July 13

The highlight of the morning was the presentation by Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Before heading up the Global Fund, which is a fund countries like the US contribute to in order that the GF might make grants to developing countries to fight these diseases of poverty, Michel was a physician, researcher and diplomat around AIDS.

Ninety percent of the burden of diseases is concentrated in developing countries. Yet developing countries account for 20 percent of global health dollars and 12 percent of medical expenditures. Therefore, health is now a prerequisite for development. health is an investment for the mid- and the long-term.

What people thought was impossible is now becoming possible. Action is necessary for change.

There is now evidence for the feasibility and effectiveness of AIDS drug treatment.

2002 was the initiation of the GF. It has to date disbursed $6B in 584 grants to 134 countries. Responding to demand, 60 percent of the grants have been to fight AIDS; 14 percent to fight TB; and 25 percent to fight malaria. Ninety-three percent of the funding is to low-income countries. In the years since the GF started, 1.7 million people have been treated with intivirals and 60 million bed nets have been distributed. There have been decreases by 40-90 percent of malaria deaths in two years.

The risk today is conplacency.

The afternoon started with a panel featuring David Lane, executive director of the ONE Campaign and Michael Petit, founder and president of Every Child Matters Education Fund. Jos works with the Every Child Matters group in Des Moines. I am going to talk to him to see about us doing some partnering with them. They will Thursday release Homeland Insecurity II, a report on the sad state of affairs for the children in this country.

The skills workshop I attended was the one put together by the Diversity Task Force. It was rather sad. The African-American woman on the panel let it be known in no uncertain terms that unless you were black, she had nothing in common with you and didn't want to hear what you had to say. I was saddened by that attitude. How limiting it is. And how limited is the growth potential.

At 5:30 was the Grassroots Awards Celebration. Douglas, our domestic regional coordinator encouraged me to attend. Now I know why. He and Allison, our global regional coordinator, took the stage and began talking about the Cedar Rapids group -- how much we have achieved in just a year and a half. Next thing I know I'm called on stage to receive the Energizer Bunny group leader award.

Tonight it rained, but Douglas wanted to take me to the Dubliner, a place he frequents when in DC and about three blocks from the hotel. We had a lovely dinner serenaded by live musicians. I had the shepherd's pie. It was scruptious. We dined for 90 minutes and then I came back to blog. Now I'm headed down to the Karaoke Party at which Jos does his Elvis channeling.