The views and experiences of millions of people living in poverty in Africa will be heard by the leaders of the world’s richest countries as part of a new project by the campaign group ActionAid.
Staff from ActionAid recently commenced a 12,000km, three-month journey that will see a specially adapted bus travel from South Africa to Scotland in time for the annual G8 summit in Gleneagles in July. On its way, it will collect thousands of messages, photographs and stories from people in six African counties – South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda – which it will present to the annual meeting of the leaders in Scotland.
Dubbed Get On Board, the project is part of ActionAid’s ongoing commitment to the Make Poverty History campaign. Around 50,000 people die each day as a direct result of poverty and ActionAid is among a coalition of human rights groups – which also includes Oxfam and Amnesty International – pressuring governments to put an end to this. The coalition wants to see international leaders change unjust trade rules that keep people locked in poverty; fully cancel the debts owned by the poorest countries; and to deliver more and better aid to people in developing countries.
The 16-seater bus has been decorated with a Make Poverty History white band and the Get On Board logo and is staffed by a crew of ActionAid representatives. The bus will meet Africans in both urban and rural areas, visiting development projects, musical events and demonstrations, in order to get a fuller picture of the public and private realities of the lives of African people.
Ramesh Singh, ActionAid International’s chief executive said: “ActionAid is exposing the injustice of poverty in Africa direct to the world’s leaders. It is vital that the G8 listens to the people of Africa, and that they recognize their rights, spirit and potential and agree on a way to make poverty history.”
“[The project] will take a close look at how the daily lives of men, women and children are affected by the big issues of trade, aid and debt and how they are responding to the challenges of HIV and AIDS, and education.”
Once in the UK the bus will pass through several cities including London and Glastonbury, finally arriving at Gleneagles in Scotland in time for the G8 summit on July 6 to 8. The world’s richest countries – the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia – will be joined by representatives from the EU and will discuss a range of international economic, political, and social issues, including how to address world poverty.
Although millions of Africans will be affected by the decisions made at the summit, not a single representative of the continent will be present. Get On Board aims to examine how issues of trade, aid and debt are affecting African people and to provide a voice for them.
Brendan O’Donnell is youth campaigns manager for ActionAid UK and is also one of the crew of the bus. He said: “Get on Board is going to be an amazing adventure. As we travel through Africa collecting messages for the G8 leaders we expect to meet incredible people with unbelievable stories – of tragedy as well as passion and real hope.”
The Big Issue Cymru/South West will be following the progress of the bus with regular updates.
www.actionaid.org/getonboard Reprinted from the Big Issue Cymru/South West, May 2005.
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