By Jennifer Eder
Hundreds of George Washington University students and employees donated their used cell phones Tuesday as part of a new university-wide campaign, GW + Phones = Hope.
As the 2012 host for the Clinton Global Initiative University annual meeting in March, George Washington is making the first Commitment to Action – a concrete plan to address a major global challenge – of the fifth CGI U.
The campaign will aim to collect 20,000 used cell phones and other portable electronic devices by March. The phones will be given to a nonprofit organization called Hope Phones, which recycles used cellular devices to fund mobile health technology projects in developing countries. The proceeds from recycling the phones donated by GW will fund maternal and child health projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nepal where maternal health rates are among the worst in the world and high-quality medical care is often hours, or even days, away.
“By making this pledge in the spirit of the Clinton Global Initiative, we are answering President Bill Clinton’s challenge to make a difference in the world,” said George Washington President Steven Knapp.
Chelsea Clinton, William J. Clinton Foundation board member, and Christy Turlington Burns, model and founder of Every Mother Counts, an advocacy and mobilization campaign to increase education and support for maternal and child health, spoke at Tuesday’s kick-off rally.
George Washington was selected as the 2012 CGI U host last month. CGI U, founded by President Clinton in 2007, provides a forum to engage both domestic and international students as well as leaders from government, academia and the private sector on the challenges facing the world today. The program, which will take place March 30 through April 1, builds upon President Clinton’s belief that young people have more power today to change the world than ever before.
“My father launched CGI and CGI U on the basic premise that everyone who wants to make a difference can and should and that the burden on how to turn good intentions into real action shouldn’t be an insurmountable challenge,” said Ms. Clinton during the rally. “I’m really excited to be here at GW for the first commitment for CGI U 2012, and I’m really excited to come back in 2012 to hear what students at GW and from around the country and around the world pledge to do.”
Students who attend CGI U will create their own Commitment to Action, which is a concrete plan to address an issue within CGI U’s focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation and public health. Commitments to Action are required to be innovative, specific and measurable, said Ms. Clinton.
During the rally, Lynn Goldman, dean of the School of Public Health and Health Services, announced another GW commitment – improving the health of local families in Washington, D.C. George Washington will partner with the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition to support enrollment in text4baby program, a free text messaging program. The program sends timely information to women, beginning when they first get pregnant up until their babies’ first birthday.
“GW has a long tradition of service and passion for giving back to our local, national and global communities,” said Dr. Goldman. “Now through partnerships with Hope Phones and the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition, our students and faculty will help raise awareness and bolster enrollment for important resources that will help mothers and families in our community and across the world raise healthy babies.”
George Washington students working under the direction of Amita Vyas, director of the SPHHS Maternal and Child Health Program, will design and implement an outreach strategy to promote and enroll D.C. families in need of the text4baby service.
In addition to donating used cell phones, all GW students can volunteer in the text4baby outreach effort.
“This collection drive will enable us to improve maternal and child health not only in developing countries but also in the District of Columbia, which has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation,” said Dr. Knapp. “George Washington University is committed to making a difference in the world.”
Ms. Burns spoke about how she was inspired to become a global health advocate after she experienced complications after delivering her daughter, Grace.
“The global statistics around maternal mortality shocked me so much that I needed to do as much as I could to better advocate for girls and women,” she said. “The best way to address child survival is to invest in a girl before she becomes a mom.”
In response to these statistics, Ms. Burns found Every Mother Counts, which partnered with Hope Phones earlier this year and collected 15,000 used cell phones. And on Tuesday, Ms. Burns encouraged GW students to get involved.
“We really need everyone to play their part, and there’s so much we can do with what we already have. Use your voices and your cell phones you don’t need anymore,” she said. “We can all come together and make a difference.”
Tierney O’Dea, campaign manager for Hope Phones, said GW + Phones = Hope is the biggest commitment the organization has ever received. Hope Phones, which operates in 15 countries and serves millions of people, was started in 2009 by a former Stanford University student, Josh Nesbit, who was inspired after volunteering in a hospital in Malawi, an African country that has about two doctors for 4 million people. Mr. Nesbit witnessed the country’s reliance on almost 800 community health workers and believed that providing them with mobile technology would significantly expand access by saving time and manpower.
“We’re basically creating health care infrastructure where none exists. We focus on reaching the hardest to reach populations, the people that have almost no access to health care,” said Ms. O’Dea. “We empower community health workers so they can monitor a pregnancy, make sure someone is taking their medication, follow-up with a patient or call for help if someone is injured.”
About 500,000 cell phones are discarded each day in the U.S. The average donated phone, however, will generate two to three phones that can be used in the field, while smartphones can yield between five and 10.
Juju Chang, ABC News’ Emmy Award-winning journalist, and Kathy Calvin, chief executive officer of the United Nations Foundation, also spoke at Tuesday’s rally. GW’s cell phone collection drive was inspired by ABC News’ Be the Change initiative and its current Million Moms Challenge.
Universities are the ideal place to start activism, and GW + Phones = Hope could be replicated at institutions across the country, said Ms. Burns.
“You don’t have to be a mom to understand this issue. If you have occupied a womb, this matters,” she said. “Looking at the health of a woman before, during and after her child is critical. It’s the best opportunity to seeing children and families flourish.”
Phones and other portable electronic devices can be donated through March 30 by downloading a pre-paid mailing label or at designated collection sites:
- GWorld Office on the ground floor of the Marvin Center, 800 21st St., NW
- Faculty and Staff Service Center on the first floor of Rice Hall, 2121 Eye St., NW
- Virginia Science and Technology Campus Library, Enterprise Hall, Room 179, 44983 Knoll Square #179, Ashburn, Va.