September 3rd, 2008 at 4:08 pm | posted by Chris.Scott
The winner of the ONE Africa Award 2008 was announced in Accra yesterday. It was a very special occasion for ONE and we were delighted that ONE’s Policy Advisory Board member, Mr. K.Y. Amoako from Ghana agreed to make the presentation. In a surprising move, ONE decided to give the award to an organization that engages the media in efforts to stop disease and save lives.
The winner, Development Communications (DEVCOMS) Network, is a Nigerian media training and mentoring group that works with the media to improve public health. Based in the sprawling metropolis of Lagos, DEVCOMS trains and mentors journalists in public health issues and science journalism. While media may not seem an obvious player in achieving the MDGs, Akin Jimoh, DEVCOMS’ Programme Director, says information is critical for people to make well-informed decisions, especially about their health. His organization is also actively involved in advocacy efforts for free health care in Nigeria and has helped to improve both the quality and quantity of health journalism across the country.
DEVCOMS’ success is based on its long term approach to media relationships and development. Rather than running one-off training sessions, it collaborates closely with NGOs working on health issues to provide ongoing mentoring and immersion training for reporters through internships.
“We believe the silent sighs of our women and children have to stop” he said, dedicating the ONE Africa Award to the 140 women who die in Nigeria every day “giving life” and to the more than 300 children under the age of five who die every day from diarrhea, malaria and other preventable, treatable diseases. He also urged civil society organizations to help any journalist who knocks on their door. “We are all one in this” he said “ and this award reminds us of the work we have to do.”
ONE created this award to recognize the role of African individuals and organizations in achieving the MDGs. ONE plans to announce this award annually in honor of those who inspire and lead the fight against the injustice of extreme poverty.
“Information is power” said Mr Amoako when he announced DEVCOMS as the winner, “for citizens, for civil society and for governments. We will all do a better job of fighting poverty with better information and debate. DEVCOMS makes that critical link between the practical daily work of improving public health services, with citizens, through the media.”
Check back later for photos and video from the ceremony.
A team from our London and Nigeria offices is here, joining hundreds of others from government and civil society from around the world, to make aid work harder in the fight against poverty.
We know that effective aid is improving the lives of millions of people, but a slowing global economy and rising food and fuel costs makes it all the more important that every cent is spent well.
There are many ways to improve aid effectiveness. ONE, as part of a new group called “Publish What You Fund,” is concentrating on improving the quality of information on aid spending.
Without good information, planning for schools, hospitals, roads, sanitation and the other elements of development is extremely difficult. Citizens also find it very hard to hold their governments accountable. And without good information, it is impossible to be sure that resources are being used well.
In many very poor countries, up to half of spending on donor-funded development projects is done outside government. This is sometimes necessary if local systems aren’t in place, but this can also lead to a lot of duplication and waste of resources.
At the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra this week, (more…)
August 25th, 2008 at 10:14 am | posted by Chris.Scott
I just wanted to drop a quick update about USAID’s efforts to provide immediate relief to the ongoing food crisis in Ethiopia. As you may know, Ethiopia and other countries in the Horn of Africa have been hit especially hard by the rise in food and fuel prices and drought. In July, the UN warned that more than 14 million people in the region are in need of emergency food aid, with 10.3 million in Ethiopia alone. This new U.S. shipment is an important step in meeting Ethiopia’s urgent food needs and should be accompanied by new investments in agricultural productivity to target long-term food security and help Ethiopia become self-sufficient.
The shipment includes 9,390 MT of split yellow peas, 6,150 MT of vegetable oil, 6,320 MT of corn soy blend, and 1,400 MT of wheat flour, the agency said in a statement.
“This is only one of multiple strategies USAID is implementing to alleviate impacts of the world food crisis in that region and elsewhere around the world”, it said.
Accordingly, USAID’s Office of Food for Peace plans to provide over 1 million MT of food, valued at more than $857 million, to Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Djibouti in fiscal year 2008 in response to the drought emergency affecting the Horn of Africa.
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm | posted by Chris.Scott
News of a great development in Kenya ran on the BBC.com and in other media outlets earlier this week. On Wednesday, anti-corruption czar John Githongo returned to Kenya after four years of self-exile. During his tenure as Kenya’s secretary for ethics and governance, Githongo earned the reputation for being tough on corruption— in 2005, one of his investigations forced the resignation of several ministers over a scandal that involved state contracts worth more than $1 billion being secretly awarded to non-existent firms. After exposing the scam, Githongo fled to the UK because of threats to his life.
