Bread for the World’s Lobby Day

The top seven reasons to come to Bread for the World’s Lobby Day on June 17:

1. There’s nothing like sweating in your Sunday best in DC’s summer heat as you traipse about Capitol Hill.

2. It’s fun to hear your senator or representative ask, “The Global Poverty what?”

3. Uplifting worship service, preceded by free wine at the reception!

4. Boxed lunches: Mmmm, delicious….

5. And if it rains, you may be able to don a trash bag as a poncho.

6. Talk in ordinary English while sounding wonky (the language of Capitol Hill.)

7. How else can you make a difference in million of lives in one day?

Register here to join us and we guarantee you the ultimate Washington experience.

-Kimberly Burge, Bread for the World

Smith Signs On

Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) has signed-on to co-sponsor the reauthorization of PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. That brings the number of co-sponsors on our Senatometer up to 9!

Co-sponsors:

Joe Biden (D-DE)
Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
John Kerry (D-MA)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Gordon Smith (R-OR)

Don’t see your senators’ names? Sign our petition and ask them to be champions for fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB in the developing world: http://www.one.org/pepfarsenate

Get PEPFAR Going

Yesterday, ONE members in 16 states launched a campaign to get PEPFAR going in the Senate. PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) is America’s primary vehicle for working with countries in the developing world to treat and prevent HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. In its first five years, PEPFAR has saved millions of lives, and now it’s up for reauthorization for five years and $50 billion dollars, a substantial increase in America’s commitment to battling these deadly, but treatable diseases. Unfortunately, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and six other senators are blocking all action on the bill. Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN) and John Sununu (R-NH) have written an urgent letter seen below at the bottom of this post) to the Senate Majority and Minority Leaders, asking them to do whatever it takes to get PEPFAR reauthorization to the floor of the senate.

Coburn’s concerns should be debated out in the open, not hidden behind a procedural block. There is a now a serious chance that PEPFAR reauthorization won’t happen until next year. Millions of people across the developing world can’t wait that long. The challenge to us is to convince key senators to sign that letter and show that there is strong, bipartisan support for reauthorizing PEPFAR this year, and continuing America’s commitment to moral leadership in the fight against global AIDS.

Live in Texas, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Utah, Mississippi, Wyoming, Georgia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Minnesota, Virginia or Missouri? We need you to write to your senator or senators and ask them to sign the Lugar-Sununu letter and get PEPFAR going: http://www.one.org/pepfarletter

If you’re not in one of those states, you can still ask your senators to co-sponsor PEPFAR here: http://www.one.org/pepfarsenate/

Make sure to follow our progress on the PEPFAR Co-Sponsor Senatometer

You also learn more about PEPFER here: http://www.one.org/pepfar

April 30, 2008

The Honorable Harry Reid
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Mr. Majority Leader and Mr. Minority Leader:

We are writing to urge you to act expeditiously in scheduling floor time for the consideration of S. 2731, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.

As you know, the programs the Act would reauthorize — the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and tuberculosis programs — have had an enormously positive effect in combating these diseases in Africa and throughout the developing world. PEPFAR is on schedule to achieve its topline goals of supporting treatment for 2 million AIDS patients with life-saving antiretroviral therapies, preventing the transmission of 7 million new cases of the disease, and supporting care for 10 million people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS, including orphans and vulnerable children. Through its multilateral efforts, the U.S. will have also supported the distribution of 46 million mosquito bed nets to protect families from malaria.

Since its inception, PEPFAR has enjoyed broad bipartisan support and strong cooperation between the Executive and Legislative branches. PEPFAR also has served as a powerful demonstration of U.S. leadership and compassion throughout the world. As the President witnessed during his recent trip to Africa, U.S. investments in PEPFAR are paying major dividends both by creating a more positive global perception of the United States and by bringing stability and hope to strategic regions across the globe.

