Three Ways to Observe World Aids Day (Dec. 1)

World AIDS Day in NYC (Photo; Elaine VanCleave)

World AIDS Day, one of the eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO), was launched on Dec. 1, 1988, to bring attention to the global AIDS pandemic.

UNAIDS, the organization in charge of promoting the global campaign, selects a specific theme each year to bring attention to the problem, which affected 36.7 million people in 2016. The theme of the campaign this year is  My Health, My Right,

"The campaign reminds people that the right to health is much more than access to quality health services and medicines, that it also depends on a range of important assurances including, adequate sanitation and housing, healthy working conditions, a clean environment and access to justice," said UNAIDS.

There are three ways for folks in the Albuquerque area to participate in the campaign:

Wear a Ribbon
World AIDS Day is an opportunity to show solidarity with the millions of people living with HIV worldwide. Most people do this by wearing an HIV awareness red ribbon on December 1. Wearing a red ribbon is a simple and powerful way to challenge the stigma and prejudice surrounding AIDS .

Advocate
The ONE Campaign urges us to contact our U.S. Senators to preserve funding in the U.S. budget for AIDS research and prevention.

"In the last decade, the world has made remarkable progress in the fight against AIDS -- due in no small part to the United States’ compassion and leadership in the global response. We are finally getting ahead of this deadly disease thanks to U.S. bipartisan-led initiatives like PEPFAR. But this progress may soon start to unravel," said ONE, "To put it simply: if the U.S. cuts back its HIV/AIDS efforts, the AIDS crisis will get a lot worse. We can’t let that happen, not when we’re finally getting ahead of the disease.

Contact Sen. Tom Udall and Sen. Martin Heinrich (or your own U.S. Senators if you are from another state) asking them to take time on the floor to speak in support of funding AIDS-fighting programs like PEPFAR and the Global Fund, Click on this link or dial 1-888-521-4930 to be connected:  

Attend a Vigil 
On Thursday, November 30, the eve of World AIDS Day, the University of New Mexico Truman Health Services center is hosting a candlelight vigil at 7:00 p.m. in the gazebo in the Old Town plaza, 206 San Felipe St NW.

"Help us remember friends and family lost to AIDS, honor those living with HIV, and educate the Albuquerque community about the importance of safer sexual practices," UNM Truman Health Services said in its Facebook event. "Remember one voice can make a difference, many voices can change the world. Help us STOP HIV, and change the world."

Advocating for the Rights of Girls on International Day of the Girl

Today is International Day of the Girl -- a day for the world to pause and recognize the importance of girls in society. This year, with so many girls deprived of an education, we're declaring a state of emergency. We've got a long way to go to help hundreds of millions of girls realize their potential. It's critical that world leaders begin prioritizing the education of girls, particularly in fragile countries. Gayle Smith, CEO of The ONE Campaign

The world’s 1.1 billion girls are a source of power, energy, and creativity – and the millions of girls in emergencies are no exception. This year’s International Day of the Girl (IDG) on October 11 marks the beginning of a year-long effort to spur global attention and action to the challenges and opportunities girls face before, during, and after crises.  -United Nations

Every year, on October 11, the United Nations commemorates the International Day of the Girl. In some countries, the commemoration is known as the International Day of the Girl Child. To mark the occasion, Gayle Smith , CEO of ONE, wrote an opinion piece for CNN Online, stressing the need to ensure that all girls are able to get  an education. According to Smith, more than 130 million girls around the world didn't go to school today. Millions more braved long distances and dangerous conditions to get to classrooms whose teacher never arrived, or where there were no textbooks or other materials to help them learn. ONE has launched a campaign to promote education of girls around the world. Read report entitled The Toughest Places for a Girl to Get an Education.

Gayatri Patel, senior policy advocate at CARE, in Washington, D.C., makes the same argument. "I'll never forget my visit to the Mirpur slum in Bangladesh this year. There, I met a group of girls, some just 5 years old, who had never spent a single day in school because they were forced to work as child laborers," said Patel.

According to Patel, the lack of access to education is just one of the challenges that girls around the world have to face. "Women and girls suffer disproportionately in urban slums. Many go to bed hungry night after night. They become stricken with measles due to the lack of access to basic immunizations. They face beatings and other gender-based violence that gets overlooked. Many are forced into child marriages and experience early pregnancies that cause life-threatening injuries," said Patel.

