Archive for May, 2006
Last summer I was introduced to a rough cut documentary that has been sweeping the globe. The film is called Invisible Children. It tells the story of the plight of children in Northern Uganda who face the serious risks of abduction and being forced to kill by a rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army. In response to the threat of abduction, the children of Gulu in northern Uganda have become known as the night commuters or night walkers because they travel, often great distances, to city centers where they can find shelter and safety in numbers. Though this has been happening for over twenty years, the plight of these children has gone virtually unnoticed in the west. The children have been seemingly invisible, until now.
After seeing the film, I took a trip to Uganda to experience firsthand what these children our enduring. I walked with the commuters and heard story after story from children who have had their innocence and youth stolen by this ongoing war. I returned to the United States and talked to our fans about what I had seen. But now, I do it differently. I’m no longer just asking for charity. I’m asking for Justice.
ONE supporters George Clooney, Bono, Ellen DeGeneres, Will Smith, Bill & Melinda Gates and Sean Combs are in this week’s TIME Magazine top 100 people whose power, talent or moral example are transforming our world.
Article on George Clooney written by Belinda Luscombe:
Some handsome men are like diamond bracelets. They show up on some woman’s arm, and you admire them, but they never really seem worth what you’d have to pay. Others are like Swatches: cute, disposable and interchangeable. In this taxonomy, George Clooney is a family heirloom.
Frankly, with that air of mischief (which he earned) and those looks (which he didn’t), he could coast. But he seems driven to do more. To direct. To fight poverty with the One campaign and one.org. Thus he gains that final thing heirlooms have over other gems: gravitas.
Article on Bono by former Senator Jesse Helms:
When I was first told in 2000 that Bono wanted to meet with me to talk about boosting U.S. aid to Africa, I didn’t know who he was. But my Senate staff certainly did. After so many years in Washington, I had met enough people to quickly figure out who is genuine and who is there for show. I knew as soon as I met Bono that he was genuine. He had his facts in hand and didn’t have any agenda other than doing all he could to help people in desperate need.
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.
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