Ben Affleck

$1.50 a Day

2013-05-01T19:41:02-04:00

Today I am limiting myself to spending a dollar and fifty cents -- technically "living" on a dollar fifty today. Of course, in truth, it's impossible for anyone to live so cheaply in the United States. Insurance, rent, mortgage, utilities, cable, lease payments -- all tick off a daily expense without us handing over money each day. For the vast majority, even starvation wouldn't mean living on less than a few dollars each day.

So, why am I spending today eating rice and beans and drinking tap water (which also costs money)? In order to bring attention to the fact that more than a billion people on earth truly do subsist every day on less than it costs to get a half a gallon of gas here. Additionally, I want to encourage people to look at the work my organization, the Eastern Congo Initiative, is doing in Congo -- a place where millions of people have died over the last decade, most from lack of nutrition and the diseases that come with extreme poverty. You can find out more at easterncongo.org.

There are valid criticisms of this effort. Some accuse it of making the issue of extreme poverty into little more than celebrity Twister. It is also true that celebrities often promote (knowing or unknowingly) lifestyles that price out all but the richest Americans. Why should they be lecturing Americans on poverty? Fair enough -- and indeed there is a disgraceful inequity of wealth in this country. In fact, a nice side effect of this effort would be if people became attuned to the effort to similarly ameliorate the tragedy of hunger in America. FeedingAmerica.org is doing a great job (disclosure, I am on the Entertainment Council).

The issue is not that we should feel guilty about owning cars and Xboxes; taking vacations or buying fancy shoes. It's that we should understand that we have a responsibility as a country to be good global citizens. We have a responsibility to come to the aid of our neighbors, some of who are literally starving to death.

The U.S. has five percent of the world's population and 35 percent of global wealth. More egregiously (inverting our own famous yardstick for unfairness), the bottom half of the world has only one percent of the world's wealth; that's more than three billion people in the other "one percent."

We should not stop producing or consuming or trying to turn the engine of progress here -- but we should have a sense of noblesse oblige -- meaning one must act in a fashion that conforms with the reputation that one has earned or, alternately, "whoever claims to be noble must conduct himself nobly." As a nation we both claim a noble position in the world and assert a reputation for fostering freedom, human rights and fairness here and abroad. If indeed we are to live up to that, we cannot abide having some among us who starve.

Today I engage in the minor act of eating rice and beans to do my tiny part. I encourage others to do whatever they can, however minimal.

Child Survival in the Democratic Republic of Congo

2012-07-17T12:07:36-04:00

A month ago I had the privilege to share the podium at a landmark conference in Washington, DC with a group of distinguished professionals committed to improving child survival around the world. This group included U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, USAID Administrator Dr. Raj Shah, health ministers and practitioners from far-flung corners of the world, from Ethiopia to India to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Overall, mortality rates in most countries are dropping twice as fast now as anytime during the past two decades. This past May, World Bank economists reported that child mortality rates for children under 5 are swiftly declining across the continent of Africa. To echo Michael Clemens from the Center for Global Development, this is indeed one of the "the biggest, best stories in development." Senegal, Rwanda, and Kenya have experienced drops in child mortality of more than 8% a year. If sustained, this rate will cut child mortality in each country in half in roughly 10 years.

However, while applauding this remarkable benchmark, we must not forget that this victory is just one rung on a tall ladder -- and in some cases, our foot is still on the bottom rung. In Congo, the numbers are still grim. With just 1% of the global population, Congo is responsible for over 6% of global under-five mortality. According to USAID, 148 out of 1000 DRC children will not reach five years. This is the 5th highest under-five mortality rate in the world. Thus, Congo faces daunting challenges and has to negotiate colossal hurdles to save these children and provide them a hopeful future.

These children's lives are further endangered today as Congo's North Kivu province is yet again grappling with a rebellion that has displaced an estimated 200,000 Congolese internally and outside the country. In this conflict, which has indirectly killed millions of people since 1998, women and children bear the brunt of the atrocities and human rights violations. Boys and girls are abducted to serve either as fighters or sex slaves. Families that survive the fighting often face hunger, malnutrition and diseases, which reduce children's survival prospects and deny them the potential of a promising life.

