2014 was undoubtedly the biggest year in Global Poverty Project’s history. The organization worked with partners and key allies in Congress, to secure the passage of the Water for the World Act. GPP was also thrilled to see strong increases in funding for polio eradication, Gavi, water and sanitation, and Global Partnership for Education.

The team at Global Poverty Project HQ is super pumped as we prepare to make some big announcements. We can’t share too many details right now but – trust me - 2015 is shaping up to be HUGE! Global Poverty Project will be leading global citizens in the USA to campaign in support of food security, increased access to vaccines, global education, and sanitation.

I spent this week in Washington, DC with Justine Lucas, our US Country Director, and Michael Sheldrick, our Head of Global Policy and Advocacy. We had some great meetings with key partners like Caterpillar Foundation and ONE. We got together with the advocacy partners working in support of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to brainstorm ideas for 2015. We also caught up with the folks who championed Water for the World Act to talk about what we, as advocates, can do to keep up the momentum around increasing access to water and sanitation.

The most exciting part of the week was catching up with some of our strongest allies in Congress. We sat down with Congressman Charles Dent and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky to talk about their legislative priorities for 2015. It was great to connect so early in the year to begin planning ways that we can work together! We also met with staffers from the Offices of Chairman Ed Royce, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Congressman Richard Hanna, Congressman Charles Rangel, Chairman Bob Corker, Senator Richard Durbin, Senator Jeff Flake, Senator Claire McCaskill, and Senator Chris Coons. Each of these meetings was a fantastic opportunity to introduce some of the areas on which we’ll be campaigning and get advice on ways that GPP can work with global citizens to truly influence the policy process this year.

In early February, President Obama will release his proposed budget for 2016. GPP is hoping the President’s budget echoes the ambitious targets that global citizens like you have requested. The President’s budget will guide the conversations that we have in Congress for the rest of 2015. We’ll be sure to keep you updated!

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Judith Rowland, US Campaigns Associate, Global Poverty Project