Worldwide Christians Determined to End Poverty in 2005

Running up to 2005, the call from the UK to end world poverty is soaring. Over 100 aid agencies, campaign groups, churches and trade unions have joined to form a worldwide coalition known as Make Poverty History.

Tearfund, CAFOD, Christian Aid, World Vision, Oxfam, Save the Children and many more world renowned organisations, which have decades of experience in alleviating poverty in less developed countries, are part of this coalition.

In 2005, the UK Government will host the gathering of G8 leaders in July and assume presidency of the EU member states, the Make Poverty History coalition sees the year as a unique opportunity for the UK to influence industrialised countries. Therefore, the group aims to urge the Government to take the lead in relieving world poverty through trade justice, debt cancellation and more and better aid.

Andy Atkins, Tearfund’s advocacy director, said, "Surely bringing God’s will on earth as it is in heaven has to involve ending the indignity and injustice of global poverty. 2005 is a year of unprecedented opportunity - the opportunity for Christians to take this message from their homes and churches to the corridors of power and for those in the corridors of power to listen and act."

World Vision’s Director of Advocacy, Communications and Education, Rudo Kwaramba expressed the urgency to exercise the duty of Christians, "Around 1.2 billion people live on less than 60 pence a day and every day 30,000 people die because of poverty. This is totally unacceptable and it’s time that we stood united to call for change."

"Christians have a duty to defend the helpless and to cry out against injustice," Kwaramba declared.

Make Poverty History is in fact a tip of the iceberg among all the other Christian anti-poverty effort in the world. Micah Challenge, which was initiated by the World Evangelical Association along with hundreds of smaller Christian groups, was launched in New York in October. The campaign borrows its name from the Old Testament prophet Micah, urging Christians to deepen their engagement with the poor and to lead the way in eliminating poverty.

Micah Challenge is also part of the initiative entitled "Global Call to Action Against Poverty (G-CAP)", which brings together over 140 civil society organisations from around the world to call on their governments to make a "breakthrough on poverty in 2005." Make Poverty History is one of the initiatives undertaken by G-CAP, specifically in the UK.

A series of exciting events are going to be held in the New Year. On 29th January, church members across the UK are invited to attend an official reception to mark the launch of Make Poverty History.

Bloomsbury Baptist Church in London will host the event. It aims to mobilise and inspire people of faith to take action in 2005. Joel Edwards from the Evangelical Alliance, Martin Drewry from Christian Aid, Ben Mussanzi, a Tearfund partner from DRC and Stephen Rand from the Jubilee Debt Campaign will be speaking at the ceremony.

It is worthy to note that churches in the UK have made great contributions in anti-poverty campaigns. Martin Drewry, head of campaigns at Christian Aid remarked, "The churches have been the backbone of very major campaigns against mass poverty over the last eight years or so. Without a doubt Jubilee 2000 could not have been so influential without the well-organised passion and commitment of so many churchgoers. But we still need more churchgoers - there is still more to do."