Make Poverty History

My friend Albert has a very challenging post on his iTalker blog.

Encountering poverty whether in Peru or Malawi changes how you think about things. It isn't only retirement that is a luxury of the rich, our meaningless and pointless conversations, the way we get worked up about football or the sales at M&S - we just don't get it.

The great challenge of our generation is global poverty, we need to challenge the evil of economic systems that condemn too many to lives of poverty so that we might enjoy our levels of prosperity and wealth.

Don't retire - make poverty history!

An alternative manifesto

Getting into General Election fever at the corner, or we're going even further round the bend.

There is an alternative manifesto published on line by ONE.org which you can read here. I've copied the introduction here, it's well worth going over and having a look ...

One Vote 2010: A Manifesto for International Development lays out the 5 areas One wants the next Government to take action on in the fight against extreme poverty.


It focuses on:
•Important international events that will influence efforts to reduce poverty such as the G8/G20 meetings and September’s UN Summit on the Millennium Development Goals.
•How the UK can best promote economic and social development in Africa in terms of supporting better governance, health and education.
•Developed country policies beyond aid that affect the world's poor from climate change, to agriculture, to trade.

We wrote it to influence the political parties’ manifestos, to let all political leaders and candidates know what we’d like them to do if elected and to provide guidance for our supporters as they meet their local candidates during the election campaign.

After the election our manifesto will also form the basis for what we want the next Parliament to do in the fight against poverty.

Against the Corruption the Compounds Poverty

The following statement was published on the tearfund web site about a letter sent to the UN by tearfund and other relief agencies.

Give thanks to our God that Christian agencies are taking such a lead in identifying factors that create and maintain poverty and injustice in our world. Let's pray that our political leaders would take seriously the urgent need to MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY.

Faith leaders and relief agencies urge UN to fight corruption that compounds poverty
25 August 2009
Corruption and poverty mutually reinforce injustice whilst undermining equitable economic growth and sustainable development - according to faith based development agencies and faith leaders who have today written to the Secretary General of the UN.
The letter to Ban Ki-moon comes as a working group of signatory countries meets in Vienna ahead of the Conference of State Parties later this year.
The following is a statement from Cafod, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Tearfund and the Australian Synod of Victoria and Tasmania:
'We are putting pressure on the UN and world leaders to step up the fight against corruption. The diversion of public funds, loss of investment and the reduction in tax revenues hits the poorest and most vulnerable hardest. Put simply, corruption is at the heart of people’s experience of poverty.
Corrupt practices constitute an insurmountable barrier to high-quality education, affordable healthcare and decent livelihoods. The opportunity and hope for so many in society is stolen by corruption. It undermines the principles of justice and equality, eroding value systems, social cohesion and trust.
This is why we have joined over 50 faith leaders in writing to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon. Although we strongly support the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), urgent action is needed on the agreement of a review mechanism for the Convention. This must be adopted by State Parties at the Doha conference in November. The success of UNCAC in reducing corruption will hinge on the commitment of all nation states to fully implement its provisions and the establishment of an effective review mechanism to monitor progress.
Two elements essential for a robust and credible review mechanism are transparency and the participation of civil society. Firstly, transparency – via the publication of reports and recommendations – is vital to ensure a fair and effective process. Honesty and integrity are the moral values that underpin any attempts to tackle corrupt practices, and a commitment to a transparent review mechanism is testimony to political leadership that is mature and accountable.
Secondly, civil society can positively contribute to the implementation of the Convention and the review process. Civil society organisations, including faith groups, provide an important link to communities experiencing poverty.
The review mechanism must make room for the voices of men and women living in poverty. If those most affected by corruption are not accorded space to contribute to the review, it will be impossible to accurately measure UNCAC’s effectiveness.
The review mechanism – founded on the principles of transparency and civil society participation – will demonstrate to poor communities that those they have entrusted with power and leadership are willing to end the scourge of corruption.'
Commenting on the statement, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey said, ‘Religious teachings commit us to the pursuit of justice and to stand with those who are poor and vulnerable.
‘As corruption undermines the principles of justice and equality it erodes value systems, social cohesion and trust.’

Global Poverty Prayer Week

This is our local church - St Ninians in Stranraer.

What is your local church like?

Tearfund completed the prompts for the Global Poverty Prayer Week by asking us to pray for the local church.

