This is why 2019 was the best year!

Yup, there is some good news out there. [View in browser](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP4QfAWh0dHBzOi8vbWVzc2FnaW5nLWN1c3RvbS1uZXdzbGV0dGVycy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS90ZW1wbGF0ZS9vYWt2Mj91cmk9bnl0Oi8vbmV3c2xldHRlci9kNWZjYzYzZS1mZmY4LTRlYTktODRiNC05Mzk3MDNhYjc5YmImdGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyX25rXzIwMTkxMjI4VwNueXRCCgAjgsEHXidkF75SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)|[nytimes.com](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0S6aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vP3RlPTEmbmw9bmljaG9sYXMta3Jpc3RvZiZlbWM9ZWRpdF9ua18yMDE5MTIyOD9jYW1wYWlnbl9pZD00NSZpbnN0YW5jZV9pZD0xNDg0MiZzZWdtZW50X2lkPTE5OTIyJnVzZXJfaWQ9YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcmVnaV9pZD03NzY3NDk1MjIwMTkxMjI4VwNueXRCCgAjgsEHXidkF75SG3RyaXN0cmFtYmFsZHdpbjkwQGdtYWlsLmNvbVgEAAAAAA~~)[Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-ad-marquee) ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTYxOTkwJmxpPU5LJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1OS18yMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ [NYTimes.com/Kristof](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TQaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS9jb2x1bW4vbmljaG9sYXMta3Jpc3RvZj90ZT0xJm5sPW5pY2hvbGFzLWtyaXN0b2YmZW1jPWVkaXRfbmtfMjAxOTEyMjg_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NDUmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTQ4NDImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xOTkyMiZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3JnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTIyMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) December 28, 2019 Students in a school for women in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh.Allison Joyce/Getty Images [Author Headshot](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TRaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vY29sdW1uL25pY2hvbGFzLWtyaXN0b2Y_dGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyMjAxOTEyMjhXA255dEIKACOCwQdeJ2QXvlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) By [Nicholas Kristof](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TRaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vY29sdW1uL25pY2hvbGFzLWtyaXN0b2Y_dGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyMjAxOTEyMjhXA255dEIKACOCwQdeJ2QXvlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) Opinion Columnist You’re probably feeling pretty grim about the world. President Trump. Climate change. Russia, China, Yemen, Venezuela. Polarization. Maybe a recession ahead. All valid concerns, but I try to balance that out by noting in [my column today](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxOS8xMi8yOC9vcGluaW9uL3N1bmRheS8yMDE5LWJlc3QteWVhci1wb3ZlcnR5Lmh0bWw_dGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyMjAxOTEyMjhXA255dEIKACOCwQdeJ2QXvlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) that in the long arc of human history, 2019 was probably the year in which children were least likely to die, adults were least likely to be illiterate and families least likely to live in extreme poverty. When historians look back at the early 21st century, my hunch is that they will say that one of the most important things going on was the elimination of extreme poverty, illiteracy and the suffering from disfiguring diseases that were the lot of most humans for nearly all of history. So there are plenty of grim trends to worry about — that’s what I jump up and down about every other day of the year — but I think it’s also important to acknowledge this backdrop of progress. [Enjoy!](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxOS8xMi8yOC9vcGluaW9uL3N1bmRheS8yMDE5LWJlc3QteWVhci1wb3ZlcnR5Lmh0bWw_dGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyMjAxOTEyMjhXA255dEIKACOCwQdeJ2QXvlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) The women in that photo above are learning to read, part of a global surge in literacy. All around the world, I see children and adults alike struggling to get an education — yet here in the United States, many people don’t seem to understand the value of education. One in seven young Americans still doesn’t graduate from high school, preschool is far from universal, and American schools are startlingly unequal. We can do much better at home. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-0) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTYxOTg3JmxpPU5LJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1OS18yMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTYxOTg5JmxpPU5LJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1OS18yMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTYxOTg4JmxpPU5LJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1OS18yMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ By the way, readers of my column often assume that because I cover war, genocide, human trafficking, global poverty and so on, I must be a particularly depressing and pessimistic person — the Eeyore of journalists. In fact, I’d say the opposite is true, partly because I’ve seen so much progress during my career. That’s particularly true of diseases like leprosy, river