Global Weekly Update August 2, 2010

Take Action: Generate Media on the Global Fund’s Replenishment Meeting This Fall

The UN MDG Summit is September 20–22 and the Stand Up, Take Action for the MDGs is September 17–19. Can we generate media to make an impact for the Global Fund?

Write an LTE! Our goal is to generate 50 by September 19.

The action sheet (Word) is focused on writing a letter to the editor (LTE) on the need for the U.S. to support the funding replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Take this action today and share it with your friends and community.

Get editorials and op-eds published! Our goal is to generate 15 editorials and 10 op-eds by September 19.

Use this this editoral packet available that you can share with your local paper’s editor to explain the issue to them and give them the resources so they can write their own editorial.

Schedule Your August Recess Meetings Today!

Congress is getting ready to go on summer recess next month: the House will be out of session from August 2 through September 10 and the Senate will be out August 16 through September 10.

A “recess” means that reps and senators are in their districts and states for meetings with constituents. Call the local scheduler today and ask for a time to meet — be creative! You can meet at their office, at a local coffee shop, or a community event. And don’t forget to sign up for their e-mail lists on their websites to find out when they will be holding town hall meetings and other events for constituents.

Use our Activist Milestone #7 to guide you and find a sample letter to send to your scheduler.

Congratulations! 101 Representatives Signed the Letter to Obama Urging a Three-Year Pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

Congratulations! Your hard work got 101 representatives to sign a letter (pdf) to the president asking him to make a three-year commitment of $6 billion to the Global Fund. The letter was initiated Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA). This fall, international donors will gather to make three-year funding commitments as part of the Global Fund’s replenishment process. As the founding contributor and largest donor to the Global Fund, a strong pledge from the U.S. will help leverage additional contributions from other donor countries. Historically, every $1 from the U.S. has been matched by $2 from other sources. See the full list on our appropriations’ page. See a list of all signers by visiting our appropriations’ issue page.

Exciting Conference Call Saturday, August 14 — Support the Global Fund!

Join us Saturday, August 14 at 2:00 pm ET for an exciting monthly conference call. TB-HIV patient activist Winstone Zulu will call from Zambia to speak to us about the critical importance of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the urgent need now for funding to face a crisis: clinics are running out of drugs and have to turn away patients, which is already happening in many parts of Africa. We will then be joined by Dr. Daniel Carucci, vice president for global health for the UN Foundation, will speak to us about a new documentary that captures direct-impact stories of Global Fund success. Watch the video today!

Spend Time with Your Group Preparing for Stand Up, Taken Action for the MDGs, September 17–19!

Stand Up, Take Action for the MDGs is happening right before the UN MDG Summit (Sept. 20–22). Spend time with your group planning how to use this great event to generate interest in RESULTS and bringing new members into your group. Review our planning guide to see how you can take advantage of this great event!

August 5: Champion Scale Training Call, 9:00 pm ET. Call in to (712) 432-3100, passcode 887871. Learn about our Champion Scale tool that will help you know how your member of Congress is doing in working to end poverty!

August 14: Global Conference Call. Focus: Global Fund Replenishment. 2:00 pm ET. Call in at (888) 409-6709.

Special guests: Winstone Zulu, Zambia TB-HIV activist; and Dr. Daniel Carucci, Vice President for Global Health for the UN Foundation

August Congressional Recesses: House: 8/2 to 9/10; Senate: 8/6 to 9/10

September 17–19: National Outreach for all groups around Stand Up Against Poverty weekend.

September 20–22: Media push for UN MDG Summit.

August and December: ACTION/TB mini-grants available for World AIDS Day events (World AIDS Day is December 1).

October or November: Media training for TB Controllers and grassroots activists. We’ll bring a small group of activists together in October or November for some hard-hitting media training.

September–November: Developing U.S. TB Patient Advocates. We’ll be working to identify U.S. TB Patient Advocates who can speak powerfully about their experience with TB to make it real for our communities.

October–December: Fall Fundraising.