Barack H. Obama J.D.

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009

US President, Attorney, Democrat. Award: 'Extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy, cooperation between peoples.'
Prevented Iran acquiring nuclear weapon. Reopened relations with Cuba. Saved auto industry. Deal: slow climate change. Obamacare. Voter registration drive. African American. Orator

"Our actions matter, can bend history in direction of justice."
"Yes we can!"

Nobel Cash Medal & Philanthropy

Having been president for only eight months, the world was stunned to hear that President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize carrying the commendatory $1.4 million prize money. Faced with a multitude of options of what to do with his prize; whether he would use it to finance his proposals, aid his campaign for the next election, or even use it for personal means, his actual proposition came as a welcome surprise to many.

Despite not feeling that he “deserved to be in the company” of so many “transformative figures” who have also been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, President Obama remained steadfast in his decision to donate his entire prize money to charity.i President Obama’s philanthropic promise to use his prize money in aid of several charities resulted in ten non-profit organizations receiving up to $250,000 worth of donations.ii In a released statement, Obama announced that these organizations do “extraordinary work…helping countless others in need”, including the biggest beneficiary, the Fisher House. As a national organization that provides housing for families affected by military injuries, the charity received $250,000 contribution from the President.

$200,000 was donated to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund, following the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. At a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, with over three million people affected, the entire world expressed its sympathies with the nation.iii President Obama acted quickly, asking former Presidents Bush and Clinton to create the Haiti Fund to raise donations in order to help support long-term relief efforts for the Haitians.

Six of his selected charities; the College Summit, the Posse Foundation, the United Negro College Fund, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, the Appalachian Leadership and Education Foundation, and the American Indian College Fund all received $125,000 each in donations. All six charities are aimed at funding colleges and schools to help students gain further education, especially targeted at minority ethnicities. The final two charities he donated to, AfriCare and the Central Asia Institute, received $100,000 in aid. AfriCare targets three chief areas of concern in 25 Sub-Saharan African countries, health and indirectly HIV/AIDS, agriculture and food requirements and water resource developments. The Central Asia Institute promotes education for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2009/obama-facts.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/us/12nobel.html?_r=2
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/03/obama-nobel-prize-money.html
http://www.britannica.com/event/Haiti-earthquake-of-2010

Author: Saranjit Uppal

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