Global Weekly Update August 1, 2011

New Education For All Act of 2011 — Get Cosponsors Today!

The EFA Act of 2011 has been introduced by Reps. Nita Lowey (D-NY) and David Reichert (R-WA).

Ask your representatives to cosponsor! Use these resources to help you make the ask:

Education for All Act of 2011 Fact Sheet (Word)

Education for All: Linchpin for Global Development and Security(pdf)

August Action Sheet: Cosponsor the Education for All Act of 2011 (Word)

For more resources and background, visit our Education For All page!

Plug In to Our August — October Education for All Campaign

From August through October we want to generate the political will to move the president and his administration to make a 3-year pledge totaling $375 million to the Education for All Fast Track Initiative (FTI) at the November 6–8 pledging conference. Here are the key tactics we’ll need your help with:

• Generating bi-partisan cosponsorship for the Education for All Act of 2011 (H.R. 2705) and educating your members of Congress about FTI. H.R. 2705 calls for more focus in the United States’ global education policy and for our country to invest in FTI as a way to get more kids in school. Find background on the EFA Act and FTI here. We’ll also have a FTI training call on August 10 at 9:00 pm ET. Call (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join this call.
• Generating editorials, op-eds, and letters to the editor calling on the administration to improve our nation’s education policy and to fund FTI. If you want to write to write an op-ed or pitch an editorial, join us for this skill-sharing call on August 17 at 9:00 pm ET. Call 712 432-3100, passcode 761262 to be part of it.
• Engage our communities in our by telling them about the power of educating girls. One might consider doing a screening of the movie, To Educate a Girl, for example. See our outreach resources for more inspiration and help.

Take action today by asking your representative to cosponsor the Education for All Act.

Ask Your Reps. to Cosponsor the House Microfinance Bill

Have you asked your reps. to cosponsor the Microenterprise Empowerment and Job Creation Act of 2011 (H.R. 2524)? 97 reps. signed the House microfinance letter to USAID, but only 5 are on the bill. The bill reauthorizes previous microenterprise legislation (PL 108-484) and provides means and incentives for USAID to direct substantially more microenterprise resources to the very poor.

Take action today! Ask your representatives to cosponsor the bill!

Use this action sheet on the bill — it has great facts about microfinance and tips on how to ask your representative to cosponsor.

Our bill fact sheet summarizes the bill, and you can share it with your rep’s office.

Visit our microfinance page of the website, under “Take Action,” for more resources and updates on the bill, including help in making a call to your congressperson.

There Is Nothing More Powerful than Getting Face to Face This August

Congress will go on recess for much of August. During a long recess, representatives and senators spend a lot of time meeting with constituents. When is the last time you met with your elected officials? Could this be the first time? Our decision-makers need to know that there are constituents who care about global poverty problems and solutions. You could educate them about how we can end AIDS, the Education for All-Fast Track Initiative (FTI), or how microfinance helps people lift themselves out of poverty.

If you need support setting up and organizing your meeting, check out our online resources and/or contact one of our staff people, Ken Patterson, Lisa Marchal, Crickett Nicovich, or Jen Maurer.

There are some cuts that do not heal.

— Marian Wright Edelman, speaking to the RESULTS International Conference on June 20, 2011

August 8–September 5: Congressional recess (a great time for a face-to-face meeting with your legislator back in your district)

August 10: Issue Training Call on the Fast Track Initiative. 9:00 pm ET. (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. What is the Fast Track Initiative? How does it related to our Education for All campaign? How does it relate to the Education for All Act? Call in for some great clarifying information.

August 13: Global Conference Call: Focus on Education for All and the Fast Track Initiative. 2:00 pm ET. (888) 409-6709

August 17: Education for All Media Grassroots Skillshare. Time to be determined. (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. Interested in writing an op-ed on our Education for All campaign for your local paper? Want to pitch an editorial but need some tips? Call in to swap best practice ideas.

August 30: RESULTS Introductory Call. 9:00 pm ET. Register today!

August 31: Training Call on Working with Coalition Partners on Education for All. 9:00 pm ET. (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. Join in this call to examine ways you can partner with others in your community who have a commitment to education and might be interested in working collaboratively with you and your group.

September 10: Global Conference Call: Focus on Education for All. 2:00 pm ET. (888) 409-6709