This week The University of Miami’s Department of International Studies teamed up with ONE’s partner organization, CARE to present a panel discussion on climate change as a human security concern. Many ONE members came out for the event to learn more about the challenges that drastic changes in climate present for people living in extreme poverty.

Dr. Sherri Porcelain, senior lecturer with the Global Public Health Department at UM kicked of the event and moderated the panel discussion which covered topics such as resource scarcity, increased spread of diseases like malaria from more active mosquito populations, to the mass migration of people from coastlands and other areas affected by climate change.

As policy makers prepare to meet next month at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, we will continue to work on the ground here in Florida and around the country to educate our members of Congress and raise awareness about the deadly costs of climate change to those living in extreme poverty.

Recently, Florida ONE members Anthony Wojtkowiak, Marc Wharton and I met with Ms. Willowstine Lawson, Senator Nelson’s regional director for Broward County. During the meeting we talked about how we got involved with ONE and the importance of U.S. leadership in fighting extreme poverty and global disease.

Specifically, we discussed climate change’s adverse impact on developing countries (who have contributed very little to global warming) particularly in the agriculture and water sectors. We asked that Senator Nelson support 5% of any revenue produced from future climate legislation to directly address this issue. We mentioned the benefits that the small increase from the current allocation of 2% would add, for example: increased trade opportunities, more good will towards the US, and a reduced risk of support for religious extremism, just to name a few.

It was a great meeting and a first step towards building a stronger relationship with Senator Nelson’s Broward County staff.

-Johanna Salazar, FL ONE Member

This year ONE Miami is partnering with IgKnite, a student group at the University of Miami, to host a Stand Up and Take Action event to help raise awareness about extreme poverty around the world and call attention to the millions of people who die from preventable and treatable diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria. The event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Miami’s School of Communications Courtyard.

The Miami event will be one of thousands across the world that are occurring over the Oct. 16 weekend as part of a globally coordinated effort by the United Nations Millennium Campaign to raise awareness about poverty and remind world leaders about the importance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With billions of people living on just dollars a day around the world, global poverty remains one of the greatest challenges and tragedies the international community faces.

Wherever you are next week, I hope you will join us as we Stand together against global poverty!

While some used the last week of August to get ready to go back to school or get in that last summer vacation, ONE members across the country were busy attending meetings with their Members of Congress! Each of these meetings are important and provide an opportunity for ONE members to use their voice for the world’s poorest people. The meetings let Senators and Representatives know that their constituents truly care about the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases like HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria.

Below are a few highlights of last week’s meetings, and make sure to check out the blog as we get more updates from around the country (click images to enlarge):

Visit to Senator Richard Shelby’s office in Mobile, Alabama

Last week Judith Smits and fellow ONE member David O’Brien met with Tara Johnson in Senator Shelby’s office in Mobile, Alabama to discuss the importance of U.S. leadership in fighting extreme poverty and global disease. Specifically, they discussed the potential impact climate change may have on developing countries. Increased droughts, floods and storms have the potential to reverse many of the gains being made against poverty and disease in some of the poorest countries around the world. Judith and David requested that Senator Shelby ensure that this year’s Senate climate change legislation meets the standard set by last year’s bipartisan Lieberman-Warner climate bill, and allocates 5% of any revenue to begin helping the world’s poorest people overcome the threats posed by climate change.

Visit to Senator Specter’s office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Last Wednesday PA ONE Members met with Senator Specter’s Community Affairs Coordinator Adam C. Pope in Pittsburgh, PA. We made sure that Mr. Pope knew how much PA ONE members appreciate Senator Specter’s leadership in the Senate and for supporting important programs like PEPFAR, the Millennium Challenge Account, and the Global Fund.

We also indicated that ONE hopes that Senator Specter will support 5% of climate related revenue to assist the world’s poorest confront threats arising from climate change. There was also discussion of the upcoming G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, the role Senator Specter will play in those events as well as ONE having a presence in the city and around the meetings.

Visit to Representative Bill Posey’s office in Melbourne, Florida

On Wednesday last week, ONE members joined Jenni Rothenberg and others from the USGLC to meet with Representative Bill Posey’s (R-FL-15) District Director, Kathryn Rudloff. We discussed the importance of development as a key foreign policy tool and the need for development strategies to be elevated to the same level as defense and diplomacy (i.e. the ‘3Ds’). We are hopeful that Rep. Posey will help us achieve this goal by supporting full funding for poverty reduction programs in the State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill conference report.

Visit to Representative Kathy Castor’s office in Tampa, Florida

On Friday last week, ONE member Alex Savelli teamed up with USGLC one more time to meet with Representative Castor’s District Director, Chloe Coney. We thanked her for Rep. Castor’s previous support on global poverty issues, including her vote in support of the FY2010 State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. She also voted against several amendments which would have substantially reduced funding for 2010 poverty-fighting programs. Rep. Castor’s continued support of full funding for the FY2010 International Affairs Budget will be critical to help elevate development assistance in order to restore America’s image in the world, increase our security and help to lift millions out of extreme poverty.

Visit to Representative Bill Young’s office in Seminole, Florida

Last week, Tampa ONE member Alex Savelli met with Shirley Miaoulis at the Seminole district office of Representative Bill Young (R-FL-10). Representative Young has been in office and serving the people of the 10th Congressional district for close to 40 years. It was great to be able to sit down with his staff and learn more about the issues that Representative Young champions, including his commitment to U.S. troops and their families. As the highest ranking Republican member on the Defense Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, his support on initiatives to end poverty and disease is critical.

