STAND

It's time to take your efforts to the next level. Congress must take immediate steps to end the atrocities in Darfur.
From April 16-27, STAND activists across the country will lobby their elected officials in face-to-face meetings at their district offices. You can personally tell your elected officials that they can help end the genocide in Darfur by:
1) Giving more money to help African Union peacekeepers protect Darfurian citizens.
2) Co-sponsoring and passing S.831, the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act, to protect states, cities, and schools who divest from Sudan.
3) Telling the President to enforce the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act and other key sanctions on those responsible for genocide.
Register for STAND's 2 Weeks of Action today, and tell your elected officials that it's High Time for Higher Grades to end genocide!
— Alexa Malishchak, Advocacy Coordinator, Swarthmore '09

ONE Campaign

Dear ONE Member,
In the first two weeks of April, Congress will be in recess, and a ONE member wants you to join them on a lobbying visit to your local representative's office.
Visits like this are the most effective action you can take to help end extreme poverty. This face-to-face meeting with your member of Congress or member of their staff will clearly communicate that you want America to keep its commitment to those living in the world's poorest countries.
Join other ONE members in your area for a planning meeting and lobbying visit.
Before the meeting with congressional members or staff, you'll get a chance to talk with other ONE members at a planning meeting this Saturday. To help kick-off the meeting, we will be doing two legislative grassroots conference calls with Susan McCue, ONE Campaign CEO, and Tom Hart, DATA Legislative Director on Saturday. The first will be at 11 a.m. EST Saturday, March 31, with Susan McCue. The second at 4 p.m. EST Saturday, March 31, with Tom Hart. It's an opportunity to discuss the issues and prepare for the visit.
Each individual lobbying meeting has a real and lasting impact, but our true power stems from the fact that ONE members will be meeting with every member of Congress and delivering the exact same message of hope for the world's poorest people.
Learn more and sign up to participate in a lobbying visit.
Thank you,
Vicky Rateau, ONE.org

CARE

One Woman's Story
For over 30 years, acclaimed photographer Phil Borges has been documenting the issues faced by people in the developing world. As part of our monthlong celebration of International Women's Day, Phil Borges and CARE present the story of Abay, a young woman who transformed her community in Ethiopia through her work with CARE.Watch the Video: Abay's ReturnTell your friends about Abay's story
Confronting Violence Against Women
The conflicts in Burundi, the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda have created a horrific upsurge of sexual and gender-based violence, including the use of rape as a weapon of war. CARE's Michael Kleinman discusses our work to help women across the region speak out against violence and make a difference for themselves and their communities.Read the Story: Confronting Gender-Based ViolenceTake Action: Help stop violence against women!

Victory

Dear ONE Members,
Last week you scored a major victory on behalf of the world's poorest people.
After ONE members placed thousands of calls to Senate offices last week, the Senate unanimously passed the Dodd-Smith amendment restoring $2.2 billion of poverty-fighting funding to the international affairs budget.
Congratulations on this incredible victory. Please take a moment to thank your senators.
By restoring this money, the Senate matched the president's international affairs budget request which represents a $3.7 billion increase over 2007 levels. This is just the first step in what could be the greatest increase to the international affairs budget in recent history. We still need the House and Senate to agree on a final budget and only then will the appropriations process begin, but this is a critical first step.
The success of this amendment comes on top of a string of great victories for ONE in recent months.
In the closing minutes of the 109th Congress in December, after hundreds of thousands of letters and phone calls, we renewed a special trade benefit within the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which saved hundreds of thousands of African apparel jobs.
Then in January, again by e-mailing, faxing, and calling your members of Congress in both the House and Senate, you were able to not only protect $1 billion in poverty-focused development assistance that was at risk, but Congress actually increased the funding to $1.45 billion.
Please take a moment to thank your senator for supporting this amendment to fight extreme poverty and global AIDS.
This string of successes is no accident. Your dedication and hard work has made all of this possible.
Thank you for your time. Thank you for your energy. And most of all thank you for uniting as ONE to become a powerful anti-poverty advocacy force. We are saving lives, changing the American political scene, and changing the world.
Thanks,
Susan McCue, ONE.org

