Remarkable People

Global Fund and the Global Health Initiative

SMART Aid

Who We Are

ONE is a campaign and advocacy organisation with more than 2 million members committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Cofounded by Bono and other campaigners, ONE is nonpartisan and works closely with African policy makers and activists.

 

What We Do

At ONE, we achieve change through advocacy. We hold world leaders to account for the commitments they've made to fight extreme poverty, and we press for better development policies, more effective aid and trade reform. We also support greater democracy, accountability and transparency in how these resources are being deployed.

 

How We Work

ONE works closely with policy experts, African leaders, and anti-poverty activists to mobilise public opinion in support of tested and proven programs to fight poverty. At ONE, we believe the fight against poverty is not about charity, but about justice and equality.

At A Glance

MJP is committed to environmental security, creating peace and stability in all communities by planning and implementing interventions that prevent negative environmental changes. Working with impoverished rural villagers and local governments to alleviate food insecurities and increase access to basic primary healthcare and education, we're implementing projects that build healthy and vibrant communities.

 

Mission Statement

MJP is dedicated to eradicating extreme rural poverty, protecting natural resources and conserving wildlife. MJP promotes sustainable rural economies that directly contribute to the health and vitality of communities, wildlife and forests.

 

Background

In 2003, Ms. Angelina Jolie created the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation (MJP) for the conservation of Cambodia’s endangered Cardamom Mountains’ northern territory. Formally known as the Maddox Jolie Project and based in Cambodia's rural and impoverished northwest, the initial focus of its conservation work was on the protection of Samlout National Park (Samlout Protected Area), Samlout contains most of the region’s biodiversity: forests, freshwater ecosystems, and endangered species. As more resources became available, MJP’s operations expanded into other areas such as reforestation, community protected area, park management and integrated rural development (UN Millennium Development Goals). In 2007, the organization changed its name to Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, retaining the MJP initials, to better reflect the scope of its field projects.

About Make It Right

The mission of Make It Right is clear: to be a catalyst for redevelopment of the lower 9th Ward, by building a neighborhood comprised of safe and healthy homes that are inspired by Cradle to Cradle thinking, with an emphasis on a high quality of design, while preserving the spirit of the community's culture. The goal is to accomplish this quickly, so that the first residents can begin returning to their homes as soon as possible.  

 

Our History

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina flooded 80 percent of the City of New Orleans and killed 1,577 people. Hardest hit was the Lower 9th Ward where more than 4,000 homes were destroyed by the storm and the surge of water caused by the breach of the Industrial Canal levee.

Two years later, when actor Brad Pitt toured the city, the once-vibrant neighborhood was still silent and razed, failed by government, frustrated by a lack of progress. After meeting with community groups and families, Pitt established the Make It Right Foundation to build 150 green, affordable, high-quality design homes in the neighborhood closest to the levee breach. 

Make It Right kicked off in December, 2007 with the Pink Project – an installation of pink geometric shapes scattered over the 14-square block site where the real houses would be built.  As donations came in, the pieces of the symbolic houses were “righted” on their lots.  The Pink Project raised 12 million dollars and brought global attention to the challenges and possibilities of rebuilding the Lower 9th Ward.

Since then, 21 local, national and international architects have donated designs for single family and duplexes to Make It Right. By December 2009, there will be 50 homes on the site; by December 2010, there will be 150.  Because all of the homes built to date have been certified as LEED platinum for their energy efficiency and sustainability, the Make It Right community is now the “largest, greenest neighborhood of single family homes in America,” according to the U.S. Green Building Council. 

Make It Right Timeline:
First envisioned: December, 2006
Incorporated: August, 2007
Announced: September, 2007 (Clinton Global Initiative)
Launched: December, 2007 (Pink Project)
Groundbreaking: March, 2008
Construction began: June, 2008
First homes completed: August, 2008

MISSION

As a voice for the world’s most vulnerable children, Global Action for Children mobilizes government support and community action so every child has the chance to grow up safe, healthy and ready to thrive.

 

Why do we speak out for children?

Sometimes it’s not easy being a child in our world. Children living in the midst of poverty, disease and conflict are vulnerable to many traumas that no child should ever encounter.