On previous trips to Congo, I have met women who are impregnated by militiamen and forced to have their children outside the safety of hospitals. I have visited with children who are unable to receive much needed medicine and care because they are surrounded by dangerous roads and militia strongholds. In some areas, families cannot get the nutrition they need because they cannot reach their farmlands that are occupied by militiamen.

Congolese children are resourceful and accomplish much with the limited resources available to them. With better resources, each and every child could shoot for the stars. But without peace and security, Congo will not be able to reduce infantile mortality rate and provide these children -- the country's future -- an opportunity to grow up and become productive members of society. Neither would Congo join the rest of the community of nations and partake in the dividends of this achievement in child survival.

The Congo conflict, however, is the world's problem. We cannot afford to ignore this outburst of violence as a local problem. Congolese children are citizens of the world. Evidence suggests that when we work together our diverse nations and communities can indeed bring an end to our most persistent global crises.

Donor nations should exert pressure on all pertinent actors to stop the fighting and resolve the situation as soon as possible. Congo's international partners have an opportunity to press the Kinshasa government to undertake a comprehensive security sector reform with their technical and financial assistance. Time and again, the Congolese people have displayed a strong spirit of resilience and a determination to forge a path toward peace and progress. The world should stand with them.

Happy Mother's Day

2012-05-12T18:36:14-04:00

It's every mother's human right to give her children health, safety and happiness, no matter where she is from.

Today mothers in the Congo face unimaginable hardships. Inadequate health care, violence and grinding poverty often stand in the way of future prospects and opportunities for their children. But there's hope. There are amazing community-based organizations affecting change everyday.

As you celebrate the moms in your life, please help us raise awareness and support for moms in eastern Congo and the local organizations that are working to improve their lives and communities.

HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP:
1) SHARE THIS VIDEO via the Huff Post social share buttons to support moms in eastern Congo.

2) MAKE A DONATION in honor of the moms in your life today.

Together we can create an eastern Congo vibrant with the opportunities and future that every mother envisions for her child.
____________________________________

Your contribution will benefit the following community-based organizations:

HEAL Africa: Provides Innovative Prenatal Care and Micro-Insurance programs to Congolese women to increase access to health care for birthing mothers and reduce maternal and infant deaths.

Laissez L'Afrique Vivre (L.A.V.): Provides vocational training, micro grants and safe housing to teenage mothers and vulnerable youth.

AFEM: Encourages the advancement of Congolese women and gender parity in all areas of public life by training and enabling rural women journalists.

Kony 2012: Westerners Are Not And Will Never Be The 'Saviors' Of Africa

2012-03-14T09:16:49-04:00

I was thrilled to watch the KONY 2012 video. I began traveling to LRA territory in northern Uganda and Congo in 2007 and I have seen first-hand the anguish and pain their atrocities have left behind. While in Gulu, Northern Uganda, I visited a site run by Healing Hands where I sat down with more than a hundred LRA abductees. It was there that a young man told me of being forced by the LRA at gunpoint to kill his mother, father and siblings and then being abducted to serve as an LRA soldier. I was awed by the courage, resilience and determination in these children -- and I was inspired to do what I could to help others like them.

The LRA conflict in Uganda has now ended. Today northeastern Congo bears the brunt of LRA activity (alongside Central African Republic and South Sudan) -- and it was in Congo, several years ago, where the LRA's 'Christmas massacre' took the lives of 400 civilians, and made refugees out of 20,000 more.

Last month, I was in Dungu (in far northeastern Congo) where the LRA militias remain active. I met scores of villagers who had suffered from recent attacks. The local UN military base 'threat level' was four out of five ("five means all-out war," I was told). Just last month several thousand citizens in the region were displaced and several people were killed.

I believe there is no mission more urgent than to help children who are suffering and I applaud Invisible Children for raising the awareness of Kony (and the issue of child soldiers) to such an extraordinary level. The next step after awareness is action. There are many steps that we can take to end this nightmare. Among the most important is funding remarkable local organizations.

