Hand in Hand Ministries is pleased to play a major role in the restoration of $5.1 billion to SB 2731 (PEPFAR Reauthorization) that will be used in the global fight against AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The ONE Campaign and its partners are currently engaged in several advocacy initiatives to encourage Senate floor action and eventual passage.

Hand in Hand Ministries’ supporters were able to affect the restoration of funds by contacting key Congressional members who were in favor of the original bill. These members subsequently played major roles in introducing the amendment that restored funds so critical to the fight against these devastating diseases and global poverty.

In addition to advocacy, Hand in Hand Ministries helps provide life’s essentials – food, water, clothing, shelter, education and medical care – to the poorest of the poor, so they may one day become self-sufficient and go on to help others in their own communities. For a more about our programs, visit our new interactive website at www.hhministries.com. You may also contact me at 502-459-9930 or by emailing me at wayne@hhministries.com. I welcome your comments and questions.

-Wayne Fowler, Executive Director

Many African countries are facing a grave threat from rising food prices. That’s why we’ve been asking President Bush and other G8 leaders to take immediate action to soften the blow on the poor and reverse the underinvestment in long-term agricultural productivity.

Some of us have been in Mozambique this week; a country like Mozambique is particularly vulnerable to global food shocks. Not only is it very poor (75% of the country lives on less than $2 per day), it also imports roughly 75% of its food and is hit by a drought or flood every six months.

Despite these challenges, many parts of Mozambique have ideal climate conditions for agriculture production and there’s certainly no shortage of land – Mozambique runs 1,500 miles down Africa’s eastern coast and is twice the size of California.

Today we tried to learn why Mozambique is not able produce more food – both for local consumption and export. To find answers to our questions, we visited plant scientist Pedro Fato at the Instituto de Investigacao Agraria de Mozambique (IIAM) just south of Maputo. IIAM is an agricultural research institute jointly funded by the Government of Mozambique and private donors, including the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Rockefeller Foundation. Pedro and his team are breeding more nutritious and insect resistant varieties of maize (corn), cassava, sorghum and sweet potatoes – all foods considered staples here in Mozambique. In the accompanying picture you can see Pedro holding orange maize which IIAM has bred to be rich in vitamin A and beta carotene.

Pedro outlined three major challenges to boosting agriculture growth and productivity in Mozambique

1. Water: nearly all agricultural production in Mozambique is rain-fed. With a typical rainy season lasting only three months, basic irrigation techniques and technology could significantly boost yields
2. Inputs (fertilizers and seeds): Fertilizer is expensive and not widely available in Mozambique. There is currently no domestic production; the limited quantities that are available are imported from South Africa. New seed varieties are also lacking. Approximately 70% of farmers are using unimproved local maize, which has lower yields and isn’t as resistant to pests and diseases. Like fertilizer, there is also no local seed production
3. Infrastructure: most of Mozambique’s agricultural activity occurs in the north of the country, where long distances and poor roads make it difficult to move crops beyond village markets. Improved access to markets could dramatically increase incomes for farmers and cooperative groups.

Pedro also told us more money is needed for agriculture research and extension workers so that new seed varieties and inputs can make it into the hands of farmers. He also said commercial farming is needed in Mozambique. Agriculture in here is mainly limited to smallholder farmers, limiting productivity, distribution and export potential. Pedro told us that 95% of maize in Mozambique is produced by small holder farmers.

Mozambique certainly isn’t alone. Many sub Saharan African countries are facing similar challenges. We’re hopeful that the global attention on food prices will translate into a sustained investment in long-term agriculture growth in places like Mozambique.

-Ben Hubbard, Policy Manager

I’m thrilled to let everybody know about an exciting opportunity for activists who want to learn more about how to talk to their elected leaders and local press about ending poverty. From July 12-15, RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund will be hosting our annual International Conference, featuring RESULTS activists from across the U.S. and around the world. Participants will learn how to fine tune their lobbying and communication skills in workshops that are designed both for those just starting out, and those who are on a first-name basis with their elected official’s staff! Split plenary sessions will address global and domestic issues separately, and confirmed speakers include Michel Kazatchkine, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria; and David Lane, executive director of the ONE Campaign.

