In My Name

(www.inmyname.com)

Imagine a group of 50,000 people gathered together. That’s enough to fill an entire football stadium. Now imagine that every day an entire football stadium will die due to extreme poverty. In 2000, 189 governments gathered at the United Nations Millennium Summit to address the global crises of extreme poverty. They promised to halve extreme poverty by 2015, and to eradicate it by 2025 by addressing 8 Millennium Development Goals that impact the levels of poverty:

-Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
-Achieve universal primary education
-Promote gender equality and empower women
-Reduce child mortality
-Improve maternal health
-Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases
-Ensure environmental sustainability
-Develop a global partnership for development

(www.inmyname.com)

We are halfway to 2015 and the global situation has not improved much. In some countries the situation has grown worse. In My Name is a part of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, an organization that is working to eradicate extreme poverty. They are calling for our generation to pressure our governments to keep their promises, and to stop spending the money that could resolve this crisis on unnecessary expenses.

"Nearly half of the world's population lives on less than $2 a day, and is faced daily with impossible choices: to feed their family at least once that day, or get those schoolbooks their children really need. What about the mosquito net to protect them from Malaria?"

(www.inmyname.com)

Millions of deaths that could be prevented are occurring because of extreme poverty. A mother dies every minute because there is no doctor, nurse, or midwife by her side. The amount that US consumers spend on bottled water each year would be enough to pay for 700,000 midwives that could end this tragedy. Every 5 seconds, a child dies from poverty. The $50 billion that China spent preparing for the Olympics could save these children.

Although the amount of money needed to end this crisis makes the goal seem impossible, the developed countries in the world already spend more than this on other expenses that should not take precedence over eradicating poverty. To end world hunger would cost $30 billion a year, the same amount that was spent in one month last December to buy gifts. Half of the $30 billion that pharmaceutical companies spend per year on marketing could halt the spread of AIDS and provide treatment for those living with the disease. The cost of one fighter jet would be enough to pay the salary of 10,000 doctors in a poor country. Eleven billion dollars would be needed to implement universal primary education, half of what Americans spent on ice cream last year.

(www.inmyname.com)

The underdeveloped countries of this world are suffering, while the rich ones are indulging themselves. We have the power to end this suffering, but only if we take action. In My Name has petitions and pledges, and organizes demonstrations to pressure our governments to uphold their promises. Sign your name on the petition to show your government you want them to act in your name to end poverty, or make a pledge to show that our generation is determined to make a change. Then join the millions of people in other countries at the Stand Up and Take Action demonstration to show our governments that we hold them accountable for their promises. Show your government that it is not okay to fail in meeting their commitments. Stand Up and Take Action!