Micah Challenge...what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God Micah 6:8 www.micahchallenge.org
Micah Challenge A global Christian campaign that will raise a prophetic and powerful voice with the poor. Facilitated jointly by the World Evangelical Alliance and the Micah Network
Aims To deepen Christian engagement with impoverished and marginalised communities To challenge international leaders, and leaders of rich and poor countries, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and so halve absolute global poverty by 2015
Micah Call This is a moment in history of unique potential, when the stated intentions of world leaders echo something of the mind of the Biblical prophets and the teachings of Jesus concerning the poor, and when we have the means to dramatically reduce poverty. We commit ourselves, as followers of Jesus, to work together for the holistic transformation of our communities, to pursue justice, be passionate about kindness, and to walk humbly with God. We call on international and national decision-makers of both rich and poor nations to fulfil their public promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and so halve absolute global poverty by 2015. We call on Christians everywhere to be agents of hope for and with the poor, and to work with others to hold our national and global leaders accountable in securing a more just and merciful world.
Millennium Development Goals Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women Goal 4: Reduce child mortality Goal 5: Improve maternal health Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Targets and Indicators: examples Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than one dollar a day Indicator 1: Proportion of population below $1 per day (PPP values) Indicator 2: Poverty gap ratio [incidence x depth of poverty] Indicator 3: Share of poorest quintile in national consumption Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development Target 12: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system Target 15: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term Indicator 38: Proportion of total developed country imports (by value and excluding arms) from developing countries and from LDCs, admitted free of duties
National Campaigns 13 Campaigns in Africa Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia 9 Campaigns in Asia and Australasia Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Mongolia, Nepal, N. Zealand, Philippines 9 Campaigns in Europe and North America Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, UK, USA, Switzerland 6 Campaigns in Latin America and the Caribbean Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Peru, Uruguay
How does it work? Global North Government More and better aid, debt cancellation and just trade Global South Government Just governance Active citizenship Active citizenship ACHIEVE THE MDGS BY 2015 Global North Church Mutual Transformation Global South Church Micah Challenge
Campaign moments 2008 UN Summit Sept 08 17-19 October: Stand up Take Action 19 October: Micah Sunday
UN Summit High-level meeting on MDGs Civil Society activities Actions in countries
Aim: mobilise 1% of the world s population, or 67 million people. Actions from 17-19 Oct. Link to call on governments Register online
Micah Sunday 19 October 2008 Opportunity to mobilise church to engage in poverty issues Prayer and liturgy guide available possible link with Stand up
How can you get involved? Join an existing National campaign Show your support by signing the Micah Call Participate in Stand up, Take Action 17-19 October Micah Sunday 19 October Weekly prayer and reflection
Logo "Biblical symbols of justice" The Micah Challenge logo uses two biblical symbols of justice, the sun at dawn and a river, rolling down. These symbols are found in Isaiah 58:6-12 and Amos 5:21-24. Both of these passages, like Micah 6:8, call on God s people to practice justice. The beautiful passage from Isaiah says: Is not this the fast that I choose To lose the bonds of injustice To undo the thongs of the yoke To let the oppressed go free And to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked to cover them And not to hide yourself from your own kin Then your light shall break forth like the dawn;.. The passage from Amos concludes: let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream