Sam’s set to ‘lobby for poor’ in capital

Andrew Mathieson
CHARITY might start at home, but for one benevolent Geelong teenager poverty will end at Canberra.
Grovedale’s Sam Perkins will rug up with hundreds of others to hit the road on a bus trip for Federal parliament to confront Australia’s leading decision-makers to ensure they “do their fair share to end global poverty”.
The Kardinia International College year 10 student has been appointed one of 1000 Make Poverty History ambassadors to head a campaign to speak to 100,000 people nationwide about the financial epidemic ravaging the Third World.
Sam said he was keen to first take aim at more than 50 federal pollies in a series of forums, stage meetings and community events about increasing foreign aid.
However, he admitted lobbying was a new experience.
“I haven’t done anything big like this before,” Sam said.
“When I first got involved I just started learning about poverty and about how big a problem it is.”
Sam was inspired to join Australia’s biggest continuous mobilisation after discovering the world had reduced poverty from 42 per cent of the population in 1990 to 19 per cent just two decades later.
“In just one generation we’ve more than halved global poverty – this shows how success is possible,” he said.