Extreme poverty is poverty that kills--for lack of adequate nutrition, shelter, clean water, & medicines. Its epicenter is sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly half the population struggles to survive on less than $1/day. Among all who suffer from extreme poverty, the most vulnerable are women & children displaced by war.

The displaced are persons compelled to leave home or country, often to avoid armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations or natural disasters, to seek safety and sustenance elsewhere. There are over 21 million refugees and internally displaced in the world today (cf. CIA World Factbook, 2007). It is estimated that 80% of them--nearly 17 million--are women and children. Millions more are displaced not by war but by poverty itself, migrating to city slums or distant lands to eke out a living.

Where are these displaced women & children? Sadly, the displaced are everywhere. But those who are living in extreme poverty are overwhelmingly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa. Africa is the epicenter of extreme poverty (cf. Jeffrey Sachs, The End of Poverty, Penguin Bks, NY, NY, 2005). It is the only region of the world where economic growth is moving in a negative rather than positive direction.

Extreme poverty results from a mix of problems: lack of clean water, prevalence of disease (e.g., malaria) or violence, absence of infrastructure (roads, ports, means of transport, communication systems), lack of education, environmental degradation, cultural norms that impede participation of women, etc.

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