There is an old saying that true character is found in someone who “does the right thing, even when no one is looking.” Sen. Arlen Specter certainly embodies this phrase, and I, along with 80,000 other Pennsylvania members of the global anti-poverty advocacy organization, ONE.org, would like to let the senator know that we are watching him do the right thing.

No one in the world should die from hunger or dehydration. No one should die from a mere mosquito bite that causes malaria —something from which nearly 1 million people die each year, mostly children, infants and pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa. Americans can help mitigate the suffering and death of millions of people in the poorest nations on earth. We are a better — and safer — nation when we lead with our American principles and deep compassion.

Specter has acted on behalf of the world’s poorest people for years, helping to make our shared beliefs a reality on the ground in the poorest counties in Africa.

In the past few years our nation has taken great strides in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease with new, responsible and accountable lifesaving and poverty-reducing programs like the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief; the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which pairs good governance in developing countries with U.S.-funded compacts; and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria, all of which are currently working to save millions of lives around the world.

Not many Americans know about the historic and heroic efforts that the United States has taken to save so many lives and transform so many communities in Africa. So when it comes to the tough part, the job of finding the funds for these initiatives, it is easy to turn away from the results and instead try to trim the edges of the budget by cutting them, thinking no one will notice.

Specter has done quite the opposite, consistantly being a true champion of the world’s poorest people. He has done this not to earn political points, but because he believes it is simply the right thing to do. He has been fully behind the Global Fund and supported every effort to increase funding. He has personally offered amendments at the committee level and on the floor of the Senate to increase funding. He has stood tall, time and again, and fought to help save lives around the world.

Specter’s true character can be seen in his actions to support critical yet often overlooked programs fighting global disease and poverty. Though many people may not be paying any attention, ONE members want to point out that for each and every action he takes on behalf of the least amongst us, we are not only looking, we are applauding.

The Rev. Dan Donmoyer

Lebanon