The APB (Anti-Poverty Blog)

10 Million Bangladeshis Move Above $1.25 a Day

2011-02-09T20:21:00.002-06:00

I was once in a lobby meeting talking to a Congressional aide about microcredit. I was asking for the Representative to sign onto a bill to grant Muhammad Yunus the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor for his pioneering work with microfinance for the very poor. She said to me something like, "But microcredit only really affects a few people that get loans. Shouldn't we be focusing on industry instead?"

This led to a deeper conversation pointing out that microcredit helps people in a way that they need to be helped, in a way of their choosing. I told her a true story of a boy in Ghana who earned his education through his family's microloan then grew a large business that helps the economy of his country. We talked about it off and on for over a year until the Congresswoman she worked for finally signed onto the bill. But I can't help but wonder if this report from the Microcredit Summit Campaign had been released at the time of that initial conversation- would she have been swayed sooner by the report which can be summed up in the exciting statement "10 Million Bangladeshis Move Above $1.25 a Day"?

This new report is inspiring evidence that microcredit works! Please give it a read:
http://www.microcreditsummit.org/news/10_million_bangladeshis_move_above_1.25_a_day/

Child Nutrition bill passes...remind Congress to restore SNAP benefits

2010-12-07T14:24:00.003-06:00

From the Greater Chicago Food Depository...
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After more than a year of your letters, calls and e-mails to Congress, I am thrilled to report that the House passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act last week. The bill, which we expect will be signed into law by President Obama, will reauthorize child nutrition programs for five years and includes an additional $4.5 billion in funding for school meal programs over 10 years. In addition to improving the quality of school meals, the bill will help hundreds of thousands of children receive nutritious food after school, on evenings, during summer and during weekends. The Greater Chicago Food Depository operates nearly 100 children’s programs and serves more than 250,000 children every year in Cook County.
While we applaud the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, we’re concerned that the bill is partly paid for by cutting future Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) benefits. Please join us in thanking the House for passing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act while reminding Congress that the restoration of SNAP cuts is essential in ensuring families can continue to put food on the table.
Thank you for helping the hungry.

Kate Maehr
Executive Director and CEO
Greater Chicago Food Depository

Food Depository CEO, Kate Maeher, on WBEZ

2010-11-26T19:46:00.002-06:00

From WBEZ, which carried a segment about hunger in Chicago on the show Eight Forty-Eight.
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According to the latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about 50 million Americans, including about 17 million children, lack consistent access to food. There are efforts to improve this situation. Back in August, the U.S. Senate passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The bill still requires congressional approval.

To discuss hunger in America and how it plays out in Chicago, Eight Forty-Eight spoke to the CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Kate Maehr.

http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/americas-hunger-problem-moves-beyond-starvation

Morton Grove Night Out for The Niles Township Food Pantry

2010-11-14T23:19:00.001-06:00

Enjoy an evening of shopping, Nail color, 5 minute massages, local foods and refreshments. Just a $10 recomended donation goes directly to the Food pantry, and at both locations %15 of all jewelery, clothing, shoes and gift certificates purchased that evening will also be donated directly to the Food Pantry! You get to help yourself this holiday season while helping someone in need.

Host:
Friends of the Niles Township Food Pantry
When:
Tuesday, November 30 from 07:00 PM
to 9:00 PM

Where:
Body Accessory 5638 Dempster
Technicolor Nails/Hair/Spa 5641 DempsterMorton Grove, IL 60053

RESULTS Holiday Wine Tasting Fundraiser in Evanston, 12/5

2010-11-14T18:06:00.002-06:00

From the Chicago area RESULTS groups....
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RESULTS Holiday Wine Tasting Fundraiser
Sunday December 5, 2010 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
1509 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL

Join us for a holiday wine tasting fundraiser with RESULTS at a charming boutique wine store, Vinic Wine Co., in Evanston, IL! You'll be introduced to our domestic poverty campaigns while sampling domestic wines.

Admission is $25.00 donation at the door. Guests will be asked to consider an additional gift.

Wines of global and domestic varieties, RESULTS gift donation cards, wine gift baskets and gift boxes of chocolates will help you complete your holiday gift shopping while supporting RESULTS' life-saving, life-changing advocacy work.

This event will also be the debut of Wollersheim Winery to the Chicago area. Sample their Pinot Noir and Riesling offerings along with wines from other vineyards. All selections will be hand-selected by our hosts at Vinic Wine Co.

When you come to mingle, learn, and get ready for all your festive celebrations, you will help us transform lives and eliminate poverty.

World Food Prize winner David Beckmann speaks in Chicago

2010-10-26T10:17:00.003-05:00

Last night, I took advantage of a great opportunity to see and hear David Beckmann speak in Chicago. Rev. Beckmann is the president of Bread for the World- a Christian anti-hunger advocacy group – as well as this year’s World Food Prize winner. He spoke at the beautiful Fourth Presbyterian Church on Walnut downtown..a beautiful venue I’ve always wanted to take a peek into. It was a great chance to gather with other poverty fighters and hear reflections from someone who’s been doing this at least 4 times as long as I have.

Overall, Beckmann gives us a hopeful message. In this time of recession and frustration, he put into perspective how far we have come in fighting poverty around the world. Here are some highlights from his talk.

Reflections on Mozambique: In his travels to Mozambique he went to a village where he was greeted warmly by 50 people singing praises to God. This was a village where people raised only cassava on their small plots and ate the gooey food from it to survive. The village had no cars and only bikes. It was clear that they lived in extreme poverty, but not clear how any foreign aid had provided help. One of his colleagues asked them “How have they improved their lives in the last years?” The answers were highly significant: We have peace. We have a school now and even the AIDS orphans go to primary school. People with AIDS have access to retroviral medicines. We have information about AIDS and how to prevent it, no longer assuming it was a cause of witchcraft. Beckmann was struck by the reach of the US government to strongly impact their daily lives and by the work of the people at the local level & Mozambique government. Mostly, he was profoundly encouraged by the progress there, which in fact can be repeated many other places.

World progress against poverty: 26,000 kids die EVERY day from preventable causes, ½ of those from hunger related causes. But in 1960, 55000 kids died each day. This is remarkable progress made just in the last 2-3 decades. He sees this as evidence of God moving in our time. A God who liberates people in a great exodus from poverty. This is happening NOW.

“Give-a-damn”: Our progress has been sporadic. We did cut global poverty in ½ around the Johnson-Nixon eras. In the 1990’s it was cut by ¼. But it was not sustained progress. The difference between the times when we progressed and when we did not was “Give-a-damn.” We haven’t had a presided since Johnson that made poverty reduction a priortity.

Why politics and policy?: Why do we have to use the government instead of charitable food banks? Beckmann says you can’t food-bank your way to the end of poverty. We tried that. Food banks are a good thing and almost every church and synagogue has food collection for the hungry. But we are still hungry as a people. All our efforts result in food banking results in $5 billion worth of food for people per year. The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit (credits for low-income Americans) are worth more than twice as much as all the food banking done in a year.

Tax Credits: All the national talk and debate is about tax credits for the wealthy, but there are two credits for the working poor that may expire at the end of the year. The Earned Income Tax Credit should be a no-brainier. Conservatives like it because it rewards work. The more people work, the more they get. It is one of the biggest anti-poverty programs the US has today. If this reauthorization for EITC and the Child Tax Credit is not approved, then 1 million more kids will be pushed into poverty.

Biblical Examples of Policy change: Jesus cared about the effect of policies and law. He resisted laws that marginalized people, like the Sabbath law that prevented healing. St. Paul used his Roman citizenship for the purposes of God. Moses went to Pharaoh to change slavery.

Consequences of Inaction: 1 in 4 American kids live in a household that runs out of food. Permanent damage is being done to these kids that they (and we) will see the effects of for the next 50-60 years.

What can we do today?: It is time to call the faithful off the couch. The chances of getting things done are actually better than they have been. This is what we can do today, especially with the election right around the corner
1) Drive someone to the polls who couldn’t normally get there
2) Pick a candidate good for poor people and send them $50
3) Join Bread for the World and get engaged in citizenship on behalf of people in poverty. It’s not easy, you’ll have to use your head AND your heart.

Successes of Bread for the World:
1) In the last 10 years, we’ve tripled the development assistance to poor countries. The benefits are most clearly seen in Africa where 17 countries have cut poverty by 1/3. The work was done by Africans, but when they were organized and ready, we have the money available to help them
2) Foreign aid reform: Bread has been working on foreign aid reform for a few years pushing for effectiveness, responsibility, coordination, etc. When Obama took office, the administration was clear with Bread that it was not a priority and they couldn’t take time for it. So, Bread and its allies went to Congress with a foreign aid reform bill, which passed the Senate foreign relations committee. At that point, the administration took notice and said “Wait, give us a chance to do this.” And three weeks ago, Obama announced a clear, coherent policy of foreign aid. It’s a GOOD plan incorporating Bread’s ideas and some of the administration’s own.
3) Sustaining WIC programs to provide food for pregnant women and infants. Beckmann shared a touching personal story of finding out how Bread’s fight to sustain these programs when they were under attack during Reagan’s administration helped his own family. Long after that fight was over and won, he discovered that one of his adopted sons was born of a mother who struggled in poverty and was able to care for herself during pregnancy only because of these programs that Bread had fought for. His son is bright and strong, but may not have been if the mother had no access to government assistance.

Beckmann’s talk was inspiring and moving. To hear more about his account of how Christians are called to change the politics of hunger, pick up his book (available now on Amazon.com) “Exodus from Hunger” and if you are so moved, go to www.bread.com to join Bread for the World

Grameen Foundation in Chicago, Nov 1

2010-10-25T14:37:00.002-05:00

From the Grameen Foundation...
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In continuation of its support of Bankers without Borders®, Grameen Foundation’s volunteer initiative, the organization is hosting a presentation and discussion on the impact of microfinance. The event, titled “Does microfinance reduce poverty? A dialogue on the social impact of microfinance as a development tool,” will explore the effect of microfinance on the lives of the poor. Microcredit has been successful in increasing access to capital by the poor, but does it actually reduce poverty for the people it intends to help?

The discussion will be framed around the recently released white paper, Measuring the Impact of Microfinance: Taking Another Look, authored by Kathleen O’Dell, Assistant Professor of Economics at Dominican University’s Brennan School of Business. The discussion will feature Alex Counts, President, president, CEO and founder, Grameen Foundation, and Beth Houle, Chief of Staff, Opportunity International.

Please join us on Monday, November 1, at 12 pm. Please RSVP by Thursday, October 28, to trobinson@grameenfoundation.org.

Date: Monday, Nov. 1
Time: 12- 1p.m.
Location: Chase Auditorium, Chase Tower, 10 S. Dearborn St., Chicago
RSVP: By Thursday, Oct. 28 to trobinson@grameenfoundation.org

Food Depository Volunteers needed for fund drives & raffle sales

2010-10-21T17:30:00.002-05:00

The Food Depository requests volunteers for the annual Exchanges Holiday Fund Drive and the Futures Industry Association Expo.

Exchanges Holiday Fund Drive
The 25th annual event includes collecting funds at the Chicago Stock Exchange, the CME Group (including the Chicago Board of Trade) and the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Last year, this two-day drive raised more than $32,000 for the Food Depository.

Where: Various locations in the downtown financial district
When: Wednesday, Nov. 3 and Thursday, Nov. 4
Wednesday, Nov. 3
6:30 to 10:30 a.m. (eight volunteers, two per site)
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (eight volunteers, two per site)
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (four volunteers)
Thursday, Nov. 4
6:30 to 10:30 a.m. (eight volunteers, two per site)
10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (eight volunteers, two per site)
Responsibilities: Collecting funds at all locations; selling raffle tickets at some locations

Futures Industry Association Expo
This 26th annual event draws more than 4,500 people from more than 30 countries. For the third straight year, the Food Depository will be the beneficiary of the FIA Futures Cares Charity Dinner, which concludes the Expo.

Where: Hilton Chicago, 720 S. Michigan Ave.
When: Wednesday, Nov. 3 and Thursday, Nov. 4
Wednesday, Nov. 3
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (six volunteers)
2 to 6 p.m. (six volunteers)
Thursday, Nov. 4
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (six volunteers)
1 to 4 p.m. (six volunteers)
Responsibilities: Selling raffle tickets and staffing a fundraising basketball challenge

RSVP to Scott Houghton at shoughton@gcfd.org In your RSVP please include:
Your name(s)
Which event(s) you are volunteering for
The day and shift time
Your t-shirt size (if you don’t have a volunteer t-shirt).

What happened with the Global Fund?

2010-10-20T10:02:00.003-05:00

Anti-poverty organizations (including RESULTS and ONE) recently mobilized around getting the US and other donor nations to replenish the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria at levels that would allow it's groundbreaking, successful work to continue making progress. So, have you been wondering what happened with that?

The US United States pledged $4 billion over three years- short of the $6 billion requested, but a 38 percent increase over the preceding three years. This NY TImes op-ed gives a summary of what was promised and why we need to do more.

NY Times: "The Future of the Global Fund"

an excerpt:
"The money pledged will be enough to ensure that anyone now being treated will continue to get help. There will also be $2.9 billion to add new programs or renew existing programs that are working well. The disappointing fact is that the rate at which the fund has been expanding its work will be greatly slowed."

FIVE YEARS OUT: AN UPDATE ON THE MDG- event in Chicago

2010-09-16T15:56:00.003-05:00

The Chicago Council on Foreign Affairs and the ONE campaign present a public event on the Millennium Development Goals on Monday, Sept 27 at the Chicago Club. See below for more info on this fantastic event!
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2010

PUBLIC PROGRAM

FIVE YEARS OUT: AN UPDATE ON THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Singer and Goodwill Ambassador against Malaria, UNICEF
Liesl Gerntholtz, Director, Women’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch
Josh Lozman, Chief of Staff to the CEO and Senior Advisor on Global Health Policy, ONE
Moderated by Sheila Nix, U.S. Executive Director, ONE

With only five years to go until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York, September 20-22, to accelerate progress towards the MDGs. The goals—adopted at the UN Millennium Summit of 2000—aim to dramatically reduce poverty, hunger, disease, and maternal and child deaths. Join us for an expert panel discussion on the current state of the MDGs, with a particular focus on the progress of initiatives to reduce infant and maternal mortality, and what is needed to bring about sustained change by 2015.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka has been at the forefront of South African popular music for 20 years. An internationally recognized artist, entrepreneur, and humanitarian, she is also UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador against malaria, an ambassador for Roll-Back Malaria sponsored by the World Bank, the United Nations, and the World Health Organization, and a trustee of Tomorrow Trust, a program to educate orphans and other vulnerable children. She founded and presides over the Princess of Africa Foundation, a charity dedicated to fighting malaria.

Liesl Gerntholtz is director of Human Rights Watch’s women’s rights division and an expert on women's rights in Africa. She has written extensively on violence against women and HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. Before joining Human Rights Watch, she worked for some of the key constitutional institutions promoting human rights and democracy in post-apartheid South Africa, including the South African Human Rights Commission and the Commission on Gender Equality. A lawyer by training, she has been involved in high-profile, strategic human rights litigation to promote women’s and children's rights.

Josh Lozman is currently chief of staff to the CEO and senior advisor on global health policy at ONE. He previously served as ONE’s U.S. policy director. Prior to joining ONE, Lozman was a policy consultant at the Center for Global Development and a grassroots coordinator for the Global Health Council. He earned his M.B.A. and M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Johns Hopkins’ Health Policy and Management department, where he is a Sommer Scholar.

Sheila Nix (moderator) is the U.S. executive director of ONE, and is responsible for ONE’s advocacy, communications, and campaign efforts in the United States. She has extensive experience in federal and state politics, and most recently was a senior vice president at the Strategy Group. Prior to her political career, Sheila was an associate at Arnold and Porter LLP.

This event is cosponsored with ONE.

The Chicago Club, 81 East Van Buren Street, Chicago, IL 60605

5:30 p.m. Registration and cash bar reception
6:00 p.m. Presentation and discussion
7:15 p.m. Adjournment

Learn more and register online at thechicagocouncil.org

President of Bread for the World on Worldview today

2010-09-16T08:19:00.000-05:00

I want to invite you all to tune in to the program Worldview TODAY at noon on Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ 91.5). Jerome McDonnell will be talking to David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, about the 2010 Millennium Development Goals Summit. You can also listen online by going to http://www.wbez.org/Program_WV_About.aspx and clicking “Listen Now” at the top of the page. Please forward this to anyone you think will be interested!

Virtual Rally for Low-Income Tax Credits

2010-09-14T21:03:00.003-05:00

Join the NCTC Virtual Rally for Low-income Tax Credits!

Our friends at the National Community Tax Coalition (NCTC) are trying a unique action to generate support for the EITC and CTC in Congress. They are holding a virtual rally that you can take part in. The rally simply involves a piece of paper, a camera, and your computer. Step One: Print off the “EITC and CTC Expansions Mean...” banner and fill it out. Step Two: Photograph yourself holding it up. Step Three: E-mail the photo (and the release to use it) to NCTC. They will be including the photos in state-by-state briefing books to members of Congress later this month. This is a quick, easy and creative way to show support for these important tax provisions. Also, urge your local VITA sites to participate as well. Go to NCTC’s Action page for more information on how to be a Virtual Rally Participant!

http://tax-coalition.org/take-action/advocacy-alerts/EITC%20and%20CTC%20Expansion

Global Fund is key to Millennium Goals by Winstone Zulu

2010-09-14T14:31:00.001-05:00

Global Fund is key to Millennium Goals

By Winstone Zulu

When President Obama comes to the United Nations this month to discuss the Millennium Development Goals, I hope he’ll talk about the tremendous impact of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Actually, I hope he’ll do more than talk about the Global Fund’s impact. I hope… No, I pray he will announce a new three-year commitment of $6 billion that will not only allow the Global Fund to continue its life-saving work, but also expand its reach to finally turn the tide on diseases that have terrorized millions.

Without the Global Fund, much of Africa would be falling apart now, which was the case at the turn of the century when AIDS was killing off so many mothers and fathers, teachers and civil servants. In 2003, however, when Global Fund-backed programs began placing patients on antiretroviral therapy, hope was restored.

In Zambia, where I live, the difference is miraculous.

It’s hard for outsiders to fully grasp the devastation that swept across the continent in those years. Whenever I visited Lusaka, I was afraid to ask the whereabouts of people I knew. Oftentimes the answer was, “Didn’t you hear?” Nothing else needed to be said.

It wasn’t only friends and acquaintances I lost during that horrible time. All four of my brothers, their immune systems likely compromised by HIV, died from tuberculosis because they lacked access to $20 worth of antibiotics that could have cured them. They left behind over a dozen children who grew up without fathers.

The AIDS epidemic in Zambia was so bad in the mid ’90s that employers would train two people at a time for an accounting job, knowing that one would die within a year or two. The worst of it, though, was the children left orphaned. So many of them had to drop out of school and go begging in the streets for food.

This grim scene changed when the Global Fund started supporting programs that provided treatment for people with AIDS and TB.

Now when I visit a town and ask, “Where’s John?”, the answer is not “Didn’t you hear?” The response is more likely to be, “He went to Botswana for work” or “He went to South Africa to go to school.”

In short, the Global Fund stopped the terror that was literally draining the life out of our society, our culture and our economy. The Global Fund has helped deliver AIDS treatment to 2.8 million people, detected and treated 7 million cases of TB, and distributed 122 million bed nets to prevent malaria.

To deliver these results, the Global Fund created a new model of development assistance. Developing countries assess their needs and come up with their own proposals and the amount of funding needed to achieve measurable goals. An independent panel of experts evaluates proposals, and grants are awarded. Countries are then held accountable for achieving the goals in their proposals, with progress measured on a regular basis.

As we near the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, it’s clear that the Global Fund can play a decisive role in achieving the goals related to global health. In our interconnected world, these are goals that, if achieved, will lift all nations, not just the poor ones.

Last year, President Obama announced a six-year, $63 billion Global Health Initiative. Committing just $6 billion of this over the upcoming three years to the Global Fund would help ensure the success of the President’s Initiative, leverage other donor resources for the Global Fund, and help achieve some truly remarkable goals. With sufficient resources, the Global Fund can help ensure that by 2015 no children are born with HIV, malaria is no longer a public health scourge in much of Africa, and dangerous drug-resistant strains of TB are under control.

Having witnessed Zambia before and after the Global Fund, I much prefer the latter. Rather than return to those dark times, which could happen if support for the Global Fund waivers, let us usher in a new era, one where children have mothers and fathers to care for them, and a where a friend’s absence is more likely to be a cause for joy instead of sorrow.

Fight Global AIDS&TB with Twitter!

2010-09-09T09:01:00.002-05:00

Do you have a twitter account or know someone who does? Here's a really easy way to support the Global Fund. The White House is going make a decision very soon whether or not to provide our fair share to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS TB and Malaria..maybe even this week. A broad movement like this on Twitter can really show a swelling of public support for this idea to a President that understands that social media is a real force.

Please take this action from the ONE campaign...
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Personally, I tweet about a lot of things: bad movies, favorite Onion articles, proud accomplishments in the world of novice cooking—but today I'm using Twitter to do something a lot more remarkable and I hope you will too.

Right now, I and thousands of others are tweeting directly to President Obama, asking him to increase support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria over the next three years. We need you to join us:

Click here to tweet!

Because of advances in science and technology, we now know how to prevent a baby from being born with HIV. And if the Global Fund gets the funding it needs over the next three years, virtually no baby will be born with HIV by 2015.

Unfortunately, the President proposed a cut to the Global Fund and we need to change his mind.

One tweet might not make a huge difference—but thousands of tweets from all across the country really can get his attention. We built a very simple tool to make it easy for you. Check it out:

Click here to tweet!

I signed up to become a ONE member back in 2005 – and for me, there are a handful of campaigns that really stand out. This Global Fund campaign is one of those.

I can't thank you enough for all you've done with ONE.

–Ginny Simmons, Deputy Director of New Media, @ONECampaign

P.S. Not on Twitter? You can still help out: just forward this email to someone you know that is on Twitter, and tell them it’s time to collect on that favor they owe you. We really appreciate it.

Congress must pass a Child Nutrition bill before it expires in September!

2010-09-06T11:25:00.002-05:00

Who is upset that the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (Known as the Health, Hunger-Free Kids Act) is paid for by cuts to SNAP (commonly known as food stamp) benefits? I am. Are you? Then, take action!

This action comes from the Greater Chicago Food Depository, but anyone in any state can send a letter like this to their elected officials using the sample letter as a guide.
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Congress must pass a Child Nutrition bill before it expires in September!

With nearly one in four children at-risk of hunger, it is more critical than ever that Congress works quickly to pass a fully funded Child Nutrition Reauthorization before the current law expires in September. This reauthorization provides an opportunity to improve and strengthen these programs so they better meet the needs of our nation’s children and provide food to children when they need it the most – in the summer, after school and on weekends when children do not have access to school meals.

In early August, the Senate passed its version of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. While the Food Depository is pleased the Senate is moving forward, the Senate-passed bill does not make as robust of an investment in child nutrition programs as the originally introduced House bill makes. The Senate bill is also paid for by cuts to SNAP (formerly known as Food Stamp) benefits, nearly half of which provide food to children. This is not an acceptable child nutrition bill for the House to approve. Anti-hunger advocates across the nation, including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, are urging the House to pass its version of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization that includes substantial funding for child nutrition programs and does not include cuts to SNAP.

Please take action TODAY by urging your House members to pass its version of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization (HR 5504) before the current law expires in September!
Click here to go to the Advocacy Center

Double your impact with the Greater Chicago Food Depository

2010-08-26T14:00:00.002-05:00

From the Greater Chicago Food Depository...

Right now you can have twice the impact on hunger in Cook County. A generous family has agreed to double every gift we receive—up to $50,000—until Sept. 30. That means every $1 you give will be worth $2 to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
It couldn’t happen at a better time. September is Hunger Action Month—the month to take a stand against hunger in our community. And in Cook County, 1 in 8 people are turning to the Food Depository in the face of hunger. We must not let them down.

Make your gift online right now, and your generosity will go twice as far. We turn every $1 you give into four meals, but until Sept. 30, it’s eight meals!

Your matched gift will be used for programs that take food directly to hungry people in our community:

The Producemobile is a “farmer’s market on wheels.” Each week, we take fresh fruit and vegetables directly to people across Chicago. Many live in neighborhoods that have no grocery stores or produce available at all.The Mobile Pantry distributes bags of groceries each month in communities that have high concentrations of poverty. Serving working people, the program delivers food on nights and weekends, when food assistance isn’t usually available. Many families find that no matter how hard they work, it still isn’t enough. Just imagine how many families YOU can feed today.

Please act now and help reduce hunger in our community.
Sincerely,

Kate Maehr
Chief Executive Officer
Greater Chicago Food Depository
P.S. This month, your gift has twice the hunger-fighting power. Please give what you can by Sept. 30. Because of you, someone will eat today.

Urgent need for Chicago Food Depository Volunteers

2010-08-10T22:40:00.002-05:00

40,000 boxes in 40 days

The City of Chicago has an immediate need for 40,000 family food boxes now through mid-September. Sign up now to join us on the Flex Line with your family or community group. This task requires adults (at least 18) who are able to stand for three hours.

Each session listed needs to reach capacity, so please also encourage your friends and family to participate as individuals or put together a group.

Please go to
http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/site/PageServer?pagename=diff_volunteer_ASAP&autologin=true&AddInterest=1021
and click any of the sessions listed below to sign up. Additional volunteer regulations are listed with the sessions, but if you have questions, please contact Volunteer Services at 773-247-3663.

Thursday, Aug. 12: 1 to 4 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 13: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 19: 1 to 4 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 21: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 26: 1 to 4 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 27: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 27: 1 to 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 2: 1 to 4 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 3: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 7: 1 to 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 9: 1 to 4 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 10: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 10: 1 to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 14: 1 to 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 16: 1 to 4 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 17: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 18: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

House to hear testimony on MDG's tomorrow (7/27)

2010-07-26T17:36:00.004-05:00

From Millennium Promise...
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Dear Supporters of the Millennium Development Goals,

We are excited to announce that tomorrow, July 27, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hear testimony on the Millennium Development Goals--it is the first time Congress has ever held a hearing on the MDGs!

John McArthur, CEO, Millennium Promise will testify alongside Kathy Calvin, CEO, United Nations Foundation, and Scott Ratzan, Vice President, Global Health, Government Affairs and Policy, Johnson & Johnson.

The congressional committee wants to hear about the status of the Millennium Development Goals—the world's integrated targets to reduce extreme poverty by 2015—and discuss specifically what steps should be taken to ensure the achievement of the Goals.

You may watch a live feed of the hearing here: http://www.hcfa.house.gov/

On the bottom left-hand side of the page you’ll find the link to the live feed. The link is only put up when something is being broadcast -- there is currently a picture inserted in the corner as a placeholder where the link will appear for the live feed.

Of course, if you are in DC you are welcome to attend the hearing in person!
Video and text of the testimony will available soon on the Millennium Promise website (www.millenniumpromise.org).

Here are further details:

Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight
Russ Carnahan (D-MO), Chairman

Achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals:
Progress through Partnerships

Rayburn House Office Building
Room 2172
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
9:30 AM

Witnesses:
John McArthur, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Millennium Promise

Ms. Kathy Calvin
Chief Executive Officer
United Nations Foundation

Scott C. Ratzan, M.D.
Vice President, Global Health, Government Affairs and Policy
Johnson & Johnson

Thank you!

--The Millennium Promise Team

Microbicidal gel and education empower women to stay HIV free

2010-07-22T08:46:00.004-05:00

There is exciting news in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention!

1) A promising new microbicidal gel has shown that women who used it were 39% less likely over all to contract HIV than those who used a placebo. Regular usage even reduced transmission chances by 54%!

2) A study in Malawi showed that offering impoverished girls small amounts of money for regular school attendance reduced AIDS and herpes infection. After a year and a half of the program, girls who received payments were less than half as likely to be infected than girls whose families got no payments. The girls started to have sex later, less often and with fewer partners.

What this says to me is what we have known all along. Empowering women to make their own choices...whether through education or access to health information and resources...is a key to fighting AIDS and poverty.

Here's the article in the New York Times about it.

Sam Daley-Harris talks Purpose, Poverty, Pitfalls and Redemption

2010-07-19T19:37:00.003-05:00

Sam Daley-Harris is founder of RESULTS, a citizen lobby on ending global poverty, and founder of the Microcredit Summit Campaign. In May 2010 Sam gave a talk at TEDx NJ Libraries titled: “Purpose, Poverty, Pitfalls, and Redemption”. Please listen to Sam’s remarks and pass it on to friends if you enjoyed it as much as I did! Here’s the link:

Click here to see the video

FYI...Here is the link to all of the TEDx NJ Libraries talks: http://www.tedxnjlibraries.com

Is Obama Backing away from the fight against Global AIDS?

2010-07-16T16:45:00.004-05:00

This is an interview with Dr. Paul Zeitz- the executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance, a position he's held since 2001. Over the past decade, he's led GAA to promote universal access to prevention, treatment and care, among other issues. As backlash against the Obama administration’s policies on global HIV/AIDS continues to mount, Dr. Zeitz shares his perspective with Change.org.

Click Here for the Interview

Here is an exerpt:

Q: One of President Bush’s signature acts was the creation of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — the largest single effort any nation’s yet made to scale up HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment. PEPFAR was a major victory for activists around the globe. How has the program been impacted since Obama took office?

Back in 2008, President Bush decided that before he left office, he wanted to authorize another 5-year PEPFAR cycle. Senators Obama, Biden and Clinton all cosponsored the bill to reauthorize the bill, known as the Lantos-Hyde bill, committing the U.S. government to providing $48 billion over five years [2009-2013]. It was a truly historic act by then-president Bush to really take the initiative to the next level.

During the 2008 campaign, Obama signed a pledge committing to $50 billion for global AIDS spending for the period of 2009-2013. He also spoke at the Saddleback Church HIV/AIDS conference and verbally committed to increasing global AIDS spending by at least 1 billion per year, if he was elected.

Then he got elected, then the transition team started governing, and within 18 months, everything’s changed.

Q: Since Obama took office, what about his administration's approach have you found particularly disheartening?

We’d had breakthrough with Bush. Global leaders and stakeholders had committed themselves to universally scale up aids prevention and access to treatment. The whole global international community was in solidarity with the goal of universal access to prevention and treatment.

President Obama and his administration have taken a radically different position. It’s crystal clear that they don’t believe that HIV/AIDS treatment should be made available to everyone, because they think it’s too expensive. I’ve sat and others have sat in high-level meetings in which administration officials talking about how the U.S. government could not sustain the demands of a “treatment mortgage,” saying, “How can we afford this?”

The president has virtually flat-lined [PEPFAR] in his first two budget request. Even more shockingly, Obama has requested cuts to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, & Malaria’s FY2011 budget — this despite how effective the Global Fund’s work has been as a multilateral financing instrument. It’s achieved remarkable results, saving an estimated 4.9 million lives. The Obama administration says they’re committed to multilateralism. So why do they want to cut U.S. government support of the program?

Tell Congress: No Woman Should Die During Childbirth

2010-05-15T22:00:00.002-05:00

From Amnesty International:

The Improvements in Global Maternal and newborn health Outcomes while Maximizing Successes Act or the "Global MOMS Act" will support activities that help expand access to better quality maternal health services, remove barriers to such services, and ensure that they meet international human rights standards.

Hundreds of thousands of women die each year from pregnancy-related complications. The vast majority of these deaths are unnecessary and preventable, caused by a lack of access to timely, quality health care. These preventable deaths represent violations of essential human rights, including the right to the highest attainable standard of health and the right to freedom from discrimination based on such factors as gender, race, ethnicity, immigration status, Indigenous status or income level.

The Global MOMS Act will make a difference. In some countries, it truly could mean the difference between life and death for a woman. Please urge your Member of Congress to cosponsor this important piece of legislation - and support it when it comes to the floor of the House!

Here is a sample letter you can alter for your own handwritten letter:

Co-sponsor the Global MOMS Act!

Dear Representative,

I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor the Improvements in Global Maternal and newborn health Outcomes while Maximizing Successes Act, or the “Global MOMS Act”. Hundreds of thousands of women die each year from pregnancy-related complications. The vast majority of these deaths are unnecessary and preventable, caused by a lack of access to timely, quality health care. These preventable deaths represent violations of essential human rights, including the right to the highest attainable standard of health and the right to freedom from discrimination based on such factors as gender, race, ethnicity, immigration status, Indigenous status or income level. The Global MOMS Act will support activities that help expand access to better quality maternal health services, remove barriers to such services, and ensure that they meet international human rights standards.

As your constituent, I am asking you to co-sponsor the Global MOMS Act and support it once it comes to the House floor.

Women dying in pregnancy and childbirth is not just a public health emergency, it is also a human rights crisis. Amnesty International has identified obstacles to lifesaving treatment faced by pregnant women around the world. In Peru, poor, rural and indigenous women face language barriers and too few accessible clinics. In Burkina Faso, women die because they cannot reach a health facility capable of treating them or because they arrive too late. In Sierra Leone, pregnant mothers are dying because they are too poor to pay for the treatment they require to save their lives. The United States has an important role to play in supporting developing countries in developing and implementing plans to reduce maternal deaths.

The Global MOMS Act will make a difference. It supports:

-The development of a strategy as part of the Global Health Initiative to reduce mortality and improve maternal and newborn health;

-Improved coordination among U.S. government agencies and existing programs that are currently working to reduce maternal and newborn mortality; and

-Authorization of assistance in proven interventions including family planning, access to skilled care at birth and training professionals in emergency obstetric care.

Two years ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution affirming “commitment to promoting maternal health and child survival both at home and abroad through greater international investment and participation” (H.Res.1022 in the 110th Congress). This new bill is an opportunity to match commitment with action. Please make a difference in the lives of millions of pregnant women and co-sponsor the Global MOMS Act.

[Your name]

Haiti, Global Health and Rep. Jan Schakowsky

2010-05-02T22:56:00.002-05:00

From RESULTS in Chicago...
---------------------------------
The Chicago-area RESULTS groups invite you to attend a special event in Evanston on Sunday May 23 from 4-6PM featuring Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky to benefit RESULTS Educational Fund and Partners in Health (PIH). The afternoon will have a focus on Haiti and include inspiring speakers, light refreshments and a fantastic silent auction.

RESULTS is a grassroots advocacy group working to end hunger and poverty in the U.S. and around the world. PIH provides health care in impoverished nations and is committed to long-term efforts in Haiti. Representative Schakowksy, Ann Clark from PIH, and Cynthia Changyit Levin (RESULTS) will highlight how aid organizations, Congress, and everyday people work together to fight poverty. We'll also hear an update on the post-earthquake situation in Haiti.

Admission and silent auction proceeds will benefit RESULTS Educational Fund and a voluntary financial appeal will be made for PIH after the speaking program.

$25 pre-registration online
$35 at door
Students are welcome for $15 with a valid student ID (online or at the door)

See details below and please visit http://resultschicago.ning.com/events/2010-results-fundraiser to purchase admission on-line.

We hope to see you there!

Political Change with Pen and Paper

2010-04-28T13:45:00.005-05:00

A short and highly entertaining watch about why HANDWRITTEN, MONTHLY letters to elected officials actually work.

For those wondering why RESULTS activists still do letter writing at many of their meetings across the country-- this video offers some insights on their power along with funny animal analogies. An elected official tells us why emails and phone calls still are not nearly as effective as the handwritten letter.

ccyl

Call-in Action for Child Hunger

2010-04-27T15:24:00.001-05:00

An action about Child Hunger from Bread for the World
----------------------------------------------
URGENT: Call 1-800-826-368 Today to tell your U.S. representative to support an additional $1 billion per year for child nutrition reauthorization.

Dear Friend,

We urgently need your help this week to convince your U.S. representative to allocate $1 billion a year in new investments for nutrition programs for our children.

So far, the Senate Agriculture Committee passed their version of the Child Nutrition Bill at $450 million annually. We now have to convince the House Education and Labor Committee, which is drafting its version of the Child Nutrition Bill, to find the full $1 billion requested by President Obama.

Today, nearly one in four children in the United States is at risk of hunger, while one in three is obese and overweight. We need adequate funding from Congress—at least $1 billion annually in the next five years—to reverse these trends.

The Child Nutrition Bill will strengthen programs such as school lunches, school breakfasts, summer feeding programs, and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. These are critical in protecting children from hunger and in improving their nutrition. Under current funding, far too many eligible children are not being served. Of the 19.4 million low-income children receiving lunch assistance each school day, only 46 percent receive breakfast assistance and just 11 percent have access to summer food programs.

Representatives James P. McGovern (D-3/MA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-8/MO) are circulating a letter to their colleagues to show Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-7/CA) that a majority of the House supports a strong child nutrition reauthorization. As of last week, we have 116 signatures but we need at least 218. We only have until noon on Friday, April 30, to get 100 more signatures. Can you make a quick call to help us reach our goal?

Message and Key Points:

Please call your U.S. representative at 1-800-826-3688 by noon, Friday, April 30.

Tell your representative: Please sign onto the Dear Colleague letter being circulated by Reps. McGovern and Emerson in support of an additional $1 billion per year for child nutrition reauthorization.

You can explain your message by adding any or all of these points:

The House Education and Labor Committee will write a child nutrition bill soon. I want you to make sure that at least $1 billion in new funding is provided to strengthen child nutrition programs.
With nearly a quarter of America’s children struggling against hunger and one-third obese or overweight, the time for strong action is now. At least $1 billion per year in new investments in child nutrition programs is needed to reverse these staggering rates.
Child nutrition programs could do far more to reduce hunger and improve nutrition simply by reaching more eligible children. For every 100 children receiving lunch assistance each school day, less than half receive breakfast assistance and only 11 percent access summer food programs.
Thank you for your voice and your support.

Grace and peace.

Education for All Act of 2010 introduced!

2010-04-23T22:41:00.003-05:00

Just in time for Global Education Action week, Congress took action on Global Education. Cool!

Reps Nita Lowey (D) and David Reichert (R) introduced HR 5117,the Education for All Act of 2010, calling on the United States to be a leading voice in the call to action for access to basic education for the world's children. The bill seeks to ensure the U.S. provides the resources and leadership to ensure a successful international effort to provide all children with a quality basic education by 2015.

The EFA Act lays out U.S. policy that includes: 1) working with other countries, international organizations, and civil society to assist developing countries and strengthen their educational systems, 2) assisting NGOs and multilateral organizations, and promote education as the foundation for community development.

Please ask your representative to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation for Global Education. You can visit
this link from RESULTS to take action!

Call in to help the Working Poor: Bread for the World

2010-04-13T10:16:00.002-05:00

A Call-in Action from Bread for the World:

Our country is focused on taxes this week, so let’s make sure that when Congress works on tax policy, the needs of low-income people aren’t forgotten.

ACTION NEEDED:
Please call your senators and representative at 1-800-826-3688 by 5 p.m., Friday, April 16, and urge them to protect and strengthen key tax credits — the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit.

These tax credits make a big difference for low-income workers and their families.

(Note: This toll-free number will connect you to the Capitol switchboard. Please ask for your senators’ and representative's offices so you can leave your message.)

Explain your message further by adding either or both of these points:

The EITC and CTC are critical to helping working families make ends meet and feed their families. The costs of basic needs have risen while wages have remained largely stagnant.

If Congress does not act to extend the most recent expansions to the EITC and CTC made in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009:
-7 million low-income people could lose EITC benefits
- 6 million children will lose the CTC benefit completely, and 10 million children will receive a smaller credit
- More than 1.5 million people -- including nearly 800,000 children -- will fall back into poverty.

2010 Fundraiser for RESULTS/Partners in Health May 23 in Evanston

2010-04-07T23:35:00.003-05:00

The afternoon of Sunday May 23, 2010, the Chicago-area RESULTS groups will host an event to benefit both RESULTS and Partners in Health.

Featured speakers, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Ann Clark from Partners in Health, will help us highlight how aid organizations (like PIH), members of Congress (like Rep Schakowksy) and everyday people (like YOU) can work together to end poverty in Haiti and around the world.

Silent auction will include items like a stay in a wooded cabin, passes to Make-A-Messterpiece, ComedySportz classes, "Three Cups of Tea" and "Stones Into Schools" by Greg Mortenson, artwork, lunch with State Senator Shoenberg, and more.

When: Sunday, MAy 23 4-6PM
Where: First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St, Evanston, IL
Cost:$25 on-line purchase/$35 at door/$15 for students with valid student ID

Tickets will be on sale soon! Watch for updates at www.RESULTSChicago.ning.com

Note: Admission and silent auction will benefit RESULTS Educational Fund. A direct financial appeal will be made for Partners in Health after the speaking program.

