The New Humanitarians

Recent Titles in
Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions
Albert R. Roberts, Series Editor

Finding Meaning in Life, at Midlife and Beyond: Wisdom and Spirit from Logotherapy
David Guttmann
 The New
Humanitarians

Inspiration, Innovations, and

Blueprints for Visionaries

Volume 1
Changing Global Health Inequities

Edited by Chris E. Stout, PsyD

Foreword by Mehmet Oz, MD

Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions

Albert R. Roberts, Series Editor
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The new humanitarians : inspiration, innovations, and blueprints for visionaries / edited
by Chris E. Stout ; foreword by Mehmet Oz.
p. cm. — (Social and psychological issues: Challenges and solutions, ISSN
1941–7985)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–275–99768–7 ((set) : alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–275–99770–0 ((vol. 1) :
alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–275–99772–4 ((vol. 2) : alk. paper) — ISBN
978–0–275–99774–8 ((vol. 3) : alk. paper)
1. Philanthropists. 2. Humanitarianism. 3. Charities. 4. Social action. I. Stout, Chris E.
HV27.N49 2009
361.7'4—dc22 2008020797
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2009 by Chris E. Stout
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008020797
ISBN: 978–0–275–99768–7 (set)
978–0–275–99770–0 (vol. 1)
978–0–275–99772–4 (vol. 2)
978–0–275–99774–8 (vol. 3)
ISSN: 1941-7985
First published in 2009
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com
Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the

Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To all of those profiled herein and to all of those they help—you are all heroic.
This page intentionally left blank
 Contents

Foreword by Mehmet Oz, MD ix

Acknowledgments xi
Introduction by Chris E. Stout xiii
1: From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins
Sans Frontières 1
Kevin P. Q. Phelan
2: Unite For Sight 31
Jennifer Staple
3: Achieving Social Goals through Business Discipline:
Scojo Foundation 45
Jordan Kassalow, Graham Macmillan, Miriam Stone, Katherine Katcher,
Patrick Savaiano, and Annie Khan
4: Sustainable Sciences Institute: Developing Scientific
Capacity to Address Public Health Needs Worldwide 57
Josefina Coloma, Eva Harris, and Martine Zoer
5: Institute for OneWorld Health: Seeking a Cure for Inequity
in Access to Medicines 79
Victoria Hale
6: Sustainable Transformation of Communities: The Jamkhed
Experience—“We Have Done It Ourselves!” 93
Shobha R. Arole and Raj S. Arole
viii Contents

7: International Center for Equal Healthcare Access: Defeating

the Developing World’s Dependence on Perpetual Western
Charity in the Field of Healthcare 121
Marie Charles
8: Flying Doctors of America 145
Allan Gathercoal, Teresa Bartrum, and Myron Panchuk
9: Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 157
Mary Fabri, Marianne Joyce, Mary Black, and Mario González
10: International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 189
Stevan Weine
11: International Trauma Studies Program 209
Jack Saul
12: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 231
Jeffrey D. Fisher
13: REMEDY 249
William H. Rosenblatt, Teresa Bartrum, and Myron Panchuk
14: Center for Global Initiatives 261
Chris E. Stout
Afterword by Keith Ferrazzi 277
Series Afterword by Albert R. Roberts 279
About the Editor and Contributors 281
Index 291
 Foreword: Honor Roll

From the time I first met Chris after our election as fellow Global Leaders of
Tomorrow in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meet-
ing, I was impressed by his remarkable insight and diligence. Over the years, we
have collaborated on various health-related projects, and we have shared pro-
found sadness over many global tragedies.
Now Chris has embarked on a daunting challenge—that of compiling a Who’s
Who, or Honor Roll, of worldwide humanitarian organizations. Chris has taken
his proverbial golden Rolodex of contacts and friends and compiled an impressive
list that represents the “best of the best” in global human service organizations.
Although Chris made his admittedly “biased” choices by going to the founders he
already knew, he has nevertheless highlighted some of the best in the world–some
well known, some almost unknown—but all that represent a sampling of the
finest. Each is a testament to the power of the human spirit in the face of seem-
ingly insurmountable challenges and deficits.
All the familiar bromides are absent from The New Humanitarians. Though it
would be tempting to wring our collective hands at the enormity of the prover-
bial “world-going-to-hell-in-a-hand-basket,” The New Humanitarians is a totem
of real inspiration. Chris has highlighted organizations that favor results over
standard protocol in accomplishing their work. Those herein are doing the
difficult—not by following in other’s footsteps, but by forging new paths and
finding new solutions to mankind’s humanitarian needs. The time has come for
them to collectively tell their stories—a daunting task, but that is something Chris
has experience with.
Someone once remarked that the core issue with Nazi Germany was not that
there was a Hitler, but that there were too few Schindlers. The New Humanitarians
gives us all hope that there is a new generation of Schindlers across the globe, and
our imaginations can show us the differences they will make for the future.
Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA
This page intentionally left blank
 Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I want to thank all of the people involved in the organizations
profiled herein. Many people would not be alive or function at the levels they are
without your vision and passion. Period. Full stop. It is your zeal that has so
inspired me to publish these books. My thanks to each of you for taking the time
to craft what has become this set. I am fortunate to call each of you my friend, and
the world is blessed to have you. I also must apologize to those who lead organiza-
tions that are not included herein. It is a function of time and space—not having
adequate amounts of either. Nevertheless, I hold a great and abiding respect for all
of those working in the so-called humanitarian space. The world is in your debt.
Debbie Carvalko is my publisher extraordinaire at Praeger/Greenwood. With-
out her pitching my proposal, this project would not have been made into the
reality that you are holding in your hand. She was a valued collaborator in the
shepherding of the production of the manuscripts to final production. Debbie,
you are amazing.
I was fortunate to gain valuable help in organizing, interviewing, and writing with
a valued set of graduate student assistants: Annie Khan, Teresa Bartrum, Stephanie
Benjamin, Mark Zissman, Valaria Levit, and Donald Bernovich. I would like espe-
cially to thank Patrick “Skully” Savaiano, who from the start displayed not only a keen
sense of organization of the myriad of complexities that this project involved, but
also demonstrated a wonderful balance of professionalism blended with a hip,
e-mail-savvy communication style with some of the most prominent leaders in the
humanitarian space. This is an incredible feat by an incredible person—tip-o-the-hat
to you, Skully. And I would also like to particularly thank Myron Panchuk, who
served as a fantastic resource and intellect to this project. I owe you my friend.
It was my mother who modeled rather than lectured about the importance of
helping others. She provided me with an inspiring example that I can only hope
to be able to mimic for my children. Thanks, Mom.
xii Acknowledgments

The support of my wife, Karen, is always invaluable, whether I am writing or

not; and she was especially helpful in her ever-sharp review of many of the first
drafts of what now appear herein, as well as tolerating my innumerable, long-
winded, overly animated discourses about so many of the incredible stories and
works of those profiled. Both of my children, Grayson and Annika, were valued
partners in the early production steps of helping me stay organized with the chap-
ters and whatnots of such a project. They were willing and able freelancers who
could perforate pages as well as offer critique on some of my more complicated
sentence-structuring problems. I thank and love you all.
Chris E. Stout
Kildeer, IL

Care to do more yourself? Please do! Here’s how . . .

1. Visit CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org for more information on projects you can

be a part of. If you don’t see something you think you can help with, e-mail me
at Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org and I may be able to connect you to
another organization that can help, or we may be able to initiate work.
2. Consider suggesting The New Humanitarians to others and start a viral
buzz! Think of all your contacts who may be interested in this book. If you
go to www.Praeger.com and search for “The New Humanitarians” you can
print a downloadable flyer for the book to give to interested others. You
can also email the Praeger link to interested others as well as the
CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org.
3. Inquire if your local or university library has The New Humanitarians in its
collection, or on order. If you recommend it to them, they may add it and oth-
ers can read it as well.
4. Request a presentation at your local college, university, public library, high
school, church, mosque, synagogue, book seller, coffee shop, service organ-
ization (Rotary, Lyons, etc.), or book club by e-mailing a request to
Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org or by calling 847.550.0092, ext. 2.
5. Request an interview by a broadcast, cable, or Internet television program,
radio, newspaper, or magazine reporter. Media kits are also available by request
to Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org or by calling 847.550.0092, ext. 2.
 Introduction
Chris E. Stout

Welcome to a trip around the world. You will travel to six continents, led by men
and women of various ages and backgrounds. Be warned: you may go to some
fairly desperate places, but they all have a seed of hope. You will not be traveling
as a tourist, but rather as an activist with more than three dozen organizations—
each one incredible. Each chapter is a story, a story of need, of response, and of
accomplishment. They are all at once different, but yet the same as being an inspi-
rational account demonstrating the power of the individual triumphant over the
challenges of poverty, illness, conflict, or a litany of injustices. My friend, Jonathan
Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, said of the project that it is a
counter to the pervasive “pornography of the trivial” that infects much of what is
in print these days. I suspect he is correct.
As a sad postscript but powerful testament to the seriousness of the work
done by those profiled herein, a few days prior to this manuscript being sent in
to the publisher, I was speaking with a representative with Médecins Sans
Frontières who told me that three of their staff had been killed in a conflict zone
in northwest Africa. My heart sunk on this news. Although I know such things
happen—and with much more frequency than I usually let myself believe—I
was more honored to get the stories of these heroic organizations out to a
broader audience.
In these three volumes, readers will learn about individuals who have created
organizations that:

• Break up human trafficking rings and teach citizens how to intervene in other
injustices
• Go to conflict areas and put themselves at risk to end the conflict
• Help ensure elections are just
• Go to active war zones to administer emergency medical care
• Provide training and loans in order to empower people out of poverty
xiv Introduction

• Create a new language and then put it to use in developing education and job
training programs
• Work to stop nuclear war and curb the development of weapons of mass
destruction
• Create an ingenious for-profit organization that supports the not-for-profit
work
• Solve a problem of medical supply shortages in the developing world while
also alleviating medical waste problems in the developed world
• Export social services training into self-sustaining programs
• Create project-based trainings in order to increase capacity for global projects
• Treat immigrant and refugee survivors of torture in a culturally competent
manner that is encompassing and holistic
• Help boys conscripted into being child soldiers adapt to a normal life
• Create the first not-for-profit pharmaceutical company to help in the battle of
neglected diseases
• Advance education for girls where it is almost unheard of
• Integrate urban environmental design with democracy, civic participation,
and social justice
• Bring the philosophy of “it takes a village to raise a child” to formative elementary
school years, blend cultural heritage, and inspire students by mobilizing parents,
teachers, and young adults
• Connect experts from a range of fields to work together on problems such as
curing and preventing infectious and epidemic diseases, analyzing the risks of
science and technology breakthroughs, and designing enforceable global
health and environmental policies

CONTEXT FOR THE PROJECT

In developing my own nascent organization, the Center for Global Initiatives

(profiled herein), I came to realize that there are many successful, groundbreak-
ing models that already exist worldwide, but there really isn’t a blueprint or a
how-to on the subject. Although this is most likely due to the uniqueness of the
organizations and their leadership examined herein, as well as their idiosyncratic
approach to conducting their work, it is my hope that these volumes will provide
readers a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse of the organizations and offer incredibly
valuable insights, present insider experiences, and give advice that few would
ever have access to from one organization, let alone from more than forty of
the best-of-the-best.
I went about the selection process via the people I know. I met some in Davos
at annual meetings of the World Economic Forum, or perhaps at a TED conference
(back when Richard Saul Wurman still orchestrated them), or a Renaissance
Weekend, or by being a co-nominee in the Fast Company Fast-50, or goodness
knows where. I did not apply any scientific methods or algorithms to seek out the
Introduction xv

most cost-efficient organizations, those with the most stars on Charity Navigator,
or those listed in a Forbes table. I was totally subjective and biased. I left my scientific
method in the lab because I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the
most innovative humanitarian organizations in the world, or to have collaborated
with their incredibly talented founders/directors.
In fact, it is my experiences with these extraordinary people that led to my idea
for this book project. There are many wonderful, long-standing organizations that
do important work, but I found that many of the organizations I was working
with were newer and, honestly, a bit more edgy. Many have more skin-in-the-game.
These founders were on the ground and doing the work themselves, not remotely
administrating from a comfortable office miles or a continent away. But don’t let
my capricious favoritism prevent you from researching the many, many other
fantastic organizations that exist throughout the world. In fact, I hope this book
may cause you to do exactly that. (I suppose I could have tried to get a book deal
to compile the Encyclopedia of New Humanitarians, but I will leave that to someone
with way more spunk than I.)
Though many of us are content in helping various causes by writing checks of
support or perhaps even volunteering, the individuals profiled herein preferred to
actually start their own organizations—to enact their passionate interests. So
therein was the idea that crystallized the concept for this New Humanitarians
project. I wanted to find out what makes these new humanitarians tick and how
their brainchildren worked. Now, through this three-volume set, readers can, too.
From Braille Without Borders and Witness, to Geekcorps and ACCION,
humanitarian groups are working worldwide largely in undeveloped countries to
better people’s lives. Whether they are empowering people with schools for the
blind, intervening in human trafficking, giving the underserved access to technology,
or helping individuals work out of poverty, the men and women of these innovative
organizations offer their tremendous talent to their causes, along with great
dedication and, sometimes, even personal risk to complete their missions. The
work of these groups is remarkable. And so, too, are the stories of how they
developed—including the defining moments when their founders felt they had to
take action.
This project features a sampling of humanitarian groups across various
areas: medicine, education, sustainable development, and social justice. These
new humanitarians have been very successful with on-the-ground guerilla
innovations without a lot of bureaucracy or baloney. They are rebels with a
cause whose actions speak louder than words. They have all felt a moral duty to
serve as vectors of change.
I did not want to be the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Changing the
World or Humanitarian Aid for Dummies, but I did want to canvass the organiza-
tions whose founders I know personally and have had firsthand experiences with,
as well as showcase others who are recognized pioneers, and have them describe
in their own words where they gained their original idea, or what the tipping
point was that so moved them to create their own organizations. I hope readers
xvi Introduction

may gain not only inspiration, but also actionable approaches that are based on
the real-world experiences of those profiled if they, too, care to take action.
Many of those appearing herein already hold world renown, so I hope this
project will give readers the chance to learn the answers to questions rarely
answered publicly, such as “How did you first get funding? Did you have false
starts or failures? How creatively do you approach opportunities and
obstacles—be they organizational or political? How do you create original solu-
tions? What would you do differently today or what do you know now that you
wish you knew then?”

COMMON DENOMINATORS

Even though the approaches of all these organizations are different, they do
share a number of commonalities. At the time they formed their entities, each
organization was novel in its approach to dealing with the problems it was
addressing. The organizations were not restricted by past ways of thinking or act-
ing. They created innovative approaches to produce something that was real and
actionable from a concept and a vision. They developed practical approaches to
solutions, some complex, some elegant, all robust and lasting. They were provoca-
tive. They were unhappy or unsatisfied with approaches others were using, and
decided: if you can’t join ’em, beat ’em. And they did just that—they cleared their
own trails to sustainability for their organizations for the benefit of others.
They also either have a global reach or are at least not bound to the North or
the West. These are “young” organizations with an average organizational age of
fifteen years, with the majority being founded ten or fewer years ago. Thus, they
are new enough to demonstrate generalizable methods to help readers in their
own development of their work, while demonstrating sustainability and viability
of their model and approach. Simply put, it is my goal to have this set of books
demonstrate how these organizations make a difference. Each of them has taken
an approach to their life and work by living like they mean it. While there is the
essence of the power of one, it is one for all.
The organizations profiled in this three-volume book set differ in many other
ways as well. Some have been recognized with many awards and accolades
(MacArthur “Genius” Award recipients, fellows of institutes or think tanks, etc.),
whereas others are newer or have such a low profile or are so remote as to not be
picked up by any radar. I like that diversity. Some have incredible budgets and
others almost none, but they all do amazing things with what they have. And
with the increased exposure gained from being in this book set, they may be able
to gain more people’s awareness.
For example, Braille Without Borders is an organization created in 1998 by
Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg when they left Europe to establish the Reha-
bilitation and Training Centre for the Blind, a preparatory school for elementary-
school children in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Before the center was
Introduction xvii

opened, blind children there did not have access to education. These children were
stigmatized outcasts who held little hope for integration or much of a future.
Although there are many governmental and nongovernmental organizations that
have set up eye clinics for surgery or eyeglasses, there is a large group of blind people
that cannot be helped by these clinics. The center was created for them.
If this wasn’t challenge enough, those in the TAR had no written form of com-
munication. There was no Tibetan version of what many blind individuals use to
read, known as Braille (invented in 1821 by Frenchman Louis Braille). So, of
course, Sabriye invented a Tibetan script, or Braille if you will, for the blind. This
script combines the principles of the Braille system with the special features of the
Tibetan syllable-based script.
Impoverished countries worldwide account for nearly 6 million preschool and
school-age children who are blind, and 90–95 percent of them have no access to
education. Braille Without Borders wants to empower blind people in such coun-
tries so they can set up projects and schools for other blind people. In this way the
concept can be spread across the globe so that more blind and visually impaired
people have access to education and a better future.
It is people like Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg and all of those herein
who are taking the kind of action that William Easterly pines for in The White
Man’s Burden—they are interested in results and they deliver. They offer small-
scale results that make a large-scale impact.

STRUCTURE

Readers will find that some of the chapters are authored by the founder or
current leader of the organization profiled. Other chapters are the result of an
interview. I wanted this book to be thematic and structured, but I also wanted
to provide a wide berth for every organization to best tell its story. Thus, for
some it is literally in their own voice, first-person. In other instances interviews
were conducted and a story unfolds as told by the founder or current leader, the
de facto coauthor.
I had established a set of standard questions that could be used as a guide, but
not as a strict rule-set. I told every organization’s leader that he or she could fol-
low them or ignore them, or to choose whatever was appropriate. I was very
pleased with the result. That is, most chapters cover similar thematic aspects—
how they started, how they manage, and so forth. But I think I have been able to
steer clear of the chapters looking like cookie-cutter templates with simply dif-
ferent content sprinkled in the right spots here and there. It was my hope to cre-
ate a set of guidebooks, not cookbooks, and I hope you as a reader will enjoy a
similarity between chapters in their construction, but great variability in their
voice and creation.
I asked authors to sketch the background on their centers or organizations, when
they started, canvass their history to current day, provide a description of their
xviii Introduction

model, indicate how large they are, what type of corporate structure (non-for-profit,
university based, etc.) they have, what metrics they use to track productivity or how
they measure success, and biographical information about the founder.
I also had a set of curiosities myself: Where did the idea came from? What was
the inspiration/motivation for the starting the organization? Was there “that one
incident” (or the first, or the many events) that so moved the founder to no longer
“do nothing” and take action. I felt that reading about specific cases or vignettes of
groups or individuals who were helped would give a finer grain as to outcomes and
impacts of such organizations. But I also wanted to learn how these organizations
defined success. I think readers will be not only pleased, but inspired. I hope that
readers will have their own passions sparked and have their desire to know (and
perhaps, to do) more increased.
Organizing the chapters was a bit of a challenge. As you will see, there is much
overlap between their activities, and many somewhat defy an easy categorization
(which I like, actually), so I did the best I could to make what I hope readers will
consider to be reasonable groupings. Or, perhaps this will at least cause readers to
look at all three volumes!
And now, it is with great pleasure (and awe) that I introduce the new
humanitarians.

VOLUME 1: CHANGING GLOBAL HEALTH INEQUITIES

Médecins Sans Frontières/Founded in 1971
I was in Geneva when I first met Doris Schopper, a physician who was involved
in the founding of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and she was an incredible
person filled with energy and stories. As readers will find, this chapter provides a
frank and transparent description of the chaos involved in the nascent years of
MSF—quite the shift to the Nobel Prize–winning organization and operation of
today. Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent humanitarian medical aid
agency committed to two objectives: providing medical aid wherever needed,
regardless of race, religion, politics, or sex, and raising awareness of the plight of
people it helps.

Unite For Sight/Founded in 2000

If you ever want to feel inadequate, just look up Jennifer Staple. While most of us
were struggling to get through undergraduate school, Jennifer, while at Yale, formed
what has become an award-winning global enterprise doing incredible work. The
organization’s model serves as an inspiration regarding the power of making and
acting upon connections. Unite For Sight implements vision screening and educa-
tion programs in North America and in developing countries. In North America,
patients are connected with free health coverage programs so that they can receive
an eye exam by a doctor. In Africa and Asia, Unite For Sight volunteers work with
partner eye clinics to implement screening and free surgery programs.
Introduction xix

Scojo Foundation/Founded in 2001

In the small world of global efforts, I read a piece by Jordan Kassalow, OD,
MPH, and I called him while he was at the Global Health Policy Program at the
Council on Foreign Relations in New York, serving as an adjunct senior fellow. We
had a wonderful conversation, and I have referenced his keen points on the deadly
reciprocity of illness and warfare in subsequent talks I have given. He and Scott
Berrie went on to found the Scojo Foundation. Their mission is to reduce poverty
and generate opportunity through the sale of affordable eyeglasses and comple-
mentary products. Scojo Vision Entrepreneurs are low-income men and women
living in rural villages who are trained to conduct vision screenings within their
communities, sell affordable reading glasses, and refer those who require
advanced eye care to reputable clinics.

Sustainable Sciences Institute/Founded in 1998

I tell people that Eva Harris, PhD, could make a lab out of a Jeep and that she
is the spiritual cousin of MacGyver. I have read her seminal book, A Low-Cost
Approach to PCR, and though not a biologist, I was astounded. We first spoke on
the phone some years ago about the possibility of collaborating on a project
together, and my astonishment continued. She developed the Sustainable Sciences
Institute (SSI) and holds a mission to develop scientific research capacity in areas
with pressing public health problems. To that end, SSI helps local biomedical sci-
entists gain access to training, funding, information, equipment, and supplies, so
that they can better meet the public health needs of their communities.

Institute for OneWorld Health/Founded in 2000

I first spoke to Victoria Hale, PhD, after she and her attorneys had been meet-
ing with Internal Revenue Service attorneys to convince them that the Institute for
OneWorld Health was indeed a NOT-for-profit pharmaceutical company. We
were looking to collaborate on a pharmacogenomic project in which my Center
would do the “R” of R&D and she would work on the “D,” or development. We
first met face-to-face in Geneva at the World Economic Forum headquarters.
Today, the Institute for OneWorld Health develops safe, effective, and affordable
new medicines for people with infectious diseases in the developing world.

Jamkhed (aka Comprehensive Rural Health

Project—CRHP)/Founded in 1970
Shobha Arole, MD, came looking for me in Davos at a World Economic Forum
Annual Meeting. I will never forget that, in our conversation, I presumed she
needed help with getting some doctors to Jamkhed, but she quickly, and ever so
kindly, told me that she was in the market for students so she could help train
xx Introduction

them before they developed their bad habits. And she and her father, Raj Arole,
MD, are doing so, and quite successfully. Their Comprehensive Rural Health Project
(CRHP) was started to provide healthcare to rural communities, keeping in mind
the realities described above. It developed a comprehensive, community-based
primary healthcare (CBPHC) approach. CRHP is located at Jamkhed, which is far
away from a major city and is typically rural, drought-prone, and poverty
stricken. One of the main aims of the project is to reach the poorest and most
marginalized and to improve their health. In reality, perhaps not everyone in the
world will be able to have equal healthcare. However, it is possible to make sure
that all people have access to necessary and relevant healthcare. This concept is
known as equity, and it is an important principle of CRHP. Health is not only
absence of disease; it also includes social, economic, spiritual, physical, and mental
well-being. With this comprehensive understanding of health, the project focuses
on improving the socioeconomic well-being of the people as well as other aspects
of health. Health does not exist in isolation: it is greatly related to education,
environment, sanitation, socioeconomic status, and agriculture. Therefore,
improvement in these areas by the communities in turn improves the health of
the people. Healthcare includes promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative
aspects. These areas of integration bring about effective healthcare.

International Center for Equal Healthcare Access/Founded in 2001

I met Marie Charles, MD, MIA, in Quebec City at a Renaissance Weekend. I
listened to her presentation on her Center’s work, and I knew I had found a kin-
dred spirit. In fact, at the time of this writing, it is looking promising that we will
be working collaboratively together in Cambodia. Marie founded the Interna-
tional Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA), which is a truly remarkable
nonprofit organization of 650+ volunteer physicians and nurses who transfer
their medical expertise in HIV and infectious diseases (>7,000 aggregate man-
years of human capital) to colleagues in more than twelve countries in the devel-
oping world. Rather than perpetuating a continued dependence on Western
charity, this creates a sustainable system that allows these countries to provide
healthcare to their own patients at the highest possible standards and yet within
the existing resource limitations. As an interesting but crucially important side-
note, the recipient developing countries themselves shoulder the major share of
the program implementation costs, giving them a true sense of proprietary pride,
value, and ownership as opposed to “receiving charity.” ICEHA turns the paradigm
of international development on its head.

Flying Doctors of America/Founded in 1990

Allan Gathercoal, DDiv, and I have been through a lot together—stuck in
Nairobi, stuck in Burundi, bribing airport officials with lighters in Hanoi to bring
medicines in, working in Bolivian prisons together; and, most recently, we met in
Introduction xxi

Cambodia. Allan is the founder of Flying Doctors of America, and his organiza-
tion runs short-term medical/dental missions to the rural regions of Third World
countries.

Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance/Founded 1987

I’d speculate that Mary Fabri, PsyD, spends more time some years in Rwanda
than in Chicago. She goes to where the needs are, and when in Chicago, the needs
are at the Marjorie Kovler Center, where she is director and one of the clinical
co-founders. The Kovler Center provides comprehensive, community-based services
in which survivors work together with staff and volunteers to identify needs and
overcome obstacles to healing. Services include Mental Health (individual or
group psychotherapy, counseling, psychiatric services, and a range of culturally
appropriate services on-site in the community), Health Care (primary healthcare
and specialized medical treatment by medical professionals specifically trained to
work with torture survivors), Case Management (access to community resources,
including tutoring, ESL, food, transportation, special events), Interpretation and
Translation (bridging cultural and linguistic barriers in medical, mental health,
and community settings), and Legal Referral (referral and collaboration with
immigration attorneys and organizations).

International Center on Responses to Catastrophes/Founded in 2002

Stevan Weine, MD, is a renaissance kind of guy. He can gain impressive NIH
grants and awards while also writing about Alan Ginsberg and Bruce Springsteen
(and take time to coauthor and present with me as well). I have had the pleasure
of traveling to all sorts of places with Steve and meeting a fascinating group of
activists, scientists, and intellectuals, all the while listening to some great music.
He is a mentor, a role model, and a good friend. He also is the founder of the Center
at the University of Illinois–Chicago, whose primary mission is to promote multi-
disciplinary research and scholarship that contributes to improved helping efforts
for those affected by catastrophes.

International Trauma Studies Program/Founded in 1997

It was Stevan Weine who introduced me to Jack Saul, PhD, and took me to visit
Jack’s International Trauma Studies Program (ITSP), now at Columbia University.
Jack’s perspective is that recent natural and human-made catastrophes have high-
lighted the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the study, treatment, and pre-
vention of trauma-related suffering. So, at New York University in 1997, he
founded the original program. It is now a training and research program at
Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The program has been
enriched by the participation of a diverse student body, ranging from mental
health professionals, healthcare providers, attorneys, and human rights advocates,
xxii Introduction

to journalists and media professionals, academicians, oral historians, and artists.

Students and professionals are given the opportunity to develop and share
innovative approaches to address the psychosocial needs of trauma survivors,
their families, and communities. ITSP offers a dynamic combination of academic
studies, research, and practical experience working with trauma survivors in New
York City, the United States, and abroad.

Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention

@UConn/Founded in 2002
Jeff Fisher, PhD, invited me to his Center at UConn, and I had the flu. I would
not have missed such an opportunity for the world. You see, the University of
Connecticut Psychology Department’s Center for Health, Intervention, and Pre-
vention (CHIP) creates new scientific knowledge in the areas of health behavior,
health behavior change, and health risk prevention and intervention. CHIP provides
theory-based health behavior and health behavior change expertise and services at
the international, national, state, university, and community levels.

REMEDY/Founded in 1991
REMEDY, Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World, is a
nonprofit organization committed to teaching and promoting the recovery of
surplus operating-room supplies. Proven recovery protocols were designed to be
quickly adapted to the everyday operating room or critical care routine. As of June
2006, the REMEDY at Yale program alone had donated more than 50 tons of
medical supplies! It is estimated that at least $200 million worth of supplies could
be recovered from U.S. hospitals each year, resulting in an increase of 50 percent
of the medical aid sent from the United States to the developing world.

Center for Global Initiatives/Founded in 2004

The Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) is my baby. It is the first Center
devoted to training multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and students to
bring services that are integrated, sustainable, resiliency based, and that have
publicly accountable outcomes to areas of need, worldwide, via multiple, small,
context-specific collaboratives that integrate primary care, behavioral healthcare,
systems development, public health, and social justice. The word “global” is not
used herein as a synonym for overseas or international, but rather local as well as
transnational disparities and inequities of health risk and illness outcomes. The
Center seeks to eschew the many disconnects between separation of body/mind,
physical/mental, individual/community, and to offer a synthetic model of inte-
gration. CGI’s philosophy and approach is always that of a collaborator and
colleague. No West-Knows-Best hubris. Perhaps the most important aspects of
the Center for Global Initiatives are the simplest: it serves as an incubator and
Introduction xxiii

hothouse for new projects; it helps to nurture, grow, and launch those projects
as self-sustaining, ongoing interests; and after a project has taken hold, it serves
as pro bono consultant to help those now managing the work with whatever
they may need—materials, medicines, case consultation. About 90 percent of
all CGI’s projects have come about as a result of being invited to do the work.
As best can be done, depending on the project, CGI seeks to blend primary
care, behavioral health, and public health into an ultimately self-sustaining,
outcomes-accountable, culturally consonant result.

VOLUME 2: CHANGING EDUCATION AND RELIEF

Braille Without Borders/Founded in 1997
Sabriye, Paul, and I used to joke about how we were likely the poorest atten-
dees in Davos at the World Economic Forum. And in spite of our modest bank
balances, I can tell you that they were two of the most powerful of the movers
and shakers there. Braille Without Borders wants to empower blind people in
these countries so they themselves can set up projects and schools for other
blind people. In this way the concept can be spread across the globe so other
blind and visually impaired people have access to education and a better future.

Room to Read/Founded in 2000

I heard John Wood talk about his post-Microsoft adventure of founding Room
to Read. His brainchild partners with local communities throughout the develop-
ing world to establish schools, libraries, and other educational infrastructure.
They seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education is
a lifelong gift that empowers people to ultimately improve socioeconomic condi-
tions for their families, communities, countries, and future generations. Through
the opportunities that only an education can provide, they strive to break the cycle
of poverty, one child at a time. Since its inception, Room to Read has impacted the
lives of over 1.3 million children by constructing 287 schools, establishing over
3,870 libraries, publishing 146 new local language children’s titles representing
more than 1.3 million books, donating more than 1.4 million English language
children’s books, funding 3,448 long-term girls’ scholarships, and establishing 136
computer and language labs.

Global Village Engineers/Founded in 1992

Chris Shimkus is a good guy and a good friend with whom I first connected
in Geneva at the WEF Headquarters. He took one of those proverbial leaps of
faith and left his “day job” to devote himself to the work of Global Village Engi-
neers (GVE). GVE is a volunteer corps of professional engineers supporting the
local capacity of rural communities in developing countries to influence public
xxiv Introduction

infrastructure and environmental protection. Its engineers choose to volunteer

their skills to ensure the livelihood of these communities by building long-term
local capacity, especially in situations of disaster prevention and rehabilitation
and the need for environmental protection. They believe that infrastructure will
best serve communities when they have the capacity to become involved from
project inception through construction. Governments and project sponsors
often do not invest in communicating basic facts to the community about design,
construction, and maintenance. The mission of Global Village Engineers is to
find these facts and develop the local capacity to understand such facts.

Common Bond Institute/Founded in 1995

I first met Steve Olweean, PhD, in an airport in Oslo—or was it Helsinki? We
were on our way to St. Petersburg to the conference he founded. That conference
was a lightning rod of connections with people I continue to work with around
the world, from Sri Lanka to Tel Aviv, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what
Steve does. He founded the Common Bond Institute (CBI), which is a U.S.-based
NGO that grew out of the Association for Humanistic Psychology’s International
(Soviet-American) Professional Exchange. The Professional Exchange was initiated
in 1982 as one of the first Soviet-American nongovernmental human service
exchanges. CBI organizes and sponsors conferences, professional training programs,
relief efforts, and professional exchanges internationally, and it actively provides
networking and coordination support to assist newly emerging human service
and civil society organizations in developing countries. Its mission is cultivating
the fundamental elements of a consciousness of peace and local capacity building,
which are seen as natural, effective antidotes to small-group radical extremism
and large-group despair, as well as to hardship and suffering in the human condition.
To this end, enabling each society to effectively resolve and transform conflicts,
satisfy core human needs within their communities, and construct effective, holistic
mechanisms for self-determination, self-esteem, and fundamental human dignity
and worth is the purpose of their work.

SWEEP/Founded in 2004
The Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago
(UIC), Addis Ababa University (AAU), The Council of International Programs
USA (CIPUSA), and a network of nonprofit agencies are engaged in an exciting
effort to develop the first-ever master’s degree in social work in Ethiopia, through
a project known as the Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership, or SWEEP.
The undergraduate social work program at AAU was closed in 1976, when a mil-
itary regime ruled the country. Now, with a democratic government in place since
the early 1990s, the SWEEP project is working in collaboration with AAU’s new
School of Social Work and nongovernmental agencies in Ethiopia to develop
social work education and practice.
Introduction xxv

CUP/Founded in 1997
The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) makes educational projects about places
and how they change. Its projects bring together art and design professionals—
artists, graphic designers, architects, urban planners—with community-based advo-
cates and researchers—organizers, government officials, academics, service providers
and policymakers. These partners work with CUP staff to create projects ranging
from high-school curricula to educational exhibitions. Their work grows from a
belief that the power of imagination is central to the practice of democracy, and that
the work of governing must engage the dreams and visions of citizens. CUP believes
in the legibility of the world around us. It is the CUP philosophy that, by learning
how to investigate, we train ourselves to change what we see.

Endeavor/Founded in 1997
Linda Rottenberg, who co-founded Endeavor, is a Roman candle of energy,
enthusiasm, and brainpower. I met her through the World Economic Forum as a
Global Leader of Tomorrow. She is amazing at delivering on what’s needed in cre-
atively intelligent ways. Endeavor targets emerging-market countries transitioning
from international aid to international investment. Endeavor then seeks out local
partners to build country boards and benefactors to launch local Endeavor affiliates.

ACCION/Founded in 1961
ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission of
giving people the financial tools they need—micro enterprise loans, business
training, and other financial services—to work their way out of poverty. A world
pioneer in microfinance, ACCION was founded in 1961 and issued its first micro-
loan in 1973 in Brazil. ACCION International’s partner microfinance institutions
today are providing loans as low as $100 to poor men and women entrepreneurs
in twenty-five countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and sub-Saharan
Africa, as well as in the United States.

Invisible Conflicts/Dwon Madiki Partnership/Founded in 2006

I just met Evan Ledyard at a talk I gave at Loyola University in Chicago, and
he introduced me to the work he has done with an incredible group of students.
Invisible Conflicts is a student organization that sponsors the education, men-
torship, and empowerment of twenty Ugandan orphans and vulnerable children.
A twenty-one-year civil war in northern Uganda, between the government and a
rebel faction called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has led to the forced dis-
placement of over 1.7 million people into internal refugee camps. To support
their rebellion, the LRA abducted more than 30,000 Ugandan children, forcing
them to be sex slaves and to fight as child soldiers. Because of these atrocities, all
xxvi Introduction

of the DMP-sponsored children live in squalid conditions in and around the

many displacement camps. Because life around these camps is marked by
poverty, hunger, and little or no access to education, an entire generation of children
find themselves denied a childhood and a chance to succeed in life.

BELL/Founded in 1992
Building Educated Leaders for Life, or BELL, recognizes that the pathway to
opportunity for children lies in education. BELL transforms children into scholars
and leaders through the delivery of nationally recognized, high-impact after-school
and summer educational programs. By helping children achieve academic and
social proficiency during their formative elementary-school years and embrace
their rich cultural heritage, BELL is inspiring the next generation of great teachers,
doctors, lawyers, artists, and community leaders. By mobilizing parents, teachers,
and young adults, BELL is living the idea that “it takes a village to raise a child.”

Hybrid Vigor Institute/Founded in 2000

I first met Denise Caruso at a TED Conference. She was just stepping down
from her position as technology columnist at the New York Times, just before the
tech bubble burst. Smart gal. I was immediately smitten by her intellect, and in
subsequent emails and conversations, she agreed to help me in the pondering of
my nascent ideas for my Center as she was building her Institute in the form of
Hybrid Vigor. The Hybrid Vigor Institute is focused on three ambitious goals: (1)
to make a significant contribution toward solving some of today’s most
intractable problems in the areas of health, the environment, and human potential,
both by producing innovative knowledge and by developing processes for sharing
expertise; (2) to develop new methods and tools for research and analysis that
respect and use appropriately both the quantitative methods of the natural sci-
ences and the subjective inquiries of the social and political sciences, arts, and
humanities, and to establish metrics and best practices for these new methods of
collaboration and knowledge sharing; (3) to deploy cutting-edge collaboration,
information extraction, and knowledge management technologies, so that working
researchers from any discipline may easily acquire and share relevant work and
information about their areas of interest.

Our Voices Together/Founded in 2005

Marianne Scott and I had a wonderful conversation one Sunday night that I
will never forget. Without repeating it, I do want to say I was touched by her
humanity in a very powerful and lasting way, and I knew then that she needed to
be represented in this project. Our Voices Together holds a vision of a world in
which the appeal of lives lived in dignity, opportunity, and safety triumphs over
the allure of extremism and its terrorist tactics. The people of this organization see
Introduction xxvii

a future where terrorist tactics are not condoned by any community worldwide.
They understand that to achieve this, trust must be built on mutual trust and
respect around the globe. They recognize the vast potential in engaging the United
States in diplomacy by connecting communities. To this end, they promote the
vital role of people-to-people efforts to help build better, safer lives and futures
around the world.

Geekcorps/Founded in 1999
Ethan Zuckerman has a wicked sense of humor, and he is not afraid to use
it. I last saw Ethan in Madrid at an anti-terrorism conference, and we spoke of
wikis as a solution to a puzzle I was working on about Amazonian medical
services. How obvious. Ethan is the founder of Geekcorps, which has evolved
into the IESC Geekcorps, which is an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organ-
ization that promotes stability and prosperity in the developing world through
information and communication technology (ICT). Geekcorps’ international
technology experts teach communities how to be digitally independent: able to
create and expand private enterprise with innovative, appropriate, and affordable
information and communication technologies. To increase the capacity of
small and medium-sized business, local government, and supporting organizations
to be more profitable and efficient using technology, Geekcorps draws on a
database of more than 3,500 technical experts willing to share their talents and
experience in developing nations.

VOLUME 3: CHANGING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Witness/Founded in 1992
I first saw some of the work of Witness at the Contemporary Museum of
Art in Chicago, and I was quite disturbed and moved by the images I saw—
which was the point. I then contacted Gillian Caldwell of Witness about this
book project, and I got the distinct impression that she wondered “who is this
guy, and is he on the level?” So, with some emails back and forth, and the good
timing of the WEF Annual Meeting, where she happened to be going, I gained
some street cred with her as I’d been an invited faculty, gone to Davos a num-
ber of years, and knew Klaus Schwab, who had also written the foreword for
one of my other books. Then she let me into the tent, and I am very glad she
did. Witness does incredible work by using video and online technologies to
open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. It empowers people to
transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting
public engagement and policy change. It envisions a just and equitable world
where all individuals and communities are able to defend and uphold human
rights.
xxviii Introduction

The Community Relations Council/Founded in 1986

I worked on a three-volume book set (The Psychology of Resolving Global
Conflicts: From War to Peace, Praeger, 2005) with Mari Fitzduff, PhD, and I had no
idea of the violence she was exposed to in Belfast as a child growing up there. Now
it makes perfect sense as to her development of the Community Relations Council.
Its aim is to assist the people of Northern Ireland to recognize and counter the
effects of communal division. The Community Relations Council originated as a
proposal of a research report commissioned by the NI Standing Advisory Com-
mittee on Human Rights. The Community Relations Council was set up to promote
better community relations between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland
and, equally, to promote recognition of cultural diversity. Its strategic aim is to
promote a peaceful and fair society based on reconciliation and mutual trust. It does
so by providing support (finance, training, advice, information) for local groups
and organizations; developing opportunities for cross-community understanding;
increasing public awareness of community relations work; and encouraging
constructive debate throughout Northern Ireland.

Amnesty International/Founded in 1961

Amnesty International’s (AI’s) vision is of a world in which every person
enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and other international human rights standards. In pursuit of this vision,
AI’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending
grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience
and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work
to promote all human rights. AI has a varied network of members and supporters
around the world. At the latest count, there were more than 1.8 million members,
supporters, and subscribers in over 150 countries and territories in every region
of the world. Although they come from many different backgrounds and have
widely different political and religious beliefs, they are united by a determination
to work for a world where everyone enjoys human rights.

PeaceWorks Foundation and OneVoice/Founded in 2002

Daniel Lubetzky is one of those incredible people who turn on a room
when they enter it. He does so not with bravado and brashness, but rather with
a quiet power that captures those around him. He is a compelling person with
a compelling mission. He founded OneVoice with the aim to amplify the voice
of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of Israelis and Palestinians
who wish to end the conflict. Since its inception, OneVoice has empowered
ordinary citizens to demand accountability from elected representatives and
ensure that the political agenda is not hijacked by extremists. OneVoice works
to reframe the conflict by transcending the “left vs. right” and “Israeli vs. Palestinian”
Introduction xxix

paradigms and by demonstrating that the moderate majority can prevail over
the extremist minority. Although the needs and concerns of the Israeli and
Palestinian peoples are different—Israelis wish to end terror and the existential
threat to Israel; Palestinians wish to end the occupation and achieve an inde-
pendent Palestinian state—the vast majority on each side agree that these goals
are achievable only by reaching a two-state solution. OneVoice is unique in that
it has independent Israeli and Palestinian offices appealing to the national inter-
ests of their own sides with credentials enabling them to unite people across the
religious and political spectrum. It recognizes the essential work many other
groups do in the field of dialogue and understanding, but OneVoice is action
oriented and advocacy driven. It is about the process and demanding account-
ability from its members and from political leaders. A peace agreement, no
matter how comprehensive, will be ineffective without populations ready to
support it. The focus is on giving citizens a voice and a direct role in conflict
resolution.

Nonviolent Peaceforce/Founded in 1998

Nonviolent Peaceforce is a federation of more than ninety member organizations
from around the world. In partnership with local groups, unarmed Nonviolent
Peaceforce Field Team members apply proven strategies to protect human rights,
deter violence, and help create space for local peacemakers to carry out their work.
The mission of the Nonviolent Peaceforce is to build a trained, international civilian
peaceforce committed to third-party nonviolent intervention.

Peace Brigades/Founded in 1981

Peace Brigades International (PBI) is an NGO that protects human rights and
promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts. When invited, it sends teams of
volunteers into areas of repression and conflict. The volunteers accompany
human rights defenders, their organizations, and others threatened by political
violence. Perpetrators of human rights abuses usually do not want the world to
witness their actions. The presence of volunteers backed by a support network
helps to deter violence. They create space for local activists to work for social justice
and human rights.

Witness for Peace/Founded in 1983

Witness for Peace (WFP) is a politically independent, nationwide grassroots
organization of people committed to nonviolence and led by faith and conscience.
WFP’s mission is to support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the
Americas by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices that contribute to
poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean.
xxx Introduction

Southern Poverty Law Center/Founded in 1971

Throughout its history, the Center has worked to make the nation’s Constitutional
ideals a reality. The Center’s legal department fights all forms of discrimination and
works to protect society’s most vulnerable members, handling innovative cases that
few lawyers are willing to take. Over three decades, it has achieved significant legal
victories, including landmark Supreme Court decisions and crushing jury verdicts
against hate groups.

Human Rights Campaign/Founded in 1980

After having served as a federal advocacy coordinator on the Hill for the
American Psychological Association for twelve years, and at the state level even
longer, I have come to know and very much appreciate the twists and turns of law
making and the body politic. I have also come to know and respect the impressive
work of those in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). They have evolved from
battling stigma to being a political force to contend with—no easy task in the
Beltway or on Main Street USA. The Human Rights Campaign is America’s
largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC
strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that
achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. HRC seeks to improve the lives
of GLBT Americans by advocating for equal rights and benefits in the workplace,
ensuring that families are treated equally under the law, and increasing public
support among all Americans through innovative advocacy, education, and out-
reach programs. HRC works to secure equal rights for GLBT individuals and
families at the federal and state levels by lobbying elected officials, mobilizing
grassroots supporters, educating Americans, investing strategically to elect fair-
minded officials, and partnering with other GLBT organizations.

Global Security Institute/Founded in 1999

Back in the late 1990s, as a member of Psychologists for Social Responsibility
and living in Chicago, I was asked to represent that organization at a meeting called
Abolition 2000. The goal of that group was to have abolished nuclear weapons by
2000. I had the chance to meet its founder, the late Senator Alan Cranston, and I
was smitten. That movement evolved into the organization Jonathan Granoff now
leads, known as the Global Security Institute (GSI). It is dedicated to strengthen-
ing international cooperation and security based on the rule of law with a partic-
ular focus on nuclear arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament. GSI was
founded by Senator Alan Cranston, whose insight that nuclear weapons are
impractical, unacceptably risky, and unworthy of civilization continues to inspire
GSI’s efforts to contribute to a safer world. GSI has developed an exceptional team
that includes former heads of state and government, distinguished diplomats, effec-
Introduction xxxi

tive politicians, committed celebrities, religious leaders, Nobel Peace laureates, dis-
armament and legal experts, and concerned citizens.

Search for Common Ground/Founded in 1982

I first had the pleasure of meeting Susan Marks in Davos at a breakfast meeting
in which we were to co-facilitate a discussion. I could not keep up with her! She had
us all enthralled with her perspectives and experiences, and I was astonished. She
and her husband John started the Search for Common Ground as a vehicle to
transform the way the world deals with conflict: away from adversarial approaches,
toward cooperative solutions. Although the world is overly polarized and violence
is much too prevalent, they remain essentially optimistic. Their view is that, on the
whole, history is moving in positive directions. Although some of the conflicts cur-
rently being dealt with may seem intractable, there are successful examples of
cooperative conflict resolution that can be looked to for inspiration—such as in
South Africa, where an unjust system was transformed through negotiations and
an inclusive peace process.

Project on Justice in Times of Transition/Founded in 1992

Mari Fitzduff introduced me to Timothy Phillips in the context of working on
this project, and needless to say, I was taken aback by their work. The Project on
Justice in Times of Transition brings together individuals from a broad spectrum
of countries to share experiences in ending conflict, building civil society, and
fostering peaceful coexistence. It currently operates in affiliation with the Foun-
dation for a Civil Society in New York and the Institute for Global Leadership at
Tufts University. Since its creation in 1992 by co-chairs Wendy Luers and Timothy
Phillips, the Project has conducted more than fifty programs for a variety of leaders
throughout the world and has utilized its methodology to assist them in addressing
such difficult issues as the demobilization of combatants, the status of security
files, police reform, developing effective negotiating skills, political demonstrations,
and preserving or constructing the tenets of democracy in a heterogeneous society.
Through its innovative programming, the Project has exposed a broad cross-section
of communities in transition to comparable situations elsewhere, and it has
contributed to the broadening of international public discourse on transitional
processes.
In recent years the Project has conducted programs that have helped practi-
tioners and political leaders strategize solutions in a variety of countries and
regions, including Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Guatemala, Kosovo,
Northern Ireland, Palestine, and Peru.

Exodus World Service/Founded in 1988

Heidi Moll was cheering my son and me on last fall in a five-kilometer run that
was a fundraiser for Exodus World Service and other agencies. I first came to
xxxii Introduction

know of their refugee work via a church we used to attend, and it was remarkable.
Exodus World Service transforms the lives of refugees and of volunteers. It educates
local churches about refugee ministry, connects volunteers in relationship with
refugee families through practical service projects, and equips leaders to speak up
on behalf of refugees. The end result is that wounded hearts are healed, loneliness
is replaced with companionship, and fear is transformed into hope. Exodus
recruits local volunteers, equips them with information and training, and then
links them directly with refugee families newly arrived in the Chicago metropolitan
area. It also provides training and tools for front-line staff of other refugee service
agencies. In addition, Exodus has developed several innovative programs for use
by volunteers in their work with refugees.

International Institute for Sustainable Development/Founded in 1990

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) contributes to
sustainable development by advancing policy recommendations on international
trade and investment, economic policy, climate change, measurement and assess-
ment, and natural resources management. By using Internet communications, it
is able to report on international negotiations and broker knowledge gained
through collaborative projects with global partners, resulting in more rigorous
research, capacity building in developing countries, and better dialogue between
North and South. IISD is in the business of promoting change toward sustainable
development. Through research and through effective communication of their
findings, it engages decision makers in government, business, NGOs, and other
sectors to develop and implement policies that are simultaneously beneficial to
the global economy, to the global environment, and to social well-being. IISD also
believes fervently in the importance of building its own institutional capacity
while helping its partner organizations in the developing world to excel.

LET’S GET GOING

I hope you enjoy learning more about these amazing individuals and their
work. I certainly have enjoyed working with them and in completing this remark-
able writing project. They all have the common denominator of changing people’s
lives, and isn’t that truly the way to change the world?
 1

From an Idea to Action:

The Evolution of Médecins
Sans Frontières
Kevin P. Q. Phelan

Today, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is one of the

world’s leading independent humanitarian medical aid organizations, responding
to the emergency medical needs of people affected by armed conflict, natural disas-
ters, and such medical catastrophes as malnutrition, malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis
(TB), kala-azar, other neglected diseases, and epidemic outbreaks of meningitis and
cholera. MSF is an association with individual sections in nineteen countries and
thousands of members. Each year, MSF doctors, nurses, logisticians, water and san-
itation experts, administrators, and other medical and non-medical professionals
depart on more than 4,700 aid assignments in more than seventy countries. They
work alongside more than 25,800 locally hired staff to provide medical care.
Before December 20, 1971, though, MSF was just an idea. On that day, a group
of French doctors (Xavier Emmanuelli, Marcel Delcourt, Max Recamier, Gérard
Pigeon, Jean Cabrol, Jean-Michel Wild, Bernard Kouchner, Pascal Greletty-
Bosviel, and Jacques Beres) joined several medical journalists (Raymond Borel,
Vladan Radoman, Gérard Illiouz, and Philippe Bernier) at the Paris offices of the
medical journal Tonus to form the organization.
Some of the doctors had worked from 1968 to 1970 in Biafra, a region of
Nigeria torn apart by a brutal civil war, on behalf of the French Red Cross. Others
had volunteered in 1970 to treat the victims of a tidal wave in eastern Pakistan
(now Bangladesh). Independently, these groups discovered—the first during a
war, the second during the aftermath of a natural disaster—the shortcomings of
international aid as it was then configured. By forming MSF, this core group
intended to change the way humanitarian aid was delivered by providing more
medical assistance more rapidly and by being less deterred by national borders
during times of crisis.1

1
2 The New Humanitarians

Throughout the next several decades, MSF hewed close to its basic, founding
ideas, but it would learn by doing and adapt to the changing international envi-
ronment, struggling to refine its response to crises and exploring the place and
role of humanitarian action.

MSF IN THE 1970s: ROOTS, FIRST ACTIONS,

AND COMPETING VISIONS
Activist Underpinnings
In addition to their medical training, many of MSF’s founders were active in
left-wing, anticolonial, and activist causes during France’s turbulent 1960s.
Bernard Kouchner was an ex-militant from the Communist Students Union, while
Xavier Emmanuelli, an anaesthetist, was a member of the French Communist
Party. Later influential members also shared these political leanings, including
Claude Malhuret, a fiercely left-wing student from Cochin University Hospital,
known in May 1968 as the “Red college,” and Rony Brauman, a former Maoist
militant from Cochin and a graduate in tropical medicine.
Soon after the heavily televised revolt of May 1968, far more disturbing images
were brought to the French public. For the first time, television broadcasted scenes
of children dying of hunger. The southern Nigeria province of Biafra had seceded.
The territory was surrounded by the Nigerian army, and the Biafrans, victims of
one of the very first oil conflicts, were decimated by famine.2

Red Cross Roots3

MSF’s creation was also partly the culmination of a trend initiated ten years
earlier by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a trend that was
itself a response to the work of Red Cross societies. During the early part of the
twentieth century, humanitarian emergency aid was provided primarily by the Red
Cross movement. But the effectiveness of its actions was compromised by slow
transport facilities and cumbersome administrative and diplomatic formalities.
In times of war, the ICRC intervened. Its main role was to make sure that the
belligerent nations complied with the Geneva Conventions providing for the
protection of and assistance to prisoners and civilians in time of war. Until the begin-
ning of the 1960s, the Geneva-based ICRC carried out its duties without sending
medical units to battle sites.
It took the multiplication of civil wars in the developing world after the era
of decolonization (Katanga in 1960, Yemen in 1962, Biafra in 1967) to prompt
the ICRC to add medical assistance to its roster of help. These new conflicts
were much harder on the civilian population than earlier wars because of food
blockades, and because guerrilla and counter-guerrilla strategies caused massive
flows of refugees and put large numbers of internally displaced persons in very
precarious circumstances.
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 3

The ICRC began its emergency medical efforts by sending out a few doctors,
whom it hired temporarily for renewable, three-month terms. These doctors were
recruited by the national Red Cross societies. During the summer of 1968, the
ICRC offered the French Red Cross (FRC) the opportunity to run its own inde-
pendent medical mission in Biafra. The FRC accepted readily, particularly since its
acceptance enabled the French government to support the Biafra secession with-
out too much compromise.
From September 1968 until January 1970, under extremely dangerous circum-
stances, the FRC managed to send some fifty doctors to Biafra. For many, the con-
flict over Biafra meant the discovery of the “Third World,” of a little-known
conflict, and of the inability of humanitarian action to solve crises of enormous
proportions. The Biafran war, which ended in 1970 with the Nigerian government’s
victory and the deaths of 1 million people, clearly revealed the shortcomings of the
Red Cross in responding to emergencies.

