April 25, 2008
World Malaria Day
Today is World Malaria Day.
1 million people die of malaria each year - that's one person every 30 seconds. 90% of these deaths are in Africa.
Ban Ki-moon wants to eradicate malaria in Africa. The solutions are possible, if not always easy.
What do you think? Shall we do something about it?
I wrote a series of articles about this a couple of years ago - you can find them here
November 06, 2007
Jesus and computer-shopping
I was recently given a couple of generous gifts towards buying a much-needed computer to help me in this new phase of ministry. But which computer to buy, and how to decide...?
Everyone who has one raves about how much better and more cool Macs are. But the money wouldn't stretch that far, so then I looked at good deals on Dell, who supposedly produce solid workhorse computers at good prices. However...
While I obviously needed a computer that can do the job, that was within my price range, and that has reasonable customer support, a question that concerned me, but that is rarely addressed even by Christians when it comes to computer-buying, is the ethical dimension.
Jesus and Shopping
Of course we are all now buying fair trade coffee, I hope... But what about fair trade computers? Are we willing to let our ethical values shape our attitude and decisions to shopping in general, and to buying computers and technology in particular? Or is the "cool-ness" of the thing my bottom line? A Christian ethic requires Christ's Lordship over all our lives, including our shopping.
Consumerism works because of greed.Quite apart from the issue of whether we actually need all the stuff we buy - and whether our willing and unthinking submission as disciples of consumerism is compatible with following Jesus, there is another question: are we concerned about whether the stuff we buy is part of a system that oppresses the poor in the pursuit of profit at all costs?
For example, is it right to seek the cheapest model, if by doing so, I drive down prices paid to the worker, and thus actively oppress the poor? Or if I buy a model which has better performance, but from a company which has a poor human-rights record? Or a computer which is cool, but produces pollutants?
Ethical computer-buying
So I went to the Ethical Consumer website. This charts the ethical values and practices of different companies for a whole range of products - including computers. They look at Human, Environmental, Animal, and Political issues. You can tailor the results to reflect the values which are most important to you - for example if respect for human rights is more important to you than whether they use animal testing.
The chart on the right shows results it comes up with for computers, showing the score out of 20 for each company. A more detailed breakdown is here
I finally decided to go for an Evesham model. And I must say I have been very happy with it so far, (especially having decided to take the leap and escape Windows and load a Linux operating system onto it).
"One-tenth to Jesus I surrender"...?
Now of course, this could appear to be a smug, self-righteous rant. And you might disagree with the ethical values chosen by the site or with its accuracy. You might even argue that we don't even need computers at all - that they are all a waste of money. You might accuse me of hypocrisy and point out other areas where I spend money unwisely.
All I'm trying to say is that we need to stop mindlessly following as disciples of Consumerism, and instead allow Christ to rule over what we do with his money. I know it is unpopular to suggest you can't do what you want with your money, but I'm afraid as a Christian it is true. And it is not just the tithe that belongs to God. It is all his. We are stewards of everything we have and are called to use it for good, not just for self-indulgence. Shopping is a Christian issue.
What do you think?
Tags: computers ethics christian ethics shopping christianity
October 14, 2007
Nobel Peace Prize and Climate Change
You have probably seen that the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore have just jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts in raising awareness about man-made climate change. Dissent to this decision seems to focus on two main areas which we will look at:
1. The Scientific Debate
2. Is it really a contribution to "peace"?
Conclusion: we will finish with a few thoughts from a Christian point of view.
Continue reading "Nobel Peace Prize and Climate Change"
July 20, 2007
Education Education Education
1. Education and My Website.
I was recently contacted by Taecanet to ask if they can use a page from my website on their "e-learning website". Apparently, my page "has been chosen by an expert subject teacher to illustrate principles which children need to understand to achieve core curriculum objectives." Wow! Bet you never knew my site was so clever, Certainly I didn't. Well, of course, it is only one page among thousands that they will use, but I am thrilled nevertheless.
Taecanet looks really interesting - it uses "safe and secure web based delivery" of material for both Primary and Secondary schools - go and have a look.
Oh, and the page they want to use...? This one.
2. Education and Burkina Faso
At the same time, I am continuing to investigate how we can help support education in Gorom-Gorom. (The photo shows a classroom in a nearby town - looks a bit different to a school in the UK, doesn't it?) I continue to run an education fund, which exists for two main reasons:
- to help put children through primary school who cannot afford to go. The cost of this is about £30/year (see here)
- to give grants to young girls of secondary school age to go away to a Christian college where they can receive a good academic and spiritual education in a protected environment (see here). Young women like this are vulnerable to the sexual advances of local men if they stay at home. The cost of this is about £450/year. "B" has now finished her schooling, and I am committed to putting at least 3 more girls through college currently, including "L", who recently became a Christian.
We are also looking at the possibility of starting a primary school in the region, and I will let you know as things progress. Education is one of the Millenium goals, and a priority in Burkina, where literacy (according to the 2005 UNDP report) is 12.8%.
(If you want to support this education fund, you can send cheques to World Horizons (in the UK or US) for the "Burkina Faso Sahel Education Fund")
3. Education for All.
My good friend Neil Logue has recently started an initiative called "Education for All" that captures the unseen potential of school refurbishment in the UK to help promote education world-wide, while at the same time helping protect the environment.
Items from the schools, instead of going to landfill, are re-furbished and re-used. EFA aims to provide "materials, equipment or knowledge, to enable local UK and overseas developing school communities to build for themselves sustainable schools and learning environments for their future." It is a great vision, and I hope to link up with them somehow.
Tags: africa burkina burkina faso education gorom-gorom schools
April 09, 2007
Feeding the 3-headed monster
The Times has more on the iniquities of US cotton subsidies and their impact on the poor of Burkina Faso:
Burkina Faso's cotton market has been brought to its knees by “the monster with three heads”: a weak dollar, low world prices and US cotton subsidies. The Times makes the following points:
- America’s 25,000 cotton farmers receive about $4bn in subsidies, allowing them to undercut their developing competitors.
- The same year, farmers in Burkina Faso produced a bumper crop of cotton more efficiently, and yet made a loss of $81 million
- The US subsidies were ruled illegal by the World Trade Organisation three years ago, yet only 10 per cent have been dropped so far.
- Washington still pays many times more in subsidies to these farmers than it gives in aid to Africa each year.
- As a result, world cotton prices are now at the lowest since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
- Burkina Faso depends on cotton for 70 per cent of its cash exports, and income for a quarter of its 13 million people.
The Bush Administration has said it will consider increasing aid to boost African farmers’ productivity, but that has been dismissed by developing nations, which would rather have a “fair playing field”.
One Burkinabe cotton farmer, Mr Outtara, is in despair, saying: “Cotton production is meant to be a way out of poverty, not a means of keeping us there.”
François Traoré, president of the Association of African Cotton Producers, says “Families who don’t even know where America is are being punished by their policies. We are not their enemies. Why are they destroying us with their riches? One day, when we face the same God, how will they explain themselves?”
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina cotton subsidies farm bill justice sahel poverty
March 19, 2007
Bono on God's heart for the poor
Bono speaking when receiving an award from the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in the US. From Tod at It Takes A Church.
Tags: bono justice poverty god
July 29, 2006
Burkina Faso could sue the US!
Apparently, Burkina Faso and other West African cotton-growing countries are considering taking legal action against the US and its cotton subsidies, which are undermining the economies of poorer countries like Burkina.
Africast reports:
"African countries on Thursday warned they may launch a legal challenge over subsidies to cotton producers in rich countries, notably the United States, after the collapse of talks aimed at making global commerce fairer."
The countries are talking with Brazil, which won an earlier legal challenge to America's illegal cotton subsidies.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina trade wto cotton justice poverty development subsidies farming agriculture
July 26, 2006
More on Cotton in Burkina. And re-thinking emergency Aid
Cotton
Following my posting on cotton a few days ago, the BBC have just filed this report on the struggles faced by cotton farmers in Burkina Faso, and the temptation to protectionism as a response to the inequities of American subsidies. Meanwhile, the US and EU continue to blame each other for the failure of the latest WTO talks, for which - as always - the poorer countries will be the ones to suffer in the fall-out of richer nations' bickering.
Aid
The BBC also reports on Oxfam's call for a re-examination of the approach to emergency aid. Oxfam say that recent emergencies have focused attention on immediate aid without enough attention to longer-term development strategies, and that aid is often late and expensive. They recommend buying aid locally and focusin on small-scale, low-tech development strategies such as livestock purchase deals as ways to break the cycle of dependance.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina aid trade wto cotton justice poverty development subsidies farming agriculture
July 22, 2006
Murder suspect freed in the Zongo case
The BBC and UN report that the former head of Burkina's presidential guard, Marcel Kafaondo, has had charges dropped against him for the murder of journalist Norbert Zongo (pictured), due to lack of evidence.
Kafando had already been convicted for the murder of David Ouedraogo, the chauffeur of the president's brother. It was this murder that Zongo was investigating when he was killed in 1998. He and three others were found burned and bullet-ridden in Zongo's car, 100km from Ouaga. The official investigation in 1999 into Zongo's murder concluded that Zongo's death was for political reasons linked to his research, and six presidential bodyguards were identified as suspects.
Zongo was the country's most well-known and outspoken journalist, and publishing manager of the Burkina national newspaper l'Independant. His murder, and the apparent impunity of those behind it, sparked country-wide protests with street demonstrations by students, and vocal criticism by the press. After an initial official crackdown on the demonstrations, a more conciliatory approach was tried by the presidency, and the long-term benefit of the case has been a response of the government to public pressure to increase democracy and transparency in the country's institutions.
The "Zongo case" has continued, 8 years later, to stir people's emotions in Burkina. Especially in his home town of Koudougou, the anniversary of his death is remembered and marked, and this has kept a degree of pressure for justice. The latest ruling is being noted with disappointment and frustration, and leaves a lack of closure on a key wound for a country wanting to move forward into a new future.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina norbert zongo journalism justice
July 19, 2006
US cotton farmers see the effects of American subsidies on Africa
A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away."
(Prov 13:23)
A while ago, I wrote about the US cotton subsidies, how they depress world prices and harm the economy of poor cotton-producing countries such as Burkina Faso. Burkina loses more money through the effect of US cotton subsidies than it receives through US aid. These subsidies have been declared illegal by the WTO.
Then, to the hope of millions, the US announced it was scrapping its cotton subsidies.
US farmers see the reality for themselves
But it seems there is still a problem. US cotton farmers have recently visited Burkina's neighbour, Mali, and said themselves that US cotton subsidies are hurting Africans and "worsening hardship in the world's poorest region". In 2004-05, $4.2 billion in government subsidies was given to just 25 000 US cotton producers, affecting between 15 and 20 million people in Africa who depend on the crop.
In addition, a paper produced by TCS observes: "The vast majority of these and other commodity subsidies go to the largest and most profitable farm operations. ... one farm in Arkansas received $23 million in cotton subsidies between fiscal years 1996 and 2001."
The situation as it stands
So what happened to that "scrapping" of the subsidies?
Well, in fact, Congress only agreed to scrap one part of the subsidies (the the Step 2 cotton export subsidy program if you are interested), and that only comes into effect as from next month. Oxfam does a good analysis of that decision here.
It was a good start, but leaves $3.2 billion in annual cotton subsidies and $1.6 billion in export credits untouched - all equally illegal and unjust.
West Africa have seen a 14% increase in their cotton yields, but the absence of an equitable price, caused by the western subsidies, meant a 31% loss in the income they received from it. While the price of imports such as oil are rising, the price Burkina can receive for its key export is falling due to western subsidies. So we keep Burkina poor by our unjust trade rules, and then appease our consciences by giving a few million in aid.
International deliberations
Ahead of the WTO, the leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and Benin have been continuing their fight for the elimination of cotton subsidies worldwide. President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso spoke to the Trade Negotiating Committee of the WTO in June, and, with the president of Mali, has written a letter to the New York Times condemning the subsidies.
One year after the climax of the Make Poverty History campaign at the G8 summit in Edinburgh, the EU and US are still arguing over who needs to make more cuts to their subsidies and tariffs. The Middle East crisis then inevitably kicked concern for Africa onto the sidelines. Yesterday, there was more hope as trade ministers have been sent to meet at the WTO with a principle of "more flexibility" in the aim of resolving the issues of trade subsidies and tariffs.
Parallel to the G8 summit in Russia, there is another summit in Gao in Mali, trying to bring attention to the region's issues. With immigration from Africa to Europe a major concern for the "rich nations", the gathering in Mali observes that "working to improve the standard of living in sub-Saharan Africa is the only way to stem the tide of immigration".
Justice and common sense
The obvious injustice of the vast discrepency of wealth between the rich and poor world is also a cause for international social disruption - whether that be immigration or terrorism.
Justice in trade rules for the poor, giving a fair income for their work, is not only right on its own merit, but is beneficial to all. It gives dignity to people, allowing them to work to improve their lives rather than being so dependant on aid. And it takes away one of the main incentives to the international social unrest that so threatens our world today.
Please pray and campaign for trade justice for the poor:
UK:
Tear Fund
US: ONE
A good paper by Oxfam on the cotton issue is available here.
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina aid trade wto cotton justice poverty g8 subsidies farming agriculture
March 29, 2006
Women in Burkina Faso
On the way down from Gorom-Gorom back down to Ouagadougou during my recent visit to Burkina Faso, we bumped into various celebrations of International Women's Day. This is a day to commemorate the contributions of women in society, as well as to highlight the inequalities, oppression, and violence still suffered by many women around the world.
Women's Rights and Equality
The previous president of Burkina, the radical Thomas Sankara, was a big supporter of equality for women, and he banned female circumcision, condemned polygamy, and promoted contraception. Women's Day was a big deal. On that day, women stayed at home, while the men had to do the shopping and cooking. Unfortunately, the women got really upset about it because the men had no idea of prices and ended up paying up far too much for stuff at market!
There has been progress in many areas for women in Burkina - women have equal rights by law, and the government has campaigned vigorously against early and forced marriage, fgm etc. But, in rural areas in particular, where traditional customs dominate and awareness of legal rights are minimal, such laws are difficult to enforce, and reports show that women continue to suffer inequality and violence. In such areas, social and cultural factors negatively impact levels of female school enrolment, inheritance, custody of children, land ownership, access to work and finance, and political decision-making.
Famous Burkinabe Women
In the towns and cities, opportunities are increasingly available for women, and many are making use of them. Here is a list of some successful women from Burkina Faso. Fanta Regina Nacro is a film director from Tenkodogo, whose 2004 film "La Nuit de Verite" (The Night of Truth) has won several prizes. "Mai" Lingani is a popular singer, who divides her time between Burkina and New York, and whose band Burkina Electric, will be playing at the Ouagadougou Jazz Festival this year.
Tags: africa burkina burkina faso women travel women's day sahel
March 20, 2006
The right to die...?
