International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
This article was written by Hannah Belayachi, Director of Public Relations, with information from the UN and Global Issues
Over 3 billion people in the world live on under $2.50 a day. Furthermore, one billion children live in poverty; 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services, and according to UNICEF, around 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world.
On December 22nd, 1992, the UN passed a resolution recognizing October 17th as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This day aims to ensure that the active participation of people living in extreme poverty and those furthest behind is a driving force in all efforts made to overcome poverty, including in the design and implementation of programs and policies which affect them. In order to monitor progress, the UN participates in the updating of the World Poverty Clock, which takes information from various international organizations in order to track progress on getting citizens of the world out of poverty and exposing them to opportunities they might have never dreamed about. Additionally, the UN has formulated a Sustainable Development Goal for impoverished areas, which “calls for an end to poverty in all its manifestations by 2030. It also aims to ensure social protection for the poor and vulnerable, increase access to basic services and support people harmed by climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.”
With the issue made aware, and with donations to programs such as Just For Kidz, we can be one step closer to living in a world in which no child has to be deprived of an education simply because of where they live or how much their parents make. No child should have to be afraid of dying from the water they drink or not having access to healthcare, and together we can build a world in which every child can be carefree and full of dreams that they can achieve.
