- ATD Fourth World

The Aim of the Campaign

- Support and put into contact those who are taking action and those who wish to take action with people in extreme poverty across the world, to build a different way of fighting against poverty. That is to say, a way which respects everyone’s dignity, which is firmly based on the thinking and suggestions of people in poverty, with the goal of ending poverty.

- Show that people taking action in this way are not isolated cases but already make up a social movement across the world. Certainly they are a minority, but a very dynamic one, creating real changes in all fields: access to housing, health care, education, work, training, new technologies, citizenship, culture, family life etc.

- Encourage new individuals to get involved to better understand the reality of extreme poverty and the ways of taking action, so that this social movement will develop. It is a matter of reaching all social circles and all age groups in as many countries as possible.

- Question common philosophical, cultural and religious thinking, and the academic and artistic worlds, so that they take into account this collective effort to struggle against poverty.

- Question public authorities at all levels - local, national and international - to ask them to recognise the energy of this social movement and to contribute to it. To do this they can find out about and take into account, in policy and administrative decision making, the positive results obtained by actors of this movement, and financially support these initiatives so that they develop more widely.

The Support needed for the Campaign

- All citizens can contribute to implementing one of the actions of this campaign. On a local level they can meet up to bring together their ideas and strength.

- Personalities of the cultural, artistic, spiritual, sports, economic, scientific and political worlds, on a national or international level, can show their support for this campaign by signing the Call to Action, by taking part in the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty on October 17, and by talking publicly about why they are doing so.

- The media can announce the campaign ‘Ending Extreme Poverty, A Road to Peace’ in their programmes and articles, and by publishing free advertising support.

- Public authorities can support the achievement of the “Ending Extreme Poverty, A Road to Peace” campaign’s actions by announcing them, by financing them or by material support (offices, public spaces).

- Individuals and economic actors can financially support the campaign ‘Ending Extreme Poverty, A Road to Peace’ in order to cover the charges this incurs, especially for collecting signatures for the Call to Action and the organisation of Rallies on the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty.

Send your donation to: ATD Fourth World / ATD Quart Monde, ‘Ending Extreme Poverty, a Road to Peace’