Archive for category: Advocacy

Information and news on advocacy.

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Why the U.S. Should Ratify CEDAW

Despite having been proposed during the Carter administration, the Global Women’s Treaty (CEDAW) was never approved by the Senate. Under the current Obama administration, attention has been brought back to the United Nations treaty for ratification. Many human rights organizations have criticized the United States’ inaction with this treaty for decades.

The treaty hopes to attain full gender equality, specifically in areas of domestic violence, maternal health, economic opportunities and human trafficking. Although the U.S. prides itself on being at the forefront of human rights activism and campaigns, not ratifying the treaty seems contradictory. Only seven nations, including the U.S., have not ratified the treaty.

The Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee has supported the treaty twice, but there has not been substantial support in the Senate as a whole. CEDAW acts as a guideline for countries to follow in order to eliminate gender inequality. In past years, many advancements in women’s rights have been attributed to the CEDAW framework.

With barriers to economic and social equality, countries are functioning at a fraction of their potential. CEDAW helps to alleviate these barriers, tailoring guidelines for each country based on its current landscape. For these reasons, the U.S.’ ratification would not only help solidify domestic efforts to foster gender equality, but also promote gender equality in other nations.

With nations including China, Russia, the UK and many of our NATO allied nations participating, the U.S. is one of the few to not cooperate on this issue. With U.S.’ leadership and resources, the international alliance toward improving global living conditions for women can prosper. With the approval of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, hopefully CEDAW will pass through the Senate this year.

– Kristin Ronzi

Sources: Human Rights Watch, CEDAW 2014
Photo: Ratify CEDAW Facebook

Why Al Gore is Not Giving Up

Al Gore
Despite his many successes in Washington and Silicon Valley, Former Vice President Al Gore continues to struggle in the battle against climate change, and clearly laments the lack of progress made toward fighting global warming. Americans continue to rank global warming toward the bottom of national priorities, while greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

In a recent interview by Australia’s Fairfax Media, Gore emphasized that “history will not be kind to those politicians” who continue to challenge the science and validity of human driven climate change.

As a former Washingtonian, Gore remains a “policy wonk,” and remains committed to his work promoting policies to address climate change. In a two hour interview with Darren Samuelsohn at Gore’s Nashville office, when prompted to describe his job, Gore answered, “I want to catalyze the emergence of a solution to the climate crisis as quickly as possible. Period.”

Nevertheless, Gore has been careful not to give too much criticism on the handling of the climate change agenda, considering the fact that a fellow democrat is in office. Certainly, this is coupled with his own failures in office and the desire to maintain a low profile.

According to accounts by friends and family, it is not by accident, but rather deliberate intent, that Gore remains under the radar. As a polarizing figure for climate issues, he does not want to make this issue about him.

It is is difficult to appeal to those in the middle when there is a clear bias toward one political side of the climate change debate. As put by Missouri Democratic Senator, Claire McCaskill, during an interview, “any politician with a background like Gore’s is bound to be a problematic face of the climate fight. I’d vote for a scientist..He may be a statesman, but I think once a politician, always a politician in the eyes of many.”

However, this has not stopped Gore from continuing to lead the fight against global warming, even if it is from behind the curtains. With almost unlimited access to the White House, he prefers to lobby the President and private organizations behind closed doors. Even when he was invited by Congress to present an update on climate change, he chose to do it at the Capitol’s weekly luncheon.

While successes in the global warming fight are still few and far apart, Gore continues to work on various fronts with the clear mindset that, unless something is done, our planet will be much less habitable by the end of the century.

– Sahar Abi Hassan

Sources: Politico, Huffington Post Photo: Urban Splatter

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ONE Launches New Campaign

one
What better way to give the girls and women of the world a voice than by giving them a worldwide platform on which to broadcast the issues that matter to them? That’s exactly the thinking behind ONE’s innovative new campaign called “Girls & Women.” The campaign seeks to “unleash the full potential of girls” by showcasing stories with women at their center.

Women have long been disproportionately affected by poverty; of the most impoverished people across the globe, more than 60 percent are female. Empowering women in developing countries to become full-fledged economic participants is crucial to eliminating poverty, but it begins by solving the social issues behind unequal access to education, employment and financial resources. Putting gender inequality in the spotlight is the first step to achieving equality.

ONE’s new “Girls & Women” initiative seeks to bring about equality by allowing different female “curators” from around the world to share their stories. The very first curator is Phiona Mutesi, a young Ugandan chess prodigy who has used her talent to help her family rise from poverty. On the same page that features stories about female entrepreneurs and resources for female empowerment, Phiona chose to share articles about how she personally escaped slum life, and some of the highlights of her life since then – specifically, challenging her chess hero and learning that Disney is preparing to produce a movie based on her life. Yes, Disney.

