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Opinions of Sunday, 5 June 2005

Columnist: Klu, Nii Sowah

Make Poverty History!!! But How?

Getting up early in the morning at 6am to prepare for work is difficult, vary difficult. Knowing that I?m going to battle to complete an unfinished work I started yesterday. But about ten minutes down my journey on bus 192, from Edmonton green to Tottenham hale station something became more difficult for me to take. For a brief moment I forgot the entire daunting task waiting to greet me at work.

Flipping through the pages Sun newspaper, my favourite because of its rich sports fila, I couldn?t believe what I read about the ?Live 8? show plans. Some of the details read as follows: Sir Bob Geldof (organiser of Live 8) said Britons should take time off work or school to join the mass protest against Third World Poverty on July 6. He said "Give up two days of work and there is a chance that maybe, just maybe, you can change things a little bit?. This is the extent which people in the developed countries are going to help Africa eradicate poverty. But do you know about ?live 8?? It is a charity concert organised across western countries to coincide with the G8 summit. This is to create awareness about the suffering and pain in Africa due to poverty and help end poverty in Africa (get more information from www.makepovertyhistory.org). Some headlines I have read on this website (some listed below) came to mind, causing me to ask the question ?What do we need in Africa ? Eradicate corruption or poverty?.

2005-05-11 Kufuor's Son Owns 40% Of GIA

2005-05-24 Hotel Kufuor: President Bought it, Not Son

2005-05-30 Hotel Kufuor: First Pool Of Evidence Released

I have had a huge battle in my head all day, but couldn?t accept the fact that grants and aids can solve Africa?s mounting problems. Where do grants and aids go? To our corrupt and egocentric leaders? Following the above details, I will like to use this medium to call on all Ghanaians to do their bit to help make the work going on in other parts of the world complete. I will do my bit by getting involved in awareness programmes and donations to good cause.

What will you do?

Wake up, organise and get actively involved with programmes that will make those in power fully accountable. I believe this is the way to eradicate poverty in Africa, not donations, grants and aids, which will end up in the pockets of corrupt governments and their families.



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