Poverty Week
Schedule | Career Expo | Millennium Action Challenge | Poverty Week
this is OUR crisis...
We can be the generation that eradicates poverty. Will you be a part of it?
Poverty Week
4/14 - 4/17
hosted by
MIT's Global Poverty Initiative
contact: Poverty Showcase
All Week
Lobby10:
Self-made Tote Bag Printing
Book Sale (Common Wealth: Economics of a Crowded Planet by Jeff Sachs; A World without Poverty by Mohammad Yunus...)
Resource Manual and Event Guide Distribution
Registration for The Inaugural Millennium Conference
Monday, April 14
Movie Screening of Tsepong: A Clinic of Hope 7pm, 56-114 (Food & Beverages Provided)
A documentary capturing the journey of Canadian medical personnel as they race against time to administer life-saving drugs to patients in AIDS-ravaged Lesotho, Africa. Winner of 2006 Deborah Fletcher Award for Excellence in Filmmaking on International Development
Tuesday, April 15
Movie Screening of Choropampa, The Price of Gold 7pm, 6-120 (Food & Beverages Provided)
This is the story of a majestic Andean paradise - lost after a devastating mercury spill by the world's richest gold mining corporation. The US-owned mine says the situation is under control but the filmmakers encounter a starkly different reality. At least 900 people are poisoned and lack adequate medical care.
But hope is not lost. The town elects a dashing young mayor who promises to win health care and fair compensation for the spill victims. This simple farmer's son takes on corrupt politicians, slick company officials and shady medical experts. Months of tension culminate in a dramatic highway blockade but cracks in the community's unity have already begun to show. Using techniques of cinema verité and shocking archive material, this 2-year epic film exposes the real price of gold. One World Human Rights Film Festival, 2003
Wednesday, April 16
Movie Screening of Blood of Yingzhou District 7pm, 6-120 (Food & Beverages Provided)
The documentary tells the story of traditional Chinese obligations of family and village colliding with terror of AIDS, and how these forces play out in the lives of children in the remote villages of Anhui. Winner of Academy Award of Best Documentary Short Object, 2006. Eliza Petrow, an experienced field worker on HIV/AIDS in China will lead the discussion after the movie and talk about her experience working on the field in rural Anhui Province.
Simple Meal Service, 11am - 2pm, Lobby 10
Simple meal will be served during lunch time to simulate the only meal a child in extreme hunger has in a day. It is an opportunity to personally experience and reflect on the impact of extreme poverty, AIDS, and hunger. Suggested donation of $1.
Thursday, April 17
Movie Screening of Born into Brothels 7pm, 6-120 (Food and Beverages Provided)
A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, Born into Brothels is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of the children a camera and teaches them to look at the world with new eyes. Winner of Academy Award of Best Doumentary Feature, 2007
Art and Networking Fair 3pm-6pm, Cross Lounge (1st floor of Building 3) (Refreshment and Beverages Provided)
Poverty is examined through art, sounds, documentaries, jewelry, greeting cards and more. Artistic merchandises from developing countries will be sold. Also, this is a great opportunity to network with those who have great field experiences. Participants include Rare.org, Emergeglobal.org among many others.
Friday, April 18
Special Feature Screening of War Dance 7pm, location: 32-123
In the village of Patongo, located deep in Uganda's war zone, a group of students (many of whom escaped from the clutches of the L.R.A.) struggles to rise above the violence and desperation that surrounds them. Each year, a student music festival is held in Kampala, Uganda's capitol city, in which children from around the country compete for prizes in performing traditional music and dance. When the students of the Patongo Primary School are invited to compete for the first time, the children are both thrilled at their opportunity and determined to prove that in a place of violence and want, creativity and talent can still take root. Nominee of Academy Award of Best Documentary Feature, 2008