Activists in Halifax say basic human rights the key to eradicating poverty

from The Halifax Daily News

THE CANADIAN PRESS

HALIFAX - Jasmine Romkey's hands were so stiff after carrying 20 litres of water around a Halifax parking lot for a kilometre, the university student said she could barely open them.

But Romkey, 21, said her experience Saturday was nothing compared to what some women in impoverished countries must do to access water that's often polluted.

"It's not even close to the same because they carry way more," said Romkey after taking part in the launch of an anti-poverty campaign at the University of King's College.

"This is a daily thing they have to go through, and it's a reality that we just don't think of. I couldn't imagine doing it every day."

The campaign, led Oxfam Canada and the Canadian Union of Public Employees, focuses on the lack of public services in impoverished countries.

Other activities are planned across Canada in the upcoming weeks.

The groups said everyone, especially women and girls, should be able to access public services including clean water, education and health care.

Giving impoverished women the means to support themselves and their families could help put an end to poverty, they said.

Joyce Mwangi, a Kenyan who works to build women's self-esteem as part of a Nairobi-based organization, said women living in rural areas simply cannot afford to go to school or seek medical attention.

"These are basic needs, but they don't always get them," said Mwangi, 40. "There is need to ... empower them economically, politically and socially."