Global Weekly Update June 17, 2013

Top Action: Write Congress in Support of the Global Fund

Later this year the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will be hosting a replenishment conference with the aim of raising $15 billion for the next three years of work. We want to make sure the U.S. shows up with a pledge for at least one-third of that amount. According to research conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation, constituent letters to our members of Congress are very influential. Your letters will let Congress and the Administration know that we want the U.S. to continue to lead on the Global Fund. 

This month’s action sheet is a great tool for mobilizing constituents to handwrite letters on the Global Fund. The letters can then be hand-carried to the RESULTS International Conference (July 20-23) and delivered in person to your members of Congress. 

Take out a pen and paper yourself and/or gather a group of friends for a potluck, a picnic, or a "wine and writing" party. In a few minutes, you and others will have letters that you can send along to Washington in the suitcase of a fellow RESULTS advocate. Or if you don't know someone going to DC for the International Conference, contact Lisa Marchal, Senior Global Grassroots Associate, and she’ll make sure it gets to its to your representative's or senators' offices.

Your International Conference To-Do List

Joining us for the 2013 RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC this year? We’re excited about the conference, slated for July 20–23. Lots to do to get ready! Here’s what you ought to add to your to-do list.

1. Watch for the helpful Legislative Handbook to appear on our website, giving you great background material on our issues and 2013 requests.
2. New to the conference this year? Dial into our helpful “International Conference Pro Tips” call on June 21 at 1 pm ET. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262, and bring your questions.
3. Use this helpful International Conference checklist to help you prepare and organize for your trip to DC!
4. Have you booked your Hill meetings with your members of Congress for Tuesday, July 23? Report them!
5. Lobby Day Reception on Capitol Hill. For the culmination of our big lobby day on July 23, we’ll once again be hosting a reception on Capitol Hill and Prof. Yunus will join as our special guest. We’d like to have as many members of Congress also attend, so please start sending your invitations. Use this customizable invitation.

Updates on Our Nutrition and Education Work

Your Child Nutrition Successes in May and June

You were hard at work on all fronts, influencing the Congress and the media to call for a bold pledge at the June 8 Nutrition for Growth Summit. Bravo to you all for your work. Here’s what you helped accomplish:

1. Signatures on a bipartisan House letter to President Obama in advance of the Nutrition for Growth Summit: 81
2. Signatures on a Senate letter to President Obama in advance of the Nutrition for Growth Summit: 17
3. At least three editorials, nine op-eds, and 37 letters to the editor nationwide, with more possibly pending, from at least 40% of groups and free agents (solo activists) including these: Albuquerque, Asheville, Austin, Bloomington, Central NJ, Coastal CT, Columbus (IN), Contra Costa, Dallas, Delaware Valley (NJ), Detroit, Indianapolis, Louisville, Missoula, Oakland, Prince George’s County (MD), Rochester, Salt Lake City, San Jose, Seattle, Sitka, Snohomish, South Kitsap/Gig Harbor, St. Louis, Tacoma, Tampa, Triangle (NC).
4. Sixteen Senate and House offices were represented at a Capitol Hill child nutrition briefing (listed here in alphabetical order, with state noted): Rep. Bonamici (D-OR), Sen. Cardin (D-MD), Sen. Cochran (R-MS), Sen. Donnelly (D-IN), Rep. Farr (D-CA), Rep. Flores (R-TX), Sen. Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Heinrich (D-NM), Sen. Inhofe (R-OK), Rep. E. B. Johnson (D-TX), Sen. T. Johnson (D-SD), Rep. McHenry (R-NC), Sen. Mikulski (D-MD), Rep. Schock (R-IL), Rep. Titus (D-NV), Sen. T. Udall (D-NM). We have groups in almost all of these states, so If your group encouraged one of these offices to attend, bravo!

At the Nutrition for Growth Summit on June 8, the U.S. pledged $1 billion to nutrion-specific interventions over the next three years. This does not represent new money, which was disappointing, but our advocacy efforts did force USAID to look at its nutrition portfolio and articulate what the U.S. is actually investing in this critical area of development. Knowing the amount (which we did not know before the Nutrition for Growth Summit) will strengthen our advocacy in the future. We can now encourage oversight to ensure that the $1 billion is spent in the most effective manner and request reporting on specific outcomes related the $1 billion investment. We also now have a baseline to build on for increasing future investments.

Nutrition investments must be a critical part of both ending preventable child deaths by 2035 (the goal of the 2012 Call to Action on Child Survival) and ending extreme poverty by 2030 (the goal of both the World Bank as stated by Dr. Jim Kim, and President Obama in his 2013 State of the Union) because 45% of child deaths are related to malnutrition.

New Report on Access to Basic Education Highlights the Importance of Our Work

Earlier this month, the Education for All Global Monitoring Report and the UNESCO Institute for Statistics quietly released a paper that should have received significantly more attention than it did. They reported that, as of 2011, there are now 57 million primary school aged children around the world who are not receiving an education.

We are actively on the move to change this statistic, as advocacy for access to basic primary education worldwide has been a staple of our work for years. Read more from the report and the impact of the numbers; it will illuminate the work ahead for us.

Learn New Fundraising Skills at the International Conference in July

We have a dynamite International Conference agenda shaping up for you. Read about it online!

One great agenda item to note . . . if you’re planning on joining us in Washington, DC, in July, you can sharpen your fundraising skills at two different sessions designed to help you make the most of your fundraisers. "Using Your Personal Story to Inspire Support for RESULTS" will tap into our RESULTS tradition of storytelling to help you explain why your guests should make the investment of time and money to RESULTS. This is a great skill for fundraisers, outreach, and even lobbying! “Friend-to-Friend Fundraising” will focus on real-life examples of online fundraising and even show novice social media users how to use their Facebook and Twitter accounts for fundraising. Bring your ideas and enthusiasm to these sessions and meet other partners dedicated to raising resources that will keep us strong!

Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life. While poverty persists, there is no true freedom.

— Nelson Mandela

1. June 21, 1 pm ET. Tips for Those New to the International Conference. Want some pro tips to help you make the most of your first RESULTS International Conference? Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join this call, and bring your questions!

2. June 28, 1 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Heard of RESULTS and want to know more? Join us for this 30-minute introductory call. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join.

3. July 10, 9 pm ET. RESULTS Introductory Call. Heard of RESULTS and want to know more? Join us for this 30-minute introductory call. Contact us with any questions and RSVP for the call. Dial (712) 432-3100, passcode 761262 to join.

4. July 13, 2 pm ET. RESULTS National Grassroots Conference Call for Global Poverty Campaigns. Dial (888) 409-6709 to join!

5. July 15, 8 pm ET. Next RESULTS Free Agents call for global poverty advocates. Dial: (218) 486-1611, passcode 7378587 (RESULTS). Are you a RESULTS activist with our global poverty campaigns, living in a town with no RESULTS group? You are alone no more! Contact Lisa Marchal, Senior Global Grassroots Associate, for more information on this monthly group call.

6. July 16, 8 pm ET. Media Support Call. Want to be part of the on-going support that’s available to help you reach your media goals? Then this is the call for you! Join monthly for inspiration and ideas to keep you going. Dial (218) 862-1300, passcode 682494 to join this call.

7. July 20–23. RESULTS International Conference in Washington, DC. Register today!