Rep. McGovern proudly wore his ONE band as he spoke about personally witnessing the impact that US foreign aid can make in the lives of children, having just returned from a recent visit to Ethiopia. Ethiopia received global attention for its famine in the 1980s, and is still vulnerable to food crises — but its government and people are working hard in partnership with international donors to achieve food security.

The Becker College ONE group also welcomed Dr. Katherine Lazuriaga, associate provost of global health and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Lazuriaga spoke on the importance of funding of medical supplies and research in the fight against disease and poverty in the developing world.

With wind in our sails, ONE members were also on the move in Salem, Mass., this week, engaging Sen. Scott Brown. Running into the senator at a local event, our fellow members thanked Sen. Brown for his continued support and help during the 2011 continuing resolution fight and for ensuring that important lifesaving programs and initiatives, including PEPFAR and GAVI escaped severe cuts.

These events followed a successful letter-writing campaign at Becker, which protested proposed cuts to international development aid in the 2011 continuing resolution before Congress. Becker College generated more than 450 letters to Senators Scott Brown and John Kerry asking them to restore the devastating cuts to global health and other development programs in the House bill. And they heard us! While direct food assistance did not fare as well in the final deal, global AIDS, agricultural and vaccine programs that ONE members campaigned for were fully restored.

We’re so proud of members of Congress like Rep. McGovern, and Sens. Brown and Kerry, who are working together across party lines to make great progress toward ensuring that people of all nations have enough to eat. And we want some more, please!

-Becky Corbett, ONE member, Massachusetts

ONE members caught up with Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown again this weekend, this time at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston. Other ONE Members previously saw him in Dallas and California.

During the senator’s book tour event, which included a forum discussion on wide ranging topics, including US involvement in Libya, Sen. Brown offered a stirring case for US intervention around the world in its role as a “country for good.”

“There comes a point in my life when I recognize that there is a dictator out there who is going to actually wipe out villages of innocent women, children and families just because he can,” Sen. Brown said, “And at that point you draw the line…I feel that America is a country for good. And that we have an obligation as a country for good to protect those who ask for our help, or who may not have the ability to protect themselves.”

Following the discussion period, we were able to speak directly with Sen. Brown and thank him for his efforts and encourage his support for poverty-fighting programs, in the face of the severe cuts now threatening development funding.

Although the senator warned that some cuts were inevitable in this fiscal environment, he emphasized the positive nature of a recent meeting with ONE co-founder, Bono, and recounted to us the impassioned arguments he had heard during the course of that discussion.

It was great to have the opportunity to engage Sen. Brown again and have yet another chance to make sure the voices of the world’s poorest are heard in Washington.

It was a great opportunity for Massachusetts ONE members to come together to draw attention once again to the plight of those suffering around the world and seek action from our leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB.

All good. Was able to hand him a ONE band in a handshake but was reaching over someone. Got a nod when he looked at it. Wasn’t able to talk but I’m sure we will cross paths again.

Using your voice for ONE can be a powerful action that can help save millions of lives in the developing world. From passing a ONE band to the President of the United States, to making a call today to your Senator urging them to sign onto the Bipartisan Budget Letter that would uphold the International Affairs Budget – your voice matters and can make the difference!

Today, ONE member Phillip Williams met with his US Congressional Representative, Jim McGovern of MA. Phillip took time to explain ONE to Rep. McGovern and let him know that in 2009, it is not only possible to fight global disease and extreme poverty, but it is a priority!

Phillip told me that Rep. McGovern was very familiar with ONE’s issues and agenda as he is already a co-sponsor of Education for All, Jubilee, and Global Child Survival Act. And as a member of the House Budget Committee, Phillip asked Rep. McGovern to hold, or increase the upcoming budget number for the international affairs account – the part of the budget that contains all of the US’s global life saving humanitarian programs. Rep. McGovern said that he understood the importance of these issues and mentioned how global development ultimately leads to greater national safely and security at home.

Today Phillip took time to let his Representative know that saving lives in the poorest parts of the world is an important issues to him and he urged action in the 111th Congress. But ONE members everywhere should follow the lead of Phillip and contact their new Senators and Representatives to let them know about ONE and our efforts to fight global disease and extreme – stupid – poverty.

-Matthew Bartlett

On Saturday, the ONE Bus headed south to Waltham, MA, to Brandeis University to hold an event with students and their global poverty fighting group called Positive Foundations. Group leaders Allyson and Aka were there to welcome the ONE Bus on campus and we set up shop, explaining ONE to students and signing people up to help add voices in the fight against global disease and extreme poverty.

Hundreds of new people signed up at Brandeis, and stay tuned to the ONE blog for more events and activities with the ONE Bus. You never know what campus or political event the ONE Bus will be at next, but it is a great way to help raise the profile for ONE and the world’s poorest people!

-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer

The Millennium Campus Network held a conference this past weekend to discuss global poverty and health. ONE’s former intern, Sam Vaghar, helped create this new network of Boston area colleges and universities, and their conference hosted over 700 students and included top global health experts like Ira Magaziner, Dr. Paul Farmer, as well as an event with musician John Legend and Dr. Jeff Sachs.

I attended the first day of the event at MIT and immediately noticed a few ONE shirts and many, many ONE bands. After opening statements and a very good speech by Sam, the keynote address was given by former presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards. In his speech, Sen. Edwards spoke about his travels to Uganda and the extreme poverty he witnessed in Africa. He spoke about the need to fight AIDS and malaria to help bring stability to poor nations and citied America’s moral standing in the world.

After his speech, I was able to briefly speak with Sen. Edwards and thanked him for raising the issues of global poverty while on the campaign trail. We even talked about the global poverty speech he gave in New Hampshire.

From the campaign trail to the colleges campuses, people everywhere are organizing and realizing that in today’s world, that we have the resources to fight global disease and end extreme – less than a dollar a day – poverty.

-Matthew Bartlett