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Look Who is Wearing ONE’s Next Top T-shirt
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A few ONE members you may know liked ONE’s Next Top T-shirt so much, they agreed to be photographed wearing it by our own Morgana Wingard. Our thanks go to Connie, Chalya, Chris, Josh, Joey, Brian and Josh. You can see the photos below. Then make sure to get your T-shirt and check out all the other great gift ideas in the ONE Store. Multi-platinum recording artists Daughtry rock ONE’s Next Top T-shirt
“Friday Night Lights” star Connie Britton
Designer Chalya Shagaya
-Aaron Banks |
ONE at 7522 feet!
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I was privileged to give the opening message, where I talked about how living out the MDGS was the modern day equivalent of caring for our global neighbors. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson also spoke on Saturday, noting that “working for justice and peace meant making your voice heard.” He said that being a part of ONE was a great way for students to work with their friends from other faith communities.
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Last weekend, 600+ high school students from Lutheran churches across five states gathered in Estes Park, Colorado to join ONE in the fight against extreme poverty and disease. High up at the base of the Rockies, the Rocky Mountain Synod Youth learned about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and what they could do to help achieve them.
It was a weekend of many exciting firsts, too: youth groups from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Texas all kicked-off the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. Their aim? To mobilize 8 million Lutherans in the fight against malaria. At the end of the weekend, the students all then went down the mountain, energized to organize their communities at home.
Short break
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With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, you’ll notice a little less activity on the ONE Blog. But don’t panic! We’ll be back shortly, and we’ll be sure to post any interesting or breaking news here. As always, thanks for reading. -Chris & Ginny
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Bill and Melinda Gates on “Meet the Press” this Sunday
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This Sunday, as part of a program in the spirit of Thanksgiving and giving back, David Gregory will host Bill and Melinda Gates on “Meet the Press” to discuss “the work they’ve been doing through their foundation to improve health and education around the world.” Pastor Rick Warren is also a guest. We’ll have clips for you after it airs. |
Stories of impact
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Earlier this week, the UN Foundation kicked-off a great blog series by Executive Director of Global Partnerships Elizabeth McKee Gore. She’ll be writing about her recent trip to Ethiopia, sharing stories from the ground about health, education, clean water—even a tale of seven sweet girls she met in a tiny one-room education center. And in case you missed it earlier on the ONE blog, don’t forget to check out Jamie Drummond’s recent post (ONE’s co-founder and executive director) about his return visit to Ethiopia, too. He headed back to the country to witness first-hand the impact of funds raised by Band Aid and the work of the World Food Programme (pitching in on everything from greater potato production to increased market access). |
Getting the Word out at Palm Beach Atlantic University
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Setting up an information table is an easy way to educate people about ONE and engage them in the fight against global poverty and disease. Just recently ONE Member and performance artist Maeva Renaud, teamed up with Art in Compassion, Inc. at Palm Beach Atlantic University to help inform students about how they can help those who are trapped by generational poverty. During Maeva’s poetry set, she talked about the Millennium Development Goals and ways for people to advocate through ONE. After the event, Maeva told me that she was surprised and encouraged by the enthusiastic response from the students. With over 100 people in attendance, Maeva’s message is sure to inspire many to continue learning about U.S. efforts to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger and to take action in their own communities. |
World AIDS Day 2009: December 1
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Next Tuesday, December 1 is World AIDS Day 2009. This year’s theme—’Universal Access and Human Rights’—highlights the need to protect human rights and attain universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. There are currently 33.4 million people living with HIV worldwide. As we noted on our blog yesterday, while this number is slightly higher than 2007, it’s for a promising reason: access to life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment has gone up, so fewer people are dying from HIV. Since 2002, the number of Africans receiving ARV treatment has gone from 50,000 to over 3 million. But 2.7 million people are still newly infected with HIV every year, and infections still outpace those put on treatment. All next week—to celebrate the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Days—we’ll be sharing information and stories about HIV/AIDS, including some partner posts from folks who are working to fight this disease on the ground. So stayed tuned to the ONE blog! To learn more about HIV/AIDS, check out ONE’s issue page here. |
