BREAK THE CHAINS OF OPPRESION AND THE YOKE OF ...

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„Don’t Leave Us Hanging! “ – Against
Child Poverty
A Campaign by the Evangelical Church of Westphalia
Praeses Alfred Buss, Bielefeld, Germany
Preface
A child appears in dirty clothes and
shapeless shoes, in winter wearing
summer clothing; another comes
without sandwiches for the interval,
without a writing-block or
drawing-pad; one is always ill when
an outing is planned, makes excuses
when the group wants to go together
to the swimming-baths.
These are everyday observations in
our day-nurseries, schools confirmation classes, work with children and young
people. Newspapers report that children steal others’ sandwiches; pastors tell us
that parents abstain from baptism or confirmation because there is no money for
the celebration.
In some parts of the town this occurs only rarely, in others frequently. It can no
longer be denied: Here in Germany there are once again poor children, children
who do not have the bare necessities, children who cannot always participate in
the daily life of their �friends � in �the group or school � class. � We see ourselves challenged
as the Evangelical Church of Westphalia to name child poverty in a
wealthy land what it is: a scandal. Consequently we are now conducting a campaign
against child poverty. The motto is: “Don’t leave us hanging!”
Those who receive, for example, feel that they have been left hanging. “Poverty
does not exist first in the underprovision of material goods but is already there
when people cannot take part with their abilities in the life shared by all” I said
to our Regional Synod in 2006. The core of poverty is the lack of participation,
i.e. exclusion.
“Poverty hinders people from committing themselves and their talents to their
own survival and the good of all.” It is a vicious circle – no school certificate, no
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– AGAINST CHILD POVERTY –
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