Eradicating poverty is about justice

Tanvi
Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya
India

We live in a busy world. There are barriers to the protection of human rights in such a busy world. When contemplating this concept I am reminded of the words of the Nobel Peace Laureate, Eli Wiesal who said: 'The opposite to love is not hate, it is indifference, the opposite of life is not death, it is indifference.'

To create global justice and eradicate poverty we need to build bridges of partnership between developed and developing countries. The poor die in hospital wards that lack drugs, in villages that lack anti-malarial bed nets, in houses that lack safe drinking water. The poor die namelessly without public acknowledgement, without public comment, without compassion, without dignity. Our task, as global citizens, is to help the impoverished on to the ladder of development and economic growth, to give them at least a foothill to climb. But how can we achieve this goal? Education is the key to change. Our voices are so necessary in order to release the chains on the cycle of poverty that people are trapped in.

In order to eradicate poverty it is necessary to:

• Speak to your politicians. Write to them. Email them. Let them know what you think!
• Join campaigns such as Anti-Poverty Week in October.
• Join with like-minded people; organisations such as Make Poverty History work in wonderful ways to fight against this injustice.
• Stay updated with current developments
• Be aware of your own use of resources. Electricity, gas and running water are luxuries some poor people will never know.

It is vital that foreign aid focuses more closely on the needs of poor people. This means more aid being spent on such areas as basic health care and education. Aid should support poor countries’ own plans and pathways out of poverty. It is time to empower international organisations, such as the United Nations, UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and many others, to do the job on the ground, country to country.

It is time we become one and set free the helpless people, trapped in the prison of poverty. The worst thing we can do is nothing. The time for the eradication of poverty has arrived. The time to act is now.

Always remember: eradicating poverty is not about charity, it is about justice.

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