Bread Launches Hunger 2010 Report
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This week our partner organization Bread for the World, launched their 2010 Hunger Report A Just and Sustainable Recovery. “To blunt the surge of hunger, unemployment, and the long-term effects of climate change, we need a just and sustainable economic recovery,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World Institute. “If we do not reshape our economy with jobs that allow low-income workers to feed their families and move out of poverty, our recovery will not be sustainable. Like a bubble, it will only collapse again.” The report notes that hunger is on the rise in both the U.S. and abroad—1.02 billion people are suffering from food insecurity around the world, up 100 million from last year. The report also argues that green jobs are the best investment that the U.S. can make. Green jobs will not only help reduce both unemployment numbers and carbon emissions, but they could also help address hunger and poverty throughout the developing world. Yesterday’s launch panel included a host of engaging speakers. Robert Greenstein, the Executive Director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, described how the U.S. could address the financial crisis, including by financing an expanded food stamps program. Reverend Lennox Yearwood, Jr., President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus, discussed how green jobs could provide opportunity for the poor and unemployed, emphasizing that Congress’ climate legislation must have a strong greens jobs component. Gawain Kripke, Director of Policy and Research at Oxfam America, cautioned that climate change is the next big crisis, noting that climate solutions must have pro-poor impacts, especially for developing countries. If you’re interested in checking out the full report, it’s available here, along with some cool interactive tools. Here’s video of the launch panel: |
A Thousand Voices for Hope
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Check out the post below from writer, director, actor Turk Pipkin. His new documentary One Peace at a Time—which mentions ONE Award winners SIDAREC (the Slums Information Development and Resources Centres) of Kenya, as well as ONE Board Member and President and CEO of Care Helene Gayle—opens Friday, December 4 in Austin, Texas. Most of you reading the ONE blog are probably aware of the debate on whether aid over the past fifty years has been a positive or negative force in addressing extreme poverty. Mistakes have been made and money has gone missing. But you also likely know that all aid is not equal, and that those who care have grown much more adept at having a lasting impact on extreme poverty. For the past three years, in 20 countries on 5 continents, I’ve been shooting my new documentary One Peace at a Time, which looks at the possibility of providing basic rights to every child. These rights include water, nutrition, healthcare, education, opportunity and a peaceful and sustainable world. If you sometimes despair for hope, I can only say you need to see the work that I’ve seen.
In Ethiopia, I witnessed life-changing results from thousands of water projects and schools built by A Glimmer of Hope. In Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus told me – and showed me – how microfinance, education and personal commitment have brought millions out of extreme poverty. In a Nairobi slum, I filmed with Rose Nitinyari, who’d expanded her hardware store and was providing a better life to her children through a loan from Kiva.org. I was one of Rose’s lenders, and now I’m one of her customers.
Good progress, but education shouldn’t end after the 8th grade as it does here and in many schools across Africa. The Nobelity Project is now building Mahiga Hope High School, an innovative, sustainable facility with modern classrooms, a library, a computer library, science labs and the award-winning RainWater Court. We won’t change Kenya by the $250,000 cost of building this school, but we have an opportunity to provide hope for hundreds of kids in one community. Their hope gives me hope. Their hard work makes me work harder. And for me that’s enough. You can meet the kids of Mahiga and be one of 1000 Voices for Hope. I hope all of you will take a look and join the choir!
We’re excited about the national release of ONE Peace at a Time. Catch the movie in Austin December 4–10. Watch for future announcements for a ONE screening near you, or email us and ask how you can set up a screening in your town. No matter how we feel about the debate on reaching out to the world, we all know one thing. There is a better way. |
None of us can address all the problems of the world, but all of us can do something. In 2005, I was planting trees in rural Kenya at a primary school with serious challenges. Our nonprofit 
President Obama to Copenhagen
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Over the past two weeks, President Obama in meetings with President Hu of China and Prime Minister Singh of India, separately, discussed climate change and the possibilities for a meaningful accord in Copenhagen. And today, the White House announced President Obama will go to Copenhagen for the climate change summit. The President will attend the conference on December 9. The Joint High-Level portion of the conference with Ministers and Heads of Delegations will be taking place December 15 – 17; the full conference takes runs from December 7 – 18. |
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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.
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