Speaking Out as a Defining Characteristic of MSF:

The Myth and Reality of Biafra4
During the war in Biafra, some of the future founders of MSF opposed ICRC
strictures in providing assistance. In return for access, particularly to the POWs
who are at the heart of its mandate, the ICRC typically promises that its findings
will remain confidential. Thus, ICRC personnel take a reserved public attitude
toward the events they witness during an assignment.
In addition, the ICRC interpreted neutrality in such a way that its intervention
on any part of a country’s territory required the approval of the central authori-
ties. This essentially placed ICRC’s aid to a break-away region such as Biafra at the
mercy of the Nigerian government.
Several doctors defied this prohibition by organizing a “committee against the
Biafran genocide” as soon as they were back in France—less to make the public
aware of the plight of the Biafran population than to denounce the political sources
of this conflict, which were too often hidden by the journalistic accounts of the war.
By dropping their apolitical stance, though, the French doctors gave legitimacy
to the rebels’ secessionist cause. In the media, the doctors offered sensationalist
accounts, speculated wildly about death tolls, and invoked the Holocaust and
genocide to describe the situation. The doctors’ one-sided denunciations of the
Nigerian government also led them to overlook serious rebel abuses, such as their
refusal to accept aid that transited through Nigerian federal territory, which
amounted to starving their own people to publicize their cause as victims. These
actions unwittingly played into the hands of the rebels and their supporters, chief
among them the French government, which hired a PR firm to generate publicity
for the rebellion.
But this new wave of doctors was haunted by the passivity of the ICRC during
World War II when confronted by the Holocaust, and wanted to avoid at all costs
the sense that aid organizations were abetting the ultimate crime.
4 The New Humanitarians

This activity attracted a group of approximately fifty people who were persuaded
that conflicts such as Biafra would happen again and needed to be anticipated.
Thus, the Biafra veterans began meeting once a month to share and refresh
their memories. In 1970 they organized the Groupe d’Intervention Medical et
Chirurgical d’Urgence (Emergency Medical and Surgical Intervention Group,
or GIMCU), in the hope of setting up an independent association specializing
in providing medical emergency assistance free from the administrative and
legal constraints facing the ICRC.
At the same time as the conflict in Biafra, another group of doctors in France
formed at the initiative of the medical journal Tonus. In 1970 Tonus’ editor,
Raymond Borel, had spoken on television about the distress of tidal wave victims
in eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and the lack of French doctors at the site
of the disaster. On November 23, 1970, he published an appeal in the columns of
his journal to establish an association: Secours Medical Français (French Medical
Relief, or SMF).
Doctors responded to Borel’s call to action for many reasons: a bad conscience
in the wake of the disturbing television images; the feeling that France, because of
its history, had a duty to cooperate with decolonized countries; or simply the desire
to get away from routine medicine and benign pathologies in order to practice
presumably more useful medicine under more stimulating conditions. In 1971
MSF arose from a merger of GIMCU and SMF.
The notion of témoignage, or speaking out, coupled with appeals to the mass
media became an integral part of MSF’s concept of modern humanitarian
action. Ironically, though, until 1977 MSF actually forbade its members to talk
about what they had witnessed during their missions, despite an early record
of opposition to the ICRC’s reserved policy. This silence was intended as a
strong symbol of political neutrality as well as a strategic posture to ensure its
ability to perform “border-free” operations, since it was thought that no state
would accept the presence of overly garrulous doctors on its territory. Bernard
Kouchner explained this as concession to the Tonus doctors.

MSF’s First Interventions5

MSF was formed as a nonprofit organization according to the 1901 French law
“Associations de loi.” MSF would legally be a group of people “who have come
together to act” (associés pour agir) and who would participate in the ownership
of the organization. Members would essentially be former field staff, and the
majority of the board, including the president, would be elected from and by the
association members.
MSF’s creation coincided with an era of increasing air transport, electronics,
and satellites, and with the growing perception of the world as a global village.
These factors made it possible to intervene increasingly rapidly at disaster sites.
The instantaneous visibility of disasters and conflicts on television made it less
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 5

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is a private international association. The

association is made up mainly of doctors and health sector workers and is also
open to all other professions which might help in achieving its aims. All of its
members agree to honor the following principles:
Médecins Sans Frontières provides assistance to populations in distress, to
victims of natural or man-made disasters, and to victims of armed conflict.
They do so irrespective of race, religion, creed, or political convictions.
Médecins Sans Frontières observes neutrality and impartiality in the name of
universal medical ethics and the right to humanitarian assistance, and claims
full and unhindered freedom in the exercise of its functions.
Members undertake to respect their professional code of ethics and to
maintain complete independence from all political, economic, or religious
powers.
As volunteers, members understand the risks and dangers of the missions they
carry out, and make no claim for themselves or their assigns for any form of
compensation other than that which the association might be able to afford
them.
Figure 1.1 MSF Charter

and less acceptable either to do nothing or to offer only a confused effort at

emergency assistance.
From its beginning, MSF hoped to benefit from the experience of its “Biafran”
firebrands and the infrastructures (offices and secretariat) of its Tonus group. But
the first steps were difficult. Between 1971 and 1976, MSF was more like a pool
of doctors at the disposal of large development aid organizations than a truly
independent medical emergency organization. Its budget was limited to a few
hundred thousand francs, and its assignments, with a few exceptions, were not
independent: in Nicaragua after the 1972 earthquake, for example, and Honduras
after the 1974 hurricane, the doctors actually traveled with the French military. For
lack of resources and experience, these early and limited interventions were
highly ineffective.
MSF remained a very small organization in the 1970s for several reasons. First,
it consisted exclusively of volunteers, each of whom was employed outside MSF.
In the circles of established international organizations, the MSF volunteers were
considered amateurs and medical tourists. Second, MSF’s members refused to ask
for charity from the public or to “sell” humanitarian services as a commercial
product, a policy that was not conducive to growth.
MSF flourished for the first time from 1976 to 1979. A 1976 war intervention
in Lebanon in a Shi’ite neighborhood encircled by Christian militia, and a free
advertising campaign offered by an advertising agency in 1977, gave MSF an
6 The New Humanitarians

identity as an organization that dealt with dangerous emergencies and its first
public recognition. MSF was of interest not only in France but also in the United
States, largely because the American press reported on the actions of the French
doctors in Lebanon.
Despite its interventions during a widely reported war and the fruits of an
advertising campaign (including one ad proclaiming with hyperbole that there
were “two billion people in our waiting room”), in 1978 there remained a large
gap between the association’s reputation in France and its actual impact. And
despite its strong showing in the media, the organization’s existence was more
symbolic than operational: it sent out only a few dozen doctors per year.

Competing Visions Lead to a Split

Throughout the 1970s, many of the physicians sent out by MSF returned
from their aid assignments content with the experience, but frustrated by lack
of adequate means with which to treat their patients.6 Many drew broad con-
clusions that medical effectiveness was not at the heart of MSF’s concerns.
There was constant improvisation in the way humanitarian missions were
selected and carried out: for Kouchner and his allies, MSF’s strength resided in
its informality, in its capacity to generate indignation and attention by carrying
out symbolic missions in places that journalists and politicians could not
reach. Kouchner argued that when people were dying by the hundreds, a team
of doctors, however competent they may be, cannot really make a difference,
and that building MSF into a structured organization would only further the
illusion that they could.
In 1977 Dr. Claude Malhuret, sent by MSF to work for a year with the Interna-
tional Rescue Committee (IRC) in a Cambodian refugee camp in Thailand,
returned to Paris with an experience shared by many others. Deeply critical of
Kouchner, he argued that MSF needed to develop an independent structure to
deploy multidisciplinary teams and to give them appropriate medical and logistical
means in order to be effective in the field. “We are doctors,” he said, “and if we
organize ourselves and become a medical organization, we will really be useful.”7
The opposition between these sharply contrasting visions about the very
identity of the organization came to a head, and the outcome continues to
shape MSF’s evolution today. In 1978 Malhuret was elected president of MSF
during the annual general assembly, and in 1979, a bitter dispute over MSF’s
participation in an initiative by leading French intellectuals to send a boat to
rescue Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea culminated in a split.
Kouchner, who was part of the committee that launched “a boat for Vietnam,”
saw this as a spectacular way to unite the most influential French thinkers—
Jean-Paul Sartre and Raymond Aron, who had often been at odds—in a common
cause to shine a spotlight on the problem.
Although they did not underestimate the media and symbolic impact of this
initiative, for the refugees and MSF, Malhuret and Emmanuelli disputed its technical
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 7

legitimacy: they considered a single ship—whose very presence encouraged people

to flee—insufficient to receive the refugees. In an article titled “A Boat for Saint-
Germain-des-Prés,” Emmanuelli went further in denouncing the ship as a self-
serving stunt to give Parisian intellectuals a good conscience, when the plight of
refugees around the world called for sustained commitment and practical action.
In the 1979 MSF General Assembly, Malhuret’s call to transform MSF into an effective
medical organization, including by compensating volunteers who took on six-month
assignments, defeated Kouchner’s warning of MSF’s impending death at the hands
of “bureaucrats of charity.”8 Kouchner and his friends left MSF and went on to
found Médecins du Monde/Doctors of the World, with key objectives intended as
a rebuttal of MSF’s new direction: “to denounce the intolerable and work without
any compensation.”
Efficiency, pragmatism, and professionalism, though, would be the watchwords of
the team formed by Malhuret, Francis Charhon, and Dr. Rony Brauman, who trans-
formed MSF in the 1980s and set the groundwork for its current actions and focus.

MSF IN THE 1980s: EFFICIENCY, PRAGMATISM, PROFESSIONALISM,

AND THE LIMITS OF HUMANITARIAN ACTION IN THE CONTEXT OF
THE COLD WAR
The Refugee Camp Factor
The multiplication of refugee camps at the end of the 1970s accelerated the
growth of MSF after 1978 and defined MSF’s main fields of intervention. Although
the global refugee population remained stable between 1970 and 1976, it doubled
between 1976 and 1979, from 2.7 million to 5.7 million. It doubled again between
1979 and 1982, settling at 11 million people until 1985. This increase was caused
by a spike in the number of conflicts in the Southern Hemisphere after 1975, fueled
largely by the reemergence, after the era of decolonization, of old national
antagonisms and ethnic rivalries, as well as the fact that the East-West confronta-
tion had moved out of Europe.
At the same time, the Soviet Union began to increase its influence in several
developing countries, profiting from 1975 onward from the U.S. withdrawal
from Vietnam and the instability brought about in southern and eastern Africa
because of the Portuguese decolonization and the fall of the Ethiopian Negus.
The Soviet expansion fueled a number of conflicts in Angola and Mozambique
between pro-Soviet regimes and counterrevolutionary guerrillas, as well as in
the Horn of Africa. There, Somalia and Ethiopia began to fight in 1977 over con-
trol of the Ogaden region, an Ethiopian territory inhabited mostly by Somalis. In
addition, the 1975 communist takeover of Indochina led to the exodus of hundreds
of thousands of boat people and other refugees to Thailand, Malaysia, and
Indonesia. Meanwhile, ethnic and religious minorities in Eritrea and Lebanon
began or continued civil wars to obtain their independence or more power.
Millions of people were packed in camps along the borders of these warring
8 The New Humanitarians

countries, often under very poor sanitary conditions. Although the Office of the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) assumed responsibility
for the refugees, and built and supplied camps, it had tremendous difficulty
finding medical personnel willing to work in these areas.
MSF saw the increasing number of refugee settlements in the world as a fertile
field of action. In contrast to the UNHCR, MSF did not lack doctors. In the second
half of the 1960s, the French job market had been flooded by doctors from the
baby-boom generation who did not have to repay their student loans (as they did
in the United States) and who often had had their first taste of the “Third World”
during their military service. Many general practitioners of this generation were
experiencing an identity crisis. Faced in their daily practice with benign pathologies
that did not interest them and unsolvable problems that they could only refer to
specialists, many of them were tempted to practice what they saw as a “more
authentic” form of medicine in the developing world.
From 1976 to 1979, MSF aided Angolan refugees in the former Zaire; Somali
refugees in Djibouti; Saharan refugees in Algeria and Eritrea; and, above all,
Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugees in Thailand. Initially, MSF
offered modest help to the American humanitarian organizations that had
already been on the scene for over a year (particularly the International Rescue
Committee and World Vision). Yet the French doctors sometimes questioned
the motivations of the organizations for which they were working, suspecting
them of acting as much for political objectives (anticommunism) and religious
reasons (proselytizing) as for humanitarian goals.
During this period, MSF gradually expanded its operations in Thailand, slowly
replacing the American organizations, which began to withdraw from the refugee
camps as the memory of the Vietnam War began to fade. In December 1979, MSF
also sent 100 doctors and nurses to the Cambodian border.

Logistics Revolution and Creating Medical Guidelines and Protocols

The transformation of MSF in the 1980s was prompted by a realization of how
ineffective and poorly adapted the organization was in responding to the large-scale
refugee movements and camps.
The nature of the humanitarian and medical challenges posed by large refugee
camps led MSF leaders to turn to public health. In addition to delivering primary
health care and carrying out medical consultations, the importance of implementing
vaccination campaigns and providing water and sanitation became apparent. This
diversification of activities that had to be carried out on a large scale prompted
organizational transformation in several ways.
To begin with, improving the health of refugees required skills beyond those
of the medical doctor, and this led to the constitution of multidisciplinary
teams with other medical professionals including nurses, midwives, and lab
technicians. But perhaps the key innovation that would revolutionize MSF’s
work was the “invention of the logistician.” The first full-time logistics man-
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 9

ager, the pharmacist Jacques Pinel, began to see the importance of logistics
during an aid assignment assisting refugees on the Thai-Cambodian border in
1980. Following his experience, Pinel returned to Paris to work with other
logistics and medical experts to develop a sophisticated inventory of medical
and field supplies.
Given the nature of MSF’s activities, the first logistical priority was the pharmacy:
improving the way drugs were ordered, supplied, stored, and managed. This led to
the development of standardized “kits” that included selected drugs and medical
materials adapted to a particular situation, such as the now widely used 10,000
patients for 3 months’ kit.
Logistics were also essential in other aspects: from the most basic such as
organizing the accommodations and food for the medical teams, to more
program-related activities such as the delivery of water in the medical structures
or the building of latrines. The realization that strong logistics was the backbone
of any effective aid operation further led to the constitution of specialized “logis-
tical centers” in Europe that tested, purchased, and warehoused all items necessary
for a medical humanitarian mission, a list that expanded over the years to include
radio-telecommunication material, computers, and vehicles.
Epidemiological measures of effectiveness adapted to refugee camp settings,
such as a target mortality rate of less than 1 person/10,000 people/day, emerged as
program objectives. To reach these objectives, MSF developed protocols and
guidelines in order to guide volunteers in carrying out medical work in contexts
far different from the ones they were used to. In the 1980s, MSF produced a great
number of medical guidelines, ranging from the now ubiquitous Essential Drugs
and Clinical Guidelines to those dealing with sanitation, the priorities in refugee
health, and responding to cholera outbreaks. These books helped standardize the
medical response and served as training tools for volunteers.

Survival and Growth

The increasing number of programs throughout the 1980s required guidance
and support from headquarters. The early days when practicing doctors would
volunteer to spend one afternoon a week in the office to undertake a range of
support activities were over. Permanent staff was hired to organize and supervise
field operations. Over time, specialized functions beyond program support were
developed—human resources management, communications and fundraising,
financial oversight and accounting—as headquarters grew.
For MSF, a critical development was international expansion beyond the original
French organization. In 1980, Belgian doctors who had been in the field with MSF
created their own organization. This occurred with the support of Paris, which
saw the creation of MSF-Belgium as a positive extension into a country with
strong human resource and fundraising potential. For legal reasons however,
MSF-Belgium was set up as an independent organization. The Belgian group soon
developed its own dynamic: it ran its own programs, and its interpretation of
10 The New Humanitarians

MSF’s mission sharply contrasted with that espoused in Paris. Policy differences
culminated in an open split and a failed attempt by MSF-France to strip MSF-
Belgium of its name in 1985.
Other MSF national sections were then created—MSF-Holland, Switzerland, and
Spain—in the mid to late 1980s, all of which ran their own programs. In practical
terms, this meant that it was possible for five MSFs to be in one country sharing the
same name but running distinct programs. While the diversity of approaches allowed
more ground to be covered, it also created issues of internal coordination.
The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a next phase of organizational development.
In some countries, such as Sweden, sections were created at the urging of doctors
from that country. In other countries, offices were set up under the aegis of existing
MSF sections. All of the MSF sections were formed as private, nonprofit organiza-
tions with different legal structures depending on the country in which they were
formed. Several of these new entities, though, were associations in line with the
spirit of MSF’s original founding.
The intent of opening an office in the United States, as well as in other countries
such as Japan, Australia, Canada, Sweden, or Hong Kong, was primarily to tap into
the resources required to support growing field programs. Private funding in
particular was a key consideration in this organizational expansion. These “partner
sections,” which today number fourteen, were designed as support offices that
would not run field programs.9
Over the years, MSF has also helped to create several affiliated organizations
that are devoted to pursuing specific areas of research in the field of emergency
medicine and relief. In 1986 in Paris, MSF created Epicentre, a group of epidemi-
ologists charged with epidemiological research and evaluation of the work of MSF
and other aid organizations. Today, MSF and Epicentre are often called on to
monitor, diagnose, and control outbreaks of diseases, such as cholera, meningitis,
and measles.
In short, “professionalization” at MSF originated from the goal of developing
field programs that would be more effective and better adapted to the needs of the
populations the organization intended to serve, particularly refugees. Multidisci-
plinary field teams and the creation of specialized and permanent functions at
headquarters were means that were considered necessary to make progress toward
that end. MSF’s further organizational development, particularly the setting up of
offices worldwide to expand human and financial support, was an additional step
in the same direction. The process and ensuing result has led to unforeseen con-
sequences in organizational terms, particularly the large degree of interdepend-
ence between nominally independent entities.

Humanitarian Aid in the Cold War: On the Side of Freedom?

Although MSF’s experience in refugee camps was critically important in
defining its role and responsibility, it also led to reflection about humanitarian
aid in Cold War. Many of the leftists who founded MSF began to realize that
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 11

most of the refugees in the world were fleeing “socialist” or “communist”

regimes. For Rony Brauman, it became apparent that “defending human rights
and humanitarian principles required criticizing totalitarianism and defend-
ing democracy.”10
The French section of MSF even created a short-lived think tank called “Libertés
Sans Frontières,” devoted to publicizing what was felt to be the root causes of the
massive humanitarian crises of the 1980s: namely, totalitarianism and the lack of
freedom. During this period, the group also organized a conference to critique
“third-worldism,” a doctrine that placed blame on Western neocolonialism as the
fuel for many wars.
But taking a firmly anticommunist stand was no guarantee of avoiding mis-
judgments similar to those the original founders had made in Biafra. In their
1979 March for Cambodia, which staged a public protest on the Thai border
demanding access to Cambodia, Malhuret and Brauman denounced “famine” in
Cambodia based on the terrible shape of tens of thousands of refugees arriving
in Thailand after the Khmer Rouge genocide. In reality, the refugees MSF
treated were not representative of the situation for the Cambodian population,
but were rather Khmer Rouge fighters and civilians who had been used as slaves.
In Phnom Penh, Viet Nam had replaced a regime of terror with a dictatorship
that stoked rumors of possible famine in order to receive international aid
funds. The few international groups allowed to work in Cambodia were severely
restricted, and the new regime manipulated incoming aid to gain international
recognition. The famine never occurred.
In 1980 in Afghanistan, MSF ran clandestine cross-border programs to provide
medical and surgical care for civilians affected by the Soviet invasion. Bringing
their medical supplies on risky donkey caravans from Pakistan with the
“mujahideen” resistance, MSF teams spent a year working in medical outposts in
rural, isolated parts of Afghanistan before making the trip back. Keen to hear
eye-witness accounts, the U.S. Congress invited MSF to testify for the first time,
but it became clear that the primary objective was less to understand the medical
and humanitarian conditions faced by the Afghan people than to denounce the
Soviet occupation.

More Harm than Good? Confronting the Diversion

and Manipulation of Aid
The drive toward professionalism and efficiency allowed MSF to respond more
quickly and effectively to crises around the world. As the organization grew in size
and capacity, though, it faced more complex political situations and confronted
the limits of humanitarian action. In particular, the group was forced to ask this
question: when do humanitarian organizations do more harm than good?
Nowhere was this question more acute than in Ethiopia.
As a famine raged in 1984, the Ethiopian government began a policy of forcibly
relocating hundreds of thousands of people in the country from areas most affected
12 The New Humanitarians

by the drought to more fertile regions. When MSF assisted with the first transfer, it
saw no reason for criticism. But it became clear over time that the transfers had two
nefarious aims: (1) to weaken the guerrilla movements in the north (in Eritrea and
Tigre) by removing their grassroots supporters, and (2) to place these populations
in villages in order to bring them ideologically in line with government policy.
Under this scheme, humanitarian aid actually became a trap, used to attract
vulnerable villagers and blackmail them into going along with the program.
By early 1985, the transfers became more authoritarian and violent. MSF mem-
bers witnessed roundups of the hospitalized, and noticed that no efforts were made
to keep families together. Many persons died during the transfers. The areas where
people were forcibly relocated to frequently had inadequate facilities or assistance,
while the Ethiopian authorities established food quotas in Addis Ababa. Further-
more, the transfers diverted many resources from the MSF rescue operations.
After lodging many fruitless protests with the Ethiopian authorities, MSF
decided in November 1985 that, regardless of the consequences to its ability to
remain in the country, the organization could no longer remain silent. If it did so,
MSF could appear to be condoning the brutality of these transfers, already
responsible for more deaths than the famine.
The presence of a host of aid organizations in Ethiopia made it less difficult for
MSF to denounce the transfer practices in public and enabled MSF to take the risk
of expulsion. In explaining this position, MSF operations advisor, François Jean,
wrote that nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) must not help “fund a lunatic
project of social transformation.”11 A few days after officially calling for a halt to
the transfers, MSF was expelled from Ethiopia. MSF immediately briefed the
media on the diversion of aid, used to oppress instead of help. A few days after
MSF’s expulsion, the European Economic Community and the United States
decided to make further aid conditional on the discontinuance of these forced
population transfers. Thus pressured, the Ethiopian government announced in
early 1986 that it would cease its resettlement programs.
The experience in Ethiopia continues to echo within the organization. No
longer could the humanitarian act be considered good in and of itself. Nor could
humanitarian actors simply be content with developing technocratic proficiency
without a deeper understanding of political developments. Rather, MSF needed to
practice a humanitarian action that valued self-criticism and admitted the limits
of what it could accomplish in the face of forces using means—blunt or subtle,
crude or sophisticated—to manipulate and divert assistance. Such a critical and
reflective stance would be needed for the crises in the decades ahead.
This experience was seminal for MSF. No longer was témoignage only about
denouncing perpetrated crimes. Rather it was anchored in analysis about the respon-
sibilities of aid agencies themselves—the impact, both positive and negative, of their
presence and their work, which can reach the extreme of aiding and abetting crime.
Since Ethiopia, MSF has been confronted with a handful of extreme situations,
where abstaining from providing aid has been seen as preferable to intervening,
either because the minimum conditions for ensuring that victims would benefit
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 13

from the assistance did not exist (Iraq under Saddam Hussein, North Korea) or
because the negatives outweighed the positives, as when aid was used against the
interests of its intended beneficiaries (Rwandan refugee camps in Zaire and
Tanzania, see below; Rwandan refugees in Zaire 1996).
In North Korea in 1998, MSF felt leaving the country was preferable to contin-
ued action despite urgent medical and nutritional needs. After years of trying to
negotiate to have free access, to independently assess the needs, to bring humani-
tarian assistance to those most in need, and to monitor its aid, there was a clear
government policy to restrict and limit effective assistance, making it impossible
to deliver aid in a principled and accountable manner. The government refused to
acknowledge an emergency and would only allow structural support to rebuild
the national pharmaceutical industry. At the time, MSF also called on all donor
governments to review their aid policies toward North Korea to ensure more
accountability and impartiality in delivering aid.

MSF IN THE 1990s: RESPONDING TO GENOCIDE AND

MILITARY-HUMANITARIANISM LEADS TO AN INTERNAL CRISIS
Kurdistan, Somalia, and Bosnia—The Promise and Pitfalls of
“Humanitarian Intervention”
The collapse of the Cold War’s ideological divide brought hope of a quick end
to what were seen as “proxy wars” throughout the Third World. Instead, a newly
unified “international community” under the aegis of the UN was faced with the
transformation of persistent wars in places such as Afghanistan and Angola and the
eruption of new conflicts from Bosnia to Somalia. As MSF increasingly deployed
in the midst of these wars, it found itself confronted with the novel doctrine of
“humanitarian intervention,” in which Western governments used military force
ostensibly for humanitarian purposes. The selective application of the doctrine
would range from abstention in the face of genocide (Rwanda) to “humanitarian
war” (Kosovo). After overcoming profound internal divisions over its response to
the Rwandan refugee crisis, MSF emerged from the decade with few illusions but a
reinforced conviction about the value of independent humanitarian action.
In 1991, what President George H. W. Bush termed the “new world order” was
inaugurated when a thirty-seven-nation-strong military coalition, duly endorsed
by the UN Security Council, expelled Iraqi forces that had invaded Kuwait
the year before. As the war was ending, hundreds of thousands of Kurds—with
memories of massacres at the hands of Saddam Hussein’s army still fresh in their
minds—fled toward the border with Iran and Turkey.
Returning from an assessment mission in late March 1991, MSF’s Dr. Marcel
Roux spoke in vivid terms of the catastrophic situation of the Kurds, traumatized
and fearful of further Iraqi atrocities, isolated in the mountains, and in dire need
of shelter, food, and medical care. The UN Security Council adopted Resolution
688, which opened the way for a U.S.-led military operation that would both drop
14 The New Humanitarians

food to refugees on the border and establish a “safe zone” in Northern Iraq to
facilitate their return.
Operation Provide Comfort was the first manifestation of the phrase
coined by Bernard Kouchner, now France’s “Minister for Humanitarian
Affairs,” as “right to intervene” (droit d’ingerence). This was a call for military
intervention to protect and assist civilians at risk preferably with, but if need
be without, the consent of the state on whose territory it would take place.
While MSF mounted its largest ever relief operation on the ground—combining
its French, Dutch, and Belgian sections, sending seventy-five cargo planes in
ten days, and bringing supplies to the mountains by truck—the U.S. air force
preferred to conduct airdrops. Xavier Emmanuelli, one of MSF’s founders
leading the field operations, was shocked at what he felt was a “show” mainly
done for the cameras: planes were used even though trucks could reach the
affected areas.
Eventually, the massive relief operation and especially the establishment of a
“safe zone” secured by a credible military threat defused the crisis and allowed the
Kurds to return to their homes. For many in MSF, though, there was a bitter
aftertaste in what they saw as the hypocrisy of major powers that allowed the crisis
to unfold before taking action in the name of humanitarian morality. It would
also give a flavor of things to come.
At the same time, far from the media spotlight, a devastating crisis was unfold-
ing in Somalia. After the ouster of the dictator Siad Barre in January 1991,
internecine rivalry erupted between the rebel groups that had toppled him. Fierce
fighting in the capital, Mogadishu, divided the city, caused thousands of casualties,
and displaced countless more. MSF was one of the few organizations, along with
the ICRC and Save the Children-UK, which managed to maintain a presence in the
war-torn city, providing surgical services in highly insecure conditions. People in
distress congregated in towns searching for food due to the combined effects of war
and drought, and famine spread throughout southern and central Somalia.
Providing assistance during this massive crisis was extremely difficult. Anarchical
violence and the absence of any system of social order extending to foreigners in
Somalia compelled MSF (and other organizations) to use armed guards, a “necessary
evil” whose costs would become increasingly apparent. In time, MSF teams would
have a small militia on hire to protect their travel and work, fuelling the “war
economy.” But the benefits of MSF’s surgical and nutritional programs in this
massive crisis overrode these concerns.
MSF and other organizations, including the ICRC, attempted to publicize the
Somali emergency. Ironically, as the famine was already receding from its peak of
early to mid-1992, the United States launched Operation Restore Hope in the
waning days of the Bush administration. The UN Security Council authorized the
U.S.-led coalition to use all necessary means “to establish a secure environment
for humanitarian relief operations in Somalia as soon as possible.”12 In December,
U.S. marines staged a dramatic landing on a Mogadishu beach—already secured
by UN forces—for the waiting TV crews and journalists.
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 15

Whether the U.S.-led coalition, operating under a “shoot to feed” policy,

helped turn the corner by increasing relief supplies or whether only few people
remained to be rescued is still debated. In any event, by early 1993, the worst of
the famine was over, but Somalia’s conflict over power and resources was not. The
United States and its allies became embroiled in the war in the name of promoting
political reconciliation. Soon, insecurity increased, U.S. forces fired at hospitals,
and Somali forces captured and killed eighteen U.S. soldiers in October 1993.
MSF activities in the former Yugoslavia began in 1991 with an evacuation of
the wounded from Vukovar, then under siege. For the next several years, MSF ran
surgery programs, distributed medical supplies and drugs to hospitals and clinics,
operated mobile clinics, and worked in refugee camps throughout the region.
MSF also implemented a comprehensive mental health program in several areas
because of the intense traumas experienced by the population.
MSF and other aid organizations were confronted with serious dilemmas of
ethnic cleansing, and the events in Bosnia represented the culmination of the
“humanitarian alibi,” or the use of humanitarian aid to avoid making political deci-
sions. First, the UN force was mandated to strictly protect humanitarian convoys,
not populations. Then, the UN set up enclaves that were supposed to be UN “safe
havens” for populations under assault. But MSF directly witnessed a massacre dur-
ing the Bosnian Serbs’ attack on Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, which led to the
deportation of approximately 40,000 people and the execution of an estimated
7,000. Twenty-two local members of MSF’s personnel and approximately 10 of the
sick and wounded were also executed. The fall of the “safe haven” occurred in the
face of NATO and UN paralysis, and would lead MSF to be actively involved, years
later, in efforts to establish who had been responsible in France and Holland.
For MSF, as for other aid organizations, these three interventions ended the
illusion that the “international community” would effectively take the side of
victims and protect them from imminent danger. Instead, MSF recognized how
humanitarian aid was used as a fig leaf to hide political inaction, or break the
promise to protect civilians.

Rwanda—Genocide, Then the Hijacking of Aid

International powers abandoned Rwanda during the genocide in 1994, and
humanitarian organizations were powerless. MSF managed to maintain a presence
in Kigali at the height of the killings with a group of medical staff working with
the ICRC to transform the ICRC compound into a hospital. Another MSF team
worked at the King Faycal Hospital under UN military protection. These inter-
ventions helped save several hundred people, but were futile overall. Patients were
slaughtered soon after they were discharged, or in ambulances as they were being
transferred to the hospital. In Butare, MSF international personnel were powerless
as their Rwandan colleagues were executed in the hospital. In fact, most of MSF’s
Rwandan colleagues, except for a handful of heroic exceptions, could not be
evacuated and were killed. Humanitarian aid in this situation had been rendered
16 The New Humanitarians

meaningless. The situation led to MSF’s belated, yet unprecedented, call in June
1994 for military intervention to stop the killings, coining the phrase “doctors and
nurses cannot stop genocide.” No effective military intervention occurred except
for the Operation Turquoise by the French army in southwestern Rwanda, serving
as much to protect the flight of the genocidaires as to protect remaining groups of
Tutsi from genocidal onslaught.
Following the Rwandan army’s defeats at the hands of the Rwandan Patriotic
Front, the authorities responsible for the massacres orchestrated a mass exodus,
first in late April into Tanzania and then of more than one million people into the
Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire) in early July. The crisis continued
to escalate when a cholera epidemic broke out in the refugee camps of eastern
Congo, prompting the largest intervention in MSF’s history. It soon became clear,
though, that those responsible for the genocide were creating a climate of fear in
these massive camps, with the genocidaires being bolstered by international relief
operations that in turn strengthened the iron grip they maintained over the
refugee population through the distribution of humanitarian relief. There was
also growing evidence that the refugee camps located right on the Rwandan bor-
der were becoming training bases for members of the “interahamwe” militia and
the former Rwandan armed forces (FAR), which had not been separated from the
refugee population. Aid workers became increasingly outraged that they were
turning into unwilling accomplices to the perpetrators of genocide.
A few months after the camps were established, MSF was divided on what do
to—some felt MSF should leave and denounce the situation, while others felt that
MSF’s role was to provide medical services to vulnerable refugees, particularly
women and children, while carrying out communication and advocacy to try to
improve the situation. The sharp debate was thus not about the analysis of the
camps’ nature, but rather about MSF’s responsibility, and three main positions crys-
tallized. The French section took the drastic step of halting its aid operations at the
end of 1994 in Zaire and Tanzania rather than participate in what it considered a
perversion of humanitarian action, as assistance was propping up leaders intent on
“finishing the genocide.” The Belgian section decided to carry out “humanitarian
resistance,” aiming to undermine the clout of the leaders through its program
implementation, for instance by providing information to refugees about returning
to Rwanda in a way that undercut propaganda from the leaders. These efforts
“managed to reduce the quantity of aid resources that were diverted to the military.”13
The Dutch section focused on its maintaining medical services, which it comple-
mented with reports and “silent diplomacy.” In late 1995, all had come to the con-
clusion that the situation was entrenched and untenable, and finally decided to leave.

Chantilly: Internal Crisis and Back from the Brink

The division among MSF sections about how to respond to the dilemma posed
by the Rwandan refugee camps in Zaire and Tanzania was serious and profound. It
resulted in an international process of reflection to attempt to resolve these
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 17

differences and come to a common understanding. After a series of meetings,

leaders of various MSF sections eventually agreed on a definition of what MSF
stands for, aims to achieve, and the key principles it follows. While placing “medical
action” in “crisis periods, where the very survival of the population is threatened”
first and foremost, the Chantilly Principles also made témoignage—from raising
public awareness to the possibility of openly criticizing and denouncing—an
“indispensable complement” of MSF’s medical action, putting an end to the debates
about “silent diplomacy.”14 Organizational rules were created as well as the goal of
being 50 percent privately funded in order to maintain an independence of action.
At this time, MSF also created an International Council (IC), regrouping all
nineteen board presidents as the highest international policy-making forum.
The IC instituted a moratorium on the opening of new sections, and decided on
the transformation of all sections into “associations” according to France’s
“Association de loi” of 1901. This was done for reasons of principle as well
governance. The associative spirit gave former field staff a democratic voice
within the movement and ownership over MSF’s direction and decisions. The
governance structure put a premium on programmatic legitimacy, with leadership
that was constituted of people who have carried out the core responsibility of
designing and implementing medical humanitarian programs.
The Chantilly document states: “The commitment of each volunteer to the MSF
movement goes beyond completing a mission; it also assumes an active participa-
tion in the associative life of the organization and an adherence to the Charter and
Principles of MSF . . . the associative character of MSF permits an openness
towards our societies and a capacity for questioning ourselves.”15
The agreement at Chantilly also established an international office based in
Brussels (today it is in Geneva.) It has a small staff led by the international secre-
tary, and it orchestrates collaboration in areas such as pharmaceutical validation,
quality control, medical guidelines, financial reporting, and representation and
advocacy toward the UN or other international and national bodies.
Chantilly having brought MSF back from the brink, attempts were made to
solidify the reaffirmation of the organization’s international character through
concrete collaboration. One was to organize a concerted emergency response
system with a single operational leader for the whole of MSF. Although a few
major programs, such as a mass meningitis vaccination campaign in Nigeria in
1996, were implemented, in the end, all of the sections agreed that MSF’s reactivity
was best served by the diversity of approaches among sections.

Nobel Peace Prize—An Ambiguous Recognition

As the twentieth century came to a close, MSF’s work gained recognition from
the Nobel Peace Prize Committee. Some felt that it offered hope for the recognition
of independent humanitarian action. In his acceptance speech on behalf of the
organization, Dr. James Orbinski, president of MSF’s International Council said,
“Humanitarian action is more than simple generosity, simple charity. It aims to
18 The New Humanitarians

build spaces of normalcy in the midst of what is profoundly abnormal. More than
offering material assistance, we aim to enable individuals to regain their rights and
dignity as human beings.”16
But the recognition was ambiguous at best. MSF was keen to distance itself
from having the Nobel Prize misconstrued as a triumph of the idea of military
“humanitarian interventions” waged in the name of humanitarian ideals or
motives. In Kosovo, NATO had used MSF data as one of the justifications for its
military campaign, while other aid organizations were becoming “subcontractors”
to the Western nations waging the war. Increasingly uneasy about humanitarian
action being co-opted in a war effort, MSF took further measures to assert its
independence.

HUMANITARIAN ACTION IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Medical Catastrophes: Struggling to Respond to HIV/AIDS
As the global HIV/AIDS pandemic raged throughout the 1990s, MSF was
forced to reexamine the limits of its humanitarian action and what constituted an
emergency. By 1999, HIV/AIDS had laid waste to millions of lives in villages,
towns, and cities throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The sick were arriv-
ing at MSF clinics and hospitals in increasing numbers, only to be told they had a
deadly disease and that nothing could be done.
Debate had been going on within MSF for years about how to address the needs
of people living with HIV/AIDS it was seeing in its field hospitals. Treatment on the
scale needed seemed impossible. The magnitude of the problem dwarfed what one
aid organization could handle, while the sophisticated, lifelong, daily regimen—
based on the technologically heavy model of diagnosis and care implemented in
European or North American hospitals—was ill suited for the remote, sometimes
war-ravaged, infrastructure-less settings where MSF worked. The cost of the drugs
($10–$15,000 dollars per patient per year in 2000) could never be afforded by
ministries of health, let alone by most people living with HIV/AIDS, and the long-
term commitment needed to sustain treatment programs went far beyond the
usual scope of a medical organization geared toward responding to acute crises
that required immediate, but short-term, action. Doctors and nurses continued to
return from their aid assignments frustrated and angry that they could do little for
their patients who were dying in catastrophic numbers.
As obstacles to treatment seemed intractable, many MSF aid workers tried
to integrate a variety of prevention programs or treatment of opportunistic
infections into their projects in the mid- and late 1990s. But the pandemic
spread with no end in sight. As the 1990s drew to a close, frustrations over the
impotent medical response in the face of rising death tolls boiled over, and
many within MSF began to push for solutions.
MSF’s HIV project in Thailand began in 1995. As elsewhere, this largely consisted
of providing palliative care and treatment for opportunistic infections. In Thailand
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 19

a large network of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), health professionals,

and other NGOs had been fighting for better care for PLWHA, including having TB
care provided in district hospitals so patients could be treated closer to home.
In Europe a group of MSF doctors and nurses were in the early stages of
forming a campaign to help overcome obstacles such as high prices and patent
restrictions preventing field doctors from providing life-saving medicines to their
patients. They contacted Dr. Wilson, the medical coordinator of MSF’s Thai pro-
gram, and in turn linked the team up with a number of experts and activists. With
coalitions building within Thailand and worldwide, HIV/AIDS treatment was
soon possible.
Since the Thai health care system functioned well, the team decided to work
within Ministry of Health structures, and began a treatment program in a district
hospital on the outskirts of Bangkok. In 2000 Dr. Wilson became one of the first
MSF physicians to provide ARV treatment. The subsequent project relied heavily
on the involvement of PLWHAs, which would become a hallmark of successful
HIV/AIDS treatment programs throughout the world.
Halfway across the world in 1999, Dr. Eric Goemaere and his colleagues were
trying to open a treatment program in South Africa. The country had the world’s
highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS, and people living with HIV/AIDS took an
active, and growing, part in community efforts to address the epidemic.
After a project site outside of Johannesburg was blocked by government health
officials at the end of 1999, a clinic in Khayletshia, a sprawling slum near Cape
Town, gave Dr. Goemaere some dilapidated space to set up.
The team felt strongly that the only viable solution was to rely on generic versions
of the medicines, most likely from manufacturers in India and Brazil. Overcoming
patent barriers to using generic medicines would be another hallmark of successful
treatment programs. In the seven years since generic competition emerged, the price
for ARVs has dropped to a much more affordable level—less than US$150—and
has allowed for more massive scale-up of programs throughout the world.
The first patient was put on treatment in Khayletshia in May 2001. Over the
next six years, MSF drastically scaled up its treatment programs, and by the end
of 2007, MSF was treating more than 100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS—
including more than 7,000 children—in more than thirty-two countries. While
still barely a drop in the ocean of needs, international efforts have been growing
as well. New obstacles have arisen, though, including a dangerous shortage of
healthcare workers contributing to the inability of many countries to scale up
HIV/AIDS programs.
The experience in trying to respond to HIV/AIDS led MSF to incorporate
responding to medical catastrophes into its self-defined mandate.

Access to Essential Medicines Campaign

For years, there was growing recognition in MSF that medical staff faced major
problems trying to treat their patients. This was not just a technical issue, but also
20 The New Humanitarians

a political one. Medicines were inaccessible to poor people living in resource-poor

countries because they did not represent a market for the pharmaceutical indus-
try nor a political constituency. Lack of access to ARVs was the most egregious
example, but others multiplied. The production of a useful drug for treating
meningitis, oily chloramphenicol, had been abandoned because no other uses had
been found. The same held true for eflornithine, which proved effective in treat-
ing human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness. Every day in
the field, doctors and nurses were forced to make choices that conflicted with
medical ethics, such as rationing treatments or not providing ARVs.
In 2000 MSF, led by Dr. Bernard Pécoul, launched the Access to Essential
Medicines Campaign to understand and overcome select obstacles, hoping to
obtain the medicines needed to transform medical practice in the field. The
campaign would focus on patients in MSF programs, but advocate for solutions
that would also benefit others. The campaign was critical of donation programs
from the pharmaceutical industry, and pushed for generic production to lower
prices through competition. It also called for greater public involvement in
R&D as private incentives would not stimulate research where no market
existed. Analysis of price issues pushed MSF to learn about areas far from its
core expertise: for example, how patent protections (TRIPS) were included in
international trade agreements as an obligation for countries wanting to join the
World Trade Organization, or how generic production was threatened in coun-
tries such as India that had not issued patents on pharmaceuticals. MSF and
others pushed for the public health safeguards included in TRIPS to be effectively
used to increase access to medicines. MSF confronted international policies detri-
mental to public health and access, often linking with and supporting national
activists, as in the 2001 South Africa court case.
MSF used the proceeds from the Nobel Peace Prize to support this new Access
to Essential Medicines Campaign as well as to fund a working group to investigate
how best to spark research and development into diseases neglected by most of
the pharmaceutical industry. This working group led to the creation of the Drugs
for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), which today is an independent organi-
zation led by Dr. Pécoul, of which MSF is a co-founder, along with several public-
sector research institutions mainly in endemic countries (Brazil, India, and Kenya,
in addition to the Pasteur Institute). DNDi fosters collaboration both among
developing countries and between developing and developed countries, focusing
on needs-based, field-adapted research to develop new treatments for neglected
diseases such as human African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, visceral
leishmaniasis, and Chagas disease.

No to “Coherence”—Independence of Action
In Angola in 2002, following a negotiated surrender of UNITA after the death of
Jonas Savimbi, MSF responded to the discovery of starving populations emerging
from war zones throughout the country. MSF struggled to expand nutritional and
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 21

medical programs to deal with the emergency at a time when the UN was focused
on negotiating with the Angolan government for a comprehensive approach, not
just assistance but also disarmament and the creation of a political process. The UN
did not push the humanitarian imperative independently, and put pressure on MSF
not to break ranks, resulting in a serious delay in providing assistance.
The humanitarian failure in Angola was part of a trend that had begun a
decade earlier in which international interventions increasingly combined politi-
cal, military, and assistance programs under one umbrella. In several instances,
the UN led robust peacekeeping operations that subordinated relief efforts to
broader political aims. MSF was skeptical of the trend, as the very essence of
humanitarian action is to provide aid without conditions, and many within MSF
felt that impartial assistance would take a back seat to other concerns. MSF’s field
experience confirmed these fears.
In Liberia in the late 1990s, the UN peacekeeping force bombed MSF convoys.
In Sierra Leone, as well, the UN and international organizations withdrew from
the country to protest the RUF/AFRC takeover, in effect creating a situation of
collective punishment. The Henry Dunant Center called this “one of the most
shameful episodes regarding international humanitarian action in modern
times.”17 Only MSF, ICRC, and Action Against Hunger stayed.
This trend of associating humanitarian aid with broader strategic goals was
intensified in the “global war on terror” launched in response to the terrorist
attacks on New York City in 2001. Recent wars waged by Western powers put for-
ward a variety of objectives for taking military action, such as restoring peace,
democratic political order, and economic development. Relief operations in these
contexts have aspects of propaganda and public relations, both in the war zone
and at home, in helping to depict the overall mission as altruistic or humanitar-
ian. United States–backed coalition forces have consistently sought to further U.S.
military and political ambitions by using aid to “win hearts and minds” and
gather intelligence.
It has always been difficult to work in war zones. Humanitarian principles
such as impartiality—providing aid based on need alone, without any kind of
discrimination—and neutrality—the refusal to take political sides—help aid work-
ers navigate between warring groups, gain acceptance from all groups, and help
reduce security risks while delivering much-needed assistance in volatile and sen-
sitive environments. By definition, humanitarian assistance is a suspect activity in
many contexts. In MSF’s experience, the most effective way to gain acceptance and
a measure of trust in conflict settings is to have a very clear and transparent
humanitarian identity to defuse suspicion and to provide quality medical care to
build support. It is, however, never a guarantee.
Given the overt attempts of Western-based military interventions to enlist
humanitarian aid, MSF has taken steps to remain independent and distinct. MSF
denounced several of the coalition’s attempts to co-opt humanitarian aid, partic-
ularly dropping “humanitarian” food packets during the initial aerial strikes in
Afghanistan, calling aid workers “force multipliers,” and distributing leaflets that
22 The New Humanitarians

conditioned aid based on civilians providing intelligence about the Taliban and al
Qaeda. Because of such actions, MSF’s fear was that the provision of aid would no
longer be seen as an impartial and neutral act, thus endangering the lives of
humanitarian volunteers and jeopardizing the aid to people in need.
Despite these efforts, some radical groups may never see MSF or other groups
as strictly humanitarian and may continue to target aid workers and civilian
groups, especially in situations involving Western military intervention.
“MSF does not object to militaries building village clinics or offering medical
help. But these are legal obligations under the Geneva Conventions, not human-
itarian assistance,” wrote Dr. Rowan Gillies, the president of MSF’s International
Council in 2004. “People in crisis deserve to have access to impartial, independent
humanitarian aid based on needs alone, without regard to military political
objectives. In the ‘war against terror’ all factions want us to choose sides. We
refuse to choose sides, just as we refuse to accept a vision of a future where civilians
trapped in the hell of war can only receive life-saving aid from the armies that
wage it.”18

Aid Workers Face Increasing Risks

As aid has moved from the periphery to the center of war zones and the
multiplication of actors, aid workers face increased exposure. In 1989 a missile
destroyed an Avions Sans Frontières airplane in Sudan, killing two MSF mem-
bers on board. In 1990 an MSF logistics expert was assassinated in Afghanistan,
and in 1997, an MSF doctor was murdered in Somalia. The organization faced
kidnappings in Colombia, Ingushetia, and Sierra Leone as well as grave security
concerns in the former Yugoslavia, Liberia, Chechnya, Rwanda, and Congo
(former Zaire).
In July 2004 in Afghanistan, MSF closed all medical programs in the aftermath
of the killing of five MSF aid workers in a deliberate attack on June 2, 2004, when
a clearly marked MSF vehicle was ambushed in the northwestern province of
Badghis. Five MSF colleagues were mercilessly shot in the attack. This targeted
killing, the government’s failure to at first arrest the primary suspects and then
credibly prosecute them, as well as declarations by the Taliban claiming respon-
sibility and threatening further attacks made it impossible for MSF to continue
providing assistance to the Afghan people.
MSF is not alone. More than thirty aid workers had been killed in Afghanistan
since the beginning of 2003. The association of aid with broader political and
military goals has heightened the likelihood that aid workers will become targets
and will be attacked.
“MSF, as a medical humanitarian organization, provides unconditional assistance
to people in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world based on needs alone,
regardless of political beliefs or relations with any military or political groups,”
said Nicolas de Torrente, executive director of MSF-USA in 2004. “When warring
parties do not respect the integrity of impartial needs-based humanitarian action,
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 23

aid workers are put at serious risk. In the end, the result is that people do not get
the aid they badly need.”19
The kidnapping of Arjan Erkel in the northern Caucasus and its aftermath
highlighted the increasing dangers aid workers faced in several conflict zones and
the willingness of many armed groups and governments to undermine legal
protections shielding civilians and aid workers alike from violence during war, as
set down in International Humanitarian Law (IHL). “Since 1994, 15 humanitarian
aid workers have been abducted in the Caucasus including four MSF aid workers,”
said MSF program officer Patrice Pagé in 2003. “The violence towards civilians is
clearly extending to humanitarian aid workers.”20
Arjan Erkel was held for twenty months. Afterward, the Dutch government
sued MSF in a Swiss court—they wanted to recoup funds they had paid as ransom
after having negotiated with Russian security services. In March 2007, a Swiss
judge ruled in MSF’s favor, a judgment that was upheld by a higher court in March
2008 after the Dutch government appealed the initial verdict. Especially troubling
in this episode, though, was the Dutch government’s argument that it does not
have any specific obligations related to Arjan Erkel’s status as an aid worker—in
their view, he was no different than an employee of a private company.

