英语演讲稿【精】

演讲稿具有逻辑严密，态度明确，观点鲜明的特点。随着社会不断地进步，演讲稿的使用频率越来越高，怎么写演讲稿才能避免踩雷呢？以下是小编精心整理的英语演讲稿，欢迎阅读与收藏。

英语演讲稿1

a window is opened up at the crack of dawn, beside which one man is overlooking the the mess of buildings outside, breathing the fresh air cosily. but just after a little while, he steps to his seat, staring at the computer screen till the night. this man is very likely a programmer.

there is a man who concentrates on his computer, but doesn’t care about however he dresses, or even whether he washes his face. there is a man who has a good knowledge of computer language, but has a low eq and makes a bad relationship with others.

there is a man who stays at home and does his own work by himself day and night, but just has few friends.

these images shown above probably are what people think of

programmers as, in fact, programmers indeed give us a bad impression sometimes. however, people just have a partial understanding of programmers’ life, not to mention that they can know the fun of programming. there is no doubt that programs affect all aspects of our lives in an obvious or potential way, especially they are reflected in electronic products that we use nowadays.

when you are so proud of possessing an iphone, you’d better

remember that it is the program that makes you get confidence to show off the advanced mobile phones thoroughly.

when you take advantage of computers to cope with problems in life, you’d better remember that it is the program that makes you seek the convenience of computer.

when you needn’t worry about hot summer and cold winter owing to an air-conditioner, you’d better remember that it is the program that makes you share the machine’s intelligent.

when you release your pressure by playing varies of online games, you’d better remember that it is the program that makes you enjoy the great entertainment in life.

as people’s thoughts control their bodies, computer programs play a leading role in the modern times. both social progress and human evolution depend on the computer programs. in the practical application, a software consists of different programs and then

combines with hardware to develop into a high-tech electronic product. there are many kinds of electronic products found everywhere in our daily life. nearly all the time do we make use of these products to conduct our passion.

yes, it is definitely right that programming is a hard work because of its special characteristics---complicated, time-wasted,

logical. to make a program needs our continual patient and confidence, and we should accept failure again and again in most cases. but once you go into further understanding of computer programs, you will be surprised at the programs’ wander. in detail, through programming a heap of date or a computing model can be easily solved we expected, such as a number wanted, or the model’s parameters. the magical power of program appeals to all the programmers, certainly including me.

it is of great convenience for us to simplify or model our complex questions by programming. furthermore, studying and using programs can enforce us to form our ability of analyzing and logic.

英语演讲稿2

good afternoon，ladies and gentlemen！

The poet said： spring flowers to the door pushed open。I said： Thanksgiving to the door pushed open the you carefully listen to the voices of flowers，are everywhere harmonious life movement.

Then，as a middle school student，how Thanksgiving？

First Thanksgiving their parents，because everyone%26#39；s life is a continuation of the parents of one blood，all of the parents gave us love，let us enjoy the human world of affection and happiness，therefore，we would like to thank the parents.

Teachers are our growth，are our friends，teachers care for us，their words and deeds，let us benefit for life，we pay for teachers efforts and sweat，we should Thanksgiving teachers.

Students study the lives of our fellow students to encourage each other，help each other，to jointly overcome difficulties and setbacks，the common taste of success and happiness learning，we should be grateful for every day and we accompanied the students.

Thanksgiving-Fighting，Thanksgiving unlimited！Students，and Society Thanksgiving！Let us always to the life caring and full of love and love！

英语演讲稿3

As Americans gather to celebrate this week, we show our gratitude for the many blessings in our lives. We are grateful for our friends and families who fill our lives with purpose and love. We're grateful for our beautiful country, and for the prosperity we enjoy. We're grateful for the chance to live, work and worship in freedom. And in this Thanksgiving week, we offer thanks and praise to the provider of all these gifts, Almighty God.

We also recognize our duty to share our blessings with the least among us. Throughout the holiday season, schools, churches, synagogues and other generous organizations gather food and clothing for their neighbors in need. Many young people give part of their holiday to volunteer at homeleshelters or food pantries. On Thanksgiving, and on every day of the year, America is a more hopeful nation because of the volunteers who serve the weak and the vulnerable.

The Thanksgiving tradition of compassion and humility dates back to the earliest days of our society. And through the years, our deepest gratitude has often been inspired by the most difficult times. Almost four centuries ago, the pilgrims set aside time to thank God after suffering through a bitter winter. George Washington held Thanksgiving during a trying stay at Valley Forge. And President Lincoln revived the Thanksgiving tradition in the midst of a civil war.

