YOUNGSTERS in Fleetwood are to present a display to highlight the death toll of children in debt-ridden developing countries.
Rainbows, Brownies and Guides will join together with Sunday School children on Saturday (June 10) to raise awareness for the Jubilee 2000 Coalition campaign which urges the world's richest countries to "drop the debt".
The display at The Mount Methodist Church is taking place during the Rainbows' Fair on Saturday which will involve stalls, games and a bouncy castle, but will also give people the opportunity to sign petitions, or pick up postcards addressed to influential figures asking them to get rid of the debts. Campaigners will gather with placards behind 19 pairs of children's shoes, symbolically placed to represent the 19,000 children who, they say, die every day as a result of the debt situation.
They think the money being spent on debt repayments to wealthier countries, including the UK, could be spent on valuable health care instead.
Local campaign organiser Margaret Walmsley says: "The campaign already has wide support among MPs, including Gordon Brown and Clare Short, but to convince other nations in time for July we need huge popular pressure."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article