Recognizing the fight against global
poverty and disease
On Tuesday October 7, 2008, I
participated in a news conference with
Democratic and Republican members of the
PA House and Senate in announcing our
pubic support of an important
international initiative designed to
address the issues of extreme poverty
and debilitating disease.
The ONE Campaign, whose goal is
'to help make poverty history,' is designed to bring together
people of all countries, beliefs, and
walks of life to help save
and improve
the lives of those attempting to survive
in some of the most oppressive
conditions that exist throughout the
world.
The ONE Campaign believes that many
voices, united as one, can put real
pressure on international leaders to
increase efforts to provide for basic
needs like health, education, clean
water and nutrition.
Often we live our lives in somewhat of a
cocoon, not really appreciating some of
the harsh conditions that our fellow
citizens of the world are living in.
Looking at the research might give you a
better appreciation of their plight:
-
Every 3 seconds, a child dies from
illness associated with extreme
poverty.
-
Nearly a billion people live on less
than $1 a day.
-
An estimated 16,000 children die
each day in the poorest countries of
the world.
Millions of Americans have joined The
ONE Campaign and the effort has
established the following goals:
-
to reduce by half the number of
people in the world who suffer from
hunger, resulting in 300 million
fewer people going hungry each year
-
to provide free access to primary
education for 77 million
out-of-school children
-
to provide access to clean water for
an additional 450 million people and
basic sanitation to 700 million
people
-
to prevent 5.4 million young
children from dying of
poverty-related illnesses and
400,000 women from dying in
childbirth each year
-
to save 16,000 lives a day by
fighting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria
These are important goals which deserve
increased public attention,
and the appropriate public policy to
achieve them. The public education and
advocacy of The ONE Campaign will go a
long way in generating the action
necessary to make these goals a reality.
That is why Senator Wayne Fontana, from
Allegheny County in western PA, and I led the effort to
make October 16, 2008 ONE Campaign Day
in Pennsylvania. Along with a similar
action in the PA House of Representatives, it is our hope
that we can bring additional attention
and solutions to problems that have been
with us for far too long.
To add your voice to The ONE Campaign,
visit
www.one.org,
or text the word ONE to 62523.
Thank you.
Hughes
and Colleagues Declare "ONE Campaign Day"