"We cannot teach our girls to be ashamed, or afraid, or to make their dreams smaller in order to fit into the world. We must teach our girls that they deserve the same fundamental rights to freedom, autonomy and equality. They deserve a world as big and expansive as their dreams," said Patel.
Read the full note

While placing a priority on empowering girls living in poverty, this day is also about opening doors for girls of all socioeconomic circumstances. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has put together great montage of videos under the hashtag #GirlsChangetheWorld

 The London-based newspaper The Telegraph provides 16 Great Quotes from Famous Women to mark the International Day of the Girl.  Among those quoted are  U.S. activist Gloria Steinem,  British author R.K. Rowling, Pakistani education advocate Malala Youzafi, Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, New Zealand film director Jane Campion and others.

Gayle Smith Urges You to Help Preserve International Affairs Budget

So far this year, ONE has been fighting hard to make sure the foreign aid budget is fully funded next year. And largely because ONE members across the country are raising their voices, we’re winning. And that’s why ONE’s CEO Gayle Smith has a favor to ask of you:



So as we enter August, ONE needs you to pick up the phone, call your senators, and tell them how important it is to fully fund the international affairs budget. Elected officials are going to start making key decisions about the budget, so it’s more critical than ever that they hear from you.  ONE has set up a toll-free number for you to contact your senators 1-888-453-3211.  Follow this link for more information.

Rev. Mike Kinman Challenges us to tell the Other Story

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.   Rev. Mike Kinman,  Sunday, July 2, 2017

I became aquainted with Rev. Mike Kinman during the global anti-poverty initiative supported by The ONE Campaign and numerous other religious and secular organizations. Then I had the good fortune to meet Mike in person during his visit to Albuquerque during an event sponsored by the Episcopal Public Policy Network in 2008 at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral downtown.

Mike has been a tireless advocate of social justice, and his values are reflected in this powerful sermon that he delivered at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena on July 2, 2017, the Sunday before Independence Day.



"My sister, pastor Traci Blackmon taught me that West African proverb: “Until the Lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero...We have stories we tell ourselves. Stories that create meaning. Stories that define virtue and vice, that rationalize and justify. Stories that help us to sleep at night and look ourselves in the mirror when we rise...We have stories we tell ourselves and, as Winston Churchill once said, those stories are told by the victors. They are told by the hunters, not the hunted. And the hunter is always the hero...But there is always another story. A story told by the lion, by the hunted...

"The truth is our faith story is a continual paradox, a constant tension between aspirational values of love and liberation and the song of the lion … and the truth that so often our story is just one more tale told by the hunter used to justify the hunt and glorify the kill. And we struggle with it. We struggle with the aspirational love of Christ compared with the historic and contemporary behavior of Christians. We struggle with the tension in our own hearts between the Gospel we preach and the lives we lead."

"We hear Jesus’ command to “Let the love you extend be full just as the love God extends is full” and yet we permit our siblings to sleep on the streets, gun ownership to be a more sacred right than health care, and education and opportunity and the very right to remain in this country to be determined by country of origin and color of skin."  See the full text

New Mexicans Urge Senators to Preserve Funding for Foreign Aid

Sen. Udall's aide takes petitions, letters from Kristina Sowar

Through June 28, U2 and Bono had performed at 18 venues as part of the group's Joshua Tree Tour 2017. And everywhere that U2 performed, ONE volunteers were out in force to gather signatures urging the U.S. Senate to save funding for foreign aid programs. People from all 50 states added their signatures to petitions and wrote letters requesting that their senators help preserve "the American legacy to helping those around the world who are in need."

While organizers could have waited until after the last concert to send the request to senators, there was urgency to send the message as soon as possible in order to have an impact on the appropriations process.

Petitions brought to Sen. Heinrich's office

Hundreds of ONE supporters in New Mexico made this request to Sen. Tom Udall and Sen. Martin Heinrich. "President Trump's dangerous budget proposal, which included cuts of nearly 1/3 to foreign aid, would jeopardize progress that America has made in the fight against poverty and disease," said a letter to our two senators and 48 other members of the U.S. Senate.

According to the letter, the reductions proposed in the Trump budget would also cut food aid to those suffering from famine, turn girls away from school, and leave children without critical medication for treatable diseases.

"Foreign aid is not only an essential part of America's legacy, but also a wise security and economic decision," the letter added. 

