Ask President-elect Obama to Fight Global Poverty

One of George Bush's many disasters was neglecting the world's poor, which created more desperation and potential recruits for Al Qaeda.

President-elect Barack Obama understands the importance of fighting global poverty, from both a humanitarian and a national security perspective.

Let's encourage Obama to keep his promise to fight global poverty.

Bob Fertik

Dear Activist, Now that we have a new president, it's time to tell him: stick to your promises to help the world's poor. In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever for our new president to hear from us that fighting global poverty is still a priority. Tell President-elect Obama that you're counting on him to keep his campaign promises: 1. To double annual foreign assistance, providing at least $50 billion in aid by 2013 for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. That aid will ensure that at least 4.5 million people are on anti-retroviral treatment by 2013 and prevent 12 million new infections. 2. To make the U.N. Millennium Development Goals a part of American policy. By the end of his first term, Obama promised to show progress in meeting these goals, including reducing by half the number of people living on less than a dollar a day and suffering from hunger. Tell him that one of the keys to helping the world's poor is prioritizing maternal and child health. In the developing world, one woman every minute dies needlessly in childbirth. These women aren't dying because the health community doesn't know how to prevent their deaths; they are dying because the world is failing to help. As you may know, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty through the empowerment of women. Women and girls, when equipped with the proper resources, have the power to help their families and entire communities escape poverty. Tell the president-elect to make fighting poverty a central part of his foreign policy. Ask him to stand with you in solidarity with the 1.4 billion people who live on a little more then a dollar a day ... the 72 million children who are not in school today ... the one woman who dies every minute from pregnancy-related causes. Thank you for your support,

Helene Gayle, MD, MPH
President and CEO, CARE