Poverty and Homelessness Action Week will take place from the 25th of January to the 2nd of February this year, and the announcement made me reflect on poverty…
…material poverty – no food or very little, no home, no safety, no clean water… extreme poverty. And no matter how difficult it is to pay rent or a mortgage, we are so much richer than those who have absolutely nothing that we do have something to give, something to share…
…intellectual poverty – no literacy skills, not being able to learn new skills or access new jobs unless some basic skills are acquired. Praise to the work of NGOs that strive to teach basic literacy skills to those who desperately need them, when governments fall short of their duty of care…
…moral poverty – the poverty of the rich who won’t cancel debts or the new rich who live and let live, not caring for the fabric of their own society…
…but rich or poor, all are profoundly loved by God. And so ahead of Action week, I pray for the repair of our world’s fabric…
…it has been estimated that $40 billion are needed annually to achieve the international goals related to poverty eradication. This is less than what people in Europe spend on cigarettes and one tenth of the value of world trade in illegal drugs. (SUNS4489)
Faith musings 
Thank you for sharing this Marie, thank you for constantly stirring, shaking, inspiring and making us think. This is so important. I know what extreme poverty can do to people. I am thinking about some of the 400 or so detainees transiting through Dover IRC at the moment who risked their lives and left their country for that very reason and find themselves between the walls of the centre uncertain of their fate. No matter how humane and caring the staff may be one cannot help to wish for another solution to the problem of illegal immigration.