2008
Fall Highlights
In an effort to raise awareness around one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, Ben Affleck recently directed a short film –GIMME SHELTER– about the situation in eastern Congo. The footage was shot last month in the war-torn North Kivu region of the DRC, where 250,000 people have fled their homes since fighting resumed in August. The film is set to the Rolling Stones’ song Gimme Shelter, which the band donated to the effort. williamsworks was pleased to have co-produced this film and encourages you to watch and learn more about the conflict and the work being done to aid those displaced by violence.
NELA Guides Northwest Students to College, published in Colors NW, describes how the biggest barrier to higher education for low-income students is not a lack of opportunity, but a lack of information. To address this need, the nonprofit Northwest Education Loan Association, or NELA, offers free college and career planning resources, as well as guidance through the college and financial aid application processes.
The Associated Press covered Ben Affleck's recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo; this is his fourth trip in the past year to gain insight into the ongoing humanitarian crisis. "The primary reason I am here is to urge people to give money to the NGOs and charities doing hard work in eastern Congo on meager funds," Affleck said. "And if people out there have an existing relationship with a charity, to urge that charity to get involved in eastern Congo." Click here to read or watch the coverage
The October 13, 2008 issue of TIME magazine profiles James Nachtwey’s work in which he visually captures victims of tuberculosis worldwide. Nachtwey, award winning photo journalist, 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 preventable and curable disease through his camera lens. His video and photographs have already been screened in 30 major cities across the globe. 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.
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.
Winter Highlights
This 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.