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Policy and Advocacy
April 2009
Tuesday April 28, 2009
Posted by: CARE at 2:19PM EST on April 28, 2009
Time for Passion and Strategy on Climate Change by Michael Franti http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-franti/time-for-passion-and-stra_b_190637.html Ok, here's the deal. I remember reading that when President Obama was a community leader, he became somewhat disenchanted with the relatively modest gains he was able to achieve. That's when he decided to go to law school, and perhaps that's when he began seriously considering the importance of politics for enacting REAL change. I understand where he's coming from and although I love being a socially conscious musician, I see that more can be done. That's my main reason for joining forces with CARE, the international poverty-fighting organization, and why I'm REALLY looking forward to taking part in CARE's National Conference which is all about changing U.S. policy to improve marginalized communities around the world. I've seen enough during my world travels to know what works.During my travels in Iraq, Israel, Gaza, Brazil, Indonesia, Japan, Europe and all over the United States, I have seen and heard the voices of people who want change. They want the stabilization of the economy, education and healthcare for all, renewable energy and an environmental vision with an eye on generations to come. We've got to get this message through to the policy-makers in Washington, DC. One of the most important issues of our time surely has to be climate change. In case you haven't noticed wherever you are in the world, the weather is changing. In some places, summers are hotter and longer. In other places winters are longer and colder. The rainy season is resulting in flooding the likes of which have never before been seen in some regions of the world. And of course there are the droughts plaguing other regions. All of this has serious implications for agricultural production--literally who eats or doesn't eat. There are consequences for disease. Not only does research prove that prevention and preparedness work, but so does real action and on-the-ground experience. When you invest in community disaster risk reduction during the dry season, you can literally see the difference it makes during the rainy season when the floods come. Over the past 50 years, changes in the climate have occurred at an alarming rate, above and beyond what scientists consider natural. This is a fact, not a theory. Human activities have resulted in negative consequences. And it is also a fact that while poor people around the world are the least responsible for causing climate change, they are already bearing the brunt. The U.S. has historically been the world's largest contributor to climate change. What we do now will save money down the road, because the longer we delay, the worse it gets. If we do not change our negative habits toward climate change, we can count on worldwide disruptions in food production, resulting in mass migration, refugee crises and increased conflict over scarce natural resources like water and farm land. This is a recipe for major security problems. Now is the time to act. It's sort of like when you own a home and you discover that you have termites. You can do nothing but you know those buggers are not going away until you act. They will keep munching at the foundation of your house until it is totally destroyed or way too expensive to even think about repairing. We can all take pride in the fact that the U.S. has always been a world leader. On this issue we are not out there on a limb by ourselves. Even developing countries like China, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa, have demonstrated willingness to be part of the solution. The U.S. could bring all countries together around shared goals and responsibilities. When I'm on Capitol Hill next month with several hundred of my fellow advocates at the CARE National Conference and Celebration, we hope to drive home the point to the Congress that they must commit to passing legislation that positively impacts the world's poorest and most vulnerable people. Even if we stopped all emissions today, we still need to deal with consequences of past actions, which have set in motion longer-term changes. Investing now in safe-guarding people by helping them to adapt to climate change, will help save money and lives while building resilience. History shows that Americans believe in doing the right thing. Collectively, we activists are essential to advancing U.S. policy to help empower marginalized people to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty for good. The world can't have a global solution to climate change with U.S. action alone; and the world can't have a global solution without U.S. action. It's up to us to set the bar. Wednesday April 8, 2009
Posted by: CARE at 12:59PM EST on April 8, 2009
Greetings from Tanzania! I am here on our first "Learning Tour." The Learning Tours bring policy makers to see how the work of CARE and others on the ground are improving maternal and newborn health. By understanding the challenges and solutions around this issue, we hope to recruit more champions that will focus on this issue and ultimately increase visibility and support. This activity is largely possible due to a grant from the Gates Foundation. We are fortunate to be joined on this trip by two Congresswomen from northern California, Representatives Lynn Woolsey and Zoe Lofgren. Just a few words about Tanzania. As in many countries we work in, Tanzania is largely rural with 75% of the population living in rural areas. Life expectancy is 52 years of age. The estimated maternal mortality rate is 530/100,000 and neonatal mortality is 32/1,000. Tanzania ranks 162/177 on the Human Development Index and has a GNI per capita of $400. Let me share some impressions from our first day. We started out in the Mwanza region in northwest Tanzania. After a long drive on a bumpy road, we arrived in Gabajiga - a small village far from the main road. I met Marietta Kiliga - a village health worker who volunteers two days a week educating villagers about basic health care and the importance of utilizing the health services in their village. Marietta walked us through the village and brought us to a thatched roof home. She introduced us to Shija Kangwe - a shy woman and mother of eight children. Just a few months ago, Shija was five months pregnant with her ninth child and started bleeding heavily. The nurse at the village clinic told her she needed to go to the hospital which was several hours away by foot. Shija has no transportation of her own, but was able to use the village transport system - a bicycle with an attached oxcart. It is rudimentary - but still much better than trying to make the journey on foot. Tragically - by the time Shija got to the hospital - she had lost the baby. However, doctors were able to save her life and she is here today taking care of her other eight children because of the village transport system. I also met Gama Luslinila and her daughter, Catherine who is 8. Gama was the first woman in the village to use the transport system. Her outcome was happier than Shija's but they both benefitted from this simple solution. Later in the day we stopped in the village of Mwagala. We were met by a lively group of women, greeting us with songs, dance and cheers. They were part of a village savings and loan group. They contribute shares each week and then borrow loans to help them start a business or pay for school fees for their kids. The group consists of 26 women and 4 men. One woman talked about how the group has not only improved her life by helping her start a business, but she has also gained the confidence to speak in front of groups. She ran for an elected office and is now a village council member. I asked the men how they felt about the women forming the group and how it felt to be outnumbered. One gentleman spoke eloquently about how he had been raised to believe that women were "lower" than men, but that this experience had changed his mindset. He said that he now had a new respect for women and their ability to get things done after working together in this group. He also spoke emotionally about being able to borrow money from the group, so that his wife could have necessary surgery. He was beaming when he spoke of these women and how much he respected them. On a sad note, I also had a reminder yesterday of the fact that the challenges we face in our work are not exclusive to the people we help. I received an e-mail letting me know that Lilian Ondieki, manager of our PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV) program in western Kenya died of post partum hemorrhage. Please keep her family, including her newborn baby girl in your thoughts and prayers. Helene  
Tuesday April 7, 2009
Posted by: CARE at 2:24PM EST on April 7, 2009
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