Steps to Advance the World's Women (by Nicholas Kristof)

2010-03-08T20:44:00.003-06:00

A few insightful suggestions from Nicholas Kristof for International Women's Day! Here are excerpts. The entire article can be read in the New York Times here.

March 8, 2010, 10:30 AM
Three Proven Steps to Advance the World’s Women, on International Women’s Day
By NICHOLAS KRISTOF

"First, I think girls’ education may be the single most cost-effective kind of aid work. It’s cheap, it opens minds, it gives girls new career opportunities and ways to generate cash, it leads them to have fewer children and invest more in those children, and it tends to bring women from the shadows into the formal economy and society...."

"Second, I’d argue for deworming and micronutrients. These may not sound like they’re “women’s issues,” but in a sense they are. For example, iodine deficiency particularly affects female fetuses, for reasons that we don’t fully understand. Insufficient iodine in the first trimester of pregnancy costs that child 10 to 15 I.Q. points for the rest of his or her life, and yet iodized salt programs that prevent the problem cost less than 5 cents per person reached...."

"Third, we need more support for women starting businesses. These can be microsavings and microlending programs, or training in entrepreneurship. BRAC and Grameen have done great work in this area, as has Injaz in the Middle East. Such programs lead women to bring in incomes, and that gives them more weight in the home and society. Moreover, they tend to invest the income in their children, so there’s a broader effect in fighting poverty."

Save This Date! Chicago RESULTS Fundraiser – May 23, 2010

2010-03-06T13:15:00.000-06:00

Chicago RESULTS Fundraiser – May 23, 2010

Mark your calendars for the afternoon of Sunday May 23, 2010 when the Chicago-area RESULTS groups will be hosting an event in Evanston to raise funds and promote poverty awareness. The featured speaker will be Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky.

Tickets will be on sale later this month. Watch for updates on email, Facebook, and RESULTS Chicago web site: http://resultschicago.ning.com/

Confronting poverty can aid in solving other problems

2010-03-04T22:09:00.001-06:00

Op-ed about how long-term poverty fighting and advocacy can help in disaster situations like Haiti. From the Morton Grove Champion...
-------------------------

Guest Essay: Confronting poverty can aid in solving other problems
(http://www.pioneerlocal.com/mortongrove/news/forum/2077473,morton-grove-letter-030110-s1.article)
March 1, 2010
By CYNTHIA CHANGYIT LEVIN Contributing Columnist
Over a month has passed since the earthquake in Haiti and still the horrific images linger in our minds: A child's legs extending from the rubble of a collapsed school, wandering crowds needing water and medical aid trucks stacked full of bodies. Massive destruction put a spotlight on the desperate troubles of Haiti. Generous people around the world saw and responded by opening their hearts and wallets. In my neighborhood, we donated money and even our shoes. We collected health care items for Haitians and victims of future emergencies. Yet after donations have been made and prayers have been said, we still wonder what more we can do.

The first step to giving real, lasting help is to understand that Haiti's long history of poverty is what makes the current crisis so terrible. The effects of the catastrophe are worsened by a situation that existed long before the earthquake. Haiti is the same country where shocking stories emerged in 2008 about nursing mothers eating mud to slack their hunger.

When countries languish for years in abject poverty, any crisis -- an earthquake, a hurricane, or a tsunami -- will cause much more widespread suffering than if it happened in a wealthy nation. The population doesn't have simple advantages that developed nations take for granted. For instance, before the earthquake only 50 percent of Haitian children had received vaccinations. Now, diseases spread rapidly through crowded shelters without proper sanitation.

Haiti was already part of an everyday global tragedy that is mostly unseen. We are shocked by news of more than 200,000 earthquake-related deaths. Yet we rarely notice nine million children under five dying worldwide each year from treatable or preventable causes, mostly in impoverished nations.

We can work to prevent the daily disaster of people dying of poverty-related causes and, as a result, help countries like Haiti be better prepared for a natural disaster. U.N. Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon referred to our responsibility to the world's poorest people when he stated, Haiti's plight is a reminder of our wider responsibilities.

To aid the future of Haiti and other developing nations, we can speak to our members of Congress about issues like debt relief, basic education, global health, and effective use of foreign aid. It sounds complicated, but advocacy really boils down to saying that children need school, people need food, money should be used responsibly and where you're born shouldn't determine whether you live or die.

Seeking out reputable, nonpartisan advocacy organizations is a simple way to start. In the Chicago area, national organizations like RESULTS, Bread for the World, and the ONE Campaign reach out to Illinois senators and representatives on behalf of people living in poverty. Each has a Web site tailor-made to make advocating as easy as clicking a mouse or making a two-minute phone call. Their local volunteers are everyday people who band together to channel the frustration, anger, and sorrow they feel into useful action.

Advocacy organizations are playing a significant role in Haiti's recovery. Within days of the earthquake, anti-poverty activists worked to relieve Haiti of its crippling debt -- freeing up resources that could be used to feed its starving population. Thousands of regular folk clicked on-line petitions or called to urge Congress to help drop the debt. In response to the massive outpouring of public will, congressional leaders now plan to introduce legislation requiring the U.S. use its considerable influence to ensure all of Haiti's debt is canceled. Tremendous progress can be made when people realize there are solutions and act on them.

Before the spotlight fades on Haiti, remember that it was poverty that made the situation so extreme. We can't predict where then next major disaster is going to occur, but our actions can help equip impoverished nations to be better prepared to weather the next crisis.

Cynthia Changyit Levin, of Morton Grove, is a grassroots board member of RESULTS Educational Fund. She is also the local leader for the RESULTS Chicago-Evanston group, which advocates on issues of global poverty.

Half the Sky Live, March 4

2010-02-21T11:43:00.002-06:00

Gather some friends and get out to see this event!!!

Half the Sky Live
Thursday, March 4, 7:30PM
Theatres across the U.S

It's more than a movie, it's a movement that is changing the world one woman at a time! HALF THE SKY LIVE, a one-night-only event on March 4, 2010, in theatres nationwide. With music, celebrity guests and the premiere of a remarkable new film, Woineshet, by Marisa Tomei and Lisa Leone. HALF THE SKY is a celebration of women! Youll be inspired to join the movement to help women and girls turn oppression into opportunity. HALF THE SKY LIVE is inspired by The New York Times bestseller, Half the Sky, by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Visit http://www.halftheskylive.com for participating theatres and ticket information.

Click here for tickets and theatre information http://www.ncm.com/Fathom/OriginalPrograms/event/Half_The_Sky.aspx

Geithner Responds to Congress letter about Haiti debt!

2010-02-05T11:25:00.002-06:00

Great news from RESULTS!!!
----------------
Hi Folks – so often it can take months, years and even decades to see the results of our advocacy… and sometimes it takes a couple of days.

Following the receipt of the Waters/Ros-Lehtinen letter with 94 signatures – including Financial Services Chair Barney Frank and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer – Secretary Geithner announced today that he will work to eliminate all of Haiti’s debt and provide any further assistance in the form of grants. We were hearing nothing from the White House on its intentions, so this is a huge shift. Most of Haiti’s remaining debt is owed to multilateral institutions like the IMF and IDB, so this doesn’t guarantee that the debt will be cancelled, but having the full support of the U.S. is absolutely critical and a real turning point.

Thanks again for you work on this letter. In thanking your members for signing, you can let them know this had a real impact. The press release from Treasury is pasted below.

Thanks!

94 Reps Signed IMF Letter to Cancel Haiti's Debt!

2010-02-05T09:49:00.002-06:00

Congratulations: 94 Representatives Signed the House IMF Letter to Cancel Haiti's Debt!

Responding to the urgent humanitarian crisis in Haiti, Representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) are sending a message that Haiti's debt must be cancelled.

Last week the IMF approved an emergency $100 million loan, adding to the $165 million already owed by Haiti to the Fund. Haiti owes an additional $447 million to the Inter-American Development Bank, and tens of millions to other institutions. As an influential member of these multilateral organizations, the U.S. will be critical in ensuring Haiti's debt will be canceled.

Representatives Waters and Ros-Lehtinen have sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner urging him to work to immediately suspend Haiti's debt payments, cancel any existing or newly incurred debt, and provide further assistance in the form of grants rather than debt-creating loans. Thanks in part to the efforts of RESULTS activists, so far 94 members of Congress have signed this letter, including IL reps Davis, Guiterrez, Jackson Jr, Quigley, Rush, Schakowksy.

We'll be watching to see if this strong message from Congress is heeded by the administration.

Help get ONE on the Colbert Report

2010-02-04T12:28:00.004-06:00

A new website campaign has been launched to try to get the "Colbert Bump" for a ONE activist who is running for Congress in New Hampshire. Michael Castaldo is a highly respected activist for the ONE campaign who lobbies in many ways from writing letters-to-the-editor and op-eds to bird dogging candidates in town hall meetings to raise awareness and get action on global poverty issues. He is also now running as a republican candidate for U.S. Representative.

Castaldo is the famous ONE activist who travelled all over his state to personally give ONE bracelets to every presidential primary candidate in the last presidential election. He got his picture with every one of them and spoke to them on behalf of people living in extreme poverty.

And now he's got his own viral campaign going to get him on the Colbert Report. His friends who are grassroots anti-poverty activists and fans of Stephen Colbert's show think that he's got an interesting story to tell and want to see him wearing the ONE band, talking about global poverty on to the Colbert Nation. Colbert's character is known for liking to give the "Colbert Bump" by endorsing candidates that fit his interests. Given that Castaldo is a republican, ex-marine, and a chef, he certainly does seem to embody some of Colbert's favorite things. Now if only he were a speedskater, too...

Here is the website that gives information on how to tell Colbert that Castaldo should be on the show:
Colbert Bump for Castaldo site

-----------------------------------
From the "Get the Colbert Bump for Castaldo" site.....

WHY SHOULD MIKE CASTALDO GET THE BUMP?

Michael Castaldo is one of the most interesting congressional candidates running for U.S. Representative this year. He would be a perfect interview for the Colbert Report. Stephen Colbert's on-air persona loves the armed services, food, the Republican party, and kingmaking. Mike is an ex-marine, a chef and a Republican candidate who would appreciate receiving the Colbert Bump.

Mike is also a strong advocate for people living in poverty. As a key activist for the ONE campaign, he presented the white ONE bracelet to many presidential candidates on the trail through New Hampshire. An appearance on The Colbert Report would give him the chance to flash that poverty-awareness accessory himself and bring issues like foreign aid reform, debt relief, and global health to a national audience.

Advocacy Actions for Haiti

2010-01-30T23:21:00.002-06:00

Many people are wondering..now that we have donated money for Haiti, what more can we do? My answer...advocate for Haiti.

The most direct advocacy help at this time is to focus on debt relief for Haiti. I'm not an expert in debt relief, but I'll take a crack at it and if you see something I say isn't right, please correct me in the comment section. The basic concept of debt relief is this: When a country is so impoverished that it can’t help its people get the basic human needs, if it carries debt on the order of $100M or more, there’s very little hope of recovering that debt. If it is pressured to pay it back, there is very little hope of the people or the country being able to work themselves out of poverty if they have no food, water, health care, education, etc. Haiti is exactly in this situation with $165M debt.

An aspect of this specific to Haiti is the form of emergency aid that Haiti is getting. The IMF (International Monetary Fund) approved a $102M loan for Haiti…not a grant as advocates pushed for. The IMF argues that the loans are much faster to approve than grants and notes that the loans are interest-free.

Many advocacy groups are working to get this debt cancelled especially in light of the earthquake damage. Some good news is that the US (as I understand it) already forgave Haiti it's debt before the earthquake. I think I heard Venezuela is doing the same now.

Here's a summary what has been done by advocacy groups in the US recently:
The ONE campaign sent out an emergency petition via email and delivered more than 150,000 signatures to the IMF to drop Haiti's debt. Several orgs are urging Tim Geithner, Sec of Treasury, to use his influence on the IMF. The orgs were successful in convincing a Rep Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) to circulate a letter around the House of Representatives to go to Geithner saying the same thing.

Here's what you can do. Follow this link and call your Representative and urge them to sign onto the letter to Geithner. The deadline is THE END OF THE BUSINESS DAY IN DC ON MONDAY.

If you're still asking "What else?" I encourage you to take action to support a Global Fund for Education here . You can write to your reps and senators about this, too, using the language from the link. You can also tell your reps and senators to help any efforts to provide our fair share of funding to the Global Fund for Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. It is precisely because Haiti was so impoverished before the quake that it's situation is so dire now. By supporting the creation of an education fund and supporting the health fund in place, other places like Haiti can stand a chance of lifting themselves out of extreme poverty before a tsunami, war, earthquake or other disaster strikes.

2010 Chicago Snuggie Pub Crawl supports orphans in Tanzania

2010-01-25T14:24:00.001-06:00

Dear Snuggie Pub Crawlers,

With the 2010 Snuggie Pub Crawl just a few months away, we're really excited to announce early bird ticket sales to our email list!!

This event was a tremendous success last year, raising nearly $20,000 for the AC Orphanage in Tanzania. Thanks to you we have supplied, food, water, medicine and other self sustaining projects to the AC Orphanage with the funds raised from the event. We are currently involved in a project to build a much needed drinking well to be shared by two orphanages in Tanzania. We look forward to seeing you on April 10th!

Tickets are NOW ON SALE!

Tickets are now available for $18 before February 15th, $22 after February 15th and $25 at the door (if we have any left). We will only be selling 2500 tickets to this event.

We've worked hard with the participating bars, liquor and beer providers and we're proud to say that we've secured the following:

$2 Bud Light, Budweiser, Bud Select
$3 Well Drink Specials
$5 Bacardi Bombs
$2 Shots For Tots - Bacardi Torched Cherry Shots!
Raffles/Prizes- VIP Lollapalooza, Lollapalooza, Blackhawks, Cubs Tickets and more!
Live Music
Opening/Closing Ceremonies at Lions Head Pub / Apartment - starts at 7:30pm
BYOS - Bring Your Own Snuggie

This is a Bring Your Own Snuggie event. You must wear a Snuggie or blanket with sleeves to this event. We encourage decorating, modifying and imagination! There will be prizes for most original Snuggie!

Event Details

April 10th from 12:00pm - 8:00pm
Registration starts at 10:30 at Lions Head Pub at 2251 N. Lincoln - Arrive Early!
Tickets are required for admission
Ages 21 and up, photo I.D. required for admission
Peep Photos from last years event - http://www.flickr.com/groups/snuggiepubcrawl/
Visit www.SnuggiePubCrawl.com for additional details about the Snuggie Pub Crawl in Chicago. See you all on April 10th!

The Fate Monkey Team

This event is being put on by Fate Monkey Inc, SnuggiePubCrawl.com is owned and operated by Fate Monkey Inc.

SnuggiePubCrawl.com
Fate Monkey, Inc.
2040 N. Racine Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614

Disease now the big threat in Haiti

2010-01-22T00:42:00.001-06:00

From a friend at Global Action for Children...
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A new threat is looming large in Haiti.

As if the immediate deaths from the earthquake were not enough, now the growing risk of infectious disease threatens to take more lives in Haiti. Infections like diarrhea, pneumonia and measles flourish in places with unsanitary conditions, lack of access to clean drinking water and increased exposure to the elements—places like Haiti today.

Tragically, it is the children of Haiti who are most seriously affected by these age old killers. Before the earthquake only 50 percent of Haitian children were vaccinated against these preventable diseases, so now in its aftermath, the likelihood of their emergence is even greater.

The good news is, we know how to stop more childhood killers than ever before. In this last year alone, two new vaccines were introduced to prevent deaths from the biggest child killers of all—diarrhea and pneumonia. Globally, these two diseases are responsible for over 3.5 million deaths each year.

Vaccines have both short- and long-term ramifications for children and their communities. Today, vaccines can avert thousands of needless child deaths during this time of crisis. And long into the future, vaccines will give Haiti’s children the chance to remain healthy, stay in school, live longer and contribute to their community. In short, vaccines are the smart start to help Haiti re-grow.

As the aid continues to roll into Haiti we cannot forget these killers that are lurking in the background waiting to emerge. We must ensure that everything is done to provide the children of Haiti with the medicines and vaccines they need to grow, thrive and rebuild their country.

Stacy Carkonen
National Field Director
Global Action for Children
(206) 715.4986
www.globalactionforchildren.org

Haiti: an advocacy action

2010-01-20T13:10:00.004-06:00

Please read the following message from the ONE campaign to learn how your advocacy has a role in the recent Haitian crisis to try to drop the debt of Haiti and ease the burden of its struggling population.

Click here for "Drop Haitian Debt"
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The harrowing images and stories coming out of Haiti are devastating to watch. The incredible outpouring of concern, aid and assistance coming from the United States and all over the world offers hope, but for many of us the question lingers: “What else can I do?”

One way we can help Haitians build a better tomorrow is to convince global creditors to cancel Haiti’s $890 million international debt. Doing so will help make sure that every possible future dollar goes towards rebuilding a stronger Haiti, not to servicing old debts.

Thankfully, the United States has already forgiven Haiti’s past debts and now only gives assistance in the form of grants. We need Haiti’s other creditors—the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and countries like Taiwan and Venezuela—to follow our lead and do the same.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has the power to help make that happen. Please click the link below to join me and send Secretary Geithner this urgent message:

Drop the Haitian Debt!

As Haiti rebuilds from this disaster, please work to secure the immediate cancellation of Haiti’s $890 million debt and ensure that any emergency earthquake assistance is provided in the forms of grants, not debt-incurring loans.

Even before the earthquake hit, Haiti—the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere—faced tremendous challenges. But there was also hope. Recent years have brought a more stable government and tenuous gains in the fight against poverty.

Haiti needs an international effort to make sure that, as it begins the long road to recovery, it is not burdened with unpayable debts. We must also be vigilant that any new aid from the IMF and other sources doesn’t come in the form of loans that would create new debt for Haiti.

It all starts by calling on Secretary Geithner to use his influence to persuade international lending institutions and countries to do the right thing and drop Haiti’s debt.

Take action now:
http://www.one.org/us/actnow/drophaitiandebt/o.pl?id=1398-4187704-pyl0nex&t=3

Thank you,

Sheila Nix
U.S. Executive Director, ONE

Making a Difference

2010-01-15T23:27:00.005-06:00

Ever wonder what you might say to today's Youth if given an opportunity? I was caught a bit off guard when I was asked to speak to a remarkable young woman on the day of her Bat Mitzvah about Making a Difference. I didn't know what to say, but when I finished, I think I really did manage to boil down my beliefs into a succinct message, so I share it with you here.

-ccyl

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Good job! Congratulations on your Bat Mitzvah and regarding your Bat Mitzvah project…Well Done!

I’ve been asked to say some words about “Make a Difference.” Let me start by saying that you are off to a great start.
You are already an outstanding person and just by being you, you have and will have a positive impact on people around you…like your mom and me.

But I wouldn’t be doing my job as one of your elders if I didn’t encourage you and challenge you to continue the harder job to make a real difference to people you don’t know, to you community, the world and even to yourself.

So, I have 3 pieces of advice to offer you today.

First, be intentional about making a difference. Helping and giving and serving, fighting for what’s right and healing our broken world…these are all things we have to be intentional about or they easily fall by the wayside.

Second, Think Big. Don’t think for a minute that you can’t have tremendous impact. It can be from merely showing a kindness to one person who needs it just at that moment. Or you might join with others to further a cause that has been years in the making that will change the course of history. At the same time, don’t be overwhelmed to inaction. Most people are.

It’s probably not common for people to quote catholic nuns at Bat Mitzvah luncheons, but…Mother Teresa said "If you can't feed 100 people, then feed just one" and I think message transcends religions. Don’t let the magnitude of the task or your own self-doubt stop you from taking action.

Lastly, and I think most importantly, Get Personal. Be generous with your time and talents, not just your money. (This will make more sense later when you’re making money) It will help you find your gifts and build on them and find what it is that only you can do. At any given moment…because of who you are or where you happen to be (figuratively or maybe even literally where you’re standing) there’s something for which you are the best person for the job. And my wish for you is that you are going to be able to seize those moments and act on them. Believe me, you’re not going to catch all of them 100% of the time, but when it happens, that’s when you make the biggest difference- for others and for yourself. That makes for days that really count.

