We Have a Winner!

Nov 19th, 2009 10:18 AM EST
By Ivey Helmick

Last month we did something we’ve never done before. We asked ONE members to design a new T-shirt. At the time, we had no idea what to expect, but your response was nothing short of staggering.

ONE members from around the globe submitted more than 500 designs, our expert judges selected 3 finalists and more than 58,000 of you voted for your favourite. And now, we have a winner in ONE’s Next Top T-shirt challenge.

The winning T-shirt design, seen below, came from Valerie Strecker of Slidell, Louisiana, USA and it’s available for pre-order in black and white, and in both men’s and women’s styles from the ONE Store.

As Chalya Shagaya said in the email kicking off this contest, “What we wear says a lot about who we are…The right design has the power to go even further, and spark a global conversation. It starts with “I love your shirt, what does it mean?” and ends with greater awareness of the role we can all play in ending poverty and disease in some of the most vulnerable places on earth.”

Hopefully this T-shirt, and all the other great stuff available in the ONE Store, can play a small role in starting that conversation. Because we know the power of your voice in the fight against global poverty, and now we also know the power of your creativity.

A big thank you to everyone who submitted a design. We’re all inspired by your talent and commitment. Also, to our judges who had the very difficult task of choosing our two runners-up: Alex Robbins and Danny Hass.

The design is being printed right now on our new, made in Uganda, 100% organic, fair-traded cotton T-shirts and they’ll be ready to ship in just over a week. The shirts come in black and white, and in both men’s and women’s styles and they make great gifts. Don’t wait, get yours today.

The British Government keeps its promises to the world’s poor

Nov 18th, 2009 7:25 PM EST
By Alexander Woollcombe

Good news but there’s more to do

ONE volunteer Jennifer and staffer Tamar at the door of 10 Downing Street with the petition.

These are stormy times in Westminster - but the commitment to help those who most need it remains. And as the UK general election next year approaches it is more important than ever that our politicians understand they are being watched, and need to keep their promises.

Last week we asked ONE supporters to sign up to our petition to “prioritise legislation that makes the UK’s commitment of 0.7% of Gross National Income (GNI) as development assistance by 2013 legally binding”.

Today ONE supporters Tamar, Jennifer and I delivered our petition to a friendly policeman who opened the black door of Gordon Brown’s house at 10 Downing Street. He promised to pass it on to the Prime Minister “at once”, which was nice of him.

Then the Queen, in her speech to open the new parliamentary session, announced, “draft legislation” to do exactly what we asked. So we won!

It’s a technical thing to ask for, but aid to developing countries is more useful if those receiving it know it is coming and can plan accordingly. It’s also a brave thing for the British Government to announce when the country is still in the grips of recession.

The UK first promised to spend 0.7% GNI on aid nearly 40 years ago. But it hasn’t ever happened. Now all the main political parties have committed to do it by 2013. Gordon Brown announced in September he would propose legislation on this, but it wasn’t a certainty that this promise would make it into the Queen’s Speech.

We didn’t get everything that we wanted however; the Queen announced “draft legislation”, meaning it is very unlikely to become law before the general election, while we want this to happen as soon as possible. But with the help of ONE supporters, and everyone else who cares about Africa and development, we’ll keep the pressure on the Government. There’s a lot of work to do to make aid better but every step in the right direction is a step worth noting. Thanks to everyone who signed the petition.

As Bono said today “the proposal to make the 0.7% pledge legally binding is not just a great announcement, it is transformative of real lives, by a government that has led the world in keeping its promises to the world’s poorest people. The next step is making sure this becomes law as soon as possible, in 2010”.

2009 ONE Africa Award Winner: Slums Information Development and Resource Centers of Kenya

Nov 15th, 2009 11:00 AM EST
By Edith Jibunoh

Right now, I’m at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Forum in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania about to announce the 2009 ONE Africa Award winner: “Slums Information Development and Resource Centers” (SIDAREC) of Kenya.

Founded by a group of young people from the slums, SIDAREC focuses on lifting the standard of living of the youth living in Kenya’s slum communities by tapping into their skills and talents. The slums that SIDAREC operates in were spared the violence after the 2007 elections in large part because residents had an outlet for getting their voices heard through SIDAREC. Innovative approaches include the use of drama,
art, and Ghetto 99.9 FM radio to reach residents with development-oriented information.

You can learn more about SIDAREC and other outstanding ONE Award applicants here.

This is our second annual ONE Award-a onetime prize worth US$100,000 designed to recognize innovative African efforts to tackle the Millennium Development Goals. We received 170 applications in total and narrowed the field to eight final candidates, including the winner, all of whom are featured on our website.

