Fr. Barry Vaughn shared Off the Top of My Head - Investing in a better world I wonder if you saw the headline last week about Bill Gates claim that by 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world. Its an audacious statement, and I am a little skeptical, but I am certain that, barring any complications, we are on the way to relative prosperity for much of the world. The key phrase there is barring any complications. 2014 is the one hundredth anniversary of the First World War. Almost no one anticipated World War 1. In 1914, the world was becoming a prosperous place, and very few anticipated the catastrophic conflict that was just over the horizon. Thats one of the reasons that I think it is so important for all of us to do our part to eliminate poverty. A prosperous world is more likely to be a peaceful world. Some of the complications that might happen to derail Gates remarkable prediction are war, famine, epidemics, and climate change, just to name a few. Fortunately, there is a lot that you and I can do to help the poor, both at home and abroad, overcome poverty. Here are a few things we can do: 1. Work toward the eradication of disease. In last Fridays New York Times, Timothy Egan points out that, Money spent on relatively small, specific things can make the difference between life and death. The leading causes of mortality for children under 3, by far, are preventable diseases. Yes, preventable - with vaccines, early diagnoses, water purification. Thats one reason the Gates Foundation has targeted disparities in health care. A childs fate, Bill Gates writes, should not be left to what Warren Buffett calls the ovarian lottery. 2. Promote education (especially for very young children). A study by David Deming, professor of education at Harvard, showed that Head Start graduates were less likely to repeat grades or be diagnosed with a learning disability, and more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. 3. Feed the hungry. A story in the Huffington Post, reports that the CEO of consulting firm Deloitte (hardly a wild-eyed radical) presented research showing math scores can average 17.5 percent higher for students who get school breakfast. Annual attendance rates also consistently improve. The anecdotal evidence tells the same tale; principals tell us the connection between school breakfast, attendance and reading on grade level (a relied-upon predictor of drop-out or graduation) is strong. 4. Insist on gender equality. In his book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, Nicholas Kristof argues that unleashing womens energy, is a key to economic success. I have no doubt that he is correct. Take Turkey, for example. It is both one of the most prosperous Muslim countries and also one of the few that gives women more or less equal rights with men. There is a strong connection between womens education, political rights, and prosperity. At our annual meeting last Sunday, the vestry and I presented Christ Churchs 2014 budget. We are much closer to balancing the budget than we have been for the last few years, but we are not quite there. These are difficult economic times for all of us, but I want to encourage everyone to do their part and a little bit more to help us balance the budget. Your gifts to Christ Church not only support this church that we all love but also help us feed the hungry in Las Vegas. Through our participation in Episcopal Relief and Development, your gifts contribute to that day when poverty will be eliminated.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 17:55:31 +0000
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