lotusinthemud

Make PovertyHistory: TELL JACK STRAW TO ACT

Under pressure from MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaigners like you, the UK Government has put Africa on the agenda at the G8, at the UN and elsewhere. But there is another key opportunity that we cannot afford to miss.

This year the UK has the Presidency of the European Union and we need your help to make sure European Community (EC) aid reaches the people who need it. Please email Jack Straw now to say that EC aid should be focussed on the poorest countries, and especially on sub-Saharan Africa. As Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw is responsible for UK negotiations with other European countries.

Tony Blair told MEPs in Brussels that ‘we are leaders in development and proud of it’. But at present less than half of EC aid goes to the poorest countries. There are no sub-Saharan African countries included in the top ten recipients of EC aid. This has got to change. The main focus of the European aid programme must be on ending poverty in the poorest countries.

Please take two minutes to send an email to Jack Straw, asking him to push for more and better EC aid to the poorest countries in Africa.

Thank you,

The Make Poverty History team

e-mail your MP - MakePovertyHistory message from Annie Lennox

Hello,
 
The G8 made a commitment to access to AIDS
treatment for all who need it by 2010. Now help
us ensure they keep this promise.

Make Poverty History: Vote For Trade Justice

The G8 made significant commitments on debt and aid last month but fell well short of what they should have achieved, especially on trade. So there is still much work to be done. At major meetings in the rest of this year, world leaders must act to make poverty history. The progress that has been made so far wouldn't have happened without you raising your voice. Now we need to be even louder.

STOP PRESS - Make Poverty History Rally and New Event - The Final Push

From  Make Poverty History
The Rally on 2nd July is the beginning of a massive week of action calling upon the leaders of the G8 countries to make poverty history.

Million mantras - alternative G8 protest

As an alternative to the usual G8 political diatribe
and protest we are suggesting something a wee bit
different. If you would like to contribute in anyway
ie. to commit or whatever please get in touch with Thom McCarthy at
crystalclear888.yahoo.com.
(Update - I guess that should be crystalclear888@yahoo.com)

WANTED 100 people to commit to a G8 alternative event
MILLION MANTRAS for PEACE
1 to 10 July
1000 mantras per day for ten days

LIVE 8 - from Sir Bob Geldof

Hello,

                

By being part of the Make Poverty History campaign you've done a lot over the last six months to create the golden opportunity to change the world that is in our grasp now.                  

That's why I wanted to tell you about Live 8 myself.

MakePovertyHistory - a message from Bill Nighy - get in touch with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry

Hello,

Two days ago something extraordinary happened -
the EU agreed to double the aid it gives to the
world's poorest nations. By being part of this
campaign you have directly helped to make
that happen and you should be proud, very proud.
It was one small step on the road to truly
making poverty history. And here is the next one...

The lengths to which parents are prepared to go....

Here's a story of parental devotion and appalling  poverty - a mother prepared to give one of her eyes - and kindness. When we hear of individual cases it's so much easier for us to identify..... These people were moved by her case.

MakePovertyHistory - the vigil last week

I've just received this news from one of the local organisers:

On the basis of cards signed on Sunday and
Wednesday, I reckon we got 2,500-3,000!

Regional Launch of MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY: Newcastle

If not our generation - who? If not in 2005 - when?

Last evening Colin and  I attended the Grand Regional Launch
Meeting for MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY at Newcastle University.

We hadn't known how many would attend, particularly with
so much snow. In the event, here was standing room only for
the meeting - a wide and varied audience of university staff and
students, aid agencies, faith communities, trade unions and
campaigning groups listening to the moving and shameful
circumstances in which so many in the world live today.

There was great energy and good-will in the auditorium.

The evening was introduced by the University Vice-Chancellor .

He was followed by our Our Guest of Honour,
H.E. Mr H. O. G. Kibelloh, High Commissioner
for the United Republic of Tanzania. He
spoke movingly of the circumstances in his
country, pointing out that, in African culture,
if your next door neighbours are in need, you share what
you have with them. Similarly, a neighbouring village will
share with another in need. Sadly, this has not been the
pattern between cultures in the Global Village.

Next came two speakers:
Sir Colin Lucas, Patron of Jubilee Debt Campaign
UK  and, until recently, Vice-Chancellor of
Oxford University, and

Chris Bain, Director of CAFOD.

They both gave impassioned speeches, backing their points with
statistics, which were never dull because their implications were
so shocking, and tales of personal experience.

It was heartrending to be reminded that

• 30,00 die each die every day from preventable diseases - that's 10 1/2 million a year
• 1.4 billion do not have access to clean water and 1 million die each year of diarrhoea
• 1 billion live in abject poverty

This poverty is man made. It can be dealt with and turned around.

The evening concluded with a rousing talk from
Dr.David W. Golding (PhD, DSc)

(Spokesperson, Jubilee Debt Campaign at Newcastle
University), the powerhouse behind the event.


It's wonderful to be working with the group who are going to be organising
activities in the area, to rraise awareness in the North East, and to make
sure that the government are in no doubt as to what we are asking for.

If not our generation - who? If not in 2005 - when?