Edrychwch ar y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg

As the fifth richest country in the world, it's difficult to understand how one in every five people in the UK lives in poverty. But they do. Many people can't afford daily essentials like heating and appropriate clothing. Many children go to school, or to bed, without having eaten enough food.

Wales is a particularly affected area. In the 2003 National Assembly for Wales Annual Report on Social Inclusion in Wales it was described as "a country that suffers in places from pronounced deprivation. Such areas suffer from poor standards in health, low educational attainment, substance misuse, benefit dependency and a dearth of employment prospects."

Household Below Average Income figures from 2006/7 showed that 29 percent of children in Wales were being seriously affected by poverty, and the recent recession and credit crunch are not helping to improve matters. For the first time in a decade unemployment has risen to 100,000, and some companies are resorting to four-day working weeks meaning workers are losing one fifth of their pay.

The Oxfam Cymru UK Poverty group carried out a study on the effects of poverty on people living in the Welsh Capital. Once again the link between poverty, huge debt and mental illnesses like anxiety and depression was highlighted. The report concludes that changes need to be made to various areas of government policy in order for real, sustainable improvement to take place.

This is why Oxfam Cymru supports the Get Fair campaign's constituency based lobby in June this year. Get Fair is a coalition of over 50 children's and older people's organisations, refugee and disabled groups, housing groups, faith and community groups. They are calling for all major political parties to deliver on their existing commitment to end child poverty by 2020, and extend this goal to tackle poverty across all generations in the UK.

The lobby of MPs will take place on 26-27 June. In order for it to be successful the campaign needs people to act as local organisers in bringing together people from different organisations to plan the lobby. A briefing event will be held in Cardiff at the City URC Church from 7 - 9 pm on the 24th April. For more information about the event, resources, to take part as a local organiser or simply register your interest please call 0161 2369321 or email info@getfair.org.uk.