What would it take to change the world?
On 17 October 1987, more than 100,000 people gathered in Paris to honour the victims of extreme poverty, violence and hunger.
Five years later, the United Nations General Assembly declared 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and it has been observed annually ever since.
Act now
If present trends continue, by 2030 575 million people will still live in extreme poverty. Poverty is not just a lack of income; it’s a lack of: education, food, health care, shelter, political inclusion, choice, safety, dignity.
What would it take to change the world?
‘Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Its manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic services, social discrimination and exclusion, as well as the lack of participation in decision-making.’
Source: United Nations
‘We confess to being fools and wish that we were more so... What we would like to do is change the world – make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe and shelter themselves as God intended them to do.’
Dorothy Day, ‘Love is the Measure’, 1946
‘Now is the time to renew the social contract between governments and their people and within societies, so as to rebuild trust and embrace a comprehensive vision of human rights. People need to see results reflected in their daily lives.’
United Nations, ‘Our Common Agenda’, 2021
Be a Change Agent
‘We need to accept structurally that the poor have sufficient dignity to sit at our meetings, participate in our discussions and bring bread to their own tables. It is about much more than “social assistance” or “welfare”: we are speaking of a conversion and transformation of our priorities and of the place of others in our policies and in the social order.’
Pope Francis, 2020
Act locally Think globally Pray Be inclusive Vote
Raise awareness of poverty in your conversations. This enables people to spot it around them and do something about it.
Imagine yourself living the lives of those around you and use this perspective to inform your words and actions.
That the world will see the poor as people and not as a problem.
The eradication of poverty requires actions from everyone – including those most affected.
So that governments will do more for those living in poverty.
