Two sides of the same coin: poverty 

Many of the factors which cause poverty are the same across the world, and require similar approaches to deal with them - a report from a recent conference hosted by Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty

'The more we shared our stories and experiences from communities in Angola and Greater Manchester, the more themes emerged and the more connections we began to make,' said Dr Clare McBeath, Baptist minister and co-Principal of the Northern Baptist Learning Community.

Dr McBeath (pictured right) was speaking after a conference jointly organised by Christian Aid and Church Action on Poverty, which explored tackling global and UK poverty, and the links between them.

More than 100 people gathered in Manchester Methodist Central Hall for the event, hosted a few weeks after church leaders from Greater Manchester had spent time visiting both Christian Aid partners in Angola and CAP’s projects in Manchester. The purpose of this was to allow those working towards the same goal to witness first-hand the positive effects of each other’s efforts, and maybe learn from them.

Niall Cooper, Director of Church Action on Poverty said these visits "reinforced the need to re-think our old ideas that poverty in Africa and poverty on our own doorstep are totally different things."

'In an increasingly globalised and unequal world, it is increasingly important to see the connections between poverty "North and South",’ he said.

'Sharing stories of the everyday struggles of people in poverty in Angola and in Manchester brought this to life in a very powerful way.'

Delegates heard that in both ‘developed’ Northern countries, such as the UK, and in ‘developing’ Southern countries, such as Angola, poor communities lack a voice in decisions that affect them. Unfair tax, employment, and business structures often prevent them from escaping poverty. These issues therefore require similar approaches to deal with them.

As well as sharing experiences about urban poverty in both the developed North and Global South, the conference explored practical ways for local churches to respond to poverty.

Helen Howe, Christian Aid’s Regional Coordinator for Greater Manchester, felt the day provided real insight for both sides. 'When trying to tackle poverty, we can no longer think about a country's wealth,' she said. 'It is more about poor communities than poor countries.

'It was good to recognise that all churches have a responsibility to focus on poverty here in the UK as well as abroad; both need tackling, and the methods for doing so are very similar.'

Dr McBeath, one of the speakers and church leaders part of the Angola delegation, called for originality and bravery in bringing poverty issues together.

'No longer is it a case of supporting either work in the global south or responding to issues on our doorstep,' she said, 'Rather this is a call to engage with our shared story, to respond with creative and courageous imagination, that together we might learn from each other and start community by community to celebrate signs of God's kingdom.'