During the meeting, we talked about the upcoming vote on the State, Foreign Operations conference report and asked that Rep. Young support the highest possible funding for life-saving programs such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and PEPFAR, The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The International Affairs Budget provides America with countless opportunities to build global stability, generate much needed allies and advance our national interests. I am hopeful that Rep. Young will support the State,Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill when he returns to Washington this fall.

-Kim Smith

It is officially August Recess and here in Florida we are taking advantage of the opportunity to meet locally with our elected officials and their staff while they are in town.

Earlier today, we had the chance to sit down with Josh Maddock, District Representative for Congressman Ron Klein (Fl-D-22). We told Josh all about ONE and the more than 4,000 ONE members living right here in the 22nd Congressional District which spans the eastern coast of Florida from Boca Raton up through parts of Jupiter.

First and foremost, we thanked Josh for Rep. Klein’s previous support on some of our legislative priorities, including the reauthorization of PEPFAR and the Jubilee Act. We were also pleased to report that Rep. Klein voted against the Lewis/Culberson amendment which, if passed, would have cut significant funding from the FY2010 Foreign Affairs Appropriations Bill.

As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, we knew that Rep. Klein would be familiar with recent efforts to re-write the Foreign Assistance Act with the goal of restructuring and improving coordination and aid effectiveness. We asked that Rep. Klein consider joining the more than 100 members of Congress who are already cosponsors of this important bill.

Before leaving, we also talked about the importance of developing a long-term approach to improve agricultural sustainability and asked that Rep. Klein become a cosponsor of H.R. 3077, The Global Food Security Act. We know that the United States is a global leader in providing emergency food and disaster assistance, however, these interventions, while critical, are not sustainable solutions to improve the lives of millions that are vulnerable to food insecurity.

-Sara J. Paterni

I am proud to announce the next city to join the ranks of ONE. Last week, Mayor Eisinger presented Andre Riley and his fellow students from ONE Pines Charter a proclamation declaring Cooper City a City of ONE.

The students were received by the mayor to a large round of applause as they introduced themselves at the City Hall meeting. ONE may not have been the only group honored that day, but thanks to Andre, we were the only group to give an acceptance speech. Andre flashed his famous charismatic smile and took the microphone away from the mayor to offer gratitude, explain the goals of ONE, and direct people to ONE.org to sign the declaration.

Cooper City now joins Pembroke Pines in the book of success stories as the students of ONE Pines Charter endeavor to light up Broward County, city by city, with these proclamations. Congratulations team, on a job well done!

-Danielle DePas, advisor to ONE Pines Charter

Earlier this month I helped organize a ONE table at Altamonte Spring’s annual Red, Hot and Boom festival. Red, Hot and Boom is one of Central Florida’s biggest Fourth of July celebrations, featuring all different types of live entertainment and a number of vendor booths. We spent the day talking to passersby about ONE and our local efforts at the University of Central Florida to make a difference in the fight to end extreme poverty. The event drew people from all over the state and most were really excited to sign up to get regular updates and more information from ONE.

It was a long hot day under the Florida Sun, but I know that it was time well spent. One of the best ways to ensure continued U.S. support for programs that are designed to reduce extreme poverty is to mobilize grassroots support. ONE by ONE we are spreading the word to rally Floridians to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty!

-Krystal Boza, Central Florida ONE Member

Over the weekend ONE members from Broward County, Florida joined with the local Oxfam chapter to view two inspirational documentaries, Sons of Lwala and Sisters on the Planet.

First we watched Sons of Lwala, which is a powerful film about two brothers from Kenya, whose village sent them to America to become doctors. After losing both parents to AIDS, they return home to Lwala to, against all odds, build a community health center – the first health center in the village and the only one in the region.

Afterwards we had a rich discussion about the challenges associated with the conditions of extreme poverty and had the opportunity to view the Oxfam film, Sisters on the Planet which showed how climate change is impacting those in the developing world, especially women.

Both films reminded me that we have made remarkable strides in reducing extreme poverty, but we still have a long way to go to ensure that everyone has access to adequate food and shelter, education, economic opportunity, and needed services like health care.

-Danielle DePas, Florida ONE Member

Recently I discovered that Miami is one of the top cities for access to clean water. As a resident of Miami-Dade county this is great news. However, I am also quickly reminded how lucky we are. The very things we take for granted, opening a faucet, grabbing a glass of water are not possible for millions of people worldwide.

Yesterday Danielle DePas, Sara Paterni and I visited the offices of Senators Martinez and Nelson to ask for their support on the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009 (s. 624).

This important bill will help provide 100 million people with sustainable access to clean water and sanitation. It is shocking to learn that currently more than 1 billion people do not have access to clean water and that 2 out of every 5 people do not have access to basic sanitation services.

I am hopeful that Florida’s senators will take a critical step toward providing access to clean water for the poorest people around the world by cosponsoring this important legislation.

-Alix Gordon, Miami ONE Member

School may be out for the summer, but the Pines Charter ONE club is still working hard to build political will at all levels of government and across all political parties to ensure that fighting poverty and saving lives remains a priority for the U.S.

This weekend Rafael Batista and I went to visit Mayor Debra Eisinger from Cooper City, Florida. We let her know about our efforts through our high school and in the community to raise awareness about the issues of extreme poverty and global disease.

She was very supportive and even helped connect us with another school in Cooper City that would be interested in getting involved with ONE. We hope that by working together, ONE members here in Broward County and across the country have an opportunity to make a big difference for millions of people.

-Andre Riley, FL ONE Member