Poverty is stubborn. Since World War II an estimated 2.3 trillion dollars has been spent on international aid, yet half of the population of the world survives on less than on ten dollars a day. In fact, one billion people, eek out a living on less than one dollar a day and 22,000 children die every day from the effects of poverty. Despite the best efforts of governments, the U.N., NGO's, nonprofits, and private enterprise, the numbers of poor are growing rather than shrinking. Sustainability is a buzzword in the world of international development, but far too many aid initiatives fail to create lasting change on a broad scale. Too many of our poverty fighting efforts focus on the symptoms of poverty and not its root causes. The mindsets and attitudes that keep people in poverty often remain unchanged. Alleviating Poverty/Advancing Prosperity explores the current state of our fight against world poverty in an effort to rethink our strategies and the nature of poverty itself. The principles explored in this book will increase the effectiveness of overseas antipoverty programs. They will help improve sustainability, and help take development projects to scale sufficient to address this worldwide challenge.
