About Simply Sharing Week

What is Simply Sharing Week?

Simply Sharing Week is an opportunity for communities in Australia to work together to learn and act in order to make the world a better place. Each year the injustice in the world is acknowledged and the Simply Sharing program tries to make a difference by focusing educational attention on a particular theme or project.

Simply Sharing suggests a movement towards living simply and sharing what we have. It suggests, too, that we can make a difference to the massive problems of injustice and poverty in the world: by making some sacrifices in our own lives, we can help to bring hope into the lives of others.

Teachers/parish leaders are invited to use the educational activities with their classes in schools and in parishes and to encourage participants to be active and involved in raising awareness of global issues of injustice.

The 2009 program focuses on the food crisis.

By demonstrating their concern and involvement to Australian MPs and Senators, participants can give a voice to the millions throughout the world who are denied one of the fundamental rights – the right to food.

In 2000, the Australian government was one of the 191 signatories of the Millennium Declaration and promised to increase international aid to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We have until 2015 to achieve the MDGs.

Simply Sharing Week is committed to holding the Australian government accountable to the promise it made. In 2009, the focus is on the key promise to –

“Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger” (MDG1)

What did we sign on to?

"We will spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty, to which more than a billion of them are currently subjected…. (and) To grant more generous development assistance, especially to countries that are genuinely making an effort to apply their resources to poverty reduction."
Millennium Declaration, 2000.

UN Millennium Development Goals:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop global partnerships for development

In 2009, Simply Sharing Week aims to encourage Australians to call on their Government to increase aid and review relevant policies, to ensure that there is progress towards improved food security.