Post your thoughts on tackling poverty and helping families in the developing world

what's going on? how has this thread split into two?

Is it me or are there now 2 threads exactly the same?

I'm beginning to think I ought to see someone again, if no-one can see it I'm going to panic!

Hope that Mr Alexander pays attention to all of this and that this isn't just a PR gimmick. Sorry to be cynical, but please do LISTEN Mr Alexander, because I don't feel as though politicans give a flying fuck about what we, the people, think. I often feel as though we are treated like children and they are adults who 'know best'.

The 3rd world countries are so poor,the Iraq, Iran, & relating areas are torn apart by war,Mexico has ooddles of resources, but for some reason they are not developing them, & the natives just want to get into America & get jobs, or welfare.American border states (with Mexico)are having a terrible time trying to keep Mexicans in Mexico.I wish these wars would stop.Maybe things would get better.When I see on the TV the poor innocent mothers & children, I feel like crying.

everything aloha said

Many good suggestions here. My only contribution is to re-emphasise the importance of the re-distribution of wealth from wealthy elite to the majority. Fair trade, micro-credit and education are the main means that this can be achieved (and not pointless pr exercises).

Basic and effective public health measures: clean water, sanitation, vaccination, contraception. Then education for all (ie including girls and women), and a commmitment from us in the developed world to think about where our cheap goods come from, and why they are so damn cheap. Fair trade on the widest possible scale.

mosquito nets yes, but do pay attention to local custom/diff habits of mozzies: in some countries they are not just out at night therefore BEDnets a bit useless - also families might sleep together therefore giant bednight might be better than single/double

appropriate solutions for diff cultures

Sorry, also agree with much of the rest of thread but didn't want to repeat.

Put an end to the right to patent life forms, esp. plants like rice (which can be made GM) and spices like tumeric (which are currently free to use as medicines but which pharmaceutical companies are eyeing up).

Stop growing a ridiculous amount of food for the 'developed' world in countries that do not have food security, and allow them to go back to feeding themselves.

Understand that the local culture matters and needs to be respected. Sometimes this is necessary in order to facilitate change (encouraging contraception for example), sometimes it may be that 'our' way isn't actually right for a particular community.

housing, sanitation, education and basic facilities to stop diseases like diarrhoea from killing. also facilities for safe pregnancy/childbirth - spend a bit more than something like 32c on a woman's health in countries like sudan and afghanistan. oh and stop the medical brain drain to western countries.

Oh and give funding to the doctors urgently trying to find a vaccine for malaria

Stop wasting money on murderous illegal wars for a start. To be fair GB is clearly trying to get out of the killing fields of Iraq asap, but maybe he should have thought about that before voting for it in the first place.
Come down hard on governments and theocracies which want aid while denying women basic human rights.
Make it foreign policy to take action when you are repeatedly told that a genocide is on the way that will involve displacing millions of people.
Stop wasting money on bloated 'consultants' such as Price Waterhouse. It is OBSCENE.
Work with the major charities instead. they know what they are doing.
Clean water, women's rights and education have to be priorities. With education for women right up there at the top.

Interesting manifesto, Wrinkly

Just what would all these enforced migrants be doing in developing countries? What skills do they have to offer? Some people will have some skills to offer but the vast majority will not.

1. Issue every Person in the third world where malaria rife with free mosquito nets

I was just trying to work out efficient/inefficient

Weeeeeeeeelll its not exactly a lot of effort is it.. supply one photo, one press release type question, wait a few weeks as 250 thou MN'er read it as its strangely stuck to the top of active convo's (!) get flunkies to ponder answers and delete my and other expletives and come back with crowd pleasing answers

But I take you're point about benefit of the doubt

(without giving it)

On a macro-level, I often wonder whether or not it would be possible for the economically wealthiest nations to "adopt" the economically poorer ones with the commitment from both sides to achieve globally agreed objectives.

I realise that this sounds suspiciously colonial, but I was thinking more of the obligation being on the wealthier countries to help tackle the key issues and provide key investment and training.

On a micro-level - here is an unashamed plug for my charity of choice - does wonderful work.

www.ethiopiaid.org.uk/

"inefficient"

hanging on to your every word - well obviously not, but can you not give a politician the benefit of the doubt ever? if this was purly an exercise in getting labour's message accross it's avery nefficient one in the scheme of things.

"why we bother" ??

"politicians should just get on with stuff without bothering to tell anyone what they're doing"

So you think they're telling you exactly what they're doing ??

Ok
Not looking for a fight BUT
I was not making a comment on world poverty I was making a comment on politicians, and why exactly this question is on MN, surely they have enough unelected quango's to tell them what they want.
I am not niave enough to think that Mr Alexander is going to be hanging onto my every word about how to sort out World poverty, much as i'd love to, preferably in less than 50 words

yes, yadayada, world poverty is "party political bullshit". I don't know why we bother, we should all just go home to our nice heated, well stocked houses. and the politicians should just get on with stuff without bothering to tell anyone what they're doing.

ecapeFrom: we should aimfor those things, but how do propose to enforce laws in other countries? Can we really push other governments to change their penal laws? We can ask them to introduce things (eg a mnimum wage, which is what I was thinking of below), but asking them to change their sentences for rape is a much bigger thing isn't it?

Did I say pot luck questions

Sorry I meant spout party political bullshit

I would actually start doing something rather than relying on cheap publicity stunts like getting the International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander to ask potluck questions on a parenting site

This thread appears to have been 'stickied'.

-The education of girls

To educate girls about their reproductive systems before they become pregnant, to give them something other than motherhood to aim for.

-Improved women's rights

Including the right to say no to their husband, and the right to inherit. Equality would be good, but let's start with mere improvements.

-a serious legal penalty for rape, including marital rape.

So that when she says no, it is heard. Less pregnancies will result, less financial strain on the families.

-free contraception - hormonal and barrier

See above - less babies, more money.

-free voluntary sterilisation

see above.