In conjunction with the “Girls & Women” initiative, ONE also offers its readers the chance to reach out to their Congressmen (at this time, to promote the Electrify Africa Act,) — an endeavor very much in line with The Borgen Project’s mission. In this way, ONE represents another agency using the power of advocacy to create measurable change. By shedding light on inspiring women and the issues that contribute to their poverty, ONE is working to make the world better for over half of its inhabitants.

– Elise L. Riley

Sources: ONE, United Nations Development Programme
Photo: NBC News

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Donations for Education

When asking for donations, the phrase “every donation helps” seems to be a staple in every campaign, letter or advertisement. Many times, this statement is hard to believe, especially when thinking in terms of individual donations toward larger goals. Fortunately, in the fight for equal educational opportunities, small donations do make a large impact in impoverished areas. The following list describes causes that correspond with specific U.S. dollar amounts. This list proves that every donation really does make a difference.

Five dollars:

Five dollars is more than it costs to supply an individual in India with a year of clean water from public water systems put in place by the Water for the World Act. Clean water prevents diseases that keep children out of school or from performing at high levels during class.

Ten dollars:

Ten dollars can buy one kilogram of beeswax, an ingredient necessary for many simple medications and remedies for illnesses that keep children out of school. One kilogram of beeswax is enough for one hundred tubs of medication. By providing communities with medical supplies such as this, donors help children make the most of their education by keeping them healthy enough to attend classes.

Twenty dollars:

Twenty dollars covers the daily cost of transportation for three teachers in Ecuador who have to travel to mountainous regions to teach their students.

Fifty dollars:

Fifty dollars is enough to train a teacher in the rural areas of the Solomon Islands in Disaster Risk Management. Not only do students and other members of the classroom environment feel more secure when a teacher has this kind of training, the school becomes a safer and more credible institution. This encourages children to attend school, and increases attendance levels overall.

One Hundred dollars:

A donation of 100 dollars could provide a family in Sri Lanka with the money to buy two solar powered lamps so children who do not have electricity in their homes can do their homework at night.

Two Hundred dollars:

Donating 200 dollars to Volunteer for the Visayans’ “Adopt-A-School” project will ensure that a school in the Philippines has a year’s supply of paper, pens, pencils and chalk.

Three Hundred and Ninety-Five dollars:

Through the SOS Africa program, 395 dollars will send a child in Africa through a year of high quality education. This donation covers all of the student’s education-related fees.

Small donations have a significant impact on education. Even donations that do not directly relate to schooling, such as medical supplies, help in impoverished countries because they promote the overall well-being of children who have the potential to become successful through education.

Direct results are not always visible to donors because recipients are often far away. However, making a donation toward education is an effective way to contribute to something worthwhile.

– Emily Walthouse

Sources: Caritas, Unesco, Volunteer for the Visayans, SOS Africa, Global Giving
Photo: Generation Finance

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The Trade Justice Movement

Based in the United Kingdom, the Trade Justice Movement is a coalition of organizations, including trade unions, environmental and human rights campaigns, faith and consumer groups, aid agencies and fair trade organizations. Over 9 million people strong with 60 organizations, the coalition believes that everyone should be able to make a good living, feed their families and protect their environment. Simply put, they share a common goal: making international trade benefit the poor and the environment.

The Movement focuses its beliefs into three core modes of action. The first: ensure that governments in developing countries make the best choices in their efforts to reduce poverty and protect the environment. The second: bring an end to export-dumping that hurts the livelihoods of poor communities worldwide. The third: enact laws that stop companies from benefiting from the exploitation of people and the degradation of the environment.

The movement is governed by a board which is re-elected annually by Trade Justice members. Among the current board members is Penny Veness of Soroptimist International. It is a partner organization and one of many with extremely positive hopes for the world’s disadvantaged. It works toward a world in which women and girls can reach their full potential, make their aspirations reality and enjoy the right of an equal voice.

Over the past few weeks, the Trade Justice Movement has taken a stand against the Investor to State Dispute Mechanism, or ISDS. It’s a provision that gives companies disproportionate rights to sue governments at international tribunals. Currently, the European Union is considering the provision for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a new trade deal between the E.U. and United States.