The past year has brought many challenges to our nation, and Americans have met every one with energy, optimism and faith. After lifting our economy from a recession, manufacturers and entrepreneurs are creating jobs again. Volunteers from acrothe country came together to help hurricane victims rebuild. And when the children of Beslan, Russia suffered a brutal terrorist attack, the world saw America's generous heart in an outpouring of compassion and relief.

The greatest challenges of our time have come to the men and women who protect our nation. We're fortunate to have dedicated firefighters and police officers to keep our streets safe. We're grateful for the homeland security and intelligence personnel who spend long hours on faithful watch. And we give thanks to the men and women of our military who are serving with courage and skill, and ma-ki-ng our entire nation proud.

Like generations before them, today's armed forces have liberated captive peoples and shown compassion for the suffering and delivered hope to the oppressed. In the past year, they have fought the terrorists abroad so that we do not have to face those enemies here at home. They've captured a brutal dictator, aided last month's historic election in Afghanistan, and help set Iraq on the path to democracy.

Our progrein the war on terror has made our country safer, yet it has also brought new burdens to our military families. Many servicemen and women have endured long deployments and painful separations from home. Families have faced the challenge of raising children while praying for a loved one's safe return. America is grateful to all our military families, and the families mourning a terrible lothis Thanksgiving can know that America will honor their sacrifices forever.

As Commander-in-Chief, I've been honored to thank our troops at bases around the world, and I've been inspired by the efforts of private citizens to expretheir own gratitude. This month, I met Shauna Fleming, a 15-year-old from California who coordinated the mailing of a million thank you letters to military personnel. In October, I met Ken Porwoll, a World War II veteran who has devoted years of his retirement to volunteering at a VA medical center in Minneapolis. And we've seen the generosity of so many organizations, like Give2theTroops, a group started in a basement by a mother and son that has sent thousands of care packages to troops in the field.

Thanksgiving reminds us that America's true strength is the compassion and decency of our people. I thank all those who volunteer this season, and Laura and I wish every American a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend.

Thank you for listening.

英语演讲稿4

Deep Mother LoveEvery child is surrounded by the deep mother love.

However, we often turn a blind eye to the love. One day I deeply felt the day I hurried home for lunch after school, because there would be an exam in the afternoon and I had expected to go back to school early to prepare for the exam. But when I got Home, the lunch was not read from yet.

I felt unhappy. When the dishes were served, I forund none I like. I ran out of my house angrily and wanderde on the street for a while,hungry. Then I walked to I got into the classroom, I saw a lunch box on my desk. One classmate told me that it was my mother ther that had brought it r opening the box, I found my favorite food inside. My eyes was moist with tears.

Mother gave me her love without asking for return, How deep mother love is!

英语演讲稿5

Different people have different dreams. Some people dream of making a lotof money. Some people dream of living a happy life. Some people dream of beingfamous. Some people dream of going abroad, and so on. But my dream is e you will get a surprise after you know my dream.

I have a wonderful dreamin my heart. Its to speak English very well. Since English is everything for ish is my best friend. English is my soul. English is my power. WithoutEnglish, Im nothing at all. Nothing. Now, I can think in English, speak inEnglish, and write in English. Some people think Im an Indian. Some peopleregard Im a Pakistan. And some people even consider that Im an Egyptian. But ifI could speak English as good as an American, my future would be brilliant. So Iwork very hard.

英语演讲稿6

ladies and gentlemen, good morning! i’m very glad to stand here and give you a short speech.

man’s life is a process of growing up, actually i’m standing here is a growth. if a person’s life must constituted by various choices, then i grow up along with these choices. once i hope i can study in a college in future, however that’s passed, as you know i come here, now i wonder what the future holds for me.

My favourite season is spring.

Everything is very lively in the spring. The flowers are blooming, the trees are growing and the grass is turning green. I like lying on the grass and enjoy the sun shine in the park in the spring. We also can fly a kite, have a picnic, go on a trip or climb the mountain, but I don’t like to do those things, because they will make me feel tired. Some people like to go to the countryside, however I don’t think it is a good place to go for a rest. I don’t like the other season, because they are not very warm: summer is too hot, winter is too cold. While autumn is cool, it isn’t very beautiful.