Sen. Udall is especially important because of his membership in the Senate Appropriations and Foreign Relations committees. Here is a letter that ONE supporters Kristina Sowar and Carlos Navarro brought to Sen. Udall's office on June 26, along with more than 740 signatures from New Mexicans who attended recent U2 concerts in Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and other venues.  Below the letter to Sen. Udall is a letter that a ONE supporter wrote to Sen. Heinrich.

A Timeless Song (Gospel Style) on Jimmy Kimmel Live

I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colours will bleed into one
Bleed into one.
But yes, I'm still running.

You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross of my shame
Oh my shame, you know I believe it.

But I still haven't found What I'm looking for.

U2 talks about the inspiration behind The Joshua Tree album and they surprise the audience on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show with a performance of “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” (Published on May 23, 2017)

White House Bounce House Urged Candidates to End Extreme Poverty

The recent presidential and congressional elections mobilized activists to engage with the candidates and their campaigns to ensure hunger and poverty became a priority for the next administration and Congress. From the beginning, activists were fighting an uphill battle, as candidate personalities and alleged transgressions garnered more attention and headlines than hunger and poverty during the first, second and third debates and campaign rallies. Even the local races focused on other issues.

To their credit,  many activists did everything they could to engage the candidates, including personal meetings and other actions to the Vote to End Hunger campaign and the ONE Vote16 initiative, which brought a Bounce House to selected sites around the country to bring awareness of global poverty not only to the candidates but also to voters. Here is a video of that effort led by ONE. 

Jude Fournier Nominated for Congressional Medal of Honor

Every day in this country, ordinary Americans become extraordinary. It can happen in a single instance of bravery, or through a lifetime of service to others. These acts of courage and self-sacrifice symbolize the American spirit, and are recognized every year on National Medal of Honor Day, by our nation’s greatest heroes...To be considered for this rare civilian honor, nominees must have made a difference in the lives of others through a singular act of extraordinary heroism, or through their continued commitment to putting others first.

Jude Fournier was nominated this year for the Citizen Honors Program, sponsored by the
Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. While Jude did not make the final cut, he spoke humbly about the great privilege it was to even be nominated for this honor. I agree wholeheartedly that he fully deserved to be part of that list.

Several years ago,I was asked to speak about global hunger and poverty to a JustFaith Ministries class at Our Lady of the Most Rosary Catholic Community in Albuquerque. I asked Jude to come with me. We were both graduates of a JustFaith, a program that engages people of faith in discussion and experience of real-life issues.

Children at St. John XXIII wrote messages about hunger

A Great Story Teller
I invited Jude to come along because he brought along the real-life perspective that I lacked. Jude, who was then working as a chaplain at a hospice program in the Albuquerque area, is a great story teller. His stories carry a lot of weight because of his broad life experience.

How many of us can say we have helped with disaster relief in the aftermath of earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal? And raise your hands if you were part of the Witness for Peace delegation that opposed the US intervention in Nicaragua.  I cannot count how many times I have heard about Jude's travels to Malawi, Kenya and other countries in Africa to assist with programs for communities where people are suffering from AIDS and other diseases. You get the picture. At the JustFaith class, I offered the statistics and the big picture. Jude offered a story about the deep faith of a group of people that he met during one of his many visits to Malawi, as part of a program sponsored by a program affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

The first time I met Jude, he had the role of director of social concerns at John XXIII Catholic Community. (With the beatification of Pope John XXIII, the community is now called St. John XXIII Catholic Community). At that time Jude was  a strong supporter of Bread for the World, so I asked him to do one of the readings at an ecumenical worship service at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. Jude, who believes legislative advocacy is an important element of fighting hunger and poverty, readily agreed.

The next time I crossed paths with Jude, he was director of religious education at Aquinas Newman Center.  At Newman Center, he led a program for parishioners on the spirituality of fasting.

Jude in deep prayer before delivering his sermon

A People Perspective
Jude also delivered the sermon for our U2 Agape Service in October 2007, sponsored by Bread-New Mexico, the ONE Campaign, Newman Center Campus Ministry, Lutheran Campus Ministry and St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church. The service was modeled after the U2Charist, which used songs from the rock group U2 to promote faith-based action against global poverty.

Here is an excerpt of a blog post I wrote about the U2 Agape Service.

