How A Gig Can Help Fight Poverty And Injustice

I work for the international development charity ActionAid. Ok, I know; you hate chuggers, you think Bono’s a tw*t and you’re bored of being made to feel guilty all the time.

A few years ago ActionAid started Bollocks to Poverty, a network to raise awareness of the issues facing people in developing countries. We think that doing something to help shouldn’t have to be an exercise in smug worthiness or force you to part with money you don’t have. There are four of us on the team and we try to promote creative ways to get involved in the fight against poverty. One of these is putting on an event with the Bollocks to Poverty tour.

It can be any kind of event you like. Most of the dates are gigs and club nights but in the past we’ve had house parties, art exhibitions and fashion shows. We provide the materials (posters, badges, stickers, temporary tattoos), the advice and we can help you advertise, but it’s your show. You can raise money, awareness, or both. Money really helps us do what we do, but spreading the message is the most important thing.

The hard part for people like us is always convincing people that doing this sort of thing actually makes a difference. For me what it comes down to is this. You’re living in a rich, powerful nation with a lot of influence internationally. Our government can make real change happen, but they aren’t moved to do anything without pressure from us. You don’t have to be an expert, you just have to be opposed to what’s happening.

Finally, here’s why I think ActionAid is different and worthy of your attention. It works directly with some of the poorest people in the world and their communities to ensure they can have the power to end their own poverty. It’s genuinely international (our head office is in Johannesburg) and rather then just handing out aid, they help people fight for their basic rights and address the root causes of poverty.

The Bollocks to Poverty tour is a really fun, creative way of making some noise about these issues, and it doesn’t hurt your CV either. Find out more here – http://www.actionaid.org.uk/bollocks