April 25th, 2008 at 4:28 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
It’s Global Education week - and ONE is partnering with the Global Campaign for Education to push for action on the Education for All Act - legislation that would extend access to education to the 72 million children with no access to even basic education around the world.
Right now, the legislation has 66 co-sponsors in the House, but we need many more if we want to ensure that it’ll pass when it comes up for a vote later this year.
April 25th, 2008 at 1:17 pm | posted by ONE.Partners
So afters weeks of anticipation the Global Campaign for Education Action Week is drawing to a close. I want to salute the thousands of educators and students who have already participated in the World’s Biggest Lesson in 48 of the 50 states.
During my time in the US for GCE Action Week I also had the privilege to meet and spend time with some of the smartest and dedicated young people in the United States. More than 50 high school and college students came from around the country to learn about why education saves lives and about the Education For All Act of 2007. I was so impressed by watching these articulate youngsters come together for this cause and asking the “older people” some really smart questions about the sort of arguments they hear about why the US should not give financing for education overseas.
The big Congress day arrived and the buzz was infectious. The youngsters took the bull by the horns and met with 75 representatives and senators in a frenzy of 100 meetings running between the Senate and the House and back again. In the middle of it all, they participated in a press conference with the impressive Honorary Chairperson for GCE Action Week Shakira and Congresswoman Nita Lowey. However, it was the youngsters coming from 12 different organizations including a large delegation from the ONE Campaign who really made me proud. They were sharp and passionate. I felt for the first time in a few years the US might just take the leadership on Education for All in the coming years with activists such as these.
-Anne-Marie Mujica, GCE international secretariat
[Top Photo: Western Kentucky University and Campbellsville Students Join Shakira and Congressional Leaders in Washington, DC on April 22 for Global Campaign for Education Action Week. Pictured from L to R: Jamie Lokey, Matt Vaughan and Charlie Harris. Photo Credit: Paul Morigi]
April 25th, 2008 at 12:18 pm | posted by ONE.Partners
April 25 is the First World Malaria Day.
You probably know that malaria is spread through mosquitoes, but did you know that it has been used as a treatment for syphilis?
Malaria has been with us a long time and had some interesting roles in history—playing major parts in everything from economic development to military battles. See how much you know about malaria and how much you know about ways you can fight malaria. (Challenge yourself—try to answer all the questions in 30 seconds.)
.
1. All of the following US Presidents had malaria except:
a. George Washington
b. John F. Kennedy
c. Franklin Roosevelt
d. Abraham Lincoln
2. During the American Civil War, malaria accounted for how many estimated deaths?
a. 5,000
b. 8,000
c. 10,000
d. 15,000
3. The types of mosquitoes responsible for malaria transmission in the U.S. are still widely prevalent here, meaning malaria could be reintroduced in the U.S.
True or False?
4. About how many people are infected with malaria annually?
a. 20-40 thousand
b. 600-800 thousand
c. 100-200 million
d. 300-500 million
5.President Franklin Roosevelt assembled a panel of experts to evaluate the economic impact of malaria in the US. They concluded that malaria reduced the output of southern states by:
a. 11%
b. 25%
c. 33%
d. 47%
6. It’s estimated that malaria reduces the Gross Domestic Product of some African countries by:
a. 10%
b. 20%
c. 30%
d. 40%
7. What percent of the research budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American government’s biomedical research center, is spent on malaria research for things like new treatments, better prevention, and a vaccine?
a. 0%
b. 0.3%
c. 4.7%
d. 9.2%
8. Challenges in malaria control include which of the following?
a. Rapid spread of antimalarial drug resistance, i.e., current drugs lose effectiveness and new drugs are continually needed.
b. Poverty
c. Increased resistance of vector mosquitoes to insecticides (pyrethroid & DDT)
d. Lack of an effective vaccine
e. All of the above.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:35 am | posted by ONE.Partners
You may know that malaria kills more than a million people (not just children – people) a year –every 30 seconds a child in African dies – and costs African economies over $12 billion.
But there is a simple solution to this large problem – an insecticide-treated net. $10 covers the cost to purchase and distribute the net and educate on its use, and for a limited time, a generous sponsor of Nothing But Nets will send a bed net on your behalf when you sign up! Saving lives has never been easier.
To commemorate World Malaria Day on April 25th, we’ve created an interactive online game, Deliver the Net, www.NothingButNets.net/game that let’s you experience the distribution of bed nets and some of the obstacles we face on the ground.
Through the UN Foundation and our Nothing But Nets campaign we’ve already helped cover seven African nations, including Zimbabwe and Mali, and we have our sights set on more.
“In a video message for a World Malaria Day event at U.N. headquarters, Ban said the initiative will offer indoor spraying and bed nets treated with long-lasting insecticide “to all people at risk, especially women and children in Africa.” The video was obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.
It will also ensure that public health facilities have access to effective malaria treatment and diagnosis, that health workers are trained to deal with the disease, and that research into its eradication is encouraged, Ban said.
Ban said he wants these measures in place in just a few years. “The aim is to put a stop to malaria deaths by ensuring universal coverage by the end of 2010.”
The secretary-general said that several African countries “have made dramatic strides in malaria control, but the most affected nations remain off track to reach the goal of halting and reversing the incidence of the disease.”
“That is why today, together with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, I am putting forward a bold but achievable vision,” Ban said.”
April 24th, 2008 at 3:59 pm | posted by Porter.McConnell_Oxfam
Yesterday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing to discuss reforming foreign assistance.
The hearing comes just in time. US foreign aid has saved millions of lives and helped millions more overcome poverty. But foreign aid is still underperforming and often fails to reach the people who need it most. At the hearing, Oxfam president Raymond Offenheiser illustrated the problem with a story:
During the Asian tsunami in 2004, the U.S. government responded rapidly and effectively with humanitarian relief. But when it came time to rebuild, villagers in Thailand were delivered unsolicited boats from the U.S. government and other aid agencies. Villagers who were day laborers, not fishermen, before the tsunami, felt obliged to become fishermen in order to put the boats to use. One villager told researchers, “We got too many boats and there are not enough people or fishing spots to go to.” A fisherman in the village quipped, “I think there are more boats than fish.”
During the hearing, Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) remarked: “It is painfully obvious to Congress, the Administration, foreign aid experts, and NGOs alike, that our foreign assistance program is fragmented and broken and in critical need of overhaul.” Republican Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) likened the disorder of the current foreign aid structure to a “spaghetti bowl.”
When the bi-partisan HELP Commission convened to study the issue reported their findings to Congress last fall, they marvelled that “not one person appeared before this Commission to defend the status quo.”
Much of this mess is enshrined in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Over the years, the Act has become a maze of red tape that’s 1500 pages long. It has 33 stated goals and 247 directives – many in conflict with each other. It’s a testament to the commitment and talent of our foreign aid professionals that they have managed to work around the system to continue producing results for the poor. However, even their best efforts are stumbling under the bureaucratic crush.
Oxfam America is seeking reform of US foreign aid to make it more focused on ending global poverty. Also testifying at the hearing were Lael Brainard from Brookings, Steve Radelet from the Center for Global Development (CGD), and former Congressman Jim Kolbe from the German Marshall Fund. Oxfam America is part of a group of nonprofits and thought leaders calling for a new Foreign Assistance Act to create a cabinet-level agency out of the hodge podge of agencies and initiatives working on foreign aid today. The movement gains traction every day. Learn more about Oxfam’s aid reform campaign , and stay tuned for how you can help.
-Porter McConnell, Aid Reform Campaign, Oxfam America
April 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pm | posted by Aaron.Banks
If you’re a NYC-area ONE member or are going to be visiting the Big Apple between April 30 and May 4, you won’t want to miss the world premiere of “A Powerful Noise,” co-hosted by ONE and CARE. This moving documentary by Tom Cappello follows four women - Nada Markovic, Bui My Hanh, and Jacqueline “Madame Urbain” Dembele - as each of them go about the daily business of empowering, educating, and seeking justice, weaving through locations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mali, Vietnam and to tell a tale of hope much larger than the sum of its parts.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:18 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
Yesterday, World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick released a statement about Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda’s call to put the world hunger crisis on the agenda for the July G8 meeting.
“I welcome Prime Minister Fukuda’s intention to put the food crisis firmly on the agenda of the G8 summit in Japan in July, and his request that the World Bank, the United Nations, and other international institutions coordinate closely to prepare joint action. We will be pleased to support Japan as chair of the G8…
Donors must act now to support the World Food Program’s call for emergency funds to fill what is an urgent financing gap. Without this money, millions will go hungry. For them, the international system will have failed.
It will be important that as an international community we coordinate closely, minimize overlap and attack the issue from a variety of different fronts to ensure support reaches where it is needed most, and that longer-term supply issues can be fully addressed.
These short, medium and long-term issues will be a critical part of international action. But let us first raise the money to meet the most immediate needs. The world can afford this. The poor and hungry cannot.”
April 24th, 2008 at 10:11 am | posted by ONE.Partners
Todd Jennings from PATH continues to send in daily updates about World Malaria Day from Zambia.
World Malaria Day was born Africa Malaria Day following a commitment by African leaders in 2001. The Abuja summit set benchmarks for malaria control and prevention by 44 African countries, including Zambia. Recognizing that the disease reaches beyond this continent, the commemoration is now known as World Malaria Day. This year’s slogan (Malaria, a disease without borders) and theme (United Against Malaria) demonstrate how connected we are in the 21st century. People travel more than ever and mosquitoes don’t respect borders, so it’s imperative that countries work together to fight malaria.
Yesterday, the First Lady of Zambia, Maureen Mwanawasa, gave a talk about HIV/AIDS and malaria, an interaction she described as the collision of hippos and elephants. Those with developing or compromised immune systems—children under five, pregnant mothers, the chronically ill—are most at risk of malaria.
World Malaria Day, the First Lady reminded us, is not a day to be depressed about the toll of the disease. Rather it’s a day to celebrate what’s possible. We have the means to prevent malaria at our disposal—treated bednets, house spraying, lifesaving drugs. All that’s left is for people to join together to kick malaria out of Zambia, Africa, and the world.
UPDATE: In this video clip, see the First Lady of Zambia deliver her malaria address:
-Todd Jennings, Advocacy Officer, Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa (MACEPA), a program at PATH, Lusaka, Zambia.
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1. All of the following US Presidents had malaria except: 
3. The types of mosquitoes responsible for malaria transmission in the U.S. are still widely prevalent here, meaning malaria could be reintroduced in the U.S. 
5.President Franklin Roosevelt assembled a panel of experts to evaluate the economic impact of malaria in the US. They concluded that malaria reduced the output of southern states by: 
7. What percent of the research budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American government’s biomedical research center, is spent on malaria research for things like new treatments, better prevention, and a vaccine? 
Yesterday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing to discuss reforming foreign assistance. 
