34 million friends and counting... In the face of adversity, two women show the power of grassroots

Author: Aylie Baker

SafeRides. No more Free Pub Night. Construction on Main Street. This fall, such gripes have been noticeably discernable above the hum of SGA deliberations and general student banter. Yet such complaints quickly pale in comparison to issues such as AIDS, sexual exploitation and premature births. For Jane Roberts, co-founder of "34 Million Friends," addressing such problems is a daily priority and central to her organization. A graduate of the master's program at the Middlebury School in Paris, Roberts will be speaking on Tuesday, Oct. 10 in Dana Auditorium.

Roberts never officially joined the diplomatic service. In fact, prior to becoming a good-will ambassador in 2002, the 65-year-old woman had spent most of her life as a French teacher and tennis coach in Redlands, California. Now, rather than bask in retirement, Roberts has chosen to lead a growing fundraising and action campaign. Embarking on missions in Africa, Asia and Latin America, Roberts helps alleviate strife on many levels. Often trekking across miles of barren territory, she has met with policy-makers, visited various schools and held educational sessions at clinics regarding family planning.

So what triggered this drastic change of pace? When President Bush announced in 2002 that the U.S. would withhold $34 million of funding from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Roberts was infuriated. "I wanted to cry out against this crime against humanity," she recalls. The Bush Administration justified its decision by citing claims that the UNFPA was supporting programs in China which purportedly forced women to have abortions. "Investigations undertaken by American officials following the U.S.' aid withdrawal have revealed that the UNFPA has never condoned or supported any such activities," said Roberts. Yet despite such findings, the Bush Administration has continued to withhold its contributions from UNFPA - today totaling to nearly $170 million.

Withdrawing $34 million in aid will have a devastating effect on internationational development. The UNFPA is an international development agency which tackles a wide range of global problems that are in danger of being amplified by future population growth.

In addition to working to alleviate poverty and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, the organization promotes sustainable development, reproductive health and gender equality. "Since its inception nearly forty years ago, UNFPA has developed a number of initiatives which 'provide reproductive health services such as pre- and post-natal care,'" explained Karin Hanta, director of Middlebury College's Chellis House, who invited Roberts to campus. As a part of these programs, the organization provides "safe-birth kits," and is working diligently to eradicate obstetric fistula, a devastating pregnancy-related disability which "affects 50,000 to 100,000 women a year," cited Hanta.

"By 2050," Roberts predicts, "The number of people living on this planet will have increased from 6.4 to nine billion. This growth will occur in the poorest countries with huge numbers of young people. They will be migrating to the cities by the millions." Unless these issues are addressed, she emphasized, such growth shall lead to "a humanitarian and environmental disaster" as well as become "a threat to peace and stability."

In light of such projections, Roberts was astounded when the U.S. decided to withdraw its aid to the UNFPA. Unwilling to stand by these government actions, Roberts decided to take bold action. "Americans should be able to have their own little foreign policy," she reasoned. If 34 million Americans could each donate $1, she thought, the UNFPA would be able to overcome such a loss. Turns out she was not the only person with such a lofty idea - Lois Abraham, an attorney hailing from New Mexico and a grandmother of seven, had proposed the same initiative. What began as a fledgling e-mail campaign soon mushroomed into a cause that has raised more than $3 million. In addition to promoting their cause at a series of public lectures, NGO functions, airports and hotels, these two remarkable women have also helped lead UNFPA missions.

In her campaign for world peace, Roberts places particular emphasis on the role of women. "Of the illiterate people on the planet today, two-thirds are girls," she explained in regard to UNFPA's efforts to make primary and secondary education more available to girls. "It seems as if the ability to read serves as a contraceptive. Girls who can read develop into women who play more active roles in their community and economies. When the world takes care of women, women take care of the world."

Ultimately, "An annual sum of $34 million could help prevent some of the 500,000 to 600,000 deaths in childbirth each year by providing more 'safe-birth kits,'" Hanta explained. "Through various sexual education programs, it could reduce the number of abortions," alleged Hanta, "by an estimated 800,000."

In the face of pressing issues such as maternal and infant mortality, one dollar suddenly rises infinitely in value, and grumbles over SafeRides and construction become muffled. Roberts will speak on Tuesday, Oct. 10 in Dana Auditorium. The event is sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program, Chellis House, Brainerd Commons and the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs. Students wishing to become one of the 34 million friends can do so by offering a cash donation or writing a check at the event, by sending their donation or check to "Americans for UNFPA," 34 Million Friends, PO Box 681, Toms River, NJ 08754-9922 or by visiting www.34millionfriends.org. For further information, please contact Karin Hanta, khanta@middlebury.edu.