International Women's Day Message From AmnestyISOnline

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AmnestyISOnline is also holding an online event celebrating International Women's Day. Recently the sent me a message to my shoutbox at BloggersUnite:

"Thanks for joining AI-IS's IWD Event. Around March 8th AI's campaign Demand Dignity will launch a blog space. You are invited to blog on: 'Maternal Mortality; Women in Slum; Poverty and Women; MNC operations and its' affect on women.
Help us make IWD 2010 memorable! We will be checking in with you soon with updates and ways you can contribute on DD Blog. Please write online.communities@amnesty.org to know more. Until then, take action http://bit.ly/cwQXyb in supports of women's rights.

The other post I did on International Women's Day International Women's Day and Millennium Development Goal 3 Perfect Match looked at both domestic and international efforts to empower women and girls. This post will look at one of the reasons why this is needed and that is the lack of maternal health.

Sameer Dossani, the Director of Demand Dignity Campaign Amnesty International USA provided the story of Safiatou' tragic and needless lose of life which is only an example of what is repeated constantly around the world.

Information and transportation might have saved Safiatou's life But she was poor and pregnant in Burkina Faso, which put her life at risk. She had no prenatal care and suffered from anemia, didn't even know that iron supplements were important or that the local clinic gave the pills to pregnant women free of charge. Safiatou gave birth at home without the help of a trained birth attendant. After her delivery she hemorrhaged badly and required emergency care. With no way to get to the health center, her husband borrowed a motorcycle, but it had no fuel. He had to push the motorcycle 10 km to get gas. Safiatou died on the back of the motorcycle before she even got to the health center.

Safiatou's death was preventable and a violation of her human rights.

Their new report, Giving Life, Risking Death - Maternal Mortality in Burkina Faso¹, exposes the persistent, harsh reality faced by Burkinabe women like Safiatou. Its findings fuel our calls on the government to make immediate changes to ensure the rights of women.

Amnesty International is calling for the government of Burkina Faso to:

• allocate care equitably, prioritizing the poorest regions with the worst rates of maternal death
• lift the obstacles – including financial, geographic and quality barriers – that block poor, rural women from accessing life-saving obstetric care

My take on the story is not however just to repeat what was said (though truth is I actually do that a lot with this blog). It is to first to show that efforts like this do make a difference.

UPI.com reports that the African nation Burkina Faso pledges more maternity aid.

The head of the West African nation of Burkina Faso will do more to help pregnant women receive adequate maternity care, Amnesty International says.

The London-based human rights group announced Friday President Blaise Compaore has agreed to lift financial barriers that prevent women in his country from receiving emergency obstetric care and access to family planning.

This doesn't mean that the work is over just that progress can me made but more can be done.

It is also to again tie it to the Millennium Development Goals which provides the widest collaborative umbrella under which to meet this challenge. In fact this issue can be addressed by three of the Millennium Development Goals 3. Gender Equity 4. Child Health and 5. Maternal Health and multiple countries and regions.

The "PiGA DEBE FOR WOMEN’S RiGHTS" report from the African Campaign presents a review of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with particular attention being paid to gender equality, women’s empowerment and commitment to improving maternal health in 17 African countries namely: Burkina Faso, Congo DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The meaning of “PIGA DEBE” in Kiswahili is “make a big noise,” and draws its inspiration from millions of women’s voices in Africa who say “enough is enough. More people need to make noise about these issue and they can get their chance to make a difference on September 17 and 18, 2010 when the entire world will be Standing Up, taking Action, & Making a Noise for the MDGs!

When world leaders gather at the United Nations for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Review Summit in September, the voices of their citizens will follow them, telling them, loudly and clearly: “We will no longer stay seated or silent in the face of poverty and the broken promises to end it!’

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• Why we still need to mark International Women's Day (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Burkina Faso government sets election date (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

GROWTH in Empowerment means Economic Growth for Developing Countries

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This coming Monday is Women's International Day which is being celebrated by two BloggerUnite events International Women's Day with BlogCatalog and International Women's Day with AmnestyISOnline. There is a natural connection with this blog through the United Nations' Millennium Campaign Goal 3. Gender Equity.

I am finally getting around to writing the posts and there has been a tremendous amount of information available on the web. Somethings shouldn't wait until Monday.