Westerners are not and will never be the 'saviors' of Africa. That idea has been tried and found wanting. It is ineffectual at best and deadly at worst. The organization I founded, Eastern Congo Initiative, funds Congolese-led organizations that rescue child soldiers from the bush and provides them with education, medical assistance, job training, and counseling. We support the work being done by highly capable and determined Congolese, to make their communities a better place.

Joseph Kony has been one of the most infamous and most wanted men in Africa for decades. His vicious cruelty has caused untold pain over the last twenty years. Because of Invisible Children, a hundred million more people in North America now know his story.

Joseph Kony must be caught. His lieutenants must be brought to justice and the LRA abductees still in the bush -- fighting against their will -- must be rescued and rehabilitated.

Yet, Kony isn't the whole story. The lack of state security in Congo has made room not only for the LRA, but for dozens of militia groups (including those responsible for the Rwandan genocide -- the FDLR -- and the Al-Shabab affiliated, ADF) who commit violence with impunity, steal from the population, and extract minerals from the earth -effectively robbing the entire country.

Security must be restored in the Congo. The Congolese military (FARDC) must be trained and held accountable -- and it must be purged of criminals. The justice system must be expanded and strengthened so it has the confidence of the people. This will result in a much more peaceful, stable and prosperous Congo and region.

This work may seem impossible but it is critical to remember what a disastrous state Congo was in fifteen years ago. It was ground zero in the deadliest war in modern African history. Eight nations had troops in Congo. Now, the country is on the brink of democracy and peace. But the daunting final steps require cooperation between regional governments and international organizations to get to the finish line. The AU, EU, US, IMF and important local players can help resolve this issue by responding to exactly the kind of awareness and pressure that Invisible Children has brought to bear around the issue of Kony and the LRA.

I urge Invisible Children to embrace the opportunity before them and influence the million + who have been exposed to this important issue by pointing advocates to the eye of the storm where war and abducting children is still happening: Congo.

Today, UNICEF estimates that at least 3,000 children are still held by the many different militia groups in Congo.

To learn more about the important work of Congolese-led organizations helping former child soldiers visit some of our partners including LAV and Children's Voice and Caritas.

To learn more about Eastern Congo Initiative, please visit our website.

Averting Disaster in the Congo

2011-12-07T22:11:31-05:00

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is heading towards disaster and it need not be the case.

The reasons for the impending disaster are all too apparent. Despite calls by many -- including Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) in a paper published in the early fall -- Congolese authorities, supported by the UN and the U.S., rushed to hold an extraordinarily ill-prepared election.

Represented by Founding Member Cindy McCain and Founding Member and CEO Whitney Williams, ECI witnessed the elections first-hand in DRC's North Kivu province and observed the remarkable will of the Congolese people who participated by the millions. ECI agrees with the general conclusions reached by the Carter Center and others, that voters at roughly 15-20 percent of polling places encountered significant difficulties in casting their votes. Credible reports of ballot stuffing, voter intimidation, lack of support for women and illiterate voters, lack of transparent reporting and other electoral violations also marred the election.

While the reasons for potential disaster are apparent, the Congolese people deserve better and steps can be taken now to mitigate a downward spiral into violence and regional instability. All available information, including preliminary tallies provided by the Congolese Electoral Commission, show that, as expected, the race is between two men, the incumbent President Joseph Kabila, and longstanding Congolese opposition figure Etienne Tshisekedi. The head of the Electoral Commission, Reverend Daniel Mulunda-Nyanga, was scheduled to announce the interim results on Tuesday; however, because of the continuing chaos surrounding the vote count, the Electoral Commission delayed Mulunda's announcement of interim results until Thursday. Taking a bit more time to try get things right is -- finally -- a small first step in the right direction.

The second important step is for the Congolese Electoral Commission to publish election results by polling place, as required by Congolese law. The Carter Center has called this "the single best means to ensure that the elections reflect the will of the people." The State Department endorsed this action in a statement released on Tuesday. When Reverend Mulunda announces the tentative results of the presidential election on Thursday, he must make public the data disaggregated by polling place to back up his totals.

The third important step is to verify the totals as announced by Reverend Mulunda. If the Electoral Commission makes any mistakes or miscalculations in its totals, these must be rapidly detected, corrected, accepted and announced by the Electoral Commission.

Once verified, the fourth crucial step is for credible outside groups such as the Carter Center to rapidly complete what we call a "fraud analysis." As they did for the 2006 elections in the Congo, independent observers need to rapidly assess whether the results remain valid when the myriad irregularities, including fraud, associated with the election are factored in. For example, if one candidate has a small, initial lead, it is plausible that once a fraud analysis is factored in, such a lead would be reduced or could even vanish.

With results provided by polling places and a fraud analysis to test the reliability of the reported results, it will be possible to determine whether there is a clear winner in the presidential race. Unfortunately, the election itself and post-election period have seen so many irregularities that another scenario must be considered: What if, after the analyses described above are completed and a clear winner does not emerge, the election is "too close to call." What should be done then? If this difficult situation arises, a credible mediation mission involving neutral arbiters from other African states is the best option to help the Congolese to find a reasonable resolution. The U.S. should also be prepared to play an active role. Whether it is the highest levels of our government, well-respected former U.S. Presidents, Members of Congress or civil society leaders, the U.S. would do well to flex our diplomatic muscle on behalf of these 70 million Congolese.

Something must be done beyond simply declaring the leader the winner, and some accommodation must be found between the two leading candidates. Regrettably, the Congolese Supreme Court, the supreme arbiter of the election under Congolese law, includes many Kabila loyalists and is not seen as a neutral party by many Congolese. A declaration by the Court by itself will be insufficient; any Court action must be bolstered by these additional recommended actions. The Court is scheduled to give its final ruling on the election outcome on December 17. It is imperative that all the actions recommended above be fully carried out before the Supreme Court rules.

In a statement released on November 29, the day after the election began, ECI recommended that the "core aspects of the democratic process, which require transparency and openness, (must be) adhered to by election officials." A credible outcome will greatly ease other efforts under way by the United States and others to help the Congolese avoid another period of destabilization and violence.

The Congolese people deserve a future where their basic rights are respected, including the right to know that their leaders reflect their electoral will. This right hangs in the balance. We hope that President Obama and Secretary Clinton will clearly state that the United States will not support a Congolese President who uses violence against civilians who seek only to exercise their voting rights. Ultimately, the U.S. must only support a Congolese President who enters office following a transparent and credible process that reflects the will of the Congolese people.

By Ben Affleck, Actor, Director and Founder of Eastern Congo Initiative; Cindy Hensley McCain, Philanthropist, Humanitarian, Founding Member of Eastern Congo Initiative and wife of U.S. Senator John McCain; and Anthony W. Gambino, Fellow, Eastern Congo Initiative.

Going Back to Congo: Security and Prosperity Beyond the Election

2011-11-28T08:33:12-05:00

Sometimes something is important enough to set aside differences and, in our case, our differences are more perception than reality. Some call us a political odd couple, the unexpected match of a Hollywood actor and the wife of a Republican U.S. Senator. The truth is that we found common ground amidst the volcanic soil of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- a common passion for the people -- and a common purpose to encourage others to get to know an important part of the world too often forgotten by the international community.

What do you think of when you hear the word Congo? For some, images of child soldiers, rape survivors, conflict, and poverty come to mind. It's a fact that it is the deadliest conflict since WW II. War raged in eastern DRC from 1998 to 2003, eight African nations participated in the fighting on Congolese soil, many hoping to seize control of its vast mineral wealth. Some estimates suggest that over four million Congolese died during the conflict and another million have died in the lawless aftermath from starvation, conflict and preventable disease in the years since. Tens of thousands of children were forced to become soldiers, and in some parts of eastern Congo as many as two out of three women have been raped or subjected to other forms of sexual violence.

We have been traveling to eastern Congo for many years, and despite the extreme tragedy, we are inspired to hear story after story of hope, perseverance and, yes, success. That is why we are investing in Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI) -- an advocacy and grant-making organization that has a vision of eastern Congo vibrant with abundant opportunities for economic and social development. ECI invests in Congolese-led community-based organizations because we believe they have solutions to their own challenges, they simply require a little support.

