American products. As a consequence, many people experience a lack of daily necessities from electronics to food. The embargo even includes sanctions against other nations trading with Cuba. The economic restrictions imposed by the embargo have disastrous consequences for those living in poverty in Cuba as they lack daily resources. As of now, there doesn’t seem to be any immediate action towards removing the embargo, but an increase in tourism (especially from Americans) can provide the first step in easing relations between the two countries.

3. Jobs and Employment: Cuba has a very low unemployment rate compared to other nations of similar economic standing, resting at 1.7%. However, a significant portion of working families in Cuba are at risk of income poverty, with an individual having a 41.7% chance of having income problems. These people work in jobs for an average salary lower than that of the national average. Given that the typical family consists of about three people, this results in nearly four million individuals who live in households at risk of income poverty. Moreover, the workforce of Cuba is further destabilized due to the rampant rise of an aging population. Over 20% of the Cuban population is above the age of 60, which also means that fertility rates are low due to these demographic imbalances. So for the average family living in poverty in Cuba, finding work can be difficult. On the bright side, charities like the Caribbean Movement Trust can aid such families in becoming more self-sufficient and maintaining a steady income through education, training and healthcare projects.

4. Housing and Energy: The Cuban government closely oversees transactions and logistics involving real estate and homeownership. It is incredibly difficult to change one’s place of residence as the government imposed a system of enforced home exchanges where homeownership is typically seen as collective ownership, which is controlled by the state. The situation is worse for those living in poverty in Cuba, as they cannot afford constant change and are often living without clean water, gas and electricity. However, international charities such as the Nextenergy Foundation are working toward providing renewable energy to contribute to poverty alleviation in many countries, including Cuba.

5. Healthcare and Education: Despite the many difficulties in their lives, Cubans are able to enjoy free health care and education at all levels. The government controls the distribution of goods such as foodstuffs and medications and has mandated that physical education and sports be integrated into Cuban education in order to promote healthy living. Even for those who live in poverty in Cuba, primary education for children between ages six and 11 is compulsory. As a result, a significant majority of the Cuban population is literate. In addition, women are guaranteed equal educational opportunities and account for more than half of all university graduates.

Cuba’s environment, trade restrictions and general lack of everyday necessities place many of its citizens in poverty. Thankfully, many organizations are working to spread awareness and to donate money and resources to those living in Cuba. Over time and through the efforts of many people, it is possible to speed up the process of development to help this country in need of aid.

– Aditya Daita
Photo: Pixabay

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Bankers Without Borders

Bankers without Borders started with 100 volunteers but, in the past five years, has grown to include 16,000 business professionals, academics and students coming from over 170 countries, working to increase the impact and sustainability of poverty reduction projects. So far, BwB has used its consulting and coaching to help more than 1,000 projects in 38 countries.

BwB was founded in 2008 by the Grameen Foundation, the original banking organization working through microfinance. Its motive for creating BwB was to expand its services to gain coverage in areas not originally reached by Grameen Bank.

The company reaches out by partnering with other organizations, including nonprofits, Fortune 500 companies or poverty-focused social enterprises. The experts work for free, and the Grameen Foundation likes to refer to them as “Skillanthropists;” rather than donating money, the workers are donating their skills, time and knowledge.

The volunteers’ involvement ranges from sparing a few hours a week at the comfort of their desks at work or home, to living and working in the field for weeks or months at a time. The wide range of skills and commitment BwB requires makes it possible for many people of different skill sets to make an impact through the company.

BwB’s volunteers are involved in a wide variety of fields. These include financial consultants, legal professionals, translators, researchers, a marketing staff and even a Human Resource Reserve Corps to address human capital related issues for nonprofit partners abroad.

From an economic standpoint, BwB continues to prove useful. For every dollar spent creating a BwB project, an average of $10 in skill and time has been donated by its pro bono staff, adding up to over $10 million worth of skilled work.

