Religious groups lobby British MP's on global hunger

(Vatican Radio) In the UK, hundreds of members of religious orders, priests and lay associates are joining forces Wednesday to meet their Members of Parliament, MP’s, to push for action on global hunger.
The mass lobby has been organized by UK based Catholic development agency CAFOD as part of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign.
The IF initiative is a coalition of more than 170 organisations which have joined together to campaign for action by G8 countries on the issue of worldwide hunger.
The campaign “is recognising that the global food system is really broken and it’s impacting on poor everywhere, not just in the developing world, in every country”, says CAFOD campaigns coordinator Maria Elena Arana.
The Enough food for everyone IF campaign has four main goals…
It wants to see governments keep their promises on aid, invest to stop children dying from malnutrition and help the poorest people feed themselves through investment in small farmers.
For governments stop big companies dodging tax in poor countries, so that millions of people can free themselves from hunger.
To stop poor farmers being forced off their land, and use the available agricultural land to grow food for people, not biofuels for cars.
To force governments and investors to be honest and open about the deals they make in the poorest countries that stop people getting enough food.
So what kind of a voice do religious groups have on issues of great importance such as this? According Maria Elena their voice is a powerful one because many of them have first hand experience of how the poor live.
They are “seen as models and I think members of parliament in this country certainly recognise that they are people to be admired”…
CAFOD is a founder member of the “Enough food for everyone IF campaign” Listen to Lydia O’Kane’s interview with Maria Elena Arana