World Poverty Day

Last friday, October 17, was world poverty day. A day of reflection on the 3 billion people that live in poverty. 3 billion people. That is just about half the world's population. One out of every two people. If the world shared it's problems equally, you could look at the person next to you and know that one of you lives a life where struggling for survival is the entity of your existance. Where daily decisions are not over wardrobes or meals, events or careers, but rather whether to spend the little money available on school fees or food, shelter or clean water, health insurance or firewood. Here in Rwanda, poverty smacks me in the face every day, from the begging children asking for "cent franc manger" to the mothers at the hospital who cannot afford treatment for their children. But you don't even need to picture someone in the "third world" (I hate that term) to understand poverty; you only need to take a stroll in the centre of any major city to see it. In fact, conditions on Native reserves in Canada have been compared to those in rural developing countries. Poverty is everywhere, if you look for it.

3 billion people - I can't get over that number.

Obviously there is something terribly wrong with our world, with us, if we keep letting that number grow, and allow the gap between the rich and poor to become a vaste valley, a great divide. Work is being made to bridge the gap, it's true, but it is still there. I think it will remain there until the stem of the problems is addressed, namely global trade policies. For example, Rwanda is ripe for cultivation, but farmers are not being paid fairly for their goods. And why? So we can my more cheap crap at Walmart? So we can save money on commercial goods in order to afford our five star vacation? Wouldn't it make sense to do what is just in the first place?

Imagining a world without poverty is difficult. However, I think we have to remember we are all human beings, all together in mankind, and that we all, each and every one of us, deserve a good life, a whole life. The right to health, the right to education, the right to the basic necessities of life - these rights should be upheld. I know it will take time, but I am impatient. I want to see some justice, and I want to see it soon. The solution, though, still evades me. Is it a simpler life? Acts of charity? Shifts in thinking? It is hard to grasp commercialism, to understand all the dynamics of give and take, trade and charity, rich and poor. I'm working on it though, and if I ever figure it out, I'll be sure to let you know.