Volunteer efforts contribute to drop in child mortality
|
More children in developing countries are alive to see their 6th birthday, due in large part to interventions RESULTS volunteers have championed over the years - basic immunization and anti-malaria measures.
This September, UNICEF released a report showing these cost-effective measures, along with promotion of breast-feeding, have helped cut child deaths to 9.2 million in 2007 from 9.7 million in 2006. This is a 28% reduction since 1990.
RESULTS was one of the first grassroots organizations demanding resources for the widespread use of insecticide-treated bednets and our volunteer actions have also secured funding for the Canadian Immunization Initiative.
While there is much to celebrate, 9.2 million deaths is still too many and a clear call to action. This report is proof that our efforts have had impact. Let's keep it up! No one, regardless of their political stripe, wants kids to die needlessly. Let's highlight this success in our work and call for leadership and investments that will lead to more good news like this.
|
National Call
|
Listen in Sunday October 5 (4 pm PT, 5 pm MT, 7 pm ET) to hear Matt Kavanagh of RESULTS U.S. Education Fund illustrate the urgency of increasing Canada's commitment to eradicating TB
Dial 1-866-512-0904 and at the prompt 6732861
|
Thoughts from anti-poverty champions
|
Our hunger crisis is actually a democracy crisis. Hunger can be eliminated only as we remove the influence of concentrated wealth over public choices and ensure the ongoing, healthy distribution of power. The sooner we start recasting the crisis thusly, the sooner we'll all be able to thrive.
Frances Moore Lappé
|
Who We Are
|
Our VisionA world free from poverty and needless suffering, where people thrive and contribute to their communities and the world. We see a world where citizens actively voice their concerns to their elected officials and thereby choose the poverty-related policies and priorities of their governments.Our Mission
To create the political and collective will to end the worst aspects of poverty, and to empower individuals to exercise their personal and political power.Our FocusWe focus on proven solutions to often neglected problems that perpetuate the cycle of poverty around the world. Currently our focus areas include tuberculosis, malaria, primary education, micro-credit, and sanitation.
How We Work
Grassroots volunteers from around the country meet atleast once a month in their local communities for Education and Action Meetings where they develop their knowledge on global poverty issues, strengthen their advocacy skills and take action.How To Get InvolvedSend an email to grassroots@results-resultats.ca. We'll help you determine the most effective way that you can join this powerful movement to put poverty on the political agenda! |
Upcoming RESULTS Canada Grassroots Events
|
Quebec Regional Conference November 15-16
For the first time ever, RESULTS Canada is planning an opportunity for our Quebec groups to come together to build skills and friendships. The Montreal Group will play host to volunteers from the Gatineau and Quebec City Groups.
The event will take place at Université de Montréal, Campus de Lanaudière, 950, Montée des Pionniers, Terrebonne.
All RESULTS volunteers are invited to attend this French-language event. It promises to be a fantastic opportunity for participants to reflect on our action and impact individually and collectively, exchange on issues, share best practices so to increase our influence on media and decision makers - as well as build a spirit of collaboration and esprit de corps between participants. All participants will leave with increased motivation, skills and confidence to better equip us in our fight against poverty. It's an event you don't want to miss!
For more information contact Yvon Dupuis yvonadupuis@gmail.com
Calgary
Pottery To End Poverty
Create your own pottery under the guidance of artists and in support of RESULTS Canada
Every Wednesday, September 3-October 15 (3 session minimum) 7:00-9:30 p.m.
WHO: Anyone Welcome - NO ART EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
WHERE: 3D Art Studio, Crescent Heights High School - 1019 1st NW
COST: your time and $5.00 supplies fee/night
CONTACT: Audrey Smith - aesmith@cbe.ab.ca - 403-276-5521 ext 2155
Calgary
14th Annual RESULTS Calgary Fundraiser
Saturday, October 18th 9:00am-11:30am
Big Four Building @ Calgary Stampede
Keynote Speaker: Alex Counts, President & CEO, Grameen Foundation
Author: "Small Loans, Big Dreams"
Tickets $40
Donations will be requested
Register here for tickets
Vancouver
New chapter!