A man in Afghanistan is apparently on trial for conversion to Christianity, with the sentence of death hanging over him if he is found guilty.
This is the same Afghanistan that has just voted in favour of a new Human Rights Council "aiming to strengthen the world body’s machinery to promote and protect fundamental rights, and deal with major human rights offenders".
Please pray for Abdul Rahman, and for the future of human rights and freedom in Afghanistan.
Tags: afghanistan afghan human rights conversion religion christianity islam
March 17, 2006
So what did I do?
Thanks for all your helpful comments on the article "To bribe or not to bribe..." There were some excellent responses.
So, what did I do...?
Well, I didn't pay the bribe.
As a result, I lost the bike, missed a key appointment in the afternoon, and finished the day with very sore feet and a sunburned face. The bike had to be collected and the fine paid the next day.
Burkinabe responses
Interestingly, the first reaction of almost all the Burkinabe I spoke to about it was an astonished:
"But if you'd have just given him a couple of thousand, he'd have let you go!"
"Yes, but if we keep allowing them to make us pay bribes, it will never finish!" I answered the three people in the tourist office. "How will this ever be 'la terre des hommes droits' (land of righteous men - the literal meaning of Burkina Faso) if we keep agreeing to it? We need to fight corruption!" They agreed enthusiatically, though I had the impression they were humouring me somewhat.
"But now you have made yourself suffer!" commiserated the Christian guards outside an office compound. "You will have to walk in the heat, and go all the way to Patte d'Oie to get your bike back. Why didn't you just pay him?"
"It wasn't like this in the time of Sankara (the previous president)" ranted the taxi-driver. "At that time if you tried to take bribes you would be shot! And it's getting worse all the time. But what can we do...?"
"If only you'd called me on my mobile" sympathised my Christian soldier friend, "I'd have come and they'd have let you go. That's what my brother does. We understand each other, the police and us..."
"Ha!" cried the young guy at the coffee stall, "you shouldn't even have stopped. What could he have done...?"
I had the feeling that my "righteous stand" was seen as mere foolishness by all the Burkinabe. So, were they right? Maybe. I don't know, but here are a few thoughts:
It's not about me
I think I was right not to pay the bribe, since this would have been encouraging a corrupt system, by which the powerful exploit the weak for personal gain. It is not me, but the normal Burkinabe who are the true victims of this system, since they are less able to pay.
And there is the real dilemma. Was I not also supporting the system by actually paying the fine for a crime I didn’t commit? Again, I am well able to pay the fine, but what about the many other victims who are less able to?
So, are there ways of making a stand not only against paying the bribe, but against paying the fine? The option of being prepared to “hang out all afternoon” is a great one when you actually have the time. It can make a point without confrontation. Certainly, if everyone took the same personal stance, there would eventually be a change. However the police count on the fact that we rarely have that option, and the "lesser sin" might be to pay the fine rather than disrupt a working day. Sometimes we have to pick our battles.
But maybe there is also a time for confrontation. Maybe there is a time to speak up – not just for myself, but for the others. To speak up, humbly, yes, but clearly, saying that this is not right.
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Pr 31:9)
I didn’t do that this time.
Tags: africa burkina burkina faso bribery travel ouagadougou mission sahel corruption
March 11, 2006
To bribe or not to bribe...
Yesterday I was stopped by the police in Ouagadougou.
Just as I was turning the corner at the traffic lights, the lights changed from green to amber. I heard a whistle blow, and knew I was in trouble. I looked up to see a policeman waving me down. I pulled over and he told me I had crashed a red light.
Patiently, but knowing it was a lost cause, I tried to convince him that the lights had changed as I was coming through. He sent me off to see his boss down the road, where I joined a small and growing group of frustrated moped riders trying to get the attention and sympathy of an older, and unsympathetic-looking policeman.
After dealing with the immediate scrum, he turned his attention to me, and gave me a piece of paper with official stamps on it.
"You crashed a red light. You will need to take this paper to the central police compound tomorrow morning at 8am, and pay a fine of 4800cfa (about £5). Then you can get your moped back."
Once more I tried to persuade him that maybe his man had made a mistake. I was careful not to accuse directly, but was trying to give him a way to back down. He drew me aside.
"Look, I want to help you. If you can pay half the price now, I can let you go with your moped. But I can't give you a receipt... In that way we can settle this as friends. But if you need a receipt, you will have to go tomorrow to the police compound, and then you will have to pay the full price..."
What should I do? If I paid now, I knew the money would not go into the proper box. Policemen - like everyone else in Burkina - are using whatever means they have to make ends meet. Their salaries are often barely enough, and the weekend was coming. If I pay the gift to my "friend", am I not sustaining the system of corruption that so weakens the economy of the country?
And yet, would it really be so bad? If I paid now, the money would at least be helping the poorly-paid policeman's family, rather than the over-populated bureaucratic system. I also had a very full programme, and to be deprived of my moped for the rest of the day would throw it into complete chaos. Without wheels, I would be forced to walk in the sun a fair distance to find a taxi to get me where I needed to go. For just £2.50 I would be free to get on with my day, and no-one - except maybe you, dear reader - would know any more about it.
What should I do?
What would you do (honestly)?
And what did I actually do?
Part two can be found here.
Tags: africa burkina burkina faso bribery travel ouagadougou mission sahel corruption
February 09, 2006
Global Warming and God
Some interesting pieces of news on the environment today:
1. Yet more evidence of global warming due to human activity. Evidence published in the reputable journal Science shows that the world is warmer that at any time during the last 1200 years. This follows on from another article published in November that showed greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane are higher now than at any time in the past 650,000 years.
2. Encouragingly, evangelicals in the US are taking an increasing concern about what we are doing to God's earth. And throughout the US, some industries and states are also taking initiative to tackle issues of energy and carbon dioxide emissions - even if for many it is driven by economic rather than ethical concerns.
The science is increasingly overwhelming. And we have the moral responsibility to steward what God has entrusted to us, both in honour of God, and in concern for the most vulnerable, who are always most severely affected by environmental disasters. Christians should be at the forefront of those opposing the destruction of the earth in the selfish pursuit of prosperity.
Tags: environment global warming
February 08, 2006
Cotton subsidies update
Following what I wrote here about the end to US cotton subsidies, the BBC have a good photojournal of a cotton farmer in Burkina Faso, and his life and views on the subsidy issues.
February 02, 2006
US cotton subsidies scrapped!
The BBC reports today that the US has scrapped its major cotton subsidies! This has to be good news for Burkina Faso.
These subsidies had been declared illegal by the WTO because they distorted the global market.
In particular, they undermined the prices that poor cotton-producing countries like Burkina Faso could get for their cotton. Such subsidies thus actively damaged efforts of these countries to work their own way out of poverty. I wrote about the issue here.
Now that the US has taken this step, let's hope the EU begin to deal with the iniquities of the Common Agriculture Policy subsidies...
Tags: africa burkina burkina faso trade wto cotton justice poverty subsidies us cotton subsidies
December 18, 2005
Spotlight on Darfur 3 - Christmas Edition
All Things 2 All is hosting the third Spotlight on Darfur - a collection of posts bringing attention to the continuing situation in the Sudan.
"In the Western world Christmas has become a time of glitz and tinsel, and also for many a time to give and receive gifts. The contributors to this Spotlight on Darfur are diverse and do not represent any one organization or group. But we share in wanting to give something to the people of Darfur at this time, and we hope for peace in that troubled and conflicted area."
Go read.
December 08, 2005
Murder by cotton
A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away."
