Tom Nazario: "Living on a Dollar a Day"

Astonishingly, one out of every six people who share this planet with us live on less than a dollar a day.
Slightly over one billion people on the planet live on a dollar a day. While the reasons for their poverty may be different across geographic regions and political circumstances, the results are much the same. Extreme poverty robs people of options in life, and the cycle is nearly impossible to break without help. While the poor often work very hard at jobs many of us would not even consider doing, not having access to basic health care and education keeps them at the bottom of the economic ladder, usually for generations.
Living on a Dollar a Day shares the personal stories of some these poorest of the poor, honoring their lives, their struggles, and encouraging action in those who can help. In making this beautiful and moving book a team traveled to four continents, took thousands of photographs, conducted numerous interviews, and researched information on the agencies around the world that strive to help the destitute. The resulting stories and photographs offer a heartrending glimpse into the everyday realities of individuals and families facing extreme poverty. Personal profiles give voice to their experience, and research about the root causes of global poverty is shared along with information on how those in more fortunate circumstances can get involved.
Living on a Dollar a Day gives the largely invisible poor a face and a voice. In a world that grows more and more connected and interdependent, the issues that affect one person eventually affect us all. This important book is a powerful call to action for anyone who wishes to help alleviate human suffering.
Speaker Bio:
Thomas Nazario is the founder and president of The Forgotten International, a nonprofit organization that does poverty alleviation work in several parts of the world, as well as an attorney, child advocate, and law professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law. His expertise in children's rights has led him all over the world documenting human rights violations involving women and children, as well as working with inner-city kids in the San Francisco Bay area for over thirty-five years. Mr. Nazario’s expertise lies in the area of Children’s Rights as well as issues related to global poverty.
As such, and after the publication of his book entitled In Defense of Children, he has testified before Congress and appeared on many national television and radio shows, including CNN, Oprah Winfrey and the Larry King Show. His work has also led him all over the world documenting human rights violations involving women and children for the United Nations, the U.S. State Department and many nongovernmental agencies.
Through his travels he has discovered many grassroots organizations that seek to help the poorest of the poor, and he works tirelessly to provide ongoing support to these groups, as well as new organizations his foundation continues to find around the world. In addition to his teaching, Tom often makes presentations to community groups, colleges, foundations, and corporations that wish to get involved in his work.
Tom also often serves as a host to the Dalai Lama when His Holiness visits California. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The following videos are referenced in Tom's speech:
1. TFI Documentary Trailer :
2. Ghana e-waste story -
3. Wealth Inequality in America :
4. Feeding the Hungry, Nourishing the Soul :