blindness, Guinea worm and even malaria. In my column, I quote the economist Max Roser as saying that three things are simultaneously true: The world is much better. The world is awful. The world can be much better. That feels right to me. [So here’s my upbeat column to cheer you up in these grim times.](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxOS8xMi8yOC9vcGluaW9uL3N1bmRheS8yMDE5LWJlc3QteWVhci1wb3ZlcnR5Lmh0bWw_dGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyMjAxOTEyMjhXA255dEIKACOCwQdeJ2QXvlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) And Happy New Year! Incidentally, one of the great pioneers of global anti-poverty efforts, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed of Bangladesh, died this month after an illustrious career in which he founded and ran BRAC, one of the world’s largest and best aid groups. Abed operated BRAC around the world, especially in the most impoverished countries, and he particularly focused on empowering women. Abed worked closely with Jim Grant, a former head of Unicef, to engineer a revolution in how we tackle child mortality, saving lives from diarrhea in particular. Few people have heard of either Grant or Abed, but they are heroes of our time. I’m taking some time off at the end of the year, so my column and newsletter will be off for a bit. But [enjoy this column](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TvaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxOS8xMi8yOC9vcGluaW9uL3N1bmRheS8yMDE5LWJlc3QteWVhci1wb3ZlcnR5Lmh0bWw_dGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyMjAxOTEyMjhXA255dEIKACOCwQdeJ2QXvlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA) and have a great new year! Some Reminders If you are still looking for an end-of-the year donation, check out [my giving guide](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TraHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAxOS8xMS8zMC9vcGluaW9uL3N1bmRheS9ob2xpZGF5LWdpZnQtZ3VpZGUuaHRtbD90ZT0xJm5sPW5pY2hvbGFzLWtyaXN0b2YmZW1jPWVkaXRfbmtfMjAxOTEyMjg_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NDUmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTQ4NDImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xOTkyMiZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3JnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTIyMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~). If you can’t get to it because of the paywall, you can still get information about the causes, and donate easily with your credit card expenses covered, at [KristofHolidayImpactPrize.org](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TLaHR0cDovL3d3dy5rcmlzdG9maG9saWRheWltcGFjdHByaXplLm9yZy8_dGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyMjAxOTEyMjhXA255dEIKACOCwQdeJ2QXvlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA). More than $1.6 million has been raised so far. [Continue reading the main story](#a11y-skip-1) ADVERTISEMENT ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTI4ODA4JmxpPU5LJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1OS18yMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTI4ODA5JmxpPU5LJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1OS18yMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ ~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0RtaHR0cHM6Ly9saXZlaW50ZW50Lm5ld3lvcmt0aW1lc2luZm8uY29tL2NsaWNrP3M9MTI4ODEwJmxpPU5LJm09YWE0OTFlZjdmMWQ5NjRlNDk3OWZiNzg0ZTc0ZTAxZDcmcD1OS18yMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~ Don’t forget to tell any university students you know to apply for my [annual win-a-trip contest!](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TBaHR0cDovL3d3dy5ueXRpbWVzLmNvbS93aW5hdHJpcD90ZT0xJm5sPW5pY2hvbGFzLWtyaXN0b2YmZW1jPWVkaXRfbmtfMjAxOTEyMjg_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NDUmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTQ4NDImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xOTkyMiZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3JnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTIyMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~) The deadline is Jan. 7. Information about our book tour destinations [is here](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TsaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucGVuZ3VpbnJhbmRvbWhvdXNlLmNvbS9hdXRob3JzLzE2MjkzL25pY2hvbGFzLWQta3Jpc3RvZiNldmVudHM_dGU9MSZubD1uaWNob2xhcy1rcmlzdG9mJmVtYz1lZGl0X25rXzIwMTkxMjI4P2NhbXBhaWduX2lkPTQ1Jmluc3RhbmNlX2lkPTE0ODQyJnNlZ21lbnRfaWQ9MTk5MjImdXNlcl9pZD1hYTQ5MWVmN2YxZDk2NGU0OTc5ZmI3ODRlNzRlMDFkNyZyZWdpX2lkPTc3Njc0OTUyMjAxOTEyMjhXA255dEIKACOCwQdeJ2QXvlIbdHJpc3RyYW1iYWxkd2luOTBAZ21haWwuY29tWAQAAAAA). And if you can’t make a book talk, you can order a signed and personalized copy [here](~/AAAAAQA~/RgRf6kaCP0TWaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3RyYW5kYm9va3MuY29tL3RpZ2h0cm9wZS1wcmVvcmRlci0yMDE5Lz90ZT0xJm5sPW5pY2hvbGFzLWtyaXN0b2YmZW1jPWVkaXRfbmtfMjAxOTEyMjg_Y2FtcGFpZ25faWQ9NDUmaW5zdGFuY2VfaWQ9MTQ4NDImc2VnbWVudF9pZD0xOTkyMiZ1c2VyX2lkPWFhNDkxZWY3ZjFkOTY0ZTQ5NzlmYjc4NGU3NGUwMWQ3JnJlZ2lfaWQ9Nzc2NzQ5NTIyMDE5MTIyOFcDbnl0QgoAI4LBB14nZBe-Uht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW45MEBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAAAA~). 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