Today at an event at the National Press Club hosted by The Atlantic, participants gathered to discuss domestic and international water and sanitation issues.

While speaking about the Water for the World Act, which Senator Durbin introduced, ONE members got a nice shout-out. As you know, we launched our Water for the World campaign earlier this year, which included a special message from Matt Damon to ONE members in June. In the process, ONE collected the names of over 100,000 people who supported improving access to clean water and sanitation for the world’s poorest people.

Here’s what Senator Durbin had to say:

As I said, we introduced our bill in March. By mid-June we had six Senate co-sponsors.

Then the ONE Campaign launched a campaign with other non-profits to enlist more co-sponsors.

Matt Damon, the actor, is the spokesperson for that effort. I don’t know if he used the old Bourne Ultimatum or what, but whatever he said is working. We now have 26 co-sponsors — Democrats, Republicans and Independents – as well as the Majority Leader.

This Monday in Chicago, ONE held a rally at The Field Museum’s Water Exhibit to celebrate the Paul Simon Water for the World Act. The event featured US Senator Richard Durbin, an original cosponsor of the Water for the World Act, and we were joined by many ONE members, local guests and partner organizations.

Before the event started, I caught up with Shayne Moore, a ONE member since inception. Shayne and I talked about the power of “Moms” in the world and the important role that women play both in ONE and in global development. Shayne even told me some of her work with partner groups and how as a mother of three, she felt strongly about supporting the life saving work of the Global Fund.

Sheila Nix, ONE’s executive director, opened up the event by talking about the lack of clean water in many parts of the developing world and just how crucial clean water is to global health issues. She went on to highlight the importance of the Water for the World Act and the potential it has to help usher in clean water to millions of lives around the world. Sheila also highlighted the prominent role that many of ONE’s partner groups play both on the ground in Africa, and in advocacy here in the US. Before she introduced Senator Durbin, she highlighted his efforts on the Water for the World Act, and his greater role in many other essential programs and for being one of the earliest and strongest backers of the Global Fund.

Senator Durbin then spoke about how ONE’s petition around Water for All put a growing bi-partisan force behind the legislation, saying that when it was first introduced, only a few other senators had signed on, but after ONE members across the country weighed in, alongside many other individuals and organizations, the list of co-sponsors is growing and Senator Durbin even noted Senator Isakson’s support from across the political aisle. Senator Durbin even singled out Water Advocates and noted Matt Damon’s special taped message to ONE members.

After the event, we took a quick tour of the water exhibit and after a few ONE members and guests were able to speak with Senator Durbin and thank him for his participation in the event, and for his actions in the Congress to help bring clean water to the world’s poorest people. I even had the chance to thank him for the chance meeting back in New Hampshire when I spotted him in a ONE shirt.

No matter where you live, clean water is one of the most crucial tenants to a healthy life. And no matter where you live in the US, your voice can help bring clean water to millions around the world when you take action with ONE.

-Matthew Bartlett

Right now, the Senate is considering a $4 billion cut from the president’s 2009 request for poverty-fighting funding. Most devastating – if passed, this cut would be a $1 billion drop from 2008 levels.

Thankfully, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) have introduced an amendment to restore $2.6 billion to the international affairs budget.

This is where ONE comes in.

We only have a week to get the majority of the Senate to decide to support this amendment – so we’re doing what we do best – launching a petition!

Add your name here.

We’re hoping to get 60 U.S. senators to sign up in support of Senator Durbin and Smith’s amendment – which means we need support from senators in every state in America.

I’ll updates you with how many ONE members have signed the petition, and how many senators have signed on, throughout the week. Please add your name and send the petition on to your friends. We only have 7 days to save billions of dollars worth of critical poverty-fighting programs for the most vulnerable among us.

3/10/08 UPDATE: The Amendment is now called the Feinstein-Smith Amendment. Senators Durbin, Sununu, Dodd and Coleman are co-sponsors for the Dear Colleague Letter.

Last summer the New York Times and the Pew Global Attitudes Project released a poll that showed that Africans were “wary but hopeful” about their future and the future of the continent. With devastating poverty, a massive AIDS epidemic and political strife, their hope seems remarkable. And it is this hope and their hard work, coupled with increased efforts by the U.S., which are making Africa a better place. Still, much more must be done.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 11 percent of the world’s population and only three percent of the world’s health care workers. It suffers nearly half of the world’s deaths from infectious diseases and bears nearly two-thirds of the world’s HIV burden.

Thankfully, due to global leadership, over $7 billion has been distributed to 136 counties through the Global Fund in just 5 years. This program expands our ability to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria – a devastating but treatable and preventable disease. To date, every dollar committed by the US has been matched and doubled by contributions from other donors. The Global Fund needs to be expanded so we can continue to invest in the future of the continent by ensuring Africans have access to basic health care. This is a priority of mine and of ONE.

While I don’t agree with the President about much, we both feel that improving access to health care is one of the most important things our country can provide to the people of Africa. He has made good on his commitment by proposing to spend $30 billion over 5 years to combat global AIDS through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). I’m proud of this program and will work in the Senate to make sure that it is not only funded but expanded.

We are making strides, and we should be proud of our work to date, but we must continue to challenge ourselves to do more.

-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

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UPDATE: Cross Posted on the Huffington Post.

On Friday night I was stopping at a red light in Nashua, NH, when I noticed someone in a ONE shirt on the corner. I always get excited to see people in ONE bands and ONE shirts as it is a simple way to show support for the ONE Campaign and the world’s poorest people. So I rolled down the window and yelled to him and gave him the thumbs up. He laughed and waved.

Then I looked at him again and asked, “Are you Senator Durbin”?, and he very surprisingly and excitedly said “Yes”! I tried to get a photo, but the light turned green, so I quickly parked my car and tried to find out where he, and the person he was with, were going.

As I hit Main Street in Nashua, I spotted the senator walking into an Irish pub down the street. I was about to enter the pub when I ran into a ONE member named Al Kitomari in his ONE shirt. Al is a college student who is originally from Tanzania.

I asked Al if he was wearing his ONE shirt for a specific reason (as if he was going to meet Sen. Durbin), but he told me that he always wears his ONE shirt with pride. I told Al about Sen. Durbin being inside the pub so we quickly went in for a picture of Al and Sen. Durbin in their identical ONE shirts.

Sen. Durbin was very warm and graciously took the photo. He was in New Hampshire to help campaign for Sen. Obama’s presidential bid. He asked Al and me to sit down and have dinner with him and the Obama staffer he was with. Al was going to meet a few friends, but I sat down and over dinner we discussed ONE and ONE Vote ‘08 (noting Obama sporting the ONE band in state and Sen. Daschle as national chair).

Sen. Durbin told me how he would partner with Republican senators like Sen. Brownback and Sen. DeWine, to offer amendments that would help fully fund US efforts to fight global AIDS and extreme poverty. I told him how, as a ONE volunteer, I clearly remember as I have called the Senate many times to ask my own senators to support these amendments with his name on it.

We talked about the Global Fund, MCC, and PEPFAR and even mentioned the Clean Water event that he attended in Chicago a few months ago. Sen. Durbin was very responsive and we even discussed the need to reform the Farm Bill to allow poor African farmers an opportunity to trade their way out of poverty.

It was an incredible chance meeting that shows no matter where you are – DC or Main Street in NH, and no matter who you are – a US Senator or an African student, the ONE Campaign is bringing people together across the political divide, and across the ocean, to unite as ONE and make poverty history!