"...Empowering men and women to improve their lives always makes a difference. All over the world, even in the most impoverished countries, people with vision and commitment are striving to make things better for themselves, their families, and their communities. When we offer them a little extra help -- like better access to education and health care -- and remove impediments to economic growth -- like trade rules that make it difficult for small, poor countries to compete in the global marketplace -- we empower people to use their own energy and determination to bring about lasting changes..."

"...We've learned a lot about how to help people help themselves. Not surprisingly, families and communities do best when they have the right mix of tools and resources to work with -- like access to education and health care, a clean environment, the freedom to seize new economic opportunities, and basic rights like being able to participate in the decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. Programs that help create conditions like these can empower millions of people to lift themselves out of poverty. We've seen it happen in China and India, and in now-prosperous countries like Ireland and South Korea that were poor just a generation ago..."

"...Investments in education and health care pay off many times over. For each year of schooling a girl receives, her own children are 5 to 10 percent less likely to die as infants. Programs that provide small loans to help women start their own small businesses also have an impressive track record of moving people and families out of poverty. If we join other countries in a concerted effort to pursue these cost-effective strategies, we don't just help change lives -- we change trends. And in an interconnected world, that works to everyone's benefit, because everyone's future depends on a healthy, stable, and prosperous global community..."

"...There's a lot we can do about poverty and related problems. Investments in health, for example, are incredibly effective -- and have an impact on many aspects of people's lives. Healthy children are more likely to go to school and more able to learn. Healthy, educated adults are better able to get jobs, start businesses, and care for their families. People who have jobs and hope for the future have a stake in the stability of their societies. Countries that no longer have to spend billions fighting preventable diseases can devote resources to educating their citizens and developing their economies..."