I’ve talked in nice vague ways about “taking action” and never once gave you a good solid suggestion for what kind of differences exactly that you should be making. That’s because…I don’t know. And neither does anyone else. This is for you, and only you, to figure out. You’re an adult now in your congregation and this is one of your adult decisions.

But I can leave you with some words that are helpful to me to point me to my path. Buckminster Fuller, American philosopher and futurist, said…

“The Things to do are: the things that need doing, that you see need to be done, and that no one else seems to see need to be done.”

That’s a little complicated so I’ll say it again and maybe text it to you later.

So, go…keep making a difference as you already have. Mazel Tov!

Donate to Partners in Health to help Haitian Earthquake victims

2010-01-14T17:41:00.004-06:00

Several people have asked for my recommendations for where to donate to help with the earthquake disaster in Haiti. There are many great orgs doing heroic work (Red Cross, UNICEF and Oxfam come to mind), yet because this happened in Haiti in particular, I ask you to consider making a generous donation to Partners in Health.

Partners in Health provides medical care and social services to people in extreme poverty, especially in Haiti which is their flagship project. For many years, they have had hospitals and highly trained medical staff in place there working with a highly successful community-based model. PIH is right now bring medical assistance to areas that have been hardest hit. Because of their position and relationships there, I believe they are extremely well qualified to provide immediate and quality assistance to Haiti. Their founder, Paul Farmer, is the author of Mountains Beyond Mountains and is a powerful advocate for Global Health.

Please donate to Partners in Health

Read on to see a message from their Executive Director:

A major earthquake centered just 10 miles from Port-au-Prince has devastated sections of the city and knocked out telephone communications throughout the country. Reached via email, Partners In Health staff at our facilities in the Central Plateau report that they experienced a strong shock but no major damage or injuries. We are still attempting to establish contact with other PIH facilities and to locate several staff members who were traveling in and around Port-au-Prince.

In an urgent email from Port-au-Prince, Louise Ivers, our clinical director in Haiti, appealed for assistance from her colleagues in the Central Plateau: "Port-au-Prince is devastated, lot of deaths. SOS. SOS... Temporary field hospital by us at UNDP needs supplies, pain meds, bandages. Please help us."

Donate now to support our earthquake relief efforts

The earthquake has destroyed much of the already fragile and overburdened infrastructure in the most densely populated part of the country. A massive and immediate international response is needed to provide food, water, shelter, and medical supplies for tens of thousands of people.

With our hospitals and our highly trained medical staff in place in Haiti, Partners In Health is already mobilizing resources and preparing plans to bring medical assistance and supplies to areas that have been hardest hit.

Both our teams in Boston and Haiti are already mobilizing to deliver resources as quickly as possible to the places where they are needed most.

Donate now to support our earthquake relief efforts

Thank you for your solidarity during this crisis,

Ophelia Dahl
Executive Director - Partners in Health

Roger Thurow, author of "Enough", in Chicago

2010-01-11T14:56:00.004-06:00

The World Beyond the Headlines is a public lecture series is a collaborative project with the University of Chicago Center for International Studies, the Seminary Coop Bookstores, and the International Global Voices Program with support from the McCormick Foundation. The program brings scholars and journalists together to consider major international news stories and how these stories are covered.

This is a FREE public lecture series at the International House (1414 East 59th Street) on the University of Chicago Campus. Roger Thurow will be appearing there. He is one of the author's of "Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty" which is a must-read for anti-poverty advocates!

Wed, March 3
Roger Thurow, Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty
For more than thirty years, humankind has known how to grow enough food to end chronic hunger worldwide. Yet while the “Green Revolution” succeeded in South America and Asia, it never reached Africa. More than nine million people every year die of hunger, malnutrition, and related diseases every year—most of them in Africa and most of them children. More die of hunger in Africa than from AIDS and malaria combined. Now, an impending global food crisis threatens to make things worse. In the West we think of famine as a natural disaster, brought about by drought or as the legacy of brutal dictators. But in this powerful investigative narrative, Roger Thurow and Scott Kilman show exactly how, in the past few decades, American, British, and European self-interest and neglect have left Africa unable to feed itself. As a new generation of activists work to stop famine from spreading, Enough is essential reading on a humanitarian issue of utmost urgency. Co-sponsored by the Center for International Studies, the Program on the Global Environment and the Seminary Co-op Bookstores.
This event is free and open to the public.
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm, Home Room

Senator Burris on Child Nutrition

2009-12-11T13:52:00.003-06:00

Hey, Illinois! Want to know how Senator Burris feels about nutrition for women, children and Infants? This is what he wrote back to me when I asked him to strengthen programs like WIC, Summer Food Service Program, and others in light of the Child Nutrition Act (S. 934) which was extended for 12 months without changes to move us forward in the fight to end childhood hunger.

Want to encourage him to live up to his statement that proper nutrition for our nation’s children is an important priority ? Visit the Greater Chicago Food Depository's site at this link.
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Thank you for writing me to share your concerns regarding the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act (S. 934). I appreciate the benefit of your views.

I agree that proper nutrition for our nation’s children is an important priority. The reauthorization of Federal child nutrition programs should remove barriers and improve access to reduce childhood hunger and enhance the nutritional quality and health of the school environment.

The Child Nutrition and Women, Infants and Children Reauthorization Act of 2004, which has been extended temporarily while Congress crafts a new child nutrition package, includes funding for all federal child nutrition programs. Among these programs are the School Breakfast and the National School Lunch Programs, the Summer Food Service Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

I support a full reauthorization of the Act that includes new science-based nutrition standards and also reviews food served in vending machines, school stores, and snack shops. I believe this is a good first step to help all American children stay healthy.

I will continue to listen closely to what you and other Illinoisans have to say about matters before Congress, the concerns of our communities, and the issues facing Illinois and the nation. My job is not about merely supporting or opposing legislation; it is also about bridging the divide that has paralyzed our nation's politics.

Sincerely,

Roland W. Burris
United States Senator

TODAY is Day of Action for Global Education

2009-12-10T10:59:00.001-06:00

TODAY is the day to call the White House for Global Education support. This capwiz link should make it very easy and you can let RESULTS know you took the action.

If the link doesn't work, just call 202 456 1414 and ask President Obama to provide $2B for the creation of a Global Fund for Education.

Thank you for taking action to fight poverty today. Feel free to forward this message to others!

Sign Petition for Obama to support foreign assistance

2009-12-05T18:53:00.003-06:00

If you agree with this statement - "I strongly support U.S. foreign assistance efforts that alleviate poverty, fight disease, and create opportunity in developing countries" - sign Bread for the World's petition to President Obama:

Right now, President Obama and his senior advisors are preparing recommendations that will shape the future of U.S. efforts to alleviate poverty, fight disease, and create economic opportunity for the world’s poorest people.

Please sign the petition launched by Bread and our partners asking the White House to send a strong signal about America’s commitment to development. We need 150,000 signatures by December 17. Add your name today.

Global Education Day of Action, Dec 10

2009-12-02T12:29:00.004-06:00

Three Ways to Take Action for a Global Fund for Education!
On December 10, Human Rights Day, the world will focus on making a Global Fund for Education a reality with a Day of Action. RESULTS has been working to assure access to basic education for all children for a long time and the signs of progress are good.

There are several ways you can ask for U.S. leadership on a Global Fund for Education now, on December 10, and afterward.

1. Call the president on December 10
2. Write your congressperson and ask him/her to speak out.
3. Get a letter to the editor published letting your community know that putting kids in school is smart.

Choose one way or many ways to take action, but make your voice heard. Act now and help get 75 million more kids the primary education they need and deserve for a brighter future.

_____________________________________________

1. Call the President on December 10: President Obama, the Time is Now for a Global Fund for Education!
Forward this action along to schools and other organizations so they are prepared to take action on December 10. We know that school increases income, keeps babies alive, keeps mothers healthy, reduces conflict, reduces HIV/AIDS transmission, empowers women, reduces hunger. What are we waiting for?? Let's thousands of calls to the President that day.

2. Write to Your Members of Congress: Urge Them to Work for Education for All.
Forward this action along too!

3.Write a Letter to the Editor : Create Community Conversation about a Global Fund for Education.
Encourage others to write too.

Go to the RESULTS Education Action pagefor other resources and information to mobilize your community on creating a Global Fund for Education

World AIDS Day Today

2009-12-01T11:44:00.003-06:00

Dec 1 is global AIDS day when we can all take action by advocating in support of global AIDS programs. Here are 2 actions I suggest:

1) CALL your Senators to ask for special attention for programs to prevent mother to child transmission and for at least $7.2 Billion in funding for global AIDS programs.
Make a call (courtesy of World Vision)

2) WRITE to President Obama to ask for full funding for the Global Fund to fight AIDS TB and Malaria
Write a Letter (courtesy of RESULTS)

Fighting Terrorism with Schools

2009-11-25T20:29:00.003-06:00

Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, is featured in Parade talking about his experiences fighting poverty by building schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Here's an excerpt...

"Young women are the developing world’s greatest agents of progress. Just one year of schooling will dramatically raise a girl’s later economic prospects, and where girls get to fifth grade, birth rates and infant mortality plunge. Teaching girls to read and write reduces the ignorance and poverty that fuel religious extremism and lays a groundwork for prosperity and peace. In military parlance, educating girls is a “force multiplier.” Thus, the flame that burns at the center of my work, the heat around which I cup my hands, are the stories of girls whose lives have been changed by education. "

Fighting Terrorism With Schools | Parade.com

Chicago Food Depository reaches new record of demand

2009-11-25T10:15:00.002-06:00

Some new data from the Greater Chicago Food Depository, courtesy of the Chicago Trib religion blog at http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/religion_theseeker/2009/11/faith-hunger.html
(The entry also mentions Bread for the World as a way to help feed the hungry)

"Evidence of the problem locally can be found in recent data released by the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The food bank established a new record for demand in September, with 427,660 visits to our member pantries in Cook County. The first three months of the fiscal year are 26 percent ahead of last year’s pace in pantry visits, and 70 percent ahead of the pace of two years ago.

Furthermore, poverty rates for Illinois (12.2 percent), Cook County (14.8 percent) and Chicago (20.6 percent) continue to rise. In Cook County, the unemployment rate of 10.6 percent was four percentage points higher than the same time last year and higher than the national average of 9.8 percent.

The depository has distributed 1.7 million more pounds year to date than last year during a similar period. Distribution of produce also exceeds last year at this time."

Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T23:09:00.000-06:00

Sent to me by a dear friend...

A Prayer for those who have too Much
Sr. Joyce Rupp
Servite Sr. Joyce Rupp wrote this prayer
after visits to Guatemala and Liberia
o my brothers and sisters in developing countries;
While I was deciding which oat bran cereal to eat this morning, you were searching the ground for leftover grains from the passing truck.
While I was jogging at the health center, you were working in the wealthy landowner’s fields under a scorching sun. While I was choosing between diet and regular soda, your parched lips were yearning for the touch of water.
While I complained about the poor service in the gourmet restaurant, your were gratefully receiving a bowl of rice.
While I poured my ‘fresh and better detergent’ in the washing machine, you stood in the river with your bundle of clothes. While I watched the evening news on my wide screen television set, you were terrorized and taunted by a dictatorship government.
While I read the newspaper and drank my cup of steaming coffee, you walked the dusty, hot miles to the tiny, crowded schoolroom to try to learn how to read.
While I scanned the ads for a bargain on an extra piece of clothing, you woke up and put on the same shirt and pants that you have worn for many months.
While I built a 14-room house for the three of us, your family of 10 found shelter in a one-room hut.
While I went to church last Sunday and felt more slightly bored, you looked upon the earth and those around you and felt gratitude to God for being alive for one more day.
My brothers and sisters, forgive me for my arrogance and my indifference.
Forgive me for not doing my part to change the unjust systems that keep you suffering and impoverished.
I offer you my promise to become more aware of your situation and to change my lifestyle as I work for transformation of our world.
(From Xaverian Mission Newsletter)

Jayne Hats for Turkeys

2009-11-21T09:26:00.008-06:00

Do you like Joss Whedon, Firefly, and helping hungry people? If you do, then check out this link from a Browncoat (translation: Firefly fan) who is doing her part to help the hungry this Thanksgiving season. If you don't, that's ok! The Jayne Hat contest idea be a little odd to non-Browncoats, but the reason I post it it to say we can all be really creative about how we can, as individuals, help others. What is your passion? What can you make or do well? Can you use that talent to encourage others to donate or volunteer?

Jayne Hats for Turkeys

MFAN Partners comment on Rajiv Shah appointment

2009-11-19T10:48:00.003-06:00

So many of you may know that we now have a USAID administrator named Dr. Rajiv Shah. Want to know what people think about it? Here's a site from the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network that sums up the various positions of prominent anti-poverty organizations including Bread for the World, Oxfam, ONE, etc.

MFAN Partners comment on USAID leadership

Here's what Bread for the World said about it:
"“We are hopeful that Dr. Shah’s unique combination of knowledge about global health, agriculture, and other issues will allow him to provide a strong and indispensable development voice as major decisions are made about U.S. foreign policy,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president, Bread for the World. “Since he has lived in a developing country, he knows first-hand the importance of long-term, sustainable development – in contrast to the State Department’s typically short-term, political approaches."

Jessica Alba speaks with Nancy Pelosi about Global Eduation

2009-11-06T13:45:00.003-06:00

RESULTS has been touring Jessica Alba around congressional offices this week to talk about the need for Global Eduation. Among her visits was one to see Speaker Nancy Pelosi! Emily's Post on Politics Daily wrote about the event:
http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/11/06/jessica-alba-touts-global-education-in-meeting-with-nancy-pelosi/

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Actress Jessica Alba met with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi Friday morning to talk about the importance of global education. Pelosi then took Alba to a conference room in the speaker's suite to address 18 members of the Democratic Women's Caucus about raising awareness of the issue.

"Jessica spoke very articulately and knowledgably about the need for greater emphasis on education," a House leadership staffer told Politics Daily in an exclusive interview Friday morning.

Alba, 28, the star of movies "Sin City" and "Fantastic Four," has recently become the U.S. co-chair of the group 1GOAL: Education for All, which advocates for the 75 million children worldwide (half in Africa) who are denied access to education.

"It's great to see Jessica Alba bringing her celebrity to promote this important issue of basic education to children in the developing world," said a policy staffer for Speaker Pelosi.

The actress was described by another staffer as "gorgeous," very skinny, with "reddish brown hair and huge lips."

For her meeting on Capitol Hill, Alba wore a black-and-white tweed suit, black tights and black patent leather Mary Jane Chanel heels. She wore her hair down and "very natural makeup." For D.C.'s autumn weather, the actress wore a black overcoat with a ruffle down one side.

Staffers said Alba appeared somewhat awestruck during her visit to the most powerful office in the Capitol. After the policy meetings, she went to the Speaker's Balcony and asked to have her picture taken with a personal camera with the impressive view of the National Mall and the monuments. She also spent time taking pictures with some of the key House staff who work on global education issues.

Pelosi's staffers say Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.) has championed the issue of education in the developing world. Over the past several years, Lowey has pushed to increase funding for global education, and in the current House appropriations bill for Foreign Operations, Lowey was able to get $1 billion dollars for education initiatives worldwide.

Washingtonians never cease to be amazed at how much smaller movie stars are in real life. One of the staffers who saw Alba in person describes her as so small that her "whole body is the size of my arm."

Bill and Melinda Gates and ONE Webcast

2009-10-26T23:09:00.001-05:00

From Melinda Gates...

When I visited Ethiopia earlier this year, I met Tsion, a hard-working young woman in the government’s Health Extension Program. She is trained to tend to pregnant mothers, who otherwise would rely on traditional attendants unable to stop internal bleeding or resuscitate newborns. Tsion has helped take the terror and fear of death out of childbirth for hundreds of women.

As a ONE member, you've worked hard to protect U.S. investments in the world's poorest countries. Now Bill and I need your help to tell Tsion's story, and others—so more Americans realize our tremendous progress improving health around the world and are moved to support America’s continued leadership in global health.

Please join us on Tuesday, October 27, at 7 PM (EST) for a live online presentation titled “Living Proof: Why we are Impatient Optimists.” RSVP to watch:

http://www.one.org/us/gatesspeech/rsvp.html?id=1275-3720093-ES1vU6x&t=2

Through our foundation and visits to the field, Bill and I have been deeply touched by personal stories of lives changed for the better. Thanks to 30,000 trained health extension workers like Tsion, access to health care in rural areas is rapidly expanding. And the health of Ethiopian children and women is improving.

That’s why, when it comes to global health, Bill and I are optimists—but we’re impatient optimists. We need to build on this success now, by expanding it to even more women in Ethiopia and helping families in other countries benefit from what Ethiopia has learned.

Sharing success stories is one of the most important things we can do to motivate and inspire others in the fight against global poverty and disease. Please RSVP to join us for the webcast, learn for yourself how U.S. investments in global health are changing the world, and share the proof with your network:

http://www.one.org/us/gatesspeech/rsvp.html?id=1275-3720093-ES1vU6x&t=3

Thank you,

Melinda French Gates
ONE member

PS. I wrote more about my experiences with Tsion in Ethiopia for the ONE Blog. Read my entry here: http://www.one.org/r?r=236&id=1275-3720093-ES1vU6x&t=4

173,045,325 people Stood Up against poverty

2009-10-26T15:03:00.001-05:00

From the United Nations Millennium Campaign....
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Dear Fellow Campaigners,
Your passion, commitment and determination have once again inspired a global movement which continues to grow beyond all expectations. You stood up in your cities, towns and villages, in your churches, mosques and temples; you stood in your colleges, schools and homes, on town squares and street sidewalks, you stood together as a global community, not only to shatter the Guinness World record but also to send a powerful message to leaders at the local, national and global level which cannot now be ignored:

"We are more determined than ever to see the Millennium Development Goals become a reality and to end poverty now!"

We know from experience that a significant proportion of activities and events do not get registered in time as many of them take place in remote rural locations with limited internet connectivity. Despite these constraints, over 3000 events spread across 121 countries were registered and more information on the scale of this mobilisation continues to flood in through phone calls, text messages and faxes! More details are at the bottom of this email and on the website www.standagainstpoverty.org.

On behalf of the United Nations Millennium Campaign (www.endpoverty2015.org) I want to thank every one of the thousands of organisers across the world at the local and national levels - social movements, faith groups, NGOs, youth organisations, women's groups, trade unions, civil society coalitions campaigning for the MDGs, local and national governments and the even larger number of volunteers, local groups and individual citizens who made this year's Stand Up and Take Action a resounding success.

We also want to thank the UN system at all levels as well as many of our global partners including the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, Art of Living Foundation, Micah Challenge, Skype, UStream, the ONE Campaign, major media partners at the global and national levels and so many others who played a pivotal role in this unprecedented mobilisation.

Together we have the power to make a difference ...

Now in its fourth year, we have seen the impact that Stand Up is making in people's lives and improving the MDG policies and practises of governments. Providing the space and platforms for ordinary citizens to have their voices heard on issues that matter to them at the national and local level. In both rich and poor countries, citizens have come together, to put the priorities of the poor and excluded groups, firmly on the political agenda and get their own governments to address them. Once again an overwhelming majority of the people who stood up were from poor countries. And as their voices grow louder, they can no longer be ignored. The sharp focus on women's rights, hunger and maternal health (in poor countries) and the elimination of trade-distorting agricultural subsidies (in rich countries) and the specific targeting of Parliamentarians made the Stand Up 2009 messaging more impactful. An outstanding example was the leadership of the Speaker of the All-Party Parliamentary Group in Bangladesh which mobilised citizens in large numbers and joined the Prime Minister in taking an oath to achieve the MDGs by 2015.

We will continue to Stand Up every day until promises to end poverty and achieve the Millennium Goals are delivered ...

Next year in September, world leaders will gather at the UN to review progress on the MDGs. With the strength of over 173 million people telling their leaders that their commitments are being closely monitored, we will take this commitment to those decision makers with renewed energy to convert the strength of these numbers into concrete policy and practice changes in our own local and national contexts. We challenge Heads of State to come to the 2010 MDG Review Summit not just with generalised statements of intent but concrete national action plans for MDG implementation that are focussed on the rights of the poor and excluded, particularly women, to meet the 2015 deadline.

To us, Stand Up once again showed the power of the MDGs in really unifying the different parts of the UN for one common cause and the extent to which the MDGs and the UN system enjoy the confidence of the public at large.