By passing this legislation in the next few weeks, we will enable the President to take this commitment to the G-8 meeting in Japan in early July and to use it to leverage additional commitments from our international partners. Moreover, we need to act now in order to send a clear message to PEPFAR recipients that the United States is fully committed to continuing the success of this program and to expanding our efforts to fight the pandemics of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

Thank you for your consideration, and we hope that you will act swiftly to bring this critically important piece of legislation to the floor.

Sincerely,

Senator Richard Lugar
Senator John Sununu
Senator Elizabeth Dole
Senator Gordon Smith
Senator Bob Corker
Senator Chuck Hagel

-Aaron Banks, ONE.org

Update: We’re now up to 14 signers to the letter.

Senator Richard Lugar
Senator John Sununu
Senator Elizabeth Dole
Senator Gordon Smith
Senator Bob Corker
Senator Chuck Hagel
Senator Thad Cochran
Senator Mel Martinez
Senator Orrin Hatch
Senator John Warner
Senator Susan Collins
Senator Olympia Snowe
Senator Arlen Specter
Senator Norm Coleman

Cell Phones Booming Across Africa

New statistics from the GSM Association reveal that cell phone usage is taking off across Africa. The GSMA reported that African cell operators added 70-million users in the past year (a growth rate of 33%) and expanded cell phone coverage by an area the size of France. Around 66% of Africa’s population is now reached by a mobile phone signal, up from 62% in 2007. Some African countries, such as Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, already have coverage rates well above 90%.

Cell technology has enabled poor African countries to bypass the messy infrastructure and expensive start-up costs of setting up fixed-line systems. As a result, wireless technology is reaching isolated rural areas where fixed lines were never able to penetrate: while the number of African cell phone users reached 282 million in 2008, there are still only 35 million fixed lines on the continent.

For Africa, these new connections have the potential to reap widespread development benefits. Where roads are bad, fixed lines nonexistent and email rare, cell phones are forging communications links that are vital to economic and social progress. Everyone from farmers to health ministers to market vendors is coming up with innovative ways to harness cell technology. In Kenya, for example, the Kenyan Agricultural Commodity Exchange (KACE) linked up with Safaricom, the country’s largest cell phone company, to help farmers access market prices over their phones. For about 20 cents, farmers can use text messaging to get current prices for goods at markets throughout Kenya, allowing them to reduce transaction costs and bypass middlemen, who often charge below-market rates.

Donors are getting the hint that cell phones can help overcome deficits in Africa’s health infrastructure. PEPFAR, for example, is working with African health ministries and the private sector to set up the Phones for Health program, a $10 million initiative that will allow health workers to use cell phones from the field to input health information to a central database. The program is modeled after TRACnet (http://www.pepfar.gov/pepfar/press/84654.htm), an impressive web-based system in Rwanda that collects and disseminates antiretroviral treatment program reporting, drug shortages and CD-4 tests across the country.

In the long term, coverage and usage must expand significantly if African countries are to realize the full economic potential of cell technology. Evidence indicates that high levels of cell phone usage can fuel economic growth and even attract foreign investment. One widely-cited study found that a developing country with an average of 10 more cell phones per 100 people has 0.59% higher GDP growth than an otherwise identical country. Seizing upon this opportunity will require prioritization by both the international community and African governments, who must continue to combat regulatory bottlenecks that constrain the competitiveness of cell operators across the continent.

-Nora Coghlan, ONE.org

Together We Can FIGHT TB!

Many think that TB has been eliminated from the U.S., but this is far from true. The poster on the left was created by the Red Cross in 1919, promising that tuberculosis would be “The Next To Go.” But this dreaded disease has not yet gone.

One-third of the world’s population is infected with the bacteria that causes TB, and one in ten of those infected develop active TB disease.

What is the U.S. doing to stop TB? Not enough. U.S. and global efforts to combat TB are falling short.

The U.S. House of Representatives is now considering the Comprehensive TB Elimination Act, which would greatly expand our efforts to combat TB, including the development of new, effective drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines.

