Farnham Jubilee Debt Campaign Group

Farnham Jubilee Debt Campaign group was created when the UK played host to the G8 Summit in Birmingham in 1998 and a coach from Farnham joined the 70,000 campaigners from other parts of the country in calling for an end to unpayable debts for the developing world.

That demonstration succeeded in getting debt cancellation on the G8 agenda and by 2005 it had reached the top of the list proving the power of peaceful campaigning.

The Farnham group meets regularly to arrange ways of keeping the pressure on the Government to deliver on its promises. It does this by writing to newspapers, involving our local MP, writing to Government Ministers and participating in national campaigns organised by Jubilee Debt Campaign, Christian Aid and CAFOD.

In 2005 Farnham Jubilee Debt Campaign Group joined the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY coalition of faith groups, trade unions and charities calling for Debt Cancellation, Better Aid and Fairer Trade for the developing world.

In April 2005 a day of information on the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY issues was arranged in Guildford and three coachloads of supporters travelled to Edinburgh in July for the rally ahead of the G8 summit at Gleneagles.

In 2006 we will be asking for the harmful conditions attached to debt relief to be removed in a campaign called "Cut the Strings".

In January 2006 19 countries have had all past debts to the International Monetary Fund cancelled.

Poor countries still pay $100 million every day to the rich world for debts that were built up through reckless lending and many countries spend more on debt than on health and education.

Debt cancellation has doubled the number of children in primary school in Uganda, and paid for a free childhood immunisation programme in Mozambique.