The volunteers work not to create temporary relief for recipients, but rather to implement a sustainable solution for clients to have successful, profit-making businesses.

BwB has formed many useful partnerships over its five years of operation, notably with J.P. Morgan, Mastercard, Google, Bloomberg, John Hopkins University and the Washington Center. As of August 5, BwB has added Wells Fargo to its arsenal of partnership companies, as well.

From the quickly-expanding volunteer base to the quantitative economic data to the qualitative success stories shared on BwB’s website, it is clear that the Grameen Foundation’s extended project has proven successful.

– Courtney Prentice

Sources: Triple Pundit, Bankers Without Borders, Grameen Foundation, Grameen-Jameel
Photo: HW Production

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Planet Aid: Humanitarian Aid and Sustainability

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What is yellow and found in most American cities? Planet Aid bins. Founded in Boston in 1977, Planet Aid was at first a small operation. Donations became so plentiful that the nonprofit had to upgrade its office space and nondescript drop boxes.

Planet Aid’s mission is to inspire people to “bring about worldwide and environmental progress.” The organization is part of the Humana People to People Federation, a source of resources for 32 aid groups working across the globe. Every year, about 12 million people are benefited by Federation projects.

Though Federation aid groups provide an array of services, Planet Aid focuses on collecting and recycling used clothing and supporting development projects.

Discarded clothing is reduced to two functions: sitting in a landfill and creating carbon emissions. About nine percent of American methane emissions are produced by landfills. Over eight percent of landfills are rubber, leather and textiles. Recycling clothes is a step toward reducing the nation’s carbon footprint, but it is also expensive.

Local governments are hesitant to cover the cost, and so Planet Aid steps in. Their bright yellow boxes are beacons of light for environmentally conscious old-jean-holding citizens everywhere. Once collected, some of the clothing is shipped off to domestic thrift stores.

Most, though, are taken to overseas buyers. Why sell overseas? The market is huge. Quality shirts, pants and shoes can be sold to someone in need for a couple dollars.

If people need them so badly, why sell? Because charity can wreak havoc on local economies. It’s better to stock a merchant’s shelves with affordable goods than to put him or her out of business.

Planet Aid revenues are invested in development projects that meet the goals of their mission: “strengthening communities,” “reducing poverty,” “increasing health awareness” and “promoting small enterprise,” among others.

The organization runs projects in 15 countries. So far, Planet Aid has taught 9,500 teachers in India and Africa. From 2010 to 2011 alone, it provided over 5.5 million dollars in micro-finance to Indian women. It raised HIV/AIDS awareness, established a club that teaches sustainable farming practices and founded several vocational schools.

Everything is funded by profits made from clothing and monetary donations. Through its work, Project Aid has shown that humanitarian aid and environmental sustainability are not conflicting interests.

– Olivia Kostreva

Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Planet Aid 1, Planet Aid 2, Planet Aid 3
Photo: Bethesda 365

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The Education Development Center

In the fight against global poverty, it is important to acknowledge some of the more successful combatants. The Education Development Center (EDC) is one of these. As a global nonprofit, it recognizes the correlation between the lack of education and increased global poverty and helps give those marginalized in the world — either due to poverty or war — the chance of leading a better life by means of education. As their website states, over 100 million children do not attend school, and it is this statistic that the EDC is fighting to combat and reduce.

With offices based in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Waltham, Mass., the Education Development Center commands a global staff of 1,350 members. It has over a $190 million budget and over 250 programs spread throughout 30 different countries and across all 50 U.S. states.

Through grants from both private foundations and federal agencies, the EDC creates and implements projects to improve educational and economic prospects of those worldwide. According to the EDC, these projects have ranged from “seed projects to large-scale national and international initiatives.”

Notable donors to the EDC include: the Ford Motor Company, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Education, UNESCO and the World Health Organization. Recently, the EDC has received three grants from the U.S. Department of Education, one for $3.5 million and two for almost $400,000 each, all meant for education development projects within the U.S.

