March 08, 2010

Today we commemorate International Women's Day and honor the courageous women who endeavor to build a better world for their children, families, societies, and themselves. This is a day to celebrate and acknowledge the essential role women play in the economic, political, and social advancement of their countries. Development outcomes are greatly dependent on the degree to which women and girls are empowered to realize their potential and to benefit from, and contribute to, their society's progress. USAID welcomes President Obama's leadership in its efforts toward achieving women's empowerment and gender equality. The Agency has a long-standing history of working to improve women's status and removing constraints that limit their potential. Full release.

The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) today marked International Women's Day by releasing a report that provides a snapshot of domestic violence services in the U.S. In one 24-hour period, more than 65,000 victims of domestic violence and their children received life-saving services from local domestic violence programs. Domestic violence experts answered more than 23,000 emergency hotline calls. In one day alone, 9,280 requests for services went unmet, largely due to lack of funding. "The economy is exacerbating domestic violence," said Sue Else, NNEDV's President. "I urge communities to come together to stop the violence once and for all. Domestic violence affects all of us, and all of us must be part of the solution." Full release.

RetireSafe, a grassroots senior advocacy organization, once again declares its support of the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (HR 2057) and strongly urges Congress to pass the legislation on behalf of its nearly 400,000 senior citizen supporters nationwide. "Few consumer bills are as important to seniors as the Right to Repair Act," said Thair Phillips, president of RetireSafe. "Older Americans often live on a fixed income and many rely on trusted, reasonably-priced neighborhood repair shops to keep their vehicles serviced, repaired and operating safely." Full release.

Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability relative to their diagnosis of life threatening or debilitating diseases, with the Patient Action Council Delegates, unveiled The National Underinsured Resource Directory, which is intended to help underinsured individuals and families locate important resources and seek alternative coverage options or methods to cover their healthcare needs. Full release.

A street-based innovation in charitable giving that amplifies the growing use of mobile donations by adding an interactive virtual demonstration (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWhdY-9DC0M) was launched on building sides in downtown New York by digital invention agency Sarkissian Mason, on behalf of Pathways to Housing, a New York-based agency that provides apartments and services for the homeless. "Pathways to Housing takes a non-traditional approach to providing services and solutions to those in need, so trying a new way to connect with donors made a great deal of sense to us," explained Sam Tsemberis, Pathways' Founder and CEO. Full release.

Bread for the World announced that it recognizes today as International Women's Day, and called it an opportunity to celebrate the achievements women make in the workplace and at home, as entrepreneurs and as mothers. With The Hunger Project, based in New York City, Bread for the World calls on our nation's leaders to focus greater attention on the links between gender equality and hunger in the developing world if we are to reverse the recent worldwide increase in hunger and poverty, according to Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. Full release.

Building on its Elevate America program to provide technology training to help prepare people for 21st-century jobs, Microsoft Corp. today announced an initiative to bring together a coalition of public, private and nonprofit organizations to give veterans and their spouses the skills and resources they need to be successful in today's civilian work force. Microsoft will contribute $2 million in cash and up to $6 million in software over the next two years to support programs for members of the armed services and their spouses who are separating from the military and reintegrating into their civilian communities and the work force. Full release.

Filing the first Petition to Stay with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the multi-party legal challenge against the EPA's Endangerment Finding on carbon dioxide emissions, Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) cites "significant legal precedent for the EPA to halt its current regulatory steamroller." A stay on the EPA's Endangerment Finding would halt the forward progress of the EPA's acknowledged implementation of greenhouse gas standards for light-duty vehicles and pending issuance of permits and other devastating regulatory measures for so-called "stationary sources." Full release.

Consumer Watchdog called on President Obama to impose a national freeze on health insurance rates before health reform takes effect to protect consumers from premium hikes like the 39% increase recently announced by Anthem Blue Cross in California. The rate freeze is one of five tools Consumer Watchdog urged the president to include as part of his proposed fixes to the Senate health care bill. Full release.

ACDI/VOCA released the following statement from its president, Carl Leonard, in observance of International Women's Day. "ACDI/VOCA works to empower people, women and men, to succeed in the global economy. And we know from our 45-plus years of experience that women are essential to achieving sustainable economic development. "In many emerging markets, women work in small and less-formal trades like growing and selling vegetables in local markets, weaving carpets or sewing clothes, trades that represent a significant opportunity for economic growth." Full release.

The Global Genes Project (www.globalgenesproject.org), a worldwide rare disease awareness initiative, today announced the success from its World Rare Disease Day 2010 efforts and laid out plans for future rare disease awareness campaigns. Across the United States, 1 in 10 Americans suffer from rare disease while statistics in the European Union and Canada mirror those from the United States. In total, over 60 million people in North America and the EU suffer from rare disease. Full release.

A survey released today by the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation challenges the long-held assumption that having health insurance is synonymous with having access to health care. The survey of 1,022 Michigan adults showed that while 40 percent of those who lacked insurance delayed seeking needed care, so did 17 percent of those with health insurance – mostly due to cost concerns. Full release.

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