Poverty

Last night in my sociology class we talked about world poverty. I have seen poverty up close and personal, but some of the statistics my professor gave still blew my mind:

-In the United States in 2008, 13% of all Americans lived under the poverty line. While children make up 25% of the total population, they make up 35% of the poor population. This means that 14.1 million children in America are considered poor.

-Almost half of the world (over 3 billion people) live on less than $2.50 a day.

-The wealth of the 41 poorest countries combined is LESS than the weath of the 7 richest PEOPLE combined.

-1 billion children around the world live in poverty.. which means 1 in 2 children around the world are poor. 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no safe water, 270 million have no health care, and 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5. That's approximately 29,000 children per day.

-At least 80% of humanity live on less than $10 a day.

-The poorest 40% of the world's population accounts for 5% of global income, which the richest 20% account for 75% of it.

-In the United States, almost 100 billion pounds of food is wasted each year.

This is disgusting. If only we shared what we have and didn't live in excess, maybe the world wouldn't have to be this way. Yes, there will always be people who are poorer than others, but people shouldn't be living in this extreme misery when we are living the way we do here. Hopefully this inspires you to do something.. you don't have to go to another country to help someone. It can be someone in your backyard, at your church, in your town, in a city near you. As the holidays come closer, maybe consider donating some of your time and money to give back to those around you and share with your brother and sisters in Christ.

And, as always, pray for those who have too much and too little. That those with too much will be inspired to be generous, and those with too little will receive what they need to survive. We can even offer little acts like not wasting food, not buying something that you want but don't need, etc. to God as an act of solidarity with the poor. Our prayers can do more than anything!

"Children, it is not I who have brought this darkness over the world. It is you, by your sin and failure to serve. There is enough food in the world. There should not be hunger. Medical care, also, can be spread around in a more effective manner. Humanitarian assistance to your poor and less advanced societies is an act of mercy and those who practice it are following My will, whether they know it or not." -Jesus (Direction for Our Times, Volume I)