Providing bread.

In your November 21, 2003, editorial "Democracy at Home & Abroad," you write that "eloquent words not followed by action create only doubt about the integrity of the speaker." This judgment could equally apply to President George W. Bush's promise last year to contribute to the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) for the reduction of poverty around the world (beginning with a $1.3 billion pledge in 2004, and reaching $5 billion annually by 2006). As it turned out, it was only because people of faith and other advocates for the poor held Congress's and the administration's feet to the fire that the government eventually secured the funding for MCA. They approved $1 billion for the year ($300 million less than the president's budget request). It is part of the $1.9 billion in new money Congress earmarked to help the world's poorest countries this year. These funds, pending passage of the omnibus bill, represent the largest increase in poverty-focused development assistance in nearly twenty years.

The MCA initiative and the president's pledge to significantly increase funding for AIDS worldwide offer great promise, so much so that Bread for the World is making their enactment the focus of its 2004 campaign. We want to ensure that these programs are designed, funded, and implemented to help people in the poorest parts of the world. Despite all the rhetoric and unkept promises, a light still flickers in the darkness.

SHAWNDA HINES EIBL 

Washington, D.C.

The writer is a media associate with Bread for the World.