-Edith Jibunoh

Return to Ethiopia

Nov 6th, 2009 3:45 PM EST
By Jamie Drummond

ONE’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Jamie Drummond on a personal journey

Twenty five years ago, like many of my generation, I was called to action by images of drought and starvation – and by a couple of shaggy-haired, Irish rock stars with whom I’ve now been working for a decade. The Ethiopian famines and the world’s response through Band Aid and Live Aid have shaped the image of Africa for a generation and spurred concerted action to fight extreme poverty. A quarter of a century on, it is perhaps a good moment to ask how the aid that has flowed has worked and how the model of celebrity-led advocacy is faring.

A few weeks ago, I returned to Tigray in northern Ethiopia to look again at the impact of funds raised by Band Aid and the work of the World Food Programme. I travelled through this region in 1995 and visited a village called Daereda. Drought and a desperate population had denuded their valley of trees and greenery; fertile top soil had been eroded by seasonal flash floods. Back then, many of the villagers were grateful for the food aid they had received and quick to thank the western public and a far-off thing called Geldof. But they wanted more than handouts – they wanted to take matters into their own hands and heal the physical damage to their lands.

The food aid helped them do just that. It was being given through “food for work” programmes. Teams of thousands set to work planting trees, contouring steep hillsides to conserve soil and water, digging ponds and building check dams, all to raise the lands fertility. Today, the results are astonishing. The valley is lush and green; the river flows all year round; the land is more fertile and productive.

This success story is echoed in valleys across Tigray. The region receives many expert visitors to see how it was done. And in spite of the images of starvation we’re currently confronted with, it’s not the only positive story to have come out of Ethiopia in the past decade. The country has also halved malarial death rates through widespread use of insecticide= treated bed nets, and doubled school enrolment. Economic growth has been over 5% for a decade, 7% on average for the last three years.

But parts of the country, and region, are still on the verge of starvation. This could lead some quickly to assume that 25 years on nothing has changed. No serious investigation can lead to the conclusion, but it is still not acceptable that 14 million Ethiopians today rely on food aid and that for some rations are being cut.

The answer as ever is complex. Climate change is causing more frequent droughts, impairing rural communities’ coping mechanisms. Not enough has been spent on rural roads and the government hasn’t permitted mobile phones or developed local markets. But above all there has been insufficient global attention paid to agriculture. Spending on agriculture went down from 17% of global aid in 1980 to just 3.8 % in 2006. It’s stunning that after the famines of the 1980s we didn’t increase investment in long-term regional food security and agricultural productivity. The World Bank and IMF even counselled against it as part of their notorious structural adjustment programmes. Tough questions must now be asked about the international development business and how this was allowed to happen.

At last this year the G8 countries agreed to invest $20bn in agricultural productivity. The new policy focus is certainly welcome, though it’s not clear how much is new and it is clear that much more of this kind of support will be needed to help Africa’s rural poor adapt to climate change. These investments must flow quickly in support of nationally designed plans and build up the long-term response even as we quickly disburse the short-term food aid needed again this year.

Twenty five years on, where does all this leave celebrity advocacy? Bob Geldof and Bono for their part moved from charity fundraising to working on debt cancellation and the deeper structural causes of poverty. The largely successful Drop the Debt campaign they supported, along with many ardent development activists, grew into the Make Poverty History campaign and Live 8 concerts in 2005. Bono and Bob are now part of ONE, an Africa advocacy group with two million campaigners around the world.

Because of the strong movement in this country, the UK has now come to a remarkable place on development. Gordon Brown leads the world in his tireless lobbying for the poor; for this, Bono and others praised him personally at the Labour party conference. The Liberal Democrat and Conservative parties also endorse the drive to keep Britain’s promise to devote 0.7 % of national income to overseas development and maintain the push to improve aid quality.

It was in acknowledgement of this cross-party support that Bono also recorded a video message for the Conservatives’ conference. This was no party political endorsement, just a simple way to underline the importance of Britain’s continued leadership on the world stage, whichever party is in power after the next election.

Twenty five years after the Ethiopian famine, its legacy is palpable. As well as effective campaigning groups and celebrity activists, corporate leaders and former presidents are putting their second careers fully behind the fight against extreme poverty. What was once a backwater is now mainstream, “pop” even, and of course some hate that.

But 25 years on, this big messy movement – and, above all, the African individuals and groups who are increasingly taking charge – can celebrate and accelerate success. Next year’s World Cup in South Africa is indeed the greatest possible branding moment for the exciting forward momentum of the continent. “Africa Rising” is increasingly replacing “Africa Starving” as the story.

