ONE partner, Jubilee USA, is working to make poverty history by advocating for debt cancellation for impoverished Asian, Latin American, and African nations. Debt cancellation would free up more than $200 billion for developing nations. The best part is that the money must be used for poverty reduction programs by countries receiving debt cancellation. That means $200 billion for clean water, education, and health care programs to millions of people, giving impoverished countries an economic boost that could bring them out of long-lasting recessions that have cost millions of lives.

Are you interested in learning more? Join the Jubilee USA Network from June 15-17 in Chicago for our second annual grassroots conference – Deepening our Roots, Creating Community, Building a Movement. The conference is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the international debt crisis and campaigns to challenge global poverty. Come to acquire the skills and knowledge we need to build an effective movement for economic justice for the world’s impoverished countries!

The Grassroots Conference will kick off on Friday, June 15 at 7 p.m. at the Holy Name Cathedral in downtown Chicago with an exciting opening event featuring Amy Goodman, host of Pacifica Radio’s Democracy Now! and Tanzanian political cartoonist Godfrey “Gado” Mwampembwa. This opening event is completely free and open to the public. Even if you can’t make it for the whole conference, plan to join us on Friday night to hear Amy and Gado share their perspectives on journalism and economic justice activism North and South!

Interested in joining us? Check out the Conference Schedule and List of Scheduled Workshops and plan to join us in Chicago as we build the skills and knowledge we need to strengthen the movement for global economic justice! Visit the Grassroots Conference housing page for details on arranging a free home stay or special low-cost rooms. Register Online today!

Hope to see you there!

Senator Tom Daschle, former Senate Majority Leader, gave a speech in Des Moine on Friday about extreme poverty. Below is a message he sent to Iowa ONE members after the event.

Friday afternoon, in Des Moines, I gave a speech outlining how America can build a more secure and stable world. A politician giving a speech in Iowa eight months before the caucuses isn’t exactly breaking news, except I’m not running for President. I came to Iowa as a member of ONE and the movement to end extreme poverty.

Having served as Senate Majority Leader, I know the impact grassroots action has on the legislative process. And as a member of ONE you should to. More than any other group you’ve successfully advocated for laws that allow America to reclaim our place of moral leadership. And your victories have garnered the attention of politicians from both sides of the aisle, making a meaningful impact on the lives of the billion people around the world fighting and dying daily on the front lines of the battle against extreme poverty.

But advocating for the best piece of legislation is not enough. We can do more. We must do more.

So, let us now, together as ONE, let the Presidential candidates know that we want to hear how they will combat extreme poverty.

We face a deadly pandemic that claims tens of thousands of lives daily and threatens stability in key regions of the world. While we have made – and will continue to make – great strides, the true solution lies in making sure that no matter who is elected to be the next President of the United States, he or she is committed to ending extreme poverty.

Here in Iowa, more than any other state, you know the power you have over the primary process. So please take every opportunity you can to engage the candidates to make sure they understand the importance of these issues.

I won’t let up the fight, and I know you won’t either.

Sincerely,

Sen. Tom Daschle

In Lebanon, New Hampshire, on Monday Sen. Edwards made a campaign stop to talk about his visions for our country. Sen. Edwards started his speech by talking about the need for our country to fight HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa. He told the crowd that we had a moral imperative to act and that what we do to on the ground in Africa to save lives, shows the world the kind of country and people that we are.

Sen. Edwards also spoke about Darfur and the deplorable war in Uganda. He also spoke about our opportunity to enroll millions of children in primary schooling in Africa and create a better and safer world for all.

After the speech, ONE members went and spoke with Sen. Edwards and gave him a ONE band to put on. The senator was very familiar with the ONE Campaign and noted the positive impact the ONE Campaign is having in our country.

Just one more reason to put your own ONE band on and come out to a candidate event in your area We are being heard, we are being seen, we are saving lives in the developing world…and in the 2008 election, we will change the world.

Newt Gingrich came to Manchester on Monday to meet with New Hampshire voters and talk about his ideas for what needs to happen in American politics to create a better and more open dialogue.

I met Speaker Gingrich last winter in New Hampshire and as a ONE member I was very excited to see that he was calling for our nation to devote more money to AIDS, malaria, and alzheimer’s vaccines. So when I spoke with him yesterday I told him about the ONE Campaign and how over 2.4 million people think it is in our interest to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty.

Republicans and Democrats, men and woman, declared and not declared – when our leaders come to New Hampshire they see and hear from the public that we can, and will make poverty history.

Danny Glover is speaking live on the hill now about African debt to the Africa and Global Health Subcommittee. You can listen in live online.

The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria announced today
that it has roughly doubled its treatment and prevention programs since
last year. “According to the fund’s own calculations, all the programs
combined have saved the lives of more than 1.8 million people since
2002.

Read the full piece here.

Since our launch, prominent artists from all musical genres have been joining ONE and the fight end extreme poverty. Today, the “four-piece Texas outfit” Leeland, fronted by 18-year old songwriter Leeland Mooring, is showing their support by sharing their song “Tears of the Saints.”

Listen to Tears of the Saints, and all the ONE Music, on the ONEcast.