One Campaign

Dear ONE Member,
The 2008 presidential candidates are starting to talk about extreme poverty.
Yesterday, in Manchester, NH, Senator John Edwards gave a major policy speech on extreme poverty in the race for the White house.
He laid out his plan to tackle global poverty, which included:
Leading a worldwide effort to fully fund the goal of universal primary education by 2015, with the U.S. spending $3 billion a year to educate 23 million children in poor countries
Doubling the U.S. investment in clean water programs
A new cabinet position, to oversee efforts to increase political and economic opportunities for the poor
We look forward to hearing the plans of the other presidential candidates and having a real debate on the issue of extreme poverty on the campaign trail. Between now and the 2008 election, ONE will mobilize to make sure that every candidate makes fighting poverty part of their presidential agenda and a part of the debate.
Sign the petition asking 2008 presidential candidates to make the fight against extreme poverty a top foreign policy priority.
As a result of ONE members' efforts, Senator Biden, Senator Brownback, Senator Edwards, Senator Clinton, Mayor Giuliani, Governor Romney, and Senator Obama all wore the ONE white band and discussed our issues on the campaign trail. With your help, we're going to keep talking to all the candidates and ask them to make serious policy commitments to fight extreme poverty.
To help us do that we're launching a petition that we'll deliver to every candidate, on both sides of the aisle, showing them that in the 2008 presidential election American voters will expect them to make the fight against extreme poverty a top foreign policy priority.
Sign the petition asking 2008 presidential candidates to make the fight against extreme poverty a top foreign policy priority.
As we move forward into the primary season ONE members will be at rallies and speeches, parades and town halls to make sure that every candidate commits to fighting extreme poverty. Together, we'll raise our voice for those who won't be heard on the campaign trail.
Thank you,
Josh Peck, ONE.org
P.S. March 22 is World Water Day, a UN designated day of observance and action. We encourage you to get involved: join an event in one of 26 cities in North America on March 22 or 24, or pledge your support through the Virtual Walk For Water.

Save The Children

Together, we can help save their lives.

Each day, 30,000 young children die needlessly from preventable or treatable causes. Often, those who survive to school-age are unable to access quality education and are presented with few options for their future. But, when people join together to support Save the Children programs — programs that bring health, nutrition, education and economic opportunities to children and families — the impact is profound. Please help us create hope for a bright future for children in need with your tax-deductible gift to support our worldwide programs. The donation you make today will support all the work we do to help children in need in the United States and around the world through important programs, such as helping new mothers provide healthy care for their newborns, supplying life-saving immunizations for young children, building schools and training teachers so that ever more children have a chance for a better future. For American children living in rural poverty, your support can help to improve their future through literacy and nutrition programs. Save the Children's 75 years of experience helping disadvantaged children around the world has given us first-hand knowledge: Childhood offers a window of opportunity for lasting, positive change that can shape each person's future. But that window doesn't stay open forever. This makes our work to save these children more critical now than ever so, please, respond as quickly as you can.We ask you to remember these children, who face hardship every day, with your tax-deductible donation.
Thanks for being part of Save the Children's 75 years of service to children.
Charles F. MacCormackPresident & CEOSave the Children