But we in the development world must learn from failures. African experts have long argued for increased investment in agriculture; their voices were ignored. Going forward therefore we must follow Archbishop Tutu’s counsel – that we always ensure that we are “listening to what Africans actually want, that Africans drive their own development”. Credible celebrity activists can help that process by encouraging public debate about both successes and failures, by backing African voices to lead that debate and then backing out of the way.

Situation in Guinea

Nov 3rd, 2009 2:39 PM EST
By David Cole

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.

ONE’s Next Top T-shirt

Oct 29th, 2009 9:38 AM EST
By Chalya Shagaya

Right now, ONE has thousands of fair-trade certified, 100% organic African cotton, African-made T-shirts sitting in a warehouse just waiting for the perfect design to make them not only a symbol of our work to end global poverty and disease, but a must-have item this holiday season.

So we’re turning to you, ONE’s 2 million members, and asking you to submit a great T-shirt design and help us come up with ONE’s Next Top T-shirt. Not the creative type? That’s okay, you can still take a moment and forward this email to the people you know whose talents could bring attention to our cause.

As a fashion consultant, former model, native of Nigeria, and passionate ONE member, I’m excited to announce this open challenge to find the design for ONE’s new T-shirt. ONE will accept designs until 3 November at 10 pm GMT/UTC, at which point I’ll join multi-platinum recording artist Daughtry, noted designer and “Top Design” judge Jonathan Adler, and a distinguished panel of fashion and design experts to pick the top three T-shirts designs. ONE members will then have a week to vote for their favorite of the final three designs, which will be printed and put
on sale in late November.

The person submitting that winning design will have a huge impact on how ONE is seen globally. We look forward to adding their T-shirt to the line of creative ONE merchandise already available in the ONE Store, as well as celebrating her or his contribution as part of the new T-shirt’s launch to ONE members and the general public.

What we wear says a lot about who we are. The 25,000 plain T-shirts already tell a story of commitment to helping countries in Africa and across the developing world trade their way to a better future. The right design has the power to go even further, and spark a global conversation. It starts with “I love your shirt, what does it mean?” and ends with greater awareness of the role we can all play in ending poverty and disease in some of the most vulnerable places on earth.

I hope you’ll help us create ONE’s Next Top T-shirt and prove that great design can make a difference.

Thank you and good luck,

Chalya Shagaya, ONE member

Chalya Shagaya is a former model and currently works as an International Fashion Stylist, Consultant & PR manager. She has held several positions in the fashion industry, producing fashion shows and music videos. From Nigeria, Chalya also works with African designers like Deola Sagoe and Korto Momolu of “Project Runway”, as well as a number of African recording artists.

No clear winner

Oct 23rd, 2009 4:21 PM EST
By Beth Adler

On Monday, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation announced that they would not award their $5 million prize for excellence in African leadership this year. The Foundation, created by Sudanese telecommunications mogul Mo Ibrahim, has awarded the prize for the past two years to encourage responsible, democratic leadership across Africa. The prize, given last year to former president of Botswana, Festus Gontebanye Mogae, is awarded to a former African leader who has demonstrated excellence in leadership, served their term in office within the limits set by the country’s constitution, and has left office in the last three years. The guidelines for the prize, however, stipulate that if there is no exceptional candidate in a given year, then the prize will not be awarded.

The prize is only one part of the Foundation’s larger effort to promote good governance and highlight leadership on the African continent; it acts as an effective complement to the Ibrahim Index of African Governance. The Index, the third iteration of which was released recently, is a comprehensive ranking of African governments. In the 2009 Index, each country is measured by 84 indicators grouped into four categories: Safety and Security, Participation and Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity, and Human Development.

Overall, Southern Africa was the best performing region with Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho all included in the top 10. Southern African country Mauritius claimed the top spot in the rankings, coming in first in all four categories, followed by Cape Verde, Seychelles and Botswana. North Africa was the second-best overall performer, followed by West Africa and East Africa. According to the index, Central Africa was the worst-performing region on the continent with all seven of its countries scoring outside the top 20. Somalia ranked as the worst-governed nation in Africa, behind Zimbabwe and Chad. Rwanda was ranked surprisingly poorly in this year’s index: the country dropped to 32 from its place at 18 last year.

