Micah Challenge is the Christian response to the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) set by the United Nations in 2000.

Please look up www.micahchallenge.org.au for regular updates and current events.

Who are they?

Micah Challenge is a global movement of Christian agencies, churches, groups and individuals which aims to deepen people’s engagement with the poor and to help reduce poverty as an integral part of their Christian faith.

Micah Challenge takes its name from the prophet Micah, who wrote, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8.

Jesus and the Old Testament prophets spoke about God’s deep concern and compassion for the poor. As followers of Jesus, we must work together to deepen our own commitment to justice and kindness.

Micah Challenge has two main purposes:

1. Inward Reflection: to prayerfully encourage Christians to walk humbly with God and seek His heart for people in poverty.
Micah Challenge firstly aims to deepen the commitment of Christians to the idea of an integrated gospel of good news – to proclaim and demonstrate the love of Jesus to a world in need. We want Christians from all backgrounds to show God’s kindness and justice, in response to the words of Micah.

2. Outward Action: to inspire and equip Christians to do justice and love kindness by being prophetic voices to our government and community on behalf of the poor and oppressed.
Secondly, Micah Challenge aims to be a prophetic voice calling upon and influencing leaders around the world to defend the rights of the poor and oppressed (Ps 82). Micah Challenge urges decision makers to fulfil their promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals on global poverty by 2015.

Micah Challenge Australia gives local expression to the international movement. It is envisaged that at key times, all national campaigns will co-operate on a common strategies and that at all times groups will share resources, theological ideas and website information. Micah Challenge partners with Make Poverty History and is a part of the Make Poverty History coalition in Australia. Internationally, Micah Challenge is a member of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) .

Millennium Development Goals
In September 2000, all 189 member states of the United Nations signed on to the Millennium Development Goals – a set of eight targets which aim to halve world poverty by 2015. Each target has clear indicators to measure progress and success.

The goals, which all have a target date of 2015, are:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
a. reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar (US) a day
b. reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education
a. ensure that all children complete primary schooling

3. Promote gender equality and empower women
a. ensure girls have the same access to education as boys

4. Reduce child mortality
a. cut infant and child deaths by two thirds

5. Improve maternal health
a. reduce by three quarters the proportion of women dying in childbirth

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
a. halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
b. begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other diseases like TB

7. Ensure environmental sustainability
a. reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water
b. transform the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020
c. reverse the loss of environmental resources

8. Develop a global partnership for development
a. address issues such as trade, debt, aid and public health to promote economic growth and poverty reduction

For more information on the goals see the following link www.micahchallenge.org.au

Information sourced from www.micahchallenge.org.au