The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group’s 2006 Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors are taking place right now in Singapore. These Annual Meetings are the largest and most comprehensive gathering of global financial representatives in the world.

In a AP story today:

The IMF approved reforms on Monday night to increase the voting shares of China, South Korea, Turkey and Mexico and to overhaul the entire voting structure to better reflect the growing economic influence of developing countries.

And today, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz urged wealthy nations to follow through on the aid they’ve promised to Africa.

“The international community is at risk of falling short on its commitments to increase aid to Africa,” Wolfowitz told delegates attending the annual meeting of the bank and its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund.

“I remain convinced that Africa has to be our number one priority,” he said, highlighting in particular the needs of countries that have recently emerged from crises, such as Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read more in the September 19, 2006 Associated Press story.

I’m proud to announce the newest song in the ONE Music Series: “Light Gives Heat,” graciously donated to ONE members by Jars of Clay.

Click here to listen to “Light Gives Heat” on the ONE Podcast page.

“We are thankful for a continued partnership between Jars of Clay/Blood:Water Mission and the ONE Campaign, and feel privileged to serve Africans alongside of them. One of our newer songs, Light Gives Heat, describes the tendency to treat Africa like a problem we need to fix. With ONE, we feel strongly that our role is to come alongside of Africans – to listen, serve and befriend them. Great change is made through relationships and sharing our stories with one another.”

- Charlie Lowell, Jars of Clay
http://www.jarsofclay.com

Alright so here I am in front of Nordstrom in Los Angeles. (I swear, I’m not trying to pose like the mannequin – the pic just turned out that way.)

Yes, I was lucky enough to be put on the list for the EDUN ONE T-shirt launch at the local Nordstrom in my neighborhood – at the eclectic Grove outdoor mall – which some say has a Disney feel, complete with trolley cars and a musical fountain.

Check it out – not only is the T-shirt fabulous, but the entire EDUN line is great. Everyone who reads this, check out
www.nordstrom.com and scroll down to the bottom right to order your very own ONE shirt. There’s a limited supply at the moment, so get them while they’re hot (even though they will never go out of style).

So, after I got over the initial “wowness” of being there (which took a while), I had the opportunity to hear Bono, his wife Ali, and Rogan Gregory (the designer) speak. Bono’s words, to me, were completely inspiring. Not just for who he is and what he’s accomplished, but the way he spoke of what we need to accomplish.

Us. All of us. Together. Working toward the common goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2015.

A new form of Tuberculosis (TB) that is extremely resistant to all
current forms of medication appears to be spreading through South
Africa. So far the official death toll is at 60.

According to a recent

Reuters article, researchers have known about
this form of Tuberculosis for years, but the large number of deaths in such a
short period of time has caused significant concern among heath
authorities.

The new form of TB, called XDR-TB, is especially acute in patients who
are HIV positive. An estimated 5 million South Africans are.

Reuters, Sunday, September 17, 2006:

TB, an airborne bacillus that can be spread through coughing or
sneezing, can mutate when patients do not complete or are careless with
their treatment or are dispensed inadequate antibiotic cocktails.

Hunt [director of the AIDS Consortium, which represents 1,000
non-governmental organizations] said the government could have headed
off this latest strain through a highly focused campaign to inform TB
patients about the importance of taking their prescribed dosages on
time.

The Treatment Action Campaign, the country’s most vocal AIDS group, said
it planned a grassroots education campaign but noted that it must first
inform itself on how HIV-positive people could protect themselves
against XDR-TB and seek treatment.

Read the full article

here.

I’m writing from outside the EDUN ONE T-shirt launch party in New York City. The event was a success and media was plentiful. I hope we raised awareness tonight.

The excitement of the night’s hosts, Ali Hewson, Bono and New York clothing designer Rogan Gregory was not just for the launch of the EDUN shirts, but was also for the growing number of people becoming involved in the anti-poverty movement. Bono pointed out that the ONE Campaign now has almost 2.5 million members. He wants to reach 5 million members by 2008, which he mentioned, is the same number of members in the National Rifle Association.

As it was awkward to type on a laptop while attending a party, I’ll recall the events of the night in sequence as best I can.

8pm: Press Check-in. (That includes me tonight.)

8:30pm: Press is stationed at the “step and repeat” – the location where celebrities stand to have their photos taken. I patiently hold my ground as the official ONE blogger. In front of me is a crew from Entertainment Tonight. Beside me is a crew from Good Morning America. With my Canon digital camera in hand, I brace myself for the first arrival.

9:15pm: Celebrities begin to enter. Despite my clear photographing talent, I miss some shots.