Activities won’t be limited to the conference site. The last day of the conference will be devoted to meetings with our activists and their members of Congress, and meetings at the World Bank and IMF for our international partners. At the end of the day, my colleagues and I will host optional walking tours of DC, under-30 socials, and karaoke dance parties to make sure that participants can have some fun during their time in DC. Not that lobbying Congress on poverty alleviation isn’t fun, of course. But it ain’t karaoke either…

RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund provides our partners in the U.S. and around the world with the tools they need to get informed about fighting poverty both in the U.S. and abroad, and how to engage their policymakers and editorial boards. We focus on campaigns pertaining to global health, education, health care for all, microcredit, and ending hunger through nutrition programs. To learn more about us, or to register for our conference, please visit our website. I hope to see you there!

-Robyn Shepherd, RESULTS

Today, the House of Representatives voted 318-106 to pass a $300 billion, 5 year Farm Bill. While the bill funds some domestic conservation and nutrition programs and food aid, it also includes agricultural subsidies that have a tangible impact on global poverty. Agricultural subsidies, which Japan and other rich countries in Europe use as well, have historically been used to help farmers earn a living when world prices for commodity crops such as wheat, corn, and rice are low and farmers lose revenue. However, these payments can also cause subsidized crops to flood overseas global markets, making it difficult for farmers in poor countries to sell agricultural products in their own markets.

Farm incomes are higher than ever, the US Department of Agriculture reports that net farm income will top $92 billion in 2008, far exceeding the 10-year average of $61 billion. These agricultural subsidies often go to the wealthiest farmers in the country. Even under the new legislation only individual farmers who make $750,000 or more in farm income would be ineligible for direct subsidy payments. The legislation that the House approved today essentially continues subsidy programs that disadvantage the poor. During this time of high food prices, when U.S. farmers are earning at record levels and poor people in developing countries are struggling to feed their families, it makes little sense for the US Congress to pass a program that can have such a damaging impact on farmers in poor countries.

Next the legislation moves to the Senate, where it is likely to pass easily as well. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation when it comes to the President, but House and Senate leaders are saying that they will vote to override a veto, which requires a 2/3 vote in both houses.

To read more on the Farm Bill see the articles below

AP article

WSJ article

Links to some of our partners’ work on the Farm Bill

Oxfam America

Bread for the World

-Sara Rogge, Senior Trade Policy Advisor

I’m excited to be involved for the first time in Save the Children’s annual Advocacy Day program in Washington (June 11-12). Particularly at a time when the world food crisis threatens to push more people – especially vulnerable children in the developing world – back into poverty, this event gives us all an opportunity to do something for those children and their families.

Did you know that over 10 million children die yearly from preventable or treatable diseases and low cost solutions can do something about it? That’s 26,000 children a day! AIDS and malaria are killing only a small proportion. Most die of diarrhea, pneumonia, and measles. Four million of these deaths occur to newborns – less than one month old – in villages in Africa and Asia. That’s not right, especially since there are low cost solutions that can prevent these deaths from happening.

Save the Children is going to focus its June program on building support for the U.S. Commitment to Global Child Survival Act (H.R. 2266, S.1418). This legislation will strengthen American’s role in saving the lives of children and mothers in the world’s poorest countries by investing in low-cost, highly effective, lifesaving interventions such as vitamins, antibiotics and vaccines.

Already over 100 Senators and Representatives from both parties support this bill, but more must be done to get this legislation passed. We need to come together and tell Congress to provide more help for these children and families in countries like Nigeria, Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Afghanistan.

If you want to make a difference for these kids like I do, join us June 11-12 in our call for change & reserve a spot today; register at www.savethechildren.org/advocacyday2008. If you have any questions, please email me at advocacyday@savechildren.org.

Advocacy Days is a terrific opportunity for us to make a difference by letting our elected officials know there is a voice calling for lasting change in the lives of children in need.

-Ryan Quinn, Save the Children

The Washington Post has a strong op-ed today from Michael Gerson calling for movement on the reauthorization of President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). He calls out the “Coburn Seven” — seven Senators impeding its progress.

Gerson writes:

It is the nature of the Senate that the smallest of minorities can impede the work of the majority. But it takes a conscious choice — an act of tremendous will and pride — for members to employ these powers against an AIDS bill with overwhelming bipartisan support.

I encourage you to read the full piece “Moral Scales in the Senate” on the Washington Post site.

