Helping countries help themselves
In this blog post, Natasha Bilimoria, president of Friends of the Global Fight, discusses how the Global Fund helps boost developing countries’ good governance and self-reliance.
Eight years into its work, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has far exceeded expectations. It set out to provide significant new resources to countries in need of global health support, and it now finances two-thirds of all efforts to combat malaria and tuberculosis and one-quarter of all HIV/AIDS programs worldwide. In total, the Global Fund has allocated more than $19 billion in 145 countries around the world.
But the Global Fund and its donors are far from the only actors here. Recipient countries play the starring role in the fight for better health. From the beginning, one of the Global Fund’s fundamental principles has been to support programs that evolve from the needs of a particular country, and that is what’s happening on the ground today.
Here’s the model: Together, stakeholders in a country develop and submit a grant proposal to the Global Fund based on national priorities. This means representatives from government, nongovernmental organizations, universities and private businesses, as well as people living with the diseases, identify their country’s health problems and solutions.
Once the Global Fund awards a grant, these stakeholders are then responsible for implementing proposed programs in their country.
ONE Vote 2010′s week with Florida’s U.S. Senate candidates
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road.
I’m excited to report that it’s been a busy week for ONE Vote 2010 in Florida. The ONE Vote team kicked things off at a rally for Democratic Senate candidate Kendrick Meek on Monday evening in West Palm Beach.
On primary night, I connected with Meek again at his victory party before heading over to Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio’s Tuesday night primary celebration.
We ended the week with a meet and greet with Independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist Friday afternoon in Orlando.
Following the Democratic primaries this past Tuesday, Crist launched his official general election campaign kickoff in his hometown of St. Petersburg.
On the first leg of his new campaign tour, Crist held an event in Orlando, where ONE volunteers and I had a chance to catch up with the governor.
In front of a mixed crowd of Republicans and Democrats at the local union headquarters for plumbers and pipefitters, Crist told supporters that while he “no longer has a political party, he has the people.”
After Crist’s opening remarks, I had a chance to introduce him to our ONE Vote 2010 effort and ask him to support American leadership in the fight to end extreme poverty and preventable disease.
While Crist was already familiar with ONE, he was anxious to learn more, stating that ONE’s issues are “issues we all should care about.” When I offered him a ONE band, he thanked me and said he looked forward to seeing us out on the campaign trail.
Since its launch in July, ONE Vote 2010 has now met with each of Florida’s U.S. Senate candidates and introduced them to ONE’s mission to end extreme poverty and preventable disease.
Be sure to connect with other ONE Vote 2010 Florida members on Facebook and Twitter.
- Will Godfrey, ONE Vote 2010 organizer, Florida
Hodes wears his ONE band on the campaign trail
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road.
On a recent Saturday, Rep. Paul Hodes, (D-N.H.), hosted a breakfast gathering in Concord, New Hampshire, as a stop on his “Wake Up Washington Tour.” ONE members Jackson, Tom and I attended the breakfast with a bunch of excited Hodes supporters.
We entered the event at the same time as Hodes and his wife Peggo, who immediately recognized us in our ONE T-shirts.
“Good to see you here, I’ve been wearing my ONE band on the campaign trail!” Hodes called to us from across the parking lot.
We had a moment to speak with Hodes outside the event, where we thanked him for supporting life-saving programs during his time in the House.
Our ONE team encouraged him to help the United States continue to lead the world in the fight against extreme poverty if elected as senator.
Thanks again to all the ONE members who gave up one of their last summer Saturdays to raise awareness about ways to fight extreme poverty and end preventable diseases. I’m excited to see so many people getting engaged in the political process, and am looking forward to more ONE Vote 2010 events on the campaign trail!
Be sure to connect with other ONE Vote 2010 New Hampshire members on Facebook and Twitter.
- Matt Flanders, ONE Vote 2010 organizer, New Hampshire
Bono discusses AIDS, polio and fighting corruption with Russian President Medvedev
Last week, Bono met with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev while U2 was touring in Moscow. Russia recently reported its first polio case in thirteen years, and continues to experience high rates of HIV among certain marginalized populations.
Increased political leadership and funding from Russia is important for its own needs and to address these major health challenges globally.
Among other things, Bono and the president also discussed the critically important need to fight corruption and promote transparency, particularly in the extractives industry.
ONE and Bono recently fought hard to help pass legislation in the US that will increase transparency in the extractives industry by ensuring corporations have to report payments to governments for oil, gas and minerals. It is important that similar rules are passed in other world capitals as well.
Bono shared a quote from the day of the meeting, which I wanted to share:
“I was honoured to meet with the Russian President today. We talked about the effectiveness of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria, which saves 4,000 lives a day and for which Product (RED) raises cash.
If this lifesaver is fully financed the world could stop any children getting HIV in childbirth by 2015, a visionary goal and a great opportunity for Russian leadership.
We also discussed the importance of fighting corruption as part of the effort to end extreme poverty, and I asked for the President’s advice on how to ensure the new energy sector transparency legislation our organisation ONE lobbied for in America, which covers all companies registered on the New York Stock exchange, could now spread to London, Moscow and other global stock exchanges.
He raised Russian leadership in agriculture and we discussed what more can be done to increase world food production, keep down prices and feed the hungry.
There are great opportunities for Russian leadership on all these fronts at the forthcoming UN and G20 meetings.”
A family portrait with Pat Toomey
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road.
As Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey from Pennsylvania crosses the state on his bus tour this week, it should be no surprise that he’ll run into a few ONE members along the way.
Last week, ONE Congressional District Leader Amanda Modispaw attended Mr. Toomey’s campaign event in Williamsport, Pennsylvania with her family — and they were all wearing their ONE shirts!
Amanda and her family made sure to tell Toomey about their passion for ONE and our fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease in Africa.
She told me that Toomey and his staff immediately recognized their ONE shirts and thanked them for coming out during the week in both Williamsport and Fredericksburg.
There’s lots more to come! In the meanwhile, follow me on Twitter and @reply me if you’re interested in participating in any events.
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