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?
Comments