May 9, 2012

Election 2012: Where do candidates stand on global poverty?

International aid is not a popular subject on the presidential campaign trail. The candidates need to hear from voters who care about fighting global poverty.

By Robert Zachritz, senior director of advocacy and government relations. Photo by Jon Warren.

There are many reasons why voters prefer one presidential candidate over another. Regardless of which presidential hopeful you support, it is important to make your candidate of choice aware of the issues that you care about.  

A remarkable return on investment

International aid is not a popular subject on the campaign trail. Polls show a majority of Americans believe U.S. foreign assistance is 20 percent or more of the federal budget.

In reality, poverty-focused foreign assistance is only about one-half of 1 percent of the entire federal budget.

These life-saving accounts fund our nation’s response to disasters around the world. They also provide care for orphans and vulnerable children, malaria bed nets, AIDS medicine, and child immunizations. Many children served by World Vision directly benefit from these critical interventions.

Few programs within our federal budget actually save lives. But the foreign assistance accounts do. These modest accounts are extremely cost-effective and provide an invaluable rate of return: For the small price of a pill, a bed net, a meal, or a vaccination, a child’s life can be saved.

Tell the candidates that you care about global poverty 

It’s essential that you let the candidates know of your support for cost-effective, life-saving foreign aid programs.

Contact your candidate of choice and send them a message similar to this:

As a supporter of your candidacy, I’m asking you to declare your commitment to America’s foreign assistance programs. I trust you believe, as I do, that reducing global hunger and disease is in our national interest.  

Hunger creates instability. Diseases do not respect national boundaries. But we can help prevent these conditions. Today, hundreds of thousands of people in Africa and around the world are alive because of America’s historic commitment to fight AIDS. As president, you must reaffirm our commitment to fighting global poverty and disease.

While the budget deficit is a moral issue, so is saving the lives of children. Please publicly declare your support for maintaining funding for life-saving foreign assistance programs. Please demonstrate your leadership as an advocate for vulnerable children.

Below are links to comment forms on the candidates' websites. Please use the text above as a guide and submit your message to the candidate of your choice, or all of the candidates, if you have a few extra minutes.

Thank you for your part in making the well-being of the world’s children an important campaign issue in 2012.