Fairfax, VA-Today at George Mason University, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) joined global poverty experts, activists, students, professors and members of the global organization ONE to discuss America’s impact in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease around the world.

The forum, hosted by ONE and George Mason University Global Affairs Program, highlighted America’s long-term global efforts to save lives and increase opportunity by working with African leaders and citizens. Also emphasized was the connection between America’s global anti-poverty efforts-such as targeted investments to help poor Africans receive an education and achieve self-sustaining futures-and global security.

Joining Rep. Connolly on the panel was John Wanda, a Ugandan native and founder of the Arlington Academy of Hope in eastern Uganda. The academy, a primary school enrolling 325 students, was built with the support of the Arlington County community and is recognized as the best performing primary school in eastern Uganda. In addition, John and his wife Joyce have built two medical clinics in Eastern Uganda with the support of the Arlington County community.

“Development efforts led by the United States in partnership with African countries and citizens have transformed our community in eastern Uganda and changed the dreams of hundreds of kids,” said John Wanda. “Each person who comes to our clinics, or studies at our school, or visits our library, or even sells food to our school knows that without the support of the American community, their lives would be totally different. They truly see America as a force for good and its citizens, who visit and volunteer at our program, as the best example of humanity’s highest calling-selfless service to those most in need.”

Also speaking at the forum was ONE’s Acting U.S. Policy Director Larry Nowels. ONE is a nonpartisan global advocacy and campaigning organization backed by more than two million people dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. ONE utilizes grassroots political advocacy and policy expertise to support smarter, more effective policies to fight extreme poverty in Africa. ONE also supports greater accountability and transparency in development efforts to ensure policies to beat poverty are implemented effectively and reach the people they are designed to help.

George Mason University’s Assistant Director of Global Affairs, Dr. Lisa Breglia, moderated the discussion, and GMU senior Lucila Fernandez also participated, emphasizing the role young Americans can play in advocacy around these issues.

In discussing the important role America’s leadership has played in fighting global poverty, the speakers pointed to the historic results that have been delivered over the last several years. These successes include:

• More than 3 million Africans living with HIV/AIDS now have access to lifesaving medication-up from just 50,000 people in 2002-thanks to U.S. commitments to programs like PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
• Millions more are surviving malaria because of cost-effective investments in simple bed nets and medicines. In Rwanda and Ethiopia, for example, malaria cases were cut in half in just two years.
• Some 42 million children living in sub-Saharan Africa went to school for the first time between 1999 and 2007.