News
2008 Fall Highlights
The October 13, 2008 issue of TIME magazine profiles James Nachtwey’s body of work in which he visually captures victims of tuberculosis worldwide. Nachtwey, award winning photo journalist for TIME magazine, uses these images to raise global-awareness about extreme drug-resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB. His goal—which is part of his award for winning the 2007 TED Prize—is to educate people on this highly preventable and curable disease through his camera lens. His video and photographs have already been screened in 30 major cities across the globe from Rio de Janeiro to Melbourne. Non-profits, politicians, and media outlets alike have come forward to help spread this story and figure out what happens next. Please visit www.xdrtb.org for more information.
Key poverty alleviation and development issues have been making headlines recently, such as:
New York Times Magazine : A Green Revolution for Africa? By David Rieff
CNN International's Inside Africa: Purchase for Progress about how the United Nation’s World Food Programme is working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to alleviate hunger.
Newsweek: Helping at Home and Overseas by Dr. Helene Gayle, President & CEO of CARE
And at the Clinton Global Initiative’s Annual Meeting, numerous world leaders engaged in fascinating panel conversations, such as Strengthening Livelihoods through Financial Services for the Poor and Food Security and Poverty. All Clinton Global Initiative panels can be found here.
September’s Condé Nast Traveler features Matt Damon sharing about his visits to Africa over the past few years. He said "I think many of our problems as a country would be solved if people had thick passports, there's just no substitute for actually going and seeing things." His foundation, the H2O Africa Foundation is now working to bring safe drinking water to millions of people.
2008 Spring Highlights
On June 26, 2008 ABC's Nightline chronicled Ben Affleck's recent trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The ongoing conflict in the DRC is the deadliest since the Second World War, with 1,200 people still dying daily from conflict and conflict-related causes such as hunger and preventable diseases. Visit Nightline’s website to learn firsthand about Ben's engagement in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To view clips of the Nightline segment, click Ben Affleck Nightline Segments.
The DATA Report 2008, released on June 18th by ONE, the global anti-poverty organization, shows the G8 are falling further behind on the commitment they made in 2005 to contribute an additional $22 billion in assistance to Africa by 2010. According to The DATA Report 2008, the G8 are halfway to the 2010 deadline, but so far have only delivered $3 billion, or 14 percent, of the $22 billion commitment. If the G8 continue at their current pace, they will collectively fall far short of where they pledged to be by 2010. For more information visit ONE.
williamsworks joined with TIES, the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM, to design learning experiences that exposed 50+ educators and thought leaders to the STEM teaching practices at McKinley Technology High School in Washington D.C. and High Tech High in San Diego. There the educators learned about how these schools are using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education to take our high schools to the next level.
2008 Winter Highlights
This past January, williamsworks was pleased to see our partner Dr. Rajiv Shah, Director of Agricultural Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, profiled in the Seattle Times for the foundation’s important work in agriculture around the globe.
2007 Fall Highlights
This fall, our projects at williamsworks have continued to take us around the globe. We worked on agricultural development in India, explored libraries in Mexico and our work with the Alaska Wilderness League allowed us to make a difference right in our own backyard. Specifically, we had the opportunity to participate in an event honoring Seattle P-I columnist Joel Connelly, where he was presented with the first ever Voice of the Wild Award in recognition of his work promoting greater awareness of the importance of protecting and preserving Alaska’s wilderness.