Wouldn’t it be great if people could make sure that everyone had enough to get by? What if there was no more poverty in the world? I am sure you’ve at least heard of people who, due to factors beyond themselves, are unable to earn a fair living for themselves. Living in extreme poverty, some work for less than $1.25 per day. Where I live you would not even be able to buy a candy bar with that amount of money, let alone put food on the table for your family. What do you think the world might look like if no one lived in poverty?
The United Nations (UN) has been hard at work trying to end extreme poverty in the past decades. For instance, in 2015 ten percent of people who were living in extreme poverty, all over the world, were lifted out of poverty. In 2019 a further eight percent were helped.
The goal of the United Nations is to get rid of extreme poverty everywhere by 2030 and they’ve been doing a good job, right?
Well right, but the UN now reports that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are seeing the first increase in poverty in twenty years. Up to one hundred million people may be plunged into extreme poverty again, with much of the previous decades of hard work being undone in a single year. Needless to say, the pandemic has highlighted the need for social protection of the most vulnerable. The UN is currently working hard to find ways to undo the damage done by the pandemic.
By donating money to a local initiative, you could help out someone who lives in poverty but unfortunately, you would not solve their problem. You, the younger generation, have the futures in their hands. It is safe to say that the current system is not working for everybody. Old ways of thinking won’t create new opportunities. There is a need for change and the change must start with you!