March 31, 2005
Publication title: Canada NewsWire, vol. -, Iss. -, pg. –
Place: Ottawa
Writer: Unknown
Sarah McLachlan, Bono, Brad Pitt and other international celebrities star in Make Poverty History video
OTTAWA , March 31 /CNW Telbec/ – In a provocative video ad campaign launched by the Make Poverty History campaign today, singer- songwriter Sarah McLachlan and other international celebrities are urging action to address the crisis of global poverty.
A child dies every three seconds as a result of extreme poverty. More than 10 million children are dying each year of hunger and preventable diseases.
The video ad teams McLachlan with a number of instantly recognizable celebrities – from Bono and Brad Pitt to Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Penelope Cruz, Liam Neeson, and Bob Geldof, to name a few.
The ad uses a dramatic click of the finger every three seconds to mark the death of a child as a result of abject poverty. Every day, poverty kills 50,000 people world-wide, including 30,000 children.
The Canadian video release coincides with the launch of the ad in the UK, where G8 nations are scheduled to meet in July.
McLachlan, a Halifax-born singer and multiple Grammy and Juno Award winner, brings the insight of years of advocacy work and philanthropy targeting poverty at home and abroad. She joins with a growing number of individuals, organizations, faith groups and academics, literary, artistic and sports figures challenging the governments of Canada and other G8 nations to provide more and better aid to developing countries, to make trade just and to cancel the debt of the poorest countries.
Gerry Barr, President-CEO of the Canadian Council for International Co- operation, a Make Poverty History campaign leader in Canada, says in the coming months, millions of people will see and hear the ‘click ad’ and be inspired to join the campaign: “Global responsibility is not an isolated crusade for charity,” says Barr. “It is an issue of equality and justice. The diversity of those willing to lend their voices to this campaign proves the responsibility to act is everyone’s.”