How can you help? Tell your legislators to co-sponsor the Comprehensive TB Elimination Act (H.R. 1532). Call 1-800-828-0498.

Your immediate action can help curb the TB pandemic.

The current TB vaccine was introduced in the early 1900s, and over time, its effectiveness has greatly diminished. What is more, strains of TB have developed that are resistant to all of our major anti-TB drugs.

Take action now. Call 1-800-828-0498. Tell your Representative to co-sponsor the Comprehensive TB Elimination Act (H.R. 1531) to prevent the spread of drug resistant TB in the U.S. and to develop new medical tools to fight TB.

Please note that while ALL legislators need to hear from you, it is especially important to call if you are from key, target states(Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia). Click here to find your elected official.

Thank you for fighting TB with us.

Summary of the bill

-Christine Kim, Families USA

Your Computer Can Fight Global Disease Without You

We normally use our collective voices to advocate to the world’s leaders on the fight against poverty and global disease. Today, I was doing some reading that made me think we might be able to use our collective computing power.

Unfortunately, ONE hasn’t figured out a way to fight extreme poverty using your computer’s idle processing time (think screen savers), but the folks at UC Berkeley have figured out a way to help fight some of the diseases that are hitting the developing world the hardest by doing just that.

There is a lot of research underway on diseases that impact the world’s poor. In some cases, that research requires a significant amount of computational resources. One project, for example, simulates the transmission of malaria. Another maps three dimensional proteins that could one day help find cures for HIV/AIDS and others.

Thanks to the internet, supercomputers aren’t the only way for that research to happen anymore. Something called distributed computing allows personal computers around the world to work together to essentially form one single supercomputer. Seems pretty similar to our grassroots advocacy model here at ONE.

This whole concept is part of the BOINC Project (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing Project). You might have already guessed that it’s run by the University of California at Berkley. Each of the projects you can volunteer your computer for is run by completely independent entities. According to BOINC, “Some are based at universities and research labs, others are run by companies and individuals.” You can read a New York Times Article on the project.

It’s pretty easy to get started. First, you have to pick a project (e.g. what disease you want to help cure). I can’t speak to which project is best or attest to the quality of the research being done, but the projects I list below have websites detailing their work. BOINC “believes their descriptions (institution and area of research) are accurate.”

Below are names of the projects related to developing world diseases and their stated goals from BOINC site:

1. Malariacontrol.net - “Simulation models of the transmission dynamics and health effects of malaria are an important tool for malaria control. They can be used to determine optimal strategies for delivering mosquito nets, chemotherapy, or new vaccines which are currently under development and testing. Such modeling is extremely computer intensive, requiring simulations of large human populations with a diverse set of parameters related to biological and social factors that influence the distribution of the disease.”
2. World Community Grid - “To further critical non-profit research on some of humanity’s most pressing problems by creating the world’s largest volunteer computing grid. Research includes HIV/AIDS, cancer, muscular dystrophy, dengue, fever and many more.”
3. Rosetta@home - “Determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases. By running Rosetta@home you will help us speed up and extend our research in ways we couldn’t possibly attempt without your help. You will also be helping our efforts at designing new proteins to fight diseases such as HIV, Malaria, Cancer, and Alzheimer’s.”

You can read more about the BOINC project on their site.

You have to download and install a program, then select the project you want to volunteer your computer for from a list, but it doesn’t take much time. I downloaded the program and signed up to work on MalariaControl.net in about five minutes today. I created “The ONE Campaign” team, so if you do sign up, feel free to join our team. I recommend you check out the preferences of the program so you can determine when it runs and how much space it takes up on your computer.

I am going to go get lunch now and let my computer do some of the disease-fighting.

-Josh Peck, ONE.org

On-the-ground in Zambia

Yesterday morning, I traveled with fellow ONE staff to several health-focused development programs in Lusaka, Zambia. (The country is gorgeous and we’ve taken incredible photos, but because of some technical issues I’ll have to wait until next week to post a few here.)

