Eradication of poverty day: classroom activities for October 17

Explore dignity and fair access

What helps someone have a safe home and take part in school and community life? Begin with this concrete question, then explore poverty through dignity, rights and access to basic needs.

Choose a classroom activity

The UN's 2026 focus, Safe Homes for All, sits within its 2026-2028 theme, United for Peace and Human Rights. Use one of these short teaching suggestions before planning a longer exchange.

Compare a fictional budget

Ages 9-15. About 30 minutes. Materials: paper, pencils and fictional budget cards. Give groups the same made-up weekly budget and costs for food, housing, transport and healthcare. Ask them to explain two trade-offs and what information they would need before making a fair decision.

Collect a short explanation of the choices. Offer fewer costs and picture cards for support; older students can compare a second budget. A classroom exercise does not reproduce living in poverty. Keep all examples fictional and let students discuss them without sharing household income or personal experiences.

Map access to a safe home

Ages 9-19. About 35 minutes. Materials: a fictional neighbourhood map and paper. Mark homes, a school, water, transport and healthcare. Groups identify one barrier, propose a change and explain who it could help. Use a simple map for younger students; older groups can weigh two options with a limited fictional budget.

Ask each group to support its proposal with one map detail and one question it cannot answer yet. Compare proposals with another class, or display them in your classroom. Check how students listen, negotiate and build on another group's idea.

Plan a respectful photo essay

Ages 13-19. About 40 minutes for planning, with more time to create the essay. Materials: teacher-selected images or cameras used under school rules. Choose a question about access to a safe home or a public service. Groups agree a theme, a shot list and interview questions, then decide what can be shown respectfully.

Students can use photographs of objects and public spaces, licensed images or fictional examples. Photographing or interviewing people is optional and needs appropriate permission. Write accurate captions, separate observation from assumptions, exchange peer feedback and create a classroom or partner-class gallery.

For support, provide a few images and a caption frame. For a deeper task, ask students to compare sources and explain whose perspective is missing. Check the quality of their evidence and the respect shown in their questions.

Explore two poverty projects

Understanding Poverty: a four-week adaptation

Students use role-play and reflection to explore poverty in this project. You could organise the work in four parts: introduce SDG 1, compare fictional resource choices, reflect with classmates or a partner class, then share an evidence-based presentation with the school. Use the activity guidance above to keep the discussion respectful.

Portraits of Poverty: research to exhibition

In the photo-essay project, partner classes investigate a question about poverty and bring their work together in a virtual exhibition. They can research the question, curate images and captions, then present a gallery and reflect on what they still need to learn. Use teacher-managed sharing and the permissions agreed for the material.

What to look for in students' work

• Listening and empathy: ask respectful questions and recognise that an account cannot represent everyone.
• Critical thinking: explain a resource trade-off and name evidence or a missing perspective.
• Collaboration and communication: respond to feedback, write clear captions and explain a shared proposal.
• Global awareness: connect a local question with SDG 1 and compare perspectives without judging a class or community.

Why October 17 matters

The day recognises the efforts and rights of people living in poverty. It connects with SDG 1: No Poverty, including questions about opportunity, dignity and access to basic needs. Use accounts and sources that include the perspectives of people affected, rather than asking classmates to speak for a whole community.

Its history includes a gathering at the Trocadéro in Paris on October 17, 1987. The UN General Assembly adopted resolution 47/196 on December 22, 1992, declaring October 17 the international day from 1993. Read the UN background and current observance page for the history and annual focus.

Use the SDG calendar to find another day that fits your class, then build on this lesson through a shared question or project.