The UN General Assembly has adopted a powerful definition of child poverty, acknowledging that while poverty harms everyone, children experience poverty differently.

“Children living in poverty are deprived of nutrition, water and sanitation facilities, access to basic health-care services, shelter, education, participation and protection, and that while a severe lack of goods and services hurts every human being, it is most threatening and harmful to children, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, to reach their full potential and to participate as full members of the society,” according to the General Assembly in its annual resolution on the rights of the child. See full report

MAU is mobilizing the Mama's. It's time for us to go public.

STEP ONE: Have a look at the facts on our current british spending and how little it would take to end extreme poverty for children both here in the UK and worldwide.

STEP TWO: YOU decide where the money needed should come from.

STEP THREE: Talk, talk, talk about it!

Print our handy wallet size reference guide now. (pdf)
It contains all the information you'll need to share the facts on child poverty with everyone you know. Hand them out.

STEP FOUR: Tell your MP.

MAU TIP: A handwritten letter, either faxed or posted the old fashioned way, continues to be the most effective way to be heard. Feel free to include a picture of the family.

See sample letter below for more ideas. For text version (word)

You can also find your MP's contact information here.

Sample Letter to your MP: Larger

Extra Credit:

ORGANIZE A FIELD TRIP TO YOUR LOCAL MP

Schedule a field trip to one or more of your local council offices and speak to your MP in person. Bringing your commitment to fund the MDGs, some facts and a group of passionate mums and children into the offices of your elected leaders can go a long way towards assuring her/his support for full funding. Can you imagine? Find a complete field trip recipe here (click here for "how to").

To take even further action:

End Child Poverty in the UK:

Save the Children are taking action to end child poverty in the UK by writing to MP's to request more realistic resources for the poorest children in the UK. Join their campaign: www.savethechildren.org.uk

End Child Poverty Worldwide:

Unicef UK are taking action on global child poverty by lobbying MP's to support a new legislation; ensuring that the MDG target of 0.7% of our total budget is reached and that detailed reports on the UK's international development assistance should be published annually. Join their campaign: www.unicef.org.uk