UNIVERSITY COALITIONS for GLOBAL HEALTH

Youth AIDS Day, February 26 2008

WHAT: Join students all over the U.S. by taking action to increase funding for global HIV/AIDS as part of Youth AIDS Day 2008.As you may know, Congress is considering legislation that would re-authorize the President’s Global AIDS Initiative. As I’ve written before, this is an opportunity to scale up the US response to AIDS and to reform policies like the failed abstinence only earmark.

* Increase funding levels to at least $50 billion
* End the required abstinence-only-til-marriage earmark
* Provide the training and support for urgently needed new healthcare workers
* Integrate women’s health and social services programs
* Address the structural inequalities that leave women vulnerable to HIV/AIDS
* Eliminate the HIV/AIDS travel ban that prohibits people with HIV from entering the United
States

WHEN: February 26th 2008

WHO: This event is being sponsored by a coalition of student organizations including: University Coalitions for Global Health (UCGH); Physicians for
Human Rights (PHR); Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC); Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) ; Americans Medical Student Association (AMSA)

WHY: Of the 2.5 million new HIV infections each year, forty percent are among
people ages 15-24. Myriad social and economic factors increase young people’s vulnerability to infection, and children and adolescents in many places are uniquely affected by the pandemic as they lose a generation of parents, teachers, and doctors. In some regions, youth are ill-equipped to protect themselves, for lack of knowledge about the modes of transmission. Yet young leaders are taking action, effectively changing behaviors, and shaping a better future. On February 26, student organizations all over the US will be taking action on funding for global HIV/AIDS as part of Youth AIDS Day.

Last year’s theme was Our Future, Our Crisis: Universal Access by 2010. Students challenged the political obstacles in the way of achieving this goal and providing treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS in the Global South. They held dozens of actions across the country, including demonstrations and events, to demand immediate change to address inequalities of access. Youth AIDS Day 2008 will see students pushing their political leaders to reauthorize an improved PEPFAR and to allocate the necessary resources- at least $50 billion- for it to effectively continue to fight AIDS around the world.

Global Health Week of Action, March 24-28*

The annual Global Health Week of Action is set for March 24-28th.* We will distribute a Week of Action Organizing Guide with resources for how to plan your events and actions, educational resources, and issue specific action kits. The guide will be posted on our website and distributed to students by March 1st.

*If these dates do not work because of exam or spring break conflicts, please choose the “best” set of dates for your school. We suggest the 1-2 weeks immediately after spring break as the “best” set of dates.

Prepare for the most mind-blowing, earth-shattering, life-altering conference in human history. The Student Campaign for Child Survival and the Student Global AIDS Campaign are teaming up to bring you the second annual National Youth and Student Conference on AIDS, Trade and Child Survival. It’s March 29-31 in Washington, DC, at Georgetown University and will have workshops, speakers, and a national lobby day. For more information, visit us at www.globaljusticenow.org/conference or email hayley.hathaway@fightglobalaids.org

Hope to see you all there!

Hey All—Check out a word from our partners at SPW! If you’re looking to volunteer abroad then they’re your people!

Students Partnership Worldwide (SPW) was a founding member of UCGH, and currently works as part of the professional development working group. SPW was established in London in 1985, and has developed a respected international reputation for its youth-led health and environmental education programs, with endorsements from the World Bank, UNESCO, WHO and UNAIDS.

SPW harnesses the energy and enthusiasm of trained volunteers (aged 18-28) to run targeted, peer-led education programs to empower young people in rural communities in Africa and Asia. Nearly 1000 volunteers a year participate in SPW programs: over 85% of the participants are African or Asian, while the other 15% are recruited from North America, Europe and Australia. This diversity brings an enormous range of skills and experience to each program, as well as an enjoyable opportunity for meaningful cultural exchange.