Vancouver now has a RESULTS Canada group! Meetings are scheduled for the 2nd Thursday of each month in Room 1500, S.F.U. Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St from 6:45 pm-8:45 pm. For more information call Natasha at 604-839-6648, email: resultsvancouver@gmail.com
All are welcome - tell your Vancouver friends!
|
Any Ideas?
|
If you have questions about anything RESULTS-related or have an idea for an article in the next newsletter, please send your questions and ideas to grassroots@results-resultats.ca.
|
|
|
| TAKE ACTION! | | Sanitation in Schools -
Giving the world's children a safe, private
place to gog  
Children in some parts of the developing world face numerous barriers to education. Some, especially girls, are forced out of school due to a lack of basic sanitation. Most schools in the developing world are built without sanitation and hand-washing facilities. This is a serious threat to health and often parents of girls won't let them attend school when there aren't separate facilities. Statistics tell us that sanitation is one of the Millenium Development Goals the world is not resourcing appropriately. 2008 is the International Year of Sanitation and high time for Canadian commitments.
It's time for all of us to TAKE ACTION to tell policy makers we must meet our responsibilities. |
|
RESULTS at "La Francophonie" in October
|
|
When it comes to meetings of heads of state, the annual G8 summit usually gets all the attention. But this October 18-19, Le Sommet de la Francophonie is front and centre on the world stage. These summits are held every two years and this year the Francophonie Summit will take place in Quebec City as part of the celebrations in honour of its' 400th anniversary. With nearly half (27) of the 55 member countries from Africa and the majority being low to middle income countries, the Summit provides an excellent opportunity for a Canadian commitment announcement. With this in mind, RESULTS Canada staff have participated in several meetings with officials from External Affairs to highlight key issues in need of attention and investment, such as Sanitation, Tuberculosis, Child Survival, and Microcredit.
October 15-17, just prior to the summit, a parallel gathering of NGOs called Le Rendez-vous de la cooperation québécoise et canadienne dans la Francophonie will also take place. NGOs will set up kiosks and participate in various presentations and workshops on the challenges facing less developed Francophonie countries. RESULTS Canada, led by our Quebec City group, will be present with a kiosk and volunteers attending the events. This will increase our profile within the Québec network of NGOs and in the general public. |
|
|
MEET BRUNO MARQUIS
|
|
In an interview with Elizabeth Dove, Gatineau Group member and published volunteer extraordinare (over 280 so far in 2008) Bruno Marquis discusses his history with RESULTS, his motivation towards social justice activism and his hopes for the future...
(translated from French)
How did you become aware and involved in poverty
issues?
Like almost everybody, I became
aware of inequalities and injustices
 while I was still young. The rest just happened as time went by. I believe a person becomes involved when
beginning to adopt values of justice and equality between people...
What attracted you to RESULTS?
I believe that the vast majority of people are progressive somehow or other, but in a solitary way. They are often progressive with respect to several issues such as equality between the sexes, the fight against poverty or the protection of the environment. The problem is that they are convinced very few people share their ideas and anyway they cannot change anything. In a subtle manner, this is what mass media and the entertainment industry try to make us believe. Progressive groups such as Results try to break this isolation. In a group like Results, people become aware that many other people do in fact share their values and their ideas. It creates a huge snowballing effect. What Results has been able to achieve over 20 years is a good example of this effect.
What is your motivation to continue?
I sincerely believe that we can change the world.
Please share your secret to getting letters-to-the-editor published.
If my letters are often published in the media, it is only because I write at least one letter per month which is sent to hundreds of French and English newspapers. In fact, I am most likely the Results volunteer with the lowest success rate with respect to published letters. In the best circumstances, my letter is published in only one newspaper out of sixteen. Most of those sending their letter to only five or six newspapers probably get a publication rate of one for every three of four mailings.
To read the whole interview, click HERE
|
|
|
| TB and HIV coinfection |
|
RESULTS Canada Talks TB at the International AIDS Conference
In early August, RESULTS Canada and partners from around the world met in Mexico City for the International AIDS Conference (IAC).
We were there as part of the global ACTION team to raise awareness on tuberculosis. ACTION stands for Advocacy to Control Tuberculosis Internationally. RESULTS Canada is a part of this global team trying to raise awareness and increased resources to fight TB. TB is the leading infectious killer of HIV positive people in the world and kills 1.7 million people every year: we know how to cure TB, we can do better.
