Dr. Paul Farmer
CBS’ 60 Minutes aired a story on Dr. Paul Farmer yesterday. Farmer is a a global health icon and someone I have a deep respect for. I think every member of ONE should watch this video and share it with their friends, because, to paraphrase Farmer, his work “shows what can be done.”
This movement for ending poverty is bombarded by critics who say it can’t be done. They say poverty is here to stay. People will always starve to death. It’s normal. its inevitable. Why even bother to try?
After a while it almost seems to make sense–that is, until you realize that one organization, founded by a few dedicated people, led by one man, has saved so many people that they are “too numerous to count.”
If the story inspired you I highly recommend Tracy Kidder’s biography on Dr. Farmer, Mountains Beyond Mountains. It only costs about $7 and if that’s too much e-mail me and I’ll mail you my copy (delete the z’s on the e-mail).
(If you watched the video and were curious about “the bus” and “the boat” and how he went from being a kid from the middle of nowhere to a Harvard professor, check out this story based on interviews with the people he grew up with.)
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