International
ONE Blog
Pakistan flood response
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Since the reports first reached our TV screens of the floods in Pakistan the public response to the disaster has been phenomenal, with the UK public alone raising over £47 million for the aid appeal. The situation in Pakistan is dire: More than 20 million people have been displaced by the flooding, a fifth of the country is now under water, and more than 2 million acres of crops have been destroyed. Thousands of people have lost their lives and millions more have lost their homes, whilst severe threats of water-borne diseases and malnutrition are putting survivors of the initial floods at further risk. And all this in a country where 60% of the population were already living below the poverty line. In order to recover from this destruction Pakistan will need all the help it can get. On Saturday ONE launched a petition calling on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to freeze Pakistan’s debt and we have already received over 20,000 signatures! This is fantastic and we are now over halfway to our new target of 40,000. Since its launch the petition has received the backing of major aid organisations – Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid – and Members of Parliament from the major political parties here in the UK, Labour’s Sadiq Khan, Liberal Democrat Tim Farron and the Conservative’s Andrew Stephenson. A spokesperson for Muslim Aid said:
Islamic Relief CEO Jehangir Malik said:
Thank you to all ONE members who have signed the petition so far. If you haven’t yet signed please do so. And if you have, please pass it onto your friends and family. Every extra name really does make a difference. |
Wherever we are; we are ONE
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Monday’s show in Istanbul marked the halfway point of the 2010 U2 360° Tour in Europe. To date I’ve met around 300 ONE volunteers, and they’ve signed up nearly 25,000 new members! That doesn’t leave them much time to talk to me. But when I have the rare chance to get them all together, I’ve asked them to give a little reminder that wherever we are and whoever we are; we are ONE: |
Help Freeze Pakistan’s Debt
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I’m sure like me you’ve been saddened to see the unprecedented floods in Pakistan, and I’m sure you are keen to find a way to help. The sheer scale of the disaster is staggering, with reports suggesting that 20 million people have been affected. This is doubly devastating in a country where 60% of the population was already living below the poverty line. Pakistan will need all its available resources to help it recover from this crippling crisis and to fight long-term poverty. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) – the institution that oversees debt repayments – can play a key role in this. It is currently considering ways in which Pakistan’s debt can be eased, and how to make sure the money is effectively used to help people affected. Please ask the IMF to freeze Pakistan’s debt repayments for the next 2 years. Sign our petition to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing Director of the IMF. Petition text: Please help freeze Pakistan’s debt to ensure the country’s poorest people are able to recover from the devastating floods. Early this year ONE members helped to get Haiti’s debt cancelled after the earthquake. We can now make a difference for the people of Pakistan giving them the greatest possible help to recover from this devastating disaster. |
The search for the next ONE Award Africa winner
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As many of you may be aware, last month we kicked off the search for the next ONE Award Africa winner. I’m pleased to say that, we have already begun to receive applications from African individuals and organizations, based in Africa, who are leading the fight against endemic poverty. This financial award of up to $100,000 aims to showcase civil society working on the ground to bring about change amongst the poorest people in Africa, one day at a time. And in awarding the prize, each year we seek to raise the bar. This year we are looking for organizations involved in new and exciting advocacy strategies that are transforming lives by demanding action on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) whose 2015 deadline is imminent. Since joining ONE as Africa Director just a few months ago, I have come to identify the ONE Africa Award as particularly unique among the many remarkable projects undertaken by the ONE team. In spotlighting the work that is being undertaken by Africans, we get to the heart of our mission to see Africa lift itself out of poverty. And by rewarding solutions that are home grown and home driven, we hope that we can encourage African citizens to pursue their creative ideas that seek to promote the sustainable development of their communities and ultimately help their countries along the path to achieving the MDGs. I am therefore asking you to help us to tell the world the success stories of Africans who are doing so much, working tirelessly to build a better future, and contributing to help realise the promise of Africa truly claiming the 21st century. We at ONE are always proud to showcase and reward these frontline stories of creative excellence on the continent because they not only advance knowledge, but in many ways can also help to shape policies and above all, serve to inspire others to get up and follow their dream of coming up with innovative solutions. Such innovative approaches play a major role in economic development as they are often a source of job creation, social awareness, capacity building and poverty reduction in Africa. Help us to find these outstanding best practice models Africa-wide, bring them to light and celebrate them! If you are eligible, or you know a group that is, I wish to encourage you to send in an application or nomination before the September 24th deadline. You can find more information as well as instructions for how to apply at www.one.org/africaaward. |
Mike’s guide to 200 signatures
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Here are his top 5 tips: 1. Be friendly and smile without being unnatural. 2. Don’t think about what people look like. Just ask them and often people are interested even if they seem a little scary! 3. Start out asking if you may interrupt them for 30 seconds. A group is the best to ask because if one of them signs up the rest will usually follow. 4. Tell them it’s not about their money, but about their voice. 5. Tell people that they won’t be spammed at all, and all it takes is that they give their name and email right now!
