from Neil Watkins at JubileeUSA –

Jubilee USA can celebrate some real victories over the past few months:

o Following a 3 year campaign by Jubilee USA, the Obama Administration announced in April that it would provide $20 million to cover Haiti’s debt service payments to the World Bank. This means that Haiti will not make any more debt service payments for at least the next year, freeing up millions for desperately needed investments in health, education, and basic services in Haiti; and
o Just last week, working with a coalition of member organizations, we secured the re-introduction of the Stop VULTURES Act in the US House of Representatives. The bill enjoys bi-partisan support and would prohibit profiteering by vulture funds on countries that have benefited from debt cancellation.

We are making progress.

But at the same time the international financial crisis is devastating poor countries, threatening to undo some of the victories won by the global Jubilee movement over the past 12 years. Together we must prevent this from happening, redouble our efforts, and ensure even bigger and more meaningful victories for global economic justice in the future. Your continued support is essential!

That’s why we’re getting ready to launch a new campaign – called “Change, Not Chains” — to win both expanded debt cancellation and structural change for a more just global economy.

To launch this campaign, we’ve set an ambitious fundraising goal – we need to raise $4,000 over the next two weeks. Will you give $35, $50, $100, or $250 today to sustain the important work of Jubilee in this critical time and help us launch our new campaign?

As the Congressional Quarterly pointed out on May 18th:

The forgiveness of foreign debt in the developing world has long been a celebrity cause, with figures such as U2 front man Bono leading the charge. But more recently it has evolved into a mainstream economic and foreign assistance strategy by the world’s wealthy countries, including the United States. And with credit difficulties assailing economies across the globe, the plight of debt-ridden developing nations has taken on renewed urgency.

Renewed urgency is right. The economic crisis has slammed into the poorest countries with all the force and impact of the most devastating storm imaginable. Hurricane Katrina left 10,000 homeless in New Orleans. Oxfam predicts 100 million people will be forced into extreme poverty by the crisis – that’s 100 million additional people without adequate food, shelter, healthcare or education. Imagine 10,000 Katrinas striking simultaneously all around the world. Poverty goals – such as the vital Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — will be set back for years if we don’t act now.

In a few weeks, Jubilee USA will launch an exciting new campaign to win both expanded debt cancellation and structural change in the global economy. We’re calling it Change, Not Chains. To goal of the Change, Not Chains campaign is to pass the soon to be re-introduced Jubilee Act in both houses of Congress and have it signed into law by the President.

But we need your help to get the campaign off the ground. We need to print postcards, design fliers, set up a website, and get the word out!

In short, we need to raise $4,000 in the next two weeks. Will you give $35, $50, $100, or $250 to help launch our Change not Chains campaign?

Please consider a gift today.