Cooperative Development Organizations Building a More Prosperous World
  

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Advocacy
 
   

Support Overseas Cooperative Development

The Problem:

  • Currently, 900 million rural people struggle to survive extreme poverty on less than $1 per day.
  • 2.8 billion live on less than $2 per day. Increasing inequality is causing fewer opportunities for advancement.
  • Every day more than 30,000 children around the world die of preventable diseases.
  • Americans think that foreign assistance programs are the largest item in the federal budget and make up close to 20% of total government spending. This is false. Economic and humanitarian assistance abroad makes up less than one-half of 1 percent of the federal budget.

The Solution:

Cooperatives provide effective, lasting development solutions to the economic and social challenges facing communities in the developing world.

  • For 40 years, U.S. cooperatives have shared their expertise to assist local communities in developing countries, currently working in about 70 countries encouraging broad-based economic and social development. Cooperatives provide lasting solutions because they directly involve people in democratic decision-making through ownership and control of business enterprises.
  • Cooperative development programs include technical assistance and training in agriculture, community development & infrastructure, disaster & reconstruction, finance, insurance, natural resources, public policy & advocacy, rural electrification, rural telecommunications, and microenterprise.
Action Requested:

Write your Congressman today!

Click here for the address and phone number of your Representative.

Click here for the addresses and phone numbers of your Senators.

  • We are concerned about drastic reductions in agriculture, infrastructure and economic development - programs that are imperative for sustainable development. We are also concerned that the expertise of U.S cooperatives is not used for planning or implementing development programs.
  • The current funding for U.S. cooperatives is substantially below the $8 million recommended by Congress. Please support funding for these proven, sustainable programs.
Support for International Affairs: U.S. Leadership Campaign


The U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, a coalition of over 300 business and organizations, is dedicated to supporting a strong international affairs budget and promoting U.S. global engagement. Every day, our member organizations experience first-hand the difference a small investment in upholding America's global leadership makes for our national security, American business and jobs, and the lives of children and their families. As businesspeople and advocates, we are committed to demonstrating to decisionmakers in Washington that the small change - one penny of every federal dollar - spent on U.S. international affairs programs makes a big difference in the security and prosperity of our country.

Web Advocacy Provides Easy Tool For Taking Action!

Now with just a click of a button you and your members/employees can communicate to legislators about the importance of the International Affairs Budget. Simply follow these steps:

STEP 1: Email or fax out action alert to your members (sample attached) providing them the link to the Campaign's Take Action Center.

STEP 2: Ask your members/employees/donors to click onto the following site to send a message to Capitol Hill: http://capwiz.com/usgloballeadership/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=2716441

STEP 3: The Campaign's Take Action site will walk them through the few short steps to send an email or fax a letter to their Senators and Representative. There are also opportunities for your members to add their own message relevant to your specific concerns.

STEP 4: OPTIONAL: Add a direct link from your web advocacy section to the Campaign's to help maximize the number of messages generated from this effort or simply incorporate this text into your existing website. Call Alison MacDonald at 202-955-1383 for assistance.

Remember it is critical to contact Appropriations Committee members and Congressional Leadership.

   
     

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