POVERTY ERADICATION STARTS WITH A PEACEFUL ENVIRONMENT - REV. DEEGBE

The General Secretary of the Christian Council, Ghana Rev.Dr.Fred Deegbe has disclosed that a peaceful environment was the bench mark to poverty eradication in the country. “Let us all commit to a non violence election 2008 and live to experience the fruits of stable and peaceful mother Ghana”. He said this today at the Stand up and take action against Poverty and Inequality 2008 press briefing Accra. In his presentation he said the Ghana human development report 2007 indicated that the proportion of the extremely poor fell from 26.8% to 18.2%. “However the figures are still high”. He added that the same report showed an increased trend in the city of Accra with the UNICEF report of the same year having more 10million people in Ghana living on less than GH¢1.Everyday more than 2.5million children and families go to bed without food. Rev. Deegbe entreated more Ghanaians to help the campaign against poverty eradication to help find collective solutions to the menace in the country and the world at large. Reading the National summary report of the campaign by the Kyerewa Akua Asamoah of the Millennium development goal and global call against poverty said globally more than 1.6million people representing nearly 2% of the world population were mobilized in 131 countries as part of the campaign was ratified in the Guinness Book of Record as having shattered the world record of mass mobilization .Locally, youths, were drawn from various educational institutions represented 65% of Ghana’s total number of 1,115,520, therefore she said it demonstrated readiness of the youth to take ownership of the MDGs like never before . She said the children were also thought solutions to poverty as they stood up to be counted. “Our Secretariat through its platform members will further be looking at stepping up our monitoring and hold our leaders accountable to their commitment to the MDGs.” Kyerewa Asamoah said it was very important to keep better focus on poverty as the global financial crisis and its preceding food prices crisis from the rocket crude oil price could be particularly devastating to people already affected by poverty when the ripple effects hits Ghana .She urged all to join hands with the Stand up and take action secretariat to fight and eradicate poverty by the year 2015.