Washington D.C. – A delegation of prominent women are travelling to Ghana and Sierra Leone with the anti-poverty group ONE this week. The trip is designed as a “Listening and Learning Tour” to raise awareness about opportunities to improve health, education and economic opportunity for women and girls in the developing world. The delegation, led by ONE U.S. Executive Director Sheila Nix and ONE Global Policy Director Erin Thornton, includes prominent women from the policymaking, business and creative communities, including:

• Cindy McCain, Humanitarian, business owner, and board member of non-profit groups Operation Smile and The HALO Trust
• Connie Britton, Award-winning actress, currently starring in the television drama Friday Night Lights. Britton is producing a documentary on Ethiopia while also supporting ONE
• Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Renowned South-African singer and anti-poverty activist
• Maureen Orth, Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair; founder of the Marina Orth Foundation and Escuela Marina Orth in Medellín, Colombia, now the first One Laptop Per Child school in Colombia
• Dana Perino, White House Press Secretary to President George W. Bush from 2007 – 2009; Fox News contributor; public relations consultant
• Maura Keefe, Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire

WHAT: A trip to explore how women are impacted by extreme poverty and how progress is being made in Africa thanks in part to U.S. strategic investments. The group will also see firsthand how women and girls in developing countries are critical to the health, social and economic well-being of entire communities.

WHEN: January 17-22, 2010

WHERE: Ghana and Sierra Leone, West Africa

The delegation also includes Nancy Brady and Meghan Latcovich. Participants will be blogging about the trip at www.one.org/blog. Photos and additional information are available upon request.