March 7th, 2008 at 10:32 am | posted by Kim Smith, ONE Regional Field Organizer
In the week leading up to this past Tuesday’s Texas primary, ONE members in Waco realized they had a unique opportunity to help in the fight against extreme poverty and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
More than 30 volunteers came out throughout the week attending events for Governor Huckabee, and Senators Clinton and McCain. Armed with ONE T-shirts, homemade signs, and their passion for ONE’s issues - volunteers and made sure that the candidates from both parties knew that Texans want our next president to be a leader in fighting for the world’s poorest people.
On Thursday, February 28th volunteers attended the Mike Huckabee rally in Waco, Texas, where they were able to meet the governor. After talking to the candidate about fighting poverty around the world, the volunteers were also excited that they were able to meet Huckabee supporter Chuck Norris at the rally.
The next day more ONE volunteers came out for Senator Clinton’s rally where they had seats right in front so that the senator could see them with their ONE shirts and poverty-fighting signs.
Then on Monday, March 3rd, Senator McCain was in Waco for a town hall and again, ONE was there! Justin Kralemann, president of the Baylor University ONE Student group, attended and sent me this note:
We just got in from the McCain Town Hall, during his speech, the senator asked everyone in the meeting to look at me and my fellow ONE members who were present. He talked about ONE and how young Americans are working together for a great cause. All of the cameras turned to us in our ONE tee-shirts. When he opened it up for questions, he asked me to take 60 seconds to tell everyone what ONE was. I then thanked him on behalf of over 100,000 ONE members in Texas for going “On the Record†and if elected, to visit Africa in his first term.
Thanks to all the volunteers in Waco who came out to support ONE and the world’s poorest people. For the ONE supporters out there in Wyoming, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania, as your primaries near, keep an eye out for candidates coming to your city, because we also need you to hit the campaign trail as ONE!
March 5th, 2008 at 2:11 pm | posted by Josh Lozman
Yesterday’s New York Times prominently featured an article describing the debate in the public health community about what are appropriate goals for the fight against malaria. Goals for fighting malaria vary between improving access to control and prevention measures and full eradication of the disease. Full eradication of the disease would mean that no person has the disease, but also that it exists nowhere, except as the New York Times notes, in a laboratory. This was last accomplished with smallpox when the last naturally occurring case of smallpox was recorded in 1977 in Somalia. Smallpox was certified eradicated in 1980.
The most recent round of discussions were sparked late last year when Bill and Melinda Gates called for a push towards eradication at a conference they held in Seattle. Despite the excitement created for such an initiative, the announcement enlivened debate among the scientific community about whether eradication is a realistic goal to set for the community and the potential disappointment of setting the goal and not reaching it. Smallpox had a unique set of credentials that made it a candidate for eradication, including that it could only be carried by humans rather than be primarily carried by mosquitoes in the case of malaria.
The past several years have seen a rapid increase in funding for fighting malaria. Spending from the United States, the Global Fund and World Bank on malaria from 2001 to 2003 was only $348 million. From 2004 to 2006, this number rose to just over $1 billion. The current version of the PEPFAR bill just recently agreed to in the House called for $5 billion in spending on malaria over the next 5 years from the United States alone. This would fund the United States’ proportionate share of the global estimates to achieve universal access to control and prevention for those living in endemic countries. Senators Clinton, McCain, and Obama have all committed to significantly ramp up the United States’ spending on malaria if elected president.
Though the debate about eradication versus control is one that is largely restricted to academic settings and concerns about setting realistic expectations, it is one that is likely to increasingly play out in the public discourse as the United States moves to spend more on fighting this disease.
After you check out the candidates’ responses, take a few minutes and write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Writing a letter to the editor is your chance to talk about the poverty-fighting successes highlighted on the recent presidential trip to Africa - successes ONE members have helped make possible - and our campaign urging the next president to visit Africa in his or her first term.
February 15th, 2008 at 10:56 am | posted by Katie Andrews, ONE Regional Field Organizer
Finally! The campaign comes to the Buckeye State!!
Despite it being Valentine’s Day, ONE members were out on the campaign trail last night to see Senator Clinton and make sure the Columbus community is thinking about global poverty and disease when they cast their ballet during the Ohio Primary on March 4th.
It’s only the beginning in Ohio so keep any eye out for us during the next couple of weeks. Go ONE, Go OHIO! OH-IO!!
Ambassadors Jenna Morton and Cisco Aguilar were on hand Tuesday night to spin their way through the post-debate analysis. ONE Vote ‘08 was an official co-sponsor of the debate and the logo could be seen every time Chris Mathews did a live shot of spin alley.
