Today, on Blog Action Day, thousands of people worldwide have decided that we are going to unite to discuss a single issue – poverty.
In this world of “what have you done for me lately”, what have you done for any one else lately? I’m not talking just poverty of the economic kind here, but emotional and moral poverty as well. Do we stop to care any more? What’s our collective issue? No time, no money?
In case you’re wondering.. what can you do, as an individual? We’re told that poverty can be eliminated within our lifetimes, but even so, most of us feel stuck when it comes to taking action. There are in fact a range of things that anyone can do. (Info retrieved from Blog Action Day 2008)
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is speaking up. Before change can happen, decision-makers need to know that their customers, community and constituents want change. Advocacy is letting them know.
Consumer Advocacy
Many businesses are in a position to make positive changes, by letting them know that customers want those changes, we empower them to do so. Some examples of consumer advocacy are:
- Investing in “Ethical” funds that balance social responsibility with financial return – showing businesses that social responsibility is profitable
- Letting your local coffee shop know that you would buy Fairtrade coffee if they stocked it
- Buying clothing from a company that doesn’t make use of sweatshops, so that business sees the profit in being ethical.
Political Advocacy
Politicians are elected to serve the people, so it makes sense that if they have a clear mandate that their constituents are all in favour of something, they will be empowered to chase those goals. Political advocacy is about letting them know, and creating that mandate. Examples of political advocacy are:
- Writing a letter to your local government representative – yes they actually read those letters!
- Visiting your local representative to discuss issues relating to poverty – a little more daunting
- Signing petitions to be delivered to government officials
Community Advocacy
By creating community awareness we broaden the support base for pro-poor action to take place and create a general environment conducive to change. There are many projects that anyone can easily join which are designed for exactly this purpose. A great example is the Stand Up Against Poverty project that falls just two days after Blog Action Day (October 17-19). Participants simply stand up, sometimes alone, most often in groups, to send a message to governments that people demand anti-poverty targets be met. Last year 43 million people participated, this year no doubt will be even larger.
By organising a Stand Up group in a local school, church or other organisation, you introduce other members of the community to the cause and issues and inform and educate them so they themselves become advocates in their own right.
There are a variety of ways that we can use our professional skills in the fight against poverty, that simply require thinking out of the box. Here are some examples:
- Volunteering time with charitable organisations to provide specialist, professional skills
- Getting your business or workplace to engage in pro-poor research. For example industries like agriculture and health are particularly important to developing economies. However even industries like finance and computers can yield innovations like microloans and the 1 Laptop per Child project, that can be of tremendous benefit to the poor.
- Doing business in areas that are both profitable and beneficial to the needy. Bill Gates calls this “Creative Capitalism”, that is using the creative spark of entrepreneurship to bring the benefits of capitalism to the disadvantaged.
Giving is the simplest of all actions that can be taken. There are many, many charities that do great work and benefit from our contributions. Recently giving has also grown to encompass microfinancing – small loans given to entrepreneurs in developing areas to help them life themselves and their communities out of poverty. Participants in Blog Action Day 2008 are encouraged to donate their day’s earnings to either the Global Fund or Kiva Microloans. You can find out more about both these organisations here.
Information is the platform for better decision making, but all too often we don’t know much about what impact our daily actions have. Informing yourself and informing those around you, enables you to make better choices in daily life.
For more information on what you can do to raise awareness and make a difference, today and every day going forward, go on to Blog Action Day 2008 and let’s do something!
