today is blog action day with a focus this year on poverty, and thousands of blogs around the world are uniting to spread the word about this issue and the sad reality of poverty affecting a large populace.at the time of this post, approximately 10,700 blogs are participating today with an estimated audience of 11.5 million people. impressive!

i admit, this year has been a rather stressful one for me financially. underestimated taxes for 2007, sudden unexpected expenses and such have popped up off and on throughout the year. not only that, but with the state of things not only in america, but also across the world, my anxiety for the future of society has been at one of its highest levels ever. bringing awareness to the issues is the first step in making a difference in the lives of those affected, and that is the primary cause of blog action day.

here in america, especially with the current economic and financial crisis, it’s easy for us to lose sight that we still have one of the highest standards of living in the world. so even if your personal finances have been greatly affected by this crisis, think about this: if you have food to eat, clothes to wear, shelter and a place to sleep then you are richer than 75% of the world already. have money in your wallet or spare change lying around in a jar at home? then you’re in the top 8%.

according to these sources:

70% of the world’s poor are women.

1 in 5 children in the developing world does not have access to safe water, and 1 in 7 has no access whatsoever to essential health services.

Every year 11 million children die — most under the age of five — and more than 6 million from completely preventable causes like malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia.

In 2002, there were 815 million hungry people in the world. While this number has been declining slightly worldwide, hunger has increased greatly in South Asia and Africa.

In developing nations, more than a quarter of children under age five are malnourished.

Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities, according to the World Health Organization.

The World Bank estimates that more than a billion people live on less than US$1.00 (one dollar) per day.

At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.

In 2005, the wealthiest 20% of the world accounted for 76.6% of total private consumption. The poorest fifth just 1.5%.

1.6 billion people — a quarter of humanity — live without electricity, primarily in southern and eastern Asia and Africa.

however, poverty does not merely end with consumption and materialism but extends well into our character and judgment–letting our morals go astray rather than focusing on what really matters in life and regaining one’s perspective. volunteering in your community to help those less fortunate is one of the best ways to get involved in this manner.

ways you can help

there are many great resources online that can act as a starting point for getting involved in the fight against poverty. you can lend money to entrepreneurs in a developing country, donate to beneficial charities, get involved, or increase education and technology in developing nations. for more resources in ways you can help end poverty, please refer to the wide range of resources provided by blog action day. also be sure to read blog action day’s list of 88 ways to DO something about poverty.

some good resources:
http://www.miniature-earth.com/
http://www.storyofstuff.com/
http://www.worldbank.org/