Thanks to all the volunteers who’ve helped at the shows so far. I hope your experiences can help those volunteers yet to come as the tour keeps rolling on across Europe! |
At each show on the U2 360° Tour, I have a group of amazing volunteers who work hard all day encouraging fans to 
I thought Mike’s insights might be the missing key, but lo and behold, just as I was putting this post together, Saara in Helsinki, Finland edged Mike out of the top recruiter spot by bringing in 232 signatures, and the next day 3 volunteers brought in more than 200! Saara said her trick was, “to stare straight to eyes so intensively as I could. : )”Making a difference
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As my volunteers sign up U2 fans arriving at the shows across Europe, they are not only asking them to join ONE, but also asking them to sign our petition to end mother to child transmission of HIV.
Before they head out to talk to hundreds of people about signing the petition, a common question is: “do petitions like this really work?” It’s a fair question, and after years of working at ONE, I can say without a doubt that the answer is yes. Here’s why: 1. The petition is just a piece of the puzzle. 2. Politicians care about public opinion. Take, for example, an effort we ran in the UK this Spring – ONE Vote 2010. Around 7,000 ONE members signed our petition asking political leaders in the UK to go On the Record with their plans for fighting extreme poverty. At the same time, our lobbying team presented them with our ONE Manifesto, explaining the positions we thought they should take and working to provide any easy way for them to give a response. Neither the lobbying nor the petition alone would likely have delivered the result we wanted. But as they knew 7,000 ONE members were waiting for a response and we worked to make sure they had all the facts, we were able to get robust responses from each party and party leader. We take this same approach to all of our campaigns: combining smart lobbying with an effective mobilisation of public support. So whether your volunteering with me at a U2 concert or passing on a ONE action to a friend, I hope that you approach others with the confidence that your action will really make a difference and so will theirs. |
Let 2010 be a year of hope
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When I was growing up in Uganda, the UK always had a reputation as a world leader. Partly that was because Britain manufactured goods that made their way around the globe – having goods made in Britain was a guarantee of good quality and a mark of something that would last. However, the UK was also a world leader because of its sense of fair play and justice, shown to citizens wherever they lived in the world. That sense of fair play and justice is still alive and well in Britain today, and the people of Africa need your support more than ever. We need to show that these values in our society are also ones which will stand the test of time. It is ten years since the historic Millennium Development Goals were agreed and we have five years until they are due to be delivered. It is vital at this time that the world does not weaken its commitment to tackle global poverty. The action the UK Government has taken, with support from across the political parties, is already having a huge positive impact. During a time of global recession, when looking at where cuts may have to be made to spending, it is often those outside our country that are the first to lose out. There is a natural desire to look after our families first, but I would say to you that those suffering from poverty and hunger and dying of preventable diseases in Africa today are our brothers and sisters too. The fundraising we have seen in Britain in response to natural disasters in Haiti and Chile shows that we still have a passion and desire for compassion abroad. However, it shouldn’t take a natural disaster for us to show compassion for those in need. Injustice, suffering and premature deaths are issues we should tackle no matter where they occur in the world. Let 2010 be a year of hope. Let 2010 be a year of delivery. Let 2010 be a year of justice. In the run up to the UK General Election in May 2010, we invited ONE members to submit their thoughts on what they would like the UK Government to prioritise on development in the next 5 years. Dr Sentamu kindly contributed the above forword to the resulting Thought Book illustrated by Paul Davis. |
Help us get our Thought Books to UK MPs