Change.org and Accion International are Fighting poverty by supporting the economic empowerment of women worldwide by drumming up support for the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive (GROWTH) Act (S. 1425) through encouraging co-sponsorships in the United States Senate. I just wrote my to two Senators becoming one of 1,807 people who signed so far. They are looking for 2,500 but considering what day Monday is you would think that they could go far beyond that. What everyone participating is telling their Senators is:

This innovative, bi-partisan piece of legislation would improve the effectiveness of U.S. international assistance and trade policy by focusing on economic opportunities for marginalized women in developing countries. The GROWTH Act would help millions of women lift themselves and their families out of poverty through access to microfinance. It would also empower women in poor countries in the following areas: small business ownership, land and property rights, equal wages and working conditions, and global trade opportunities.

Microfinance efforts have shown again and again that economically empowered women invest in the nutritional, health and educational needs of their children, helping to lift their families and communities out of poverty.

Unfortunately, women face unequal barriers and hardships in many underdeveloped regions. The GROWTH Act would work to address those obstacles.

I urge you to make moving the GROWTH Act (S. 1425) forward one of your top priorities this year.

Thank you for your attention. I look forward to your response on this important issue.

My two cents were: This coming Monday, March 8, 2010 is International Women's Day. There would be no better recognition of the importance of women to the betterment of the world than passing the Growth Act. It will also be an important milestone in addressing the 3rd Millennium Development Goal Gender Equity.

This is the second time I have supported the GROWTH Act. Back in January Women Thrive Worldwide saw my profile on Change.org and sought my support for their organization which I am more than happy to give.

We advocate on behalf of women and girls living in poverty around the world.

As you may know, we develop bills aimed at ensuring that international development projects and programs take into account the needs of vulnerable populations. One bill, the GROWTH Act, is currently in the Senate and, if passed, would give women in poor countries access to land and property rights, small loans to start their own businesses, and improve wage and working conditions. We need your help in reaching out to US Senators to urge the to pass this bill. I hope that you get a chance to sign our petition and join our community! Thanks for your support!

Others supporting GROWTH

• Growth Act | ONE
• Support the GROWTH Act! | Women's Funding Network
• GROWTH Act Introduction Is a Positive Step for Women's Economic Empowerment and Self-Sufficiency|Care
• History of the Bill
  

Related Posts

• 3rd of 8 days 8 Goals Personal Stories behind the Millennium Development Goals
• Getting Down to Basics and Helping Where We Can
• Reaching Out - Helping Women Realize the Millennium Development Goals
• Subject: Tom Boone of Ashoka commented on Take a Stand Against Poverty by Investing in Women to Save the World
• Take a Stand Against Poverty by Investing in Women to Save the World
• Change Initiative to Empower Adolescent Girls Investing in the Girl Effect
• Support Women and Girls around the Globe!
  

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A Win for Haiti and a Good Week for the World

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My wife and I made a financial contribution to UNICEF because they stated that 100% of the money would go to directly to relief efforts. Recently Caryl M. Stern President & CEO of U.S. Fund for UNICEF sent me some photos taken last Saturday at the Foyer L'escale Orphanage in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It is heartening to see that some good is being done.

What you see here is what's happening all over Haiti. Because of your rapid, decisive response to our appeals, thousands of children are alive today.

Look into their faces. Full of life and hope for a better tomorrow:

© UNICEF/2010/Tidey

UNICEF staff pouring safe drinking water for children.

© UNICEF/2010/Tidey

Children at the Foyer L'escale Orphanage.

They are alive today because UNICEF was there: distributing clean water, providing shelter, protecting children from abuse and exploitation.

This week alone, UNICEF:

• Launched a campaign to immunize 500,000 children against measles, diphtheria, and tetanus;
• Provided clean drinking water to over a half a million people daily;
• Installed latrines, bringing the total of new sanitation facilities to 750; and
• Delivered personal kits to 50,000 children without parental care.

We are now preparing to face the serious risks and challenges that lie before us in the weeks ahead. And with 40% of the Haitian population under the age of 14, this is a children's emergency. These children need to be found, fed, and kept safe from abuse and exploitation.

But just for today, I wanted to show you the very real impact you're having on the children of Haiti.

From all of us at the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, thank you.

I also added my name and comments to the petition to be delivered to Secretary Geithner and did a post arguing that Progress on Haiti are Lessons for the Millennium Development Goals. The goal was to help Haiti begin to rebuild by lifting the debt of $1 billion it owes to the International Monetary Fund, the Inter-American Development Bank, and a handful of others by getting others to sign the petition asking Haiti's creditors to act quickly and cancel Haiti's debts.

