Poverty- let's get rid of it

I put up a white band linking to makepovertyhistory.org a few weeks ago. It's about time I explained why.

The site that's linked to is the website of Make Poverty History, a 2005 campaign started by a coalition of UK charities, non-governmental organisations and campaign groups with the aims of increasing awareness and pressuring governments into taking action towards ending global poverty. The campaign made 3 major demands: "trade justice", "drop the debt" and "more and better aid." The campaign centered around the G8 Summit held in Scotland on July 6, 2005- a rally to voice out the campaign's demands was held on July 2, 2005.

Perhaps the most coolest event that took place during this campaign was a speech given by none other than the great Nelson Mandela at Trafalgar Square on February 3, 2005 (full text of speech available here). The man was eloquent and inspiring as usual. Here's an excerpt I like:

Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.

And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.

While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.

Damn straight.

According to a Guardian Unlimited report, the British Make Poverty History campaign was disbanded in January 2006, but I'm keeping the white band on this blog because I believe strongly in their aim- if not entirely with their proposals. I don't believe alleviating poverty can be achieved by trade justice, dept dropping and more & better aid alone. I believe that local action is just as important as action taken by first world nations. Technology has an important role to play too, as the United Nations Millennium Project Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation has noted.

So what can the common man do? Well, helping out the poor in one's own country is a good start! Poverty isn't limited to 3rd world countries, after all. A 2005 ChannelNewsAsia report tells us that many elderly people in Singapore are too poor to afford good food and thus suffer from malnutrition. There are a number of charities in Singapore that provide care for the elderly- the Community Chest raises funds for a lot of them, so sending some money their way is not a bad idea at all. Small actions, when repeated by many, can count for a great deal.