Avi and Randa

The following is a recording of the conference call, held on Tuesday, February 23, when 115 of our Faiths Act volunteers from 15 coutnries across the world were given the opportunity to speak with UN Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, and Melinda Doolittle, American singer and American Idol finalist about malaria, the urgency with which we need to act to eliminate it, and how each of us can be a part of the fight to end deaths from malaria.

Listen here:

 
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World Malaria Day was held internationally on April 25th, 2010. The DC Faiths Act Fellows decided to join forces-Avi, Sarah, Ben and Randa-and have a series of events titled "World Malaria Weekend." The goal was to involve all the partners and dedicated volunteers we've met and worked with throughout the year.  
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We have had a blast serving as Faiths Act Fellows this year in Washington DC, and we have been inspired by the work of our college students who have shown a commitment to an interfaith approach to global health and malaria elimination. During May we will be transitioning from our leadership to a fully independent Leadership Team of 8 college students who will leave the University Multi-Faith Malaria Initiative in 2010-2011. They will be organizing programs next academic year for college students in Washington DC, and especially around World Malaria Day 2011! Alicia Davis, Georgetown, Class of 2012 Barbara Ungiert, GWU, Class of 2012 Geeta Menon, GWU, Class of 2012 Jared MacDonald, GWU, Class of 2012 Jenna Boyer, Catholic University, Class of 2011 Nick Troiano, Georgetown, Class of 2011 Noreen Shaikh, Georgetown, Class of 2012 Sonovia Wint, Georgetown, Class of 2012 It's been a great year. Thank you all and good luck to the new Leadership Team! Peace, Avi & Randa 
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For World Malaria Day, the Faiths Act Fellows in Washington DC collaborated on a joint event to highlight the successes of youth invovlement in fighting malaria this year. The Malaria Action Lunch included speaches from a high school activist, a college activist, a graduate student activist, and a representative of the UN Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign. Participants enjoyed African music, African food, and African culture, and they also were able to learn more about how to advocate for malaria program funding from their elected officials. See video from the event here:

 
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Two of our student leaders at Georgetown, Alicia Davis and Sonovia Wint, organized a fantastic fundraiser to showcase Georgetown's talent and raise money for bed nets to save lives from malaria. There were barely any open seats as the groups began to perform, some receiving standing ovations. This fantastic event raised $400 to purchase bed nets through a donation to Malaria No More. See video of the event here:

 
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Faiths Act Fellows and Nothing But Nets worked together to plan a fantastic Sleep-Out to raise awareness about malaria. Despite less than ideal weather and space conditions, the successful event reached many young people engaging them in the fight to end malaria. There was music, a showing of When the Night Comes, experiential activities, a giant mosquito, and lots of food!

 
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Randa Kuziez represented the Faiths Act Fellows with Malaria No More and ExxonMobil at the Washington Nationals baseball game on April 24. She did such a good job at getting people excited about malaria that American Idol sensation, Elliot Yamin, signed the United Against Malaria petition and put a Malaria No More sticker on a $10 bill!

 
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In partnership with World Vision, the Faiths Act Fellows participated in the Night of Nets Concert with local music sensation, Melodime. Performing in Arlington Temple United Methodist Church, they rocked the night after seeing the premiere of World Vision's malaria video and listening to the World Vision malaria initiatives. Avi then spoke about the Faiths Act Campaign, youth activism, and upcoming events in Washington DC. See video of the event here:

 
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Lunch to Save Lives, a lunch fundraiser at the American University Law School, was organized by Bethany Brown, a law student with a passion for health justice. In partnership with the Faiths Act Fellows, she ordered food, reached out to interested students, created a bed net display in the front lobby of the main Law School building, and created interest among her classmates. The food brought people in and they were able to connect to the cause of malaria, creating greater awareness at American University.