Founded in 1958, the EDC’s first project was to design a new physics curriculum for American high school classrooms. This was partially a reaction to the Soviet Union’s new space program as well as a response to a perceived discrepancy between Soviet Union and American science educations.

Funded by the National Science Foundation, this project became highly successful, and the new curriculum was incorporated into roughly half of American high schools by the early 1960s.

Following the implementation of this first project in the United States, EDC soon began to establish a more global reach. In 1961 and 1966 it began work on advancing mathematics and science programs in Africa. These projects would eventually end up creating, as stated on EDC’s website, “the continent’s first indigenous education research and development organization, Science Education Programme for Africa.”

However, one of its most effective and interesting international projects is the Radio Education or Interactive Radio Instruction.

This radio program that began in 1985 (and still exists today) was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. It uses radios to educate large swaths of people, including adults and children from over 30 developing countries, that would otherwise be unable to receive a basic education, either because of war or poverty.

This dedication to improving the world and combating poverty through education has been sustained throughout the organization’s entire existence. As a result of projects from 1997-2007, for instance, student enrollment in Guinea has doubled.

More recently, the international work of the EDC has focused on reducing youth unemployment in both Rwanda and Macedonia. More vocational training centers, concentrated on teaching technical and interpersonal skills, are being created for these youths.

As 2015 draws near, so does the end of the Millennium Development Goals, eight goals signed in 2000 by 191 countries designed to drastically reduce global poverty. As the international community debates and draws up the next set of goals to target poverty, the EDC will be remembered and depended on for the continued positive change it has enacted since 1958.

– Albert Cavallaro 

Sources: EDC 1, EDC 2, EDC 3, EDC 4, EDC 5, IRIN
Photo: Sasaki

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Spotlight on Team Tassy

On Saturday, July 26 in Denver and Saturday, September 6 in Pittsburgh, the third annual Great American Water Balloon Fight will take place. The profit from ticket sales go to Team Tassy, an organization passionate about ending global poverty. Team Tassy focuses on helping with the health, education, housing and jobs of those in poverty. Its ideology is that everyone can help, no matter how much or how little.

The story of Team Tassy goes back to Ian Rosenberger’s trip Haiti shortly after the 2010 earthquake. Rosenberger met a Haitian boy named Tassy. Tassy, though surviving the earthquake that stripped 300,000 people of their lives and destroyed the homes of 1.5 million, carried a tennis ball sized tumor on the side of his face.

It was ironic to have survived unlikely catastrophes and yet have a future threatened by something that can be treated. However, Rosenberger realized that the removal of the tumor would not guarantee Tassy a future either. Tassy would still face the hardships that come with an impoverished life. Rosenberger understood that to help Tassy and others like him, people must collaborate to eliminate poverty.

Virginia Montanez of the Pittsburgh Magazine conducted an interview of Rosenberger and Tassy in 2011 regarding the journey together that saved Tassy’s life. Within months, Rosenberger raised $50,000 for the surgery in Pittsburgh required to remove Tassy’s tumor. With the help of friends and donors donations poured in. Rosenberger notes that over 500 people had a hand in helping Tassy jump this hurdle.

In the interview, Rosenberger admitted that there were some worrisome periods when they were unsure of the possibility of meeting their goal and their chances of saving Tassy. However, the ultimate success of Tassy’s story proved the immeasurable power of advocacy.

Rosenberger knows that Tassy’s story is not the only one of its kind. Rosenberger kept going and started Team Tassy in order to help others in need. Rosenberger’s vision and efforts have helped Tassy kick-start a future full of possibilities.  Tassy attends college in Pittsburgh and now envisions a hopeful future. He wants to eventually help others, just as others have helped him.

The water balloon fight was one of the events Rosenberger and his team organized to help fundraise for Haitians. The first water balloon fight in Pittsburgh amassed $22,000. Since then, Team Tassy has continued to host the event.

Besides the colorful sight of nearly 100,000 water balloons sailing through the air over a stadium field, participants can spend their day joining in on other activities. There’s music, yoga, carnival games and food. It’s a very festive, family oriented event. People are encouraged to indulge in some childhood fun in honor of a good cause.

– Carmen Tu

Sources: The Great American Water Balloon Fight, Pittsburgh Magazine, Team Tassy, YouTube – Ted Talks, TribLive
Photo: Team Tassy

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ONE Launches New Campaign

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What better way to give the girls and women of the world a voice than by giving them a worldwide platform on which to broadcast the issues that matter to them? That’s exactly the thinking behind ONE’s innovative new campaign called “Girls & Women.” The campaign seeks to “unleash the full potential of girls” by showcasing stories with women at their center.

Women have long been disproportionately affected by poverty; of the most impoverished people across the globe, more than 60 percent are female. Empowering women in developing countries to become full-fledged economic participants is crucial to eliminating poverty, but it begins by solving the social issues behind unequal access to education, employment and financial resources. Putting gender inequality in the spotlight is the first step to achieving equality.

ONE’s new “Girls & Women” initiative seeks to bring about equality by allowing different female “curators” from around the world to share their stories. The very first curator is Phiona Mutesi, a young Ugandan chess prodigy who has used her talent to help her family rise from poverty. On the same page that features stories about female entrepreneurs and resources for female empowerment, Phiona chose to share articles about how she personally escaped slum life, and some of the highlights of her life since then – specifically, challenging her chess hero and learning that Disney is preparing to produce a movie based on her life. Yes, Disney.

In conjunction with the “Girls & Women” initiative, ONE also offers its readers the chance to reach out to their Congressmen (at this time, to promote the Electrify Africa Act,) — an endeavor very much in line with The Borgen Project’s mission. In this way, ONE represents another agency using the power of advocacy to create measurable change. By shedding light on inspiring women and the issues that contribute to their poverty, ONE is working to make the world better for over half of its inhabitants.

– Elise L. Riley

Sources: ONE, United Nations Development Programme
Photo: NBC News

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Conflicting Results on Microcredit Alleviating Poverty


A new experimental study, out June 10th of this year, examines how microcredit, or the lending of small amounts of money at low interest to new businesses in the developing world, may not help jump start poor populations’ financial growth as much as some may think.

The authors of the study, Bruno Crepon, Florencia Devoto, Esther Duflo, and William Pariente, randomly assigned 162 villages in rural Morocco to either receive microcredit (these villages would serve as the treatment group) or not to receive it (and these would serve as the control group).

The researchers, who are affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (or J-PAL), found that microcredit does not lead to families and businesses exiting poverty in the long-run.

This is in opposition to a similar study conducted by Shahidur Khandker and Hussain Samad of the World Bank in March 2014 which found that microcredit increased personal expenditure, labour supply, household assets and schooling of children in impoverished communities of Bangladesh.

Furthermore, Bono, whose humanitarian work in developing nations is highly documented, has lauded microcredit as an effective means of alleviating poverty, stating, “Give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day. Give a woman microcredit, she, her husband, her children and her extended family will eat for a lifetime.”

However, the researchers at J-PAL found that microcredit decreased the amount of time Moroccan laborers spent on work. The effect on investment was greatly offset by a reduction in income from wages. The researchers concluded that access to microcredit, at least in Morocco, did not result in income gains, personal consumption or education of the youth.

Writers at the Economist are attempting to analyze the conflicting results of these two studies, and learn why they produced such significant differences. One theory is that microcredit may only reduce poverty and increase income in the long run, making short term studies irrelevant and ineffective at gleaning a meaningful answer.

The two studies also took place in two very different countries on separate continents. One can reasonably conclude that there may be social, environmental, or political factors at play, as well. Economists refer to this issue as “external validity,” meaning the extent to which a study’s results are generalizable outside of its given context. The effects of microcredit may not be clear until researchers readily take place, setting, and social and political structures into account.

