Oct 14, 2008, Multiply, Blog Action day, Poverty, the blog

                           POVERTY

 Remember this??

 THE ‘MAKE POVERTY HISTORY MARCH’

(all pictures in this blog come from that march)

 July 2cd 2005, Edinburgh, The biggest political gathering Scotland has ever seen. This was the one time when WE had the opportunity to influence the big guys, the world players, they were meeting in the G8 summit at Gleneagles the following week and WE, the people of Scotland had the chance to say…

’Hey you guys, look at us, YOU are in OUR country and WE want YOU to make world poverty HISTORY’’.

We marched, all the way around Edinburgh, we wore white and before long a huge white ring of people could be seen circling Edinburgh. They took pictures of it from the air. There was a carnival atmosphere, there was music and marching bands and stalls and flags and banners and children playing and people dancing. People arrived in busses from all over the country, they came from other countries. On the way, if one bus marked ‘Make Poverty History’, met or passed another one, every one would wave and cheer. The organisers expected 250,000 people but in the end there were many more. I know this happened because I was there, yes, really, I was there. I still have the tee shirt in my drawer and my photos are now posted. We thought we would make a BIG difference right away. We were wrong. We made very little difference, just  a few minor concessions.  Look around the world today, three years later and what do you see? You see Poverty every where, did we make a difference??………………..

Maybe we made a little difference to just a few people, maybe we prepared the ground a little; maybe we sowed a few seeds, seeds of hope for a few people. And if that is all we achieved; it was worth it.

AND NOW WE HAVE BLOG ACTION DAY FOR POVERTY

Will this make a difference?? The temptation is to think not, it’s so easy to think, ‘‘what’s the point?, nothing ever changes’’. The point it, IT COULD, but not if every one sits back and does nothing. There are more people in our history who have fought for out freedoms, liberties and justice than I have space to mention. Without these people ours lives would be very different and without OUR input the lives of millions in the developing world will never change.

This international fight against world poverty is only asking that you; you who live in the developed world and know nothing of abject poverty, do what ever you can to ensure the whole world enjoys some of the most basic human rights that you take completely  for granted.

How are we to do this??, good question, first maybe we need to understand a little of what we are dealing with.

 

Check this out

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/2/causes-of-poverty

      * Almost half the world — over 3 billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.

        * The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the 41 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (567 million people) is less than the wealth of the world’s 7 richest people combined.

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

        * Less than one per cent of what the world spent every year on weapons was needed to put every child into school by the year 2000 and yet it didn’t happen.*OMG… did you read that bit about weapons!!!

        * 1 billion children live in poverty (1 in 2 children in the world). 640 million live without adequate shelter, 400 million have no access to safe water, 270 million have no access to health services. 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (or roughly 29,000 children per day).

 And this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7583719.stm

 The World Bank has warned that world poverty is much greater than previously thought.

 It has revised its previous estimate and now says that 1.4 billion people live in poverty, based on a new poverty line of $1.25 per day.

 This is substantially more than its earlier estimate of 985 million people living in poverty in 2004.

 And this

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0908762.html

In 2005 there were 982 million people out of the developing world's 4.8 billion people living on $1 per day, while another 2.5 billion (40% of the world's population) were living on less than $2 per day2. In 2005,

 THIS IS THE BIT THAT REALLY UPSETS ME

The poorest 40% of the world population accounted for 5% of global income. The richest 20% accounted for 75% of world income, and the richest 10% accounted for 54%

 UGH….. HOW SICK IS THAT!!

 

Maybe these statistics don’t move you; sometimes it needs the human touch to understand the reality of what is happening.

 Try this

http://allafrica.com/stories/200809151171.html

 A rusty signpost with the words: "Mudhara Ticha. You are welcome, but don't be a spy," inscribed in white paint, greets visitors to a homestead surrounded by a corroded barbed wire fence.

 A brick structure under iron roofing, two huts and a small granary make up the homestead, in Nyanga's Zondo village, that is home to 14 year-old Tichaona Mubako who has been living there alone since he was 12. His father died two years ago and his mother earlier in 2004. Both parents died of HIV/Aids-related diseases.

 Ever wondered what it would be like to have no clean water??
If you have here is an interesting video.

 http://www.worldvision.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.2116

We all love children, have you any idea how many die every second of every day??

 Check this out

http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats

 Number of children in the world

    2.2 billion

Number in poverty

    1 billion (every second child)

 Shelter, safe water and health

For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world, there are:

* 640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)

   * 400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)

        * 270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)

 Children out of education worldwide

    121 million

Survival for children, Worldwide,

* 10.6 million died in 2003 before they reached the age of 5 (same as children population in France, Germany, Greece and Italy)

 * 1.4 million die each year from lack of access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation

 Health of children

 Worldwide,

* 2.2 million children die each year because they are not immunized

* 15 million children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS (similar to the total children population in Germany or United Kingdom)

AND SO THE LIST GOES ON; But what can we do??

The most important thing is to lobby the politicians, for weeks now every ones pages have been full of Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden and of course lets not forget Sarah Palin (as if we could). I tend not to comment on these pages cos ….. well I’m not American (but I did REALLY enjoy that video/song about OHHHHH Sara Palin, that was soooo funny). Point is, how much space has been taken up with discussion about eradicating world poverty? How important do people think this issue is? Who watched the video on Sea’s page…. Remember what it said…’Think outside the box’, guess this is the time to practice that.  

 This is where I started…………….Make Poverty History

 http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/

and this is what they suggest we all do

TAKE ACTION NOW

pressure politicians and decision makers to help make poverty history.

DROP THE DEBT

Poor countries are still repaying unaffordable loans which the rich world gave irresponsibly. Some of these were to oppressive regimes, often for arms sales. Others were for useless projects from which only Western companies benefited. Still others were on unfair terms.

VULTURE FUNDS

Vulture funds are private companies that buy up cheap poor country debts, and then sue for huge profits. Earlier this year Donegal International sued Zambia for $55 million from a debt it bought for $3 million. It was awarded over $15 million - money which Zambia needed to invest in teachers, doctors and clean water supplies.

TRADE JUSTICE

The Trade Justice Movement is calling on the Governments to use their full influence to stop unfair deals going ahead, to listen to the serious concerns of poor countries and work with those countries to develop new deals that will help deliver trade justice.

And on a more personal level;

 It just takes a little thought and willingness to change.

For example, as I have said in previous pages, it’s not exactly rocket science to work out the relationship between cheap, throw away clothing and oppressive sweat shops. The answer is simple look for the fair trade label.

In a world where we are all clamoring for more, remember and understand what this actually means

The poorest 40% of the world population accounted for 5% of global income. The richest 20% accounted for 75% of world income, and the richest 10% accounted for 54%

Again not rocket science to work out that if we have more than out fair share others will have less.

We all drink coffee, buy fair trade.

Stuck for Christmas presents for friends who have every thing? buy a goat for an African family

There is so much each and every one of us could do if only we could be bothered to make the effort. You don’t need to look very far, it’s all out there on the internet and that’s a place we all visit every day of our lives.

 TO FINISH, A HAPPY STORY

http://www.africa.hu/

delete reply bus2boy wrote on Dec 10, '08 greed is the great oppressor: that is your and our enemy...can we defeat him..forces of good and evil(i believe calling a spade a spade-some don"t like the word "evil") are in constant combat..do we have the weapons to join the forces for good??????

delete reply bus2boy wrote on Dec 10, '08 i see you are very trouble... by the world and its injustic..a great teacher once said "the poor you will have with you allway,but me you will not." that much we can say is true... bad as that it, we can't let that stop us from trying to change thiing..once it was said if "we can change our self and one other, and they do likewise then collectively we can bring about change."

delete reply pestep55 wrote on Oct 16, '08, edited on Oct 16, '08 Thanks for stopping by mine, I tried to write more but found it was quite difficult. Brought back memories i haven't thought about much these day. Wouldn't chnage any of it though /:-)

edit delete reply forgetmenot525 wrote on Oct 16, '08 Thanks so much for every one who commented and/or participated. I had a bit of a connection problem last night and was cut off before getting round every ones site but I think I've managed it now. There are quite a few links to other peoples pages left on my original 'Lets all register blog' if you think you've missed any one just go over and check. Again thanks to every one http://forgetmenot525.multiply.com/journal/item/180/blog_action_day_2008_POVERTY_use_the_link_sign_up

delete reply djdx wrote on Oct 16, '08 Thanks for your visit and especially for leaving your link. I am interested in reading a few other blogs on the subject and see your readers have left links also. I enjoyed reading your entry--don't get discouraged, even when what we do seems very small, it is a step, it is energy, going in the right direction. It will take time--we need to change what we often call "human nature".

