These campaign supporters represent the voices of thousands of Christians from every denomination who are passionate about justice and believe that God has a heart for people living in poverty. Micah Challenge supporters also believe that Australian citizens have a responsibility to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves" (Proverbs 31:8), by advocating for the poor to our elected leaders. Several Voices for Justice participants are school aged, and many have never lobbied their Member of Parliament before.
On 12-15 September, Micah Challenge is calling Christians across Australia to pray for the Voices for Justice participants as they lobby in Canberra.
"Please pray that, like Esther in the bible, we will be received with favour when we meet with the leaders of our Nation", said Micah Challenge National Coordinator, John Beckett. "Pray that our message will be heard and that our government will take action."
The four day event involves two days of advocacy training, prayer, workshops, worship and inspiration; followed by two days of meetings and events at Parliament House, where participants will put their new lobbying skills into practice. Specifically, they will ask the government for an overall increase in Australia's aid spending to 0.7% of our national income, and for more money to be directed towards the important work of improving maternal and child health.
"In times of economic uncertainty, we must remember that it's the poorest of the poor who will be worst affected." said John Beckett. "The World Bank now estimates that up to 400 thousand more children could die each year if the Global Financial Crisis continues.
"By increasing Australia's International Development Assistance (ODA) to 0.7% - or just 70cents in every hundred dollars, Australia could help halve global poverty and save the lives of millions of people.", said John Beckett. The Rudd Government has committed to spending 0.5% in aid by 2015, but this will fall short of what is needed if we are to do our fair share in the fight against global poverty.
Participants at last year's Voices for Justice event met with more than one hundred politicians and their advisors and thirty speeches were made by Members of Parliament on behalf of the campaign.
In a speech to Parliament following last year's Voices for Justice event, the Hon Maxine McKew MP spoke in support of the efforts the groups who visited her and her colleagues. "At a time where individuals are worried about their personal economic security, it is really heartening to see that so many Australians and others are united around the goal of making poverty history to ensure that the world's poorest citizens are not ignored...", she said.
For more information about the Micah Challenge campaign and to find out how you can get involved, visit www.micahchallenge.org.au.
Micah Challenge is a global Christian campaign which aims to deepen engagement with the poor by integrating social justice as an essential aspect of faith. Campaign supporters want to encourage the leaders of all nations to fulfil their commitments to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We believe that we have made a promise to the poor and are capable of upholding our commitment. If every Christian chooses to act with justice and kindness, walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8), imagine the impact we can have.