Further research is needed to know whether lending sums of money to businesses in poor areas of the developing world may actually be a beneficial policy. Crepon and his co-authors are currently planning a follow-up experiment to study the long term implications of microcredit. All involved hope to find some answers to these questionable methods of alleviating global poverty.

-Paige Frazier

Sources: The Economist, The World Bank, MIT Economics, Look to the Stars
Photo: African Microfinance Network

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5 Ways to Put Your Time Toward Change

In just one month in 2012, Americans spent a combined 230,060 years on social media according to the annual Nielsen Report. That’s about 6.5 hours per person, if every American used social media, and a whopping 121 billion minutes total. That was two years ago, and social media platforms and usage continue to grow.

That we have managed to collectively squeeze thousands of years worth of time out of just one month is amazing, a true feat that proves the potential for impact when an entire society chooses to dedicate time to one purpose. That this feat was accomplished in the name of liking, posting, commenting and pinning is disheartening. We can do better.

Imagine the improvements to our world if every American spent even half that time, about three hours every month, addressing global poverty issues and working toward solutions. We can no longer claim we don’t have time to make the world a better place.

Here are five ways to put your time toward change:

1. Take a free class on global issues (1-5 hours per week)

Educate yourself on the problems and solutions of global poverty! There are many free courses offered online by prestigious universities that focus on issues like global health and development. Auditing or taking a class for credit is a great way to learn about the current landscape of global poverty issues, and what we can do about them.

Check out sites like coursera.com and openculture.com to access free classes from top universities around the world. Many universities now offer free classes through their websites as well.

Multiply your impact: Take it one step further and share what you’ve learned with your friends, family and community. Give a talk at a local school, write an op-ed for your newspaper or hold a fundraiser. Most importantly, spread the good news; although it sounds too big to conquer, we CAN (and have) reduced global poverty rates.

2. Send a care package (1-2 hours to a weekend project)

Basic supplies can make all the difference. Consider the fact that women and girls around the world miss days of school and work because they lack access to feminine hygiene products/menstrual pads. These collective days of missed income and education add up to real economic losses, keeping women in the cycle of poverty. Girls are forced to use whatever they can find — newspapers, leaves, rocks — as sanitary supplies, and are sometimes exploited in exchange for hygiene.

Days for Girls distributes sustainable feminine hygiene kits made by individuals and groups in the U.S. to women and girls around the world. The website includes patterns, instructions and videos so that you can get involved and sew reusable pads for the organization to send. There is also information about joining a kit-sewing chapter near you and tips for starting your own, as well as ways to help if you can’t sew.

Imagine trying to run a school without chalkboards, books or pencils. Check out organizations like Books for Africa, International Book Project and Kids to Kids International to learn more about how to send books and supplies to schools and kids around the world.

Multiply your impact: Enlist the help of your team, group or classroom to hold book and school supply drives, and make care packages together. Gather your crafty friends and have a hygiene kit sewing party.

3. Contact Congress to secure support for essential poverty-reducing legislation (30 seconds to 2 minutes)

Getting in touch with your congressional leaders is surprisingly easy and highly effective. Because congressional leaders want to track what issues are important to constituents, their staffers tally every issue and bill the office receives calls, letters and emails about. Every contact you make counts (literally) and even one email means your issue or bill is on the leader’s radar.

The Borgen Project’s Action Center page lists current bills relevant to global poverty and includes links to send a formal email to congressional leaders for each. Just fill out your contact info once, and then click to send emails urging support for crucial legislation. Use the link at the bottom of the page to read more about each bill.

Click here to search congressional phone numbers by your zip code, and here for tips on making the call. It’s as easy as saying, “I’m a constituent and a Borgen Project supporter, calling to ask (leader name) to support the (Water for the World Act).”

And if you have more than two minutes to spare, you can write your own letter or email to Congress. Click here for tips and samples to get started!

