U.S. development assistance has made a big difference to millions of people in poverty. A well that provides clean drinking water for a village may cost a few hundred dollars, but the benefits far exceed that sum in terms of improving people’s health, increasing the productivity of workers, and allowing girls to attend school rather than walking hours each day to find other sources of water.
Though poverty-focused development assistance (PFDA) comprises less than 1 percent of the entire budget of the U.S. government, it has crucially important functions. It provides life-saving programs for millions of people who are hungry and poor, bolsters U.S. national security, and promotes trade and job creation both here and abroad.
PFDA programs focus on issues of human needs, such as agricultural development and nutrition, emergency humanitarian assistance, global health, education, gender equality, and water and sanitation. PFDA works to support people caught in humanitarian crises, such as conflicts or famine. It also builds long-term socioeconomic capacity so countries can eventually become self-sufficient.
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith.” These words from Colossians 2:6 remind us of the faith that is active in love for our neighbors.
The Bible on...
Dear Members of Congress,
As the president and Congress are preparing their plans for this year, almost 100 church leaders—from all the families of U.S. Christianity—are...
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to respond to changes in need, making it well suited to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bread for the World and its partners are asking Congress to provide $200 million for global nutrition in the fiscal year 2020 budget.
In 2017, 11.8 percent of households in the U.S.—40 million people—were food-insecure, meaning that they were unsure at some point during the year about how they would provide for their next meal.