Use the sample letter below to send an email to your member of Congress. You can find your U.S. Representative or Senator by using one of these websites:
Dear [member of Congress]:
I write to you to request that you act quickly to draw attention to the devastating drought in the Horn of Africa. The drought has left more than 12 million people in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti in urgent need of help. That is more than every man, woman and child in New York and Chicago combined, and the numbers are increasing. Famine conditions are expected to engulf the entire south of Somalia in the coming weeks unless immediate action is taken.
Despite the growing severity of this crisis, the House of Representatives has proposed deep cuts to international development and humanitarian assistance accounts. With millions in need in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere, I urge you – do not cut foreign assistance! Foreign assistance programs protect communities from the devastating impacts of floods, storms, earthquakes – and droughts like the one we’re seeing in Africa. They enable the poorest among us to climb out of poverty and thrive. Our security and economic future also depend on these cost-effective investments. Foreign assistance helps avoid future military conflicts, heads off threats from beyond our borders and lays the groundwork for future economic growth.
And in the face of the unthinkable, foreign assistance programs provide life-saving help to those on the brink of death.
Our government needs to reduce its deficit, but the America I believe in does not prioritize tax loopholes over feeding the hungry. We don’t have to choose between fiscal responsibility and doing the right thing to respond to a crisis.
With millions in need in the Horn of Africa, I urge you – do not cut foreign assistance! Experts in the NGO community have recommendations for what’s needed for the international development and humanitarian assistance accounts. You can find these recommendations here: http://bit.ly/ooE2Cy [3]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Links:
[1] http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
[2] http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
[3] http://bit.ly/ooE2Cy