For the second time this year, we are traveling to Congo. Today, November 28^th, DRC is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections -- only the second elections in the country's history -- and on December 6, together with our Congolese friends and partners, we will be there to hear the results.

What do presidential and parliamentary elections in one of Africa's largest democracies have to do with you and with us? A lot. DRC is a vast resource rich nation at the geo-political heart of Africa. Peaceful, credible elections will support good governance and development in DRC but also the stability of its neighbouring nations spanning the Great Lakes, East and Central Africa regions. Sadly, in the recently-released 2011 UN Human Development Index, DRC was ranked last out of 187 countries. A peaceful and credible election provides a window of opportunity to address the fundamental causes of DRC's poverty -- lack of good governance, which directly contributes to widespread insecurity and stunted development indicators, including some of the world's worst maternal mortality rates and overwhelming unemployment. The U.S. government and the international community provide billions of dollars in development and military assistance to DRC. And beyond the tactical arguments, there are the moral ones. We cannot afford for fraudulent or poorly conducted elections to spark new violence, effectively setting back the limited -- but important -- progress that has been made in recent years. The results would be devastating, particularly for Congo's most vulnerable populations, women and girls.

There are significant challenges in the run up to this election, from violence to reports of fraud and intimidation, not to mention the sheer logistics of moving election supplies throughout the country. Congo is the size of Western Europe with less than 2,000 miles of paved roads, underdeveloped infrastructure, and fractured political leadership. Preparations for the election began in earnest just a few months ago. These challenges amplify the critical need for the international community to support the election, highlight problems and present solutions. It is incumbent upon the Congolese government to ensure a free and fair process specifically because of these challenges.

We know that there are reasons to be hopeful. In advance of the elections, ECI has partnered with community-based organizations and independent media to support groups that have traditionally been disenfranchised from the political process -- primarily women and youth -- as they work for structural and political change. Partners in eastern Congo, such as the city of Goma's newly established radio station, Mutaani FM, are rallying everyone from motorcycle taxi drivers to rural mothers advocating for a free and fair election. Mutaani has created an anonymous mobile text feedback system, giving everyone the opportunity to openly share their voice and experience during the election, effectively holding political parties and election officials accountable.

Whoever is elected to lead the DRC for the next five years, the question we must be asking is not what happens on Election Day, but what is the long term vision of Congolese leaders for their country? Whoever wins, the challenges of development and restoring state authority remain the same. It is after the election that international attention must focus on building good governance and rule of law through security sector reform and economic growth.

So this is why we are going back to Congo, to bear witness to this historic election, but also to highlight progress made and the opportunities to come. Along the way, we will be sharing our experiences and the voices of Congolese leaders -- from women farming cacao and now exporting their product to a U.S. chocolate company (and in doing so doubling their family incomes) to community leaders who are rebuilding from years of terror at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) -- all on HuffPost Impact.

Elections are, after all, a process -- not just an event. As the Congolese people prepare for these historic elections, lack of preparation, violence and accusations of fraud threaten to undermine the process. However, the future of the DRC will remain hopeful if this milestone passes with reasonable participation and minimal violence. One thing is for certain, this country is so tired of war. The Congolese people deserve credible, transparent and peaceful elections and a future full of opportunity.

Hometown Hunger USA

2011-03-31T08:02:32-04:00

The information just released by Feeding America paints a horrific picture -- the reality of hunger in America. According to the USDA, an estimated 50 million Americans are food insecure, including nearly 17 million children. It is morally reprehensible that millions of people in our own backyards and every Congressional district across this great nation of agriculture abundance struggle with not having enough to eat.

What is often overlooked amidst this tragedy is that almost half of the food insecure have incomes above the typical threshold for SNAP, formerly called food stamps, and one in three food insecure households have income above the threshold for most government nutrition programs, including free and reduced price school meals. The only option for the millions of people facing this situation is to rely on charitable assistance, such as that provided by food banks.