Below, a message from Leeland:

“As followers of Christ, we believe that we have an urgent calling to our world; a calling of love and mercy. Now is the time, more than ever, for Christ followers to awaken to this reality. We must extend our arms to our world…not only ourselves. However, our hands will not move until our hearts are changed. We believe God desires for his children to be broken with the things that break his heart…for there to be ‘Tears of the Saints’.

The world is watching and waiting for us to move. God is watching…He is longing for his children to share his heart: a heart of compassion, redemption, grace, hope and justice. So we’re stepping out and encouraging others to join us as we seek to follow the heart and model of Jesus. If the power of love and mercy is awakened, the potential impact in this world is endless. Doing nothing, changes nothing. Doing something, changes everything!

-Leeland

www.leelandonline.com

It was a beautiful Friday evening in Chicago with much of the town’s attention turned to their favorite baseball team in the first “cross-town rivalry” of the season (Cubbies won!). But ONE and World Vision supporters decided instead to show their support for more than one billion people in the world that don’t have access to clean water and sanitation. Senator Dick Durbin, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Consul General for South Africa Yusuf Omar, World Vision water expert Emmanuel Oppong, and ONE volunteer Morgan Granata all shared their experiences working toward combating the problem of lack of clean water and working toward ending extreme poverty. Meanwhile, volunteers collected signatures from the crowd to show their support of fully funding the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act.

“There is a battle going on in the hearts and minds of the people in the world and it comes down to this, ‘Who are these Americans?’” began Senator Durbin, who spoke of his trips to developing countries and the need for more programs which empower women, promote micro-finance opportunities, and provide clean water – projects that all go toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The senator also praised ONE, World Vision and other humanitarian organizations for their education programs domestically, because rallies like this one held in Chicago, “define who we really are” as Americans.

Congresswoman Schakowsky spoke of the legacy of the late Senator Paul Simon on water issues, both domestically and internationally, and how the growing crisis spurned her to action on this important issue. The congresswoman recently joined with several of her colleagues calling for more funding on this important issue. Consul General Omar and Mr. Oppong brought the crowd a more personal perspective on the issues, sharing what was like growing up in a country affected by extreme poverty and how support of the global community is necessary to ending this injustice. Finally, Ms. Granata shared her experiences as a ONE volunteer and how getting involved with the anti-poverty movement has changed every aspect of her life from walking her two young boys to school and caring for her elderly grandfather. She ended by encouraging people to be true American heroes and stand up on these important issues!

By the end of the rally, the volunteers had collected more than 230 signatures on the petition to call for full funding of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act which will be delivered to Congress this week – showing Congress and the world that they aren’t going sit by and watch this growing crisis anymore!

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I just received another note from ONE member Nancy Warlick who has been in Africa for the past 3 weeks. She and 13 others from their Orlando church are now on their way to Mozambique to visit several crises orphanages. I received many photographs from Nancy, and chose a few that I thought I’d share. I was immediately drawn to this little girl from the Namumu Orphanage holding the ONE band. One of the main reasons I first got involved with ONE was in hopes of being able to make a change in a life of a child. When I see a photo like this, I am more inspired to do what I do.

Joan Faulkner , ONE Regional Field Organizer

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Joan,

Greetings from Antananarivo, the capitol of Madagascar, located off the south eastern coast of Africa. As people here say, Manahoana, (hello or
good day in Malagasy). I will also say Bonjour (which is hello in French.) I have been here for over a week now and am having a great time with my two grandchildren, and the whole family.

Our daughter Elizabeth is a nurse and a public health specialist who works with the Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar (FJKM) on HIV/AIDS education & awareness, helping people overcome AIDS stigmatization, malaria eradication, clean water projects and helping rural villages to mobilize for wells.

Madagascar is one of the 10 poorest countries in the world with a population of 20 million people. This island country was the first country selected to receive a money award from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) in 2005. The MCA aims to help support economic growth and poverty reduction in poor countries whose governments rule justly.

It will be hard to leave on Wednesday, but I am so happy to have had such a good visit with part of my family, as well as with many Malagasy friends with whom we have worked.

Of course, I have taken a lot of photos and have given out some ONE stickers, several ONE T-shirts and white bracelets. On Monday, I will be talking about the ONE Campaign with the students at the school where my grandchildren attend. I will take a group photo here because this school is like a mini-United Nations, with students from Madagascar, U. S., Britain, South Africa, Korea and India.

Au revoir (good-bye in French) and Veloma (good-bye in Malagasy). Hope you can come visit this beautiful island some day and meet some of the warm and gracious people here. I want to share with all of you and tell you more about Madagascar and those who live here, but I must close for now.

Warmest regards,
Nancy W. Warlick

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As I’m not a regular church goer, I usually find reflection in my Sunday yoga class. This morning was different though. Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori wrote a though provoking piece about the interconnectedness of poverty and climate change in Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle.

Excerpts:

“Before I became a priest, I was a professor of oceanography. One of the things I learned was that oceanographers couldn’t just study squid or fish in isolation. We had to study interconnected systems…”

“Two of the most significant crises facing our world — climate change and deadly poverty — offer an example of such interconnectedness. By understanding how the two crises, and the people they affect, are connected, we can begin to understand how humanity can triumph over both…”

You can read the full piece here.