Thousands Gather to Fight Global Poverty at CARE Conference
Melinda Gates and Tonya
The fight against global poverty has some heavy hitters! This week World Footprints had the pleasure of covering the CARE Conference and International Women’s Day Celebration with more than 1,200 advocates for women and children.
Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization that fights global poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve education, health and economic opportunity. People traveled from all over to celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day and to prepare for visits to Capital Hill to lobby for more global investments in women and girls around the world.
Crystal Bowersox
The conference kicked off on March 8th with a special concert featuring India Arie, Crystal Bowersox (runner up in last season’s American Idol), Sarah Darling and Michael Franti. March 9th featured legislative briefings, sessions and keynote addresses from notables such as Melinda Gates, Laura Bush, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Barbara Bush, Jenna Bush Hagar (NBC Today), Maria Menounos (Access Hollywood) and Dr. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE. On the final day, advocates will storm Capitol Hill to communicate how important foreign assistance is to the global community and world-wide stability.
The CARE Package also took center stage during the conference. CARE created the original CARE Package in 1946 to deliver supplies and food to Europeans after World War II. But instead of a plain, brown box of food and supplies, the new CARE Package is a unique web tool that allows people to customize a modern package of aid to support CARE’s global strategy of providing girls and women the tools they need to become catalysts for change in their communities. “When you give a girl or a woman a chance to start a business, learn how to read or participate in politics—that one act casts broader ripples of change that help the people around her escape poverty,” says Dr. Helene Gayle.
‘The CARE conference was a wonderful example of global citizenship,” remarked Tonya Fitzpatrick, executive producer and co-host of World Footprints radio. “It was amazing to see men, women and children from around the world gather in celebration of the human spirit to support a collective and positive mission.”
Tags: Access Hollywood, American Idol, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Capitol Hill, CARE International, CARE National Conference, CARE USA, Christy Turlington Burns, Crystal Bowersox, Every Mother Counts, Global Health, Global Poverty, Helene Gayle, India Arie, International Women's Day, Jenna Bush Hager, Laura Bush, Maria Menounos, Melinda Gates, Michael Franti, NBC, Sarah Darling, The Today Show, USAID
Topics: Events & Festivals, Human Rights, Responsible / Sustainable Travel
