World Vision is asking Americans to call on President Bush to Make Poverty History at the upcoming G-8 Summit beginning July 6th 2005.

World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty.

Their assistance extends to all people, regardless of beliefs, gender, or ethnicity.

They believe that at the G8 Summit, President Bush has the opportunity to make an historic commitment to the worlds poor.

Rich Stearns, the President of World Vision, said:

We applaud the efforts of President Bush ... but so much more needs to be done, such as changing unjust trade policies.

Mr. Bush should earmark just 1 percent more of our nation's wealth for 'the least of these.'

As a nation, we can bring hope and healing to an entire generation of children.

The non-profit organization encourages Americans to ask President Bush to:

1) allocate just one percent more of the U.S. budget for HIV/AIDS and basic needs like health, education, clean water and food,

2) cancel debt and reform trade rules to help alleviate the burden on people in the world's poorest countries.

The One Campaign To Make Poverty History

World Vision has made it easy on our community to send an email to President Bush.

World Vision's Proposed Letter to President Bush:

Subject: Make Their Poverty History at the G8

One child dies every three seconds -- that's 30,000 a day more than 10 million a year -- most die of hunger and preventable disease.

Some 600 million children live in extreme poverty, without basic necessities like clean water, health care, and education. Approximately 15 million children have been orphaned and made vulnerable by the HIV/AIDS pandemic -- the vast majority of these children live on the African continent.

Mr. President, Africa's suffering is unnecessary. It's morally unconscionable.

Americans responded in force to the tsunami in Southeast Asia when 250,000 lives were lost. The "silent tsunamis" of hunger and disease are devastating Africa right now: About 70 percent of Africans live on less than $2 a day; 200 million go hungry; more than 2,700 people, most of them young children, die of malaria each day; and twice that many succumb to AIDS. We are not giving to this daily disaster with the same energy and fervor that we responded to the tsunami survivors.

Nearly 1 million Americans -- many in the faith community -- are calling for action across political and religious divides to beat the global AIDS emergency and extreme poverty. I am one of these Americans.

Our nation has an historic opportunity to use our greatness, wealth, and influence at the G8 Summit on July 6 to help our African neighbors in crisis.

I urge you to lead other nations at Gleneagles to make poverty history by:

> Helping the poorest of the poor fight poverty, disease, and hunger at a cost equal to just one percent more of the U.S. budget on a clear timetable.

> Canceling 100% of the debts owed by the poorest countries.

> Reforming trade rules so people in poor countries can earn sustainable incomes.

Thank you for your leadership to help others help themselves and especially giving children the opportunity to live life in all its fullness.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]

The G8 Summit will take place from July 6th - 8th at Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire, Scotland.

The Summit has evolved from a forum dealing essentially with macro-economic issues to an annual meeting that addresses a wide range of international economic, political, and social issues.

G8 members include:

Canada
The twenty-five member European Union
France
Germany
Italy
Japan
Russia
The United Kingdom
The United States of America

The United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Tony Blair is this year's G8 Summit 2005 Host.

World poverty is not at the top of the agenda.

The main themes for the U.K. Presidency of the G8 in 2005 are expected to be Africa and climate change.

Counter-terrorism and non-proliferation, as well as follow up work on G8 initiatives such as on the Broader Middle East, are also important issues that are expected to be addressed.

As the host of this year's summit, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has already taken the initiative to discuss the main themes with world leaders.

On Saturday, June 11th, the world's richest countries agreed to write off $40 billion of debt owed by 18 poor African countries.

For more information about the upcoming G8 Summit, go to:

For those interested in reading one man's perspective on this global issue, consider Jeffrey Sachs' book, The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time, which was published this March. Bono wrote the Forward.

Jeffrey Sachs is the director of Columbia University's Earth Institute and special advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. He tells us that about 20,000 people die daily due to extreme poverty.

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "striving to save 20,000 people a day" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC