Crisis 'to trap 53m in poverty'

We've seen over the last few months an extreme global economic meltdown. The effects have hit home with many Americans, and unfortunately more and more will feel the crunch in times to come. But the impact reaches far over the Earth, not simply in industrialized nations such as the U.S., but to those countries that are still trying to get their own slice of the pie. The World Bank has come out with a report saying that 40% of developing countries will feel the impact of the global recession. This in turn will cause a total of 53 million people in 2009 to fall below the global poverty line, which is a measly $1.25 a day. More than that, the bank even expects the crisis to impact the infant mortality rate, estimating an additional 200,000 to 400,000 deaths each year should the problem not be resolved. The World Bank then called on the industrious nations to include in their stimulus package .7% of the total money spent to go to these struggling countries.

            Problems such as this often go tragically unnoticed. With all the job and house loss here within our own country, it is very easy to ignore the problems of the even less fortunate that populate countries the world over. Ideally, none of us would be in this mess, but realistically, we most own up to our problems and assist those affected by them, as well as our efforts to help ourselves. We owe it to the nations we’ve depended on for various goods and services the assistance they need to rise out of a situation they had little to no part in creating.