HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
[SIMG]http://bonovox.interference.com/cause/onecampaign-thmb.jpg[/SIMG]
By Brenda Clemons
2004.08
The One Campaign is about the power of the individual, its goal to get Americans involved in the fight against global AIDS and poverty, specifically in African nations. American citizens are some of the most powerful in the world but we don't act upon it, only a small percentage of us vote. According to the DATA Web site, it is estimated that Americans can help stop 23 million Africans from dying of AIDS each year, and put nearly 104 million children in schools around the world by increasing US aide to the world's poorest countries and influencing other wealthy nations to do the same.
It's extremely urgent that we do become involved now, because, as Bono has said, "This is not a cause but an emergency." Efforts, such as The Millennium Challenge, and PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) promised much needed aid to the countries hardest hit by AIDS, TB and malaria (as much as $15 billion over a five-year period) but funding for these initiatives has been slow or lacking. Just recently, the House passed its 2005 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill and cut nearly $2 billion from President Bush's initiative to fight global AIDS and poverty. Our elected officials keep saying that they want to do more to help but then don't, and this is partially because they do not hear from the voters. If they do not hear from us, they think that this is an issue that is not important to us as voters. In effect, by remaining silent, we are conveying the message that we don't care.
What is the One Campaign petitioning for? Increased funding to fight AIDS, TB and malaria; more money for development assistance (of the richest countries, the United States gives the smallest percent to developing nations); a level playing field for trade (it is estimated that Africa could earn six times what it now receives in foreign aid if only they could trade equally with the rest of the world); and debt relief (for example Nigeria borrowed $5 billion and has paid back $16 billion yet still owes $32 billion in interest).
So, what can you do? Visit the DATA Web site at www.data.org to learn more about The One Campaign and the crisis in Africa. While there you can also find a DATA event in your area. If you belong to a religious organization, talk to your clergy and ask if there might be a way you can organize a letter-writing campaign. College students can check to see if there is a political group on campus that might be interested in working with DATA. Talk to your neighbors and help them understand the crisis in Africa and what can be done to help. Bono said, "For the first time we have the means to end extreme poverty and the scourge of AIDS but do we have the political will?" The One Campaign could prove we do.
By Brenda Clemons
2004.08
The One Campaign is about the power of the individual, its goal to get Americans involved in the fight against global AIDS and poverty, specifically in African nations. American citizens are some of the most powerful in the world but we don't act upon it, only a small percentage of us vote. According to the DATA Web site, it is estimated that Americans can help stop 23 million Africans from dying of AIDS each year, and put nearly 104 million children in schools around the world by increasing US aide to the world's poorest countries and influencing other wealthy nations to do the same.
It's extremely urgent that we do become involved now, because, as Bono has said, "This is not a cause but an emergency." Efforts, such as The Millennium Challenge, and PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) promised much needed aid to the countries hardest hit by AIDS, TB and malaria (as much as $15 billion over a five-year period) but funding for these initiatives has been slow or lacking. Just recently, the House passed its 2005 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill and cut nearly $2 billion from President Bush's initiative to fight global AIDS and poverty. Our elected officials keep saying that they want to do more to help but then don't, and this is partially because they do not hear from the voters. If they do not hear from us, they think that this is an issue that is not important to us as voters. In effect, by remaining silent, we are conveying the message that we don't care.
What is the One Campaign petitioning for? Increased funding to fight AIDS, TB and malaria; more money for development assistance (of the richest countries, the United States gives the smallest percent to developing nations); a level playing field for trade (it is estimated that Africa could earn six times what it now receives in foreign aid if only they could trade equally with the rest of the world); and debt relief (for example Nigeria borrowed $5 billion and has paid back $16 billion yet still owes $32 billion in interest).
So, what can you do? Visit the DATA Web site at www.data.org to learn more about The One Campaign and the crisis in Africa. While there you can also find a DATA event in your area. If you belong to a religious organization, talk to your clergy and ask if there might be a way you can organize a letter-writing campaign. College students can check to see if there is a political group on campus that might be interested in working with DATA. Talk to your neighbors and help them understand the crisis in Africa and what can be done to help. Bono said, "For the first time we have the means to end extreme poverty and the scourge of AIDS but do we have the political will?" The One Campaign could prove we do.
