Eradicate Polio in 2014

Michael Sheldrick, Global Policy and Advocacy Manager with the Global Poverty Project and RESULTS' February conference call guest speaker.

Did you know that Polio could be eradicated by 2014 and the world could be certified polio-free by 2018? This is an opportunity that cannot be missed!

Polio is a debilitating and potentially fatal disease that continues to affect children in some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world. Polio is preventable through vaccination and there are currently only three countries in the world where polio has never been stopped.

At present, unprecedented global efforts are delivering significant progress. One of Australia’s foremost advocates for the end of polio is Michael Sheldrick, Global Policy and Advocacy Manager with the Global Poverty Project . Michael currently coordinates The End of Polio campaign, which has helped mobilise more than $100 million in support of polio eradication efforts . Here, Michael shares his experience of campaigning for the end of polio; "It has now been two years since I first joined Global Poverty Project to head up its campaigning around polio. I would be lying if I said that in that time I haven't experienced those difficult times we all face as activists when people smear our cause and turn us away. But I've also had the opportunity to meet and be inspired by some of the most extraordinary individuals and activists who collectively form part of the largest non-violent army the world has ever seen. I've had the opportunity to participate in immunisation efforts in India and meet just a few of the thousands of health workers who have been at the very heart and soul of this effort. I've worked with a remarkable group of Pakistani student activists called the Bioreach Society who are taking it upon themselves to ensure a polio-free Pakistan.

Finally, I've met countless of activists - just like RESULTS members - in key donor countries like Australia who's unrelenting stream of letters, phone calls, petition signatures, flash mobs and emails have helped ensure polio eradication remains a priority for our nation's leaders. Together, all of these activists and volunteers are the real heroes of polio eradication and it has been a privilege to play just a small part in this amazing story of human endeavour that demonstrates the life-changing impact of our foreign aid dollars as well as progress in the broader struggle against extreme poverty.

For more information, please check out some of the following blogs by both myself and fellow activists:

• My experience in participating in a national immunisation campaign in India last year .

• The experiences of my friend, Fatima Riaz, in building a movement of passionate student activists in Pakistan .

• A message from one of my best mates, Akram Azimi, on why he is using his post as 2013 Young Australian of the Year to advocate for the end of polio ."

Michael Sheldrick is RESULTS’ guest speaker on our national conference call this month. Join us to learn more about how Australia through a growing aid budget can help to end polio for good, and how important it is that we ask our parliamentarians to support an increase in Australian aid. (Contact 100days@results.org.au on how to join our conference call.)

Why Aid Matters (to me)

Me and my mum at my University Graduation.

I have had the great fortune of being born in a great country, with free education, affordable healthcare and a myriad of other goods and services that enrich my life.  My mother on the other hand was not quite so fortunate. Her experiences growing up in Peru have instilled in me the importance of working towards a more equitable global community. RESULTS shares my passion for ending global poverty and together we hope to ensure that the Government that it will deliver a life saving aid budget on the 14th of May.

My mother grew up in the bustling slums of Lima, Peru. She grew up in a family of ten, with two of her siblings passing away at a very young age. To support his family, my grandfather worked 3 jobs for 20 hours  each day, six days a week. Despite his hard work, in the formative years of my mother’s life she lived in a shack, with no running water, electricity or protection from the elements. This meant that she nearly became a child mortality statistic herself when she contracted bronchitis and TB.

My mother has lived through serious illness, natural disasters, terrorism and poverty. As I was born in Australia,  these are things I will never have to contemplate. The good news is that aid has helped to halve child mortality rates. However, 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty..

As global citizens, we have a responsibility to those who are not so fortunate. With a commitment from Government, politicians and the broader community we do have the power to end poverty. The RESULTS'  "100 Days of Action" campaign inspired me to tweet key politicians, write letters to my local member and talk to my friends and colleagues about the importance of the upcoming aid budget. I couldn't believe how easy it was to raise people's awareness of such an important issue.

by RESULTS office intern Fiona Holdsworth

Launch of our 100 Days of Action Campaign

100 Days to deliver a life saving aid budget

We have launched our 100 days of Action Campaign!

The campaign will be running from February 3 to the release of the Federal Budget on May 14. That is 100 days with the aim to use our collective voice to deliver a loud and clear message to our leaders, namely that funds must not be cut or diverted from the aid budget because it costs lives.

The motivation behind our 100 Days of Action campaign stems from the Gillard Government not only reneging on its promise to increase the aid budget to 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015, but also just before Christmas diverting $375 million from allocated foreign aid money to pay for domestic costs for services to asylum seekers. Moreover, the word around Canberra is that the $375 million of the diverted funds is just the beginning and that the Government has actually approved a diversion of up to half a billion dollars worth of foreign aid.

The diversion of these funds is not just a matter of accounting. This money has already been committed to fund life saving programs across the world. We know that Australian aid delivers real and lasting change for people living in poverty. Cuts to Australian aid means cuts to effective programs that are working. Ultimately this means that many of the most vulnerable persons on our planet, many of them our closest neighbours and children, will die as a consequence.

This is unacceptable! Australian aid already accounts for only 35 cents in every $100 of GNI. A small increase of the aid budget in proportion to the country’s GNI has the potential to support millions more people to break the cycle of poverty, at very little cost to us. It is morally and financially the right thing to do.

We have 100 days to make sure our leaders get our message.

1.    Funds must not be cut or diverted from the aid budget because it costs lives.
2.    Increase, as promised, the aid budget to 0.37% of GNI in the 2013/14 Federal Budget.

To make this happen, every week we’ll send our campaigners a handful of suggested actions you can take to deliver these important messages. (If you are not on the mailing list, join us here .)

Many of the actions are as easy and quick as liking a page on Facebook. Others, such as writing to Foreign Minister Bob Carr, will require a little more effort. Every activist decides how many actions she or he is able to do. As a campaigner, every action that you take WILL make a difference.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to get involved with this campaign.  The louder the noise, the more impact it will make on decision makers and politicians in Canberra.

So join us! Together we can be heard.

Not only will we collectively make a life-saving difference. We will have a lot of fun on the way and connect with likeminded people. NGO’s around Australia will be uniting over the next few months with the same messages, and we will be linking you in and directing you to activities which may be relevant or of interest to you in your local area.

Find out more...