Blog Contributor:
Grace Venhuizen
Aug 6th, 2010 4:12 PM UTC
By Grace Venhuizen
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 Aerosmith’s Dream On drifted through the Top of the Hill’s sound system last night as matching ONE interns waited anxiously for arrivals to climb the stairs to learn more about eradicating extreme poverty and preventable disease.
Billed as a “Happy Hour and Film Screening”, the ONE intern-planned event brought together more than 200 staff and interns from around the Washington, DC area to hear about ONE and watch a short documentary.
“We wanted to bring all of the interns in DC together at the end of the summer because we know that if you are here to work for a politician or an NGO, that you must care,” Sarah Flanagan, ONE intern said.
Capitalizing on that “caring” attitude, ONE interns screened The Lazarus Effect, a short (RED) and HBO documentary film produced by Spike Jonze that chronicles the transformative power of HIV/AIDS treatment in Africa. “We wanted to get these smart, passionate interns together to talk about (RED), the lifesaving work of antiretroviral drugs and turn their energy into action through working with ONE,” Flanagan said.
 Before the film started, David Lane, ONE CEO and President, introduced guests to the organization. Standing on a short table in the middle of the crowded space, Lane encouraged interns: “Your jobs this summer have exposed you to the positives and the negatives of the inside influence aspect of how Washington works. We’re hoping that when you go home and back to school, or move on to real jobs, that you will be part of the outside mobilization piece [of ONE].”
After the screening, interns explained The ONE Campus Challenge (OCC) program as an opportunity for the outside mobilization Lane was referring to. Behind the film screen, a table, covered in white ONE bands, OCC packets, and DATA Reports, provided sign-up sheets for college students to continue their work beyond the boundaries of Washington, DC and be leaders on their college campuses.
“We wanted to give anyone who wanted to start an OCC chapter at their school the information they needed to do it,” Flanagan said. “We hoped the OCC portion of the event would keep the ideas from the night fresh in students’ memories as they go back to school and help solidify their passion for this type of work.”
With 18 potential campus leaders signed up, and nearly 120 new member sign ups, guests heard Lane’s words loud and clear: “If you care about fighting extreme poverty as much as we do, and I suspect you do, you will want to be involved in mobilizing the public and putting pressure on politicians to create better policy to fight poverty.”
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Jul 27th, 2010 1:58 PM UTC
By Grace Venhuizen
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Leaders accused of breaking their promises as African Union talks start: African leaders have not kept their promises, according to a new report released at the African Union summit. Drawing on studies from 10 key AU nations, the report paints a picture of unfulfilled agreements, missed targets, and failure to invest in the development of the continent. The report did highlight some impressive achievements in the growing acceptance of free primary education, health care and free access to treatment for HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria. (Dorothy Nakaweesi Kampala, Daily Nation)
IFAD Eradicating Poverty, Says Banda: Zambian President Rupiah Banda commended the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) for its commitment to ensuring that poverty is eradicated in Zambia through various agricultural projects. IFAD promised to invest $25 million for agricultural projects into the country by 2012. As a result of agricultural investment, Zambia has reported their highest maize harvest in the nation’s history. (AllAfrica.com)
Advance on AIDS Raises Questions as Well as Joy: The New York Times is calling the microbicide gel to prevent HIV infection “the best AIDS-prevention news in year” as it gives women a 39 percent chance of avoiding infection with the deadly virus. Researchers also discovered the gel protects women even better against genital herpes, and now experts are questioning drug testing, drug mixes and cost. Some questions were easy and encouraging; according to a Columbia University researcher, the price of a dose could fall below that of a condom. (Donald G. McNeil, Jr., New York Times)
Every penny we give in aid to Africa must be made to count: Former prime minister Gordon Brown told the African Union this week that “the point of aid is to make aid redundant” He insisted that western donors keep the promises they made to the world’s poor while noting that the point of aid was to kick start business-led growth, not replace it. The Guardian suggests that while Africa lags far behind other developing economies, aid budgets should be spent on tackling the issues of basic infrastructure, skills and technological capability. (Larry Elliot, The Guardian)
