Americans believe we spend around 26% of our national budget on foreign aid. Here's the truth.

"I think the U.S. spends too much money helping out other countries when we clearly have a sh*t ton of problems being ignored in our own," said a dear friend of mine.

I was asking for her thoughts on how the United States goes about helping other countries through foreign assistance. It can be a confusing and controversial topic.

As it turns out, her response is a common one.

So if the general sentiment is that we're spending too much helping other countries on things like health, economic development, and humanitarian assistance ... just how much are we actually spending?

Americans believe we spend an average of 26% of our entire U.S. budget on foreign aid.

I'm not going to go all math class on you, but to put it into perspective, our entire fiscal year 2016 budget (as it stands) is around $4 trillion. So the thinking is that over a fourth of that is being used toward other countries — or is it?

The reality is America spends less than 1% on foreign aid.

According to ForeignAssistance.gov, America spends approximately 0.8% of its entire budget on foreign aid.

Considering foreign aid is such a tiny, tiny, tinyyyyy fraction of our spending, America is really making huge strides.

Think about these five ways the U.S. has been able to improve other countries while spending less than 1% of its budget:

1. 8 million people have received life-saving HIV treatment, and 56.7 million people have received HIV counseling and testing.

Just to put that into perspective there are about 8.4 million people living in New York City. A whole New York City got saved. Cool.

And that's not all. According to USAID, more than 14.2 million pregnant women have been supported with HIV testing and counseling and provided prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission to more than 749,000 HIV-positive women. 95% of those babies were born HIV-free, which is great news for future generations.

2. Agricultural programs have helped 1 billion people in 20 years.

What's cooler than helping a million people? Helping A BILLION PEOPLE.

Malnutrition contributes up to 45% of all childhood deaths. Oof. Agricultural programs like Feed the Future are working to cut that in various, sustainable ways.

In just 2014, Feed the Future reached more than 12 million children with nutrition interventions and helped nearly 7 million farmers gain access to new tools or technologies such as high-yielding seeds, fertilizer application, soil conservation, and water management. It's teaching them how to help themselves.

3. Deaths caused by malaria in African children have dropped by 51%.

THAT IS HALF!

Foreign aid programs have helped bring malaria rates down in a historic way. A 51% drop between the years of 2000-2012 has meant that 500,000 African kids under the age of 5 have been saved each year and otherwise wouldn't have, Foreign Policy and a 2013 report from the World Health Organization explain.

4. More moms and babies are staying alive. Millions more of them.

Moms used to die in childbirth. That number has been halved. HALF! We halved it with 1% of the budget.

Deaths of children under 5 worldwide have declined from 10.8 million in 2000 to 6.3 million in 2013. That's a huge drop! And there's more reason to celebrate too. Between 1990 and 2013, maternal mortality has dropped by almost 50% worldwide.

Many of these deaths can be easily prevented or treated with simple and affordable interventions, which makes me very hopeful we can help decrease these numbers even more.

5. Mobile banking is GIVING people a future ... and it is the future. And it's happening now!

No bank? No problem. We're putting banks in cell phones! Next thing you know, women are taking out loans and opening up businesses.

There are 1.8 billion people in the world with access to a phone but not to a bank. That's beginning to change. A big shift in foreign assistance is to focus on effective ways to expand poor people's access to formal financial services, and phones are proving a great way to do it.

A great example lies in Nepal. According to USAID, over 300 mobile financial services agents in 30 of 75 districts are now operating in Nepal. In 2013, banks serving Nepalese clients were expected to reach more than 19,000 new clients, with more than $2.3 million in rural loans disbursed to almost 8,000 borrowers — most of them women. That's how businesses are started and people become able to contribute to the economy. Bam! Progress.

We do have problems in our own country that need addressing. But we're also not exactly using up all our resources on other countries either!

How do you feel knowing how effective America has been with it's 1% of the budget?

If you're like these folks, you start seeing things a little differently.

Some even start to think that maybe we should could even do more.

