The Make Poverty History Campaign came to an official end in January 2006. Comic Relief is part of the Make Poverty History coalition, having played a major role in the development of the concept and the brand in 2004. We are represented on the coordination team (the decision making body of the coalition) and have been extremely active in supporting activity, both in the UK and in G8 countries, from January to July 2005.

http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/

Comic Relief launched the Debt Wish campaign in June 1999, with two live events at Brixton Academy in support of the international Jubilee 2000 movement to Drop the Debt. The top quality line-up included Ali G, Rowan Atkinson, Steve Coogan in Alan Partridge mode, the Fast Show, League of Gentlemen and Smack the Pony.

Over 150,000 people registered their support for our campaign. From Lusaka to Lisbon, literally millions of people around the world added their names to the world's biggest ever petition to cancel third world debt.

As part of the campaign Anthony Minghella directed a short film about debt, called 'We Don't Want It', for Comic Relief. It depicts an African family working to bring in money and giving it 'back' to UK residents in an English street. It was shown to Gordon Brown who requested further copies to show the G7 leaders.

Children's Promise

Everyone in the UK was asked to give their final hour's earnings of the last millennium to the children of the next. The campaign was promoted for both new years in 1999 and 2000. A staggering £21.5 million was raised.
Seven leading children's charities joined together to take part in the Children's Promise. They were Barnardo's, BBC Children in Need, ChildLine, The Children's Society, Comic Relief, NCH Action for Children, and the NSPCC. All funds raised through the Children's Promise were evenly distributed to each of these seven charities to provide the largest ever non-governmental programme of new services for children ever seen in the UK.