Governor Huckabee was in Des Moines last Wednesday for his Iowa Headquarters opening.
I was able to ask him about his plan to fight poverty and why I personally feel it is so important. He said poverty was a big issue for him, here and abroad, and it is an issue that needs to be addressed with by next president’s administration.
He thanked me for having such a passion for the issues and said he hoped that others would feel the same.
The ONE Campaign was set up and in action this past weekend at the giant Bonnaroo Music festival outside of Nashville. This was our second year at Bonnaroo, and this time around we found even more support, signing up thousands of new supporters and spreading the word about ONE Vote ‘08’s recent launch.
We were lucky not only to have two great volunteers come out to join us (ONE organizer Kim and her friend Greg) but several awesome ONE supporters were at the show and offered hours of their time to help us out. A big thanks to all who joined us – it was no small feat given the dust and never ending sun!
It was great to talk with so many people from around the country about ONE and almost everyone we talked to was interested in getting involved. This idea of helping out the world’s poorest really resonated with them.
It’s inspiring to see how many people take the message of ONE and run with it – organizing in their communities, schools, and so forth. One my favorite conversations this weekend was with a 7th grader from New Orleans who informed me that he ‘knew all about this stuff’ and had gotten his classmates involved!
Again, a big thanks to everyone that helped us out this weekend – we look forward to hopefully seeing you again this summer!
The 2008 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill passed late last night, 241 to 178!
The increase applies to child and maternal health programs, basic education, global health programs to fight HIV/AIDS and the expansion of clean water programs, among others.
Good news! Rep. Hersarling withdrew his amendment to cut poverty-focused
development assistance from the 2008 State and Foreign Operations
Appropriations bill.
Unfortunately, a few amendments (listed below) are still threatening
this critical bill. While they could still be withdrawn, we can’t take
chances when billions of lifesaving dollars are at stake.
I have great news for you today. We’ve just received word that Starbucks and Ethiopia have finalized an agreement that ends their trademark dispute and brings both sides together in partnership to help Ethiopian farmers. This agreement has the potential to give these farmers a fair share of the profits for their world-renowned coffees, and it’s what Oxfam has been pushing for since November.
More than 96,000 of our supporters around the world helped make this happen. Your emails, faxes, phone calls, postcards, and even in-person visits to Starbucks added strength to the call of Ethiopian farmers and brought global attention to this issue.
Because of your actions, Ethiopian coffee farmers have chance at a better life. You should feel very proud.
Click here to view a personal Thank You from Oxfam America President Raymond C. Offenheiser and some of the Ethiopian farmers who will benefit from this agreement.
On behalf of Oxfam, and all of the Ethiopian farmers we work with every day, I want to thank you again for being a part of this important victory.
Just now Rep. Payne (D-NJ) just offered an amendment to increase funding
to fight extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) – and it
passed.
A recent outbreak of XDR-TB in southern Africa has highlighted the
urgent need for resources to fight this airborne killer, which has been
identified in countries on every continent, including in the United
States.
The amendment will increase funding for the fight against TB by $100
million.
Reps. Pitts amendment to remove language waiving the
abstinence-until-marriage earmark for 2008 within the President’s
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which requires that one-third
of all global HIV prevention funding be spent only on
abstinence-until-marriage programs is currently being debated- should be
lively!
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
The ONE Campaign was set up and in action this past weekend at the giant Bonnaroo Music festival outside of Nashville. This was our second year at Bonnaroo, and this time around we found even more support, signing up thousands of new supporters and spreading the word about ONE Vote ‘08’s recent launch. 
It’s inspiring to see how many people take the message of ONE and run with it – organizing in their communities, schools, and so forth. One my favorite conversations this weekend was with a 7th grader from New Orleans who informed me that he ‘knew all about this stuff’ and had gotten his classmates involved!