I'm happy to know that America's budget is getting used in this way. It's a tiny sliver of money, prioritizing helpfulness, and the result is billions of safer earthlings. Oh, the possibilities!

ONE set out to ask for various thoughts about our contributions overseas. How would you answer?

Data and chart info used with permission by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

This ambulance driver drove straight past retirement. At 87, she's goin' strong.

Edna Mitchell once drove into a snowstorm to help a man who thought he was having a heart attack. He was shocked when she showed up.

It's not every day that an 87-year-old shows up in the middle of a storm to take care of you.

“What's an old woman like you doing out on a night like this?" he asked her, as she recounted to the Bangor Daily News.

She simply replied, "Do you want to go to the hospital or not?"

He sure did. And he was able to, thanks to Edna and her crew.

Just doing her job. GIFs via Humankind.

Edna is a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, and — oh yeah — one heck of an ambulance driver.

She's been driving the streets of Liberty, Maine, for the Liberty Fire Department since she got her EMT certification in 1978.

37 years later, she's still behind the wheel, responding to medical emergencies as intense and urgent as you'd imagine.

"I exercise, try to stay healthy, take vitamins. I swim every day. I don't drink, smoke or swear," she told the Bangor Daily News. "I used to say I don't have any fun, but I do."

Just working on her fitness. She'd school me on push-ups!

Edna says she first became interested in the medical field during World War II in a first-aid class as a high school freshman. But it wasn't until her long teaching career came to an end that she decided to give it a try.

While many look at retirement as a time to kick back and relax, Edna went in the opposite direction — with her foot on the accelerator.

If you see her as an inspiring woman, you're not the only one. Some of her grandkids and great-grandkids have even pursued EMT careers because of her work.

It is my honor to run with Edna Mitchell," Liberty Fire Chief Bill Gillespie told USA Today. "People have a sense of relief to know that Edna is there. There's been a lot of times Liberty Ambulance wouldn't have rolled out the doors if it wasn't for Edna. She is amazing. She is a tough, tough woman."

Edna's a tough and inspiring woman, indeed. And she gives us all a joyful reminder that it's never too late to try something new.

Bravo, Edna! Hear more of her incredible story (and watch her dominate those push-ups) in this fun Humankind interview.

Humankind is a project from USA Today, and it's full of inspiring stories like Edna's. Get your fix on YouTube and Facebook!

A video game wants to change how we look at an international tragedy.

It's a powerful look at humanity.

Europe is in the midst of a dire migrant crisis. This year, Germany alone expects 800,000 people to claim asylum.

Many of the would-be immigrants are fleeing war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq. Others are simply trying to escape parts of Africa and the Middle East that have been hit with famine and crushing poverty.

The journey can be perilous. An estimated 2,500 have drowned this year crossing the Mediterranean Sea, one of the riskiest routes to Europe. Asylum seekers often report violence and abuse during their journeys.

Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

A video game seeks to change how we think about the crisis and humanize how we view migrants.

While the EU governments continue to debate what to do about the crisis, London-based game developer Francois Alliot (he also goes by the name "Nerial") and his collaborator Arnaud De Bock took on a project to help humanize an often faceless collection of stats and numbers. Together, they created "Passengers," a game that puts the player in the position of a smuggler trying to assist refugees and asylum-seekers making their way to Europe.

The game is a bit like a modern take on "The Oregon Trail."

GIFs from "Passengers."

"Passengers" highlights some of the tough decisions facing both smugglers and migrants.

The game starts with two decisions: Where are you going? and Who are you taking?

Not every person hoping to make the dangerous trip will be able to. You're put in the position of deciding who you'll take with you, and who gets left behind. Do you take the scholar? Do you bring the accountant? Do you bring the former criminal?

In my first time through the game, I took as many people along for the ride as I could. Even then, remembering that these people all represent real stories playing out in the real world, I was left feeling that it's unfair that others would be left behind.

In the end of that first play-through, everyone lost. Including the "lucky" passengers selected.

