In February, Jenny Eaton Dyer, Ph.D., Hope Through Healing Hands executive director, spoke about the importance of global health advocacy to doctors, nurses, service providers and philanthropists at the 2017 M3 Conference in Houston, Texas.

Polls show that more than 50% of Americans believe that 25% of the U.S. budget is spent on foreign aid. In fact, it’s only two-thirds of 1%.

But even that small amount of funding has worked miracles in global health.

Over the past 25 years, U.S. foreign aid has led to povery around the world cut by 74%, and child mortality, maternal mortality, tuberculosis and malaria all cut by half. The tide has been turned on HIV/AIDS, with 21.5 million people now having access to medication. Some believe that within the next five years, we will see the end of AIDS.

Dyer urged the group to share their stories from the front lines of global health with their congressional representatives. She asked that they make phone calls, write letters or even try to sit down and talk with their congressmen about their work, experiences, and the good it has done...to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.