The sermon was delivered by Jude Fournier, director of religious education at Newman Center, who spoke about his experiences working with victims of Hurricane Mitch in Central America, and also with villagers in Malawi for the past two summers. Jude related a touching story of his encounter of young refugee mother along the Nicaragua-Honduras border who had just lost her child. In the village of Chibanzi, Malawi, Jude had the opportunity to work alongside remarkable people who minister to people suffering with AIDS and their families. One Presbyterian minister shared with him that on average he presides over ten funerals per day. Jude was touched by the words above the minister's Prayer House. "First, dear child you must die to yourself and then you shall know the unimaginable joy of walking out of the tomb."

Jude is now director of religious formation at St. John XXIII Catholic Community. He has promoted many projects to help parishioners of all ages to enhance their faith. With his support, students who participated in Vacation Bible School in the summer of 2015 wrote messages on paper plates urging our US Representatives and Senators to strengthen child nutrition programs. The children received a nice reply from Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Even with his duties at St. John XXIII, Jude still takes time off from his duties to travel to Nepal, Africa and other places where he can lend a hand. Clara Maestas, business manager at St. John XXIII, wrote a great piece on Jude's nomination for the Congressional Medal of Honor for May 2016 edition The People of God, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Here is the link to the article, found on pages 23 and 32.

I have asked Jude to relate more stories from his experiences abroad in our Bread New Mexico blog. Stay tuned.

ONE Campus Organizer Maddy Vonhoff Visits New Mexico

Maddy Vonhoff, campus organizer for ONE, visited New Mexico at the end of August to develop contacts at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. ONE is seeking to create campus chapters at UNM and NMSU and community chapters in Albuquerque and Las Cruces. As part of that effort, Maddy (center) also held a meet-up at a local brew pub at UNM. Among those who attended were Sandee McCullough (to her left) and Sandra Perea (to her right). 

The new generation of potential ONE activists (working with Maddy,community organizer Mike Hogan and new local campus and community leaders) would build on other efforts by ONE in Albuquerque to fight global poverty, including a U2 Agape Service in 2007, a table to promote the fight against global poverty on Earth Day in 2010, an effort to to make global health and extreme poverty foreign policy priorities in the 2012 presidential election, a campaign to gain signatures for the Electrify Africa initiative in 2015.There is more in store in 2016 and beyond, and you are invited to join local efforts to fight global poverty.

Bono, Eugene Peterson, The Message and the Psalms

"The psalmist is brutally honest about the explosive joy that he's feeling and the deep sorrow or confusion," Bono said. "And it's that that sets the Psalms apart for me. And I often think, 'God, well why isn't church music more like that?'" -Bono

This video message documents the friendship between Bono (lead musician of the band U2) and Eugene Peterson (author of contemporary-language Bible translation The Message) revolving around their common interest in the Psalms. Based on interviews conducted by Fuller Seminary faculty member David Taylor and produced in association with Fourth Line Films, the film highlights in particular a conversation on the Psalms that took place between Bono, Peterson, and Taylor at Peterson’s Montana home. Read more in Sojourners magazine and The Huffington Post

Bono Commends Illinois Congregation for Efforts on Refugee Crisis

 "In a globalized world, the definition of neighbor is not what it used to be, but the principle hasn’t changed ... We as believers are called to take a stand," -Bono (quoting Matthew 8:20 and 25:42-46 to explain the importance of  responding to the current global refugee crisis).

Bono sent a video message to Bill and Lynn Hybels, pastors at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, to commend and inspire the congregation on this year's Celebration of Hope. "Bill Hybels told the congregation that he and Bono stay in touch, joking that whenever Bono needs song lyrics, he's there for him. When Bono found out that 4,000 runners were participating in a "Run For Refugees" 5K to help refugee women and children receive therapy to recover from the trauma they've endured, he wanted to send a message to the congregation," said Sherry Lawrence in the online site @U2.  Read full piece

A Common Pitch on the Global Food Security Act

The Global Food Security Act (GFSA) would empower communities to feed themselves. It creates long-lasting solutions to chronic hunger by focusing more on support and skills training to local communities, including women farmers, and improving agricultural productivity.  -CARE

Bread for the World, ONE, CARE and other anti-hunger organizations have mobilized their members to send an email or call Congress today, April 12, urging our representatives to vote in favor of  H.R. 1567, the Global Food Security Act. If you haven't done so, please contact your representative TODAY, urging him or her to vote in favor of this important initiative. (Many of our legislators are members of the House Hunger Caucus, so you might want to drop them a note thanking him or her for participating in the caucus while urging him or her to support this important piece of legislation).

