More Aid, Better Aid Campaign

Extreme poverty is one of the great tragedies of our time.
  • Each day more than 26,000 children die before reaching their fifth birthday. The causes are varied - premature birth, birth asphyxia, post-natal infection, pneumonia, measles, diahhroea. Yet according to the World Health Organisation two-thirds of these deaths could be prevented through practical, low cost interventions;
  • Every minute a woman dies from a pregnancy related complication. Common causes are haemmorhage, infection, unsafe abortion, ecclampsia, and obstructed labour. As with child mortality, most of these maternal deaths are preventable through the provision of known, accessible health services;
  • Approximately one in three people in the world are malnourished because they lack access to basic goods such as clean water, safe sanitation, sufficient quantities of nutritious food, and basic health care. Simple, affordable, practical solutions are available for all these.The poor simply can't afford them.

This situation can be turned around. Western nations once experienced high rates of extreme poverty, yet today extreme poverty is almost non-existent in the West. In our own lifetimes countries such as South Korea have overcome extreme poverty and hundreds of millions of people are being lifted out of poverty in China and India.

To be lifted out of poverty poorer countries need to grow their economies, develop effective systems of government, invest in basic services such as health, education and infrastructure, and address the various 'poverty traps' in which they may be stuck. Most however lack the resources to do this.

In 2005, the Millennium Development Project estimated that poorer countries had only 2/3 of the resources they require to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. These include halving the number of malnourished people; ensuring every child can go to school; ensuring girls and women have equal access to education, income and a share in decision-making; reducing the child mortality rate by two-thirds; reducing the maternal mortality rate by three-quarters; reversing the sread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria; reducing by two-thirds the number of people without access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation. Unless countries such as Australia make up the missing one-third of finances most of the world's poorer countries, even those with good governance, will not be able to achieve the goals.

This is why Catalyst groups are participating in the Micah Challenge campaign to seek more aid and better aid. We want the Australian Government to lift the aid budget to the international aid target of 0.7% of national income, and we want the Government to ensure that aid dollars are devoted to helping countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Campaign Achievements

More Aid
Since campaigning began in 2004 historically unprecedented increases in aid volume have been announced. Read more

Better Aid
Since campaigning began the quality of Australian aid has improved. Read more

Campaign Resources

Bible Studies
Samaritan Nation? is a three part small group bible study series that will help you understand aid in light of biblical themes about the poor. More Info | Download

How to Run An Aid Forum
A guide to running an aid forum with your local politicians. More Info | Download

More Aid, Better Aid FAQ
Answers to questions people ask about international aid. More Info | Download

More Aid, Better Aid Movie
A four and a half minute animation showing why Australia should increase its aid budget. More Info | Download

MP Talk Sheet
A talk sheet to help you speak with your MP about more aid and better aid. More Info | Download

Paper: A Case for Aid
A short paper putting forward the case for an increase in the Australian aid budget. More Info | Download

Paper: We Can Meet the Challenge
A report issued in 2008 demonstrating why Australia can and should achieve the international aid target of 0.7% of national income. More Info | Download