What I Learned About You
I have learned so much about ONE members through reading the stories you submitted for The Big Read book, and am truly humbled by the experiences you have shared with us.
I have learned that ONE has strong roots not only in Africa, but in Latin America, India, Russia, Europe, Australia and beyond. The number of countries and cultures woven throughout the nearly a thousand pages’ worth of stories I read, and the diversity of ONE members in general, absolutely floors me.
More impressive still is how each of you — or the people whose stories you shared — overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Extreme poverty. Abuse. Learning disabilities. Physical disabilities. Disease. Desolation. Your enduring hope, and your motivation to make a difference in the lives of the world’s poorest people through ONE, is incredibly moving. And humbling.
On behalf of all of us on staff here at ONE, I want to thank every single person who submitted a story to The Big Read. Although we must choose ONE winner (which we will announce via an email to all our members soon) to be published in The Big Read book, we will feature many of the runner-up stories as a series here on the ONE blog, and we’re hoping to eventually publish the full collection as our own storybook.
Thank you for sharing your stories with me, and with ONE. You will not be forgotten.
-Emily Stivers
- Previous Post Michael Cohen on Dead Aid
- Next Post What We’re Reading 5/7/09
Blog Contributors
Hot Topics
-
Fight the Famine, Feed the Future
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. -
Crisis in the Horn of Africa
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. -
The Beginning of the End of AIDS
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. -
Agriculture Accountability
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.
From Our Members
-
Our question on faith and development, answered by the White House
Feb 9th, 2012 | Posted by Field -
Remembering ONE member Laurence Carolin on Airplane Day
Feb 8th, 2012 | Posted by Field -
Rep. Dicks is not the Norm… he’s a champion
Feb 3rd, 2012 | Posted by Field
From Our Partners
-
US aid for water, sanitation and hygiene should benefit the poor
Feb 9th, 2012 | Posted by Guest Blogger -
Six Valentine’s Day gifts
Feb 9th, 2012 | Posted by Paulena Papagiannis -
Remembering ONE member Laurence Carolin on Airplane Day
Feb 8th, 2012 | Posted by Field
May 7, 2009 at 11:43 am
Learning to care about others…getting out of our own little cocoons and realizing we aren’t the center of the universe ! That there are others out there who need our help, support and concern! I look forward to reading these stories and sharing them with my friends.
May 7, 2009 at 12:15 pm
The power of stories is strong, we learn much about others through their stories, and if we allow them to do so, we can learn even more about ourselves. But these stories must not only move us inside, they must move us to action. Donations are a great start, they are fundamental to change. Equally important though, is the awareness of global poverty and illiteracy. Its vastness is easy to ignore, too grand for the mind to comprehend in passing. Real change will come from first hand awareness and focus beyond the casual. I applaud ONE for telling the stories of others and acting on the core message of those stories. Thank you for “being the change we seek in the world.”
May 7, 2009 at 12:16 pm
In my travels a broad I have observed the poor quality of education in many countries. The causes, of course, are poverty, disease, violence, political instability, and lack of infrastructure. Many groups are working to change this, and there are important projects that are working. Joining in these efforts and urging the federal government to increase foreign aid are things each of us can do.
May 7, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Education is the key to jobs, fighting poverty, and self fulfillment. Throwing money at the problems does not work. Only involvement will make a difference.
May 7, 2009 at 5:22 pm
The poverty alone in many of these country’s is truly sad.. Some day hopefully your organization will make a difference.Education is what counts.
May 7, 2009 at 6:30 pm
During my life I too have traveled to many far away places. I have seen poverty in rural China as it was twenty years ago, the old Soviet Union and others. My recent observations and reading lead me to believe that support for little mirco-loan programs in the poorer areas such as rural India, Bangladesh and many coountires in Africa south of the Sahara and in rural Latin America provide more “bang for the buck than almost any other type of program. These programs seem to get little publicity but do a lot of good for familes and samll cummunities in deep poverty. I urge your readers to consider supporting these types of programs. I also urge care in picking an organization, as some are scams. Second on my list is support of all kinds for education, particularly for girls. Of course support for female education is difficult in many societies and therefore it can be very difficult to accomplish anything.
May 8, 2009 at 12:09 am
I agree that education is important in relieving they cycle of poverty. Obama has proposed creating a Global Fund for Education, funded with $2 billion. It would function like the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria does, using multilateral funds for local programs. I urge everyone to write the Pres. Obama in support of this idea!
May 11, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Thanks, Debra! You can sign our “Big Read” book to let President Obama know you support the $2 billion Global Fund for Education:
http://www.one.org/us/bigreadpetition/
Thanks, all!
May 13, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Congratulations on your venture i.e., The BIG READ. From my wide experience gained by working in South Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, I am convinced that eradication of illiteracy is the major step towards poverty amelioration. I have also observed that empowering rural women with education and knowledge pays rich dividends in rural transformation towards prosperity. I agree with George S. that micro-credit works wonders in ameliorating rural poverty.