Now Sheila Nix, U.S. Executive Director at ONE has sent a thank you and gave us:

Breaking news: The United States Treasury Department has just announced U.S. government support for complete debt cancellation for Haiti and will work with our international partners to ensure that new assistance comes in the form of grants, not debt-incurring loans.

She credits the than more than 200,000 ONE members who supported this effort calling on the U.S. to take this message to G7 finance ministers' summit this weekend.

Your voices and support for Haiti are the reason we're celebrating a victory on debt relief today. This important news from the U.S. government, combined with the grassroots presence Michèle will lend to the Iqaluit meeting, makes me optimistic that we'll be hearing more good news on debt relief for Haiti soon, as its people look to rebuild and live out their motto L'union fait la force (Unity is strength.)

In fact, ONE will be there when U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and his counterparts in the G7—the very people who sit on the governing boards of the international lending institutions that hold Haiti's $1 billion debt—meet in the far-north Canadian town of Iqaluit this weekend for a G7 finance ministers' summit. Among Iqaluit's 7,000 residents is ONE member Michèle Bertol, and she has graciously agreed to deliver our petition to the host of the summit, Canadian Finance Minister James Flaherty.

Haiti's ambassador to the United States, Raymond Joseph, also recorded a video message to thank ONE members.

I am not going to claim any great role is this effort but I will argue the even small efforts by millions working in common purpose across the globe can make a difference. I do believe that the technology of social media whether blogs with small voices like mine or globe spanning tools like twitter have made a significant impact. The point is that we do have the ability to make a difference. We just need to start doing it before the disaster happens.

Social media fills communication gap in Haiti: BBC

Despite the near collapse in landline and cellular communications in Haiti after the earthquake, social media has enabled people to communicate with one another and organize information. Organizations such as Telecoms Sans Frontieres have been able to provide Internet access for relaying maps, communication and disaster information through services such as Twitter and Ushahidi.

In Haiti, Tech Efforts Move From Relief to Recovery | Social Entrepreneurship at Change.org.|

In the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, all initial attention -- naturally -- focused on immediate relief. Search parties to dig people out of the rubble, and relief workers to set up access to medical treatment, food, water and shelter. But the real process of recovery, which comes next, has far greater implications for a nation's future health and development. That's why it's great to see technology groups that were some of the earliest and most creative responders to Haiti's initial crisis are now shifting gears to focus on recovery, as well.

Progress in Haiti are Lessons for the Millennium Development Goals

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Today is the day that bloggers participating in the Bloggers Unite for Haiti event submit their posts. Their badge is at the right hand column. I already did a couple of posts but with this one I want to try it more directly with the Millennium Development Goals.

The events in Haiti are now moving from the emergency response stage to the rebuilding stage. Numerous problems arose during the massive effort to respond to the disaster that will be the source of lessons to take forward. The biggest issue to my mind was that again it was using a pound of cure instead of an ounce of prevention which would have been the case if the Millennium Development Goals had already been made a reality. It is not only a matter of how well developing countries would be able to address major disasters themselves but how well a global cooperative effort would be able to do so.

One of the problems was the cessation of planes from the United States carrying earthquake victims to Florida hospitals. SHAILA DEWAN of the New York Times wrote about the Cost Dispute Halts Airlift of Injured Haiti Quake Victims: The United States has suspended its evacuations of critically injured victims until a dispute over who will pay for their care in Florida and other states is settled. The number and complexity of the cases the medical care was costing the state of Florida millions. Florida Governor Crist’s requested the federal government to shoulder some of the expense

“Florida stands ready to assist our neighbors in Haiti, but we need a plan of action and reimbursement for the care we are providing,” Mr. Ivey spokesman for Mr. Crist said.

I am not going to fault Florida because I agree that this and similar issues should be addressed at the national and global level. It is an inefficiency of the system that it overburdens a component of the system with relatively limited resources. The structure necessary to bring about the Millennium Development Goals would not only help developing countries to establish their own economic and infrastructure systems to weather disasters, it would also help establish a more robust cooperative system between nations.

The ongoing funding of the relief efforts is also penny wise pound foolish. The idea now is to forgive Haiti's debt. ONE is organizing an international campaign ONE | Help Haiti: Drop the Debt to persuade world leaders to cancel Haiti’s $1 billion international debt and give the country a chance for significant and lasting recovery. This blog also supports a similar effort by Change.org whose widget is at the right hand column if anybody wants to add their support.

Tom Hart, Director of Government Relations at ONE, personally delivered more than 150,000 ONE member petition signatures from to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urging debt cancellation for Haiti. Because of this effort and others, the IMF, Inter-American Development Bank, U.S. Treasury and other key players say that they want to find a way to cancel Haiti's debt. At least one has spoken up is support of this.

IMF: Haiti needs a Marshall Plan
The International Monetary Fund says Haiti will require an effort along the lines of the Marshall Plan for long-term reconstruction.

"My belief is that Haiti -- which has been incredibly hit by different things: the food and fuel prices crisis, then the hurricane, then the earthquake -- needs something that is big," the managing director of the Washington-based International Monetary Fund said.

"Not only a piecemeal approach, but something which is much bigger to deal with the reconstruction of the country -- some kind of a Marshall Plan that we need now to implement for Haiti," he said, referring to the US initiative launched in 1947 to rebuild war-ravaged western Europe. Google/Agence France-Presse

ONE wants to raise the number of signatures to 200,000 and deliver it to the world financial leaders when U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and other G7 finance ministers will be meeting in the Arctic Canadian town of Iqaluit. Right now, they are at 175,377 signature.

The question is how much more effective would those dollars have been if they had been invested before the disaster to build Haiti rather than rebuilding a shattered landscape. There isn't really all that much of a commitment coming from the G7 since Haiti was extremely poor before and now is devastated and its ability to repay the debt is basically nil. Fulfilling the promise of the Millennium Declaration would have far more lasting effect.

I am not going to try to claim that the Millennium Development Goals will solve the world's problems or eliminate the tragedy of disasters but they would help the world by making both the ability to withstand them and to address them more equitable and more efficient.

BloggersUnite Reminds that Today is World AIDS Day and so does the rest of the world

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BloggersUnite is getting bloggers together today to recognize World Aids Day. World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. The fact that it remains a global affliction is why it is the 6th Millennium Development Goal Combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

What is inspiring is that this is a cause that brings out the best in people. People can get involved at that global level and at the local level, whether they are the rich and famous or just every day folks.

The Catholic Medical Mission Board reminds us for the reason for World Aids Day and provides both reasons to celebrate and reasons to continue the work.

World AIDS Day; a day that reminds us that HIV has not gone away. The scope of the problem seems overwhelming; 33 million people infected, 15 million children orphaned.

60 second video Our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS have already made an impact on countless lives. In the last year, with your help, we have:

• reached 69,786 women with counseling and testing,
• reached 53,184 men, women and children with life-saving antiretroviral treatment,
• provided short course antiretrovirals for HIV prevention in pregnancy to 1,940 women,
• shipped to 39 countries, donated medicines and medical supplies valued at 265 million dollars,
• sent more than 500 healthcare volunteers to 27 countries.

"The people we are helping are living proof of the strength and depth of the human personality."

-John F. Galbraith, President and CEO

Sam Davidson of 5 MINUTES OF CARING shares the idea of glocal which readily applies to this issue and the efforts being undertaken today.

The term "glocal" is used to draw attention to an idea that has both "global" and "local" implications. AIDS certainly fits the bill. Worldwide, over 33 million peopleare living with HIV, and over two million of those are children. Sub-Sarahan Africa is hit the worst with it, and no part of the world is immune to AIDS. So today, learn more about AIDS and then take action on a global level. Whether you support an NGO doing work on the ground, or just pass along this article to a friend, spend five minutes looking at the big picture.

For World AIDS Day, Ashley Greene, ONE Member joined some friends from TV and film to make a video sharing our commitment to defeating extreme poverty and preventable disease. This blog is a small voice but it can also help spread the word.

The more people talk, the more we can accomplish. Just sharing your commitment to fighting global poverty with your friends can inspire them to make the same commitment, and start up a buzz that will build into a roar of collective action.

Throughout history we've seen how committed people, together, can change laws, break barriers and decide elections. And together, we can defeat extreme poverty and eradicate preventable, treatable diseases including HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

But it takes all of us working together across borders, time zones, cultures...through advocacy, action, and awareness-raising.

