Each day we are bombarded by the media telling us about the people living in poverty around the world and urging us to do something about it. And it often feels overwhelming and discouraging.

You might be thinking… can we actually lift people out of poverty? Humanitarians have been hard at work for years, aiming to end global poverty and injustice – but are any of our efforts making a difference?

Let’s take a look at the world’s developments over the past 50 years.

Here’s what has happened since the 1960s:

• Life expectancy has increased 15 years in developing countries (from 50 to 65).
• The percentage of children in developing countries to die before age 5 has dropped from 22% to 5%.

Since the early 1990s:

• One billion people have escaped poverty
• Average incomes have doubled
• Millions more girls are enrolled in school
• Infant death rates have plummeted
• Deaths from malaria and other diseases have declined dramatically

While there’s still much work to be done, let’s take a moment to recognize the accomplishments we, as a global community, have made so far. People like you are working hard to alleviate human suffering, and it’s working!

But to truly eliminate poverty, we have to keep our collective foot on the gas pedal. Here are some ways you can help win the fight against poverty:

• Pray with us for the millions of people who are still hungry and undernourished in the world today.
• Buy Fair Trade coffee and chocolate, and more of the money you spend reaches the hands of the farmers who grew them.
• Support sustainable development organizations that work in partnership with those in need.