8 moments that inspired us in 2018
From supporting hurricane recovery to empowering a diverse new generation of leaders.
In the fall of 2016, President Clinton concluded the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting with a resounding call to action:
“There will never be a time, if you live to be 300 years old, that there will be no problems on earth. The only thing you get to do, is get up every morning and decide what you’re going to do about it.”
And it’s true: this year presented no shortage of challenges around the world, from the expanding opioid crisis in the United States to ongoing hurricane recovery efforts across the Caribbean and island territories.
In spite of these and so many challenges, we’re grateful that our staff, partners, and supporters are still deciding to “do something about it” each and every day. The moments that follow show the Clinton Foundation’s impact – impact that is made possible by your support. Together we’re helping people around the world to live their best life stories. Learn more about how you can support this important work here.
Keep reading for eight moments that inspired us in 2018.
1. President Clinton saw projects firsthand in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica that are helping residents affected by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
In February of this year, at the request of local leaders, President Clinton traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands and Dominica to meet with residents who were affected by last year’s devastating hurricanes.
Through these and other visits to the region, President Clinton saw the destruction firsthand – and heard from local residents and leaders about their needs and solutions for recovery and rebuilding.
Angel Ureña, President Clinton’s Press Secretary, shared this behind-the-scenes look, where President Clinton visited the Soufrière school, to spend time with families and children who were an inspiration to us all, with their warmth and resilient spirits, amidst enormous destruction.
2. More than 350 leaders from business, philanthropy, and government came together in Miami and made commitments to help communities affected by hurricanes.
At the invitation of leaders throughout the Caribbean region, President Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery.
The new action network brought together diverse leaders to help organizations collaborate across sectors, fill remaining gaps in emergency response, create resilient communities, and prepare for future storms.
All participating organizations are expected to make a Commitment to Action – a new, specific, and measurable project that will make a meaningful difference in this region.
Participants announced dozens of new commitments this year, from installing solar systems at schools in Dominica to training individuals to provide mental health care in Puerto Rico:
3. President Clinton celebrated the historic opening of a 3MW solar farm in Saint Lucia, the first utility-scale renewable energy project on the island.
This was President Clinton’s third trip to the Caribbean region in the wake of last year’s hurricanes. After arriving in Saint Lucia, President Clinton traveled to the coastal town of La Tourney to participate in the opening of a new 3-megawatt (MW) solar farm. The utility-scale renewable energy project, the first of its kind in Saint Lucia, was made possible through technical assistance from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the Clinton Climate Initiative.
Following his visit to St. Lucia, President Clinton traveled to St. Thomas, where he announced the solarization of three community facilities that had been identified as high priority by local partners.
4. Our chief executive officer, Kevin Thurm, met hundreds of farmers in Malawi who are writing better futures for themselves and their communities.
“Here in Malawi – in southeast Africa – life can be difficult for independent farmers. Working in the fields can be back-breaking, and it’s a constant struggle to compete against big, well-funded agriculture companies.”
This is from a message that Sidonia Chikuse, a smallholder farmer in Malawi, shared with our supporters this month. She went on to say:
“I joined the Clinton Development Initiative’s farmers club, and a new world opened up for me. Through the club, I learned techniques and skills to make my farm more productive and produce higher quality crops.”
Since 2008, we’ve been dedicated to supporting our smallholder farming communities, including farmers like Sidonia, through our programs driving community agribusiness development. Our program helps provide training to mitigate the impacts of climate change, providing quality inputs like seeds, and connecting them to markets to sell their crops.
This summer, our chief executive officer, Kevin Thurm, traveled to Malawi to see this work firsthand. He tweeted this reflection from this visit:
5. Chelsea Clinton visited hospitals across the country, where leaders have expanded “Talking is Teaching” campaigns to help promote early childhood development and language skills.
Across the United States, almost 60 percent of children start kindergarten unprepared, lagging behind their peers in critical language and literacy skills.
That’s why our Too Small to Fail team works with a diverse range of partners – from pediatricians to faith-based leaders to television writers – to help families and communities prepare children for success.
This summer, Chelsea Clinton traveled to two hospitals which have partnered to equip parents with information and resources they need to support early development, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
A new study released this year also showed that 4 out of 5 parents talked, read, and sang more with their children when the hospital’s pediatricians shared Too Small to Fail tools with parents about their role in early brain development:
6. President Bill Clinton and President George H. W. Bush spoke with a diverse new generation of leaders from different backgrounds and perspectives.
The Presidential Leadership Scholars program is a unique leadership program which brings together a network of leaders who are committed to making a difference in the world as they learn about leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
This year, the program’s fourth class of Scholars — comprised of doctors, veterans, community organizers, educators, public servants, and corporate professionals from across the United States — participated in several months of workshops led by some of the top leaders from past presidential administrations, as they worked on personal leadership projects intended to solve a problem or pressing issue in their community, country, or the world.
At the graduation ceremony, President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush celebrated the new class and shared advice on working together to tackle pressing challenges of our time.
The audience of emerging leaders also heard from past Scholars who have made notable contributions, including Holly Gordon, co-founder of Girls Rising, a global campaign for girl’s education:
7. Leaders from different faith communities came together in Houston to help fight the opioid crisis in their communities.
Each year, massive amounts of unused opioids are diverted for non-medical use in homes throughout the U.S. Along with our partners, we support stronger guidance on how to safely dispose of unused prescription drugs, including community-based take-back initiatives.
That’s why we worked with nine leaders from different faith communities in Houston this fall to participate in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Along with the Institute for Spirituality and Health and the Council on Recovery, we’ve partnered with the faith leaders to be part of an ecumenical process to address the opioid epidemic in their communities.
As part of the effort, faith leaders called on their congregations to dispose of expired, unwanted, or unused medications at designated locations. Two places of worship also served as disposal locations.
8. Thousands of student leaders traveled to Chicago to collaborate on projects that are helping their communities and the world.
How many students does it take to change the world? That’s the question at the heart of CGI University.
Each year, hundreds of students, topic experts, and celebrities come together to discuss and develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges. Students create their own Commitments to Action that address issues on campus, in local communities, or around the world.
This October, more than 1,000 college and university students from across the country and around the world came together at the University of Chicago. From tackling gun violence to advancing LGBTQ rights, student leaders at the meeting took action to address tough issues.
During the weekend, President Clinton met with Jacob Tobia, a young leader who is committed to influencing the conversation and culture surrounding gender and the trans community. Watch their conversation:
