ONE Blog
| Subscribe via RSS |  |
ONE Blog | |
What We're Reading | |
Policy News |
Please take a moment of silence to honor Bwalya Liteta
|
We are very sorry to announce that Bwalya Liteta, the 12-year-old girl featured in HBO and (RED)’s documentary, “The Lazarus Effect,” passed away on August 14 due to complications from AIDS. We know that many ONE members have been deeply moved by her story and will remember her courage and strength. Our sympathy goes out to her family and loved ones. Please take a moment of silence to honor Bwalya and read (RED)’s blog post. |
Pastor and his daughter thank Joe Sestak for anti-poverty efforts
|
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road. 
Joe Sestak, Pastor Staniz and Amber
As a member of Rep. Joe Sestak’s, (D-Pa.), congressional district, my daughter and I were able to catch up with him the other day at a local job fair in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. I was happy that I had a chance to talk with Sestak, a Pennsylvania Senate candidate, about the important issues that face our country and world. In my community, I am a pastor — but I am also a dedicated ONE member. And I know that the most extreme forms of poverty — hunger, starvation and pandemic disease — remain a daily reality for millions of people around the world who we may never meet, yet are still our good friends, neighbors and members of faith communities. As Sestak entered the job fair, he immediately recognized my ONE T-shirt and came over to greet me on his way to the podium. After his remarks to the crowd, I had the opportunity to thank him and encourage him to continue his leadership on behalf of real people struggling to survive, both locally and globally. I asked him to help continue the life-saving work being done by the Global Fund to eradicate AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. As I presented Rep. Sestak with a ONE wristband, I was surprised when he told me that he recently received a ONE T-shirt and was excited about the work we are doing to make poverty history. As a member of ONE, I would encourage everyone who shares this important mission to take every opportunity to engage all of our candidates and elected leaders. It is vital that the candidates see ONE members every time they meet with the public. Working together, we can speak out, create change, save lives around the world. - Pastor Matt Staniz and daughter, Amber |
Catch up on the MDGs with Gates’ global health blog series
|
The U.N. Summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is less than two weeks away, so what better way to jump into the issues than by – hmm – reading up on them? This week, Melinda French Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is blogging about the MDGs in advance of their TEDxChange event, which looks into the future of global health and development. So far, she has posted three fantastic pieces on breastfeeding, malaria and immunization. As always, her blog posts are filled with personal stories, interesting facts and figures and a refreshing sense of optimism. Take a look at her posts on the Foundation Blog and be sure to leave a comment. Keeping the conversation going on important global health issues like these will help ensure that extreme poverty is at the forefront of our minds. |
My congressman ate my homework!
Brandon with Rep. Joe Wilson and others
Instead of attending my lecture and turning in a paper last Monday — I was in a meeting with Rep. Joe Wilson, (R-S.C.). Although I was prepared to debate the issues and reasons for fighting extreme poverty and the spread of preventable diseases, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Wilson was completely on board. He shared stories of his travels to Africa and India. He showed us pictures of his sons and explained the humanitarian work that they were involved with overseas. He feels very strongly about the need for potable water and stable energy sources in developing countries. He truly believes that foreign aid is a necessary part of the United States’ national security strategy and is willing to do what he can to help us in our fight. Wilson was a ONE Vote Ambassador in 2008 and is very excited about working with ONE again in 2010 and beyond. His support is proof that the needs of the poorest in the world extend beyond political divisions. Whether Democrat or Republican, united as ONE, we can bring about the end of poverty in our lifetime. - Brandon Green, ONE congressional district leader for South Carolina’s 2nd District |
Nigerian ‘Sesame Street’ to feature health, nutrition and gender equality
|
Please welcome Todd Summers to the blog. He’s ONE’s new senior adviser for global health and we’re excited to have him! 
