Give a Net, Get a Vote
Minus Malaria is proud to announce a new chapter for their bed net distribution program: Give a Net, Get a Vote. An unprecendented action, this program doubles our efforts in the fight against malaria by combining physical action with political pressure. In brief, for every bed net donated through our fundraising campaigns, a letter will be sent to a selected member of Congress asking him or her to support a bill that addresses the issue of malaria and related issues. More details can be found here.
We use powerful tools to analyze and identify the most current legislation; additionally, our system tailors the coverage of our letters to ensure no vote is wasted. We consider the following variables to achieve this: 1)where the bill is located in Congress, 2) the type of publicity it has received, and 3) whether any congress member has expressed adament support. To continue our commitment to transparency, we will post all monitored legislation, examples of letters sent, and an ongoing ‘origin-of-letters’ list. The Minus Malaria Initiative aims to amplify students’ voices and advocate for political change that was never thought before to be possible.
from prezi.com
Current Legislation:
- H.R. 2639: Global Poverty Act of 2009
- H.R. 1410 (S. 1966): Newborn, Child, and Mother Survival Act of 2009*
- H.R. 3560 (S. 1591): 21st Century Global Heath Technology Act*
- S. 1524 (H.R. 2139): Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009*
- S. 384: Global Food Security Act of 2009
* Many of the bills that we support have been presented to both Senate and the House of Representatives. In this case, we have listed the two together: although they may have slightly different names, the aims of the two bills are the same.
Letter Campaigns:
- Letter of Intent: Informing Congressmen of Our Actions
- Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2009
- Maternal and Child Care, Global Health Technologies, and Foreign Assistance
Where the Letters Have Gone:
October 2009: Our first letter campaign will target Senator Bob Casey (PA), Representative Joe Sestak (PA), Congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), and Johnny Isakson (GA)
January 2010:
- Senator Benjamin Cardin (MD)–30 Letters
- Senator Bob Casey (PA)–20 Letters
- Representative Joe Sestak (PA)–20 Letters
- Congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (FL)–15 Letters
- Senator Johnny Isakson (GA)–15 Letters
February 2010
- Senator Robert Casey (PA)–25 Letters
- Senator John Kerry (MA)–33 Letters
- Congresswoman Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (FL)–36 Letters
- Senator Johnny Isakson (GA)–51 Letters
- Representative Howard Berman(CA)–16 Letters
Please feel free to email us if you would like to participate in MMI’s “Give a Net, Get a Vote” program. We will be more than willing to provide you with legislative updates and formatted letters so that our message may grow even stronger. Contact Melissa Frick for further details.