 

 
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The Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF) held a conference at the Newseum in Washington, DC on Friday April 9 to showcase the Face to Faith program and the desire to expand it to public schools in the United States. Those in attendance included members of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, educators, representatives of U.S. government bodies, and other interested parties. The event included speaches by Annika Small, TBFF Director of Education, Rob Lalka of the Office of the Secretary of State, and a panel of experts who were able to discuss possible challenges to the programs expansion. Overall a productive and educational event, it seems that Face to Faith will be able to expand successfully in the U.S.

 
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As March rolls into April, and we feel that Spring is upon us, I eagerly await the holiday of Passover. This year, Passover and Easter coincide, creating a wonderful opportunity for reflection between Jews and Christians and thought about similarities between the holidays. For me, Passover has always been a holiday surounded by ritual. This is probably why it has always been my favorite holiday. As a child I have memories of a full house cleaning, ridding our home of hametz-- any leavened food, and anything that might be unkosher (unfit for consumption) for Passover. We would seal up our kitchen cabinets, wash the floors, and bring up two entirely separate sets of pots, pans, dishes, silverware, and glasses-- one for meat meals and one for dairy meals. On the evening before the first seder, we would search the house for hametz and then burn it the next morning, ritually showing that our house was free from all leaven and that we were ready for Passover. We would share matzah (the traditional unleavened bread for Passover) and retell the story of the Israelites' exodus from slavery in Egypt to freedom and the journey to the Promised Land.  
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Every year, one million people die from Malaria, mostly children - it is a completely preventable and treatable disease.  Students from the Washington, DC area fighting against this disease, will you join us?
Between now and World Malaria Day on April 25, several DC Universities are participating in a friendly competition through Facebook Causes. The goal is to recruit the most students into each school’s respective Cause page (see below), and raise the most $10 donations.
Every $10 donation to Malaria No More will provide an African family a bed net and can save a life. The winning university will be announced on April 26 and will be awarded with a celebratory event and special guest speaker.
Let the competition begin!

Goal: Raise $1,000 or more for malaria elimination ($10 buys a bed net and saves a life!)
When: From April 1 to April 25, 2010
Participating Universities: American, Catholic, Georgetown, George Washington, and Howard

Find your school's donation page:
AU Fights Malaria - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/465986/1607478?m=1a240be5
CUA Fights Malaria - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/465984/1607478?m=1a240be5
GWU Fights Malaria - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/465979/1607478?m=1a240be5
Georgetown Fights Malaria - http://apps.facebook.com/causes/460827/1607478?m=1a240be5
Howard Fights Malaria:

All funds go to Malaria No More to purchase bed nets and save lives.

Click below to read more! 
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Malaria Advocacy Day was a resounding success. 18 young people came together for a briefing in the morning, then went out in small groups to visit the offices of 16 Memberas of Congress, asking them to maintain U.S. funding for malaria programs. Here are some photos and videos from the day:

Participants stand with Ambassador Mark Green, former Congressman from Wisconsin and current Managing Director of the Malaria Policy Center.

 

Lauren Schaffner shares her thoughts after a meeting with Senator Kerry's staff at the Senate Office of Foreign Relations. 
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Answers by UN Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers; American Singer and Activist, Melinda Doolittle; and Managing Director of the Malaria Policy Center, Mark Green

Ray Chambers

 

1. Henry from Ghana: How close are we to achieving the 2015 goal of eradicating deaths from malaria? What obstacles are slowing it down? What can be done to speed it up?

“The goal is to cover 700 million people with bed nets, indoor residual spraying, and appropriate medication by the end of 2010. It’s been an overwhelming task for the Roll Back Malaria partnership, which  includes UNICEF, PMI, the Spread the Net in Canada, Faith organizations, the Global Fund, the World Bank, and these are organizations that are very large and follow bureaucratic polices and procedures.

Differing things is to translate how each African country health ministries are able to deal with these multilateral organizations with large policies. They have gotten their applications to be of higher quality, and given confidence to World Bank that countries can distribute nets.

There are lots of logistical hurdles, but we are working hard to make this happen. I recently visited Zanzibar in August, with the World Health Organization and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Zanzibar started using bed nets 4 yrs ago, and main hospital ward was filled with malaria patients 3 years, ago, and in August of 09, and not one bed was occupied. We were brought to tears to see this really working. Zanzibar is at 0% mortality, and if we cover all in Africa, we could be at 0% mortality by 2015. Not going to let up until we reach that goal in 2015.”