© The Associated Press 2010
The people that put together “Sesame Street” and Jim Henson’s “The Muppets Show” have been working to create a version in Nigeria called “Sesame Square.” They announced that the show will include an HIV-positive girl named Kami –- news reports describe her as ‘furry and yellow.’ Given that more than 40 percent of Nigeria’s 150 million people are under the age of 14, this Muppet is a great way to reduce stigma around living with HIV and inform kids (and their parents) about the disease. Kami’s not new – she was introduced in 2002 to South African viewers, and has appeared across the world, including with former President Clinton. And you may remember that there was quite a buzz in the U.S. about this, with several politicians threatening to cut funding for PBS if they brought Kami in (I wonder if this was because of the sad immigration ban that Congress imposed on HIV-positive people that was only recently lifted. Let’s hope that we’ve become more enlightened since then. |
What We’re Reading: Two hour TB test
|
Global cash support to fight AIDS is falling – UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibe said that global contributions to fighting AIDS are dropping for the first time in 15 years amid tough economic times. He called for the creation of cheaper drugs as means to quelling costs. (AFP) Seven killed as rising food prices spark riots in Mozambique – Protests against rising food and water prices turned deadly in Mozambique Wednesday when the police opened fire on demonstrators. Mozambicans have seen the price of a loaf of bread rise by 25 percent in the past year. (Emanuel Camillo, The Independent) |
Conference highlights maternal health and MDG 5
|
Please welcome Brooke Riley to the ONE Blog. She is our policy team’s most recent addition and will be assisting with global health research. Today is the final day of the groundbreaking Global Maternal Health Conference, the first international technical conference focused exclusively on maternal health. This exciting conference, organized by EngenderHealth’s Maternal Health Task Force, brings together more than 600 maternal health experts in New Delhi, India to discuss one of the most challenging fields in global health. Although progress has been made, maternal mortality rates remain unacceptably high, especially in the developing world. Approximately 343,000 mothers die each year during childbirth and 80% of those deaths could be prevented if women had access to basic maternal health services. This conference aims to build consensus and catalyze action around evidence, programs and policy to achieve Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Five and improve the lives of mothers around the world. To bring attention to pressing maternal health needs globally, the first two days of the conference have featured numerous exciting events and presentations, including a film screening of ONE supporter Christy Turlington’s film “No Woman, No Cry.” For those of us that were not able to make the trip to India, conference presentations have been posted on the Global Maternal Health Conference website. - Brooke Riley, health research assistant, ONE |
ONE attends Karl Rove reception
|
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road. 
Maddison Klontz and Karl Rove in Indiana
Last week at a formal reception in Indianapolis, I connected with Karl Rove, former senior advisor and deputy chief of staff to former President George W. Bush. The reception was hosted at Indiana’s Republican Party Headquarters, in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Party Chairman Murray Clark, House Minority Leader Brian Bosma and many other political and community leaders were in attendance. To date, PEPFAR has contributed to providing more than 4 million Africans with HIV/AIDS treatment, up from 50,000 in 2002. A 2009 Stanford University study found the program reduced the number of AIDS-related deaths in some of the poorest parts of Africa by 10 percent. ONE Vote 2010 will encourage Indiana’s U.S. Senate candidates to continue to support the proven, effective life-saving efforts initiated by Rove and President Bush. When I introduced myself as a ONE staffer to Rove, he mentioned he had several friends who were strong supporters of ONE, and that he admired ONE’s work to fight extreme poverty. After I thanked Rove for his continuing support and gave him a ONE band, he surprised me with an autographed copy of his book, “Courage and Consequence.” Sounds like a fair trade for a ONE band! Be sure to connect with other ONE Vote 2010 Indiana members on Facebook and Twitter. - Maddison Klontz, ONE Vote 2010 organizer, Indiana |
Maryland ONE member receives a signed letter from Rep. Sarbanes
|
ONE members across the country have been busy engaging their respective congressman and senators during the August recess. Maryland ONE member Nancy Kobel put forth a strong effort to meet with her congressman, Rep. John Sarbanes, (D-Md.), to let him know that she and her fellow constituents care about fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease. While Nancy was awaiting an appointment, Sarbanes sent her a personally signed letter explaining that he is a strong supporter of providing aid to developing nations! Nancy was thrilled to receive these important words from her congressman! You can read the letter below: Letter from Sarbanes [PDF file] If you’re interested in joining other Maryland ONE members, send me a Tweet and let me know. |
Charity, faith, justice and the Global Fund
|
From time to time, our members and field organizers let us in on what they’re doing in their local faith congregations to fight against extreme poverty. If you’d like to conduct a ONE Sabbath service and mobilize your faith group to take action on the Global Fund petition, email faith@one.org.
The congregation at the First United Methodist Church in Mt. Ephraim, New Jersey enjoyed a full ONE Sabbath service this past Sunday morning. Church Lay Leader Larry Barrar’s message was about going beyond the act of giving — charity — to the ideal of providing justice, which involves more of a relationship between the giver and the recipient. Barrar explained that as Christians, we are called to a higher love, a love that changes. A love beyond merely giving. We are called to three purposes: compassion, action and community. At ONE we are called upon for these same three purposes in order to create a better world for our brothers and sisters in developing nations. We were glad to see that a number of church members were eager to sign ONE’s petition to President Obama, asking for a strong, three-year, $6 billion pledge to the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria. If you would like to share the Global Fund with your faith community, please visit our ONE Sabbath page. - Barbra Barrar, ONE congressional district leader for New Jersey’s 1st District |
 |
 |
 |
Featured Series
About the Blog
The ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with frequent contributions from volunteers, members and partner organizations.
The ONE Blog updates readers daily with the latest in global development news and analysis and what ONE members and our partners are doing around the world to influence world leaders in the fight against global poverty.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE or ONE Action. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
SHARE:
TAGS: (RED), Lazarus Effect