The provision is already a highly-accessed component of the North American Free Trade Agreement, making Canada the country with the highest number of ISDS lawsuits in the world for a variety of different pieces of legislation, among which was an act to remove toxic chemicals from petrol. Another ISDS lawsuit pushed back against Canadian efforts to develop a solar panel industry and promote clean energy. The Trade Justice Movements has, in response to its possible inclusion in the Investment Partnership, called ISDS, “unnecessary, damaging and outdated.”

As the possible E.U.-U.S. agreement looms, the Trade Justice Movement will continue work to ensure that the exchange is a fair one for the world’s poorest and the environment that all of us need to survive.

– Rachel Davis

Sources: Trade Justice Movement 1, Trade Justice Movement 2, Soroptimist International, TSSA, Just Investment
Photo: Trade Justice Movement

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How to Start a Nonprofit

Have you ever wondered what it takes to start a nonprofit? Extensive questioning and research are, unsurprisingly, pretty important, but such large steps can be daunting. Such steps can be intimidating, too; with a hasty research phase, a commendable mission may falter underneath shoddy business planning, or maybe a solid business plan is built only to support a redundant, unspectacular mission. The roads to failure are numerous.

This is not meant to disappoint anyone. Although failure is easy, scrupulous work and copious help make starting a nonprofit feasible. There are a myriad of nonprofits that role model this success story-The Borgen Project included. To help you begin thinking about starting a nonprofit (or simply to inform anyone interested in the nonprofit thought process), here is a compilation of imperative questions to aid you in your research, with a little Borgen flare.

 

Key Questions:

 

1. You’re not flying solo, are you?

The answer should be simple: no. It is unrealistic to rely on a single committed person (presumably yourself) to carry the nonprofit (to carry it very far, that is). Before any nonprofit takes flight, there must be a team (the more, the merrier) of enthusiastic and inspired people to propel the project forward. If your passion is contagious, you’re off to a good start.

2. What resources do you think you will need, and why are they important?

While starting a nonprofit, having a detailed business plan and outline is integral. It allows you to establish a few practical points, examining both the efficacy and the originality of your nonprofit before it’s too late to reverse a bad decision.

For example, if there are similar organizations to your proposed one, instead of forming another, try what is called “fiscal sponsorship.” This means that your initiative becomes umbrellaed by a larger veteran nonprofit. Basically, this tax-exempt organization serves as the recipient of charitable donations to your organization, which would not yet be recognized as tax-exempt. It allows your project to grow (maybe one day allowing it to branch off on its own) without competing with identical nonprofits.

The second, just as important, benefit of a thorough business plan is that it gives you a comprehensive (and requisite) understanding of fiscal resources. If this sounds boring, sorry, but, too bad. Although establishing your goals, structure, budget, marketing plan and resource development/fundraising aren’t flashy, they are all important. This gives you time to think about partnerships as well – they can keep your nonprofit alive.

The Borgen Project has teams dedicated to working the logistics of the nonprofit. Clint Borgen may be the face of the organization, but without fundraisers, organizers or even interns, The Borgen Project would not be very effective.

3. What’s that avalanche of paperwork doing over there, and who can I go to to get rid of it?

Paperwork can be both dull and frustrating, and filing to become a registered nonprofit is no different. It is necessary in order to secure recognition at the state level and to become tax-exempt at the federal level. If you do at any time need help finding your way through this process, go to both friends and professionals. Friends can be supportive and offer helpful advice, but ultimately you will want to consult experts before making any serious decisions. Finding lawyers who specialize in tax-exempt organizations or nonprofit law will, in all likelihood, prove to be a rewarding course of action.

– Adam Kaminski

Sources: Grant Space, National Council of Nonprofits, About.com
Photo: Mashable

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Donate Your Digital Space

When the terms “donate” and “global poverty” are present in the same sentence, many people tend to think of money or supplies. For some, the idea of volunteering one’s time to help the poor may even be the first thought to come to mind. In an age of growing technology, however, donating digital space can be as effective as donating time, money or supplies.

A study conducted by the Pew Internet Project in September of 2013 found that 73 percent of adults using the Internet were using some form of online social networking. Since then, the statistic has increased. The number of Internet users with accounts on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram is at an all-time high, meaning that personal digital space is viewed frequently.

Because users can post close to whatever they choose on their own pages of these social media sites, organizations and charitable foundations have begun to seek these personal pages as a stage for advocacy and awareness. Like a sign on a physical front lawn, a Facebook wall-post about an organization’s efforts to provide education to children in Africa generates awareness amongst viewers and other Facebook users.

On many of these sites, account users have the option of setting a photograph as a profile picture. This picture represents the user and becomes visible in many locations on the social media channel’s website. One way for social media users to donate digital space is to use a flyer, campaign poster or other visual as their profile pictures.