 
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Watch brief interviews with Natasha Bilimoria from Friends of the Global Fund, Dr. Steven Phillips of ExxonMobil, and Nazia Hossain of Islamic Relief:

 
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International Women's Day was March 8th and March 23rd is Malaria Advocacy Day.
International Women’s Day celebrates all the women and girls in our lives, and reminds us of those living in poverty. Pregnant Women are among the largest group of people that die from effects of poverty, including malaria. To show that young people care about malaria and the impact that it has, Faiths Act Washington will be speaking to Members of Congress on March 23 to ask them to maintain their commitment to helping those whose lives are at risk from malaria. To show our appreciation for the women in our lives, we are organizing a fundraiser to help women in poverty and all those who suffer from malaria. Please join us on your computer- with a few clicks of a mouse, you can save a life.

$10 buys an insecticide-treated bed net that can protect up to 5 people (the price of 3 Starbucks lattes)

If you donate through our website, each dollar will be matched by former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Please take a minute and honor the women in your life!

DONATE HERE: www.firstgiving.com/faithsactdc

 
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Filza from Great Britain

Only a few years back I suffered from malaria. I remember the feeling and it was horrible. I think about all those who die from malaria and wonder if I was not treated I could be one of them. What makes it worse is that they are most of the time pregnant women or children. If I as a healthy young adult went through so much pain, I can’t imagine how much suffering these pregnant women and children are going through.  The fact that people from different faiths are working together to make a difference is amazing – because most people think that it is the different beliefs in faith that cause  many conflicts and problems in the world. It’s not your faith that you should be judged upon; it’s a person as an individual that can make or break the world.  Faith is just a path through life, and a person can change that path therefore it’s not faith that is the problem.

 

 
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The Faiths Act Fellows in Washington DC are taking World Malaria Day (April 25) by storm! Avi, Randa, Sarah, and Benjamin are taking the U.S. Capital by storm with a weekend of programming. We are working with religious leaders from around Washington to encourage them to give sermons about global health and malaria, and to open their congregations to people of other faith during this weekend (Friday April 23 - Sunday April 25). We are partnering with the UN Foundation to organize a Sleep-Out under bed nets to raise money and awareness of malaria, and we are hoping for wide participation from young people across the District. On Sunday, April 25 we will Walk to End Malaria-- there will be letter-writing, phone calls to Members of Congress, crafts, African drumming, and it will conclude with a keynote address and refreshments. We hope to have a corporate sponsor and also collect many individual donations. If you dine at a select group of African restaurants in Washington this weekend (Fri-Sun) a percentage will go to Malaria No More to purchase bed nets. The weekend will be fantastic! Join us! 
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See what Bobby Baily, filmmaker, and Danielle Garrahan of the UN Foundation, say about young people being the vanguard in the movement to end deaths from malaria.

 
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Here are some exciting interviews with filmmaker Bobby Bailey of When the Night Comes and Invisible Children, and Danielle Garrahan & Adrianna Logalbo from the UN Foundation:

Read more to see the rest! 
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Director Bobby Bailey (known for his previous film Invisible Children) visited Washington DC for showings of his new film, When the NIGHT Comes, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. The film gives a glimpse into the persistence of malaria over the centuries and the lives of those living in malaria-endemic areas today such as Uganda and the impact that malaria has had on their lives. Bobby and speakers from the UN Foundation were on hand to answer questions following the film at George Washington University, American University, and Georgetown University. Many students attended and were excited about joining the fight to eliminate deaths from malaria, and to participate in the Sleep-Out to End Malaria on April 24th leading into World Malaria Day on April 25th.

