Proposition for America's Foreign Aid Policy

America should stop pouring billions into bureaucracies to buy short-term alliances and focus its efforts on bottom-up entrepreneurship, according to Iqbal Z. Quadir, founder and director of MIT’s Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship. Quadir's proposition sets forth an approach for President Obama to adopt, declaring that America should: a) remove trade barriers on exports from the poorest countries, b) bolster small entrepreneurs with seed money in the range of $25,000, c) give $1 million to match any grass-roots group capable of raising $1 million to establish a health clinic.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Floating Water Gardens

The Gaibandha district of Bangladesh gets covered by water during monsoon season, making it nearly impossible to plant crops. Using the hyacinth plant to create a floating raft, a creative solution has been made for this problem. Once topped with soil and seeds, the raft becomes a floating garden that can yield crops such as gourd, okra, and other leafy vegetables. The garden is inexpensive (hyacinth is available for free locally), and very versatile. It can be used in canals, ponds, and other water sources, and is easily transported. This innovative way to harvest vegetables provides families with food even in the worst rainy seasons.

A Powerful Noise LIVE

The ONE campaign will be teaming up with humanitarian organization CARE and Fathom entertainment on March 5, 2009 to bring a special documentary screening to 450 theaters across the country. The documentary, "A Powerful Noise," follows three women from different countries as they fight HIV/AIDS, promote girls' education, and unite ethnically divided communities. Following the film will be a live town hall discussion with leading humanitarian experts and activists, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and New York Times columnist and acclaimed author Nicholas Kristof.



Tickets and additional information available here.

Millennium Campaign Meeting in Madrid

January's Madrid High Level Meeting on Food Security for All hosted country leaders, representatives, non-governmental and civil society organizations to discuss the issue of soaring food prices. Country leaders were challenged to increase their funding to help the world's hungry in these times of economic instability. The Spanish government committed to donate a total of 1 billion Euros over the next five years towards advancing agricultural development and food production. The UN Millennium Campaign encouraged others to follow this example and increase their support as well.
Source: Millennium Campaign

Failing Economies Stand in the Way of the MDGs

According to an article by Ola Onikoyi Jr, if the drastic declines of African economies due to the financial crisis are left unattended, "the fight to half extreme hunger and poverty by 2015 may well be like waiting for a raindrop in the drought." Developed countries are focused on bailing out their own economies first, yet they need to recognize the importance of helping out the poorer countries as well. Successfully achieving the Millennium Development Goals will be impossible without first addressing the economic issues.
Source: Nigerian Muse

Micronutrients Make a Major Difference

Executive Director of the UN's World Food Programme, Josette Sheeran, has witnessed firsthand the effects of malnutrition suffered by 230 million people in India. During her visit, it shocked her that despite the simple solutions available, malnutrition is still responsible for taking countless lives. One kernel of fortified rice added to 99 kernels of regular rice, for example, could provide an undernourished person with all the micronutrients they need. Micronutrient powder sprinkled on food also provides people with essential vitamins and minerals. Such simple products can go a long way towards eradicating malnutrition throughout the impoverished world. "The point about malnutrition is that it is not like cancer. It does not need some new scientific discovery for us to tackle it. We already have the tools to eradicate hunger, and history will judge us if we do not use them, " Sheeran declares.
Source: Ideas for Development Blog

Political Priorities by the Numbers

$787 billion: Economic stimulus bill signed into law today.
$30 billion: Annual shortfall to end world hunger.

Meet The Team

Name: Melissa Cave

Role: Political Intern

Insider Information: Melissa is a Washington State University Alumni and majored in Political Science. She is interested in criminal and tax law and one day hopes to be a judge or congresswoman.

Why I'm Part Of It: "With so much pain and suffering being felt throughout the world, I want to make a difference in it, whether it is by helping raise awareness or donating my time to help those living in poverty. The Borgen Project is admirable because the organization acts as an advocate for those whose don't have the resources available to help themselves. Poverty is something that affects everyone whether it is at your own front door or in a country you have never heard of. Being a part of change is a spectacular thing."

Katine: It Starts With a Village

Similar to the Millenium Villages project, the UK's Guardian and Observer created a 3-year development project in rural Katine, Uganda. This project, launched in 2007, focuses on several main aspects: education, health, water, governance, and livelihoods. It is funded by readers of the popular Guardian and Observer magazines. An important aspect of the Katine project is their effort to create a forum for residents to express their views on the successes and failures of the project. Their detailed website contains a blog from people living in the village, photos, news about recent developments, and videos.

Malaria Strain Resistant to Drugs

Artemisinin has been known for the past several years as the strongest, most efficient remedy against malaria. A recent series of studies has shown, however, that this drug is losing its effectiveness as a new malaria strain has developed a resistance to it. Only two patients in the study have shown resistance to the drug, and they were later cured, so it is still in very early stages. However, if ignored, this new type of malaria could spread quickly and cause disastrous setbacks in the global fight against the disease. To protect against artemisinin resistance, global health authorities are trying to ensure that it is used only in combinations with other antimalaria drugs that linger in the blood, getting rid of any arteminisin-resistant parasites.
Source: NY Times

Millennium Villages

In 12 different sites across 10 countries in Africa, the UN has set up what they call Millennium Villages. These villages have been selected to demonstrate how African rural communities can lift themselves out of poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Practical and affordable solutions are being put to use, such as free daily school lunches, agricultural training, vitamin supplements, access to anti-retroviral medicines, and insecticide-treated bed nets. The idea is that if these 12 villages can lift themselves out of poverty, the same principles can be applied on a broader scale to combat poverty all over the world. Read more about the specific villages involved and the program itself.