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Jul 26th, 2010 12:41 PM UTC
By Grace Venhuizen
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Obama, Clinton pledge US support for AIDS fight: President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton have pledged the support of the United States in the global fight against AIDS. A recent U.N. report showed that the U.S. was the largest donor of international AIDS assistance in 2009, accounting for more than 58 percent of disbursements by governments. “The U.S. has the power to literally change the course of the epidemic,” the Conference chief said. (Veronika Oleksyn, Associated Press)
New fronts in AIDS war, but funding foe is back: The International AIDS Conference in Vienna made advances in their fight, but found themselves continuing to battle the challenge of funding. While new objectives were set in treating patients with the famous “cocktail” of drugs that treat HIV, new figures showed western donors in 2009 contributed less than in 2008, making it the first annual decline in six years. Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, urged a micro-tax on financial transactions, saying it was time for fast-growing emerging economies to open their wallets for the cause. (Richard Ingham, AFP)
Good Governance is a Duty of All Citizens – UNDP Chief: United Nations Development Programme resident coordinator Macleod Nyirongo has said issues of good governance are a responsibility for all citizens – meaning that the government should meet them half-way. Issues of HIV/AIDS are a challenge which should be tackled in all sectors, he said. And on the issue of education, Nyirongo stressed the need to promote vocation training. (AllAfrica.com)
Stop Taxing the Fight Against Malaria: The presidents of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Uganda write about the challenge of hosting the annual meeting of the African Union, calling for “strategic leadership, vision and courage to address the challenges we face.” With the challenge of malaria, the pair calls for a removal of taxes on tariffs on medication produced outside of Africa. By taxing these treatments the volume of medications that can be purchased is reduced and distribution of medication is delayed. (Yoweri Museveni and Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Wall Street Journal)
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Jul 21st, 2010 12:50 PM UTC
By Grace Venhuizen
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MTV doesn’t need to create The Real World: Lusaka or Tanzania Shore to effectively reach African audiences. Instead the network known for its reality TV shows has found a hit in the recent docu-drama Shuga.
Set in Nairobi, Kenya, MTV’s three-part miniseries tells the story of six college friends chasing after sex, money, and love. The story focuses on Ayira – a girl who can’t choose between her soul mate and a wealthy older man. But the drama is more than a narrative of the hopes and fears of its cast – it is a poignant commentary on the effects of a dangerous lifestyle in a society plagued by the threat of HIV and AIDS.
MTV’s Georgia Arnold calls the show’s underlying educational messages about HIV “almost subliminal,” but partners UNICEF and PEPFAR (the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) confirm the well-concealed communication. The partners hoped Ayira’s story would educate African youth about the need to be tested for HIV, the effects of having multiple sexual partners and the importance of openly talking about HIV in order to combat the stigma associated with the virus.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore say the messaging worked. Results of the researchers’ survey found that 60 percent of Kenyan youths identified the main lessons of the show. Nearly half of the interviewed groups reported talking about the show’s characters and its messaging with family and friends. An estimated 90 percent of Kenyan viewers and 60 percent of Zambian viewers reported the show impacted their thinking.
Although researchers cannot measure the number of actions prevented after viewing Shuga, UNICEF and PEPFAR agree people are already overcoming one of the biggest obstacles – talking openly about HIV. The more they talk, the more likely they are to practice safe sex.
Talk of Shuga grew so much in fact, that the partnering organizations barely needed to promote the series. African youth themselves used social networks to publicize the show.
Considering Shuga’s success, MTV, UNICEF and PEPFAR are already planning a sequel.