(Prov 13:23)
Cotton is a Christian issue! Cotton and other agricultural subsidies in rich western countries are robbing people in poor countries like Burkina Faso of honestly earned income. What should our response be?
Burkina Faso's exemplary efficiency
Burkina Faso is a model of efficiency and production - at least when it comes to cotton. Her cotton farmers are the most efficient in the world, producing cotton at only 21 cents/lb. Cotton, known as "white gold" in Burkina, is the main export of this, the third poorest country in the world, providing half her export earnings. So you would think that everyone would be keen to applaud such an exemplary effort of a developing country helping itself, independant of international aid. Especially in a country of which US officials recently said: "we are proud of their success in encouraging economic and personal freedoms..."
American cotton subsidies take from the poor
But not so, apparently. Even at such prices, Burkina struggles to sell her cotton. This is because American cotton, produced at 72c/lb is subsidised to the tune of 3 billion/year to her 25 000 cotton farmers, thus depriving the poor of an honest income. It is estimated these subsidies cost West African cotton farmers $250 million in lost income. Burkina Faso, for instance, received $10 million in U.S. aid in 2002 but lost an estimated $13.7 million in exports because of U.S. cotton subsidies.
Next to this, the U.S. pledge of $7 million (of which only $5 million is new money) to aid West African cotton farmers hurt by these subsidies seems ridiculous. As Francois Traore, president of the union of Burkinabe cotton producers, said:
"This is a question of human rights. We're not asking for a gift, we're asking for just rules."
Changing the rules
Those "just rules" can be decided at the World Trade Organisation meeting in Hong Kong next week. The "African four" - Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, and Benin - are four poor West African cotton-producing countries, where more than 10 million people depend directly on cotton to pay for food, school fees and housing. . They are calling for an end to such export subsidies and for duty-free and quota-free access for cotton and cotton products from least-developed countries.
Cotton subsidies are just one aspect of the unjust trade rules that need addressing - and the US is far from being the only guilty party. While the U.S. gives more than $12 billion in subsidies to its farmers on everything from corn to sugar to tobacco, the EU gives $53 billion. A European cow receives $2.50 a day in subsidies, while 75% of Africans live on less than $2 a day. There is also concern about intellectual property rights, and attempts to liberalise the trade in services.
But cotton has become a symbol of the inequaliities of the current system, and unless something changes, the West African cotton industry - an engine for development and hope for millions of poor - could disappear. And we will be charged before the Great Judge of oppressing the poor, and denying them justice in the courts.
A Christian voice for justice
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." (Prov 31:8-9)
We need to develop a Biblical attitude and response towards poverty. As part of that, we should recognise that trade is a Christian issue. A Christian response to injustice in trade must affect our own lifestyle - to pursue our own prosperity at the expense of the poor is an offense to God. And we should also "defend the rights of the poor and needy" - calling for justice for the poor.
You can let your voice be heard.
* UK: vote for trade justice
* US: Contact President Bush and ask him to fight extreme poverty at the WTO by making trade fair.
* UK/Europe: Contact Peter Mandelson, European Trade Commissioner, to call upon him to do everything to act for the poor.
* UK/US: Join the Make Poverty History (UK) or ONE (US) campaigns
Tags: burkina faso africa burkina aid trade wto cotton justice poverty bible subsidies
October 01, 2005
Make Poverty History - where now?
After the big build up to the G8 meeting in July, where there was some progress on improving Aid and cancellation of Debt for poor countries, the Make Poverty History campaign was brutally pushed out of the public eye by the London bombings and subsequent events. So where are things at now?
The UN Summit and IMF/World Bank meetings in September (more information below) did little more than reconfirm the agreements made at the G8 Summit in July. And there were no moves towards establishing trade justice for the world’s poor. So all eyes are now on the World Trade Organisation meeting in December.
Make Poverty History is encouraging us to press for action at the WTO to change unfair trade rules and work towards trade justice. The call is upon rich countries to:
· stop pushing poor countries to open their economies
· respect poor countries' right to decide on trade policies to help end poverty and protect their environment.
· remove rich country trade barriers
You can do this by
* Voting for trade justice - if you haven't already done so.
* Joining a Mass lobby of Parliament.
* Getting ready for White Band Day 3 on 10 December.
* And more...
For more about these issues, read the postings I wrote earlier on
1. Biblical attitude to the poor
2. Corruption
3. Aid and Development
4. Debt
5. Trade.
Continue reading "Make Poverty History - where now?"
September 12, 2005
The state of the nations
This week will see the largest-ever summit of heads of State and government. They will be addressing the failure to reach the Millenium Development Goals of development and poverty reduction.
The league table
The Human Development Report 2005 is once more a call to action. This report places countries of the world in a league table according to development as measured by life expectancy, educational attainment and income.
As usual, Africa is gathering the crumbs at the foot of the table. Burkina Faso is third from bottom again, 175th of 177 countries measured. Only Sierra Leone and Niger are below it. Norway and Iceland are top, with the US in 10th place, and the UK in 15th.
Some interesting comparisons:
| Indicator | United States | United Kingdom | Burkina Faso |
| GDP per capita | $37562 | $27147 | $1174 |
| Below $1/ day (%) | - | - | 44.9 |
| Life expectancy at birth (years) | 77.4 | 78.4 | 47.5 |
| Infant mortality (/1,000 live births) | 7 | 5 | 107 |
| Births per woman (fertility rate) | 2.0 | 1.7 | 6.7 |
| Literacy rate (% ages 15+) | 99 | 99 | 12.8 |
| Undernourished people (%) | - | - | 19 |
| HIV prevalence (% ages 15-49) | 0.6 | 0.1 | 4.2 |
| Doctors (per 100,000 people) | 549 | 166 | 4 |
| Access to clean water (%) | 100 | 100 | 51 |
Burkina has been improving - in the last 30 years life expectancy is up from 43.9 to 47.4 years, and infant mortality is down from 163 per 1000 to "only" 107. However, the figures are still not acceptable. How many of us would be happy with the expectation of living only 47 years? (It would leave me two years to go.) Or how happy would you be if your newborn child had a 1 in 10 probability of dying?
There is a clear moral, ethical, and biblical responsibility to address such issues. The goals are attainable. The decisions made at the G8 summit will have some impact, but more is needed. At one level the question is whether there is the political will to address the structural changes necessary.
At another, more fundamental level the question is whether we ourselves care enough to make a difference? Are we prepared to pay the cost of justice and compassion? Are we prepared to make our own hard choices? To live more simply, to pay more, to give more - to care more? To deny ourselves for the good of others?
Tags: burkina faso africa aid burkina development hdi un summit human development report un poverty
August 11, 2005
What will you do?
The West African food crisis affecting Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Mauritania is not the only situation in need of attention in Africa. FEWS has highlighted that there are current food emergencies also in Chad, southern Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Zimbabwe.
Common problems
Although Sudan and Zimbabwe have particular situations, the common problems behind the situations in most of these countries is not corruption or bad governance or war, but long-term poverty in areas dependant on rain-fed agriculture. With climate change and the advance of the desert making subsitence agriculture in these areas more precarious, they are highly vulnerable to crises of drought or pests such as locusts. With no cushion, a bad situation turns rapidly into a crisis.
Such countries are not "sexy". When was the last time you heard of Burkina Faso, if ever, on the news? Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso take 2nd, 3rd, and 4th bottom places in the UN development table. How indeed, can it be "normal" for one in four children to die before the age of five, as is the case in Niger? But reports and blogs about poverty there don't get attention. Only film of starving children on our screens actually does that.