Private Funding Helps Maintain Independence of Action

Responding on the basis of need and reducing security risks for teams are two
of the reasons why MSF has insisted on building and defending the independence
of its medical humanitarian action. It is impossible to act independently, though,
without the resources to do so.
MSF took a strategic decision in the mid-1990s to move away from institutional
and government funding. Today, it relies on the general public for well over 80 per-
cent of its operating funds. The remaining funds come from international agencies
and governments. The organization counted more than 3.3 million individuals,
foundations, corporations, and nonprofit organizations among its donors worldwide
in 2006 for $714 million of income. The organization continues to exert significant
effort at building unrestricted, stable, and diverse revenue sources.
This independence of funding is critical to a rapid response, flexibly, and
innovation. Political and other interests can sometimes drive government fund-
ing decisions, and MSF does not want to be considered as implementing agents,
or “subcontractors,” for government interventions. If MSF relied primarily on
government funding, for example, it would not have been able to start ARV
treatments for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Relying on media-driven private funding has its drawbacks as well: neglected
crises without media coverage do not generate donations, while highly exposed
crises can sometimes lead to an overreaction in response. Following the tsunami
that devastated many parts of South Asia in 2004, MSF was able to set up med-
ical clinics in Aceh, Indonesia, within seventy-two hours. MSF quickly realized,
however, that emergency needs in the region would be limited, and that the local
24 The New Humanitarians

response, particularly in Sri Lanka, was significant. Faced with a massive,

unprecedented, spontaneous outpouring of support, MSF decided to stop
accepting earmarked funds within days of the catastrophe. MSF asked donors to
“de-restrict” their gifts. Nearly all of them agreed to do so, while the others were
reimbursed. This allowed MSF to have sufficient resources to respond to other
crises, most notably a nutritional crisis in Niger, where MSF teams effectively
treated nearly 70,000 severely malnourished children.
“In 2006, MSF undertook over 9 million medical consultations, and hospitalized
almost half a million patients,” said Dr. Christophe Fournier, president of MSF’s
International Council.“For this work and commitment to remain constant, the mas-
sive support we receive from individual donors worldwide remains crucial. It allows
us to preserve our humanitarian identity and to maintain our independence to make
decisions about where and how we will work, guided by the needs of our patients and
independent from any power other than the medical-humanitarian imperative.”21

Treating Victims of Today’s Armed Conflicts

Beginning with its intervention during Lebanon’s civil war in the 1970s, the
commitment to treating victims of armed conflict has been central to MSF’s work
throughout its history.
MSF has moved from the periphery of conflicts in refugee camps to try to be
closer to the violence directly and indirectly affecting civilians. The number of
internally displaced persons has been increasing as borders become closed to
those trying to flee war, as in the DR Congo. Many conflicts today are also in
urban areas, as in Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Mogadishu, Somalia; and Port Harcourt,
Nigeria; in these locations, MSF has tried to offer more comprehensive services,
including surgery for victims of direct violence, physical rehabilitation, and mental
health services for trauma victims.
One of MSF’s largest operations has been in the Darfur region of Sudan. A
brutal, scorched-earth counterinsurgency campaign in 2003 and 2004 left tens of
thousands dead and hundreds of thousands of people displaced. For the next several
years, hundreds of international MSF staff and thousands of Sudanese personnel
brought aid to people in North, South, and West Darfur as well as to hundreds of
thousands of refugees in Chad. Security conditions have deteriorated over the last
several years, with armed groups fragmenting and banditry becoming rife, putting
at risk humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of people.
In Iraq, there are specific operational dilemmas. In order to provide critical
medical and surgical care to victims of the violence there, it is necessary to reach
them quickly, which means providing appropriate services as close as possible to
where the violence is occurring. However, it is precisely those violence-affected
areas that are the most unsafe for patients and for medical personnel, particularly
for international staff.
MSF has taken two different approaches to deal with this dilemma in order to
support medical personnel inside Iraq who are dealing with the bulk of casualties.
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 25

One is trying to provide medical supplies and training from Jordan to Iraqi medical
staff still on the front lines.
The other is to provide care to patients in more stable and safe environments.
The MSF project in Amman, Jordan, attempts to help rehabilitate stabilized Iraqi
patients who require complex orthopedic, maxillo-facial, or plastic surgery services.
While the project does provide hands-on care to Iraqi patients, it faces a number
of limits and challenges such as administrative or political barriers to entering
Jordan and lengthy treatment. MSF is also trying to help Iraqi doctors who are still
working in the country despite the threats they are facing.
Both approaches, while important, have serious drawbacks. “In the worst war
zone of the new century, international assistance is absent on the ground,” said
Christopher Stokes, secretary general of MSF International. “In contrast, the
deployment—albeit fragile and often threatened—of over one hundred MSF
international aid workers in Darfur is a painful reminder of the impotence of
humanitarian aid agencies. The struggle to assist victims of conflict is not one
MSF can abandon, but it will be a long, hard struggle to achieve a real operational
space in Iraq.”22

Critical Reflection Leads MSF to Treat Victims of Sexual Violence

What is an effective humanitarian aid operation? How can we improve the aid
we provide to victims of armed conflict? Questions such as these often confront
aid workers in the course of their work, and struggling to answer them helps MSF
strive to improve its emergency medical care. A culture of reflection led MSF to
critique its operations during the civil war in Congo-Brazzaville 1998–2000,
which illustrates the risk that policy “lenses” can lead to pressing medical needs
being neglected.23
During an intervention that assisted displaced Congolese returning to Brazzaville
in dire nutritional and medical condition, a large number of women who had
been assaulted and raped did not receive appropriate care. Although the field team
was aware of the severity and extent of the problem, it focused its limited means
in a tense security environment on nutritional assistance. The people in head-
quarters also did not devote sufficient attention to the issue, and did not move to
ensure adequate care was provided, in particular, post-exposure prophylaxis against
HIV/AIDS. The reason was largely that sexual violence was then not considered a
policy priority in conflicts. In fact, it is largely the experience garnered in
Congo-Brazzaville that has resulted in sexual violence becoming a key concern of
MSF’s in all conflict settings, along with the development of specialized medical
and psychological approaches and tools.
By 2007 the treatment of sexual violence victims had been integrated into most
of MSF’s interventions. At the Bon Marché hospital in Bunia, capital of the Ituri
region in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for example, MSF teams
treated 7,400 rape victims over a four year period, thus revealing the brutal targeting
of women in that war.
26 The New Humanitarians

The Need for Innovative Medical Tools

There is an urgent need for innovative medical tools adapted to the conditions
faced by people in resource-poor settings. Tuberculosis (TB), malaria, HIV/AIDS,
sleeping sickness, Chagas disease, kala-azar, and many other diseases have been all
but abandoned by the current for-profit research and development system. The
drugs to treat TB, for example, all date from the 1960s even though the most
widely used TB diagnostic test was invented in the 1880s.
When an innovative medical tool is adapted to people’s needs in resource-poor
settings, the result can be stark. The innovative three-in-one fixed-dose combina-
tion ARV created by an Indian generic manufacturer, for example, has allowed the
scale-up of treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS.
MSF also began an innovative nutritional program in the vast, landlocked West
African nation of Niger adapted to the needs of severely malnourished children,
who are mostly poor and from rural areas. Based in large part on the provision of
new therapeutic ready-to-use foods (RUF) such as BP 100 or Plumpy‘nut, the vast
majority of malnourished children can now take treatment at home, under the
supervision of their mothers or other caregivers, instead of in a hospital.24
The value of this approach became most evident in 2005, when a nutritional
emergency ravaged impoverished families throughout rural parts of the country.
MSF teams successfully treated nearly 60,000 severely malnourished children
during the crisis.
In previous nutritional crises, MSF and others could reach only a fraction of
those in need because of the limitations inherent in the tools available at the time.
The famine in southern Sudan in 1998 produced mortality rates that in some
areas equaled or exceeded those reported in Ethiopia during the crisis of 1985.
MSF encountered catastrophic levels of malnutrition and mortality in Bahr el
Ghazal, with more than 100 people dying every day in some areas. Although MSF
was late in responding to the initial signs of the crisis, teams quickly set up
throughout the region and were able to treat thousands of children.
“Before, we wouldn’t have been able to treat nearly as many children,” said
Dr. Milton Tectonidis. “Angola in 2002 was MSF’s last big nutritional response
that did not include outpatient care, and we treated 8,600 children. So it’s a
huge difference. Therapeutic foods should be considered an essential medicine
and not just during emergencies. I don’t think we can go back again.”25
Since outpatient treatment based on RUF proved so effective the previous two
years, MSF decided in 2007 to provide a modified version as a supplement to the
staple of the daily diet for young Nigerian children in the hopes of preventing severe
malnutrition in high-prevalence areas. Initial results have shown great promise.

The “La Mancha” Process and Challenges Ahead

Nearly forty years after its creation, both MSF and the international envi-
ronment in which it works have changed significantly. In 2006 the group
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 27

undertook a consultative process to reflect on its roles and responsibilities, to

define a common ambition among its various sections, and to clarify issues of
internal governance. The “La Mancha” process, as it was known internally, is
emblematic of MSF’s emphasis on critical review and an effort to learn from
successes as well as failures. The resulting text serves as a companion to the
original MSF Charter and the more recent Chantilly Principles, and was written
to help guide MSF in the years ahead.
Concerning MSF’s social mission, La Mancha reaffirmed that the core of the
group’s work would continue to be responding to emergency medical needs aris-
ing from conflict or medical catastrophes. Top priority should also be given to
improving the effectiveness, relevance, and quality of operations. Speaking out to
highlight and confront political responsibilities would remain central to MSF’s
identity, but the group would refrain from proposing global solutions. MSF
would, however, be committed to transparently documenting its results and
exposing obstacles that could contribute to a response that can benefit others.
There will be an effort at consensus in public positions, but not at the total exclu-
sion of minority points of view. And because of the disillusionment with interna-
tional efforts to “coherently” respond to crises, MSF would stress the independent
and humanitarian nature of its work.
Organizationally, La Mancha strengthened MSF’s international governance
and reaffirmed its international, associative character. Few colleagues from the
countries where MSF works were present at the La Mancha conference, but they
made their voice heard. There was a strong consensus that MSF had failed to inte-
grate national staff appropriately, and that urgent action was needed to address
this shortcoming in the years ahead.
The transformation of MSF from an idea to a single section in France to
today’s international network in nineteen countries has been profound. This
interdependence has enabled the continued expansion of field operations by pro-
viding much-needed human and financial resources. Mutual accountability and
active transparency will be key elements as MSF moves forward.
For the people who make up the organization, maintaining creativity and
innovation as the group continues to grow with strong public support will require
a major commitment. As future transformations are inevitable, the culture of
debate and participation that helped MSF adapt in previous years will help guide
its members as they provide emergency medical assistance to people struggling to
survive crises around the world.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
Founders: Xavier Emmanuelli, Marcel Delcourt, Max Recamier, Gérard Pigeon,
Jean Cabrol, Jean-Michel Wild, Bernard Kouchner, Pascal Greletty-Bosviel,
28 The New Humanitarians

Jacques Beres, Raymond Borel, Vladan Radoman, Gérard Illiouz, and Philippe
Bernier
President of U.S. Board of Directors, & President of Officers of the Organization:
Darin Portnoy, MD, MPH
Mission/Description: Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) is an independent international medical humanitarian organization that
delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics,
natural and man-made disasters, or exclusion from health care in more than
70 countries.
Each year, MSF doctors, nurses, logisticians, water-and-sanitation experts,
administrators, and other medical and non-medical professionals depart on
more than 4,700 aid assignments. They work alongside more than 25,800
locally hired staff to provide medical care.
In emergencies and their aftermath, MSF provides essential health care, reha-
bilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, performs surgery, battles epidemics,
carries out vaccination campaigns, operates feeding centers for malnourished
children, and offers mental health care. When needed, MSF also constructs
wells and dispenses clean drinking water, and provides shelter materials like
blankets and plastic sheeting.
Through longer-term programs, MSF treats patients with infectious diseases
such as tuberculosis, sleeping sickness, and HIV/AIDS, and provides medical
and psychological care to marginalized groups such as street children.
MSF was founded in 1971 as the first nongovernmental organization to both
provide emergency medical assistance and bear witness publicly to the plight
of the people it assists. A private nonprofit association, MSF is an international
network with sections in 19 countries.
Website: www.doctorswithoutborders.org
Address: 333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001-5004
Phone: (212) 679-6800
Fax: (212) 679-7016
E-mail: Kevin.phelan@newyork.msf.org

NOTES
1. Section adapted from Rony Brauman and Joelle Tanguy, “The Médecins Sans
Frontières Experience” (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/field/themsf
experience.cfm).
2. The MSF Adventure, a documentary by Anne Vallaeys and Patrick Benquet (2006).
3. Section adapted from Rony Brauman and Joelle Tanguy, “The Médecins Sans Fron-
tières Experience” (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/field/themsf
experience.cfm).
From an Idea to Action: The Evolution of Médecins Sans Frontières 29

4. Section adapted from Rony Brauman and Joelle Tanguy, “The Médecins Sans
Frontières Experience” (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/field/themsf
experience.cfm).
5. Section adapted from Rony Brauman and Joelle Tanguy, “The Médecins Sans
Frontières Experience” (http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/volunteer/field/themsf
experience.cfm).
6. Anne Vallaeys, Médecins sans Frontières: la biographie (Paris: Fayard, 2004), pp. 150–55.
7. Vallaeys, p. 248.
8. See Rony Brauman and Joelle Tanguy, “The Médecins Sans Frontières Experience.”
9. The exception is MSF-Greece, which was created with the intention of running field
programs. It did so for a number of years before being expelled from the MSF movement
in 1999 over its stance during the Kosovo crisis. MSF-Greece has been reintegrated
within MSF in early 2005, but its operations have been folded under the authority of
MSF-Spain.
10. See Rony Brauman and Joelle Tanguy, “The Médecins Sans Frontières Experience.”
11. Francois Jean, From Ethiopia to Chechnya: Reflections on Humanitarian Action,
1988–1999 (New York: MSF, 2008), p. 23.
12. U.N. Security Resolution 794, December 1992 (http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/
UNDOC/GEN/N92/772/11/PDF/N9277211.pdf?OpenElement).
13. Fiona Terry, Condemned to Repeat (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2002), p. 201.
14. Who Are Médecins Sans Frontières?, MSF Internal document (1997).
15. Who Are Médecins Sans Frontières?
16. Nobel Lecture by James Orbinski, Médecins Sans Frontières, Oslo, December 10, 1999
(http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1999/msf-lecture.html).
17. Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, “Politics and Humanitarianism
Coherence in Crisis?” (February 2003), p. 11 (http://www.reliefweb.int/
rw/lib.nsf/db900sid/RURI-6N4RYU/$file/politics%20and%20humanitarianism.pdf?
openelement).
18. Dr. Rowan Gillies, Wall Street Journal, August 19, 2004, p. A13.
19. Nicolas de Torrente, “Our Distress and Grief are Compounded by Outrage”: On the
Killing of Five MSF Aid Workers in Afghanistan (June 2004) (http://www.doctors
withoutborders.org/publications/ideas/opinion_nicolasdetorrente_06-04.cfm).
20. Patrice Pagé, presentation at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (September 2003)
(http://www.ushmm.org/conscience/analysis/details.php?content=2003-09-15).
21. Dr. Christophe Fournier, MSF International Activity Report (2007) (http://www.
doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/ar/report.cfm?id=2382).
22. Christopher Stokes, MSF International Activity Report (2007) (http://www.doctors
withoutborders.org/publications/ar/report.cfm?id=2383).
23. Marc le Pape and Pierre Salignon, eds., Civilians under Fire—Humanitarian Practices
in the Congo Republic 1998–2000 (n.p.: MSF/L’Harmattan, 2002).
24. Community-Based Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition: A Joint Statement by the
World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, the United Nations Standing
Committee on Nutrition and the United Nations Children’s Fund (May 2007).
(http://www.who.int/child-adolescent-health/New_Publications/CHILD_HEALTH/
Severe_Acute_Malnutrition_en.pdf).
25. Milton Tectonidis, MSF Voices from the Field (August 2005) (http://www.doctorswith
outborders.org/news/voices/2005/08-2005_niger.cfm).
This page intentionally left blank
 2

Unite For Sight

Jennifer Staple*

Unite For Sight is the only organization that has been able to give free
treatment in this settlement since I have been on this refugee camp, and
right now there are people coming all the way from Liberia here for help
from Unite For Sight. Many of our patients have returned to Liberia with
the good news about Unite For Sight in the refugee camp in Ghana.
—Karrus Hayes, President of Unite For Sight
Chapter at Buduburam Refugee Camp

The question I have always asked myself is “what would have happened to
all these people who have benefited from Unite For Sight programs had the
organization not come to their aid?” It is likely that many would have per-
ished in their agony.
—Dr. James Clarke, Crystal Eye Clinic, Unite For Sight
Partner Ophthalmologist in Ghana

There are an estimated 45 million blind people and 135 million visually impaired
individuals worldwide.1 The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that
90 percent of people who are blind live in developing countries, and 80 percent
of blindness is curable or preventable.2 The major barriers to eye care in devel-
oping countries include education and awareness, expense, distance and trans-
portation, and poor quality of services by untrained or under-trained doctors.
With 45 ophthalmologists, Ghana has one of the highest number of ophthal-
mologists in Africa: there is approximately one ophthalmologist for every 59,146
people. Liberia, in contrast, has only a handful of ophthalmologists for the entire

*The author is grateful to Buduburam Refugee Camp resident Karrus Hayes’s work as her
research assistant for this chapter.

31
32 The New Humanitarians

population of 3.5 million. In the United States, there is one optometrist or

ophthalmologist for every 5,000 people,3 with an estimated 59,146 eye doctors
for the population. Yet, despite the prevalence of doctors in the United States, we
know that more than 40 million people remain uninsured and medically under-
served in general health care. Countries such as Ghana and Liberia, with many
fewer ophthalmologists, cannot meet the eye care needs of the majority of the
population.
Further complicating the lack of eye care professionals is the fact that poor
patients in rural areas are usually unaware that their blindness may be curable or
preventable. Even those aware of eye care services will often not pursue treatment
because of fear or expense. Quality eye care and innovative outreach programs are
vital in order to achieve the Vision 2020 goals of the WHO and the International
Agency for Preventable Blindness. With a mission statement of “The Right to
Sight,” Vision 2020 seeks to eliminate avoidable blindness worldwide by the year
2020.4
Eight years ago, I founded Unite For Sight, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
that improves eye health and eliminates preventable blindness. I founded the
organization when I was a sophomore at Yale University. During the previous sum-
mer, I had worked as a clinical ophthalmology research associate in Connecticut.
While interacting with low-income patients, I learned about eye diseases that could
have been prevented by early medical intervention. Their poignant stories made
me recognize the need for community programs to promote eye health, motivat-
ing me to found Unite For Sight. What started with a single volunteer has now
grown to a force of 4,000 volunteers worldwide, who are dedicated to targeting the
more than 36 million people with undiagnosed and untreated cases of preventable
blindness, including those suffering eye damage as a result of atrocities committed
against them. In April of each year, Unite For Sight volunteers from throughout the
world, as well as others among the general public who are interested in global
health, convene for Unite For Sight’s annual Global Health Conference. The goal of
the conference is to exchange ideas across disciplines—from international service
and public health to microfinance and international development—about best
practices to achieve global goals in health and development. The Unite For Sight
conference has become a key to continuous enhancement of the organization’s eye
care programming within the context of international development, social entre-
preneurship, and global health.
Unite For Sight works with eye clinics worldwide that previously have
attempted to provide free cataract surgeries and other eye care services in their
community, but have been precluded from doing so by lack of staffing and fund-
ing. Unite For Sight’s model is unique among global health and volunteer organ-
izations in that it involves local and visiting volunteers who serve as support staff
to eye doctors in the field. Additionally, Unite For Sight provides grants to its
partner eye clinics to hire local ophthalmic nurses, optometrists, translators, and
coordinators to assist in remote, rural village outreach programs. The clinics’ eye
doctors diagnose and treat eye disease in the field, and surgical patients are
Unite For Sight 33

brought to the eye clinics for surgery. The Unite For Sight-sponsored patients
receive surgical care in the same facilities as the private patients, who are able to
pay for their own surgeries. To ensure that all patients receive high quality care,
Unite For Sight monitors the postoperative outcomes of patients receiving eye
care through its programs with partner eye clinics. The goal of Unite For Sight is
to create eye disease-free communities and to achieve the Vision 2020 goals of the
World Health Organization and the International Agency for Prevention of Blind-
ness. Since Unite For Sight’s international launching in 2004, its programs have
provided services to more than 600,000 people worldwide, and a total of 19,000
sight-restoring surgeries are anticipated by the end of 2008.
The Unite For Sight model coincides with the World Health Organization’s
Vision 2020 strategy that aims to eliminate preventable blindness by the year
2020, which is as follows:
1. Creating professional, public and political awareness of:
a. the magnitude of blindness and visual impairment;
b. the fact that at least 75% can be prevented or cured using existing knowledge
and technology;
c. that existing interventions for cataract, refractive errors, vitamin A deficiency,
onchocerciasis, and trachoma, are some of the most cost-effective in health-
care.
2. More efficient use of existing resources and mobilising [sic] new resources for the
development of eye care services. These resources come from a variety of sources
including Ministries of Health, NGOs, private, and corporate sectors of society.
3. Implementing comprehensive eye care services at the “district” level (population
varies from 100,000 to 1 million) involving human resource development (eye care
teams with different cadres of staff), and infrastructure development (facilities,
equipment, and consumables). These services should be sustainable and equitable.
4. Prioritising [sic] available resources on control of the avoidable causes of blind-
ness and visual impairment in that community. This will vary from country to
country and even from district to district in some countries.5

Sasikumar et al. conducted an analysis during 1998 of eye screening camps for
90,000 people in an area of 190 square kilometers in Kolenchery, Kerala, India.
The researchers reported that while 20 percent of those who attended the camps
had operable cataracts, fewer than 10 percent reported for surgery at the base hos-
pital. Reported barriers included “lack of escort, fear of surgery, socio-economic
reasons, adverse media reports of isolated failures in eye surgeries.”6 Unite For
Sight’s model aims to reduce these identified barriers by providing patients with
transportation, education, and financing for their surgeries. A previous cataract
patient at Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana said, “Unite For Sight is popular
here because of the dedicated services it gives to the community. This is some-
thing that many of us cannot comprehend since we have been here as refugees. No
one has ever come over here to pay for patient treatments and transport them at
the same time to the eye clinic for their treatment. This is wonderful thing that we
have seen and led from Unite For Sight.”7
34 The New Humanitarians

Since Unite For Sight’s international launching, its programs have evolved
into a standardized model at thirteen eye clinics worldwide, which have provided
eye care to more than 600,000 people thus far, including thousands of sight-
restoring cataract surgeries and other types of eye care to thousands more. The
global programs are based in rural villages and urban locations, as well as in
refugee camps.
Unite For Sight’s volunteers make a significant, meaningful, tangible impact in
the lives of children and adults. The volunteers immediately see the joy on peo-
ple’s faces when their sight is restored after years of blindness. In addition to help-
ing the community, volunteers are also in a position to witness and draw
conclusions about the failures and inequities of global health systems, as well as
the impacts of atrocities. The experience broadens their view of what works, and
what role they can have to ensure a health system that works for everyone and that
leaves no person blind in the future. Unite For Sight believes that anyone can
become part of a global solution. Walid Mangal, a medical student and Unite For
Sight volunteer in Chennai, India, wrote:

The satisfaction of giving the gift of sight back to someone who was practically blind
is immeasurable. For the first time in over 10 years, a frail and elderly female villager
was able to see her reflection in the mirror. She stood up and walked out of the hos-
pital without the help of the nurses, holding a small plastic bag filled with her life
belongings, close against her green sari. This memory I will never forget. It was at
that point that I realized the significance of why we were there and what we had
done. We made a difference.8

In addition to their generous donation of time and energy to Unite For Sight’s
programs in developing countries, the volunteers also fundraise for the eye care
programs. The fundraising efforts of Unite For Sight’s volunteers provide poor
patients worldwide with free eye care and sight-restoring surgeries. Each cataract
surgery costs $50 on average, so every dollar raised makes a tremendous impact
on the lives of children and adults. Jaci Theis, a recent Unite For Sight volunteer
in Ghana, wrote about her fundraising and volunteer experience:

In the surgery room, people were prepped and operated on at amazing efficiency, as
the surgery itself took but seven minutes. Seven miraculous minutes was all it took
for people to get their sight back. A miracle not only for them, but an eye opener for
me, for I had fundraised enough money for 57 of these people to have this chance
to regain their sight, a chance they would not have had without the financial support
of Unite For Sight. My experience in Ghana was nothing short of amazing. Not only
did I get a hands-on experience in the medical field as an undergraduate, but I
realized how preventable blindness can be in many developing countries—so
preventable that I, a mere college student, could change 57 lives.

Additionally, these fundraising efforts help create public awareness about global
eye care needs. In addition to a network of volunteer fundraisers, Unite For Sight
also receives donations from individuals, organizations, and corporations.
Unite For Sight 35

ESTABLISHING EYE CARE PROGRAMS WHERE THERE WERE NONE

There are hundreds of communities worldwide that are in need of eye care. In
Tamale, Ghana, Dr. Seth Wanye is the only ophthalmologist for 2 million people
in the entire region. Prior to a partnership with Unite For Sight, Dr. Wanye often
went months without providing a single cataract surgery because the community
members could not access or afford eye care. Unite For Sight volunteers now work
with his ophthalmic staff to assist with screening outreach programs, ophthal-
mologist volunteers participate with Dr. Wanye to provide training and surgery,
and Unite For Sight provides necessary equipment and also funds all of the eye
care expenses for the patients. Since Unite For Sight’s partnership began with
Dr. Wanye and the Eye Clinic of Tamale Teaching Hospital, more than 40,000
patients have been screened in rural villages, and thousands have received sight-
restoring surgery sponsored by Unite For Sight.
Ten hours away from Tamale is Buduburam Refugee Camp. In January 2005,
Unite For Sight established an eye care program at this camp in Gomoa, Ghana.
This 120-acre camp, located one hour from Ghana’s capital city of Accra, was
established in early 1990 by the government of Ghana to host a population of
Liberian refugees fleeing the civil war in Liberia. Today, the camp has a total pop-
ulation of 77,398, which includes 42,398 resident refugees from Liberia, Sierra
Leone, and Ivory Coast, as well as a Ghanaian villager population of 35,000.
Buduburam has a total of 19,000 children, including 15,000 students and 4,000
children who are unable to attend school because of financial or other barriers.
Although there are forty-eight primary and junior secondary schools with 13,700
students, the camp includes just three high schools with a total of 1,300 students.
Prior to January 2005, eye care had never been provided at the refugee camp.
Even today, health care at the camp continues to be scarce. Initially, the Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) provided assis-
tance to the massive influx of Liberian refugees by implementing assistance pro-
grams, accommodations, health services, education, food distribution, and
sanitation. In June 2000, though, UNHCR withdrew all services from Buduburam
and instead encouraged repatriation after the elections in Liberia during 1997. In
June 2002, however, when the political situation in Liberia worsened, UNHCR
returned humanitarian aid to Buduburam.9 Currently, there is one health center
at Buduburam with a single primary care physician for the entire population.
Patients requiring primary care pay a nominal fee for the doctor’s services.
Specialty care such as ophthalmology, however, is not provided at the small clinic.
Like all Unite For Sight programs, this program at Buduburam originated from
an urgent community need. Karrus Hayes, a schoolteacher at the refugee camp,
learned about Unite For Sight while searching for health care resources on the
Internet. He contacted Unite For Sight, which then worked with Karrus and other
members of the community to establish an eye care presence at the refugee camp.
Dr. James Clarke, ophthalmologist and medical director of the Crystal Eye Clinic,
who is also a member of Unite For Sight’s medical advisory board, leads the pro-
gram locally. Crystal Eye Clinic is a private clinic in Accra, Ghana, which has been
36 The New Humanitarians

devoted to service outreach programs for years despite very limited resources and
staffing. A partnership with Unite For Sight to assist with regular community eye
care programs and funding for surgeries was immediately a mutually beneficial
affiliation.
By the first day Unite For Sight’s volunteers had arrived at Buduburam, hun-
dreds of people had already signed up to receive eye care screenings. Patients pre-
sented with cataracts, glaucoma, corneal opacities and scarring, macular scarring,
and a range of other ailments. As patients continued flooding into the eye clinic,
Unite For Sight’s volunteer team trained the local refugees to assist with the vision
screenings so that they could help identify patients requiring diagnosis, treatment,
and surgery at Crystal Eye Clinic. Karrus, the teacher who originally had con-
tacted Unite For Sight, was appointed the leader of the local Buduburam Refugee
Camp chapter of Unite For Sight. He mobilized a large contingent of dedicated,
motivated, and dependable volunteers to assist with the daily Unite For Sight
activities. Over the course of six months, Unite For Sight’s volunteers from the
United States, Canada, and Europe trained staff of the local chapter to provide the
screenings without the need for outside aid from international Unite For Sight
volunteers. By September 2005, the local chapter had taken the lead in the eye care
program and has continued daily screenings at the refugee camp. Margaret Duah-
Mensah, an eye nurse at Crystal Eye Clinic, visits Buduburam Refugee Camp
regularly to diagnose and treat patients, and also to identify those requiring
advanced treatment and surgery by Dr. Clarke at his eye clinic, which is located
two hours away.
In addition to training the local chapter’s volunteers to provide daily vision
screenings, Unite For Sight’s international volunteers also implemented a train-
the-trainer program for teachers in the refugee camp’s schools. Teachers learned
basic visual acuity testing and participated in seminars about eye health and
infectious disease so that they could recognize potential eye disease or vision
problems among their students as well as to be introduced to Unite For Sight’s
classroom curriculum. Additionally, the teachers learned about the important
distinction between visual deficiencies and learning disabilities. After completing
each level of training, the teachers participated in graduation ceremonies and
received certificates.
Today, the local refugees continue regular educational workshops for children
and teachers at the settlement. A recent one-day workshop brought together teach-
ers from five elementary schools and three junior high schools, as well as health
workers, at Buduburam to learn about the causes and prevention of blindness.

THE TRAGEDY OF BLINDNESS AT BUDUBURAM

When Unite For Sight first began its work at Buduburam Refugee Camp, the
urgent need was immediately apparent. Many patients presented with blinding
cataracts that could be removed with sight restored after a short, fifteen-minute
operation by Dr. Clarke. Mr. and Mrs. S., for example, were both blind from
Unite For Sight 37

cataracts before Unite For Sight began its programs. Mr. S. had surgery on one eye
in February 2006, and the other eye was operated on during April 2006. His wife
had been blind for years and had tried herbs in her eyes, hoping that she would
recover her sight. However, her condition only worsened. As she reported in 2006,
“When I was completely blind, I was myself being useless because I never got the
respect of my family. I felt like just dying and leaving this earth, the fact is that
there was pain always in my heart. Blindness is hell. I am happy today because I
am back to life.” Mrs. S. had her first eye operated on during February 2006, and
the patch was removed the next day. After she came out of the surgery room and
was able to see for the first time in eighteen years, she said, “I can see the televi-
sion light and God’s creations, oh my God! You are great!” When she returned to
Buduburam Refugee Camp from Crystal Eye Clinic, she said, “Is this the camp? I
can see many people passing by now, and can see what the refugee camp is like.”
When she returned home, she shouted, “I can see my family again, my husband,
children, and my grandchildren. I have never seen them before! Oh God, I was in
darkness and now you have used these people to recover my sight, praise be to the
Lord God. I was dead, but I am now alive” (S., 2006).
Beyond the predicted types of eye disease at Buduburam, there were also a
multitude of other complicated eye diseases, many of which were uncommon in
other locations where Unite For Sight works. The operable cataract rate at
Buduburam was much lower than expected because of compounding trauma-
related eye disease, including macular scarring, corneal scarring, and uveitis.
Unfortunately, when patients have these conditions, removing cataracts will not
improve their vision. These conditions, which were mostly caused by physical
abuse in Liberia prior to arrival at Buduburam, are infrequent in other non-
refugee settings where Unite For Sight works. Macular scarring was found to be
caused by an unusual form of abuse that has received little, if any, documentation.
The rebels in Liberia forced scores of people to stare at the sun for long periods of
time. If they looked away from the sun, they were immediately shot.10 This form
of abuse resulted in blindness because staring at the sun causes severe, irreversible
retinal damage and macular scarring. Complicated eye conditions resulted in a
low operable cataract rate of 2.6 percent at Buduburam Refugee Camp. Thirty-
five percent of those with inoperable cataracts had corneal scarring, 14 percent
had macular scarring, and 14 percent had uveitis.

ATROCITIES AND BLINDNESS

Thousands suffered human rights abuses by the rebels when civil war began
in Liberia during 1989. The victims experienced brutal killings, mass rape, tor-
ture, and limb amputation. Survivors fled to neighboring countries, with the
majority escaping to Ghana, where Buduburam Refugee Camp was established.
Thousands of additional refugees were forced to flee when civil war again broke
out a decade later in 1999, when warlord Charles Taylor led the atrocities. In
total, since 1989, 250,000 have been killed11, and 200,000 have been displaced
38 The New Humanitarians

from Liberia, 80 percent of whom are children and women who had witnessed
and endured atrocities.12
The refugees at Buduburam in Ghana suffered crimes against humanity, result-
ing in physical and emotional scars. In 1992, rebels forced a fifty-seven-year-old
Buduburam resident to look at the sun for over two hours. “I could not see any-
thing very clear, everything was looking dark to me, and when the breeze hit my
eye, I could feel so much pain,” she said. “I therefore got the knowledge that I lost
my sight due to my eye being exposed to the sun.” She continued:

It all started in 1992 when rebels entered our village. They forced us to beat a truck
of seed rice with our hands. We were all given mortar and pestle to beat the rice. We
started from the morning hour, and one was not allowed rest as we continued. Many
of our hands got cut, blood running down from our hands, and could no longer
hold the pestle to continue the beating of the rice. We were no longer efficient on the
job. One of the rebels came close to me and said, “Why are you standing?” And we
answered there was sore all over our hands, we could no longer beat the rice, but
they said for us complaining was the act of wickedness. Therefore, they were left
with no option but to start beating us all. And they later put us all in a dark room
till night and we slept there. The next morning, we were brought outside, placed
under the sun and asked to open our eyes directly to the sun. Afterward we should
tell them how the sun operates in the sky. We should be the first scientists from
Africa that have studied the sun. We spent the whole day looking at the sun. If any-
one tries to remove or close their eyes, they will be killed. There was a 32-year-old
young lady that was killed since she refused to look at the sun. When evening came,
one of their commanders came into the village, and when he saw us, he asked his
men what was going on. And they told him that we have refused to beat the rice. He
was also angry, but when he got close to us and asked, we all showed our hands.
When he saw it, he commanded his men to allow us to go and take our bath that the
next day we would continue the beating of the rice. We all moved toward the river-
side to bathe, but when we got there, one of the ladies said we have to leave this place,
if not we will be killed one day. We all therefore took the risk to escape, and we did.
And later came to Ghana. Since that time, my eyes started suffering.

An 80-year-old woman at Buduburam was physically beaten by rebels in

Liberia in 1991 because of her tribal background. Now permanently blind, she
experienced physical trauma to her eyes when she was forced to stare at the sun.
Likewise, another patient at Buduburam was beaten in 1990 and experienced
problems with his eyes immediately thereafter, as he describes:

When the rebel[s] entered our town, that was some minute[s] after 9 AM and we
were all in the door. They were firing the gun in every direction, and after a few
hours, the firing ceased and we were asked to come out of the houses, and we did.
We came out with our hands on our head, and we were asked to sit down. They
were moving from person to person, and when they reached me, they asked where
is the money you got? I answered there is no money. But they said that if I don’t
bring the money, they were going to kill me. I started crying, begging because they
have already killed two people. I was very much afraid and asked them to please
Unite For Sight 39

allow me to live. One of them said let’s kill me, but another said that I had to
suffer first. I remember one of them hit me with the gun, and everyone started
beating me with the gun. One of them asked for a cup, and it was given to me.
They asked me to urinate into the cup with the gun in my ear, and I did. They
therefore gave it to me to drink, and I drank it. In that process, one of my broth-
ers got up and said we have done no wrong, why are you treating us like this? The
word did not end from him, and he was shot. I was then ordered to be tied, and
they did and placed me in the middle of the town with facing the sun. They also
placed a rock in my mouth, and they started urinating on me in my face and my
mouth. I was placed in the sun for over five hours. While undergoing that pain,
there came a firing from the government troops, and they left us running to the
direction they came from. When the government troops reentered the town, they
untied me and others, and they asked us to go behind them, and we did. When I
got untied, the only person from my family was my daughter, who was found in
the house by the army. We were taken to the government control area, and we later
moved across into Ivory Coast where we lived over four years before coming to
Ghana.
For these and countless other patients who suffered torture and abuse, Unite
For Sight is not able to provide any treatment that will improve or restore their
vision. Some patients, however, are able to receive sight-restoring surgery for eye
complications caused by torture during the war. Many people with physical abuse
to the eye develop trauma-induced cataracts. If patients do not have any other
type of complicating eye problems related to the trauma, then cataracts can be
removed to restore their sight.
A nineteen-year-old man became blind when he was living as a refugee in Ivory
Coast. He had been hit in the right eye during the Liberian civil war and had no
access to treatment. As time went by, he started experiencing periodic blindness
and finally lost his sight in 1999. While he was in Ivory Coast, he met another
refugee who had received sight-restoring surgery from Unite For Sight; this
refugee advised him to go quickly to Buduburam Refugee Camp for an evaluation
by Unite For Sight. He arrived at Buduburam and had his sight restored in June
2006 by Dr. Clarke. Karrus explained that the patient considers his recovery of
sight a miracle. “He said that he has been considered as a disabled person, and no
one had regard for him as a human being. There were a lot of struggles he under-
went. He felt rejected by others, all of his friends he knew never had interest in
him when he got blind.” After his surgery, he asked Habib (another refugee at
Buduburam who volunteers daily for Unite For Sight) to write something for him
to read, and he read it without making any mistakes. The patient then said, “Today
my life is changed. I am no more disabled. I can see clearly and do everything oth-
ers do. I am sure I will be respected by my fellow men again. May God bless Unite
For Sight and all their team volunteers and donate; they have made me proud and
have brought me back to the world of life” (Habib, 2006).
A sixty-year-old woman at Buduburam Refugee Camp has a similar story. She
had been beaten by rebels in Liberia in 1990 because she refused to relinquish land
that she owned. Later, during the war, she was attacked by those wanting to claim
40 The New Humanitarians

the land. It was not until years later that she was able to have her vision restored.
She tells her story:

One morning, I went to buy goods in a waterside market, and the rebel took control
of the area in my absence. On my way back home, there were so many people in the
street running toward the city center, but since I left my children behind, I decided
to rush back to get my children to move to a safer zone. Before reaching to my house,
I saw groups of neighbors, but I could not see my children. I was asking at the same
time I saw a lady who told me that rebels had entered our house and there was a gun
fire there. But I tried to go there by all means to get my children when I got at the
back of the house watching carefully before moving closer. I just heard from my
back, “Put your hands on your head and move forward. If you want to run away, it’s
up to you.” He used the word God [and said that] today you will either lose your
land or your life. Right away, I was hit with the gun from my back and felt my face
on the ground, and he stepped on my back and started calling his friends. And one
of them gripped my hand and started dragging me toward the front of the house.
My nephew’s dead body was lying there, and all my children were on the ground
without clothing, with their faces down. They said now your nephew is dead, we
want you to celebrate over his death by dancing, singing, and asking for mercy. One
of them slapped me in the face and others started kicking my face side. My daugh-
ter was ordered to get up and bring pepper from the house, and she was then told to
mix the pepper, and she did. They took it and urinated inside and gave it to me to
drink. When I was drinking it, they took it from me again and told me to lay down
on the floor with my face up. Before I could try to do so, three men threw me down.
One sat in my chest, one held my head and the other one put pepper mixed with
urine in my eyes. They held me forever so long at the same time, peppering me till
it got finished. I fought and cried till I got very weak and helpless. One of them said
they wanted to remove my eye. He took the belt and started beating my eye. Within
that process, darkness covered my whole eye, and it was very painful. I could no
longer realize anyone nor expose my eye to light. He asked should I lose my life or
the land? I said my land. They brought a written statement that I no longer in need
of the land, that I have finally turned it over to the brother. I told them to allow my
daughter to bring it for them and let her write for me since I could not see anything
now. My daughter brought the deed and gave it to them, and she made the docu-
ment that as of that date, all property was now for the brother, but not for me. I put
my thumbprint on the document and turned it over to them. And we were released
and asked never to come back to our house. We were able to find our way to the
neighboring country Guinea. The only thing I was using in my eye was sugar water,
there was no medication. Until I came to the Unite For Sight eye clinic where I had
surgery and now can see.

ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILL BUILDING AND MICROFINANCE AT

BUDUBURAM REFUGEE CAMP
Unite For Sight not only eradicates blindness and eye disease, but we also boost
incomes through entrepreneurial skill building. We developed an educational
scholarship fund that enables the children of blind patients to attend school. We
Unite For Sight 41

also work with blind patients and women to develop small businesses so that they
can support their families.
The residents of Buduburam Refugee Camp have very little money, and many
barely earn enough money to feed their families. A blind man named A. is one
such individual, and Unite For Sight worked with him to start a water-selling busi-
ness at Buduburam. A. is a very shy, quiet man, who always looks at his feet when
he speaks. He shuffles his feet in the dust when he walks because he has very low
visual acuity as a result of a permanently blinding condition called retinitis pig-
mentosa. This eye disease is incurable even for the most well-equipped eye clinics
in the developed world. Born in 1965 in Monrovia, Liberia, A. is married with four
children of his own, in addition to caring for his brothers’ three children. A. was
well educated and taught math until January 1990, when fighting in Liberia forced
him, his wife, and their baby daughter to flee to the Ivory Coast. He was safe in
that country and began to teach math again, unaware that several of his remain-
ing family members had stayed in Liberia and had faced torture and death. He
served as director of an education project until war erupted in the Ivory Coast on
September 20, 2002. Rebels targeted the Liberian refugees in the Ivory Coast, forc-
ing A. and his family to flee to Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana. There,
reunited with two brothers and one sister, he learned that his father and siblings
had been killed in the war years earlier. His father, a popular local businessman,
had been removed from his house early one morning in June 1990. He was
arrested and jailed for selling rice to rebels, although it is believed that the true
reason for his arrest was his tribal affiliation and ethnicity. When local supporters
appealed for A.’s father’s release, he was taken out of the jail, and shot and killed
in front of the supporters.
A. was one of the first patients to arrive at the Unite For Sight clinic at
Buduburam Refugee Camp. His retina appeared speckled with yellow, black, and
red spots, indicating the genetic condition retinitis pigmentosa. A. was devas-
tated when he was informed by the ophthalmologist that his condition was
untreatable. He asked to speak privately with Julie, Unite For Sight’s Ghana pro-
gram coordinator. Looking down, he quietly asked Julie how he would study if he
could not see. He also explained his family situation. He could not afford to sup-
port his family of thirteen people. They all lived in a small, eight feet by ten feet
room and could not afford food. Julie said she had never felt so helpless; she
wanted to cry for him. Julie immediately developed a plan to help A. generate an
income for his family: he would sell purified water at the refugee camp. For A.,
Unite For Sight purchased a freezer, voltage regulator, cooler, extension cord,
water sachets, and electrical current registration. With his water-selling business
established, A. has been able to better support his family. Unfortunately, his sight
will never be restored without a medical breakthrough.
In addition to working with individuals such as A. to create small local busi-
nesses, Unite For Sight also promotes the financial success of communities by
linking them to world markets. One hundred percent of the proceeds to Unite For
Sight directly fund eye care expenses at Buduburam Refugee Camp, thus helping
42 The New Humanitarians

the program to become locally sustainable. As female heads of household with

limited or no income, several women were invited by Unite For Sight to partici-
pate in a unique microenterprise program. The women create beautiful, vibrant
jewelry and eyeglass cases at Buduburam Refugee Camp, and they earn an income
when Unite For Sight purchases jewelry and eyeglass cases. Unite For Sight then
introduces the jewelry and eyeglass cases to world markets through sales on the
Internet and at universities.

CONCLUSION
The provision of eye care is often overlooked in communities worldwide, from
suburban North America to refugee camps in Africa and Asia. Although many are
aware of a myriad of atrocities endured by refugees throughout the world, few are
aware of the abuses to the eye, or the consequences of blindness. As a result of its
remarkable volunteer force of refugees at Buduburam Refugee Camp, as well as the
work of Dr. James Clarke and Margaret Duah-Mensah of Crystal Eye Clinic, and
more than forty international volunteers who provided training for the local refugees
during the first six months of programming in 2005, Unite For Sight is making a pro-
found difference in the lives of thousands of patients at Buduburam Refugee Camp.
With the election of a new president of Liberia in 2006, refugees at Buduburam are
beginning to move back to their home country. Unite For Sight hopes to provide eye
care to thousands more at Buduburam before they return to Liberia.
Unite For Sight encourages students, youth, eye care professionals, and physi-
cians to become social entrepreneurs and join forces to prevent blindness in their
local communities, as well as in communities abroad. Unite For Sight’s rapid expan-
sion and program enhancement has occurred because of several important steps
that were taken to build the organization. First, I took advantage of established net-
works to grow the organization. Unite For Sight expanded its chapters and interna-
tional programs by linking with existing networks, including eye clinics, university
organizations, medical school dean’s offices, international health networks, and
nonprofit organizations. The next important step in the organization’s development
was to create a welcoming website and informative e-newsletter to increase effec-
tiveness in recruitment, fundraising, training of volunteers, and working with com-
munities. I continue to spend much of my time communicating with our partners
and volunteers, as well as contacting and recruiting new volunteers. The website is a
useful way for people to learn how they can become part of a global solution to
improve eye health.
The website also has significantly expanded to provide extensive training for
the more than 4,000 volunteers who have joined Unite For Sight to provide eye
care services in their local community and abroad. We devote much of our effort
to educating and training our volunteers, who are the heart and soul of Unite For
Sight. All volunteers traveling abroad view Unite For Sight cultural competency
and eye health training videos, study the Unite For Sight online Eye Health
Unite For Sight 43

Course, and complete a final exam; complete required reading and videos about
professionalism, international volunteerism, and community eye health; pursue
training with eye doctors in their home communities; and receive additional
training by the partner eye clinic abroad. This prepares the volunteers to best
assist the eye clinic’s staff in the field. In addition to serving as support staff at eye
clinics worldwide, the volunteers are also vital to the organization’s fundraising
capacity. The volunteers encourage friends and family to donate for eye care pro-
grams abroad. This network of volunteer fundraisers also helps promote public
awareness about global eye care needs and ways that the general public can
become involved with implementing a solution.
Possibly the most important advice for anyone interested in developing a non-
profit organization is to be dedicated to the continuous enhancement of programs.
One should focus attention on listening carefully to the needs and advice of local
communities and partners because their advice is crucial to the sustainability and
effectiveness of an organization.

Acknowledgments
Unite For Sight is especially indebted to Dr. James Clarke and Margaret
Duah-Mensah of Crystal Eye Clinic, as well as the leaders of Unite For Sight’s
chapter at Buduburam Refugee Camp: Karrus Hayes, Habib Kamara, and Joseph
Muhlenberg. Each selflessly devotes every day to preventing blindness and restor-
ing sight. Additionally, two of Unite For Sight’s previous international volunteers
from the United States, Julie R. Harris, MPH, PhD, and Valda Boyd Ford, MPH,
RN, MS, are directly responsible for establishing a sustainable, long-term eye
program at Buduburam Refugee Camp. Their dedication and leadership were
invaluable to the community and to Unite For Sight.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Unite For Sight
Founder and/or Executive Director: Jennifer Staple
Mission/Description: Unite For Sight is a nonprofit organization that empow-
ers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable
blindness. Local and visiting volunteers work with partner eye clinics to pro-
vide eye care in communities without previous access, with the goal of creat-
ing eye disease–free communities. In North America, patients are connected
with free health coverage programs so that they can receive eye exams by
doctors. In Africa and Asia, Unite For Sight volunteers work with partner eye
clinics to implement screening and free surgery programs.
Website: www.uniteforsight.org
44 The New Humanitarians

Address: 31 Brookwood Dr.

Newtown, CT 06470
E-mail: jstaple@uniteforsight.org
Phone: 203-404-4900
Fax: 203-404-4975

NOTES
1. World Health Organization (1997), Global Initiative for the Prevention of Avoidable
Blindness,_WHO/PBL/97.61 (Geneva: WHO, 1997).
2. Ibid.
3. Low Cost Eyeglasses: The Problem (http://www.lowcosteyeglasses.net/stuck.htm).
4. Vision 2020: The Right to Sight (http://www.v2020.org).
5. A. Foster and S. Resnikoff, “The Impact of Vision 2020 on Global Blindness,” Eye 19
(2005): 1133–1135.
6. S. Sasikumar, N. Mohamed, and S. J. Saikumar, “Cataract Surgical Coverage in
Kolenchery, Kerala, India,” Community Eye Health Journal 11 (1998): 7.
7. Interview at Buduburam Refugee Camp, June 23, 2006.
8. http://uniteforsight.org/image/walidmangal.jpg.
9. Saah Charles N’Tow, “How Liberians Live on the Camp at Buduburam in Ghana,” The
Perspective (http://www.theperspective.org/2004/june/buduburamcamp.html).
10. Human Rights Watch, Easy Prey: Child Soldiers in Liberia (http://www.hrw.org/reports/
1994/liberia2/).
11. BBC News, Country Profile: Liberia (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/country_
profiles/1043500.stm).
12. Abdullah Dukully, “Rights-Liberia: War Threatens Survival Of Children,” Inter Press
Service, (http://www.aegis.org/news/ips/2003/IP030415.html).
 3

Achieving Social Goals

through Business Discipline:
Scojo Foundation
Jordan Kassalow, Graham
Macmillan, Miriam Stone,
Katherine Katcher, Patrick
Savaiano, and Annie Khan

When we first started thinking about how to address the challenge of providing
reading glasses to the millions of people across the globe who need them, we
knew we had a steep hill to climb. Countless organizations start out with simi-
larly ambitious ideas but often fail to implement them properly to form a sus-
tainable, effective business model. Although we continue the climb that began
when we started six years ago, we know we have developed a truly innovative
social enterprise with great promise for success. Our customers around the
world—in India, El Salvador, Guatemala, Bangladesh, and Ghana—have seen
huge transformations in their lives because of a simple pair of Scojo Foundation
reading glasses.
Who could have imagined that a simple pair of reading glasses could have such
an effect? Well, we did. We saw that this basic and critical tool was unavailable to
most in the developing world, and we sought a market-based solution to this
problem—a solution that would not create a dynamic of dependency, but would
empower individuals to transform their lives. Before starting our first program,
we researched, studied, and tested our programs inside and out. We believe that it
is Scojo Foundation’s responsibility to provide a product and service that is of the
highest quality for our customers.
For too long, the global economy has failed to recognize the power and
influence that people living on only a few dollars a day can have. Scojo Foundation
is working to change this perception by providing simple pairs of reading glasses
to our customers and training new, determined Vision Entrepreneurs to sell our
products. We know it is possible to empower the poor in developing countries
because we have witnessed this transformation in the people we serve: the Scojo
Vision Entrepreneurs and their customers.

45
46 The New Humanitarians

BACKGROUND, MODEL, AND SIZE OF SCOJO FOUNDATION

Scojo Foundation derived its name as a composite of the first letters of the
names of co-founders Dr. Jordan Kassalow and Scott Berrie. The organization
began in 2001 with a six-month pilot program in India and was officially incor-
porated one year later in New York. Our goal is to reduce poverty and generate
opportunities for our customers and our Vision Entrepreneurs through the sale of
affordable reading glasses in the developing world. As we age, almost all of us will
lose our ability to see up close. But for the more than 700 million people living in
poverty who don’t have access to reading glasses, the loss of near vision can mean
the loss of livelihood. For tailors, electricians, goldsmiths, and others whose pre-
carious working lives depend on their ability to see up close, the lack of access to
reading glasses can have disastrous economic consequences. A pair of low-cost
reading glasses, long available in every drugstore in the United States, can restore
their vision and double their productivity, yet this simple, life-changing product
has not yet made its way into the hands of those who live on less than $4 a day.
Committed to employing market-based solutions to solve this global issue,
Scojo Foundation developed a replicable, scalable, microfranchise model. Crucial
to our model are our Vision Entrepreneurs. These low-income men and women
are trained to conduct vision screenings within their communities, sell affordable
reading glasses, and refer those who require advanced eye care to reputable clin-
ics. Each Scojo Vision Entrepreneur receives his or her own “Business in a Bag,” a
backpack that is branded with the Scojo logo and contains twenty to thirty pairs
of reading glasses in four different styles and five different powers of magnifica-
tion. Also included are three different styles of sunglasses and other accessories
such as cleaning cloths, cords, and cases. These backpacks are sales kits containing
all the products and materials needed for vision screening, sales, data collection,
and marketing. This backpack is the cornerstone of the microfranchise owned by
each of our entrepreneurs. With blueprints for success, Scojo Vision Entrepre-
neurs run profitable businesses, earning more than twice their previous daily
income on each pair of glasses sold. Through the sales of these glasses, our entre-
preneurs help us to create a sustainable business model. By employing a market-
based model rather than by giving away glasses for free, we are able to become
increasingly self-sustaining while creating sustainable jobs for local entrepreneurs.
Recognizing the massive numbers of people in need of reading glasses, Scojo
Foundation also teaches Franchise Partners, or partner organizations with existing
distribution networks, to reach the rural poor and add our Vision Entrepreneur
model to their own operations. Partnering with these established programs makes
it possible for Scojo Foundation to impact more people in a shorter period of time
and bring us closer to our goal of providing glasses to all 700 million people in
need. We support our Franchise Partners by providing the tools, knowledge, and
products they need to successfully implement Scojo microfranchises, adding both
profit and social value to established programs. Scojo Foundation currently works
with nearly thirty Franchise Partners, from small nongovernmental organizations
Achieving Social Goals through Business Discipline: Scojo Foundation 47

(NGOs) to large multinational corporations, in India, Bangladesh, Ghana, El

Salvador, Guatemala, and Paraguay. Thanks to our Franchise Partner model, we
are able to greatly expand our reach and impact without building up our own
costly infrastructure.
Our reading glasses are sourced from China, where the price-to-quality ratio is
the most attractive, enabling us to deliver our products anywhere in the world for
approximately $1.50, including the cost of transportation and customs duties.
Through this process, Scojo Foundation is able to make reading glasses affordable,
fashionable, and available to people in need. Today, we support over 1,000 Vision
Entrepreneurs, we have sold more than 85,000 pairs of reading glasses, and we
have referred over 80,000 people for advanced eye care.

TRAINING FOR SCOJO VISION ENTREPRENEURS

In order for our social business model to succeed, Scojo Foundation must
ensure that our entrepreneurs are effectively trained. Our training process focuses
on several areas, including business management, marketing, inventory sales fig-
ures, and vision screening. We teach business skills in accounting, marketing, and
sales. Training lasts three days, with two days devoted to learning in a classroom
setting and one day spent in the field shadowing an already-established entrepre-
neur. Our training process empowers our entrepreneurs with the knowledge,
skills, and confidence they will need in the field.
Scojo Foundation maintains an organized system of training and support for
our entrepreneurs in order to increase their chances of success. Teams of two or
three full-time Vision Entrepreneur training and identification managers work at
the district level to identify prospective Vision Entrepreneurs and provide them
with initial training before handing them off to their district coordinator. Based
in each region, district coordinators meet with each individual entrepreneur twice
a month—once to restock inventory and collect payment for glasses sold, and
once for additional training and support. Every quarter, regional groups of Scojo
Vision Entrepreneurs come together to discuss their past experiences and share
new ideas they may have to improve their systems.

FEMALE EMPOWERMENT
One of the most important aspects of Scojo Foundation’s mission is our focus
on empowering women. Research shows that women are much more likely than
their male counterparts to invest in their children’s education and health, thereby
promoting further positive development. However, we have faced several obstacles
that have made our focus on women challenging. For example, in rural India,
women are not supposed to travel on their own, which is a key component of our
sales model. Thus, Scojo Foundation decided to train male entrepreneurs as well
as females, and we often train teams of husbands and wives and mothers and sons
48 The New Humanitarians

so that they can travel together as pairs. Our network in India is thus a mix of men
and women working together, while in most of the other countries in which we
work, our Vision Entrepreneurs are mainly women.

CONCEPTION OF SCOJO FOUNDATION

Before co-founding Scojo Foundation, Dr. Jordan Kassalow spent time as an
ophthalmology student participating in missions for Volunteer Ophthalmic
Services to Humanity (VOSH). In these missions, doctors would provide eye
exams, glasses, surgeries, and other ophthalmic needs to low-income people in
countries that did not have such services. Dr. Kassalow noticed, however, that
these missions were geared toward more complicated conditions and did not cater
to the most common and ubiquitous eye care problems. Of the people who need
eye care service, 36 percent need treatment for presbyopia, a natural condition
caused by the aging of the eye, in which the eye has difficulty focusing on nearby
objects. The lack of basic services to treat presbyopia, which simply requires
nonprescription reading glasses, inspired Dr. Kassalow to make a difference.
Through his early experiences providing reading glasses to those in need,
Dr. Kassalow realized the tremendous effect this service could have. On one
particular trip to Mexico, Dr. Kassalow’s passion for providing low-cost eye
care on a massive scale was transformed from a dream to reality. Dr. Kassalow
provided a woman who hadn’t been able to read her Bible for years with a pair
of simple drugstore reading glasses. Overcome with gratitude, she returned the
next day to give Dr. Kassalow twenty chickens to thank him for reviving her
sight and changing her life. He knew right then that if he could help millions
of people just like her to see, he could change the world. It was at that moment
that Scojo Foundation was born.
Scott Berrie, Dr. Kassalow’s business partner, also recognized that an opportunity
was in place to create a socially responsible company that could work to support
Scojo Foundations efforts. Together, they created a for-profit company called Scojo
Vision LLC. The company sells fashionable reading glasses to high-end department
stores, and 5 percent of the revenue generated by Scojo Vision LLC is donated to
Scojo Foundation. Scojo Vision LLC has been sold, but the purchasing company
continues to give 5 percent of its Scojo New York line to Scojo Foundation.

SCOJO FOUNDATION MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Scojo Foundation measures its success by monitoring three main areas. First,
we keep close track on the number of glasses that are sold worldwide by our entre-
preneurs, as well as the number of customers Scojo Vision Entrepreneurs screen
before making a sale. Initially, an entrepreneur had to screen eight people to sell
one pair of glasses, but that ratio has since improved to three to one thanks to our
improved sales and marketing techniques. Secondly, we track the number of
entrepreneurs who remain active salespeople, as compared to the number of
Achieving Social Goals through Business Discipline: Scojo Foundation 49

entrepreneurs who have been trained since inception. Finally, Scojo Foundation
tracks the number of clients we refer to hospitals and clinics for more advanced
eye care. This is a critical component of our system since it allows us to provide a
service to those with more serious eye conditions by connecting them to partner
eye care hospitals offering free or low-cost care. It also reduces the burden on the
eye care system by funneling only those who require a doctor’s attention to more
advanced care facilities.

BENEFIT TO OTHERS
At the core of our mission is the desire to benefit the greatest number of peo-
ple possible. Scojo Foundation knows that the customers who wear our reading
glasses have benefited tremendously. Their productivity has increased, their
earnings have increased, and they are better able to invest in their families. In
our line of work, we also challenge the flawed assumptions that the poor do not
want a product or service that is of value, that they do not have the right to
choose as a regular consumer, or that they do not care how they look or how
they feel. All people want to be offered choices, and it is exactly this dignity of
choice that we offer to our customers. For example, of the four styles of glasses
we offer, 85 percent of our customers choose to buy our second most expensive
product. This is quantifiable proof that the poor care about the quality and style
of the products they are purchasing. It is an empowering experience for anyone
to have the ability to choose.

SUCCESS STORIES
Noel Flores Alvardo (age sixty-four), Atiquizaya, Ahuachapan, El Salvador
Noel came to a mini-campaign organized by local Vision Entrepreneurs in El
Salvador with the assistance of his daughter and a broomstick he used as a cane.
He was completely blind in his right eye, and the sight in his left eye was rapidly
deteriorating. During his vision screening, the Vision Entrepreneurs immediately
realized that Noel needed treatment far beyond reading glasses. The Vision
Entrepreneur was able to refer him to the local clinic and organize transportation
for him to get there. At the eye clinic, Noel was seen by a board-certified oph-
thalmologist and was diagnosed with glaucoma. Both the consultation and the
medicine Noel was prescribed were given to him free of charge. Ultimately, this
intervention prevented him from going completely blind.

Vijaya Laxmi (age fifty-three), Andhra Pradesh, India

Vijaya Laxmi is a seamstress in the rural Tandur district of Andhra Pradesh,
India. Six years ago, her shirt-making business was her primary source of income.
She would sew an average of ten shirts per week, bringing in an income of $8. As
presbyopia set in, it became all but impossible for Vijaya to thread a needle or do
50 The New Humanitarians

the necessary detailed work that her profession demanded. She began to rely on
her granddaughter for help, but was alone during the daylight hours when her
granddaughter was at school. As her output diminished, the stores where Vijaya
sold her shirts began to source them elsewhere. She did not know of any place to
purchase glasses locally, and she could not afford to take the day-long trip to
Hyderabad to seek help. Vijaya then learned of a woman in her village selling eye-
glasses through Scojo Foundation’s rural distribution initiative. Vijaya went to her
to have her eyes checked and bought a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses. Since
then, Vijaya Laxmi has begun sewing again and is once again earning a living. She
finds the glasses comfortable to wear and also uses them to perform everyday
household tasks without requiring the help of her family. Scojo Foundation was
able to help Vijaya reclaim her livelihood.

Don Felipe (age forty), Nebaj, Guatemala*

A little over a year ago I was making a visit up to Nebaj to see how things were
going. Night after night I noticed that a small Ixil man with huge glasses would
come into El Descanso, the restaurant in Nebaj we support, and sit and pretend to
read the old English language magazines that we have for clients. It struck me as
odd for two reasons: one, he looked like a bug with his giant glasses, and two, it is
rare that a farmer from Nebaj can read, especially Newsweek magazine.
So I asked the manager who this man was; he told me that he was Don Felipe,
the newest guide of Guias Ixiles, a small trekking business that we support. Don
Felipe, who is a wonderful man, did very well with the tourists and was able to
make a decent living as a guide. However, we did start to receive some complaints
from clients: they loved his tours but noticed that he could barely see. At this time
we, Soluciones Comunitarias, were not yet involved with Scojo Foundation and
did not know what could be done, but things did not look good for Don Felipe.
One day, we sent Don Felipe out with two tourists on an easy day’s hike. The
tourists arrived back in Nebaj about an hour before Felipe, who had gotten
himself lost. We felt that something had to be done about his vision if he were
to continue working.
Luckily, right around this time, we began working with Scojo Foundation and
an eye care clinic called Visualiza, in Guatemala, to work out a referral system for
our Vision Entrepreneurs. We sent Don Felipe for an exam. They discovered that
Don Felipe had been born with cataracts and had never been able to see correctly;
because he had been born into extreme poverty, he had never had an eye exam as
a child. The doctor told him that he would probably be completely blind within
the next couple of years if he did not do something about it. They recommended
two minor surgeries, one on each eye, to remove the cataracts (at a cost of Q500
per eye, about $65 each).

*Text by George Glickley of Soluciones Comunitarias, Scojo Foundation’s Franchise Partner in

Guatemala.
Achieving Social Goals through Business Discipline: Scojo Foundation 51

Don Felipe decided to go forward with the surgeries. Imagine a man who has
spent the greater part of his forty some odd years (Guatemalans often have only a
vague idea of how old they are) seeing through a cloud. Now, for the first time, he
could see the faces of his loved ones, the crops that he grows for food to maintain
his family, and the mountains and forests where he lives and works.
On his last night, he came to me, extended me his right hand, and in his best
Spanish (Felipe’s first language is Ixil, a Maya dialect) told me this: “When you and
Greg showed me the new glasses from Scojo and told me that one day I would be
able to see the beautiful mountains that all of the tourists come to see, I would
have never imagined that it would be possible. Thank you for giving me this
opportunity. My life will be much better now, I can already tell. I cannot wait to
get back to Nebaj.” Then, for the first time since we met, he actually looked me in
the eye and shook my hand. And with that, he shuffled off to bed.

OVERCOMING FALSE STARTS AND OUR APPROACH TO OBSTACLES

It is inevitable in starting an organization that one will confront obstacles. In
order to continue growing in the face of these obstacles, we have had to create
new and innovative solutions. We learned many lessons from our initial projects
in El Salvador. Consistent with our mission, this project involved training low-
income women to start their own businesses selling glasses. Initially, the women
were provided with the backpack of supplies that they rented for a monthly fee
over a seven- to eight-month period. We made the faulty assumption that, by
selling their glasses, the women would be able to pay off the loan and make a
profit. Instead, we found that the women would not show up to the monthly
meetings because they could not afford to pay the fee. As a result, a large portion
of our inventory was not accounted for. To make matters worse, we were not sell-
ing many pairs of glasses, and we were not expanding as we had hoped. Essen-
tially, Scojo Foundation had become a group of loan administrators, which
diluted our efforts to distribute reading glasses. With help from our local part-
ner, New Development Solutions, we changed our strategy to a consignment
model, whereby we provided the supplies to our entrepreneurs at no cost, and
they repaid us for the glasses that they sold. If the entrepreneurs were not suc-
cessful in their business, or if it simply was not the right fit for them, they did not
owe us any money. They would simply return the kit, and Scojo Foundation
would not lose out on inventory.
Another major problem we encountered was that we were too wedded to our
business plans. Because we were starting something completely new and different,
our business plans were nothing more than numbers and words on paper. Mov-
ing from our plans to reality was a very different story. Fortunately, we had hired
smart, hardworking, motivated, and passionate people, who were able to trans-
form these plans into systems that worked on the ground. We stayed flexible, and
have remained an efficient and highly productive organization, impacting a great
number of people with a limited number of employees.
52 The New Humanitarians

Scojo Foundation remains a “learning” organization to this day. We are rela-

tively small and do not operate bureaucratically. Our decision-making process is
decentralized, so each employee takes part in our businesses decisions. We also
learned very early on to listen and learn from our entrepreneurs. As our agents
in the field, the entrepreneurs have the best sense of our needs as an organiza-
tion. For example, when Dr. Kassalow was in El Salvador visiting a project site,
he noticed a Scojo Vision Entrepreneur selling sunglasses, even though Scojo
Foundation was not providing its entrepreneurs with sunglasses at the time. The
entrepreneur told Dr. Kassalow that she had received multiple requests from cus-
tomers for sunglasses. Since she was unable to obtain sunglasses from us, she had
purchased them on her own in order to make her customers happy. We learned
from her and other Vision Entrepreneurs that sunglasses were an important
product for many of their clients, and we began to manufacture them and offer
them in our product line. Stories like these have taught us that it is essential to
remain open and receptive to the ideas and desires of our employees, our staff,
our Vision Entrepreneurs, and our customers.
We faced another major obstacle in reaching our goal of getting our product to
as many people as possible. It quickly became apparent that training each Scojo
Vision Entrepreneur ourselves would take time, money, and bulky infrastructure.
We launched our Franchise Partnership model as a creative solution to accelerate
the scale of Scojo Foundation. In this model, we train local organizations with
existing networks of health workers, microfinance borrowers, internet kiosk man-
agers, or salespeople to plug our Vision Entrepreneur model into their existing
operations. This has allowed us to expand rapidly and with little start-up capital
across India and throughout the world.
Looking back to our inception, we must also acknowledge that it has been
difficult to sell our product rather than give it away. Yet, we are committed to
market-based solutions to alleviate poverty. Programs such as ours create local
jobs as well as set up long-term, sustainable distribution channels that enable people
to get the tools they need to see and to work. We also believe that when a product
is given away for free, people tend to value it less. Theoretically, we could go out
and distribute millions of pairs of glasses for free, but we question the impact that
would have. We would not be able to sustain ourselves as an organization, our cus-
tomers would have no way of getting reading glasses in the future, and we would
not be able to create employment for our entrepreneurs. Reading glasses are inex-
pensive, easy to transport, and make a huge difference in people’s lives, but getting
them to people who need them is a major challenge. We have had to build the
distribution channels from scratch to reach the rural poor.
In the beginning, we assumed that training entrepreneurs to sell reading
glasses would be an easier task than it was. The lessons we learned in the field
are what really helped us progress as an organization. After testing our ideas in
the field and learning from the challenges we faced, we determined that the
Scojo Foundation recipe for success requires the following key components: a
distribution channel to get the product into the market; entrepreneurs in the
community to sell the product; a cost-effective, turn-key supply chain; the right
Achieving Social Goals through Business Discipline: Scojo Foundation 53

staff to motivate entrepreneurs and ensure systems work smoothly; the right
marketing and promotions material to make the customers aware of the brand;
and finally, the systems to effectively monitor and evaluate performance.

THE NEXT STEPS FOR SCOJO FOUNDATION

A 2007 highlight for Scojo Foundation was when President Clinton featured
our work at the Clinton Global Initiative opening session, stating that Scojo Foun-
dation’s work is “the sort of thing that the Clinton Global Initiative was designed
to do—find ways to create new markets where you can actually empower people
by creating a business and solve a big social problem.” Dr. Jordan Kassalow was
called to the stage with President Clinton to represent Scojo Foundation and its
partners in making the commitment to more than triple Scojo Foundation’s
impact over the next three years. President Clinton has also praised the work of
Scojo Foundation on national news programs, naming Scojo Foundation his
“favorite commitment this year” on CNBC’s Power Lunch with Maria Bartiromo.
On MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olberman, President Clinton stated that
Scojo Foundation “will help hundreds of thousands of people and in the process
create a whole new sector of the economy.” He also praised Scojo Foundation’s
work on NBC’s Meet the Press with Tim Russert, ABC’s This Week with George
Stephanopoulos, and Fox News’s On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.
Our short-term goal is to execute Scojo Foundation’s five-year business plan.
This plan outlines our long-term goals and objectives, the resources needed to
achieve our objectives, and how we will execute our plans. We have tested and
proved our model and are preparing for massive expansion. As of January 2007,
we operated in nine countries across South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Aside
from our local networks managed from our offices in Hyderabad, India, and Santa
Ana, El Salvador, all our expansion is through our Franchise Partners. In Africa,
our pan-Africa arrangement with Population Services International (PSI) is
making reading glasses available throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In 2007 we
launched our Ghana program. In 2008 we anticipate launching several programs
in Latin American countries, including Paraguay and Nicaragua. To date, Scojo
Foundation and our partners have supported over 1,000 Vision Entrepreneurs,
have collectively sold over 85,000 pairs of reading glasses, and have referred over
80,000 people for comprehensive eye care. We look forward to reaching hundreds
of thousands more people in the coming years.

FOUNDERS
Jordan Kassalow
Dr. Kassalow currently serves as Chairman of Scojo Foundation, providing
leadership, management, and expertise to its global operations. He was a
cofounder of both Scojo Foundation and Scojo Vision, LLC. He is also the
founder of the Global Health Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations,
54 The New Humanitarians

where he served as an Adjunct Senior Fellow from 1999 to 2004. Prior to his
position at the Council, he served as Director of the Onchocerciasis Division at
Helen Keller International. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for
Lighthouse International and on the Medical Advisory Board of Helen Keller
International. The recipient of numerous awards, including the Social Innovator
of the Year award from BYU’s Marriott School of Management, The Aspen Insti-
tute’s Henry Crown Fellowship, and a Draper Richards Foundation Fellowship,
Dr. Kassalow received his Doctorate of Optometry from the New England College
of Optometry and his Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.
In addition to his position at Scojo Foundation, he is currently a partner at the
practice of Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick, and Associates.

Scott Berrie
Scott Berrie serves as President of Scojo Foundation, providing leadership in
product development, marketing, and distribution. Mr. Berrie was a cofounder of
both Scojo Foundation and Scojo Vision, LLC. Scott Berrie serves as vice president
of the Russell Berrie Foundation and trustee with the Shalom Hartman Institute,
PAX, and Helen Keller International. Mr. Berrie earned an MBA from New York
University’s Stern Executive MBA Program. He also earned a Master in Interna-
tional Affairs and a Certificate in Middle Eastern Studies from Columbia University,
where he was also a SIPA International Affairs Fellow. He served in the Israel
Defence Forces.

Figure 3.1 Vision Entrepreneur Mercedes Queche conducts a vision screening at a sales
campaign in Pastores, Guatemala. Courtesy of Scojo Foundation.
Achieving Social Goals through Business Discipline: Scojo Foundation 55

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Scojo Foundation
Founders: Jordan Kassalow and Scott Berrie
Senior Director: Graham Macmillan
Mission/Description: Scojo Foundation’s mission is to reduce poverty and gen-
erate opportunity through the sale of affordable eyeglasses and complemen-
tary products. Scojo Vision Entrepreneurs are low-income men and women
living in rural villages who are trained to conduct vision screenings within
their communities, sell affordable reading glasses, and refer those who require
advanced eye care to reputable clinics.
Website: www.scojofoundation.org
Address: 12 Desbrosses Street
New York, NY 10013
Phone: 212.375.2599
Fax: 720.228.5188
E-mail: gmacmillan@scojofoundation.org
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 4

Sustainable Sciences Institute:

Developing Scientific Capacity
to Address Public Health
Needs Worldwide
Josefina Coloma, Eva Harris,
and Martine Zoer

It was the year 1988. Eva Harris was a young, recent graduate in biochemistry
from Harvard University. She was set to enter the molecular and cell biology
doctoral program at the University of California–Berkeley, with a fellowship from
the National Science Foundation, and the next few years of her life appeared to be
mapped out. Harris, however, aspired to make her degree meaningful to the world
and decided to take a detour (1). Harris, who had been an activist while at
Harvard, dreamed of bringing science out of the ivory tower and applying it to
real-world problems. The only dilemma was that she had no idea how to accom-
plish her goal. “When you are a doctor, you have skills that are useful in the rest of
the world. But how can you impact others when you are a scientist?” Harris
wondered. Although she wasn’t sure how, Harris was driven to find out how to
make science relevant and significant to the world.
Since she wanted to apply her scientific background where it mattered most,
Harris sought opportunities to work in the developing world. Harris looked for
and found a sponsor in Tecnica, a now-defunct, Berkeley-based organization that
sent technical volunteers, mostly computer scientists, to Nicaragua and South
Africa, for two-week stays. Harris, however, wanted to volunteer for a few months
and in the field of biology, and no one knew what to do with her. Eventually, she
was placed in Managua, the capital city of Nicaragua, with the Ministry of Health
(MOH) and at a plasma factory making critical supplies for soldiers at the front.
Harris had never been to a developing country, and Nicaragua was not only the
second poorest country in the hemisphere but was also in the middle of a war.
Roosters ran wild, and power outages and material shortages were an everyday
occurrence. Yet despite the situation, people somehow coped with life and embod-
ied an amazing humanitarian spirit in the face of material constraints. Since
Harris had been schooled at Harvard and trained in the best laboratories in Paris,
Basel, and Boston, she felt totally unprepared to train the Nicaraguans, who had

57
58 The New Humanitarians

been running their country during a revolution under near-impossible conditions

for almost ten years.
Within a few weeks, however, Harris was teaching a daily course in technical
English, giving a weekly seminar on biology, troubleshooting a test for endotox-
ins at the plasma factory, and helping work out a technique for identifying differ-
ent strains of Leishmania based on the migration of proteins in gel. Leishmaniasis
is a parasitic disease that is spread by the bite of infected sand flies and causes
manifestations ranging from disfiguring skin and mucosal lesions to the fatal
destruction of internal organs. It had become a major problem in Nicaragua
because soldiers were fighting in the tropical forests in the north of the country,
where the disease was prevalent, and then returning to the cities with numerous
lesions. Harris worked with her Nicaraguan colleagues to search for a rapid and
reliable way to detect and differentiate the strains of Leishmania causing the dis-
ease in order to trace their spread and determine which patients should be treated
with the toxic, heavy-metal therapies needed to kill the parasite.
The three months Harris spent in Nicaragua flew by. The experience was
incredibly enriching and life changing. Not only was Harris moved by the urgency
of the issues, but she was disturbed that there was so much research and knowl-
edge in the developed world and so little in the developing world. Harris knew
that somehow she had to bridge this gap. Meanwhile, she started her doctoral
work at Berkeley with the conviction to return to Nicaragua. Prospective disserta-
tion advisers knew that if she joined their labs, it would be under the condition
that she would go to Nicaragua each summer to work on her vision of transfer-
ring scientific technology. Dr. Jeremy Thorner accepted this bargain, and Harris
took on a project in his lab using yeast genetics to study the calcium-binding
protein, calmodulin.
The protein assay for leishmaniasis diagnosis with which Harris had been
working while in Nicaragua was overly cumbersome and lengthy, so she searched
for alternatives. She learned that a researcher at Yale University had developed
monoclonal antibodies to Leishmania that might work in Nicaragua, so she set up
a collaboration and returned the following summer to Nicaragua armed with the
antibodies. Unfortunately, the antibody test did not consistently differentiate
among the Nicaraguan forms of the parasite. At the same time, Harris had asked
her Nicaraguan colleagues what scientific knowledge and techniques they wanted
to learn and received the unanimous response of “molecular biology.” However,
with the rudimentary conditions of the laboratories in Managua, combined with
intermittent electricity and running water only two times each week, Harris
doubted the feasibility of setting up classical molecular biology experiments.
Thus, she found herself faced with an ethical dilemma: when people want to learn
something but do not have the resources to carry it out, do you decide not to teach
them, or do you teach them anyway, knowing that they will be unable to imple-
ment the knowledge? Both the Leishmania and molecular biology dilemmas were
solved when Harris began working back at Berkeley with Dr. Cristian Orrego, a
Chilean-born scientist who had been involved in the early days of the polymerase
Sustainable Sciences Institute 59

chain reaction (PCR) and had taught PCR detection of Leishmania in Peru. PCR,
which at the time had just been invented and made available to researchers in the
United States, is a technique in which a specific piece of DNA is multiplied
millions of times until enough has accumulated to be visualized using simple
detection methods. Harris was elated to find out that, in principle, PCR was
straightforward enough so that it could be performed under rudimentary condi-
tions. Orrego taught Harris the technique and helped her plan a five-day lab
course in Managua on molecular biology, including an experiment on PCR iden-
tification of Leishmania parasites (2). Meanwhile, Harris called everyone who
would listen looking for support. She managed to secure donations of equipment
and supplies from Gibco/BRL, Roche, and Amersham, as well as a $5,000 grant
from the New England Biolabs Foundation.
In the summer of 1991, Harris returned to Nicaragua to teach PCR to twenty
Nicaraguan scientists. A week before the workshop, she trained her Nicaraguan
friend and researcher, Alejandro Belli, in the technique, and together they taught
the workshop. They kept things as low-tech as possible. Rather than relying on
kits, the participants made their own reagents; instead of using expensive ther-
mocyclers to generate the temperature cycles to heat and chill the samples
required for PCR amplification of the DNA target, they manually moved the sam-
ples back and forth between water baths at different temperatures. To avoid DNA
contamination, they designated separate work and equipment areas for prepara-
tion of the PCR reaction mixture, extraction of DNA samples, and performance
of PCR amplification, a concept that many laboratories, including Harris’s own at
UC–Berkeley, still employ today (3).
Despite the fact that there was hardly any running water and only intermittent
electricity in the laboratory in Managua, the workshop participants were able to
manually amplify Leishmania DNA. It was a moment that will live in Harris’s
mind forever. When the course participants and instructors saw the amplified
DNA for the first time, they were stunned and extremely excited, all vying to look
through the goggles and get a glimpse of the brilliant DNA bands. That moment
was an epiphany for Harris: by understanding the principles of advanced tech-
nologies, it was possible to deconstruct and rebuild them under existing condi-
tions anywhere in the developing world (4). By using PCR, they had been able to
differentiate strains of Leishmania on-site—something that had never been
accomplished or dreamed possible in a Nicaraguan laboratory. It was extraordi-
nary to discover that it was actually feasible to demystify and break down this
sophisticated technology under rudimentary conditions and apply the findings to
local infectious disease problems.

THE AMB/ATT PROGRAM

After the initial success, Harris organized and conducted a second Nicaraguan
course in 1992, expanding the application of PCR to detection and typing of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Vibrio cholerae, and malarial parasites, among others.
60 The New Humanitarians

Also in 1992, while presenting the Nicaraguan experience at a conference in Cuba,

she met Josefina Coloma, an Ecuadorian who at the time was completing her grad-
uate studies in microbiology and molecular genetics at UCLA. Coloma was inter-
ested in bringing molecular biology skills to her native country, and so they decided
to conduct the next workshop in Ecuador. After fifteen years, Coloma and Harris
still work closely together both at UC–Berkeley and at the Sustainable Sciences
Institute (SSI).
Together, they managed to secure supplies and equipment donations as well
as some funding from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology. The course, which took place in Quito in 1994, taught twenty Ecuadorian
scientists how to use PCR to detect and characterize endemic pathogens, and was
a great success. As it turned out, the course was very timely since a cholera epi-
demic had recently spread from Asia to Peru and Ecuador. As a result of the
course, workshop participants started to apply PCR to endemic health problems
in their country, including tuberculosis, Leishmania, cholera, and dengue virus.
The following year, Harris and Coloma returned to Ecuador to teach another
workshop that included epidemiology and grant-writing skills in addition to
laboratory work.
Things really took off when Science magazine published an article about
Harris’s technology transfer work (1), a novel concept in the early 1990s.
Everything snowballed from there. Hundreds of people from all over the world
wrote asking for workshops, articles, and presentations. The issues were so urgent
and gripping that although Harris completed her dissertation on time and
received her PhD in molecular and cell biology in 1993, she ended up canceling
her postdoctoral appointment at Stanford University in order to focus on further
developing the technology transfer/scientific capacity-building program instead.
She felt she had made a commitment to numerous Latin American scientists
interested in implementing molecular biological techniques for infectious disease
applications in their countries and could not just turn her back on them to
continue her scientific career. Dr. Nina Agabian, a parasitologist at the University
of California–San Francisco, invited Harris to join her molecular parasitology
laboratory and gave her the opportunity to continue to organize more workshops
in Latin America, expand the offerings to other countries, and further develop the
program.
Encouraged by her success as well as by her mentors and family, Harris created
the Applied Molecular Biology/Appropriate Technology Transfer (AMB/ATT)
Program in collaboration with her Latin American colleagues. The objective of
the program was to adapt modern biomedical technologies to on-site conditions
and train local scientists in their use for appropriate application to relevant infec-
tious disease problems. The AMB/ATT Program was a three-phase program con-
sisting of a series of hands-on workshops conducted on-site in countries with
limited resources. Phase I facilitated the introduction of molecular techniques for
diagnosis and environmental surveillance of locally prevalent infectious diseases;
Phase II served to oversee the implementation of these techniques in molecular
Sustainable Sciences Institute 61

epidemiological studies and diagnostic programs; and Phase III fostered the use
of molecular biology in relevant biomedical research and local public health
applications. The basic principle behind the program was to take science to where
the problem exists (5). Workshops were conducted entirely in the language of the
host country, and instructors included local scientists and participants from pre-
vious courses. No previous training was required.
AMB/ATT stressed an inexpensive, do-it-yourself approach to implementing
molecular techniques, with an emphasis on having a solid understanding of the
procedures and reagents. In addition, it taught simple but effective methods to
avoid sample cross-contamination problems, as well as innovative solutions to
overcome material constraints. Participants were provided with training in
molecular technology, good laboratory practice, and the scientific method.
Additionally, participants learned project development and grant-writing skills to
aid them in obtaining funding for their projects and administering them inde-
pendently (6).
The first course in a given country catered to the needs of approximately
twenty local scientists, who selected the pathogens to be detected in the workshop
based on national infectious disease priorities. The courses began with morning
lectures that discussed theoretical aspects of the molecular methodology and the
epidemiological relevance of the organism under study. The lectures were open to
a larger audience of scientists and students. In afternoon laboratory sessions, par-
ticipants were divided into small workgroups, each of which executed the tech-
niques discussed that morning. At the end of the Phase I workshop, participants
interested in continuing on to Phase II proposed a pilot study applying molecular
techniques to their work. Four to five groups of participants selected from the
Phase I workshops, plus colleagues from their respective research units, were
assembled into teams that designed the pilot study and collected samples for
analysis in Phase II, which was conducted approximately one year later.
The Phase II workshops were two weeks long and consisted of two main sections:
the first section took place in the laboratory and involved the molecular analysis of
the specimens collected in the pilot study; the second section entailed the design of
a larger molecular epidemiological study and the development of a proposal for
funding. Phase III served to assure the continuity and sustainability of the transfer
process through workshops and ongoing collaborations. As part of the follow-up
process, continuous communication was maintained between participants and
instructors, who acted as informational resources and consultants (6).
One of the program’s key objectives was to make the technology as appropri-
ate and low cost as possible. This was accomplished by adapting the equipment
and by simplifying the techniques themselves. Adapting technology to existing
conditions is vitally important because the on-site infrastructure (including avail-
ability of water, electricity, materials, and reagents) varies from site to site and is
very different from laboratories in the developed world (6). For example, during
pre-course preparations for a workshop in Quito, Ecuador, course instructors
were testing the manual amplification of the Vibrio cholerae toxin-encoding
62 The New Humanitarians

operon and were increasingly frustrated when all the water baths appeared to be
broken and could not reach the temperature needed (92°C or higher) for the
denaturation step of PCR. They then realized that at 9,000 feet above sea level,
water boils at 89°C, and therefore no water bath in Quito was ever going to reach
the desired temperature of 94°C. After some brainstorming, it was decided to add
a layer of oil on top of the water bath to approximate a closed system, thus allow-
ing the water to reach a temperature of 92°C and ensuring that the PCR would
work (5).
By conducting training courses under conditions that most closely approxi-
mate the true working environment of the participating scientists, problem solv-
ing is taught, and the possibility of modifying technologies and adapting them to
local conditions is demonstrated. Understanding the fundamental principles and
technical requirements of scientific methodologies leads to clever adaptations of
equipment, the use of alternative techniques, the simplification of protocols, and
a reliance on recycling (4). These conditions can foster some of the most ingen-
ious innovations (7). After all, limited access to resources often forces researchers
to be creative. Developing-country scientists have learned to improve and use
common materials and simple tools instead of more sophisticated ones, thus find-
ing solutions in everyday items, and adapting and converting protocols into low-
cost approaches that are useful everywhere. An example of this creativity is the
“blenderfuge” invented by Bolivian scientist Nataniel Mamani, which combines a
blender, an aluminum bowl, and water-tap adapters to create a microcentrifuge.
Another example is his “turntable shaker,” which transforms the circular rotation
of a record player into a horizontal shaker for the lab (3).
The AMB/ATT Program not only expanded on-site capabilities in less-developed
countries to include molecular techniques, but it also fostered the immediate use
of these techniques in relevant public health situations. The existence of on-site
labs and personnel trained in molecular diagnosis and epidemiology provided
immediate readiness to respond to healthcare crises, which is crucial when it
comes to the diagnosis and control of infectious diseases outbreaks. An example
comes from a Phase II workshop in Quito, Ecuador, where a patient with pre-
sumed leishmaniasis was admitted to the hospital at the workshop site. Since the
workshop participants were at that very moment testing a number of PCR assays
for the detection of Leishmania parasites in clinical samples, a biopsy from the
patient’s lesions was included in the experiment. Results confirmed the presence
of Leishmania DNA in the patient’s lesions and further identified the parasite as
belonging to the Leishmania braziliensis complex. Interestingly, the classical meth-
ods used for immediate analysis of the same sample yielded negative results
because of insufficient sensitivity of the techniques, even though the case was
clinically and epidemiologically compatible with the diagnosis of leishmaniasis.
AMB/ATT was the formalization of Harris’s vision of bringing science to real-
world problems. And although the program was much in demand, it was com-
pletely virtual. It was Harris along with a group of dedicated volunteer scientists
who devoted countless hours to adapting molecular techniques to developing
Sustainable Sciences Institute 63

country conditions, preparing protocols and reagents, recycling and washing

laboratory supplies, and organizing and teaching workshops, all accomplished
while they worked toward their own degrees or at real jobs. Another way to
formalize the vision was to consolidate all the information and experiences that
Harris had gathered in the first ten years of work in the form of a book. A Low-
Cost Approach to PCR: Appropriate Transfer of Biomolecular Techniques was pub-
lished in 1998 by Oxford University Press (3). The book describes Harris’s overall
approach to technology transfer and scientific capacity building, using PCR as an
example; it also serves as a detailed guide to implementing PCR as a practical and
inexpensive approach for research and infectious disease diagnosis by developing
country scientists.
Although courses were taught in Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, and
Nicaragua, apart from the occasional grant or donation, there was no funding to
continue the program. Then one day in 1997, while Harris was on her way to a
workshop in Bolivia, she got a call that changed her life. She had won a MacArthur
Fellows Award from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Like
many others who receive this award, she did not even know she had been nomi-
nated until she received the phone call.

THE SUSTAINABLE SCIENCES INSTITUTE: THE EARLY YEARS

The MacArthur Award, which is sometimes nicknamed the “genius award,”
provided a real boost to the technology transfer program Harris had started
almost ten years earlier. It was a public recognition of the importance of the
work, and the unrestricted funds provided a means to continue with the initia-
tive in a more formal way. As a result of the award, the Sustainable Sciences Insti-
tute (SSI), a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, CA, was founded in
1998. Harris and her colleagues had envisioned the formation of a nonprofit
organization and had even chosen and registered the name in 1995, but until the
MacArthur award, no funds had been available to jump-start the organization.
In 1998 SSI finally became a reality. Like-minded colleagues, who over the years
had contributed to the planning and teaching of workshops, founded SSI
with Harris and became members of the original board of directors; they
included Alejandro Belli, Christine Rousseau, Guy Roberts, Leïla Smith, Pratima
Raghunathan, and Adil Ed Wakil.
Starting a nonprofit organization to carry on the program was the realization
of a dream. It was also a lot of work. The board of directors first created a vision
as well as a core program. It was their aspiration that the SSI would improve the
human condition by the appropriate use of knowledge, science, and technology.
As such, SSI’s work is based on the premise that global health relies on biomed-
ical scientists and public health workers who can recognize and resolve infec-
tious diseases at the local level. SSI partners with promising researchers in
developing countries, offering long-term assistance and mentoring to help them
excel in their fields of research and make a difference in the health of their
64 The New Humanitarians

communities. It is SSI’s mission to develop scientific research capacity in areas

with pressing public health problems. This mission is based on the understand-
ing that developing-country scientists have the ability—and the responsibility—
to confront and manage infectious diseases in their own countries, but simply
lack the necessary tools.
To work toward this mission, the core Scientific Capacity-Building Program,
which is still in place today, was created based on the AMB/ATT model. The pro-
gram’s main purpose is to transfer knowledge and technology to developing-
country scientists through in-country workshops, donations of equipment, and
small grants for research projects. It is the program’s goal to build local capacity
to research, diagnose, and control infectious diseases. In the short term, the pro-
gram enables scientists and public health professionals in the developing world to
address issues related to priority infectious diseases. In the long term, the program
makes it possible for program participants to improve science education in their
countries and to influence informed public health decision making, driving
changes in the behavior of those responsible for addressing public health prob-
lems. The program has a four-prong approach to capacity building: workshops
(both laboratory and scientific writing), small grants, material aid, and network-
ing and consulting.
The laboratory workshops develop participants’ laboratory and epidemiologi-
cal skills and train them in the effective application of these skills to relevant infec-
tious disease problems. The workshops take science to disease-endemic regions so
that scientists can adapt techniques and study design to local conditions. Partner
countries are selected based primarily on the level of interest of the developing
country collaborators, the disease burden, and reliable in-country contacts. All
workshops are participatory, hands-on, and conducted in the local language.
Trainees include a broad range of scientists and public health professionals, from
university faculty and students to Ministry of Health laboratory directors and
technicians, to physicians and epidemiologists. To encourage South-South knowl-
edge transfer as well as greater local ownership of the program, resident scientists
are incorporated in the planning and teaching process. During each workshop,
several participants are trained in SSI’s instruction theory and methods. These
instructors-in-training take an active role in workshop management and organi-
zation, and often go on to teach future training workshops.
The writing workshops develop participants’ manuscript- and grant-writing
skills in order to broaden their scientific capacity to include additional necessary
skills. The manuscript-writing workshops derive from the fact that the scientific
community evaluates advancement and stature primarily by the number and
quality of research publications a scientist has published in peer-reviewed
journals (8). Developing-country scientists are, however, at a disadvantage: they
often experience difficulty publishing because of a lack of technical writing skills,
guidance in data analysis and manuscript submission processes, and access to
scientific journals. The manuscript-writing workshops are designed to provide
these scientists with the skills and tools they need to transform existing data into
Sustainable Sciences Institute 65

publishable material and increase the likelihood of a manuscript being accepted

for publication in a reputable scientific journal. The workshops provide scientific
advice, technical writing skills, and one-on-one tutoring from experts in the dis-
cipline. At the end of each workshop, each student is expected to have a solid first
draft of his or her manuscript. In a similar fashion, grant-writing workshops pro-
vide participants with training in research proposal preparation in order to
improve their chances of successfully competing for funds.
The small grants program provides follow-up support or seed funds for mer-
itorious research proposals to SSI trainees. The program recognizes the fact that
financial support is vital to researchers in underserved areas of the world, where
a small amount of money can make a big difference. A few thousand dollars can
pay for supplies, the salary of a scientist, and/or cover the cost of a basic epi-
demiological survey at the community level. The program acknowledges the dif-
ference that seed funds can make by awarding small grants to promising
scientists who have previously taken part in one or more SSI workshops. All
recipients are selected after a rigorous review process during which proposals are
evaluated by SSI scientific volunteers worldwide for public health relevance, sci-
entific rigor, feasibility, and budget. Only those proposals with the highest merit
receive funding.
The material aid program provides developing country scientists and labora-
tories with the materials they need to perform research on infectious diseases. SSI
has contacts with numerous U.S.-based institutions, companies, and universities
that donate materials, supplies, and minimally used equipment or provide deep
discounts and/or donations of reagents. The material is then sent to laboratories
participating in the training program as well as to collaborators in response to
their specific requests. For numerous scientists in resource-poor settings, these
donations have been crucial for starting up their laboratories or have allowed
them to continue with critical work. For many, SSI’s material aid program is the
only means to access these goods. Over the years, SSI has donated hundreds of
thousands of dollars worth of equipment and material that might have otherwise
gone to waste. Equipment supplied includes PCR machines, gel electrophoresis
systems, microcentrifuges, power supplies, ovens, incubators, glassware, molecu-
lar biology reagents such as enzymes and nucleotides, and other essentials such as
pipettors and general laboratory consumables.
A final component of the core Scientific Capacity-Building Program is net-
working and consulting. This part of the program grew out of SSI’s dedication to
providing continued support for its trainees. Scientists in developing countries
often experience a sense of scientific isolation; to alleviate this situation, SSI serves
as a constant resource for technical information and expertise for investigators in
the developing world. In addition, SSI believes that in order to make a real and
lasting difference in the lives in developing-country scientists, meaningful, far-
reaching, and ongoing support from partners in the more-developed countries is
needed. The networking and consulting program meets this need by providing
the scientists served with mentoring and support for as long as they need it. SSI
66 The New Humanitarians

maintains close contact with all trainees and provides them with scientific advice
and information, referrals, information about funding sources, links to online
journals and print editions, contacts with networking resources, laboratory pro-
tocols, and more. Finally, the program provides networking among scientists
locally, regionally, and internationally, and between local researchers and relevant
institutions such as the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the
TDR/WHO, Netropica, the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health
(PATH), and the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) to foster
dialogue, decrease scientific isolation, increase funding possibilities, and improve
concerted efforts in handling outbreaks or epidemics within and across borders.

THE SUSTAINABLE SCIENCES INSTITUTE: A GROWING ORGANIZATION

SSI was founded in 1998 and received 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in 1999. Like
any new nonprofit organization, SSI started small and grew steadily each year.
During its first year, funding was scarce, and there was no office. That same year,
the six-member board of directors held regular meetings, created the bylaws, and
hired the first employee: Executive Director Pratima Raghunathan. SSI also held a
workshop in La Paz, Bolivia, on dengue, tuberculosis, leishmaniasis, and Chagas
disease. The next year, the first annual newsletter was published, the website was
launched (www.ssilink.org), an office was rented, a second employee was hired,
and two more members joined the board of directors. In addition, SSI held a
workshop in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on dengue, tuberculosis, and enteric
bacterial diseases and awarded three small grants to two scientists from Colombia
and one from Ecuador.
In 2000 SSI established an advisory council, added three more members to the
board of directors, and doubled the number of scientific advisors and organiza-
tional volunteers. SSI also held successful workshops in Burkina Faso and
Venezuela. In 2001 three small grants were funded, workshops were held in
Paraguay and Venezuela, a new employee was hired, and SSI moved to a larger
office, while the number of volunteers continued to increase. In addition, a lab in
Panama was fully equipped, and laboratories in Bolivia, Guatemala, Nicaragua,
and Paraguay received shipments of material aid from SSI.
During these early years, SSI was funded through small grants and individual
donations. Then in 2002, SSI received a generous grant from the V. Kann
Rasmussen Foundation (www.vkrf.org), which allowed SSI to expand its core
Scientific Capacity-Building Program. Thanks to the VKRF funds as well as
matching funding and other donations, between 2002 and 2007, SSI held a total
of twenty-one workshops in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru. SSI also awarded
eleven small grants totaling $100,000 to researchers from Argentina, Bolivia,
Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Pakistan, and Paraguay.
In 2002 SSI established a new program in Egypt spearheaded by its vice-president,
Adil Ed Wakil, focusing on hepatitis C virus (HCV). Egypt has the highest prevalence
Sustainable Sciences Institute 67

of hepatitis C in the world, estimated to be approximately 12 percent nationwide (9).

Dedicated to sustainable research in the field of hepatitis C, the program fosters col-
laborations between SSI partners and Egyptian researchers, with the aim of improv-
ing Egypt’s ability to address the issues associated with this disease. The high
infection rate is largely the legacy of treatment campaigns conducted from the 1960s
to the early 1980s to control schistosomiasis (a parasitic disease caused by several
species of flatworm) among rural populations (10). Because of the high prevalence
of hepatitis C in the population, it is still being transmitted at unacceptable rates
today through exposures such as dental procedures, injections, folk medicine, house-
hold transmission, and blood products (11). Given both the high prevalence and per-
vasive incidence rate, SSI’s hepatitis C program in Egypt is not only necessary but
urgent.
Since its inception in 2002, the program has provided local researchers with
skills and resources to better combat the hepatitis C epidemic in their country.
The program has four areas of in-country focus: (1) a small grants program that
provides funding to young scientists who have submitted meritorious proposals
on hepatitis research, (2) a fellowship program that fosters interinstitutional col-
laboration and provides supervised laboratory and epidemiology training for
young investigators, (3) an information technology program that helps ensure
that relevant peer-reviewed journals are more widely available to academic insti-
tutions and their scientists in Egypt, (4) a workshop program that organizes and
conducts annual workshops on topics such as immunology, hepatology, writing
scientific manuscripts, and preparing grants. The program’s first workshop was
held in Cairo in 2002; since then, the program has held four more workshops,
awarded sixteen grants, and supported seven fellows.
The Technical Training Foundation (TTF) was a founding supporter of SSI
and has been a steady and very generous supporter ever since. One of TTF’s pri-
mary goals is supporting educational endeavors that directly benefit underserved
communities and populations nationally and globally. In addition, the foundation
supports medical research, particularly related to liver disease and viral hepatitis.
The dual role of SSI’s program of education and supporting hepatitis research in
Egypt has garnered a long-term commitment from TTF, which is enthusiastic
about SSI’s investment in young Egyptian scientists and interest in expanding
both individual and institutional capabilities.
Another exciting development occurred in 2004 when SSI became locally
incorporated in Managua, Nicaragua, to administer a three-year, $2.3 million
study—the Pediatric Dengue Cohort Study (PDCS)—on the epidemiology and
clinical manifestations of dengue in children that paves the way for eventual
testing of a safe tetravalent vaccine. Opening a subsidiary office in the country
where Harris’s work began in 1988 and administering a study of this magnitude
has taken SSI’s role in the developing world to a new level. Dengue is the most
important mosquito-borne viral disease affecting humans, and dengue fever
and dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome have emerged as major
public health problems, particularly in Southeast Asia and Latin America. An
68 The New Humanitarians

effective, tetravalent vaccine could dramatically improve the fate of millions of

people who are affected by the disease.
Recent studies indicate that by age ten, 90 to 95 percent of children in Managua
have been infected with one or more of the four dengue virus serotypes, and up
to one in four children in Managua is infected with dengue virus each year (12).
The PDCS follows a cohort of 3,700 children aged two to twelve at high risk for
dengue in Managua’s densely-populated, low- to mid-socioeconomic status
District II near the Lago de Managua. The landmark study, a collaboration
between the Division of Infectious Diseases at UC–Berkeley, SSI, and the
Nicaraguan Ministry of Health (MOH), and supported by the Pediatric Dengue
Vaccine Initiative (PDVI), brings together the Nicaraguan laboratory, epidemiol-
ogy, and clinical sectors in an unprecedented collaboration, building scientific
capability and infrastructure to a level previously out of reach. In 2006 the study,
which was initially designed for three years, was extended for an additional three
years. The study provides detailed and well-documented epidemiological data
linked with biologic specimens from a pediatric population in a highly dengue-
endemic Latin American setting that are enabling numerous questions about the
pathogenesis and epidemiology of dengue to be addressed.
Recently, a parallel project emerged from the highly successful implementation
of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the PDCS (13). This
new project, funded initially by TTF, is an entirely local response to the urgent
need to overhaul the vaccination and prenatal care system in Nicaragua, and is tai-
lored to help resident scientists and healthcare workers meet this need.
Nicaragua’s public health system is currently struggling to meet the goal of the
Pan American Health Organization for 95 percent vaccination coverage of pre-
ventable infectious diseases by 2008, as well as the Millennium Development Goal
of a three-quarters reduction in the maternal mortality ratio by 2015 (14, 15).
Current efforts at providing vaccine coverage and prenatal care in Managua suf-
fer tremendously from a lack of computerized registries and other inefficiencies.
The new project is incorporating a number of technologies to streamline infor-
mation flow and accessibility, improve the quality of data as well as the quality
control procedures that are used, and reduce operational costs in Managua’s
MOH health centers. As a first step, SSI’s informatics team, with direct input from
the MOH, designed, refined, and implemented a new informatics tool, the Immu-
nization System Database (SIPAI), to capture data during vaccination campaigns
and routine immunizations, and enable real-time analysis. The SIPAI database
allows automation of immunization data, generates comprehensive vaccine cov-
erage information, and facilitates immediate decision making that impacts immu-
nization indicators.
In June 2007, the new database was launched, and 100 percent of the health
centers in Managua adopted it after a training workshop conducted by SSI and the
MOH; version 2 was implemented in October 2007, and routine reporting of
immunization indices using SIPAI will soon be mandatory. In addition to the new
digital registries at the health centers, new technologies are being piloted in two
Sustainable Sciences Institute 69

health centers in Managua with the goal of expansion to the entire health center
network in the next few years. These technologies include personal data assis-
tants (PDAs) for registries during vaccination campaigns in the field, unique
identifiers for mothers and children to enable immediate access to files via the
use of bar codes on vaccination cards, and global positioning devices (GPS) for
geo-referencing children’s homes to facilitate field visits. The success of this ini-
tiative demonstrates the capability of SSI’s informatics team to implement infor-
mation technology (IT) solutions for further improvements to the vaccination
and maternal health systems.
Since its inception in 1998, SSI has grown into a medium-sized organization
with an annual budget close to $1 million; offices in San Francisco, Managua,
and Cairo, Egypt; an eleven-member, highly involved board of directors; and a
twelve-member, supportive advisory council. The main office in California has
a staff of 6, while the office in Nicaragua employs 25 people and contracts over
100 specialized workers during field operations. As with any nonprofit organi-
zation, the organization’s reach largely depends on the availability of funding.
Although building human capacity is not a priority for most international phi-
lanthropies and large donors, SSI has been fortunate to secure enough funding
for its programs thanks to the loyal support of various foundations as well as
individual donors—although it is indeed a struggle. SSI’s fundraising efforts
have been boosted by the publicity it has received and continues to receive, as
well as by the president’s and the vice-president’s ongoing and unwavering per-
sonal efforts to educate donors and the public about the importance and the
impact of SSI’s work.
Over the last twenty years, SSI and its precursor AMB/ATT have become world
renowned for their pioneering work in scientific capacity building in developing
countries. SSI is recognized as a model for technology transfer programs by global
health agencies across the country and the world, including the World Health
Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, the Organization of
American States, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Association
for the Advancement of Science, and the National Science Foundation, and most
importantly, by developing country health workers and officials.

PROBLEMS ADDRESSED AND SUCCESSES ACHIEVED

The driving force behind SSI has always been the demand for the organiza-
tion’s work. The first time Harris went to Nicaragua in 1988, she was struck by the
lack of resources available to her local peers in terms of equipment, supplies,
training, funding, and technical advice. Knowing that the technologies and
resources these scientists needed existed—but were unavailable where they were
most necessary—inspired her to discover innovative approaches to bridge this
gap (16, 17). Developing-country scientists face numerous challenges, from lim-
ited material and financial resources to poor physical and communication infra-
structures. Because of ever-shrinking economies and national budgets, basic
70 The New Humanitarians

research is a luxury in most developing countries, and many scientists hold sev-
eral other jobs. The lack of scientific careers, scientific tradition, institutional sup-
port, and collaboration within the local scientific community further aggravates
the problem, along with the fact that available training is often operational in
nature rather than research oriented (18). The importance of scientific research
was emphasized by the Global Forum for Health Research report, which states
that “strengthening research capacity in developing countries is one of the most
effective and sustainable ways of advancing health and development in these
countries and of helping correct the 10/90 Gap in health research” (19). The 10/90
Gap refers to the fact that only 5 to 10 percent of all global health research fund-
ing is directed to research on health problems that affect 90 percent of the world’s
population.
And although in recent years, a number of diseases (particularly HIV/AIDS,
TB, and malaria) have caught the attention of global funders, the research and
diagnoses of many infectious diseases representing a large burden to developing
countries around the world (including dengue, leishmaniasis, respiratory, and
diarrheal diseases) continue to be severely underfunded. At the same time, infec-
tious diseases are still the major cause for morbidity and mortality in the devel-
oping world, accounting for half of all deaths, a rate that is 80 percent higher than
that in industrialized nations. As a result, there is a defined need in developing
countries for local personnel trained to employ modern techniques to detect and
study emerging and endemic infectious diseases and design appropriate interven-
tions for their control (20).
Latin America is a good example. Not only are infectious diseases the major
cause of morbidity and death in the area, but the prevalence of HIV infection is
on the rise. In addition, accelerating urbanization over the past fifty years has led
to the appearance of “misery belts” around large cities. These settlements lack
basic infrastructure and public services, and are therefore perfect sites for the pro-
liferation of communicable diseases. The lack of capability in national health sys-
tems to rapidly and reliably diagnose these diseases only worsens the situation,
which is compounded by poor epidemiological and clinical data that cannot be
used to devise adequate health strategies and policies. In Latin America, as in the
rest of the world, the progress of science varies from one country to the next. And
so, despite their proximity and similar cultures, each country has achieved a dif-
ferent level of scientific capacity, with Brazil and Cuba in the lead followed by
Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Mexico, and trailed by the rest (18).
SSI believes that the problem of infectious diseases requires a global solution
because it takes only a day or two for a pathogen to get from one place on the
planet to another. SSI is convinced that building scientific capacity in developing
countries is necessary if we are to prevent the global spread of infectious diseases.
In addition, SSI feels that it is important that all countries, especially those with
high burdens of disease, have access to the necessary resources needed to control
infectious diseases (17). Unfortunately, much of the work being done to address
these issues in the developing world lacks an important component for building
Sustainable Sciences Institute 71

long-term effectiveness: researchers and health practitioners who are able to con-
duct their own research and establish their own priorities. Clearly, “parachute sci-
ence,” in which investigators from developed countries merely collect samples,
return home, and publish papers, is of no real use to scientists and citizens in the
developing world.
SSI’s working premise is that even in low-resource settings, the burden of infec-
tious diseases can be reduced if there are basic resources along with an essential
infrastructure that supports the use of low-cost interventions by appropriately
trained personnel. Effective disease control is possible but will only become a real-
ity when every nation, regardless of size, location, or wealth, has the capacity to rec-
ognize, prevent, and respond to the threats posed by infectious diseases. SSI works
to facilitate this process. Since its inception, SSI has served over 1,000 scientists and
health professionals from over twenty developing countries. SSI and its precursor
program have held forty workshops, awarded more than thirty small grants, and
supported seven fellows. In addition, SSI has sent hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of material aid to individual researchers and health centers around the world,
and has provided ongoing networking and consulting support to numerous devel-
oping-country scientists. And although SSI is proud of the number of people it has
served and continues to serve, the organization believes that numbers alone do not
capture the true impact and importance of its work. In order to make a real and last-
ing difference, SSI focuses not only on the quantity of people reached but also on
the quality of the interaction. Ultimately the organization’s ability to accomplish its
mission lies in the success of its collaborators and trainees.
Some successes resulting from SSI’s scientific capacity building efforts are as
follows:

• In Ecuador, the Instituto Izquieta Perez of the Ministry of Health implemented

a new molecular biology laboratory following SSI’s guidelines and now uses
SSI-taught techniques as part of the national diagnostic system. Implementa-
tion of this reference laboratory has boosted the accuracy and speed at which
confirmation of clinical diagnosis of dengue occurs and has enabled the
diagnosis of other diseases using similar techniques.
• After an unexpected epidemic of dengue virus in Paraguay in 2000, SSI-trained
scientists implemented the methods they learned for the rapid detection and
characterization of the virus in-country for the first time. Thanks to the subse-
quent close collaboration between the National University of Asunción and the
Ministry of Health, an active surveillance system was established that led to the
rapid identification of dengue virus serotypes, mobilization of mosquito control
efforts, and containment of outbreaks for several years in a row.
• Only two weeks after SSI-trained Nicaraguan instructors had transferred
molecular techniques for rapid diagnosis and typing of dengue in Peru, work-
shop participants learned about the first-ever outbreak of the disease in the
capital city of Lima. The group collected ninety samples and performed the
serological and molecular biology tests newly available to them. That same
72 The New Humanitarians

night they were able to confirm that the outbreak was caused by dengue virus
type 3. The next day, the group released the information to health authorities,
who as a result, were able to implement immediate control measures.
• SSI has fostered the creation of Centers of Excellence in Managua, Nicaragua;
Guayaquil, Ecuador; Medellín, Colombia; Lima, Peru, and Panama City,
Panama. Each center has established state-of-the-art laboratories supported by
SSI and are now national or regional reference laboratories for research on var-
ious infectious diseases.
• In Managua, Nicaragua, where there was once a complete lack of research
infrastructure and tradition, after twenty years of collaboration, SSI has helped
build public health and research capacity that meets the highest international
standards. SSI has also supported community-based programs aimed at the
prevention and control of infectious diseases.
• Over the years, participants in SSI training programs have successfully
published their work in both local and international peer-reviewed journals,
significantly increasing the number of resident researchers that have been able
to publish in scientific journals. In addition, most small-grant recipients have
published one or more scientific articles as a result of their SSI-funded studies.
SSI’s manuscript-writing workshops are not only very popular, but at least ten
participants have published in peer-reviewed, international journals, and many
others have published in local journals as a result. These encouraging results are
partly due to the dedication of workshop instructors, who continue to work
with the trainees for weeks or even months after the workshops have ended.
• In Egypt, several workshop participants who have attended the grant-writing
workshops have used concrete skills learned there to obtain SSI grant propos-
als to study hepatitis. Scientists attending the manuscript-writing workshops
have elevated their publications to internationally recognized journals that are
widely read and highly respected. For example, Dr. Mohamed Kohla, a doctor
from the prestigious National Liver Institute at Menoufiya University in lower
Egypt, who published a review article on the pathogenesis of hepatitis C and
coauthored two abstracts presented at the American Association for the Study
of Liver Diseases’ (AASLD) 2006 conference, based on his participation in an
SSI manuscript-writing workshop. He has also written a paper on the lym-
phocyte phenotype in HCV patients. Three recipients of an SSI small grant
have co-authored a paper titled “P53 Mutations in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Patients in Egypt” in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental
Health. Additional small-grant recipients have published their results in
acclaimed journals, including Carcinogenesis, Journal of Hepatology, and Gut.