Warmest wishes and once again congratulations on this massive show of people power against poverty and inequality. I hope you will closely follow up with all the partners, organisations and individuals that you helped to mobilise and inspire them further to join our on-going campaign for the MDGs from now to 2015.

Warmest wishes

Salil Shetty

Director

Millennium Campaign

United Nations

salil.shetty@undp.org

1 GOAL: new "education for all" campaign

2009-10-06T13:27:00.002-05:00

ABOUT 1 GOAL: EDUCATION FOR ALL

This World Cup, we’re asking fans to sign up to give 75 million children a fair chance in life. Education beats Poverty – and gives people the tools to help themselves.

Global football stars, the football world and its governing body, FIFA, are behind 1GOAL. This World Cup is a moment for us to shine – let’s leave a legacy of education. We don’t want your money – we just want you on our team. Write Your Name for those who can’t. Join1GOAL.org

1 GOAL is an ambitious and important campaign that will change the lives of children living in poverty by helping to give them an education. We’re campaigning in over 200 countries from now until the FIFA World Cup final in South Africa in 2010.

1 GOAL is quite simply a global team that will voice our wishes to world leaders to keep their promise of giving everyone an education by 2015.

WHY EDUCATION FOR ALL?

Today, 75 million children are denied the chance to go to school. These children could be the next generation's leaders, sport stars, doctors and teachers. Unable to read or write, they face a lifetime of poverty. It doesn’t have to be this way.

We’ve already seen success—we’ve been able to help 40 million more children get into school and live more productive, healthy lives. We have a plan, we know how to beat this—all we need now is the will to make it happen. If we come together around this World Cup, we can do even more and reach our 1 GOAL: Education for all.

Click here for more info and to join 1 Goal.

Social Justice for Social Moms- Ning.com group

2009-09-28T15:11:00.005-05:00

Move over facebook, the new word in social networking seems to be "ning"! A new site has popped up on ning which is aimed at engaging moms- who often feel isolated and mired in routine- in taking action to change the world for themselves and their children. Here are a couple of excerpts from the site:

"Join with other moms as we empower ourselves and our kids to take action on social justice issues like poverty, sustainability and peace."

"This is a space for moms who want to:
- connect with other moms in meaningful dialogue beyond every day routine of kids/work/school
- engage in productive activities that cultivate generous hearts
- develop skills to advocate for issues important to them"

The site is a place to have online discussions and live-chat with other moms who are in the mood to talk about social justice issues. You can see videos on related topics, go to websites of orgs to help you take action, and read blogs about how have Social Justice for Social Moms meetings with your own playgroup!

Click here for Social Justice for Social Moms

So if you've got a dream and a lot to do....

2009-09-24T17:10:00.003-05:00

What I'm listening to. So appropriate for Stand Up, Speak Out next month...

http://flobots.com/

--------------------------------------
Stand up
We shall not be moved
Except By a child with no socks and shoes
If you've got more to give then you've got to prove
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
Stand up We shall not be moved
Except by a woman dying from a loss of food
If you've got more to give then you've got to prove
Put your hands up and I'll copy you

We still don't understand thunder and lightning
Flash back to when we didn't fund the dam
Didn't fund the dam levee? No wonder man
Now our whole damn city's torn asunder man
Under water but we still don't understand
We see hurricane spills overrun the land
Through gaps you couldn't fill with a 100 tons of sand
No we still don't understand
We've seen planes in the windows of buildings crumbled in
We've seen flames send the chills through London
And we've sent planes to kill them and some of them were children
But still we crumbling the building
Underfunded but we still don't understand
Under God but we kill like the son of Sam
But if you feel like I feel like about the son of man
We will overcome

So Stand up
We shall not be moved
Except By a child with no socks and shoes
If you've got more to give then you've got to prove
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
Stand up We shall not be moved
Except by a woman dying from a loss of food
If you've got more to give then you've got to prove
Put your hands up and I'll copy you

I said Put your hands up and I'll copy you
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
If you've got more to give then you've got to prove
Put your hands up and I'll copy you

We shall not be moved
Except By a child with no socks and shoes
Except by a woman dying from a loss of food
Except by a freedom fighter bleeding on a cross for you
We shall not be moved
Except by a system thats rotten through
Neglecting the victims and ordering the cops to shoot
High treason now we need to prosecute

So Stand up
We shall not be moved
And we won't fight a war for fossil fuel
Its times like this that you want to plot a coup
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
So Stand up
We shall not be moved
Unless were taking a route we have not pursued
So if you've got a dream and a lot to do
Put your hands up and I'll copy you

I said Put your hands up and I'll copy you
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
if you've got a dream and a lot to do
Put your hands up

Now shake, shake
A Polaroid dream
nightmare negatives develop on the screen
We sit back and wait for the government team
Criticize they but who the fuck are we
The people want peace but the leaders want war
Our neighbors don't speak, peek through the front door
House representatives preach "stay the course"
Time for a leap of faith
Once More

Put your hands up high if you haven't abandoned
Hope that the pen strokes stronger than the cannon
Balls to the wall, Nose to the grindstone
My interrogation techniques leave your mind blown
So Place your bets lets speak to the enemy
Don't let em pretend that we seek blood
And who's we anyways Kemo Sabe?
Mighty warlord wanna-be street thug
a threat for a threat leaves the whole world terrified
blow for blow never settles the score
word for word is time need clarify
We the people did not want war

So Stand up
We shall not be moved
Except By a child with no socks and shoes
If you've got more to give then you've got to prove
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
Unless were taking a route we have not pursued
So if you've got a dream and a lot to do
Put your hands up and I'll copy you

I said Put your hands up and I'll copy you
Put your hands up and I'll copy you
if you've got a dream and a lot to do
Put your hands up
[ Stand Up Lyrics on http://www.lyricsmania.com/ ]

Foreign Assistance Call-in Event: S. 1524

2009-09-21T13:06:00.002-05:00

An immediate call-in action From Bread for the World. NOTE: Sens Durbin and Burris are not yet co-sponsors!
---------------------------------------
We need 25 senators to cosponsor S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act, when the Senate begins discussing it on September 22.

Please call your senators at 1-800-826-3688 before Tuesday, September 22, and urge him/her to cosponsor S. 1524.

S. 1524 is a bipartisan bill which lays out several initial and important reforms of the U.S. foreign assistance system. If your senator is not a cosponsor please ask for cosponsorship. If your senator is already a cosponsor, please call and thank him/her for supporting this important legislation.

S. 1524 was introduced in August by John Kerry (D-MA), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Richard Lugar (R-IN), ranking member, along with Bob Corker (R-TN), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Jim Risch (R-ID). We need to have at least 25 cosponsors when they meet on Sept. 22. Currently, the bill has 10 cosponsors.

S. 1524 complements H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act, introduced in the House in April. (Thanks to your support, we now have more than 100 cosponsors for the House bill). These two bills are key to the success of our 2009 Offering of Letters which urges Congress and the administration to reform U.S. foreign assistance.

While not identical, the Senate and House bills would begin the reform process. S. 1524 will strengthen the badly decimated U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and make all our foreign aid programs more accountable and transparent.

Message and Key Points:

Your main message should be: Please cosponsor S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act.

You can explain your message further by adding either or both of these points:

-S. 1524 is a strong building block to make our nation’s foreign assistance more effective and accountable. We need you to cosponsor the bill.
-S. 1524 focuses on rebuilding the policy, planning, and evaluation capacity of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID.) It stresses that U.S. policy should be to promote global development, good governance, and the reduction of poverty and hunger.

For more info, visit www.bread.org. Thank you for your support!

Global vs. Domestic Poverty...Is it really "us" or "them"?

2009-09-15T02:57:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I get a blog comment that really needs to come out to be it's own post. I got a very sincere comment from a reader who is troubled about domestic poverty and is concerned that efforts to combat global poverty are detracting from efforts to help U.S. citizens. I invite you to read her thoughtful comment and my response below because it is a very common conversation. No matter how you feel about this, please get involved and be engaged in the fight against whatever type of poverty inflames your passion!

“I think it's fantastic that these people want to help end hunger and poverty around the world. But there is one thing that has always bothered me...  So many organizations based in the US work so hard to aid other countries with their poverty. What I see is all the homeless and poverty stricken Americans that need that aid just as much.   I feel that we as Americans can provide so much more support to other countries if we ensure that our own citizens are healthy, happy, and well cared for first. If we could provide for all the American's in need, our economy and general moral would be so much higher. Thus, making America in a better position to provide for other countries.   I'm sorry, but I feel like we should take care of ourselves first and foremost... to be stronger for the struggles ahead.” –Jessica

Thank you for sharing your feelings, Jessica. You’re not alone in your opinion. I offer a few thoughts to consider. 

Advocacy organizations like Bread for the World and RESULTS agree with you in that we cannot ignore the suffering in our own country. Bread runs a domestic hunger campaign approximately every other year (past US campaigns have been for food stamps & TANF...next year's will be focused on US poverty as well). RESULTS also has groups of volunteers with domestic focus that did considerable work to develop our Head Start program (most of them are working on health care now) in addition to groups working on global issues.   

Where Bread and RESULTS disagree with you is the notion that this is an either/or situation...help them OR help us. We invest only 0.17% of our national budget on international poverty reduction. Considering how many times our military must intervene in countries destabilized by destitute poverty (costing us money and - worse- lives), the savings and benefits to our citizens for eradicating extreme poverty is enormous.

Also, please consider that global health is a local issue. We have all but wiped out tuberculosis here, but because the world hasn't addressed it globally, Multi Drug Resistant TB developed in poverty hotspots and now is showing up in our borders because it's an airborne disease only a plane ride away.   

Lastly, I encourage you to consider the relative scale of poverty. When we speak of poverty in the U.S., it doesn't really come close to the World Bank's definition of extreme poverty...living on less than $1.25 a day. Generally, even the poorest Americans have access to clean water through public drinking fountains.

I thank you for your comment and encourage you to take your passion for helping those in need to a level of advocacy. Visit Bread at www.bread.org or RESULTS at www.results.org to get connected and engaged!

Bread for the World on CBS, Sept 27

2009-09-11T16:21:00.000-05:00

Mark your calendars for Sept 27. CBS will air a special featuring Bread for the World - "Religion, Politics, and Advocacy"

“Religion, Politics, and Advocacy” is a 30-minute inter-faith special produced by CBS Television. It will air on Sunday, Sept. 27 nationally. Please check your local CBS affiliate for exact air times.

The program follows "citizen advocates" who participate in the Bread for the World's annual Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. This is a Christian advocacy organization, whose mission is to end hunger and poverty throughout the world. We hear from the group's founder and president emeritus, Arthur Simon, and current president, Rev. David Beckmann, as well.

"Partnering with the Bottom Billion" Workshop Oct 3

2009-08-27T11:26:00.003-05:00

Dear fellow Chicagoland activists:

I'd like to invite you all to an upcoming workshop in Evanston called "Partnering with the Bottom Billion: Seeking Justice in a World in Crisis" on Sat, Oct 3 from 9AM-2PM. It will feature guest speaker, Jim Winkler from the United Methodist Global Board of Church and Society, who will help us focus on people living in extreme poverty as we explore core issues of Peace, Sustainability and Poverty.

The event will also present an advocacy training session. La Vida Davis of Bread for the World staff will teach beginning activists how to write effective letters to elected officials and take the mystery out of phoning a congressional office for a "call-in" event. If you've already mastered those skills, RESULTS will lead the more experienced activists to help you explore the next levels...writing a letter-to-the-editor, asking a question at a town hall meeting, responding to a blog, face-to-face meetings, or whatever else you want to know!

I invite you all to come and be a part of this wonderful, new event! There will be a Methodist perspective presented in some of the sessions, but we are mainly talking about issues affecting people in extreme poverty in an advocacy-focused, non-partisan way. Please also invite your friends who are interested in our issues! More details will follow as materials come out.

What: Workshop called "Partnering with the Bottom Billion: Seeking Justice in a World in Crisis"
Who: First United Methodist Church and YOU!
When: Saturday, Oct 3 from 9AM-2PM
Where: First United Methodist Church of Evanston, 516 Church Street
Price: $12 per person by Sept 21 ($15 after that date) to cover cost of lunch

You'll soon be able to register online at www.faithatfirst.com (click on "The Latest") or call the church ofice at 847-864-6181.

African Trade, Aid and the Church (Lawrence Temfwe)

2009-08-13T10:43:00.003-05:00

An opinion about trade and aid from Lawrence Temfwe of Zambia who was recently in Chicago attending the Willow Creek Leadership Summit...
---------------------------------------

Giving aid to Africa to rebuild viable economy is not the answer to Africa’s poverty solution but fair trade said Andrew Rugasira a Ugandan coffee entrepreneur recently at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit. Micah Challenge a world wide Christian movement against poverty of which I am passionately involved would not agree any less. Since its inception several years ago Micah Challenge has been engaging the opinion in the G8 that stop the developing world to add value to their raw products before they export them. Micah Challenge has also been engaging the developing world to address the social, economic and political systems that they inherited from the colonial practices of the Europeans that are designed to keep Africans in poverty.

As I see it, wealth creation in Africa has three major obstacles. First is the need for the G8 and China to open up their market to African products that are value added. For example Africa must add value to its copper and coffee before it is exported. Also market access must be improved, especially to the G8 countries. The second is the most critical. African political leaders have continued to sustain the colonial economic and social models that make it easy for developed countries to import raw materials at a song. Most of these contracts are done corruptly and for the purpose of enriching government leaders and their families. Our political leaders have adopted the same unjust privileges and enjoy the same perks as those our colonial leaders enjoyed. We need servant leaders. Thirdly, Africa continues to lose the best of its educated people to Europe because our system rarely rewards ingenuity or innovation. As a result the African men and women whom God has endowed with abilities to help save their people from poverty, disease and premature deaths are working in Europe and North America, where their work is acknowledged, appreciated and rewarded and because their children have same opportunities as those of government leaders.

The church remains the greatest hope for Africa’s economic transformation. The upswing of concern by Christians all over the world to help people living in poverty is the reason for this hope. However, this concern must be rooted in fuller understanding of why Christ Jesus came. Jesus mission was to put in right relationships with all He created through preaching the good news in word and deeds (Luke 9.2). The message of the Kingdom of God was to be communicated in word and deed. In Acts we read that in the church, “There was no needy person amongst them.” True Christianity defends the cause of the poor, the fatherless and the widow especially when there are acts of injustices against them. A complete understanding of Jesus mission puts the church at the helm of fighting poverty. A lesser understanding makes it to be self-righteous and arrogant and a god instead of being a servant. Hope for the poor lies in people whom God has put His Spirit, “… He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth.” (Isaiah 42:1-4). God is inviting you to his work among people living in poverty. Have you responded?

Lawrence Temfwe

2009 Millennium Development Goals report

2009-08-06T00:30:00.003-05:00

From the United Nations Millennium Campaign:

The 2009 MDG Report, leading into the 2010 MDG review conference that represents the last major recommitment before 2015, is both promising and disturbing. Actual progress has been made, but the economic crisis is cutting severely into those gains, and, at this pace, the world will fall far short of achieving the Goals.

Overall, the number of people living in poverty (under $1.25 a day) had dropped by 400 million from 1990 to 2005 (1.4 billion) despite the growth in world population, an astounding number that, on its own, is proof that the Goals are achievable. However, the economic crisis chiseled away at that progress, and 90 million more people are expected to be added back to those rolls this year. Success in reducing hunger worldwide is likewise being reversed.

That news was delivered to the Hill last week at a well-attended briefing helmed by Anita Sharma, North American Coordinator of the Millennium Campaign, Francesca Perucci from UN Stats, and Dan Carucci, Vice President for Global Health at UNF.

Carucci delivered good news on Goal 4. Deaths of children under the age of five dropped from 12.6 million a year in 1990 to 9 million a year in 2007. He specifically pointed out the dramatic surge in the delivery of bed-nets to combat malaria in Africa and the success of measles vaccination programs. The world is also nearing the goal of universal enrollment in primary education , particulary in southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where enrollment increased by 11 and 15 percent respectively between 2000 and 2007.

On every other mark though, we're far behind pace. The most stark reminder came from Carucci: "in 2000 500,000 women died while giving birht, 500,000 died in 2005, and 500,000 will die this year." That is to say, there has been zero progress on Goal 5, reducing the maternal mortality rate by 75 percent.

The report overall is fascinating. It's rare that you get an engaging accessment of how the entire world is working toward achieving collective goals. I highly recommend at least skimming the whole thing (pdf). Here is a link to the report in pdf form: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG%20Report%202009%20ENG.pdf

Professor Muhammad Yunus Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom

2009-07-30T19:32:00.003-05:00

From the Grameen Foundation...
------------------------------------
I am delighted to announce that Professor Muhammad Yunus, founder and managing director of Grameen Bank and member emeritus of Grameen Foundation’s board of directors, has been awarded a 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom. Dr. Yunus will receive his medal from President Barack Obama at a special White House ceremony on August 12.
I worked with Dr. Yunus for six years in Bangladesh prior to establishing Grameen Foundation with his support in 1997, and I am delighted that he is being honored for his tremendous work on behalf of poor people worldwide. While living there, I saw Professor Yunus’ humble leadership and pathbreaking ideas changing lives and motivating people at all levels of society to envision and work towards a poverty-free Bangladesh. Today, it is a completely different country than when I first arrived there in 1988, and his work has been at the center of those positive changes.
Ultimately, it is his unwavering belief in the power of even the poorest person in a society—whether they live in a rural Asian village or an urban slum in Africa, Latin America or even the United States—to help themselves that inspires all of us here at Grameen Foundation each and every day.
President Obama captured these sentiments wonderfully in his announcement of the awards, saying, "Each [recipient] saw an imperfect world and set about improving it, often overcoming great obstacles along the way.“
I am deeply honored that Dr. Yunus has invited me to join him and others at the ceremony and look forward to sharing that experience with all of you.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is this nation’s highest civilian honor and recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the United States, world peace and culture. When Dr. Yunus receives his award, he will be joining a distinguished group of individuals that includes Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Please join us in sending congratulations to Dr. Yunus by clicking here. We will present all these congratulatory notes to him on August 13, the day after the awards ceremony.

Sincerely,

Alex Counts
President & CEO
Grameen Foundation

Foreign Aid Reform Introduced in the Senate

2009-07-28T22:21:00.001-05:00

Bread for the World Urges Senators To Pass Initial Aid Reform Bill

Washington, DC, July 28, 2009—Bread for the World President Rev. David Beckmann urged members of the Senate to promptly pass a bill introduced today aimed at revitalizing the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The bipartisan bill -- the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 (S.1524) -- was introduced by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA), Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN), and Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Bob Corker (R-TN), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Jim Risch (R-ID).

“Revitalizing USAID is crucial to the overall reform of U.S. foreign assistance,” said Rev. Beckmann. “If the Obama Administration and Congress improve the effectiveness of U.S. foreign assistance, our dollars will do more good for decades to come.”

USAID was created to lead U.S. development efforts and was once the premier development agency in the world. However, after years of benign neglect and proliferating aid programs across the U.S. government, USAID has lost much of its professional capacity, expertise and authority.

The bill includes a formal statement that it is U.S. policy to promote global development, good governance, and the reduction of poverty and hunger. It contains provisions for restoring planning, policy, and evaluation capacities to USAID. It also lays out new transparency measures for U.S. foreign assistance.

Rev. Beckmann, who is also co-chair of the Modernizing Foreign Aid Network, called for the immediate appointment of an administrator for USAID. He said that an administrator should be in place to provide a development perspective as the State Department institutes a quadrennial review and develops a blueprint for U.S. diplomatic and development efforts.

He cautioned that without a USAID administrator, the State Department’s review has the potential to blur the important distinction between diplomacy and development. “When we try to achieve development and diplomatic goals with the same dollars, aid is usually much less effective in reducing poverty,” said Rev. Beckmann.

The Senate bill introduced today complements the efforts of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA-28) and his initial aid reform bill, H.R. 2139, which currently has 91 bipartisan cosponsors.

Rev. Beckmann added that the White House, the State Department, and USAID should work closely with the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in order to coordinate foreign aid reform efforts.

The Girl Effect

2009-07-21T13:10:00.004-05:00

"Imagine a girl in poverty. Go ahead, imagine her..."

This short text driven movie helps illustrate how girls in poverty, when given an opportunity, can change the world. Take a look...

