Organization Profile: Make Poverty History

by Fabian Musefano, SCPA Intern for Apathy is Boring — April 15, 2008

Make Poverty History is an advocacy organization whose goals are to combat poverty in third world countries by:
-    putting pressure on rich countries to increase aid;
-    encouraging fair trade;
-    lobbying to cancel debts of economically struggling countries.
MPH also aims to eradicate child poverty in Canada.

Issues

MPH addresses all of the issues listed above and has been influential in pressuring G8 countries to uphold their commitments to increase financial aid to poorer countries. Despite pledges by the USA, UK, France, Italy, Russia, Japan, Germany, and Canada to increase aid, these countries have yet to meet their goals. MPH Canada aims to convince the Canadian government to do the following:
-    enact legislation enforcing respect for all humans’ rights;
-    uphold its promise to give Africa 0.7 percent of its GDP for aid;
-    enforce trade justice by supporting fair trade and investment regulations that don’t undermine local farmers and the environment;
-    work with the groups disproportionately affected by poverty to design and implement poverty reduction strategies. 

How to get involved

To join the Make Poverty History campaign, sign up on the website here: http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/en/take-action/sign-on. By doing so, you can tell Canada’s elected representatives that you are actively supporting the campaign. When you sign on, you have the option of receiving daily alerts about MPH’s initiatives and actions you can take such as attending events and joining local groups. MPH provides the contact information of every Member of Parliament in Canada, so you can get in touch with your MP and make it clear that you support MPH. By spreading the word, joining your local group, and attending MPH events in your area, you can show your support. MPH also sells White Bands in collaboration with Ten Thousand Villages to raise money and symbolize solidarity for the cause.

 Interesting facts about MPH

Some extremely high profile celebrities support MPH Canada, including actors Mary Walsh, Roy Dupuis, and Pascale Monpetit; Olympian Anna Van der Kamp; musician Tom Cochrane; and former UN special envoy Stephen Lewis. Some of the MPH campaigns involve concerts featuring the biggest bands in the world, such as U2, Canada’s Bryan Adams and many more. As an extremely well-known organization, MPH works in cooperation with reputable NGOs such as Oxfam and World Vision.       

Source:http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca