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The Student News Site of University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Badger Herald

The Student News Site of University of Wisconsin-Madison

The Badger Herald

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Alum aims for ending poverty with education

A University of Wisconsin alum addressed campus last night about a global strategy to eliminate extreme poverty through sustainable assistance, rather than providing traditional aid.

While traveling around the country for the past two months, Daniel Skallman has spoken with students to empower them through education initiatives in efforts to fight global poverty.

The project is currently partnering with the Cambodian Organization for Women Support to advance social justice and health equity in impoverished communities. Globe Med has raised $7,000 to further this cause thus far.

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“We thought it was a powerful movement, and it’s a message that people at Madison could relate to,” Globe Med Project Co-Coordinator Lauren Thomas said. “It’s a good call to action that would be really beneficial to a lot of people.”

Skallman said his purpose for joining the project was based on his conviction that it is possible for there to be a world without extreme poverty. Extreme poverty is a “vastly complicated and multifaceted problem,” he said.

In Skallman’s presentation, he discussed issues of health care and education, and also related them to political origins. He claimed a major problem is corruption within governments that take away natural resources that could be used to develop communities economically.

“[Fighting poverty] is about using our relationships with government to give people a room to organize and get people to listen,” Skallman said.

In a video endorsed by the project, it was also said the United States’ economic growth is directly related to global growth. Skallman emphasized one way to promote global economic growth is to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Skallman said women account for three out of five impoverished people in the world and stressed making women a target for aid as future business owners and community leaders.

“Our impulse is to send them food and send them money, but in actuality, that puts farmers out of business, and once that food’s gone it’s gone,” Skallman said. “What we need to focus on is sustainable assistance.”

Skallman said these strategies to fight poverty are affordable and can be done without traveling to impoverished nations. He said fighting poverty begins at home where consumers have a say in the products they buy.

“I didn’t agree with [global trade affecting poverty] because I come from a background on environmentalism and sustainability,” UW junior Cherie Thunder said. “It would seem better to educate them about gardening instead of global trade.”

Skallman encouraged audience members to demand products that are conflict free. In Uganda armed groups are smuggling minerals out of the country and selling them to corporations. By telling companies consumers are willing to pay more for a fair trade product, Skallman said, companies will demand that same process from groups mining the resources.

Currently the project is focusing on securing a $100 million commitment from the government to fight extreme poverty.

“I think this is the first time we can say we have the knowledge, resources and tools to end abject poverty,” Skallman said. “I am optimistic that it can be achieved within our lifetime.”

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