New Hampshire may be known for its beautiful fall Sundays with bright colored leaves and cool thin air. But yesterday in Manchester, we all felt a little warmer as over 60 people from all over Southern New Hampshire University came together to Stand-Up against poverty. From rural New Hampshire, to far off Africa and beyond, yesterday was a special day and everyone should be proud of their actions.

The Manchester Stand-Up was a great event to show how everyday people in New Hampshire are actively working hard to fight AIDS and end poverty here and on the ground. People know what is happening, people understand what can be done, and yesterday in Manchester, we proved that people are demanding action from our leaders to finish the job.

After many brief introductions as people gathered and arrived, everyone finally settled into the auditorium. People from all over New Hampshire: Belmont, Concord, Manchester, Londonderry, Hanover, and Nashua gathered to be part of something bigger. Bigger than Manchester, bigger than New Hampshire, we all gathered to be part of the bigger movement of people that are changing the world. People were taking time out of their busy Sunday to make a difference, and to connect, for those few moments in time, with the poorest of the poor and to help give voice to the voiceless. An amazing idea, and an amazing thing to watch happen in New Hampshire.

Our first speaker was Stephanie Demmons, of Oxfam America. Being a founding member of the ONE Campaign and working hard on international trade issues, Stephanie explained how Oxfam works hard to ensure that trade is made fair, and that poor nations have a chance to trade their way out of poverty. Stephanie told the crowd how Oxfam has worked hard on putting pressure on the farm bill that has a resounding impact in the developing world. People understood how important this sometimes tricky aspect of development is and realized that we can all do something to improve trade conditions.

Julie Heinz of CARE USA took the stage next. Yet another founding member of the ONE Campaign, CARE works hard on the ground to ensure that aid is able to reach people and communities in a safe and effective way in poor countries. Julie spoke directly about the sometimes dire conditions that people live in and challenged the audience to ask “Why?” Julie stressed the importance of CARE’s “I am powerful” campaign that places an emphasis empowering women all over the world. I think that people understood just how important of a role that women play in development and it is great to know that CARE, and Julie, are working hard on these issues.

So how does quiet New Hampshire play a part in such international development issues? Well we were all able to find out! Some of my favorite people in the world then took center stage. Carol Foster along with her beautiful daughter Meron came up to speak about the amazing work that they undertake in Ethiopia. Their Selamta House Project create safe, clean, and loving homes in Ethiopia for children that are orphaned by the devastating AIDS pandemic. You would think that their stories are sad, but to hear about all of the love and hope that these children now have, it was inspirational and moving to hear how people in our own community are helping to shape a new generation (I think I saw a few tears in the front row). I always love to hear from Carol and Meron, their support is critical on the ground and their work illustrates what can be done to fight poverty and end AIDS. They have added their support to the ONE Campaign and made sure that our leaders here in New Hampshire know that our common ideas and goals are possible!

FORGE was the next group to tell how local people are making a global difference. Steve Bottari read a letter from the organization that brings western university students to partner with refugees in development projects. The letter shared the personal story of Paul, a refugee from the Sudan that escaped the death and destruction of his family, only to find opportunity in a refugee camp in Zambia. While you may think that Paul would be angry or even pessimistic about life coming from such tragedy, the letter reflected Paul’s own pride and appreciation in his life. Paul is now attending university in Zambia and FORGE helped give Paul that opportunity. Both Paul and FORGE made it clear that their work is not a “hand-out”, but rather a “hand-up”. FORGE has a Milford, NH office and some of the participants come directly from New Hampshire. FORGE spoke of the importance of letting people know about all of the good news coming out of Africa, ask that people let our leaders know that we can make a difference both in refugee camps in Africa and sitting at home with a cell phone. Joining the ONE Campaign is such an important way to give people everywhere the respect, rights, and opportunity they deserve.

We then heard from the “University of New Hampshire for ONE ” group. Although they have only been around for about a month, they are already making their mark on campus in Durham and preparing for election season. They spoke about how they started, organized, and hit the streets! They have already set up action tables for ONE and have challenged different departments on campus such as the business school, art department, and religious community to work hard to educate and mobilize the students on campus. Alex, Maria, and Sara have it goin’ on and are very excited about the future.

ONE Boston was able to make the drive up to New Hampshire and let their neighbors know about how they have organized for the past year. Volunteer leaders Erin and Amy hold meetings once a month and develop development themes to focus their meetings around. They have already made Boston a “City of ONE” from the Mayor’s Office and have an active base of support from the many colleges and universities in the Boston area. They are doing a great job and really connected with people about how they can do similar activities.

But without question, the highlight of the event was our very special guest of honor, Dr. Simon Mphuka who joined us all the way from Zambia where he works with the Churches Health Association and oversees programs funded from the Global Fund. In the most moving moment, Dr. Mphuka took the stage and extended a “thank you” to the Americans in the audience. He thanked us for helping to keep people alive. It was directly from our money though the Global Fund, that he can attest to the lives that have been saved. He explained that the Global Fund is a proven and effective way to dispense care, treatment, and prevention for AIDS. He asked that whatever party you choose to vote for this election season, make sure they know that the Global Fund is working. Make sure they support the Global Fund. That is not politics, that is just sound American policy! Dr. Mphuka is a hero, a hero of Zambia, of Africa, and of the world. We were lucky to have him at our event and add an African touch to the day. He closed by extending an invitation to everyone in the room to come to Zambia. He was serious and I am being serious that I think a few people in the room may one day take him up on that.

And in the end, we all took to our feet. Everyone stood up against poverty! We stood for CARE and for Oxfam, for the work of Selamta House and FORGE, we stood for Dr. Mphuka and the lives he saves. We stood with many people from across the country and around the world. New Hampshire took part in a historic day and we are all proud to be part of a generation that WILL end poverty.