Take Action Against Poverty

Think the Prime Minister's got a lot on his plate?

Genet from Ethiopia deals with unfair trade, conflict and climate change every day.

There is nothing inevitable about poverty. It is created by people, as a result of political decisions. This means we can change it.

Fill in a campaign postcard calling for action on global poverty and we will send it to the Prime Minister after the general election.

Or click here to take action online.

CLIMATE CHANGE
Disproportionate and unsustainable levels of greenhouse gases produced by rich countries are contributing to climate change. In Ethiopia, 12.5 million people were affected by drought last year and 6.2 million went hungry. Hundreds of millions of people are affected by climate-related events each year – 98% of them live in developing countries.

AID
Worldwide, over one billion people are going hungry: that’s one in six. In 1970, the UK government promised to give 0.7% of our national income in overseas aid – 40 years later we are still waiting for them to deliver.

UNFAIR TRADE RULES
Global markets have pushed the price of coffee – Ethiopia’s main cash crop – to a 30 year low meaning farmers are not getting a fair price for their hard work. Unfair trade rules are denying people in fragile developing economies the chance to work their way out of poverty.

CONFLICT
A border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea in the late1990s cost the lives of 100,000 people and saw millions of dollars diverted to military spending instead of vital public services. Worldwide, military spending reached $1,464 billion in 2009. It would cost an estimated $173 billion a year to end global poverty.

Click here to take action online and help us tackle the causes of poverty and injustice at the root, or call 0141 354 5555 to order your campaign postcard.