Leadership Formation and the Global Poverty Project

Recently a group of Year 11 students travelled to CSU Bathurst and gave a presentation on The Global Poverty Project as part of the Leadership Formation Program for the graduating class of 2010. Hugh Jackman is passionate about this project as it provides an umbrella organisation for a variety of government and non-government aid organisations. The title ‘1.4 Billion Reasons' showed the disheartening degree of people living in extreme poverty throughout the world, 1.4 billion to be precise. It was led by Richard Flemming and with the aid of his personal story and amazing comparative facts about government spending and the needs of the poor, we were able to see that the vision of breaking the poverty cycle is a practical reality.

We were shown short clips of the desperation and fight for survival endured by the world's poor and when faced with the statistics associated with poverty, it is heartening to know that it is so simple to help out. Often we just we just choose to ignore the issue! However, as uncomplicated as this sounds, the statistics also show that extreme poverty often comes hand-in- hand with extreme corruption. In many ways this has hindered the generous efforts of many individuals and put non-government and government aid organisations in tough predicaments: to give or not to give.

Through experiences such as Mrs Welch's courageous trip to Uganda with the Help Us Give (HUG) Organisation, it is touching to know that with the help financial aid and support from local communities such as ours, it has given the Ugandan locals a much needed leg up instead of a hand out. This has resulted in a greatly beneficial and prolonged assurance of safety and survival through the provision of simple necessities such as education, building materials and medical services. By avoiding government channels, the resources arrive at the target communities and are used as they choose.

It is so easy to lend a hand and it does not always involve giving money. Through our simple everyday actions such as buying goods that have fair trade links such as Cadburys, we can do things to help to eliminate extreme poverty in the modern world.

Jasmin Gray