Norwich helps to make poverty history
Norwich Christians have been showing their strong support for the Make Poverty History campaign with events in the city and travelling as far as Edinburgh to make their protest heard.
A 21-day 24-7 prayer project was held in Norwich leading up to the G8 summit at Gleneagles on July 8, organised by the Sundays group. It was supported by Christians from many different groups and churches.
Two coachloads of protestors went from Norwich to Edinburgh to join the massive Make Poverty History march in the city in early July, led by local Christian Aid co-ordinator Eldred Willey.
Over 2,000 people signed a giant six-metre long white band, the symbol of the campaign, and presented it to Home Secretary and Norwich South MP Charles Clarke along with Ian Gibson MP and other prospective parliamentary candidates. All the politicians pledged their support for the campaign by accepting and wearing white bands of their own.
The event, which was organised by the local groups of Tear Fund, Christian Aid and CAFOD, took place at a packed Chapelfield Methodist church.
In front of the Lord Mayor, the Bishop of Norwich Rt Rev Graham James and the RC Bishop of East Anglia Michael Evans, presentations, dances, singing and artwork all expressed support for the global campaign to Make Poverty History in 2005.
CAFOD's Denise Grierson called for trade justice and an end to unfair trade rules. She said that half of the world's population still lives in poverty.
Dave Cooper from Tear Fund said: "Aid is about justice and not about charity," and called on the UK to donate 0.7% of its GDP in aid by the year 2010. Without all the world's developed nations reaching this support level, a staggering 30,000 children a day will continue to die needlessly from extreme poverty.
Bishop Graham said: "I wish that the things we are talking about tonight were further up the election debate. I believe that most people in our country do not want the poor to be poor any longer."
Bishop Michael said: "A recent survey has shown that in this country we throw away a third of the food we receive every day. It is a scandal."
Eldred Willey from Christian Aid called on developed nations to drop the debt and illustrated his point by his recent visit to Bolivia whose natural tin resources have been stripped away by companies such as Rio Tinto.
Naomi Tuma, of the Christian Sundays group, rounded the evening off by saying: "Poverty is not natural it is a man-made problem."
The event was hosted by John Betts, chair of Transforming Norwich.
weblink: http://www.makepovertyhistory.com
Pictured above are Norwich MPs Charles Clarke and Ian Gibson showing their support at the city's Make Poverty History event. |
