Justin Monden 1

Justin Monden

Mr. Taylor

Honors English I

24 October 2018

Ending Poverty

“As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can

truly rest” (Nelson Mandela). Poverty around the world is a very serious issue that affects

millions of people. The United Nations also think that it is very serious, as it is listed number one

in their Sustainable Development Goals. Poverty is a broader concept than just the lack of

money. Living in poverty could mean, “ 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,” as stated in (“Goal 1: End Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere - United

Nations Sustainable Development”) .

Poverty has been and also becoming a major issue locally and globally. First off it affects

many children, adults, and families across the globe. Approximately, “783 people live below the

international poverty line of $1.90 a day,” the UN states. Poverty also affects children globally,

“nearly 1 in 5 children lived in families under the poverty line,” (“Children in Poverty”). Poverty

amongst children can lead to malnutrition and stunted growth. Poverty although a problem

globally also affects many people locally here in the US. Poverty in the US is also a very

pressing problem. This poverty affects the educational system, and also can lead to social

inequality. Around 12.7 percent of people living in the US live in poverty writes UC Davis. This

significant number of people living in poverty greatly impacts the economy. For example if

many people are unemployed, which badly impacts the economy, than the more people that live
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in poverty. So there is a direct connection between our economy and poverty. Which is why

poverty is one of the most important issues to address.

The UN has set some targets or goals to help them achieve ending poverty in all forms

everywhere. Setting these goals help them develop what they will need to plan, set up, and gather

to achieve the goal. One of the targets developed by the UN was by 2030 have half the amount of

people living in poverty. By achieving this goal it will help the global economy, and also

positively benefit the lives of millions of people. To achieve this goal there will need to be,

“social protection systems and measure for all,” writes the United Nations in (“Goal 1: End

Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere - United Nations Sustainable Development”) . This target is

very difficult because of the amount of people and money that will be involved. Another target

the UN has is to, “Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international

levels.” By doing this it will ensure equal rights protected by the government of the poor. When

there is equal opportunity that means more competition for jobs, which may help advocate for

more jobs. Creating the framework for these policies is a major step in the right direction to

ending poverty. Altogether I believe these goals are difficult but most definitely achievable, and

set a great outline to achieving the main goal of diminishing poverty.

Although the UN has done a great job of setting these goals, some other charities and

corporations are working just as hard at achieving the goal. One of these foundations is Finca.

Finca is, “ a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Washington, DC that uses market-based

solutions, like microfinance and social enterprise, to catalyze economic growth, expand financial

inclusion and alleviate poverty in underserved regions worldwide” (“Finca’s Mission”). To give

you some insight on Finca, it was founded in 1984 by a John Hatch. Finca is fighting poverty by

offering responsible financial services to those that are poor. Finca has some of the same goals of
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the United Nations, such as alleviating all poverty. Finca is a great organization that is greatly

impacting the cause. Another charity helping achieve the goal is EndPoverty.org. Their mission

is to, “help the enterprising poor and end poverty” (End Poverty). This charity is solving the

problem differently. Instead of giving small loans to the families in need they give it to poor

small businesses in hope of creating more jobs. End Poverty has helped thousand of

entrepreneurs around the world create their business. These organizations are doing great things

to help end poverty despite doing it in different ways.

In conclusion as a nation we must help one another by donating, voting, and spreading

awareness on the topic. Altogether the ending of poverty will not be an easy task but the

guidelines and goals that are in place will help us achieve them. Charities such as Finca and End

Poverty are really putting in a great effort to achieve the goal of ending poverty.
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Works Cited

“Children in Poverty.” Child Trends, 2018, www.childtrends.org/indicators/children-in-poverty.

“End Poverty.” End Poverty, 2017, endpoverty.org/.

“FINCA's Mission.” FINCA International, 2018, www.finca.org/why-finca/mission-

vision/

.“Goal 1: End Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere - United Nations Sustainable

Development.” United Nations, United Nations, 2018,

www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/poverty/.

“Our Mission.” UC Davis, 2018, https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/