Aug 18th, 2011 9:00 AM UTC
By Sarah Scully
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There are many factors that are inhibiting those suffering from the food crisis in Somalia to leave their country and seek help, food and refuge elsewhere — but al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization that controls much of south-central Somalia, is making it virtually impossible.
 Infographic courtesy of OCHA.
Currently, there are more than 1.46 million internally displaced people — people who are forced to flee their homes but remain within their country’s borders — in Somalia. Women and children make up 80 percent of displaced persons in the Horn of Africa region, and within the past two months 100,000 people have arrived in the capital of Mogadishu, pushing the number of displaced people in the city to 470,000.
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Aug 10th, 2011 9:16 AM UTC
By Sarah Scully
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Last Thursday night, the ONE Washington, D.C., interns hosted a “ONE Night of Living Proof” happy hour event on Capitol Hill to spread the word about extreme poverty and attract new ONE members.
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Aug 8th, 2011 10:03 AM UTC
By Sarah Scully
US Army Captain Vincent Fry performs a check-up on a boy in Djibouti. Photo credit: Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Pratt/ US Air Force.
At a recent Congressional hearing, chaired by Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4), officials said that despite difficulties with initial misconceptions, AFRICOM serves a vital role in security and aid delivery in Africa. The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights held the hearing, with testimony from the following witnesses:
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Aug 3rd, 2011 5:26 PM UTC
By Sarah Scully
Photo Credit: Flickr stream of futureatlascom
Trade = development, but only with transparency.
Last month, at the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke about continuing challenges and new solutions for success in US-Africa trade relations.
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Jul 21st, 2011 3:51 PM UTC
By Sarah Scully
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A year ago to this day, ONE celebrated the success of Congress in passing a new law to improve transparency in extractive industries. The Cardin-Lugar Transparency Amendment to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as it is called, was supported by ONE members and Publish What You Pay, and sponsored by senators Ben Cardin, D-Md., Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Pat Leahy, D-Vt. The law requires all companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange to publish their payments to foreign governments for oil, gas and mining.
President Obama signs the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Photo Credit: Lawrence Jackson/White House.
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Jul 13th, 2011 3:52 PM UTC
By Sarah Scully
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In a recent opinion editorial published in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Daniel W. Yohannes, CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and leading African philanthropist and ONE board member, Dr. Mo Ibrahim, highlighted achievements and opportunities presented by increased trade with Africa. Both Yohannes and Ibrahim, who are recognized leaders in African development, offered the African Growth and Opportunity Act and the Millennium Challenge Corporation as models for sustainable development and reminded investors that America has much to gain by investing in Africa. Read their WSJ column below:
Africa Is Awakening, Helped by Free Trade
Six of the 10 fastest-growing economies of the last decade were in sub-Saharan Africa.
By DANIEL W. YOHANNES AND MO IBRAHIM
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Long a symbol of stagnation, the African continent is experiencing a reawakening. Poverty and hunger are still widespread problems, but Africa’s growing middle class is creating business and investment opportunities that are among the best in the world. With the right trade policy and development assistance, we can unlock the potential of a thriving private sector and lift millions from poverty.
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Jul 12th, 2011 5:22 PM UTC
By Sarah Scully
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A few weeks ago, the US Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution to honor World Malaria Day, reaffirming US dedication to the fight against malaria (read more about malaria here). The resolution recognizes the importance of combating malaria and supports the goals of World Malaria Day, including ending deaths caused by malaria by 2015.
Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the resolution. Leaders in working to eradicate malaria, they also co-chair the Senate Working Group on Malaria.
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