Following 3-6 weeks of intensive training, international volunteers are placed in pairs or small groups with national and local volunteers within rural communities in Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, India or Nepal. These teams live and work together full time for 5-12 months. SPW volunteers use a range of formal and informal methods (school lessons, extracurricular activities, community seminars, youth resource centers, and community-wide festivals) to teach about issues such as sanitation, nutrition, organic farming techniques, HIV/AIDS, and child rights. To promote sustainability, the focus of each project is decided on through collaboration between the volunteers and local community members and leaders.

Want to learn more? Join our next FREE Information Session conference call! The information session will last about an hour and will give you a chance to hear more about our programs, our application process, and why SPW is unique among international volunteer opportunities. Just shoot an email to info@spw-usa.org to register for the free call. For more information, please see our website www.spw-usa.org

Hi All—Again I have some bad news, our PEPFAR update will have to wait. Mark up in the House has been postponed due to the death of the great Representative Tom Lantos. The new hopeful date will be sometime around Feb 25th. Until then, here’s some information about one of our members, Americans for Informed Democracy. Check them out. they’re pretty cool!
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Americans for Informed Democracy (AID) is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization that brings the world home through programming on more than 1,000 U.S. university campuses and in more than 10 countries. AID fulfills its mission by coordinating town hall meetings on America’s role in the world, hosting leadership retreats, and publishing opinion pieces and reports on issues of global importance.

AID is one of the fastest growing student networks in the world, filling a niche that combines an interest in foreign policy with youth activism. In just four years, the organization has grown to more than 1,000 universities in over 25 countries, attracting diverse student audiences, as well as prominent NGO partners and local, national and international media attention.

When AID began four years ago, most youth-led groups were devoted to specific global causes, but there was no organization connecting young people across various issues dedicated to establishing a principled and collaborative international role for the U.S.
Filling this void, AID brings together more than 15,000 young people who connect with the public and participate in various global campaigns. And AID gets beyond the usual partisan divisions by focusing on global issues that are somewhat less politicized and divisive — like global poverty, health, the environment, and cross-cultural understanding.

AID is also using new technologies to bring the world together. In one year, AID student leaders conducted videoconferences with peers in more than 60 countries to discuss how the U.S. can work collaboratively with other countries to solve global challenges.

Here’s a PEPFAR update from one of our UCGH partners over at HealthGAP. All of our UCGH groups and students from across the country have been working hard this week to support PEPFAR so please keep up the good work!
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Hi everyone-

We’ve had amazing success in the past week. Hundreds of calls went to the offices of the Democratic members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and guess what- they worked! Nearly every member committed to attending the hearing on reauthorization of the amazing PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) bill drafted by Congressman Lantos.

Unfortunately, due to the devastating tornadoes in Tennessee and Arkansas last night, one of our major supporters, Congressman Tanner of TN, had to return to his district. Because of this, Democratic staff is not sure there will be enough votes to pass the bill out of committee, so they have postponed the voting until next Thursday at 9:30am.

So we have another week, and another challenge. Over the next seven days, we are hoping to generate even more calls to Republican House Foreign Affairs Committee members. PEPFAR has always been a bipartisan initiative, which means we need support from both sides of the aisle. We need to try and get as many Republicans to support the bill as possible!

Do you have (another) half hour to spare to help pass this critical bill? If you do, email Kaytee Riek at kaytee@healthgap.org to receive a custom-made list of Republican Foreign Affairs Committee members that need to hear from you. You’ll also get a sample script. We need to generate as many calls as possible to Congress in the next seven days. Can you help out?

Thank you for all the work you’ve done! We’ve come a long way already, and with your help, we will get this bill through committee.

