Local Couple Represents Kentucky at ONE Campaign in Washington

Sun, 03/24/2024 - 6:11pm — Staff Report

By Cheryl Hughes On March 5th, the ONE Campaign kicked off their national event in Washington, D.C. The organization holds public events that emphasize advocacy for those who are suffering “the world’s injustices.” This event included representatives from all fifty states, as well as Canada. (Africa and Europe are also part of the ONE organization.)Moksha Sommer and Wade Hines, from the Woodbury area of Butler County, have been part of the campaign since 2015. They started their journey by volunteering at U2 concerts (Lead singer Bono is one of the founding members of the organization, formed in 2004) inviting others to lend their voices to the advocacy group. Later, they were asked to serve as Kentucky’s representatives.

The couple traveled, with their two children, Kaleb and Sylvan, to the US Capital to take part in the lobbying effort that brings awareness to the world’s injustices. Hines and Sommer met with US Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, as well as US Representatives Brett Guthrie and Andy Barr to encourage them to continue to support US foreign aid.

“We may not see eye to eye on everything, but it offers us a chance to not focus on polarities, but find things we can agree on,” Sommer said of the experience.

2024 is a crucial year for the organization’s fight against HIV-AIDS. PEPFAR (President’s Emergency Plan for Emergency Relief) established when George W. Bush was US President, was authorized through 2023. The program helped save 25 million lives in low-income countries (one.org). The March 5th event emphasized to the lawmakers the importance of the program’s renewal.

ONE is funded by philanthropists, foundations, and corporate partners. They receive no government funding. ONE gives support to other organizations that are working toward the same humanitarian goals. GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, is one such group. It was founded in 2000 to “save lives, reduce poverty and protect the world against the threat of epidemics (one.org). The Vaccine Alliance was another focal point of the March 5th event.

Moksha Sommer is no stranger to the power of advocacy. Even as a child, she saw the importance of this tool and its effect on those in control. Her family was involved in a successful push to preserve indigenous land in her native Canada. Moksha is one half of the music duo, HuDost, she formed with husband Wade. Much of their music reflects social awareness and responsibility. Their song, “Rise Together” (written and recorded with Dan Haseltine—Jars of Clay) received the Social Action Song of 2020.