Don't Drop the Ball on Aid
Rich governments aren’t keeping their promises on poverty so we need your keepy-uppys. Football connects people all around the world, and this World Cup year, we’re looking to turn all of that passion into something genuinely world-changing.
Why is aid important?
Aid makes a difference to the lives of the poorest people around the world. It is a vital way to help to lift millions of people out of poverty. Because with healthy and educated people, poor countries can develop their economies and stand on their own two feet. Thanks to money from rich country donors, in the last few years we’ve seen 1.4 million extra HIV positive people on life saving anti-retro viral drugs; 40 million children who never would have learned to read and write are now getting an education. Aid has helped to make these things happen.
If given correctly, aid can help to reduce corruption. The money can be spent in a way that empowers people in developing countries to speak up, tell their governments what they need and hold them accountable for how aid money is spent.
These are just some examples of the difference that aid can make to people’s lives.
And we have done this (and much more) for less than you think!
How much aid are we asking countries to give?
In 1970, rich country leaders pledged to give 0.7% of their countrys' incomes in international aid. That means they still have over 99% of their income to spend on housing, transport, jobs, or anything else they need to. To put that into perspective: the UK spends five times more on military than it does on aid, and in the US people spend double the amount on pet food per year!
There’s still a long way to go to eradicate poverty but if rich countries stick to their aid promises then millions more people will get an education, receive treatment when they need it and be able to lift themselves out of poverty.
Why are we asking countries not to 'drop the ball on aid'?
Even though the promise to give 0.7% is a tiny amount, only a small number of European countries are on track to meet this commitment. We need to put pressure on rich countries to keep their promises to the world's poor, and not to drop their vital aid commitments during times of financial uncertainty.
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are a list of targets agreed by 192 United Nations member states back in 2000. By signing up to these achievable goals, governments of the world have promised to work collaboratively towards a better future for us all.
They are to achieve the following targets by 2015:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Develop a global partnership for development
Sadly progress towards these goals has been patchy, as has the target of 0.7% of income on aid; yet they could make a huge difference to millions of people around the world. If we’re going to see the MDG commitments met world leaders need to design a rescue package for the MDGs. They need to have reaffirmed their commitment to delivering 0.7% of their national income to aid by the 2015 deadline.
Why is football a good medium to get our message across?
The world’s biggest football event, the World Cup, has just finished in South Africa, only a couple of months before a momentous summit on the Millennium Development Goals in New York in September. Football connects people all around the world, and we are aiming to use that passion to provide us with a unique opportunity to combine the massive amounts of publicity and media attention with a strong campaigning message. So don't watch the action from South Africa, get yourself a footy and help make sure the ball is not dropped on aid.
Why keepy-uppys?
Your keepy-uppys will form part of an amazing video chain, linking people worldwide who care enough to kick off and fight poverty.
The UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) conference kicked off in New York just months after the World Cup finished, and we showed your videos to the world leaders that attended. The MDGs have the power to revolutionise people’s lives in poor countries. But rich countries are failing to provide vitally-needed aid money to turn the goals into reality, and this conference – combined with your keepy-uppys – was a chance to kickstart that vital progress.
So don't just watch the action in South Africa, grab a ball and get yourself filmed. A lot of very powerful people will get a timely reminder to keep their promises on delivering aid money – as well as getting a chance to check out your beautiful ball skills.
Find out more and upload a video
Why aid?
Spent well and targeted effectively, foreign aid money is a massive force for good. It means kids in schools. Trained nurses. Clean water. It means whole communities – even whole countries – facing the future with hope, not fear.
But in 2009, nearly half of the world's richest countries actually cut the amount they spent on aid. That's a joke. It’s seriously unjust. And it means that millions of people are being denied a new start.
But together, we can make change happen, and – with the Millennium Development Goals conference planned for September – this is the year to get it done.
It's time to kick off.
Get ready for sportivism
The world’s biggest football event, the World Cup, has just finished, only a couple of months ahead of a momentous summit on the Millennium Development Goals. Taking place in Africa for the first time, the tournament was a prime opportunity to kick start a spot of sportivism.
sport·tiv·ism [spohrt-tuh-viz-uhm]
–noun
1.the practice of using athletic-based activity or involvement as a means of achieving campaigning, political or other goals: volunteers employed sportivism to highlight the importance of aid
Origin:
2010; Oxfam. Var. of activism. See active, sport, -ismIt’s the perfect time to get involved. So here are a few ideas to help you get your game plan together.
Download the 'sportivism' guide.
If you've got an afternoon...
Go out and film! Take your football and video camera (or camera phone) down to your town square/screening of a football match/your local football club/etc. and get people to show off their keepy-uppy skills on camera.
Find out what you need to get your clips together for the campaign.
If you’ve got a couple of hours…
Get everyone round! Invite all your friends over for a football party. Watch the game on TV, film your friends doing keepy-uppys at half-time, and let people know a bit about the MDGs during the quiet moments. It’s simply really – just watch the footy and get people fired up while you’re at it.
Download your yellow card for your friends
If you’ve got an hour…
Cards in the windows. Have a think about your local neighbourhood. Are there any sports shops or sports bars that you could get to spread the word about ‘Don’t drop the ball on aid’? Get in touch and see if they would put some info cards in the window. Are there any local football stars you could get to do a keepy-uppy video in front of local journalists? Once you’ve made connections in your community, you’ll probably start to think of lots of people you can get involved. So let us know your pearls of wisdom at www.oxfamblogs.org/enabler.
If you’ve got half an hour…
Comment on everything! Spend some time searching for relevant comment pages and forums where you can tell people about ‘Don’t Drop the Ball on Aid’. You could leave a comment on football blogs, aid websites, your favourite team’s website, or even get them to embed the video showing off all those great ball skills. Throw in some vital stats and a couple of links to some online information about global poverty, and add instant depth to conversations about Rooney’s latest performance.
- More info to share about why aid is important
- Get the video
If you've got five minutes...
Give your friends the yellow card! Take a picture of yourself holding the ‘Don’t drop the ball on aid’ yellow card and upload it to your Facebook and Twitter profiles. This tiny action has the potential to get people talking and finding out more about some of the most important global issues.
If you've only got a minute...
Tweet! Start following @oxfamgb and @dontdropball, let your friends know what you’re up to, and start tweeting. Retweet Oxfam’s posts, including the hash tags #dontdropball and any other trending topics – and keep an eye out for #worldcup2010 too.
And if you’re new to Twitter have a look at the how to use Twitter guide.
Thank you
Thanks for your amazing efforts and, of course, they don’t need to end when the final whistle blows in South Africa. Please carry on campaigning right up to the MDG summit in September – and we’ll make sure world leaders get the message that it’s time to keep their promises on aid. Because dropping the ball just isn’t an option.
