“The entire coastal plain is flooded in the May 5 image. The fallow agricultural areas appear to have been especially hard hit. For example, Yangôn (population over 4 million) is almost completely surrounded by floods. Several large cities (population 100,000–500,000) are in the affected area. Muddy runoff colors the Gulf of Martaban turquoise.”
Around 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles) remain underwater, and more than a million homeless need emergency relief, a UN spokesman said.
“The bottle-neck (in aid) is getting it out in the delta. That needs boats, helicopters, trucks,” said Richard Horsey, a Bangkok-based spokesman with the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs…
Food prices in Myanmar, already one of the most impoverished nations in the world, have soared. A bag of rice now costs 40,000 kyats (35 dollars) in the commercial hub Yangon, up from 25,000 last week.
Frustrated aid agencies said they are still being denied permission to enter Myanmar and use their experience and expertise to ensure the right aid gets to the neediest places as soon as possible.”
May 8th, 2008 at 9:27 am | posted by Sen.Bill.Frist.M.D
Tuesday I had a tremendous experience in Memphis when I helped launch Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers report, which draws attention to the fact that more than 200 million children under age 5 worldwide lack basic health care measures. These aren’t high-tech, high-cost health care interventions…these are simple solutions like antibiotics to treat pneumonia or a remedy of sugar and salt when mixed with clean water that can treat diarrhea. These measures can save more than 15,000 children’s lives around the world every day.
And while that seems like a topic that is very distant from our lives in America or Tennessee, my time in Memphis with the children and faculty of Lamplighter Montessori School brought home how close we really are to the far corners of the world – and how every person, young and old alike, can make a difference in the lives of kids in need halfway across the globe.
I had the great pleasure of talking with students about my trip to Bangladesh last August, when I helped deliver hand-knitted baby caps to new moms and newborns in Save the Children health programs there, which are supported by USAID. Indeed, Lamplighter students themselves made some of the 3,000 caps from Tennessee that made their way to Bangladesh to keep babies warm (and increase their chance of survival) during their first critical hours and days of life.
There was a real excitement about being with the children whose little hands knitted the caps that I had the ultimate pleasure of putting on babies’ heads in Bangladesh as everything came full circle. It was extraordinary to be a part of the entire process … but it was even better knowing that all of us had pulled together to make a big and important difference in the health of children living in Bangladesh and in other countries where children don’t always make it past 5 years old.
Lamplighter students ages 7 to 10 knitted caps and used their voices as part of a project to call on their leaders in Washington to increase funding for newborn and child health programs in developing countries. They told me about their “hard day of lobbying” on Capitol Hill, where they went with baby caps in hand to be heard on behalf of all the world’s babies. Who wouldn’t be inspired by the actions of such young children trying to make a difference?
You can help, too. I’ve mentioned the Global Child Survival Act in this blog before. This legislation, backed by more than 100 members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, could save the lives of millions more newborns and young children globally – every year – and provide health solutions where they are most needed.
It’s critical that you let your representatives in Washington know that you support this bill … and that you keep the power of using medicine as a currency for peace in mind when visiting the ballot box in November. Let’s not let this opportunity to save millions of young lives pass. What better gift can we give moms around the world this Mother’s Day than to raise our voices to address this challenge?
-Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D
On Tuesday, May 5, Save the Children and Doctor and Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist visited our school to launch the 2008 State of the Worlds’ Mothers Report. Who would think that learning to knit would bring so much excitement? Not the first second and third graders in Cordova, TN at Lamplighter Montessori School who knitted infant caps for Save the Children’s Caps to the Capital campaign!
Our students knitted the caps and sent them to Save the Children. Then they were invited to D.C to lobby with Save the Children. This week our school was chosen as The United States launch site for the 2008 report. Bright and early on Tuesday morning our students went on TV to promote awareness of the report. Later in the day, Senator Frist visited the school to talk about the simple and inexpensive ways children’s lives can be saved; warm caps for infants, hand washing, clean water and immunizations. The students showed Senator Frist the caps they had knitted in anticipation of another “Caps to the Capital” campaign.
Our Middle School students presented Save the Children, Senator Frist, Shelby County Mayor A. C. Wharton and ONE with student paintings to show our appreciation for the work being done to help children all over the world reach their first birthday.
-Terrie Sampson, Head of School, Lamplighter Montessori School
May 7th, 2008 at 2:17 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
Five days since Cyclone Nargis hit Burma, the state media has reported 22,464 confirmed dead and 41,054 missing. The “UN estimates hundreds of thousands have been left homeless and millions are without food and water. Up to 40 per cent of the victims are believed to be children.” (Australian Daily Telegraph.)
“In a statement, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged authorities in Burma - also known as Myanmar - to allow foreign aid workers and supplies into the country…But Burma has refused to waive visa requirements for many waiting aid workers…
Survivors face poor sanitation and a lack of access to clean water.
Flooding could lead to outbreaks of mosquito-borne malaria and dengue fever, while water-borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery are also a threat.”
UPDATE: “The information that we’re receiving indicates that there may well be over 100,000 deaths in the delta area,” Shari Villarosa, the charge d’affaires in Burma, tells reporters during a conference call.” (USA Today)
May 7th, 2008 at 11:18 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
Last week, we reported on the continuing calls to alter food aid policy so that 1/4 of the food could be purchased local to its distribution location (rather than shipping it all from the U.S.) Today, Reuters reports on a tide-changing shift toward that change.
Some excerpts:
President George W. Bush, taking a harder line in recent weeks, appears closer to victory in persuading Congress to accept a proposal to use some U.S. food-aid funds to buy crops overseas in the end game of a long-delayed agriculture law.
Giving poor countries the authority to buy food aid locally “seems like it’s becoming a requirement to get this farm bill passed,” said Rebecca Bratter, who follows trade at U.S. Wheat Associates, an industry group….
Although no final decisions have been made, according to one congressional aide, lawmakers are more likely than ever to set aside sharp agribusiness opposition and vote to allow up to a quarter of the largest food-aid program, run by the U.S. Agency for International Development, to buy crops overseas.
May 6th, 2008 at 3:16 pm | posted by Josh Chernila, ONE Online Communities Coordinator
One week ago at scoop shops across the country volunteers helped launch the new Ben & Jerry’s flavor, ONE Cheesecake Brownie, to spread the word about ONE, recruit new members and enjoy a free frosty delicious treat. Nationwide, approximately 250,000 ONE Bands were distributed at 350 participating shops on April 29th for free cone day.
As a wrap-up from one of our most successful national efforts, here are some selected stories ONE members wanted to share:
Debra Goldenberg, Berkeley, CA:
Berkeley event went well, 105 people signed up with ONE. Most didn’t have time to linger at the table, as they were rushing in to get icecream, but I did make some connections with a couple of active UC Berkeley students (one invited me to table at an upcoming event she is holding with her Roots and Shoots chapter, which is a group founded by Jane Goodall) and with staff from the Seva Foundation, www.seva.org, which also had a table at the store. I suggested they partner with ONE, it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
One thing I learned this time, the handouts, while full of wonderful information, are too dense for many people at this event, they did not want to read that much or take papers with them, and were more attracted to the colorful vote08 brochures. I know those are expensive…I think next time I will print a few bold point of interest facts to display that will help start conversations and maybe prompt them to look into more information in the handouts.
And I got to taste brownie cheesecake,,,yum! It was a fun day, the time went very fast!
Colin Woods, Ft. Collins, CO:
It went fantastic. And i felt like it was a huge success. I was even able to contact another very enthused guy. He would like to start putting together meetings and he is the leader in a band and wants ONE stuff to be at all his concerts. He is a great guy. We gave out hundreds and hundreds of bands. It was great. Unfortunately, however only 3 people were able to help with the table but it turned out fine anyway. I think any more and people would have been afraid to look over at the table. Thank you for contacting me about this event it was a great experience and I hope I can help out more in the future.
Chris Geer, ONE Vote ‘08, Pennsylvania:
With things quieting down on the presidential campaign in Pennsylvania following the primary election on April 22, ONE Vote ’08 took advantage of the lull by enjoying some free ice cream! Ben & Jerry’s held a free cone day at its “scoop shops” across the country on Tuesday – this year highlighting its partnership with ONE with their new flavor, ONE Cheesecake Brownie.
Starting at noon, ONE Vote ’08 staff were out for the day at the Pittsburgh Ben & Jerry’s with ONE volunteers signing up new ONE Members, handing out literature and ONE bands to the lines of people out for the free cones. Over 120 new ONE Members signed the ONE declaration, some stopping to talk about the real issues of poverty and global disease and many joining up as volunteers. While numerous people had heard of ONE and knew of Bono’s connection to the organization, for most it was a great chance to get the word out about OV08 and the opportunities we have because of the election in November.
Cherie Martinez, Marin County, CA:
A friend and I set up at the Greenbrae (Marin County, CA) Ben & Jerry’s store. John the owner and two of his kids along with other scoopers were very helpful and really enjoyed the event.
There were lots of people to take part in the Free Cone Day. We signed up 80+ people. It was encouraging to hear so many young kids and teenagers asking about ONE. There was one kid - he was six - asking what diseases were in Africa and what is a bed net and what did the ONE people do to help. He said he didn’t have email, but when he got it he would sign up.
It was a busy afternoon and a bit frantic at times, as the line grew long for a couple of hours. It certainly was a great success.