CARE

Earlier this month, I introduced you to an astonishing young woman named Abay.As a child in the Afar region of Ethiopia, Abay defied her family by refusing to undergo the traditional ceremony of female genital cutting. Years later, she returned to her village as a CARE employee. With the support and training she received from CARE, Abay helped empower women to have a voice in community decisions for the first time.Now is your chance to support CARE’s work with women like Abay. All this month, your gift to CARE will be doubled, thanks to a matching gift from a generous CARE donor.Just think—when you give $50, it means $100 of lifesaving support. When you give $250, it means $500 to empower women and create change in communities worldwide.And, as part of this special matching gift opportunity, the first 300 people to give $75 or more to CARE will receive a copy of Women Empowered, a stunning book by renowned photographer Phil Borges documenting CARE’s work. It’s already one of my favorites.Your donation to CARE is a powerful investment in women and communities around the world. Your gift today will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling your impact to help women create a better future for themselves and everyone around them. Here are just some of the ways your gift makes a difference:
Promoting girls’ education. CARE’s education programs helped nearly 9 million students last year. We fight for the right of all children, especially girls, to go to school and benefit from a quality education.
Improving access to clean water. In villages like Abay’s, a new well or hand pump not only improves the health of the community, it frees up hours of time that women and girls previously spent hauling water -- hours that can now be spent attending school or earning income.
Fighting for policy change. CARE works with thousands of supporters to speak out for meaningful legislation like the International Violence Against Women Act. With your support, we can push for laws and policies that support poor countries and ensure that women across the globe can live empowered lives free of violence.Your support is the vital ingredient in every one of CARE’s life-changing initiatives. We believe women have the potential to transform their communities, but they need your help to reach their full potential. Please take advantage of this special opportunity to make a powerful difference for the women of the world and give today.Thank you for all you do to empower women.Sincerely,Helene D. Gayle MD, MPHPresident and CEO, CARE

ONE Campaign

Dear ONE Member,
It is a dire situation when we refer to a crisis in the past, present, and future tense, knowing that untold millions are suffering and dying daily.
This is the situation in Darfur.
Daily life in Darfur continues to descend into chaos, with nearly 3 million people struggling to survive without food or water amidst escalating violence.
Thankfully, right now, we have a rare chance to help.
Urge your senator to protect the world's most vulnerable people with funding that will save their lives.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is currently dealing with the 2007 emergency supplemental bill, which could potentially include millions of dollars to help the people of Darfur, Eastern Chad and other crisis zones around the world.
This is an unparalleled chance to provide smart aid to those who need it most. Crisis relief isn't just about feeding people and providing shelter to those who've had their homes destroyed. It's about protecting them from ongoing violence. It's about healing the wounds of an entire people. It's about making sure that people can live to see the day when their lives can return to normal.
Ask your senator to protect the victims of the world's worst crises.
While we can't always predict emergencies, it's imperative that we respond to them and prepare for others in the future. Our failure to respond will result in increased loss of life, malnutrition, and the spread of disease.
If we take this vital step we can help ensure that the needs of the displaced and hungry are met and that the U.S. continues to be a leader and help relieve the untold suffering of millions of people around the world.
Thank you for your voice,
Josh Peck, ONE.org

ONE Campaign

Dear ONE Members,
The world's most respected humanitarian and development organizations are joining together this year to call for a historic and badly needed increase in poverty-fighting funding in the 2008 budget. And ONE has a special role to play.
Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) are asking other Senators to join their letter to the Senate Budget Committee asking them to take decisive action against extreme poverty by setting a new bar for funding.
Please take a moment to call and ask your Senators to join Senators Dodd and Smith at this critical moment.
The request represents strong leadership; 2.4 billion dollars above and beyond the president's budget request for fighting poverty in the international affairs budget. Currently we're not on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals - the internationally agreed upon goals to halve extreme poverty by 2015 - and only with bold requests like this can we hope to make-up the difference.
Congress is moving quickly, we only have a few days to take action. The budget committee is meeting to decide the 2008 budget later this week. In order for us to get our message through in time we need to pick up the phone and call our Senators today to ask them to sign-on to the Dodd-Smith letter.
Call 1-800-786-2ONE (1-800-786-2663) to be connected with your senators' offices and tell them to sign the Dodd-Smith "Dear Colleague" letter.
Earlier this week, ONE members whose representatives sit on the budget committee, sent over 10,000 letters to their legislators. When the committee members receive the Dodd-Smith letter later this week, they will know that the funding increase has the support of both grassroots advocates and their fellow legislators.
The last time we rallied around a "Dear Colleague" letter in January we came out with $1.45 billion dollars of lifesaving funding. Now, we hope to set a new bar for the fight against poverty.
Thank you for your voice,
Josh Peck, ONE.org

