Sachs Speaks at CARE Conference

Last Wednesday night, a few of us at ONE had the chance to hear Jeffrey Sachs speak at the CARE National Conference. It was a really exciting opportunity to hear from someone who has done so much research and reflection on the challenges of fighting global poverty and more specifically, meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. It was great to hear his insights on both the looming food crisis and the upcoming election.

Sachs cited a lot of data that really put the crisis of global poverty into perspective. He compared the American defense and foreign assistance budgets to demonstrate how little we give to Africa as a percentage or our GDP (we give 1/100 of the defense budget in foreign assistance.) He also mentioned the food crisis as an example of the need to support local farmers and empower their growth instead of limiting our activities to emergency aid.

Sachs concluded his speech by sharing his wish to see the Millennium Development Goals in the next president’s inaugural address as a way of expressing our solidarity with the world’s poorest people. His message and enthusiasm were heard and embraced at the conference, leaving us with yet another voice encouraging us to keep pushing our leaders in such a significant year.

-Sarah Wald, ONE Intern

ONE at the SILVERDOCS Film Festival

If you’re a DC area ONE member or are going to be in the area on June 20th, you won’t want to miss the regional premiere of “A Powerful Noise,” co-hosted by ONE and CARE. This moving documentary by Tom Cappello follows four women - Nada Markovic, Bui My Hanh, and Jacqueline “Madame Urbain” Dembele - as each of them go about the daily business of empowering, educating, and seeking justice, weaving through locations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mali, Vietnam and to tell a tale of hope much larger than the sum of its parts.

You can get all the information and purchase tickets here.

CARE National Conference

This will be my first year attending CARE’s National Conference in Washington on June 18 and 19, where CARE supporters from around the country travel each year at their own expense for an amazing and energizing few days. We’ll hear inspiring speakers like Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University, David Gregory of NBC News, and Senator Richard Durbin. And we’ll be joined by CARE Ambassadors Christy Turlington Burns and Sheila Johnson, who are lending their famous faces to help get our message across to influential policymakers.

Participants will have a chance to hone their organizing skills, meet legislators face to face, and learn about crucial issues that CARE is working on – such as equal access to education for girls; access to small business loans that enable women to create economic opportunity in their communities; and global efforts to ensure healthy pregnancies and childbirth.

It’s been my great privilege to work for CARE for the past five years. In my job as a press officer I have traveled to almost 20 of the 70 countries where CARE works, meeting the dedicated field staff and community members who make possible daily progress toward our vision of a world without extreme poverty.

The Conference will be my first chance to meet firsthand our volunteer advocates — the activists who work tirelessly to mobilize Americans to influence U.S. policy. It’s their enthusiasm and dedication that help CARE tap into this country’s power to bring about positive change in the world.

The excitement and energy are already building, and I have no doubt this will be the most successful Conference ever. Along with ONE and our partner organizations, we are eager for a few days of big strides toward a better world. Won’t you join us? For more information go to: https://my.care.org/care/events/2008conference/

-Rick Perera, CARE

Attend an anti-poverty conference

It’s gearing up to be an exciting summer for poverty-fighting activists here in the nation’s capital! ONE works closely with several organizations that are hosting national conferences, trainings and advocacy workshops in Washington, DC in May, June and July. Please check them out and spread the word!

May 27-31: Global Health Council: 35th Annual International Conference: “Community Health: Delivering, Serving, Engaging, Leading”

June 11-12: Save the Children: Advocacy Day 2008

June 13-15: Sojourners: Pentecost 2008: “Training for Change”

June 17: Bread for the World: Lobby Day 2008

June 18-19: CARE: 2008 National Conference

July 12-16: RESULTS Educational Fund: International Conference to End Poverty

July 15-16: U.S. Global Leadership Campaign and Center for U.S. Global Engagement: Washington Conference

-Margaret McDonnell, US NGO Partnerships and Faith Relations Team, ONE

Burma

Five days since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, the state media has reported 22,464 confirmed dead and 41,054 missing. The “UN estimates hundreds of thousands have been left homeless and millions are without food and water. Up to 40 per cent of the victims are believed to be children.” (Australian Daily Telegraph.)

From the BBC:

“In a statement, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged authorities in Burma - also known as Myanmar - to allow foreign aid workers and supplies into the country…But Burma has refused to waive visa requirements for many waiting aid workers…

Survivors face poor sanitation and a lack of access to clean water.

Flooding could lead to outbreaks of mosquito-borne malaria and dengue fever, while water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery are also a threat.”

Many of ONEs’s allies are mobilizing for relief for Burma. You can learn more on these sites: Oxfam, CARE, Save the Children, International Medical Corps and International Rescue Committee.

UPDATE: “The information that we’re receiving indicates that there may well be over 100,000 deaths in the delta area,” Shari Villarosa, the charge d’affaires in Burma, tells reporters during a conference call.” (USA Today)

-Virginia Simmons

Los Angeles: Trained

Los Angeles: Trained

This past Saturday ONE volunteers came out for an advocacy training in Los Angeles. Hosted at the University of Southern California, over 65 people gave up some holiday shopping time to come out and learn how they can make a difference in the fight against extreme poverty.

Volunteers learned about ONE’s history and mission as well as coming together to brainstorm and plan future ONE LA activities. There were some great ideas on how to recruit new members to the campaign, educate their community on the issues of global poverty, and encouraging the presidential candidates to be leaders in the fight for the world’s poorest people. Amy Quinn, one of LA’s most active volunteers, said that, “It was so exciting to see so many new faces at the training, 2008 will be the best yet for ONE LA!”

ONE’s allies CARE and Heifer International were also present at the event, sending representatives to share their unique stories with attendees. John Bostick, who along with his wife was named Heifer International’s “Volunteers of the Year” for their region, spoke at the training. John spoke of Heifer’s innovative programs to fight hunger and poverty around the world and the amazing effect of “Passing on the Gift.” When Heifer International provides an animal to a family it not only provides an income, food, and self sufficiency but the family also gives offspring to others in need within their community. This creates a cycle of sustainability that usually provides animals, knowledge, and skills to five or six families for each initial animal that is given.

Edward Kibirige from CARE also spoke about the organization’s work in the developing world and their special emphasis on women as part of their “I Am Powerful” Campaign. Women and children are disproportionately affected by extreme poverty and focusing on helping women lift themselves out of poverty can create lasting change in their communities. Edward also asked attendees to try and consider living on one dollar a day and how daunting it would feel to try and raise your family with so few resources. He noted that no one would have been able to attend the training that day because travel and parking cost well over one dollar.

All in all, the training was a success! Volunteers came together to find out how they can make a difference in the fight against extreme poverty and they found out that working together as ONE, we really can make poverty history!

-Kim Smith, ONE Field Organizer

CARE Turns Down $45 M in Federal Funds for Food Aid

Read the full New York Times story.