This little girl had just been back for her second choice on Free Cone (Cup) Day. She seemed really happy about it.
Matt Higgenson, ONE Vote ‘08 Nevada:
Tuesday, April 29th was a very tasty day in Las Vegas NV. Recently Ben & Jerry’s launched their a new ONE flavor of ice cream to help raise awareness about extreme poverty and global disease.
In addition to launching “ONE Cheesecake Brownie” Ben & Jerry’s teamed up with ONE for their annual free cone day. At participating shops throughout the country Ben & Jerry’s staffers were in ONE shirts and the shops had ONE literature on hand to give to customers.
The ONE Vegas chapter was on hand at a couple shops in Las Vegas to sign up new members and talk with patrons about ONE’s efforts to save lives and eradicate extreme poverty.
Ambassador of ONE, Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, was a guest scooper at one Ben & Jerry’s location. Mayor Gibson has already declared Henderson a “City of ONE” and remains committed to helping his constituents understand the importance of eradicating diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.
Danielle DePas, ONEMiami:
The high school students from ONE Pines Charter were at the Ben and Jerry’s at the Hard Rock Casino in Ft. Lauderdale. They talked to many people, took a lot of cool pictures, got about 80 signatures, and loved the ice cream! Fleet week was in town, so we saw a lot of uniforms.
Rochelle Gibbs, Twin Cities:
We spent our time between two locations in the Twin Cites - 3 of us (including Libby from OV08) spent the full day at America’s first indoor mall and we collected more than 200 signatures. Another volunteer spent the evening at a very energetic UofM campus location that brought in their own DJ. In my location, it was mostly passerbys stopping by the kiosk to take advantage of the free ice cream and they had never heard of ONE prior to this day. I thought this was a great promotion that allowed us to connect with folks who would not have otherwise heard of ONE.
ONE Dallas:
Dallas had a great time!! We gave out a TON of information to tons of people. Nikki McKibbin from American Idol Season ONE was our Celebrity Scooper and she did an autograph signing as well! She seemed to really have a good time! I have uploaded pictures on the ONEDallas myspace….. myspace.com/onedallas!
May 6th, 2008 at 1:58 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
This Saturday, May 10, starting at midnight EST, you can watch 24 hours of new films and documentaries for free at PangeaDay.org
The films were selected from 2,500 submissions from more than 100 countries - and the winning films won out due to “their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person’s eyes.” The idea came from filmmaker Jehane Noujaim who won the TED Prize in 2006 for her goal to create a day in which the world came together through film.
The many who watch the films on the 10th will then be encouraged to join specific groups- among them - ONE.org.
Learn more about the films here, and how to watch the films online, on television or in movie theaters here.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:28 am | posted by Kim Smith, ONE Regional Field Organizer
In the days leading up to the Indiana primary, candidates were making appearances across the state - and last Thursday when Senator Hillary Clinton made a stop in Jeffersonville, ONE was there!
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. introduced the senator to the over one thousand Indianans at the event, he said that one of the reasons why America is great is that we not only help our own people, but we also help people around the world.
After Senator Hillary Clinton spoke to a crowd in the Jeffersonville High School Gym, she stayed afterward to sign autographs, take pictures, and speak to people - including me.
As Hillary worked her way through the crowd and got to me, I thanked her for going “On the Record” with ONE to lay out her plan to combat global poverty. She took a break from signing an autograph and looked up to say, “Thank you for saying that.”
All the candidates have gone “On the Record” for ONE to lay out their plans for fighting extreme poverty around the world, so if you haven’t checked them out yet, you can see on ONE’s “On The Record” minisite. The Education for All Act’s lead sponsor is Senator Hillary Clinton and if passed it would increase U.S funding for universal primary education and help get over 77 million new children around the world in school.
May 5th, 2008 at 5:51 pm | posted by Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
This past weekend, longtime ONE member and volunteer Michelle Deegan took part in a Walk for Hunger in her home state of Connecticut. Michelle and some fellow ONE members wore ONE shirts to create a presence in their community to help raise awareness of ONE and the world’s poorest people.
By using our voices and incorporating ONE in local events, we are building a movement of Americans that want our country to fight global disease and world wide hunger. Wearing a ONE shirt or a ONE band is a small and easy way to help make a big difference in the world! Way to go Michelle!
The ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, volunteers, members and coalition partners.
The content of each post and each comment represent the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ONE Campaign or ONE Action. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any posts expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
Debra Goldenberg, Berkeley, CA:
Colin Woods, Ft. Collins, CO:
Chris Geer, ONE Vote ‘08, Pennsylvania:
Cherie Martinez, Marin County, CA:
Matt Higgenson, ONE Vote ‘08 Nevada:
Danielle DePas, ONEMiami:
