Global Issues

If you’re a Facebook addict, you may have already heard about Starbucks going (RED) on World AIDS Day. When you buy a handcrafted Starbucks drink on Monday, Starbucks will donate five cents to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

Starbucks will also donate five cents for every (RED) beverage sold until January 2. The (RED) holiday flavors include gingersnap, peppermint mocha twist, and espresso truffle. According to the Starbucks web site, 9 (RED) drinks pay for one day’s worth of the antiretroviral medicine (ARVs) that fight HIV/AIDS–a cost of 45 cents.

HIV/AIDS is a rising pandemic comparable to the black plague. In his book Red Letters, author Tom Davis points out that after the bubonic plague devastated Europe, one third of Europeans had died. In comparison, over a third of adults in Zimbabwe had HIV by the end of 2003, Davis said. For more information, read my review of Red Letters here.

Here are some more creative ideas on ways you can celebrate the 20th World AIDS Day this Monday, December 1. The World AIDS Campaign set this year’s theme as “Lead - Empower - Deliver.”

1. Wear a (RED) T-shirt or red ribbon on Monday, and make sure to tell your friends about World AIDS Day. You can even make red ribbons for your friends and give them away at school.

2. Ask someone to take a picture of you with your (RED) gear or HIV/AIDS red ribbon and post it on your Facebook. Then write on the wall of the Teen Ink Global Issues Facebook group to show your support.

3. Watch this video for a visual of the 33.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS today. Then e-mail it to your friends or post a link on your Facebook.

4. Click through this Access to Life photo essay. It portrays some of the people living with HIV/AIDS before and after they received ARVs.

5. Donate $1 to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. That’s two days’ worth of ARVs.

6. Remember one of these HIV/AIDS statistic for Monday, and bring it up when you talk to your friends about World AIDS Day: 12 million African kids have lost one or more parents to AIDS (according to Red Letters), 33 million people today are living with HIV/AIDs (according to AVERT), and 25 million people have died from AIDS since 1981 (according to AVERT).

7. Sign the World Vision Stand Up for the Fight Against AIDS petition.
8. Share an idea by posting in the comments section.

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Here are five easy - but meaningful - ideas on how you can spread some holiday joy and make a difference this holiday season.

1) Ask your parents for a goat this holiday season. Or two chickens. Or five ducks, some clean water tablets, or a bag of seeds. After they get over their confusion about having two chickens strutting around the house, explain that you’re actually talking about World Vision. The goat, the chickens and the rest will support a needy family with food and a source of income. For more information and gift ideas, check out the World Vision Gift Catalog at www.worldvisiongifts.org.

2) Join the Marines … in a toy drive. Launch a toy drive in your neighborhood to benefit the U.S. Marines’ Toys for Tots. Every year, the Marines deliver presents to American kids whose families can’t afford Christmas gifts. Distribute a flier to let your neighbors know about your Toys for Tots drive and suggest some toy ideas. You can grab some images to brighten your flier on the Toys for Tots web site. After you’ve collected toys, deliver your presents to a local Toys for Tots Drop Location, found on www.toysfortots.org.

3) Go shopping! If you’re planning to shop online this Christmas through iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, GAP, Target, Walmart, Macy’s and many more online stores, then you can give money to worthy causes just by shopping. Really. By using GoodSearch.com, any online store you buy from will donate a percentage of your purchase price to the organization of your choice. Some worthy organizations participating include World Vision, Feed My Starving Children, Invisible Children, Samaritan’s Purse and Compassion International. eBay is one of the biggest donors—they give between 25 to 37.5 percent of your purchase price. To use this service, go to the GoodShop page, enter the organization you’d like to help and select your store. It’s that easy.

4) Get rid of the extra change. With Feed My Starving Children—a humanitarian organization that sends nutritious meals to third-world countries—a little money goes a very long way. Just fifteen cents provides a meal for a starving kid. In fact, one child can get one meal a day for an entire year for only $55. If you have a little extra change, consider donating it to put food in the stomach of a starving child.

5) Donate in a friend’s honor. Give your friends UNICEF-Inspired Gifts—education, immunization, water, nutrition, HIV/AIDS care, or emergency help—to benefit the world’s neediest. Some cool gifts you’ll want to check out are high energy/protein biscuits, therapeutic milk, mosquito nets, measles vaccinations, bikes, and wool blankets. Check it out at inspiredgifts.unicefusa.org.

A version of this article previously appeared on IgniteYourFaith.com.

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Operation Christmas Child delivers shoeboxes full of gifts to brighten the Christmas of children around the world. You can make a big difference by stuffing a shoebox full of toys, hard candy, hygiene items, hair clips, and other small gifts for an impoverished child. To get an idea of just how much of an impact one box makes, check out the stories on the Operation Christmas Child web site.

Make sure to follow the directions, label your box with gender and age group, and donate seven dollars to cover shipping. You can drop off your box during National Collection Week (November 17-24) at any drop-off location, or mail it in anytime to: Samaritan’s Purse/Operation Christmas Child, 801 Bamboo Road, Boone, NC 28607.

Have fun, and thank you for making a difference to a kid this holiday season! If you want to spread awareness about Operation Christmas Child or get your school/community involved, check out their promotional resources.

A version of this article previously appeared on IgniteYourFaith.com.

Thursday was To Write Love On Her Arms Day, according to this worldwide Facebook event. Did anyone participate by writing “love” on their arms?

To Write Love On Her Arms is a nonprofit organization devoted to suicide prevention and hope for those who struggle with depression, self-injury, and addiction. According to their web site, 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression, and suicide is the third leading cause of death in people age 15-24. In honor of To Write Love On Her Arms Day, I’d like to share a couple of stories that show the power of hope and friendship.

The first is “Scared to Hurt,” a story posted on Teen Ink blogs by Amanda. Amanda wrote about her suicide attempt and her realizations since that moment. If there’s anything you get out of this blog, read her story. You’ll be amazed. In a second blog, Amanda also talked about some of the feelings teens struggle with.

The second is “When It Rains,” an inspirational short story I wrote with a friend for a magazine, told from the point of view of a teen who once attempted suicide. It shows that by simply starting conversations with teens you haven’t met, you can make a difference to others.

When I asked Amanda how she’d suggest helping a struggling friend, she recommended just staying with them to show you care about them enough to give them your time and love, and helping them find a therapist. Also, if you’re ever in an emergency situation and you or a friend is at risk of attempting suicide, you should call 911 or 1-800-SUICIDE.

For more ideas on ways to help, check out the “find help” page on the To Write Love on Her Arms web site.

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This past week has been a whirlwind of news as President-elect Obama prepares for his move to the White House. Every decision Obama makes as president-elect is being analyzed: from his choice of Rep. Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff, to his push for a new stimulus package for the economy, to the puppy he’ll buy his girls (who knew the choice of the White House dog could be so significant? it’s even the subject of the Teen Ink poll).

People all over the world are reacting to Obama’s election, especially those from Indonesia and Kenya, where Obama has ties (he went to school in Indonesia and his father was born in Kenya).

One.org summarized President-elect Obama’s plans for fighting world poverty, including doubling foreign assistance by 2012 and making progress on the Millennium Development Goals.Comprised of eight objectives, the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) pledge to alleviate poverty extensively by 2015. The eight goals are:

1. “Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger”
2. “Achieve universal primary education”
3. “Promote gender equality and empower women”
4. “Reduce child mortality”
5. “Improve maternal health”
6. “Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases”
7. “Ensure environmental sustainability”
8. “Develop a global partnership for development”

Read more on the specific targets and progress of the MDGs on the UN web site.

Africans are hopeful for U.S. assistance from Obama, but Obama has said that his goals for foreign aid might be delayed in light of the financial crisis, according to one.org. The financial situation creates an unfortunate conflict: is it right for a superpower to double foreign aid when the country itself is in economic danger? Is 2012 still a realistic date for doubling foreign aid?

The 2008 MDGs report said some MDGs seemed reachable by 2015, but others were unlikely to be met. For example, from 2005 to 2007 the number of deaths from AIDS decreased, but carbon dioxide emissions have continued increasing.

In the foreword to the report, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon commented on the success of the MDGs thus far and elaborated on the challenges the MDGs face, including skyrocketing food prices and the financial crisis (in some countries, inflation is ridiculously high–231 million percent in Zimbabwe!).

“These developments will directly affect our efforts to reduce poverty: the economic slowdown will diminish the incomes of the poor; the food crisis will raise the number of hungry people in the world and push millions more into poverty; climate change will have a disproportionate impact on the poor,” Ban Ki-Moon said. “The need to address these concerns, pressing as they are, must not be allowed to detract from our long-term efforts to achieve the MDGs.

“On the contrary, our strategy must be to keep the focus on the MDGs as we confront these new challenges.”

Expectations are high for President-elect Obama, but the financial crisis, health care reform, the Iraq war, and a variety of other problems will be waiting on Obama’s White House desk. As the Los Angeles Times showed this week, President-elect Obama has expressed foreign policy goals that will be a challenge to meet, especially considering complex new developments in conflicts, politics, economies.

One leader can’t fix everything, especially in light of today’s problems, so the question is: how close can the world get to accomplishing the MDGs, and how long will it take?

Proposition 8, a law in California that bans same-sex marriage, also passed this week. I know you have opinions on this law. Jump in and tell me about it.

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