Together we can save lives

2 MIN READ
Mothers in a Zambian village learn how to prepare and feed their children a nutritious porridge. Photo: Joe Molieri / Bread for the World

By Rick Steves

Travel humanizes our world. I think that’s why I like it so much. Seeing struggling people face-to-face makes the statistics real. In all my travels as a TV host and guidebook writer, my most prized souvenir is the understanding that suffering overseas is as real as suffering across the street. That’s why I’m so thankful that Bread for the World parlays my Christian compassion into real help. Together, we can power Bread in its work with their 2016 Offering of Letters — and I hope you’ll join me in helping make it a success.

Of course, the attention of most Americans is directed by sensational news media. And, unfortunately, the grinding reality of hunger and the impact of easily preventable disease on the half of humanity trying to live on $2 a day is rarely considered “newsworthy.” But if you’ve traveled overseas, you and I understand both the ongoing reality of this human struggle and the wonderful opportunity to make a difference as citizens of such a richly blessed nation.

We know that with a modest increase in our government’s international funding for nutrition and health care — easily within reach of our resources — countless deaths can be prevented. This year, Congress will decide how much support these lifesaving programs will receive. And we can help Congress legislate with some compassion if we show our compassion and Christian values first by raising our voices smartly for struggling people.

Together we can save lives. As your partner in advocating for our planet’s most vulnerable people, Bread needs two things: your financial support and your political voice. By donating today and by telling your congressperson that you care about struggling people in the developing world, our government is more likely to do the right thing … and you will make a big difference.

Rick Steves is the host of public television’s most-watched, longest-running travel series, “Rick Steves’ Europe,” and the author of more than 50 travel guidebooks.

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