LESSONS LEARNED AND THE ROAD AHEAD

One of the reasons that Harris became a scientist was her attraction to the way
the cell works. Harris sees it as a beautiful system that can be used as a model for
human society. Within the cell, there is a feedback loop that functions harmoniously
Sustainable Sciences Institute 73

as all the elements work together for the greater good of the whole with unprece-
dented energy conservation. The cell reminds Harris of how the many principles we
all dream about in a just human society are being played out in our own bodies (21).
As a scientist, she believes she has the responsibility to use her knowledge for the
greater good of society. These values are not only the foundation upon which SSI
was created, but they continue to inspire the organization’s mission.
SSI believes that if we are to foster a truly global scientific culture, mechanisms
must be developed that encourage international collaborations. In this era of
globalization, it is naïve to believe that infectious disease problems in developing
countries do not concern all of us. Mosquitoes, viruses, and pathogens do not
adhere to international boundaries. For both humanitarian and utilitarian rea-
sons, we must mobilize our scientific resources to initiate true partnerships that
enable global access to scientific knowledge, technology, and products.
Over the years, SSI has learned to be flexible and creative. Its programs
adapt to the times and the changing needs of its partners and audience. The
manuscript-writing workshops, for example, arose from the need of past
trainees who had accumulated and analyzed scientific data and felt ill-
equipped to compile the results into coherent manuscripts for dissemination
in the scientific world. Similarly, SSI has piloted a bioethics workshop, where
participants learn about the ethical dilemmas facing researchers and gain rele-
vant knowledge, enabling them to make decisions and/or influence local deci-
sion making regarding ethical issues that affect their research and
communities. In addition, to fulfill the evolving needs of researchers and health
personnel worldwide, SSI is currently developing new training modules. One
of these training modules is a bioinformatics and sequence analysis module
that focuses on ways to access available DNA sequences in public domain data-
bases on the Web and on how to use specific programs for sequence and phy-
logenetic analysis. The module responds to the increased importance of
genomics in diagnosis and monitoring of infectious diseases, and to the need
for researchers in the developing world to have the tools in hand to track dis-
eases in real time, understand their etiology, and contribute this information to
aid in the timely control of epidemics and pandemics.
Another workshop currently under development is a module on information and
communication technologies (e.g., PDAs, GIS, barcodes, fingerprint scans, comput-
erized registries, cell phones, voice-over-IP) for application in public health settings.
This workshop concept has received great interest for its versatility, including appli-
cation in clinical trials, optimization of community-based research studies, improve-
ment of immunization efficiency and access to health services, and facilitation of
compliance with quality control exigencies (e.g., good clinical practice and good lab-
oratory practice) (13). The workshop module was inspired by SSI’s Nicaraguan col-
leagues, who have successfully implemented low-cost ICTs as part of the PDCS and
routine work in the health center, hospital, and virology laboratory in Managua.
One characteristic of Managua is that there are no street addresses. Locals typi-
cally give directions like “from where the Pepsi sign was [before the earthquake,
74 The New Humanitarians

Figure 4.1 Eva Harris (right) with a field team collecting samples from children
participating in the pediatric dengue cohort study in Managua, Nicaragua. Courtesy of
Alejandro Belli.

which took place in 1972], three blocks up [towards the sunrise, or East].” This
makes it challenging to find any location easily. Luckily, high-tech equipment such
as GIS, palm pilots, and barcode- and fingerprint-scanning technologies are prov-
ing very effective in this environment. These technologies have allowed local
researchers to easily locate the nearly 4,000 children enrolled in the PDCS and keep
track of their medical records. In addition, using the devices has enhanced the com-
puter literacy and confidence of the health workers trained to use them. For the first
time, health workers communicate by e-mail and Skype, and research is conducted
on the Internet with the use of PubMed and other reliable search engines. As a spin-
off, SSI is now partnering with the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health to help improve
national childhood vaccination efficiency and reduce maternal mortality by increas-
ing monitoring and access to prenatal health services.
The Nicaraguan success story illustrates the far-reaching effect of SSI’s scientific-
capacity building work, where long-term partnerships and ongoing support led to
growth at the individual level, which over the years has translated to growth at the
institutional level and eventually has impacts on a national level. SSI’s overall mission
has not changed since the AMB/ATT program was first conceived twenty years ago,
but the means by which SSI achieves its goals have evolved over time. Capacity build-
ing of human resources in a respectful and culturally appropriate manner is key to
the success of SSI’s strategy, and the resulting partnerships, collaborations, friend-
ships and trust engendered by the process have created a generation of young
researchers and pubic health personnel in developing countries who have increased
confidence and commitment to work of the highest quality. This empowerment has
led to local researchers taking important initiatives, learning the language necessary
Sustainable Sciences Institute 75

Figure 4.2 Eva Harris (left) in her laboratory at UC–Berkeley with SSI scientific director
Maria Elena Peñaranda (center) and SSI executive director Josefina Coloma (right).
Courtesy of Jennifer Kyle.

to communicate relevant information to influence their leaders, creating lasting part-

nerships with researchers around the globe, and participating meaningfully in inter-
national projects and collaborations. SSI is thrilled to be a catalyst of change and
looks forward to continuing to use science to make a difference around the world.

Acknowledgments
Many thanks to Maria Elena Peñaranda and Kara Nygaard for their excellent
editorial assistance, tireless work, and deep commitment to making SSI’s mission a
success. We are profoundly grateful to the countless volunteers and collaborators
the world over who have partnered with SSI to enable science to make a difference
in developing countries.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Sustainable Sciences Institute
Founder: Eva Harris
Mission: Established in 1998, Sustainable Sciences Institute (SSI) seeks to
improve the human condition by the appropriate use of knowledge, science,
and technology. The organization’s work is based on the premise that global
health relies on biomedical scientists and public health workers who can
76 The New Humanitarians

recognize and resolve infectious diseases at the local level. SSI partners with
promising researchers in developing countries, offering long-term assistance
and mentoring to help them excel in their fields of research and make a differ-
ence in the health of their communities. SSI is in a unique position to respond
to the needs of these scientists and health professionals because the organiza-
tion has built its mission of developing scientific research capacity in areas with
public health problems around the understanding that local scientists and health
professionals have the ability—and the responsibility—to confront and manage
infectious diseases in their countries, but that they lack the necessary tools.
Website: www.ssilink.org
Address: 870 Market Street, Suite 764
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (510) 642-4845
Fax: (510) 642-6350
E-mail: mzoer@ssilink.org

REFERENCES
1. Barinaga, M. 1994. A personal technology transfer effort in DNA diagnostics. Science
266:1317–1318.
2. Harris, E., M. López, J. Arévalo, J. Bellatin, A. Belli, J. Moran, and O. Orrego. 1993. Short
courses on DNA detection and amplification in Central and South America: The
democratization of molecular biology. Biochem. Educ. 21:16–22.
3. Harris, E. 1998. A Low-Cost Approach to PCR: Appropriate Transfer of Biomolecular
Techniques. New York: Oxford University Press.
4. Harris, E. 2004. Scientific capacity building in developing countries. EMBO Rep.
5:7–11.
5. Harris, E. 1996. Developing essential scientific capability in countries with limited
resources. Nat. Med. 2:737–739.
6. Harris, E., A. Belli, and N. Agabian. 1996. Appropriate transfer of molecular technol-
ogy to Latin America for public health and biomedical sciences. Biochem. Educ.
24:3–12.
7. Coloma, M. J., and E. Harris. 2004. Innovative low-cost technologies for biomedical
research and diagnosis in developing countries. BMJ 329:1160–1162.
8. Coloma, J., and E. Harris. 2005. Open access science: A necessity for global public
health. PLoS Pathogens 1:99–101.
9. Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, 1999.
10. Frank, C., M. K. Mohamed, G. T. Strickland, D. Lavanchy, R. R. Arthur, L. S. Magder,
T. El Khoby, Y. Abdel-Wahab, E. S. Aly Ohn, W. Anwar, and I. Sallam. 2000. The role
of parenteral antischistosomal therapy in the spread of hepatitis C virus in Egypt.
Lancet 355:887–891.
11. Habib, M., M. K. Mohamed, F. Abdel-Aziz, L. S. Magder, M. Abdel-Hamid, F. Gamil,
S. Madkour, N. N. Mikhail, W. Anwar, G. T. Strickland, A. D. Fix, and I. Sallam. 2001.
Sustainable Sciences Institute 77

Hepatitis C virus infection in a community in the Nile Delta: Risk factors for seropos-
itivity. Hepatology 33:248–253.
12. Balmaseda, A., S. N. Hammond, Y. Tellez, L. Imhoff, Y. Rodriguez, S. Saborio, J. C.
Mercado, L. Perez, E. Videa, E. Almanza, G. Kuan, M. Reyes, L. Saenz, J. J. Amador,
and E. Harris. 2006. High seroprevalence of antibodies against dengue virus in a
prospective study of schoolchildren in Managua, Nicaragua. Trop. Med. Int. Health
11:935–942.
13. Avilés, W., O. Ortega, G. Kuan, J. Coloma, and E. Harris. 2007. Integration of informa-
tion technologies in clinical studies in Nicaragua. PLoS Medicine 4: In press.
14. United Nations. 2002. Millennium Project, Interim Report of Task Force 4 on Child and
Maternal Mortality.
15. WHO. 2006. Immunization Profile—Nicaragua.
16. Dreifus, C. 2003. A conversation with Eva Harris. New York Times, New York,
September 30.
17. Harris, E., and M. Tanner. 2000. Health technology transfer. BMJ 321:817–820.
18. Coloma, J., and E. Harris. 2002. Science in developing countries: Building partnerships
for the future. Science’s Next Wave September 27.
19. Global Forum for Health Research. 1999. 10/90 Report on Health Research 1999. World
Health Organization, Geneva.
20. WHO. 1999. Report on Infectious Diseases: Removing Obstacles to Healthy Development.
World Health Organization, Geneva.
21. Harry Kreisler. 2001. Conservations with history: Making science accessible. Interview
with Eva Harris. http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Harris/harris-con0.html.
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 5

Institute for OneWorld Health:

Seeking a Cure for Inequity in
Access to Medicines
Victoria Hale

The top five infectious disease killers in the world are HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis,
malaria, respiratory infections, and diarrhea. None of these, not even HIV/AIDS, has
received sufficient focus by the pharmaceutical industry to meet global health needs.
Although these diseases have severe global social and economic consequences, very
few effective treatments are available. Further, there are insufficient incentives for
industry to invest in developing new safe, affordable, and effective treatments.
Over 60 percent of the world’s population lives in the places where these infec-
tious diseases are most prevalent: the tropics. These regions in the middle band
around the globe—places such as sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent,
South East Asia, and parts of Latin America—have high population densities,
high poverty rates, and climates that are favorable for insects that transmit dis-
ease. Each year, millions of lives are lost to infectious diseases.
Why, in the twenty-first century, is it that in some places people can get med-
ical treatment for nearly any condition, or even for mere complaints, while in
other places in the world, millions of children die from diarrhea?
The reason is simple. The therapeutic drugs that exist today are produced by for-
profit pharmaceutical companies. These companies operate according to a very
strict business model that requires a certain return on investment to shareholders
for any project undertaken. Adhering to this business model leads these companies
to pursue drugs for wealthy countries, focusing on heart disease, diabetes, cancer,
and so-called lifestyle drugs. These targets of opportunity are consistently more
appealing than taking on the challenge of treating tropical infectious diseases.
Between 1975 and 1999, out of 1,393 new drugs developed, only 13 were
designed to treat tropical diseases. That is less than 1 percent, even though tropical
diseases account for more than 90 percent of the worldwide disease burden. As a
consequence, fully one-third of the world’s population lacks access to essential med-
icines, and in the poorest regions of Africa and Asia, this figure rises to one-half.

79
80 The New Humanitarians

More broadly, only 10 percent of the US$70 billion spent on health research
worldwide each year is for research into the health problems that affect 90 percent
of the world’s population.
The idea behind the Institute of OneWorld Health (iOWH) is to look at this
so-called 90/10 gap as evidence not only of past failure, but also of future oppor-
tunity. Without question, pharmaceutical companies need to make profits to
make drugs. The research that goes into discovery, design, and testing for safety
and efficacy is expensive. If we can find ways to redirect back to global health even
a fraction of the intellectual property and human resources of the global phar-
maceutical community, we can make a real difference. That is our aim.
Today, iOWH has a staff of eighty, in offices in the United States and in India,
with the scientific and policy expertise needed to identify new drug opportunities,
produce a product development plan, and shepherd drugs through the regulatory
approval process. iOWH also has an array of research and development partner-
ships that work with us to develop a range of products for a variety of diseases.
And we have formed the partnerships we need to manufacture and deliver the
medicines we produce.1

THE BEGINNING: “YOU HAVE ALL THE MONEY”

Back in 2000, I was riding in a taxi and chatting with the driver, an African immi-
grant. He asked me what I did for a living. I am very proud of the work I do so I was
happy to tell him that I am a pharmaceutical scientist. I was taken aback when he
responded by breaking out into a fit of laughter. When he finally regained his com-
posure, he remarked with a shake of his head, “You guys have all the money.”
All the money, yes. But to what end? His comment crystallized the growing
discomfort I had felt at the imbalance of resource allocation that was so evident
in my chosen field of work. I recalled another moment of troubling introspec-
tion I had experienced not long before, when I was working at the Food and
Drug Administration. I came across the fact that up to one in five children in
sub-Saharan Africa does not live to see his or her fifth birthday. And each year in
the developing world, 10 million people die from neglected diseases, diseases for
which no effective treatments exist or are in development.
After my taxicab epiphany, I had an increasingly difficult time keeping these
numbers out of my head. The pride I felt in being a pharmaceutical scientist
became overwhelmed by feelings of embarrassment at being part of an industry
that was not taking full responsibility for the diseases of the world. I thought to
myself, if there is anything that I can do personally to change things, how can I not
do it?
In further considering the problem, I began to wonder if it might be possible
to take the profit imperative out of the drug development equation. Could I create
a process for developing drugs, including testing them and getting them approved
and manufactured, that would make them as safe and effective as any blockbuster
drug, but affordable enough for the poorest of the poor? Is it possible to organize
Institute for OneWorld Health 81

pharmaceutical development around the objective of human impact rather than

profitability?
I resigned from my position at Genentech and took two years to travel, reflect,
and simply consider the parameters of the challenge. Traveling around the world
was an eye-opening experience, helping me better define the questions in my
mind and confirming my deep commitment to my pursuit. After a great deal of
time and expense, I began to see a way forward.
In July 2000, I founded the Institute for OneWorld Health (iOWH), an entirely
new kind of pharmaceutical company.

THE EXPERIMENT: A NONPROFIT PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY

The pharmaceutical scientists who work at iOWH share a belief that their work
can change the world and save lives. Of the many possible paths one could imag-
ine toward this goal, the one we have taken is the development of a sustainable,
nonprofit pharmaceutical company focused on neglected diseases.
It is not possible for a nonprofit pharmaceutical company to follow the stan-
dard big pharma business model. The big pharma model typically starts with
basic innovations, science and discovery in the laboratory, and the exploration of
educated hunches.2 When promising results are identified, they are taken through
the lengthy and expensive process of drug formulation and sequential testing in
Petri dishes, animals, and humans. Only 1 drug in 10,000 that is discovered actu-
ally makes it to clinical trials. Only 1 drug in 10 that makes it to human testing
makes it to the market. Compounding the risk, of the few drugs that actually
reach the market, 70 percent fail to recoup their R&D investments.
In many cases, drugs are cast aside by standard, for-profit pharmaceutical firms
for reasons having nothing to do with their potential to benefit people. For exam-
ple, some drugs are simply not profitable in any known application. Others may
not compete successfully with other known candidates as treatment for a given
disease. Still others are discarded because they have unacceptable side effects for
the population the drug will treat, even though the side effects may be acceptable
for other populations. (For instance, a new antibiotic that causes sleepiness may
be unacceptable for people who need to drive or go to work while taking the drug.
But for a malaria patient or for a bedridden patient facing certain death from an
infectious disease, sleepiness may be a perfectly acceptable side effect.)
iOWH has sought a different path (Figure 5.1). For starters, we do not operate
any of our own laboratories. Instead, we have pursued a strategy of networked inno-
vation, with an emphasis on streamlining the traditional process of bringing drugs
to market. We streamline in many ways, of which partnership is the most important.
We partner with investigators in the public and private sectors to discover new com-
pounds with potential for treating neglected diseases. We partner with for-profit
pharmaceutical companies to try to find opportunities to match their castoffs—
abandoned, discontinued, or no-longer-profitable drugs—with neglected diseases.
And we partner with manufacturers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and
82 The New Humanitarians

Figure 5.1 The funding model. Courtesy of the Institute for OneWorld Health.

local infrastructure service providers to manufacture drugs and deliver them to

patients. Our core operations involve using our R&D experience to coordinate
and collaborate with these partners and, most importantly, identifying the tech-
nological leads and securing the funding to create—and seize—opportunities to
save lives.
We also aim to streamline the clinical trials process wherever possible. This of
course does not imply that we cut corners in terms of safety. Rather, if we don’t
need to do as many trials—perhaps because our drugs do not compete with exist-
ing drugs—then we don’t. Finding a late-stage drug to take over the finish line
enables us to get the most from our investments. Also, when we bring a drug to a
developing country’s regulatory approval boards, we work with the agency to find
the most straightforward path to satisfying the regulatory requirements that will
prove safety and efficacy. Ultimately, we still have to do many studies, just as any
other pharmaceutical company must do, and these studies can cost tens of mil-
lions of dollars.
These costs have been one of the biggest challenges to our model. What
replaces profit when you remove it from the equation? We account for success in
human terms, and we value each life equally rather than weighting them in terms
of ability or willingness to pay. We were working for the same global public health
outcomes as philanthropic organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foun-
dation. We were pioneering a new business model that groups such as the Skoll
Foundation and Schwab Foundation were looking to foster. Philanthropic funds
Institute for OneWorld Health 83

would be our main source of revenue, and capital would be put to work to achieve
a social return on investment.
But a shared sense of mission alone was not enough to persuade our current
partners at the Gates Foundation and elsewhere to support us in the earliest stages
of our development. What was required at the outset was a setting that would
enhance our prospects for success, enabling us to overcome the scientific, finan-
cial, regulatory, and even political hurdles inherent in the development of drugs
for neglected diseases. For OneWorld Health, that setting was Bihar, India. The
disease was visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as “black fever” or kala-azar
by those whom it afflicts.

MATCHING PROMISING DRUGS WITH NEGLECTED DISEASES

Paromomycin is an antibiotic developed by Pharmacia (now Pfizer), which dis-
continued it in the 1970s because it was no longer profitable. This drug floated to the
top of our list of drugs to treat neglected diseases because it had such great potential.
It had been a very effective and safe antibiotic, so much of the expensive testing had
already been completed. Moreover, an African researcher had discovered that paro-
momycin had a powerful effect on a disease called visceral leishmaniasis, a fatal dis-
ease for which safe, effective, and affordable treatment options were urgently needed.
Consequently, Pharmacia granted the rights to paromomycin to the World Health
Organization (WHO). The WHO had put some efforts into using paromomycin to
treat VL but ultimately abandoned the effort.
VL is the second most deadly parasitic disease in the world. It is a devastating
affliction. Caused by a parasite spread by a common insect in the tropics called the
sand fly, the disease attacks the bone marrow and destroys the body’s ability to
produce red and white blood cells. This leaves the patient extremely vulnerable to
infection. Similar to AIDS patients, those with kala-azar almost always die of a
side infection they simply cannot fight.
I visited with patients suffering from kala-azar in Bihar, India, where it is most
prevalent, although the disease is also common in Nepal, Bangladesh, the Horn of
Africa, and Brazil. This region of India hosts the poorest of people, who have been
without adequate nutrition for years of their lives. Those afflicted with the disease
are emaciated except for their large bellies, where the parasite hides, enlarging the
liver and spleen. Witnessing the consequences of this illness was an experience
that marked me indelibly.
In Bihar, a hundred million people are at risk for kala-azar. Approximately
1.5 million people are infected with the disease. There are 500,000 new cases and
300,000 deaths each year. Existing therapies are so expensive that families have
been known to put three generations into debt to treat and save a relative. In
contrast, the promise of paromomycin was a cure for kala-azar for significantly
less money than current available treatments.3
Because my staff and I had experience with drug development and the regu-
latory process in various settings around the world, we entered into the project
84 The New Humanitarians

with full awareness of the obstacles that faced us in seeking to turn paro-
momycin into a drug for kala-azar, and getting it approved. Among the many
obstacles, one had more to do with politics than science: it might be termed the
“Constant Gardener” factor. The Constant Gardener, a novel by John le Carré,
tells the tale of a multinational drug company that took advantage of the polit-
ical vulnerability of a particular group of people in Africa to test a new drug
with known adverse consequences. Precisely because the novel reflects aspects of
reality and past experience, Western pharmaceutical companies seeking to test
drugs on populations in poor places anywhere in the world are often initially
received with suspicion. Lack of trust makes such projects difficult for the for-
profit pharmaceutical companies—in some cases, simply infeasible.
We also came to Bihar as outsiders. But we came with a goal not of increasing
the value of shares, but of sharing the value of cures. With our public health mis-
sion irrevocably encoded into our nonprofit form of organization, we were able to
overcome the “Constant Gardener” factor. The trust we cultivated over a period of
time allowed us to move forward with our trials even in the challenging rural
environments in Bihar.
Reaching our initial goal—conducting clinical trials in Bihar for treatment of
kala-azar—took four years. When at last, in 2004, I went to a hospital in India
during a trial of our drug, the experience was exciting but also frightening. We had
one chance to get this right and show that we could repurpose a drug to treat a
disease the world had forgotten. To fail would in some ways be worse than not to
have tried at all: potentially, we would discourage future efforts. Seeing patients
treated with our drug suddenly sitting up, awake, aware, even hungry, provoked
an indescribable feeling of elation.
We submitted the drug to the Indian government for regulatory approval in
2006. In August 2006, Paromomycin IM Injection was approved by the drug
controller general of India for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the
medical name for kala-azar. The approval of Paromomycin IM Injection came less
than three months after the submission of the application for approval, which was
prepared by iOWH in collaboration with our partner, Hyderabad-based drug
manufacturer Gland Pharma Limited.4 The drug is expected to be one of several
tools for India’s National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP),
which aims to rid the country of VL by 2010. We also expect the drug will be used
in disease control programs in other leishmaniasis-endemic countries. Our man-
ufacturing partner, Gland Pharma Limited, will make the medicine available at
cost—a significantly lower price than currently approved VL therapies.
While we saw the approval of Paromomycin IM Injection for treatment of VL
as a sufficient proof-of-concept for a nonprofit pharmaceutical model, the fol-
lowing months brought further validation of our work. In May 2007, the WHO
announced the inclusion of Paromomycin IM Injection on their list of essential
medicines. Then in June 2007, the New England Journal of Medicine published our
Phase 3 findings, communicating to a broad audience within the medical com-
munity the particulars of the approach we had taken.
Institute for OneWorld Health 85

THE PHARMACEUTICAL VALUE CHAIN

For all the milestones we reached and the corresponding sense of accomplish-
ment we experienced in 2006, we also ended the year facing a stark reality: it is one
thing to develop and manufacture a drug that works, but it is quite another to get
that drug to those who need it. As difficult as it is to discover a promising
approach and then develop a drug, the final stage of delivering treatment can be
the most difficult. Drug distribution must be done by local healthcare workers in
local clinics. It involves getting the drug to the right places, storing it safely, and
then administering it to people who have been properly diagnosed.
In the case of kala-azar, our strategy of matching an orphaned drug to a neg-
lected disease had worked, but it remained unfinished. As we sought avenues for
addressing the challenge of delivery, we began to broaden our thinking about how
to approach the challenge of reducing inequities in treatment. It became clear to
us that, in order to have our desired impact, we would need to develop the capa-
bility to engage at multiple stages along the pharmaceutical value chain.
In the case of paromomycin and VL, we started out in the late stages of research
and development with our Phase 3 trials. Then we partnered with Gland Pharma
Limited and the International Dispensary Association (IDA) for manufacturing.
Last, we developed a plan to distribute and deliver those drugs to the beneficiar-
ies, the people of Bihar. To test our plan, we opened a liaison field office in the city
of Patna in Bihar, India, to oversee a Phase 4 pharmacovigilance and access pro-
gram for the paromomycin treatment, which is administered as a once-a-day
injection for twenty-one days. Working with principal investigators who are
experts in the treatment of VL and with NGO partners, this Phase 4 program, ini-
tiated in November 2007, investigates the safety and efficacy of treatment with
Paromomycin IM Injection in progressively more rural areas in Bihar. The first
module of the program enrolled approximately 500 patients to provide additional
safety data on the treatment.
Over the course of the two-year trial, up to 1,500 additional patients will be
included in two subsequent access modules that will extend the network of treat-
ment facilities, providers, and related logistics systems into the most rural areas of
Bihar. This is an innovative access model for administering Paromomycin IM
Injection that uses an outpatient setting to diagnose and treat impoverished
patients and advanced data transmission technologies for pharmacovigilance in
the remote areas where VL is endemic.
To deliver drugs to these remote and difficult-to-reach locations, iOWH is
seeking to make use of existing infrastructure already put in place by NGOs. For
example, there is an existing force of healthcare providers who provide women
with prenatal care using a hub and spoke model to carry drugs from a central
location to outlying destinations. If we partner with this NGO, we will train the
clinicians and rural healthcare providers at local centers in the administration of
the drug. The trial is an example of how iOWH extends its partnerships all the
way to the village level. Indeed, our work would be nearly impossible without
local partners and our in-country presence.
86 The New Humanitarians

Though establishing a distribution and delivery network is extremely chal-

lenging because of the unpredictable nature of these rural areas and the lack of
services in them, this step is also the most critical of all those that iOWH takes in
terms of its mission to save lives. Beyond the obvious effects of the drugs and their
ability to cure patients, the very existence of the drugs can have a ripple effect in
a community. It brings hope to family members who no longer face the choice
between extreme debt and the loss of a family member. It also brings new knowl-
edge and power to clinicians, who can now diagnose people, knowing that there
is an accessible cure to their devastating disease.5
Our goal is to refine an effective and transferable access model, enabling us to
save lives, bring social change to families and communities, and expand our reach
beyond India into other regions burdened by infectious disease. If we are successful,
this new product will build demand for new markets along the way. From the man-
ufacturing center in Hyderabad to the bedsides of patients, this drug will create a
demand for services to provide transport, delivery, and storage. Local communities
become partners with iOWH by providing these services as well as medical care.
When a local community becomes healthier both physically and economically, the
result can be profound and far-reaching.
In addition to effecting change in rural areas, projects in this part of our
value chain (Figure 5.2) also effect positive change in the developed world by

Figure 5.2 Value chain. Courtesy of the Institute for OneWorld Health.
Institute for OneWorld Health 87

addressing the emerging problem of what we call innovation pileup. There are
many innovations coming from scientists and engineers who are developing
new tools to prevent diseases and treat patients. But getting these drugs and
innovations out of the warehouse and to the patient is often the most challeng-
ing part of the problem. When this problem is not tackled, these innovations
pile up and become a burden and a disappointment that could, eventually,
squelch the creativity of those scientists who invented them. By building chan-
nels for these innovations to flow through, iOWH can help prevent innovation
pileup.

THE DOORS ARE OPEN

Because we have sought a nonprofit approach to working with innovators to
find treatments for neglected diseases, we have observed a change in the attitudes
of our for-profit counterparts. In 2000 and 2001, when we first began talking with
pharmaceutical companies about our vision for a different approach to drug
development, the response to the pitch was skeptical, to say the least. We were ask-
ing these companies to surrender to us parcels of hard-won intellectual property.
Even if they weren’t using the property, the request was bound to meet with con-
siderable resistance—which it did.
Over the past six years, the reception we receive has changed considerably.
Pharmaceutical scientists within the conventional drug companies understand
the challenge we are seeking to address and, more importantly, can see the value
of the approach we propose. Some want to participate in iOWH during a sabbat-
ical or through fellowships. Others offer themselves as resources to help guide us.
Even at the corporate level, there is an openness and willingness to talk. We now
have access to these companies. They want to know how they can contribute.
Although less than a decade ago the doors of collaboration appeared to be shut,
today they are open.
The result of this turnaround is that it makes our search for the next matchup
of an orphaned drug with a neglected disease that much easier. We have two more
in the works already. These new partnerships hold the promise of producing ther-
apies that will cure people afflicted with malaria—the most deadly parasitic dis-
ease in the world—and diarrhea.
Our malaria program efforts fall solidly on the manufacturing and distribu-
tion links of the value chain. We are focusing on developing semisynthetic
artemisinin, a key ingredient in the manufacture of first-line malaria treatments.
The project involves a unique collaboration of representatives. OneWorld
Health, together with synthetic biology innovator Amyris and leading pharma-
ceutical company Sanofi-aventis, have created the Artemisinin Project. Its aim is
to create a complementary source of non-seasonal, high-quality, and affordable
artemisinin to supplement the current botanical supply, thereby enabling mil-
lions of people infected with malaria to gain consistent access to lower-cost, life-
saving artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). The partnership
88 The New Humanitarians

leverages new technology from Berkeley professor Jay Keasling and Amyris that
allows an antimalarial drug precursor, artemisinic acid, to be manufactured
using genetically engineered yeast. Keasling and colleagues first described this
new technology in the April 12, 2007, issue of the journal Nature.6 Prior to that
discovery, only plants produced the compound, making it an expensive and
unreliable ingredient for a mass-produced drug.
If it reaches commercial scale, this alternative source of artemisinin would sup-
plement the supply that is currently extracted from the botanical source Sweet
Wormwood plant (Artemisia annua) and produce enough artemisinin for ACTs
to treat up to 200 million of the more than 500 million estimated individuals who
contract malaria each year. This complementary source of supply would improve
the availability of high-quality artemisinin derivatives to drug manufacturers and
contribute to stabilizing the price of artemisinin-containing antimalarials to ben-
efit patients and payers.
The World Health Organization recommends using ACTs as a first-line treat-
ment for malaria in regions where the usual first-line treatments for malaria are
no longer effective because of increasing drug resistance. Malaria is responsible
for more than 1 million deaths annually.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded OneWorld Health a five-year
grant of $42.6 million in December 2004 to manage the research and develop-
ment collaboration with Amyris and Dr. Keasling to utilize the techniques of syn-
thetic biology to develop a new technology platform for producing artemisinin
and its derivatives.
Our diarrhea program falls at the other end of the value chain. It focuses on
discovery. In 2006 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded us a US$46
million grant to develop wholly new treatments to complement traditional
approaches for fighting diarrhea. Diarrheal diseases are a leading cause of death
in children under the age of five worldwide, killing an estimated 2 million children
each year. Typically, children die of complications from dehydration. Therapies
exist that help rehydrate these children, but no effective therapy exists to stem the
loss of fluids in the first place.
Our efforts will focus on developing safe, effective, and affordable new anti-
secretory drugs that inhibit intestinal fluid loss. These novel antisecretory
drugs will be deployed as an adjunct to oral rehydration therapy for the treat-
ment of acute secretory diarrhea,7 which is responsible for nearly 40 percent of
reported cases of diarrheal disease globally. During 2006, the iOWH Diarrheal
Disease Program initiated several new collaborations, including one with Bio-
Focus DPI, which will apply medicinal chemistry and early-stage drug devel-
opment expertise to identify new antisecretory drugs, and one with the
International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research in Bangladesh
(ICDDR,B), which will conduct pre-clinical studies. More recently we have
entered into a collaboration with Roche. In this agreement, we will screen com-
pounds from the Roche library to identify a potential new drug for the treat-
ment of diarrheal diseases. (See Figure 5.3.)
Institute for OneWorld Health 89

Figure 5.3 Proof of concept. Courtesy of the Institute for OneWorld Health.

BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY: THE MONEY CHALLENGE

The business of creating new drugs is slow and expensive. It involves great dili-
gence and care because of cultural and ethical considerations involved in treating
patients with new medicines. We have proven that our model is effective, but not
yet that it is sustainable. A critical challenge in our next stage of development will
be to transition from exclusive reliance on philanthropic support to a model that
combines grant funding with revenues through sales.
With regard to philanthropic gifts and grants, we are increasingly aware of our
need to develop a funding pipeline to support our product development at each
stage. iOWH could, for instance, invest its funds in identifying good leads for the
orphaned drug–neglected disease matchups with the most potential. We would
then bring these leads and targets to outside funders that would help fund the
development of the drug, and then enter into new partnerships to help manufac-
ture and distribute the drug.
With regard to sales, we have started to consider the applicability of a cross-
subsidization strategy: sales of a product to those able to pay could help cover the
costs of providing therapies to those unable to do so. Visceral leishmaniasis afflicts
almost exclusively the poorest of people, but such is not the case with all neglected
diseases. Malaria also affects the middle and upper classes. So does diarrhea. Sim-
ilarly, a compound could be developed for the same indication in two regions of
the world. This so-called dual-market approach has the potential to earn revenue
and have public health impact.
Of course, we did not create iOWH to be yet another revenue-maximizing drug
company. Our nonprofit model enables us to fulfill our mission to make drugs that
are not only safe and effective but also affordable and accessible to all. In order to do
this important work far into the future, thus expanding our reach and impact, we
must continue to seek innovative ways to grow and sustain the organization.
90 The New Humanitarians

NEGLECTED NO MORE
The Institute for OneWorld Health is not the cure to global inequities of access
to medicines. If it is part of the solution, it will not be because of what we are able
to accomplish in isolation. Rather, it will be because others innovate at least as
aggressively as we have sought to, by mobilizing resources, forming partnerships,
affecting changes in policy, and creating new paradigms that work for the poor,
rather than against them.8
My own belief, however, is that new technologies, creative organizational struc-
tures, and necessary realignments of incentives will be insufficient to bring about
such change unless all are combined with one other essential element: moral out-
rage. When even a single life is wasted for want of a treatment that, if available,
could be provided for less than the cost of a box of Band-Aids, we as a global com-
munity have failed.
To address this failure will require an effort distributed across the globe, from
village clinics to corporate boardrooms—and it will necessitate great humility
and compassion. It may begin with the work of organizations such as ours in
building awareness and creating new opportunities for action. But it ends only
when neglected diseases, and the people they afflict, are neglected no more.

Acknowledgments
I am grateful to Jim Hickman, Ahvie Herskowitz, and Beth Doughterty for
their assistance in writing this chapter. This case narrative appeared, accompanied
by a case discussion authored by Wesley Yin, in Innovations, 2.4 (Fall 2007), as
“Seeking a Cure for Inequity in Access to Medicines.”
An earlier version of this chapter was published in Innovations: Technology
| Governance | Globalization (ISSN 1558-2477, E-SSN 1558-2485), Special
Edition for the 2008 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, The Power of
Positive Doing, MIT Press, 238 Main Street, Suite 500, Cambridge, MA 02142-1046.
© 2007 Tagore LLC. It is reprinted herein with permission.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: The Institute for OneWorld Health
Founder/Executive Director: Victoria Hale
Mission: Institute for OneWorld Health develops safe, effective, and affordable
new medicines for people with infectious diseases in the developing world.
OneWorld Health is a nonprofit pharmaceutical company.
Website: www.oneworldhealth.org
Address: 50 California Street
Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94111
Institute for OneWorld Health 91

Phone: 415.421.4700 x 303

Fax: 415.307.7092
E-mail: vhale@oneworldhealth.org

NOTES
1. Innovations, World Economic Forum special edition, 106.
2. Davos, 2008.
3. “Seeking a Cure for Inequity in Access to Medicines,” Innovations, World Economic
Forum special edition.
4. Innovations, Davos, 2008, p. 111.
5. Ibid.
6. Ro, Paradise, Ouellet, Fisher, Newman, Ndungu, Ho, Eachus, Ham, Kirby, Chang,
Withers, Shiba, Sarpong, & Keasling, “Production of the antimalarial drug precursor
artemisinic acid in engineered yeast,” Nature 440 (April 13, 2006), p. 940.
7. Ibid.
8. “Seeking a Cure for Inequity in Access to Medicines.”
This page intentionally left blank
 6

Sustainable Transformation of
Communities: The Jamkhed
Experience—”We Have Done
It Ourselves!”
Shobha R. Arole and Raj S. Arole

Large and diverse, India is a country of paradoxes. In spite of incredible growth in

economy and business, 80 percent of the population continues to live on less than
$2 a day (Population Reference Bureau, 2007). Women have held the highest polit-
ical offices in the country, yet a large number of women still hold a low status in
society and lack self-esteem. Although part of the world’s vanguard in information
and computer technology, India still has persistently high rates of infant mortality,
maternal mortality, and deaths from chronic and communicable illnesses, with
some of the world’s worst health indicators, especially for the poor in rural areas
and urban slums. Most health professionals, as well as the public, tend to believe
that the solutions to India’s common health problems lie in well-equipped
hospitals and highly specialized personnel who can provide “quality” care.
Against this background, Drs. Rajanikant and Mabelle Arole founded the
Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP), a community-based health and
development program in Jamkhed, Maharashtra, India. Surmising that health is
not limited solely to hospitals and curative services, the Aroles recognized its
many other determinants. They believed that economic, environmental, nutri-
tional, and social factors—issues such as the low status of women and the plight
of the marginalized—influence health profoundly.
The Aroles founded CRHP in 1970, and since then, it has become an
internationally renowned, community-based health and development
organization. Over the years, the project has affected and influenced national and
international government health policy, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs),
faith-based organizations, and businesses engaged in social entrepreneurship. In
1975 the World Health Organization (WHO) published Health by the People
(Newell, 1975), with a chapter on CRHP. This book was part of the process that
led to the WHO/UNICEF conference held in AlmaAta in 1978, resulting in the
AlmaAta Declaration on Primary Health Care as the means for providing “Health

93
94 The New Humanitarians

for All” globally. In 2001 the Schwab Foundation selected the Aroles as outstand-
ing social entrepreneurs for their development of an innovative and sustainable
model for health and development.
CRHP currently serves a population of 1.5 million through its primary and sec-
ondary health care programs, hospital, and training center. A truly grassroots proj-
ect, it strives to place health in the people’s hands. The Aroles started as pioneers in
the field of primary health care, successfully demonstrating a truly sustainable
model. As communities and project personnel have interacted to promote lasting
change, disease patterns have shifted from primarily communicable diseases to
mostly noncommunicable illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. Both pri-
mary and secondary health care continue to be relevant to the issues faced today,
and full community participation in the integrated approach to both prevention
and cure remains a vital element of the project. With almost four decades of expe-
rience, CRHP has established itself as an organization committed to uplifting the
poor and marginalized in relevant ways within the communities it serves.

TRANSFORMATION OF INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES

CRHP has always been about people, community, and transformation.
Lalanbai Kadam’s story is one example.

One of CRHP’s first village health workers, Lalanbai was born into extreme
poverty as a Dalit (“untouchable”) in the village of Pimpalgaon. As a child, she
often went hungry because her family relied on their landlord’s discarded
scraps for food. Lalanbai never learned to read and write because her parents
could not afford to send her to school. Instead, she was married at age ten and
was sent to live with her jealous and violent husband, who forbade her to
interact with their neighbors. So intense was his envy that he even tried to kill
her by attempting to throw her into the sea. After she became pregnant,
Lalanbai was abandoned by her husband and left to raise her young son alone.
When he was four, her son became ill with measles, which, according to the
traditional beliefs, was caused by a goddess’s curse and could only be cured
by a divine miracle. Denied food, water, and medicines in hopes of a miracle,
his condition worsened and ultimately claimed his life.
After this tragedy, Lalanbai was remarried to an elderly widower, who died
soon after their marriage. She then returned to her parents’ village to take
charge of affairs in her father’s home, but because of the stigma of caste and
widowhood, Lalanbai was ostracized by her community.
At this time, the leader of her village selected her to receive training at
CRHP to become their village health worker (VHW). As an illiterate Dalit
woman, Lalanbai was very unsure of her ability to learn and succeed in such
a role. But throughout her training, she was treated with respect, working as
an equal with women from all caste groups.
When she began her work as a VHW, Lalanbai found that many people
were resistant to interacting with a Dalit woman. But the self-confidence she
gained through her training at CRHP allowed her to work past these initial
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 95

difficulties. As the community began to recognize her skills, they began to see
beyond her caste. By sharing her health knowledge, she worked hard to
educate her village against the harmful superstitions and traditional practices
that had killed her son.
Lalanbai’s popularity grew so much that many people wanted her to
become the village Sarpanch (leader). The current Sarpanch, afraid that he
would lose to her in an election, asked Dr. Mabelle to persuade Lalanbai not
to contest the election. Hearing this, Lalanbai laughed and said, “I already rule
the hearts of the people of Pimpalgaon. Let him continue to be the Sarpanch!
As I have changed, I have changed the world around me, even this backward
village of Pimpalgaon, and this is the best reward for me.”
In addition to being a leader in her village, Lalanbai has become an
invaluable member of the CRHP community. She trains new health workers
and serves as an important role model for poor women. She is also part of the
training team for visiting health and development professionals and students
who come to CRHP’s training institute from all over the world. Through her
hard work and the training she received at CRHP, Lalanbai went from being a
poor and marginalized Dalit woman to a treasured and highly respected mem-
ber of her community, responsible for transforming the health of her village.

PREPARATION—THE AROLES’ EARLY LIFE

Who were the founders and motivators behind this transformation, and where
did it all begin?
The son of schoolteachers in a rural area of Maharashtra, Raj Arole grew up
understanding the intricacies of village life, including the subtle nuances of the caste
system and its undergirding effect on society. At a time when women were hardly
literate, his mother managed to become one of a few fully trained female teachers in
the region. Amid such progressive values, Raj and all his siblings were well educated,
but the real influence in his childhood years was his father. Although he was a
teacher, Raj’s father spent much of his time helping poor students, providing for
others, and generally engaging in social improvement. In this atmosphere, Raj had
the opportunities to imbibe social values, realistically understand the socioeco-
nomic setting, and help those less fortunate than himself. This ethos of concern for
the poor became deeply etched in his mind.
Raj’s determination to become a physician arose when a flood struck his rural
hometown of Rahuri. Witnessing the deaths of close friends and neighbors in
these bleak and disastrous settings forged his resolve to become a doctor. In Raj’s
own words, “As a child, I grew up in a village and saw people suffering without a
doctor. I myself had bouts of malaria, and the only person to treat me was a
paramedic. I remember that my mother had a breast abscess and a simple village
woman drained it. When I was twelve, there was a flood bringing with it an epi-
demic of plague. I saw many of my classmates semiconscious and in agony. That
incident became the deciding factor and the real motivation for my desire to
become a doctor.” Despite the challenges of rural Indian life, Raj set high
96 The New Humanitarians

standards for himself and studied at one of the best medical colleges in India,
Christian Medical College, Vellore.
During his time there, Raj met his life partner and wife, Mabelle Immanuel. In
contrast with Raj’s childhood, Mabelle was sheltered at the theological seminary
where her father was a professor; she had very little experience with the harsh real-
ity of rural India. Interestingly enough, Mabelle’s father, who had dreamed of
becoming a doctor for the poor, had the greatest impact on her throughout child-
hood. Inspired by his personal aspirations, Mabelle made that dream a reality.
Both Raj and Mabelle grew up in families that instilled in them Christian
values and a strong foundation in Christ. Their own personal commitment based
on this faith enabled them to commit their lives to serve the poor and
marginalized, and have a vision for healthy communities.
Throughout their medical studies, the aspiring doctors never lost sight of the
plight of the poor and marginalized; and they met many influential role models.
Dr. Paul Brand, a surgeon working with leprosy, emphasized the need to demystify
medicine. Much of his research and clinical work took place in small huts or
mango groves. The renowned surgeon and physiologist Dr. Somerville also worked
to make medicine accessible; he practiced real compassion for his patients, making
himself available to them almost anywhere, even under a tree or in the bustling
corridors of a hospital, wherever people could see him. Dr. Kutumbiah, a consult-
ant for the president of India, insisted on making clinical diagnoses based on
history and physical findings; investigations were used only for confirmation. His
accuracy was astounding, especially to those who depended on expensive labora-
tory procedures. Dr. MacPherson, another physician, donated all of his salary to
the welfare of his patients, saving money by eating in one of the cheapest student
messes on campus. Such committed and compassionate role models reinforced
the core values that inspired Raj and Mabelle to pursue the path that eventually
led to the founding of CRHP.
During their internship years, Raj and Mabelle grew closer and quickly realized
that they shared the interest, commitment, and zeal to serve the poorest of the
poor. In 1960 they married and embarked on their lifelong journey together.
Working in curative-oriented mission hospitals in Maharashtra and
Karnataka, they realized something was missing. Although they were providing
quality clinical care, they wondered whether their work was really making a
difference in the lives of the poor. Their quest to reach the population’s most vul-
nerable members enabled them to be open to change. What was happening to
those who did not make it to the hospital, and why were they not coming? What
were the reasons for the high rates of maternal and infant mortality in the region?
Raj again shares his experience while at the mission hospital in Vadala:

Once when I was traveling from Vadala to Salapatupur after finishing a clinic, I
suddenly saw a shop with a large crowd around it. I realized that the shopkeeper was
seeing patients. There were more patients waiting to see the shopkeeper than even I
had seen on that day. I was indignant. After a while, I had a chance to speak to him.
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 97

I asked him what he would do if someone had pneumonia, and he said he gave peni-
cillin. Then I asked him what he did for diarrhea, and he said he gave kaolin (a pre-
scription which was used in the 1960s). I began to realize that people in the villages
are really interested and willing to learn, and they can take care of simple illnesses.
That was the moment at which I developed the idea that people have the capacity to
deal with simple yet vital aspects of health.

In search of answers, Raj and Mabelle drove to the villages and held clinics,
gaining a basic glimpse into community life and social structure in the villages.
Inspired by the American Dr. Hale Cooke, who worked alongside them, they
looked deeper into these issues. As Fulbright scholars, the Aroles had the oppor-
tunity to complete their medical and surgical residencies in the United States and
earn master’s degrees in public health at Johns Hopkins University. It was there
that they were able to plan a comprehensive, community-based health and
development project to be implemented in India. Professor Carl E. Taylor, their
mentor at Johns Hopkins, was a source of inspiration and support throughout
this process. He introduced his students to different systems of health care and
encouraged them to learn from one another. Participants from Johns
Hopkins–affiliated projects all over the world opened their eyes to the fact that
learning does not only occur in university classrooms but also through village
experiences. Knowledge comes not only from the mentor or expert but also from
the community.

IN THE BEGINNING IN JAMKHED

Upon their return to India, the Aroles planned to work in a deprived part of
Maharashtra, where health care and socioeconomic development were rare and
often primitive. At the same time, one of their main objectives was to work in an
area of sufficient community interest and willingness on the part of the people to
partner and organize for effective change.
Shri Bansi Kothari, a political leader known for his zeal for social work, tracked
down the two doctors during their mission to find such a place. Having known Raj
and Mabelle even before their sojourn in the United States, he was eager to invite
them to a village called Jamkhed, where the community would be receptive to them.
The Aroles traveled remote and often incomplete, dusty roads on their way to
meet various village leaders and their communities in the jurisdiction of Jamkhed
taluka (subdistrict). Drought prone and lacking in socioeconomic development,
the Jamkhed area indeed proved to be the right area in which to initiate an
innovative approach to health care. The area was truly poverty stricken, with few
resources and even fewer public health services.
In the early 1970s, Jamkhed had a population of about 7,000. The village had
no running water or electricity, and lacked not just motor vehicles but even a
proper road. Surrounding villages and distant urban areas were nearly inaccessi-
ble. In this resource-deprived setting, the Aroles decided to set up a low-cost
98 The New Humanitarians

curative care center, and they initiated primary health care programming using a
rudimentary understanding of community participation. This meant requesting
the community to provide a place to run a clinic as well as adequate quarters to
house the staff of the newly inaugurated CRHP. The community responded by
providing a rundown veterinary hospital as the clinic site, and the second and
third floors of a local merchant’s house for lodging. Joining the Aroles was an
initial group of ten staff that included the stalwart and faithful ex-army nurse
Helenbai (referred to as Akka), nurses, technicians, and paramedical workers. The
staff stayed on the second floor. Raj and Mabelle, along with their two children,
Ravi and Shobha, age three and ten at the time, lived on the third floor, sheltered
only by three walls and a leaking roof.
After the doctors purchased a secondhand Willy’s jeep with canvas doors, vis-
its to the surrounding villages became possible. These visits uncovered the many
layers of complexity in village social structure. Caste definition, discrimination,
and the low status of women played major roles in precluding unity among a
community. The practices of centuries etched the traditions of caste and position
in the lives of the villagers. The poorest and the most marginalized were not even
allowed to attend village meetings, and reaching them meant finding them sepa-
rately from the general community. Diplomatically holding leader and high-caste
meetings before their sessions with the Dalit community produced less bias and
more balance in their understanding of the needs of the community as a whole.
As medical professionals, the Aroles assumed that health would be a priority
need in the communities. Surprisingly, most villagers identified water, food, and
shelter as their biggest concerns, with health much farther down the list. Fully
addressing the community’s expressed needs became the main thrust of the
project, and it was upon these responses that all future success would be built.
Poor rainfall resulting in the lack of water for agriculture and domestic use was a
major issue. OXFAM and other agencies partnered to provide tube wells in nearly
thirty villages, effectively providing clean drinking water for the masses.
This one intervention had several far-reaching implications. Safe drinking
water decreased the incidence of waterborne diseases and illnesses such as
diarrhea, hepatitis, cholera, and typhoid. Furthermore, the tube wells were strate-
gically placed in the low-caste sections of each village. This forced those from the
higher castes to draw water in the low-caste areas. Mobility and intermingling of
the caste groups was one of the first ways in which the rigid structure of the caste
system began to deteriorate.
Nutrition programs for children also increased flexibility among the castes.
Children, who would normally sit according to their caste designation, now were
subtly rearranged according to shirt color, outfit, or some other neutral
designation. Simple interventions such as these brought about distinct and very
important social change.
The Aroles’ immediate response to the felt needs of the community left a deep
impact in villages with a long history of exploitation. Most villagers found it dif-
ficult to believe that the CRHP team harbored no ulterior motive. Their
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 99

commitment to and genuine interest in the needs of the rural poor built a
relationship of mutual trust and an authentic understanding of community
participation. But this did not happen overnight. Making regular and consistent
contact with the villages, listening to the people, and facilitating appropriate inter-
ventions, all with patience and a sense of humor, were essential in order to move
forward and maintain that trust.
Raj and Mabelle, as medical doctors, were effectively able to address the cur-
ative needs of the people. This capability was significant, and their competence
and professional skills became well known and much praised. As the large back-
log of pressing medical problems in the population gradually eased, the Aroles’
credibility as physicians as well as the community’s receptivity to preventive and
promotive health care increased significantly. The organization of large-scale
medical and surgical camps for hundreds of people also did much toward
achieving this goal.
Before the end of the second year in Jamkhed, a Marwadi (business commu-
nity) family generously donated five acres of land to build more permanent
facilities—a hospital for CRHP and housing for its staff. This site became CRHP’s
official campus, and over the last three decades, seven more acres have been added
to the compound.