Bobby Bailey and Danielle Garrahan of the UN Foundation take questions following the screening

 
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This is the story of one man's involvement in his faith community and his support for the Faiths Act Campaign:

I was born at Akomadan in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, West Africa, in 1957. I grew up and started primary education at my father’s home town Nsoatre in the Brong Alhafo region in Ghana. In my early years I gave my life to Jesus Christ and asked him to help me to serve him and humanity in the future. When I completed my primary education I was sent to Kumasi to begin my college education. After graduating, I went to Accra to begin my professional studies. In all those years I kept my faith in God and became a strong, committed and dedicated Christian. For employment, I worked as a store clerk and later was self-employed.

During the years of my ministry in Africa I travelled to remote areas to share the word of God. But the sad thing I witnessed was children, pregnant women and older people dying of malaria. It was my prayer that one day there would be an end to this killer disease. In 2008, I was thrilled to hear about the Tony Blair Faith Foundation’s Faiths Act Campaign, fighting malaria in Africa and around the world, saving lives of poor children who would be the victims of malaria. I thanked God for divine vision of the Foundation and prayed for its leaders...

 
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Randa and Avi partnered with 20,000 Dialogues on February 28th for a showing of the new film by Unity Productions Foundation called Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think. Following the film, the audience broke into small groups for interfaith discussions and one group was led by Randa and Avi. The discussion touched on questions of how to respond to ignorant or intolerant comments by others, explanations of some customs such as covering the hair, and brought participants to a place where they were engaged and wanted to learn more and get others involved.

Read an article about the night's event: http://bit.ly/bRroQm 
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Students at George Washington University came together to enjoy delicious pizza and discuss faith and development, but to do so, they first needed to make sandwiches for those in need. At the end of the night, over 100 sandwiches were made, bagged, and readied for delivery to Miriam's Kitchen, a local soup kitchen that distributes lunch bags to the hungry of Washington DC. While spreading peanut butter and jelly, students discussed helping others, connecting local issues like hunger to global ones like malaria, and how they can help in the future.

Randa poses with two students making sandwiches 
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Service is important in many faiths and is at the core of the Faiths Act Fellowship which focuses on bringing together people of all backgrounds to serve and improve the world together. We share stories of service from Avi Smolen. Randa Kuziez, and Chantal McGill:

 

Click below for more!

 
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We spoke with Maureen Fiedler for the radio show Interfaith Voices about the importance of faith in our lives, the need to form partnerships to eradicate malaria, and our hope for the success of the Faiths Act Campaign. Listen here for the entire broadcast (Jan 20 show; interview starts at 39:45). 
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Students from a number of Washington DC universities came to Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs to discuss faith and development over a delicious dinner. Chantal McGill from the Interfaith Youth Core spoke as the special guest about her experiences as well. Students discussed privilege, how to view social justice and development, and what about their faiths called them to serve.

Randa speaks with two students in a small group break-out session

Click below for more photos and video 
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Avi and Randa joined with Benjamin and Sarah's interfaith high school team to bring Faiths Act to DC Central Kitchen. We learned about the distribution of food from the Central Kitchen to facilities across Washington, met the new class of trainees learning to be chefs, and donned hair nets and gloves to begin work. We spent the rest of the morning peeling, chopping, and cutting, and even had a surprise visit from Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric K. Shinseki.

 

Two students focus intently on cutting tomatoes

 
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As the clock struck midnight on December 31, and the New Year and decade began, not much had visibly changed. However, the year 2010 is an important milestone for those concerned with malaria eradication... 
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Apply for the University Multi-Faith Malaria Initiative Leadership Team! As a member you will run events on campus, gain valuable experience fundraising, lobbying, and organizing grassroots campus activism. Steer the direction of multi-faith malaria activism on college campuses in Washington DC. See the links below for information and to apply:

Information

Application

Deadline: January 22, 2010 
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On Friday, Dec. 11, we took a break from working with college students and travelled to West Hempstead, NY to run a workshop with middle school students at St. Thomas the Apostle School. Students were excited to learn of new ways to do service and how interconnected many faiths are when it comes to social justice. Students worked in small groups to discuss the challenges of poverty, health, gender, and education, and then came together as a group to choose and discuss their favorite quotes from diverse religious traditions. The students of St. Thomas, part of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation's Face to Faith program, were excited and are interfaith malaria activists in the making!