It takes money to make money, but poor people in Mozambique don’t have access to credit. Commercial banks don’t want to lend to them because there is no incentive in lending tiny amounts of money in such high-risk, isolated areas. Today, I visited Matola province in Mozambique. I met with Opportunity International, an incredible organization that gives microfinance loans to individuals and groups.

Microfinance loans are small amounts of money (often as little as $50 or $100) that enable very poor people, especially women, to start or expand small businesses. These loans are a vital resource in poor communities, where people have trouble accessing credit from traditional banks and money-lenders often charge exorbitant interest rates.

Their average loan from Opportunity International is small - around $170 dollars - and after just two years of operation the organization is already breaking even in the country, meaning it can expand its operations to reach even more people.

Study after study has shown that in spite of high levels of poverty, high risk and rapidly changing environments, good microfinance programs boast a repayment rate of more than 95%. Evidence also indicates that income generated from microfinance projects can spur wider development benefits because borrowers, especially women, are likely to use their extra income to invest in health care or education for their families.

We were taken to meet two groups of women whose lives had been transformed by the loans. They were able to use their money to buy stock to sell at their market stalls selling biscuits, clothes, charcoal etc. One woman had even used her money to open a restaurant. The great thing about talking to these women was how happy they were. They were so cheerful and delighted to show us around.

One woman, Rabia, has five children who live with her (in fact we met two of them - they were doing their homework at their mums stall). Rabia has one of the best success stories. She took us to see her old house, which was tiny and made of iron sheeting, and the new one she is building with the proceeds of her stall (picture above). The new house is huge (bigger than my house!) and really well organized - one room is bigger than her entire old place. As you can imagine, we were really inspired by these women.

It’s important to keep things in perspective though. One woman we spoke to was happy that she had increased her income, but she still only spent $4 a day on feeding her family of 5. It was fantastic to see what a difference a small loan could make to peoples’ lives, but we could also see that there is a long way to go to lift the community out of poverty.

-Hermione Davies

In Mozambique, less than half the population has access to clean drinking water. As a result, diarrhea and cholera, two diseases caused by unclean water and poor hygiene, are leading causes of child deaths in the country.

Today, I had the opportunity to see a Global Fund-supported program in Mozambique that is piping clean water into a community. I saw how lives can be transformed with access to clean water. While most of us in the United States take safe drinking water for granted, there are over one billion people around the world without access to clean water. But thanks to some amazing programs funded by the U.S. and others, some of the world’s poorest people here in Mozambique now have access to clean water, which is not only helping keep them healthy but also increasing their ability to earn money and attend school.

One neighborhood we toured has struggled with cholera outbreaks for many years. In January, with the help of the Global Fund and others, a clean water piping system was brought to the community. The results are remarkable- while last year over 1,000 people were stricken with cholera, by this year that number had fallen to 20.

Another benefit for the community has been more time for work and school, especially for women and girls. Women and children are often charged with the task of collecting water for the family. Before the new piping system was introduced, this meant they often had to spend hours each day collecting water. Now that each family has a stand pipe in their yard or home, attendance rates at schools have improved and women are able to dedicate more time to income-generating activities like gardening.

Clean water is one of the most basic human needs and it was very inspiring to see first-hand how US development assistance is literally saving and transforming lives here in Mozambique.

-Kim Smith

It’s gearing up to be an exciting summer for poverty-fighting activists here in the nation’s capital! ONE works closely with several organizations that are hosting national conferences, trainings and advocacy workshops in Washington, DC in May, June and July. Please check them out and spread the word!

May 27-31: Global Health Council: 35th Annual International Conference: “Community Health: Delivering, Serving, Engaging, Leading”

June 11-12: Save the Children: Advocacy Day 2008

June 13-15: Sojourners: Pentecost 2008: “Training for Change”

June 17: Bread for the World: Lobby Day 2008

June 18-19: CARE: 2008 National Conference

July 12-16: RESULTS Educational Fund: International Conference to End Poverty

July 15-16: U.S. Global Leadership Campaign and Center for U.S. Global Engagement: Washington Conference

-Margaret McDonnell, US NGO Partnerships and Faith Relations Team, ONE

More from our trip to Mozambique. (Previous posts here.)

Before we left the suburb, several of the kids asked us to take their photo. (See above.)

I know I’m missing items from today- but I’ll have to fill in more later. The next time we have internet access, I, and/or others on the trip, should be able to post more here.

-Virginia Simmons