“Welcome to the Tony Blair Faiths Foundation
Faiths Act Campaign. Faiths Act will mobilize global faith communities
to come together and achieve multi-faith action on issues of crucial
importance in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals. Our first
goal is to end deaths caused by malaria. Put simply, between one and
three million people die of malaria each year most of them children
under five and pregnant mothers living in sub-Saharan Africa. Their
deaths are preventable. In Africa 40% of the victims are Muslim. But
across much of Asia malaria continues to strike and combating it is a
huge opportunity for people across the faiths to act in unison: Hindus,
Sikh, Buddhists as well as the Abrahamic faiths. We call, therefore, on
the four billion people of faith in the world to help do more to end the
scourge of malaria.
“We can prevent such catastrophic losses
with just a few simple steps. One ten dollar or five pound insecticide
treated bed net can protect an entire household. Medications that treat
malaria and prevent it from causing death are well established and could
be made readily available to even the most remote infected communities.
Churches, mosques, other places of worship are ideally placed for
distribution networks and community-based health education initiatives.
“So, the foundation is working to bring
people of all faiths – and none – together to respond the UN Security
General’s urgent call for universal bed net coverage by 2010. And, our
immediate campaign is a drive to raise one million bed nets by September
the 25th, 2008, the date of the next UN General Assembly and
the midway point to achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
“It’s been one month since the Faiths Act
campaign was launched and in that short time we’ve received thousands of
emails from people from all over the world including the UK, US, Spain,
Pakistan, Kenya, Turkey, Uganda, India, Tanzania and Chile – all people
who support this cause and want to know how they can help.
“On our website you will find toolkits and
resources that explain how you can get involved with our efforts.
Please download them and share them with your friends and family and
your own in other faith communities. Create multi-faith events and
raise awareness for malaria prevention. Become an activist for the good
that faith can do in the world.
“To those of you who have already begun to
work, I would like to say, “Thank you.” It’s only with your help that
we can accomplish the tasks that are set out before us. But, secondly,
I would like to ask you to send us examples of what you’re doing within
your own faith communities and those of others to help end deaths caused
by malaria so that then we can share them here on the website and let
others around the world be inspired by your activism.
“I’ve been so impressed by many of the
emails we have received detailing your individual efforts. It’s my
hope, therefore, that in sharing your ideas and stories here on the
website we can motivate others as well. Malaria doesn’t discriminate
between religions and so we have to come together across faith lines to
fight it. So, please, join us to fund a million bed nets by September
the 25th. Go to
www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org to find out more. Thank you.”