Poverty accounts for one-third of all deaths in the world today, according to the Millennium Campaign, a group determined to end extreme poverty.

In 2000, global leaders came together at the United Nations Millennium Summit and designed the group, giving them the goal of ending poverty by 2015.

The campaign's executive coordinator, Eveline Herfkens, came to MSU on Thursday to make students aware of the campaign's goals and how they can help its efforts.

"Today more than ever, we live in a globalized interdependent world and our dependence on others will only increase over the generations," Herfkens said at the start of her speech. "Since 9/11, I think all of us realized that what happens in a little town of Afghanistan can affect us also."

The campaign works with governments around the world to get all children to at least primary school, to empower women, to reduce child mortality, to reverse the AIDS pandemic and to ensure development is environmentally sustainable, Herfkens said.

"Rich countries have promised they would do a better job in giving more aid and provide more debt relief for poor countries that spend too much money on repaying old debts," she said.

Hannah Boughton, secondary education junior, worked to bring awareness to the campaign and the speaker by distributing 100 bracelets with fliers for the event attached to them. The bracelets are part of the ONE Campaign to end poverty.

"I grew up around a lot of poverty, and I was very fortunate to not be in that situation," said Boughton, who has lived in countries such as Mali, Mozambique and South Africa. "I have seen a lot of things tried and failed."

Herfkens said the Millennium Campaign's goals are attainable. She is trying to spread the word to the younger generation.

"I always very much believed that particularly young people have a lot of energy and are interested in global issues — much more than their parents," Herfkens said. "We are spending more time getting universities on board."

Alex Hill, an international relations sophomore, said he eventually wants to end up at a non-governmental organization working either for the development of Africa or campaigning and educating about poverty.

"The younger generation is the future of tomorrow, and they will create the world we live in," Hill said. "It's important to campaign and educate, especially at MSU, because students may not have as much exposure to the issues."

Students can participate in the campaign by joining organizations such as Bread for the World or the ONE Campaign, which both intend to end poverty. Herfkens also suggested writing to legislators about how to get involved.

Marisa Rinkus, a fisheries and wildlife graduate student, said the campaign is really relevant to students who are studying a variety of subjects on campus, such as health, economics and business.

"People on campus are going to be leaders in our country and the world," Rinkus said. "It is important to be aware of what the state of people who are in poverty is in this country and what we can do to improve the situation here and around the world."