Be Fair...
Mr McCully has done it. NZAID is merged back into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the key focus statement is changed from ‘poverty alleviation’ to ‘sustainable economic growth’.
That is not what we wanted, but it is not all bad either. While we continue to oppose the use of development aid as a foreign policy tool, the promise of continued budget increases is welcome. If the saving achieved by the merger means that the total amount of money goes further, then we will all be cheering!
The new statement of NZAID priorities, while, as promised, putting economic growth at the top, continues to include the basic poverty oriented development principles:
Through its development assistance, NZAID supports activities that encourage economic growth; help to create safe, just and inclusive societies; fulfil basic needs; achieve environmental sustainability; and reduce hardship.
NZAID Currents magazine, April 2009
The way to achieve that will be to ensure that economic growth comes with justice and fairness. Let's work to see that it happens that way! Read more on our website...
Time to tackle hunger
A group of Christian leaders who campaign for justice in the fight against hunger are calling on the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to 'step up to the plate' and seek tangible results in realising the right to food - writes Peter Kenny.
The Geneva-based Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance sent the letter to Ban as the first of a series of actions in a global campaign on food launched on the same day the World Council of Churches and its donors discussed the issue after being addressed by EAA members.
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Micah Sunday 2009
18 October
Mark your calendars, write it in your diarys.
This year we are planning for a big event in Wellington and other events as widely as you can get involved.
Watch this space for more information!
Thoughts on the Lost Parables in Luke
The preacher spoke on the first two of the three 'lost' parables, which set me to thinking about the differences between these two and the third. The thing that struck me really for the first time was how the focus changes in the stories. Christian preaching has tended to take the focus of the third as the important message - the prodigal son who repents and is welcomed back by the Father (the Gospel message is "Repent and be saved" just like the prodigal). However in the first two stories the focus is not on the thing (or person) that is lost, but rather on the responsibility of others to seek and to find.
In contrast to the prodigal son, the coin is obviously not responsible for being lost - the woman has lost it. Even the sheep is not held responsible for being lost - the shepherd is responsible. The sheep and the coin are not required to repent before they can be found. Rather, the shepherd and the woman are required to go out and find.
Who is responsible for poverty? Obviously there are those like the prodigal, who have wasted their wealth in riotous living. There are many others who are poor through no fault of their own. They have been lost, dumped, rejected, cheated, deprived by the impersonal workings of 'the system'. It is our responsibility to go out to them, to 'find' them and to bring them in...
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The Micah Call
The Micah Call is a global petition, and a statement of our belief that now is a time when poverty can be challenged:
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The issues of global poverty are not just economic. They are also political and spiritual. Micah Challenge invites Christians to take a prophetic role in making a difference in the world.
Paul Thompson
National Coordinator
Micah Challenge Aotearoa New Zealand
The Micah Challenge eNewsletter is a monthly update on global poverty issues with a Christian perspective. Invite friends to subscribe. Visit our website www.micahchallenge.org.nz
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