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GC Blog

The Life You Can Save

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Over the weekend I heard To the Best of Our Knowledge on Public Radio International.  It’s not a show that I catch regularly, so I was intrigued that their topic was one of my latest passions – the ethics of aid to developing nations.

The first guest was Zambian author/economist/activist Dambisa Moyo, whose landmark book Dead Aid presents a compelling, data-driven case against aid, championing instead economic opportunities for countries still in the grips of poverty. The backlash from aid advocates toward Moyo was swift and often harsh, but her argument continues to be a sticking point for discussions among policy-makers and advocates worldwide.

Though I enjoyed hearing directly from Moyo, it was the commentary that followed from philosopher Peter Singer that lingered with me long after the show was over.  In his book "The Life You Can Save," he details the notion that everyone in America has a moral obligation to help the world’s poor.  I delved into the book’s complimentary website, made my own pledge to give and shared their fantastic multimedia piece with friends and family… and now with you.  It’s a superb example of how a compelling message wrapped in a relatively simple package can help catalyze change for the good and move people to act.