In the past three days, more than 18,000 ONE members have taken action to help support and expand U.S. diplomatic, development and humanitarian efforts through the International Affairs Budget.

The object of our action is a letter from Representatives Berman, Kirk, and so far 59 other members of Congress, which will go directly to President Obama to request a robust 2011 International Affairs Budget. The International Affairs Budget is the foundation of funding for almost every anti-poverty and disease program we work for as ONE members.

59 representatives may seem like a lot, but it’s nowhere near our goal of 170 signers in the House. That’s how many we need to get the President’s attention.

If your representative hasn’t signed on yet (you can find that out here), please let him or her know the International Affairs Budget is important to you. Sign our petition before midnight on Sunday so we can deliver your signature on Monday, giving your representative enough time to sign on to the Berman-Kirk letter before the Wednesday deadline.

This week The University of Miami’s Department of International Studies teamed up with ONE’s partner organization, CARE to present a panel discussion on climate change as a human security concern. Many ONE members came out for the event to learn more about the challenges that drastic changes in climate present for people living in extreme poverty.

Dr. Sherri Porcelain, senior lecturer with the Global Public Health Department at UM kicked of the event and moderated the panel discussion which covered topics such as resource scarcity, increased spread of diseases like malaria from more active mosquito populations, to the mass migration of people from coastlands and other areas affected by climate change.

As policy makers prepare to meet next month at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, we will continue to work on the ground here in Florida and around the country to educate our members of Congress and raise awareness about the deadly costs of climate change to those living in extreme poverty.

For all of you living in California, this is just a quick reminder that the California ONE Membership Conference is taking place this Saturday. The conference is set to feature workshops, experts from ONE and other poverty-fighting groups, and much more. Please plan to join us!

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP here. Details below:

What: California ONE Membership Conference
Where: Mission Bay Conference Center, 1675 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158
When: Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 10 AM to 2 PM

On Monday, my husband Wes and I joined other members of ONE to meet with Brad Smith of Congressman Ron Kind’s staff. Of the nearly 28,000 ONE members in Wisconsin, over 3,000 are in the 3rd Congressional District – a number we are looking to grow!

We asked Brad to thank Congressman Kind for being a supporter of ONE, particularly as a cosponsor of the Berman-Kirk bill, also known as the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act of 2009. Mr. Kind also voted against cuts to this year’s Foreign Operations bill and voted for its passage, for which we are grateful.

We were pleased to be joined by Rosine Urujeni, an exchange student from Rwanda currently studying at Viterbo University. Hearing her unique perspective and how important United States aid is to her country simply underlined the importance of our meeting. Rev. Kent Johnson of the Lutheran Office for Justice and Peace in La Crosse brought Rosine, knowing her first-hand knowledge of the poverty, disease, and daily African struggle to survive.

We encouraged Congressman Kind to add his voice as a member of the Wisconsin delegation to urge Speaker Pelosi and Chairman Obey to fulfill the President’s request and fully fund the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Brad assured us that Congressman Kind has been and will continue to be a supporter of our efforts. He agreed to pass along our concerns and requests to continue in the fight against global poverty.

-Joyce Dunbar, Wisconsin ONE Member

Pictured: Kent Johnson, Amy Lunde, Brad Smith, Staff to Congressman Ron Kind, Joyce Dunbar, Wes Dunbar, Rosine Urujeni

Throughout middle and high school, my best friend Laura Whitman and I have been involved in PASC, the Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils. Each year, PASC hosts a state conference for student council members and their advisors to share ideas and communicate between schools. Last spring, Laura and I were fortunate enough to share our workshop, “Be ONE in a Million” with high school students at a District 8 Conference. We were ecstatic when we received word that our workshop had been accepted to states!
“Be ONE in a Million,” focused on ONE’s main priorities and growing ONE membership. The students also viewed numerous ONE videos which were all received very well. The students also participated in a pop quiz to learn about shocking malaria and TB statistics. At the end of the workshop, we even created our own video.

It was absolutely wonderful to speak to so many students about something we’re passionate about and to know that they were genuinely interested. In the spring, Northern Lebanon High School will be hosting the District 8 Conference for PASC. Our theme is “Making Connections” and will feature ONE! Being a senior, I’m sad to think that my last state conference is over; but I’m also very happy to know that Laura and I have made an impact on students who might not have known about ONE. We can’t wait to continue our advocacy through the ONE Campus Challenge in the future!

