World's Poor Hit the Hardest by Global Warming

According to the IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world's poorest people will be the ones most severely affected by the results of global warming. Those living in vulnerable ecosystems such as low-lying islands would be subject to severe flooding, for example. Working towards improving climate change, reducing carbon emissions, and taking care of the environment as a whole is an important step in fighting global poverty.

Women of Kireka

The Northern Uganda Women and Children Initiatives (NUWECHI) started the Women of Kireka project in September 2008. They are on their way to achieving the goal of raising enough money to help a group of 15 women start a tailoring business, having already raised about $2000. By purchasing the necessary equipment and providing proper training, the project will enable these women to leave their difficult jobs in the quarries, earn more money for their families, and start a better life. Once their business is up and running, these women will be able to sustain it and the project will be self sufficient.

Political Priorities by the Numbers

$30 billion: Annual shortfall to end world hunger.
$1.2 trillion: Projected federal deficit for 2009.

Eyes for Improvement

British inventor Josh Silver has invented adjustable prescription eyeglasses which allow the wearer perfect vision without the need for an optometrist. This is a crucial factor in the developing world where trained specialists are desperately in demand: in Britain there is one optometrist for every 4,500 people, in sub-Saharan Africa the ratio is 1:1,000,000. Mr. Silver has now embarked on a quest to distribute his glasses to 1 billion of the world’s poorest people by 2020.
Source: Guardian.co.uk

Improved Education

Basic education in Africa has experienced unprecedented progress in the year 2008. As reported by the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI), 15.2 million more children have been enrolled in primary school. A majority of the countries supported by the EFA FTI are well on their way to having all children enrolled into the first grade by 2010. EFA FTI provides countries with grants to train and hire new teachers, build new schools to accommodate growing numbers of students, provide students with supplies, and improve education as a whole. Better education means more opportunities for children living in poor communities, leading to a better way of life. The educational gains over the last few years are now under threat because of the financial crisis, but EFA FTI is determined to let nothing stand in the way of achieving its goals.
Source: The World Bank

Contributions Towards Agriculture

Even with a financial crisis looming in the background, a group of states making up the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have agreed to back a US$3 billion, three-year program combating global poverty. Together with IFAD's partners, this will result in a total sum of $7.5 billion to be used towards agriculture and poverty reduction. Part of this funding comes from the goal of $1.2 billion in new contributions. An estimated 60 million people living in poverty will be reached through this program.