-Kaytee

Hey All–This week is a busy one in Washington, because the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is up for Reauthorization this year and is going to “mark up” in the House tomorrow. I’ll have more updates on that later in the week, but first I’ll pass over the blogging baton to Victor from GlobeMed to talk more about what it is that his organization does and how you can get involved! Cheers!
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GlobeMed connects the resources of our thirteen student-led chapters at universities across the U.S. directly to grassroots health organizations to work in partnership to design and support innovative and vital health projects. For example, GlobeMed members at Northwestern worked with local partners near Ho, Ghana to construct a health clinic in Ho, Ghana that now provides health services to a rural population. Students at University of Michigan designed and implemented a health education program for a free clinic in an underserved area of Detroit. While a common vision and mission unite members at each of our campuses, the strength of the GlobeMed network rests in each chapter’s unique projects and efforts.

Our aim is not only to improve health in communities around the world, but to educate and train the next generation of leaders for global health. We stimulate critical thinking on global health issues and provide a framework in which students can gain personal and professional skills for affecting change. Through year-round programs on campus and across the country, we help catalyze students to commit their lives to social justice and global health. By tying education to action, GlobeMed is playing a vital role in advancing a student-driven global health movement.

-Victor

Action Alert: Call In and help “PEP Up PEPFAR”

Here’s a script for the super-urgent calls to Congress! We know that the bill reauthorizing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is great. However, some Republicans are threatening to strip all the new, bold visioning programs from the bill. The Democrats have promised to back the proposed bill - they just have to show up to vote. Now is the time to make sure the bill survives committee intact; now is the time to call the Democrats.

1. Call up the offices by Wednesday at the latest, and the receptionist will answer.

2. Say your name, and that you are with the University Coalitions for Global Health. If you are from the same state as the listed Member of Congress, say you’re from that state. If you’re not from his/her state, don’t worry about mentioning where you’re from. The key here is volume, so even if you’re not from the same state, call anyway.

3. Explain that you’d like Rep. ____ to make sure to vote in committee on Feb. 7th on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Here’s a sample script:

* On Feb. 7th, the Foreign Affairs Committee will be voting on reauthorization of U.S. global AIDS and health programs. Chairman Lantos has written a truly important bill that will prevent the senseless death of 3 million people worldwide each year.

* This bill needs to pass the Committee with at least $50 billion for global AIDS over five years, and include the important new targets for treatment, health workers, and require the purchase of the best quality medication available at the lowest cost.

* The only way to ensure that the bill emerges in the best form possible is for every Democratic Committee Member to show up at 1pm on Feb. 7th and stay until the voting is completed. Will Rep. ______ be attending the entirety of the markup?

Call the following members of the House Foreign Operations Committee:

HIGH PRIORITY: If your setting up a call in day, call all of these Representatives:
Faleomavaega (Amer. Samoa) — (202) 225-8577
Ackerman (NY) — (202) 225-2601
Delahunt (MA) — (202) 225-3111
Smith (WA) — (202) 225-8901
Klein (FL) — 202-225-3026
Sherman (CA) 202-225-5911

MID-PRIORITY: Have your core chapter members call all of these Representatives:
Wexler (FL) — (202) 225-3001
Engel (NY) — (202) 225-2464
Delahunt (MA) — 202-225-3111
Meeks (NY) — 202/225-3461
Watson (CA) — 202-225-7084
Carnahan (MO) — (202) 225-2671
Tanner (TN) — (202) 225-4714
Green (TX) — (202) 225-1688
Woolsey (CA) — 202-225-5161
Jackson Lee (TX) — (202) 225-3816
Hinojsa (TX) — (202) 225-2531
Crowley (NY) — (202) 225-3965
Wu (OR) — (202) 225-0855
Linda Sanchez (CA) — (202) 225-6676
Scott (GA) — (202) 225-2939
Costa (CA) — 202-225-3341
Sires (NJ) — 202-225-7919
Giffords (AZ) — (202) 225-2542

For background information, check out this site, and you can also download the Student Global AIDS Campaign “Pep Up PEPFAR” toolkit.

Email sdevita@globalhealth.org if you have an questions. Good luck!

Hello UCGHers!