Speaking Out Against Poverty For the Young By the Young

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Today is the second day for Stand Up End Poverty! and for another two BloggersUnite events that reflect the purpose of the day, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and Stand Up Against Corruption and Poverty. All three strive to meet the same challenge, but take different pathways. Besides having the struggle against poverty as their primary focus, they are all related to the United Nations. What they demonstrate is that there is more than one pathway to the same destination. The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2009 is giving voice as CHILDREN AND FAMILIES SPEAK OUT AGAINST POVERTY.

In recognition of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child the 2009 observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty focuses on the plight of children and families living in poverty and the need to fulfill children's rights in partnership with them and in keeping with the Convention.

The pathways, however, have a tendency to cross and converge. This Facebook sponsored cause the Power of Dignity features the following video.

This is the same video that inspired me start along this pathway more than a year ago when the goal was to go over 100 Million For The Millenium Goals. We surpassed that goal and now are trying for a new record. I have learned a good deal more and made a number of connections since then, including a number on Facebook.

Facebook sponsors many pages for causes like the Power of Dignity, which are created by organizations such as SustainUS: U.S. Youth for Sustainable Development. As the World Wide Web is the territory of the Millenniums, it only makes sense that the presence of the young would be strongly felt in these efforts.

SustainUS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. Through proactive education and advocacy at the policy-making and grassroots levels, we are building a future in which all people recognize the inherent equality and interdependence of social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

Here is a Facebook cause to which I do belong.

UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Bulletin Posted by Seth Werfel

U.S. foreign aid has not undergone serious reform since 1961. Sign the petition to ensure poverty reduction and that the Millennium Development Goals are core objectives of U.S. foreign aid. It takes 30 seconds! Please pass along to friends, this is a grassroots campaign. From the petition site.

Tell Congress to prioritize extreme poverty in U.S. foreign assistance.

Before signing an online postcard to Congress, please visit the links generously shared by RESULTS to learn more about foreign aid reform and the UN Millennium Development Goals and visit this link to learn more about the S. 1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act, which can bring the needed reform.

Today is the Day Stand Up and Be Counted to support World Food Day and End Poverty!

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The moment has finally arrived. The Stand Up Take Action global event has officially begun. So began the message that greeted me this morning. This blog is part of the Online Campaign of Stand Up Take Action Now! at BloggersUnite for Stand Up Take Action End Poverty Now! There are already two posts from the Philippines at the Bloggers Unite event created especially for this cause. You want to start there if you want to contribute a blog post to this effort. One post from Ang Sa Wari Ko Stand Up and Take Actions Now! Ang silbi ng 45 pesos at ang isyu ng kahirapan [English Translation] and the other from 2Rivers Can We End Poverty In Our Generation. I will post others as they come in.

The challenge has been stated by World Hunger Notes.

• The world produces enough food to feed everyone.
  
• Poverty is the principal cause of hunger.
• An estimated 982 million poor people in developing countries who live on $1 a day or less (World Bank, Understanding Poverty, Chen 2004).
  
• Conflict as a cause of hunger and poverty.
  
• Hunger is also a cause of poverty.

Today is also World Food Day, which is also being celebrated by BloggersUnite. The FAO or Food & Agricultural Organization of the United Nations is one of the primary global organizations addressing this issue.

The Objective: World Food Day is annually held on Oct. 16 to commemorate the founding of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

One concern of paramount importance today in order to achieve Millennium Development Goal 1. End Hunger is FAO Reform:

In November 2007, the Conference welcomed the report of the Independent External Evaluation of FAO (IEE) and passed a resolution on the Follow-up to the IEE. This included the establishment of a time-bound Committee of the Conference (CoC-IEE), open to all FAO Members, and tasked with preparing proposals for an immediate plan of action to be considered by a Special Session of the Conference in the latter part of 2008. Based on the work of the CoC-IEE, the Special Session of the Conference adopted Resolution 1/2008: the Immediate Plan of Action for FAO Renewal and extended the CoC-IEE to further develop outstanding aspects of follow-up and report to the FAO Conference in 2009.

Here are some ways of getting involved with FAO's mission. It is of particular concern to the UN MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN's to get the G20 to address this need in the current economic crisis, despite the valiant $42.6 million, three-year immediate plan of action by the FAO in November of 2008. These two efforts seem to be different sides of the same coin. One appealing to primarily the emotions of others and their capacity for compassion and collaboration, the other appealing to science, technology, and management skill sets. My natural tendency is to discount "showboat" demonstrations and focus on "hard nose" numbers and demonstrable programs, but I now believe that there is an important role to be filled in getting others to be part of this effort on an emotional level as well. We can't all be experts, but if we can't get most of the people in the world to care at some basic level, no matter how many campaigns FAO tries to put together it won't End Poverty! Below are some past posts dealing with the FAO.