Bread for the World
"The House is voting on the Global Food Security Act tomorrow! Your advocacy made it happen! Call (800-826-3688) or email your representative and urge him/her to pass the bill (H.R. 1567). Let's strengthen food security and nutrition and feed the future.

 

ONE
The House is voting on the Global Food Security Act on Tuesday Over the last two weeks, ONE members worked hard to get more than 120 members of Congress to support this bill, which will help make sure some of the world’s poorest people have the sustainable tools they need to fight hunger for good. Now we need to make sure that the House passes it. Send a message to your member of Congress -- Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham -- and tell her to vote YES tomorrow for H.R. 1567, the Global Food Security Act. Nearly 800 million people around the world suffer from hunger. But this bill will help developing countries grow their way out of hunger, malnutrition, and extreme poverty for good. We just need to get it passed. And your voice could make a huge difference. Investing in agriculture is one the best ways to reduce poverty in Africa -- tell your representative to pass H.R. 1567 NOW.

CARE
Hunger is a solvable problem. The good news is that Congress is close to passing a critical bill – the Global Food Security Act – to strengthen U.S. efforts to end chronic global hunger.We need your help today to ensure Congress passes the bill and to make it law.

The Global Food Security Act (GFSA) would empower communities to feed themselves. It creates long-lasting solutions to chronic hunger by focusing more on support and skills training to local communities, including women farmers, and improving agricultural productivity. With your help, we can make life better for the 795 million people around the world suffering from chronic hunger.  Please take a moment to urge your lawmakers to pass the GFSA.

Honoring Cindy Levin

Photo from Cindy Levin's blog

What do U2 lead singer Bono, Etharin Cousin (executive director of the World Food Programme), philinatropist Bill Gates, and Cindy Levin have in common?  They all made the list of 30 Innovators Fighting World Hunger and Poverty, published in 2014 by Top Master’s In Healthcare Administration.

Bono, Cousin and Gates are very recognizable names, but I can't say I have interacted with them in any form. And the other 26 individuals on the list are all worthy of recognition, but I also can't say I know them personally. On the other hand, I know Cindy Levin as a fellow grassroots advocate, as an anti-hunger and anti-poverty blogger, and as a Facebook friend. Check out her blog,  Anti-Poverty Mom: Raising my voice & my kids.  Cindy is passionate about advocacy, as evidenced by her work with RESULTS and Bread for the World (and early on with the ONE Campaign). In 2013, I reprinted a great piece from her article 7 Reasons You Should Take Your Kids to Lobby Congress

In addition to her advocacy efforts, Cindy is very involved in direct service, as evidenced by her work with Shot@Life, a movement to protect children worldwide by providing life-saving vaccines where they are most needed. Read more in A Shot@Life in Uganda: Vaccines for Children

Here is what the article on the 30 anti-hunger and anti-poverty champions says about Cindy.

Image from Momentumnation

Levin is a former automotive engineer turned volunteer activist and fundraising coach in Chicago with RESULTS, Bread for the World, and Shot@Life. She is a mother to two daughters, and she credits her own mother for her calling to serve her community.

Levin is particularly passionate about vaccination, a cost-effective way to save lives worldwide. She brings congressmen letters from children, who urge them to legislate greater access to vaccines. Levin combines her love of running with advocacy by competing in half-marathons. She trains with her daughters, who along with Levin ran for Charity Miles and raised enough money for Shot@Life to vaccinate over 100 children against polio, measles, rotavirus, and pneumococcal virus. 

The world is a better please because of the work of people like Cindy Levin.

Electrify Africa Act Wins Approval in Congress...and a Group of Students at UNM Helped

Photo montage from ONE

The Electrify Africa Act  is now law. The initiative directs the President to establish a multiyear strategy to assist countries in sub-Saharan Africa implement national power strategies and develop an appropriate mix of power solutions, including renewable energy, to provide access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power in order to reduce poverty and drive economic growth.

There are many people to thank for helping to make this happen. Over four years, ONE members worked tirelessly to turn an idea into a law.

Sherif Aboubakr and Jielin Pan staff ONE table at UNM​

With petitions, letters, tweets, and in-person meetings, ONE members continued to raise their voice in support of this bill. This included a group of students at the University of New Mexico, who set up a table at an international fair on campus in 2014 to gather signatures to be sent to Congress.

