Global Alliance of churches launch Poverty Campaign

International leaders are being urged to fulfil their promise to halve world poverty by the year 2015 by a global alliance of churches and aid organisations.

The campaign is called the ‘Micah Challenge’, and will be launched on October 15 at the United Nations in New York, and will try to tackle the ever-increasing plight of the 1.2 billion people in the world who live in extreme poverty.

For the campaign, the Micah Network, which represents more than 260 aid and development organisations, is joining with the World Evangelical Alliance, which also represents approximately 400 million Christians in 123 countries.

They will spearhead a drive to mobilise millions of Christians to interact in a greater way with the poor, and will try to influence political leaders to achieve the Millennium Development goals.

The South African bishop of Cape Town will launch the Micah Challenge in front of an invitation audience consisting of 200 guests. Rev Ndungane will be joined by representatives from the World Bank and the United Nations Millennium Campaign as well as leaders from Africa, Asia, America and Europe.

Currently the Micah Challenge has been set up with national campaigns in Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, India, Peru and the UK and are in formation in a further nine countries, including the USA.

Agencies that are participating in the Challenge include: Tearfund, World Vision, World Relief, World Concern, CWRC, Tear, SEL France and the Baptist World Alliance, but also including other community development agencies in India, Peru, Zambia and other countries.

The verse from the Bible which is being used to promote and represent the campaign is:

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” ~~ Micah 6:8