San Francisco Area RESULTS
Scotts Valley resident attends conference in Washington D.C.
Lobbies congress for RESULTS on behalf of the poorest of the poor
Saturday, 01 August 2009
The RESULTS International Conference convened in Washington D.C. to lobby members of congress, the World Bank, and IMF on behalf of the poorest of the poor globally. The poorest of the poor are defined as those living on one U.S. dollar per day. Living on a dollar a day means you are at risk for dying of starvation or dying from diseases that a better-nourished person would normally recover from. A dollar a day means that collectively, 75 million children are not in school because school fees are not affordable, or schools don’t exist.
The California RESULTS groups met with Senator Feinstein’s Foreign Affairs Aid, Rich Harper, to make several requests. The most important request we made was for Senator Feinstein to introduce legislation establishing a Global Fund for Education at a beginning funding level of $2 billion, to be added to by many other countries including recipient countries. RESULTS members learned at the conference from David Gartner of the Brookings Institution that, “Providing primary education is the single most effective poverty reduction tool.” Gartner is Chair of the U.S. Chapter of the Global Campaign for Education and Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program.
Celebrity Valerie Harper, best known for her role as “Rhoda,” who is a 30-year supporter of RESULTS, was the Master of Ceremonies at the conference banquet.
According to Sam Daley-Harris, founder of RESULTS, 30 years ago 41,000 people died from hunger & related causes per day. If there had been no intervention, that number would have increased to 60,000 today. The number of people dying of starvation today is less than 26,000 per day. Good intervention tools work; the progress clearly justifies continuing to work toward the goal of making poverty history (something you read about in the history books.)
One hundred fifty RESULTS volunteers crisscrossed the Capitol Hill buildings on June 22 and 23, asking members of Congress to enact, reform, strengthen, and fund legislation that benefits the poorest. Go to www.RESULTS.org to learn more and to find a group near you.
Members of the California RESULTS teams, including Diane Warren, a local Scotts Valley resident, are pictured here with Senator Dianne Feinstein at her weekly constituent breakfast. Left to Right, front row: Sylvia Sabel, Diane Warren, Lynne Palatano, Lisa Schliff, Gail Dolson, Debra Goldenberg. Back Row: Alberto Colorado, Senator Feinstein, Bruce Underhill, Hugh Boyle, Andy Lower, and Joel Rubinstein.
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