Books and Movies
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Recommended Books :

0ut of Poverty by Paul Polak (2008) – Advocates an entrepreneurial approach to empower the poor to lift themselves out of poverty through income-generation ideas that encourage the poor to use their creativity to create income for themselves.

Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus (1999) – Chronicles the birth of micro-credit financing for the poor as told by the author who found the Grameen Bank in 1983. Grameen provided small loans of a few hundred dollars to the poorest people, primarily women, in Bangladesh. The book promotes micro-lending as a means of eradicating poverty.

Creating a World Without Poverty by Muhammad Yunus (2007)– Progressing beyond micro-credit, Yunus offers a vision for a new type of business, which he calls a social business, which would allow the free market system to solve the issues of poverty, hunger and inequality in the world. It’s road map for capitalism with compassion. He provides practical examples of what is now being done in this area.

Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman (2008) – In this current bestseller, Friedman, a New York Times columnist, explains how global warming, rapidly increasing populations, and unprecedented expansion of the world’s middle class through globalization have produced a “hot, flat, and crowded” planet Earth. He believes it is an imperative challenge for the U.S. to embrace a green revolution which will stimulate our country in creativity, boldness and concern for the common good.

Aboke Girls by Els De Temmerman (1995) – Recounts the abduction of over 40 girls from a Catholic school in Aboke in northern Uganda, and the nun who followed the rebels on foot get her girls back. It is a heart wrenching tale that offers gripping insights into how the war in northern Uganda has affected those living there.

Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda’s Children (2007) by Faith J.H. McDonnell – A shocking true story with alternating narration between Grace Akallo, a former girl soldier who was kidnapped as a child by Ugandan rebel soldiers; and the author, Faith J. H. McDonnell, who is a Washington, D.C. advocate for justice for Ugandans. The book focuses attention on the horrifying cruelty that has occurred in northern Uganda for the past 20 years. But it also inspires the reader to take action to stop such injustices in the future. 

The End of Poverty by Jeffrey D. Sachs (2005) – A classic book which offers a vision of how the developed world and governments, can use their resources to solve the problems of the poorest countries and ultimately eradicate poverty by 2025. The book promotes achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. 

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (2003) – The true life story of Dr. Paul Farmer, whose calling is to cure infectious diseases and bring modern medicine to the poor people of the world starting in Haiti. Inspiring book which shows that one person can make a difference.

What Can One Person Do? By Sabina Alkire and Edmund Newell (2005) – Offers practical steps on making personal efforts to create lasting change to confront the global issues surrounding poverty, and to put one’s faith into action. Written from a Christian faith perspective, but most suggestions can apply to anyone, no matter what their faith belief.

Recommended Movies:

War Dance (2006) PG-13 – Documentary movie set in northern Uganda. It was a Best Documentary nominee for the 2008 Oscars. The movie follows the lives of 3 young school children who live and attend school in a refugee camp. The children have experienced abduction from their families, being forced to fight with the rebel army and other atrocities of the internal war that has been going on in the sparsely populated northern Uganda area for 20 years. The children’s lives are changed when their school goes to Kampala to compete in a prestigious music festival.

Last King of Scotland (2006) R – British drama based on a novel of the same name. Forest Whitaker stars as Idi Amin Uganda’s despotic dictator during the 1970s. In this movie, a Scottish doctor impresses Amin and becomes his personal physician. The movie is fiction but generally based on actual events/facts of the Amin era. Rated R for violence.

Hotel Rwanda (2005) PG-13 – Based on a real life story. Don Cheadle portrays a hotel manager in Rwanda who saves 1000 people from the 100-day genocide that engulfed the country from April to July 1994 and resulted in over 800,000 Tutsis being macheted to death. At risk of his own life and the lives of his family, he sheltered the refugees in the hotel he was managing while the genocide raged outside its gates.