A couple of today’s highlights were visiting with the Matero Refferal Clinic - a health center in Lusaka that is heavily supported by the Center for Infectious Disease Research - and a meeting with the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Zambia Minister of Health. All of the healthcare workers at the Matero Refferal Clinic were wonderful as they showed us around their extremely busy and well-organized clinic. They showed us a new wing they’re building for HIV/AIDS and general health, but they did let us know that they need more medical supplies and staff. There were two doctors at the facility who, combined, see 200 patients each day.

Of note, we learned that patients receiving AIDS treatment at the clinic also receive “nutritional portions” from the World Food Programme. Food is vital to the fight against AIDS. For people infected with HIV, proper nutrition can slow the progression of the virus to full-blown AIDS and improve the effectiveness of antiretrovirals. Unfortunately, at the Matero Refferal Clinic, the size of food portions has decreased from 45 kilograms 5 years ago to just 12 kilograms today. On top of this, many people receiving these small, individually-sized portions will also share the food with their full families.

The meeting with officials from the Clinton HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) and the Zambia Ministry of Health was extremely informative as well. A main take-away: the government’s decision to focus its attention on children with HIV - combined with the government’s collaboration with NGOs and funding from international programs like PEPFAR - has more than doubled the number of children receiving life-saving AIDS-treatment in the country.

Throughout the day, the need for more trained healthcare workers was repeated by doctors, nurses and officials. This is a need that is echoed across Africa: Africa bears 25% of the global disease burden and has 14% of the world’s population- but just 1.3% of the world’s health care workforce. This deficit in capacity means that countries like Zambia face enormous obstacles in improving basic health care for children and scaling-up access to vital health interventions, such as HIV/AIDS treatment.

-Virginia Simmons

Hey G8, Listen to Pedro

Many African countries are facing a grave threat from rising food prices. That’s why we’ve been asking President Bush and other G8 leaders to take immediate action to soften the blow on the poor and reverse the underinvestment in long-term agricultural productivity.

Some of us have been in Mozambique this week; a country like Mozambique is particularly vulnerable to global food shocks. Not only is it very poor (75% of the country lives on less than $2 per day), it also imports roughly 75% of its food and is hit by a drought or flood every six months.

Despite these challenges, many parts of Mozambique have ideal climate conditions for agriculture production and there’s certainly no shortage of land – Mozambique runs 1,500 miles down Africa’s eastern coast and is twice the size of California.

Today we tried to learn why Mozambique is not able produce more food – both for local consumption and export. To find answers to our questions, we visited plant scientist Pedro Fato at the Instituto de Investigacao Agraria de Mozambique (IIAM) just south of Maputo. IIAM is an agricultural research institute jointly funded by the Government of Mozambique and private donors, including the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Rockefeller Foundation. Pedro and his team are breeding more nutritious and insect resistant varieties of maize (corn), cassava, sorghum and sweet potatoes – all foods considered staples here in Mozambique. In the accompanying picture you can see Pedro holding orange maize which IIAM has bred to be rich in vitamin A and beta carotene.

Pedro outlined three major challenges to boosting agriculture growth and productivity in Mozambique

1. Water: nearly all agricultural production in Mozambique is rain-fed. With a typical rainy season lasting only three months, basic irrigation techniques and technology could significantly boost yields
2. Inputs (fertilizers and seeds): Fertilizer is expensive and not widely available in Mozambique. There is currently no domestic production; the limited quantities that are available are imported from South Africa. New seed varieties are also lacking. Approximately 70% of farmers are using unimproved local maize, which has lower yields and isn’t as resistant to pests and diseases. Like fertilizer, there is also no local seed production
3. Infrastructure: most of Mozambique’s agricultural activity occurs in the north of the country, where long distances and poor roads make it difficult to move crops beyond village markets. Improved access to markets could dramatically increase incomes for farmers and cooperative groups.