After a number of passengers died along the way, my poor boat capsized after being hit by a storm. There were no winners. Whether lost at sea or left on shore, the characters were gone.

In Europe, the political gridlock around immigration can be just as bad as in the United States.

The U.S. has its own challenging political situation when it comes to immigration. We have over 11 million undocumented immigrants hanging in a perpetual state of limbo, and despite the fact that presidential candidates seem to talk a lot about it, Congress hasn't delivered a comprehensive solution in decades.

The issue is different in the European Union, which has 28 member countries (and no shortage of diverging opinions). But similar to the U.S., migrants in Europe are also struggling for their rights.

People protesting the British government for its crackdown on smugglers. Photo by Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images.

If we value human life, a safe haven must be available to all. These preventable deaths at sea are unacceptable.

Perhaps Nerial's game will spark more public interest in addressing the problem at hand. After all, if the immigration system wasn't so broken, people wouldn't need to take such dangerous routes to their destination.

Perhaps it simply serves as a reminder to be grateful for what we have. In either case, it's amazing how such a simple game can have such a profound effect on the player's own sense of morality and self-worth.

There is a human cost to any government's inaction on immigration. Thanks to one game, that became a bit more clear.

Interested in playing? Learn more about "Passengers" here.

Thumbnail image comes from "Passengers."

8 adorable ways the Little League World Series proves sportsmanship is alive

We can learn a lot from Little League.

Whether you're talking about the Deflategate controversy or just your run-of-the-mill bench-clearing brawl, sports can be a little, well, unsportsmanlike from time to time.

What's a fan to do to keep from becoming cynical? For me, the answer is simple: the Little League World Series.

You'll be smiling along from your living room couch. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images.

Each summer, 16 of the top Little League teams from all over the world come together in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to compete for the championship. The quality of play is pretty amazing, but the best part about it, in my opinion, is how the players carry themselves.

The 10-day tournament ended on Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, with Tokyo, Japan, beating Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, to take the title. Here are eight moments from the contest that remind us that sportsmanship is still alive.

1. Little Leaguers will show you when they're impressed — even if it's by their competitors.

It's hard to think of a more demoralizing situation than this: Webb City, Missouri, was already trailing Pennsylvania 14-0 when the Keystone State's Cole Wagner blasted a grand slam out of the park.

Instead of hanging his head in frustration, Missouri pitcher Mekhi Garrard's face was a picture of disbelief, awe, and admiration as he watched the ball sail over the fence.

Mekhi Garrard surrendered a homer and then looked really impressed by just how far it went. That's the spirit! Image via ESPN.

2. They apologize for their mistakes.

After Chinese Taipei pitcher Wei Hung Chou threw a pitch that struck Uganda's Joshua Olara, the pitcher immediately went over to first base. He took off his hat and bowed to Olara, who then returned this act of respect.

Classy: Uganda's Joshua Olara forgives the pitcher after being hit by a pitch. Image via ESPN.

When the next batter hit the ball, Olara slid hard into second, taking out a much smaller second baseman from Chinese Taipei. The Ugandan player was called out, but made sure to help his opponent up with a hug before returning to the dugout

A hard slide, but no hard feelings. Image via Little League Baseball and Softball.

3. Family comes first.

In a qualifying game, South Burlington, Vermont, was trailing Cranston, Rhode Island, 6-0 with pitcher Vermont's Seamus McGrath having a rough time on the mound. Sean McGrath, the team's manager (and the pitcher's father), made the call to bring in a new pitcher, a decision no dad would envy.

After explaining the switch to his team, he made sure to give his son a hug and tell him, “'I'm so proud of you. I love you kid," before heading back to the dugout.

Sean McGrath hugs his son Seamus. We're tearing up over here. Image via ESPN.

4. They'll acknowledge a great play, even if it gives their opponents the lead.

In extra innings of an international semifinal game, Japan gave up two home runs to Venezuela to fall behind 4-2.

As Yeiner Fernandez, the Venezuelan player who hit the second homer, rounded the bases, he received a high five from the Japanese third baseman.

