MWR : MCC essays look at global debt relief

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March 8, 2010 issue

MCC essays look at global debt relief

WASHINGTON — The Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office awarded Corine Alvarez, a senior at Bethany Christian School in Goshen, Ind., the grand prize in its annual contest for her essay on the international debt crisis.

Alvarez

In the essay, “What Would Jesus Do About the International Debt Crisis,” she addressed the challenges facing developing countries that owe exorbitant sums of money to international financial institutions and Western governments. Debt repayment is prioritized over health care, education and job creation, Alvarez noted.

“Debt causes governing bodies to focus more on repaying the debt than caring for the people of the countries,” Alvarez wrote. “This dangerous cycle will not be broken unless change is implemented.”

As winner, Alvarez will receive a trip to Washington, which will include a visit to her congressional representative’s office.

Carl Lehmann, a student at Freeman (S.D.) Academy, and Sara Klassen, a senior at Bethany Christian School, won honorable mentions.

Lehmann’s essay, “Digging Deeper,” notes that the Jubilee Act currently in Congress “not only calls for debt relief but also attacks the root of the problem.”

Klassen’s essay, “The Plague of Nations: A Historical View of the Global Debt and Resolution Possibilities,” noted the theological roots of debt cancellation in the concept of the year of Jubilee in the Hebrew Bible.

Portions of the top essays will be reprinted at and in a forthcoming issue of Washington Memo, newsletter of the Washington Office.

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