Githongo’s return is an important step forward for Kenya’s new coalition government, which was put in place after controversial elections set off two months of violence earlier this year. He is back for only two weeks, but his return (at the invitation of the new government) is hopefully a sign that Kenya’s new government is serious about tackling corruption and addressing some of the underlying issues that caused the election crisis. Speaking to the Kenya Human Rights Commission on Wednesday, Githongo submitted the controversial proposal of offering amnesty as a means of closing old corruption cases and moving Kenya forward.
Whistle-blowers like Githongo are vital to beating poverty in Africa and across the world. The fight against corruption and efforts to promote transparency and good governance help ensure that aid is spent well and channeled to the people who need it most. ONE is also proud to note that John Githongo currently sits on our Policy Advisory Board and serves as an important advisor on issues of accountability and governance.
Addressing a public forum on fighting graft in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, Mr Githongo said economic crimes must be resolved quickly and transparently. “The temptation to subject economic crimes to prolonged processes and the deliberation of committees not only delays justice but makes ultimate accountability less likely,” he said. Mr Githongo noted that there was a myth that corruption does not really matter as long as the economy is growing. “If you have high economic growth [and] a high level of corruption… then corruption causes political contradictions that leads to the kind of difficulties we had in Kenya at the end of last year,” he said.
We got this email from superstar ONE volunteer Elaine Van Cleave this morning. My favorite part: “If I ever in the past for just one second thought advocacy was useless, I can never have that thought again.”
I am back from Zambia. What a long trip home that was!! We awoke Sunday a.m. and rode in a jeep, a ferry, a bus, and 3 airplanes. You could even say we rode on a train if you count the rail in the Atlanta airport that gets you between terminals.
The experience was incredible. The extremes we encountered were mind numbing - from the incredible wild life in Botswana’s Chobe National Park to a dusty, barefooted orphan in tattered clothing beaming at you and asking you to be his friend.
One day, I tagged along on a trip to an outreach clinic 65 km into the bush. The trip was 2 hours each way on the worst sandy, bumpy road I have ever ridden on. There were 11 of us in a Land Rover provided to Mwandi Mission Hosptial by Catholic Relief Services with money from PEPFAR (US funds for AIDS relief)! The “clinic” was a two room mud hut (about 8 x 12) with a thatched roof - no electricity or running water. The clinic ended at dusk because the medical personnel could no longer see to examine patients and fill prescriptions. I mostly observed and got to see how PEPFAR money is providing medical care and drugs to people in remote rural areas who would die without it. The nurse practioner from Mwandi who goes on these weekly outreach trips into the bush told me that these clinics would not be possible without money from PEPFAR.
I also learned that Kandiana, the “old folks home” at Mwandi Mission, receives $600 a month from the Zambian government - money that is available because of debt relief. These funds also provide students at Mwandi Mission’s school with free examination books.
It is a trip I have been needing to take for a long time. I really can’t adequately put into words how powerful the experience was.
If I ever in the past for just one second thought advocacy was useless, I can never have that thought again.
If you want to read the daily blog written by Rev. Susan Clayton who lead our trip, go to www.ipc-usa.org. There are about 7 brief entries with pictures. I haven’t read them all myself and am looking forward to doing just that and to reflecting on our trip.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:10 pm | posted by matt.higginson
My sister Mallory recently returned from Africa, here is what she had to say.
-Matt Higginson, ONE Nevada Field Organizer
I just returned from a two-month humanitarian mission in Ghana, West Africa. I was there working mostly in the deaf schools, teaching students in sign language and facilitating teachers.
It’s hard to sum up the intense variety of emotions and thoughts you have while visiting a developing country - I saw many things that were difficult. Our students were often sick with malaria. They had cuts, sores and infections that couldn’t be cared for properly. Often they drank unclean, stale water which they collected from a nearby water source. While these are all things we consider terrible it was common life for them. Despite these conditions, it took only ONE of us to make ONE child feel smart, important, needed, and loved.
In addition to working in the deaf schools, I was also able to visit nearby villages and spend some time with the people in them. I learned of their culture, lifestyles, daily struggles, and will to survive. The experience was life changing, but perhaps the greatest insight I gained was that of the human spirit, its need to be loved and our obligation to fulfill that need and give children a chance to succeed. I’m grateful to know that the efforts of the ONE Campaign directly benefit the wonderful people I got to know. It is nice to have an outlet like ONE here in states to maintain my drive and energy to help improve the conditions in Africa!”
