ONE’s Sheila Nix in today’s “Roll Call”

Mar 18th, 2010 9:57 AM UTC
By Steve Wilson

Sheila Nix, ONE’s U.S. Executive Director, writes an opinion piece in the influential Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call today, making the case for continued investment against global disease and poverty as a key piece of U.S. foreign policy. Sheila particularly highlights agriculture as an effective and self-sustaining pathway out of poverty for millions in the developing world. She writes,

So while foreign assistance is a very small proportion of the overall budget, its effectiveness is both measurable and priceless. These investments are helping shape a world where no one dies from malaria, no more children are born with HIV and families are able to feed themselves and others through the use of sustainable agriculture techniques. But this future reality is possible only with continued strong support from the United States.

I recently traveled in Ghana as part of ONE’s new campaign Women ONE2ONE and saw firsthand how America’s investment in agriculture has lifted up entire communities visited a rice farm, supported by a U.S.-based nonprofit that receives funding from the United States Agency for International Development, that gave farmers — most of whom were women — greater access to seeds, fertilizer and training, which led to improved crop yields. These entrepreneurs are then able to invest in their communities, send children to school and provide a pathway out of poverty. This can happen all over Africa if we continue to make sustained and smart investments there.

You can read Sheila’s op-ed here.

TAGS: FY2011 US budget, ONE