• Making Hope Last Longer Than Hunger
• FAO not Schwartz part 1 - Global Plan of Action Addresses a Global Challenge Hunger

Checklist for Stand Up Organizers - an online version

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As of the writing of this post there are 5 day 16 hours and some minutes and seconds left until the Stand Up Take Action event.

This blog is leading a registered Online Stand Up event through BloggersUnite for Stand Up Take Action End Poverty Now!! There are, according to the organizers, over 135 events registered in Canada and the United States, with more being planned every day throughout the world. That makes this blog a small voice in a global movement to raise our collective voice against hunger and poverty -- and break another Guinness World Record for the event (October 16, 17 and 18). Even though this is an online event, I still checked out the advice on planning the event.

PLANNING YOUR EVENT: As my main connection with this effort is through this blog, it made sense to start my own online event and see if I could get people to participate virtually. One piece of advice was to promote your event across your networks and encourage others to participate. I have done this through my Facebook page, my Ning account at United Actions Global Network, and the Orkut page which I help moderate and which recently got changed to Let's Facebhookh (a globally inspired play on words). It also suggested that I find materials at the "Event Center" at www.standagainstpoverty.org and provide their brochure for study, translation and make it available for print. The Google translator connected with this blog makes translation easy.

DURING COUNT AND CAPTURE YOUR EVENT: Counting should be easy as so far 7 people are participating in this online event. In my case it is more symbolic than physical bringing up issues of slacktivism, but as people could participate by simply clicking the widget and I have basically accepted my slacktivistic status, I won't worry about that. The organizers also want to ensure that we have a witness who is independent to verify the event. In my case, that should not be a problem as this is online and therefore easily verifiable and part of BloggersUnite.

They also want to make special NOTE that Stand Up and Take Action events or in our case blog posts should only happen from October 16 to October 18 to count towards the Guinness World Record challenge. Now comes the part were bloggers should shine. Tell us your stories! No matter how large or small your event is, we want to hear from you. Tell us how Stand Up is making a difference in your life (e.g., how you met new community members; what motivates you to work on poverty issues, etc.). The want us to document our stories at: http://standagainstpoverty.org/stories

AFTER REPORT YOUR EVENT: They want the numbers reported at www.standagainstpoverty.org as soon as possible, actually immediately, but as this is online blog posts or widget clicks (the height of slacktivism, but they still count) are due in by Monday 5:00 am Pacific time, which is where I live.

Here is a bonus that they provided Get the Stand Up iPhone App!

The Stand Up iPhone application is now available for FREE. It allows iPhone users to see a countdown to the event and take part in our online Stand Up. See: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=330103926&mt=8

Other Blogging Efforts For the Same Cause Ending Poverty

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Now that the Millennium Milestones Wiki is finished, I am going to start to focus on another project related to this effort and that is working with

I have participated in their blogging events before, but this is the first time that I have tried to promote a BloggersUnite event myself in support of the Stand Up Take Action End Poverty Now! campaign. I have to admit that so far the participation is limited to only two other bloggers (who are greatly appreciated).

Part of the problem may be competition. Seems that October is the month of actions against poverty and hunger. Below are other BloggersUnite actions taking place in October of this year. I have decided to take "the-more-the-merry" approach to this, figuring we are all supporting the same basic cause and have joined up with each. I have also included them on the calendar at the Milestones for a New Millennium wiki. My hope is that people participating in each of the events will take the same approach.

• World Food Day

• World Food Day is annually held on Oct. 16 to commemorate the founding of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

• International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

• Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated.

• Up Against Corruption and Poverty

• To Support the Millennium Development Goals

Of course another part of the problem is that I have not done a good enough job of promoting the event on BloggersUnite or other venues. That will be one the the next things on my to-do list to support the Millennium Development Goals.

