This book unpacks data that explains why anti-poverty efforts haven’t worked (corruption, lack of cultural awareness, bad distribution, no follow ups, etc) as well as proof that poverty is solvable. The goal of this organization is to end poverty, with a focus on extreme poverty, by 2030.

It’s definitely sobering to see that most of the countries with the highest rates of extreme poverty are in Africa, and I wish the authors of the book would have been more transparent about the ways that Europe/the U.S. contributed to that poverty. Some of the language suggests that Europe knows they’re responsible to HELP, but there is no admission of guilt for stealing resources/people/etc which streamlined their impoverishment.

I did like their consistent emphasis on helping the poorest people. So many programs aim towards poor people, but the absolute poorest still get left behind. It reminded me of “affordable housing” efforts in the U.S., which target people who fit into certain categories of income and family size. But that leaves out people with no income or those who are alone. You have to be a certain kind of “poor” to qualify. And in Newark, “affordable housing” rates are based on the county, not the city.

Another thing that stood out is their take on people’s right to energy. One to two billion people live in rural areas with no electricity at all because they are nowhere near the infrastructure necessary to gain access. It’s easy to see how a lack of electricity circles back to educational issues, business potential, and quality of life at home.

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P.S. I have a book out that’s about dating as a single mother. It’s available here and here and in person if you’re located near me in New Jersey.