By Susan Wright, Co-Chair of the Together Women Rise Advocacy Group with RESULTS 

The Together Women Rise Advocacy Group with RESULTS is working to defend foreign assistance funding. As they review the Administration’s mega bill for the coming year, both the House and Senate proposals currently call for slashed funding and/or outright closure of almost all US foreign assistance.

In our webinar on June 17, we heard remarkable and moving stories from our guest speaker, Laurel Fain, gleaned from her 24 years as a USAID health officer in countries in Africa and Asia. Laurel discussed how local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government workers are trying to continue their efforts after the abrupt halt of USAID programs. A continued supply of medicines, nutritional supplements, and other goods, such as bed nets to ward off malaria, is what these workers need most urgently.

Adequate US support for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, as well as for Gavi, the Vaccine Initiative, is therefore critical.  With bipartisan support, the US Congress has provided one third of all funds for the Global Fund since its inception. Congress is currently debating reducing that ratio for US support down to 25 percent or less.

This is the critical time to urge representatives and senators to allocate adequate US funding for foreign assistance programs such as the Global Fund. Rise advocates are reaching out to our representatives and senators across the US and writing Letters to the Editor in numerous publications.

Join us in advocating on behalf of women, girls, and children everywhere! You can sign up here for the Together Women Rise Advocacy Group With RESULTS. We hold monthly webinars on the 3^rd Tuesday of the month at 8:30 PM ET to discuss advocacy priorities in the coming period and offer ways to speak up. Once you have signed up for the Advocacy Group, we will email you the meeting links directly. We have coaches available across the US to help you with specific actions.