"Zimbabwe" - by David Lane, ONE Campaign

Zimbabwe is beyond a state of crisis.

Zimbabwe was once one of the most promising countries in Africa with a thriving agriculture industry, one of the region’s highest literacy rates and a robust healthcare system. Today, Zimbabwe is a land of devastation. 28 years of increasingly dictatorial rule by President Robert Mugabe have led to hyperinflation, food shortages and a breakdown of basic public services.

Last year, the world watched Zimbabwe suffer through a botched and violent election. But last Wednesday, after months of bitter negotiations with President Robert Mugabe, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as the new Prime Minister, forming a “unity government” that will attempt to move the country forward. It won’t be easy. Last year’s disastrous election and President’s Mugabe’s continued presence casts doubt about how much change is possible. The good news is that Zimbabwe does not have to do this work alone. The African Union (AU) will serve as guarantor for this new government and it is critical that they take immediate action to ensure Zimbabwe’s unity government takes steps in the right direction.

You can show the African Union that the world is watching to make sure it keeps its promise to Zimbabwe’s new unity government, by signing our petition to the newly-elected African Union chairman Muammar Gaddafi:

http://www.one.org/zimbabweandtheau/o.pl?id=830-3236262-Qm.5Pcx&t=2

Petition text:

Please ensure that the African Union executes its role as guarantor of the new Zimbabwe unity government.

The African Union can put Zimbabwe on the right footing and show the world that it is serious about change by aggressively policing the agreement, and, at a minimum, acting on the four recommendations offered by civil society groups in Zimbabwe:

*Insist on the immediate cessation of abductions and torture, as well as the release of the human rights activists and political prisoners.

*Demand that humanitarian agencies be allowed to work in an unrestricted environment.

*Call for an immediate repeal of unjust legislation like the Access to Information and the Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Public Order and Security Act (POSA).

*Ensure an enabling environment for the new unity government.

The consequences of years of poor governance in Zimbabwe are poverty and disease on a tragic scale that demands a global response. Public hospitals have been without running water for months, creating a petri dish for easily preventable killers like cholera. More than 3,000 people have died in Africa’s worst cholera epidemic in 19 years. Schools have been shut down because teachers can’t be paid. The agricultural sector has collapsed, half the population requires emergency food aid and humanitarian aid groups are struggling to keep up.

We’re not the only ones calling for action. In South Africa, activist and co-founder of the Global Campaign Against Poverty, Dr. Kumi Nadoo had this to say: "Unity within governmental structures alone does not address the humanitarian and human rights issues that the people of Zimbabwe face on a daily basis. Therefore, the AU must – first and foremost – demand that the Zimbabwean government listen to and respect its people."

You can help make that happen. Take action now by adding your name to our petition asking the African Union to do its job as guarantor of the unity government, and work to end the political repression that has crippled Zimbabwe.

http://www.one.org/zimbabweandtheau/o.pl?id=830-3236262-Qm.5Pcx&t=3

Thank you for making a difference,

David Lane, ONE.org

"48 Hours" -- by the ONE Campaign

In just 48 hours, ONE will deliver more than 70,000 notes from ONE members thanking President Obama for his inaugural commitment to fight extreme global poverty.

Increase our impact by adding your thank you now:

http://www.one.org/thankobama/

The note reads:

President Obama,

Thank you for making the fight against global poverty an important part of your inaugural address. I applaud your words and support you turning this vision into a reality for millions of the world's neediest people, beginning with your first presidential budget request.

On January 20th, President Obama stood before millions on the National Mall—and hundreds of millions more watching and listening around the world—and pledged to work with the people of poor nations on hunger, education and clean water issues. The new White House website goes even further, committing the Obama Administration to doubling foreign assistance in the hope of halving extreme poverty and hunger around the world by 2015.

But with tough budget debates fast approaching, thanking President Obama for his pledges is more than a common courtesy—it's support he needs to see his vision through to policy.

