Write to Congress

"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
- Albert Einstein

"There are many issues with vast institutional opponents [in Washington D.C.] . . . But no one supports the abduction of children. All we have to overcome is apathy, so anyone who leaves this room without writing a letter is part of the problem, not the solution."
- Anonymous

Despite what cynics say, the will of the people still matters in the United States. Unfortunately, the voice of the people is often drowned in a sea of lobbyist wealth and influence. For our government to hear us we have to write, demonstrate, and make phone calls. To make a difference we have to capture some media attention. To change the world we need to take action. But, make no mistake about it, a few small actions can make a big difference.

Follow these simple steps to write a letter:

1. Look up your representatives' addresses on Congress.org
2. Copy the addresses and phone numbers for your two senators, house representative, and the president
3. Read over these facts to mention in your letter
4. Use one of the letters below as a template or write your own and make it personal
5. Mail your letters and make a follow-up phone call a few days later
6. Wait for a response, you will probably receive one within a few weeks

If you need help writing a letter, want more information, need ideas, or want your letter proofread then contact us through the Contact Us link in the left panel and we'll respond within two days.

EndPovertyToday Sample Letter

[Your name]
[Your address]

[Representative]
[Representative's address]

Dear [Representative],

First, before address the issue that has led me to write to you, I should introduce myself. I'm a senior at Central High in Brooksville, FL. I'm only 17, so don't worry: I can't vote. As I learned in my civics class, however, my opinion should still matter.

I'm writing about the greatest moral crisis facing our country today: absolute, or extreme, poverty. It is aptly called "the poverty that kills," the kind of poverty that keeps people trapped in the mire of disease, hunger, and ignorance. It's the kind of poverty that the 1,000,000,000 people without clean water, as reported by the World Bank, deal with on a daily basis. If all of those people lined up at a drinking fountain as I do daily at school, then the line would extend 7.6 times around the planet! The consequences are serious; this year roughly 10,000,000 children will die because they are too poor to survive (according to research by UNICEF). It's time for us, as one nation, one people, one human family, to take a lead in eradicating this gross injustice.

Fortunately, we have already made the promise to act and the plans to act are already in place. In 2000 world leaders from across the globe signed the United Nations Millennium Declaration which included specific goals for improving the world. The first goal was to reduce extreme poverty by half by 2015, and it's not too late to start making progress. In 2002, we pledged to give 0.7% of our GNP in development assistance, but right now we are only contributing 0.15% or one-fifth what we promised. I believe America should be a nation that keeps its word.

It's time to provide the required funding for the Millennium Development Goals and fulfill our moral responsibility. This is not a political issue; it's simply the right thing to do. I'm confident you will respond to this moral crisis, and rest assured there is significant public support for action on these issues.

A fellow citizen,



[Your name]

The End of Poverty Website Sample Letter