WHY A SUMMER BLIZZARD?

For the first time since the year 2000, legislation for deeper debt relief has passed the US Congress, largely due to the response of citizens who called and wrote their representatives. Thank you for supporting Jubilee to make this happen! The legislation is just a small step towards Jubilee’s goal of complete debt cancellation for impoverished countries. However, it could double the amount of debt relief for currently eligible poor countries...if the legislation is implemented. That means doubling the number of kids going back to school, and doubling the resources available for vaccinations and for the fight against HIV/AIDS...if the legislation is implemented.

In order for deeper debt relief to be a reality, our Treasury Department must negotiate the terms with other rich countries and with the IMF and World Bank. At the Fall meetings of the IMF and World Bank, the US Treasury must act for meaningful debt relief and an end to the destructive preconditions for receiving such relief. It’s time to turn up the heat on US Treasury Secretary John Snow.

TAKE ACTION

Our goal is to generate 10,000 postcards to Treasury Secretary Snow by summer’s end. Help us create a postcard blizzard! Please be sure to contact us and tell us how many postcards you have sent so that we can keep an accurate tally of our progress. Send reports to: mara@jubileeusa.org

We know from experience that the Administration takes notice when thousands of postcards from around the country start flooding in. When we generated thousands of postcards from tabling at U2 concerts, the Treasury Department reported the impact this had to the media and to high level policy officials. We know it can make a difference! Join us in making life-saving debt cancellation a reality for millions of our brothers and sisters around the globe.

Here’s how you can join the Blizzard:

• Purchase postcards with pictures of your local landmarks and scenery or use old greeting cards that are sitting around your house
  
• Hand write and personalize your postcards. Here is a sample text:

Dear Treasury Secretary Snow,

Please implement the Congressional legislation for deeper debt relief for impoverished countries, as one step towards full debt cancellation.

Pick ONE reason from below or write your own:

• Debt cancellation is needed to make the fight against HIV/AIDS effective.
  
• Debt cancellation is needed to build global stability through poverty reduction.
  
• US foreign aid will not be effective until we plug the debt drain.
  
• Debt cancellation would save the lives of 19,000 children daily if those resources were used for basic health and clean water.

I/we look forward to your active efforts to negotiate for deeper debt cancellation at the upcoming World Bank and IMF meetings this fall.

Sincerely,

Full name
Full address
List faith community or organization

Send to:

Treasury Secretary Snow
1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20220

More ideas:

• Hold postcard writing tables at coffee hour at your church or synagogue, ask friends to write postcards when they come over to dinner, table at local concerts and outdoor fairs.
  
• When you go on summer vacation - send postcards from the places you visit! Encourage friends and colleagues to do the same.

REMEMBER: Tally how many postcards you can get in your local community with friends, family and at your house of worship. Then send us your numbers to help us reach our goal! Send reports to: mara@jubileeusa.org

For more information about the Jubilee USA Network see the web site: http://www.jubileeusa.org/jubilee.cgi