FLEXIBILITY AND INNOVATION—LEARNING FROM THE PEOPLE

Initially, CRHP placed an auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) in each village to
take care of common health problems—maternal and child health, family
planning, tuberculosis treatment and control—through daily home visits and
clinics. But after a year-long trial period, the ANMs had not effected significant
changes in public health or social conditions. Uncovering the reasons for the fail-
ure of this model enabled the Aroles to learn a great deal from this experience. The
ANMs, largely from urban backgrounds, did not belong to the villages. They did
not speak the villagers’ colloquial Marathi, nor did they feel comfortable living
among them. They did not know the families or feel the same concern for the peo-
ple as did those who were native to the communities. Most of the ANMs were
young, unmarried women who felt awkward and timid when visiting homes and
discussing delicate matters such as family planning.
This apparent failure proved to be a stepping stone to an innovation, a
revolutionary concept in the field of public health and community development.
While discussing possibilities for alternatives with the communities, the Aroles
toyed with the idea of training illiterate women from the villages to deal with
common health problems. Both the villagers and the Aroles thought it was worth
a try. A woman working with CRHP, Mrs. Joshi, liaised with the community.
Adept at grassroots promotion of family planning, she, along with local commu-
nity members, chose a number of women to be trained as village health workers
(VHWs). The project’s openness and flexibility to try this new idea led to an
incredible impact on health during the following years.
100 The New Humanitarians

The health worker training brought women of different castes from CRHP
project villages to Jamkhed for two weeks to engage in health education sessions
and personal development. For these illiterate women who had never left their
homes or villages, the experience was new and shocking. They were used to veil-
ing their heads with saris and identifying themselves only by caste or village or
husband; for many, this was the first time they were introduced by their own
names and acknowledged as individuals. It was also the first time in their lives that
their daily activities were not controlled or dictated by men, either fathers or hus-
bands. But the greatest challenge came in crossing the boundaries of caste.
Cooking and eating food together, sharing rooms—these new and tradition-
breaking ideas were initially difficult to comprehend. They wondered how they
would survive at CRHP and normalize these new concepts.
Drs. Raj and Mabelle tactfully allayed their fears. Taking the women to the
medical lab, the doctors drew each woman’s blood and asked each woman to
identify the samples according to caste. They were unable to do so. They could
not differentiate their chest X-rays either, able to identify neither their own nor
those of other castes. The ideas finally began to make sense. Reassured that the
training would be beneficial, the women continued learning with greater
enthusiasm.
Those first weeks, however, were still difficult, filled with self-doubt and
apprehension. One of the VHWs-in-training, Salubai, relates her experience:

I was chosen to come to the classes. I was extremely afraid and wondered what
would happen to me. I could not speak, and my mouth went dry. One of my
colleagues, Lalanbai, had encouraged me to come. After the first visit to the center, I
decided I wouldn’t go again. But Lalanbai encouraged me, and slowly the doctors
and staff encouraged me. There were still times when I wasn’t sure of myself, but in
time I gained confidence.

From those first two weeks of trainings through the present, CRHP has
promoted personal development—instilling and building self-confidence, self-
worth, faith, and values—in addition to nurturing a well-rounded understanding
of important health and social issues. These foci set the cornerstones for the
success of the VHW training. Today the VHWs continue to visit CRHP for weekly,
on-going training and group interaction from noon each Tuesday to late
afternoon on Wednesday.

VHWs—AGENTS OF TRANSFORMATION
The first twenty VHWs concentrated on particular priority health areas in
their respective villages. These included maternal and child health (MCH), fam-
ily planning, tuberculosis, leprosy, and waterborne illnesses. Working as part-
time volunteers, these women would visit families and disseminate health
knowledge throughout their communities. In return, CRHP provided support as
the women initiated income-generating activities to improve the conditions of
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 101

their families. But the VHWs name the tremendous pride and satisfaction from
engaging in community development and improving their neighbors’ health as
their greatest reward. Village members, transcending prejudice and mistrust,
bestow profuse praise and respect on their VHWs, regardless of caste. This devel-
opment is truly remarkable in a society so deeply entrenched in age-old
traditions and practices. As a recognized and respected part of a health team that
included doctors, nurses, and paramedical workers, the VHWs gained significant
credibility and further improved their standing as health experts and valuable
community members.
Rural India, riddled with superstitions, fear, and skepticism of science, was in
no way an easy place to practice modern medicine in the earlier decades of the
project. Blaming many illnesses on curses and the wrath of gods, villagers often
turned to magic and local Indian shamans and faith healers. The traditional prac-
tices of old women were followed without question or understanding. Much
of the time, these practices and beliefs were harmful, contributing to high rates of
infant, child, and maternal mortality. Changing the practices and beliefs of so
many generations was an immense challenge. By providing quality curative care
and medical services, the Aroles had convinced the villagers of their investment in
the communities’ felt needs and their desire to eliminate suffering. Raj and
Mabelle realized that lasting and sustainable changes in health could occur only if
adequate time and energy were given to demystify health knowledge and set it
back in the people’s hands, as through the VHWs. Innovative and culturally
appropriate, the Aroles showed that illiterate women could use health knowledge
and practices responsibly to transform the health of communities. It is the VHWs,
in fact, who significantly improved health indicators and changed people’s quality
of life.
Improvement in health depends not on curative services but in changing
knowledge, attitudes, and practices about illness and health. This change was
not achieved through traditional Western medical education practices of
hierarchical teaching and condescension. Rather, the initial years saw the health
team listening to villagers and deciphering their beliefs and practices. Taking
time to understand local attitudes facilitated the relevant introduction of
alternative scientific knowledge, impressively effecting changes in health and
social practices.
The VHWs were skilled at sharing local proverbs, stories, examples, and
metaphors to relate new concepts in understandable ways. As their health
knowledge improved, they were able to create analogies between daily life events
and scientific explanations for problems such as diarrhea, malnutrition, and
disease. For example, unwatered plants quickly perish; children, too, can die of
dehydration and need water as plants do to sustain life. Another example relates
to a common folk tale that an infant needs to cross seven bridges. The VHWs
developed flashcards depicting the building blocks for a strong bridge in the
first year of life, among them things such as immunization, nutrition, and clean
drinking water.
102 The New Humanitarians

THE INNOVATIVE HEALTH SYSTEM—DEVELOPING

THE POTENTIAL OF PEOPLE
The CRHP health program uses a modular and interactive three-tier referral
system. At the grassroots level are the village health worker and community
organizations such as the Mahila Mandals (women’s groups) and Tarun Shetkari
Mandals (men’s groups). At the project level lies the training center and a forty-
bed hospital, providing low-cost, secondary care with round-the-clock
emergency, medical, surgical, pediatrics, and ob/gyn. care. The mobile health
team, consisting of nurses, paramedical workers, social workers, and occasionally
a doctor, provides the intermediary link.
The staff of CRHP has greatly contributed to the success of this model. Their
flexibility, openness to new ideas, and willingness to work at any time have
enabled the project to move forward and adapt to changing health and social
conditions. Although salaries are meager, the high levels of satisfaction and moti-
vation have kept most of the staff at the project for over thirty years, even after
retirement. Many of them have likewise been transformed and actualized in ways
they would once have thought unimaginable. Such change is reflected in the life
of Mr. Moses Guram.

Moses originally comes from Andhra Pradesh, a state on India’s eastern coast.
His family was poor, and there was never enough to eat. As a young boy, he
left home in search of a job and ended up in the city of Pune, 1,300 km away,
with a job as a helper at Spicer College. He came to Jamkhed with the college
team to help build the health center. After the building was finished, Moses
wanted to stay; he had fallen in love with a young cook. He had only
four years of formal schooling, but he had a strong physique, so he was given
the job of night watchman. An industrious fellow, Moses helped the motor
mechanics and also spent his time observing the X-ray technician and
electrician. Since every worker is expected to share knowledge and skill with
those who show interest, Moses soon learned how to operate the generator
and understand electrical circuits. As he showed aptitude and interest, he
acquired new skills. He went to Jaipur to learn how to make the Jaipur foot
from the famous orthopedic surgeon, Dr. P. K. Sethi, who had developed a
simple, low-cost prosthetic leg appropriate for the Indian lifestyle. Today,
Moses is in charge of the workshop that manufactures artificial limbs, calipers,
and other equipment for physically handicapped persons. He has traveled
with a CRHP team to Liberia and Angola, and men from these countries have
come to Jamkhed to learn from him.
He reflects: “I was trusted, and knowledge was with me. I was nobody;
today people call me ‘doctor.’ Many doctors and professionals take my advice.
I have been associated with the manufacture of over 17,000 artificial limbs
and calipers that were provided to needy people in the state of Maharashtra.
Civic clubs organize camps; they invite me with the team to manufacture
limbs. I see my picture appear in the newspapers. You cannot imagine the joy
I get. Twenty-four hours a day I keep thinking of how to improve the
prosthesis. How can I make the caliper simple and light enough that a small
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 103

child can use it? I have a dozen young men, whom I have trained, working
with me. I share all the knowledge I have with them and encourage them to
be like me. My brothers and sisters are working in the Middle East and have
often called me to join them. I tell them, ‘Money cannot buy the joy that I have
in my work!’”
With his wealth of experience and knowledge of the project, and as a
native speaker of Telugu, Moses has become an essential part of the training
team, working as an interpreter for hundreds of people coming from all over
Andhra Pradesh—village health workers, auxiliary nurse midwives, and proj-
ect managers, who regularly come to Jamkhed through the state government’s
Society for the Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) collaboration with CRHP.

VILLAGE TRANSFORMATION BY THE PEOPLE

In many of the villages, forming men’s groups called farmers’ clubs proved
easier in the highly patriarchal societies that made access to women difficult.
Community groups are organized around the self-interests of the people. The
men wanted to learn ways to improve agriculture and the care of their animals.
Then, they began to recognize the interrelationships among health, nutrition,
agriculture, economics, and eventually even women’s status. With this under-
standing, men slowly began to allow their wives to participate in Mahila Mandals,
also organized around the self-interests of these women. Slowly, these groups
gained momentum and, as they strengthened, addressed such issues as health,
income generation, and social practices.
The organization of participatory community groups and the impact of VHWs
created a synergy that transformed the landscape for health and society in all
project villages. Concerted community efforts at integration through the breaking
of caste barriers and the improvement of women’s status were essential for
making Health for All a reality.
The experience of transformation spread to other villages by the people
themselves, and thus primary health care became a movement in our area,
encompassing 250 villages (300,000 people) within twenty years.
An example from the village of Ghodegaon is instructive in demonstrating the
dramatic change that has occurred since the project initiated its work there.
Ghodegaon was one of the first villages to invite CRHP to work with it. A group dis-
cussion held in 1991 recounted the changes that had occurred in Ghodegaon, with
reflections on the brutality and injustices of the past (Arole and Arole, 1994, 2003).

Shahaji Patil, a local farmer and member of a farmers’ club, described his
experience with positive transformation. “It was only twenty years ago [1971]
that Ghodegaon was one of the poorest villages in this area. The hills were
bare, and the fields barren. Every year the monsoon rain swept away the
topsoil, leaving us the dry, parched earth full of gullies and eroded land. Few
of us had enough water to cultivate the land. The social workers of CRHP
understood that we could not have good health unless we had good
104 The New Humanitarians

agriculture. They helped us to come together. We forgot our caste differences

and our social status. All of us, rich and poor, joined together, and we
terraced and leveled the land. We built twenty-three dams and dug forty irri-
gation wells. We planted over 200,000 trees on the hillside and on our farms.
We prevailed on the Government to give land to those who did not have any.
Everyone in the village has land today. We got together and with CRHP’s help
brought those barren lands under cultivation and so have enough food to feed
all our children. There is no need to go out of the village in search of food.”
For the previous fifteen years, Angadrao Gavhale, a Dalit, had been
Sarpanch of Ghodegaon. He said, “Twenty years ago, we Dalits could not
come to the center of the village. As a child, I could not go anywhere near the
temple. Now I have built my house close to the temple. Yes, many changes
have taken place. My family was landless, but today I have land and irrigated
fields. I have planted an orchard and raised a plant nursery. Some of the Dalits
now own choice land in the valley. Our children are healthy, and all the girls
and boys in my community go to school. We all have land and have built good
homes. Formerly we were made to live outside the village in thatched huts
separated by a wall from the main village.”
A high caste man interrupted, “Yes, today we all from different castes are
sitting together, drinking tea and eating snacks. Traditionally we did not
socialize with the low caste; rather, we who are twice born (high caste) have
exploited the poor for centuries. We made them work day and night on our
farms and often paid them with leftover food and grain. We would boycott
them if they did not obey our orders.”
“We Dalits would be simmering with anger and would take revenge in our
own way. We used to poison your prize bullocks and cows,” replied Angadrao.
Shahaji responded, “Then we punished you by burning your huts.”
Then they all laughed together, remembering their actions; and in a more
serious vein, Shahaji said, “Yes, the high caste often behaved like animals and
treated the Dalits and other low castes in an unjust way. Now we have learned
how to behave like human beings. Yes, we have our differences, but we have
learned to respect and appreciate each other.”
Shahaji continued, “Years of drought had left us frustrated. Every year half
the young people of the village would migrate for a few months to sugarcane
factories to keep their families from starving. Poverty and frustration led to
drinking and gambling. There were twelve illegal breweries and a few gam-
bling dens in the village. Anyone who came to Ghodegaon would see drunken
brawls. People from surrounding villages also came to join in the drinking and
have their luck with cards. It was a common sight to see men lazing around
in the front square of the village.
“Added to this misery was sickness. Children were emaciated; many had
swollen limbs and potbellies. Many children died before they reached school
age, and women died in childbirth because there was no doctor around. Well-
to-do people went to the doctor in Jamkhed, but the poor depended on the
devrushis (magicians). Then we heard that a doctor and his wife had come to
Jamkhed to work in the villages. We invited them to Ghodegaon.”
Yamunabai Kulkarni, the village health worker, animatedly spoke about
herself and her experiences. “Twenty years ago it was unheard of for a
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 105

Brahmin woman like me to sit with men or socialize with Dalit women. As a
woman, I was confined to my home, and sometimes I worked on our ancestral
farm. Now I am free and serving the entire village as a health volunteer. In the
beginning, it was difficult for me to visit Dalit women and especially to deliver
their babies. I have been a VHW since 1974. I have never been to school. I look
after the health of the mothers and children. I have conducted over 550 [by
2007 over 800] deliveries and have not lost a single mother during this time.
This village has about 250 couples, and 150 of them practice family planning.
Many women have undergone sterilization, and some take oral contracep-
tives. I visit all the families in my village and follow up the children.
“Ghodegaon was a different village before I became a VHW. Most adults
suffered from guinea worm infection. We still have scars of this infestation on
our ankles, knees, and backs. Now it is no longer a problem. We were super-
stitious and thought that most diseases were curses of a goddess. There used
to be repeated epidemics of cholera. We used to sacrifice goats and chickens
to appease the particular goddess. Cholera did not disappear. Now since I
became a VHW, cholera is no more. Every year ten to fifteen children used to
die in the village; now hardly a single baby dies.”
One village woman said of Yamunabai, “Doctors only give medicine when
people are sick. Yamunabai is more than a doctor to us. She has taught us sim-
ple home remedies for day-to-day illnesses like coughs, fever, and diarrhea.
But more than that, she teaches us how to keep from falling sick.”
“My friend here had leprosy,” said Kisanrao Sole, pointing to the man sitting
next to him. “He lives next to me. We drove him out of the village because he
had leprosy, but now we are not afraid of leprosy. He lives in the village again,
and Yamunabai treats him like any other patient. In fact, all thirty-five of our
leprosy patients are almost cured by Yamunabai. Some of them are active in the
village. Their children are also married and settled in life.”
Angadrao, the Sarpanch, talked about Yamunabai: “Ghodegaon people are
healthy because of Yamunabai. She is very enthusiastic about her training and
her work. One day she was returning to Ghodegaon from Jamkhed. It was rain-
ing hard, and the stream was flooded. With a baby in her arms, she was trying
to cross the swollen stream, and she slipped and fell into the water. Both mother
[Yamunabai] and baby were swept away by the strong current. A couple of men
rescued them. They scolded her for leaving the house in the rain and endanger-
ing her own life and that of the baby. She replied, ‘My training has saved many
lives in my village. For the sake of the village, I am willing to take the risk.’”
Shahaji concluded, “We villagers have worked together, improved our
farms and farm animals. This has ensured adequate and nutritious food. Clean
water and sanitation have eliminated many illnesses. The whole village
worked toward the removal of caste differences and have learned to
treat women and girls as equals of men. We can proudly say that Health for
All has become a reality in Ghodegaon. CRHP has shown us the way, and we
have learned to work together for the betterment of our village. Now we do
not need to depend on the Aroles or CRHP. As we continue to develop, we are
not alone; scores of villages around Ghodegaon are taking part in this move-
ment. Each village develops at its own pace, as some take more advantage of
their new-found knowledge, and some do not.”
106 The New Humanitarians

Ghodegaon today is a model of sustainable health and development in action.

The links between health and other spheres of life underscore the priorities in
making Health for All a reality. Ghodegaon so impressed government and admin-
istrative leaders that it was recognized as an “ideal village” and awarded a cash
prize to further develop services and infrastructure. Although there are many
examples of successful development in villages like Ghodegaon, each has its own
character and unique story to tell. Existing at varying stages of health and devel-
opment, villages progress at different speeds, and they develop interventions and
use the programs that best suit their own needs.
While Ghodegaon’s farmers’ club was involved and active, in Kusadgaon it was
the women’s groups that played a greater role in advancing community health and
socioeconomic development. Kusadgaon’s vivacious and enthusiastic VHW,
Sashikala, motivated the formation of a strong women’s group. This group not
only improved the health of their families and community, but it also organized a
broom-making business, which was a great benefit to their economic well-being.
The women’s grasp of multisectoral relationships and interdependence brought
not only tangible improvements in the health indicators of their community but
also a significantly improved quality of life.

SUSTAINABILITY AND GLOBALIZATION

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the majority of CRHP’s work centered on
community participation and development. Eventually, the older project villages
became self-reliant enough to manage community-based programs with little
supervision and assistance from CRHP.
In 1989 a new project was developed in the tribal area of Bhandardara, six
hours from Jamkhed. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate that
grassroots workers, along with the help of a few social workers, paramedical work-
ers, and volunteers from villages from the Jamkhed area, could promote primary
health care in a different context and even without a hospital and infrastructure.
This experience enabled the people to realize that healthcare can be provided by
the people themselves, through spreading knowledge and changing harmful
attitudes and practices.
From 1990 to 1992, Raj and Mabelle were visiting professors of international
health at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. There, they shared their
experiences with students and colleagues. This time in the United States, and later
in Italy as Rockefeller Fellows, also enabled them to write Jamkhed: A
Comprehensive Rural Health Project (Arole and Arole, 1994, 2003).
The three-year period during which Raj and Mabelle were abroad tested the
sustainability of the project. With clinical experience gained in Bihar and the
Himalayas of Uttar Pradesh, daughter Shobha, also a physician, was well prepared
to assume the responsibilities of the hospital; she gradually moved into her cur-
rent role as associate director of CRHP. Throughout this transition period, the
staff remained steadfast and supportive of the project’s leadership and mission.
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 107

Beyond mere sustainability of its work, the organization took on a new role as a
model project for global health and development.
In 1993 Raj returned to Jamkhed and continued the work with Shobha.
Mabelle stayed on in the United States as health and welfare consultant for the
United Methodist Church. During her three years in this role, she collaborated
with Cathie Lyons and Nora Boots to promote community-based primary health
care (CBPHC) in a number of countries throughout Latin America and Africa.
This attracted a large number of international participants to the primary health
and development courses taking place at CRHP’s training center in Jamkhed.
Mabelle was invited to serve as UNICEF’s health and nutrition advisor in
South Asia, a position she held from 1996 to 1999. Through this appointment, she
was able to influence governments and policies, particularly in the area of
women’s and children’s health. She traveled extensively throughout South Asia,
inviting those she met to visit Jamkhed for a firsthand look at primary health care.
During this time she also wrote two books: Voices of South Asian Women (Arole,
1995), on the plight of women in South Asia, and one on the impact of the
religions of South Asia on women’s and children’s rights.
As Shobha took the reins in clinical work and provided assistance in training
at Jamkhed, Raj directed his full attention to the trainings and development of the
project through collaboration with various government officials. Mabelle
returned at intervals to help with training. All three shared administrative respon-
sibilities and encouraged the staff to be conscientious in their community work.
Since 2005, son Ravi also has taken on responsibilities.
The Jamkhed Institute for Training and Research in Community Health and
Population was established in 1993, with the support of DFID and Tearfund in the
United Kingdom. Many visitors had suggested the creation of a formal training
center in order to spread the Jamkhed model more effectively throughout the
world. The initial diploma course included three months (now two months) in
residence, with a two-week refresher after six to eight months in the field. Besides
this course, electives, internships, and a one-month residential course for interna-
tional medical, public health, and allied health students are held every year. In
addition, short, custom-tailored courses for NGOs and government agencies are
organized regularly. In order to cater to the needs of various groups, the curricu-
lum is flexible, although the emphasis on comprehensive and holistic approaches
to health is consistent. Incorporating practical approaches and field exposure, this
initiative realized the goal of a community-based health and development
training program.
Since its inception, over 20,000 participants (villagers, project managers, pol-
icy makers, medical professionals, social and development workers, etc.) from
across South Asia and from nearly 100 other countries have received training at
CRHP. In the early 1980s, CRHP trained 2,000 VHWs for the government of
Jamkhed’s district of Ahmednagar. The governments of various states such as
Andhra Pradesh and the tribal districts of Maharashtra are now implementing the
Jamkhed model on a large scale. Similar projects, incorporating the concepts of
108 The New Humanitarians

comprehensive primary health care, are working in various parts of India and
Nepal. On an international level, people have taken back the knowledge, skills,
inspiration, and hope they learned at Jamkhed and applied them to the diverse sit-
uations and circumstances facing their own communities. Governments, NGOs,
and faith-based and private-sector groups have likewise been impacted by CRHP.
Its holistic health approach, both grounded and concrete, establishes it as a global
model for sustainable health and development.
With the sad passing of Dr. Mabelle in 1999, Drs. Raj and Shobha and other
CRHP staff have increased their involvement in training for primary health care,
global health and development, personal development, and leadership skills. The
majority of practical learning comes from the personal experience of CRHP’s
staff, village health workers, and community members, who are in unique posi-
tions to serve as teachers and role models. This learning, in addition to the lessons
from each other’s backgrounds and experiences, brings about a personal
transformation in the students who come to Jamkhed. These highly motivated
students are capable of truly serving their communities in a far-reaching and
sustainable manner.
One such student is Mr. Ramesh Khadka. Ramesh, a dental assistant from
Nepal, was greatly interested in working in primary health care. After resigning
from hospital-based work, he started a project known as Share and Care in Nepal,
despite minimal financial security. A year later, his wife joined him, and with his
team, he worked in the hill villages of Nepal. Applying the principles of compre-
hensive CBPHC and the Jamkhed model, his project became very successful. He
also shared his experiences with other organizations, such as Future Generations
in Arunachal Pradesh. Share and Care continues to send staff members to
Jamkhed for training.
Along with Mrs. Nora Boots, the health coordinator for Latin America of the
United Methodist Church, Mabelle had visited various countries in order to help
set up and train groups. A few years later, Shobha, along with a colleague, Ms. Kate
Landuyt, was able to evaluate a number of these projects, particularly in Brazil
and Bolivia. The success of an indigenous woman with only primary school edu-
cation and no knowledge of Spanish was one of the inspiring highlights of this
visit. Living in a remote and hilly part of Bolivia, this woman had managed to
transform the health of her community to such an extent that her work was tele-
vised. She had spent three months in Jamkhed’s diploma course, during which
time she had presented an impressively lucid and practical action plan that sur-
passed those of the more professionally experienced and educated classmates. A
satellite-training center, directed by Ms. Lu Garcia, has now been developed in
Latin America, and a number of Latin American projects advised by CRHP have
become very successful in both urban and remote rural areas.
Similar projects have been attempted in parts of Africa, but frequent political
instability and constant conflict have stymied most efforts at CBPHC. In one of
the positive programs undertaken in war-torn areas of Sierra Leone, Congo, and
Angola, a team from Jamkhed taught local people to make artificial lower limb
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 109

prostheses for landmine victims and other amputees. A group from Africa visited
Jamkhed to learn the techniques for making these devices. More than 1,000
prosthetic limbs have been provided through these teaching programs.

MABELLE, IN MEMORIAM
The year 1999 was a difficult one at CRHP. Mabelle was bravely battling a viral
heart disease, and she passed away that September. In her memory, a women’s
rehabilitation center was established at CRHP’s farm for victims of violence and
stigmatized conditions. There, women living with HIV/AIDS, women with lep-
rosy, widows, and women abused and forsaken by their husbands have a chance
to transform and regenerate their lives through income generation, counseling,
personal development, and medical care. Along with sustainable farming skills,
they learn about management, livelihood, health, and development so that they
are able to be empowered, independent, fully functioning persons. Through it
all, the residents of this center are part of a supportive and caring social
environment.
The farm manager, Ratna, is a victim of HIV/AIDS. Barely clinging to life when
she came to the rehabilitation center, Ratna is now a radiant and vibrant young
woman who has become a model example of what can be achieved with inner
strength and a caring environment. Below is a brief account of her life.

Ratnamala Jaganath Chavan is a young, HIV-positive woman who, through the

help of CRHP and the rehabilitation program on the farm, has been able to
live a productive and fulfilling life despite her HIV status. Ratna contracted the
virus from her husband. Soon after the birth of their child, Ratna’s husband
became ill, complaining of stomach pains and fever. Despite much expensive
medical treatment, his health did not improve, and he died after four months.
Ratna’s eleven-month-old son also became sick and died soon after. Ratna
herself was ill with a continuous fever, but she was not aware that she was HIV
positive.
After the death of her son, Ratna attended a health seminar in Mahijalgaon,
CRHP’s subcenter, where she met Monica, a social worker, who recom-
mended that she visit Jamkhed and meet Dr. Arole. The doctor listened to
Ratna’s story, examined her, and agreed to provide her with treatment at no
cost. She went to live and work on the Khadkat farm, starting at first with light
work in the plant nursery. As she continued with therapy, she became
healthier, through love and caring, nutrition, and early treatment of infections,
and was able to start doing more active work.
Ratna is currently receiving antiretroviral treatment through CRHP’s AIDS
program, which helps to control her disease and keep her healthy. Although
only twenty-five years old, she is now one of the farm’s most able and effective
supervisors, helping to manage the workers and coordinate activities in the
dairy, fields, and animal farms while assisting with various training programs.
Ratna occasionally speaks to groups of high-risk or HIV-positive women about
ways to become empowered and take protective measures.
110 The New Humanitarians

Ratna explains, “Now I am happy and keep myself busy in my work. I think
my life is meaningful, and I help and comfort other girls working with me
here.” Today Ratna is energetic and bright, epitomizing a person who lives an
abundant and well-integrated life.

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY-BASED PRIMARY HEALTH CARE

There are certain principles derived from the work of CRHP that have a world-
wide application, particularly for those interested in sustainable approaches to
health and development. The ideals of equity, integration, and empowerment
each carry a unique significance that captures the essence of comprehensive,
community-based primary health care.
Equity enables all people, particularly the poor and marginalized, to have
appropriate health care. This may entail house visits to meet the needs of
those most marginalized by social divisions and discrimination on the basis of
caste, religion, or disease status. Rather than thinking of health only in terms
of medical care and hospitals, equity includes a community-based approach that
focuses on the family.
Integration exists in various forms. The Comprehensive Rural Health Project is
named this because it is truly comprehensive. Integration in healthcare combines
prevention, promotion, cure, and rehabilitation, all of which are provided either at
the grassroots level, with backup or referral to the health center. The integration of
biomedical science with alternative health systems—particularly herbal, acupres-
sure, and homeopathy—is employed when appropriate. Alternative therapies are
applied only where there is adequate data or experience supporting their efficacy.
Emphasizing that health does not exist in isolation, a third type of integration
involves the multisectoral coordination of development activities. CRHP also
incorporates integration in service provision, addressing together pregnancy,
under-five care, leprosy, tuberculosis, family planning, and more, all according to
the needs of the people.
Health depends on far more than science and pathogens, hospitals and
doctors—socioeconomic change, education and empowerment (particularly of
women), agriculture, nutrition, environment, and sanitation all play crucial roles.
Indeed, the social determinants of health often have the greatest impact upon
individuals, families, and communities. In the same way that varied external fac-
tors comprise health, the synergy of mind, body, and spirit into a coordinated and
complete whole acknowledges that human beings are more than the simple
assembly of various systems. Health is a state of harmonious well-being, both per-
sonal and social. The promotion of holistic health through the incorporation of
the arts, spirituality, and other humanistic perspectives further supports the
principle of integration.
Equity and integration are incomplete without the idea of empowerment.
Empowerment means equipping individuals with the knowledge, skills, and
personal development that will enable them to function to their fullest potential
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 111

in society. In India’s rural areas and urban slums, the voiceless women and
children, Dalits and tribals lack opportunities to rise from their state of mar-
ginalization. Helpless and bereft of dignity, they are not enabled to choose or
decide, and consequently have little power of self-determination. Many do not
even have enough food and suffer daily from injustices and inequalities,
especially in healthcare and education. Empowerment of the marginalized is
about gaining the dignity to live life as human beings endowed with spiritual
worth and intrinsic value, free to make decisions and obtain the knowledge to
escape the superstitions and harmful beliefs that dominate their lives. When this
happens, they become positive instruments of change in their homes and com-
munities, realizing the dream of Health for All in its broadest sense. To achieve
this, empowerment must be contextualized by value systems that are
constructive to the family and the society.
The preceding examples reflect the way that the success of the work at Jamkhed
lies in the realistic and practical application of these principles of equity,
integration, and empowerment.

LESSONS LEARNED
Some of the lessons learned by Drs. Raj and Mabelle over the first twenty years
follow, in their own words (Arole and Arole, 1974, 2003):

People are the key actors in health. Over 80% of disease prevention depends on indi-
vidual and community action. It is important to recognize that, even in conditions
of poverty, the sharing of scientific knowledge combined with the coping experience
of people can bring about positive health.
We professionals have to change our attitudes and need to share our knowledge
in a way that poor people and the least educated can understand and make their own
choices according to their needs. The knowledge should be shared in such a way that
people are liberated and empowered with the ability to assess, analyze and act
according to their needs and resources. Often our health education is oppressive and
dictatorial without reference to people’s needs, resources, abilities and social
circumstances.
Planning health programs needs to have flexibility. We started out with a project
plan where Auxiliary Nurse Midwives were the primary health care workers, but the
village people thought otherwise and felt that a person from their own community
should be chosen. Our project responded accordingly by shifting to the village
health worker model.
We had planned from the very beginning to spend 70% of our time in preven-
tive services. But in order to prove our credibility and develop rapport, we had to
modify this plan.
Primary health care cannot stand alone; it needs the support of the health
system. The VHW’s credibility depends upon the training and support she gets from
doctors and nurses. A good referral system therefore needs to be in place.
Health professionals need to recognize that non-medical interventions, such as
safe drinking water, sanitation, good nutrition and caring practices, have a far
112 The New Humanitarians

greater impact on health than what professionals alone can provide. To achieve good
health, it is also necessary to acknowledge and address socioeconomic issues, like the
status of women and Dalits.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Through the work of Raj and Mabelle Arole, their daughter, Shobha, and son,
Ravi, the organization has scaled up dramatically since the 1970s when it was just
a small project trying out an experimental, community-oriented model.
Although there has been much achieved in primary health care, there is still
much more to be accomplished. Shifts in disease patterns are gradually moving
the focus from malnutrition and curable communicable illnesses (tuberculosis,
leprosy, malaria, diarrhea) to congenital problems in children and manageable,
noncommunicable diseases in adults, such as diabetes, heart disease, hyperten-
sion, and now mental health. Primary health care is a dynamic process, and a
community-based approach can and must be applied to these conditions as well.
The VHWs already know how to take blood pressures, check sugar levels in
urine, and screen for some types of cancer, and they are learning about mental
illness.
The support system of the secondary care hospital is improving. A new,
fifty-bed hospital is currently being constructed (completed in April 2008), not
to be an ivory tower but to cater more effectively to the current needs of the
poor and marginalized while providing services for those seeking more
specialized medical care. Since medicine is an art and not just a science, social
factors, clinical examinations, and the patient-physician relationship are
emphasized. The promotion of holistic health in its widest and broadest sense
is the hospital’s aim.
Today, Dr. Raj Arole is an NGO representative and consultant to the National
Rural Health Mission (NRHM), chaired by India’s prime minister. The NRHM
has incorporated a number of elements developed in Jamkhed, including village
health workers and community groups, and it is developing a nationwide plan for
implementing this strategy throughout rural India. NRHM’s ultimate goal is to
bring development and improvements in health care to the 70 percent of Indians
who live in rural areas.
The work of CRHP has had far-reaching implications and will continue to do
so in the future. The project’s pioneering work in this field has contributed to the
widespread practice of Jamkhed’s principles now, more than thirty-seven years
later. There is a real need to spread holistic health and sustainable development
while improving our environment to renew the rich resources that our Creator
has given us. In a time of disorder, destruction, and violence, community-based
health care, development, and environmental conservation are keys to restoring a
fragile earth. The more holistic our approach, the more we will be able to see the
restoration of peace and unity in ourselves, our families, our communities, and
the environment that nurtures our social units.
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 113

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH THE AROLES

The following are views on various issues and discussions of pertinent
questions with Dr. Raj Arole and Dr. Shobha Arole:

• What were the initial sources of funding and further funding?

When we were in the United States in the 1960s, we spoke to various people.
At a convention of the Disciples of Christ in Indiana, there was a man who said,
“We don’t know you well, but in faith we give you $20,000.” In the 1970s this
seemed like a large amount of money, and indeed it could achieve much in the
poverty stricken setting of rural India. Another church gave money to set up a
clinic and a place for us to stay. Eventually the project collected a startup budget
of $50,000. Once in Jamkhed, we tried to raise money by charging basic patient
fees from those who could afford to pay, while providing charity care for the truly
poor. Thirty percent of the money eventually came from the clinical work. Grad-
ually, as more contacts were made, most donations started coming from personal
contacts and later from churches and funding agencies in Europe and North
America.

• How much financial sustainability is there now?

About 60 percent of our expenses are covered by patient fees and training
tuitions. We are also developing various income-generating farm programs. At the
same time, it is important to note that total financial stability is an ideal that may
not be realistic when serving the destitute poor. There are very few organizations
working with the poor and marginalized that can be truly self-sufficient without
shifting their focus more toward the well off rather than the poor. Therefore, a
certain amount of outside funding is needed for operating costs and new program
startup costs.

• What kinds of measures are used to determine “success”?

There are a number of health parameters that are determined quantitatively,

such as maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, immunization coverage, per-
centage of safe deliveries, and the prevalence of various diseases. In addition, there
are parameters that measure socioeconomic development. Women’s
empowerment can be measured by the way women assume responsibility and their
status both in the family and the community. Many of these parameters are meas-
ured through qualitative studies. The beneficiaries in CRHP’s project villages also
carry out periodic surveys with staff to monitor progress in terms of health and
socioeconomic development.
In training programs, one examines how trainees are influencing their own
communities in health and socioeconomic development. Further indicators
114 The New Humanitarians

examine how state and central governments apply the CRHP principles in
providing health care to poor and marginalized groups nationwide.

• What was the tipping point to move from concept to reality?

CRHP was among the very first organizations in the world to use and train illit-
erate women as health workers. From the experience of the first twenty VHWs,
understanding how much they could learn and how effective they were in their
communities in providing care and health education showed that these capable
women were the key to the transformation of their villages. They drastically
improved the health of women and children, and they brought about a significant
reduction in communicable and chronic illnesses. Through their assistance, this
concept was spread to other villages. This approach now works through different
NGOs and government agencies in many states of India and many countries of
Africa, Latin America, and Asia, and it has become an accepted international norm.
The CRHP model is really based on prevention and promotion of holistic
health, as compared to solely curative care. For example, in China the barefoot
doctors were high school graduates who basically did curative work. In contrast,
the VHWs are illiterate women and volunteers, who continue to work in a
comprehensive way on a large scale.

• How are obstacles and opportunities met creatively?

A massive famine in the 1970s presented CRHP with an opportunity to

conduct relief activities, child nutrition programs, immunizations, and massive
health education in the communities. These efforts were based not just on giving
people some help, but rather they were founded on immense community involve-
ment, which was one of the first steps in developing community participation.
This also provided a good opportunity to show that health and development are
two sides of the same coin. There was a need for water for agriculture, and there-
fore environmental improvements, such as afforestation and watershed
development, were also introduced. Social justice issues were dealt with, and
therefore through these efforts what seemed to be setbacks turned out to be
opportunities for primary health and development.

• How do you create original solutions?

By living with the people, sharing their life, and studying how they cope. CRHP
has always kept the focus on the poorest sections of each community, realizing
what we can do for them and what they can do for themselves. This focusing helps
us to find universal solutions to common health and social problems. Being open
to new ideas requires courage, but at the same time, we need to be critical of
commercialized medical solutions.
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 115

• How can you scale up?

Working continuously and accompanying rural communities for the past

thirty-seven years gives confidence to people and helps suggest solutions to the
bureaucracy and those political leaders who are well intentioned and striving to
achieve real change at the grassroots. Engaging in practical and continuous dia-
logue with people and, at the same time, refining the understanding of the poor
as well as understanding the reality of poverty and the limited knowledge of
people help us to scale up. We acknowledge that development is a dynamic, con-
tinual, and long-term process that will take years of effort. However, given ade-
quate and appropriate support during the formative years of a project, the
community can assume an ever-increasing role and responsibility for sustaining
local health and development programs, with a gradual decrease in the involve-
ment of the NGO.

• Where does your inspiration come from?

Inspiration for the Aroles and much of the staff has come from universal
spiritual values and a deep-seated faith in following the example of Christ.

• What direction do you see for the future?

Convinced that health and development are inseparable, we will strive to con-
duct more development work, especially for marginalized groups and forsaken
women, in the areas of environment, agriculture, health, and the development of
healthy families through a holistic strategy. We will continue to use a comprehen-
sive approach to health and development, and promote physical, economic,
mental, social, and spiritual well-being for individuals, families, and communities.
Holistically combining community development, health, and environmental
issues to build interdependent public health ecosystems on both micro and macro
scales is an alternative way to achieve peace and wholeness in communities
throughout the world.

IN CLOSING
Engage in constant dialogue with the people, not working merely for them but
also with and among them. Although the government bears ultimate responsibil-
ity, we need to help people see what individuals and communities can do. Only
then will you be able to see how the government programs and schemes can
multiply with your efforts. Do not make programs and people, regardless of low
income level, totally dependent on the government, but rather encourage self-
reliance and unity.
116 The New Humanitarians

APPENDIX

Table 6.1 Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP), Jamkhed, India. Changes in
Health Indicators (1971–2006)
2004
Year 1971 1976 1986 1996 1999 2004 India 2006
Infant Mortality Rate 176 52 49 26 26 24 62 24
Crude Birth Rate 40 34 28 20 20 18.6 23.9 14.8
Maternal Health
• Antenatal Care .5% 80% 82% 96% 87% 100% 64% 100%
• Safe Delivery <0.5% 74% 83% 98% 98% 100% 43% 100%
• Family Planning <1.0% 38% 60% 60% 60% 68% 41% 65%
Children under 5
• Immun. 0.5% 81% 91% 92% 99% 83% 70% 87%
(DPT, polio)
• Malnutrition 40% 30% 30% 5% 5% <5% 47% <1%
(wt for age)
Chronic Diseases
• Leprosy 4 2 1 0.1 <0.1 1.7 0.24 1.9
(prev./1000)
• TB (prev./1000) 18 15 11 6.0 4.0 0.5 4.1 1.2
Courtesy of Shobha and Raj Arole.

Table 6.2 Overview of CRHP Activities (1970–2006)

TB patients treated 9,621
Leprosy patients treated and rehabilitated 5,089
Artificial limbs and calipers provided 17,222
Tube wells for safe drinking water 198
Plant nurseries–villages 203
Land leveled (hectares) 10,433
Irrigation wells dug 523
Check dams 223
Houses built for poor people 283
Women involved in credit program 6,064
Training skill formation (tailoring, weaving, fishing, agriculture, dryer) 1,859
Training in community-based health (since 1983) (grassroots workers,
policy makers, project managers, health and development professionals
and students, etc.)
• Persons from India 17,661
• Persons from other countries 1,911
Courtesy of Shobha and Raj Arole.
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 117

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Jamkhed (aka Comprehensive Rural Health Project—CRHP)
Founders: Shobha Arole, Raj Arole
Mission/Description: The Comprehensive Rural Health Project (CRHP) was
started to provide health care to rural communities. It developed a
comprehensive, community-based primary health care (CBPHC) approach.
CRHP is located at Jamkhed, which is located far from any city and is
typically rural, drought prone, and poverty stricken. One of the main aims
of the project is to reach the poorest and most marginalized and to improve
their health. With values of compassion, justice, respect, and trust, the
CRHP at Jamkhed works to empower people, families, and communities,
regardless of caste, race or religion, through integrated efforts in health and
development.
Website: http://www.jamkhed.org/
Address: Comprehensive Rural Health Project
Jamkhed, Dist. Ahmednagar
Maharashtra–413 201
India
Phone: +91.2421.221322
Fax: +91.2421.222892
E-mail: crhp@jamkhed.org

REFERENCES
Arole, M. (1995). Voices of South Asian Women. Kathmandu: UNICEF, South Asia Office.
Arole, M., and Arole, R. (1994, 2003). Jamkhed: A Comprehensive Rural Health Project.
Jamkhed, India: CRHP.
Newell, K. (Ed.) (1975). Health by the People. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Population and Economic Development Linkages, 2007 Data Sheet. (2007). Washington, DC:
Population Reference Bureau.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Arole, M. (1995). Voices of South Asian Women. Kathmandu: UNICEF, South Asia Office.
Arole, M., and Arole, R. (1994, 2003). Jamkhed: A Comprehensive Rural Health Project.
Jamkhed, India: CRHP.
Husale, D. (2003). Mukta (life stories of Village Health Workers in Marathi; English
translation in process). Jamkhed, India: CRHP.
118 The New Humanitarians

Chapters
Arole, M. (2002). “The Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed, India.” In Rohde,
J. and Wyon, J. (Ed.). Community-Based Health Care (pp. 47–60). Boston: Management
Sciences for Health.
Arole, M., and Arole, R. (1975). “A Comprehensive Rural Health Project in Jamkhed (India).”
In Newell, K. (Ed.). Health by the People (pp. 70–90). Geneva: World Health Organization.
Arole, M., and Arole, R. (2002). “Jamkhed, India: The Evolution of a World Training
Center.” In Taylor-Ide, D. and Taylor, C., Just and Lasting Change (pp. 150–160).
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Arole, R. (1993). “The Comprehensive Rural Health Project, Jamkhed.” In Antia, N.
and Bhatia, K. (Ed.). People’s Health in People’s Hands: A Model for Panchayati Raj
(pp. 125–140). Bombay: Foundation for Research in Community Health.
Arole, R., Fuller, B., and Deutschmann, P. (2005). “Community Development as a Strategy
for Promoting Mental Health: Lessons from Rural India.” In Herrman, H., Saxena, S.,
and Moodie, R. (Ed.). Promoting Mental Health (pp. 243–251). Geneva: World Health
Organization.

Articles
Arole, S., Arole, R., Premkumar, R., Murray, M., and Saunderson, P. (2002). “Social stigma:
A comparative qualitative study of integrated and vertical care approach to leprosy.”
Leprosy Review (73): 186–196.
Arole, S., Premkumar, R., Arole, R., Mehandale, S., Risbud, A., and Paranjape, R. (2005).
“Prevalence of HIV infection in pregnant women in remote rural areas of Maharashtra
State, India.” Tropical Doctor (35): 111–112.
Kermode, M., Herrman, H., Arole, R., White, J., Premkumar, R., and Patel, V. (2007).
“Empowerment of women and mental health promotion: a qualitative study in rural
Maharashtra, India.” BMC Public Health (7): 225.
McCord, C., Arole, R., Arole, S., and Premkumar, R. (2001). “Efficient and effective
emergency obstetric care in a rural community where most deliveries are at home.”
International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (75): 297–307.

Research
Chitnis, Ketan. (2005). “Communication for empowerment and participatory develop-
ment: A social change model in Jamkhed, India.” PhD dissertation, University of Ohio.
Nossal Institute, University of Melbourne, Australia, in partnership with CRHP
(2007–2008). “To assess mental health literacy among CRHP project villages and
develop a mental health training program for village health workers.”
Yan, Jennifer Pui Jan. (2005). “Empowerment of adolescent girls: The Jamkhed experience.”
Master’s thesis, Department of International Health, Melbourne University, Australia.

Prizes and Awards

1979 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (Asian “Nobel” prize)
1985 Honorary Doctorate for Public Service, Gettysburg College, Pennsylvania, USA
Sustainable Transformation of Communities 119

1988 NCIH Award for Service in International Health, Washington, DC, USA
1990 Padma Bhushan National Award for Social Service (Raj)
2001 Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs Award, Geneva, Switzerland
2004 Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Dalit Mitra Award for work among backward classes
(Raj)
2005 Mother Teresa Memorial National Award for Social Justice (Raj)
2006 Zee TV Astitwa for Outstanding Woman in Health Care (Shobha)
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 7

International Center for Equal

Healthcare Access: Defeating the
Developing World’s Dependence
on Perpetual Western Charity in
the Field of Healthcare
Marie Charles

Dedicated to Maximilian and Antonia Marie

When the International Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA) was founded
on November 21, 2001, the world’s attention was focused on a need for funding
and the availability of affordable, low-cost drug treatments as solutions to the AIDS
pandemic that was ravaging the developing world. Understandably, the field of
“Global Health” was not yet well developed at that time, and few in the West had
any experience implementing “access to anti-AIDS medication” programs, with
millions of dollars in backing, only to realize that entire healthcare systems in the
developing world were almost nonexistent. The most pertinent question for
me became one of how we can build these critical systems in a sustainable, effec-
tive, empowering way without taking years to accomplish the end result?
What initially started as a very small pilot program in Vietnam and Cambodia
has since spread its wings rapidly across countries and continents. Working in
countries as diverse as Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, South Africa, Lesotho,
Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Suriname, Kiribati, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, ICEHA
is deploying over 6,500 aggregate person-years of high-quality, professional
medical expertise from doctors and nurses in the Western world to their
colleagues in the developing world, saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
Out of great vision, passion, and ultimate persistence, ICEHA grew into the “global
leader in clinical skills rapid transfer to emerging nations,” an international nonprofit
organization with offices at present in London, New York, and Stellenbosch.

IMMEDIATE AND SUSTAINABLE IMPACT

The sustainability and defined scope of ICEHA’s endeavors can best be high-
lighted using the example of a clinic in Vietnam that has become “mentored out.”1
Binh Thanh clinic is located in Ho Chi Minh City, one of the areas with the
121
122 The New Humanitarians

highest HIV prevalence rate in Vietnam. Only in March 2005 was funding made
available to provide anti-AIDS medications to AIDS patients through the
Vietnamese public sector. In collaboration with the Provincial Health Authorities
and Family Health International, Binh Thanh OPC became the first outpatient
AIDS clinic. Given the high level of stigma associated with being HIV positive in
Vietnam, the clinic opened in March 2005 without publicity. At the time of
opening, the Vietnamese healthcare providers at Binh Thanh clinic had received a
two-week didactic training course in AIDS care and were told to start providing
patients with AIDS care and treatment. Of course, it is quite a different matter to
be told how to do a spinal tap for crypto-meningitis than to have the confidence
and practical skills to carry out the procedure. Hence, to get the clinic personnel
up to speed and institute the necessary operational systems, ICEHA was asked to
send its volunteer clinical mentors to Binh Thanh OPC during the initial period
of introduction of AIDS care and treatment in the clinic. In this country where
HIV-infected patients typically go into hiding, Binh Thanh OPC had 200 patients
in HIV care within six weeks of opening, 600 patients in AIDS care with more
than 1,000 patient visits another six weeks later; and three months after that, 1,200
patients were in AIDS care, with the clinic personnel having started to provide
leadership to clinics in the surrounding areas. At that point, ICEHA pulled back
as quality control procedures showed that our local colleagues were providing the
best AIDS care possible within the existing resource limitations. Therefore, the
clinic was, in our parlance, “mentored out.” Thirty-two local healthcare providers
had been given practical clinical expertise by seven clinical mentors over a period
of six months. Following ICEHA’s pullback, the clinic continued to flourish. By
March 2006, the patient population had grown to 1,500, and the local government
relocated the clinic to a larger space. Binh Thanh OPC clinic remains a model of
excellence in the region and is being copied throughout the country with the assis-
tance of ICEHA’s clinical mentors.
In addition, an unintentional result of our clinical mentoring activities turned
out to be the effect on local healthcare workers of being exposed to passionate col-
leagues and of being given the skills to provide the best care possible. By the time
the clinic became mentored out—and this is true in all clinics where we are asked
to deploy ICEHA clinical mentors—the clinic staff walked around as if they
owned the clinic: they were proud and passionate to work there, having seen their
standing in their communities rise as word about the quality of their services had
spread. This was quite a different picture from the staff ’s attitude when we initially
arrived, an attitude that had been rooted in the high level of stigma associated
with caring for AIDS patients.

WHAT WAS THE TRIGGER?

Ten years ago, a Western infectious disease physician landed in Rwanda, confi-
dent, hopeful, and with a supply of antiretroviral medications (ARVs) for 100
AIDS patients in his suitcase. His assignment was to set up an AIDS research
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 123

program in this country stricken by AIDS. The infectious diseases clinic looked
good by local standards, desolate by ours. Clinic personnel were delighted to see
him and appreciative of the medication supply, while patients in dire need of
AIDS care were lined up outside the clinic walls, looking gaunt, the sparkle of life
gone from their eyes.
Rather quickly, however, did he realize that unless he, as a Western healthcare
provider, was going to put these patients on the ARV medications he had carried
with him, they would not be receiving the treatments they so urgently needed.
The Rwandan physicians looked at the bottles of pills with a mix of horror, puz-
zlement, and excited anticipation. They had participated in a two-week, didactic
training course on AIDS care, but that had been only theory. And what is the value
of theory in real life anyhow? When an AIDS patient entered their small office,
they would continue to be highly reluctant to give him any physical examination,
or touch him for that matter, still afraid that they might perhaps “catch AIDS” that
way. As for these various interesting-looking pills, their questions came quickly:
“What are they?” “How would one use those?” Along similar lines, the operational
systems needed for AIDS care were close to nonexistent in the clinic. Nurses were
not keeping patient records, nor were patient flow systems set up, a situation that
resulted in waiting lines of more than 500 patients on Monday with none on
Tuesday. Lab tests were, of course, not available, and neither were proper
dispensing procedures at the pharmacy in residence.
A phone call to the employer of the Western physician followed. “No, he couldn’t
come home in a week. He couldn’t just leave the medications in the clinic; there
was no infrastructure for AIDS care, no operational systems, no practical medical
expertise. The AIDS research program would not be started on time. Indeed, he
would need several months to set up the care delivery system that would ulti-
mately get the medications from his suitcase into the patients in a clinically
justified way. If not, a worse epidemic—a resistant one—could be created.”2
The employer of that physician was the International Therapy Evaluation
Center (IATEC) at the University of Amsterdam. And the chief operating officer
of IATEC was Dr. Marie Charles.
As a Belgian physician with a master’s degree in international affairs from
Columbia University, I had been offered the position of COO in the late 1990s
after having lived in Indonesia and Malaysia for several years. At that time, IATEC
was a multimillion-dollar, university-based research center that conducted clini-
cal research in HIV and AIDS across the developing world. But despite the fact
that we were well funded and able to bring antiretroviral medications into the
African clinic settings which universally lacked both AIDS care and treatment, the
lack of adequate healthcare infrastructures was an impediment to the rapid
implementation of our clinical research programs, and hence by inference, to any
level of AIDS care delivery.
A year into my job, the UNAIDS-brokered Accelerated Access Initiative (AAI)
was announced. Under AAI, five large pharmaceutical multinationals had agreed
to provide antiretroviral medications “at cost” to selected developing countries in
124 The New Humanitarians

an attempt to help stem the AIDS pandemic. It was quite clear to all of us that,
while most certainly reduced drug costs were an absolutely necessary step, unless
one were to set up the critical delivery systems necessary for AIDS care, no
amount of increased international donor funding or a reduction in drug costs
would benefit the patients on the ground. Indeed, months after AAI was
announced in a high-profile fashion and as the initiative failed to show much
immediate increase in numbers of patients receiving treatment, one could sense
the public opinion starting to turn against the possibility that antiretroviral med-
ications could be given to patients in resource-poor settings because of the
“resource poverty” aspect of these developing countries. We knew well that the
lack of resources did not prohibit the delivery of antiretroviral medications to
those who needed them. Our HIV clinical research was indeed carried out suc-
cessfully, and HIV clinical research is quite a bit more complicated than AIDS
care. The turn the public opinion was starting to take was scary, and it needed to
be corrected urgently.
Hence, over the summer of 2000, after many controversial discussions in my
own home after work, I managed to convince two colleagues to co-found a sepa-
rate nonprofit organization with me called PharmAccess International. We had no
budget, no employees, no logo, and no website, but we had a great vision of what
needed to be done in terms of proving that a lack of patients on treatment in the
developing world despite lower drug costs, was an issue of undeveloped or absent
healthcare systems, and not one of medications that were too complicated for
resource-poor settings. In our search for clinics with existing operational systems,
we approached Heineken Breweries. Although Heineken’s corporate medical
insurance scheme did not cover AIDS care and treatment at that time, each of its
nine subsidiaries throughout Africa had well-established clinic facilities, trained
medical staff, laboratories, and pharmacies. In the end, it took one of the two
other co-founders, Richard Hoetelmans, and me nine months of meetings at
senior corporate levels; analyses ranging from the clinical protocols to be used to
economics, public relations, and negotiations with pharmaceutical companies;
and countless evenings and weekends of background work before I received a call
on July 21, 2001, that Heineken’s corporate board had decided to include AIDS
care and treatment in the medical insurance scheme for its employees. It was a
multimillion-dollar implementation contract. Within six weeks, we had the first
employees of Heineken on ARV treatment in Rwanda and Burundi, the pilot
countries. Heineken Breweries had become the first multinational corporation to
provide AIDS care and treatment to its workforce. Many have since followed in
Heineken’s footsteps.
However, just weeks before this landmark phone call in July 2001, I had been
relocated back to Manhattan and was faced with the question of how to run an
organization I had co-founded from an ocean away. It had been one thing to
handle conference calls with Heineken’s management in Amsterdam at 3 a.m. in
New York; it was another to manage employees and programs for years to come
from a distance. Declining the suggestion by my co-founder colleagues that I run
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 125

the business development side from Manhattan, I decided to resign from the
board and as managing director of PharmAccess International. The remaining
directors compensated me financially for the time I had spent in successfully
building the organization, a gesture that would later prove vital in ICEHA’s
startup phase. In addition, I inherited the U.S. corporate entity, which had not yet
been put into operations. Richard Hoetelmans resigned for personal reasons a few
weeks after I left, leaving only one of three original co-founders ultimately in
charge.
My vision in setting up the Dutch nonprofit had always been one where we
would initially target the private sector to put AIDS patients on antiretroviral
treatment quickly, but from there, we would build the bridge into the public sec-
tor where the largest number of AIDS patients were and still are. Building the
bridge into the public sector would have entailed leveraging various resources
from the private sector, including financial, operational, clinical facilities, and so
on, in order to build up the public healthcare sector to such an extent that AIDS
care and treatment could be provided easily there, too. Realizing that the Dutch
nonprofit organization had a very different vision upon my leaving, I decided to
found yet another nonprofit organization, the International Center for Equal
Healthcare Access (ICEHA) to focus solely on building healthcare capacity in
public healthcare systems across the developing world, leveraging the enormous
untapped human capital resource called “clinical expertise” so abundantly
available in the West.
ICEHA’s initial focus would be infectious diseases and AIDS, without
precluding an expansion into other fields of medicine at a later date. Robin Lewis,
PhD, associate dean at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at
Columbia University in New York, had been following my career path from afar
and joined the board of directors of ICEHA from the onset. Briefly thereafter, we
were joined by Brian Boyle, MD, JD, assistant professor of infectious diseases at
Cornell Weill Medical College in Manhattan and internationally recognized for
his HIV expertise. From the beginning, both of them intrinsically understood the
need for ICEHA’s existence and were willing to do whatever it would take to help
the organization achieve its mission and vision. ICEHA began operations on
November 21, 2001. Similar to my previous entrepreneurial experience, here too
did we have a great vision for filling a need that no one else addressed, a long
name, a few directors, no employees, and no funding at all.
Within days, Robin Lewis asked me to give a two-hour seminar on ICEHA and
its underlying philosophy to a group of Southeast Asian fellows who were in
residence at Columbia University. I had only a business card at that time. Little did
I realize then how vitally important this early seminar would turn out to be for
ICEHA’s future. Indeed, a few weeks thereafter, I received a Christmas card from
Hanoi, signed by a certain Professor Trinh Ngoc Trinh, a name that did not sound
familiar. Since I travel frequently and meet countless people around the world
whose names unfortunately tend to blend together after a while, I politely sent a
Christmas card back only to receive, by return mail, a beautifully written, one page
126 The New Humanitarians

proposal containing a highly detailed account of how ICEHA’s proposed activities

could greatly help improve the healthcare system in Vietnam, especially in light of
the important role healthcare professionals play in the prevention of HIV
transmission. The proposal was signed by the same Professor Trinh, director
of the Highland Education Development Organization (HEDO). While I could
not locate his name or his organization on Google, and despite the fact that we did
not have any funding for ICEHA at that time, I decided to use some of the limited
savings from my previous venture for an exploratory trip to Vietnam, a country I
had never visited before.
When I arrived in Hanoi on a foggy Saturday afternoon in March 2002, all I
knew was that someone by the name of Trinh Ngoc Trinh would fetch me at my
hotel the next morning at 6 a.m. and that we would drive together to Langson
Province for meetings with the Provincial Health Authorities and the People’s Party
Committee. In addition to being the director of HEDO, Professor Trinh turned out
to be professor emeritus in education and a national hero for his outstanding
contributions during the Vietnamese-French war. HEDO has been in existence for
more than fifteen years and is a Vietnamese nongovernmental organization (NGO)
that implements programs to improve the livelihoods, health, and education levels
of the ethnic minorities in the highlands of Vietnam. Langson Province is a stun-
ningly beautiful highland province of approximately 750,000 people on the border
with China. Located on major trucking and tourist routes, its HIV prevalence rate
was higher than that of surrounding provinces. At some point during the six-hour

Figure 7.1 ICEHA Vietnam-Lao Cai Province. Courtesy of ICEHA.

