Make Poverty History

Gina Oliveri is an incredible young friend of mine - who manages to fit in being an active member of both Sorpotomist International the Oaktree Foundation and an active Make Poverty History Campaigner, between studying Psychology, working and maintaing a busy social life! Read her story below - and find out why helping others is within reach for us all! You'll be inspired - I was!


Things I learned on Miles Per Hour…

When I first told Mum I was going on this event called Miles Per Hour, she immediately asked ‘Is it a cult?!’ After reassuring her that there would be no orange kaftans or Kool-Aid involved in proceedings, I was on my merry way to Melbourne, with little idea of how much my week away would affect me.

About 30 people from WA attended the event, with a few hundred all up traveling from all over Australia to support Make Poverty History. The WA crew impressed all with our distance traveled and huge entourage, as well as our groovy ‘2132’ armbands, showing just how many miles we traveled! We attended conferences, performed media stunts and went to the greatest live music event ever to be seen in Australia, the Make Poverty History Concert. Not only were all the artists amazing live, we were treated to a special surprise performance by none other than Pearl Jam with Bono and The Edge from U2!

The things I learned in Melbourne can best be summed up by the artists who graced the stage on that brilliant night, and I’d like to share these with you.

I can be ignorant, I could be informed
I could lead my life or I could be led
I can be anything I put my mind to
-John Butler Trio, Zebra

I learned that so much of your perspective on life depends on whether you choose to be ignorant, or get informed on the issues that matter to you. This hit home in two ways. Firstly, when we had some free time in Melbourne we did what Melbourne is made for, shopping! Often we were in groups of at least four people, usually wearing our Make Poverty History or Oaktree Foundation t-shirts, so we attracted a little attention. People often asked us why we were there, but after Saturday’s riots in the city we were often asked ‘you’re not protestors are you?’ usually accompanied with horrified looks and a subtle backing away. They were relieved but still a little suspicious when we told them that no, we weren’t protestors, and no, we weren’t anywhere near the city when the carnage took place.

After establishing that we weren’t crazy protestors, people were often happy to chat to us, asking us questions and actually listening to our answers. Most often we heard the same old thing over and over again…’but what’s the point in giving aid to corrupt governments?’ and ‘but how is a concert going to change anything?’ It was great to be able to answer these questions and inform everyday people of the issue of poverty. A very proud moment came when one of our campaigners Jade, who is just 14 years old, confidently and boldly told an inquisitive man all about Make Poverty History and the Millennium Development Goals. She didn’t miss a beat and was so articulate, it was a sight to behold! The man didn’t know what hit him!

Secondly, upon returning home, I excitedly jumped on the internet and looked up all the news coverage I could from the weekend. Most of what I found was disappointing. Articles linking Make Poverty History to the anti-G20 riots, criticism of Make Poverty History leaders for inciting violence, all these made my heart sink as they were blatantly untrue and undid all the work that was done over the weekend. It further showed me that ignorance may be bliss, but it can be damaging. Not even 5 minutes of Googling and these journalists would have learned that there was no link between the Make Poverty History campaign and the violence on Saturday. If they had bothered to talk to some of the people involved in the concert or anyone at the G20 forum they would have seen that Make Poverty History doesn’t go about things in that way. More disturbing is the number of people who are led along by these journalists, who don’t think about things for themselves and who take for granted what they read in the news as the truth.


Don't you ever wish for just one thing that you might never see?
Don't you ever wish for just one thing that you might never know?
-Sarah Blasko, Don’t You Ever

Upon arriving in Melbourne, we were picked up by a friend, and the first words out of his mouth were ‘you know you can’t actually make poverty history.’ To say this was a little confronting at 5 o’clock in the morning would be an understatement, but it is a sentiment often encountered. What I learned in Melbourne though, is that it is possible to end poverty. It makes sense to me that if poverty can be created, it can be ended. To some it seems idealistic, and unfortunately we have all come to take for granted that poverty will always be there. We will always live here in Australia with a roof over our heads, clean water and plenty of food. And then there will always be those poor people in South Africa, Sudan, Ethiopia and other exotic sounding places who don’t have clean water, who don’t have enough food and who lose 30,000 children a day. I learned that it doesn’t have to be this way at all, and that just because it will be a long process doesn’t mean we should give up on ending poverty. If we can put people in space, if we can watch movies on iPods, if we can communicate with people on the other side of the globe in a fraction of a second, surely we can make poverty history. I learned that although the wish to end poverty can seem unrealistic and to some it is an impossible task, it can be done.


I'll show you what I got
When you tell me what you need
So put ya money where ya mouth is
-Jet, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

So this one is obvious. I’m a little slow when it comes to picking things like this up. I tend to see the best in people and assume everyone has good intentions, and that everyone will keep their promises. Yes, I am definitely a little slow. I learned in Melbourne that there is a big difference between making promises and keeping them. In September 2000, the Millennium Declaration was signed, and in 2002 the 191 member states of the United Nations agreed to the Millennium Development Goals. These goals are explicit, with timeframes and specific objectives. The goals were agreed to in an effort to halve global poverty by 2015. The goals relate both to those countries experiencing poverty and to the developed nations who can assist in lifting them out. Part of this commitment to the goals is increasing foreign aid to 0.7% of gross national income. Presently, Australia is at about 0.28% with a view to reach 0.36% by 2010. This puts Australia well below target. I learned that the Millennium Development Goals mean nothing if governments don’t act on them. And governments won’t act on them unless the people keep the pressure on them to do so. I’d like to see the Australian Government put their money where their mouth is and keep their promise to increase foreign aid. Time will tell if I’m hoping for too much.


You don’t need a broken heart to know a heart can be broken
you just need to open your eyes
We don’t need a TV show to tell us which way to go
we just need to do what we know
-Evermore, Running

At the Oaktree Foundation National Conference we had a guest speaker named Irene Banda. Irene is a fair trade activist from Zambia. She was asking why we should care about what goes on in other countries. Why should we care if a child dies every three seconds from causes directly related to living in poverty, preventable causes? Her reason was ‘because we don’t have to be in the middle of the war to know that bullets kill’. It was truly heartening to see the number of young people who attended the Oaktree conference, the G20 forum and of course the concert. It’s nice to know that so many young people do care and are actively trying to do something about what they see as a great injustice in the world. They are doing it not because someone has told them to, they do it because they just know they need to make a difference. Upon reading some criticisms of Make Poverty History by aforementioned uneducated journalists, I wondered if they had any compassion at all. It is easy to hear statistics such as ‘a child dies every three seconds due to poverty’ but another thing altogether to imagine being this child’s mother, father or sibling. For each number, there is a human face and a family left behind. It is compassion for people that drives the Make Poverty History campaign and the inspiring young people I had the pleasure of meeting in Melbourne.


It's not for the money
and it's not for the applause, no
-Hilltop Hoods, Nosebleed Section

Another thing I learned was that when it comes to the Make Poverty History campaign, it’s not about the money, it’s about the message. The concert was not about raising money, but about raising awareness. If the people in power are going to stand by their promises to end poverty, we need to be standing up and letting them know that it is important to us. It was so great to see the artists put their talents to good use, not for fame or fortune (although the respect I have for all of them rose dramatically!) but to make a difference. I learned that it doesn’t matter what you have, or what talents you possess, you can put them to good use. Just look at Jamie Oliver! I also learned that the power of Make Poverty History is in the people, everyday people, learning about poverty and taking steps to end it. Just talking to your friends, writing to a local MP, seemingly small things all add up when lots of people band (no pun intended) together for a common purpose.

Then it’s all over, go home, go sleep,
Wake up, get sober, what a great night!
-Hilltop Hoods, What a Great Night

What a great night indeed! And yes, getting sober would have been a good idea before I broke the Pearl Jam guitar pick I souvenir-ed…I hope everyone got a chance to see the concert on TV, if not it’s all over YouTube! You can see my face for about a second I think, waving my arms like an idiot. Check out the link below to see footage of the concert and some cool interviews with the bands and the concert organisers. Some devoted person posted the entire concert in about 8 parts! Also on the 9th of December the Herald Sun is releasing a commemorative DVD of the concert, and there is a chance the WA crew will get their mugs on that also. So if you happen to be in Melbourne then, pick one up, and uh, send me one please?
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=make+poverty+history+concert
It would have been even better if the G20 had actually listened and put Make Poverty History on the agenda. Alas, this didn’t happen. However the momentum gained from the concert and simply from exposing young people to the message is invaluable. It even made it into Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Poverty_History_Concert

If you have managed to read this far, thanks! If you’d like to make a difference and lend your support to the Make Poverty History campaign, there are some things you can do, which take only a little time and don’t cost anything. If not, just by reading this you have hopefully learned something and become a better informed global citizen!

1) Go to www.makepovertyhistory.com.au and sign up as a supporter. It costs nothing! You’ll also receive a regular email about Make Poverty History events and news.
2) If you see people selling white Make Poverty History bands, buy one. OK so this one does involve money, but they’re only $2 and all the cool people are wearing them! This is a simple way of showing your support to the campaign. They are available from Oxfam shops and off the website.
3) Write to your local MP, or email John Howard! Don’t show up at his house, you may get arrested. Follow the link http://www.oxfam.org.au/campaigns/mtf/povertyhistory/letter_howard4.php
4) Get the issue out there, talk to your friends, talk to your family, help educate others about the cause. Forward this email to your friends if you like, unfortunately it isn’t a chain letter so I can’t promise your crush will call you within ten minutes if you send it to ten people. Sorry. Print this out, stick it up in your office, post it on your MySpace, send out an email of your own. Do whatever you want to do to bring the issue into the public spotlight. Note: I will not be held responsible if any of you choose to protest in the nude in a crowded shopping centre.
To learn more:
http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
http://www.oxfam.org.au/
www.theoaktree.org