One is the loneliest number, the song goes. One is an important number. The bigger the numbers get, the more confusing and complex things get. The world's population is just under 7 billion people - that's 7,000,000,000. That is a massive number. I have never seen 7,000,000,000 of anything. Of that 7,000,000,000, nearly 22% (as of 2010) or 1.54 Billion people were living in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 a day. Those numbers are overwhelming. Even when we break it down further, it is still overwhelming. Mathare, the slum where we work, is roughly 600,000 people in an area of 2-3 square miles. That is a population density of at least 200,000 people per square mile. If you compare that to Manhattan in New York City (69,650 per square mile), with all of its highrise apartments and buildings, Mathare has roughly 3 times the population density of Manhattan. Trying to fully understand that is difficult. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that Mathare has all of the typical problems and challenges that come with being a slum. How do you help that many people living in that kind of densely, populated poverty? Mathare only makes up 0.04% of the world population struggling in poverty. If we get fixated on the numbers, we will simply be overwhelmed and do nothing. At best, we try to do something that is like putting a bandaid on a gaping wound,As someone who has struggled with the question of what to do, let me offer this simple suggestion: Don't be overwhelmed, focus on one. While it may seem simplistic, stay with me for a moment. Lives of human beings are precious. In dealing with people, we must identify the individual, the family, the community. There is a unique nature to each person, each family and each community. Therefore, 1.54 billion or 600,000 aren't the numbers that should be considered in addressing the issues. Those are large statistics that diminish individuals, families and communities. As we focus on one child, or one family or one community, we begin to understand the dynamics of those we are engaging with. It took one Gandhi to influence the world; one Mandela to be a symbol of strength against apartheid; one Martin Luther King Jr. to stand up for equal rights; one William Wilberforce to stand against slavery. It takes one individual with an idea, one opportunity, one person fanning the flames to create a movement. By focusing on one, the personal investment and connection we make allow for deeper and systemic change to begin, which is then carried out by the individual, the family and the community. Focusing on one creates opportunity and transformation for that one, who will then use that blessing to bless others around them.Due to limited resources last year, the Kwa Watoto school in Mathare turned away more student applicants for a spot in the new class (25 student capacity), than we had in our whole school (170 students). When we started 6 years ago, joining together with Pastor Isaiah Kamau of the Believers Centre Church in Mathare who was already reaching out to the children in the community, we were unable to fill all of the open spots in the school. Yet, over the last 6 years, by focusing on one child at a time, one family at a time, one community at a time, we have seen the number of students grow to 170 (which could be higher, but we are limited by space). The community is already being transformed by these children. Opportunities for parents and individuals in the community have allowed for a higher standard of living in some of the children's homes. 170 children out of 300,000 in Mathare may seem inconsequential. If, however, you ask those families and those children, I know that you would hear otherwise. With an average of 5 people per household, 170 children can easily mean that the lives of 850 people are being affected. These are the people that will begin to change the systemic nature of poverty in Mathare.So, when you are overwhelmed by all of the poverty in the world, remember to focus on one. One may be the loneliest number, but it is the most powerful as well.