ONE VOTE'08

On February 12, ONE members started a petition asking each of the 2008 presidential candidates to pledge to visit Africa during his or her first term in office. In just two week, more than 100,000 have added their names to the action.

Here's the petition text:

As a voter in the 2008 Presidential election, I'm asking you to pledge to visit Africa during your first term in office. It is my hope that your trip will increase U.S.-African cooperation, save lives and help build a better, more secure future for millions of the world's poorest people.

Last week and this week, ONE members delivered these petitions to each campaign office in person. See each candidate's official reply below.

"Today I received a petition from more than 85,000 Americans who are members of the ONE campaign. I applaud their activism and share their urgent concern for the challenges of poverty and AIDS, especially in Africa. I want to assure the ONE campaign and all Americans that I am committed to aggressively combating poverty and disease around the world. I support the bipartisan renewal of the PEPFAR program, and as President I will go further. I have called for spending at least $50 billion over the next five years to fight AIDS worldwide. I have also called for spending $10 billion over five years to get kids in school around the world, and have committed to the bold goal of ending malaria deaths on the continent of Africa by the end of my second term. I am also committed to visiting Africa during my first term as President, to see the progress of our efforts and to assess first hand the necessary strategies to combat disease and poverty. I look forward to working with the ONE campaign and other organizations when I am President to ensure that addressing the needs of the world's poorest countries is an essential component of our nation's foreign policy."


"The ONE Campaign members have been a significant presence throughout this election season and have done a tremendous job of raising awareness of the plight of the poorest people on earth. ONE recently delivered a petition to me with almost 100,000 signatures asking if I will commit to go to Africa in my first term as President. I believe it is our moral imperative, as Americans, to continue U.S. leadership in helping those who are most vulnerable. As we were reminded from President Bush's recent trip to the continent, the current Administration has laid a strong foundation on which I intend to build. I will go to Africa in my first term and will continue to make a difference globally by strengthening such initiatives as the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. As President, together with the efforts of the ONE Campaign, I will help combat global poverty and disease."


Chicago, IL -- "The ONE campaign stands as an example of how ordinary people can come together to change the world from the bottom up. I was honored to receive a petition from 75,000 ONE campaign members, and share your commitment to fight global poverty and disease - particularly in Africa. I will continue to fight for bipartisan renewal and expansion of the global HIV/AIDS relief program, and look forward to visiting Africa during my first term as President of the United States. Together, we can deepen engagement between the United States and Africa, and work for a world that advances our common security and common humanity."

"I have received the petition from more than 85,000 Americans who are members of the ONE campaign. I am proud of the volunteer-driven effort behind ONE and the commitment ONE's members have shown toward serving a cause greater than their own self-interest.

Fighting poverty and disease across the globe is in America's strategic and moral interests. As president, I will establish the goal of eradicating malaria -- which afflicts millions of people in some of the world's poorest nations and stands as the number one killer of children under five in Africa -- from the African continent. I believe that many nations, in Africa and elsewhere, will not reach their true potential without outside help to combat entrenched problems, such as HIV/AIDS. It is critical that we face this crisis head-on, which is why I have consistently supported the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, known as PEPFAR. Our commitment must be sustained, and our nation must always be committed to helping people in need in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere cope with the ravages of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Aid is not the only way of fighting disease and extreme poverty. I will press nations on the critical importance of good governance and economic and legal reform, because no amount of assistance can succeed when governments fail their people. As president, I look forward to visiting Africa and working with afflicted nations there and elsewhere to communicate that we expect a level of governance, transparency, and effectiveness from them in order to ensure that their aid makes a concrete and positive impact on people's lives."

Daily Consciousness Tune-Up: Listen Up!

What we hear depends largely on how we listen. When we listen with our desire tuned into the frequency of sharing, we can find delight and wisdom in any sound. As my father and teacher Rav Berg writes,

"…this is why it is possible for a wise man to listen to the words of a fool and hear wisdom while another man, who may possess a genius IQ but who is motivated only by desire to receive for the self alone [ego] may sit for years at the feet of an intellectual or spiritual master and not understand a single word."
-- Kabbalah Method, Rav Berg


Pay attention to where your head is at today. When your wife is telling you about her stressful day or your client is complaining about a misplaced order or your child is asking for the tenth time why the sky is blue, notice where your desire is. Do you have the person’s best interests in mind - or is your mind elsewhere?

I Am Because We Are

Madonna's new documentary is out! It's called, "I Am Because We Are," a title inspired by Desmond Tutu's words.

