Because the unpayable debts of poor countries are causing needless suffering to ordinary people. Each year, seven million children in Africa are dying because of debt - that means 13 children die every minute. It is in Africa that debt is probably causing the most damage. Many African governments are forced to spend much more on debt repayments than on meeting their peoples' basic needs. Comic Relief is encouraging world leaders to cancel the unpayable debts owed by the world's poorest countries, and we'd like you to help.
All countries owe money to someone.
But it is fifty two of the world's poorest countries, most of which are in Africa, who owe the rich world around 213 billion. If these debts were to be repaid, it would have a devastating impact on the people who live there. At the moment, they are paying a total of 14 billion each year. Most of this is from countries, where the average person lives on less than a dollar a day. This is known as multilateral debt.