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This fortnight's themeMake Poverty History Issue 115
 
 


Band together to fight poverty 

  • Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

  • According to UNICEF, 30,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they "die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death."

  • The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the poorest 48 nations (i.e. a quarter of the world's countries) is less than the wealth of the world's three richest people combined.

  • Half the world -- nearly three billion people live on less than two dollars a day.

Statistics from:
www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp

Farming

The statistics above are shocking. They highlight the fact that our global community is suffering and that this suffering is very unequal. In our world today there are the incredibly wealthy nations who represent the minority of the globe but who consume the majority of the world's resources and wealth. Then there are the many poor countries. In these countries, which represent the majority of the world, billions of people suffer from the extremes of poverty. It is astounding that the richest 50 million people in Europe and North America have the same income as 2.7 billion poor people. Other statistics show that if the world's wealth was represented by a cake, the slice of the cake taken by the richest 1% is the same size as that handed to the poorest 57%.

Much of this information is not 'news'. Most of the people living in the wealthy nations of the world such as Australia, United States, France and England are aware that they are privileged and have an unequal share of the world's wealth. However many people are unaware that the situation is getting worse. The distance between the richest and poorest countries is growing.

So the question is what can we do about this? In the Year 2000, 189 United Nations member states, including most of the wealthy nations got together and signed a pledge to reduce poverty and hunger, and to tackle poverty, ill-health, gender inequality, lack of education, lack of access to clean water and environmental degradation. These pledges are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). They are fantastic goals; however in the past 5 years many countries including Australia have not been living up to their promises. We must put pressure on our governments to be true to their word.

Landscape

One way to work towards achieving the MDGs is to join the 'Make Poverty History' campaign. By joining this campaign we can all become involved in advocaction for our leaders to fulfill their Millennium Development Goal promises and to help decrease the widening gap between the rich minority and the poor majority. This campaign will be particularly important during United Nations 2005 World Summit. The summit will be held in New York from the 14 th - 16 th September It will involve more than 170 Heads of State and Governments who are coming together to discuss global poverty and development. The 'Make Poverty History' Campaign is advocating that our leaders make good decisions about eradicating poverty. The activities that follow explore some of the ways you can become involved to "Make Poverty History".

Caritas Australia is inviting schools across Australia to hold a 'White Band' day on Friday 9 September (or a day sometime that week) to express solidarity with the world's poor. Caritas will be providing support material for this day in the form of a PowerPoint and some Prayers/reflection material. This will be available on our website at
www.caritas.org.au/education/mph.htm

Contact Caritas Australia for your free copy of our latest resource: "Make Poverty History". Visit www.caritas.org.au/education/mph.htm
to download your order form.

Cooking

    

Teaching and Learning Activities

Activities Across the Curriculum

1) Become involved in the 'Make Poverty History' Campaign by buying white armbands and distributing or selling them at your school. Remember that wearing a white band is a way of expressing solidarity with the poor and marginalised. It also sends a message that you want poverty stopped. To purchase white arm bands click on www.caritas.org.au/education/mph_events.htm.

2) The following activity is based on the MDGs. Click on the site and complete the online activity and discussion questions.
www.cafod.org.uk/resources/schoolsteachers/
online_exercises/millennium_
development_goals_online_activity_ks2

3) Take up your chance to urge the Prime Minister to do all he can to make sure that Australia does its fair share to seize the opportunities of 2005. Tell him that you do care. Click on the link below to send Mr Howard a Make Poverty History message card:
www.makepovertyhistory.com.au/emailjohn.asp

4) Visit the following site www.who.int/mdg/score/en/ and compose a report entitled 'The Half Time Score'. The aim of your report is to show how the world is going so far in meeting the Millennium Development Goals. In your report provide details on:

  • What the MDGs are - to find the 8 goals visit the following site: www.who.int/mdg/goals/en/
  • The successes in meeting different goals
  • Areas for improvement

Art

Visit the following site and make a digital poster to raise awareness about the 'Make Poverty History' Campaign. In your poster include initiatives that members of your school community can become involved in and details of how they can do this.
www.millenniumcampaign.org/site/
pp.asp?c=grKVL2NLE&b=992439

HSIE/SOSE

1) Go to the following site and read the document on the 2005 World Summit. Then complete the following questions and activities: www.un.org/ga/documents/
overview2005summit.pdf

a) Give a brief overview of the World Summit. When is it being held? Where? Who is attending? What is the purpose of the Summit?

b) Take notes on the aims of the Summit. Take these notes under the following sub-headings: Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear, Freedom to live in dignity.

c) Imagine that you have been asked to attend the Summit as a representative of Australia's youth. Write an outline of what your opinions are on global poverty, the role of the Australian government in reducing world poverty and what you think world leaders should be doing to create a world that is free of wants, free of fear and gives all people freedom to live in dignity.

Religious Education

1) Go to the following site and read through the script for an assembly to raise awareness on Millennium Development Goals and then complete the following activities:
www.cafod.org.uk/resources/schoolsteachers/
school_assemblies/millennium_
development_goals_ks2.

a) Read through the script in groups of 5 students.

b) In your group write your own set of prayers to be used with the response "Lord, help us to build a better world".

c) Write a journal response in 250 words about how you can help build a better world.

2) Pope Paul VI had the following to say about global poverty: "We must make haste. Too many people are suffering. While some make progress, others stand still or move backwards; and the gap between them is widening." Go to the following site and scroll through the document that the Pope wrote and then answer the questions that follow:
www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/
encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_
26031967_populorum_en.html

  • What was the title of the document?
  • What year was it written?
  • Scroll through the document and write down 10 interesting points that the Pope was making.
This document was written nearly 40 years ago. In your opinion are any of the issues raised in the document still important? Explain your answer.

English

1) Go to the following site
www.millenniumcampaign.org/site/
pp.asp?c=grKVL2NLE&b=138312
and watch the short clip 'Six Billion Voices - This world will do what we say'.

a) Compose a 2 - 3 minute speech (200-300 words) to be given at a school assembly. The purpose of your speech is to raise awareness about global poverty and to also encourage members of the school community to become involved in the 'Make Poverty History' Campaign.

b) Use images from the following site
www.millenniumcampaign.org/siteapps/tools/
PhotoGallery.aspx?c=grKVL2NLE&b=874601 to create a PowerPoint to accompany your speech.

 

Parish/Community/Social Justice Groups

1) Find out how your group can become involved in the 'Make Poverty History' Campaign. Visit the following sites for ideas:

2) Become involved in the National Justice Festival. The National Justice Festival 2006 brings together young adults who share an interest in helping to make our world a place of peace and justice. It is a chance for them to explore the links between their faith, life and social justice issues in a fun festival environment. The details are below.

Date: Wednesday 11th - Sunday, 15th January 2006
Location: Ballarat, Victoria
Theme: 'What If ….? Justice Is Possible'
Hosts: Marist Brothers & Marist Young Adult Ministry

More information: www.myam.org.au
email: njf@maristmelb.org.au

Links

 

  
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