Many of the poorest people in the world live in developing countries, which have often been paying more in debt repayments than on the health of their citizens.

In the DRC, for example, in just four months the country spends on debt repayment what it would cost to pay the salaries of 141,000 nurses for a year.

Cancel the Debt is urging the Government to promote keeping money in developing countries by cancelling debt owed to G20 countries and the IMF and World Bank, and to private lenders such as international banks and hedge funds.

I hope that readers will support this campaign, bearing in mind the words of Pope Francis in his encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti: ‘This means finding a way to ensure the fundamental right of peoples to subsistence and progress…..

Whilst respecting the principle that all legitimately acquired debt must be repaid, the way in which many poor countries fulfil this obligation should not end up compromising their very existence and growth.

BERNARD WHITE

Wool