The U.S.'s REAL Foreign Aid Budget

One of The Borgen Project’s main talking points is about the high number of Americans who misconceive how large our government’s foreign aid budget is. It is significantly lower than most would think. The above graph, from GOOD magazine, is a fairly accurate depiction of the public’s misconception of U.S. foreign aid.

On average, Americans believe that 20% of the federal budget goes to foreign aid. In reality, just about 0.2% of the U.S.’s gross national income goes to improving living conditions for the world's poor. This figure is especially disappointing in comparison with other wealthy nations’ foreign aid budgets. In 1970, developed countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national incomes as foreign aid. Countries such as Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden have exceeded this agreed minimum. The U.S. is ranked towards the bottom in terms of its overall spending on foreign aid.

-Clare Ortblad

IMAGE SOURCE: GOOD

The Senate Calls for a Revision of Global Institutions

While the U.S. government is often under attack from critics about foreign policy and development strategies in third-world countries, Senator Richard G. Lugar has been working to bring it to the attention of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a committee of nineteen senators with Senator John Kerry as chair and Senator Richard Lugar as the Ranking Member.

Senator Lugar, with the help of several others, has created a proposition to revise and reformulate the global institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and other development banks in order to assure their overarching mission - that is "alleviating poverty, hunger and disease in poor countries, promoting sustainable development, economic growth, and good governance, and ensuring financial stability."

The proposition and suggestions for reform are extensive and include "accountability, transparency, and effectiveness of the World Bank, the IMF, and other development banks." A thorough examination of the institutions may seem overwhelming, but it is a step in the right direction.

To read the full report go to http://foreign.senate.gov/ and click on Featured Report:The International Financial Institutions: A Call For Change . ».

- Leah Kelly

SOURCE: Senate Foreign Relations Committee

US to Provide Assistance in Medical Education to Sub-Saharan Africa

The National Institute of Health has announced a new initiative to strengthen medical education in Sub-Saharan Africa, in collaboration with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The program, called the Medical Education Partnership Initiative is a joint effort among US governmental and non-governmental organizations to increase the number of healthcare workers in the developing world, as well as strengthen host-country medical education systems.

Eric Goosby, US Global AIDS Coordinator says that "shortages of trained doctors are a key constraint" within developing countries and that "expanding the number of qualified clinicians facilitates strong faculties of medicine so they can meet their people's needs over the long term."

To learn more, read the following article published by The Government Monitor.

- Tiffanie Depew

SOURCE: The Government Monitor

A Few Small Clicks Make a Big Difference

In an effort to help the average American do something in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, several foundations and travel companies are starting a campaign to allow travelers to donate just $2 each time they pay for a flight, a rental car or hotel room.

The campaign, called Massive Good, is asking users of various websites, including Travelocity, to click a box and donate an extra $2 when they pay.

To learn more read the following article in the NY Times.

- Tiffanie Depew

SOURCE: NY Times

Why Poverty is Expensive

In an article for the Washington Post earlier this week, DeNeen L. Brown makes a conclusion about poverty that most people find surprising- "The poor pay more for things middle-class America takes for granted." Because most of them cannot afford cars, for example, they end up doing their shopping at the nearest corner grocery store. In poor neighborhoods, these stores often cannot survive unless they charge higher prices for their product. As a result, people end up having no choice but to pay an extra dollar on a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread, which can really add up. According to the Census Bureau, about 37 million people in the US live below the poverty line. A lot of those people work hard and struggle to earn a living, but it's not easy.
Source: Washington Post