delete reply acousticeagle wrote on Oct 16, '08 Hi Loretta, your blog really highlights the difference between the rich and poor in this world and it IS a shock. The problem I think, was when corporations got richer and started to cross that conscience barrier - a misinterpretation of 'free trade'? When the fish got eaten up by bigger fish, and even bigger fish and corporations got larger there by making way for more control of funds by the few. This is what our world has come to. I still remember a time when there was a corner grocer's shop. Now there are 2 big main supermarket chains in Australia and they have cornered the market. Their ability to buy wholesale makes all the other 'little fish' struggling to compete - but now Aussies are complaining (this one included) about the inflated prices of groceries. People may wonder how this gap between rich and poor came about and therefore I have given it all some thought..but I'll quote you and say but this isn't rocket science either! I love the idea of this action day against poverty, and people all wearing white. It shows that people do really care and they don't want to take it.

delete reply elizelizeliz wrote on Oct 16, '08 Prolblemo mit Marrsh is whanMash by peples whu is no havin vari bad poverdad. Than is seamin onli lik peples whu havin alls tings goin aout havin nise day in sun. Mani poverdad peples goin do tis is I tinkin mor mor fritn 4 alls govanment.

delete reply pestep55 wrote on Oct 15, '08 Great post /:-)

delete reply veryfrank wrote on Oct 15, '08 This is a fantastic blog Loretta, I have been commenting on blogs one-by-one today, since I have a norovirus and I am not in the best form. I fully agree with the intelligence that debt should be forgiven. Sadly, as long as there is manipulation at the top and ignorance at the bottom, history will continue to repeat itself. International groups like WHO, IMF and the United Nations need transfusions and the courage to start overseeing their charters. They too have become way too political.

delete reply bennett1 wrote on Oct 15, '08 Boffo blog!! I have been looking for the Fair Trade label for some time now. We have entire stores devoted to fair trade merchandise.

delete reply eccentricmare wrote on Oct 15, '08 It's so great to read a poverty post with some reality in it. I wholeheartedly agree that it is up to each one of us to hold the charities and the world to account with not only our actions but keeping an eye on theirs. Enterprise & Development agencies aimed at helping poverty stricken areas are recording record profits which go to pockets of the owners rather than reinvestment for the people they are helping, I understand sustaining individuals to develop but record profits giving them rich lifestyles seems to me the epitome of hypocrisy. There is so much more to do, to make poverty truly history and it does indeed start one person at a time....

delete reply brendainmad wrote on Oct 15, '08 I love your blog, Loretta. It shows what a wonderful selfless person you are. You are so right when you say nothing will ever change if we all sit back. What really hurts me is that we, and here I'm talking about in the US but things are coming to this in Spain too, buy things that we surely know have been made using child labour and slavery, and this is the 21st Century??? Here's mine: http://brendainmad.multiply.com/journal/item/166/Poverty_-_Do_You_Know_It

delete reply dianahopeless wrote on Oct 15, '08 Your blog post is a wealth of information. With everyone that is registering and posting today, I hope the word gets out, and those that live in poverty will be given a hand up.

delete reply luluone wrote on Oct 15, '08, edited on Oct 15, '08 I'll take longer than expected to reduce Poverty. but it might take faster than expected if all people in the world work together- The causes of poverty are indeed complex, and the solutions are complex too. I feel guilty sometimes when shopping something I really don't need- but this B.A.D Poverty reminds me of saving some money for them instead of buying something I don't need. Thanks for the accurate info, and the post- suddenly I feel too lucky http://luluone.multiply.com/journal/item/236/B.A.D_Poverty_-_What_Are_Your_Suggestions

delete reply vickiecollins wrote on Oct 15, '08, edited on Oct 15, '08 Wow, the G8 conference..that was a great time to take action....good going. I wrote a bit about poverty finally...my viewpoint, no roadmap to a solution, but some ideas about the "spirit". But your blog illustrates the very point of the us vs them mentality that I allude to with extremely concrete examples.. http://vickiecollins.multiply.com/journal/item/502/Blog_Action_Day_The_Spirit_of_Poverty

delete reply sanssouciblogs wrote on Oct 14, '08 A beautiful and RICH post on a topic that many don't think about or know enough about; poverty. You've posted a WEALTH of information for which I am grateful. I've featured on of my poems for this event. I've seen poverty in my back yard ever since I can remember. http://sanssouciblogs.multiply.com/journal/item/8/8._Poetry_Tina_Tina_Proud_and_Free It exists in EVERY country. Think about it.

delete reply kathyinozarks wrote on Oct 14, '08 excellent post Loretta