Heifer International is an organization that has caught on to this trend. On the Heifer International website, supporters can download Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus “Profile Packs” that include photos to use as profile pictures and cover photos. These photos promote Heifer International’s mission of ending global hunger and describe ways for people to get involved in the organization’s efforts. Anyone that views the particular social media user’s page can see that he or she supports Heifer International. Additionally, the photos could spark interest in the fight against global hunger.

The trend of donating digital space is becoming very popular. Local artists will change their profile pictures to promote performances, students running for school government positions will make their cover photos images of their campaign slogans and sororities and fraternities will advertise for philanthropic fundraisers by changing their profile pictures to flyers containing event details.

The power of the profile picture is not something to underestimate, which explains why donating digital space can have such a significant impact. By choosing to provide online space for charitable organizations like Heifer International to get the word out to the masses, anyone can help promote awareness of global poverty.

– Emily Walthouse

Sources: Heifer International, Pew Internet
Photo: Social Media Delivered

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5 Tips for Success in Philanthropy

cost to end world hunger
Unfortunately, there is no secret code to guaranteeing success in philanthropy. However, the following is a list of five tips for success in philanthropy.

1) Foster honest relationships between the donor and grantee.

Philanthropy is simply the love of humanity. The definition does not include any notion of wealth. However, wealth is often necessary to fund philanthropic efforts, and often times this creates a strange relationship between the donor and grantee. Kevin Starr, the managing director of the Mulago Foundation, describes how an imbalance of this relationship is created as a result of the inevitable focus on money philanthropic work calls for. However, clearly identifying the causes both the donor and grantee advocate for allows opportunity for a true partnership to bloom.

2) Have a business-like approach to your organization.

While philanthropic work is fueled by compassion and will, running a philanthropic foundation requires shifting mindsets and treating the organization like a business. “Business is about getting stuff done,” says Starr. In the end, applying the disciplines and practices of running a business to philanthropic efforts will lead to successfully and efficiently making progress.

3) Treat your grantees like customers.

This advice is strongly advocated by David Peery, the managing direct of the Peery Foundation. The organization(s) that a philanthropic decides to support is essentially the group he is investing in. Much like businesses invest in entrepreneurs to gain wealth, organizations invest in social entrepreneurs to achieve a lasting, positive social impact. Businesses value honest feedback and intentional communication, and nurturing this type of relationship between a donor and grantee will form a strong and honest partnership.

4) Have an adaptive philanthropy, not a rigid strategy.

Setting a vision and establishing targets are both necessary and wise. Adaptive philanthropy has a clear mission, but does not restrict itself to inflexible multi-year plans. All philanthropic efforts are dynamic processes, and none are immune to the tremendous number of factors that can complicate them. Risks and uncertainty should be expected in the process.

5) Measure the impact of your philanthropic efforts.

In the early days of philanthropy, people donated chunks of money toward a cause without considering the impact. Donors did not require their grantees to evaluate the impact of their programs, and grantees did not know how or what to measure. However, it is imperative to quantify the impact of an organization’s efforts, so that one can determine whether their philanthropic endeavors are working and creating a positive influence. This is often done through rigorous program monitoring and evaluation. For example, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has appointed Jodi Nelson as the Director of Strategy, Measurement and Evaluation (SME) to measure its impact and ensure that it is operating with maximum efficiency.

– Christina Cho 

Sources: Stanford Social Innovation Review, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Stanford Social Innovation Review 2
Photo: Huffington Post

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Top 10 Global Poverty Nonprofits

Top 10 Global Poverty Nonprofits
Let’s begin with the obvious, all of us at The Borgen Project… are big fans of The Borgen Project. Our bias aside, below is a list of 10 of the top global poverty nonprofits and their commendable work.

 

Top Global Poverty Nonprofits

 

1. The Borgen Project – The Borgen Project has taken the plight of the world’s poor to the political level. With access to most members of Congress and an advocacy network of volunteers in every state, The Borgen Project is considered one of the most politically influential organizations fighting for the world’s poor.

2. ONE Campaign – ONE Campaign uses grassroots and advocacy to raise awareness and money to help put a stop to global poverty. They mainly focus their attention on those living in impoverished conditions in Africa.

3. Global Giving – Global Giving is a charity fundraising web site that gives nonprofits from anywhere in the world a chance to raise the money that they need to improve their communities. Since 2002, the project has raised $114,889,647 from 392,257 donors and has supported 10,252 projects.

4. UNICEF – UNICEF is one of the largest nonprofit organizations and it is dedicated to helping children in need. UNICEF does so much for children around the globe, all while promoting education for girls and better health for pregnant women.