This year’s index includes data from both 2007 and 2008, making it one of the most current measurements of African governance. It also includes new indicators as well as a new framework for assessing governance comprehensively on the continent. For the first time, rather than focusing only on sub-Saharan Africa, the 2009 index includes measurements for North Africa. The index now measures all 53 African countries, allowing for a look at governance in Africa as a whole. Paul Collier, author of the Bottom Billion and Director of the Center for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford praised the Ibrahim index, lauding its comprehensive and unbiased nature as well as the fact that “it is an exclusively African undertaking.”

In an op-ed released on Monday, Ibrahim discussed the importance of African governance, saying: “Ultimately, both the index and the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, the $5m prize we award to former African leaders, are about improving the lives of Africans through better governance and excellence in leadership.” The work of the Mo Ibrahim foundation, both through the prize and the Index on governance, is extremely important in highlighting the crucial issue of good governance in Africa. According to the 2009 Index about half of African countries did improve this year. However, having no clear winner for the prize indicates how much more work there is to do.

New world record: 173 million Stand Up

Oct 21st, 2009 4:21 PM EST
By Chris Scott

173,045,325 to be exact. That’s the number of people who mobilized this year to “Stand Against Poverty.” We’ll have a couple more reports from ONE members who hosted Stand Up events over the weekend, but for now, here’s the latest from our friends at Stand Against Poverty:

A Guinness World Record shattered this weekend when 173,045,325 citizens gathered at over 3,000 events in more than 120 countries, demanding that their governments eradicate extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!”, now in its fourth year, has been certified by Guinness World Records as the largest mobilization of human beings in recorded history, an increase of about 57 million people over last year.

“The more than 173 million people who mobilized this weekend sent a clear message to world leaders that there is massive, universal, global demand for eradicating poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” said Salil Shetty, Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign. “In particular, we have seen citizens determined to show their governments that they will hold them accountable for keeping their promises to end hunger, improve maternal health and abolish trade-distorting agricultural subsidies. They will not accept excuses for breaking promises to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, who have already been hardest hit by the global food, economic and climate crises they had no role in causing.”

In Asia more than 100 million people participated (101,106,845); in Africa more than 37 million people participated (37,848,412); in the Arab region more than 31 million people participated (31,394,459); in Europe more than 2 million people participated (2,102,121); in Latin America more than 200,000 people participated (229,371); in North America nearly 200,000 people participated (191,535); and in Oceania more than 170,000 people participated (172,582).

Stand Up Against Poverty

Oct 16th, 2009 8:45 AM EST
By Weldon Kennedy

Today is the global day of action against extreme poverty, and around the world millions of people will be literally standing up as a demonstration of their commitment in the fight against extreme poverty. It’s the easiest of actions, but when 116 million of us do it together like last year, it’s a profound statement against extreme poverty.

ONE members take part every year, and this year we’re going a step further asking you not only to stand up, but to shout out and encourage your friends to do the same. Once you stand up, just update your Twitter and/or Facebook status to spread the word.

On Twitter just tweet:

I’m standing up to end poverty today with @ONEcampaign. Pls RT and join me #standup09

On Facebook, first you’ll need to become a fan of ONE.

Then post your status as:

I’m standing up to end poverty today with @ONE. Please post this as your status and join me.

If you don’t have a twitter or facebook account don’t worry, just visit the Stand Up website and show your support.

The last 2 years we’ve set a new world record, and if everyone takes part and spreads the world, we may very well go down the pages of Guinness again this year. So start right now. Stand up.

Thank you for taking action!

One staff in London Stand Up against poverty

Investment in Africa expected to fall in ‘09

Oct 12th, 2009 3:49 PM EST
By Pooja Gupta

In case we needed further evidence of the tough times ahead for the world’s poorest countries, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released their 2009 World Investment Report last week demonstrating that foreign direct investment (FDI) around the world has been significantly affected by the global economic crisis. Global investment is essential for economic recovery and sustained growth, meaning the lack of foreign direct investment could indicate a slower and weaker economic turnaround and more obstacles for developing countries.

The report found that in the short run, global foreign direct investment is expected to be low. After peaking at $1.98 trillion in 2007, global FDI inflows having been falling since and preliminary data for the first quarter of 2009 shows that inflows fell by 44 percent compared to the same period last year. By the end of 2009, global inflows are expected to fall to below $1.2 billion. Medium-term prospects are slightly more optimistic and gradual recovery is predicted in 2010. However, growth will only significantly accelerate in 2011.

In sub-Saharan Africa, despite an increase in FDI inflows from $44.38 billion in 2007 to about $63.65 billion in 2008, initial data indicates that FDI inflows to every sub-Saharan region except Southern Africa will decrease in 2009, a significant change after five years of consistent growth.