This is part of Blog Action Day which has Poverty as its theme. This post was supposed to have been published much earlier, but I actually thought it was tomorrow. Hey ho, I am at times stupid. And so (clanking link coming up) is poverty. Bono had it right when he calls some poverty stupid, the kind that means children die of starvation when nations spend hundreds of billions keeping banks in business. That values some lives at a ridiculously high rate and others at an insultingly, offensively low level.
I can't think of anything that offends me more than the injustice of this kind of poverty. Why are children dying while we eat in restaurants and worry about our stocks, why is malaria continuing to kill thousands because people can't afford a net that costs about a £1? Why? Why do we not care more? The political will to save the bacon of people who don't know when to stop borrowing beyond their ability to repay is horrific in contrast with the political will shown to meet the Millenium Development Goals. God, I agree with Amos 5:24, 'let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream.'
Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way - and while I'm not sure all poverty will be done away, because humanity has an unlimited ability to find news ways of impoverishing itself eg Zimbabwe - there are some kinds that can be dealt with and done in imaginative ways.
Here are 88 ways you can do something about poverty and links to hundreds more.
Here's something the better half and I have been thinking about - we want to get into farming in a big way. So we're going to see how many goats, cows, pigs and chickens we can buy in 2009. Not for us of course, but for those in need. Try Tearfund's Living Gifts this Christmas. There's so much that can be said, so here's my question - what one thing will you do consistently over the next 12 months to reduce world poverty? Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
NB: Sadly only two bloggers I read have posted on poverty today and that to be honest is disappointing. Here are my heroes of today
I knew Jeremy wouldn't let me down and he didn't with this helpful post and U2 sermons had this to offer which highlights the wastefulness of rich countries, the desperate plight of people in extreme poverty and the stupidity of it all.
The Issue of Prayer is Not Prayer
17 hours ago
3 comments:
I like the goats idea. You could end up with a virtual flock by the end of the year.
I'm focusing my attention on microfinance at the moment for my personal contributions, and I love the personal connection of Kiva. The only problem is that Kiva are doing so well right now that there aren't always any loans to finance when I log on, so I might need to look elsewhere. I'm considering Microplace at the moment, which powers small loans through the ebay network.
I'm really inspired by your farming idea. I've already printed a list of the farming goodies we can buy through Tearfund and Oxfam, and stuck it on the fridge so we can choose what to buy each month. Poor Mr Frankerooney.
I meant to say... I've never done this (building up livestock etc) before because if I keep count, my left hand knows what my right hand is up to. But I realised that both hands being in on the act is better than neither hand ever getting round to doing anything because no one will know anyway.
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