I was in Malawi when they were filming it. There is so much story to tell. I wonder how they can possibly tell it all in 80 minutes. I can't wait to see it. It features many of my heroes -- Jeffrey Sachs, Paul Farmer, Bill Clinton, Madonna and most importantly the brave and happy children of Malawi.

Here is a trailer. Advanced kudos to Nathan Rissman who directed it. I already know it's an excellent piece of work. He shared with us so many amazing, heart-wrenching, awe-inspiring stories when he got back to the lodge after long days of filming. I never told those stories because I didn't feel they were mine to tell. But now that this documentary is out, you'll see what I saw and live some of what I lived.

And I hope there are some of you reading this who will want to join me in making a difference for some of the children who need it most.


TRAILER BEING UPLOADED...


Click here to learn more.

BIRTHDAY GIRL SETS GOAL FOR $101,000

Wow, what a cool surprise! I just opened a Raising Malawi newsletter and alas....it's me! Below is an interview I gave last year about how I got started with this great project in the first place.

And you know me. It's all about the birthday.

Also, I just attended an event updating us on the progress of the programs we are funding in-country. It's a happenin', people. We can really flip Malawi from extreme poverty to self-sustaining prosperity. At the event, I met Heather L, a lovely LA acupuncturist who offered to buddy up with me to brainstorm and help move us closer to my $101K goal. Please save your pennies. We'll hopefully be passing a cup around shortly. Or heck even better, if you find yourself inspired to give, please do so now.

Raising Malawi volunteer Julia Silka is a strategic planner at advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. Julia is a native Chicagoan who’s lived in New York for the past six years and has recently relocated to Los Angeles. In this interview, Julia shares the inspiration behind her latest fundraising goal.

Julia, at what point did you decide to set your first fundraising goal?

As long as I can remember, every year on my birthday I’ve set specific, measurable goals. Run a marathon, visit a far-away land, buy investment property, take a class. It gives me a focus for the year. It forces me to stretch myself. I feel rewarded with a sense of growth and accomplishment. When the year is out, it’s another box ticked.

Last year, when I sat down to write my goals, I asked myself a question. I asked, “What am I up to?” I remember my head got quiet. And it kind of scared me. What am I up to?! I’m pretty well liked. My family and friends can count on me. I’ve earned this degree and that accomplishment. But what is my life actually about? I know in my heart that I was born to make a difference in the world. But reflecting on where I was putting my time and energy, I just wasn’t on the path. So I decided to go way outside my comfort zone. I would raise $25,000 for charity. I had never done any fundraising before so I figured this would really challenge me.

Why did you choose Raising Malawi?

If I was going to start fundraising, I wanted to help the most vulnerable of the vulnerable. I wanted to help orphans. I looked long and hard for the right charity. I was in New York at the time when I came across a pamphlet for Raising Malawi. I decided to raise $25,000 for this organization. All I needed to do was a) learn about Malawi b) learn about extreme poverty c) inspire people to donate to this cause. I was on a mission. My hope was that I would not only hit my goal, but I would expand my consciousness.

Did you reach that first goal of $25,000?

Yes, I did reach my goal. And my life changed in the process.

How did it change?

Now I can say, “I am somebody who makes a difference in the world.” I honestly care about these children, and I can’t just tick a box and be finished. A year ago I didn’t know the first thing about extreme poverty and I wasn’t doing anything about it. And that doesn’t make me a bad person. Today, I raised more than $25,000 for this cause. And that doesn’t make me a good person. But one thing is certain. I am a changed person; more connected to the whole. And I’m expanded, somehow bigger for the experience.

So on this year’s birthday you raised your fundraising goal?

Yes, I’ve upped my goal to raise a total of $101,000 for Raising Malawi by Christmas ‘07. Just like last year, I have no idea how to make it happen. And just like last year, I trust that on some level it already has.

Now let’s raise Malawi!

Julia


As a donor to Raising Malawi, you can be assured that your gift will be used to affect positive change at the most fundamental level, while keeping administration costs to a minimum. Over 90% of Raising Malawi’s expenditure goes to direct support.


Raising Malawi
1100 S. Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
310.867.2881
www.raisingmalawi.org

Crocs in Malawi

What a great idea and the PERFECT shoe for Malawians, esp. in the rainy season (which is now). Most of the kids I met didn't have shoes. You can really appreciate their need when you see how they dress, all decked out in Sunday school hand-me-downs from somewhere in the states. Girls wear pretty communion dresses and boys with suit vests to cover their pajama tops.

