As we learned last Tuesday, poverty and hunger are both huge issues in the world right now.  An unfortunate result of poverty is the lack of a decent education in third world countries.  Education is extremely important.  What decent job can you get without at least a high school education?  You can't become a doctor, a political figure, a lawyer, a dentist, a teacher, or a scientist without a college degree.  Many people believe that you can't go far in life at all without a college degree.  It can be difficult as a student in a wealthy country to make it through twelfth grade and get your diploma.  Imagine trying to get a good education as a child in a third world country. 

Your text books are old and worn or nonexistent.  You often have to skip school for weeks at a time to help your family earn money or to care for a sick family member.  In order to attend class, you must have a proper uniform and school shoes and these things cost money that you don't have.  When you can manage to go to school, you have to get up early and walk for blocks through dangerous streets in order to make it on time, and then you have to walk all the way back home, often after dark.  Your empty stomach makes it hard to concentrate on your schoolwork.  You're often sick because the water you drink at home is unsanitary and filled with parasites.  You sit on hard wooden benches each day and write on wrinkled, brown paper.  Sometimes your hands become too swollen to write because chiggers, mosquitoes, and horseflies won't stop biting your fingers.  It's hard to achieve good scores on the important tests that allow you to graduate to the next grade level because your teacher didn't even make it to eighth grade.  In the early morning, late evening, and rainy days, class has to come to a pause because your school room doesn't have electricity and nobody can see well enough to write or read in the dark room.  You hear stories about rich Americans and Europeans who hate going to school and you wonder why they think they have it so bad.

The United States literacy rate is currently at 99% for people over the age of fifteen.  In third world countries, a vast majority of people are illiterate.  Take Burkina Faso, for example.  The literacy rate for this African country is currently at an astonishingly low 23.6%.  We could be doing so much more to prevent this.  According to the Millennium Development Goals Report, more than seventy-two million children of primary school age did not attend school in 2005.  The Millennium Development Goals Report considered these numbers to be a huge improvement, but I take it to mean that there are still seventy-two million children around the world who are not getting any education whatsoever. 

These children have the potential to become significant leaders of their country.  They could become great doctors who find cures for cancer and AIDS.  They could become teachers who help to bring up the literacy rates in their countries.  They could become powerful individuals who help make the world a better place.  Unfortunately, these children will never be given the chance to develop and use these abilities. 

If it is true that it is nearly impossible to be truly successful without an education, then this is exactly what our next generation is going to have... which means that this will become a cycle, and hunger, illiteracy, and extreme poverty will hit these third world countries just as hard as before. 

What can you do to improve these devastating statistics? 

• Sponsor a child.  Your sponsorship will go to provide an education- even through college or vocational school- for these poverty-stricken kids.  Your thirty dollars a month can help to change the world, simply by improving the life of a forgotten child with so much potential.  Try World Vision or Christian Relief Fund. 
  
• Recycle your old books and textbooks.  Many organizations can use your books to give to kids and schools in third world countries that can't afford to purchase their own.  This means that those old, trashy books that you were going to throw away can help teach someone to read.  Invisible Children has a program called Schools for Schools where you can donate your school's text books to give to poor schools in Uganda, Africa. 
  
• Write letters to your local senators and congressmen.  Write letters to the president, for that matter.  Education is so important.  Your country could be doing so much more to improve the standards of education throughout the world.  Your letters can help make a difference.  
• Pray.  Ask God to provide new opportunities for these children to get a much-needed education.  Ask Him to give you a heart for the needy and a will to fight against poverty.

Whatever you do, please remember to appreciate your education.  I'm a high school student.  I realize that working hard and getting up early for school every single day can seem monotonous, tiring, and even pointless at times, but when you start to feel frustrated with your school, remember how much kids who don't have an education long to be in your shoes... figuratively and literally.  Use your education to help make a difference in the world.  Don't take your blessings for granted.

Do you have any opinions about this subject?  Comment below.  I take the credit for the pictures used in today's article. 

What did you eat today?  I can remember if I think hard enough.  Can you remember what you ate yesterday?  What about the day before that?  Can you remember what you ate last week?  Sometimes when I try to look back and recall what I ate a few hours before, the answer completely eludes me.  Have you ever done this?

