FAITHFUL YOUNG PEOPLE OF LEICESTER ACT AGAINST MALARIA

On Wednesday the 2^nd of December 2009, young people from Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Hindu and Jain faith backgrounds came together to discuss how the people of Leicester can join the global movement to help end deaths caused by Malaria, one of Africa’s biggest killers.

The initiative has been launched by Michael Tweed and Bilal Hassam who are 2 of 30 worldwide Faiths Act Fellows for the Tony Blair Faith Foundation working in conjunction with the St Philips Centre in Leicester. Their mission is to mobilise people of faith in Leicester to raise awareness and resources to promote the UN’s Millennium Development goals. They are already working to equip, inspire and empower the next generation of Young Leaders to help eliminate deaths from malaria. Malaria causes up to a million unnecessary deaths each year in Africa, as it is a disease that is both treatable, and preventable.

The night featured games, discussions, fresh-off-the-ground stories from Africa and launched exciting and innovative ways by which the people of Leicester can shape this global campaign. Raheema Caratella, Engagement Worker (Young Adults) at the St Philips Centre said “I am excited at the passion of these young leaders, there was a real buzz. I hope that together we can work to show how people of different faiths can work to build strong relationships whilst helping to tackle a major world problem”.

During the discussions, it was put to Anay, from Leicester, that “Young people aren’t that bothered about other people halfway around the world”. He responded; “the fact that we are here now shows that we care - we are now discussing our understanding of the problems across the world - like malaria. This shows that we all care.”  

Leo, a Christian from Leicester, said “We can work together. In our group what we were talking about was that because we live in a globalised world now, in a multicultural society, we are in an ideal position to be able to work together. There are so many areas in the different faiths that agree - for example, “love your neighbour”, and to work alongside one another. We are in an ideal position now, because we are so multicultural, whilst in the past that might have not been the case. We didn’t realise that we shared so much in common”. 

The Faiths Act Fellows are working on various other programs in Leicester right now, so if you’re interested in getting involved you can follow their progress via their website: www.faithsactfellows.org/leicester

Notes:
1. The Faiths Act Fellowship is a program by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation delivered by the Interfaith Youth Core

2. Faiths Act is the social action programme of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, delivered by the Interfaith Youth Core. The programme encourages multi-faith initiatives to tackle global poverty by working towards the Millennium Development Goals, with an initial focus on eliminating deaths from malaria. It aims to bring people together across faith divides to achieve even more together than apart. 

3. Worldwide, there are 250 million cases every year, and up to one million deaths annually. Pregnant women and their unborn children are particularly vulnerable.  The economic and social impacts are also devastating: Sick children miss school, tourism suffers, and foreign investment is stifled. Annual economic loss in Africa due to malaria is estimated to be $12 billion, representing a crippling 1.3 percent annual loss in GDP growth in endemic countries.

4. There is already a global coalition around malaria – the UN highlighted it as a major priority in 2008 – the mid-way point to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.  Global leaders committed $3 billion dollars in September 2008 to help eradicate deaths due to malaria.  Business, NGOs and the philanthropic worlds have put their weight behind the cause. The Tony Blair Faith Foundation hopes to begin a mass movement of multi-faith grass-roots activity around the MDGs, focusing on malaria.

5. For more information about the Faith Act Fellows in Leicester please contact bilal.hassam@faithsactfellows.org / 07825 770586

St Philip’s Centre is delighted to be hosting two fellows from the Faiths Act Fellows programme as part of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation. In October 2009, Bilal Hassam and Michael Tweed began an eight month opportunity at the Centre where they will work together with faith communities on raising awareness about the effects of malaria in Africa.

The Faiths Act Fellowship programme has been launched by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation in conjunction with the Interfaith Youth Core. The Fellowship will bring together a group of outstanding young leaders aged 18-25 drawn from the different faiths from the US, UK, and Canada to embark on a 10 month journey of interfaith service.  These young people, inspired by their faith traditions, will become the change-makers for the next generation.  Training begins with a 2-month intensive initiative that includes fieldwork with primary health care partners fighting deaths from malaria in Africa. Fellows will return to their home countries for 8 months to mobilize thousands of young people of faith to promote the Millennium Development Goals and spearhead the Faiths Act Together campaign.  They will work in interfaith pairs within faith-based host organisations, including the St Philips Centre.

The goal of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation is to promote respect and understanding between the major religions, to make the case for faith as a force for good and to show this in action by encouraging inter-faith initiatives to tackle global poverty and conflict.  By doing so, the Foundation aims to show the relevance of faith to the challenges of the 21^st Century and its ability to bring people together.