Remember this guy?


It's the stuff we give to charity. It goes somewhere afterall. And it's all they've got. Here's the story -


Wendy Donahue
February 10, 2008

Old Crocs get new life in Malawi

The unofficial favorite footwear of kids (and many adults), Crocs now can escape the landfill when feet outgrow or overwork them.

Crocs has launched a recycling program called Soles United with a goal of collecting more than 2 million donated pairs of the cloglike resin shoes in 2008. They'll be ground into new material and remanufactured to provide some people around the world with their first-ever pair of shoes.

More than 1 million pairs already have been donated through the program. Last fall 20,000 pairs were sent to Raising Malawi, co-founded by Madonna and author Michael Berg to help children in the African country.

Consumers can donate Crocs (sorry, no knockoffs) at participating retailers, or send them to Crocs' collection centers. Check solesunited.com for details.

Madonna raises $2M-ish for Raising Malawi!

When Madonna extends an invitation, A-listers heed the call.
(Article from Eonline.com)

They did as much in New York Wednesday night when a star-studded list of guests descended upon the black carpet set up outside the United Nations, where the erstwhile Material Girl endeavored to achieve more selfless ends, raising upwards of $3.7 million for both her own Raising Malawi charity and UNICEF to benefit poor children worldwide as well as those affected by Africa's AIDS crisis.

"I want to put Raising Malawi on the map," Madonna told E! News on why she decided to host the fund-raising evening. "I want to help vulnerable children around the world and to get other people to do the same."

While she may still be working on the former, she can definitely cross the latter off her to-do list.

The evening was a combination dinner and live auction to raise money for the charity, followed by a cocktail party complete with requisite A-list musical guests. Before even getting the chance to spread the wealth at the night's auction, the formidable roster of attendees was required to fork over the dinner's charity-assisting entrance fee of $2,500-per-plate.

In addition to the pop queen herself, who was accompanied at the benefit by 11-year-old daughter Lourdes, celeb pals Rosie O'Donnell, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diddy, Angie Harmon, Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Brooke Shields, Ellen Pompeo, Jerry and Jessica Seinfeld, Donald Trump, Amy Adams, Djimon Hounsou and Kimora Lee, Dita Von Teese and U.N. celeb ambassadors Lucy Liu and Téa Leoni were all in attendance.

Salma Hayek was also present for the gathering, which was sponsored, somewhat controversially, by Gucci, the head of whom is Hayek's fiancé and baby daddy Francois-Henri Pinault.

Rihanna, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado and Alicia Keys performed following the live auction, which was hosted by Chris Rock.
While some of the guests were there to support the cause, others were there to support their friends (and still others were no doubt present for the enormous publicity the event offered, though they, for the most part, failed to admit as much).

"I think it's incredible. It's so inspiring, and it makes everything else not seem so important and that's why we're here," Stefani told E! News.

Paltrow, meanwhile, said an evening with her longtime pal was enough of a reason to get out of the house.
"I came out to support my ol' friend Madonna."

She managed it in spades. The auction's biggest-ticket item was the chance to tour with Madonna and attend a dance class with her and Paltrow. The item sold for $600,000.

Cruise, meanwhile, bid $100,000 for a sports package which included a trip to Yankee Stadium with Alex Rodriguez and a private hourlong soccer lesson from pal David Beckham. He ultimately was outbid on the prize, which went for $350,000.

Though the Beckhams were not present at the event, there was no lack of celeb eye candy on display, with the turnout for the event worthy—if not worthier—than any red carpet Hollywood has offered in recent months.

"We feel great, we're happy to be here for such a great cause and, you know, it takes a lot for me to get out of the house these days," an about-to-burst Lopez said, who joked that she and Anthony were "up to 16 kids so far."

Diddy seemed to concur, offering up props to bash-thrower Madonna: "When she does it, she does it big!"

Barrymore, meanwhile, also a U.N. goodwill ambassador, seemed pleased to have a valid outlet for the glare of celebrity, telling E! News that she "appreciates" Madonna and is much happier being filmed at a charity event than for walking her dog through an airport.

"Thrilled to be invited, thrilled to be asked—I feel like I'm in the 'in' crowd, the glamorous people," Harmon said of her own invitation.

As for Madonna, she said the star-studded event was intended to focus some of the spotlight on not only Malawi but children in general.

