MPH roadtrip

Endorsing Statement from Adrian Greenwood (Wow! I know!!)

Make Poverty History (MPH) is a campaign the Uniting Church has supported and engaged with for many years from policy development, to political lobbing, education,  service and aid partnerships throughout the world. The MPH Roadtrip is a great opportunity for our young adults to put their faith in action.

At NCYC in Jan 2009 young people of the UCA articulated, demonstrated and celebrated a Good News that is both personally and socially transformative. Thousands of us engaged in public liturgy, acts of protest, service, social action and pranks, flash mobs and research. This May I am proud to encourage our UCA young people to join the MPH Roadtrip to engage their towns and country to make poverty history. We as the UCA are in an excellent position to help with local actions, provide hospitality in our churches and opportunities to see our agencies working to make a better world.  So join in already.

http://www.theroadtrip.com.au/

So the UCA are partnering with the roadtrip. This means churches can host groups (accom & food),  help organise actions and activities in your town when they come past. Also we (uca) have found some $ to help get your young peeps to it 50 UCA people get $100 towards their costs.

Contact oaktree, Tess, me or your state youth person to chat more about getting on board the roadtrip.

mph-roadtrip-information-final pdf info file

Al’s support letter (the useful one )

Rev Alistair Macrae - UCA President letter of support

Warm New Year greetings to you!

I write this letter to tell you about the Uniting Church in Australia’s involvement in the 2010 MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Roadtrip, organised for May this year.

The Uniting Church has been strongly involved in the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign for many years and is committed to doing our part to combat global poverty.

The MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Roadtrip will mobilise young people from across Australia, including many of our own young people, and equip them with valuable skills and experiences in advocacy and campaigning for a fairer world. The Roadtrip also aims to raise awareness about the Millennium Development Goals and issues of poverty with both the young people taking part and members of the community involved along the way.

I encourage you to read the enclosed information about the Roadtrip. Please consider ways your congregation might be involved in this exciting opportunity to engage with and support this journey of these passionate young people acting against poverty.

There are many ways you can be involved ranging from encouraging and sponsoring your youth to participate in the Roadtrip, to providing hospitality for the group passing through your area. The Oaktree Foundation is coordinating this project and the Uniting Church has been asked to take this particular role because of our long involvement in the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign, our concern for justice and our reputation for hospitality.

The Uniting Church joins with Christians worldwide in calling and acting for equality and justice for all. Your support of this Roadtrip is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate that we take this call seriously.

I am looking forward to supporting and participating in this road trip myself. I might see you somewhere along the way!

I commend it strongly for your prayerful attention.

May God bless the worship, witness and service of your congregation in 2010.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Rev Alistair Macrae

Anti-Poverty Week My Arse

From Diane’s blog:

Alright so, anger and sadness have filled my thoughts for the last couple of days as I had big plans for this week. Anti-poverty Week was suppose to be a time where people bridge the gap, get to know and maybe make a difference in the lives of some people in poverty. There is this carpark ramp at the back of my work, where some people have made their home. During the day their belongings are neatly stored in the cable trays that hang under the concrete slab above, no one would know during the day that anyone called this home. I work long hours and this is how my friends and I met. My plan this week was to make sure that each night there was dinner, or some new blankets, or even something like some flowers. I even thought of doing a painting. Alas … my plans have changed. Monday morning, bright and fresh I strolled down the alley to find a dirty great big roller door stuck on the outside of the building…

Read the full post for the whole story…

Anti-Poverty Week

Anti-Poverty Week 2009 is coming up. JustAct have produced some ‘challenges’ for the week that involve everything from no sweatshop shirts to access to TAFE education: http://www.justact.org.au/action-39-fight-poverty/action-39-fight-poverty-challenges/ (check them out and take the challenge).

The Victorian Council of Churches have organised an ecumenical service  with extraordinary fair trader Bronwyn Darlington to speak, and pop maestro Joel Meadows from the Steinbeck’s providing a song. This should be a good event to attend if you think Christianity and social justice are connected.

Also, St Mary’s House of Welcome will be holding a fiery ‘Great Debate’ to highlight anti-poverty week and the plight of homeless and disadvantaged people in Australia (see attached).

These are just a few examples of how you can get involved in the week. You can register events here: http://www.antipovertyweek.org.au/join_in.html or find more events here: http://www.antipovertyweek.org.au/events.php

$2 A Day

Make your $2 work for a better world! Take the $2 A Day Pledge this Anti-Poverty Week!

$2 is less than most of us spend on a cup of coffee, yet that’s what more than 2 billion people around the world must survive on every day.

As part of Anti-Poverty Week (insert organisation name) has partnered with Fairtrade in a new campaign that helps make our little daily purchases really count for something. 

The $2 A Day Pledge asks supporters to commit to spend $2 a day on their favourite Fairtrade products for two weeks from October 17 - the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. By taking the pledge and choosing Fairtrade, we’re choosing to actively reduce poverty by investing in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

It could be your daily coffee or tea, a chocolate treat, or perhaps a gift for a friend (did you know there are now Fairtrade t-shirts and sports balls)? It’s such an easy, effective and often delicious way to make a difference in your everyday life. 

