A voice for justice

In the midst of this HUGE week in Australian politics, I have been walking the corridors of parliament as part of the Micah Challenge Voices For Justice gathering.

On Monday and Tuesday, I was one of 320 people to meet with over 140 MPs and Senators to ask them to keep their promise to help halve global poverty by 2015 (in line with the Millennium Development Goals). It was an honour to sit face to face with some of our national leaders as concerned students, parents, workers, retirees... and speak from our hearts on behalf of the poor. Our lobby groups kept MP staff members busy as they guided us through security checkpoints, yet were but a small representation of the 112 000 Christians across Australia who have signed the Micah Declaration.

Here's the deal: the government has already committed to increasing their overseas aid budget to 0.5% of our National Income by 2015. This isn't enough. We need to increase this amount to O.7% of our National Income if we're going to halve the number of people living in absolute poverty. There are 8.8 million children under five who die each year of preventable causes like diarrhea. We need to let our compassion translate into action. We need to believe that change is possible and that each of us can be a part of bringing positive change in our world.

For the last five years, my personal and project needs have been supported by generous Australians who give sacrificially through their churches or as individuals. It's a national shame that our government aid budget does not reflect Australian generosity. (We currently rate 16th out of the 22 richest countries in the percentage of our aid giving.)

If you weren't at Voices For Justice but want to be a part of halving global poverty, signing the Micah Call on the Micah Challenge website is a great first step in speaking out! It will probably take less time than it has to read this post. (Go to www.micahchallenge.org.au) THANKS! : )




(Photo: Micah Challenge)