Poverty is a common aspect of everyday life in many African countries. It is not a new phenomenon but dates back to colonial times. Today nearly three billion people all over the world go without the most basic necessities – food, clean water, shelter, healthcare and education. This means that every day half the people of the world are struggling to survive let alone lead fulfilling lives. In Africa today, one child dies every three seconds because of the basic lack of safe water, healthcare, shelter or food the things we take for granted in the west.

South Asia is continuing to face critical levels of hunger. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute the region has the highest levels of child malnutrition in the world. Half the world’s undernourished children live in this region. South Asia is now one of the current hotspots for hunger and malnutrition along with Sub-Saharan Africa.

War and armed conflict are a major cause of poverty in Africa. They have many effects such as displacing populations, destroying crops and forcing people to move from their land. Due to armed conflicts in Africa there are millions of refugees, who live on the edges of society, often in abject poverty.

There is enough food produced to feed all the 6.4 billion people on the planet yet there are still 820 million people in developing countries going hungry. That’s nearly one in seven people and one in three children is underweight.

The UN has been accused of many things, and it has struggled with many critics since it’s creation. Is it time for the UN to be disbanded? Many people think it should. I will argue the contrary.

The typical, shocking lifestyle of someone living in Jakarta, something we should all appreciate.

A common mistake people make is wishing about a big windfall so they can “do good” for the world. However, in order to “do good”, there must be some misfortune, someone in need of aid. Could your day dreams be bringing about tragedy in another persons life?

So many needs, so many charities. What percentage of your giving goes to the poor? A personal recommendation for a charity that promises to give every penny to the poor and needy.

Describes the value of the internet in applying for college and finding financial aid.

Suffering presents a challenge to our shared humanity. Many people and groups are committed to responding creatively to human suffering around the world, for example Tear Fund.