At-risk children attending Bright Light-sponsored school in Manaus, Brazil, photo by and
Copr. © Jim Flickinger
Children in Manaus, Brazil, photo by and Copr. © Jim Flickinger
Peace Park playground, project sponsored by Bright Light, front lines, Sarajevo, photo by and
Copr. © Jon Maxey
Young boy in a refugee camp, photo by and Copr. © Jon Maxey
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The International Peace Superfund
The world's developed countries must challenge many old assumptions and think in new ways. We must ask ourselves: What constitutes an effective defense? Preparation for war is necessary, but eliminating the root causes of tension must be addressed aggressively on a scale never before seen in human history.
The hopelessness and despair often found in people that live in extreme poverty is a contributing factor in much of the societal instability we see in the world today. It does not have to be this way. We can become the generation that will be remembered for setting in motion forces that redefine who we are and what we stand for. Our shared goal is peace.
A Peace Superfund can be assembled by redirecting fractions of the defense budgets of all developed nations to concentrate on providing hope to the profoundly poor of our world.
The United States alone currently spends more than $1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion dollars) on defense every three years.
Similar to the Marshall Plan in focus, the Peace Superfund would provide a path to basic self-sufficiency by providing resources for the many proven programs that lay the foundation for people to find their way out of poverty.
Our Focus
The International Peace Superfund would be organized into a series of straight forward goals. The first goal would be a massive effort to harness the strength of the many proven non-profit organizations worldwide. Ambitious new plans would be developed to supply them with the resources to feed those 800 million hungry people.
Supporting this effort would be our best agricultural minds, working to promote
self-sufficiency in food production around the world for future generations. This can be done.
The next goal would be to develop a plan that would address basic sanitation needs, ensuring clean water and basic sanitation systems are available to everyone.
The third effort would be to develop a blueprint that provides basic educational opportunities, with a goal of eliminating illiteracy worldwide. In addition, a web based information exchange promoting idea sharing and providing news about the Peace Star would be developed.
Achieving these goals will require inspiration and an unprecedented global effort. Let's demonstrate the best of who we are and what we stand for. We can create a world where everyone has a chance, unlocking immense human potential while advancing the cause of peace throughout the world.
Standing Up and Telling Our Story
This task would begin as we achieve our goals of meeting the most basic needs of the world's poor. An unparalleled effort would be initiated to promote democratic ideals and free market principles throughout the world by utilizing a wide range of media resources and innovative educational programs.
This effort would be complimented by programs that enable people to participate in the free market system. Micro-loan banking, for example, provides low interest seed capital to individuals planning to start small business enterprises.
An extremely successful model exists today which contains elements that greatly enhance a individual's chance of success. Many other off the shelf programs encourage people to work hard to improve their lives. These programs are structured to become self sustaining, while unlocking the awesome power of the free market system.
Properly capitalized, these ideas can provide a path from grinding poverty
to opportunity and hope.
This brief outline is only one vision. Naturally, this vision will evolve and broaden with the involvement of all people working together for a shared dream.
All expenses to date have either been donated or paid personally. As we progress to the next phase of this project I expect expenses to increase substantially. My next goal is to interest a person, group or foundation to provide "seed capital" to continue the pursuit of this dream. I will find a way! — Jon Maxey
