From the Salmon

So, if we’re going to talk about global poverty, we should probably get a few things out of the way first.

Let’s not mince words. People are dying needlessly in numbers that might make you weep. Helping them is not only something we can do, it’s something we must do.

But how? Well, I’ve got some bad news and some good news.

The Bad News

The bad news is that, to be serious about addressing global poverty, we have to begin by facing up to the enormity of this issue. And it’s a Big One. In fact, I’d argue that poverty is perhaps the most widespread, most fundamental problem the world faces today:

• 1 out of every 5 people in the world today tries to live on only $1 a day.
• Half — that’s right, half — of the world’s people struggle to live on less than $2 a day. This includes 8 out of 10 people in Africa.
• Poverty leads to hunger — more than 850 million people in the world are undernourished.
• 1 out of 3 Africans are undernourished.
• Undernourishment, particularly in childhood, leads to reduced productivity, heightened risk for disease, reduced cognitive ability, etc.
• 30,000 children under the age of 5 die each day mostly from treatable and preventable diseases like diarrhea, respiratory illness, malaria and measles. That’s one child every 3 seconds.

I could keep going, but you get the point. The impact of poverty is huge, widespread, and crippling.

The bad news is that we also need to realize that global poverty will be awfully complicated to solve. As we’ve seen, poverty begets hunger which begets disease, both of which then deepen poverty. Add to that vicious cycle the effects of weather, corruption, debt, bad trade policy, war, societal stigma on certain treatments or disease prevention measures, insufficient or non-existant infrastructure, and the self-interested policies tied to assistance and you begin to see just how many issues need to be tackled simultaneously in order for sweeping, lasting change to occur.

Ending poverty will not be easy. It’s best to admit this going in. To bring about real change, we need to be in this for the long term.

That’s the bad news.

Oof, you say. What’s the good news?

The Good News

The good news is that, with a problem of this scale, there is vast opportunity for each of us to be involved. Even though there is a complex web of causal issues at stake, you don’t have to involve yourself in every issue to make a difference. Find one that moves you, educate yourself, and figure out a way to become involved.

The good news is that, even though the numbers I wrote about earlier are intimidating, bringing those mind-boggling numbers down starts with helping individuals. There are simple ways for you to dramatically impact the life of another individual. Start there.

The good news is that, over the past few decades, we’ve built some powerfully effective charitable organizations that reach out to individuals and communities, not just governments. 50 years ago, World Vision was a fledgling organization started to help orphans from the war in Korea. Last year, they distributed $700 million in aid to nearly 100 countries. 50 years ago, World Relief, Oxfam, and CARE were just starting to expand their efforts beyond helping war survivors. 50 years ago, there was no Food for the Hungry, no Doctors Without Borders, no Northwest Medical Teams, no Mercy Corps, no World Concern. And this is only a partial list.

My point is that, in 2005, we’re fortunate to have organizations that offer expertise, workers, and infrastructure to complement the important aid work done by governmental agencies. And they make it easy for you to give, to volunteer, to educate yourself, to get involved.

The good news is that this is a problem that everyone can be involved in fighting. It doesn’t matter if you’re conservative, liberal, male, female, young, old, educated, uneducated, rich, middle-class, poor, Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist.... You’re human. Every bit as human as the people who need your help so desperately.

The good news is that you’re much wealthier than you ever realized. Seriously.

A Bit of a Confession

Over the next few days and over the life of this site, I’ll be writing more about this and other aspects of the fight against hunger and poverty. But first, I have to make a confession. As I write about these issues, I know that there will be times when I come across as preachy. I apologize in advance. If that’s the case, it’s probably because I need to convince myself of this as much as I’d like to convince you.

Look, I’ve grown up around people who make this their life’s work. But the truth is: aside from writing checks to some of the aforementioned aid organizations, and aside from doing occasional volunteer work, I do shamefully little.

As I write about this over the next days and months, I’d love to hear about your experiences. If you’re involved in this work, I’d love to be inspired by your story. If this is new to you or hitting you in a new way, I’d encourage you to think, research and write about this. Let me know if you do. If you’ve actually read this far and you need help with research or finding a place to connect with, I’d be happy to do what I can to help. Just drop me an email.