I’m reading this book.  For fifteen years, the authors have worked with the poor in dozens of countries spanning 5 continents, trying to understand the specific problems that come with poverty and to find proven solutions.

They posit that the reason why so many anti-poverty policies have failed is because of an inadequate understanding of poverty and the related problems.  So far, I’m finding their pragmatism hopeful and their thoughtfulness refreshing.

 

Why would a man in Morocco who doesn’t have enough to eat buy a television?

Why is it so hard for children in poor areas to learn even when they attend school?

Why do the poorest people in the Indian state of Maharashtra spend 7 percent of their food budget on sugar?

Does having lots of children actually make you poorer?

via Poor Economics | Poor Economics.

I’m deeply saddened by the events in Haiti. My thoughts are with those who are suffering and those who are aiding the struggling nation.

Please help out by giving generously to your local Red Cross, or my perennial charity of choice, Médecins Sans Frontières.

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural or man-made disasters.

Clean drinking water in sub-Saharan Africa is sometimes available only about a hundred feet underground. Even if someone drilled a hole, the rural communities often cannot afford the fuel to run the pumps to bring up the water.

So, the idea here is to install a pump disguised as a merry-go-round. The more children play on the merry-go-round, the more water is brought up to the surface. This invention especially benefits young girls who are often sent to fetch a day’s water from iffy sources at great distances.

For people that say this won’t work…they obviously haven’t spent an afternoon at a playground watching kids play.

I’ve talked about Kiva before and have had great experiences with it, so I’m starting another round of lending.

Kiva.org is the first website that provides a way to do person-to-person micro-lending and it is a great idea.

Here’s why… It basically takes the Child Sponsorship model that we’ve all seen. This is where you would sponsor a specific child in a developing country and send them some money. In return, the child sends you updates and photos of themselves. While, this is all good and well, the problem is that while the feedback to the sponsor is engaging and maximizes the continuation of sponsorship, the administration costs are EXTREMELY high.

Kiva.org does basically the same thing with entrepreneurs. It lets you look at their profiles and lend to those individuals or groups in which you’re interested. So, while you get “journal” reports and repayment data etc…it all happens online and at very low cost. Smart! The people that need the money get it, and there is very little “friction” along the way.

It is a sustainable way of empowering them to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. I’m also very interested in women’s issues in the developing world, so my lending bias is towards women. But, that’s just my schtick…you can lend to anyone you like!

Come check it out…and join me! It is fun and you know it, your karma can stand a bit of cleansing!

This is the 2nd part of a commencement speech that Bill Gates gave at Harvard. How can MILLIONS of children die of preventable diseases today without anyone doing anything about it? Why this requires “creative capitalism.”

Part 3 talks about complexity and why people don’t act. Worth taking a look.