There are currently millions of people around the world who also can't remember what they last had to eat, but it isn't because they didn't take their meal into enough account to record it within their short term memories.  Many people cannot remember the last thing they ate because they last ate so long ago. 

As you probably know already, food is necessary for survival.  If you go without eating for even a few days, your body will react with natural consequences.  When your body does not have enough nutrients, it begins to go into survival mode.  You start to consume fat cells stored in your body.  When your fat cells are gone, your body turns to muscle tissue and then to internal organs.  Your heart is a muscle, so many people who are malnourished die from heart failure.  Eventually, your body shuts down completely because there are no nutrients left and you die. 

You will die within three days with no water, but it can take more than three months to die from lack of food.  Starvation is a very slow, painful, and terrible process, one that no child should ever have to endure. 

Did you know that over 800 million people in third world countries are suffering from severe malnutrition?  However, starvation is not only limited to third world countries.  According to the US Department of Agriculture, 2002, thirty-three million Americans live in households that do not have an adequate food supply.  In 1998, Europe and the United States spend more than $17 billion on pet food, while only $13 billion was used to provide basic health care and nutrition for people lost in poverty.  When I see these statistics, it makes me wonder if we care more about our dogs and cats and hamsters than we care about little children who have absolutely nothing to eat. 

Obviously, hunger is an issue throughout the world.  According to the World Health Organization, out of the ten most common causes of death, starvation wins at 36%.  The second most common cause of death in the world is heart disease, at 7.2%.  There are so many starving people that are dying without knowing Jesus.  What do you plan to do about that?  If you're struggling to think of ways that you can help the hungry, keep reading for some ideas.

• In your neighborhood and surrounding community: There may be someone living close by- or even on your street- who is going hungry.  If you personally know of someone who is struggling with money, there are many things you can do to lend a hand.  You can invite them over to dinner or bring them meals and even leftovers.  Help them out in simple ways, such as offering to babysit for free (if there are kids in the family), mowing their lawn, or leaving anonymous gifts of clothes, gas cards, and blankets.  More than anything, invite your neighbor to go to church with you and frequently let them know that you're praying for them.  Everyone could use a prayer.
• In your city: If you knew how many people from your city were currently going hungry, you might think twice before throwing away your leftovers.  Consider donating canned food or money to your local food bank.  If you can't spare any of these things, then volunteer your time.  Serve meals at a homeless shelter one Saturday out of the month. 
  
• In your country: There are hungry people in every city.  Donate to organizations such as Red Cross, Salvation Army, Toys for Tots, or Angel Tree.  There are many different places where you can donate used food, clothes, and toys to children (and adults) around your country who need them.  Ask around at your church and see if you can plan a mission trip to a big city and volunteer your time to serve the needy in larger inner city communities. 
  
• In your world: There are many, many nonprofit organizations focused on providing food for the hungry.  Donate money.  Start a fundraiser to raise money that you can donate.  Sponsor a child with Christian Relief Fund or World Vision.  Go on a missions trip to a third world country and see poverty with your own eyes. 
  

There are so many ways to serve the hungry, but more than anything, you need to pray.  Pray for your needy neighbors.  Pray for the hungry in your community.  Pray for the starving people around the world.  While prayer does not substitute actions, it is still important.  God hears your prayers.

When you eat, don't take your meal for granted.  Thank God with a genuine heart for giving you plenty of food.  Try not to waste what you don't eat.  Appreciate what you are eating, even if it isn't your favorite.  There are so many people across the globe who would be extremely grateful to have your discarded food.

This may seem like a stretch, but one day, try fasting out of solidarity for the needy.  Donate the money that you would have spent on food to your local food bank or to a global relief program.  During meal time, instead of eating, pray for those who are hungry. 

More than 80% of all people survive on less than ten dollars a day.  How much have you spent today?  Even if you are struggling financially right now, remember that God has blessed you so much compared to the majority of the world.  Your something is better than their nothing.

You may be having an awful day right now.  You may be struggling with something difficult in your life, be it finances or something else.  When somebody asks you, "Hey, how are you doing today?" instead of miserably thinking, "Today was  horrible!" try to remember this:  You're doing better than you think you are. 

Have a great rest of your day.

How do you plan to help fight to end poverty?  Leave your comments below.
Credit for the pictures used in this article go here, here, and here.