What can we do to make poverty history?

Question

Because of people like you, leaders of the world’s richest countries met in July 2005 and made a number of historic promises to help end the kind of extreme poverty that is needlessly killing 9,000 people a day in Africa. Millions of lives and the future of a continent are at stake.

Click here to watch Bono’s video message:
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=f3…

Discuss Bono and ONE.org with other fans:
http://action.one.org/blog/comments.jsp?…

Yahoo! Answers staff note: This is the real Bono!
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-d8pH0dcoR…

Additional Details

The winning answer was selected by ONE: the Campaign to Make Poverty History.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

I admire Bono for his work on this issue. I think that the ONE campaign, the debt reduction campaign and the work with the G-8 is a very impressive step in the right direction.

However, I think that you have to attack the problem from the top down and the bottom up.

If debt reduction and foreign aid happen to the degree that has been promised the momentum is lost unless the people in Africa are able to capitalize on the opportunity.

It is hard to make a living, provide for your family, or start a new business when you spend your time and energy looking for safe drinking water or your next meal. We in the West take for granted our infrastructure that allows us to focus more of our energy on work and our ability to get ahead, provide for our families, etc. How much time did you spend today looking for water or standing in line for water or food?

My answer is that the next step must be to establish a framework for what basic infrastructure must be present in each community (ie: access to food, water, health facilities, transportation, roads, education, daycare) to allow the people in those communities to work effectively and productively.

Working from the ground up I would suggest that the ONE campaign expand to coordinate the partnering of a sponsoring community/city/town with a similar sized one in Africa. But, unlike sister communities around the world that are strictly symbolic, the communities that adopt a "sister" in Africa must work with them to build their community to the minimum infrastructure framework that is established by the campaign. It could even be a competition in the sense that the people of a city in Norway could be competing with the people of a city in Canada or the USA to meet and exceed the framework standards set out in a given time frame.

Unlike many charities that ask for money, wouldn't it be rewarding to know that your city is working to provide a better life and future for one in Africa. You would know where your money is going, where work is being done, and who is doing it. We all have a certain skill set and in your community there is a group of people who could make a real difference to ONE city/town/community in Africa.

We all tend to sit back and expect our politicians and leaders to fix the problems of the world and then complain that things don't seem to be getting much better.

The people need to take control and be part of the solution.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

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Answer 2

Make rich liberals give up their material goods in the name of socialism which they are always beating us over the heads with.

How is it possible that rich whiney liberals live in the same city as extremely poor people? Am I the only one who understands this contradiction?

Problem solved.

Answer 3

PRAY for the unification of the BODY OF CHRIST. It will take a while for poverty to be completely abolished, but with the power of God, anything is possible :)

Source(s):

07.07.07.

Answer 4

Its impossible.

You can reduce it and help millons of peolple but you cant make it story.

Why ?? The answer is your question: that was asked all over the story of time.

Answer 5

It's just "one" simple thing, but powerful: pray!
Ok, another thing is to help out at your local Habitat for Humanity and build house with people who live in poverty/low-income lifestyles and need better homes. It's a hand-up not a hand-out. Folk have to put in "sweat equity" and do pay an interest-free mortgage. Check out website: http://www.habitatforhumanity.org

Answer 6

Spend more money at home. Not giving it away, but creating more jobs.

Answer 7

Maybe rich white uncle toms ought to look at the poverty crisis in THEIR OWN COUNTRY first before trying to solve unsolveable problems in other countries!

***REASONS FOR EXTREME POVERTY IN AFRICA***
1. Overpopulation.
2. Citizens unable to feed the number of children they give birth to.
3. Corrupt governments.
4. People donating food to starving people who give birth to 10 more starving people etc.....
5. Genocide and wars which creates food shortages.

SOLUTION:

There isn't one, just a hopeless cycle of international LOANS, and then international DEBT RELIEF. But waste your time helping other people who hate you, doesn't bother me, you aren't getting a red cent.

Answer 8

Thank you Mr. Hewson.
This is a very complex issue.
I think the first steps should be toward education, tolerance and respect for others.
It hurts to hear about the constant wars in Africa.
Once they realize the violence actually hurts all of the peoples, hopefully they will then start taking the steps toward a brighter future. When that happens and more stability occurs, the Worlds banks and investors will be eager to invest. This monetary investment will start an upward spiral that will elevate all in some measure.
A good example of this is the country of Vietnam.
Look out how Vietnam has pulled itself up in the past 20 years.
My Wife grew up there.
When she left in 1989 there wasn't much of good future to be had in Vietnam.
Now Vietnam has factories from Hitachi, Sony, Mercedes, Sharp, Nike, plus so many others.
They still have a long way to go, but I am so proud of my Wife's family that is still there.

