Extreme poverty is everyone’s problem

Global poverty is a topic near and dear to the heart of illuminAid’s mission and affects millions worldwide. Thankfully, the number of people living in poverty has declined in the past few decades.

From 1990 to 2015, it fell from 36 percent to 12 percent, thanks to a United Nations initiative that bestowed debt forgiveness on numerous countries. As a result, many of these countries could now invest in their health and education sectors. India and China saw the most decline in poverty. For instance, China’s government invested in its infrastructure to provide water to many of its rural areas.

However, the International Monetary Fund predicts that the global economy growth rate will decrease to 4.4 percent this year instead of the originally predicted 4.9 percent. Many factors contribute to this alarming prediction: the uncertain nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, and the war in Ukraine. Inflation also has resulted in higher food prices in Sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, the increasing interest rates from the U.S. Federal Reserve are putting developing nations at risk, making it harder for developing countries to feed their citizens and provide adequate healthcare.

According to the World Poverty Clock, by 2030, most stable countries will eradicate extreme poverty, while one-third of people in developing countries will still be living in extreme poverty. Africa specifically is projected to consist of one-third of the world’s people living in poverty by 2030. Its fragile states, notably Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and others, will shatter records for the highest number of people living in extreme poverty.

In turn, geographical location now has an even greater influence on people’s economic class.

Extreme poverty has plagued humankind for millennia and will continue to be a critical issue in the years to come. IlluminAid’s work around the world has helped improve the lives of those living in extreme poverty. For instance, in 2020, we conducted a workshop in Kenya to help Africare create videos to spread the word about proper diet. We also worked with several organizations in Burkina Faso with UNICEF. Together, we worked on the issues of farming techniques, healthcare and WASH.

Our projects in Kenya and Burkina Faso were successful and helped contribute to the cause of battling extreme poverty and stimulating economic growth. As we see it: When everyone contributes, we all see growth.