Thanks to Mitch at Philantopic for pointing to a powerfully crafted series of op-ed articles by Mark Lange at the Christian Science Monitor on how to end global poverty. The series opens with this imperative call to action:
Could it be possible to eradicate abject poverty in one lifetime? Ever since it was first asked, the question has seemed an improbable wish – a salve for the heart, untenable to the mind. But today, the answer is as clear as it is imperative: Yes.
The idea that every living person can have the basics essential to human survival – and from there, begin to climb the ladder of economic development – is a prospect within reach. It does not require a master plan that solves all the world's problems. It does demand that wealthy nations change their approach in ways both subtle and significant.
It also means that the world's poorest – the last billion people who barely survive on the equivalent of less than $1 a day – must turn from lifetimes of bleak experience and look with higher expectations toward what is possible.
Today, the "average" person on the edge of survival is a child. Within the next hour, 1,200 more of them will perish. There are no easy solutions. But there is a clear path toward progress.
At the core of these articles is a profound sense of hope that poverty can be ended. However, it is not blind hope of some magic wand solution that focuses on simple redistribution of wealth. Instead, Mr. Lange reveals his hope that endeavors to end poverty will become customized to eliminate the unique situational obstacles that keep "individuals" and communities in poverty. What he calls for is widespread action among all people (man, woman, corporation, government, NGO, UN, policy makers, agencies.. everyone) to change in whatever ways are necessary to ensure that every person has what he or she needs for survival. He also calls for the poor to also have hope that things can change and that with work on their part, it can be sustained.
In my solution-based biased view, the magnum opus of the series is today's article Practical Steps to End Poverty. Here... Mr Lange lays out exact ways our views, policies and actions must change. What he calls for is a profound renaissance in thought, word, and deed--- where we all think about things in different ways, understand how our behaviors contribute to keeping people in poverty and make the changes in our lives so that we are responsible global neighbors to the impoverished in our midst. The article passionately coveys that no one is immune to the need for change. So well crafted is his argument is that, if the warlords, dictators, slum lords, sweatshop owners, bigots, bureaucrats, the high-and-mighty, the blissfully apathetic, and the selfish believe that people are listening to Mr. Lange, I would imagine that his days are numbered.
For me--- I'm already sold on the value of microcredit and conscious giving to organizations where I know that my money is used to work toward solutions to people's poverty rather than offering beggarly "aid." However, the article has made me think that I need to be more vocal to my governmental representatives-- an area where I waffle from disgusted to enraged to hopeless to apathetic (defensive mechanism of choice). One final quotation from the article:
Eradicating abject poverty is not a utopian goal; it's the basis for self-sustaining growth. It doesn't mean solving the entire world's problems. It demands that we focus our attention and resources to ensure the survival and progress of the very worst off.
...To the thousands who give of their time and skills where it most matters, working in some of the most dangerous places in the world, we are all in your debt. And to the citizens of these struggling nations, we know you deserve and are capable of better. Please, tell the rest of us what works. Let us know how we can become a more informed and effective community of conscience.
Thank you for your thoughts Mr. Lange. I'd love for others to chime in too.
Thank you for this post. I found Mr. Lange's article an inspiring read. And I love your blog too!
Posted by: Liz | November 13, 2008 at 09:41 PM