ADRA promotes Half Time to Make Poverty History
30 May 2007
Wahroonga, New South Wales— In the year 2000, all member states of the United Nations, including Australia, signed on to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - a set of eight targets which aim to halve world poverty by 2015.
Recognising the importance of this time, and the need to keep momentum going in alleviating extreme poverty, ADRA Australia is promoting events and activities to raise awareness of the issues of poverty as we hit 'half time' in June and July.
ADRA Australia's website provides information on events that individuals, churches, schools, community and youth groups can get involved in to keep our eye on the goal.
The events organised by the Make Poverty History campaign and Micah Challenge, include;
- Seven Weeks of Stories and Prayers - 10-minute stories and prayers for churches, schools and bible study groups.
- Face Up to Poverty - speak out for the poor by adding your face to this photo petition.
- The World's Biggest Banner - join you banner with those from around Australia to create the world's biggest banner to make poverty history.
- 07:07:07 Half Time sports event - includes all you need to know to run half time activity at a sporting event: a drama script, a DVD, whistles and other resources.
ADRA Australia is a member of both the Make Poverty History campaign and Micah Challenge. Make Poverty History (MPH) is a coalition of non-government organisations, community groups and celebrities that form part of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. This worldwide alliance calls on governments and international decision makers to fulfil their public promise and achieve the MDGs.
Micah Challenge, a sister campaign to MPH, is an alliance of Australian churches and Christian groups that aims to deepen churches' engagement with the poor as an integral part of the Christian faith. It is based on the call in Micah 6:8, "What does the Lord require of you? To do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God."
The eight Millennium Development Goals are:
1. Eradicate extreme
poverty and hunger
a. reduce by half the proportion of people living on less
than a dollar (US) a day
b. reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from
hunger
2. Achieve universal
primary education
a. ensure that all children complete primary schooling
3. Promote gender
equality and empower women
a. ensure girls have the same access to education as boys
4. Reduce child
mortality
a. cut infant and child deaths by two thirds
5. Improve maternal
health
a. reduce by three quarters the proportion of women dying in
childbirth
6. Combat HIV and AIDS,
malaria and other diseases
a. halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS
b. begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other
diseases like TB
7. Ensure
environmental sustainability
a. reduce by half the proportion of people without access to
safe drinking water
b. transform the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers
by 2020
c. reverse the loss of environmental resources
8. Develop a global
partnership for development
a. address issues such as trade, debt, aid and public health
to promote economic growth and poverty reduction
Candice Jaques
o 02 9489 5488
d 02 9473 9503
m 0407 172 305
e email us
w www.adra.org.au
