Let me introduce myself. I am Dr James B. Mayfield, a retired University Professor Emeritus who has spent the last 40 years developing and implementing programs in some 20 countries where extreme poverty is a serious problem. In September 2015 some 194 countries, including the United States, signed a pledge to eliminate extreme poverty throughout the world by the year 2030. In 2018 there were at least 800 million people in extreme poverty.

Unfortunately, today because of COVhID-19, this number has jumped up from 800 million to 2.1 Billion people now living in extreme poverty. That is why I am a bit skeptical this Goal signed in 2015 can be achieved by 2030.

Experts tell us that such pandemics are usually started in some of the poorest areas of the world, often in areas of extreme poverty. If we are to be free of such pandemics in the future we must find ways to eliminate the tragedy of extreme poverty before it’s too late. Because of the challenge of COVID-19, I am suggesting a different agenda, a new time-line and a new approach for this Goal to Eliminate Extreme poverty. Between 2014 and 2017, I with a group of my colleagues in Nepal, designed and field-tested a new approach that brought all the extreme poor in an area of 65,000 people into a better quality of life. Because we were able to help all these people, we called this area a “Beacon of Light area”, Why is it a Beacon of Light area?? When people in Nepal saw that extreme poverty could be eliminated in this one area, many wanted to replicate this successful effort in other areas of Nepal. I believe that once people in a country see that the elimination of extreme poverty is possible, even if it is in only in one area, they want their own Beacon of Light area established thereby starting a process to eliminate extreme poverty throughout their country by say 2040, a more reasonable time line.

My challenge, my dream for the next seven years to 2030. Instead of trying to eliminate all of extreme poverty in the next seven years and probably failing, I want to challenge the world, to replicate this successful program in Nepal in each of the 100 poorest countries. Imagine having 100 Beacon of Light areas in each of the 100 poorest countries of the world by the year 2030. That is a goal that is achievable. It takes roughly $50,000 a month for 36 months to fund a Beacon of Light area program. On Facebook, I have a group called The Council of 100 Champions. This group is trying to identify very wealthy people in each of the 100 poorest countries to find a champion (Someone with the wealth, the compassion for the extreme poor, perhaps a leader, a businessman or women or sports hero who would be willing and able the raise the $50,000 a month it takes to make this dream come true.

If you want a detailed description in how this program was developed and implemented in the Lamjung district area of West Central Nepal, go to Amazon.com and order the book: Extreme Poverty Eliminated: A Successful Program in Nepal. Also you can go to my web site: Extreme Poverty Eliminated.org for a list of ways that companies, corporations, families, students, and other Non Government Organizations (NGOs) can be involved in this program. We have the training manuals, the training schedule, the list of basic principles and the key Actions Steps needed to establish a successful Beacon of Light . Walt Disney once said: “People say I dream too big. I say to them. “They think too small”. Every dream starts with a dreamer. Remember: You all have within you, the strength, and the passion, to make a difference, to change the world, perhaps one country at a time, establishing one Beacon of Light area, that brings the hope and success that will motive leaders, the movers and shakers in that country, that will take the first step needed to eliminate extreme poverty in the 100 poorest countries of the world one country at a time.