Tearfund's ten year vision is to see 50 million people released from material and spiritual poverty through a worldwide network of 100,000 churches.

At this link on the Tearfund resources page you can watch a 10 minute vidoe in which Cuthbert Gondwe, a worker with Eagles from Malawi, speaks of his hope in the local church to be the agent of transformation as God's people are united against all forms of poverty. Please do visit and watch this video.

Above all, let's pray that God would make all our churches agents of transformation for his Kingdom as we serve him in seeking to see his Kingdom come among us, his will be done here as it is in heaven.

Global Poverty Prayer Week

No pictures today.

We always hear news of disasters: earthquakes, tsunami, famine, drought, floods - we hear news for a while and then, all too quickly, pass onto the next thing.

Recognising the great generosity of many people who give so much money to disaster appeals, nevertheless, we are in danger of becoming a society that salves our consciences with a donation, without ever taking in who we are giving to or why.

The challenge of disasters is not always the immediate days after the disaster but in the long years of rebuilding and surviving. We are so quick to forget to keep on praying. Thank God that he does not so quickly pass over us onto his next project or appeal.

Reflect upon this verse

Prov 17:5 He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

God of the poor, give us bigger hearts and longer memories. We thank you that you are making us more generous with our money, may this be reflected in making us generous in our praying and caring.

Global Poverty Prayer Week

In Feb 2007 I was able to visit tearfund partners in Malawi. These photos were taken south of Blantyre, in the Chikwawa district. The rightly proud farmer was explaining to us that over the past 10 years the villagers had noticed that their fields were being flooded where previously they had been able to grow good crops. Another poor village falls victim to global climate change.

In a very elegant solution, with help from tearfund partners Eagles, the village had planted this forest. Now when the river floods the waters are diverted away from the fields of crops behind the trees. Together with planting more flood resistant crops these villages are fighting a war against global climate change the effects of which are being set off by an over dependance upon carbon based fuels in Europe and America.

Why not visit the tearfund site and take on the Lent Carbon Fast this year?

Reflect upon this verse:

Psalm 24:1-2 A PSALM OF DAVID.

The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein,

2 for he has founded it upon the seas

and established it upon the rivers.

Please pray

O Lord, strong and mighty, King of glory, Lord of hosts, you love all that you have made and continue to sustain all of your creation, forgive us for our abuse of your creation, as you lead us into new life in Christ Jesus make us agents of change who will worship you by caring for your creation. Be with those poorest peoples who are suffering because of global climate change and bring them relief from this trouble that has fallen upon them.

Global Poverty Prayer Week

The effects of poverty - financial poverty, education poverty, water poverty - are multiplied by the effects of HIV/AIDS which disproportionately affects the poorest nations and poorest peoples of the world.

In 2006/2007 there were 10 AIDS deaths every hour and 10 new cases of HIV every hour in the northern region of Malawi.

There are too many children who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS, too many communities who are missing whole generations because of HIV/AIDS.

There is a sign in a school in Ekwendeni, Malawi which reads, 'Education is a social vaccine against AIDS'. Local churches are running health care and health education programmes specifically designed to prevent the spread of this infection. Local churches are providing food to give those taking ARVs a balanced diet, training visitors to sit with those infected, those bereaved, those orphaned that they might know someone loves them.

Reflect upon this verse:

Matthew 8:3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

O Lord Jesus, who touched the man with leprosy, give us grace and strength, as your disciples, to reach out to victims of HIV/AIDS, to touch those who have been made to feel excluded because they are ill. Make us worthy to be partners with those who visit the sick, who feed the hungry, who care for those in great need.

Global Poverty Prayer Week

We are taking part in Tearfund's Global Poverty Prayer Week, 23 Feb to 1 Mar. We've turned one of our church halls into a prayer room which will be open for 19 hours this week, and for a youth event on Sat evening.

There are lots of resources and information available from Tearfund.

On day 1 we are invited to pray for those struggling with water and sanitation poverty issues. There are 2.5 billion people sharing this planet with us who do not have access to a toilet. Every day 5,000 children die due to poor sanitation and dirty water.

Pray that our generous, creating God would provide clean water and safe water for all those burdened with water and sanitation poverty.

Please reflect upon these verses:
James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Isaiah 10:1-2 Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees,

and the writers who keep writing oppression,

2 to turn aside the needy from justice

and to rob the poor of my people of their right,

that widows may be their spoil,

and that they may make the fatherless their prey!