Impact Poverty | Sisters 4 Peace

Did you know…?

3 billion people - nearly half the world’s population - live on two dollars a day.
Of the 2.2 billion children in the world, about half of them live in poverty.
According to UNICEF, 26,500-30,000 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. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”

The gap between wealthy nations and poor nations has ever widened over the past few years:

3 to 1 in 1820
11 to 1 in 1913
35 to 1 in 1950
44 to 1 in 1973
2 to 1 in 1992-

So…what is the problem?

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights created by the United Nations in 1948, each and every person in the world is entitled to a list of basic rights for living: the right to work, the right to education, the right to health, and the right to overall well-being. The Human Development branch of the U.N took an ever further step by announcing that in order to break free from the cycle of poverty, people must also be provided an environment in which their creative interests may allow them to reach their full potential.

Yet as shown by the previously listed statistics, barriers are impeding over half the world’s population from reaching their full, human potential. These barriers include:

Lack of education, skill, experience, intelligence.
Handicaps in the form of age or other health reasons
Work orientation, time horizon, culture of poverty.
Discrimination of race, sex, etc.

In sum, POVERTY IS THE DENIAL OF HUMAN RIGHTS.

The world’s response

In the year 2000, 189 world leaders met at the United Nations Millennium Summit to inaugurate a global war against poverty. And although the goal of eradicating poverty is incredulous enough to many, even more surprising was the deadline by which the countries set to accomplish this goal: the year 2015. Hence, to make sure no time was wasted in the next 15 years, an ambitious 8-prong offense entitled the U.N Millennium Development Goals was immediately put into action; addressing issues such as extreme hunger, lack of education, gender inequality, poor child care, poor maternal health, HIV/AIDs, environmental pollution, and the need to establish global partnerships.

Now, eight years later, awareness and benefits are becoming widespread. The year 2005 was heralded as “The Year of Development”. Then, in 2007, 43.7 million people of 127 different nations all stood up against poverty on the same day; breaking the Guinness World Record of 25.3 million in the preceding year and adding hope to the entire campaign.

Now it’s your turn…TAKE ACTION!

Here are a list of ways that you can begin to take action to raise awareness about and combat poverty in your community-but be assured that these are only suggestions, and in no way exhaustive.

Raise awareness with the White Band!

What is the white band? It is a universal symbol of the plight against poverty. However, do not think that it is only limited to the rubber band that goes around the wrist. The symbol has also been manifested in the following methods (IMPORTANT: make sure you receive permission from the proper authorities before doing so):

Wrap trees in your local park
Wrap a famous building, monument or clock tower
Wrap a key venue where decision makers are meeting
Wrap buildings that people pass on the way to workWrap the lamp posts on a street
Forming human chains around a tree or a monument with a plethora of white-colored props/shirts.

Fundraise to Support Poverty-Fighting Organizations

For your birthday or another holiday, hold a charity potluck in which the contribution or gift that each person brings is a donation to a specific organization or cause

Organize a Canned Food Drive

Ask your school, your friends, and family to fight local malnutrition by bringing a nonperishable food item for the food bank.

Organize a Homeless Simulation!

Line the participants along the edge of a secure yard/field. Make sure that none of the participants are wearing anything more than a tshirt and a pair of pants. Shoes, socks, and any sweatshirts/jackets not permitted.
Hand out $5.00 to each participant - this will be all they have for 24 hours, with which they will need to purchase transportation to and from the bathroom and/or “food stand” (where they will also buy food)
Dump a pile of decent sized cardboard boxes and newspapers in the middle of the yard/field along with a limited amount of socks, old T-shirts, and sandals.
Once you blow the whistle, all participants may charge forward and gather not more than two pieces of cardboard, one sock, and one shoe. There will be some who will have to do without an item or two. NO BLANKETS OR SLEEPING BAGS ALLOWED
After 24 hours is up, gather the participants together and hold an open discussion about the experience.

TAKE ACTION TO ERADICATE POVERTY!

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