Pedro also told us more money is needed for agriculture research and extension workers so that new seed varieties and inputs can make it into the hands of farmers. He also said commercial farming is needed in Mozambique. Agriculture in here is mainly limited to smallholder farmers, limiting productivity, distribution and export potential. Pedro told us that 95% of maize in Mozambique is produced by small holder farmers.

Mozambique certainly isn’t alone. Many sub Saharan African countries are facing similar challenges. We’re hopeful that the global attention on food prices will translate into a sustained investment in long-term agriculture growth in places like Mozambique.

-Ben Hubbard and Tyler Denton, ONE.org

Farm Bill: Same Bill, New World

Today, the House of Representatives voted 318-106 to pass a $300 billion, 5 year Farm Bill. While the bill funds some domestic conservation and nutrition programs and food aid, it also includes agricultural subsidies that have a tangible impact on global poverty. Agricultural subsidies, which Japan and other rich countries in Europe use as well, have historically been used to help farmers earn a living when world prices for commodity crops such as wheat, corn, and rice are low and farmers lose revenue. However, these payments can also cause subsidized crops to flood overseas global markets, making it difficult for farmers in poor countries to sell agricultural products in their own markets.

Farm incomes are higher than ever, the US Department of Agriculture reports that net farm income will top $92 billion in 2008, far exceeding the 10-year average of $61 billion. These agricultural subsidies often go to the wealthiest farmers in the country. Even under the new legislation only individual farmers who make $750,000 or more in farm income would be ineligible for direct subsidy payments. The legislation that the House approved today essentially continues subsidy programs that disadvantage the poor. During this time of high food prices, when U.S. farmers are earning at record levels and poor people in developing countries are struggling to feed their families, it makes little sense for the US Congress to pass a program that can have such a damaging impact on farmers in poor countries.

Next the legislation moves to the Senate, where it is likely to pass easily as well. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation when it comes to the President, but House and Senate leaders are saying that they will vote to override a veto, which requires a 2/3 vote in both houses.

To read more on the Farm Bill see the articles below

AP article

WSJ article

Links to some of our partners’ work on the Farm Bill

Oxfam America

Bread for the World

-Sara Rogge, Senior Trade Policy Advisor

Save the Children: Advocacy Day

I’m excited to be involved for the first time in Save the Children’s annual Advocacy Day program in Washington (June 11-12). Particularly at a time when the world food crisis threatens to push more people – especially vulnerable children in the developing world – back into poverty, this event gives us all an opportunity to do something for those children and their families.

Did you know that over 10 million children die yearly from preventable or treatable diseases and low cost solutions can do something about it? That’s 26,000 children a day! AIDS and malaria are killing only a small proportion. Most die of diarrhea, pneumonia, and measles. Four million of these deaths occur to newborns – less than one month old – in villages in Africa and Asia. That’s not right, especially since there are low cost solutions that can prevent these deaths from happening.

Save the Children is going to focus its June program on building support for the U.S. Commitment to Global Child Survival Act (H.R. 2266, S.1418). This legislation will strengthen American’s role in saving the lives of children and mothers in the world’s poorest countries by investing in low-cost, highly effective, lifesaving interventions such as vitamins, antibiotics and vaccines.

Already over 100 Senators and Representatives from both parties support this bill, but more must be done to get this legislation passed. We need to come together and tell Congress to provide more help for these children and families in countries like Nigeria, Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Afghanistan.

If you want to make a difference for these kids like I do, join us June 11-12 in our call for change & reserve a spot today; register at www.savethechildren.org/advocacyday2008. If you have any questions, please email me at advocacyday@savechildren.org.

Advocacy Days is a terrific opportunity for us to make a difference by letting our elected officials know there is a voice calling for lasting change in the lives of children in need.

-Ryan Quinn, Save the Children