There were almost 25,000 people at the IAC and we were there to talk TB in almost every corner and avenue available at the conference. At our booth in the Global Village, the ACTION team and Results Mexico volunteers gathered signatures on almost 7000 postcards calling for TB screening to be included in programming for people living with HIV: our research shows that as few as 1% of people living with HIV are being regularly screened for TB.
RESULTS Canada volunteers have been focusing on TB for years and until we end the needless deaths from TB, we won't stop. You can join your voice to those around the world calling for action on TB. Our postcard campaign can be found at our newly launched ACTION website..
Photo credit: Katy Kydd Wright, photo of young Mexican brothers visiting RESULTS Canada's booth and signing the ACTION TB petition
|
RECOMMENDED READING
|
|
Getting to Maybe
Many of us have a deep desire to make the world a better place, but often our good intentions are undermined by the fear that we are so insignificant nothing we ca n do will actually make a difference. By studying real-life examples, Getting to Maybe, harvests the experiences of a wide range of people and organizations to lay out a brand new way of thinking about making change in communities, in business and in the world. Authors Westley, Zimmerman and Patton illustrate that great social change is not just the province of heroes, but well within reach of everyone.
Review:
"Getting to Maybe addresses making big, significant change actually happen. It is thoughtful, insightful, sobering and inspirational. The ideas articulated are new and practical. Anyone from the business, government or not-for-profit world who wants to understand change better, and change the way things are, should read this book."
-Courtney Pratt, chairman of Stelco
Go to this Random House link to read part of the book
|
LETTER OF THE MONTH
|
|
Every month we highlight a letter by a RESULTS Canada volunteer. This month we'll look at a published letter by Pierre Bélanger
(translated from French)
Live and Let Die
Le Devoir
August 25, 2008
The Conservative government announced recently more than two billions dollars in subsidies for ethanol production, while the legislation arising from Bill C-33, voted at full speed last June, authorized the establishment of obligatory caps with respect to the proportion of biofuels in gas, diesel and heating oil before 2010.
However, existing biofuels create problems rather than solutions. Ethanol produced from corn is a product of intensive farming, consuming fuel, pesticides and fertilizers, in order words, fossil fuels. Therefore, this is only a displacement of greenhouse gases. In addition, ethanol is less energy rich than gasoline, thus increasing vehicles consumption - and their emissions - as well as the areas necessary for farming. Yield is so low and the American automobile park fuel consumption is so gigantic that, according to Oxfam, replacing 4 % of consumed gas in the United States, would require one quarter of all the corn cultivated by our Southern neighbours.
From a moral point of view, it is difficult to justify the utilization of the best lands to feed cars while almost one billion of people in the world are starving. Furthermore, while corn is food, as is every product in our economy, it is subject to the law of supply and demand and also to speculation. In the world food crisis, according to some estimates, biofuels account for 25 % of the price increases of food products. In some countries of Latin America, where corn is a basic food, the impact is tremendous. In summary, promoting existing biofuels is live and let die.
Follow this link to read other published letters by RESULTS Canada volunteers
|
International Conference 2008
|
|
July International Conference focused on Grassroots growth
Eighteen Canadian staff and volunteers joined over 200 others from the global RESULTS team in Washington this past July to focus on grassroots expansion and action.
The 5-day annual conference built friendships and skills to strengthen and expand our chapters as delegates participated in workshops and heard inspiring speakers. RESULTS Canada was especially proud to have with us Liberal MP John MacKay, champion of the "Better Aid Bill" which has passed in the House of Commons, giving CIDA a poverty-reduction mandate. He spoke emotionally and passionately about the impact a RESULTS trip to Kenya had on his efforts to push for these important reforms..
The highlight for most of our delegation was the opportunity to meet with officials at the World Bank and the International Monetary fund. Volunteers posed insightful questions to decision makers about microfinance, TB and access to health services and education. Since our return, we've learned about interest in establishing a dedicated microfinance facility within the World Bank. Thank you to all of our conference delegates for their commitment!
|
Photo credit: Anita Mark, RESULTS Canada delegation in World Bank lobby
|
|
|
|
|
|
