Our Story
End Child Poverty was launched by Arigatou International at the Fourth Forum of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) in 2012, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
This milestone event took place on 16th -18th June 2012, with the theme, “Ending Poverty, Enriching Children: Inspire. Act. Change”. It brought together 470 participants, including children and youth; from 64 countries around the world. The participants were from different religious constituencies including Buddhists, Baha’is, Christians, Hindus, practitioners of Indigenous Traditions, Jews, Muslims, Shintos and Sikhs.
The forum sought to facilitate discussion on what the world’s faith communities could do together, to end child poverty. As a result, the new Arigatou International Initiative, “Mobilising Faith-Based Resources to End Child Poverty”, was formed with the vision that no child should live in poverty.
This global initiative of Arigatou International, thereafter known as the Interfaith Initiative to End Child Poverty (End Child Poverty), would address the spiritual root causes of poverty and challenge the structural causes of poverty, such as, unequal distribution of resources, war, violence, poor governance and corruption. It would utilise interfaith advocacy and grassroots action to overcome poverty.
As End Child Poverty, we now carry forward this vision by actively engaging children as full participants and actors, as we advocate and act at every level to shape and promote polices that address injustice against children. We continue to undertake, accompany and support actions that reaffirm and restore the dignity of children. And we seek to influence the global development agenda beyond 2015, to prioritise the eradication of child poverty.
Find out how you too can Take Action and be part of ending child poverty across the world.
Read the Statement of the Launch of the End Child Poverty Initiative at the GNRC Fourth Forum.
Read the Dar es Salaam Declaration – “Ending Child Poverty, Enriching Children: Inspire. Act. Change”.
Find out more about the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) and the GNRC Fourth Forum.
