Trading an end to poverty

We live in an age of wonders. From nano-surgery to space stations, networking sites to solar cells, Internet start-ups to smart capital, the world is a more connected, attractive and safe place than was dreamed possible, even fifty years ago. People live longer, healthier lives, with unprecedented social and political freedoms. Yet, in spite of these achievements, perhaps the greatest wonder is that so much of the world does not share in them. The poorest people still lose one in five children under the age of five, often to preventable diseases, drink unsafe water and have little or no access to basic education or the opportunities to better their lot. Poor women are much more likely to die in childbirth and are even less educated than men.