Adrienne.Sullivan

We are often told to stop and smell the roses; to take a moment to recognize the beauty and bounty of life. At last week’s Initiative for Global Development (IGD) 2009 National Summit, I literally stopped to smell the roses on my lunch table and was inspired to learn more about the supply chain that brought them here.

The summit, co-chaired by former US Secretaries of State Madeleine K. Albright and Colin L. Powell, convened corporate leaders, US policy makers, development experts, and some of the most prominent African business leaders to set an action agenda going forward and call on the Obama administration to champion better policies and increase funding for programs that improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. The summit also provided a unique opportunity for both American and African business leaders to detail their strategies for reducing global poverty.

ONE’s CEO, David Lane, ONE Senior Director for Outreach, Dayna Cade, and I had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the great work of US and African businesses in the fight to help those that live on less than a dollar a day.

I found the individual stories of African business leaders to be one of the most interesting parts of the conference. IGD along with knowledge partner Dalberg Global Development Advisors developed Frontier 100, a network connecting US CEO’s with powerful business leaders in developing world. I was truly inspired by Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi, who oversees Karuturi Global Ltd. of Ethiopia, the largest rose producer in the world. In an effort to better the lives of his incredible employees and community, Mr. Karuturi provides free primary and secondary schooling for the children of all 5,000+ employees, a full-scale health center with surgeons, ARV medication, and maternal health facilities, and living conditions with electricity and clean water. This past year, every student finished secondary school and over 70% went on to college. Like many of the amazing African business leaders I met yesterday, Mr. Karuturi believes that he and his employees work together to alleviate poverty and preventable disease.

You can learn more about IGD and explore the great work of the other Frontier 100 members here.

-Adrienne Sullivan

The US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs has organized a very interesting online video contest in an effort to create an online community of people dedicated to bridging cultures and making a positive difference in the world. As a ONE member, you may find this as a great opportunity to teach about those suffering from extreme poverty or preventable disease AND get the chance to win a trip abroad.

People all over the world ages 14 and older are invited to submit videos, no longer than three minutes in length, containing any form of artistic expression including, but not limited to, dance, spoken word, poetry, and song. This contest is a call for engagement and action. Videos will be judged on originality, creativity, effectiveness, and production quality. Four winners (two in each of the age categories: 14-17 years and 18+ years; one non U.S., one U.S.) will receive the grand prize: an all-expense-paid, two-week cultural exchange program to the United States (for the non-U.S. winners) or from the United States to a country to be determined (for the U.S. winners). Members of the ExchangesConnect international social network community will vote on their favorite top 40 video entries, and these entries will then will be ranked by a prestigious panel of judges who are ECA program alumni.

In addition to receiving global recognition of their videos-on the ExchangesConnect network and through other promotional venues-the four grand prize winners will be eligible to participate in a fully-funded international exchange program of approximately two week’s duration. (Visa eligibility applies.) Contest opened December 1, 2008 and closes January 26, 2009. Winners will be announced March 16, 2009. Create and enter your videos now on the new international social network ExchangesConnect here for a chance to win an international experience of a lifetime.

The panel of judges includes:

• Toni Blackman – Musician, Performer and Writer (U.S. Cultural Envoy and The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad alumna);
• Fran Drescher – Actress; Founder, Cancer Schmancer Movement (American Public Diplomacy Envoy);
• Milton Glaser – Graphic Artist (Fulbright Program alumnus);
• Raafat Khalid – President, Cultural Civic Education Organization, Egypt (International Visitor Leadership Program alumnus);
• Bob Shaye – Founder and Former Co-Chairman, New Line Cinema; Principal UNIQUE FEATURES (Fulbright Program alumnus); and
• Bob Simon – CBS News Correspondent (Fulbright Program alumnus).

-Adrienne Sullivan and Michele Peters

The US Alliance to End Hunger organized something new and interesting that took place over the last few days here in Washington, DC. In coordination with the International Alliance Against Hunger (IAAH) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization Liaison Office For North America, they organized the National Alliances Against Hunger Forum. The forum worked to bring alliances that focus on hunger-related issues together from all over the globe — Mexico, Ghana, Brazil, Jordan, Canada, Haiti, and Sierra Leone– in an effort to share experiences, ideas and best practices.

If there is one thing I have come to realize while working at ONE, it is that there are thousands of different organizations working in the international development community. Each organization has a history of successes and challenges, which if shared and learned from could help us be more efficient and ultimately better serve our “clients” – the poor, hungry and needy of the world.

I was eager to get a firsthand look at such an event as this; excited to see how each alliance used this forum to better its own work. The international alliances had the opportunity to share with the group how they were formed, the accomplishments they had made, the challenges they had run in to, and where they wanted to go in the future. The dialogue was open and honest. It was an opportunity for people from very different backgrounds and places to find common goals and build relationships with others who are interested in helping fight poverty and hunger. The forum ends this afternoon, at which time the US Alliance to End Hunger will post more information about the event on their website: www.alliancetoendhunger.org.

-Adrienne Sullivan