Extreme poverty is the most severe state of poverty, where people cannot meet basic needs for survival, such as food, water, clothing, shelter, sanitation, education and health care. 1.1 billion people currently live under these conditions.

115 million school-aged children are not in school and 133 million young people cannot read and write.

Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people are female. Furthermore, girls denied an education are more vulnerable to poverty, violence, abuse, death during childbirth and at the risk of disease, including HIV/AIDS.

Each day, nearly 30,000 children die from illnesses that are either preventable or can easily be cured. That’s 1 child every 3 seconds!

More than 500,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth every year, while at least 10 million suffer injury, infection, or disability

About 4.8 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2003 (more than 13,000 each day)
Malaria causes more than 300 million acute illnesses and at least one million deaths annually

We are consuming resources at an unparalleled rate. Forests are disappearing, climate change is wreaking havoc around the world. Over 2.4 billion people lack access to proper sanitation facilities and one billion lack access to drinkable water.

The MDG's are a compact between countries of the world. Without cooperation on both parts the goals are just another expression of hope without the resources to really make a difference. Australia is dragging its feet - C'mon Kevin, Let's go to 0.7