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The last days before Stand Up and Take Action against poverty and inequality
This is one of those times when you feel incredibly lucky to be in the right job at the right time. My inbox is bulging with remarkable and inspirational updates from GCAP coalitions and partners as they prepare to Stand Up and Take Action from October 17-19. It currently looks as if more than 1% of the world’s population, 67 million people will take part which would make it surely one of, if not the, biggest mobilisation of people on one issue at one time in history.
The range of events is stunning. Rap concerts in the Philippines, marches in South Africa, a concert in Zimbabwe, school children in Palestine, church goers in the UK, film screenings in Australia, shopping malls in Indonesia... the list goes on and on.
I sit at my desk inspired by all of these
planned actions, all of the space being created by some of the world’s most
impoverished people for their voices to be heard, and their actions to count.
It is a privilege to be a small part of this.
The remarkable thing is that, unless you are one of the people planning to Stand Up, you have probably never heard of Stand Up and Take Action. Whilst the world news is full of photos of Sarah Palin in a swimsuit, and OJ Simpson’s murder trial, one of the biggest mobilisations of people in history risks slipping beneath this wonky radar.
You can help. This is a global call to action against poverty and inequality that concerns all of us, men and women, rich and poor, North and South, rural and urban. Poverty affects everyone directly or indirectly, and the current financial crisis, along with increasing food and fuel prices, and climate change, will hasten the direct impact even if you do not personally feel it now.
So Stand Up and Take action with us on October 17. Register your event at www.standagainstpoverty.org, and tell your local paper, your local politician, your local radio station. A global call is the sum of millions of local actions. Together we can end poverty.
