16 October 2006

Kinshasa, DRC: Over 2,500 church attendees stood up against poverty with UNV volunteers on Sunday, 15 October. In joining the worldwide STAND UP campaign against poverty, UNV partnered with the Réseau National de la Jeunesse Religieuse, an inter-congregational Congolese organization. The event aimed to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in seven churches of Kinshasa.

During the services, UNV volunteers pointed out the importance of supporting the MDGs and increasing efforts against poverty. They encouraged churchgoers to stand up for one minute, joining the worldwide initiatives that took place on this day.

“The Church has always dedicated the service to the needy as part of its mission in the world,” said David K. Yemba, Resident Bishop of the Central Congo Episcopal Area, United Methodist Church.
 
According to the STAND UP website (www.standagainstpoverty.org), every day 24,000 people die from hunger, over 100 million children are denied access to education, 1.1 billion people drink polluted water, and 8,200 people die of AIDS. In DR Congo, which has 60 million inhabitants, 38,5 million people live from less than $1 a day, more than 40 million suffer from hunger on a daily basis, more than 7 million school-aged children are out of school, and more than 1,200 children die each day.

The UN Millennium Campaign aims to combat these injustices through actions such as Sunday’s STAND UP event, fully supported by UN Secretary General Annan as well as the Administrator of the UN Development Programme and chairman of the UN Development Group, Kemal Dervis. STAND UP is an initiative designed to coincide with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October. The events aimed to raise awareness of the MDGs and to publicly demonstrate to policy makers the growing global support for the eradication of poverty.

Through the worldwide massive engagement of citizens – in some countries, millions of people were mobilized – the initiative set a new Guinness World Record for the largest number of people to stand up against poverty and for the MDGs.