9:20pm: I manage to get a shot of Heather Graham at the step and repeat.

9:30pm: I take a shot of Helena Christensen. (She is a model and the photographer for the EDUN ONE T-shirt campaign.)

9:45pm: Bono and Irish folk-singer Damien Rice enter the party together.

10:00pm: I leave the step and repeat and enter the party.

10:15pm: A film about the EDUN shirts, ALAFA and ONE runs on two large screens. I recognize the woman standing at the front of the crowd watching – and then realize that it’s Heather Graham.

Much of the film takes place in Lesotho – where the EDUN ONE T-shirts are made. Lesotho is classified as one of the poorest developing nations in the world. It has extremely high unemployment and one of the highest AIDS rates in the world.

$10 from every purchased EDUN ONE shirt goes to a new initiative called the Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS (ALAFA) fund. Approximately one-third of those working in the factories in Lesotho are infected with HIV. The ALAFA fund guarantees treatment for AIDS to every garment worker and to every garment worker’s spouse and dependents who need it.

You can watch the video here.

10:30pm: Ali Hewson, Bono and Rogan Gregory step on stage to welcome all of us. They speak about poverty, the EDUN shirts and ALAFA.

10:40pm: Bono welcomes economist Jeffrey Sachs – who receives the rock star reception he deserves. Jeffrey Sach’s applauds Bono’s good work in return. The warmth between the two men, even on stage, is evident.

Sachs implores us all to think big. He tells us that the anti-poverty movement is growing and says we will not stop until we have 6 billion members.

10:35pm: Bono thanks his guests for coming. His excitement for the launch of the EDUN shirts is clear. It’s great to feel so much support for ONE in the room.

10:45pm: Damien Rice performs. He waits for the crowd to quiet before singing three songs – closing with a heartfelt rendition of “The Blower’s Daughter.”

I’m heading out now (into the rain.) I hope that you’ll check out this link to pre-order your EDUN ONE t-shirt.

[Friday, September 15, 2006, 11:45pm]

I’m writing from outside the EDUN ONE T-shirt launch party in New York City. The event was a success and media was plentiful. I hope we raised awareness tonight.

The excitement of the night’s hosts, Ali Hewson, Bono and New York clothing designer Rogan Gregory was not just for the launch of the EDUN shirts, but was also for the growing number of people becoming involved in the anti-poverty movement. Bono pointed out that the ONE Campaign now has almost 2.5 million members. He wants to reach 5 million members by 2008, which he mentioned, is the same number of members in the National Rifle Association.

As it was awkward to type on a laptop while attending a party, I’ll recall the events of the night in sequence as best I can.

8pm: Press Check-in. (That includes me tonight.)

8:30pm: Press is stationed at the “step and repeat” – the location where celebrities stand to have their photos taken. I patiently hold my ground as the official ONE blogger. In front of me is a crew from Entertainment Tonight. Beside me is a crew from Good Morning America. With my Canon digital camera in hand, I brace myself for the first arrival.

9:15pm: Celebrities begin to enter. Despite my clear photographing talent, I miss some shots.

9:20pm: I manage to get a shot of Heather Graham at the step and repeat.

9:30pm: I take a shot of Helena Christensen. (She is a model and the photographer for the EDUN ONE T-shirt campaign.)

9:45pm: Bono and Irish folk-singer Damien Rice enter the party together.

10:00pm: I leave the step and repeat and enter the party.

10:15pm: A film about the EDUN shirts, ALAFA and ONE runs on two large screens. I recognize the woman standing at the front of the crowd watching – and then realize that it’s Heather Graham.

Much of the film takes place in Lesotho – where the EDUN ONE T-shirts are made. Lesotho is classified as one of the poorest developing nations in the world. It has extremely high unemployment and one of the highest AIDS rates in the world.

$10 from every purchased EDUN ONE shirt goes to a new initiative called the Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS (ALAFA) fund. Approximately one-third of those working in the factories in Lesotho are infected with HIV. The ALAFA fund guarantees treatment for AIDS to every garment worker and to every garment worker’s spouse and dependents who need it.

You can watch the video here.

10:30pm: Ali Hewson, Bono and Rogan Gregory step on stage to welcome all of us. They speak about poverty, the EDUN shirts and ALAFA.

10:40pm: Bono welcomes economist Jeffrey Sachs – who receives the rock star reception he deserves. Jeffrey Sach’s applauds Bono’s good work in return. The warmth between the two men, even on stage, is evident.

Sachs implores us all to think big. He tells us that the anti-poverty movement is growing and says we will not stop until we have 6 billion members.