ONE Campaign

Dear ONE Member,
ONE's power comes from our 2.4 million lobbyists: You. Today, we're launching the "On the Move Mobilization" to tap into that power.
ONE members are organizing in-district meetings with members of Congress at the beginning of next month. These meetings will deliver a powerful message to Congress that America is passionate about fighting poverty. We'll also leave behind a copy of On the Move, Bono's inspiring speech from the 2005 National Prayer Breakfast that's being released in book form on April 3.
Be a part of this event and sign up for an advocacy visit with other ONE members in your area.
There isn't a more effective way to urge your elected leaders to take action than to meet with them or a member of their staff in person. Since representatives are in legislative recess in April, this is one of the few opportunities during the year to do so at their home office.
The real power comes not from a single meeting with a representative, but when ONE members work in concert to create meaningful legislative change.
Join ONE members in your area to visit your congressional representatives.
You and other ONE member have written 469,188 letters to members of Congress and the president so far this year. This impressive support for the world's poorest people helped secure over a billion dollars for fighting poverty, and now we're setting the course for this year's budget. This is what makes you a powerful advocate; your words carry the weight of these actions, and unified our voice is being heard.
Thank you,
Vicky Rateau, ONE.org

CARE Update

One in three women worldwide will be the victim of violence at some point in her life.Today, on International Women’s Day, we have a historic opportunity - and responsibility - to help end this violence against women and girls worldwide.When I talk with CARE country staff, they tell me about the horrific frequency of violence against women. CARE staff in the Congo report that rape, often brutal gang-rape, has been systematically used as a weapon of war. And our research in Rwanda shows that over 75 percent of women report experiencing domestic violence - the majority more than three times a year. This must stop. Violence is a tremendous obstacle to a woman’s ability to live a fulfilling life and create a better future for her family and community. Take action now to help end violence against women.In the next few weeks, Congress will introduce the International Violence Against Women Act. This lifesaving legislation will:
Improve security in humanitarian and crisis situations
Promote legal and social reforms to help stop violence against women
Make the prevention of violence against women a central goal in existing U.S. development programsPlease, tell Congress to support the International Violence Against Women Act today and help put an end to violence against women and girls.Thank you for all you do.Sincerely,Helene D. Gayle MD, MPHPresident and CEO, CARE

Flooding In Mozambique

Dear Friend, Massive flooding in central Mozambique, made worse by last week's arrival of cyclone Favio, has left more than 165,000 people — half of them children — homeless and in desperate need of food, shelter and clean water. These people urgently need your prayers and support!Local World Vision staff are working now to rescue stranded families and carry them to higher ground, but we need your help to provide emergency food, survival kits, water purifiers, tents and mosquito nets for thousands of these flood victims.Your gift today, of $25 or more will help us get critical aid to those who need it most.
Mozambican children await the distribution of food aid near Caia in north-central Mozambique. Reuters/Grant Neuenburg

As you respond, please also pray for our teams, and for the people of Mozambique struggling to recover from this terrible disaster. Thank you, and God bless you for your support during times of emergency. Rich StearnsPresident, World Vision U.S.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Last year, 87 percent of World Vision's total revenue went to programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need.

Product(RED)

I'm sure most of you have already heard of Product(RED). If so, you already know how great the idea is. (If, not please read the (RED) manifesto which is set as our default picture. This will give you an idea of what it is) The business model involving Product(RED) of course, includes a % of profits made from sales to be donated to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Idealistically, this model would take off as producers see the opportunity to make money by participating in (RED), resulting in more and more manufacturers hopping on the train, ending in funds directed to where it counts. SAVING LIVES.
To see the huge impact that (RED) has ALREADY made click HERE
To see the impact that YOU make with each Product(RED) purchase click HERE
The key to Product(RED)'s success lies morever in the consumer...which would be us! "Whosoever commands the trade of the world commands the riches of the world and hence the world itself" -Sir Walter Raleigh WE are the ones, through concious purchasing, who point the way for the larger corporations, which follow the money. So please, if you haven't already, consider contributing to expanding Product(RED)'s impact by buying from (RED) product supporters.