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What
is Make Poverty History all about and what
on earth has it got to do with little old
you? ALOVE goes straight to the top and speaks
to Elaine Storkey, President of Tearfund,
the charity where the whole idea began.
ALOVE: What
is Tearfund’s involvement with the make
poverty History campaign?
Tearfund was one of the original groups that
got together with the idea to ‘Make
Poverty History’. The campaign is simple
enough. We want to put pressure on the political
leaders of our rich nations to commit themselves
to radical policies to eradicate global poverty.
We know it will take time, but it has to start
now.
Tearfund has worked with key non-government
organisations to see how we could launch such
a campaign. Soon the idea for the G8 rally
was born. The plan was to take over the Meadows
in Edinburgh and have a march that would circle
right around the city. The organisers hoped
that we might get 100,000 people, all wearing
white tops, carrying banners and making a
great impact. Then, Bob Geldof announced his
plan for Live 8 in London! Of course, we were
glad that the public profile of the campaign
would be raised, but we also knew that the
attention would be on Hyde Park. There was
just a bit of concern that the day in Edinburgh
might be a bit of an anti-climax. But we needn't
have worried! The police estimated that 250,000
people showed up and walked round Edinburgh,
which was amazing.
The
Make Poverty History campaign can seem like
a huge inaccessible beast to young people.
What is the first thing we should do to get
involved?
We all start where we are! We can do three
things straight away:
i) Get informed - Tearfund produces some really
good presentations, which give a lot of the
facts and figures. You can also visit the
Tearfund web site.
ii) Keep the pressure on politicians (by getting
to know about the issues, showing up to things,
writing postcards to MPs etc)
iii) Live a simpler lifestyle. There's a great
new group called 'Breathe' which has lots
of practical ideas. Buying 'fair traded' goods
is also an obvious thing to do. Look out for
the Fair Trade logo in the shops. In the end,
however, we want to change the whole rules
about trading to make it all 'fair'. That
will take much longer.
Can
young people really make a difference?
To be honest, it is only young people who
will make a difference, because if you don't
take it, this campaign is over! At Edinburgh,
it was very clear that it was the young people
who were beginning to run a lot of things.
Ultimately, young people need to be ready
and willing for the long, hard grind that’s
needed in taking on local politicians and
businesses. Sometimes, we need to find out
the policies of companies who work in the
poor parts of the world, and put pressure
on them to invest in an ethical way. Groups
like SPEAK do quite a bit of work trying to
find out what policies are operating, and
writing to the firms.
How
can young people make their voice heard and
what should they be saying the loudest and
to whom?
I think politicians are really taken aback
when they hear younger voices that know what
they are talking about. The most important
thing is to get clued up. So what should we
be shouting about? Well, it's not the fact
that some people are poorer than others -
that's always going to be the case. Nobody
is aiming at trying to get everyone the same,
as it’s unrealistic. However, the main
issue is the injustice of the situation that
exists now. The poorest of the world are in
a very bad shape, partly because the rich
have actually exploited them. We have lent
money to their leaders (often corrupt leaders);
and sometimes the money has been used on arms
deals, or ended up in Swiss bank accounts.
An awful lot of the money lent never found
its way to the people who needed it. Interest
rates have soared, local currencies have been
devalued and still the debt had to be paid
back. It is the ordinary people who suffer
and struggle because they have to go without
basic amenities so that their country can
pay back the debt.
There is also injustice in the trade rules,
that let poor countries export raw materials,
but not the finished product (which would
bring them in a lot more money). It's very
easy for the rich trading nations to draw
up all the rules, because they have all the
power. But it's wrong when that means that
the poor operate at a huge disadvantage. It's
just like bullying at school!
Should
all Christians get behind the Make Poverty
History campaign and why?
Yes - because there is so much biblical teaching
about what God feels about justice! Read Isaiah
58, where the people of God are very pleased
with themselves and all their religious activity.
God tells them he doesn't think much of it,
because at the same time as praying, they
are exploiting workers, and overlooking the
vulnerable. He says, 'This is what I call
a fast - to share your bread with the hungry
and break the yoke of oppression.'
Jesus also has plenty to say about our responsibility
to people in need when he talks about the
'sheep and the goats' in Matthew 25, and in
the letter of James there are some fierce
warnings. We don’t need to ask ourselves
if such passages apply to the church today!
However, I don't want to suggest that everyone
has to get involved at the same level. People
have different priorities for their time,
which God lays on their hearts. So even though
we all should be involved at some level, we
all have to decide just how much God is calling
us to do, and it might be different for different
people.
What
have the main successes of Make poverty History
been so far?
The African countries where the debt has been
dropped (like Uganda and Mozambique) have
made amazing progress. Instead of all the
money going to paying back rich governments
and banks, they have been able to build hospitals,
put money into literacy programmes, sanitation,
health, education, and better food provisions
for children. Many critics said they would
spend more money on weapons, but they haven't
done. So it's encouraging.
It's also true that those farmers, tailors,
and manufacturers who are fortunate enough
to be involved in supplying things for Fair
Trade Companies are also doing very well.
They are given lots of help and advice on
product quality and management and a proper
wage has made a big difference to whole villages
in many parts of the world.
If you could say one thing so young people
in The Salvation Army regarding this issue
what would it be?
What I'd love to say to The Salvation Army
is that you gave a lead to the whole church
in the UK when you were first founded. You
were the ones who were outstanding in your
care for the poor and the destitute - the
down-and-outs in this country. This was when
people from many other churches just sat in
their pews and did nothing. So, showing God's
compassion and his love of justice is close
to the heart of your tradition. You've been
such a mighty witness to the love of Jesus.
Don't ever lose that, but take a lead in the
battle against poverty now.
See you on the next march! |
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Youthwork -
The Partnership ...
ALOVE,
Youthwork Magazine, Youth For Christ, Spring Harvest and
Oasis are working together to equip and resource the Church
for effective youth work and ministry. |
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