Because many families can’t access basic healthcare for their children, too many kids do not live to celebrate their fifth birthdays. And for those who do, many do not have access to a good education to help them escape the cycle of poverty that they will in turn pass on to their own children.

But life doesn’t have to be like that for this generation, or the next. The solutions are simple, yet the gap between what the world is doing and what needs to be done for these kids is wide.

At Global Action for Children (GAC), we speak out and fill that void because investing in children is the right thing to do. And we know from experience that it’s the smart thing to do, too.

Children are the cornerstone upon which communities devastated by poverty and disease can rebuild. And in our new global era where our successes are shared, we want them to have all the right tools.

That’s why investing in a poor child’s health, education and protection from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe is the smartest thing our government can do for the future stability and growth of that child’s community and ours.

 

How do we speak out for children?

There is a lot of value in a voice. It can teach someone something new - for instance, that the chief killer of kids worldwide is pneumonia, not malaria or HIV/AIDS. And then a voice can inspire a person to actually do something about the problem, like invest in vaccines that can prevent deadly disease.

Global Action for Children is that voice for the world’s most vulnerable children.

The many people and organizations who work hand-in-hand with kids in poverty are heroes for doing their part to advance a child’s future. But success in the field depends on having enough financial and political support to get the job done. That’s why GAC’s role in Washington, D.C., is so important.

Using media, grassroots, partnerships and political know-how, we put our voice to work connecting decision makers in government to the real needs of a child on the ground. And then, we inspire these influential people with the ways they can invest to improve that child’s life.

GAC is successful because of our independent and nonpartisan approach to advocacy.  We don’t accept government funding so our policy work is always in the best interests of children and not in our self-interest. This forges a deep trust between us and leaders from all ideologies with whom we work. Instead of choosing sides, we opt for political unity because if we are all to succeed we know that changing a child’s future is not and cannot be a partisan issue.

Our spirit of teamwork extends to other organizations as well. Global Action for Children was born as a coalition. Although we are now our own 501(c)(3)organization, we are still in touch with our roots. For every issue we speak out on, we bring diverse groups together because we have not forgotten the power of varied groups speaking out with one voice.

About USGBC

The Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a 501 c3 non-profit organization committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings..

With a community comprising 78 local affiliates, more than 18,000 member companies and organizations, and more than 140,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students.

Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption, 13% water consumption and 15% of GDP per year, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.

About MSF: The MSF role in emergency medical aid

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 70 countries.

In countries where health structures are insufficient or even non-existant, MSF collaborates with authorities such as the Ministry of Health to provide assistance. MSF works in rehabilitation of hospitals and dispensaries, vaccination programmes and water and sanitation projects. MSF also works in remote health care centres, slum areas and provides training of local personnel. All this is done with the objective of rebuilding health structures to acceptable levels. 

Raising Awareness 

In carrying out humanitarian assistance, MSF seeks also to raise awareness of crisis situations; MSF acts as a witness and will speak out, either in private or in public about the plight of populations in danger for whom MSF works. In doing so, MSF sets out to alleviate human suffering, to protect life and health and to restore and ensure respect for the human beings and their fundamental human rights. 

Only a small percentage of the populations that find themselves in a situation of danger gain the attention of the media. MSF teams travel to places that many people have never heard of, to assist those who have fallen victim to natural or man-made disasters. MSF volunteers have a story to tell when they return from their missions, and they use their experiences to speak of what they have seen. For MSF, raising awareness for these populations and the situations they are in is an important task. Whenever possible, MSF volunteers give interviews and make presentations. MSF offices worldwide facilitate the organisation of gatherings, for individuals and groups who want to speak in their home communities. MSF also mounts exhibitions and, from time to time, releases publications, with the aim of raising awareness. 

It is part of MSF's work to address any violations of basic human rights encountered by field teams, violations perpetrated or sustained by political actors. It does so by confronting the responsible actors themselves, by putting pressure on them through mobilisation of the international community and by issuing information publicly. In order to prevent compromise or manipulation of MSF's relief activities, MSF maintains neutrality and independance from individual governments. The organisation also tries to ensure that the majority of funds raised for its work comes directly from contributions from the general public. In this way, MSF guarantees equal access to its humanitarian assistance. 

MSF has been setting up emergency medical aid missions around the world since 1971.