Her own experiences as a parent of three, including son David whom the star and hubby Guy Ritchie adopted from Malawi in 2006, helped her decide to focus her charitable intentions on children in need.

As for daughter Lourdes, who rarely left her mother's side over the course of the evening, she did concede to E! News that, nice as it is having Madonna as a mother, "it is tough."

While the event will go down as a major success, Madonna herself had a tough time leading up to the night, taking a bit of a beating in the press over the blending of charity with commercial needs.

Though the evening took place on the grounds of the United Nations headquarters, the entire night, which happened to fall smack in the middle of New York Fashion Week, was paid for by Gucci, which saw fit to tie the bash into the Friday opening of its Manhattan flagship store.

As a result, the design house's logo was plastered alongside UNICEF's on backdrops that lined every conceivable area where celebrities might be photographed.

While the United Nations Children's Fund relies on roughly $1 billion in private-sector donations each year, the Raising Malawi
charity dinner represented the first time ever that an event has had such an unabashedly commercial tie-in, with Gucci-branded tents erected on the U.N.'s north lawn.

In what's been taken as a sign of disapproval for the event, the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon left town—though his schedule did not demand it—just hours before the event was scheduled to take place. His office also said it would "look into" the possible cross-promotion between the Gucci store's opening and the event.

For her part, Madonna, no stranger to raised eyebrows, said controversy was inevitable, but was "so happy" that Gucci was so generous in sponsoring the bash.

"I'm grateful Gucci has underwritten this event," she said. All proceeds from the event will be collected by Gucci, which has been tasked with splitting the funds between Raising Malawi and UNICEF.

Happy Boxing Day!

You know how some people get the blues at Christmas? I get the blues at Christmas. First, I get irritated. That feeling usually lingers a few weeks. Then I blow up at someone. Then I get sad.

I think it's because Christmas is a time of failure for me.

I usually push through it OK. And people don't seem to clue in on what's going on inside of me. It's the same thing that made my grandma turn to Jim Beam. And my mom turn into, uhm, my mom.

But not me, no sir. I'm a product of transformation. So I'm a believer in it. And I'm still holding out for a Christmas miracle.

I've been trying to reset Christmas for myself for years. It doesn't have to be a bad time. I can learn to enjoy it like everyone else. Only I never do.

A lot of my trouble has to do with 'the gift'. Giving the perfect gift. It needs to communicate the degree of my love. It's hard to gauge that for people you actually love. Can you ever find a gift to embody that?

Trust me, you can't. I know that. I was trained the hard way. Through failure. Constant failure. Gifts I put a lot of time into ... and love into, or so I thought. But they all seemed to fall short. They were opened, reacted to positively..."oh, this is a nice thought", then negatively, "but I am sure I can get something better" and then they were returned. Or balked at. Or thrown on the stove and set fire. Or torn up in my face. Or wrestled to the ground in a string of lights and pine needles. Ugh. The insanity.

That's my Christmas past. And I hate it. And, unfortunately, whoever I am dating today tends to get the worst gift ever, if I remember to get anything at all. My brother does the same thing. It's a conditioned thing. You get conditioned to 'not care' to protect a heart that cares too much.

So, I am trying with all my heart to transform that drama into something positive. I want to give to someone who would love to receive my gift. I want to give to a child. An orphan. A thousand orphans.

I look at Madonna or Angelia or Mia Farrow. I see in some way we are orphans, parents alive or not. That is our plight. To give what we didn't get. To provide what we needed, not merely wanted. And it's not about 'things' and 'stuff' and 'gifts'.

I didn't get it this year. I didn't transform Christmas into a time of miracles. But I am starting to see where I get stuck.

I won't stop my quest to raise $101K for the AIDs orphans of Malawi. But I may fail in my goal to do so by Christmas '07.

And that's OK.

There's always next year.

Dear Julia,

This year has been an exciting one for Millennium Promise, filled with great advances in the Millennium Villages, new innovative partnerships, and a great deal of progress made on our mission of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa by 2015. I'm pleased to reach out to you, as one of our key supporters, to update you on our achievements to date and the critical challenges we face moving forward.

YEAR END HIGHLIGHTS

Millennium Promise is currently working with a population of approximately 400,000 people in 80 Millennium Villages across 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In our first year, we saw vast increases in crop production, increased access to health care and improved water sources, successful launches of school feeding programs, and new educational facilities built and opened. Now that the program is entering its second year, our focus will broaden to include more expansive health interventions, improved roads and infrastructure and developing business enterprise.

