What's on Your Heart?

While some people are giving Valentines to their sweethearts, others are sending messages to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner about canceling debts to address poverty, as part of
Jubilee USA's What's on Your Heart? campaign. Americans are all struggling because of the financial crisis, but poor countries are being hit the most as their debt pushes them further into poverty. What's on Your Heart? encourages people across the country to send heart- shaped messages to Mr. Geither about how important this issue is. You can learn more about the campaign on their website, and send a heart of your own.

Fuel Efficient Stoves

In Darfur, Sudan, a shortage of cooking fuel is one of the major problems faced by women. Sources of firewood near the camps are practically nonexistent, and women often get attacked when they travel farther to find other fuels. An effective solution for this issue is improved woodstoves, affordable, and easy to use. The stove's high sides improves heat transfer, speeding up the cooking process, reducing indoor air pollution, and saving up precious cooking fuels. On the outskirts of Kassala, Sudan, 150 women have been taught how to use these stoves. Along with fuel-saving tips such as using dry wood or pre-soaking beans prior to cooking, the use of these stoves has cut fuel use in half, and reduced violence towards women.

Secretary Clinton Supports International Development

On her second day as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton visited the headquarters of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to show her support of their work, which ranges from international humanitarian assistance to agriculture and economic growth. "What I'm hoping to do as your Secretary of State is to work with USAID to provide the kind of leadership and support that will give you the tools you desperately need in order to fulfill the missions we are asking you to perform. We are asking you to do more and more with less, and my goal is to make sure we match the mission and the resources," said Secretary Clinton.
Source: US AID

Spread the Word!

You don't need a stage and microphone to help spread the word about The Borgen Project (although it wouldn't hurt!), all you need is your computer. Build online buzz by posting info about the organization on the websites you visit, messaging your friends on Facebook and Myspace, or linking to our YouTube videos. For more quick and easy ideas on what you can do to build awareness, go here.

Meet the Team

Name: Yelena Sidorko
Location: Seattle
Role: Blogger Intern
Insider Information: Yelena is finishing her last year at the University of Washington, where she is getting a degree in European Studies. She is interested in international relations, and hopes to do a lot of traveling some day.
Why I'm Part of it: "I believe that we, as one of the most powerful countries in the world, are truly capable of making a difference in the fight against global poverty. We need to realize the impact we have as individuals, and take action rather than just sit back and feel sorry for the people we read about in the headlines. I believe that the Borgen Project is encouraging people to do just that; informing them of the issues and how they can take practical steps towards influencing our legislators."

Distribute Fertilizer, not Just Food

There has recently been a drop in food prices around the world. However, in poorer countries, especially those in Africa, the change has been almost nonexistent. Prices for maize, for example, have decreased by one percent in the last quarter, as opposed to the 32% drop in the international price of maize. To help those living in impoverished areas, food is being distributed. Equally important, however, is the distribution of fertilizer and seed to farmers so they can increase their harvest and create a self-sufficient food supply for themselves and their families.
Source: World Bank

Water from Thin Air

Dean Kamen's invention, the Slingshot, claims to be capable of producing clean drinking water from any source of moisture. The device requires no filters, operating by vapor compression distillation. This process can use anything from ocean water to urine or sewage, and extract from it pure water safe for drinking. The slingshot also generates enough electricity to power 70 energy-efficient lightbulbs. Kamen wants to distribute his product to various village entrepreneurs. Eventually he hopes to change impoverished areas around the globe by providing water for those who don't have easy access to it.

Proven Successes in Global Health

US Leadership to Focus on Foreign Aid

The new US leadership is recognizing the importance of foreign assistance and the need for improving its efficiency.
"It is essential that the role of USAID and our other foreign assistance programs be strengthened, and be adequately funded, and be coordinated in a way that makes abundantly clear that the United States understands and supports development assistance," Says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Says Steve Radelet of Washington's Center for Global Development, "With the financial crisis, resources are going to be difficult to come by for everybody, but that does strengthen the case for streamlining and making every dollar for foreign assistance more efficient and building a strong professional agency."
Source: Reuters

Additional Funds Towards Cholera Outbreak

Last month, USAID sent additional assistance to Zimbabwe to help the fight against the current cholera outbreak. To date, they have pledged $6.8 million in emergency assistance. Although contagious, cholera can be prevented, and USAID is working alongside the international community to help Zimbabwe fight this disease.
Source: USAID

A Missing Millenium Development Goal?

According to Rajendra Pachauri, head of the U.N. climate panel, a "glaring neglect" of the energy sector in the Millenium Development Goals is holding back the world's fight against poverty. Pachauri said developing countries such as his native India need to confront the "huge gap" in energy supply to the poor, and that "Without the provision of adequate and appropriate supply of energy ... we would be falling far short of what is desired and what we need to achieve in eliminating poverty across rural areas across the world."
Source: AlertNet

World Bank President Presses US to Contribute to Vulnerability Fund

Last month, World Bank President Robert Zoellick pressed Obama to pledge $6 billion of an $825 billion U.S. economic stimulus package to a global "vulnerability fund" for poor countries hit by the financial crisis.

"With this modest step, the United States would speed up global recovery, help the world's poor and bolster its foreign policy influence," Zoellick wrote in a New York Times editorial. "Support for a vulnerability fund can help limit the depth and length of the international downturn, prevent the contagion of social unrest and help save a generation from a new poverty trap. For less than 1 percent of America's stimulus package, President Obama can lead the G-20 in London and reintroduce America to the world."

Read the editorial.

Virgin Founder Weighs in on Philanthropy's Future

It is hardly surprising that commentators are worried that the charities, foundations and good causes that have flourished in recent years will suffer as a result of the present financial crisis. In his article earlier this week, British entrepreneur Richard Branson suggests as a solution that "In the grip of the downturn, we need to revolutionize the way businesses and the social sector work together – moving from donor and receiver to true partnerships."
Source: Telegraph