Global Weekly Update February 7, 2011
Join Saturday’s National Conference Call on TB Diagnostics
Join us at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, February 12 as Dr. Lucica Ditiu joins us for a discussion of TB diagnostics and how it relates to our TB advocacy. Dr. Lucica Ditiu will be our special guest for the call. She is Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership and has previous experience as a medical officer with the World Health Organization. With World TB Day just around the corner (March 24), now is the perfect time to get more clarity on the depth and breadth of our 2011 TB advocacy campaign and hear about some exciting new TB tools. Dr. Ditiu’s insights will help us do just that. Customize and share our flyer with others to invite them to gather with you for the call. To join the call, dial (888) 409-6709.
February Action Sheet at the Heart of Our Work — Appropriations
The 2011 February Action Sheet focuses on appropriations requests. Each of our members of Congress has an important role to play in deciding how we spend foreign aide dollars. They owe it to their constituents (you) to make sure that the money is spent in the best possible way—that it saves the most lives, provides the best opportunities, works in the most efficient manner, and does the best overall good for both the beneficiaris and the US.
February is the key month for this work. Write letters, get others to write letters, work with the foreign policy aide, and meet with your members of Congress. They need to hear from us. The voices for the voiceless must be heard above the voices of those who would balance the budget on the backs of the world’s poorest. Addition background to support you in making our requests can be found in the Global Poverty Campaigns section of our website under Issues/Appropriations. Individually, here are your tools:
- February Action Sheet on 2012 Appropriations
- Detailed Request on Childhood Vaccinations
- Detailed Request on Tuberculosis
- Detailed Request on Education for All
- Detailed Request on Microfinance
- Global Fund Request (coming soon)
Time to Plan World TB Day Outreach
World TB Day is coming up March 24 and a great time for all groups to do local outreach to the media and your community. As part of your group planning, don’t forget that REF provides you with resources particularly geared toward helping you make an impact through grassroots events like community forums, university panels, rallies, TB walks, media events, or congressional meetings. Other opportunities include the upcoming launch of a web-based curriculum designed to enroll high school students (and their educators) in TB advocacy and also grant funding in amounts up to $5,000 for local TB advocacy events through ACTION supported mini-grants. Remember to apply now for a mini-grant! Applications are due February 15. Contact RESULTS Outreach and Advocacy Associate Crickett Nicovich if you have an upcoming event where you can utilize the skills of our recently trained TB media experts or are interested in applying for a mini-grant.
Global Fund: What Accountability and Transparency Look Like
When misleading media reports unfairly tarnished the Global Fund, many leaders and experts were quick to come to its defense. Michael Gerson, a former advisor and speechwriter for President George W. Bush, wrote a compelling case for the Global Fund in the Washington Post, highlighting its anti-corruption measures:
The irony here is thick. These cases of corruption were not exposed by an enterprising journalist. They were revealed by the fund itself. The inspector general’s office reviewed 59,000 documents in the case of Mali alone, then provided the findings to prosecutors in that country. Fifteen officials in Mali have been arrested and imprisoned. The outrage at corruption in foreign aid is justified. But this is what accountability and transparency in foreign aid look like. The true scandal is decades of assistance in which such corruption was assumed instead of investigated and exposed.
Read his full commentary here.
Have you witnessed an extraordinary act of advocacy by a fellow RESULTS grassroots partner? Let us know! Share the story with Lisa Marchal. We’d love to celebrate it!
February 16, March 2, and March 16: New Activist Orientation series continues. 9 pm ET. Call (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262. To RSVP or to get more information, contact Lisa Marchal. Join us for the series and get better acquainted with RESULTS!
February 12: Global Conference Call. 2:00 pm ET. (888) 409-6709
February 21–25: Congressional Recess
March 8: International Women’s Day
March 12: Global Conference Call. 2:00 pm ET. (888) 409-6709
March 21–25: Congressional Recess
Other Dates
June 19–21: RESULTS International Conference in Washington, D.C., Four Points Sheraton