The Girl Effect

...and consider these important facts:

- When a girl in the developing world receives 7 or more years of education, she marries 4 years later and has 2.2 fewer children
-Educated girls grow into educated women who have healthier babies and are more likely to educate their own kids
-When women earnn income, they reinvest 90% of it into their famillies as compared to only 30 to 40% for a man
-An extra year of primary school boosts girls' future wages by 10-20%
-An extra year of secondary schoo; boosts girls' future wages by 15-25%

Please visit this website for more important facts and actions to help you improve the health, education and the very lives of girls around the world!

“Let's Talk Bread” Group—Evanston, IL July 28

2009-07-15T21:40:00.001-05:00

"Let’s Talk Bread" is a group of Chicago-area people, who are interested in exploring the connections between faith and public policy. Through lively, monthly conversations—whether discussing a book, article or current event— we hope to better understand the problems of poverty and hunger and shed light on possible solutions.

This month we will be meeting in Evanston and discussing a book by Peter Singer that examines poverty, foreign aid, social justice and giving: The Life You Can Save. All are welcome, even if you haven’t read the book. If you are unable to read the book, check out a helpful review at this New York Times link. From that page, you can also read part of the first chapter. Along with the discussion, we will briefly share some of our recent lobby experiences in Washington, D.C., and hear an update on Bread’s current campaign to reform U.S. foreign aid.

Please join the conversation at 7:30 p.m. on Tues., July 28, at First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St., Evanston, IL (at Church and Hinman). Use the Church St. entrance.

If you have any questions, please contact the Chicago regional Bread office at 1-800-447-0239 or breadchicago@bread.org.

IL Social Services 100% budget...act BEFORE July 14!!

2009-07-10T20:54:00.004-05:00

From Ounce of Prevention, a group which provides direct services, research and advocacy on behalf of children in poverty in IL.

"On July 1, the General Assembly failed to pass a tax increase needed to avoid disastrous cuts and adequately fund human services and education for young children. Governor Quinn later vetoed the “50% lump sum budget” and another budget bill to fund general state operations, forcing budget negotiations to continue.
The General Assembly will return July 14 to Springfield. We anticipate that they will attempt to override the governor’s veto of the budget bills and hope they will continue to discuss revenue options, including the income tax. One income tax option is HB174 which was endorsed by the governor, passed by the Senate, and approved by a committee of the House. This bill provides a blueprint for a fair, equitable and permanent solution to avert further budget disaster and restore responsibility to government.

Now is the most crucial time for you to take action! We must urge legislators to accept the governor’s veto and craft a new budget that is fair, responsible, and balanced. If they do not do this, the total meltdown of critical services for the most vulnerable children and families will only worsen."

PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK TO HELP YOU CALL AND/OR EMAIL YOUR STATE REP AND SENATOR BEFORE JULY 14!!!
Advocate Now!

The site will give you:
- Talking points (it will tell you exactly what bills and motions to ask them to oppose or support to get the 100% budget)
- Who your state members of Congress are
- Contact info for them and the opportunity to log your call with Ounce of Prevention (so they can say "Listen, we know exactly how many of your constituents called you to support this! Don't pretend they don't care!!")
- An email tool to send it directly to their offices for you

Even though Ounce of Prevention is about kid's issues, feel free to include your concerns about seniors, too. This is a platform for you to say whatever you want. Don't be scared to call. A call carries more weight than an email. They will not challenge you or grill you. Thank you for caring enough to act!

What I needed to learn to change the world

2009-07-01T13:29:00.003-05:00

For those of you wondering what the heck RESULTS is, this org I've been working for....this is a wonderful summation of what it's all about. It's written by Steve "The Hookman" Valk, one of my RESULTS partners that lives in GA. -ccyl
---------------------------------
What I needed to learn to change the world
by Steve Valk

This Tuesday will find me on Capitol Hill once again, talking to members of Congress or their aides about what we can do to end extreme poverty in our world. I’ve been doing this nearly every summer since the 1980s as a volunteer with RESULTS, a little-known but highly effective advocacy organization. Many might see my quest as an exercise in futility and me a latter-day Don Quixote tilting at windmills.

But I know better.

I first got involved with RESULTS at a time in my life when I was an angry young man who was on his way to becoming an angry middle-aged man, leading eventually to being an angry old man. I was angry about the great injustices and problems of the world and at the people who had the power to fix things but didn’t.

A young woman who would later become my wife introduced me to RESULTS. I didn’t think much about it when she tried to explain it – something about creating the political will to end hunger. I said I was glad there were people like her doing that, all the while thinking I couldn’t waste my time on something so hopeless and destined for failure. Six months later, my curiosity overcame my resistance, and I went to a meeting.

It was a conference call where we listened by speaker box to a former substitute music teacher and founder of RESULTS named Sam Harris. Hundreds of volunteers across the country were connected. At the end of the call, there was roll call for all the groups to announce how many were in the room and how many letters they would write to their representatives or how many newspapers they would call to pitch an editorial. Listening to all the cities – from Miami to San Francisco -- announce their numbers, it suddenly struck me that I was not alone. There were others like me, a conspiracy, if you will, to make the world a better place. I thought: “This might actually work.”

My newfound faith in my ability to change things was quickly tested.

In January of 1985, as famine threatened the lives of millions in Ethiopia (Remember “We Are the World”?), an emergency spending bill was introduced to provide food aid. We managed to get a meeting with a newly elected member of Congress, a conservative Republican named Pat Swindall. We asked him to support the emergency appropriation. We were dumbstruck by his response:

“I don’t think the government should be doing this sort of thing. This is something that the churches and private groups should do.”

He was unmoved by our protestations that churches and non-governmental organizations couldn’t match the resources the U.S. government could provide and that millions would perish if we failed to act.

True to his word, when the bill reached the House floor, Pat not only voted against it (one of only 15 to vote nay), he made a speech on the floor about why he opposed it. We hung our heads in shame that Pat Swindall was our representative. My first exercise in citizen lobbying was a dismal failure.

A few weeks later, Sam Harris called to check in with our group. We told him about our disappointing effort with Pat Swindall. My feeling was that if the guy wouldn’t vote for famine relief, there was little point in talking to him about anything else. Best we could hope for was that somebody else would get elected to his seat two years later.

“Well, yeah, you could do that,” Sam said, “but in the meantime there’s 40,000 children dying in the world each day from preventable causes. Are you sure you want to wait that long?”

“I get your point,” I said. “So what can we do?”

Sam said there was a group in Texas struggling with a similar situation. They had written a prayer for their congressman designed to change their view of him from one of contempt and resignation to one of respect and optimism, to see him as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. We adapted the prayer for our own use and recited it aloud when we were together.

At first, we didn’t sound very convincing, especially when we got to the end: “Help us to find the next expression of love for Pat.” There was an unspoken but palpable “yeah, right” the first couple of times we said the prayer. But the more we said it, the more we came to believe it, and eventually our view of him shifted. It was time to see him again.

Every month or so, Swindall would show up at a public place – a book store or hardware store – to talk to constituents. These small, informal gatherings were dubbed “Chat With Pat,” but they often turned into “Spat With Pat.” Folks would introduce themselves and speak their minds for a couple of minutes, some of them getting very confrontational with Pat about something he’d said or done, voices raised and fingers wagging. These exchanges agitated Pat and put him on the defensive, and he gave as good as he got. These folks clearly had something to get off their chest, which they succeeded in doing. But ten minutes later when they walked out the door, the question had to pop into their head: “What, exactly, did I accomplish in there?”

When Pat would come around to us, our hand was extended, and we greeted him with a smile instead of a scowl. We thanked him for taking the time to make himself available. We could see by his expression and body language that he was much more at ease. He was also ready to listen intently.

Our mission was to simply educate him on issues (a request would come later). We did this through a technique in RESULTS called the “laser talk,” which relates an issue in one to two minutes, making it clear, concise and compelling. We started telling him about a Bangladeshi economist named Muhammad Yunus who was making small loans to destitute women so they could start small businesses and lift themselves out of poverty. He loved the concept. We shared more about it each time we saw him.

Early in 1987, RESULTS helped draft and introduce the first microcredit legislation considered by Congress. Called The Self-Sufficiency for the Poor Act, the bill authorized funding within the foreign aid bill for micro-lending programs throughout the world such as the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Generating the political will for this required a great number of co-sponsors. It was time for an office appointment with Pat Swindall.

As the four of us prepped for our meeting, I turned to my wife and said, “I’ve got a feeling he’s going to say yes to co-sponsoring this bill, and when he does, I’m going to ask if he’ll do a piece for one of the papers about why he’s supporting this.”

“I don’t know,” Sara said. “You might be pushing your luck with that.”

“There’s nothing to lose. I’m going to ask him.”

We poured into Pat’s office, hauling in a TV and VCR with us. Our mood and our attitude had changed remarkably since that first office meeting in 1985. We knew in our hearts that Pat didn’t want to see people suffer and die needlessly any more than we did. We had a powerful solution to offer, and he was in a position to move that solution forward. We all spoke our laser talks flawlessly, and when it came time to watch the video, Pat sat on his desk, knees propped under his chin. When the video was over, I made the pitch for our request, finishing with the big question:

“Pat, will you co-sponsor the Self-Sufficiency for the Poor Act?”

There was no “I’ll have to take a closer look at the bill” or “Let me see who else is supporting this” or any of a number of things a congressman might say to wiggle out of making a commitment.

“I’d be delighted to co-sponsor this bill,” he said without a second’s hesitation.

It was all we could do to keep from jumping out of our chairs. Two years ago he had voted against famine aid. Now Pat Swindall was co-sponsoring the first microcredit bill.

With my head swimming, I struggled to gather my thoughts and make the second request, the one about publishing a column on his support for the bill. As the words were forming in my mouth, he beat me to the punch.

“You know, this is the kind of thing the public should really know about. Tell you what. I’ve got a column that runs in the DeKalb News-Sun every couple of weeks. Do you think you could write something up about this and give it to my staff to look over and then submit as my column?”

I turned to my wife with a grin so wide it hurt. Then I turned to the congressman.

“Pat, that’s a great idea. I think we can do that.”

My feet never touched the ground from Pat’s office to the car. I was now ghostwriting for a member of Congress who, two years prior, had voted against aid to keep people from starving. My view of the world was forever altered. It was no longer a world of us versus them, of good guys versus bad guys (bad guys being people who didn’t share my views). It was now a world of greater possibility.

The Self-Sufficiency for the Poor Act garnered more than 100 co-sponsors. The bill never came up for a vote, but because of all the support it generated, money was set aside in the foreign aid appropriations bill for microcredit programs. The United States quickly became the leader in funding micro-lending programs around the world, with billions now invested in this innovative strategy.

Ten years after this legislation was introduced, the first Microcredit Summit was held in Washington, DC, where 2,900 participants committed to extending microcredit to 100 million of the world’s poorest families. Ten years later, that goal was achieved, and Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize for providing loans to the poor.

So much for windmills. These are real people being given ladders to climb out of life-crushing poverty. And I’ve had a hand in making that happen.

So on Tuesday I will walk up to the Hill again and sit down with people who don’t share my party affiliation. And with a gleam in my eye I’ll look at them and, in so many words say, “Let’s talk about what we can do to change the world today.”

For some, being right is all that matters. Me? I’d rather make a difference.

Bringing Kids to Lobby

2009-06-26T10:22:00.002-05:00

I have so many cool stories from my recent trip to DC with my RESULTS group I hardly know where to begin. But, as always, when I don't know what to talk about...I talk about my kids or something they've done. :)

One of the most interesting successes of our group lobby visits on the Hill this year was our new tactic of bringing the voices of children into our visits. We didn’t literally have them with us, but with a little prep work at home we were able to help kids have a powerful impact in our message to promote Global Education.

Global Education is an easy topic for kids to connect with, so I held a letter-writing party for neighborhood moms who brought their children to write with them. We read the story of “One Hen” by Katie Smith Milway together. It’s a true story about a boy who used a microcredit loan to buy one hen, which begins his family’s path out of poverty. (Since they eventually pay school fees with it and use the proceeds of a chicken farm to send him to college, it’s a Global Ed story, too). Then, the moms and kids wrote letters for our meetings. Our local media was also invited to the party which resulted in a front page story about our lobby visits with two large color pictures of our kids busily writing the very letters we’d deliver in person on Lobby Day. In addition, another group member had her high school kids send letters with their opinions, too. Every time we brought out that front-page picture, and especially if we had kid letters with it, it brought the meeting to a halt in a very good way. Studious expressions turned to smiles, our group was complimented for our initiative, the cute kids were ooh-ed and aah-ed over.

As an example of how much children can help us, I offer a story from Senator Burris’ office. After discussing Global Education – complete with our media, kid-letters, a story about Julia and her “Journey with an Afghan School” project – I wrapped up by saying that if Julia could accomplish all she had at her own personal risk and expense, surely the U.S. could step up and do more. He then told us a story from a meeting with Bread for the World that took place week prior to our visit. Bread activists had brought 8-year-old girl Adrienne along with them. She told her personal story of selling pencils in her class and raising $900 for an international development project. With her feet swinging, not even able to reach the floor, she ended by telling him that if she could do that, she thought the American government could do more, too. It obviously made a big impression on him as he repeated the story with the comment directed toward both Bread and RESULTS, “You guys are really good at this!” He then asked if the kids’ addresses were all included because he really wanted to make sure that they each got a response.

For the RESULTS parents out there, I’d like to say this…sometimes it seems like it’s hard to merge our worlds of highly intellectual lobbying and highly emotional caretaking. Yet I urge you to find creative ways to blend the two. Our lobbying needs more emotion, personal connection and icebreakers in general. Kid-letters and media with children featured is a great way to do this. We only had actual kid-generated letters to deliver for two of our meetings. For every other meeting, I showed our front-page picture, which helped, but I wished I had more of those letters to hand out. For next year, I can only say this…we’re gonna need some more kids!

2009 Bread Lobby Day a success

2009-06-25T23:23:00.004-05:00

I couldn't attend Bread for the World's Lobby Day in Washington, DC to lobby for Foreign Assistance Reform, but many of my colleagues did. Sounds like it was a great success. I, myself, followed up a week later with the RESULTS group (more on that later!)...but I did keep my Bread hat on and made sure we talked about Foreign Aid as well to reinforce the message! Here's a Bread update about it... -ccyl

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Foreign Assistance Reform

Lobby Day 2009, held June 16, was an enormous success! Some 320 participants from 38 states held more than 180 meetings with members of Congress or their staff.
By the end of the week, 11 more members of Congress cosponsored H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009. The bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), received more than 25 phone calls from other congressional offices asking for more information.
As of yesterday, H.R. 2139 had 46 cosponsors. More are set to cosponsor as a result of Lobby Day and your calls and letters.
We are preparing for the introduction of an initial foreign assistance reform bill in the Senate within the next few weeks.
Thank you to all who attended, and also to all who could not attend Lobby Day but phoned their representatives about H.R. 2139.

Education is Basic Right for All Children

2009-06-13T00:45:00.003-05:00

Printed in the Morton Grove Champion, June 11 2009
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Education is Basic Right for All Children

School’s out for summer vacation and some of us parents are wondering what to do with kids at home all day. For many families, lack of school means squabbling siblings and child-care hassles until camp starts. But what would it mean if there were no school – ever? That’s the reality for the families of over 75 million children around the world without access to basic primary education.

As the economic crisis continues, children in extreme poverty continue to be its biggest victims as they are forced to leave school to work, care for siblings, join armies, or even be sold into slavery. Yet education is the single, most effective intervention to help them lead productive, healthy, and safe lives. Without decisive leadership to achieve Education for All, these kids will remain trapped in poverty without education. Progress made since 2000 to increase school enrollment could be reversed.

While campaigning, President Obama pledged $2 billion toward a Global Fund for Education. By eliminating school fees, improving teacher quality, and providing textbooks and other incentives to keep kids in school, the U.S. can literally change the future of an entire generation at risk. For that, $2 billion is a bargain. Plus, we would get the added value of international goodwill and make children less easy prey for extremist regimes.

Increasing the U.S. global education contribution to our fair share can greatly accelerate progress toward universal primary education for all children by 2015. Despite the dismal economy, there are countries ready and waiting for American leadership in creating a multilateral Global Fund for Education. A Global Fund would harmonize donor contributions to ensure quick and effective disbursement of educational aid. Work is being done to reform and expand existing mechanisms, but for efforts to be ambitious, the U.S. must boost the capacity of the international community. The world is waiting for us.

Our country isn’t so self-absorbed that we disregard the need for education in the world’s poorest communities. Americans care. President Obama cares. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, long-time champion of basic education rights, cares. A minivan mom like me cares. We need congressional appropriators like Representative Mark Kirk (R-10th) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) to care enough to appropriate the $2 billion and support a new Global Fund. Because no child should be on a permanent vacation from school.

-ccyl

John Kerry to introduce foreign aid reform in Senate

2009-06-13T00:16:00.002-05:00

Somehow I missed this. This was sent out by Bread for the World's president David Beckmann on May 22.

Exciting developments for foreign aid reform have happened in Washington, DC, this week—largely because of the persistent advocacy of Bread for the World’s grassroots network. Officials are starting to take notice. Yesterday, Senator John Kerry made an important speech calling for the comprehensive reform of foreign aid. He announced his plans to introduce a companion bill to the House’s Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 2139) in the Senate. The Obama administration has begun to weigh in on the issue as well.

Senate Praises Bread for the World's Advocacy Work

2009-06-09T21:10:00.002-05:00

Usually, advocacy organizations are recognizing members of Congress for their work. Last week, it was the other way around! Thank you, Senator Durbin!

"Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced a resolution recognizing Bread for the World’s 35 years of work on hunger and poverty. Sens. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) were original cosponsors of the resolution. S. Res. 157 passed the Senate by unanimous consent on June 2."

Being Truthful with Ourselves: global poverty and education

2009-06-02T19:16:00.004-05:00

My fellow RESULTS partner shows us how to show constructively show our outrage about global poverty in an op-ed. Nice one, Ken!
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Being Truthful with Ourselves
By Ken Patterson

Let’s stop kidding ourselves. When I talk to people about the US helping the 1.4 billion people living on less than $1.25 per day, inevitably there are those who say, “We shouldn’t be sending aid to foreign countries because we need to take care of our own here at home first.” I reject this rationale because it represents a false choice—like somehow helping the world’s poorest people in addition to taking care of our citizens isn’t possible. The truth is, even if we kept all foreign aid dollars at home, and then discovered a mountain of gold somewhere that helped us wipe out all of our national debt, the needy in the US would be no better off. The reason? It’s plain and simple--because we haven’t chosen to resolve the problems of poverty. We have chosen to do many other things with our resources, but eradicating poverty isn’t one of them.

In the late 70s the National Academy of Sciences reported that the world was producing enough food so that nobody would ever have to die of hunger. The report concluded, though, that the barrier to achieving a hunger-free world was a lack of political will. We produce even more food per person today than we did 30 years ago, yet people still go hungry, so we clearly have not found the political will to end hunger. We also have not found the political will to stop nearly 10 million children from dying of preventable causes each year, or the political will to put 75 million primary school-age children in school around the globe. In the meantime, though, we have found the political will in the US to spend more on defense than all other nations combined. We have found the will to create a wealth-shifting tax code that has allowed the ratio of CEO to worker salaries to jump from 42 to 1 in 1982, to over 301 to 1 in 2005. We have had the political will to create a health care system that allows some to get liver transplants and Viagra while 46 million others can’t even get basic health care. So let’s be clear, “taking care of our own” is something we have chosen not to do, and reducing foreign assistance won’t change that.

So when will we as a people and a nation seriously decide to eradicate hunger and poverty? When will we wake up and instruct our decision makers to make different choices? It’s not rocket science—we just need to prioritize the needs of the people and stay focused on achieving our vision. For example, we know that, at any given moment, a certain percentage of our nation’s people will be out of work, down on their luck, affected by domestic violence, or struggling with mental illness. Shouldn’t we design our system to accommodate this? And right now, around the globe, there are 75 million primary school-aged children who don’t even have access to school. Yet we know that girls in poor nations will earn a 20% higher wage, and their children will be 10% less likely to die of preventable causes for each year of education they have past 3rd or 4th grade. That’s poverty reduction. And the missing funding to put these 75 million children in school is about $11 billion per year—less than the recent Wall Street bonuses we were all up in arms about. Can’t we figure out as a world community, how to come up with $11 billion per year to invest in education when we know it will help reduce poverty and build nations?

