The students from the University of Michigan and the University of Florida who participated in the grand prize for the ONE Campus Challenge (OCC) are home now after three exciting days that won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
Last night, ONE cofounder Bono and Somali–born singer and poet K’naan met in Minneapolis with several Somali Minnesotans to discuss and draw attention to the growing famine in Somalia, where a food crisis has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people and is putting nearly 12 million more lives at risk. There has been very little coverage of the crisis in the US media to date, despite the gravity of the situation.
The lack of food and water in Somalia, brought on by the worst drought in 60 years and exacerbated by the lack of any governing structure following decades of conflict, has caused hundreds of thousands of people to flee the country, often on foot. Families are walking for days to reach refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, with thousands dying along the way. The group called for swift action from world leaders at an emergency UN meeting in Rome on Monday.
After the meeting, Bono said: “The crisis in the Horn is going to be solved by Somalis taking control, taking charge. I’m here, and ONE is here, to listen and learn and to serve their efforts. We’re here to sound the alarm bell in the United States, where there has been very little media coverage of the food crisis — and now a famine which is threatening the lives and livelihoods of 12 million. This is monstrous. Pay close attention, this is a defining moment for the world. History will be very harsh if we don’t move quickly. There is a crisis summit on Monday in Rome. World leaders in the region and around the globe must step in and do their part to address the immediate crisis, and to invest in long-term agriculture development so we can finally stop the cycle of famine on the continent.”
K’naan also commented: “I am deeply saddened by what’s happening in my country, and in the region in general. But at the moment I am also incredibly energized by a new sense of optimism. We are seeing a new generation of young leaders who will not take the victim’s seat, but who instead stand proudly with an activated devotion to help their own. This is not the famine of old, this time, we will do the rescuing, but we cannot do it alone and are counting on the support of our brothers and sisters who are in the position to assist us. Think of this as an opportunity to fertilize a new African legacy. Let us together remove the psychological fence surrounding the hearts of the world. This is as important as life itself.”
Joining Bono and K’naan in the meeting were Mohammed Idris, Executive Director of the American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa (ADRHA), Daniel Wordsworth, President and CEO of the American Refugee Committee, and 3 young Somali Minnesotans who are active in relief efforts to address the crisis: Ruqia Mohamed, Shukri Abdinur and Mohamed Samatar.
This week on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” Bono, U2 lead singer and ONE’s co-founder, praised President George W. Bush, ONE and Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle for their HIV/AIDS efforts in Africa. Watch Politico’s clip of the interview here:
ONE’s cofounder Bono came to Washington, D.C., today to meet with House and Senate lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to thank them for their bipartisan commitment to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease -– and to talk about the importance of continued support for effective programs that are saving millions of lives in the poorest places on the planet for less than 1 percent of the federal budget.
The National Journal, a weekly politics magazine for Washington insiders, just published a new report on celebrity activism that calls out ONE’s cofounder Bono as the most politically effective celebrity of all time.
I’m speechless. Why? Because I saw a zillion good bands? Maybe the free food? Not even close. This weekend I had the chance to meet ONE co-founder Bob Geldof. This is how it went down:
I attended the keynote address at SXSW wearing my ONE shirt. With a quick window of opportunity I rushed to approach Bob Geldof and thank him, after he called me out of the crowd as “a fellow ONEr!” Geldof had just delivered a powerful speech about the power Rock- and- Roll has to deliver relevant and important messages to its audience. He challenged us to: Address the world with that confidence that is strictly the province of this country. Don’t turn inward. Don’t be scared of the future. Look at it cold-eyed and try to create a new world, with your values. Wow!
The next morning I had the opportunity to speak with Geldof more about extreme poverty and ONE’s incredible momentum across Texas- especially Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin. He gave me many suggestions and encouragement when speaking to our elected officials. We must continue to encourage them to make smart investments in international affairs.
Honestly friends, I really could go on and on about how speaking to Bob Geldof has left me inspired, encouraged, and motivated, but I will simply say this- we cannot let up on the urgency on the movement to see an end to extreme poverty in our lifetime. Let’s be more creative, innovative, and aggressive in our service, because now is the time! Our smart investments are less than 1% of our total budget, and the return is millions of lives saved. It’s that simple. Military leaders, Secretary of Defense Gates, Secretary of State Clinton, Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, and ONE members from all walks of life across the great state of Texas have all said it: these smart, small investments work! Let’s continue the our proud American legacy of investing in programs that fight preventable disease, hunger and extreme poverty.
Bob Geldof, thank you for speaking with me and sharing your words of inspiration.
Cheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s Chief Operating Office sat down with ONE co-founder Bono this weekend to discuss a whole host of issues including the work that ONE does, progress being made in the fight against extreme poverty, and how he got involved in the work of eradicating inequality. In the interview, he also notes the importance in fighting corruption, describing it as a “disease” — with transparency being the best vaccine against it.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