Members of Congress played a key role as well. Many worked across party lines, and across Chambers, to build a strong bipartisan bill built on private sector partnerships. Electrify Africa would not be the law it is today without their hard work and support.

Take a minute to send a note of thanks to Congress. 

ONE and (RED) celebrate 10 Years of Fighting AIDS

ONE had an amazing (not a charity) concert at Carnegie Hall in honor of the organization's benefactors and the work ONE activists and (RED) have done over the past ten years to make sure we see an AIDS-free generation.

Stephen Colbert, Bill Clinton, and Vice President Joe Biden were among those who spoke, Walking Dead" actress and playwright Danai Gurira performed a riveting monologue from her play- speaking from the perspective of an African mother who discovers that her cheating husband has left her HIV positive- and stars including Jessie J, Miley Cyrus and Bono and the Edge provided the music.  -Excerpts from ONE on ONE weekly newsletter:

Elaine &Jamie Drummond (ONE co-founder)

"Volunteers came from all over - California Washington state, Miami, Canada," said  Elaine VanCleave, a ONE volunteer from Nashville. "They printed our names in the program and Bono did a general shout out to the volunteers. Sting, Stephen Colbert, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden were the presenters. Trevor Noah was the emcee." 

ONE activist Kristi York Wooten wrote about the event and World AIDS Day in The Huffington Post.

In addition to the concert (which was held on World AIDS Day), a handful of ONE and(RED) leaders rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, including Elaine VanCleave. Gives new meaning to "ringing in the holiday."

The actual ringing was led by CEOs Tom Hart of ONE and Deborah Dugan of (RED). "They pressed a button to ring the bell," said VanCleave. "The bell was right behind me. Loud and very big. It was cool. All the traders on the floor were watching us."  (Photos courtesy of Elaine VanCleave)

Marking #WorldAidsDay

Photo by Elaine VanCleave

God of overflowing love, we come with joys and sorrows. We come in turmoil an d chaos, struggling to create one world in hope. Let your loving justice inspire our hearts as we pray...God of our hope, make us one as we walk with all who live with HIV or AIDS. Encourage our hearts and open our hands.  from Worship Resources for World Aids Day

Since 2006,  the Empire State Building in New York City has been marking World Aids Day on Dec. 1 with red lighting on its top floors. The red color matches the red ribbons that many people around the world will be wearing this day. The red ribbon is the international symbol of AIDS awareness. It is a sign of solidarity with all those who are affected by HIV/AIDS.

A sponsor of the annual campaign is the AIDS awareness charity (RED), which was founded in 2006 by Irish musician  Bono and Bobby Shriver. (RED) supports The Global Fund HIV/AIDS grants in eight countries with a goal of virtually eliminating transmission of the virus from moms to their babies.  Read more

Other landmark buildings around the world—like the Sydney Opera House, the London Eye and Cape Town’s Table Mountain—were also lit red for World AIDS Day.

Cover of ONE's AIDS Report 2015

This year, the global anti-poverty organization ONE is holding a special celebration at Carnegie Hall on World AIDS Day to celebrate ten years of ONE and (RED). Congressional district leaders, volunteer team members, and regional faith leaders joined with staff to mark this milestone.  A group of ONE activists participated in the ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Dec. 1.

ONE also marked the occasion with the release of The AIDS Report 2015

ONE activists at the NYSE Photo: Don VanCleave

Four Ways to Observe International Women's Day

Read the 2015 Hunger Report
In addition to "springing forward," today is a very important day in the fight against global poverty. On this day (and on every March 8), the global community celebrates International Women's Day.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Make it Happen” (#Makeithappen), which supports greater awareness of women’s equality and encourages effective action for advancing and recognizing women.

The Bread for the World Institute's 2015 annual Hunger Report examines gender discrimination, which makes women more vulnerable to hunger. Empowering women globally will help end hunger.
  

Write to Chancellor Merkel  
The ONE Campaign offers an opportunity to take action on behalf of women through is campaign #povertyissexist.

Here's what ONE says:

"It's about time someone said it. Being born female in one of the world¹s poorest countries means your life will be harder, simply because of your gender. Unlocking the full potential of girls and women wouldn¹t just transform their own lives, or even their families' - it could help end extreme poverty for good.

In developing countries, thousands of girls and women are breaking down these barriers and achieving extraordinary things. But your voice can help turn personal victories into global ones.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is hosting a meeting of the world¹s most powerful leaders this June. She gets to decide what gets talked about and what gets acted on.

