IT was a simple yet profound message – when it comes to fighting poverty "the more we do the more lives we save".
These words permeated through the crowd who gathered at the Queen Street Mall in Brisbane for the launch of Caritas Australia's Project Compassion Lenten Appeal.
On hand was former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd who told the story of how he saved a baby's life on a visit to a refugee camp in the Horn of Africa last year.
"His name was Sadak," Mr Rudd said, waving a photo of himself with the baby.
Mr Rudd said 22,000 children died worldwide each day from starvation, malnutrition or from diseases that arose from such conditions.
He said those deaths however, did not make the Australian news headlines.
"(Through) Caritas we can do something about this in a very practical way," he said.
"The more we do, the more lives we save, not just saving lives but the more people are able to live life to the fullest."
He praised the work of the primary and secondary school students from a number of Catholic schools and colleges who were present, reminding the audience that "good kids" like them made such work possible.
The money raised by Project Compassion helps end poverty and promotes justice around the world to improve lives.
This year's theme is about "Encouraging Self Reliance"
Mr Rudd was joined by Caritas Australia CEO Jack de Groot, Mercy Sister Joan Doyle, who works with the poor of Peru and Brigidine College student Tess David who in 2011 was personally affected by the Brisbane floods.
However, this did not stop her and fellow Brigidine students from fundraising for Project Compassion.
Sr Doyle, who is Director of Mercy Family Health Service in Lima, Peru, told the crowd the only way to approach poverty and achieve real outcomes was to have the generous support of Australians.
Executive Director of Catholic Education David Hutton encouraged school communities to get behind this year's appeal
"With your support, we can help the worlds poor become self-sufficient so they don't need to rely on charity," he said.
Teaching resources for schools can be found at www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion