If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get into Action!

When you live in a swamp and August comes around, it is time to get out of the District. Every year when the temperature gets unbearable here in Washington, DC, members of Congress head home to work with constituents in their own communities — which makes August an ideal time to take action on issues of poverty!

Two actions you can take to help get kids access to basic education and to fight child malnutrition are hot off the press from the RESULTS International Conference in July. Here are the basics:

Education for All Act of 2013 (H.R.2780)

To strengthen U.S. investments in basic education, Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) are introducing the Education for All Act of 2013. The Education for All Act seeks to ensure that the U.S. provides resources and leadership to contribute to a successful international effort to provide all children with a quality basic education, including by supporting the Global Partnership for Education.

Request: Please cosponsor the Education for All Act of 2013

Background Documents:

• Fact Sheet: Education for All Act of 2013
• ACTION SHEET on the Education for All Act
• Fact Sheet: Education, Security, Economy
• EFA Act Laser Talk

H.Res. 254: Scaling Up Nutrition for Child Health

Child undernutrition contributes to 45 percent of all preventable child deaths. To end preventable child deaths by the year 2035, as called for at the U.S.-hosted Child Survival Call to Action Summit in June 2012, the U.S. must have a targeted global nutrition strategy that focuses on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life — from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.

Request: Please urge the administration to better coordinate efforts to scale up nutrition and increase support for the critical role of nutrition in child health by cosponsoring H.Res. 254.

Background Document:

• Fact Sheet: H.Res. 254: Scaling Up Nutrition for Child Health
• ACTION SHEET on H.Res. 254
• Scaling Up Nutrition Laser Talk

Use the above action sheets to get your friends, family, civic groups, and faith communities to write letters to your Representatives to show strong constituent support for these bipartisan issues. Use the fact sheets to inform your members of Congress and their staff during your August recess meetings!

If you are following up on your Hill visits from the RESULTS International Conference, going to a town hall meeting to get a question asked and answered, or meeting face to face with a member of Congress for the first time, don’t forget to check out our advocacy how-to’s on how to make the most of your August!