We started the evening thinking about how long we sit on the toilet in a whole year – about 91 hours!
We then went on to learn about 12 year old Jeremiah. He goes to school, enjoys playing football with his friends and supports Manchester United. But he lives in Matopeni slum, Kenya, and that’s where the comparison with many children abruptly ends.
Go and watch here to learn more of his story.
We played Christian Aid’s trading game today in an attempt to see the world through the eyes of the poor.
The Trading Game helps to show how trade affects the prosperity of a country – both positively and negatively. It is a fun and exciting introduction to the issues of trade, providing a simple outline of some very complex relationships. It is a valuable introduction to the basic issues that determine how the gap between rich and poor nations is maintained.
We had a time of feedback afterwards about how people had found the game. We had a lot of fun, many people got very competitive about making money and lost their sense of perspective. Some resorted to cheating, lying and being very selfish. Some worked very well together as a team, whilst others just gave up with the limited resources they had. The role of the banker played a crucial part in the game and there were some stunning parallels with the context of the world financial crisis. Many admitted they would rather trust the bank than their neighbours!
Our planet is divided: industrialised countries such as the US, the EU states and Japan have a much higher standard of living than countries in Latin America, Africa and the rest of Asia. One of the things that maintains and increases the gap between rich and poor is a global trading system that helps strong, well-organised countries more than poor ones.
People were asked to reflect on the following passage from the Bible.
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.Micah 6; 8 The Message
People were asked to commit to;
- Saving 50p’s this week to donate them to Christian Aid to end poverty and maybe even write a much larger cheque.
- Although we see the world through the eyes of the rich every day of the week – to see the world through the eyes of the poor this week.
- Support Christian Aid’s work by signing petitions and taking part in the door to door street collection.