Think about your morning today. The alarm, the tea, the rickshaw or bus to work, the shirt you had dry-cleaned, the lunch someone prepared or delivered.

Now ask yourself a slightly uncomfortable question: how many people helped make that morning possible, and how many of them are just one bad month away from financial hardship?

17 October marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Many of us will scroll past a poster or two and carry on with our day. But the occasion deserves a closer look, because poverty is not some distant problem. It exists quietly within our everyday routines.

A day that began with a stone

The day has an interesting history. On 17 October 1987, more than 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris, the same location where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948. They came to honour people living in extreme poverty and those who had suffered from hunger and violence.

A commemorative stone was laid bearing a message that wherever people are condemned to live in misery, human rights are violated. The United Nations officially recognised 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in 1992.

The day, then, did not begin with a government policy or an international development programme. It began with ordinary people who chose to show up. That is worth remembering.

When we talk about the poverty line, often defined in terms of daily income, it can sound like a clear boundary separating those who are poor from those who are not. The international poverty line has traditionally been expressed as an amount earned per person per day, although the World Bank periodically revises it to account for changes in purchasing power.

In reality, poverty is not a neat dividing line. It is more like a fragile thread.

Bangladesh has made remarkable progress over the past few decades, lifting millions of people out of poverty. Garment workers, farmers and families supported by migrant workers have all played important roles in that progress. Their contribution deserves genuine recognition.

Yet moving above the poverty line does not necessarily mean achieving financial security. One hospital bill, one flood, one lost job or a sudden rise in the price of rice or cooking oil can push a family back into hardship.

That is why a headline announcing that the poverty rate has fallen tells only half the story. The other half concerns how many people remain economically vulnerable and how little it might take for their circumstances to deteriorate.

There is another point we do not discuss enough: poverty does not affect only those experiencing it. Its costs are shared by society.

A child who leaves school early may enter the workforce with fewer skills and limited opportunities, restricting their future earnings and the economy’s productive potential. A family without adequate healthcare protection can see a minor illness develop into a financial crisis. A city that neglects its informal settlements risks worsening problems related to sanitation, public health, water supply and safety.

Helping people escape poverty is therefore not simply an act of charity. It is an investment in a country’s economic and social future.

What can we do with a day like this?

Making a difference does not always require a minister, a major policy announcement or a large financial contribution.

Pay the people who work for you on time and compensate them fairly. Think twice before bargaining aggressively with a vegetable seller and then spending several times that amount on coffee without hesitation. Support honest local businesses. Help a neighbour’s child with their studies. Donate to organisations whose work and credibility you have taken the time to verify.

None of these actions will eradicate poverty by next week. Nor can individual goodwill replace fair wages, effective public services, social protection and policies that create decent employment.

But our everyday choices matter, too. Systems are shaped by collective habits, and changing those habits can help create pressure for a fairer society.

Tomorrow, when you have your tea and head out, take a moment to notice the people who help keep your day running. Think about the person who drives your rickshaw, serves your meal, cleans your clothes or delivers your lunch.

Then ask yourself a simple question: is the way I live making their lives a little easier or a little harder?

It is not a question that will solve poverty on its own. But it is a good place to start.