If you have followed this blog at all, you will know that - with all their faults - these countries are trying within their capacity to help themselves. But their resources are few, and the task before them is enormous, needing huge investment.
A free-market famine?
The situation in this year has been made worse by other factors. Normally food prices would drop after the harvest. But last year's harvest failure led to huge grain price rises. Partly this was due to traders holding back grain, or selling it across the borders to Nigeria or Ghana for a better price. At the same time, animal prices fell as pasture disappeared. This has given rise to the situation where food is available in markets, but people don't have the money to buy it. The crisis in Niger was, as Ethan points out in part a "free-market famine".
External pressure also played its part. Free food distribution was held back because of concern that interference with the free market could disrupt Niger's development out of poverty. The IMF had forced Niger to get rid of food stocks, and to put tax on products such as milk in order to receive aid.
So, what shall we do?
These countries need our help. Part of that is a direct response to the current crises, by giving. But if the underlying long-term causes are not addressed, we will see this again and again. Long-term commitment is needed, with massive investment of aid for development, and with fair trade rules that help the poor. On the one hand, of course, this brings us back to the Make Poverty History campaign. At the level of government, there is the need for a huge emergency relief fund, which is being called for at the UN in September. There is the need for change in the world trade rules, which need to be addressed at the WTO in December. And the promises of aid and debt relief made at the G8 must be implemented.
But we ourselves are also responsible as individuals and as churches. We must not just give our £50, and then forget, and go back to our DVDs, only to be surprised when the next famine hits our screens. We cannot build bigger barns and bigger houses, and push for lower prices and a better life for ourselves, and neglect the impact our greed and our choices have on the world. We are accountable before God.
There is much more to say on this, and I want to come back to consider again our responsibility as Christians to a radical and joyful commitment to generosity, compassion, self-denial, service, love, faith, and justice. But for now, think about how you can do more than just giving the once. Commit yourself to give regularly. Find out about other crises. Write about them on your blog. And above all, pray and ask the Lord what he requires of you.
God bless you.
Tags: burkina faso africa aid burkina niger food crisis famine
July 26, 2005
Niger
The food crisis situation we are facing in the north of Burkina has of course struck throughout the whole region of West Africa, and is particularly bad in Niger, where 3.5 million are at risk. 150 000 children there are suffering from extreme hunger, and less than 1 in 10 of those in need are making it to the feeding centres.
The food crisis has been caused by a combination of locust invasion and bad rains, which ruined last year's harvest. NGOs were warning of the forthcoming disaster since November last year, and calling for aid. Further appeals in January and June still failed to raise a penny in aid from international governments. The amount asked for initially to prevent the crisis - a few million dollars - was peanuts compared with the fact that "Europeans eat ice cream for $10bn a year and Americans spend $35bn on their pets each year."
Now that the crisis has hit, and it is on our television screens, governments are shamed into doing something, but it is still a fraction of what is needed. Food is now beginning to arrive, but it is too little, too late for many thousands who will die before it can reach them. And the amount of money needed to resolve the crisis now is much more than would have been necessary to prevent it several months ago.
"The World Food Programme appeal for $16 million is still only 40 per cent funded. The UN emergency appeal for $30 million has only received $10 million, although more has been pledged. Had this money been given six months ago, it would have cost $1 per person affected per day to prevent the food crisis... It will now take about $80 to save each starving person."
The Niger government also has a responsibility, since - in spite of NGO warnings - the government did announce its problems, but tried to play down the extent of the crisis. Niger is the second poorest, and Burkina the third poorest country in the world.
Information
You can read a BBC report on the situation, including a link to a video report on the arrival of aid to Niger here.
There is also a new website, Niger Watch, run by the prolific Ingrid Jones.
Help
You can send money to help to:
Red Cross
World Vision
Christian Aid/ ACT
July 11, 2005
G8 Outcome
There were few surprises at the final outcome. On the main issues, results were pretty much as expected:
Developments in Burkina Faso
Food Aid
The money we have sent out for food aid has arrived. This is following the failure of last year's harvest due to a locust swarm as well as bad rains. The food aid should be ready for distribution very soon. This is a key time, when people need food for energy to work the fields. Please pray for good rains through to September. One problem with the rains is that they wash away the roads by which the food aid has to come. Please pray for this aid that it arrives without problem, that it helps many people, and that it brings honour to the name of Christ.
Steve has also been distributing seed for people to plant. Many people had eaten the seed they had kept for planting because of the food shortages.
Burkina and the G8
Burkina is one of the 18 countries to benefit from the debt cancellation arranged by finance ministers in the lead-up to the G8 summit. The lack of progress in dealing with rich country agricultural subsidies, such as cotton and rice, is a concern. These harm Burkina's economy and the lives of many people there. However, George Bush's apparent readiness to deal with them may open possibilities for the WTO in December.
Burkina benefits from the Millenium Challenge Corporation
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has approved up to $12.9 million for a program to help Burkina Faso improve primary-education completion rates for girls. MCC said: "MCC congratulates the people and government of Burkina Faso for their innovative program to increase primary education rates among girls." The program will fund construction of schools and teacher incentives in 10 provinces with the lowest girls' primary education completion rates.
The Threshold Program is designed to assist countries that are on the "threshold," of Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) eligibility. If such countries make reforms as stipulated by MCA, they might eventually qualify for MCA assistance.
Tags: burkina faso poverty aid africa burkina
July 08, 2005
What does the Lord require of you...?
David Wayne at Jollyblogger has written a post on Live Aid, the ONE campaign and Africa. I don't agree with the assessments of all those he quotes, although it does give a perspective on different Christians ways of looking at the issue. He quotes an interesting perspective by Gideon Strauss, and promises us more of his own thoughts in the coming weeks, which I look forward to.
This is what I commented there:
"I've been a missionary for 15 years in one of the poorest countries in Africa. I am convinced that preaching the gospel and making disciples of Christ is the best thing we can do for the development of Africa. But I am also convinced that the situation of extreme poverty in Africa and elsewhere is an injustice that challenges us as the church to respond in our personal lives, in our discipleship, in our church life and mission, and - in the pattern of Amos and others - in our prophetic role towards political leadership.
For this we need humility and to struggle with what God requires of me. We need to avoid the arrogance of certainty in claiming we have answers - especially when they come without the cost of the cross. We need to avoid dividing ourselves from fellow believers by throwing our lot in with either Socialist or Capitalist solutions, and instead seek what the Bible has to say, and how it critiques both.
If we as the church are to be a model and channel of God's kingdom of justice and righteousness, this must have a serious impact on our lives as we consider our mission to the world and our attitudes towards our own wealth and comfort...
I would love to see a more Biblical and (to use Andy Jackson's phrase) missional discussion of these issues taking place among Christian bloggers."
Links to my articles this weeks on: Biblical attitude to the poor, Corruption, Aid and Development, Debt, and Trade.
Tags: g8 poverty make poverty history africa mission church discipleship
July 07, 2005
The G8 is underway
So, the G8 is underway. Let us pray for these leaders to make righteous and just decisions that will benefit the poor. Africa and Global Warming are at the top of the agenda at this summit:
Africa
1. Debt
G8 leaders are expected to officially endorse a debt relief plan proposed last month by their finance ministers. The proposal would cancel at least $40 billion in debt owed by the world's 18 poorest nations. The deal will save 18 countries about $1.5 billion annually, which they could use toward health care, education and poverty alleviation programs.
