2. Do you know what MDGs are?

Most of these issues are not black and white. A lot of people will tell you a lot of different things for a lot of different reasons. The key is to look further, read between the lines and keep asking questions.

In September 2000 world leaders got together and agreed 8 goals that they would work on together to help end extreme poverty. They are:

Goal 1 - Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (So fewer people live on less than $1 a day and fewer people go hungry)

Goal 2 - Achieve universal primary education (So every child can go to primary school)

Goal 3 - Promote gender equality and empower women (So men and women are treated equally)

Goal 4 - Reduce child mortality (So fewer children die under the age of 5)

Goal 5 - Improve maternal health (So there is better care for mothers before and after their baby is born)

Goal 6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases (So fewer people get life-threatening diseases and more people have access to contraception)

Goal 7 - Ensure environmental sustainability (So we can go on living on this planet)

Goal 8 - Develop a global partnership for development (So countries work together on these goals, including supporting financially poorer countries with huge debts)

Pretty ambitious heh. Sadly, with only 6 years to go, many of these targets are a long way off and in some countries things are getting worse.

There are thousands of organisations around the world working towards these goals and campaigning for more to be done. You can find out more at:

www.endpoverty2015.org
www.mdgmonitor.org
www.un.org/millenniumgoals

Why not pick the goal that matters most to you and find out what the UK is doing about it.

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