Buying Fairtrade means farmers and workers in developing countries actually receive a fair price for their crops and produce.  Fairtrade also supports them to directly invest in their business and communities through additional funds, which means they can build the things we take for granted every day - schools, roads and hospitals.

Last year alone, AU$25 million worth of Fairtrade coffee sales in Australia and New Zealand helped provide farmers with over AU$2 million in additional funds to spend on their businesses and their communities.

Who says coffee can’t change the world?

Make your $2 work for a better world – pledge now!

www.2dollarsaday.org.au

Tear - Budget Action

The Federal Budget and the Global Poor

Last night the Federal Budget was released, but with very little media attention on the aid budget. While Australia may feel the pinch from the current economic downturn, we need to remember that 90 million more people worldwide are slipping into extreme poverty because of the global financial crisis - and our federal budget plays a part in that picture.

Below is a nutshell analysis of the aid budget - and ways you can take action today.

Overall federal budget in a nutshell:

• $57.6 billion deficit
• $8.5 billion on roads, railways and ports
• $3.5 billion to boost the use of energy from clean sources.
• $32.49 more per week for single aged pensioners
• $4.7 billion on a national broadband network.
• $26.6 billion for defence (up from $23.2 billion last year)
• $3.82 billion for overseas aid

Aid Levels

The good:

• The aid budget increases to $3.82 billion, or 0.34%GNI, up from $3.66 billion last year, or a 5.6% real increase.
• Amidst a budget deficit, TEAR acknowledges and welcomes the increase to the aid budget in these circumstances.

The not so good:

• The increase to 0.34%GNI means we have slipped below the previously announced timetable for reaching the Government’s commitment to 0.5% GNI by 2015, putting pressure on subsequent budgets. The timetable announced last year projected this year’s increase to come to 0.35% GNI.
• Australia is still one of just six OECD countries not yet committed to reaching 0.7% GNI in aid by 2015
• While aid increases by 5.6% this year with a total of $3.82 billion, defence spending increases by 20%, with a total of $26.6 billion.
• While any increase to aid is welcome, it also stands in contrast to the billions of dollars that have been found to stimulate the Australian economy.

Aid Quality - Good News for Mothers and Children

Thank you to all who sent Mother’s Day Cards to Stephen Smith and took part in campaigning on health, with a focus on maternal and child health, which includes an increase in the number of skilled birth attendants in poor communities. While this year’s budget does not bring us to our fair share, there are significant increases and cause for celebration here:

Good news on health - and where we can do more:

• Health spending increases to $595 million (16% of total aid) up from $440 million last year (13% of total aid). Australia’s fair share towards health is $1.2 billion by 2011/12, or 22% of total aid.
• Maternal and child health spending (within health aid) increases to $370 million, up from $260 million last year. Australia’s fair share is $390 million.
• Spending to tackle HIV increases to $160 million, which includes $46.5 million for the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Australia’s fair share to tackle HIV/AIDS is $400 million.
• The Debt for Health Swap with Indonesia is going ahead (an election promise). $75 million of Indonesia’s debt to Australia will be cancelled, with half of this being channeled to tackling Tuberculosis in Indonesia.

Other good news in the aid budget:

• Millennium Development Goals are a stronger focus of the aid budget
• Increased spending on basic education (increased roughly 46% on last year)
• Increased spending on water and sanitation (up 278% on last year)
• Increased spending on rural development (up 77% on last year)

Climate Change Adaptation Funding

Notably absent….

• The gaping hole in the aid budget is the absence of any new money for climate change mitigation and adaptation, risking undoing decades of development work if we do not act on this.
• Our current spending on climate change adaptation funding is $50 million per year. Our fair share is over $300 million per year.

Take Action

Help us make sure aid is talked about in the media and make sure our Government knows that the public care about the aid budget:

Write to the Federal Treasurer

• Email the Treasurer, The Hon Wayne Swan MP. Use the draft text provided, and add your own personal note.

Write a Letter to the Editor

• Click here to find details of all Australian newspapers online
• Find the email address for the editor in the “contact us” section of your chosen newspaper’s website
• Keep your letter short and punchy - ideally 150 words - and try to find an interesting angle
• Write your letter as soon as possible - no later than 3 days after the event
• Write to daily papers and your local paper - the more letters on an issue they receive, the more likely a letter on your issue will get published.

Read more

• To read a more detailed analysis of the aid budget from the Australian Council for International Development, click here.
• To see the full aid budget, click here.

Ben’s Budget Breakdowns - even when he is in Nepal!!

So I thought this year we would miss Ben’s take on all things $ and aid for Oz but no he is still our morepraxis source to wade through the numbers and spin. Below is one post in full but checkout all his updates over these days as they are bound to be interesting. http://blogs.tear.org.au/ben/ Thanks Ben!

BTW AusAID’s budget here.

 

 

Wow, I just read the transcript of Wayne Swan’s speech. Scary stuff. Noun/adjective combinations perfectly pitched to give you the heebie-jeebies, which might be stilled a little – but only a little – by the Churchillian stuff about opportunities rising out of challenges, Australians being too strong, resilient and united to be overwhelmed, and all that…

    Recession. Challenging. Severity. Brutal. Downturn. Uncompromising. Ferocity. Adversity.

