The United States is a pretty incredible country.

My country is the home of the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Its diverse landscape incorporates deserts, forests, coastline, prairie, tundra, and rainforest. But, what really defines the United States as a country is its dedication to the idea that “all men are created equal” and are endowed “with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Back in 1776 - and still today in 2015 - that is a VERY bold idea.

My nation’s history has been wrought with the ongoing struggle to get the whole ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ thing right. Its past hasn’t always been rosy. Time and time again, bold visionary leaders step out and work to create an America that is a little bit better. In Seneca Falls, Selma, and Stonewall my nation’s forefathers (and mothers!) put themselves on the line as they worked to build a country that was more inclusive. Through their work, and the work of many others, Americans have inherited a country that:

1. Spends more on overseas development assistance than any other country in the world

Image: Flickr: USAID

Overseas development assistance is funding given from a government to support international development. The United States gave $31.55 billion USD in 2013 which was higher than any other country. The next highest donor in absolute terms was the United Kingdom which gave $17.88 billion USD in 2013.

Funding from the United States has been instrumental in ensuring that kids have access to vaccines, girls can go to school, and families have access to nutritious food.

However, if you look at aid as a proportion of gross national income (GNI), the United States isn’t a top donor at all. In fact, it comes in 20th! According to the OECD, Norway gives 1.07% of GNI as aid whereas the United States gives only around 0.19% of GNI as aid.

2. Invests in incredible technology to ensure that more children are protected from disease

Image: Flickr: Abd allah Foteih

The United States Government and American civil society do a killer job of harnessing technology to address poverty issues.

Let me share a quick example. In many countries like Ghana, vaccines are delivered by community health workers who often don’t have an immense amount of medical training. Vaccines have to be carried great distances by truck or bicycle to eventually reach a refrigerator in a rural clinic. The journey could take up to a few weeks and, if the vaccine is exposed to too much heat, it could be ruined. Too often in the past, heat-exposed vaccines were used because the problem wasn’t recognized or the vials were tossed out when health workers suspected that they had overheated.

To help, an organization called PATH, headquartered in Seattle, WA, worked to adapt technology used by the food industry to monitor perishable products so that it would work well for vaccines.The vaccine vial monitor (VVM) is a small sticker placed on a vaccine vial. The VVM changes color as it is exposed to heat, letting health workers know if the vaccine should be discarded.

Since introduction, these little stickers have helped ensure that vaccines work—and saved millions of doses from being discarded unnecessarily. This program is supported by donors like the US Agency for International Development. Today, all vaccines purchased through UNICEF include this great technology and experts estimate that this tech saves around $14 million each year!

But before Americans start shouting about ‘Merica and waving flags, it is important to note that other countries have also harnessed technology to make the world a better place. For example, the Kenyan mobile network Safaricom launched M-Pesa which is a program that allows users to deposit money through their cell phones and send money to their families. M-Pesa has spread quickly, and is currently the most successful mobile phone based financial service in the developing world.The service has given millions of people access to the formal financial system and has been praised for dramatically reducing crime.

3. Contributes more than any other country to polio eradication efforts

Image: Flickr: CDC Global

Polio cases have decreased by 99.9% since 1988, signaling that my generation is on the brink of seeing the end of polio forever. The United States is the leading public donor to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Its government joins private partners like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary International in a commitment to protect children worldwide from the threat of polio.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a strategic partner in the overall effort to eradicate polio worldwide. Specifically, CDC provides scientific expertise to many polio eradication programs and activities.  For example, CDC works jointly with WHO and national Ministries of Health to plan and monitor polio surveillance and immunization activities around the world. And, CDC conducts ‘epidemiologic and vaccine efficacy studies’ which is a fancy way of saying that CDC does a lot of work to ensure that vaccines are as effective as is possible. And, as an American, I think that that is incredible!

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Many people do not realize that the Global Poverty Project was founded in Australia back in 2008. There are several Brits and Australians in our office who are very quick to mention how terrible maternity leave policies are in the United States or how racial tensions are high in some regions of the country. And, they are right. For all its strengths, the United States government doesn’t always get it right.

But, the thing that I love most about being an American is the deeply ingrained idea that through hard work, innovation, and collaboration Americans can make  society better. My grandparent’s generation saw women gain the right to vote. My parent’s generation saw the passage of the Voting Rights Act. What will be my generation’s legacy?

The millennial generation is the first generation that could realistically see the end of extreme poverty. Getting all girls into school, ensuring that everyone worldwide has access to nutritious food, and ending the scourge of polio could be the legacy that my generation leaves for its children.

Tell us about the legacy you want to leave in the comments section. Take a step toward seeing the end of extreme poverty by signing the petition in support of increasing access to education in TAKE ACTION NOW.

And, as Martin Luther King Jr. shared on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial,

“We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.”

Editorial

Demand Equity

It is a great day to be an American

By Judith Rowland