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Where were you on 2nd July? Perhaps you were enjoying the sunny weather in your garden, hitting the shops, on holiday, or maybe you just can't remember. It will be a very long time before I forget 2nd July 2005. I joined hundreds of thousands of people (more, I'm sure than the figure reported in the press) first in the Meadows, listening to inspiring speakers and musicians, then forming a six hour long continuous white band round the streets of central Edinburgh. First, great patience was required. There were so many people that we queued for nearly two hours just to start marching! The first people had returned before we set off, and we returned before a lot more people had set off. The whole march had a real family atmosphere. People very young, very old and all ages in between, from all walks of life were united in a desire to "Make Poverty History". The people of Edinburgh had put up supportive posters and many had turned out to watch, either on the streets or waving from windows and doorways. At 3pm flares were fired from near the castle to mark the start of a minute's silence. It was sobering to reflect that during that silence, twenty children had died due to poverty. A huge noise greeted the minute's end and the long march continued. While walking and on the journey back I was encouraged to think so many of my fellow citizens cared enough to have turned out. I reflected too on the thousands more who were there in spirit, unable to come on the day. On Thursday evening I attended a "Making Poverty History" service in Lanercost Priory. The words of Archbishop Oscar Romero were read out "all the earth's millions are good for nothing, are worthless compared to a human being. The person is Christ and in the person viewed and treated with faith, we look on Christ the Lord". There was also a personal plea from a teacher from Tanzania, over on an exchange with some of his students. The promises of the G8 summit to cancel debt for some African countries, to double aid (by 2010) and to review damaging trade practices are, I believe the result of the direct action of millions of people round the world. The outcome of this summit is only the beginning of the end. We must retain our white bands, seek justice for all our brothers and sisters worldwide, and commit ourselves to change, to life and to God if we are truly working towards a world where poverty is history. Sue Ward Published in the August 2005 edition of the Church Magazine
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