Young people feel discouraged in today’s political environment. As an age group, they tend to have the least number of resources, know-how and influence. Global poverty and suffering are some of the most widespread issues today and many young people feel helpless because of the magnitude of these problems. Here are three people under 30 fighting global poverty and inspiring young people globally.

José Quisocala

The first of the people under 30 fighting global poverty is José Quisocala who is a high school teen fighting poverty in his home country of Peru. He realized at age 7 that there were many children around him who did not have the same access to schools, health care or stable family life. He coupled his compassion for others with his desire for a clean environment and created The Banco del Estudiante Bartselena. The Banco del Estudiante Bartselena is a bank that allows children to turn in the litter they have collected in exchange for money. José has been running the bank for more than nine years, and during this time, he has helped more than 6,500 children pay for meals and schooling.

Joshua Williams

Joshua Williams is another high school teen who has put his heart and soul into changing the world around him. As a 4-year-old in Miami, Florida, Joshua realized there were kids in his neighborhood that were malnourished. To combat this, Joshua founded the nonprofit called Joshua’s Heart. Joshua’s Heart employs teenage volunteers to help raise money for the organization, package donations and distribute aid packages. Over the past 12 years, Joshua has globalized his nonprofit and has helped to bring food and hygiene products to almost half a million people across seven different countries. Joshua continues to work hard and encourage young people to join the fight against global poverty.

Sonita Alizada

Sonita Alizada is an Afghan rapper in her 20s who is globalizing and advocating efforts to end child marriage. She was born in Afghanistan, and during her early childhood, she and her family escaped the Taliban regime. Sonita and her family lived impoverished lives as refugees in Iran, forcing them to sell Sonita into child marriage at age 10. The contract fell through, but Sonita was only free until age 16 when her family tried again to sell her into child marriage. Sonita miraculously escaped and now uses her story to shed light on the saddening state of child marriages, which often have roots in extreme poverty. Thousands of girls share Sonita’s story, which inspired Sonita to make a difference by using her rapping skills to spread awareness.

Closing Thoughts

Global poverty is not an issue that one person or group of people can solve alone. Solving global poverty will require a united effort to tackle an issue that plagues people across all stretches of the planet. Young people generally feel the most discouraged about being able to make a change, but these examples of people under 30 show how kids and young adults can play integral roles in fighting global poverty.

– Alexandra Curry
Photo: Flickr