Stephen C. Smith is professor of economics and international affairs at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and author of Ending Global Poverty: A Guide to What Works (Palgrave MacMillan, 2005). The book discusses the role of faith-based organizations.

Live 8: The Long Walk to Justice coordinated concerts worldwide on July 2, 2005, to draw attention to the need to increase aid to Africa and to urge G8 leaders to help. Contact Katy Cronin, media manager.

The One Campaign, launched in May 2005 with the help of Bono, is urging that 1 percent of America’s budget be spent reducing AIDS and extreme poverty in other countries. The campaign is supported by a variety of religious groups. Contact  Ari Goldberg.

Read a June 29, 2005, Christian Science Monitor story about U.S. churches addressing poverty in Africa.

Read the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 29-city survey on hunger and homelessness in 2011.

Read a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, which found that 14.9 percent of the nation’s households did not have enough food for at least some time in 2011.

Habitat for Humanity has a Better Built Program that promotes energy-efficient, environmentally friendly construction and encourages good stewardship of natural resources and raises awareness of the environmental impact of house building.

Jerome P. Baggett is professor of religion and society for the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley at the Graduate Theological Union. He wrote the book Habitat for Humanity: Building Private Homes, Building Public Religion (2000) and Sense of the Faithful: How American Catholics Live Their Faith (2009). He is currently conducting a research project on American atheists. He […]

Ram A. Cnaan is a leading expert on faith-based social services and the chair of the doctoral program in social welfare at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He wrote the article “Defining Who Is a Volunteer: Conceptual and Empirical Considerations” for the journal Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (1996). He is also director of the Program […]