International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 127

early morning drive, Professor Trinh informed me that Professor Do Nguyen

Phuong, Vietnam’s minister of health at the time, had sent me his welcome wishes
and apologized for not being able to meet in person given that he was in Laos on
that day. I accepted the welcome with a smile, understanding that a lot of politics
were happening behind screens I had yet to discover existed.
After an exquisite lunch in a hawker-stall restaurant, I was brought to an official
meeting hall in a French colonial style building that housed the offices of the
Provincial Health Authorities. The setting was surreal: French colonial architecture
with bright bougainvilleas climbing the walls, heavy wooden French doors half ajar
offering a peek of the sky where monsoon-like thunder clouds were rapidly stack-
ing up, and the meeting room inside looking as though a top Chinese interior dec-
orator had his dream fulfilled with all of its gold- and red-colored trimmings. Six
hours and forty Vietnamese teacups later, HEDO, myself, and three representatives
of the Provincial Health Department and the People’s Party Committee agreed that
a three-way collaboration would be the best method for building local healthcare
capacity and clinical skills appropriate for the looming fight against HIV. At no
point in time had I been asked for material resources or financial support. The only
requests I had received were for clinical skills and expertise.
The days following were spent in a myriad of visits and meetings at the provin-
cial hospital, various district hospitals, and village clinics, allowing me to get a
sense of the healthcare structure in the province. Once back in Hanoi, HEDO
arranged visits with people they thought would be influential in turning the
proposed collaboration into a success. Figuring that Vietnam was their country,
that they had invited me, and that the success of the program would be as much
their responsibility as my own, I merely followed their lead, a tactic we use to this
day at ICEHA.
On the final evening before flying back to New York, Professor Trinh asked me
whether I would mind stopping by the house of the minister of health on our way
to dinner. Despite the fact that this was an unannounced visit in a country where
foreign visitors and high-level government officials do not exactly mingle infor-
mally, Professor Trinh and I ended up joining Professor Do Nguyen Phuong and
his family at the dinner table. A soft-spoken, brilliant man and an extraordinary
leader, the ten minutes during which Professor Phuong questioned me about the
proposed collaboration and ICEHA’s activities culminated in an official
government approval, a fact that would only become clear to me during the years
that followed as government officials changed appointments, and program
approvals of other NGOs were revoked, while ICEHA has yet to have a straw put
in front of its feet to this day. All we continue to be asked for is a faster expansion
and scale-up within the country.
Although it was as obvious to me then, as it is now, that the extraordinary
wealth of human capital in clinical skills and capabilities so abundant in the West
is what many countries in the developing world really want to help them build
their own human resource capacity, ICEHA was not able to attract donor funding
easily. We were in an ironic dilemma of being a startup organization without a
128 The New Humanitarians

track record or brand name recognition, addressing an issue—the lack of critical

healthcare systems and healthcare capacity—that donors at that time did not
consider to be an issue, and proposing to fix the issue by using a method most had
never heard of (namely, the rapid transfer of clinical skills through mentoring),
and yet, we did have a product that the developing world not only needed but
clearly wanted. It seemed to me that there was—and to this day remains—a
significant disconnect between what “the West” perceives to be the issues in need
of being addressed through international development versus what developing
countries know they need, and the ways in which these countries think that it can
be delivered most effectively inside their borders.
However, while the average Western donor did not understand or value “capac-
ity building” at the onset, our message right away resonated as well with colleagues
in the medical profession as it did in the developing world. As word of what I was
proposing to do with ICEHA spread, the number of qualified colleagues who con-
tacted me with offers to help rose exponentially. The vast majority of them had
more than ten years highly specialized clinical expertise, had reached the pinnacle
of their medical careers, and had extensive family lives—all of which meant that,
even though they could not easily give up their lives in the West to work overseas
for a few years, they were passionate about wanting to make a personal
contribution in the fight against the AIDS pandemic, and they were also able to
make some time available, pro bono. The one thing they needed was an opportu-
nity overseas, defined in time, space, and content, where they could make an
impact the very second they arrived, put systems in place that would stay in place
after their assignment was completed, see the situation change as their assignment
progressed, and upon their return, know that everything they had done was there
to stay. Initially, only physicians contacted me, but soon thereafter nurses joined,
later on followed by pharmacists and lab technicians. In the early stages, almost all
offers to become involved came from within the United States. However, over the
years, we have reached a point where we are now sourcing expert healthcare work-
ers from over fourteen countries. As such, we opened up a European office in
London in April 2006 to more adequately and efficiently channel the European
applicants through our vetting and matching system prior to sending them on
assignments.
Unfortunately, the funding hurdle meant that I would need to keep on tapping
into the small amount of personal savings that I had received from my Dutch
nonprofit. It also meant that I would need to ask our colleagues not only to work
as volunteers but also to cover their own expenses while overseas until we had
proven the need for ICEHA’s existence and the basic program model, both a
necessity to attract funding. Given that the Vietnamese had invited us into their
country with open arms and given that they understood exactly what we were all
about, we decided to do the proof-of-concept with them. Although the concept
phase would take almost twenty months to be completed, this was the first real
step for ICEHA in becoming the “global leader in clinical skills rapid transfer to
emerging nations.” As an after-the-fact note, I ended up receiving the National
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 129

Medal of Honor from the Vietnamese president, Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, at the
opening of the National Assembly in Hanoi in June 2007. The National Medal of
Honor was given for global leadership in sustainable healthcare development in
emerging nations and specifically for ICEHA’s impact on the Vietnamese
healthcare system.

SYSTEM BUILDING THROUGH RAPID SKILL

TRANSFER—THE PROGRAM MODEL
ICEHA’s program model is one of system building through rapid skill transfer
and empowerment. The model is underpinned by a co-investment scheme
whereby the majority of the funds needed are being provided by the recipient
developing countries themselves.
Twenty months is a long time for a proof-of-concept trial. The timing was
mainly a result of having to build the organization on a shoestring, against the
prevailing public opinion of how international development aid should be
delivered, and of being in part self-funded, in part funded with the help of
$50,000 from a few corporate donors in 2002 and 2003. The proof-of-concept
was not focused on the co-investment structure for which ICEHA would later
become so well known; rather, it focused on proving that healthcare capacity
and healthcare systems can be built rapidly, in a very cost-effective way, using
volunteer experts for a minimum of six weeks. At the very moment of the proof-
of-concept period coming to a successful close, we had $1 left in our corporate
bank account on December 31, 2003. Although we did not have any employee
responsibilities or liabilities at that point, I had still cut it quite close, and two
directors of the board resigned very shortly thereafter, leaving Brian, Robin, the
treasurer, and myself to continue, all of us as committed as ever. Fortuitously,
ICEHA received its first large corporate foundation grant in January 2004. At
last, the organization was in a position to structure its program model, provide
the required quality control, and start off on its path of growth that would ulti-
mately lead it to expand into twelve countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin
America by December 2007.
ICEHA operates in a small niche and specialized format. What it provides to
the developing world is very specifically “practical clinical expertise adjusted for
resource limited settings.” Even then, we only agree to make ICEHA’s resources
available when a range of criteria have been met by the countries requesting
ICEHA’s assistance. A typical example of how this works is highlighted by a recent
experience: A few weeks ago, a delegation of the Ministry of Health of Congo
Brazzaville came to meet me in London. They arrived in the morning, leaving
London again that same evening. The delegation included the Director General of
the Ministry of Health, the Senior Advisor on HIV/AIDS to the Minister of
Health, the Head of the National HIV/AIDS scale-up program in the country, and
the Technical Advisor in HIV/AIDS to the Ministry of Health. This high-level del-
egation of four had arrived with the signature power of the Minister of Health. We
130 The New Humanitarians

had not worked with Congo Brazzaville before and had not had lengthy pro-
gram discussions with anyone in that country. However, in the months leading
up to our meeting in London, that government had designed its national scale-
up plan for tackling the AIDS epidemic in their country. Through hearsay or
word-of-mouth from colleagues in neighboring countries, ICEHA had been
brought to their attention, and due diligence on us had been completed before
a meeting was requested in person. Over the course of three hours, the high-
level delegation explained the contents and design of their national plan, the
structure of the healthcare system, and the potential role ICEHA clinical
mentors could have in helping their country achieve its goal of providing access
to AIDS care and treatment for all who need it. The local healthcare workers had
already received classroom HIV/AIDS training courses, but this didactic knowl-
edge did not give them the confidence to provide the actual care, nor did it teach
them how to set up the necessary operational systems in the clinics such as the
keeping of patient records, the organization of clinic flow, universal precaution
procedures, referral systems for complex cases, and so on. At the end of the three
hours, I was asked whether we might consider giving their request for multidis-
ciplinary teams of ICEHA clinical mentors top priority. Timing for implemen-
tation was determined at the meeting to be as soon as possible. The example of
Congo Brazzaville is almost a perfect textbook example for how ICEHA’s
clinical mentoring model tends to spread across the developing world.
The level of misconception about AIDS care on the part of healthcare workers
in the developing world cannot be underestimated. It reaches deep with possible
detrimental ramifications. To date, we continue to run into situations where
healthcare workers who have just started putting patients on antiretroviral
medications turn to us, excited about the progress these patients seem to be mak-
ing, yet at the same time wondering how long they should keep the patients on the
medication before they can send patients home given that they do look so much
better. At that moment, we know that the entire basis for AIDS care and treatment
was somehow not understood by the treating healthcare worker even though he
or she did have classroom training. Indeed, the antiretroviral medications do turn
AIDS into the equivalent of a chronic disease—provided the patients take the
prescribed regimen diligently for the rest of their lives, and provided resistance to
the therapy does not occur. However, if patients take the medications on and off,
or for short periods of time, or split the dosages with their family members, or any
number of scenarios along these lines, the AIDS virus becomes resistant to the
existing therapy and a much worse epidemic than the current one will be in the
making.
In another country, and this example, too, continues to be found across the
developing world, we were in the infectious disease ward when a late-stage AIDS
patient was wheeled in by his family, only to be brushed off to an empty bed with
the wave of a hand by the clinic staff member. Eventually, the attending physician
agreed to do a physical examination. He took out his stethoscope, and put the
ends of the instrument in his ears while dropping its head onto the skin of the
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 131

patient from almost five inches above, making sure that at no point in time his fin-
ger tips actually touched this patient. It turned out that he indeed had been told
of the ways in which HIV transmits (skin contact not being one of the possibili-
ties), but that having been told is one thing while believing it fully and acting on
that belief is yet another. Only gradually, after seeing the ICEHA clinical mentors
give proper physical examinations to admitted AIDS patients during their clinical
mentoring assignments, did this physician in question come to trust the fact that
he, too, could safely touch the AIDS patients.
Upon exiting the infectious disease ward, we were startled to see a disposable
syringe lying outside on the windowsill next to a bottle with alcohol in a hospital
where the nursing staff had been properly instructed that needles are a one-time
deal and are not to be used from one patient to the next. Theory is obviously not
translating into practice. The reuse of unsterilized needles from one patient to the
next has been highlighted increasingly by the World Health Organization (WHO)
over the past few years. In a neighboring hospital, needles were obviously dis-
carded regularly because we found them lying in heaps on the ground next to the
hospital building. In addition to the children playing in the heaps, street vendors,
too, would regularly gather to find the needles, repackage them, and sell them in
their street stalls or on the markets.
None of these issues, and countless others that this chapter does not allow
enough space for, are too difficult to be rectified or too cumbersome. The
most effective way to remedy the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical
expertise is to provide local healthcare workers who have received didactic
training with some form of a safety net while they are applying the acquired
medical theory in clinic practice.
We only stumbled on the clinical mentoring model through reflection and out-
of-the-box thinking, having had prior experiences with ineffective, large-scale
classroom training courses for which Western faculty were flown into a
developing country to “teach” local colleagues how to provide AIDS care even
though they themselves had little knowledge of the resource-poor settings from
which the audience came. The courses were extraordinarily expensive, and knowl-
edge retention rates hovered around 10 percent three months after the course; the
percentage of actual application of the acquired knowledge in the developing-
country clinics was even less. The competing practice of training foreign
physicians by flying them from the developing world to the West for six months
so that they could receive training in Western hospitals did not fare much better,
both in terms of high cost and in terms of lack of efficacy in teaching these
physicians how to provide AIDS care to their patients back home.
ICEHA’s signature clinical mentoring model is rooted in the medical training
we received ourselves and in the realization of what made us learn how to provide
patient care. Most certainly, didactic lectures in an auditorium gave us the
theoretical understanding of medicine but not the competence or confidence to
actually care for patients. The lectures were necessary but not sufficient: their
theory had to be turned into practical expertise during the subsequent years of
132 The New Humanitarians

residency, years during which we saw patients with a more senior physician
looking over our shoulders, providing a safety net in case we needed guidance.
For every clinic ICEHA has sent its clinical mentors to, we have found that it
takes anywhere from three to five months of continuous clinical mentoring for a
clinic to become “mentored out.” “Mentored out” is a state in which our local
colleagues are providing the best care they can within the existing resource limi-
tations of their clinics. Once a clinic has become mentored out, ICEHA clinical
mentors pull out, leaving in place a structure that works, is sustainable, and is
there to stay, bearing fruit for many years to come. The aspect of “continuous”
clinical mentoring for three to five months is rather important. One does not
change attitudes or build operational systems in a lasting fashion in only a few
weeks, even though many overseas assignments offered through other
organizations allow for two-week stints in foreign locations. Personally, I believe
that two-week assignments resemble a practice of medical tourism or provide an
opportunity to put a bandage on a situation and on a single patient, but do not
provide a lasting remedy or a system for thousands of patients. Given that ICEHA
clinical mentors can commit to participating for six weeks on a pro bono basis,
but not for three to five months, we achieve the continuous coverage needed by
sending consecutive ICEHA clinical mentors to the same clinic, thereby guaran-
teeing that the impact of the clinical mentors is lasting, sustainable, and optimal.
The kind of clinical mentors ICEHA sends to each respective clinic is entirely
dependent on the job at hand. For instance in Lesotho, a country with the world’s
third highest HIV prevalence rate at 23 percent and only a handful of physicians
present, the Ministry of Health decreed that nurses in the village clinics would be
the ones administering first-line AIDS care and treatment. The Lesotho nurses
had been given a ten-day didactic training course in Maseru, following which they
were sent back to their clinics and tasked with providing AIDS care. To help them
bridge the gap between the lectures and actual work, ICEHA clinical mentors were
requested through the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative (CHAI) to
provide coaching to the local nursing staff in the very clinics where they were
working. Because the local staff members to be mentored were nurses, ICEHA
sent nurse clinical mentors. Other countries, such as Congo Brazzaville, request
ICEHA clinical mentors in teams of five, including a physician, nurse, counselor,
pharmacist, and lab technician, given that their national scale-up plan calls for
AIDS care to be delivered with a multidisciplinary team approach.
The practical clinical expertise ICEHA provides to the developing world is
based on what is needed locally; it is provided in such a way that it does not
artificially re-create Western healthcare delivery since that would be utterly unsus-
tainable. Therefore, all clinical mentoring is provided within the national HIV
care and treatment guidelines of a specific country, taking into consideration the
limitations of resources in the various settings. Indeed it would be a futile exercise
to have ICEHA clinical mentors coach local colleagues on the interpretation of
MRI scans when no such machine exists in that country; at the same time,
teaching local clinic staff how to use the basic X-ray machine that had been so
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 133

generously donated by an international charity twenty-four months ago and is

sitting idle in a corner because no one knows how to operate it, can make the
difference between life and death for some patients.
Once a decision has been made by ICEHA to agree to a request for clinical
mentors from a new country, a local partner is chosen to handle all local logistics
and help assure quality control. At no point will one see ICEHA’s logo embossed
on the door of a company car, or above the entrance of a well-designed office in
the developing world. Our discrete policy to instead and deliberately work
through a local partner has led in many cases to the program being perceived as
“a local initiative with local ownership,” rather than as another international
development project. Beyond the philosophical meaning, this policy also has
practical implications for the implementation of the program. Not only would it
be very cumbersome for ICEHA staff to arrange for a local translator in the
Mekong Delta from our offices in New York or London, ICEHA’s method of
clinical mentoring is also quite different from what people in the developing
world have come to expect of international aid groups. Indeed the common
assumption of what foreign healthcare workers will be doing has led us to the
discovery that it is not sufficient to prepare ICEHA clinical mentors in great detail
before sending them on a mentoring assignment; it is equally important that the
healthcare workers in the receiving clinics are prepared and understand that the
ICEHA clinical mentors are not there to take over the jobs and responsibilities of

Figure 7.2 ICEHA Nepal—Seti Clinic in Dhangadhi. Courtesy of ICEHA.

134 The New Humanitarians

local clinic staff. The ICEHA clinical mentors will only exponentially increase the
clinical competency of local colleagues who can optimize the care they themselves
provide as a result. This specified role of ICEHA clinical mentors is diametrically
opposed to the direct care delivery most international NGOs in the healthcare
field focus on, a practice that perpetuates developing-world dependence on
Western aid and charity in the field of healthcare. It takes solid preparation of the
staff in the receiving clinics in order to make them understand the difference.
The list of ICEHA in-country partners continues to grow, but so far they
include World Health Organization (WHO), Highland Education Development
Organization (HEDO), National Center for HIV, Dermatology and STD
(NCHADS), Family Health International (FHI), Care International, COVAB,
HealthNet TPO, Right to Care, Foundation for Professional Development, Project
Support Association, CHAI, and Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS Nepal
(NAP+N).

An Unorthodox Funding Model: Co-Investment

As mentioned above, ICEHA was set up without seed funding and the ini-
tial years of 2002 and 2003, during which we completed the proof-of-concept
were very hard indeed. If it had not been for my ability to work full-time without
a salary, it would have been an impossible exercise.
So, while we were fundraising in the first eighteen months with limited success,
it became quite clear almost from the onset that it would be one thing for us to
raise funding in the West to cover the costs of recruiting the clinical mentors, of
screening them for their qualifications and personality, of preparing them
adequately, of ensuring that they were matched to the appropriate clinic, and of
managing them throughout their field assignment. It would be another thing
entirely to fundraise additionally for all costs associated with the actual placement
of the clinical mentors in the developing world for minimum periods of six weeks.
Although the ICEHA clinical mentors contribute their time and skills on a pro
bono basis, all reasonable trip expenses are covered. Given that the developing
countries themselves approach us with the line “what ICEHA provides [practical
clinical expertise] is exactly what we need and want,” I decided that it would be
more efficient to come up with some kind of cost-sharing arrangement both sides
could live with and which would fall in line with ICEHA’s philosophy of
empowerment.
To date, the co-investment deal that has worked for all sides is one where
ICEHA does not charge the developing countries for any of the costs ICEHA
incurs in screening and preparing the clinical mentors. ICEHA finds its own
private, individual, and corporate donors to cover that side of the equation. At the
same time, the developing countries are required to cover all in-country
implementation costs that occur as a result of the clinical mentoring activities.
These costs include basic room and board, local transport, economy class plane
ticket, and other necessary expenses. One could say that each developing country
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 135

pays for the cost of skill transfer within its own borders. The fact that both sides
contribute financially is offset tremendously by the value of the in-kind
contribution of the clinical mentors, who participate on a pro bono basis. Indeed,
if funding from any source would have had to cover Western salaries for clinical
mentors while on assignment, one would need to put a serious question mark to
the value and the cost-effectiveness of any such program. As a net effect of the co-
investment approach, for every $2,000 of Western funding, an additional $6,000
to $8,000 in funding is released by a source within a developing country itself,
both of which are offset by a value ranging between $12,000 and $28,000 per
clinical mentor per assignment.

Loyal and Visionary Donors, Committed to Curing the

Dependence of the Developing World on Charity, Rather
Than Simply Feeding That Dependence
Sometimes people ask me why it took so long for ICEHA to build a stable
donor base. Having reflected on the question, the answer is one not limited to
ICEHA but is applicable to anyone running one step ahead of what is considered
to be cutting edge. It naturally takes a little while for any entrepreneur to find a
way to effectively communicate an unorthodox message to others who are used to
thinking in a conventional way; at the same time, it also takes a while to find those
donors who are sophisticated and farsighted enough to understand the value of
actually building complete systems that will result in millions of smiling children
a few years down the road as opposed to one smiling face today, which might not
even be alive to be smiling tomorrow.
Over the years, ICEHA funders in the West have included generous private
individuals, many of whom know our clinical mentors personally or profession-
ally. These and others believe in the system-building model as strongly as we do
and see the immediate value of their investment to the extent that some of them,
having committed to raising a specific amount from friends and colleagues, have
taken out personal bank loans when a commitment could not be filled by their
pool of friends alone.
The vast majority of the funding, however, comes through a small group of
extremely insightful and loyal visionary corporate donors. Over the years, these
have included the J&J Foundation, Tibotec Corporation, Rufford Foundation,
William A. Haseltine Foundation for Medical Sciences and the Arts, Gilead Foun-
dation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, St.
Stephen’s AIDS Trust, American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), Merck
Foundation, and International Finance Corporation. In-country implementation
costs have been covered by a variety of in-country funding mechanisms, includ-
ing through the WHO, the Global Fund for Malaria, TB and AIDS, DFID, USAID,
and PEPFAR, as well as various local branches of multinational corporations. In
the end, the origin of the in-country funding is not as important as is the fact that
the funding needed locally is already available within the country in question.
136 The New Humanitarians

Our Western funders, both individuals and corporate, are an extraordinary and
dedicated group, with many of them having contributed month after month, year
after year, excited to see the organization grow and realizing its tremendous
impact. The pivotal factor in dealing with any donor has been personal contact
and engagement: one person within a foundation who decides to champion our
cause by helping us through the application process, or who decides to contact
colleagues in fellow foundations, alerting them to ICEHA’s value proposition,
which frequently results in those foundations inviting us to submit grant propos-
als. The same is true at the individual level, where we have seen the most extraor-
dinary gestures of generosity. These individuals tend to have met us personally;
tend to know one of our clinical mentors and send in the donation in his or her
honor; or tend to be a past, present, or future clinical mentor who is so taken by
the model that he or she becomes a perpetual donor. Past clinical mentors have
held concerts for us, donating all proceeds, or have referred wealthy patients to us
when asked what their favorite charity is. Most recently, we were even adopted as
“favorite charity of the year” by the Stop AIDS student group at Newcastle
University in the UK. Without all these funders, we could not be doing what we
do so well: saving lives and building the systems that free developing countries
from their dependence on Western charity and aid in the field of healthcare.

Quality Control, Monitoring, and Evaluation

I personally think that much of the international donor funding is being spent
all too frivolously on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) methods “McKinsey
Style,” whereby the M&E component itself becomes a flourishing industry even
more so than the impact of the program it is supposed to be measuring. Never-
theless, a certain level of M&E is most definitely necessary to show that one’s
activities are indeed having the impact they are intended to. As such, the quality
control ICEHA uses is quite strict yet optimized to show exactly what needs to be
shown, namely the impact of clinical mentoring on setting up sustainable health-
care systems and—as a result—the impact on saving lives of patients, not one
time, but for decades to come.
The quality control of ICEHA’s programs encompasses both quantitative as
well as qualitative measures. At the beginning and upon completion of their
assignments, ICEHA clinical mentors complete a pre- and postassessment ques-
tionnaire regarding the clinic systems and care provided. These are not judgment
questionnaires but rather objective measurements of what is happening in the
clinic over time. All data collected are entered into an SPSS database, and trends
are analyzed on a per-clinic and a per-country basis.
In addition, each clinical mentor has to submit, on a weekly basis, a brief report
of activities, either via e-mail or in transcribed teleconferences with ICEHA staff.
These weekly reports in freestyle format cover anything relevant to the experience.
They serve multiple purposes, but one of their main benefits is that they indicate
at which stage the ICEHA clinical mentor has built a relationship of trust with
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 137

local counterparts to the extent that these counterparts will accept the practical
skills the mentor is attempting to impart. Clinical mentoring does not work if the
foreign clinical mentor is perceived as a “Western professor who will tell the local
healthcare workers how to deliver care.” Clinical mentoring does work when it is
perceived as an exchange of expertise between two sides that are equals in terms
of social standing within their own societies. It works when there is an underlying
basis of trust and mutual respect. How can we tell that this is happening? Pretty
much across all countries and clinics where ICEHA clinical mentors have ven-
tured, it has taken ten days to two weeks before we receive a report stating some-
thing along these lines: “You will never believe what happened today, but Dr. XYZ
pulled me aside and asked whether I might be willing, in my spare time, to also
provide clinical coaching to his colleagues in the other clinic where he works, but
which is not on the list to receive clinical mentors . . .” When we receive an e-mail
like this, it shows us that the underlying basis of trust and mutual respect has been
built, and we know that the effectiveness of the clinical mentoring can increase
exponentially from that point onward. In the meantime, although we receive feed-
back from the ICEHA clinical mentors on a weekly basis, our in-country partner
is in contact with the clinic personnel to ensure that any issues arising from their
end are addressed, and to double-check that the activities of each clinical mentor
are appropriate for the clinic setting and the existing resource limitations.
The final piece of quality control is a final trip report, which is an extensive
document that discusses all activities the clinical mentor undertook during
his/her field assignment, every issue that was encountered plus measures taken
to remedy the issue, the status of the clinic upon leaving, and a recommenda-
tion as to whether further clinical mentoring is needed or whether the clinic
might be mentored out. The report is submitted to ICEHA and shared with
ICEHA’s in-country partner; it follows a predetermined, fixed outline and is
written in such a way that it can be sent on to the minister of health of the
respective country when appropriate and in the interest of the country’s health-
care system. If the clinic is set to receive additional clinical mentors, this report
is also shared with them to ensure that they know the baseline from which they
are supposed to start.
As for the quality control on the clinical mentor side—namely how mentors
perceive their experience with ICEHA—the best indicator is the rate of return of
our clinical mentors: almost 30 percent of them participate again within twelve to
eighteen months of their first assignment, with many having participated four or
five times as of this writing. We also have several ICEHA clinical mentors who
have found their assignments so rewarding that they have temporarily left their
careers in the West either to take on permanent teaching positions in the country
of their field assignment or to become perpetual ICEHA clinical mentors, going
from one field assignment to the next. Regardless of how many are repeat volun-
teer clinical mentors, 99 percent of our clinical mentors call us within two weeks
of their return back home with the words “thank you so very much—this was the
most extraordinary experience of my personal and professional life.”
138 The New Humanitarians

WHO ARE THE ICEHA CLINICAL MENTORS?

All of us are quite fortunate to have been born in the West and to have been
given extraordinary educations with brilliant careers as a result. However, there
comes a point in life when these brilliant careers reach the pinnacle of their suc-
cess, and when we start looking outside of them for additional opportunities
where we, as individuals, can have a greater impact, often much beyond what we
can have in our own clinic settings. At the same time, we do not want to forgo our
brilliant careers, and we usually also have family lives that would prohibit us from
moving overseas for any lengthy period of time. Ideally, we would like to be given
an opportunity defined in time, place, and content where we can make a signifi-
cant impact, see the systems change with our own eyes, and know that these now
optimized systems will remain in place once we return to our own home life. And
that is where ICEHA comes in.
While ICEHA uses a minimum requirement of three years of clinical expertise
beyond residency, a large proportion of healthcare professionals applying have
more than ten years of specialized clinical expertise. They come from a wide vari-
ety of backgrounds: physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses,
social workers, pharmacists, and lab technicians; they also come from a wide vari-
ety of clinics and hospitals, including academic, community based, public, and
private practice. Most recently the pool of volunteer ICEHA clinical mentors
available for the six-week minimum commitment has surpassed the 700 mark. In
total they represent more than 7,500 aggregate person-years of clinical expertise
on offer to the developing world.

Recruitment, Screening, and Preparation of ICEHA Clinical Mentors

In the early years of ICEHA, prospective candidates contacted me as word
about ICEHA spread through the grapevine. However, once we had the proper
financial resources and were experiencing the exponential increase in demand for
our clinical mentors from overseas, we put a solid recruitment structure in place
where word-of-mouth referrals are still a significant player, but where recruitment
goes much beyond that. ICEHA clinical mentors are recruited at every venue they
might possibly be found congregating, from their clinics to national and interna-
tional conferences, from small seminar discussions about the potential for
individual impact to continuing medical education (CME) courses.
The recruitment itself has two components, one impersonal (through maga-
zine advertisements or Internet search engines) and one personal. If I were to
have to pick one method over the other, I would say that the personal recruit-
ment method is the conditio sine qua non. Many of our colleagues with tremen-
dous expertise to share, who would be great clinical mentors, are sitting on the
fence, attracted to the idea but unsure whether they should make the leap of
faith. An ad in a newspaper or on the Web will pique their interest but will not
be sufficient to make them submit an application to become a clinical mentor.
The in-person interaction with ICEHA staff at various venues, as well as
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 139

personal referrals from colleagues, helps them decide to turn their dream into
reality. Personally, I think that it is a comfort-zone issue, one in which they learn
from the personal contact that they will be taken care of and managed well
throughout the process, and not just put on a plane to a desolate faraway place
without further contact.
Once prospective candidates submit applications to become ICEHA clinical
mentors, we subject them to a rigorous screening and selection process, much
beyond their clinical capabilities or paper résumé with references. Prior experi-
ence in the developing world is a plus but not a must, given that our model is quite
different than that of other organizations, and we have found that often our most
flexible and best clinical mentors have been those without prior preconceived
notions about what it will be like, notions they developed during their experiences
with other organizations.
The success of the field assignment will depend as much on an applicant’s clin-
ical expertise as it does on personality. Being a clinical mentor is not for everyone.
Over the years, we have turned away some well-known professors from various
academic institutions because they, while being respected professors in their own
right, did not have the personality or ability to interact with their local colleagues
in a way that clinical mentors need to be able to do: as colleagues on the same pro-
fessional level with neither side being more of an expert. Individual personalities
are also important from a cultural perspective. There are cultural differences
across all continents on this planet, and methods of social interaction that work
in Europe do not necessarily go over well in the United States, or vice-versa as we
all well know. Similarly so, not all personalities are suitable for Asian cultures, and
neither are all of them appropriate for African settings.
Given that it would be very contrived and inadequate to attempt to assess
personality and character of applicants through a paper résumé or an Internet-
based questionnaire, we require instead that all ICEHA clinical mentors attend a
mandatory, two-day preparation course held regularly in New York, London,
Sydney, or Stellenbosch for qualified applicants from those regions. These prepa-
ration courses are the main selection tool, allowing us to observe the interaction
between candidates in group discussions as well as to assess an applicant’s
personality on an individual level. The courses also prepare the attendees for
what is awaiting them as ICEHA clinical mentors, how they will need to leave
Western-specific clinical knowledge at home while learning to think inside coun-
try-specific guidelines and resource limitations, how they might use creativity
and out-of-the-box thinking to ensure that their practical clinical expertise can
be transferred onto their local colleagues without putting these same local col-
leagues in a position where they feel as though they are being treated as students.
The courses are well received, with several attendees having commented over
the years how they have gone overseas with other organizations in the past,
including with the U.S. government, but how no one has ever set them down to
make them reflect and understand what it will take to be successful in these
settings.
140 The New Humanitarians

Mentors are initially slightly surprised and sometimes even uncomfortable at

being told to forget their Western habits and resource-rich wisdom the very
moment their plane takes off for their assignment. However, one of the reasons
why ICEHA clinical mentors end up valuing their overseas experience so highly is
because it brings them back in touch with the basic reasons why they went into
medical or nursing school in the first place, reasons grounded in a passion to care
for patients at a human level, to use clinical skills and human interaction to make
a diagnosis, and to cure the sick rather than being directed by printed lab values
on a computer sheet.
Once the clinical mentor candidates have passed the screening tests and
preparation course, ICEHA staff contractually engages and matches them to avail-
able positions in the developing world not only according to their availability, skill
levels, and the needs of the receiving clinics, but also according to their
personalities. The contract is needed to formalize the assignment given that they
are not embarking on a relaxing vacation but on a job with responsibilities, albeit
without pay.
So far the screening and preparation process has worked very well, and the
percentage of failed placements—as defined either by a clinical mentor returning
home early or by a clinic asking a clinical mentor to leave—has been limited to
only 1 percent. In contrast, the percentage of return volunteer clinical mentors
hovers around the 30 percent mark.

A NONHIERARCHICAL ORGANIZATION
OF PASSIONATE ENTREPRENEURS
ICEHA prides itself on being a nonhierarchical, non-bureaucratic
organization. I am an entrepreneur and a strong believer in the fact that when one
empowers carefully selected people, they will live up to the task at hand and
passionately run with the responsibility given to them. This is true not only for
ICEHA’s clinical mentors and for our colleagues in the developing world, but also
for ICEHA’s extraordinarily gifted and dedicated staff. To date, every staff mem-
ber, with only one exception, has first contributed to the organization as an
operational volunteer. This means that they are given significant responsibility
within the organization’s operations but work under a volunteer contract, with-
out compensation, financial or otherwise. This practice allows both sides to expe-
rience in real life whether there is a mutually beneficial match. ICEHA has
benefited tremendously from dedicated operational volunteers from the very
beginning, with Kathy Reniers, Emy McCord Schwimmer, Cassandra Doll, and
Ruchi Rastogi among the very first ones to help me refine the model and pull the
proof-of-concept off the ground.
ICEHA’s first paid employee came about in an unconventional fashion. Dur-
ing the academic year 2002–03, Columbia University SIPA gave me a team of
seven graduate students whom I asked to conduct due diligence background
research for ICEHA’s possible entry into Cambodia. Columbia’s commitment
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 141

was solid, and SIPA covered the costs for field visits of the entire team to
Cambodia so that their research would be anchored in reality. Upon graduation,
all students stayed in touch, showing up en masse at ICEHA’s fundraisers, refer-
ring colleagues, and providing other connections. There was one who remained
in closer touch: an exceptional young woman named Katie Graves-Abe. A
daughter of diplomats, Katie had moved around the globe throughout her
upbringing. She had lived in the West as well as in places as remote as
Democratic Republic of the Congo and had taken to ICEHA’s model like a fish
to water. Upon graduation, Katie had accepted a job with another foundation
but continued to help ICEHA as a volunteer during her spare time. Nine
months later, she called me, asking if I might let her know when I would have
an employee position within ICEHA. Timing was fortuitous: a few weeks prior,
we had received our first grant allowing us to cover recruitment processes, and
while funding was fully allocated to all activities to be done, I thought we could
pull $25,000 into a salary package for our first employee. Ultimately, how can
one build an organization, for profit or nonprofit alike, if one is not willing to
invest in people with talent? Realizing, however, that Katie was earning signifi-
cantly more in her other job, I mentioned that I did not think our package was
a fair proposition, but it was all I had. Within twenty-four hours she accepted,
taking the jump. From the very beginning, she had significant responsibilities as
the person behind ICEHA’s selection process, and her responsibilities have only
increased exponentially over the years.
The way Katie became involved is mirrored by all ICEHA staff, both employees
and volunteers. ICEHA remains an organization based on values such as passion,
integrity, loyalty, honesty, and empowerment; it is an organization where every
staff person has to be an entrepreneur in his or her own right, passionately
fighting for ICEHA’s vision.

FACTORS FOR SUCCESS

The factors underpinning ICEHA’s success are multiple, but if I needed to
summarize them in one line, it would come down to this: empower people and
ask them to take responsibility. Empowerment in ICEHA happens at various
levels: empowerment of our local colleagues in the developing world, whereby we
give them the practical clinical expertise, which allows them to take responsibility
for their patients; empowerment of governments in the developing world,
whereby we do not decide for them what they need and when, but rather they
decide that for themselves (and, as a result, help pay for it); empowerment of the
ICEHA clinical mentors, who are given the local framework within which they
need to provide the clinical mentoring and yet have to rely on their own creativ-
ity and initiative to make it work; and empowerment of ICEHA’s staff, whereby
every staff person, employee and operational volunteer alike, is given the target
goal of what they have to achieve, but is empowered and supported to do what it
takes to get there.
142 The New Humanitarians

The specific characteristics that constitute ICEHA’s success are more expansive
than a one liner, however. They include

1. System building and system change

2. Sustainability
3. A simple model highly defined in content and parameters
4. Micromanagement of ICEHA clinical mentors; the “personal touch” in
selection, preparation, matching, and management
5. Financial co-investment
6. Immediate impact
7. Local responsibility
8. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ICEHA interventions
9. Leverage of resources
10. Scale and replication within countries and across continents

THE FUTURE: SCALE AND GROWTH

ICEHA’s future is one of scale and vast expansion. ICEHA’s sustainable model
and immediate impact are proven and solid. However, what is even more impor-
tant, it is not us sitting in New York or London deciding that what ICEHA has on
offer is what the developing world will want; rather, it is the developing world
approaching us, not with requests for material assistance but instead with requests
for our ICEHA clinical mentors and the practical clinical expertise they can
impart on their local colleagues.
Over the next five years, ICEHA will grow its pool of volunteer clinical men-
tors from more than 700 to 2,000, while its deployment programs will aim to add
four to six new countries each year without necessarily leaving any of the existing
countries prematurely. In addition, ICEHA will be expanding its clinical mentor-
ing model beyond HIV/AIDS to include other fields of medicine, such as primary
care, internal medicine, emergency medicine, and OB/GYN. The expansion into
other fields of medicine is mainly due to requests by countries that have seen the
clinical mentoring model work beautifully and sustainably for HIV/AIDS. As a
result of this expansion, ICEHA’s impact on healthcare systems in the developing
world will scale exponentially, impacting millions of lives across the globe, not
one time but forever to come.
In order to meet the challenge of such scale and exponential growth, ICEHA
will need to add a long-term quality to its funding base, which, to date, still runs
on a year-to-year basis, as is true for many nonprofits. At the same time, a year-
to-year funding basis would never be acceptable in the for-profit industry
because no organizational long-term strategy can be implemented in this way.
Obtaining funding that can cover multiyear costs will allow the organization to
successfully build and execute its vision of scale like an unstoppable space
rocket.
International Center for Equal Healthcare Access 143

SUMMARY
ICEHA’s model is not about one-way, endless charity; rather, the model is one
of ultimate system change, empowerment, high leverage, scale, replication,
sustainability, immediate impact, and innovation.
Although ICEHA is using this model to build healthcare capacity in the devel-
oping world, the same model could be used in other fields, including education in
schools, management capacity in government offices, and economic
development. All it would take is someone who is very passionate about the cause
using the obvious solution we have developed, and putting him or herself 150
percent behind it, 150 percent of the time. Ultimately, this is ICEHA’s story.
ICEHA did start as a dream and a strong conviction that the way in which
international development was tackling the AIDS pandemic was incomplete and
misguided. But in the end, if not for the passion, commitment, and dedication of
all of ICEHA’s clinical mentors who forgo a Western income for six weeks at a
time in order to impart their knowledge to their colleagues in the developing
world as a human capital transfer, if not for ICEHA’s dedicated staff, all of whom
started as operational volunteers working after-hours while being employed else-
where, and all of whom end up working passionately more than seventy-hour
work-weeks as employees, if not for our loyal and visionary donors, and if not for
the solid support of ICEHA’s board members and countless friends and colleagues
who often ventured out on a personal limb to help me get ICEHA off the ground
but prefer to remain quietly behind the scenes, I really would still be dreaming my
dream to this day.
That would have been a great pity. The results have been extraordinary so far;
the scale-up is an even greater promise.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: International Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA)
Founder and Executive Director: Marie Charles
Mission/Description: ICEHA is a nonprofit organization of physicians and
nurses who volunteer their medical expertise to developing countries in order
to equip the local healthcare professionals with the skills needed to take care
of their own patients within existing resource limitations.
Website: www.iceha.org
Address: 101 West 23rd Street
Suite 179
New York, NY 10011
Phone: 847-232-9885
E-mail: mcharles@iceha.org
144 The New Humanitarians

NOTES
1. Excerpt from personal correspondence, FAQs ICEHA (www.iceha.org).
2. Marie Charles, “Perspectives from the International Center for Equal Healthcare Access:
Improving HIV care in Western countries: Lessons learned in the developing world.”
Medscape (October 25, 2005). Available at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/514563.
 8

Flying Doctors of America

Allan Gathercoal, Teresa
Bartrum, and Myron Panchuk

If you just happened to be a pilot and had $700, where would you go? What would
you do? Most of us would probably fly to the Caribbean for a bit of rest and relax-
ation, or perhaps to Manhattan to go to dinner and a Broadway play. In 1990 Allan
Gathercoal took his faith in God and the goodness of others, combined that with
the $700 dollars, and took off on a “wing and a prayer,” to fly this organization’s
first medical/dental mission to the garbage dumps outside Mexico City. He
remembered the saying “Find a need and fill it, find a hurt and heal it” and used
that as the runway for creating a unique, but desperately needed, organization
know today as Flying Doctors of America.
Not aligned with any religious or denominational group, this nonprofit organ-
ization has flown over 160 humanitarian missions and provided medical services
for over 130,000 persons in need in Mexico, Central America, South America, the
Caribbean, India, China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, and parts of the African
continent.
Flying Doctors of America has grown into a collaborative effort of medical
and non-medical professionals who volunteer their talents and time to reach out
and assist the world’s poorest of the poor. By traveling to remote destinations and
serving the most desperate populations, Flying Doctors of America lives by the
spirit of one of the greatest humanitarians of all time, Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
As she gave hope to the hopeless, this group does so also by visiting those who
live in the darkness of poverty and by healing the sick and disabled.

BACKGROUND
Allan Gathercoal is a Christian humanitarian, who sought to put “feet on his
faith.” His graduate studies in psychology and theology and his personal belief sys-
tem have been incorporated into a dynamic and ongoing synthesis of theory and

145
146 The New Humanitarians

Figure 8.1 Flying Doctors of America medical team in Salta, Argentina. Courtesy of
Allan Gathercoal.

praxis that actualizes the core teachings of the Christian gospels. Allan’s vision for
the Flying Doctors of America is rooted in his own soul-searching that critiques
the church as being solely concerned with its own finances, operations, and dog-
matic correctness. Institutional self-absorption can only be remedied through an
authentic Christian praxis of compassion and care. As he began to look at the
church with a critical eye, he discovered that too little is given for the care of the
downtrodden, widows, orphans, and of the oppressed and poor. In 1989 he began
to conceive of a movement that would liberate both the doctor and the patient by
inviting physicians and dentists of the United States in medical missions to travel
as a medical team to developing countries and work among those living in abject
poverty. In such a manner, the core spiritual values of Christ’s teaching and
ministry find expression in improving the lives of the disenfranchised.
Through research done at Virginia Tech, Allan discovered that the majority of
physicians and dentists (99 percent) never leave the confines of their offices in
America to help the world’s poor. He contacted scores of physicians and dentists
and asked them what stopped them from giving back to those in need; their con-
sistent concerns were time, management of mission, and cost. How would they get
to where they are going, and who would help them get there and how much would
it cost them in time and money? This motivated Allan to formulate the concept of
Flying Doctors of America 147

Flying Doctors of America, with the purpose of creating short-term,

affordable/tax deductible, and professionally managed medical missions. Doctors
would only have to volunteer one or two weeks of their time, cover personal out-
of-pocket costs—and Flying Doctors of America would do the rest.
With Flying Doctors, everybody wins. The medical and non-medical volun-
teers miss only a few days of work and go on the adventure of a lifetime. Support
volunteers serve as translators, team leaders, photographers, and healthcare assis-
tants. The individual or corporate sponsors get tax benefits plus the knowledge
that they are making a real difference in the world. And most of all, those in need
receive first-rate medical care.
As the result of much soul-searching, brainstorming, and research, Flying
Doctors of America was launched in 1990, with the express purpose of bringing
hope and healing to the world’s poor. Allan’s mission was to fulfill the intent of
Christ’s teachings: to love the least of my brothers and sisters in this world. For
Allan Gathercoal, love is not just a noun, but a verb. This understanding of love
demands action and an ongoing engagement in the world that has fueled Flying
Doctors of America since its inception.
An effective innovator and entrepreneur, Allan Gathercoal has worked as a
church growth minister, started up new churches, and designed educational pro-
grams in California. He has earned masters degrees in psychology and theology
and a doctorate from Columbia Theological Seminary. President and founder of
Medical Mercy Missions, Inc., Allan promotes interfaith dialogue, and in 1996 he
received the Vision of Race Unity Award. While these credentials are impressive,
the most outstanding attribute Allan possesses is his passion to help those in
desperate need.

MISSIONS
In circling the globe for the last seventeen years, the work of Flying Doctors of
America has reached as far as Africa, India, and China. Currently, about 80 percent
of the work focus is in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. How-
ever, efforts are being made to expand beyond these regions, and new fields of
assistance are being explored.
Missions are ranked on a three-level system. Each level becomes more physi-
cally arduous for the volunteers. Most anyone, for example, most anyone can go
on a Level 1 mission. For such missions, volunteers are housed in a hostel or hotel.
They also have access to showers, flush toilets, and good food. From their places
of residence, volunteers are transported to and from the clinics and hospitals
where they are assigned to serve.
Level 2 missions are more demanding. These missions take volunteers further
out into rural communities. Typically, there is no electricity, and churches or
schools serve as makeshift clinics. At times, volunteers sleep on cots in the mayor’s
house or in the church itself, and do not have such amenities as hot shower and
flush toilets.
148 The New Humanitarians

Level 3 missions are the most arduous and physically demanding. Volunteers
travel to their assignments in the most remote areas of the world by hiking, on
horseback, or by dug out canoe. They sleep in tents, dig their own toilets, and wash
by taking sponge baths or simply jumping into a local river or lake. Volunteers for
Level 3 missions must meet criteria established for physically fitness, emotional
health, and the skills needed to serve indigenous peoples. The geographic areas
served by Level 3 missions are the Amazon, the high Andes Mountains, and the
plains of Mongolia.
Occasionally, there is a fourth level that occurs during times of conflict and
serves the needs of war-torn areas and refugee camps. These missions are not
advertised or promoted on the Flying Doctors of America’s website. Those selected
for these special Level 4 missions have been with Flying Doctors of America for
some time and have served on multiple missions. They must be capable of endur-
ing overwhelming stress and be in great physical shape. Most volunteers for these
critical missions have military backgrounds and are very athletic. These missions
are rare and may occur only every few years.
The goal of each mission is to fulfill three critical areas of concern: (1) provide
immediate medical and dental intervention and care, (2) establish reciprocity
and cooperation with local providers, and (3) analyze the greater needs of the
community. As intervention becomes established and the local population is
being attended to, local healthcare providers are engaged in building a relation-
ship of mutual cooperation and respect with their American colleagues. As mem-
bers of Flying Doctors of America begin to educate their host community on
everything from dental to personal hygiene, they are also being reciprocally edu-
cated by the indigenous medical community. This mutuality encourages the
sharing of information and the acquisition of a working knowledge of pressing
health needs; quite often, it facilitates dialogue with the public health officials in
that country.
Allan is concerned that some individuals erroneously think they have the
authority to resolve the medical healthcare needs of foreign countries. The mis-
sions of Flying Doctors of America are opportunities to serve as liaisons
between the targeted community and the resources available in that country. In
such a manner Allan’s concept of the Flying Doctors’ job is to accomplish its
immediate mission and to empower the local population. It is the job of the vol-
unteers to remain sensitive to the traditions and customs of local groups and
their way of life.
The work of Flying Doctors of America volunteers is to empower local com-
munities in engaging their governments to create change. For example, citizens
may not even know that their government has a program that could make more
water available. Local activists make contact with nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) that specialize in creating new sources of water such as building new
wells. By addressing and accommodating the pressing infrastructure needs of the
local community, volunteers will attempt to establish the contacts needed to find
the means and the resources to resolve these concerns.
Flying Doctors of America 149

Flying Doctors of America has a database in excess of 16,000 volunteers. Over

10,000 of these volunteers are doctors and dentists, and about 4,000 are pharma-
cists, nurses, and general volunteers. An average surgical team consists of six to
eight volunteers, while a primary dental or medical team consists of approximately
sixteen volunteers.

FLYING DOCTORS OF AMERICA: CONCEPT TO REALITY

In fulfilling the call to provide medical assistance to the world’s needy, Flying
Doctors of America has been transformed from an organization based on Chris-
tian practice to an interfaith humanitarian organization—one that embraces reli-
gious, racial, and multicultural diversity. The objective has always been to bring
hope and healing to the world’s poor as Mother Teresa did. By traveling to some
of the most remote regions of the globe, volunteers have experienced the chal-
lenge of adventure in high-risk areas. This has been characterized by some as a
way of embracing their own “inner Indiana Jones.” It has been Allan’s experience
that if you challenge physicians with adventure as well as care and medical relief
work, most will respond enthusiastically and be eager for the challenge. They will
go and take care of the poor, and also enjoy the adventure of having done so. An
additional benefit is to come home and tell your buddies about it over a cup of
coffee. Fortunately, there continues to be a positive response on behalf of the
medical and dental communities. After all, there would be no medical missions
without them.
Allan Gathercoal is himself a model of personal growth and transformation. In
many ways, his spiritual life has been an alchemical process from transforming
“lead into gold.” As a Minister and committed Christian, he has walked a path of
personal individuation that has taken him from accepting the status quo through
the soul-searching of doubt and questioning. An expansive intellectual founda-
tion in theology and psychology, melded with his commitment to developing
dynamic leadership skills, has taken him to a new horizon of possibilities and
social engagement. When he encountered the barriers of organizational lethargy,
he surpassed them with the prophetic vision of the organization he founded.
Christ’s message to build the kingdom of God in this world did not fall upon deaf
ears. It led Allan to understand and appreciate the synergy of God and man’s co-
creative activity in building a new and better world. In meeting and working not
only with Mother Teresa but also with Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and peoples of all
faiths and spiritualities, he has come to understand his path of personal growth
and individuation to be a witness to the boundless love of the infinitely divine in
the lives of all men and women.
Allan Gathercoal engages his thousands of volunteers in a similar process of
personal growth and transformation by inviting them to find “release” from the
confines of offices, the slavery of schedules, and the rat race of routines. A cogni-
tive shift begins to take place, and the volunteer begins to identify the leadenness
in his or her life and to embrace new potential. For many, this means taking stock
150 The New Humanitarians

and doing some needed soul-searching, which leads to actualizing greater poten-
tial and interest in the welfare of others. There is no doubt that this alchemical
process has changed not only Allan’s perspective on life, but has touched the lives
of his volunteers as well.

