place to be

There is a wonderfully written and illustrated magazine published by DFID (Department for International Development, from the UK), called Developments ("One World A Million Stories"), which I receive free in the mail every few months. The post office here made a mistake and it got put in my mailbox accidentally. But I opened and really enjoyed it, so I signed up for my own subscription. I'm a sucker for this type of thing.

Here is an excerpt from the intro of the most recent issue, about the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, which are supposed to be met - by who? all of us citizens of Earth, I guess - by 2015. It's so easy to be cynical about lofty goals like "eradicating extreme poverty and hunger" - at least I find it easy - but didn't some silly fools have the impossible dreams of outlawing the slave trade, knocking out polio, and ending apartheid? I have to move in the direction of silly faith, if only to reorient my own selfish heart back to humanity.

I liked what they had to say. The italics and photos are my own emphasis.

Here's the good news. In 2006 the number of children dying before reaching the age of five fell below 10 million. Less than half a century ago, the figure was 20 million. Here's the bad news. In a world of unprecedented wealth and scientific progress, in 2006 nearly 10 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday.

a kid like this, for example, one of Sara's students

Is the world making progress in reaching the Millennium Development Goals to halve the proportion of people living in poverty? Depends on how you look at it. Yes there is progress - if you look at the sharply rising numbers of children in primary school. No, we're slipping behind, if you want to see all children in school by 2015. Or take killer diseases: the tuberculosis epidemic appears to be on the decline, but the numbers dying from HIV/AIDS continue to rise. And while a billion more people gained access to improved drinking water between 1990 and 2004, one in two of our fellow global citizens still lacks basic sanitation.

Halfway to 2015, the jury is still out on whether the world can deliver on the MDGs. But contributors to this edition of Developments agree on one thing: given the political will and resources, the Goals are still achievable. One of the best grounds for hope is that the poor are no longer being ignored, the world is talking about poverty and its effects.

one of Pastor Fernando's home care families

But how can growing awareness and commitment to end poverty be converted into the action that will actually bring it to an end? As UK International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander puts it, that requires the energy of everyone. "We can only meet the MDGs through an international effort that harnesses the power of everyone: private sector, individuals, consumers, faith organizations, cities, civil society organizations and governments north and south."

Developments was born ten years ago - before the MDGs were launched. Our aim is to build people's awareness of what's happening in the 'majority world', to dispel the popular myth that development doesn't work, to turn up the volume of the voices which are often ignored. The poorest people, as Siobhan Warrington points out, are the experts on poverty, and we must continue to "amplify their voices".

(Martin Wroe and Malcolm Doney)

Is working toward this, praying for this, living our lives for this, worth it?

I think so. I'm not very good at it most of the time and I'm pretty depressed about the state of my heart, the goodness therein. 

But I want to try.