Sit down for dinner with Raquel
Meal suggestion: Brazilian black bean stew (see the links section of the Youthwork for recipe suggestions).
Grace: God of our daily bread. Sit with us as we gather together to eat. May we draw strength from this food and from you to keep working for the better world you created. Amen.
Starter – meet Raquel
Raquel Rodrigues Ferreira lives on the outskirts of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil. She grew up in a slum on the edge of a rubbish tip, where her parents make a living sorting recycling from the waste. Her community had virtually no political influence and no power; as a result, the school Raquel attended hadn’t had any maintenance work done on it for over 30 years. When part of the roof fell in during class, Raquel decided she was going to do something about it.
After receiving training on budgets and political lobbying from Christian Aid partner INESC, Raquel and her friends went to a public council meeting, took the microphone and made their case for a bigger budget for her school. The next year, an extra 1 million dollars was allocated in the city council’s budget for maintenance and improvements in all Brasilia’s schools.
INESC’s work shows us that when citizens are empowered, they can hold governments to account for their actions and make sure that public money – raised through taxes – can be spent supporting those who need it most.
Main – chew it over
• What does it mean to have a voice?
• Do you know who your MP is? Have you ever written to or met them?
• If you asked the government to spend more money on something, what would it be?
Pudding – take action together
Find out who your MP is, if you’re not sure. Go to their website and find out what issues they’re interested in. Getting to know your MP and taking time to find out what they’ve been up to is a first step in building a relationship with the power to bring about change.
