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Every three seconds a child dies
By ella | July 1, 2005
As we go about our daily business most of us give no thought to what is going on every day in the poorest parts of the world. I mean, we all have enough problems of our own, right? But did you know 50,000 people a day die from poverty? Worldwide, a woman dies every minute from complications associated with having a baby; 99% of these deaths are in the developing world. Every three seconds a child dies through preventable diseases.
Every three seconds.
One billion people, one in six of the world’s population, live on less than $1 a day.
I have been trying to imagine what my daily life would be like if I had to live on that kind of money.
At the same time the poorest countries in the world routinely spend more on debt repayments than they do on health. In 2002 low-income countries paid out $39 billion in debt repayments to rich country creditors - the equivalent of $100 million every day. In that same year, despite the billions living in poverty, the millions out of school, and the thousands dying daily, they received only $17bn billion in grant aid.
There is much emphasis on what the G8 summit might achieve this week in making poverty history. But the media attention seems to be overlooking the fact that the G8’s policies are at the core of the world’s problems. And there is a risk that those organising Live8 are falling into line with the Government’s agenda and diluting the message, primarily on the issue of trade justice, where change could really end poverty.
There are three critical and inextricably linked areas where policy change is needed:
- trade justice;
- stop forced liberalisation through the World Trade Organisation, through economic partnership agreements and through the World Bank and IMF.
- end export dumping
- stop big business profiting and the expense of people and the environment.
- drop the debt, without strings;
- although the G8 countries recently cancelled £22 billion of debt for 18 poor but well-governed countries it was tied to cuts in aid and was conditional on Western companies having unlimited access to the markets of those countries. They need protectionism to develop their own economies.
- more and better aid
Joined-up policies that address the social, economic, security and governance needs of populations living in fragile or conflict-affected regions are needed. At present, misplaced development assistance, inequitable trade and foreign investment, irresponsible arms sales and disenfranchisement are feeding conflict and instability.
So please think of something you can do to make a difference, to raise awareness. Go to makepovertyhistory.org and read the booklet.
This is our chance to try and make a difference. Even if it means just one less baby dying.
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