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Namibians urged to join in global action against poverty

Namibians urged to join in global action against poverty

EVERY day 30 000 children across the world die from extreme poverty and more than 200 000 people a week die from preventable diseases.

Worldwide, 104 million children do not attend primary school and 860 million adults, mainly women, cannot read or write. In parts of the world the death of mothers in childbirth and children in infancy is still routine – deaths that could be prevented by simple healthcare.One-and-a-half billion people do not have access to safe water.Efforts to tackle poverty and deliver sustainable development, as pledged in the Millennium Declaration, are regarded as grossly inadequate.Today, people from around the world will unite in the global call against poverty by wearing white armbands with the slogan ‘Make Poverty History’.The initiative has been organised by The Global Call to Action Against Poverty, an international alliance committed to eradicating extreme poverty.Namibians can join the rest of the world by wearing any kind of white cloth armband and participating in activities organised by The Big Issue magazine and the Namibia Development Trust in Windhoek’s Zoo Park today.Today’s Global White Band Day was scheduled ahead of next week’s G8 summit in Scotland, where the leaders of the world’s eight richest countries will discuss debt relief, development aid and unfair trade rules.The campaign is pressing governments and international institutions to cancel all the debt of poor countries and vastly increase the development aid necessary for the eradication of poverty and the achievement of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).Other global White Band events are scheduled for September 10, just before the United Nations MDG Summit, and on December 10, ahead of the World Trade Organisation meeting in Hong Kong.* See also today’s ‘Back of the Book’ section of The Namibian.In parts of the world the death of mothers in childbirth and children in infancy is still routine – deaths that could be prevented by simple healthcare.One-and-a-half billion people do not have access to safe water.Efforts to tackle poverty and deliver sustainable development, as pledged in the Millennium Declaration, are regarded as grossly inadequate.Today, people from around the world will unite in the global call against poverty by wearing white armbands with the slogan ‘Make Poverty History’.The initiative has been organised by The Global Call to Action Against Poverty, an international alliance committed to eradicating extreme poverty.Namibians can join the rest of the world by wearing any kind of white cloth armband and participating in activities organised by The Big Issue magazine and the Namibia Development Trust in Windhoek’s Zoo Park today.Today’s Global White Band Day was scheduled ahead of next week’s G8 summit in Scotland, where the leaders of the world’s eight richest countries will discuss debt relief, development aid and unfair trade rules.The campaign is pressing governments and international institutions to cancel all the debt of poor countries and vastly increase the development aid necessary for the eradication of poverty and the achievement of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).Other global White Band events are scheduled for September 10, just before the United Nations MDG Summit, and on December 10, ahead of the World Trade Organisation meeting in Hong Kong.* See also today’s ‘Back of the Book’ section of The Namibian.

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