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We all know how tight things are right now, but we want to make sure that even in rough times the fight against extreme poverty isn’t forgotten. We’re asking ONE members in the UK to sign up to deliver a copy of the Thought Book to their MP. personally during their local surgeries in September By way of thanks we’ll include a complimentary copy for you to keep. So many lives have been saved and opportunities created because of our support for international development. Tens of millions of children in Africa are in school for the first time, millions of mothers don’t have to face giving birth without a trained attendant – all because of commitments made by countries like the UK. But progress is fragile and there is still a long way to go. Check out the Thought Book and, if you live in the UK, sign up to deliver a copy to your MP. |
Passion
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At each stop on the U2 360° Tour, I’m joined by a group of ONE volunteers who spend the day talking with fans and signing them up as new ONE members. It’s a long day on their feet, and at the end of it the best volunteers will have signed up more than 150 new members. We chatted with Stephanie and Horst, the two volunteers who signed up the most new members at the show in Hannover, to see what it takes to be a great volunteer.
Quick run down on them: Stephanie is 20 years old and is a student in Berlin. Horst is 58, lives near Hannover, and works with youth groups. They are about as different at it comes, but they have an important thing in common: the passion to make a difference. It doesn’t matter who you are, if you want to make sure we all play a part in making sure everyone in the world has access to clean water and every child has a chance to receive a basic education, then you’ve got what it takes to be a great ONE volunteer. It was great to meet you Stephanie and Horst, I hope to see your passion in many more people as I keep rolling down the road! |
Make noise for the MDGs this September with Stand Up, Take Action!
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Cara Gold from the United Nations Millennium Campaign shares a unique opportunity to participate in Stand Up, Take Action!, a global grassroots effort to raise awareness for the Millennium Development Goals. What will you be doing the weekend of September 17-19? Will you be joining the global movement to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – eight goals to end extreme poverty and its root causes? I will! Join me and millions of others as we take a stand for the rights of 1.4 billion global citizens who live on less than $1.25. Since 2007, the United Nations Millennium Campaign has organized Stand Up, Take Action! -– a global grassroots mobilization effort to raise MDG awareness. Last year, a record-breaking 173 million people around the world took a “Stand” against poverty. I know we can beat that in 2010! How can you get involved? This year, Stand Up, Take Action! “Make Noise for the MDGs” is happening around the world from September 17-19, with a global day of action on September 18. Register your event online at www.standagainstpoverty.org where you can also download Stand Up signs, brochures, logos, banners, t-shirt designs and more. Be sure to also visit Meet Up to see what other events are happening in your community and “like” us on Facebook to talk about your event! Have fun with the theme –- ring bells, sing loudly, drum to your heart’s content and don’t forget to take pictures and video! You may be featured in next year’s promotional video! Did you know that 2010 is a crucial year for the MDGs? Between September 20 and 22, approximately 10 years after 189 countries signed the Millennium Declaration, world leaders will attend the United Nations MDG Review Summit. At this meeting, progress will be assessed and plans will be made for the next five years. This year’s Stand Up is not only a key opportunity for you to make your government aware that people care about the MDGs, but it also helps hold governments accountable for promises they have made. So please join us by taking a “Stand” against poverty in 2010! - Cara Gold, U.N .Millennium Campaign |
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About the Blog
The International ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, with guest contributions from ONE volunteers, members and allies.
The content of each post and each comment represents the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
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TAGS: Debt, Pakistan