The third baseman gave Fernandez a high-five after his home run. Image via Little League Baseball and Softball.

5. Fans don't only cheer for the home team.

This year, Venezuela won the Latin American championship to make it to Williamsport. Broadcasters said no family members could afford to make the trip, but the team was not without a cheering section. Local fans came together to root for the squad from Venezuela.

A fan shows Venezuelan pride. ¡Chévere! Image via Little League Baseball and Softball

6. They support their teammates after tough calls.

In the sixth inning of the international final game, a Mexican outfielder nearly made a great catch in left field. Unfortunately, he dropped the ball when trying to throw it in, and the batter was called safe.

He was upset about the play, but his teammates immediately surrounded him to offer support and encouragement.

Team Mexico hugging it out. Image via Little League Baseball and Softball

7. Volunteers make the tournament possible.

The Little League World Series has become a huge event, with players and fans from all over the world coming to the competition. Many people volunteer to make the experience possible, from umpires and grounds crew, to concession stand workers and team hosts.

The folks in blue do it just for the love of the game. Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

8. They keep things in perspective.

Japan beat Pennsylvania in the finals to become the 2015 Little League World Series champions. As hugs were exchanged in the handshake line, many of the Pennsylvania boys were smiling despite their loss (not the ones here, but trust me, some of them were!).

Good game, good game, good game. Now the pizza party? Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

Because, at the end of the day, baseball is just a game, but the memories will last a lifetime.

A 7-year-old taught himself to play the bagpipes. Here's what 4 other people learned from YouTube.

Miley Cyrus' VMA outfits got attention. But the incredible way she ended the night was even cooler.

Forget her crazy outfits for a second.

The MTV Video Music Awards happened last night. It's OK if you missed them.

The show went until almost midnight, and (if you're like me) you're probably too old and uncool to recognize half the performers. Hey, I totally get it.

Here's what you'll be seeing in many of the headlines recapping the event:

1. Kanye West announced he's running for president in 2020.
2. It looks like Justin Bieber started crying on stage after his performance.
3. Nicki Minaj definitely has a beef with Miley Cyrus, and she wasn't afraid to talk about it on stage.
4. Nicki did, however, seem over her feud with Taylor Swift, whom she performed with to open the event.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

But if you ask me, the coolest and most underreported part about the 2015 VMAs had nothing to do with 1-4 above. (Or any of the red carpet looks. Or any surprise Moonman wins. Or any of the performances ... although, Tori Kelly was amazing).

The coolest part came and went at the end of the event, without the glitz and glam we're so used to seeing on award show stages.

Miley Cyrus' squad from her Happy Hippie Foundation announced a surprise performance from the VMA host.

They weren't A-listers. They didn't dress in flamboyant outfits to grab our attention. But Miley's friends from Happy Hippie (you can learn more about all of them here) welcomed her to the stage, shedding a light on an important issue that deserves our attention: homelessness of LGBTQ youth.

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

The Happy Hippie Foundation, which Miley launched earlier this year, advocates for young people facing homelessness — particularly those young people who are LGBTQ.

Young people in the LGBTQ community account for an alarmingly disproportionate chunk — somewhere between 20% and 40% — of the total homeless youth population. Tragically, family rejection a big reason why so many end up on the streets.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Sharing her time on stage with her Happy Hippie squad shouldn't come as surprise to anyone who's been paying attention to Miley. She's been pretty clear on her intentions to give a voice to young people who don't have one.

"When you have all eyes on you, what are you saying? And that's what I had to ask myself a lot," Miley told the Associated Press of her activism in May 2015.

"It's like, I know you're going to look at me more if my [breasts] are out, so look at me. And then I'm going to tell you about my foundation for an hour and totally hustle you."

She's not afraid to hustle us at award shows, too. Last year's VMAs were no different.

At the 2014 award show, Miley won Video of the Year for her single, "Wrecking Ball." But instead of giving a speech, she gave the spotlight to then-22-year-old Jesse Helt, who'd battled homelessness while living in Los Angeles.

Photo by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images.

His heartfelt words went down in VMA history:

"I am accepting this award on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving, lost, and scared for their lives right now. I know this because I'm one of these people. ... I've survived in shelters all over the city. I've cleaned your hotel rooms. I've been an extra in your movies. I've been an extra in your life. Although I may have been invisible to you on the streets, I have a lot of the same dreams that brought many of you here tonight."

You may not be a fan of her twerking, her choice of wardrobe, or the ... unique ... name of her new album. But there's no denying Miley's heart of gold when it comes to an issue that should be a bigger priority to all of us.

To learn more about and support the Happy Hippie Foundation, visit the organization's website here.

In the thumbnail image, the let photo is by Jason Merritt/Getty Images, and the right photo is by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

About time: The end of greyhound racing is almost here.

Gulf Greyhound Park, the last greyhound racetrack in Texas, announced it will close by the end of 2015.

People and pups! It's time to break out your favorite celebration dance.

PARTY!!!

This is huge news. And not just because this one track is closing, but because this is part of a larger trend.

We all know that commercial greyhound racing is cruel on many levels. It's so horrible for the dogs that 39 U.S. states have flat-out banned it entirely. But we're not going to waste space making an argument against forcing dogs to run in circles for our amusement. Because it's time to celebrate:

Greyhound racing is officially a dying sport. Hooray!

Retired life is the good life. Photo by liz west/Flickr.

There are four states where dog racing is still legal, but all the tracks have closed down anyway.

You know what that means? It means people just aren't showing up to the races anymore. Some say gamblers have moved on to shinier things like casinos, the lottery, and online poker.

But it's nice to think that maybe we're all just fed up with people making money off of the mistreatment of animals.

He'll race, all right ... to his favorite spot on the couch. Photo by clarkmaxwell/Flickr.

Racing dogs just isn't profitable for venue owners anymore. Which means it's only a matter of time before it disappears completely.

They're even "fast" asleep. Get it?! Photo by hitthatswitch/Flickr.

And here's hoping it's soon: There are still seven states where greyhound racing is legal and active — a reality that the organization Grey2K USA is dedicated to putting an end to.

Florida is one of the few states left that has a greyhound racing scene, and it's home to over half of the country's race tracks. But state Sen. Garrett Richter recently admitted that it's only a matter of time before greyhound racing disappears from Florida, too.

With those venues gone, there'll be hardly anything left of this once enormously popular sport. I say, "Good riddance."

As for all those greyhounds who'll soon be out of jobs? We think they're better suited to cuddling with us on sofas.

You can find a greyhound rescue group near you using this website, and help give these retired dogs the loving home they deserve.

Sadly, some of the dogs that call Gulf Greyhound Park home will be transferred to other tracks, but many of them will be adopted through great rescue organizations.

I encourage you to check out Grey2K USA, an organization dedicated to putting an end to greyhound racing worldwide, to learn more.

What happens when you give 100 homeless people disposable cameras? You get true works of art.

These stunning works of art give us a glimpse at what it's like to be homeless in London.

In July 2015, a London art group gave 100 cameras to members of the city's homeless population.

The organization, called Cafe Art, is dedicated to empowering those affected by homelessness to express themselves through art and photography.

For their latest project, the group distributed 100 disposable cameras to homeless Londoners along with some basic photography training courtesy of the Royal Photographic Society.

Each photographer had 27 shots, and they made them count. Photo from Cafe Art.

Photographers were asked to take photos centered around the theme "My London."

Of the 100 cameras, 80 were returned and roughly 2,500 photos were processed. Of those, 20 photos were selected to be included in an upcoming 2016 calendar.

Calendar cover photo by ROL.

The group has been putting out calendars since 2012, and they have raised nearly $70,000 in the process.

All money raised from calendar sales is reinvested back into the project — to cover printing costs, to pay the photographers, to buy art supplies, and to cover the cost of classes.

