Faith-based organizations are warning finance ministers from the world’s 20 richest economies they will not meet the majority of their own goals to help the world’s poorest nations.
The Jubilee USA Network, an alliance of 75 faith-based and human rights organizations, issued a report Wednesday (Sept. 16) outlining progress on the 13 goals the so-called “G-20” set for itself last April.
According to the report, the G-20 is “on track to meet five of these goals, is failing to meet four and is unlikely to meet four without major attention.”
The primary needs are in areas ‘in crisis.’
First, clean food and clean water.
Second, basic medical and sanitation training for individuals selected by the Christian churches in needy countries at the skill levels that are taught in U.S. Navy Corpsmen “A,” “B,” and “C” schools. They should also be provided with the supplies and simple clinics needed for basic preventative and curative medicine.
Third, they need to have wells drilled and the means to provide crop irrigation from those wells. This may also require being taught how to ‘farm’ new crops that will provide nutrition and better use of each village’s agricultural potential.
Fourth, they need to have more teachers trained to teach “reading, writing and arithemetic” and simple school buildings and school supplies, including chalk boards, chalk, inexpensive paper and pencils, etc.
Fifth, all Christian aid should be channeled to its recipients through the Christian churches and/or missionaries in each country.
Third World governments may contain fine and trustworthy individuals, but those governments are typically corrupt, inefficient and nepotistic, regardless of the ideology ‘claimed’ by those who ‘run’ the government. I have observed this first hand in West Africa, Latin America and Asia.
Money given to Third World government officials often ends up in a private ‘Swiss bank account’ or in the hands of immediate family members ‘living well’ in their native country or in Great Britain, France or the United States.
Is national debt the most urgent place to start? Sincere question. Like Anglican First, I tend to think the most urgent demand is for food and clean water, but that’s perception not based on any experience. How has the debt accumulated? Governments borrowing for the country’s needs? Will forgiven debts free money that will actually be used to improve citizens’ lives? I would like to know more.
I always wonder about anonymous amalgamations of groups like this one (and wonder if each group spoke on its own it would have more impact?). Here is a list of the member organizations of Jubilee USA:
http://www.jubileeusa.org/about-us/team/network-council.html
And international partners:
http://www.jubileeusa.org/about-us/team/international-partners.html
They also include lists of member congregations by state here:
http://www.jubileeusa.org/about-us/team/congregations-list.html
Some states are absent altogether, a number are represented by only one congregation. But their focus is probably not on individual congregations.