One Year Bible

The Proverbs reading today has this line - "A poor person's farm may produce much food but injustice sweeps it away."

I go into schools quite regularly to talk about Fairtrade and try to encourage young people to think about the things they buy.  Invariably some kid will ask a question something along these lines - "Why do people in the Third World always need our money?" Or "Why are they always poor and asking for our help?"

It's a good question. From the perspective of the teenagers that I'm talking to Africa has always had its hand out begging.  What they don't realise is that Africa is one of the richest continents on the planet. It's mineral wealth is staggering.  Think of diamonds in Sierra Leone and South Africa, it's agricultural wealth is incredible. Think of how much food Zimbabwe alone was once able to produce.  Even Ethiopia, a place synonymous with famine, manages to keep Starbucks going year after year with gorgeous coffee.

And so I have to answer them in words very similar to those in the Proverbs reading.  They beg because we steal.  They beg because the injustice of a world trade system that is set up to make the rich richer and the poor working harder drives nations that would otherwise be wealthy in their own right to sell their riches at knock-down prices.

Part of me hates the look of confusion that is often generated when teenagers begin to see how their world is set up but hopefully one or two will be inspired to get angry rather than confused and go out some day and make a difference in this world to fix some of that injustice.

For more info go to -

www.fairtrade.ie

www.flo.org