“Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: End poverty in all its forms”
What is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty – IDEP?
The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) is a global awareness event marked every year on 17 October. International Day for the Eradication of Poverty promotes awareness of the need to eradicate poverty worldwide – it is a day of reflection, advocacy and action against poverty. This year, IDEP shall be commemorated on Monday, 17 October 2016.
Why is IDEP important to end child poverty?
An estimated 1 billion children live in poverty, globally – that is 1 out of every 2 children in the whole world.
This poverty robs children of their future, their health, education, security and overall well-being.
IDEP presents a unique opportunity for you, Arigatou International, and many others to draw attention to this problem and to take action to help solve it. Together, our voice, giving and action is important and valuable for building a better world for children.
Every effort towards eradicating child poverty, benefits the children in your community, in neighboring communities and in other countries.
In 2015, End Child Poverty supported over 80 IDEP campaign activities in 25 countries. You can learn more about the impact of the 2015 IDEP Campaign Activities through our website and our 2015/6 Yearbook.
How can you take part in IDEP?
You can take part in the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (IDEP) on 17 October 2016.
Listed below are Action Ideas to mark IDEP and participate throughout the month of October:
Tell Your Story
Share Your Story with us.
- Tell us what you have planned for IDEP 2016 by filling the IDEP Activities Form and sending it back to us by 27 September 2016.
- After your activity is done, send us a brief update report and the photos; we shall post these on the End Child Poverty IDEP Map and share your story with the rest of the world!
Organize spiritual observance during the week of 17th October to raise awareness regarding child poverty:
- According to your faith tradition or religion, organize spiritual observance, religious teachings, sermons and prayers for children affected by poverty.
- Ensure engagement of children from your community, where appropriate.
- Alternatively you may organize multi-faith action by involving members from different religious or faith traditions.
Advocate and Lobby
- Write an advocacy letter/message and send it to decision-makers and leaders in your community.
- Meet key decision makers, religious leaders, members of parliament, local government, senators and other political leaders – within your community and lobby (ask) them to take action to end child poverty.
- Enquire from children within your community what poverty means to them and how they would end it. Ensure to ask for consent from their parent(s) or guardian(s) beforehand. Send these responses to your leaders, together with a call to end child poverty.
Give
- Resources – such as food stuff, clothing, shoes, books, learning material, medical kits – towards helping children affected by poverty and their families. Remember to ask the family or community what they require, before giving.
- Money donation to a local organization serving children affected by poverty. This could be your local faith community, a children’s home, a refugee center, a school, or other such institution.
Organize a fund-raising event towards ending child poverty in your community. Ensure to follow the necessary legal and ethical procedures.
- Volunteer your time to visit or serve children affected by poverty, during IDEP
- Humanitarian activity that is relevant to ending child poverty in your community
Work with Youth and Children
- Partner with the school(s) in your community to organize and host an activity around the IDEP theme, “Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: End poverty in all its forms”. Invite the students, teachers and parents to your event.
- Partner with children or youth organizations such as sports clubs, scouts and peace clubs.
Organize a Cultural Event
- Conduct a cultural event with and for children – such as a concert, sports, dance, music, games, acting, watching a film, taking part in a walk and creating artwork.
- In your event, communicate the message of IDEP, “Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: End poverty in all its forms”.
- When planning the event, involve and work with children, as much as possible.
Organize a Roundtable / Workshop / Discussion on child poverty
- Organize panel discussions involving leaders, partners and other stakeholders
- Conduct a skills training workshop for care-givers/ parents/ guardians
Use conventional mass media
Work with the conventional media channels, including TV, newspaper and radio, to communicate on the need to end child poverty and the work you are doing. Highlight the IDEP theme, “Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: End poverty in all its forms”.
- Write an article or opinion piece for your local newspaper.
- Organize a TV or radio interview / Take part in a TV or radio show.
- Ask the newspaper/ TV/ Radio station to run a special feature on child poverty in your community
- Post a fact sheet on child poverty in your community/country on your organization’s website or blog.
- Visit our website for the latest news and information: http://endingchildpoverty.org
Spread the word on social media
Use all your available social media channels to communicate on child poverty and what you are doing to eradicate it.
- Use the hashtag #EndChildPoverty
- Share the theme “Moving from humiliation and exclusion to participation: End poverty in all its forms” in your social media communication.
- ‘Donate’ your Facebook Cover photo and your Twitter Header photo – update it with the End Child Poverty IDEP photo, which will be available shortly.
- Use the End Child Poverty Twibbon, Pictographics, Infographics and other images from 17th October 2016. These will be made available, shortly.
- Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter
- Retweet, Share, Like and Comment on the End Child Poverty posts.
- Invite your friends and followers to connect with End Child Poverty on Facebook and Twitter.
Ask others to join you
- Approach partners in your community – local businesses, NGO’s, civil society, faith based organizations, schools – and ask for their involvement and support during IDEP.
- Encourage their participation by explaining how it will increase their visibility, give them an opportunity to support a good cause, as well as enhance their goodwill in the community.
Support the End Child Poverty Advocacy Statement
End Child Poverty will develop advocacy statement that you can adapt, contextualize and use in an appropriate way within your community and wider society, for instance:
- Read it during a gathering
- Have it printed in your local newspaper
- Distribute it to your faith community, NGO and other networks
- Disseminate it through social media and email
- Endorse the statement by adding the logo of your organization and/ or the signature of the relevant leader(s).
The 2016 End Child Poverty IDEP statement will be available shortly. See a previous example on our website: Rev Miyamoto’s statement on IDEP 2015
You can learn more about our work and partnerships, through:
End Child Poverty: Arigatou International – Nairobi