We have chosen not to solve one of the major problems of our time—abject poverty. By failing to address basic human needs of health care, education, and dignified work we have created other problems—poverty, instability, and extremism. By choosing not to educate children around the globe we have allowed poor nations to continue to be poor, and left others with no choice but to search for a path out of desperation through lives of extremism. But this can change if we have the will to change it.

During his campaign President Obama pledged to invest $2 billion to initiate a multi-lateral Global Fund for Education. Let’s encourage him to act now. His leadership on global education would catalyze the political will of the world to do one of the most important things we can do to end poverty—educate the world’s children. Now is the time.

Jan Schakowsky signs onto HR 2139!

2009-05-23T11:29:00.003-05:00

Breaking news: WE DID IT!! On Thurs, Jan Schakowsky signed on to co-sponsor HR 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act.

This bill (co-introduced by Mark Kirk, R-10th) will start the process of revamping our outdated Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (which controls all the ways we provide help to people in poverty around the world). For more info on it, you can see the Bread for the World video: http://www.offeringofletters.org/video.html There will be more for us to do on this in the fall when it involves the Senate, too, but for now please thank her for her support if you are a IL-9th district constituent.

Bread for the World and RESULTS have worked together and diligently with her office to get this to happen. When I called her staff about about HR 2139s, her global affairs aide pulled up the bill and said "Yes, what IS this exactly?" and didn't think they would be needed to sign on. Because of constituent letters and phone calls, we were able to open a door of communication for the DC anti-poverty staff, educate her office about HR 2139 and gain her co-sponsorship.

I've provided a sample letter for you to personalize if that can help you.

-ccyl

PS Don't forget your address on the letter and on the outside envelope! Sending it to her district office in Evanston will be fastest...

The Honorable Jan Schakowsky
820 Davis Street, Suite 105
Evanston, IL 60201

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Date

Dear Congresswoman Schakowsky,

Thank you for co-sponsoring H.R. 2139, the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act. This bill is a good first step in making our nations foreign assistance more effective and streamlined. As your constituent, I am very happy to see your leadership in our country's effort to help people in desperate need. Please work to ensure the bill maintains a focus on poverty so that we can provide the most good for the people who need it the most.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Your Address

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Some additional points to play with...

-U.S. foreign assistance has helped reduce child deaths, improve agricultural capacity, and increase school enrollment. But more lives can be saved if we improve the way foreign aid is delivered.
- By making our foreign assistance more efficient and effective, U.S. assistance will have a greater impact on poor and hungry people around the world - critical in these tough economic times
- Reforming foreign aid get the most of our tax dollars makes good economic sense for our country and for people in extreme poverty struggling to survive on less than $1.25 a day.

A Justice Themed Verse and Voice from Sojourners

2009-05-21T17:29:00.002-05:00

Quotes
"Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you."
- Deuteronomy 16:20

"Charity depends on the vicissitudes of whim and personal wealth; justice depends on commitment instead of circumstance. Faith-based charity provides crumbs from the table; faith-based justice offers a place at the table."
- Bill Moyers, Television journalist and social commentator

Prayer:
Pray for the leaders of the world’s richest countries, that the aid they have promised developing countries will be delivered and that the crippling debts still owed by those countries will be forgiven.
Source: Micah Challenge USA

"You have to be rich to be poor..." Wash Post article

2009-05-19T13:19:00.003-05:00

The Washington Post ran a great article on May 18, 2009 called "Poor? Pay up" shedding light on an unjust paradox. The poorer a person is, the more things cost. This whole thing just makes me ill.

A lot of is has to do with the food and convenience issues (milk at a Safeway...$2.29 for 2 gallons. milk at a corner store where you're forced to shop if you have no car? $4.99), but there is even more that really burns me up. The poorest people in our economy don't have decent access to financial services. Those who provide services to this sector are often little more than predators piling service fees onto people who can't afford it. The image of a villainous landlord twirling a mustache comes to mind, but it's much more systemized than any individual baddie. Here is an excerpt, but click here for the full article.

Hopefully, Bread for the World's Offering of Letters campaign next year may take on this very issue!!!

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"The rich have direct deposit for their paychecks. The poor have check-cashing and payday loan joints, which cost time and money. Payday advance companies say they are providing an essential service to people who most need them. Their critics say they are preying on people who are the most "economically vulnerable."

"As you've seen with the financial services industry, if people can cut a profit, they do it," Blumenauer says. "The poor pay more for financial services. A lot of people who are 'unbanked' pay $3 for a money order to pay their electric bill. They pay a 2 percent check-cashing fee because they don't have bank services. The reasons? Part of it is lack of education. But part of it is because people target them. There is evidence that credit-card mills have recently started trolling for the poor. They are targeting the recently bankrupt."

Lobbying for HR2139: train station and asian grocery

2009-05-16T21:17:00.002-05:00

Bread for the World activist Carlos Navarro shows us that how we can lobby on poverty issues anytime anywhere. New Mexico reps were out and about the state in a few unlikely places. He blogs about how he and another Bread activist sought them out to ask for their co-sponsorhip on the "Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform" bill.

This is my favorite part....
"It was with great delight that we discovered that Rep. Heinrich was holding "office hours" in the deli section of Talin World Market. This store started as an Asian supermarket, but has expanded its scope to include foods from the Caribbean, Italy, Egypt, and other regions. What better place to discuss a bill on international issues with our member of Congress? I spent a little more time with Mr. Heinrich than I did with Mr. Teague. He gave me almost as much time as we get during our Lobby Day meetings in Washington. The difference here is that we were surrounded by meat and food cases and wonderful smells!"

Bravo, Mr. Navarro!

Sachs: Ending poverty not possible w/o attn to water and climate

2009-05-14T11:05:00.004-05:00

Last night, I saw Jeffrey Sachs speak in a panel discussion in Chicago about water and sustainability. He mainly spoke about water scarcity. I got to ask him a question during the forum and here's how it went. It's a sobering answer for anti-pov folks to ponder. I apologize about the breaks in the transcript..my recording technology is rather inferior :(

ccyl: It's a common assertion among anti-poverty advocates that "We now have the resources and the technology to eliminate poverty. All we need is the political will" Given what we've been hearing tonight...especially the part about having no ready technical solutions for water...is that true for this problem? And if it isn't true for water issues, can that statement true about poverty anymore since you can't thrive or survive without water?

Sachs: I think there’s a tremendous amount of truth in that statement so I want to start by saying that it’s more true than not. We have more than a billion people on the planet who every single day are struggling for survival. That, in my view is wholly --- In the 21st century with what we know, we should not have 9 million children dying every year before their 5th birthday. And we should not be in a situation where people are struggling by the hundreds of millions, for every (yield?) and their very survival. That’s how life is for a lot of people. I believe that could be ended. Even in the dry-land areas where you do face tremendous drought in many of the places we’re working you get 4 or 5 good years and then you get a drought year. Even with that, which is very painful, one can plan for that, one can adapt to it to an extent…but I’m not recommending it as a stopping point….but it’s vastly better than the situation we have right now because the situation we have right now is that even in those four average rainfall years the people are not able because they lack the cultivation tools to generate the surplus which could carry them through a bad year. And so what I’ve been recommending for many, many years is that we make targeted, science-based, sensible investments… because the food production on average could double by virtue of it tripling in the good years. Maybe not doing so much for the bad years, but at least creating an environment that is on average much higher. Then, in a while the bad years can be fought through without utter desperation.

We haven’t talked a lot about solutions here and maybe we should. Because even if ---- water is the hardest of all the issues. There are a lot of things that can and should be done from water harvesting, landscape management, --- changes , drought resistance, crop--, low --- irrigation at least for part of the farming --- for these circumstances. So I say at the starting point, don’t lose hope ... because tremendous things can be done even up to the dry-land areas … but then let me add this sobering point as well because I think it’s important. For the true dry-land areas where it’s not 7 or 800 millimeters of rainfall, but it’s 200 or 300 millimeters, maybe too low for crops. … for those places in the world, this is a very, very hard problem… where in certain areas where we’re working we can do certain things but….that may be 1/5 of the extreme poverty, requiring even greater investment for the solution…but that 1/5 is a part of the world we need to take note of. Why? Because that’s where Darfur is. That’s where Somalia is. That’s where Afghanistan is. It’s not --- We can’t come to understand this in our country yet. That we’re facing water crises, we’re not facing Islam. We’re facing hungry places that are destabilized because they don’t have livelihoods and because the children are hungry and people are dying. In Somalia, we have the piracy and why? That place is so water stretched and therefore so economically and socially stretched that they haven’t been able to, they haven’t even been able to maintain a government in the past generation. It’s this lawless, warlord --- they’ve descended into a kind of anarchy. Why? Not just because it’s arbitrarily so. Because that is one of the driest places on the whole planet. …We just gave for the first time in a long time 250 million of aid for Somalia. But you know what it was for? For a Coast
Guard. Honest to God. It was not for a water pump. Not for water (wells?) Our problem is we view these places as means, not as ends. We don’t take at all seriously that there are people there. We only ask, “What’s it mean for us?” That’s a huge mistake for our country. We have to ask, “What’s going on there?” It’s the same thing we have to ask in Pakistan and Afghanistan. And I fear that the war is spreading right now. Because we haven’t yet come to the realization that unfortunately the military is not going to solve these problems. And the final point I would make on this: if we let climate change just run loose, these places will become uninhabitable. And so this vision of finding a way for them to escape from poverty, which I deeply believe in and spend my nights and days and days and nights working on…we will not be able to keep up with a runaway change in global climate. Similarly, we can’t keep up with a runaway population, so we have to get serious about population policy, contraception, family planning, climate change, and a lot of other favorite issues of Americans.

May 15th Deadline for RESULTS International Conference

2009-05-11T20:20:00.004-05:00

The deadline for registering for the RESULTS International conference is May 15. If you want to learn face-to-face lobbying from experts in building relationships with members of Congress, go learn from these people! www.results.org
Here's a testimonial from their website that had an eye-opening statistic...
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During an International Conference in the early 1990s, activists who had spent time lobbying during the conference came together for a meeting. What our congressman said to us has always stuck with me and illuminated just how important our voices are.
“Do you know how many bills will be introduced during this session of Congress?” he asked. Most of us had no idea. The answer? 35,000. Our minds whirled as we tried to imagine how any member of Congress or staffer could possibly know about them all.
Then he said, “Do you know how many bills will be passed?” We made wild guesses. The answer? About 220, based on the previous congressional session.
In many cases, it is only because of our persistent voices that bills will pass which are of critical importance to people in poverty.
— Bob Dickerson, Seattle partner

Obama's global health plan disappoints activists

2009-05-07T08:04:00.003-05:00

IPSnews.net ran a story today that Obama's plans to spend 63 billion dollars over the next six years overseas may not live up to the president's campaign promises. Paul Zeitz, executive director of the Global AIDS Alliance, says the FY10 budget "ignores the president's campaign promises to fully fund PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and to provide a fair-share contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria."

Here are further quotes from the article from various agencies. For the full piece, Click here

"This proposal is even worse than we had feared," said Christine Lubinski, director of the Centre for Global Health Policy. "With this spending request, Obama has broken his campaign promise to provide 1 billion dollars a year in new money for global AIDS, and he has overlooked the growing threat of tuberculosis."

"Until we see the full budget with the line item detail on U.S. bilateral AIDS programmes and on the Global Fund, we will not know just how far off the mark the budget information presented today really is," said Zeitz of the Global AIDS Alliance. "In fact, the early release of less than completely detailed budget information on the president's global health strategy makes it difficult to know what the real dollars are and how the White House intends on spending them."

Kaytee Riek of Health Global Access Project (HealthGAP) said that the U.S. was only currently meeting about one third of its expected contribution to the Global Fund - roughly 900 million dollars of contributions - and 1.8 billion dollars would constitute a fair U.S. contribution. "The Fund is facing a financial crisis," said Riek. "So when there's only a 366-million-dollar increase for (funding to combat) AIDS, malaria, and TB, how will you meet the needs of the Global Fund and expand PEPFAR, all of which Obama promised to do as a candidate" – a claim Riek said Obama had already reiterated as president. "This is not something we can fall behind on because it's going to come back and haunt us in the future," she said.

Proposed bill to honor Yunus (HR 2000, S. 846)

2009-05-06T21:08:00.003-05:00

"To me poor people are like bonsai trees. When you plant the best seed of the tallest tree in a flower-pot, you get a replica of the tallest tree, only inches tall. There is nothing wrong with the seed you planted, only the soil-base that is too inadequate. Poor people are bonsai people. There is nothing wrong in their seeds. Simply, society never gave them the base to grow on. All it needs to get the poor people out of poverty for us to create an enabling environment for them. Once the poor can unleash their energy and creativity, poverty will disappear very quickly." -Dr Muhammad Yunus

These are the words of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, and board member of RESULTS. I am happy to say that four IL members of Congress support HR 2000 which seeks to award Dr. Yunus with the Congressional Gold Medal to in recognition of his contributions to the fight against global poverty. Senator Durbin introduced the bill in the Senate (with Senator Bennett). Senator Burris has added his name to the it and Representatives Schakowsky and Kirk have cosponsored the bill in the House.

Honoring Dr. Yunus before Congress will raise public and congressional awareness of the power of microfinance to change lives and help build congressional support . It will also send a strong signal to USAID and the World Bank that the U.S. is committed to microfinance for the very poor and expects the our foreign aid and the World Bank to do the same.

Foreign Assistance Reform Bill Update (5/5/09)

2009-05-05T16:56:00.004-05:00

Happy Cinqo de Mayo! A few notes about the new Foreign Assistance Reform Bill from Bread for the World...
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-Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL), member of the House Appropriations Committee, introduced the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 2139), on April 28.

-Bread is working quickly to gain cosponsors for the bill since it is expected to move rapidly from the House Foreign Affairs Committee to the House floor. It is likely that the committee will work on the bill before Congress begins its Memorial Day recess on May 23.

- The bill is a critical first step toward making foreign assistance more effective, efficient, and transparent. It calls on the president to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy for global development, improve the evaluation of development programs, and increase the transparency of U.S. foreign assistance to developing countries.

- Rep. Berman said that the bill is a “down payment” on a broader bill to improve foreign assistance that he plans to introduce later this year.

Global Fund Protects Us All

2009-04-30T21:51:00.004-05:00

Global Fund Protects Us All

A pediatric resident with tuberculosis treating 150 patients at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

A fourteen-year-old Zambian girl caring for three siblings because her parents died of AIDS.

A mother in India spreading a treated bed net over her children to protect them from malaria.

What do these scenes have in common? They are all reminders that diseases of poverty – AIDS, TB and malaria – are alive and well, even in our local communities.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is one of the world’s most effective tools for fighting these deadly diseases. It provides huge percentages of the international funding to combat them: 25% for AIDS, 66% for TB, and 75% for malaria. It distributes drug treatments and bed nets as well as providing essential support services. It shelters women disowned by husbands who infect them with AIDS. It teaches villagers to detect and treat malaria. It even protects Illinois residents by working to stop the spread of global TB.

Despite the Global Fund’s proven track record, by 2010 it is projected to be $5 billion short of its budget to continue future programs. While an increasing number of poor nations are seeing success and submitting high-quality grant proposals, donor nations – including the U.S. – are not meeting pledged funding levels. Without full funding this year and next, life-saving programs will be abruptly put on hold. Millions of lives will be at risk.

In the face of economic crisis, the temptation for developed nations to reduce support for the Global Fund is understandable, but inexcusable. They are penny-wise and pound-foolish. By not viewing their contributions as smart investments, donor nations ignore public health at their peril. If the Global Fund’s shortfall is allowed to continue, developed nations will only postpone the inevitable need to send even more aid to control the resurgence of disease. They will stifle global economic development as poor countries struggle with unhealthy workforces. Worse, the heaviest price will be paid if militaries must engage in more conflicts to stabilize areas where poverty has driven people to desperate acts of violence.

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), Representative Mark Kirk (R-10th), and Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd) have influence over global health funding as members of Foreign Operations subcommittees. They have been instrumental in increasing U.S. AIDS, TB and malaria contributions to the highest levels in history. The world is counting on their leadership once again.

Congress and the Obama administration have a chance in the coming supplemental appropriations bill to increase 2009 funding for the Global Fund by $1 billion. This increase would meet urgent needs, set the Global Fund on an upward trajectory and improve the U.S. image by proving we’re committed to multilateral, results-driven global health funding. Additionally, the Obama administration and Congress should work together to provide the U.S. fair share to the Global Fund for 2010: $2.7 billion.

From a financial perspective, the $1 billion for 2009 is less than one-third of the Merrill Lynch Christmas bonuses currently under investigation. Unlike irresponsible financial institutions and poorly-led auto companies coming to the taxpayer with their hands out, the Global Fund has succeeded beyond expectations in its mission to bring urgently-needed health services to the poor. It should be rewarded – not punished – for that success.

From a human perspective, a thriving Global Fund will mean children like 14-year-old orphan Catherine Phiri will be less likely to die from AIDS which claimed her parents. Mothers like Seema Paati will sleep under bed nets with their children without fear of contracting malaria. You and I will know our country used our tax dollars to protect us and honor our promise to the poorest people of the world.

--ccyl

Foreign Assistance Reform Bill Introduced by Berman and Kirk

2009-04-29T10:37:00.004-05:00

I'm going out of my mind with excitement about this one, everybody! MARK KIRK INTRODUCED A FOREIGN ASSISTANCE BILL I'VE LOBBIED HIS OFFICE ON!!!!! Yeah! My Bread for the World church wrote him letters, my RESULTS group wrote him letters and went into his district office to lobby his district aide, I talked to his DC aide on the phone...and now I see how all this pays off when we have the big guns out in DC working their end. I honestly did not expect to see any movement on this until much later. I'm feeling really great doing my little part in this movement to push this big Foreign Assistance ship around. Thanks to everyone taking me on this journey with you!

Gotta go...lotsa work to do still...starting with a thank you letter to Congressman Kirk and a call to his aide!

Here's the scoop from Bread for the World today....
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Bread for the World President Pushes for Support, Co-Sponsorship of New Foreign Aid Reform Bill

Washington, DC, April 29, 2009 –Rev. David Beckmann, president, Bread for the World, and co-chair, Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN), today urged members of the House of Representatives to pass the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 2139).

The bill was introduced last night by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA-28), chairman of the House foreign Affairs Committee and Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL-10). It requires President Barack Obama to develop and implement a comprehensive national strategy for global development, improve evaluation of development programs, and increase the transparency of U.S. foreign assistance to developing countries.

“It is a good initial step in making our nation’s foreign assistance more effective, efficient, and transparent,” said Rev. Beckmann. “Coordinating and improving our foreign assistance can have far-reaching effects on reducing hunger and poverty, making the world more politically stable. In turn, a more effective U.S. foreign assistance system would make for a more secure United States.”

Rev. Beckmann said that a comprehensive U.S. strategy for global development needs to be linked to an ongoing monitoring and evaluation system to determine what works and what does not. Requiring any agency that provides funding to post related information on a public website or other public forum will bring increased transparency and accountability to the people being served by these programs and to U.S. taxpayers.

Currently, U.S. global development policies and programs are scattered across 12 departments, 25 different agencies, and nearly 60 government offices. “In these difficult economic times, a more efficient foreign assistance system—with better coordination, better accountability, better clarity—will ensure that people get help faster and more effectively,” said Rev. Beckmann.

U.S. foreign assistance is still largely governed by a law passed in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. “It is woefully outdated, inefficient, and ill equipped to provide the level of relief needed to address hunger and poverty in today’s more complex world,” said Rev. Beckmann. “U.S. foreign assistance has helped reduce child deaths, improve agricultural capacity, and increase school enrollment. But more lives can be saved if we improve how we deliver foreign aid. It will mean less waste and more impact for our tax dollars.”

Jeffery Sachs at Chicago Field Museum 5/13/09

2009-04-24T22:00:00.002-05:00

Water: Sustaining Our Blue Planet
Presented by the Gary C. Comer Family

This roundtable discussion, moderated by WGN radio host John Williams and featuring Jeffrey Sachs, Director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University and Peter Annin, author of The Great Lakes Water Wars, will cover topics ranging from water as it relates to poverty and health, water as a commodity, and how climate change is affecting water resources. Potential solutions to these problems will be addressed and local as well as global water issues will be highlighted.
Please call 312.665.7400 to register.

Lecture
Adult
May 13, 2009
7 p.m.
FREE
Pre-Registration Required

Poverty: A Time for Sharing on CBS, 4/26

2009-04-24T09:51:00.000-05:00

Coming to your TV this weekend is an interfaith religion special entitled Poverty: A Time for Sharing, which CBS will air on April 26th. In a recent press release, the NCC said, "Half of humanity lives on less than $2 a day, and a billion people worldwide cannot read or write. Global poverty is on the rise despite ongoing efforts by governments, the United Nations, and Non-Governmental Organizations, including religious groups." This program will include snapshots of campaigns such as the "Nothing But Nets" supported by The United Methodists, and Lutheran World Relief, in addition to the Catholic Relief Services work in response to the tsunami in Indonesia, ongoing rebuilding efforts in Ethiopia, as well as the fight against HIV in Zambia. To view the full article about this special go to the NCC website at www.ncccusa.org. Check your local station for broadcast times in your area.

Pioneers: A Zambian Perspective on perseverance and foreign investors

2009-04-23T07:44:00.003-05:00

A Zambian Perspective on perseverance and foreign investors from the Jubilee Center...
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Pioneers
Posted: 22 Apr 2009 02:08 AM PDT

The Republican President said that Zambia needed the spirit of pioneering if it wanted to get up. But how can Zambia get up when all it hears everyday is that, “You can’t get up on your own. Your hope is in the hands of foreign investors.” A pioneer spirit is not something one is born with, it is taught. How can a Zambian have a pioneering spirit when all that he knows is that of being unprotected, used and neglected? Who will help the Zambian who is asking, “What can I do to come out of poverty?” Who will guide the Zambian young men and women who are asking, “Where do I start to turn my community, my friends, my family and my country around?”

When you consider the president’s speech at Lumwana, it was not the Zambian who was being encouraged to have a pioneering spirit. It was the foreign investors. He told the investors, “We expect you to continue with your exploring programs; be the first company to produce the famous yellow cake seeing that you have uranium deposits on your mine already…” (Post 19, April). It was the foreign investors who were being invited to open processing companies to add value to our raw materials. It was not the Zambian who was being encouraged to take up the opportunity to do business in Zambia but the foreign investor.

Insert Photo: President Rupiah Banda commissioning Lumwana mine

The president acknowledged the spirit of perseverance exhibited by the investor. To practice perseverance means that a person has to be mentally and physically strong, and in unity with others, be committed to a specific goal and vision. The foreign investor was able to persevere because he developed a mutual trust with the government. The government should know better about the Zambians perseverance. It was Zambian persevering lifestyle that made it possible for our suffering freedom fighters to overcome colonialism through non-violent resistance. Can you imagine the power to set this country on the right path that lies in this quality of perseverance if it is nurtured properly?

Who will take advantage of this opportunity of the Zambian people’s attitude of self-control in the midst of famine or floods or HIV/AIDS or unemployment and turn it to hope? The Bible says, “We know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character and character hope. And we know that hope does not disappoint us… (Romans 5: 3,4). The church must help Zambians especially Christians to take seriously their citizenry responsibilities by discipling them spiritually, morally, economically and socially that they make meaningful contribution to build Zambia into the hub for social peace and economic sufficiency and the conscience of Africa. Pray for a day when a president of Zambia will open a mining company owned by Zambian investors. Pray for a day when a president will tell us of a story of a Zambian fighting hardship and succeeding in running a mining company.

Lawrence Temfwe

A Just Way to Celebrate Mother's Day

2009-04-18T19:33:00.003-05:00

Posted on the Bread for the World-New Mexico website...
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By Alaina Paradise

Mother’s Day accounts for 25% of the sales of the entire U.S. floral industry each year. One of the greatest ironies of the holiday is the mistreatment of hundreds of thousands of mothers and other female workers on floral farms around the globe.

These ladies are often subjected to sexual harassment, cheated out of wages, and forced to work in dangerous fumigated areas without proper protection - hardly the gift that many intend to give when they hand a bunch of roses to their smiling mom. This year, Fair Trade Certified™ flowers are the new option for socially-conscious shoppers who want to give Mom a gift that truly gives back. The Fair Trade program is slowly making a drastic impact in the lives of many floral workers and their families in countries like Ecuador, Colombia, and Kenya. About 90% of these workers are female, and many are mothers themselves.

A great example of the positive change is seen in Ecuador where the minimum wage is the equivalent of around $166 per month, or $0.95 per hour according to the U.S. Department of State. Wages are even lower for the average floral worker in a non-Fair Trade business in Ecuador. They make $90 per month if they are lucky.

The Fair Trade program for Ecuadoran floral farms puts an end to this disparity by providing not just minimum wage, but a living wage to workers on Certified farms.

Women who work on these farms are now able to support themselves and their families, which means better nutrition, access to higher education, improved living conditions and greater equality for women in the home. Fair Trade flowers are new to the U.S. market, and the largest companies in the floral industry have done little to promote their availability. One World Flowers is a start-up company based in Albuquerque, N.M., that is completely dedicated to selling 100% Fair Trade flowers. The company is a licensed by TransFair USA as an official importer of Fair Trade Certified™ flowers and it acts as a wholesaler to many co-op markets, grocery stores, and florists around the country. As part of the company’s commitment to fair trade, 10% of the purchase price of the flowers is donated back to a workers’ fund each quarter.

Farm employees organize democratically to vote on ways to use the funds for community improvement, micro-lending, or education. Fair Trade farms also provide on-site doctors and healthcare for employees, 12 weeks of paid maternity leave, and year-round working agreements to prevent seasonal layoffs. With such incredible benefits it is hard to imagine that Fair Trade flowers are not offered by more places. There is confusion among consumers about other flower labels such as Veriflora and FlorVerde. These are primarily environmental protection programs that do not have the same social and human rights protections that are offered by Fair Trade. Florists and grocers around the nation often don’t make the distinction between these programs and Fair Trade, which also includes strict environmental protection standards. They are therefore unlikely to pay the extra cost for offering Fair Trade flowers to customers.

“Growth has been slow but steady,” says Joie King of One World Flowers, “we really work hard to educate consumers around the big holidays about the social and economic impacts of Fair Trade in addition to its environmental sustainability standards. Our goal is to make the biggest impact we can for the ladies on Fair Trade farms.”

As surrounding farms see the success of the Fair Trade program, the hope is that more will seek to change their policies and go through the rigorous certification process.

Before giving mom a bunch of roses for Mother’s Day this year, consider the source and the moms who grew them. It’s worth the extra few dollars per bouquet to ensure that the women who grew the roses were paid and treated fairly.
Be sure to look for the Fair Trade label on the bouquet wrapper or individual stems to ensure that what you’re really getting are Fair Trade flowers. If you can’t find them, ask your local florist or cooperative market to start carrying them.
Where to buy

The difference is peace of mind for moms worldwide who no longer have to struggle to feed their children or provide a safe home. Take it from Silvia Mariana Cualchi Rojas, a Fair Trade floral worker who said, "When I separated from my husband, my son and I had no place to go. Without my husband, I couldn’t qualify for a bank loan. [The farm’s] Housing Maintenance Program put a roof over our heads and pride in our hearts."
It’s amazing what the right gift for one can do for others!

The author is president of One World Flowers

(Editor's note: And if you decide to buy your Mother's Day bouquets from One World Flowers, please remember that orders are due by April 24)

--
Posted By Carlos Navarro to Bread for the World-New Mexico at 4/18/2009 09:35:00 AM

chicken-a-la-carte: a powerful short film

2009-04-16T08:54:00.005-05:00

This comment was left in response to a different APB blog entry, but the short film it contains is so powerful, that I want to share it with everyone. It's one of those movies that really calls up a strong emotional reaction even when you're writing and reading about hunger every day. Please take a few minutes to watch.
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Please spare 6 minutes of your life and watch this film, and share it with your friends and family. This is a true story about hunger and its impact on human race when coupled with poverty. Bring awareness about food and waste. Bring change in your life and impact the world to make it a better place.

Click here to see "Chicken-a-la-carte"

April 15 Prayer Vigil: Change of Plans

2009-04-15T10:44:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone!

I have an important update for you about the April 15 Prayer Vigil for AIDS issues. I am excited to share that the planning of the prayer vigil has yielded some success. Positive discussions have taken place with members of congress, including Senators Durbin and Burris that have shifted the strategy. Instead of gathering for a prayer vigil it is now encouraged that folks write a thank you letter (see sample letter below).

We'll urge them to help our country keep it's commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. We want to thank Senator Durbin in particular for being a champion and continuing to work with us.

Thank you for your interest in supporting the Global Fund!

--------------------------------------------
The Honorable Senator Durbin
230 South Dearborn Street
Suite 3892
Chicago, IL 60604

Dear Senator Durbin,

Thank you very much for your continued support of global health issues. You have been an active champion for the fight against diseases of poverty and your help is needed now more than ever.

As the global financial crisis pushes more people into extreme poverty, it is critical that developed nations keep their promises to fund life-saving programs like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Global Fund has been incredibly successful, saving an estimated 3.5 million lives by funding projects judged for their impact, community involvement, and transparency. Yet the fund is experiencing a dangerous shortfall.

Donor countries have not yet provided adequate money to fund the bold, high quality proposals being submitted by developing nations. Life-saving programs may be delayed or cut back.
If the U.S. comes through on its funding promise, other nations will follow. Please ensure our country lives up to its commitment to the Global Fund by increasing funding in the upcoming supplemental appropriations bill by $1 billion. I also urge you help us provide the U.S. fair share of $2.7 billion dollars in FY2010.

Sincerely,
(your name)
(your address)

Global Activism Expo 2009 (from Chicago Public Radio's Worldview)

2009-04-13T11:58:00.001-05:00

Global Activism Expo 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009 @ noon - 6:00 p.m.

Hosted by Worldview’s Jerome McDonnell, Chicago Public Radio Presents…is thrilled to again present this remarkable celebration – complete with food, music and over 100 Chicago-area Global Activists, all featured guests of Worldview’s Global Activism series. On the air for over six years now, the Series continues to be inspirational, and bringing everyone together for this Expo has quickly become an annual event.

Doors open at noon on Saturday and stay open until 6 pm; it’s FREE – so bring your classes, your children, your neighbors, your friends and family.

Free parking is available in NEIU Lot L.

This year there will be a variety of food for sale from local ethnic restaurants (cash sales only!), and an outdoor eating area in addition to space set-aside in the Expo for your enjoyment. We’ve added a Performance Stage where the amazing talent associated with many of these organizations will be performing for you; and we’ve arranged for break-out rooms where presentations will be made by various organizations throughout the day, so that you can better learn what they do and how you can get involved.

Write to Obama about Global Education

2009-04-11T09:25:00.005-05:00

From RESULTS...
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75 million children do not have access to primary education around the globe. Part of the problem is inadequate development assistance, and another part is a failure to use the assistance we provide wisely. We need new leadership to improved and increase aid, provide better coordination, and develop new mechanisms to support the achievement of Education for All. During his campaign, President Obama pledged $2 billion for a global education fund. Now is the time for the U.S. to realize this vision and lead the world in achieving the Education for All goals agreed to by over 180 nations by creating an effective Global Fund for Education. We have a real opportunity for bold action to stimulate real change.

Grab the opportunity! Write to President Obama and ask him to lead an effort to establish a multilateral Global Fund for Education.

Click here to tack action!

Chicago Prayer Vigil for the Global Fund

2009-04-10T13:59:00.004-05:00

What: Prayer Vigil to promote AIDS issues
When: Wed, April 15 4PM
Where: Outside of Senator Durbin's Office...230 South Dearborn, Chicago
Who: Chicago Women's AIDS Project, RESULTS, GenderJUST, HealthGAP, and other groups involved with AIDS and poverty issues

Around the country, on April 15th prayer vigils will take place to draw attention to global and domestic AIDS issues. The Chicago vigil will take place near Senator Durbin's downtown office building at 4PM. This action is intended as friendly and awareness-building. We want to pray for the efforts of three IL members of Congress in particular (Durbin, Kirk and Jackson) to continue on the path of promoting domestic and global health. All the groups and individuals involved want our tax money to go to humanitarian purposes that will benefit us all.

On the global AIDS front, we want the US live up to its commitments to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Donor countries (including the US) have been backing out because of the economic crisis and it is causing the Global Fund to suffer shortages. A five billion dollar gap is projected by 2010. We can provide our fair share portion by passing the upcoming a supplemental spending bill with $1 billion for the Global Fund in FY09.

Please join us next Wednesday for a peaceful and positive call for support!

Chicago Townships Struggling to Meet Need for Social Services

2009-04-06T10:29:00.001-05:00

From Chicago Community Trust...
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Metropolitan Chicago Townships Struggling to Meet Rising Need for Social Services

April 6, 2009, Chicago – Fallout from the global economic crisis has resulted in new levels of unemployment, homelessness, and hunger across metropolitan Chicago, including unprecedented spikes in the suburbs. Townships and municipal governments that have long struggled to provide adequate social services to their communities now face an even greater divide between capacity and need, according to a new report released today by The University of Illinois at Chicago.

“Uneven Capacity and Delivery of Human Services in the Chicago Suburbs: The Role of Townships and Municipalities” examines the financial,political, and administrative capacity of townships and municipalities to provide human services and begins to answer two primary questions:
What is the current role of suburban townships and municipalities in delivering social services?
What is their capacity to enhance their role in the future?

The report was written by Rebecca Hendrick, Ph.D., and Karen Mossberger, Ph.D., both faculty members at The University of Illinois at Chicago, and was funded by The Chicago Community Trust.

“Even before the economic crisis, poverty levels were rising in many Chicago-area suburbs. We need to be asking whether the hundreds of municipalities and townships across the region are positioned to effectively address needs”, said Jim Lewis, Ph.D., senior program officer for basic human needs at The Chicago Community Trust.

The need to examine suburban social service delivery capacity in particular is critical because of changes in the distribution of poverty, with long-term growth in the demand for human services in many Chicago suburbs.
Demand at area food banks and suburban homeless shelters climbed in 2008, and unemployment and foreclosures have accelerated.
The number of poor and working poor who live in the suburbs of the Chicago metropolitan area has been increasing since 1990, and those who are already poor are especially vulnerable during an economic downturn.
Governments are also significant human service providers, including suburban townships and municipalities. Yet, little is known about the extent to which townships and municipalities are able to meet growing needs.

“We relied on several sources of information to answer these questions. We surveyed all townships in the Chicago metropolitan region and municipalities in DuPage and Cook Counties in spring 2008 to ask about social services they provide. We also examined financial data available from the State of Illinois and statutes affecting their financial capacity. But we realized early on that social service delivery in the region is haphazard and capacity is limited,” said Rebecca Hendrick.

Collectively, townships provide a wide range of social services in conjunction with their mandate to provide general assistance, but there is substantial variation in provision, and there is evidence that in some communities the demand outstrips the available services.

Twenty to thirty percent of townships believe that they can meet only a portion of demand for social services or have few resources to meet the needs in their communities.
Approximately 16 percent indicate that they have taken steps recently to reduce or eliminate services.
Most survey responses were collected before the economy worsened in fall 2008, so the survey results may understate current conditions.

The report recommends the following:
· Townships as coordinators. Townships, in particular, have the potential to act as a hub for service delivery within their boundaries, and some have formalized this role through local coalitions.
· Assistance for low-income townships. More flexible and strategic financial assistance should be available from the state and other sources for high‐need and low‐resource townships.
· Sub-regional coordination. Greater collaboration between social service providers within counties could facilitate joint projects and build organizational capacity among providers.
· Regional planning and coordination. Greater cross‐sectoral and intergovernmental collaboration on the regional level are needed to target areas of need, promote more equal access to services, and share information for innovation and capacity‐building. Regional dialogue should include multiple levels of government, professional associations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and regional organizations, among others.

The report is available to download from the following websites: www.cct.org and http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/gci/index.htm

About The Chicago Community Trust
For 93 years, The Chicago Community Trust, the region’s community foundation, has connected the generosity of donors with community needs by making grants to organizations working to improve metropolitan Chicago. In 2008, the Trust, together with its donors, granted more than $100 million to not-for-profit organizations. From strengthening community schools to assisting local art programs, from building health centers to helping lives affected by violence, the Trust continues to enhance our region. To learn more, please visit the Trust online at www.cct.org.

More detail on Kerry-Lugar passage

2009-04-02T08:07:00.003-05:00

Just a little more detail on the Kerry-Lugar win (from RESULTS)
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The Kerry-Lugar Amendment to increase the International Affairs budget by $4 billion to match President Obama's request was just approved on the Senate floor. The amendment passed by unanimous consent after it became clear that there were going to be enough votes to pass the measure. This amendment will increase the amount available to the Appropriations Committee to allocate to key health, education and anti-poverty programs. Thanks again for mobilizing quickly on this amendment. There were many organizations acting in unison to support this amendment, and it clearly made a difference.
Please take a moment to THANK those Senators who co-sponsored the amendment:
Jeff Bingaman (D), Barbara Boxer (D), Sherrod Brown (D), Robert Casey (D), Bob Corker (R), Christopher Dodd (D), Richard Durbin (D), Dianne Feinstein (D), Edward Kaufman (D), John Kerry (D), Patrick Leahy (D), Joseph Lieberman (I), Richard Lugar (R), Robert Menendez (D), Bernard Sanders (I), George Voinovich (R), Edward Kennedy (D)

Kerry-Lugar Amendment Passes Unanimously!!!

2009-04-01T15:35:00.002-05:00

From Bread for the World's Senior International Policy Analyst, sent 3:26PM on Wed, April 1
--------------------------
"Way to build the pressure everyone!! The Kerry-Lugar amendment passed by unanimous consent just a few minutes ago!! This will bring the Senate FY10 budget resolution back in line with the President’s request and put us in a much better position for conference with the House.'

Thank you for all of your help on this – this was a great community effort!

Urgent Action: Don't let the Senate cut the International Affairs budget!

2009-03-31T14:11:00.002-05:00

Bread for the World and RESULTS are both asking for our help NOW! Please read on...
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Please call Senators Durbin and Burris by noon Eastern Time, Thursday, April 2, at 1-800-826-3688. Ask your senators to support the Kerry-Lugar amendment to restore $4 billion to the International Affairs Budget and oppose any further cutting amendments.

[Note: This toll-free number will connect you to the Capitol switchboard, where you will ask to be connected to your senator's office in order to leave your message.]

Background:
The budget resolution is the first step in the congressional decision-making process on the federal budget. The president submitted his request for the fiscal year 2010 budget in mid- February. His budget request included $53.8 billion for the International Affairs accounts, including foreign assistance. The president's budget includes items that have previously been categorized as "emergency spending" into the base budget, making this a $4 billion increase over the 2009 levels.

After the president submits his budget proposal, the Senate and the House Budget Committees develop separate budget resolutions. The budget resolution makes changes in tax policy and mandatory spending (i.e. Medicare, Social Security) and sets a ceiling for the total amount of discretionary spending (i.e. health research, defense, foreign assistance). The resolution provides guidance to the Appropriations Committee on the amount each area of discretionary spending should receive.

Last week, the two budget committees finalized their respective resolutions. The Senate Budget Committee's recommendation would flatline the International Affairs budget at last year's level of $49.8 billion and provides no increase despite the increased challenges developing countries are facing with the global economic crisis and continuing high prices for food.

The Kerry-Lugar amendment would restore $4 billion to the International Affairs budget in the Senate Budget Resolution to bring it in line with the president's request. Your senators' support for the amendment is crucial. Ask them to also vote against any amendments that may come to the Senate floor seeking to further cut this important area of the budget.

This first step in the fight over the International Affairs budget is a critical one to let us we keep our promises to help the world's poorest people. Later, we'll work to make sure that a significant portion of the International Affairs budget goes to the programs that are making a real difference in the developing world. But that fight will be much more difficult if we don't get a high level of funding here and now.

[Note: We are not targeting the House for action at this time because their floor process does not allow for this kind of amendment.]

Message:
The International Affairs budget is essential to building hope and opportunity around the world. The current FY 2010 Senate budget resolution shortchanges this important work. Please support the Kerry-Lugar amendment to restore the funding to the International Affairs account that was cut in the Budget Committee.

Key points:

Vote for the Kerry-Lugar amendment and oppose any cutting amendments.
In addition to supporting vital diplomatic efforts around the world, the International Affairs budget also supports effective programs focused on poverty reduction by improving agriculture, nutrition, health, water and education systems.
The U.S. should not shortchange these critical programs affecting millions of poor and hungry people around the world, especially in these difficult economic times.

Calls completed by: Noon on Thursday, April 2. But the sooner, the better as the vote can come at any time!