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Facts for Action • Standing Against Poverty: USA • Development Group Discussion • Power of One

Partners in Development

Who, Me? Taking Steps to Make Poverty History

Boys pouring water
Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT-CWS

The partnership to end hunger and poverty is not a spectator sport – it needs everyone’s involvement. If you have found the activities in this resource compelling, think about how you and your group can take steps to make poverty history. First, write the quotes below on newsprint. Ask your group what point(s) these three people are trying to make. Do they agree? In light of what they’ve been learning,
what steps might they make to assist impoverished people around the world?

Share The Power of One sheet below as a place to start your conversation.

We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.
Marian Wright Edelman

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
Margaret Mead

The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have too much... it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt


The Power of One, and One, and One…

PDF file Download a PDF of this handout

The challenge to overcome hunger and poverty demands our best efforts. Join your energies with others to make a difference in your community and in your world.

Support the Work of Church World Service

CROP Hunger Walks: Join with people in your community from many religious traditions to fight hunger at home and globally.

Tools & Blankets Program: Get your congregation involved in supporting emergency assistance and long-term community development. Resources generated through your congregation can make all the difference in the lives of people struggling to break free from the bonds of poverty.

CWS Kits: A real hands-on activity, the Kits your group assembles are used by CWS in emergency situations around the world. These Kits provide simple, but essential, items to people when they are most vulnerable. Each Kit is carefully designed to fit a particular need in the aftermath of a disaster. What you put together will be used by someone who really needs it!

For more information on these programs, call your CWS Regional Office at 888-297-2767.

Speak Out!

Become an E-Advocate: Join CWS in calling on the U.S. government, the United Nations, and other key international institutions to formulate policies responsive to the needs of impoverished people around the world. Sign up for CWS Speak Out Action Alerts.

Support your Denomination’s Advocacy Efforts: Many national church bodies have well-established efforts to advance the cause of peace and justice. Visit your denomination’s website to learn more.

Join the ONE Campaign: Church World Service and many other groups have joined together in the ONE Campaign – an effort to rally Americans to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. To sign up, go to www.one.org.

Write a Letter: Bread for the World’s annual Offering of Letters provides an excellent opportunity for you and your congregation to advocate for hungry people at home and around the world. For more information, go to www.bread.org.

Live Simply

Reconsider Your Lifestyle: Eat more simply. Buy foods grown using sustainable agricultural techniques. Support fair trade organizations that provide fair income for low-income people.

Give a Gift that Matters: Perhaps a water buffalo? See www.cwsbestgift.org for great gift ideas that can make a world of difference.

Volunteer: Give the gift of your time to local groups assisting those in need.

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