January 2016: "Tyre Break, Hackney" by Desmond Henry.

The 2016 calendar preorders are underway on the group's Kickstarter page.

Just days after launch, they'd more than doubled their target of a little more than $7,000. Once the calendar is released on Oct. 12 (two days after World Homelessness Day), it'll sell for $15.40.

February 2016: "Everything I Own or Bags of Life, Strand" by David Tovey.

More than 7,500 people in London slept on the streets during 2014-2015.

Across England, around 112,000 people reported having battled homelessness. While these numbers are relatively low compared to, say, New York City, which saw its homeless population hit a record high of more than 59,000 people earlier this year, it's not the number that matters but the people who make it up.

Homelessness can stigmatize and dehumanize this vulnerable population.

June 2016: "Colour Festival, Olympic Park" by Goska Calik.

By providing insight into their lives, Cafe Art helps fight stigma surrounding the homeless population.

When we're able to see the world through someone else's eyes, we can better empathize with what they're going through. By providing an outlet for a marginalized group — in this case, people experiencing homelessness — Cafe Art is helping to connect them to a world in which they might not feel welcome.

September 2016: "Left Boot, East London" by Ellen Rostant.

Want to learn more? Check out this video below featuring interviews with Cafe Art organizers and photographers.

Thumbnail image is “West End Bird, Westminster” by Zin. All photos come from Cafe Art and are used with permission.
Learn more about Cafe Art on their website, Twitter, and Facebook pages.
You can preorder the 2016 calendar at their Kickstarter page.

Ocean enthusiasts just discovered a two-headed sea creature, and it's mesmerizing.

In today's installment of fascinating marine biology news, something unusual has been discovered in the ocean. And it has two heads.

All images by Borneo from Below, used with permission.

It's called a nudibranch. More specifically, it's a two-headed nudibranch.

Borneo from Below is a cool weekly series about the beautiful marine life of Borneo, and they shared this unusual discovery with us.

What even is a nudibranch?! Basically, it's a sea slug.

We'll get back to the two-headed nudibranch in a minute. First, let's talk about the more common version of this creature — the one with a single head. National Geographic describes nudibranchs as follows:

"[T]hese shell-less mollusks, part of the sea slug family, bear some of the most fascinating shapes, sumptuous hues, and intricate patterns of any animal on Earth.

There are more than 3,000 known species of nudibranch, and new ones are being identified almost daily. They are found throughout the world's oceans, but are most abundant in shallow, tropical waters."

They're quite colorful.

They're like living pieces of artwork, really.

So mesmerizing.

They're pretty, right? But let's get back to the one with two heads.

Scientists have known about the many single-headed nudibranchs for a long time, but this two-headed nudibranch is a new discovery, found in August 2015.

Clay Bryce, a marine biologist of Western Australian Museum in Perth, is a nudibranch expert. He's spent over 10,000 hours underwater "chasing nudibranchs," and he says he'd never seen one before this.

"Usually this sort of deformity sets the animal up for an early death, but it does appear to be adult or at least subadult," Bryce told Borneo from Below. "So perhaps this is a case of two heads being better than one!"

Soooo, how'd the two heads happen? Bryce said it's basically a birth defect. It could be "just a slight mix-up in the genes or perhaps damage caused by pollution," although he would expect to see more of them if it was a result of pollution.

For now, we'll have to take it for what it is: an anomaly in nature, kind of like the occasional two-headed snake ... but less freaky and much prettier.

We should care about all ocean life given how important the ocean is to our survival. (Our oceans produce over half of the oxygen in our atmosphere!) But the ocean is also a fascinating mystery we're still learning more about every day. Learning what lurks beneath the waves is one way we can feel more connected to our oceans and our planet and our two-headed Nembrotha kubaryana friends.

You can watch the full video about the two-headed nudibranch from Borneo from Below. The thumbnail image of the sea slug is from a photo provided to me, shared in this post, and a screenshot of Aaron “Bertie" Gekoski, the man who photographed the nudibrach for the video.