Last year, I went to the Slender West Lake in Yang Zhou. First we took a boat to travel down the lake, we saw the Qiong flowers on the bank, and they were very beautiful. Then we visited the Five Kiosks Bridge, there were five kiosks on the bridge, and every kiosk has a long history. We sit in the kiosk and took some photos. Last we went to the Fishing Platform. Why do people call it ‘Fishing Platform’? Because the emperor called ‘Qian Long’ in Qing Dynasty visited it. We also fished in it. We had a good time in Yang Zhou.

Anyway, my favourite season is spring.

英语演讲稿7

Good evening ,everyone!Now I want to talk about a beatiful world!

When I was young,I always dreamed that I lived in a beautiful country. There were many flowers and trees around our counld hear the birds singing and see the children dancing. The streets were clear and the the air was very fresh! How nice it was!But that only was a dream of mine!How I wish that it would be come true! So I think we should do something to protect our environment. Everyone should make a contribution to protect the ng care of our environment is very ever you live,you can do something around your neighbourhood.

Have you ever thrown any litter onto the ground?Have you ever drawn pictures on public walls?Have you ever spat in a public place?Have you ever cut down trees?If your answers are "No",it means that you have already helped protect our environment.

It is our duty to keep our envionment clean and tidy. You might ask yourself,"Have I ever picked up some rubbish and thrown it into a dustbin?Have I ever collected waste paper or bottles for recycling?Have I ever planted any trees or flowers in or near my neighbourhood?"If your answers are"Yes",it means that you have already done something useful to improve the environment.

Now I want to say :Let's do our best to make our world more beautiful!

英语演讲稿8

good evening , ladies and gentlemen . i am joy and glad to give you a speech about stress , yes , just the topic you see on the screen.

psychologist tell us that stress is a state of worry caused by the problem of living , such as too much work or study , heavy responsibilities , and quickened pace of life .

statistics show that stress comes from every detail in our life . financial problems , poor health , being laid off may be the stress that most adults now suffering . as students in the university , we are also under our special stress . while study , having to take various tests and submit a project against a deadline may put a great pressure on us . and the things make us felt stressed may be our parents’s greater expectations on us than we could reach . later , when we are likely to graduate , some other problems will also annoy us . i think we will worry a lot about our ability to compete in the job market and how we can best use what we’ve learned at college in our future job .

the chief problem we should face to is our atitude towards stress le usually say they can not live in the sun except they escape from stress . it’s unwelcome ! yes , however , very necessary . just image a world where stress does not exist and people lead their life in a very comfortable way . but is this kind of living condition as perfect as we hope ? without stress , they may feel very satisfied with the current life but lack of power to discover new things . too much result in nothing except a countermarch of the society . no stress , no development . so a certain amount of stress is good . it can stimulate us and increase our level of alertness .

and our answer to stress is another vital problem . how to do with ourselves when stress suddenly break into our life ? to wave the white flag and admit our unability , to give up to our ideality , or worstly , just to suicide as to put an end to everything … of cause not . the principle is to tackle with stress gentlely and harmoniously. we should try our best to release ourselves . such as to do some exercise , to linsen to traditional chinese music or classical music to ease our minds and to learn to view these changes of life as challenges ’s no use crying over spilt milk . only to accept what has happened can solve the problem .

ok , i think i was under large stress 3 minutes before , but now i am here and have finished my speech . here is the last thing i want to add to my topic ,face to it and overcome it ,stress is also a piece of cake.

英语演讲稿9

But I know, even if you didn’t do well this time, but you can do well next time. Time can’t run backwards, you can try your best to do something well in the future.

I think, there’s no winning or losing in the world. Tomorrow, the sun rises again; we will have a new day!

Failure is what often is everywhere in your ents may fail in exams, science may fail in their researchwork,and athletes may fail in competitions.

although failure happens to everyone, attitudes towards failure are various. some people don't think their failure is a very important thing at all. so they pay no attention to it. as a result, they will have the same failure a previously spend their thime and energy on useless things and they may really be fools as they have thought.

Success is not easy to talk about because the word success it-self has hundreds of definitions. For some it means power, for some it means wealth, for others it is fame or great achieve-ments. But I have my own understanding of it.

Success means to try your best.

Many people believe that success means to win. In my opin-ion, it means to try your best when you do everything, no matter you will win or not. When you are taking part in a long-distance race, if you keep on running as fast as you can, you are successful, although you may be the last to pass the finishing-line. Because you have showed your best to others, and you have made I your greatest effort to be the winner.

Success means to work hard.

No one can succeed without any hard work. Karl Max was successful, because he spent more than 30 years writing the book "Communist Manifesto"; Tomas Edison succeeded, because he had experimented thousands of times to find the best material for lights. Every success calls for hard work. If you want to suc-ceed, work hard first.

other people are quite different from the two kinds of people mentiond above. instend of being distressed and lost,they draw a lesson from every failure and become more experienced. after hard work, they will be successful in the end. It is said that failure is the mother of success. success will be gained after times of failures so long as we are good at drawong lesson from our failures.

in my opinion , failure is not a bad thing , the really bad thing is taking a failure as failure or even lose our heart after failure.

More importantly, today, the world is undergoing fast rhythm of changing, some issues occur in one way this time and reoccur in another way that instability and inconstancy make many long-time-lasting conventions and traditions not valid any longer. People encounter pile of new conditions everyday in current society, it is hard to find adequate reference from the wisdom of conventions for all of these new thing, what can really lead people to success is rational mind and creative ways of thinking. To meet the requirement of new missions, only creative activities could give out adaptive strategies. Without creative thinking ways, there would no such increasingly development of science and technology in the past two centuries, no new type America-style democracy in the world, no so many products making modern life so comfortable and convenient. Creative practices and original idea are the engine of the fast development of modern life, and are most essential for people to accomplish successful achievement in all kinds of fields.

英语演讲稿10

When the breeze gently hold when liuxu savoury, when the sun put it golden glorious quietly around the cherry blossom trees on appered handsome; when the beautiful petals in the air to reach several monly roll long, then gently landed, we are enjoying a brilliant happineof campus life.

Early morning, happy bird singing, acpany us go strollw floral path and watched the we walked into the campus, eye is full of happiness. sunshine shop in writing has "e, nanjing normal university affiliated yangzi dickers" e, the bronze medal and put downy light reflection to our body, we cheerfully accepted this light, vigorous entered in campus. on the way to the classroom, and every day that we can all see beautiful fountain and pool, and forceful huaihe books and rather ?

The most successful person may not be the smartest rding to a survey conducted among a group of people who were in the same university ten years ago , those whose grade-point average was in the middle fifty percent , all bee rich or managers of different fields , while not a single young man of the upper ten percent bees an executive or boss. Why the smartest kids in the classwill not end up the richest? Why those who are not excellent in studies tend to be managers or own their own enterprise in their later life? And what factors lead to succein career and life if brains are not the only answer? According to my observation , academic brightneis only part of the story , the other factors are very important. One ingredient , among other things , is good interpersonal skills. there is stong evidence that friendship can help to tide you over a period of difficulty. With a wide circle of friends who can be trusted yo provide information and resources, your chances of succeare much higher. on the contrary , if you are petent in profession , but have difficulty in getting along with your colleagues and even your boss, you can hardly survive the corporation. Another ponent is the ability to expreoneself today s world , what really counts is the ability to expreoneself rather than technical petence or professional knowledge . The larger the orgnization of which you are an employee , and th fiercer the petition , the more important it will be that you know how to convey your thoughts and convince others of your ideas. personality is also an important factor. Whatever difficulty or situation , those who appear relaxed and confident are nearer to success. obviously , among the ingredients for succe, intelligence counts for the half , the rest depends on your personality , and other abilities.

英语演讲稿11

Hello everyone!

Dreams are the driving force for us to move forward, the guiding light for us to move forward, and the vision for a better future. Everyone has a dream in their hearts, but mine is different, and that is to be a dancer.

When I first arrived at the dance class, I was like fifteen buckets fetching water. I was so nervous that I didn't dare to go in. The teacher said, "Come on, we welcome every new student!" I looked at the teacher's encouraging eyes and the students' expectations, thinking that I can do it, and I will do better. I was no longer nervous, but walked into the dance class generously.

The teacher danced a dance first. Her skillful movements and her graceful dance attracted me deeply. After the teacher's demonstration, let us practice the lower back first. At the beginning, my lower back was very painful. Seeing the students practicing so well, I felt a little ashamed. . They have practiced for a lot longer than you. I believe that after a period of practice, you will definitely be able to do better!"

At this time, I thought of the graceful figures of many dancers and my own dreams. "No! I can't let the teacher down! I'm going to realize my dream, I'm going to be a dancer. I can definitely do it!" After a few weeks of practice, I would not only get down, but dance a full dance . The teacher said that I have a strong sense of rhythm and can dance to the beat of the drum very accurately. I have more confidence in my future.

A semester is fleeting. Once in class, the teacher told us: "We have received an invitation from Henan TV to participate in the recording of a TV program during the Spring Festival." We all cheered and filled with joy when we heard this exciting news. confidence. The performance started, standing on the stage of the Nuoda, the music played, my classmates and I were very involved, and we performed a piece of 《__》 to the fullest. After this training, I think that no matter what difficulties I encounter in the future, I will stick to my dream and become an excellent dancer.

Although I am still far from realizing my dream, I understand that persistence is victory!

亲爱的老师、同学们：

大家好!

梦想是我们前进的动力，是我们前行的指路灯，是对美好未来的憧憬。每个人心中都有一个梦想，而我的梦想却与众不同，那就是当一名舞蹈家。

我刚到跳舞班的时候，心里就像十五个吊桶打水，七上八下，紧张的不得了，不敢进去。老师说：“快点来吧，我们欢迎每个新同学的`到来!”我看着老师鼓励的目光，看着同学们的期待，心想我一定能行，我会做的更好。我不再紧张，而是大方的走进了舞蹈班。

老师先跳了一支舞，她那娴熟的动作，她那优美的舞姿深深的吸引了我。老师示范过后先让我们练习下腰，刚开始的时候我的腰很痛，看着同学们练习的那么到位，我真是有点自愧不如，老师说：“加油，熟能生巧，多练习练习就不痛了。她们比你练习的时间长多了，我想信你经过一段时间的练习，一定可以做的更好!”

这时我想起许多的舞蹈家的优美身影，想起了自己的梦想。“不!我不能让老师失望!我要实现我的梦想，我要成为一个舞者。我一定可以做到的!”练习了几周，我不仅会下腰，而且还会跳一支完整的舞蹈。老师说我的节奏感很强，能很准的踏着鼓点跳。我对自己的未来更有信心了。

一个学期转瞬即逝，有一次上课，老师告诉我们说：“咱们接河南电视台的邀请，要去参加春节的电视节目录制。”听到这个振奋人心的消息，我们个个欢呼雀跃，个个都充满了信心。演出开始了，站在这诺大的舞台上，音乐响起，我和同学们都非常的投入，我们把一曲《__》表演的淋漓尽致。经过这次的锻炼，我想以后不管遇到什么困难，我都要坚持自己的梦想，成为一名优秀的舞蹈家。

虽然现在我离实现梦想的距离还很遥远，但是我明白，坚持就是胜利!

英语演讲稿12

Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I’d like to start with a group of pictures.

"Modern and advanced"? This society forgets, and ignores the other two thirds of human beings. It's far from the ideal! We call ideal as a utopian, a place where reality does not exist. A few people still look forward to the ideals. We make fun of them, considering they are naive. Will we still be content to live in such a society, if misfortune drops to us? No! Of cause not!

When we feel the warmth of the sun, these people, endure great sorrows and pains. Can we imagine that? They are our brother and sisters!

Facing them, will we still complain about our own misfortune?

Facing them, will we still have the mood shouting for our own freedom?

Facing them, will we still want to have more and more unnecessary stuff?

They are unable to meet their needs, even the basic needs of survival! Everyone, as a member of

humanity, shouldn't feel ashamed? Our luxury deprived their lives, our indifference violated our soul, and our barbarity destroyed human civilization!

What's the ideal society? It's a society no one worries about their living, a society no one is refused from education, a society everyone can pursue his/her own happiness! The ideal society is filled with love, joy and kindness. In that society, we can touch the other's hearts, we can share our dreams and most important, we can just be the true men!

Let's break the ethnic divide, bridge the gap between rich and poor, hand in hand, to build a Great wall, protecting us from evil; to construct a steady bridge, connecting reality to the ideal society! Let's pursue for that, that's the only way to the bright future!

They are watching us!

Thank you!

英语演讲稿13

My friends, comrades, and fellow South Africans: I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy, and freedom for all. I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore have placed the remaining years of my life in your , I extend my sincere and warmest gratitude to the millions of my compatriots and those in every corner of the globe who have campaigned tirelessly for my release. I extend special greetings to the people of Cape Town the city through which — which has been my home for three decades.

