Take Action

25 million people died from HIV/AIDS...300 million cases of malaria a year...30 million children die before reaching their 5th birthday

Numbers like these require great numbers of people taking action. Whether your motivation is human rights, religious values, security, or ideology—the solutions are the same.

Do something about it. As Notre Dame family, we can and must make a difference in the world. There are a number of practical activities that you can undertake right now to support efforts to address global health challenges. Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

Discuss: Learn what it’s all about—read these inspiring books describing the work of Dr. Farmer and Dr. Sachs to prepare for the forum and the ensuing discussions in student classes and residence halls.

• Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder (Random House, 2003)
• The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for our Time by Jeffrey Sachs (Penguin, 2006)

"The opportunities for doing something important here at Notre Dame are unparalleled." -Crislyn D’Souza-Schorey, Associate Professor, Walther Cancer Institute Chair

Millennium Development Goals Task Force

This fall Notre Dame students have begun mobilizing in response to the Global Health Forum. Specifically, the MDG Task Force, which is an ad-hoc group of the CSC, has been established to promote awareness of and action toward the UN Millennium Development Goals. This group aims to unite students across the campus from all majors and clubs to assist developing countries through various fundraising initiatives and efforts to pressure our government to pass legislation that will help these countries get on the ladder to development.