© 2022 UnPoverty and Mark K. Lutz

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Mark Lutz has visited families living in cardboard huts, hiked dusty paths to isolated African villages, and tiptoed across putrid open sewers on makeshift bridges. UnPoverty relays those astonishing encounters with unforgettable people: desperately poor, yet abundantly rich.

ABOUT OPPORTUNITY INTERNATIONAL

Opportunity  International  is  a global nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for entrepreneurs to build their businesses, children to go to school, farmers to feed their communities, and families to end the cycle of generational poverty. For 50 years, we have developed innovative programs that use financial services, training, and support to address some of the greatest challenges facing those living in poverty around the world.

 

mark-lutz-headshot

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Growing up in South Africa under apartheid shaped me to become an advocate for justice. Visits to some 50 countries has sharpened my vision for a world free from extreme poverty.

For over 30 years I have raised money for Opportunity International where I serve as the senior vice president of global philanthropy. Each year we release over $2 billion in loans to some of the poorest people in the world, empowering them to start and expand micro enterprises, feed their families and send their children to school.

After 45 years in the Chicago area, my wife Lise and I moved to New Jersey to be near our children and two grandsons.

 

ABOUT 
POVERTY
UNPOVERTY
JUSTICE
THE END

12 Indicators That Extreme Poverty Is Ending

SCROLL RIGHT TO EXPLORE ALL 12->

POVERTY
Three decades ago, 1 in 3 people lived in extreme poverty. Today, that ratio is less than 1 in 10.
HUNGER
Since 1990, the global rate of malnourishment dropped by almost half.
BIRTHS
Women in India have an average of 2.3 children, which is down by more than half since 1970.
INFANT MORTALITY
Mortality for children under age 5 declined by more than half between 1990 and 2015 to 43 deaths per 1,000 live births, despite population growth in developing regions
LITERACY
Fifty years ago, almost 25% of youth lacked basic literacy skills, compared to less than 10% in 2016.
DRINKING WATER
90% of the global population can now access clean drinking water, up from 76% in 1990.
AIDS
AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by more than half since the peak in 2004. In 2017, 940,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses worldwide, compared to 1.9 million in 2004.
MATERNAL MORTALITY
The rate of mothers dying during childbirth has declined by 45% worldwide since 1990.
EDUCATION
In sub-Saharan Africa, the average ratio of children in school v. those of the same age not receiving a formal education rose from 57% to 70% between 1999 and 2005.
GENDER EQUALITY
Every year of schooling increases a girl’s earning power by 10-20%. The return on secondary education is even higher—15-25%.
DIGITAL INCLUSION
In just the past six years, 1.2 million people worldwide have gained access to bank or mobile-money account.
MICROFINANCE
In 2000, 1,567 microfinance institutions reported reaching 30 million clients. In 2012, that number rose to nearly 4,000 microfinance institutions who were providing services for 200 million clients worldwide, and 83% of those clients were women.
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Source: Word Bank data, 1990 v 2015
Source: World Bank Database, 2017
Source: World Bank Database, 2016
Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals, 2015
Source: UNESCO, September 2017
Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals
Source: UNAIDS
Source: UN Sustainable Development Goals
Source: UNESCO
Source: United Nations Foundation
Source: World Bank, Global Findex, 2017
Source: 2015 Gates Annual Letter, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

THIS EDITION OF UNPOVERTY IS FREE

This special edition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Opportunity International with additional chapters that chronicle Opportunity’s evolution over five decades. I’m offering this edition free because my hope is that after reading it you will choose to support Opportunity International. Click the button FREE BOOK and opportunity.org will send you a copy.

BUY THE ORIGINAL VERSION

To buy the original version click the button or order it from Amazon, either in hard cover or paperback. (All proceeds go to Opportunity International).

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