Beyoncé, Meryl Streep, Sheryl Sandberg, and dozens of other amazing women have already added their voices to The ONE Campaign's efforts. Now, you can stand with women and girls everywhere: Tell Chancellor Merkel it¹s time for real action that will lead to real change."

Click here to join ONE in sending this message to Chancellor Merkel
 Dear Chancellor Merkel
This year we can commit to ending extreme poverty - but we will only achieve this if we unlock the full potential of millions of girls and women. I'm counting on you to take real action that leads to real change - prioritizing the countries and people that need it the most.

Send a Free E-Card
Oxfam America invites you to commemorate International Women's Day by sending a free E-Card to friends and family, spreading the word on social media, or honoring a woman who is making a difference in your community. Whatever you choose to do, you’re sending a powerful message about the role of women as a force for change.

Click Here to Send Oxfam's E-Card

Share Your Photos of  Courage
If you could capture courage in a photograph, what would it look like? Perhaps it’s someone standing up for what they believe in despite the opposition. Or someone overcoming their biggest fear to become a stronger person. CARE invites you to Tweet your photo to @CARE with the hashtag #IAmCourage. CARE staff will pick  out their favorites and display them on the organization's Web site! Need inspiration? Check out CARE’s photos of courage.  You can also Tweet a Photo

A Tennesee ONE Advocate (and Bread for the World Board Member) Joins in Video Message to World Leaders at United Nations This Week

People had 24 hours to submit a video response, which we turned into a crowdsourced film to be presented to world leaders at the UN this week. Hundreds of activists from Nepal to Kenya, India to Italy, the US and the UK, submitted video responses, including ONE advocate (and Bread for the World board member) Elaine VanCleave from Nashville, Tenn., Mashable founder Pete Cashmore,actor and activist Idris Elba, who recently starred in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Each vowed to stay in the fight against extreme poverty and help all people live in dignity. (Note: Elaine is  the very first person who appears in this video!)

Sen. Martin Heinrich Co-Sponsors Energize Africa Act of 2014

ONE volunteers at UNM

On Sept. 17, the Energize Africa Act of 2014 (SB 2508) gained three new co-sponsors in the Senate, including our own Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. The two other new co-sponsors who signed on to the bill that day were Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Sen. Christopher Murphy of Connecticut., The measure requires the Administration to develop a comprehensive, multi-year strategy to achieve energy access goal in sub-Saharan Africa. Televison host Andrew Zimmern tells you more in this blog post.

The list of 22 sponsors of the Senate measure includes its lead sponsor, Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Johnny Isaakson of  Georgia,  Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Sen. Christopher Coons  of  Delaware. (Sens. Corker and Coons are also the lead sponsors of the Food for Peace Reform Act of 2014 (SB 2421),  a bipartisan initiative that provides needed flexibility to deliver food aid, making the program more efficient).

Sens. Heinrich, Schumer, and Murphy signed on to SB2508, partly in thanks to the efforts of the 13 Power Project winners, AKA "Power Trippers", selected among volunteers around the country because of their active work on behalf of ONE. The Power Trippers visited Senate offices during the third week of September to seek support for the Energize Africa Act.

While none of the 13 volunteers came from New Mexico, some of  the 44,000 messages they delivered to Senate offices came from our state. I'm sure their efforts to bring Sen. Heinrich on board were also supported by dozens of letters obtained by the ONE chapter at the University of New Mexico and the countless emails from ONE supporters in our state during the summer..

So what's the next step?  ONE advocates around the country will continue  efforts to bring the other 78 senators on board (including Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico) as co-sponosrs before  the measure comes to the Senate floor for a vote.  The companion measure  in the House, HR 2538, was approved by an overwhelming margin  last spring (with the support of Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Ben Ray Lujan).

ONE Members: We Can Cut Poverty in Half by 2030

ONE members have a powerful message - extreme poverty has been cut in half and we can finish the job by 2030.



Just like Maragaret and Phil and Gustavo and Amy and Chijoke and Mitchell, you’ve helped cut extreme poverty in half. But we need your help - your voice - if we're going to finish the job.

So tell us the one thing you’ll do before the end of the year to keep up the fight. Sign a petition. Recruit three friends to join the fight. Write a letter to your senator. Tweet. Host an event. Pledge your one thing on our volunteer form right here and let's get this done!

Thanks -

ONE