Transcript “We stand by as children starve by the millions because we lack the will to eliminate hunger.

“We stand by as children starve by the
millions because we lack the will to
eliminate hunger. Yet we have found the will
to develop missiles, capable of flying over
the polar cap and landing within a few
hundred feet of their target. This is not
innovation. It is a profound distortion of
humanity’s purpose on earth.”
– Ret. Republican Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-OR)
RESULTS
 Creating the political will to end
hunger and the worst aspects of
poverty
 Empowering individuals to have
breakthroughs in exercising their
personal and political power
RESULTS’ Reach
 Currently approximately 100
groups across the country, plus
solo advocates, several
international affiliates, and allies
 Tiered support structure reaching
from national staff to grassroots
advocate
Why Advocacy?
 1976 National Academy of Sciences
study concluded we could end
hunger in a generation.
 Lack of political will keeps us from
addressing poverty and hunger.
 Citizen engagement is key in shaping
political will.
How many of us can say that we
have solid education and
experience in communicating with
the people who make decisions on
our behalf every day?
We push our idealism and our
dreams down deep inside
ourselves because we don’t believe
we can change things.
What We Feel Is True
 There are solutions to poverty.
 We have the power – and the
obligation – to create the political
will to implement the solutions.
What Influences
Congressional Decisions?
 Constituents
 Staff
 Colleagues
 Media
 Paid Lobbyists
 Experts
 Personal History
Legislative Pressure Points
 The annual appropriations process
 The legislative process
 Congressional sign-on letters
 Issue hearings and briefings
 Press and public events
Successes in 2011
Global Health
TB + HIV/AIDS
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria
funding was held steady at $1.05 billion.
RESULTS secured 82 signers on a congressional
letter that supported the Global Fund, which was
critical to avoid devastating cuts. U.S. leadership
is critical because historically every $1 from the
U.S. is matched with $2 from other donors.
Every day Global Fund programs save 4,000 lives.
Global Health
Childhood Vaccines
 Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations
(GAVI) contributions increased by $10 million to $100
million, which is the first installment of a new U.S.
three-year pledge to support the rollout new vaccines
for the poorest children.
 Over 71 media hits and 62 signatures on a bipartisan
congressional letter to the Administration supporting
the U.S. pledge.
 Over the next three years, this funding will support
immunizations for more than 250 million of the world’s
poorest children and prevent 4 million premature
deaths.
Global Education
Global Partnership for Education
 Congress and the Administration also
supported the first funding for the multilateral
Global Partnership for Education, which brings
donors and developing countries together to
achieve education goals. This U.S. funding will
leverage additional money from other donors.
 We landed 50 pieces of media and secured 69
cosigners for a congressional letter that was
crucial to achieving this new commitment.
Global Economic
Opportunity
Microcredit
 The House and Senate introduced new
bipartisan microfinance legislation that will
improve the impact of U.S. funding by
ensuring innovations and programs that reach
the poorest are supported.
 Years of building bipartisan support for
microfinance paid off as Congress protected
microfinance funding in the foreign assistance
bill.
U.S. Health
SNAP and Medicaid
 Advocates worked in coalition with many
groups to stave off cuts to the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly
food stamps), Medicaid, and other vital antipoverty programs in 2011.
 Despite being prime targets for significant cuts
in deficit reduction efforts, RESULTS
volunteers and our allies mobilized and took
action to successfully avoid these cuts in
2011.
U.S. Education
Head Start/Early Head Start
 In the FY 2012 budget, RESULTS and our
allies once again pushed Congress to reject
cuts and instead invest in Head Start/Early
Head Start services.
 As a result, these programs received a $409
million increase, which will allow 968,000 lowincome children and their families to continue
to benefit from these quality services.
U.S. Education
Childcare
 The Child Care Development Block Grant also
saw an increase of $55 million in the FY 2012
budget. After receiving no funding increase in
the FY 2011 budget, RESULTS and our allies
worked to secure an increase for the CCDBG,
which helps fund child care assistance
programs around the country.
 As a result, this investment will allow 1.6
million low-income children and their working
parents to afford child care this year.
U.S. Economic
Opportunity
Earned Income Tax Credit and
Microfinance
 Advocates also worked in coalition with many
groups to stave off cuts affecting the EITC.
 Raised awareness of economic opportunity by
creating 36 events to promote and enhance
the national release of the film To Catch a
Dollar” highlighting the importance of
microfinance programs in the U.S. in
increasing self-sufficiency and reducing
poverty.
EPIC
 Engage the reader/listener
 State the Problem
 Inform about/Illustrate a solution
 Call to action
Power of Citizen Advocacy
“It’s the dogged, tenacious, indefatigability
of RESULTS’ activists and volunteers that
continually keeps the pressure on and
gives to the substance of a citizens’
movement a kind of electricity, which
helps to mobilize public policy and public
opinion.”
Stephen Lewis
– Former UN Secretary General’s special envoy for
HIV/AIDS in Africa
Together, we absolutely
make a difference!