The deal has been criticised for two main reasons. Firstly, that it is too limited and should be extended to all 62 countries in need of debt forgiveness. Secondly, that the conditions for countries to receive debt relief are too harsh. The phrase "good governance", instead of focusing on dealing with corruption, insists on potentially harmful enforced market liberalisation and other governmental economic policies.
2. Aid
G8 leaders seem to have reached a deal to increase aid to Africa by $25bn (£18bn) by 2010/15. European countries have also agreed to boost their aid budgets to the UN target of 0.7% of GDP, though this has been promised before, and is too slow for the immediate needs. British proposals to double aid flows quickly by borrowing money from international financial markets (the so-called International Financing Facility) - have not found much support among other G8 countries. George Bush has pledged to double U.S. aid to Africa from $4.3 billion in 2004 to more than $8.6 billion by 2010. However, he has repeatedly rejected calls to increase U.S. foreign aid to 0.7% of the country's gross national income.
Poor countries are worried that aid will be conditional on them opening their markets to foreign investment, and that much of the aid will be tied to the purchase of goods or services in the country offering the aid. These two aspects of aid apply particularly to the USA. For example, much of US aid is in the form of food aid, which is spent on US farmers." Last week George Bush announced a $1.2 billion initiative targeting malaria in Africa and has promised to streamline the Millennium Challenge Account, which has been criticised as too slow and cumbersome. As a result, only $400,000 of US aid has actually reached sub-Saharan Africa so far, and only four countries have qualified at all.
3. Trade
George Bush has said he is willing to give up American subsidies if the EU will do the same. The BBC says "Neither the EU or the US is likely to make any real concessions at this stage of the trade talks - that will come, if at all, in Hong Kong" (at the WTO talks in December). "Meanwhile, they are arguing that developing countries must fully open their markets to Western products, despite the fact that their own markets were protected for many years while their industries were developing."
In addition, many African countries lack the capacity to take advantage of any trade deal without years of investment in infrastructure like roads and ports.
Global Warming
Tony Blair has insisted he will push hard for a deal on climate change, which he believes is inextricably linked to boosting African countries' share of international trade. There seems to be an effort to develop a new strategy to tackle global warming which had the support of countries such as China and India as well as the US. This should focus on developing fuel-efficient technology and exploring alternative sources of energy.
George Bush has now acknowledged that Global Warming is an issue, and that human impact plays a role, but rejects Kyoto-style legally-binding reduction on carbon emissions, preferring to focus on new technologies as a way of tackling global warming.
Other related links
* American Christian groups are increasingly getting involved - from the Washington Times and Christianity Today.
* Multinationals: A case of the foxes guarding the hen-house?
* Corruption in Africa and complicity by the G8.
* Keep up-to-date on G8 issues at the BBC
Tags: g8 poverty make poverty history africa trade aid debt global warming
July 06, 2005
G8 Blogging 5 - Trade
(I've been knocked out with a migraine today, so just a quick one for now...)
A poor man’s field may produce much fruit, but injustice sweeps it away (Prov 13:23)
Aid and debt relief are necessary parts of an approach to promoting development, but trade is a far bigger issue than either. It may be that the deals done on aid and debt will not accomplish much without progress on trade.
Africa's share of global trade has dropped from 3.5% in 1970 to around 1.4% in 2005.
The UN estimates poor countries are losing $700 billion/year through unfair trade.
A 1% increase in trade would give an extra $40 billion/year to Africa.
A quick look, then at the situation, at some Biblical perspectives on trade, and at some application.
Continue reading "G8 Blogging 5 - Trade"
More G8-related links
G8
Maggi on whether our expectations are too high of the 8 making a difference: "the reality is that global poverty will only be shifted if you and I (and all the outrageously rich rock stars in the world) take seriously the fact that global poverty will cost us - in our pockets, in our lifestyles, in our wish to consume all we want without counting."
Trade
George Bush is apparently ready to give up American subsidies if Europe does the same. Sounds good to me.
Aid
It seems claims that US aid to Africa has tripled were an exaggeration.
Jeremy Sachs offers his perspective on the American approach to Africa
Debt
Monbiot on the failings of the G8 debt relief plan.
African leaders seek an end to debt
Young people, poverty and Jesus
The Telegraph reports:
"Young people are more interested in tackling poverty and climate control than getting extra pocket money, living without rules or having their football team win, a survey says.
They also identify Jesus as the figure who most represents what it means to be a "superhero"
July 05, 2005
G8 Blogging 4 - Debt
Africa's total external debt is $300 billion. Each year, Africa faces demands for over $10 billion in debt repayments. Most of the very poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa owe money to rich country governments and to international organisations - the main ones being the World Bank, the IMF and the African Development Bank. Many countries still have to spend more on debt repayments than on meeting the needs of their people. For example:
* In Malawi, more is spent on servicing the country's debt than on health, despite nearly one in five Malawians being HIV positive.
* In Zambia, debt repayments to the IMF alone cost $25 million, more than the budget for education despite 40% of rural women being unable to read and write.
G8 finance ministers agreed at a meeting in London on 11 June to write off a total of $40billion in debt owed by 18 of the world's poorest countries, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. This will be followed by 9 more countries in another year, and another 10 sometime after that.
I will look briefly at the history of the debt crisis, consider some Biblical principles, and their application to the current situation and the latest G8 effort.
Continue reading "G8 Blogging 4 - Debt"
Protest and the kingdom of God
What a difference the protests in Edinburgh were last night from the peaceful rally of 225 000 people on Saturday. The protest of several hundred anarchists and anti-capitalists began yesterday in apparent good mood. And it seems many wanted to keep it that way. But it soon turned disruptive, with clashes between a minority of protesters and the police. Accusations were flying thicker than the stones, bottles, and supermarket trolleys. Some locals accused the protesters of starting the trouble, while others blamed the police with antagonising the situation and using "bizarre" tactics. 90 people were arrested, and 20 injured.
It is easy to dismiss the whole protest because of the violence of the few, but it is worth asking some deeper questions. I am sure that some were out for violent confrontation from the start, although one does wonder if that would have happened if the police hadn't been there in such force, since it was they who seemed to be the object of the violence.
Looking at the websites of some of the groups concerned, the Carnival for Full Enjoyment say "we seek the end of this system based on profit, and we work towards a global community based on freedom and cooperation." I am sure there are those in this movement who are genuinely angry at injustice, and frustrated by the apparent powerlessness of peaceful protest. As Christians, we might disagree with these protesters' approach and solution, but we too, surely seek a kingdom that is not based on profit, but one of "justice, peace, and full enjoyment in the Holy Spirit" (Rom 14:17). We are to be a community of an alternative lifestyle, called the church, where this is possible, and we are to refuse to bow down to the lordship of either Mammon or Caesar.
The zealots were of course the political revolutionaries of their time, and their approach was one of violent confrontation with the political authorities. I suspect Simon the zealot would have been there in Edinburgh yesterday. Yet, in Jesus, Simon found a different kind of revolutionary. Jesus called his people to live by a different set of values - the values of the kingdom of God that offered a true alternative to the self-seeking of this world's system. Instead of violent confrontation, he taught the way and power of the cross. He didn't seek political power, but he did call people to a total new affiliation - to himself and the values of his kingdom, where everybody, especially the poor and weak, found worth and freedom. Yet Christ and his teaching were seen as a political danger. The affiliation to a new Lord, and a kingdom that gave freedom and worth to the downtrodden threatened to undermine the ruling system value. The church by its existence was a protest. And the followers of Christ suffered for it.
