have your starbucks and drink it too

from the fabulous Chris_J on Flickr

It's common to hear global health advocates try to break down the billions of dollars needed to defeat the "big three" — HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis — in terms that are easy to grasp and to perceive as "reasonable".

One of the most popular is one that Columbia University's Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, a special adviser to UN Secretary-Generals Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-Moon, has used on more than one occasion — reminding us all how much we spend on that morning cup of Joe.

"Three dollars per year from each of us. That's all we're talking about, a cup of coffee, once per year from a Starbucks."

Did someone tell Starbucks?

From November 27 through January 2, Starbucks, through its partnership with (RED), is donating 5 cents to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for each purchase of one of three "Exclusive" coffee drinks. On December 1, World AIDS Day (tomorrow), Starbucks is expanding the program by donating 5 cents for each "hand-crafted beverage".

(RED) has been relatively successful in raising funds for and awareness about the HIV/AIDS pandemic by asking very little of consumers. Buy something for yourself, feel good about it, appear socially or politically conscious, and throw a few dimes to cover the cost of AIDS medication for people in Africa. It's a win win all around, even if some folks think it's a scam.

With news of the global financial crisis confronting us every day, we're all looking around to see where we can eliminate costs and, judging by Starbucks' financial performance lately, that morning latte or afternoon Frappuccino might not be making the cut.

Will the new campaign help the coffee/lifestyle company to reverse that trend? Will the guilt of paying $3 for something you could make for a quarter back at home be alleviated knowing you will be helping to save lives? Can we have that cup of coffee and still triumph over the big 3? Can you have your Starbucks and drink it too?

del.icio.us tags: global poverty

"Access doesn't last long if you have nothing to say,"
Jamie Drummond on the role of 'celebrity' in the success of the global poverty movement.

There are a great deal of rock stars working to alleviate global poverty. The most prominent is, of course, Bono. But while Bono can fill stadiums, one of the greatest of the global poverty rock stars is Jamie Drummond, who was profiled today in the UK's Guardian Observer.

Drummond is the Executive Director of DATA (aka One.org in the United States) and is the man behind the scenes who can claim responsibility for mobilizing G8 leaders to make historic commitments to provide aid to Africa at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 (getting them to live up to those commitments is the current task on his plate).

The article is definitely worth a read if you're interested in hearing how the debt relief movement "started" more than a decade ago, about Drummond's role in the Bush Administration's historic commitment to fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic or how Drummond has embraced mobile technology and the Internet from the very beginning as a integral tool for mobilizing for global policy change.