The U2 Tour wrapped up in Vancouver last night and ONE members from the home of the 2010 Olympic Games (as all my cab drivers were proud to remind me) didn’t let a steady cold rain keep them from coming out to sign up new ONE members.

Our Vancouver volunteers were an enthusiastic and engaged group of and I was fortunate enough to get to chat with a few of them.

Lauren Chan

Lauren learned about ONE from a high school teacher. And as Graduation Committee President, she led her class in purchasing 58,000 tetanus shots for UNICEF. It was the first time a Langara High School class had donated it’s graduation committee fund-raising to charity and a sign of Lauren’s commitment to making a difference on issues of global poverty and preventable disease.

Eva, Paul, Heather and Rebeca

We got a little lost in conversation, so I’m sure they’ll forgive me if I don’t get the relationships right. But in the picture above you can see husband and wife Paul and Eva, along with Paul’s sister Rebeca and Eva’s sister Heather. And how did Paul and Heather meet? Through their work as anti-poverty advocates, of course. Paul and Heather both worked as Regional Team Leaders for our partner organization World Vision in British Colombia. They admit that some of those meetings when they first met weren’t the most productive, but it’s clear that they’re the most dedicated of activists. Paul is in his first year of law school at Saskatoon University Law School, where he hopes to eventually specialize in human rights and international law. He told me that ONE broadly encapsulates what they want to do with their lives – work against poverty and for greater justice. Eva continues at World Vision and talked with me about the power of participation that comes when the public engages and really understands the issues – and she’s a big fan of ONE.org when it comes to educating people on global poverty. Eva also talked about how ONE empowers kids to get involved in different ways. “Kids who might otherwise think of global poverty and say “I work at McDonald’s, I can’t afford to sponsor a child.” “But through ONE, they realize that their voices are powerful.”

Harneet Gosal

Harneet is a student at Simon Fraiser University and first got involved with ONE in high school. She signed up tons of new ONE members and particularly enjoyed talking about the issues with concert-goers. She even had a vigorous discussion with a U2 fan from the Czech Republic who wanted to know why she thought fighting poverty and disease in the developing world was important. She must have made a good argument, because he signed up to become a ONE member.

Robin and Dave McCombe

When Matt Higginson asked Robin and Dave if they’d rocked their volunteer work, they replied “punk rock all the way.” I’m sure the band performing that night would be pleased. Robin and Dave first got involved with ONE through their church, Coquitlam Alliance, where they watched video of an interview Bono did with a minister in Boston. They were particularly excited to see how excited the younger generation was about signing up to join ONE. “Nothing against the old folks,” as Dave said, “but it’s great to see kids, teenagers and young couples couples get involved. They also saw a lot of white bands in the crowd worn by concert-goers who are already ONE members.

This is our last stop on the 2009 U2 360 Tour and there’s not much more left to say, except for a giant thank you. I’m sure I’m forgetting far too many people, but thank you to Weldon and Matt, Marisa, Roxy, Luisa, Nealon, Leah, the more than 1,000 ONE members who came out to volunteer at 44 shows, and last, but definitely not least, U2 for sharing this amazing tour with us.

-Aaron Banks

Africare, a partner organization devoted to improving lives and building futures, also tells the stories of individuals making a difference in Africa. Enter “Pass It On”. Through a new series of 16 videos, one featured each month, Africare hopes to connect the development work Africans are doing in different countries. Certain challenges, including access to clean water and the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS are being met through community efforts to battle poverty and disease.

This month, meet Alassane and see the wonderful work he is doing in Mali. You can find more info and the inspiring clips here.

Today we have a guest post from Elizabeth Gore, the executive director of global partnerships and Nothing But Nets for the United Nations Foundation:

I am a runner; I also swim and bike, but mostly I run. I like the repetitiveness, the solitude, and the opportunity to challenge myself. Being from the flat warm state of Texas, I’m not a climber and I do not dig the cold. When Kenna, Grammy-winner artist and the creator of Summit on the Summit: Kilimanjaro, approached me to climb with him to bring awareness and raise money for the clean water crisis, my body did not react with an obvious, immediate “Yes!” due to altitude and cold BUT, my brain jumped at the chance to talk about the world’s next major crisis.

Today 1 billion people around the globe have a hard time finding the 7 liters of water needed to survive, let alone the 50 liters needed to thrive. In the developed world we use 300 liters a day to drink, wash and cook – and that doesn’t take into account the thousands of liters our food needs just to get to the table. So it’s hard for us to understand the concept of literally NO potable water.

Picture a refugee camp in Ethiopia – a place classically challenged in this water crisis. The landscape is drier than ever due to climate change, the depth to which one used to have to drill to reach water is no longer viable so traditional well techniques have stopped working; the water must be trucked in from hours away. The other, sometimes more cruel, scenario is lots of water, but it’s filled with water borne disease. Infecting people with diarrhea, giardia and breeding mosquitoes that transmit malaria. Out of the 40 million people in the care of UNHCR, half of those do not have access to clean water.

There are solutions, many of them, but they are not yet widely funded and adopted. Things such as sachets to cleanse existing water, pumping systems that work more efficiently, pipelines, etc., can help us to remedy this very serious problem. But most of us have no idea that for the majority of people living there is no tap that delivers clean, safe water; that to exist one must carry 40 lbs of water up to six miles, every day.

So for all of these reasons, my brain is forcing my body into submission. Each day I run stairs and workout harder than I ever have before to get ready to ascend Mt. Kilimanjaro with the Summit on the Summit team — Kenna, Jessica Biel, Kick Kennedy, Lupe Fiasco, Simon Isaacs and Isabel Lucas and others — so that all of us can bring awareness to this dire and worsening issue. Join us at summitonthesummit.com.

-Elizabeth Gore

I don’t know what it feels like to contract Malaria, but Orlando ONE member Kristen Kenney does. I met Kristen a few weeks ago and was blown away by her story and her efforts to help others survive the disease. While we work to urge our elected officials to support robust funding for the Global Fund and other U.S. initiatives to end the worldwide burden of diseases like malaria, Kristen and others continue to push the message on the local level. Her story below is inspiring and reminds me that ONE person can make a difference:

I thought I had seen the world. But jet-setting from one first-class resort to the next left me utterly helpless when reality struck. It nearly killed me.

I found myself in sheer panic, screaming and staggering down a street in Tanzania, begging for someone to get me to a hospital. The pain was unbearable, the fear unimaginable. I had contracted malaria, Africa’s most deadly disease.

How could that be? I was a visitor. I told them I had the money, fix me.

I awoke in a hospital bed. There were women all around me, praying for my survival. In Africa, malaria kills a child every 30 seconds, most families too poor to pay the nominal fee for life-saving medication.

I returned to America weak of body but with a resilient mind, determined to fight for the lives of those who couldn’t fight themselves.

You see, I believe that not only can one person make a difference; one person must make a difference I know I can save lives. And I know that you can too.

I was saved by Malaikas, the African word for Angels. But there are millions of others who may die unless they, too, find an angel.

I created Malaika for LIFE, to purchase life-saving malaria medication through the sale of bracelets, made by hand by the women of Tanzania.

David Cole from the ONE UK office reports on the chaotic situation in Guinea:

Photo © SEYLLOU/AFP/Getty Images

Since seizing power earlier this year, Dadis Camara and the rest of the military junta ruling Guinea have become increasingly repressive and violent. On September 28, a protest against the regime ended with the military killing 157 civilians and injuring a further 1,200. Because of the violence and chaos, businesses are grinding to a halt and schools have been closed. His actions are actively undermining the fragile development gains of recent years and hold no promise of a better future for Guinea.

The international community has started to respond. The Economic Community of West African States, European Union, African Union, and US have all imposed arms sanctions in response to the recent rise in violence. Although the regime has yet to step aside and agree to hold fair and open elections, these sanctions are an important first step and help isolate it.

We’ll be keeping our eyes on the situation in Guinea, and if we need to take action, you’ll hear from us straight away.

Check out this post from our partner organization the U.S. Coalition for Child Survival about the introduction of the Global Child Survival Act of 2009 in the U.S. Senate.

-Margaret McDonnell

I attended the kick-off program for the first World Pneumonia Day in New York. The US Coalition for Child Survival was one of the original groups to join the effort to highlight this event – not a day of celebration, but more a day of awareness. Pneumonia kills more than 2 million newborns and children under the age of 5 every year, mainly in the developing world, and is the leading cause of child deaths. However, with the introduction of vaccinations and improvements in early newborn care, many of these children can be saved.

We need to redouble our efforts to save children from diseases and conditions such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and with issues linked to poor nutrition. The only way that will happen is with a country-by-country strategy and a focused plan of action. The United States can and should be the leader in such efforts to save the lives of young children. We need to increase the resources given to USAID, strengthening its capacity to help ensure that the full package of newborn and child health interventions is available everywhere.

Last week, Senator Dodd (D-Conn.), Senator Corker (R-Tenn.), and Senator Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced the Global Child Survival Act of 2009 (S.1966). This critical piece of legislation recognizes the challenges and opportunities in global child health and calls for greater coordination and enhanced accountability in US Government programs, as well as a government-wide strategy for meeting Millennium Development Goal #4.

The US Coalition for Child Survival has extensive information on newborn and child health, including an easy-to-use factsheet and FAQ page on the new legislation. Visit our detailed information page on S.1966 to learn more and sign up for our e-mail newsletter for updates on the bill’s progress and related efforts.

Let’s work together for the day when we can truly celebrate the end of pneumonia as the number one killer of children. Won’t that be a great World Pneumonia Day to look forward to?

-Andrew Barrer, Executive Director, US Coalition for Child Survival

That’s right, we’re pushing back the deadline for ONE’s Next Top T-shirt challenge; from tomorrow to this Friday, November 6 at noon. So there are now almost 4 more days to come up with a great design, which we’ll print on our new, 100% fair trade, organic cotton T-shirts from Uganda. After our panel of expert judges have reviewed all the designs, ONE members will get to vote on the top three designs late next week to determine the winning design.

It could be yours! Or maybe you know someone creative who could put their talents to work on a T-shirt that communicates what it means to be part of ONE and this global anti-poverty advocacy movement.

Find out more, spread the word, submit your design and check out other designs in our gallery, here:

http://www.one.org/tshirt

-Aaron Banks

PS- Here’s a small sample of some designs we’ve received so far:

Follow Friday is a chance for people on Twitter to recommend other people, organizations, and movements on Twitter. We at @ONECampaign like to take the opportunity to give shout-outs to other partner organizations and people who are making a difference in the fight against extreme poverty.

Here’s today’s round-up:

#FF More (RED)Nights with @joinred: http://budurl.com/rbgo

#FF Experience digital story telling. Learn about @AfricAid’s Kisa Project film festival supporting women: http://bit.ly/3N41Qs

#FF @gatesfoundation has the proof behind Living Proof: http://bit.ly/wGxlq

#FF Enjoy Kenya, @FriendsofWFP! http://bit.ly/3ImOIS

#FF Optimizing vaccination with @PATHtweets: http://tr.im/Dfk7

#FF @unicefusa reports from Sierra Leone: http://bit.ly/3DjoII

Dear ONE members,

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to give kids worldwide a fighting chance against pneumonia. Go to www.missionpneumonia.org, and play Save the Children’s new game. Find out about childhood pneumonia and how Save the Children works to help parents and community health workers overcome obstacles to treating a child whose life hangs in the balance.

On November 2, 2009, Save the Children is joining with other groups worldwide to bring attention to the terrible toll that pneumonia takes in developing countries. A child dies of pneumonia every 15 seconds. That comes to about 2 million lives lost each year. But, with your help, more than 1 million lives could be saved by making affordable health measures available – including vaccines, and antibiotics – and by bringing health care closer to children’s homes. That’s just what Save the Children is doing every day to save children’s lives in 40 countries.

Now we’re enlisting you to help us prevent pneumonia from striking susceptible children and protecting their lives when it does. Here’s how:

• Play the game at www.missionpneumonia.org Learn what it takes to fight pneumonia around the world by taking our quiz.
• Sign the petition. Show your elected officials that you support expanding the reach of life-saving tools – vaccines, antibiotics and trained health workers – to more mothers and babies in poor countries.
  Pneumonia is the #1 killer of children under age 5, taking more lives than malaria, AIDS and measles combined. By accepting this mission, you can help keep kids healthy.

Thank you so much for your support,

-Mary Beth Powers, Campaign Chief, Survive to 5

You might be familiar with CNN Heroes. It’s an annual project that allows viewers to nominate and then vote for people in their community and in their country who are making a positive impact on others.

There are currently 10 such heroes profiled on CNN.com, all of them fascinating and inspiring. But I was particularly struck by two stories of individuals with very different backgrounds making a difference in Africa.

Doc Hendley is a former bartender from Blowing Rock, North Carolina who has traveled to Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda and Cambodia to help build clean water wells and sanitation systems. He even has his own nonprofit, Wine to Water.

You can watch his story here:

Betty Makoni is a 37-year-old woman from Zimbabwe who, through her Girl Child Network, is fighting to protect her country’s young girls from sexual abuse.

You can watch her story here: