Improve Understanding and Increase Funding

The key to reducing childhood deaths is to turn current knowledge into programs of effective and affordable child protection. America has the capacity to provide the resources and should have the resolve to save vulnerable children.

The Best Shot Foundation is building a grassroots movement to press Congress to make responsible spending decisions that will protect young children around the world, by increasing USAID’s foreign aid Maternal and Child Health account by $1 billion. That increase would help save over 330,000 additional young lives – at a cost of less than $3 per American. Over time, and in concert with assistance from other developed nations, the goal is to eliminate all easily preventable deaths among children in poor nations.

Currently, only 1 percent of the federal budget goes towards foreign aid, even though polls indicate that Americans believe that the level should be between 10 and 20 percent. However, lack of accurate information has led a majority of Americans to believe foreign aid funding is already over 20 percent of the budget – a huge over-estimation, which comes at a terrible cost to innocent lives.

The lack of public awareness of the scope of child deaths, and of the low cost of protecting poor children, along with the overestimation of our current assistance levels, results in the unconscionable missed opportunity to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of poor children. Best Shot attempts to correct these misimpressions.

Motivate Grass Roots Advocacy

Greater public awareness and effective grassroots advocacy will motivate political leaders to spend more and save more lives.

Currently, there is no organized, grassroots movement devoted solely to calling attention to this issue and advocating for increased U.S. federal funding for global children’s health. The Best Shot Foundation fills that vacuum with well-designed programs to educate and motivate the public. Its thoughtful strategy and workplan are designed to leverage the contributions it receives many times over by creating support for a sustained federal investment in improving children’s health in vulnerable populations around the world.

The Best Shot Foundation utilizes strategic and targeted campaigns to urge Congress to provide adequate funding for global child health programs. Its grassroots efforts include:

• appealing to Congress for increased foreign aid spending;
• writing to newspapers, news programs, and other media outlets;
• hosting events in homes, on campuses and in houses of worship to raise awareness;
• motivating congregations, student organizations and other groups to get engaged; and
• using social media to expand interest and understanding.