2009
Winter Highlights
Global Washington’s first annual conference, ‘A Blueprint for Action,’ was held in Seattle on December 7-8th. As one participant, Akhtar Badshah of Microsoft, wrote in an Op-Ed to The Huffington Post, “The Global Washington event showcased the vibrancy, energy and innovation taking place across the State on addressing global development.” Ambassador Elizabeth Bagley of the Global Partnerships Initiative at the U.S. Department of State and Nick Kristof of the New York Times were keynote speakers at the event, which was attended by 300 members of the Washington business and non-profit community. Learn more about Global Washington’s work to convene, strengthen and advocate for the global development sector in Washington by visiting globalwa.org.
Fall Highlights
Melinda Gates shares a guest post for ONE.org titled Why I Am an Impatient Optimist. She wrote to say ‘thank you’ to those who have been a part of the U.S. government’s tremendous leadership in improving global health, to recount the many successes that have resulted, and underscore the challenges that remain.
The October 1, The Oprah Winfrey show focused on the importance of educating and empowering women around the world. The program showcased “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide”, the New York Times bestselling book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn that tells the stories of women around the world who have overcome poverty, slavery, and violence. One segment of the show was devoted to the issue of violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo and highlighted Ben Affleck’s visits to the region and his conversations with survivors.
You can watch the program here and learn more about what organizations are doing in Congo and how you can help.
The U.S. Department of State recently released a video, narrated by Matt Damon, about the importance of investing in global agricultural production.
The Living Proof Project is a multimedia initiative intended to highlight successes of U.S.-funded global health initiatives. By reporting success stories back to the people who funded them - American taxpayers and their representatives - we hope to reframe the current global health conversation. Millions of lives have already been transformed and saved with effective, affordable solutions. We have the knowledge, innovative technologies and proven tools to do much more. Read more at The Living Proof Project.
New York Times Magazine recently published a piece by Nick Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn on women and poverty. The article, based on their upcoming book, highlights the increasing awareness, "that focusing on women and girls is the most effective way to fight global poverty and extremism." The Women's Crusade details why attention to women's rights is critical, and how groups such as CARE and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are organizing around this issue to maximize outcomes from aid.
Summer Highlight
Three of our clients share their impressions during recent learning trips. Hear firsthand accounts by following the links below:
Helene Gayle, President and CEO of CARE, reflects on her recent visit to Kenya in which she learned first hand about maternal, newborn and child health on the CARE blog, Notes from the Field.
Gabrielle Fitzgerald of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation blogs for ONE.org about the joint malaria-focused learning tour to Uganda and Tanzania with the World Health Organization and the U.N. Special Envoy for Malaria.
Reflecting on the same visit, Dr. Tachi Yamada, President of the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes for CNN's Vital Signs about how the island of Zanzibar has virtually eliminated malaria over the past five years.
In advance of President Obama’s first official visit to the African continent, ONE visited with Ghanaians about Ghana’s success as a unified democracy. Watch the short film, “Yes, Africa Can.”
KnowHow2Go Washington and the NELA Center for Student Success have been working to ensure all Washington students take advantage of the College Bound Scholarship, an exciting opportunity for low-income 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. By signing up before the June 30th deadline, qualified students are eligible for four years paid tuition to attend a college or technical school of their choice in Washington State. Find out more about this great opportunity for young students to become college bound.
Improve access to clean water and sanitation for the world's poorest people by asking your senators to cosponsor the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009 (S.624). Act Now
Dr. Gebisa Ejeta of Ethiopia has been named winner of the $250,000 World Food Prize for his monumental contributions in the production of sorghum, one of the world's five principal cereal grains.
On June 11, ONE released the “DATA Report 2009,” showing mixed results on the progress of the G8’s 2005 commitment to contribute an additional $21.5 billion in assistance to Africa by 2010. At the end of 2008, only $7 billion of the promised aid had been delivered. Estimates show that by the end of 2009 only half of the promised commitment will have been delivered, leaving the G8 only one year to contribute the remainder. However, the G8 has come much closer to fulfilling their pledges in areas such as debt forgiveness, access to primary schools, supporting AIDS treatment, and providing bed nets to protect against malaria. Read the full report here.
Dr. Helene Gayle reflects on her first three years as President and CEO of CARE. Dr. Gayle explains to Rasika Welankiwar of the Harvard Business Review how she applies her skills to “make the whole greater than the sum of its parts” at CARE.
Spring Highlights
April 25 is World Malaria Day, a day of global action and awareness to build the momentum necessary to meet the Millennium Development Goal’s 2010 target of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria, and eradicate malaria deaths by 2015. More information on malaria can be found at:
• World Malaria Day website
• World Vision Special Report (aired on NPR) Malaria 2009: Countdown to Eradication
• TED Talk with Bill Gates: How I’m trying to change the world now
On March 17, 2009, Senator Durbin introduced the Paul Simon Water for the World Act, S 624. Senators Corker, Murray and Collins are co-sponsoring this legislation, which focuses on continuing and expanding the work of the 2005 Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act. Specifically, the new legislation would provide 100 million people with first-time access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015 and improve the capacity of the U.S. Government to fund and implement water and sanitation programs in poor countries. On April 22, Representative Blumenauer introduced the Paul Simon Water for the World Act, (H.R. 2030) into the House of Representatives, co-sponsored by Representatives Boozman, Fortenberry, Miller, Rohrabacher, Welch, Burton, Jackson, Payne and Wamp. This is the companion legislation to S 624 and demonstrates bipartisan interest in both houses of Congress in expanding access to clean water and sanitation in poor countries.
In the March 4, 2009 issue of Education Week, Jan Morrison and Buzz Bartlett of TIES (Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM) have published an opinion piece called "STEM as a Curriculum: An Experiential Approach.”The article contends that a STEM education is “a ticket to a decent wage-paying career in the economy of the 21st century. For that reason access to a quality STEM education becomes an issue of equity and thereby important for all of us.”
Winter Highlights
In the February 23, 2009 issue of TIME Magazine, Ben Affleck and photographer James Nachtwey collaborated in an effort to highlight and illustrate the remarkable survivors and incredible hope in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ben Affleck discusses his recent film on the crisis in eastern Congo with BBC News.