Postcards Deliver to PM to encourage him to reduce global poverty

from Christian Today

The 24,300 postcards signed by Australians will be presented to the Prime Minister, John Howard, encouraging the Federal Government to halve global poverty by 2015.

The 24,300 postcards signed by Australians will be presented to the Prime Minister, John Howard, encouraging the Federal Government to halve global poverty by 2015.

Reverend Tim Costello, the CEO of World Vision Australia, and Amanda Jackson, the co-chair of the Make Poverty History campaign, will present the postcard to Mr. Howard on Friday.

“The postcards,” Ms. Jackson said, “came from churches, Christian schools and individual citizens concerned about global poverty.”

Ms. Jackson, the Micah Challenge National Coordinator, also added Mr. Howard would receive 7,000 cut-out figures of children crafted by primary school students throughout the country, in addition to the postcards, to urge the government to promote basic education as a priority in developing countries.

The President of the Baptist Union of Australia, Reverend Dr. Ross Clifford, supported the objective to reduce the global poverty rate, saying it was inspired and derived from the Bible; moreover, he also called on federal politicians to do everything in their power to attain it.


“Australian Baptists support the aims of Micah Challenge which find their inspiration and source in the Christian Scriptures. This year marks the half way point for nations around the world, including Australia, to work together to meet the Millennium Development Goals,” he said.

“One of the most important and far-reaching of these Goals is to halve global poverty by 2015, and I urge the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition to do all in their power to achieve this ambitious but socially responsible goal while maintaining strong national economic growth targets.”

Reverend Clifford was not alone in supporting the mission of both Micah Challenge and Make Poverty History to reduce world-wide poverty.

The Uniting Church SA Solidarity and Justice Officer, Kate Tretheway, has encouraged everyone to have their picture taken for the ‘Face Up To Poverty’ photo petition, sponsored by Make Poverty History, to push the Federal Government to increase its overseas aid.

She told the New Times, a Uniting Church SA Synod news publication, that it was terrible for children to be dying from poverty, which was preventable if developed nations would adhere to their promise.

"It's terrible to think that every single day 30,000 children are dying because of poverty - poverty that is in many cases preventable, if only wealthy countries would live up to the commitments they've made,” Ms. Tretheway said.

"It's just not right that so many people in our world go without basic necessities such as food, clean water and adequate shelter, while in Australia we enjoy so much and could make a difference by sharing just a little of what we have.”

“As Christians,” Ms. Tretheway added, “We are called to love our neighbour as ourselves - and that includes our neighbours on the other side of the world.”