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Jul 3rd, 2010 11:00 AM UTC
By Grace Venhuizen
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This week’s ONE in the News focused predominantly on assessing G8 promises and the ongoing needs of African nations. The G8 was criticized because of a weak follow-up for past promises, while many African nations and aid advocates alike were discouraged by this year’s pledges failing to meet expectations. One student advocate also recounts some of her exciting experiences on a weeklong trip to Rwanda with the ONE Campus Challenge.
Huffington Post – On the Front Lines of the Fight Against Malaria
University of Michigan student, Meredith Horowski, described her exciting week-long trip to Rwanda with the ONE Campus Challenge, highlighting her memorable visits to the US embassy, a malaria clinic in Kigali and her immersion into Rwandan culture. (Meredith Horowski)
The Guardian: G8 falls short on aid pledges, figures show
ONE’s European Director, Olly Buston, called out France, Germany and Italy for their struggle to fulfill pledges made to the world’s poor at the Gleneagles Summit in 2005. “Berlusconi turned up at Gleneagles, smiled for the cameras, signed the agreement and has done absolutely nothing. We think there should be sanctions against Italy” said Buston (Larry Elliott)
USA Today: G-8 vows to ‘follow through’ on aid pledges
ONE European Director, Olly Buston made headlines again this week, highlighting that despite G8 nations falling $18 billion short of their Gleneagles pledges, improving agricultural capacity, education, and food security programs have made substantial improvements in Africa. “There actually is progress on the ground,” Buston said. (Richard Wolf)
Toronto Sun: Bono offers measured praise for PM’s maternal health plan
Bono has called Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s maternal health plan “a start” on a big job that needs more work. He urged leaders to do more when they meet at the UN in the fall, noting that U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to deliver a concrete global action plan at the summit that will make the MDGs a reality. (Kathleen Harris)
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Jun 21st, 2010 1:00 PM UTC
By Grace Venhuizen
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G8 nations give themselves a passing grade
The “Muskoka Accountability Report” was released on Sunday assessing the G8 nations’ progress so far on promises made at past summits. The report is about more than accountability — it’s also a defence of the G8 in the face of suggestions that the G20 could become the preeminent world forum, notably because it includes emerging powerhouses China and India. The report also identified several areas where overall progress has been slow, including those that have a direct impact on human health and mortality. (Bruce Campion-Smith)
Focus or die: The G8 fights for survival
The upcoming G8 summit will be a make-or-break chance to act cohesively on international security issues, summon a new level of credibility instead of making scattered and oft-ignored promises, and show it can help the world. If this happens, it might survive. Because the G20 has already taken precedence in dealing with global economics, its members are eyeing big parts of what’s left of the G8’s agenda – notably development and aid – and are expecting to take them over. (Campbell Clark, The Globe and Mail)
Aid agencies appeal for funds to stop Africa food crisis
Oxfam and Save the Children appealed for $21 million to halt an escalating food crisis in West Africa, warning the situation was “an unfolding disaster,” as more than 10 million people across the region face severe hunger and malnutrition because of drought and crop failures. Niger is at the epicentre of the crisis, with almost half the population facing food insecurity, said Oxfam who documented instances of Nigerian people living off wild fruits, leaves and maize meant for feeding poultry. (Agence Free Press)
U.S. names countries to get extra health aid
Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nepal and Rwanda will receive additional technical and management resources for programs in infectious diseases, maternal and child health, family planning and building health systems. “Global Health Initiative Plus countries will provide enhanced opportunities to build upon existing public health programs” a USAID spokesperson said. Overall about 80 countries are getting help under the program. (Maggie Fox, Reuters)
Kayumba Wounded in South African Gun Attack
Rwanda’s former Ambassador to India, Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa, was yesterday shot and critically wounded at the gates of his home in Johannesburg. “We learned the news through the media; we have no confirmation of the incident. The Government of Rwanda does not condone violence, and we wish the family strength and serenity,” a Rwandan government spokeswoman said. (AllAfrica.com)
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