10:35pm: Bono thanks his guests for coming. His excitement for the launch of the EDUN shirts is clear. It’s great to feel so much support for ONE in the room.

10:45pm: Damien Rice performs. He waits for the crowd to quiet before singing three songs – closing with a heartfelt rendition of “The Blower’s Daughter.”

I’m heading out now (into the rain.) I hope that you’ll check out this link to pre-order your EDUN ONE t-shirt.

Last night I had the honor of listening to the Shinning Century Garment Workers Choir from Lesotho at the Rayburn House Building. At the event, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (pictured left with the choir) announced that he will introduce a bill to extend AGOA – a crucial piece of legislation needed to save the garment industry of Africa.

Legislation like AGOA can seem abstract from the States – even to some of those who came out to the event. I hope being introduced to the men and woman of the choir, whose families rely on the income they earn working in these factories will make this legislation real to Americans. Without AGOA, tens of thousands of Africans could lose their jobs.

The event was hosted by GAP Inc., which has many factories in Lesotho. I spoke with Dotti Hatcher, senior director of GAP Inc.’s Social Community Investment, who told me that last May when GAP Inc. was touring its factories in Lesotho to announce the launch of ALAFA – a new AIDS testing and treatment pilot program – it held a contest among all the factories’ choirs. The Shinning Century Garment Workers Choir won, and that’s why they were here in D.C. last night.

One-third of the women working in the factories in Lesotho are infected with HIV. Since its launch, ALAFA (Apparel Lesotho Alliance to Fight AIDS) has been highly successful in its goal of treating the disease in a comprehensive way. The choir performed earlier this week at an event in New York promoting the initiative.

Tonight the EDUN ONE t-shirts will debut in New York City on the last day of fashion week. $10 from each t-shirt purchase will go directly to ALAFA.

I always believed that helping the poor was important, but I didn’t have the conviction to take action until I visited Kenya on a mission trip with my church. We worked at an orphanage with teenagers that had been living on the streets. They took us on a tour of their old neighborhood and the garbage piles they used for beds. We saw such poverty that day that my heart changed forever.

I never thought of myself as wealthy because in America so many people have more than I do. But while touring the slums of Nairobi I saw so many women and children walking through sewage-filled streets with no shoes because they can’t afford them. When I came home to America and saw how many shoes were in my closet, I cried.

I felt shameful for having so much, and compassionate toward those who have nothing. I’ve realized how blessed all Americans are, even if we are not the wealthiest Americans. It’s wrong not to share that with the poor who hurting in countries like Kenya. After that trip I started sponsoring two projects in Africa through World Vision and I joined the ONE campaign to lend my voice to the poor who have no voice of their own.

-Bethany Fitelson, member of the ONE Campaign, Hayward, CA

Check back over
the next couple of weeks for more ONE members’
stories.
And if you haven’t already told us how you first found
your commitment to eliminate global AIDS and extreme
poverty,
send us your story.

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing yesterday on the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development – a UN institution focused solely on making sure that international resources are delivered to where most poor live: on farms and small communities.

My organization, Bread for the World, a Christian citizens’ movement against hunger and a ONE partner, was asked to
testify about how the U.S. could better support this institution and the fight against global hunger generally.

Rev. David Beckmann, Bread for the World’s President (pictured above) told the committee that despite the fact that almost 80% of the world’s poor live in rural areas, only 8% of U.S. resources to fight poverty specifically target agriculture and rural development. He told the members of Congress gathered, “This just doesn’t make sense.”

David gave the Committee three recommendations:

1. The U.S. should support organizations, like the International Fund for Agricultural Development, that focus on the poorest communities and empower them to provide for themselves;
   
   

2. The U.S. should reform trade rules for agriculture that fail both small farmers in the U.S. and overseas; and
3. Congress must fulfill the president’s budget request allowing far more resources for agriculture and rural development.

You can read David’s full testimony
here.

We are making progress against poverty and we are learning so much about how we can do our work smarter and better. Working with farmers and rural communities to sustain their countries themselves is one concrete, effective way to fight poverty. We are glad that Congress is paying attention.

-Erin Tunney, Bread for the World Sr. International Policy Analyst

US billionaire George
Soros pledged $50 million dollars over the next five years to the United Nations’ Millennium Villages Project
- a program to help lift African villages out of poverty.

Programs of the project
include providing treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS, bed nets to stop the spread of malaria,
fertilizers for depleted soil and school lunches for malnourished children.

From Reuters, Wednesday, September 13, 2006:

This is a very important project…If it’s successful, it can really be scaled up and make a major impact on
rural poverty in Africa,” Soros told Reuters.