Over the past 20 years, the number of people who are malnourished has been reduced by 50 percent, and more children are in school today than at any time period in history. Global poverty can seem daunting, but success in alleviating suffering is occurring across the globe. The non-profit agency The Borgen Project believes that leaders of the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global poverty. They're the innovative, national campaign that is working to make poverty a focus of U.S. foreign policy. In a Nutshell: They fight extreme poverty.

“The Borgen Project is an incredible nonprofit organization that is addressing poverty and hunger and working towards ending them.” – The Huffington Post

In 1999, while working as a young volunteer in refugee camps during the Kosovo War and genocide, Clint Borgen recognized the need for an organization that could focus U.S. political attention on extreme poverty. In 2003, after graduating from Washington State University and interning at the United Nations, Borgen began developing the organization.

In need of startup funding, Borgen took a job living on a fishing vessel docked in Dutch Harbor, Alaska (the same location as “The Deadliest Catch”). From humble beginnings in one of the most remote regions of the world, The Borgen Project was born. One man with a laptop and a budget that came from his Alaska paychecks has evolved into a national campaign with volunteers operating in 220 U.S. cities.

FOCUS OF ADVOCACY:

  • Global Food Security
  • Food Aid Reform
  • Newborn, Child and Mother Survival
  • Access to Clean Water, Sanitation and Power

From ending segregation to providing women with the right to vote, nearly every wrong ever righted in history was achieved through advocacy. The Borgen Project addresses the big picture. They operate at the political level advancing policies and programs that improve living conditions for those living on less than $1 per day.

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