return to burlingtonfreepress.com
My Turn: World in trouble, and Vermont is listening
By Meron Foster One by one, we five Vermonters told members of Congress our stories. In Washington, D.C., two weeks ago, we spoke for the 1 billion pe
June 23, 2006
My parents in Norwich adopted me from Ethiopia when I was 9. I am a now a high school junior. Last year, my best friend, Alexandra Renzo, and I visited Ethiopia, where my parents have opened a home for orphans. Alexandra and I helped raise $30,000 and will join 25 people to work there this summer. I want to show those children that the world is not turning its back and that their lives matter.
Nick Colacchio, 24, played professional soccer for six months in Botswana, where he saw firsthand the impact of AIDS on his teammates and their families. Nick, a Middlebury graduate who lives in Norwich, works for Grassroot Soccer, an organization that trains soccer players and other role models in Africa to teach young people how to protect themselves from HIV.
Robert Fleming, 37, opened a home for abandoned children in Entebbe, Uganda, where he lives when not in Burlington. Eight children now stay at the Malayaka House
Sheila Morrissey, 42, who lives with her family in Shelburne, helped create a nonprofit to raise money and manage the project. Sheila and Robert use photos of the Ugandan infants as business cards.
Because we know what life is like in developing countries, all of us believe more money should be spent to help people have clean water, health care and education. Less than half of 1 percent of the federal budget is spent on international aid. We went to D.C. as part of an advocacy event organized by the humanitarian agency CARE, joining 350 people from 37 states.
Nick told Sen. Patrick Leahy's aides that we are disappointed in the president's budget proposal for next year. Our leadership says aid to the developing world is really important, but their actions on funding do not match their spoken commitment. As Sheila said, we know the daily struggles of people in Africa, and not to help them as much as we can feels horrible.
Alexandra and I talked with Sen. Jim Jeffords about the need to find a more effective way to fight AIDS. The United States has pledged $15 billion for the effort in Africa, but one-third of the money for prevention must be spent only on abstinence programs. That limits the tools available to halt the spread of the virus. Each day, more than 6,000 Africans die of AIDS and another 11,500 become infected. At this rate, about 25 million African children will be orphaned by 2010. Sometimes the problems seem overwhelming, but we have seen what dedicated people on the front lines are able to do to help.
The orphanage that Robert and Sheila started is in Uganda, which borders the Democratic Republic of Congo. Twice as many Congolese die each year from disease and poverty in the aftermath of war as the total number killed in the 2004 tsunami. Robert asked our senators to support Senate bill 2125, which would help rebuild the country's infrastructure, support programs to disarm former combatants and bolster international peacekeeping activities. We were glad to hear of Sen. Leahy's successful amendment to increase aid to the DRC this year.
In fact, we were inspired by all our meetings. The aide to Rep. Bernie Sanders said, "You can be assured that Congressman Sanders supports your initiatives. You can count on his support." Sen. Leahy's office told us the same thing. And Sen. Jeffords said, "You can count on me."
I have never been prouder to call Vermont home. Meron Foster, 17, lives in Norwich.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
|