You can show your support for his commitments by sending the President a thank you note now:

http://www.one.org/thankobama/

Thank you for making a difference.

David Lane, ONE.org

"The voice of One" -- by the Rev. Mike Kinman

John the Baptist said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” (John 1:23)

What One Can Do. This has been EGR’s mantra from the beginning. It is a statement of hope and conviction. That God acting through one person, one congregation, one diocese, one church, can change and reconcile the world.

What One Can Do is nothing new. John the Baptist in the wilderness claimed it, too. “I am the voice of One,” he said. What the One who was John the Baptist could do was to look around, recognize that he was living in God’s defining moment, and cry out. Cry out the amazing news that another One was coming – and that the time had arrived for everyone to take a good look at themselves and ask not just “What Can One Person … me … Do?” but to dream with joy and wonder, “What Can One Person … me … Be?”

This Advent, we are so much like John. We can look around and realize that the present moment is every bit as much God’s defining moment as that day in Bethany. What will One person … you … do? What will One person … you … cry? Who, with God’s help, will One person .. each of us … become?”

The Rev. Mike Kinman is the Executive Director of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation

"Background on Obama's Economic Team" -- by Chris Scott, The ONE Campaign

Today's post is cross-posted from the ONE Campaign Blog.

This week, President-elect Barack Obama is rolling out an economic team that will serve in his administration during a time of global financial distress. Two of his appointments announced yesterday bring with them strong backgrounds on global development policy. Here are some brief bios on each of them:

Mr. Timothy Geithner, appointment for Treasury Secretary, has supported initiatives to provide vaccines for children dying of preventable diseases, worked to lessen the burden on countries with significant debt, and advocated for the U.S. to fund basic health care to immunize, prevent and treat infectious diseases in the poorest countries. He is currently the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Formerly, he served at the Treasury Department and as a senior official at the International Monetary Fund.

Mr. Lawrence Summers, appointment for head of the National Economic Council, has worked to achieve debt cancellation for developing countries and promoted policies that will make education available for African women. He served as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers under President Reagan and as a Chief Economist for the World Bank before taking posts in the United States Department of the Treasury. He served as the U.S. treasury secretary from 1999 to 2001.

You can find more information about President-elect Obama’s economic team here.

And check out the Center for Global Development’s take on the appointments here.

"Keeping Promises: President-elect Obama and the MDGs"

Last night, we elected Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States. Early in the campaign, the ONE Campaign asked all the candidates in both parties to go "on the record" about what they would do about the Millennium Development Goals and making poverty history. Here, in his own words, is president-elect Obama's commitment.

Now it's up to us to remind him of it, to hold his feet to the fire to keep it, and to partner with him in it.

For video statements by president-elect Obama on the MDGs and global poverty go to the ONE blog here.

On the Millennium Development Goals
I’ll make the Millennium Development Goals American policy. By the end of my first term I expect to see progress to meeting the MDGs, including reducing by half the number of people living on less than a dollar a day and suffering from hunger, and reversing the number of new HIV infections and malaria cases.

On reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis:
I’ll double annual foreign assistance from $25b to $50b by 2012. I was a co-sponsor of the Lantos-Hyde Act that authorized $48 billion by 2013 for HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. I support lifting the 33% cap on US contributions to the Global Fund, ensuring at least 4.5 million people are on ARV treatment by 2013, and preventing 12 million new infections.

On eradicating malaria:
I will support the goal of ending deaths from malaria by 2015 by building on the $1billion per year commitment to malaria in the recent PEPFAR reauthorization and dramatically expanding access to mosquito nets that for less than $6 will lower the risk of getting malaria and save lives. I will also expand access to ACTs - at the relatively inexpensive cost of $2 per dose - to treat people who get malaria.

On improving child and maternal health:
I will increase funding for child and maternal health and ensure that increases in other important areas - including HIV/AIDS - do not come at the expense of child health and survival programs. I will expand access to vaccinations, increase research into new vaccines, and expand access to reproductive health programs.