I look forward to the day that the many peoples of Africa will start working together to stabilize and better their future.

Unfortunately this is not something that can be forced upon them. Hopefully we can show by example and sell them on the rewards of Peace.

You keep doing the good work you do.
Good luck Matthew Paul

Answer 9

Education and participation is the key factor in making poverty history.

I don’t just mean education of people who haven’t had an opportunity to have an education, but also re-education of people who have been educated incorrectly.

If people can help themselves, they are not so reliant on their government to live and they will have more choices to live a productive and healthy life. All people in this world should have at least Primary level education, but I think there needs to also be access to technology and the internet so that they are not restricted to what their classroom teachers say.
In many developing countries the education leans more towards coercion or indoctrination, so unrestricted access to the outside world will help some people to be more aware of what is really going on. Then they can know that there are opportunities for them and that a culture of hate only perpetuates their poverty. An education in basic agriculture and trades appropriate to the area would help people be more self-sufficient.

In the developed world there should be more education, starting from a young age in school, of what it is really like for the poor in both developed and undeveloped countries, as they need to know that there are some highly impoverished people in their own backyard. We tend to judge and turn a blind eye to the homeless person on the street, or the communities that are lacking in even the most basic infrastructure we take for granted.
The poor of developed nations should be trained or retrained in areas they can work to earn a living. By earning their own money they will have a greater sense of self-worth and can slowly re-integrae back into society.
By re-educating the developed world about the impoverished – their situation and basic needs – and encouraging civil participation in their communities, poverty can be decreased one step at a time.

So, push for changes in school syllabi and other educational programs in both undeveloped and developed countries.

Answer 10

Maybe rich white singers in far off lands should sell their mansions, limos, and clothes, get off their narcissistic trip and give it all to the poor.

Hard to believe people like that bono guy live in a million dollar mansion and has the gaul to lecture all of us about poverty. People like him and Paul Simon are white-guilters who want attention. When these people sell their mansions and go live here (see link) then I will donate a few bucks. Otherwise, it's do as I say, not as I do, hypocrisy!

Source(s):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/images/searchtheworld/togo.jpg

Answer 11

Education

Answer 12

the real thing, is i when one government lies of what they are doing, to take some things away to prosper them self by tacking what they want or need from that nation or that people, by confusing us or others for our own wealth or best interest with out regards of others humans. thanks. love others w/respect

Answer 13

Poverty is a way of life now, the only way to combat this is to not be greedy any more, which is impossible. Rich nations want Africa, along with other poor countries to be poor so they can profit from their dependancy on them. This is just one basic issue. This is a very complex issue.

Answer 14

it is one of the harder problems to solve, since there is no real solution. i guess if everyone makes it a habit to donate at least one percent of their pay every paycheck that would help a lot. Little money adds up!

Answer 15

~Because of places like Africa, the folks in New Orleans and all along the Gulf Coast have no place to live and insufficient government aid to rebuild. Same old, same old for the last 60 years.
Have you bothered to check the US foreign aid and UN budget? Compare it to domestic disaster spending or relief to Appalachia.
Without casinos and cheap gas and cigarettes, where would the American Indians be?
Maybe if they would spend less time with their civil wars, they could build an infrastructure, and industrial base and an agricultural system. Just as Germany, Britain, France and the Netherlands shouldn't have colonized Africa, the US has no obligation to bail them out. These counties wanted and got their independence. Let them be independent. Let the Saudis feed Ethiopia. It is in their national interest to do so. And why aren't you complaing about the abject poverty the US has deliberately forced Cuba into?
Any program of humanitarian aid will run the course that all past such programs have. The aid will go to the allied factions in return for concessions from the puppet governments the aid establishes, they will rebel and become "terrorists" and another war will ensue.
Or are you agreeing with Rudyard Kipling's assessment that "the coloreds are the white man's burden."?

Answer 16

Hey you all. DOnt you feel privileged being here? First comes Al Gore and then Bill Clinton and now Bono is asking a question.

These people are millionaires being paid by all of us from our tax dollars to do their job. If we are going to answer the questions and they implement them, look who is the beneficiary. We became a little more poor sitting here for free giving away our ideas and they earn millions.

Strange but true. THis is the business to be in.

One more poor person speaks out.

Answer 17

Have people be aware. I made a speech about it at my school and about the ONE campaign and we sold those bracelets. Maybe schools can do that. If more people knew about proverty being a huge problem, im sure more people would get involved.