 
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Raise money to help eradicate malaria by studying for final exams! All it takes is a few minutes, and you can help save lives!

See the following to get involved:

flyer

pledge sheet

sample letter

 
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These are videos from the World Bank's symposium for World AIDS Day 2009:

 
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December 1st, 2009 marked the twenty-first World AIDS Day, and the World Bank marked this occasion by hosting a symposium titled “Keeping the Promise, Investing in the Future—Linking HIV/AIDS, Food Security, and Maternal and Child Health.” At this point, 25 million people have died from HIV/AIDS, and 33 million currently live with it, and it has robbed 16 million children of at least one parent. Although these statistics are great in number, they are about the one individual who gets sick or dies from a preventable illness, and his or her individual rights.

 

 
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Eid Al Adha, or the “Festival of Sacrifice”, will begin Friday the 25th and go through the 29th. It is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims Worldwide to commemorate the sacrifice made by Prophet Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice that which was most dear-his son Ismail. This holiday is a reminder of Abraham’s willingness to submit himself absolutely to the will of God. Eid Al Adha falls during the month of Hajj, or the pilgrimage Muslims make to Makkah once in their lives. Eid is usually celebrated by prayer, spending time with friends and family, and giving to the less fortunate...

 
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The Charter for Compassion was unveiled in Washington D.C. on Thursday, November 12 with an event co-hosted by the Unity Productions Foundation. Featured guest speaker was Karen Armstrong, winner of the TED Prize and creator of the Charter. The Charter for Compassion is a call to "dethrone yourself from your own center and put someone else there"-- a vision to apply the Golden Rule globally and bring compassion back to the core of our actions.

 
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Imagine a mosquito landing on a young girl's arm, biting to get its daily meal...

This video explains the story of how mosquitoes transmit the malaria parasite, the affects it has on humans, and what must happen to prevent the disease from becoming deadly.

 
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Hear the story of a Community Health Worker in Yirimadjo, Mali whose daily rounds in her community save the lives of children every day.

 
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Yesterday, on my way home from our first action event as Faiths Act Fellows, I was reminded of the importance of our work and of the challenges we face. 
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We hosted our first action event as Faiths Act Fellows at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University on Tuesday, Nov. 10 with the words of Gandhi in mind: �A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.�  
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Bill and Melinda Gates highlighted the work that their foundation has done to benefit global health, but they understand that complete success will take much longer to achieve. Despite the odds, they are impatient optimists and we should be too. 
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Faiths Act Fellows Randa and Avi take to the airwaves with their own episode of Malaria Watch (tv), in collaboration with the Malaria Policy Center to describe the Fellowship and why faith is important in the fight against malaria.

 
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The Faiths Act Fellows were able to participate in the 5th Annual Unity Walk and share our mission with the 350+ participants. 
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We were able to attend GW's 8th Annual Interfaith Dinner where nearly 300 students joined together for a meal to celebrate diversity, coexistence, and the night's theme-- peace. President of the University, Steven Knapp, was in attendance and delivered a message of his support as well.

 
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Avi and Randa join in United Against Malaria's celebration of its supporters at Washington DC's Skye Lounge.

 
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Watch this video to see a Georgetown student's reaction to the opening session of the conference:

 
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Following our attendance at the Common Word Conference at Georgetown University, we met with a publisher and were interviewed for a documentary!

See pictures here:

 
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Tony Blair, former UK Prime Minister, Amr Khaled, Founder and Chairman of Right Start Foundation International, and Sheikh Mustafa Efendi Cerić, Grand Mufti of Bosnia & Herzegovina, were just a few of the dignitaries who participated in the opening forum of the fourth conference of the Common Word initiative.  The conference, hosted by Georgetown University, featured sessions such as “Religious Pluralism in the 21^st Century” and “Religion, Violence, and Peace-Building.”  The two-day conference hosted many other notable members of government, clergy, and academics and was attended by hundreds of Georgetown students.

 
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