Help put aid workers on the front lines

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Recently got an e-mail about the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 that I am passing along from

Dear Reader, In too many countries, the face of American anti-poverty efforts is wearing a uniform and carrying a gun. Our nation's military does important work – but on the front lines of the global fight against hunger and poverty, it's aid workers, not soldiers, who should be leading the charge. The US House has already started moving on legislation that would shift the dynamic and revitalize our nation's foreign aid agency, USAID. Now it's time for the Senate to act – will you help? Tell your senators to co-sponsor the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009. For many vulnerable communities – where civil wars, militia violence, and rebel groups have for so long been causes of homelessness and poverty – the last thing anyone wants to see is more soldiers. And the American military agrees. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has even said that while American soldiers "have done an admirable job, it's no replacement for the real thing – civilian involvement and expertise." Brian, it's time to give aid workers a chance to do their jobs. It's time to give our development experts the tools they need to help citizens in developing countries lift themselves out of poverty. Tell your senators to revitalize our foreign aid system and put aid workers – not soldiers – on the front lines of global poverty. Sincerely, Raymond C. Offenheiser Oxfam America Advocacy Fund

This type of effort is essential in meeting the challenge of the Millennium Development Goals regardless of what our governments do. Even more important because of what they are not doing, especially in America which still has not fulfilled its Millennium Promise.