Answer 18

Providing a stable economic environment that fosters investment and saving. It is depressing to see some governments spend a good part of their budget on subsidies, only to generate inflationary situations which impoverish people a thousand times more. In order to generate wealth, the productivity of work must increase, and for this to happen it is necessary to attract investments through a stable environment, encourage savings through free capital markets, avoid excessive tax burdens and eliminate inflation all together.

Deregulating the economy. Many of the poor people’s difficulties stem from the fact that they cannot become a part of the formal economy, which is so heavily regulated that entry is too costly. Opening markets can incorporate the poor into the most profitable sectors of the economy. Public and private monopolies are another source of poverty: by raising prices they bar some people from becoming consumers, so that the poor cannot satisfy their needs. Therefore, it is important to avoid awarding specific firms a concession or privilege because this only benefits some at the expense of the majority. Restrictions to international commerce have the same impact: tariffs imposed on imported products always bring lower consumption levels internally and promote inefficiency and lack of competitiveness among national producers.

Providing judicial and civil security: Without clear and enforced norms, it is difficult to prosper in business and in life. When life and property, on the other hand, are constantly threatened by an unbridled delinquency, everyone loses, specially the poorest, who do not have the resources to defend themselves.

Investing in social projects, carefully, after much thought and evaluation, so that these investments contribute to rapid wealth creation.

Answer 19

It is something much deeper and can only change when we all get involved. Living in the US and seeing the education system going down the tubes in the richest country in the world but spends millions on war. We have to be more like the Ecuadorians--whem they organized and fought they did it. They stopped their govt officials from signing FTA and took over Oxy oil.

Source(s):

www.lamaza.blogspot.com

Answer 20

I believe that it has been proven that throwing money at a problem only makes it worse. Educating the un-educated to me is the answer. Without education - money is like gas in your tank - it will run out sooner or later. Teach the people to fill their own tanks, and they will begin to be a positive influence to others to do the same.

Answer 21

if we alll donate a percent of our income

Answer 22

no matter how hard anyone or everyone tries,sad to say poverty will always be with us. but that dosen't mean we should stop trying. everyone needs to do their part, but that too is a problem for people who are doing well but at the same time barely surviving as i am.

Answer 23

We can first of all RECOGNIZE the problem.
Then take small steps as to start a tax for charity and also end this war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Money is the solution.

However I dont think that poverty will ever end unless leaders of our nations take a stand.

Answer 24

Divide quality of life into ten catergories one through ten with one being the most dire of poverty and ten being the zenith of wealth and power. If everyone in the world living at level ten could focus their efforts for a year on raising everyone who lived at level one to level two rather than aspiring to be the first to make it to level eleven, poverty would be wiped out for good.

Answer 25

We can't. Poverty will always be defined by the absence of wealth. The best that can be hoped for is to create a culture where people that have less opportunity can still enjoy having some things in their life.
But then, you will always have those that want to be "cool" or whatever else and be foolish with their money creating a more noticeable problem.
Sometimes the best people can do is to make the most of what they have and try to enjoy the day for what opportunities it presents.
But America is a country devoted to building individual wealth, not to the quality of life. Two different standards.

Answer 26

I don't know if we can completely eliminate poverty because there are people who are just lazy and refuse to work, but to help those who are actually trying there is one place I know that can be started with. In the state of california women can be on wel-fare for 5 years max., in this time they are suppose to hold a job full time. How about instead, they go to school, which puts them in the system for 4 years instead of 5, and then when they come out they dont have to worry about making a measly 9 dollars an hour at a job flipping burgers or something like that. They could become proud college graduates with degree, or even trade school graduates, something they can be proud of and say "Hey, I DID THIS FOR ME AND MY CHILDREN!!" and in the long run, they could have a job where they can save for their chlildrens college funds, and the poverty will decrease as the generations grow....... thus beginning elimination of destitution. it all leads to one big factor :EDUCATION!!!

Answer 27

We have to care, that's all.

Answer 28

Provide more jobs to those that need them.
Creating the jobs and the markets to harness the productivity of people who do not have access to global networks.
Instead of only giving money, give people a method, a way of supporting themselves.
Try to make the world see this not as someone else's problem, not ignoring the poverty we know exists in the world everyday, but taking action.

Answer 29

put "poverty" in a history book

Answer 30

poverty will always exsist and will never end unless rich people decide to give away all their money, which will never happen. focus all this time and attention on more important issuses that are more immediate and require action NOW to end it, instead of just posted ideas on online. for example: helping the palestinians.

Answer 31

first and foremost if we would all stop trying to kill each other off and the terrorist also stop,and then funnel the billions and billions wasted every day doing this sen-less killing and all get along.there would be an endless supply of money reserves to fight world poverty.