Most people around the world fall ill because they are poor. In the midst of poverty, it is impossible to maintain your own health or that of your children. Around one in eight people on earth live in extreme poverty, on less than one dollar a day. They often lack the simplest things, such as soap or a toothbrush, to protect themselves from illness. Even though the figures are falling, according to the UN, 6.6 million children die before the age of five every year. That's 15,000 girls and boys every day. Most of them die from preventable diseases.