Kill Millions By Cutting Less Than 1% of United States Budget

During the Republican debate in Iowa this past Thursday night, issues of HIV/AIDS or famine in Somalia were absent from the discussion on foreign policy or the rest of the debate. Certainly, there are far more important issues than the 12 million people at risk of death from starvation in the worst famine that the Horn of Africa has seen in 60 years. Flat-line funding or cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) seem irrelevant to what America is facing too. Today many of my fellow Americans would demand that I see a psychiatrist for crying out against cuts to our foreign aid – specifically humanitarian aid. But I pray some of us simply pause and realize that America’s foreign aid is barely 1% of the annual budget.


Less than 1%.


That’s it.


A recent national poll suggests that Americans estimate that we are spending 20-25% of our budget on foreign aid. Democratic voters feel that 10% would be appropriate while Republicans assert that 5% is enough. Reality is not even 1% of the budget. I am still listening to what so many tell me right now, “America is in debt. We’re extended all over the world. American families are hurting right now. The U.S. can no longer afford wasteful foreign aid or assistance.”


I agree that our enormous problems require urgent action in the best interest of our nation. However as we work to implement cuts and increase efficiencies in defense spending and other targets, I urge us not to fall under the impression that the grand solution is reducing humanitarian aid.


America is saving millions of lives. The magnitude of the suffering in Somalia is unfathomable to us. Neither words nor Anderson Cooper can quite capture the despair of a mother who is choosing which one of her children will survive because of starvation. Can you imagine your children in this situation? It is happening right now.


Recently science has come to a groundbreaking consensus on AIDS. A study known as HPTN 052 has taken the research world by storm after proving that HIV/AIDS medication, known as antiretroviral therapy (ART), can reduce the risk of transmission by 96%. Basically, treatment is prevention. With this overwhelming evidence, scientists and policy makers now undoubtedly know what needs to be done against this global epidemic. It is actually possible to imagine an end to AIDS with enough political will.


Let’s encourage our leaders to change what’s wrong with our policies and not what is unequivocally saving human lives. We cannot turn our back on the world’s most vulnerable. Call on Presidential candidates to commit U.S. support for 8 million people on ART treatment by 2015. Urge them to not ignore Somalia. Most importantly, don’t let them cut the pennies we are spending for humanitarian aid when this may be among the most effective uses of 1% of our budget.



*Pictures taken from here

Rape as a Weapon of Mass Destruction: Tales of the Congo

Today, had the honor to hear from Dr. Denis Mukwege, a physician in the Eastern DRC and internationally-renowned champion of human rights for victims of sexual violence, through my brother's global health network in NYC.

I guess I knew rape and sexual assault were problems in the DRC....but, I didn't know they were calculated acts of psychological terrorism.  Dr. Mukwege's told us about the scores of mutilated women he saw on a day-to-day basis.  On any given night, an entire village of upwards of 100+ women could be sexually assaulted by vigilantes, rebels, and even members of the national army.  But worse than the physical damage incurred was the everlasting psychological trauma.  Systematic rape is cheaper than systematic machine-gun fire, and is just as successful (if not more) in destroying social cohesion.  Listen to Dr. Mukwege in the video below:

Look, this is just one part.  Millions have been murdered in the Congo.  Armies of child-soldiers are being amassed (and murdered) continuously. Why all this violence?  According to Dr. Mukwege, it starts with minerals.  In a resource-rich nation (full of coltan, gold, tin, etc.), destroying the moral conscience of a nation through violence and assault gives oppressors some semblance of control.  The worst part is...we create the demand through our hunger for consumer electronics. Watch the Mac vs. PC commercial below, and you'll understand:

The biggest hope?  Students have been able to make a difference.  Kids at Stanford STAND (an anti-genocide coalition) have successfully lobbied their Board of Trustees to pressure electronics companies to trace their supply chain of minerals.

From the kids I've met at Duke, I'd say it's definitely possible to do the same on our campus.  Two good friends of mine have already explored the issue:  David, who rode his bike across the country last summer on behalf of Falling Whistles, and Braveen, who wrote this feisty op-ed in our major newspaper.  

There are step-by-step guides to make this happen!  We just need to step-up and do it.  

Without A Safety Net?

Sorry for the delay in posting!  Am in NYC now, and have an interesting side project working to help a free clinic run by medical students (http://weill.cornell.edu/wccc/index.html) create a short film for presentation at a fundraising gala later this fall - the theme of the event is "Without A Safety Net", and could be really interesting.  Never made a film before (I just bought a Flip Cam), and really need suggestions on ideas, themes, etc. I should try to capture! 

Got a first taste of the clinic yesterday at one of their board meetings, and it was really interesting!  I've spent so much time talking about healthcare reform and insurance expansion in classes and random conversations with people on this blog, but at the end of the day.....it's just talk!  Obamacare doesn't go into enforcement until 3 years from now - until then, these students are still taking care of folks that need help.   Even post-policy reform, the real action - the real implementation - of delivering health will happen at the front-lines....not in board-rooms in D.C. or New York. 


That's not necessarily a good/bad thing - it's just a reality, one that I had forgotten or failed to realize for a while.  Looking forward to learning more!