To some we are a curious pairing but what we have in common is a moral commitment to do our best to ensure that every man, woman and child on the planet has access to adequate, nutritious food. We are husbands, fathers, businessmen and philanthropists who have born witness to social ills around the world and recognize the moral cost of the escalating crisis of hunger in this country. There is no hiding the fact that the number of Americans who are uncertain about where their next meal may come from, or do not have access to healthy food, is at an all-time high. We are committed to helping those Americans in need of food; these are everyday people who have stumbled upon hard times and need our collective help -- now perhaps more than ever.

As we pursue our work with Feeding America, we have observed a "gap" across varying geographic populations in our country as it relates to food insecurity. Sadly, there is a growing percentage of the food insecure population that is not eligible for federal nutrition programs. The good news is that Feeding America's latest research gives voice to that gap and sets the stage for the entire country to move forward in a unified effort to eradicate hunger. This timely research released today in a study called "Map the Meal Gap," provides a quantifiable identity to the often invisible faces and plight of the 50 million food insecure across our country. It draws attention to those very vulnerable areas that experience both very high rates of food insecurity and high food costs -- 44 counties in this country fall into the top 10 percent in the nation of both of those categories. The convergence of this data, skyrocketing USDA statistics on the food insecure, and the increasing number of people that Feeding America network serves daily, highlights the profound problem we face nationwide.

Map the Meal Gap is a phenomenal tool for those active in the fight against domestic hunger at the county, state and national levels because it provides detailed data that can help local communities tackle the unique circumstances in their area. The study provides an innovative and focused lens through which hunger is redefined by looking at the gap between food insecurity and food security. It is the only study presently available that estimates food insecurity at the county level, which is tremendously important given the varied socio-economic sectors across the country. Not only does Map the Meal Gap present a "first-ever" debut of food cost variations across the nation's communities, it offers statistically valid data on the number of food insecure people by income-bands that are based on well-recognized and key factors such as unemployment, poverty, and minority status.

Map the Meal Gap affirms that hunger is much more than a matter of individual choices. County-level infrastructure (e.g., food stamp outreach, food costs, wages and employment opportunities) significantly affect the likelihood that families will become food insecure. This new data will help communities target the federal programs that best meet the needs of their community and will help communities develop public and private solutions to gaps in existing services (for example, increase mobile pantry or mobile summer food in rural areas). With the number of people experiencing hunger as high as it is, it is critical that we protect the nutrition safety net and focus on leveraging federal programs at the county level.

As we move forward collectively, each of us must be willing to share responsibilities and resources to achieve sustained results in reducing and preventing hunger and food insecurity. Today, we are calling upon everyone in America -- the business community, policy makers and the public -- to do what they can to help people battling hunger in their communities. Hunger is in each and every one of our backyards, and Feeding America's Map the Meal Gap study illuminates for the first time in history the needs of Americans facing hunger at the county level. No one should go hungry.

Visit the map at FeedingAmerica.org.

Ben Affleck, is an actor, writer, director, activist, and a member of the Feeding America Entertainment Council. Howard G. Buffett is a U.S. farmer and operates the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a private foundation that primary supports humanitarian initiatives worldwide.

Join ONE Vote '08

2007-06-14T18:26:38-04:00

It's probably pretty hard nowadays to find a group of 200 Americans who
can agree on anything, much less two million Americans. But that's the
number of us who are signed up to the ONE Campaign to Make Poverty
History.

Earlier this week I got on a conference call with Senators Frist and
Daschle and we were joined by nearly 10,000 ONE members as a part of the
ONE VOTE '08 launch. These people come from all over the country, from
all sorts of backgrounds, jobs and political persuasions. And they are
actively engaged in ONE's efforts to make extreme poverty and global
disease priorities in the 2008 presidential election. They are our
front line.

ONE Vote '08 has a thorough policy agenda that if adopted by the next
president could save millions of lives every year by fighting HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis and malaria, provide 77 million children with access to
primary education, provide clean water to 400 million people and reduce
by half the number who suffer from hunger.

These issues are matters of life and death and they don't belong to one
candidate or one party. Saving mothers and fathers from preventable,
treatable diseases, sending children to school and helping others help
themselves are issues that cross party lines and have strong support
from both Democratic and Republican leaders. We are the greatest country
in the world. Let's prove it once more.

No matter what your political beliefs may be, you can join this party
too. Start by visiting onevote08.org.