The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty has been observed on October 17 since 1993, when the United Nations General Assembly designated this day to promote awareness of the need to eradicate poverty and destitution in all countries.

Our society too often depicts wealth as “success,” viewing people who live with poverty as “failures.” But if anything, we fail to appreciate the pervasive width and depth of poverty—not only on the other side of the world, but also on the other side of the street. We resort to sayings like “Pull up your bootstraps,” “You are lazy,” “You made your bed, now lie in it!” or “We are all in tough times so it has to be each for their own, while there be time.” We may patronizingly add, “Offer a hand up rather than a hand out,” assuming that “up” is the right place, or merely our place, for now.