Keep the Promise Rally: the UK’s biggest event to End Child Poverty

Sign up at www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/promise

Poor children are excluded from participating in society. Many are unable to afford school trips and activities; school uniforms or warm winter clothes, to go swimming, have friends round for tea or celebrate birthdays. Many will never have a holiday.

Children who grow up poor often do not reach their potential and are more likely to leave school without qualifications, which impacts on their ability to get a good job and financially contribute to society.

Poverty also affects health, the life expectancy of the poorest children is a decade shorter and infant mortality is twice as high.

Child poverty impacts on us all. It is a feature of an increasingly unequal society and a drain on the economy. Estimates are that not ending child poverty cost £40 billion a year - £600 a year for every adult and child in the country.

While child poverty more than doubled between in 1979 and 1997, in the last 10 years 600,000 children were lifted out of poverty. Unfortunately since 2007 the number of children in poverty increased by 200,000.

The Government has promised to halve child poverty by 2010 and end it by 2020, but the halving target is in jeopardy. An extra £3 billion would cut the number of children in poverty to half the level in 1997.

The Government has the power to keep their promise. We need your help to hold them to it. Don’t let the Government off the hook - speak up for children in poverty. Together we can make a difference.

Why are we holding the Keep the Promise rally now?

If the Government is to meet its targets to halve child poverty levels by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020, it will need to have programmes in place, and adequately funded in the budget, by spring 2009. So this is a crucial time for the eradication of child poverty.

With the financial situation as it is, we must put significant and sustained public pressure on the Government to ensure failure to keep the promise is not a political option, so we are holding the Keep the Promise: End Child Poverty rally to engage more people than ever before and be the largest ever event to end child poverty in the UK.

On Saturday October 4th, with the Government in danger of failing to meet it’s promise, tens of thousands of children, young people, families and others will gather in Trafalgar Square to send this message to the Government.

This will be a unique opportunity to create a strong and visible signal to the Government, all main political parties and wider public, of the significant support the eradication of child poverty has, so do join us.

Help Keep the Promise. Make a difference to the millions of children living in poverty in the UK today.

Who we are?

The Campaign to End Child Poverty (ECP) is a coalition of over 130 organisations – including charities, trade unions and faith groups - leading a campaign to eradicate child poverty in the UK.

The Campaign to End Child Poverty has three aims, to inform public debate about the effect and cause of child poverty; to forge commitments across the public, private and voluntary sectors to end child poverty and to promote the case for ending child poverty to Government, future governments and civil servants.

"Poverty can affect every aspect of a child’s life, from poor health to their success at school and later in work and escaping from poverty is more difficult than it was. There is a real economic case for UK PLC to hit the vital target of halving child poverty by 2010. Doing so will increase tax revenues and reduce both health and criminal justice costs. But the moral case is even more compelling. We cannot continue to condemn children to failure because they are unlucky enough to be born into families with too little money."
Martin Narey, Chair, End Child Poverty

‘Child poverty is the scar that demeans Britain.’ Gordon Brown, Prime Minister, 1 March 2008.

‘We can end poverty - I mean it!’ David Cameron, Leader of the Conservatives, 1 May 2008.

‘It isn’t good enough when the very number of days you will spend on this planet are determined by the place and circumstances of your birth.’ Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, 12 March 2008.

Key information for Saturday 4th October 2008

 11.30am onwards Assemble on Millbank, near Lambeth Bridge

 12.30pm March through Westminster to Trafalgar Square

 2.00pm Family fun and speakers in Trafalgar Square

 2.30 pm Mass Moment

Keep the Promise: End Child Poverty - let’s create a better future for all our children.