ONE - The Campaign to Make Poverty History

www.ONE.org

To purchase a ONE campaign wristband, contact Beverly Davis or 713-523-2864 ext. 27.

What is it?

A new effort by Americans to rally Americans – ONE by ONE – to fight the global AIDS and extreme poverty. The ONE Campaign is a partner with the Global Call to Action Against Poverty, an international effort to fight extreme poverty. The ELCA, Lutheran World Federation, Bread for the World, DATA and many other organizations support the ONE Campaign.

What are its goals?

To convince the United States’ political leaders to give an additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget to meeting the basic needs of the world’s poorest - education, health, clean water, food, and care for orphans.

Why should I get involved?

• God calls Lutherans, and we reaffirm that call in our affirmation of baptism, “to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.”
  The world continues to have a massive amount of poverty:
• Nearly 800 million people do not get enough food, and about 500 million people are chronically malnourished. A third of children are malnourished.
• Of the world’s 23 million people living with HIV/AIDS more than 93% live in developing countries.
• More than 840 million adults are illiterate - 538 million of them are women. • In developing countries 160 million pre-school children are underweight.
• 1.2 billion people live without access to safe drinking water.
• 700 million people in Africa survive on less than a dollar a day.

At this moment it is within our power to give the world’s poorest the tools that they require to lift themselves out of poverty. With proper medicines, education and infrastructure 8 million people can be saved from death due to their poverty.

Now is a key time for the fight to end poverty. This year world leaders will meet at three important summits which will have an impact international poverty policy:

• On July 1, the G8 leaders (including the U.S.) will meet in Scotland.
• On September 10, a special assembly of the United Nations will address the Millennium Development Goals. The Goals include halving the number of people living on less than $1 per day and making sure that all children have access to primary education by 2015. The U.S. and 189 other countries agreed to the Goals in 2000.
• On December 10, the Sixth Ministerial Meeting of World Trade Organization will occur.

As a Lutheran, how can I support The ONE Campaign?

• Go to the ONE LUTHERAN site: www.elca.org/advocacy/one for more information.
• Sign the ONE declaration
• Tell a friend
• Wear a white band to demonstrate your support for the Millennium Development Goals and The ONE Campaign.
• Join ELCA’s e-advocacy

Last updated: 2005-09-09