Global Poverty Weekly Update August 15, 2016

August 15, 2016

Global Poverty Campaigns

Weekly Update | Week of August 15, 2016

Quote of the Week
Advocacy in the Run-up to the September 16 Global Fund Replenishmet Meeting
Will Your Legislator Speak to Leadership to Help the Reach Act Move?
Take Advantage of This Recess! In-District Meetings and Town Halls
Road to Rio: Victory!
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Resources at Your Fingertips

Quote of the Week

"The solution to this problem is within our reach. We need the political will to make it happen."

– Ellen Kempler, RESULTS Miami, urging the passage of the Reach Act in the Miami Herald

Advocacy in the Run-up to the September 16 Global Fund Replenishment Meeting

The Global Fund now has a plan to help save 8 million lives and prevent 300 million new infections from HIV, TB and malaria by 2020. It will do this by supporting countries to scale up proven treatments, target the people who need it most, and work with local communities to make sure every dollar is maximized. Now it’s up to world leaders to invest the $13 billion it will take to put that plan into action.

Has your local paper written on the important of the Global Fund this year? Now's the perfect time as we anticipate and work for a strong showing by the U.S. at the fall Global Fund replenishment meeting. Check out the editorial packet we are using to support Global Fund replenishment!
Take a look at the July Action Sheet designed to help you write a letter to the editor about why the U.S. must support the Global Fund! And now the August Action Sheet is out, designed to help you ask your member of the House to weigh in on support of the Global Fund.
Use this Social Media Campaign tip sheet for great sample tweets, Facebook posts, and other social media tips in the run-up to the replenishment!
Take a look at other Global Fund advocacy resources (House caucuses and Washington State delegation weighing in, Global Fund Senate letter, useful videos, etc.) on our website.
Also, read this new blogpost from our TB Advocacy Officer David Bryden titled "A Reason for Optimism for TB Advocates."

Will Your Legislator Speak to Leadership to Help the Reach Act Move?

1. We have 176 cosponsors (including leads) on H.R.3706 and 26 cosponsors (including leads) on S.1911, the Reach Act. You have done spectacular work! So, the next moves:

Ask your members of Congress to encourage the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs and Senator Foreign Relations Committees to work on the Reach Act (H.R. 3706/S.1911). Use our laser talk or this action sheet to make that request.
Ask your representative and/or senators to join the list of cosponsors at an in-district or in-state meeting. Maybe your member of Congress would be interested, as they have showed interest in this issue area via their support of the Global Food Security Act or by virtue of members in the House Women's Caucus. Remember: cosponsors can officially be added once the congressional recess is over.
Keep placing media, as we need to gain media hits in Nevada. When we do that, we'll have gotten Reach Act media published in all 50 states! Check out our updated editorial packet and make that pitch to your editors or write and submit your letter to the editor.

Check out the resources mentioned and more on our maternal/child health issue page as well as on our media toolkit page.

Take Advantage of This Recess! In-District Meetings and Town Halls

This is the perfect time to meet your legislators back home and make your advocacy requests. Let us know of the town hall or in-district meetings you're planning for during this long August recess by entering the information into this handy spreadsheet. If we have Reach Act coalition partners and allies in your area, we can pair you with them for a meeting more easily that way (if you're interested in that). Not sure if there's a town hall happening in your area? Consult this growing list of town halls around the country.

You might want to have copies handy of some of the support materials we had at the International Conference related to the Reach Every Mother and Child Act as well as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and you'll find them on our website.

Then, if you attend a town hall or book an in-district meeting, let us know what happened! Please report each of your lobby meetings through this reporting form right after they happen, and catch up on any missed meetings, as this information is extremely valuable to our advocacy progress and process as a whole. Think about the outreach you did to House and Senate offices as the conference concluded, and make a plan soon with your team to follow up with each office with whom you met.

Road to Rio: Victory!

We did it! With your help we exceeded our Road to Rio goal and unlocked the $15,000 match, raising a total of $57,403! We couldn't have done this without you. RESULTS Executive Director Joanne Carter wanted to thank you directly. Watch her video message.

Upcoming Learning and Action Opportunities

August 26, 1 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. The perfect RESULTS primer. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call.

September 10, 2 pm ET. National Webinar/Conference Call for Grassroots. Login: https://www.fuzemeeting.com/fuze/f2988286/30204806. Or to join by phone only, dial (201) 479-4595, meeting ID 30204806.

House and Senate return in about 3 weeks.