As you’re participating in your call-in day to Representative Ros-Lehtinen below are some thoughts from the Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) Mid-Atlantic Coordinator Tucker about why he was surrounded by hundreds of socks on Capitol Hill.

Tuesday was sock day. A group of dedicated activists from SGAC, ACT UP Philadelphia, Health GAP, UCGH, Americans for Informed Democracy and Advocates for Youth gathered on Capitol Hill to call on Congress to fund PEPFAR fully and create greater flexibility in the global AIDS legislation, including comprehensive sex education, accessible treatment, a repeal of the anti-prostitution loyalty pledge, and support for in-country healthcare workers.

Despite the cold and the rain, grassroots activists from DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey came together to deliver hundreds of socks strung on clotheslines and shoved into laundry bags and backpacks. We urged Representative Ros-Lehtinen and Senator Lugar not to get COLD FEET when it comes to PEPFAR.

Some congressional staffers were receptive to our concerns, reminding us that global AIDS is not a partisan issue and encouraging us to continue the struggle for universal access to prevention, care, and treatment.

Unfortunately, some members of Congress, despite recognizing that AIDS lies beyond party lines, will continue to weaken the legislation. Our goal as a student movement is to remind our representatives that PEPFAR is about one fundamental thing: saving lives. Apparently, that is easy to forget in the crazy political mess that is Congress. That is why we have to keep our representatives in line—hold them accountable! We must call upon important and influential representatives such as Ros-Lehtinen to stand for conscience and medical fact.

Those of us who took part in Tuesday’s action, those of us who have had the opportunity to lobby our representatives in Washington or in our home states, can attest that we have social power as students. We are the grassroots movement, and we do make a difference when we mobilize effectively. That is why we all must rally together in unison and urge Representative Ros-Lehtinen to forget about divisive political agendas when it comes to something so vitally important as saving lives.

- Tucker Landesman is a member of George Washington University’s SGAC chapter and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Outreach Coordinator

Hi All!

Check out this action that our partners Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) are doing for the State of the Union Address tonight.

Stay tuned to hear from UCGH on the State of the Union tomorrow!

Hi All! As many of you know it’s now time to “Pep Up PEPFAR” because it’s up for reauthorization this year and we need your help in encouraging congress to keep it going!

What is PEPFAR?
In January 2003 in the State of the Union Address, President Bush unveiled his new initiative to address the global AIDS pandemic. A few months later Congress passed the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, which lead to the creation of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (commonly known at PEPFAR).

This initiative was intended to prevent 7 million new HIV infections, treat 2 million people living with AIDS and provide care for over 10 million people affected by AIDS. It authorized the President to spend up to $15 billion over 5 years (from 2004-2008) to combat the disease in 15 different focus countries.

While this program has become arguably one of the best achievements of the Bush administration, it also includes many restrictions. Some of these restrictions include, abstinence only prevention funding earmarks, limitations to organizations working with commercial sex workers and it will not fund safe needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users.

Reauthorization
The PEPFAR legislation will expire in 2008 and that means that Congress must reauthorize the program for an additional five years to continue the work that has been started. This provides us with the opportunity to remove restrictive polices and increase the budget in order to maintain and expand existing programs.
In May 2007 President Bush announced his intention to double the initiative’s budget to $30 billion to cover the next five years (2008-2013). Given that the budget for FY 2008 is expected to be at least $5.4 billion, the commitment of $30 billion over the next five years is a flat funded rate. This means that no new money will be put into PEPFAR and it will become ineffective and unable to expand.

Pep Up PEPFAR
The reauthorization process begins this year and we need your help to tell Congress “Pep Up PEPFAR”. You can help out by first educating yourself at the links below and then signing this PEPFAR petition .

After the new PEPFAR bill is introduced, there will be more to come!

For more information on PEPFAR visit:
The Global Health Council
PEPFAR Watch
PEPFAR.gov
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