I salute the rank瞐nd瞗ile members of the ANC: You have sacrificed life and limb in the pursuit of the noble cause of our , like Solomon Mahlangu and Ashley Kriel, who have paid the ultimate price for the freedom of all South Africans. I salute the South African Communist Party for its sterling contribution to the struggle for democracy. You have survived 40 years of unrelenting persecution.

The memory of great communists like Moses Kotane, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fischer, and Moses Mabhida will be cherished for generations to come. I salute General Secretary Joe Slovo, one of our finest patriots. We are heartened by the fact that the alliance between ourselves and the Party remains as strong as it — it always , the National Education Crisis Committee, the South African Youth Congress, the Transvl and Natal Indian Congresses, and COSATU and the many other formations of the Mass Democratic Movement. I also salute the Black Sash and the National Union of South African Students.

英语演讲稿14

Hello everyone,I am so pround that I stand here to make a speech.

Life is not long, but many times choose, you have many choices come through today. Wait more than 60 days, you in turn to make a choice, but the choice is your life is very important, very crucial choice. The choice to a large extent directly related to your future direction in life, whether related to the future glory of life, and even the success of the big problems of life.

The last choice, because your young, largely by your parents or relatives to help you to make choices. Then the choice of their ability to help so you can create conditions to help you (for example, taking your difference, they can give you the money you read Choosing Health). Entrance options, but this largely depends on yourself decide the. Because: First, the difficulty of the selection bigger, some parents and relatives also lack guidance capability; second is the choice of policy, a more equitable, they may have money, but you also can not score enough money to help you. So many choices in this and future autonomy of the major is in your own hands.

Select certain subjective and objective conditions. The university entrance exam already created the objective conditions of choice. For example, the University has long been the face of the door here open for each student, you can enter with their conditions. Another example is that the state's admission policy is not directed against an individual, but against all the candidates this year, has been formed, you can only prepare the conditions required by policy to choose. Another example: you face the teachers and the teaching environment of objective factors in the last more than 60 days are basically constant. You can only adjust themselves to the further adaptation. Therefore, the objective conditions of your current studies, as if we can only face each generation has been formed as the productivity of conditions, can only be subjective on this basis up efforts to promote the development of the existing productive forces, not to complain about now have low productivity. This year's college entrance examination, you can only have been formed by the face of these subjective and objective conditions to efforts to improve their academic performance. Not to complain about the objective conditions than me.

In addition to other life choices, and many give up. But a lot of life to give up in order to better choices. You this time, the face of the university are beckoning to you, you can choose not to give up. Can also say: You give up a lot in the past, that is, to this choice. Example, Why did not you work outside the home? Why not stay at home farming? Why seeing your parents morning to evening, busy doing farming work, and even sick exertion in the field, and you share those concerns did not go home for their problem-solving, can you give up so they are not all for this time of choice?

Both gave up so much, they chose today, why not try to choose tomorrow? Beckon you do not choose to have this as another of the universities? There is the further purification of your soul, raise your quality, and increase your survivability, and improve your quality of life in the future to achieve greater value of life your furnace.

Thank you for your listening!

英语演讲稿15

Nurses are the most trusted of health professions. We can do much to work with and on behalf of poor people. We work with them to ensure that their voices are heard, that they are included in decisions concerning them, and that the inequalities of access, employment, services, gender, ethnicity and race are addressed. Working side-by-side with clients, service providers, community leaders, policy makers and politicians we can do our part to reduce the plague of poverty. Poverty and poor health go hand-in-hand, with the poor sharing an unequal burden of ill health The poorest 1.2 billion people bear two-thirds of the world’s communicable disease, maternal and perinatal mortality, and nutritional deficiencies. The particular cruelty of poverty is its vicious circle, whereby people do not have access to health, education and other means to increase their income and to improve their health status. Yet without good health, a person’s potential to escape from poverty is severely weakened. What can we as nurses do? We know that investing in education, health care and sound social policy can improve health outcomes. We also know that health is an asset, thus promoting and protecting it must be a key concern. This means that we must be sure we are educated about the determinants of health, about empowerment, and about working with communities and vulnerable groups to address their unique needs. We can work to ensure the poor are treated with respect, and work to influence policies and programmes, ensuring they are designed with the poor and most vulnerable in mind. We can lobby for fair labour standards, safe work places, equal rights for women (who represent 70 per cent of the most poor), and lobby to ensure equity of access to health services.