ONE Vote ‘08 volunteers fired up the crowd outside and passed out wristbands to debate watchers. Check out the awesome video ONE’s Matt Higginson put together from footage outside the debate.
That was the phone call I got yesterday afternoon from a ONE member and supporter. In New Hampshire, sometimes candidate events are scheduled last minute, or not made public, so Granite State ONE members always keep their eyes and ears open to find ways to lend our voice for the poorest of the poor in this world.
Right after I got the call, I hopped in my car and headed to Exeter where a very small crowd had gathered in a downtown local restaurant. Sure enough, Sen. Hillary Clinton made her way into the restaurant to have a quick bite to eat while on the campaign trail.
Sen. Clinton sat next to NH ONE Ambassador and State Sen. Maggie Hassan, who was already wearing her ONE band. They were joined at the table by Sen. Clinton’s National Co-Chair and NH ONE Ambassador Bill Shaheen.
Hillary finished her soup, gave a quick interview, and then spoke with voters before she left. I told Hillary, “the Greatest Generation had the Marshall Plan that helped save the continued of Europe from poverty and disease, I think that our next great generation should really put the effort and resources into fighting malaria in Africa and saving lives.” Hillary quickly told me that she also thinks that our nation should focus on global warming issues and took a quick picture with me.
ONE by ONE, the ONE Campaign and ONE Vote ‘08 are making the difference on the ground and across the nation, to make sure that our leaders know that fighting malaria and saving lives in Africa is not only possible, but it is a priority.
November 28th, 2007 at 9:50 am | posted by Josh Lozman
Yesterday, Hillary Clinton issued a release outlining her plan for fighting both the domestic and global HIV/AIDS epidemics. In addition to committing to doubling funding for research towards a vaccine, she made several commitments specific to global HIV/AIDS including:
· Renewing her commitment to providing at least $50 billion for global HIV/AIDS by 2013 including an increased commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
· The statement says that Senator Clinton “will seek in the near term to double the number of people receiving treatment and put us on a path to reach the goal of universal access to medications.” She also provides commitments on health infrastructure including increasing the number of health workers in Africa by at least one million; this was a recommendation from the Commission on Africa report published in 2005.
· Senator Clinton is a sponsor of the Education for All Act currently in the Senate. There is a clear link between children being in school and those children avoiding contracting HIV. The Senator renewed her commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goal of universal basic education by 2015.
· Senator Clinton made specific mention of sub-populations especially impacted by the epidemic, women and children.
ONE Vote ‘08 applauds Senator Clinton for presenting her plan to fight HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. The new UNAIDS statistics released this past week confirm that the AIDS epidemic is still a crisis that will demand greater resources to beat. Our nation’s next president will be counted on to meet this looming challenge.
Sen. Hillary Clinton was campaigning in Somersworth, NH, yesterday and I just got this amazing ONE story and video from Michael Castaldo! Go ONE!
-Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
“The senator’s voice was ailing so she kept her comments brief and had two mics set up to take questions. When she announced ‘question time’ several people rushed to one mic - I walked to the other. I was so excited to have the opportunity that my hands were shaking, and I left my tripod in my seat… this left me with the choice of a shaky video, or focusing on my question and no video. So I chose the latter and tried to calm down and get it out right.
I spoke about the one million people that die each year from malaria - death from a mosquito bite. I mentioned that Bill Gates himself praised US efforts to fight malaria around the world, and he urged all the candidates support and expand the Presidential Malaria Initiative. I asked how her administration would address global malaria. As soon as I finished, the senator recalled me to the mic to speak about the ONE Campaign in front of the entire crowd.
After I explained our 2.4 million people movement, I began filming.
I even got to pass a ONE band to Senator Clinton via our NH ONE Ambassador Bill Shaheen.”
Last night, Sen. Hillary Clinton made a campaign stop in Nashua, NH, and I caught up with her with some ONE members. Although we could not get our question asked after Hillary’s short speech, we managed to catch up with her as she made her way through the crowd.
ONE members Brandon and Kate urged Hillary to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa. Brandon even briefly spoke about malaria before offering her a ONE band which she gladly accepted. He thanked Sen. Clinton as she made her way down the line.
I was not able to speak with Sen. Clinton, but the two new ONE members that are originally from Benin in Africa who were standing next to me were able to get her attention. While wearing ONE bands, they yelled out “For Africa! For Africa” and she came over to take another quick photo!
Sen. Clinton will be campaigning here in New Hampshire today as well, and you can bet that ONE members across the state will be there to make sure she knows that saving lives and fighting extreme poverty in Africa is a priority!
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.