We are not called to violent protest. We are called to Christ. And in bending the knee to him alone, in accepting his Lordship over our lives, we declare that Caesar is not Lord, and that we will not serve Mammon. We commit ourselves to be a people shaped by the cross, where we choose self-denial, serving, and suffering in the pursuit of obedience to God. We choose to be a kingdom where all people can find worth and freedom, where the poor, blind, and outcast can feast. We are to be people who demonstrate and proclaim a different system, and in this offer a challenge and protest against that of the world.
Yet we are too compromised to offer a threat. We have bought into the system of this world's values of possessions, prestige, and pleasure. We willingly bow down to Mammon, and to Caesar. We are not offering an alternative vision to that of the political pursuit of national prosperity. We are offering no hope of a different possibility for the Simons of today. We are no threat to the system that accepts the suffering of millions in the pursuit of our own prosperity. And so we enjoy our comfortable Christianity. And others suffer for it.
July 04, 2005
Various G8 links
Video
In response to the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY video, Ira Israel and some Southern California teens created this message to show solidarity with ONE and Make Poverty History campaigns in the global fight against AIDS and extreme poverty. (Thanks Mike for this.)
ONE
ONE, the Make Poverty History campaign equivalent in the US, now has over 1 million supporters. Support seems to be broadening there. Christian singer Michael W Smith, Pat Robertson, and Bill Gates are all supporters. USA Today observes that evangelicals in the US seem to be increasingly broadening their political involvement from abortion and family values to include humanitarian concerns such as AIDS, Sudan, and even environmental issues.
Bush and Global Warming
While some progress has been made on Aid and Debt, Trade and Global Warming remain to be dealt with. George Bush seems now to acknowledge that human activity plays a part in global warming, but rejects Kyoto-style legally-binding reduction on carbon emissions, preferring to focus on new technologies as a way of tackling global warming.
Pope
The Pope has added his voice to call the G8 to act to help eradicate poverty in Africa. He said: "My heartfelt hope is that this important meeting is successful, that it leads to a sharing out of the costs of reducing debt and puts in motion concrete measures to eradicate poverty and promote genuine development in Africa,"
A lifetime's work
Gordon Brown observes that it will take more than one G8 meeting to deal with long-term poverty in Africa. He told the BBC: "It is a lifetime's work where we empower the people of Africa and the developing countries to make decisions for themselves." While we should still look for significant movement at the G8 this week, this is a reminder to us that a commitment to justice is not for one week, or one rock concert.
What Live8 was about
Live8 was not about rock music. It was not Live Aid 2, aiming to get people to give money. It was about educating and mobilising people to call upon our leaders to act for justice for the poor. The organisers of Live8 sent this open letter to the G8 afterwards:
"We just thought it was worth writing a reminder of what it was all about.
The very simple fact is that thousands upon thousands of people are still dying each day, in one damn way or another, as a result of extreme poverty.
No one, absolutely not one person in the world, thinks this is a good state of affairs. And yesterday millions and billions of people took part in an event that was meant to say that. They don't know how to stop the dying. But they are desperate and passionate that something should be done right now."
Tags: g8 live8 make poverty history
July 03, 2005
Make Poverty History Edinburgh - some thoughts
"The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing." (Burke)
I don't know whether the "8 men in a room" will listen to us. I don't know whether it will have achieved anything. I don't know whether we are naive and simplistic. But I'm glad I didn't do nothing.
May God keep us from remaining silent and doing nothing when injustice and suffering are rife.
While it was Live8 that of course got all the media attention, I'm glad I was at Edinburgh. The 225 000 who descended there were from all kinds of backgrounds and persuasions. There seemed to be huge numbers of Christians there - reflecting the centrality of the churches to the Make Poverty History campaign. Tear Fund, Christian Aid, CAFOD, WDM, World Vision, and Traidcraft banners were everywhere. But there were also people from across the spectrum of different ages, races, religions, politics, and pressure groups.
The whole event was remarkably good-humoured. Even after waiting 2 hours, standing in the sun, to set out on the parade, people were not pushing or getting irritable. The Socialist Worker group were good-humouredly trying to sell their papers, and most people were equally good-humouredly smiling and passing on by. There was almost no alcohol to be seen, and the police - who seemed nervous at the start - had nothing to do, and by the end were smiling and relaxed.
There were a few provocative banners, and a handful of protesters for other causes who would have liked to co-opt the march for their own ends. But they were studiously ignored. I am sure there may have been disagreement in the details of how people thought poverty should be tackled. But what united the majority of this diverse group was simply a selfless passion to see justice done for the poor - a conviction that it is simply not good enough to allow the current situation to continue, where we allow a child to die unnecessarily every three seconds. We cannot say, when we have the wealth, the knowledge, and the ability to wipe out death from poverty-related disease, that our own comfort is more important.
We can do our own bit personally, by giving generously. And we need to ask ourselves if we are really doing that. But - as Steve points out - we can't get rid of the agricultural subsidies, or wipe out poor countries' debt, or change the system that keeps the poor trapped in powerlessness. Our leaders can do that, and we can call upon them to do it in our name.
Some photos and personal highlights from the festival coming tomorrow.
July 02, 2005
This Week's Good Idea - Pray for the G8 leaders
This week, the leaders of the 8 most wealthiest countries in the world are meeting in Gleneagles in Scotland. They have the potential to make decisions that can hugely impact world poverty.
Pray that Tony Blair, George Bush, and the other leaders will act for justice in the areas of Trade, Aid, Debt, and Global Warming.
And if you haven't yet done so, you still have time to follow Last Week's Good Idea and send a message to the G8 leaders.
July 01, 2005
White Band Day and Edinburgh
Today is White Band Day
Tomorrow I'll be in Edinburgh for the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY festival to call on the G8 to act for the poor on Aid, Trade, and Debt. We have already seen some movement on Aid and Debt - even if not as much as we hoped. But the big prize is Trade. Western agricultural and other export subsidies have to go.
G8 Blogging 3 - Aid and Development
(Congratulations if you managed to wade through yesterday’s post on corruption! These posts are getting longer than I intended, and there is so much more to say. I’ll try and shorten them a bit, and then maybe come back to them later.)
More aid – while essential in the short term – is not the solution to Africa’s poverty. Changes in the trade system are more urgent. Christian Aid estimates that Africa has lost $1,440 billion to the rich world over the last three decades through unfair trade, debt servicing and bad investment policies.
But aid does have a role in poverty reduction and promoting social and economic development. The call from the Commission for Africa and from development agencies has been not only for a huge increase in aid, but also for better aid. They want an extra US$50 billion each year, a timetable to reach 0.7% of national income by 2010, strategies to ensure that aid works more effectively for poor people, and an end to the imposition of damaging economic conditions on poor countries.
Recently the EU agreed to double devopment aid to poorer countries, worth an extra $14 billion/year. Following suit today, George Bush announced a doubling of American aid to Africa over the next 5 years, on condition of good government and the rule of law. This would mean an increase from $ 4.3bn (£2.4bn) in 2004 to $8.6bn by 2010. Congress has not yet approved Mr Bush's proposed increase in aid, and the announcement has been met with the usual mix of “good start” and “not enough.”
Is aid worthwhile? Does it help? And how should it be given. I will start with a few Biblical perspectives on aid and development, and touch on some of the harmful and helpful approaches to aid in international development in looking at the question does aid work?.