-Rebecca Guldin, Senior at Northern Lebanon High School Fredericksburg, PA

On Thursday evening ONE volunteers Brian Thomas and Sarah Wonders had the opportunity to get involved with the 3 Rivers Film Festival in Pittsburgh at the premier of Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love. This music documentary, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, opens with Senegalese activist and musician Youssou N’dour singing his anthem to Africa, Wake Up, in which he calls on the continent to unify itself. We follow him on tour at home and abroad, witnessing the power and charisma behind the music – with highlights by N’Dour, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Moustapha Mbaye, Kabou Guèye and Fathi Salama.

At the height of his career, N’dour composed Egypt, a deeply spiritual album dedicated to a more tolerant view of his Islam faith. It was embraced by Western audiences (and won a Grammy) but ignited serious religious controversy in his homeland. This inspiring film continues the call for tolerance.

-Sarah Wonders, PA ONE Member

Two weeks ago I met then California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi. I had read about the peace mission he led during the Ethiopian Eritrea war 1998-2000, but during our conversation we discussed his family’s work with the peace corps early in his adult life. He and his wife Patti began their marriage serving together in southeastern Ethiopia, and Patti served as Assistant Director of the U.S. Peace Corps. As of last Tuesday Lieutenant Garamendi was elected the newest U.S. Congressman from Northern California.

What I’ll remember most about meeting him was the sincerity and connection I felt when with him while talking about global poverty. He asked me to come visit him if elected, and he made me promise to remind him about what needs to be done regarding global poverty. In his own words Congressman Garamendi once stated:

America should be the world’s advocate in promoting human rights throughout the world. Even a minor increase in our foreign aid could have a profound impact in regions of the world suffering from starvation and disease. We know that extremism and violence thrives in the poorest regions of the world, so this is really a national security issue too.

Representative Garamendi will be serving California’s 10th district, and of course we have a “few” ONE members out there who are anxious to meet with their newest member of Congress. Special thanks to ONE Member Brian Webster for his work in making this meeting happen.

For all you Californians out there, we’re happy to announce the California ONE Membership Conference. It’s set to take place on Saturday, November 21 in San Francisco and will feature workshops, experts from ONE and other poverty-fighting groups, and lots of opportunities to meet other ONE members and learn how to be an even more effective advocate for the world’s most vulnerable people.

Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP here. Details below:

What: California ONE Membership Conference
Where: Mission Bay Conference Center, 1675 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158
When: Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 10 AM to 2 PM

This weekend I had the opportunity to join Pittsburgh PA ONE Members for their monthly meeting. It was really inspiring to listen to the ideas flowing out of this group! We discussed many different topics including the upcoming screening in Pittsburgh of the award-winning film Youssou N’dour: I Bring What I Love. The film chronicles the remarkable story of Youssou N’dour, Grammy-award winning artist and social activist who also serves as a member of ONE’s Policy Advisory Board.

We also discussed the importance of ONE Members engaging their elected officials. This group of PA ONE Members understands the importance of showing them how many of their constituents support them in their efforts to fight poverty and preventable disease around the world. Future plans for the group include more “Call Parties” and scheduling in-district meetings with their Representatives which is easy and very important. I was also able to help explain where we are in the legislative calendar and that ONE has already submitted its request to the Obama administration for 2011.

We will certainly need all ONE Members’ enthusiasm and advocacy to help secure the goals in the budget and thus continue to transform the lives of the world’s most vulnerable!

Yesterday a team of ONE members, interns and staff delivered our Upgrade Aid petition with more than 45,000 signatures from ONE members across the country.

We were well-received in every office we visited, reflecting the bipartisan nature of the bill we support: S.1524, the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act. This bill will give USAID, the agency handling most of our U.S. foreign aid, the tools and people it needs to better fight hunger and poverty around the world.

After repeated delays due to lack of sufficient grassroots support, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is now on-track and scheduled to discuss and mark up S.1524 next Tuesday, November 10. The fact that the Senate is making time for this bill now, despite Capitol Hill’s preoccupation with healthcare and other domestic concerns, is a big win for our movement and proof that when we come together, we can influence our legislators and really make a difference.

Your phone calls and signatures on this petition told our senators loudly and clearly that Americans care about the quality of our foreign aid. That was a message they really needed to hear. We may still have a fight to see this bill and other critical components of aid reform enacted. But better, smarter, stronger U.S. foreign aid is on the horizon — thanks in part to the ripple effects yesterday’s petition delivery is bound to have on the Senate and beyond.

Keep watching the ONE Blog for an update after the mark up on Tuesday.