5. Partners in Health – Partners in Health is another nonprofit much like Shot@Life, which is geared towards providing a better quality of living and preventing disease. Partners in Health partners with doctors and health institutions across the globe to provide much needed relief for people who would otherwise be unable to afford health care.

6. GiveWell – GiveWell is a combination of several top rated charities all over the world. Most, if not all, of these charities provide relief for impoverished people in every nation.

7. CARE – CARE wants to cut poverty off at its roots. This nonprofit provide tools for people who are at a higher risk of falling into poverty and they help them to be successful and rise above the poverty within their nations.

8. Life in Abundance – Life in Abundance is a Christian-run organization that mobilizes churches and missionaries alike to provide relief for those who are suffering. This nonprofit wants to provide a healthier lifestyle to those who are living in poverty.

9. International Rescue Committee – The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives to prevent global poverty. The nonprofit was founded in 1933 due to a request from Albert Einstein himself. The IRC has since offered lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.

10. Shot@Life – Shot@Life, while not primarily putting an end to global poverty, is trying to eradicate one facet of it. Shot@Life is a nonprofit that provides vaccinations for those less fortunate so they will not be plagued by preventable diseases.

 

 

Sources: About.com, CARE, GiveWell, Global Giving, International Rescue Committee, Life in Abundance, Partners in Health, Philanthropedia, The Borgen Project, UNICEF
Photo: The Guardian

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Alliance for Peacebuilding

Alliance for Peacebuilding
The Alliance for Peacebuilding, or AfP, seeks to find innovative approaches to Peacebuilding through a number of related fields, including development, relief, human rights, democracy and security sector reform.

Launched in 1999 as the Applied Conflict Resolution Organization Network, the organization obtained a $1 million dollar funding grant from the Hewlett Foundation in 2003. Following the grant, ACORN became the Alliance for International Conflict Prevention and Resolution. In 2006, AICPR became AfP with a focus on collaboration among organizations and different peacebuilding parties.

Today, AfP aims to innovate, influence and connect Congress as well as the general public to strengthen peacebuilding activities. Consisting of more than 70 peacebuilding organizations from across the world, AfP has over 15,000 volunteers and employees throughout the globe and employs 1,000 professionals.

With its headquarters in Washington, D.C., AfP focuses it energy on eight different programs as it advocates for peacebuilding. These include policymaker engagement, human security, strategic communication and genocide prevention. The organization also hosts an annual conference where AfP members can reach out to other members of the broader peacebuilding community to share ideas and insights within the field.

The keynote address at this year’s AfP conference, hosted in May, focused on developing games as a tool for peace. Asi Burak, the president of Games for Change, noted how the gaming industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that draws gamers throughout the world of different races, genders and nationalities. “Peacemaker,” a game based on the events of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, allows players to become their own leader and to try to bring peace to the region.

May’s conference also featured discussions on the challenges facing African countries, including Nigeria and Kenya, the need for peacebuilders to collect relevant data in their fields and a discussion on providing peacebuilders with the necessary communication tools for storytelling purposes.

AfP maintains partnerships with a number of organizations, coalitions and platforms. These include the United States Institute of Peace, the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum and the Peace Portal, among others.

AfP also publishes an online magazine titled “Building Peace: A Forum for Peace and Security in the 21st Century.” With its most recent publication being March of this year, each issue features a variety of stories following a particular theme. The most recent theme, detailing men, women and peace, featured stories exploring the role of gender in peacebuilding activities.

Along with other human rights organizations, AfP recently announced its support for the Syrian Humanitarian Resolution of 2014. The resolution, introduced by 19 senators in March, expressed concern for the crisis in the country and “the urgent need for a political solution to the crisis.”

AfP and the organizations in support of the resolution stated in a joint statement their commitment to ensuring the Syrian nation does not “lose another year to bloodshed and suffering…We stand with the people of Syria…in calling our leaders to make the same commitment and engage the public. We urge strong support for and swift passage of this critical resolution.”

At last year’s U.N. General Assembly, AfP asked members of the Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding and people on the street what they believed the post-Millennium goals should be. Numerous interviewees said they intended to see advances in human rights and gender equality as well as an increased awareness in climate change.

Additionally, those interviewed stated such goals could help to promote global peace.

As death tolls in Iraq soar into the hundreds following jihadist violence in the past several weeks, calls for nonviolent resolutions to issues separating different cultures and countries remains at the forefront of the world’s collective consciousness.

— Ethan Safran

Sources: Alliance for Peacebuilding, Building Peace
Photo: CNN