And the change in budget position from a $21.7 billion surplus in 2008/09 to a projected deficit of $57.6 billion this year gives a pretty good indication of what the government intends to do in response to this ferocious, uncompromising and brutal downturn. And let’s hope the Government’s spending/investment/stimulus plans work out.

Because I’m no economist, but if the Treasury forecasts turn out to be accurate:

    * real GDP returns to modest positive growth in 2009/10, and then 4+1/2% growth in the following years

    * unemployment peaks next year at 8+1/2% and falls back to last year’s levels over the following two years

then I’d say we’ve been extraordinarily lucky.

Now, as for the aid budget…

The headline figures are that in 2009/10:

Australian Official Development Assistance is budgeted to increase to $3.82 billion (a 5.6% real increase on last year’s $3.66 billion) which, given the circumstances, and the fact that hundreds of millions of $$$ of Iraq debt cancellation are no longer included, is actually pretty good.

Australian ODA will reach 0.34% of Gross National Income (up from 0.33% last year, though falling short of last year’s forward estimates which aimed to reach 0.35% this year, and still well short of the OECD average country effort of 0.47% GNI and leaving us 15th most generous of 22 rich country donors)

More detailed discussion of what’s behind the headlines shortly…

Welcome to Anti-Poverty Week

Anti-Poverty Week is an Australia-wide initiative that began several years ago and continues to grow.
This website provides a place where people who are interested in the Week can:

• find out about activities being held during the Week.
• find out ways of joining in the Week
• access resources about issues of poverty and hardship
• get information about useful contacts.

Click here for downloadable posters, flyers and other promotional material about the Week.

JustAct - Nestlé boycott list

make poverty history: Climate Change Youth Forum

BMW Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne

Climate change will affect everyone, but it will affect poor people in developing countries first and most dramatically. Climate change is a serious challenge to our efforts to tackle poverty. The recently launched Make Poverty History Climate Change campaign aims to highlight the link between Climate Change and Development.  The Make Poverty History - Climate Change Youth Forum presents the bigger picture on the human impacts of climate change and socially just solutions to climate change and poverty in a format specifically designed for secondary students The 2008 Climate Change Youth Forum will include keynote presentations from youth activists; Question and Answer time, and interactive workshops designed to equip students with practical knowledge that can be shared in their own school community. The Forum is an opportunity for each individual student to experience youth advocacy and become empowered to explore the complex issues of climate change in their local region and beyond. The forum aims to encourage students and highlight the positive role they can play in tackling the global issues of climate change and extreme poverty and enhance related strands within their curriculum. Make Poverty History extends this opportunity to your school and students to act now, see the bigger picture and join us at the 2008 Climate Change Youth Forum.

Speakers:

David Toovey - CEO of the Oaktree Foundation and recent Al Gore trained Climate Project participant

Ellen Sandell - is the Victorian Schools Conference Coordinator for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. In 2007 she was part of the first Australian Youth Delegation to the UNFCCC climate change negotiations in Bali, Indonesia,

Georgina McRae- is a community development worker who has studied at the University of the South Pacific, Fiji, and worked in Vanuatu and is also founder member of Pacific Black Box.

Registration is open to youth environment ambassadors or classes (year 9 and 10). Entry is free.

To register or for further details, please contact Sonia Fernandes by email at sfernandes@acfid.asn.au

Micah Challenge - Offering Letters

An Offering of Letters

Micah Challenge is calling Christians all over Australia to pick up their pens to fight poverty. The “Offering of Letters” campaign asks churches and other Christian groups to prayerfully write a letter to the Prime Minister calling for compassion, generosity and justice for 1.2 billion people who live in extreme poverty. The letters will be delivered to Mr Rudd during the Micah Challenge National Gathering, Voices for Justice, in October.

In 2006, more than 1300 letters were sent to local MPs and they had a big impact. This year, we are encouraging Christians to write to the Prime Minister urging him to turn his words of support for the Millennium Development Goals into tangible action. It should take about 15 minutes to construct a hand-written letter letting him know that Christians care about poverty and injustice.

“The Offering of Letters can have a powerful and positive impact”, said Micah Challenge National Coordinator, Amanda Jackson. “We want every church, home group, theological college and school in Australia to be involved”.

The Chair of the Micah Challenge Steering Committee, Rev Paul Perini, is also urging Christians to make an Offering of Letters. “We can help save lives and offer hope to thousands of families if we take the time to write letters. I think God would want us to act”, he said.

The Offering of Letters kit for 2008 can be downloaded now at www.micahchallenge.org.au .  It includes all the information you need to write a letter to the Prime Minister, as well as a sample letter and responsive prayer you can use with your group. You can also download a PowerPoint presentation that can be utilised to explain the campaign.

“Just as we offer our money and our time to God, we can also offer our voices on behalf of the voiceless” said Amanda Jackson.  “This is part of our worship, and gives us the opportunity to ‘do justice and love kindness’ and take up the challenge of Micah 6:8”.

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