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Friday, October 20, 2006

Thousands march against poverty

Tens of thousands of civil society organizations in Sierra Leone, coordinated by the Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) coalition, past Tuesday, 17th October, joined other civil society groups around the globe, to stand up against poverty and hunger and pursued the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s). Participants carrying placards and banners, prosessed along major streets of the capital, Freetown.

Two separate groups, one from the west-end of Freetown, marched from the Main Motor Road, Congo Cross, with the other moving from the east by Anne Walsh School Kissy Road, around the Clock Tower axis, to the historic roundabout hosting the Cotton Tree in the centre of Freetown, where they both converged. The GCAP Coalition Sierra Leone had as its slogan -‘Gii Salone chance for beteh’

National Coordinator for the Civil Society Alternative Process (CSAP) in Sierra Leone, Fallah Ensah Ndayma, on behalf of the two groups, was asked to read the coalition’s pledge, which was read thus:

"We stand here proudly as members of the generation that intends to defeat extreme poverty. We cannot stay seated when hundreds of children born in Sierra Leone today die 30 years earlier than a child born in a wealth country with tens of thousands dieing unnecessarily every day. And we stand up because we are asking not for charity but justice. We know that world leaders have made mighty promises in our name to bring this to an end – they are called the Millennium Developments Goals. What is needed is the political will to achieve and exceed these goals. So we are on our feet to say

to the leaders of wealthy countries, be great! Fight to keep your promises, such as the 100% debt cancellation, more and better aid, prudent trade rules to help fight poverty. You know what to be done; do it.

We also stand before the leaders of poorer countries to say be great! Make it your first responsibility to save the lives of your poorest citizens. We ask you to:

-Tackle inequality and root out corruption

-Ensure that all children have access to quality education and health facilities.

-Enact the Freedom of Information Bill

- Stop the privatization of all essential public services.

- Regulate the influx of cheap textile products and dumped foodstuffs into the country that is cutting off our local producers from the market; support our local producers

We wish to set a record today for the number of people standing up to demand action on poverty – but the record we really want to break is the world’s record on breaking promises and just ignoring the poor. We don’t want record numbers of people dying of poverty every year for the rest of our lives. You know what to be done; do it", Ndayma appealed.

"We wish to set a record today for the number of people standing up to demand action on poverty, he continued, "but the record we really want to break is the world’s record on breaking promises and just ignoring the poor. We don’t want to record numbers of people dying of poverty every year for the rest of our lives.

"We are six billion voices; we want justice now! No more excuses! We will not stand for them! Events such as this are taking place today all over the world, from the busiest square in the world, the Times Square, New York, to the smallest school in the tsunami-struck Ache province in Indonesia. Wherever you are, know that your action is critical in reminding world leaders to keep their promises to end extreme poverty by 2015", Ndayma said.