August 4th, 2008 at 10:44 am | posted by Margaret McDonnell
Here at ONE Headquarters, it’s easy to feel removed from the individuals and communities that we advocate for around the world. That’s why it was particularly exciting to meet four visitors from Malawi who came to speak with us recently about the challenges newborns face in their country: Grace Tutiwe Ngoto and her daughter Tuntufye, nurse and midwife Hilalpi Kunkeyani and Reuben Ligowe, Program Officer for Save the Children in Malawi’s Newborn Health program.
Malawi, a nation of 12 million people, is situated on the eastern side of Africa surrounded by Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. Their poverty statistics are hard to imagine. The per capita gross national income is about $170 and the amount of government spending on health per capita is $5!
In Malawi, 73,200 children under age five die every year. Twenty percent of these are newborns less than one month that succumb to infection, complications at birth or challenges associated with low birth rates. Impressively, Malawi has managed to reduce their under-5 mortality rate by 30% over the last five years with limited resources. Unfortunately, death rates among newborns have declined at a slower pace.
This being said, while low birth rate used to be considered a death sentence, organizations like Save the Children have had great success with interventions such as kangaroo mother care (KMC). KMC encourages mothers to maintain “skin-to-skin” contact with their low-weight newborns, much like a kangaroo mother keeps her baby in her pouch. This way, any change in the baby’s body temperature is immediately corrected by the mother’s warmth and the baby is exclusively breastfed. (more…)
August 1st, 2008 at 12:50 pm | posted by David.Lane
All of us here at ONE are about to escape DC’s infamous August heat and take a much-needed week of vacation. But before we go, I wanted to share a few concluding thoughts about our visit to Rwanda.
I think our delegation returned from Rwanda inspired by what can be achieved and encouraged by America’s role in supporting that country’s groundbreaking efforts. We were fortunate to have such a diverse and distinguished group together for such a concentrated period of time - a rare thing these days. The group chemistry was great and we generated a number of valuable discussions.
Here are a few of the important ideas I think our delegation took away from their experience in Rwanda:
First and foremost, we were able to witness firsthand the remarkable resilience of the African spirit and the unwavering commitment to creating a better future. Here in the U.S., we are accustomed to reading about African failures-famine, conflict and, yes, genocide. But Rwanda is a clear example of how African countries are rebuilding and moving forward aggressively and progressively. We saw how central women have been to this rebuilding process, from governing and reviving the economy to reconciling and healing the nation. This leadership and commitment is translating into dramatic progress in the fight against poverty and disease.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:01 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
Another video and post from ONE’s Tom Gavin from last week’s trip to Rwanda.
Monday, July 21:
The U.S. launched PEPFAR – the American global AIDS strategy – at the Masaka Clinic in 2004, so it made for a good place for the ONE delegation to visit and assess how things are going. Our delegation met with doctors, nurses, local officials, and patients seeking treatment and counsel from the clinic’s staff. We heard, time and again, the difference that America’s partnership in health care was making in Rwanda and throughout Africa.
The DATA Report, which ONE released earlier this year, shows the progress being made. It points out that, across Africa, nearly 2.12 million people were on antiretroviral therapy by last December, a huge jump from the 50,000 people on treatment in 2002. That means 30 percent of Africans in need of treatment are receiving it. But there remains a major challenge ahead. An additional 1.7 million Africans became infected with the HIV virus in 2007.
After touring the Masaka Clinic, some of the ONE delegation discussed the site visit and the overall trip with reporters.
July 28th, 2008 at 1:44 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
Tom Gavin just passed along another video clip from last week’s Rwanda trip.
This one is of our CEO David Lane talking to journalists about the ONE Campaign and why it’s so important that we listens to Africans so that we can become more effective advocates.
“We don’t pretend to speak for Africans. We can’t. It would be inappropriate for us to. Which is why listening to Africans is extremely important, and that’s the purpose of our visit this time…”
“Here’s the thing I want to say in Rwanda, just about this trip in particular. Much has been said about President Kagame. I met with him myself in November when I was here and he’s a very impressive man. What I think has our entire delegation dazzled is the quality of leadership at the working level. From the nurses at this hospital to the leaders of this hospital to the ministers and the mayors. It’s not an overstatement to say that we are dazzled by the quality of leadership.
And that’s one of our messages as well: it’s not appropriate to impose. We may think we have the answers in the United States, but an important part of our advocacy is to say that we want to support African leadership that’s working.”
The ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, volunteers, members and coalition partners.
The content of each post and each comment represent the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ONE Campaign or ONE Action. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any posts expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