Related (Somewhat) Posts:

• Making Hope Last Longer Than Hunger
• Refugees Across the Globe - A Millennium Problem
• FAO not Schwartz part 1 - Global Plan of Action Addresses a Global Challenge Hunger
• FAO not Schwartz part 2- Opposing Pathways to Ending World Hunger and Malnutrition
• FAO not Schwartz part 3 - A World Tragedy Too Long

Making Hope Last Longer Than Hunger

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Tomorrow is the day to Unite For Hunger and Hope but I will be at work so I am writing tonight. This is a natural for this blog as it involves the first of the Millennium Development Goals 1. End Hunger and on a global level it will involve 8. Global Partnership. While I fully support charitable efforts such as that being put on here by Heifer International, it will be a collective, collaborative, sustained effort by governments, NGOs, change-agent organizations, of us to bring about a lasting change. It cannot be just through well meaning donations during particular times of the year, we have to change how we do things both locally and globally. Others will be able to write far more eloquently about the suffering wrought by hunger than I will. I look for change that can be made manifest.

It is of particular concern to the UN MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN's to get the G20 to address this need in the current economic crisis, despite the valiant $42.6 million, three-year immediate plan of action by the FAO last year. The FAO or Food & Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, is one of the primary global organizations addressing this issue.

I have written about World Hunger Notes before and will provide a link to the post below, so here are some bullet points.

• The world produces enough food to feed everyone.
  
• Poverty is the principal cause of hunger.
• An estimated 982 million poor people in developing countries who live on $1 a day or less (World Bank, Understanding Poverty, Chen 2004).
  
• Conflict as a cause of hunger and poverty.
  
• Hunger is also a cause of poverty.
  

Another global agency address hunger is the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), which provided a plan of actionable objectives in its Challenge of Hunger 2008

Combating the food crisis will require

1. More food aid for poor people;
2. Much greater investments in agriculture - especially the small farm sector;
3. More investment in social protection programs and social sectors - education & health;
4. Reforms to create a fair world trading system;
5. Changes to biofuel policies;
6. Measures to calm global food markets;
7. Better data collection and improved monitoring of the food and nutrition situation;
8. More support for nongovernmental organizations that work on behalf of poor people in developing countries.

All of this has been talked of before and will be talked about again and again. Often repetitive actions are necessary to bring about change. Each time we talk or write maybe one more person listens, but if a thousand small voices speak up that is a thousand more added to the effort to change the world.

What more can be done in the future? Starting on October 16, which is also World Food Day, people will once again be Standing Up To End Poverty. You can join that effort now and start organizing now to make a difference to bring real hope and stamp out hunger for the next millennium and beyond. The growth of the Stand Up Campaign is exponential. From 2006 to 2007 it achieve 46% growth, from 2007 to 2008 62% growth, and now 2008 to 2009 depends upon what happens in 2009. Could we hope for even greater growth of 75% or 80%? That could be 170,000,000 or 190,000,000 or even break 200,000,000. Maybe it is a bit unfair to use this forum to promote another event, but those are inconsequential details of who and when, the important thing is the what - ending hunger.

Related Posts:
FAO not Schwartz part 1 - Global Plan of Action Addresses a Global Challenge Hunger
FAO not Schwartz part 2- Opposing Pathways to Ending World Hunger and Malnutrition
FAO not Schwartz part 3 - A World Tragedy Too Long
Financial Fears * Global Challenges * Some Potential Answers
Blog Action Day Is Today The Struggle Continues
Taking the Measure of Chronic Poverty

The People of the United States Stand Up Speak Out

Fwd: Bloggers Unite for Hunger & Hope on April 29, 2009

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I am making a quick and easy posting to this blog by simply inserting what BloggersUnited sent me. Other things have kept me busy and this was one of the more important things to come across my desktop. The fight against hunger has been one of the primary focuses of this blog. There is small bit of philosophical apprehension with Heifer International, but the truth is that I am not a vegetarian myself and their program has limited impacted compared to McDonald's.