Continue reading "G8 Blogging 3 - Aid and Development"
June 30, 2005
G8 Blogging 2 - Corruption
"Corrupt politicians make the other ten percent look bad." (Henry Kissinger)
A frequent criticism made of aid and development in Africa has been that it is not worth trying to help African countries because of corruption in leadership there – that well-intended aid will only enrich the powerful and not reach the poor. Examples are cited of leaders like Sani Abacha (President of Nigeria, 1993-98) and Sese Seko Mobutu (President of Zaire 1965-97) who siphoned off billions of dollars. Certainly corruption is a major issue for development in Africa. But how valid is the suggested analysis that corruption is the "root problem"? Should we stop helping Africa because of it? What other issues are involved? And what can be done about it?
We must not write off Africa because of corruption.
Firstly, a Biblical concern for the poor, can not allow us to continue to ignore the iniquity and injustice of such poverty. It is, as Tony Blair said, a scar on the conscience of the world. Rather, it should encourage us to greater efforts for the powerless and victims of injustice.
Secondly, while recognising the problem that corruption has been in the past, and continues to be, we distort the picture by painting corruption as the root of all Africa's problems. Rather, we need to recognise the wider picture of other issues, acknowledge the progress that is being made against corruption in Africa, and recognise and deal with our own complicity in the corruption there.
Thirdly, we need to find ways forward in partnership with Africa to address the issue of corruption and facilitate a more effective strategy for development.
I will take a quick look at a few Biblical perspectives on corruption, make some comments on the situation of Corruption in Africa, and think about what Implications this has for development strategy.
Continue reading "G8 Blogging 2 - Corruption"
June 28, 2005
G8 Blogging 1 - A Biblical attitude to the poor
This is the first in a series of posts leading up to the G8 summit in Edinburgh. I will be thinking about Biblical perspectives on issues surrounding the call from Tony Blair and Gordon Brown for G8 responses on world poverty and global warming.
There is increasing agreement across the Christian spectrum of our need to respond to the apalling poverty that continues to this day. In this posting I will look briefly at the current situation of world poverty, some biblical attitudes towards the poor, and some guidelines for biblical responses to poverty. In the coming days, I hope to look at corruption, aid, trade, debt, and global warming.
Continue reading "G8 Blogging 1 - A Biblical attitude to the poor"
June 26, 2005
The girl in the cafe
I went away for the weekend, but something in the car's engine packed up very noisily on the way. Managed to limp the last few miles in third gear, but had to get the AA to bring me home. Looks like it's the gear box. Now I have to decide whether it is worth repairing, or whether I get back on my bike...
While away, I watched The girl in the cafe by Richard Curtis. At one level, it was a typical Curtis romantic comedy like Four Weddings, or Love Actually- except Bill Nighy played the role usually assumed by Hugh Grant. But this time, the film also had a message.
It was set around the G8 summit, and was highlighting the moral dilemmas around the decisions made by these 8 powerful men. A child dies every 3 seconds because of preventable poverty-related causes. These 8 men have the power to do something about it - to seriously change the status quo in favour of the poor. There are so many concerns and calls upon them, but the 30 000 children dying each day must be a more urgent moral imperative than simply pursuing our own prosperity.
I thought it was well done, and was pleased to see the message going out on prime-time TV. When you live around people who are struggling to provide for their families day by day, much of the political posturing, and criticism of Live 8, "Saint Bob", and stuff is really hard to listen to. There is injustice in the status quo, resulting in millions of people dying. The answer can never be charity alone, if we don't address the fundamental injustices. How can we not fight to change it? We need to recognise that for the poor to get a good deal, we need to be willing to pay a price, and that international structures and decisions should reflect this. Surely this is an expression of righteousness - to help others at our own cost. You too can send a message to the G8 leaders to tell them you want them to act for the poor.
Whatever you think of his films, Curtis, who made "The Girl in the Cafe", has not just jumped on some bandwagon. He normally takes 6 months in every 2 years to work for charity. He was also one of the founders of the British charity Comic Relief, with the associated Red Nose Day. Go here for a Time interview with Curtis, Bono, and Bob Geldof.
The BBC actually has a series of programmes about Africa at the moment, called "Africa lives on the BBC". There are some good programmes, and the website also has some useful links.
June 23, 2005
This Week's Good Idea - Send a message to the G8
Next week is the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY festival in Edinburgh before the start of the G8 summit. Even if you can't go, you can send a message to the G8 leaders.
1. Send a message by email
Email Tony Blair.
Email George Bush
For the other G8 countries, follow these links:
Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Russia
And for all other countries, check here
2. Send a message on a white band
MPH are hoping for tens of thousands of messages. The messages will be collected and displayed before being handed over to the G8 leaders in Gleneagles.
Write your own message on a white strip of cloth 7cm x 50cm, and wrap it round to form a band. It could be a prayer, an encouragement to action, or a verse of Scripture speaking of God's concern for justice for the poor.
June 17, 2005
This Week's Good Idea - Say no to plastic bags
Every year on average we in the UK use 134 plastic bags each - that's 8 billion bags/year in total.
Each bag takes up to 500 years to decay. What a mess.
Either
* save your bags and take them with you next time you go shopping, OR
* use an alternative - a shopping bag or trolley.
June 15, 2005
Wolfowitz in Burkina Faso: Agricultural subsidies must be cut
So, Paul Wolfowitz, head of the World Bank, has been to Burkina Faso.
And he has said that the key to helping Africa's poor cotton growers is to cut the subsidies paid to U.S. and European agriculture producers. Great stuff.
Reuters reports: "On a tour of a cotton-processing factory in Burkina Faso, Wolfowitz said the World Bank would have a "strong voice" at the Doha trade talks to make a case for wealthy nations to reduce agricultural subsidies worldwide.
The subsidies cut into revenues of impoverished countries like Burkina Faso, one of Africa's biggest cotton growers...
Developing countries are pushed out of the market by the subsidies rich nations pay their cotton farmers. They argue the huge subsidies to U.S. cotton producers - which at $4 billion are larger than the whole Burkina Faso economy - are the cause of a collapse in cotton prices. America's cotton subsidies were declared illegal earlier this year.
"The key to tackling the problem of cotton subsidies, which obviously hurts farmers here in Burkina Faso and in other poor countries ... is to tackle agricultural subsidies across the board (in the Doha trade round)," Wolfowitz said.
The World Bank estimates that cotton subsidies in the United States and Europe are cutting into the profits of seven West African producing countries by about $250 million a year. Burkina is estimated to have lost $22m this year as a result of the subsidies.
Wolfowitz was speaking after a tour of a cotton-processing factory in Bobo-Dioulasso, the second largest city in Burkina. It is encouraging to hear him acknowledging the trade injustice with agricultural subsidies that benefit the rich at the expense of the poor. Burkina Faso, third poorest country in the world, is a typical example of this. It has a good cotton industry - it is now West and Central Africa's leading cotton producer. About 4 million of its population of 11 million depend on cotton for a livelihood. But this is being undermined by rich country subsidies.
Let us pray for justice in trade to benefit the poor, and for G8 leaders to tackle the issue when they meet together in July.
June 12, 2005
Wolfowitz, the Fulani, and Burkina Faso
Paul Wofowitz has begun his first trip to Africa with a visit to some Fulani in Nigeria! He will later be visiting Burkina Faso - my adopted second home. Ah, I would have so much to talk with him about when he gets back!
Wolfowitz' appointment as head of the World Bank was controversial as he was seen by many as lacking the necessary development credentials, and unsuitable because of his involvement in Iraq. He appears at this point however to be displaying genuine commitment to listen, learn, and act for the poor in Africa. Let us pray that this all leads to action promoting justice for the poor.
Towards Jubilee
More than expected, less than hoped - this seems to be the summary of the response to the G8 finance ministers'