Education

In partnership with Building with Books, 10 new schools have been constructed in the Tiby Millennium Village Cluster in Mali, with plans to build an additional 32 schools in Mali and Senegal next year.

Infrastructure

Internet connectivity was recently established in the Ruhiira Millennium Village Cluster in Uganda. The first e-mail was sent on November 22, 2007 using a low power computer (18 watts instead of the 170 watts for normal computers). Internet access was made available despite the challenge of mountains and a 31 km distance. A 30 meter tower was built on the highest point in Ruhiira to provide internet access to 6 health units, 3 schools, a community store, and a grain store.

Health

The distribution of hundreds of thousands of bed nets and the donation of anti-malarial medications are reducing malaria infections, one of the leading causes of preventable death in Africa.

Business Development

On September 21, 2007, Millennium Promise and Lehman Brothers sponsored the Tanzania Investment Conference, which focused on bringing private sector investors together with Tanzanian officials for an open dialogue on investment opportunities in the East African nation. The conference was attended by more than 130 business and government leaders, including the President of Tanzania, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete.The country's history of political and macro-economic stability, market access, geographical location and diverse opportunities have the potential to make Tanzania a region of great interest to prospective investors and business partners.

CONTINUE THE FIGHT TO END EXTREME POVERTY

As we enter 2008, we are eager to continue the forward momentum created by our tremendous successes in 2007, as well as leverage these successes to mobilize even greater resources and expand our impact on extreme poverty across Africa. I hope that you will join us again by supporting our primary activities going into 2008, which include:

Putting new infrastructure projects in place to increase access to markets and the surrounding communities for members of village communities;

Growing existing relationships with national governments and systems, particularly in the health and education sectors;

Focusing on innovative solutions to the challenges associated with agricultural sustainability and business development over the long term;

Improving our infrastructure to deliver critical interventions in the most efficient and effective manner possible across all 14 sites.

I remain truly grateful for your support this year and hope that you will consider a donation to Millennium Promise to expand our critical work in the year to come. This year was just the beginning of an incredible transformation in villages across Africa; thank you for your partnership in making this change possible.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey S. Flug

Chief Executive Officer

Ending Famine in Malawi

Anyone catch this article in the New York Times this week? (12/2/07)

Malawi is making a comeback. We sent fertilizer, and what do you know? The people of Malawi are no longer starving, they are actually exporting food! After the 2005 harvest, the worst in a decade, Malawi's newly-elected president led the way to reinstating and deepening fertilizer subsidies despite a skeptical reception from the United States and Britain.


Here're some more pictures to tell the story:

Women in the Dezda district of Malawi pounding corn to make nsima, the thick cornmeal porridge that is the national staple. Malawi's government ignored experts and supplied heavy fertilizer subsidies to farmers, contributing to record-breaking corn harvests.


The Malawian countryside, with lands plowed and read for planting to begin. Farmers explained Malawi's extraordinary turnaround - one with broad implications for hunger-fighting methods across Africa - with one word: fertilizer.

Community leaders attended a workshop to learn how to use fertilizer on their maize crops. This year, Malawi is selling more corn to the United Nations World Food Program than any other country in southern Africa and is exporting hundreds of thousands of tons of corn to Zimbabwe.


A woman planting maize seeds in her field in Zomba. Malawi's successful use of fertilizer subsidies is contributing to a broader reappraisal of the crucial role of agriculture in alleviating poverty in Africa.


Chief Zaudeni Mapila addressed villagers during a fertilizer coupon meeting. Last year, roughly half the country's farming families received coupons that entitled them to buy two 110-pound bags of fertilizer, enough to nourish an acre of land.
Workers loaded fertilizer bags onto trucks for distribution. Malawi, a nation that has perennially extended a begging bowl to the world, is instead feeding its hungry neighbors.

A grain storage building was constructed in Malawi. The country's successful use of fertilizer subsidies is contributing to a broader reappraisal of the pivotal importance of public investments in the basics of a farm economy: fertilizer, improved seed, farmer education, credit and agricultural research.
Lontiya Samuel removing corn kernels from the cob in her maize storeroom. As a recipient of the government fertilizer subsidies, she managed to increase her crop yield.

I'd like to end by saying one thing. While the consequences of poverty are enormous....the source of wars and terrorism, the solution is so simple if we lend our fellow man a hand up. Not to is ignorant. I used to be ignorant. I'm less so now.