Dear Your Name Here, We have great news! BlogCatalog is launching its first coordinated campaign Bloggers Unite For Hunger And Hope on April 29. BlogCatalog and Heifer International are partnering to call for the end of world hunger and start of hope on April 29. All we ask is that you join thousands of other bloggers and write a post about world hunger on April 29. You Can Make a Difference. Right now, more than 500 million people are living in "absolute poverty" and more than 15 million children die of hunger every year. World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the population is underfed and another third is starving. Even in the United States, 46 percent of African-American children and 49 percent of Latino children are considered chronically hungry. Organizations like Heifer International are the solution. Every day in April, Heifer International is lifting people out of poverty by providing communities with livestock and agricultural training to improve lives and inspire hope. What can you do for Bloggers Unite For Hunger And Hope? Join this event by visiting Bloggers Unite and adding a badge to your blog before April 29. http://www.bloggersunite.org/event/unite-for-hunger-and-hope Watch for upcoming news releases and topic backgrounders. Visit Heifer International to learn more about Pass On The Gift. http://www.heifer.org/site/c.slI3IdNVJuE/b.4861851/k.39B8/30_Days_in_April.htm Make a small donation or take some other action to end world hunger. Blog about world hunger on April 29 with links to solutions all over the world. "Heifer International is thrilled to be a part of Bloggers Unite for Hunger and Hope," said Tom Peterson, senior director of Heifer International. "Bloggers Unite for Hunger and Hope is a great way to harness the power of the Internet, and it coincides with our Pass on the Gift campaign." Thanks so much for your continued support! More and more people are taking notice of your efforts. On behalf of the entire BlogCatalog team, we thank you and look forward to reading your posts on April 29! Select posts will be featured by BlogCatalog; Heifer International; Copywrite, Ink.; and on the Bloggers Unite blog. Thanks, The BlogCatalog Team
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Refugees Across the Globe - A Millennium Problem

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The last few days have been filled with more learning, studying and research (as well as "real" life work) than in actually writing anything in either of my blogs. Today, however, is the 10th of November and I had committed to creating a post on Refugees on behalf of BloggersUnite. Their work is focusing on Refugees Unite. My post is going to tie this issue with that of the Millennium Development Goals.

There is the question of how many in the world are now refugees because the Millennium Goals have not, and in many of those countries more likely to have refugees populations, are not close to being met.

Refugees face all of the problems that the Millennium Development Goals endeavor to address. Those problems are made far worse because these families are without a country. Getting essential help to refugees is at a minimum difficult, because they are in remote and isolated locations often decimated by natural causes or war, and is in many cases dangerous.

I decided that for this post that I would see what was available from the resources I have connected to this blog. My research did find some successes as in this article from IRIN NEPAL: Bhutanese refugees find new life beyond the camps

Thousands of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal have been successfully resettled in seven countries, including the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Canada, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

In other news from Business and Human Rights PricewaterhouseCoopers donates $4 million to educate Darfur's refugees. SciDev.Net cites the work of International Organisation for Migration

The IOM was established in 1951 as an intergovernmental organisation to resettle European displaced persons, refugees and migrants.

The news, however, is usually catastrophic as in this International Tribune story Congo refugee camp hit by cholera outbreak. Unlike many migrants in the world today, refugees did not make the choice to leave their homes, it was forced upon them. Sometimes by nature, but all too often by malignant force, IPS writes on the crimes against humanity including refugees by the Myanmar Junta.

An increasing number of refugees have been crossing over to northern Thailand from among the Karen ethnic community, the second largest ethnic group in Burma, or Myanmar. Many of them live in the mountainous Karen State, the territory where South-east Asia's longest --and largely ignored -- separatist conflict is being waged between Burmese troops and the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU).

''Myanmar's troops are overtly targeting civilians; they are actively avoiding KNU military installations. That is why we are describing the attacks as 'crimes against humanity','' says Benjamin Zawacki, South-east Asia researcher for Amnesty International (AI), the global rights lobby. ''The violations are widespread and systematic.''

We must also look to ourselves when blaming others for the blight of refugees. The Overseas Development Institute posted last year on the blight of Iraqi refugees.

The United Nations deals with these problems around the world. Thousands of refugees from Darfur remain along volatile border, Chad: UN distributes aid to refugees left homeless after camp, (more results from www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp), UNRWA: palestine refugees, or What's Going On?: Child Refugees in Tanzania are just a few examples.

There are dozens of more examples that could be found. What is made obvious is that these tragedies are prevalent across the globe and persistent in their nature. Unlike the Millennium Development Goals, which though consisting of 8 goals are seen interrelated and requiring comprehensive action, refugee crises seem to be seen as separate problems. If the world were a human body, the problem of refugees would be analogous to the symptoms of a disease such as cancer, but the challenges of the Millennium Development Goals would be analogous to the underlying disease itself. If you treat only the symptoms you will never address the underlying cause. If the Millennium Goals were now in place so that disasters and war were not as capable of pushing countries beyond the brink of disaster, then would that make the problem of refugees in the world so much easier to prevent and to address.