Multiply your impact: Call weekly, and enlist friends and family members to do the same. Forward a link to the Action Center to your address book. Host a letter and/or email-writing party on your campus, with your friends or in your community.

4. Volunteer your time and skills to the cause

There are plenty of ways to impact global poverty without leaving your city. A quick Google or GuideStar search will return many volunteer opportunities and ways to get involved with international aid organizations based in your area. These groups need volunteers for everything from packing boxes of supplies for relief efforts, to helping organize runs, fundraisers and other community events, to representing the organization by tabling events.

Hands-on volunteer projects abroad are also great — if you possess the skills necessary to be successful. Consider your skill sets when choosing a project, and avoid things like signing up to build a school if you know nothing about bricklaying. Taking part in projects in which you can’t actually be helpful can do more harm than good. Instead, focus on what skills you have to offer and choose volunteer opportunities accordingly.

Multiply your impact: Ask staff to stay in touch about upcoming activities, and volunteer regularly. Bring friends and family along. Use social media to advertise any organization events or upcoming volunteer opportunities.

5. Write a check (30 seconds!)

There are many deserving organizations working on a host of issues related to global poverty. GuideStar is a great place to search for nonprofits of interest to you, or start right here and give to The Borgen Project! Donating is a quick and easy way to make a difference.

Multiply your impact: Sign up to give monthly. Practice deferring — writing a small donation check instead of that cup of coffee, movie or dinner out you could do without. Ask the company you work for to consider donating to The Borgen Project and other global poverty organizations.

— Sarah Morrison

Sources: Nielsen, The Borgen Project, BooksForAfrica, CongressMerge
Photo: Wallpapers Craft

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Three Global Poverty Myths Debunked

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In the beginning of 2014, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation published its annual letter. This year, the letter reported three common global poverty myths that the world needs to better understand in order to inspire change. Through the report, the duo explain why the myths are false and, ultimately, why U.S. foreign aid and outreach are extremely positive and worthwhile.

The reports on the first two myths were written by Bill Gates. The first explains the inaccuracy of the claim that poor countries will remain poor forever. The second attacks the idea that foreign aid is a waste of time and money.

Melinda Gates has made falsifying the third myth her mission, as her section of the annual letter identifies and clarifies the common misconception that overpopulation will result from saving too many lives.

The Foundation encourages their readers to share the ideas of the letter. In order to promote awareness of the truth about foreign assistance, the hashtag #stopthemyth has been developed. Using the “#” symbol, a popular search tool on social media sites, supporters can effectively share information on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

The following is a list of three informative YouTube videos with the #stopthemyth label.

1. “Top 5 Myths About Global Poverty… Debunked”


Global Citizens responded positively to the #stopthemyth campaign. In this video, the organization presents five false thoughts about poverty in Africa and illustrates the truth in a creative way.

The video is a testament to the power of the #stopthemyth label. By tagging their video with this slogan, creative minds at Global Citizen can pair with the Gates Foundation to spread ideas. Visit their channel here.

2. “You Decide: Save the People or Save the Planet #StopTheMyth”


Melinda Gates narrates a video that discusses her personal project in the 2014 report. The footage of children in the video is inspirational, and the information is clear and succinct. Added visuals also contribute to its effectiveness.

The video is a product of the Gates Foundation’s YouTube channel, which has produced many more short, yet informative, clips with reasons to “stop the myth.”

3. “Bill Nye, Science Guy, Dispels Poverty Myths”


A large percentage of the American population recognizes Bill Nye the Science Guy as a trustworthy source of information. This video is no exception. In a creation of The Gates Notes channel (the YouTube account for Bill Gates’ blog gatesnotes.com) the popular science educator and television personality highlights truths about foreign aid’s place in the national budget. He also describes its potential effect on children of impoverished nations.

—Emily Walthouse

Sources: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 1, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2, YouTube
Photo: Blogspot