On achieving universal primary education:
Worldwide, an estimated 100 million children - including nearly 60 million girls - are not attending school. By 2010, getting these children into school could cost $10b annually. To meet our share of that sum, I look forward to signing the Education for All Act and will request the funding levels needed to carry it out.

On cutting in half the number of people without clean water or enough food:
More than 1b people lack access to clean water, and that number will increase with the impact of climate change. The US has an obligation to increase access to clean water and sanitation. Through increased funding of up to $1.3b annually and innovative programs like ‘play pumps,’ I will expand access to clean water and sanitation.

"Obama and McCain: Where They Stand" -- by Chris Scott from The One Campaign Blog

From the ONE Blog:

America.gov this week featured two articles outlining and detailing each US presidential candidate’s policies in regards to combating poverty and disease in Africa. Each article features a major campaign surrogate discussing his respective candidate’s plans—Howard Wolpe for Obama, Herman J. Cohen for McCain. Both are rather illuminating and definitely worth the read.

Excerpts below, full Obama piece here, full McCain piece here

A McCain administration would place even more emphasis on promoting private-sector economic development in Africa, Cohen said.

“The Millennium Challenge Corporation is very strong on private-sector [development], and I think you will see the United States Agency for International Development moving to finance even more private-sector activity to help even more Africans themselves become investors,” he predicted. “Now that Africa is becoming more open to the private sector, they need the infrastructure to make it work."

---

An Obama presidency will “greatly facilitate the diplomacy required to try to make some progress on these difficult issues,” such as the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan or the political situation in Zimbabwe.

In the long term, Wolpe said, the central challenge facing Africa is the building of cohesive states. An Obama administration would be particularly focused on helping Africans search for common ground and eliminate conflict across the continent, he predicted. “Unless you can tackle that issue, the prospects for long-term sustainable economic development will be constantly compromised,” he said.

Editor's note: Click here to download "On The Record" -- a one-page compilation of each candidate's exact words, "on the record" statements on the MDGs. Remember, when you vote on Nov. 4, the world's poorest are depending on you using your power to give them a chance.

Bono at 2008 California Women's Conference - VIDEO!

U2's Bono gave a great speech at the 2008 California Women’s Conference last night. Check out the highlights below. If you want to see the ENTIRE speech, you can find the video (in 5 parts) on the ONE Blog. Enjoy!

"Keep Our Commitments" -- by The ONE Campaign

In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever for our leaders to hear from us that fighting global poverty is still a priority. By signing this brief petition from The ONE Campaign, you’ll help send ONE clear message to Barack Obama and John McCain that we expect them to keep their commitments to the world’s most vulnerable people.

Here's the text:

Dear Senators Obama and McCain,

As you work to find a solution to the global financial crisis, please do not waver in your support for the world's poorest people. It is now more important than ever to stand up for effective, efficient solutions that save millions of lives, strengthen the global economy, and win the hearts and minds of people around the world. I’m keeping my commitment to fight global poverty, and I ask you to do the same.

Click here to add your name. It's What ONE Person Can Do.

"Celebrate, Accelerate" -- by The ONE Campaign

At the Sept. 25 UN Summit, ONE had a chance to show a short video to a group of world leaders at the Secretary General's reception. The film - Celebrate, Accelerate - marks the progress on the Millennium Development Goals to date and encourage further, faster commitment going forward.

Got Cents? Raising AIDS Awareness One Penny at a Time

The numbers associated with the Millennium Development Goals are so big, dealing with them usually means one of two things. Either we have to break them down into smaller units we can understand (like the popsicle stick cross showing how many children die of extreme poverty in 6 hours)...

...or take it head on and show how immense the number really is.

That's the Got Cents? approach.

Got Cents? is collecting 19 million pennies - one for every person estimated to have died of HIV/AIDS in Africa through 2007 -- to display on World AIDS Day, December 1.

So far, they have collected 6.1 million ... the number who have died of HIV/AIDS in Africa since the last presidential election. Right now, they're on display in the form of a giant AIDS ribbon at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. Next week, they'll be in Minneapolis for the Republican National Convention.

Got Cents? is coordinating this effort with the ONE Campaign, which is also sponsoring AIDS caregiver kit assembly events at each convention. Yesterday, 1,500 kits were assembled in just ONE HOUR!

Check out the entries on the ONE blog about the caregiver kit assembly event and the Got Cents display.

Find out how to donate your pennies, learn about the AIDS charities the pennies will eventually go to, and other ways to help at the Got Cents? website.

"Take Action: Add Poverty-Fighting to The Democratic and Republican Party Platforms" - by The ONE Campaign

When the Democratic and Republican parties meet for their conventions at the end of August and early September, they’ll be unveiling their parties’ new platforms - and we want to make sure that the fight against extreme poverty is an important part of both of those platforms.

That why our ONE Vote ‘08 Co-Chairs, Senators Bill Frist and Tom Daschle will be meeting with leaders of both parties, and taking a petition from ONE members urging them to make poverty-fighting a priority for both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Click this link and we’ll add your name to the petition

Here's the petition text:

As a proud American, I urge you to make ending extreme poverty and global disease in the developing world a core part of your 2008 platform by including commitments to:

• Fight AIDS, TB and malaria and improve basic health services, particularly for mothers and young children
• Ensure access to clean water, basic sanitation and sufficient food supplies
• Spur economic growth through equitable trade and investment policies
• Modernize and increase development assistance, focusing on partnership, transparency and accountability
• Achieve universal primary education

PEPFAR Passes the Senate 80-16!

Here's the latest good news from the ONE Campaign blog (www.one.org/blog).
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After weeks of ONE Campaign members relentlessly writing and calling their senators, and great work by so many partner organizations, we’ve successfully unstuck billions of dollars in AIDS, TB and malaria!

We dodged several potentially devastating amendments over the last 2 days - pieces of legislation that would have put millions of lives at risk. We did lose one amendment-fight, however, so the total funding for PEPFAR for the next five years will now be $48 billion, instead of the original $50 billion.

After last night's Senate vote, the bill will go back to the House and then onto the president to sign. We are hopeful those processes will be swift.

Given how much we had to fight to reauthorize this bill this year- this is a great victory for us. Thank you to everyone who contacted their members of Congress to pass PEPFAR. Literally, millions of lives will be saved with this funding.

Below, a quote from ONE Campaign Legislative Director Tom Hart (who, BTW, is the former head of the Episcopal Office of Government Relations):

“Even as Americans face serious concerns at home, the Senate has proved America’s commitment to providing lifesaving medicines to the world’s most vulnerable people. PEPFAR is an investment in people around the world; but it is also an example of America’s generosity and a critical piece of American diplomacy. By treating and preventing disease and saving lives, we can help to create more stable communities and a more secure future for Americans.

"Senators Biden, Lugar and Reid are true heroes for their persistence and patience in passing this bill. This legislation received strong support from co-sponsoring Senators on both sides of the aisle, including both Presidential candidates.”

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For something really interesting go here -- and see all the different proposed amendments and their results.

Great work, everyone!!! But there's still more. Our senators need to know when they've done a good job ... and they need to know when we're unhappy with their performance.

Click here to see how your senators voted, then click here to get contact information for your senators, make the call and tell them what you thought of their vote!

Two More Views on the Food Crisis

EGR diocesan contact (& blogger) Carl Hooker pointed us to these entries on the continuing food crisis and its effect on the poorest countries.

First, from Betsy Aviles on the ONE Blog.

In Ethiopia, only enough food for the "hungriest"

The food crisis has taken its harshest toll on the poorest countries, Ethiopia being one of the hardest hit.

From the Christian Science Monitor :

In this African nation, about 10 million people, more than 12 percent of the population, are now in need of emergency food aid after a drought wiped out harvests. But because grain is now twice as expensive as a year ago – if it is available at all – there is not enough food in Ethiopia to feed everyone in need.

The UN estimates that 4.6 million Ethiopians are suffering from “severe malnutrition,”, but the lack of food is so severe that foreign and domestic aid-workers need to “prioritize” who is the most needy. Some have take to weighing children on wooden scales and providing food rations to the most malnourished.

UNICEF has made an appeal for $49 million to go towards “immediate intervention” in Ethiopia. UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hilde F. Johnson emphasized the severity of the situation:

“We talked to mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers and all actors in the field. This picture was confirmed by all of them and a clear message was conveyed: there is no food. The assistance needs to be taken to scale and it has to happen urgently.”

Next, from yesterday's New York Times

Hoarding Nations Drive Food Costs Ever Higher
By KEITH BRADSHER and ANDREW MARTIN

BANGKOK — At least 29 countries have sharply curbed food exports in recent months, to ensure that their own people have enough to eat, at affordable prices.

When it comes to rice, India, Vietnam, China and 11 other countries have limited or banned exports. Fifteen countries, including Pakistan and Bolivia, have capped or halted wheat exports. More than a dozen have limited corn exports. Kazakhstan has restricted exports of sunflower seeds.

The restrictions are making it harder for impoverished importing countries to afford the food they need. The export limits are forcing some of the most vulnerable people, those who rely on relief agencies, to go hungry.

“It’s obvious that these export restrictions fuel the fire of price increases,” said Pascal Lamy, the director general of the World Trade Organization.

And by increasing perceptions of shortages, the restrictions have led to hoarding around the world, by farmers, traders and consumers.

“People are in a panic, so they are buying more and more — at least, those who have money are buying,” said Conching Vasquez, a 56-year-old rice vendor who sat one recent morning among piles of rice at her large stall in Los Baños, in the Philippines, the world’s largest rice importer. Her customers buy 8,000 pounds of rice a day, up from 5,500 pounds a year ago.

The new restrictions are just an acute symptom of a chronic condition. Since 1980, even as trade in services and in manufactured goods has tripled, adjusting for inflation, trade in food has barely increased. Instead, for decades, food has been a convoluted tangle of restrictive rules, in the form of tariffs, quotas and subsidies.

Now, with Australia’s farm sector crippled by drought and Argentina suffering a series of strikes and other disruptions, the world is increasingly dependent on a handful of countries like Thailand, Brazil, Canada and the United States that are still exporting large quantities of food.

Read the entire piece here.

"Stop the Hunger Crisis" -- by the ONE Campaign

In just three years, the price of staple foods like wheat, corn and rice has almost doubled, and this week, World Bank President Robert Zoellick said that if left unchecked, global food shortages could set the world back seven years in the fight against extreme poverty and global disease. We must urge our leaders to take action.

Click here to sign the ONE Campaign's petition to President Bush. Here's the text:

President Bush,

The soaring cost of staple foods and the resulting hunger crisis has caused riots from Haiti to Bangladesh, threatens hundreds of thousands of people with starvation and could push one hundred million more people deeper into poverty. Please build on your recent commitment by taking immediate action to:

1. Prioritize issues of global poverty, including the world hunger crisis, on the agenda of the G8 Summit this July in Japan.

2. At the summit, secure commitments for additional resources for all types
of food assistance and increased agricultural productivity in developing countries.

Going to Cornerstone? Volunteer for ONE!

Are you considering going to the Christian rock extravaganza known as Cornerstone Festival in Bushnell, IL June 27-30? Cornerstone will be an excellent opportunity to reach hundreds of people with the message of Bread for the World and the ONE Campaign!

Cornerstone's organizers say of the Festival:

"This event called Cornerstone Festival is far more than a massive musical experience. It is more than a collection of hundreds of solo artists and bands representing every style and sub-genre on the current musical landscape. It is more than a gathering of expert thinkers and speakers offering over twenty separate seminar tracks on an amazingly diverse range of subjects. It is more than the sum of its parts, as is the body of Christ.

Cornerstone Festival is the annual gathering of a community of believers that is spread out all over the world. From young children to senior citizens, Christians of all ethnicities and backgrounds migrate to a patch of 500 acres in central Illinois for four days of fellowship, entertainment, education and edification. One way of looking at Cornerstone is to see it as a continuation of a Jesus movement that began in the first century and remains a beacon of joy and spirit as we move into the next millennium."

If you are thinking about attending the Festival and would like to do volunteer outreach with Bread for the World and the ONE Campaign, please send me an email, and we can discuss the details.

Peace,

Annie Gill-Bloyer
ONE Campaign Faith Outreach Organizer
Bread for the World – IL/IN/MO
1-800-4470-BFW
agillbloyer@bread.org
www.bread.org/one

Global Fund Saves 1.8 Million LIves

From Christian Today and the ONE Campaign

The Global Fund recently announced that major progress has been made in the fight against treatable, preventable diseases, saving an estimated 1.8 million lives so far.

ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History reports that an additional 3,000 lives are saved each day by programmes the Global Fund supports like those that distributed around 30 million insecticide treated nets to families with children who are at risk of contracting the disease. That is an increase of 165 per cent over 11.3 million in mid-2006.

In FY 2006, members of the ONE Campaign urged the US Congress to increase support for the Global Fund. Congress responded by voting in favour of an amendment that secured $544.5m for the Global Fund.

For FY 2007, ONE’s members sent over 200,000 letters to Congress, urging them to continue efforts to support the Global Fund. In response Congress included $724m for the Global Fund in the Continuing Resolution that passed Congress in February 2007, an increase of $179.5m over last year.

“The Global Fund is a success story and is getting results,” ONE Campaign spokesperson Kimberly Cadena said. “It’s crucial that America’s leaders continue to support and fund the programmes that work. When the G8 meets in June, the United States and other leading nations must rise to the challenge of replenishing the Global Fund.”

Read the whole article here.

MDG Update from EPPN/ONE Episcopalian

Alex Baumgarten filed this report for Tuesday night's EGR conference call.

FARM BILL: The farm bill continues to be the top MDG priority currently pending in Congress. Delegations of religious leaders – many chaired by Episcopal bishops – are in the process of setting up meetings for the Memorial Day congressional recess with approximately 60 key lawmakers around the country. Our EPPN alert last week encouraged all Episcopalians to do the same, and provided resources on how to set up a visit, what to say during the meeting, and what information to leave behind with the office. All of that is available online.

All participants in meetings will be invited to participate in a conference-call briefing next Tuesday for final key information for the meetings. Participants will be given a choice of two different conference-call times, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

The ONE Campaign will do a targeted email this week to their members in the 60-or-so key districts we have identified, urging messages to be sent to their lawmakers. ONE organizers will also be joining our meetings in districts around the country. Bread for the World’s June national conference in Washington will also focus on the farm bill, bringing more than 700 people to Washington to lobby their lawmakers. It’s not too late to join. Information can be found at www.bread.org. There will be an opportunity for all Episcopalians at the conference to meet as a group for a separate briefing.

ONE: By way of advance notice, the ONE Campaign will launch its presidential initiative – called “ONE Vote” – in the first couple of weeks of June (date TBA) in a forum that is likely to highlight faith participation in the MDGs. I will send information to the EGR list (and we'll post it on the blog - MK) as soon as I have it.

BISHOP KATHARINE’S OP-ED ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE MDGs: As part of the lead-up to the G8 meeting in early June – which will focus primarily on climate change but also devote discussion to global poverty – the San Francisco Chronicle this past Sunday published an op-ed by the Presiding Bishop urging world leaders to consider the two issues simultaneously, as climate change propels global poverty and vice versa. It's posted below on the EGR blog.

