In my
part of the world, there's something about September that has the feeling of
new beginnings. It probably has something to do with the dreamlike nature of
the August holiday, where inboxes have temporary respite and it’s hard to get
hold of people. But it’s not true for
everyone. For the victims of war, torture and displacement,
months roll into one endless experience of horror and hell (there's been
nothing cyclical about my mobile news feed on Syria, Iraq and the Middle East
during August). It’s also true for victims of extreme poverty: for 1 billion people, the fight to survive continues in earnest. And this means Micah Challenge's work goes on. That's
why, 17-19 October, (starting on Anti-Poverty Day) we're dedicating a weekend
to praying for the poor. The deadline for the UN Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) - those all-important promises made to the poor back in the year 2000 -
is close. Even closer on the horizon is the G20 summit in November, when we
will hand thousands of global EXPOSED Campaign signatures to world leaders.
This will be the culmination of our two-year campaign to shine a light on corruption
that robs the poorest. There are many achievements to celebrate. But there are still 1.2
billion people living in extreme poverty.