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Archbishop Demands Action on Hunger
Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu will be the guest speaker at a special Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign service in Enniskillen on Sunday (16 June). Speaking on the eve of the G8, he will add his voice to the thousands of campaigners across the country calling for an end to world hunger.
Dr John Sentamu Archbishop of York
In a recent article, the Archbishop said:
This week, as our global leaders prepare to come to Great Britain and Northern Ireland, we have an opportunity to unite and send a message that we want an end to global injustice and inequality.
We want an end to death from hunger and preventable disease. We want hunger and starvation to be eradicated. We want all to have access to basic medicines, treatment and clean water. We want a fairer tax system. We want everyone, regardless of where they live, to have the same life chances.
That is why I and many others are supporting the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign. Inside and outside the church we recognise that our country was built on the fundamentals of fairness, generosity, compassion and justice - and others should have the opportunity to do the same.'
More than 200 charities, church denominations and organisations have joined together to campaign for an end to global hunger and the scandal that one in eight people will wake up hungry this morning and 3 million children will die of malnutrition this year, even though there is enough food in the world for everyone.
The Enniskillen service will be hosted by local church leaders and feature music from international stars "The Priests." Visitors from Africa and Asia who work in some of the world's poorest communities have travelled to Enniskillen for the G8 and will explain why political action is necessary and urgent. Children from Enniskillen schools will lead prayers based on the themes of the IF campaign and a finalblessing will be pronounced by four senior church leaders.
The IF campaign is calling on the G8 to take three big steps towards ending hunger:
- Clamp down on tax dodging and launch a convention on tax transparency to stop the flow of billions of pounds out of developing countries - money that could be used to end hunger.
- Help poor countries make sure that everyone, especially children, have enough nutritious food to eat and support poor families to grow their own food.
- Give people in developing countries more control over their land by protecting poor farmers from land grabs and using land to grow food not fuel.