DEBT CANCELLATION: With the strong support of the Episcopal Church, the JUBILEE Act – a piece of comprehensive legislation to bring debt cancellation to those countries who need it to meet the MDGs – will be introduced in Congress in the next several weeks. The lead sponsors are Reps. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Spencer Bachus (R-AL). The legislation was drafted in close consultation with our office, other coalition partners, and Jubilee USA and is based on some of the innovative debt-relief proposals offered by Chancellor (and likely soon-to-be Prime Minister) Gordon Brown in the UK. The legislation has the strong support of Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), the chairman of the House committee with jurisdiction, who has pledged to us that he will move the legislation through his committee and hold a major hearing this year focusing on the vital need for further debt cancellation around the world. The Jubilee Act also has the strong support of the ONE Campaign, where it is one of the top seven legislative priorities for the year.

Folks should also know that the week of October 14-20 is an international week of action on debt cancellation and will see a major advocacy focus in the U.S. and around the world. A congressional prayer breakfast on debt and the MDGs will be among the events scheduled for that week. Archbishop Ndungane of South Africa has been invited to keynote that prayer breakfast.

Finally, folks should know that Jubilee USA’s annual grassroots conference will take place in Chicago during the third weekend in June. I sit on the Board of Jubilee USA on behalf of TEC, and our Church will have a major role at that event. People can register at jubileeusa.org.

You Choose 2008

Our good friend Kim Smith at ONE offers this on the ONE Campaign blog.

As the 2008 presidential campaign is heating up around the country, ONE members are reaching out to candidates on both sides of the political aisle to make sure that fighting extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS in the world's poorest countries is a priority for our next president. We need to show all the candidates that there is a growing and visible number of Americans who care about our issues and who are going to local candidate rallies and forums to speak out!

If you don't live in a state that the candidates are visiting yet there are other ways to get involved – YouTube has is highlighting a different candidate each week as part of their new campaign, "You Choose 08 Spotlight." For the campaign, people can submit videos of themselves asking questions to the candidates.

ONE member Sean Camoni has taken on this challenge and posted videos for multiple candidates, from both political parties, to let them know he wants our next president to be a leader in the fight against extreme poverty around the world. Sean has already sent in videos asking presidential candidates Hunter, Kucinich, McCain, Edwards and Romney questions about their policy on extreme poverty.

Let us know in the comments below (and let ONE know, too) if you send in your own YouTube YouChoose 08 video about global poverty.

Honor Your Mother

Here's the latest from the ONE Campaign -- a great, easy action for Mother's Day:
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Every year, 10 million mothers lose a child under the age of 5 to a completely preventable disease. This Mother's Day, you have an opportunity to give these mothers, and yours, a special gift.

Yesterday morning Congress introduced the U.S. Commitment to Global Child Survival Act. It will provide resources for simple and cost effective tools to save the lives of the 30,000 children who die each day from treatable infections, waterborne illness, malnutrition, and the half a million mothers who die from complications in childbirth.

1. Today, you can honor mothers around the world by sending a letter to your members of Congress asking them to support the Global Child Survival Act.

2. You'll then be taken to a screen where you can send a special ONE Mother's Day greeting to let mothers know you did this in their honor.


Sponsored by Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), the act sets realistic and effective guidelines for child survival programs and quadruples funding for these programs over the next three years.

This bill doesn't just save lives; it empowers mothers to provide for their children so they can safely give their children the gift of life.

Write your member of Congress and encourage them to support the Global Child Survival Act and send a ONE Mother's Day card.

The scale of America's response to this great tragedy has been woefully inadequate, but we have the power to save lives if we take action today on behalf of mothers around the world.

Happy Mother's Day,

Susan McCue, ONE.org