FUNDING
There is an old adage that says, “No money, no mission.” Unfortunately, even
the charitable work of nonprofit groups needs to be funded. Allan funded the first
mission himself. To get this fledgling organization off the ground and keep it
“flying,” financial resources needed to be found.
Allan first received funding by simply asking. He admits that there is no other
way than going out as a supplicant. You hit the pavement, start visiting your col-
leagues, and pitch them your idea. Depending upon whether or not the person
sees the benefits of a donation, the response will be either positive or negative. All
organizations are faced with the hard reality that financial appeals are difficult and
time consuming.
Acquiring funding from foundations can be cumbersome. Allan expressed his
frustration with endless paperwork and the need to jump through endless hoops.
This kind of legwork requires so much time and energy that the big NGOs such
as the American Cancer Society actually employ dedicated staff that do nothing
but write grant proposals. Successful management of the fundraising task
demands commitment and a strong belief in the vision of the organization. But it
can be done.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Flying Doctors of America has experienced numerous growing pains as it con-
tinues to enhance its organizational viability. Through the years, flexibility in pro-
gram development and an effective analysis of costs and needs has tweaked and
fine-tuned this group’s ability to serve the needs of the world’s poor. Critical focus
has been given to three important aspects of its operations: (1) maintaining a fleet
of planes, (2) providing for warehouse and storage space, and (3) developing an
ongoing working relationship with other humanitarian organizations.
Initially, Flying Doctors of America had its own planes. However, by the mid
90’s it was decided that it would be more cost effective to sell off most of the fleet
and take advantage of commercial flights. This radical reduction in the costs of
fleet ownership and maintenance opened up Allan’s eye to taking a look at the
question of warehouses and storage.
An organization that is regularly engaged in medical missions needs easy and
quick access to equipment, supplies, and pharmaceuticals. In this situation, Allan
benefited from his cost-cutting decision to sell his fleet of planes. The warehouses
and storage facilities that Flying Doctors owned were also sold. Excessive cost
and the timing of medical missions were cited as the reasons for making this
Flying Doctors of America 151

decision. Not only was the actual ownership of warehouse space costly, but there
was also the added concern that the donated pharmaceutical products would
exceed their expiration dates. Perhaps developing a model of partnering with
other groups would be the wisest approach in successfully alleviating these growing
concerns.
One example is the partnership developed with Medical Assistance Programs.
The sole purpose of this group is to collect donations of medications and equip-
ment. Since Medical Assistance Programs already does the footwork of network-
ing with pharmaceutical and equipment providers, there is no need for Flying
Doctors to duplicate these efforts. There is also no need to be concerned with
storage or the potential hassle of disposing of expired medications.
In facing these and other barriers and obstacles, Allan Gathercoal’s persever-
ance and innate ability to adapt renewed his vision for Flying Doctors, and he
sought out other humanitarian agencies with areas of specialized interest with
which to partner. Cooperation and reciprocity are key concepts for successfully
attaining goals in the twenty-first century. This is true not only for the business
world, but also for advocates and agents of change in a world of health inequality.

MISSION EXAMPLES: BOLIVIA AND PERU

In August 2007, Flying Doctors of America took a group of doctors on a mis-
sion to a women’s prison in La Paz, Bolivia. The team consisted primarily of
twelve medical and dental volunteers, but also included nurse practitioners, chi-
ropractors, and support personnel. Colonel Victor Conde Salcedo, general direc-
tor of penitentiary services (Direct General del Servicio Penitenciario) provided
team members with photo IDs that allowed them access to the prisons of Bolivia
as officially recognized medical and dental providers.
Flying Doctors of America is the first non-Bolivian NGO to visit women’s pris-
ons in this country. Since most of the imprisoned women are poor and homeless,
their children stay and live with them. At each of the prisons, Flying Doctors of
America volunteers were able to set up makeshift clinics with a focus on general
medical needs, pediatrics, and gynecology. Team members were housed in a local
hotel and transported on a daily basis by van.
Roseanne Carroll and her husband, Dr. Scott Carroll, were volunteers for the
Bolivian Women’s Prison Mission. This was their third mission with Flying
Doctors of America. They prefer missions in more exotic locales so that they can
traverse jungles and endure more physically demanding conditions. The Carrolls
mentioned that Allan finds the best drivers who plan out the best transportation
routes for traveling through remote regions. This gives the volunteers a needed
sense of security and the knowledge that they are taken care of very well. Despite
living for a few days with little to no technology and at times coming home with
gastrointestinal problems, the Carrolls both expressed deep gratitude for the pro-
found experience they had as volunteers. Words do not suffice in describing the
well of feelings and thoughts experienced during the mission work.
152 The New Humanitarians

A common theme mentioned by the Carrolls, and echoed in interviews with

other volunteers, was the oneness of all humans in a world of great diversity.
They find that in reaching across cultures and the barriers of language, customs,
and religious traditions, their participation in the missions of Flying Doctors of
America has benefited them perhaps even more than the recipients of their care.
They also feel very fortunate to be able to share these experiences with each
other. Otherwise, the fear of not being able to grasp the full impact of this expe-
rience would be difficult to process. The missions have really put life into a new
perspective for them, especially when they discovered that most Bolivians live on
a one dollar a day.
Roseanne and Scott recounted their last day in the women’s prison. Roseanne
was able to participate in distributing reading glasses to the inmates. The inmates
quickly formed a line and tried to secure the best spots they could while still
attending to their duties. Roseanne noticed a woman who was crying hysterically.
She soon found out that the woman had to finish her chores before she would be
able to stand in line to receive a pair of glasses, and she feared they would all be
gone before she was able to get in line. This upset her horribly, for she dearly
wanted a pair of glasses to improve her eyesight. Roseanne assured this woman
that a pair would be saved for her. The relief she saw in this woman’s face melted
her soul. Roseanne said she could never ask for a greater reward than knowing the
impact this two-minute encounter had on this woman’s life. On the last day at the
prison, the team saw over 500 patients, which included women and children.
Dr. Carroll also recalled an event on a mission to Peru that touched him deeply.
He remembers waiting for their canoes to arrive on the banks of a small village.
For some reason, there was a delay, and the team found themselves with time on
their hands. Within ten minutes, the team had set up a makeshift clinic and was
able to see the entire village before their canoes arrived. He recalls how good he
felt in being able to assist another group of people. The gratitude they expressed
to Dr. Carroll and his team was overwhelming.

CURRENT DIRECTION
Flying Doctors of America is always exploring new concepts and ideas in med-
ical practice, such as the use of herbal medicines and homeopathic cures. Flying
Doctors of America board members have been impressed with the positive results
of current research in these areas and would like to dedicate resources in promot-
ing this new approach. For example, researchers have discovered a berry in the
Amazon that shows promising results in curing certain types of cancers. Homeo-
pathic and natural medicines are a new area of investigation that embraces a
holistic approach to the treatment of illness.
After a number of years of operation, Flying Doctors of America has added
physical therapy teams to their missions by inviting orthopedic doctors, chiroprac-
tors, physical therapists, and massage therapists to participate. Recognizing that
many of the individuals they treat suffer from skeletal and muscular deterioration
Flying Doctors of America 153

because of strenuous physical labor, the decision to address this issue by incorpo-
rating physical therapy teams has been a godsend to many.
At least four times a year, the board of directors of Flying Doctors of America
meets for brainstorming sessions in which a critical look is taken at their entire
operating philosophy. One unique aspect of Flying Doctors of America is that
each director is required to lead a mission every two years. This time spent out
in the field is refreshing and helps board members come up with new ideas and
concepts. Flying Doctors of America also encourages its members to think out-
side of the box, and see what is going on with other NGOs and in other places
in the world. By not restricting their own vision, they just keep pushing the
envelope.
In keeping with Peter Drucker’s idea that an organization needs to totally rein-
vent itself every seven years to be successful, Flying Doctors of America continu-
ally works at enhancing its original mission and purpose. Flying Doctors of
America continues to revise itself in the hopes of providing the world with better
medical care. This is their prime objective.

FUTURE DIRECTION
Flying Doctors is also looking at integrating its work with that of environmen-
tal groups concerned with developing medicines and treatments originating in
such places as the Amazon. An eco-friendly philosophy that values the role of
indigenous peoples and their contributions to the healing arts is a means not only
of valuing the medical practices of native cultures, but also a way of protecting the
Amazon region itself.
Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, has been a source of great
inspiration for Flying Doctors of America. By expanding their direction with an
ecological focus, an emphasis on protection of the environment and natural
resources will assist in bringing an improved quality of life for those served by
Flying Doctors of America.

IF I ONLY KNEW THEN . . .

Although Allan completed inquiries into what would entice physicians to vol-
unteer, he wished he had investigated other NGOs that were working in the same
or similar areas of service. After Flying Doctors of America had been in practice,
Allan discovered two or three major organizations engaged in similar nonprofit
endeavors. He realized that much initial trial and error could have been avoided
had he expanded his researched from the very start. Allan recommends that when
creating new organizations, it is crucial to seriously evaluate your plans. Take a
look not only at what other NGOs are doing, but also consider how their concepts
can make a difference and how their organizations are being successful.
Another key element that Allan wished he had spent more time considering is
funding. A motto on Allan’s desk reads “there is no mission without margin.”
154 The New Humanitarians

Regarding money, people give to groups they know, believe in, and that benefit
them. This knowledge would have made fundraising a lot easier.

ALLAN’S MENTORS
Allan has had a score of mentors. He attributes his passion for caring and giv-
ing to Mother Teresa because he witnessed her putting these values into practice.
Dr. William Pannell, Senior Professor of Preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary,
challenged Allan theoretically. Dr. Walter Brugeman from Columbia Theological
Seminary also challenged him to be a practitioner of rhetorical criticism and “live
the text of the prophets.” These are just two of the many whom Allan cites as
having influenced him.
Some of the best have been on his board of directors. These have been indi-
viduals who have constantly enhanced Allan’s values and challenged him as to
how the organization was going to realize those values. Allan believes that indi-
viduals do not begin think outside their paradigms unless they have people who
challenge them. He thinks that people basically live by the law of inertia, and they
stay at rest until they are pushed by an outside force that makes them more active
and engaged.
Allan’s final piece of advice to others is to “Just Do It!” You are going to learn
as you do it. The best teacher is experience. Do your initial research, but after
that, “Go for It!” You do not want to be one of the millions who say over and
over, “I was going to.” Just go out there and do it. Allan admits that there will
be critics and there will be failures, but you are also going to have your victo-
ries. You are going to have that deep satisfaction of knowing that you made a
difference!

FLYING DOCTORS OF AMERICA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael Altman. Michael has been a volunteer since 1990 and has served on
the board of directors of Flying Doctors of America since 1991. He has been
on several medical missions and currently serves as a team leader. As a CPA
for twenty-six years, Michael currently runs a financial advisory practice
with Ameriprise Financial. He served as vice-chairman of the Cobb County
Republican Party in 2005–07 and treasurer in 2004–05. He was appointed
by the governor to serve as chairman of the Georgia Commission on the
Holocaust.
Ed Atwell, MD. Dr. Atwell, a graduate of the University of Maryland School of
Medicine, completed his internship and residency in orthopedic surgery at
the Medical College of Georgia, followed by a sports medicine fellowship.
Now in private practice in Cartersville, GA, he is also an active pilot and has
served several terms as the president of the Cartersville Pilots Association.
Dr. Atwell has served on the Flying Doctors of America board of directors
since 2003 and has been chairman since 2005. He says, “The practice of
Flying Doctors of America 155

medicine has been extremely rewarding and fulfilling to me. Leading and
participating in medical missions allows me to give back some of these
blessings.”
Allan M. Gathercoal, DD, MTh, MA. Allan is the president/founder of Flying
Doctors of America, which he founded in 1990. He travels the globe, but his
second home is in Latin America. He has been the team leader on more than
140 medical/dental missions. Allan is an ordained minister and holds a doc-
torate from Columbia Theological Seminary. He is a private pilot and an
aficionado of adventure sports. He was born in England.
Allen Hord, MD. Dr. Hord is a physician at the Piedmont Hospital (Atlanta,
GA) where he specializes in pain management. He maintains an adjunct
appointment as clinical associate professor of anesthesiology at Emory
University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Dr. Hord is certified by the
American Board of Anesthesiology and was awarded a Certificate of Added
Qualifications in Pain Management. Dr. Hord is also certified by the
American Board of Pain Medicine. In 2004 he was once again voted to the
list of Best Doctors in America.
Kayreen Jeter, RN, BSN. Kayreen is a registered nurse with primary experience
in adult health and has been an intensive care nurse for nineteen years.
During this time, she has also worked for a cardiothoracic surgical group for
six years and managed an ICU for two years. Her primary area of expertise
is ICU bedside nursing for cardiothoracic surgery patients.

FLYING DOCTORS OF AMERICA BOARD OF ADVISORS

Héctor Guillermo Vilar Rey, JD. Dr. Guillermo is the director general for the
Gobierno de la Provincia de Salta. He is an accomplished lawyer (professor
of law) and is fluent in Spanish and English. He represents his country and
the Provincia de Salta throughout the world. He has recently traveled to the
United States, Canada, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, Spain,
England, Turkey, Israel, and Egypt. He was born in Salta, Argentina.
Dan Bailey. Dan owns a website design and marketing business
(danbailey.com) and has been working with Flying Doctors of America
updating the organization’s website and marketing efforts via e-mail since
2005. A native of Atlanta, GA, and former police officer, Dan has been in the
computer technology industry since 1990.
Sherman Wade. A graduate of Saint Norbert College in Green Bay and the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Graduate School, Sherman served
four years as a captain in the U.S. Army and the last 35 years in the trade
show business. Since retiring in 2002, he has been a marketing consultant to
trade show organizers and the managing partner of a real estate investment
company. Very active in the community, Sherman has served on the board
of directors of Atlanta Children’s Shelter, the Atlanta Chapter of the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and presently on the board of the Atlanta
156 The New Humanitarians

Track Club. He has been on Flying Doctors missions to Mongolia, Peru, and
Bolivia and joined the board of directors in 2002.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Flying Doctors of America
Founder: Allan Gathercoal
Mission/Description: For more than eighteen years, Flying Doctors of America
has been bringing together physicians, dentists, nurses, chiropractors, other
health professionals, and non-medical support volunteers to care for people
who otherwise would never receive professional medical care. The organiza-
tion runs short-term medical/dental missions to the rural regions of the devel-
oping world. They operate under the “Mother Teresa Principle,” focusing on
the poorest of the poor who live in conditions that are difficult for most
Americans to imagine.
Website: www.Fdoamerica.org
Address: 15 Medical Drive
Cartersville, GA 30121
Phone: (770) 386-5221
E-mail: FDOAmerica@aol.com
 9

Caring for Torture Survivors:

The Marjorie Kovler Center
Mary Fabri, Marianne Joyce,
Mary Black, and Mario González

The Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture, a program
of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights, commemorated
twenty years of providing comprehensive services to torture survivors in October
2007. Since 1987, the Marjorie Kovler Center has worked with more than 1,500
survivors of torture from seventy-four different countries in Africa, Latin
America, the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe physical or psychological pain
carried out by anyone acting in an official capacity for the purposes of extract-
ing a confession, punishment, intimidation, or discrimination. Torture exerts
control over people and communities to create a cycle of fear, intimidation, and
alienation.
Survivors of torture often suffer from complex posttraumatic stress that man-
ifests as anxiety, distrust, depression, flashbacks, intrusive memories of the trau-
matic event, concentration and memory problems, and a range of physical
symptoms. Disempowerment of individuals and communities is the goal of
torture. The goal of treatment, therefore, is to empower survivors to use their
strengths and reclaim personal integrity and a sense of control in their lives. The
Marjorie Kovler Center helps survivors restore trust in others and reestablish a
sense of community.
This chapter will provide a brief history of the torture rehabilitation field and
the development of the Marjorie Kovler Center, with its unique model of provid-
ing quality care to torture survivors using and managing pro bono professional
services. The philosophy and model of care created by the center’s staff and
Executive Clinical Committee will be discussed through an examination of the
political and cultural dynamics of torture, and its impact on individuals and com-
munities. An overview of the center’s current demographics will also be provided.

157
158 The New Humanitarians

THE CHICAGO IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE EXPERIENCE

Chicago has a long history as a port of entry for immigrants seeking to
improve their lives. In 1888 the Travelers Aid Society was founded to assist young
people entering the city. Two years later, activist Jane Addams founded the Hull
House and was quickly providing social services to more than 1,000 individuals a
week. Addams worked for legislation to protect immigrants from exploitation,
limit the working hours of women, mandate schooling for children, recognize
labor unions, and provide for industrial safety. In 1908 Grace Abbott, a benefici-
ary of Hull House’s services, became the first director the Immigrants’ Protective
League, which combined direct service and advocacy for broader social reforms
for immigrants.
Travelers Aid and the Immigrants’ Protective League merged to form Travelers
Aid of Metropolitan Chicago in 1967. With funding assistance from the United
Way, the two organizations served travelers, immigrants, prisoners, and others
living in destitution. In 1980 these two organizations legally incorporated to form
Travelers and Immigrants Aid (TIA), now named Heartland Alliance for Human
Needs & Human Rights. With a social justice perspective and a vision to expand
services, the newly hired president, Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn, reinvigorated TIA’s mission
to serve the poor and most vulnerable.
The influx of refugees from Southeast Asia to the United States as the result of
the Vietnam War began in 1975 and impacted refugee resettlement services and
policies. In 1978 the Illinois Department of Mental Health in collaboration with the
Illinois state refugee coordinator, Dr. Edwin Silverman, conducted a Community
Forum on Asian mental health concerns that brought together community leaders
and mental health professionals. The meeting led to the development of Asian
Human Services to serve the mental health needs of the pan-Asian community in
Chicago.
The Refugee Act of 1980 created the Federal Refugee Resettlement Program to
diversify and provide for the effective resettlement of refugees. This was followed
by a Refugee Mental Health Initiative by the Office of Refugee Resettlement,
which provided funding to the Department of Mental Health in various states to
develop culturally specific services for different refugee populations. In Chicago,
these events resulted in Travelers and Immigrants Aid developing a refugee men-
tal health program in 1982, which used bilingual refugee staff to assist identified
refugees with mental health problems. The bilingual staff provided social services
in the community and interpreted for psychiatrists conducting evaluations and
monitoring medications. It was not long before the bilingual staff recognized that
some refugees were torture survivors.

A RESPONSE TO TORTURE
The United Nations General Assembly adopted and proclaimed the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. Article 5 states, “No one
shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 159

punishment.” In 1961 Amnesty International was founded and began advocating

for prisoners of conscience who were being detained and were enduring cruel and
inhumane treatment. In 1972 Amnesty International launched a worldwide
campaign for the abolition of torture. The growing human rights movement pro-
vided a foundation for the development of the torture rehabilitation movement
worldwide.
In 1979 members of a Danish medical group obtained permission to admit
and examine torture victims at Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark.
Three years later, in 1982, Dr. Inge Genefke founded the Rehabilitation and
Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT) in Copenhagen as an independent
institution with its own premises.
The Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture was founded by several Toronto
doctors, lawyers, and social service professionals, many of whom were associated
with Amnesty International. They had begun to recognize torture victims, many
of whom were seeking refugee status in Canada, in their practices as early as 1977.
This group of professionals recognized the need for specialized services for the
social, health, and legal problems faced by this particular group.
In the United States, a similar process was also taking place. In 1978 Dr. David
Kinzie, a psychiatrist at the Oregon Health Sciences University, began a small pro-
gram to treat traumatized refugees coming to Oregon after the Vietnam War.
Dr. José Quiroga, a physician who fled Chile after the coup that overthrew
President Allende, and Ana Deutsch, a marriage and family therapist who had
escaped with her family from the “Dirty Wars” in Argentina, began seeing torture
victims in 1980 at the Venice Family Clinic in Southern California. This collabo-
ration eventually led to the development of the Program for Torture Victims in
Los Angeles. On the East Coast, Dr. Richard Mollica, a psychiatrist, co-founded
the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma with Jim Lavelle, a social worker. In the
Midwest, Minnesota governor Rudy Perpich worked with the local human rights
community to found the Center for Victims of Torture in May 1985 in
Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Attorneys, physicians, psychologists, and other service providers were becom-
ing aware of the growing numbers of torture survivors living in the metropolitan
Chicago area. Thousands of Southeast Asians were resettled in the aftermath of
the Vietnam War and Cambodian genocide. The migration of undocumented
Central Americans fleeing civil conflicts in their homelands, especially from El
Salvador and Guatemala, resulted in the migration of thousands of undocu-
mented refugees. Torture-affected individuals and families began presenting in
legal clinics, medical settings, and social service agencies.
Service providers were not alone in their growing awareness of the special
needs of survivors of torture. The Sanctuary Movement was formed to develop a
network of faith-based shelters for Central Americans fleeing the civil wars in
their homelands. The Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ in Chicago was
the second church in the country to declare sanctuary, housing Salvadoran and
Guatemalan families in 1982. Eventually, area churches and synagogues formed
160 The New Humanitarians

the Chicago Metropolitan Sanctuary Alliance. During 1983 and 1984, the Chicago
Religious Task Force on Central America relocated Salvadoran and Guatemalan
refugees by establishing an “underground railroad” from Arizona to Chicago. Also
in 1984, Amnesty International launched its second Campaign against Torture.
The Wellington Avenue Church was a meeting place for concerned Chicagoans. It
was in this sanctuary community that TIA’s president, Dr. Mohn, met Chicago
attorney Craig Mousin. The meeting resulted in a collaboration that eventually
led to the development of the Midwest Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) in 1985
as a program of Travelers and Immigrants Aid. MIRC (now grown into the
National Immigrant Justice Center, or NIJC) became a network of pro bono
attorneys trained to represent asylum seekers who would otherwise not have
access to legal representation.
Physicians and psychologists in Chicago also became engaged in the issue.
Dr. Robert Kirschner, a forensic pathologist at the Cook County Medical Exam-
iners Office, began working on the examination of remains found in Argentina in
1985. This and other experiences gave him expertise in forensic documentation of
human rights abuses. Concurrently, Dr. Irene Martínez, a physician at the then
Cook County Hospital (now John Stroger, Jr. Hospital) and a survivor of torture
from Argentina’s “Dirty Wars,” began identifying torture survivors in the emer-
gency room at the hospital. As a Spanish-speaker, she was frequently referred
patients from Central America. “I thought they were torture survivors because
they reminded me of me,” she stated.
Martínez was a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience and
activist, coming to the United States in 1981 after her release from detention in
Argentina. She first made her way to Los Angeles, California, where she met
Dr. Quiroga and Ana Deutsch, then providing treatment for torture survivors at the
Venice Family Clinic. It was from this encounter that Martínez learned that the feel-
ings she had been experiencing since her release had a name: posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). She shared that this information helped her realize she was not
losing her mind. It made her think that other torture survivors might also benefit
from having a better understanding of the psychological consequences of torture.
In July 1983, Dr. Martínez began her residency in internal medicine at Cook
County Hospital in Chicago. She gave a presentation titled “Psychology and
Human Rights Abuses” at the Illinois Psychologists Association’s (IPA) annual
meeting in November 1986, which led to conversations in December of that year
between psychologists from the IPA and health providers from Cook County
Hospital interested in providing services to torture survivors.
It was a natural development for Chicago’s Travelers and Immigrants Aid (now
Heartland Alliance), which already had developed a refugee mental health pro-
gram, to house a torture treatment center. Dr. Edwin Silverman, chief of the
Bureau of Immigrant and Refugee Services, Illinois Department of Human
Services, and long-time advocate for refugee concerns, met with Dr. Sid Mohn,
president of Travelers and Immigrants Aid to discuss the need for a center in
Chicago to serve torture survivors. Drs. Kirschner and Martínez began providing
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 161

valuable documentation for MIRC attorneys representing Central American

asylum seekers.
Initial discussions about providing health services, including mental health
and social assistance, began with Sister Sheila Lyne, president and chief executive
officer of Mercy Hospital & Medical Center. In February 1987 a formal meeting
occurred that included representatives of key organizations: Sister Sheila Lyne of
Mercy Hospital; Steven Miles, MD, from the University of Chicago’s Center for
Clinical Medical Ethics; Dr. Sid Mohn, president of Travelers and Immigrants Aid;
Thomas Hollon, PhD, and Susana Schlesinger, PhD, from the Illinois Psychological
Association; and Robert Kirschner, MD and Irene Martínez, MD, from the
Cook County health system. The idea of a Chicago center specializing in the
treatment of survivors of torture had the support of people and organizations
that could make it a reality. They agreed to carry out the following initiatives
by the end of 1987:

1. The director of the Refugee Mental Health Program at TIA was psychologist
Dr. Antonio Martínez. With funding from the Bureau of Refugee and
Immigrant Services of the Illinois Department of Human Services, his position
was restructured to provide him with time to help establish a model of care for
a torture treatment center in Chicago to be housed under the auspices of Trav-
elers and Immigrants Aid; he would later become the center’s first director.
2. Dr. Steven Miles agreed to have the Center for Clinical Ethics host a conference
at the University of Chicago on the treatment of survivors of torture. This
conference would bring together the leaders in the field, including Barbara
Chester from the Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis, MN; Dr. David
Kinzie from the Intercultural Psychiatry Program, Oregon Health & Science
University, Portland, Oregon; Dr. Irene Martínez, physician at Cook County
Hospital in Chicago and a survivor of Argentina’s “Dirty War”; Dr. Richard
Mollica of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma at Massachusetts General
Hospital; Dr. Elena Nightingale, one of the editors of the recently published The
Breaking of Bodies and Minds: Torture, Psychiatric Abuse and the Health Professions
(W.H. Freeman, 1985); and Dr. Glenn Randall, coauthor of Serving Survivors of
Torture (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1991).
3. Dr. Irene Martínez spoke at a Social Issues Section–sponsored presentation at
the 1987 Illinois Psychological Association’s annual meeting to identify other
interested psychologists. Her presentation was titled “Treatment and Needs of
Victims of Torture and Their Families.”
4. Mercy Hospital committed to providing medical services to ten identified
torture survivors, including physical and dental care as well as psychiatric
services.

The collaborative and multidisciplinary spirit of this group was essential to the
creation of a torture treatment center in Chicago. It reflected a synergism that
would be contagious as the planned events took place throughout 1987.
162 The New Humanitarians

During this time, Chicago philanthropist Peter Kovler had read about the
Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims in Copenhagen. Through
the Blum-Kovler Foundation, Peter Kovler initiated funding in the amount of
$75,000 that helped launch the financial reality for the Chicago-based torture
treatment program in November 1988. The foundation’s only request was to
name the Center after Kovler’s mother, Marjorie—thus began the Marjorie Kovler
Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture.
The multidisciplinary working group met several times throughout the year
and followed through successfully with their commitments: Dr. Antonio Martínez
was named director of the Marjorie Kovler Center. He attended the conference at
the University of Chicago where he announced the intent to recruit volunteers
interested in providing services to torture survivors, who would be screened and
referred by the newly formed Marjorie Kovler Center. A piece of paper was passed
around for potential volunteers to list their contact information. A list of fifty
names was compiled, and the interested individuals were invited to the first meet-
ing of clinical volunteers on February 20, 1988.

PROVIDING SERVICES FOR TORTURE SURVIVORS

The Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture was
located in the diverse Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, where many new immi-
grants and refugees initially settle. Nestled on the third floor of a building that
housed multiple refugee assistance programs, the Marjorie Kovler Center had
two office spaces and three staff members. Dr. Antonio Martínez divided his time
between the Refugee Mental Health Program and the Marjorie Kovler Center,
providing administrative coordination. The additional staff included a full-time
clinical supervisor and a half-time case manager. A staff triad of administration,
clinical work, and case management/volunteer coordination provided the struc-
ture, which allowed pro bono professionals and other volunteers to contribute
services. The first year’s budget was approximately $80,000 for staff salaries, rent,
and other direct costs. Within the first four months, thirty-two individuals were
accepted as clients at the Marjorie Kovler Center. The caseload included torture
survivors from Vietnam, Cambodia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Chile, Peru,
Iran, and Iraq. By the end of the calendar year, the client numbers reached
seventy-four, and Ethiopia and Honduras had been added to the country of
origin list.
A core group of twelve pro bono therapists emerged from the outreach
efforts and became the Executive Clinical Committee. The twelve clinicians
provided guidance and consultation to the staff of the Marjorie Kovler Center
in developing a clinical model of care using pro bono professionals. The
committee started to meet once a month for one hour to discuss program
challenges such as screening and coordinating volunteers. A three-hour multi-
disciplinary meeting followed and provided volunteers an opportunity to dis-
cuss cases in a supportive, confidential setting. This monthly, four-hour time
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 163

slot became integral to developing a cohesive volunteer model of care for

torture survivors.
Torture treatment was a relatively new field, and most of the volunteers had no
practical experience in treating torture survivors. A multidisciplinary and
comprehensive approach evolved.

CASE STUDY

Understanding the political and cultural context of torture survivors’ experi-

ences became an essential part of providing appropriate treatment. Most of the
pro bono clinicians had experience working with trauma, but not torture;
experience working in therapeutic dyads, not triads that integrated an inter-
preter; and experience with different economic classes, but not necessarily
different worldviews. Learning to be sensitive to the consequences of officially
sanctioned torture, developing a communication rhythm with an interpreter,
and being open to the consideration of different ways of understanding the
world presented challenges to Western-trained clinicians providing psy-
chotherapy to indigenous and other individuals from the non-Western world.
An example that illustrates these challenges involved a clinical psycholo-
gist working with an unaccompanied minor from Central America. Maria (not
her real name) had made her way to Chicago via the Sanctuary Movement.
While living with a family who had agreed to provide for her needs as an ado-
lescent, she was referred to the Marjorie Kovler Center for behaviors that
included lying and hoarding food. Her trauma history included being
orphaned as an infant when her parents were disappeared. She was raised by
an older woman, who was taking care of many children orphaned by the civil
conflict in their country. Maria also survived her village being bombed, and
her own abduction and rape by soldiers. After giving birth to a child as the
result of the rape, Maria worked in the city and sent the money she earned to
the woman who had raised her and was now raising her child. After several
harassing encounters with the military, Maria fled to the United States, fearing
the harassment would escalate into more abuse. Her crossing as an undocu-
mented minor assisted by the Sanctuary Movement provided her with some
assurance of refuge once she arrived safely in Chicago.
Maria was fifteen years old when a family who agreed to provide her with
basic needs and education received her. This was a difficult transition, how-
ever, and was fraught with many miscommunications and misunderstandings.
Identifying and understanding these issues was a primary task of individual
psychotherapy.
Maria was of indigenous descent, had a second grade education, and had
been raised in a rural village where, she described, everyone contributed to
the well-being of the community. Her description of the woman who raised
her and other orphans was that she was her abuela, or grandmother, and that
the other children were her brothers and sisters. Maria also described having
164 The New Humanitarians

several different pseudonyms and indicated that using different names was
part of survival when meeting strangers. She described learning as a child that
it was not safe to trust people she did not know. The political context of civil
war and the cultural and linguistic worldview of campesino life, in addition to
Maria’s multiple traumatic experiences, were all essential components for the
therapist to understand. The use of a Spanish-speaking interpreter to assist the
therapy process was a challenge for Maria, since Spanish was her second lan-
guage; for the therapist, who needed to rely on the interpreter to be the con-
duit of communication; and for the interpreter, who had to ensure accurate
representation of what was being said. All the participants were unfamiliar
with these conditions of psychotherapy. There was a huge learning curve to be
mastered.
Creating a safe environment became the first task of therapy. Maria’s grand-
mother had been a significant figure in Maria’s life, and she missed her very
much. At her own initiation, Maria performed a ceremony where she used her
indigenous belief system to call upon her grandmother to be “present” during
the sessions. The blending of psychotherapy with an indigenous practice pro-
vided a cross-cultural blending of healing strategies. Fortified by the felt sense
of her grandmother, Maria was able to talk about her multiple traumas in a
psychotherapeutic context. Additionally, Maria found family therapy sessions
an important component of her treatment, stating, “They are my family now
and need to know what is happening in my life.”
Maria regularly brought forth her deep connections to her community and
her abuela, and placed her own experiences in the context of a collective
experience. Center staff and volunteers recognized what the collective expe-
rience brought to Maria’s reservoir of strength and resilience. The case man-
ager, volunteers, and other service providers worked in a collective spirit,
closely coordinating with the therapist to address needs that affected Maria’s
daily life. Maria needed medical attention for contractures secondary to scar-
ring from napalm burns, English as a Second Language classes, intensive sup-
port during multiple housing transitions, employment assistance, and referral
for legal assistance. Recruiting pro bono providers as needs arose, accompa-
nying Maria to appointments in the community, and responding to crises was
also a collaborative effort sustained for a decade. By sharing who she was with
us, Maria unwittingly led our center into a deeper sense of collective respon-
sibility, action, and joy. Maria remains engaged with the center’s services,
activities, and the same helping professionals after seventeen years, reflecting
her resilience, independence, and connectedness.

A CLINICAL MODEL FOR TORTURE TREATMENT

The Marjorie Kovler Center’s clinical model developed with special attention
to three areas: (1) understanding the dynamics of torture and its psychological
effects, (2) grounding treatment in a political context, and (3) adapting treatment
to varying cultural concepts about torture and mental health. Initially, our knowl-
edge of torture and its effects was limited to the kinds of trauma we were accus-
tomed to seeing in our professional practices. Only by listening carefully to
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 165

survivors—to their stories and their feedback—and reflecting with colleagues

over time did we begin to understand how we could best offer assistance as a pro-
gram. Treatment constantly interacts with the dynamics of torture and its politi-
cal and cultural contexts. As illustrated in Maria’s story, we continue to rely on the
client/survivor as expert on issues related to her own experience and as the
ultimate arbiter of a treatment’s success.

Dynamics of Torture
The most immediate aspects of our clients’ initial presentation are the palpa-
ble feelings of vulnerability and mistrust. Whether a person’s gaze is cast down-
ward and words are spare, or eyes look fearfully to you, silently pleading for respite
from pain, nonverbal expressions communicate volumes about past experiences
and present needs. We wanted to communicate safety and trust to survivors. To
do this effectively, we knew we had to first understand the survivors’ core experi-
ences of torture. Humiliation, threat of death, unpredictability, and complete
powerlessness pervade torture. The intentional application of extreme physical
pain accompanied by interrogation was also destructive to language that might
describe it (Scarry, 1985). The depth of trauma was degrees of intensity beyond
what most clinicians had previously encountered and treated, so we read and dis-
cussed what was available on the subject as we began meeting with new clients and
listening carefully.

Social Conditions
Literature from Latin America, both clinical and autobiographical, illustrated
the specific context of torture for many of our first clients. It underscored the
strategic, systematic way torture was used to exert power and silence dissent.
Jacobo Timmerman wrote not only of the shocking brutality to which he and oth-
ers were subject in Argentina, but his narrative also provided insight into meth-
ods and psychological aspects of perpetrators in a torturing hierarchy
(Timmerman, 1981). Regimes combined isolation with extreme brutality for
maximum, long-term impact. It seemed clear that a central objective of perpetra-
tors was to convince the victims that no one would believe their stories, even if
they survived to tell them, leaving survivors with an enormous and unjust burden
of guilt and shame. Dictatorial regimes had effective propaganda machines to
generate myths about the threat dissidents constituted. Regimes tried to margin-
alize individuals, diminish the influence their voices could have on others, and
stigmatize their families. Many regimes were able to convince sectors of civil soci-
ety to collude with the idea that a political or social group could be regarded as
almost subhuman, a “torturable class” of people (Conroy, 2000, p. 27). Learning
about these realities helped us understand clients who avoided telling their stories
or disclosing significant details about their experience of torture and persecution.
We were also challenged to believe the unbelievable.
166 The New Humanitarians

The conditions present for systematic terror often included collaborating

institutional elements, such as clergy allied with dictatorships and other profes-
sionals, such as physicians and psychologists, lending credibility to inhuman
methods of enforcing state control (Lifton, 2004; Scarry, 1985). Understanding
this nuanced aspect of some torture experiences helped us to be sensitive to
clients hesitant to seek needed treatment, and to modify how we were accus-
tomed to conduct medical and psychological evaluations. We became more con-
scious that we might be perceived as authority figures and adjusted our style and
workspace to convey warmth and safety. Accommodating the need for a slower
pace—a first session dedicated solely to helping the client feel more at ease,
explanations for reasons why questions were asked or actions taken, and reassur-
ances that survivors were not obligated to comply with any request we might
make—we proceeded with increasing awareness. The knowledge and reality that
“helping” professionals collaborated with torturers also brought staff and volun-
teers closer to understanding that the capacity to torture could be present in all
of us, however distressing the idea.

Political Asylum
These powerful psychological themes of guilt, shame, and silence had legal
ramifications once a survivor had arrived safely in this country (Bogner, 2007).
Many survivors avoided talking about their experiences to prevent the onset of
painful, intrusive memories and to attempt to forget, however elusive the wish. In
the early years, many did not apply for political asylum out of fear of retraumati-
zation or fear of retaliation against their families at home. In 1996 Congress
passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which
profoundly restricted protection for asylum seekers by requiring expedited filing
of asylum applications (McAndrews, 2002). Torture survivors were suddenly
compelled to enter a retraumatizing, unpredictable legal process before they had
an opportunity to stabilize their lives. There is an inherent and frightening power
differential in the asylum process, increasingly adverse and accusatory. Here, the
burden of proof is on the asylum seeker, who needs to produce documents to sup-
port the claim. In their home countries, however, the focus is on evading imme-
diate danger to survival. Those who manage to flee are able to do so because a
support network mobilizes on their behalf, often paying bribes to help them
escape captivity, obtaining false documents if necessary, choosing the destination,
and making travel arrangements. Most never imagine having to prove they were
tortured, as if living through it and carrying the emotional and physical pain were
not proof enough.
The psychological pressure to prepare for the asylum process often overwhelms
survivors, and the discretionary nature of decisions can be devastating. Thera-
peutic support is critical as a client constructs a written narrative testimony of his
or her persecution. Center staff and volunteers have responded to these legal
imperatives with treatments that emphasize symptom management, coordination
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 167

of constant efforts to provide medical and psychological forensic documentation

of torture, and the finding of resources to assist clients in chronic economic insta-
bility. Asylum applicants are not eligible for any government assistance and often
have prolonged waits for work authorization. Documenting the effects of torture
is a labor-intensive process for a volunteer organization, but when survivors are
granted asylum, there are tremendous concrete and symbolic gains. Asylum rep-
resents a crucial step toward security and family reunification, as well as a mile-
stone in the treatment stage of safety (Herman, 1992). Twenty years later, the legal
process continues to present challenges to the treatment team—intensified by
heightened suspicion of asylum seekers since September 11, 2001, and increased
discretionary powers for immigration judges (REAL ID Act, 2005).

Strength in Community
The legal pressures, profound trauma, and often disabling physical and psy-
chological symptoms facing survivors led the Marjorie Kovler Center to a collab-
orative, multidisciplinary treatment approach. As much for our own benefit as for
the clients’, a collective approach would provide peer support for intense trauma
work and help us form a community of support and healing. The systemic use of
torture to destroy real or perceived threats to power can result in a strong disin-
centive on the part of survivors and their communities to organize, take action, or
voice dissent. Informed by the survivor’s experience of isolation and helplessness,
we hoped to recreate a sense of community. By first helping a survivor to connect
with his or her innate strength and resilience, and then helping the survivor con-
nect with our community, we were offering ours as a bridge to others.
The political context of torture, systematic in its disempowerment, permeated
our understanding of empowerment as a core objective of treatment and our
belief that effective treatment should extend beyond the individual (Bronfen-
brenner, 1979). Offering assistance to increase English language proficiency (ESL
classes and volunteer tutors), to obtain training and employment (occupational
therapist), to address causes of physical pain (nurses, doctors, dentists, physical
therapists, acupuncturists, massage therapists), to engage in expressive therapies
(art, dance, movement), or to attend a cooking group or free cultural event are
center services that complement individual psychotherapies. Reduced symptoms
of insomnia, depression, and anxiety, along with participation in activities beyond
the therapeutic dyad, signal an increasing sense of agency and a change from the
core dynamics of torture.

Sharing Power
The dynamics of power exist simultaneously at personal, interactional, organiza-
tional, and structural levels (Wolf, 1999). Our objective to encourage empowerment
influenced our organizational layers (after increased funding in 2000 from the
Torture Victims Relief Act) and methods of service delivery—from administrative
168 The New Humanitarians

to clinical, intake evaluation to case management model, and interactions with

clients around health and material needs. A balance of power and awareness of
choices is critical to the effectiveness of services and the quality of our relationship
with survivors. Empowerment may initially manifest in a choice to accept or
decline a particular recommendation in the Initial Treatment Plan. Over time,
however, many clients have recovered their voices of dissent and have spoken to the
media, lobbied officials in Washington, D.C., established activist organizations, and
filed civil lawsuits against torturers who reside in this country. The center has been
uniquely engaged at these broad levels of empowerment: supporting Torture
Abolition and Survivors’ Support Coalition International (TASSC), founded and
run by survivors; inviting collaboration with a client advisory board; working with
torture survivors who pursue justice through civil cases supported by the Center
for Justice and Accountability (CJA) by providing psychological evaluations and
support; and promoting clarity and consistency in our mission so that the Marjorie
Kovler Center is easily identified with our model and strong public stance against
the use of torture.

Importance of Relationship
Torture is a relational trauma and a political act, using a range of techniques
intentionally applied by another human being for maximum humiliation and
harm. One of its central aims is to undermine a person’s ability to form healthy
relationships. The psychological imprint of the survivor’s forced relationship
with a cruel and unpredictable authority confounds subsequent relationships.
For survivors, the prospect of entering a relationship is anxiety provoking and
potentially retraumatizing. Relationships are often avoided in early stages of
recovery. For example, survivors may hesitate to come to the center after being
referred by someone or may spend their days alone in their rooms, avoiding
interaction with roommates or potential encounters outside the home. To the
extent that any situation or relationship begins to reconstitute elements of the
torture experience (i.e., a sensory piece of the present that resembles the trau-
matic past), a survivor will feel increasingly vulnerable and respond accordingly
(e.g., shut down emotionally, show signs of central nervous system hyperarousal,
have a flashback, avoid repeating the experience). Survivors who have disclosed
painful details of their torture to a therapist or attorney may avoid coming to the
next appointment.
To engage survivors in treatment, the center’s staff and volunteers knew they
would have to earn trust in clear and intentional steps. Although retraumatization
is unavoidable, minimizing it is a philosophical and operational tenet for our cen-
ter. All team members are mindful of incorporating choices in their interactions
with survivors: to slow the pace, to not disclose a detail until ready, to sit facing
the provider or not, and to accept medication or not. Clear information and
descriptions of the process help shape realistic expectations. Providing choices
becomes a therapeutic intervention whose effect is to convey sensitivity to their
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 169

vulnerability, gradually instill trust and safety in the relationship, and restore
confidence in the survivor’s own inherent ability to heal.
Survivors suffered profound betrayal in the context of a human relationship
and often have needs for transparency beyond conventional clinical boundaries.
They often challenge clinicians to respond to questions about our political views
or stance on U.S. support for or involvement with their country’s military. Having
been exposed to the worst of humanity, survivors often wondered why we were
doing this work, suspicious of our motives. To respond in the classical ways in
which we are trained would risk retraumatizing or alienating our clients. Instead,
it has been essential to demonstrate solidarity with survivors and the movements
for social change with which they have typically been associated. In the center’s
early days, the clinical committee, struggling to respond in ways sensitive to the
dynamics of torture, would openly discuss these issues. A model of therapeutic
accompaniment developed to provide reassurance for the existential dilemma of
trusting people again and to recognize the pervasiveness of retraumatizing
experiences in survivors’ daily lives.

Therapeutic Accompaniment
The practice of accompaniment challenges traditional ideas of clinical
boundaries (Fabri, 2001). Often, professional boundaries are defined by meet-
ing in an office for a set amount of time. In working cross-culturally, we have
found that to engage survivors who come from countries and cultures with
limited if any knowledge of the Western mental health model, it is necessary to
make adjustments and modifications to conventional frameworks. This may
include, but is not limited to, a physician conducting a forensic medical exam-
ination in a non-medical setting, a psychotherapist accompanying a survivor
who was raped as part of her torture to a medical examination, or a case man-
ager driving and staying with a client through her dental appointment. It may
also involve therapy in a client’s home. The guiding principle determining how
and when to adjust conventional boundaries is found in answering these ques-
tions: Is this therapeutic for the survivor? Will it enhance engagement in treat-
ment? Does it promote greater safety and trust? We have learned boundaries
are internalized, and professional roles can be maintained in any physical
environment.

A Therapeutic Partnership
The Therapeutic Partnership is a model of psychotherapy using interpreters
to meet the needs of cross-cultural mental health. Using the empowerment
model that permeated the philosophy of care of the Marjorie Kovler Center, the
expertise of each participant—survivor, interpreter, and clinician—was
acknowledged as an essential component of the therapy process. A collaborative
methodology was promoted: the therapist was viewed as providing expertise on
170 The New Humanitarians

the psychological consequences of severe trauma, such as torture, and strategies

for recovery; the survivor was an expert in what trauma had occurred and its
expression within his or her own cultural, linguistic, and political context; and
the interpreter was the conduit for communication, an expert in the languages
spoken by the therapist and survivor. There were also times when the interpreter
provided more than language interpretation. When the interpreter was from the
survivor’s homeland, he or she was also a cultural broker, often translating the
meaning of behaviors and expressions in ways that promoted deeper under-
standing of the communication. Additionally, the interpreter at times was an
advocate for either the survivor or the therapist, assisting the other in grasping
the full meaning of what was needed or being expressed. The therapeutic triad
became a therapeutic partnership and reflected respect and trust, necessary
ingredients for psychotherapy.

Spiritual Support
Another vital component developed by Eva Sullivan-Knopf, an early case
manager at the Marjorie Kovler Center, was the Irene Pastoral Counseling
Program, Irene designating “peace” in the Greek tradition. With a background
in ministry, Eva recognized the importance of spirituality in a survivor’s life and
worldview. The Irene component essentially was organized around offering pas-
toral counseling to Marjorie Kovler clients. The volunteers and consultants to
the program represented many faiths, including Buddhism, Christianity, Islam,
and Judaism. Eva continued to consult with volunteers even after she left for a
church ministry. Many of the volunteers continued this service, but the Irene
component itself eventually diminished over the years without on-staff leader-
ship. The legacy, however, continues with ongoing links to communities of faith,
particularly the Chicago Theological Union and local mosques, churches, and
temples that provide spiritual support to clients and consultation to staff and
volunteers.

POLITICAL CONTEXT OF TORTURE

The first clients at the center were predominantly Latin American and Southeast
Asian; therefore, it was imperative that we as a program understood the sociopo-
litical history and current policies of United States’ involvement in those hemi-
spheres. Basic questions such as how the economic and political interests of the
United States interacted with the power structures of each country could have
implications for treatment. One had to be able to distinguish between official
reports of the “communist reign of terror” in Central America and reports from a
union organizer from Guatemala or catechist from El Salvador who was system-
atically targeted for torture, disappearance, and assassination (President Ronald
Reagan televised speech, 1984). Staff and volunteers had to demonstrate they were
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 171

not antagonistic to the opinions or activities that led to the client’s persecution.
Our program also had to reassure clients we did not have government ties and
would protect confidentiality.
A sociological framework that explained the relationship between war, oppres-
sion, and mental health was especially useful to elucidate the psychological and
spiritual effects of the wars in Central America on communities (Martin-Baró,
1994).The concept of our own liberation being tied to others’ liberation was not
only consistent with the guiding philosophy of liberation movements prevalent in
Latin America at the time, but it was also useful to shift the inherent power dif-
ferential in a treatment relationship to a more equitable balance. One therapist
remembers her Guatemalan clients sharing in greater depth after they saw her
marching in a protest against U.S. policies in Guatemala. Many volunteers were
drawn to the center’s work, appalled by knowledge that torture was prevalent and
either overtly or covertly supported by our government. Learning that survivors
were in Chicago in substantial numbers, they hoped they might contribute in
some small way to a survivor’s recovery and begin to wedge into systems perpet-
uating the practice of torture. This continues to be a central motive for our
volunteers twenty years later.
As staff and volunteers listened for the first time and then repeatedly to stories
of gross human rights violations, we looked to each other and to those we trusted
for points of reference. We experienced shifts in our worldviews and episodic
vicarious trauma, as in nightmares and symptoms of anxiety or depression that
had not been present prior to the work. We also came to question the impact of
our work as long as torture persisted with impunity all over the world. Acknowl-
edging the presence of social phenomena such as denial and dissociation in our
own society (including friends and family) compelled us to break the cycle of
social denial by action and by speaking out in solidarity with our clients (Herman,
1992). The U.S. government’s participation in torture is now widely known. The
photos and national debate dealt a psychological blow to many clients who do not
have the luxury of debating the issue in abstract terms. We have continued stand-
ing with our clients to oppose the use of torture of any kind against any human
being.

EFFECTS ON FAMILIES
The Marjorie Kovler Center adopted the United Nations definition of tor-
ture: “Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is
intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or
a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a
third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidat-
ing or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination
of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of
or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in
172 The New Humanitarians

an official capacity” (UN Convention). The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, from
Argentina, taught us about the suffering of family members of the disappeared.
Just as torture is an oppressive tool applied systemically, the center’s clinical
committee recognized the corresponding need to systemically treat the effects of
torture in the family. Some children felt they must keep secrets about their
mother’s, father’s, or sibling’s torture or disappearance to shield the family from
stigma in the community or further persecution from authorities. In many
countries, there are substantial threats to families and risk of persecution once
a member flees the country. Many family members have witnessed extreme vio-
lence in their communities and are traumatized, even though they themselves
were not tortured.
The center’s staff and volunteers understand our clients’ symptoms and
behaviors in relation to their experience of torture—as normal reactions to
abnormal circumstances rather than pathology. This approach brings solidarity
into the clinical framework and incorporates a political consciousness into our
conceptualization of PTSD and its treatment. PTSD is a common, albeit imper-
fect, diagnosis to describe symptoms survivors frequently experience once they
survive torture. Although assisting clients to decrease the frequency or intensity
of these symptoms is essential to the recovery process, the center also values the
long view on treatment. When a survivor recovers his or her voice, this is a polit-
ical act of demonstrating to the torturing regime that they failed to silence or
incapacitate the survivor. For example, although clients who bring lawsuits
against torturers enter a public, prolonged, and emotionally taxing process, they
have reported significant therapeutic gains from confronting the perpetrators in
a federal courtroom where juries have ruled in the survivor’s favor. The survivor
as plaintiff often pursues this line of justice to honor the memory of so many
who did not survive, reclaiming the path of social justice begun long before their
persecution. Many clients, even after their lives are more stable and secure, con-
tinue to exercise power in meaningful ways. Accompanying clients in their goal
to reclaim justice is a rich and complex process. Many of us who know and work
with survivors have ourselves been transformed by their experiences of profound
social engagement.

CULTURAL CONTEXT OF TREATMENT

Many of our early clients from Latin America and Southeast Asia came from
cultures that valued the collective over the individual. They expressed themselves
in the collective “we” and had always lived with extended family before fleeing
their country. We considered the importance of the survivor’s role in family and
community, and brought clinical intervention into those dimensions. Long-term
group work with both Cambodian women and Guatemalan exiles also involved
seeking assistance from the community to help reframe cultural concepts and
incorporating expressive therapies to facilitate the therapeutic process and engage
the wider community.
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 173

CASE STUDY: CAMBODIAN WOMEN’S GROUP

The Cambodian women who had been tortured and raped by soldiers of the
Khmer Rouge understood their experience in the context of karma, a Buddhist
concept of cause and effect that asserts one’s past actions are the cause of
present circumstances. The women felt deeply responsible for their own suf-
fering and believed it was directly related to terrible acts committed in past
lives. Furthermore, they did not want to talk about it. Pat Robin, a volunteer
psychologist, sought consultation from the center’s then director, Antonio
Martínez. Together, they invited cultural experts to help them overcome these
obstacles to treatment. One was an academic who met with the clinical com-
mittee and offered to reframe the women’s interpretation of karma. Rather than
having had past lives as terrible people, they were likely to have been diligent
caregivers in their communities, which explained why they needed to allow
others to care for them in this lifetime.
A Buddhist monk in the community was consulted about how to work with
the women when they did not wish to talk about their trauma in Western
fashion. He shared a parable about the need to follow the river as it bends,
suggesting that clinicians needed to adapt to the group’s inclinations even if it
meant forging a new path. The group eventually worked with a local
dancer/choreographer Jan Erkert to create “Turn Her White with Stones,” a
dance piece where the women were able to incorporate their stories and
traditional rituals into the choreography and finally into a dance, which was
performed by an Erkert Company dancer at Columbia College. The women’s
group also collaborated with a drama therapist to produce a theatrical piece
on their survival and resilience under the Khmer Rouge. The women created
a dark, narrow maze through which individuals, escorted by the women,
entered the theater. They led the audience members to their seats in this way
to convey a sense of the fear and confusion the women had felt in refugee
camps. With attention to movement and narrative, the women collectively
faced and re-shaped traumatic memory with a greater sense of control, and
they also were able to illustrate their stories to a wide community audience.
This acknowledgement of their experience was very meaningful to them.

CASE STUDY: GUATEMALAN GROUP

Mario González, a Guatemalan psychotherapist and long-standing staff

member, who understood the political culture of resistance and mistrust,
organized a Guatemalan group of men and women in the late 1980s and
later worked together with Antonio Martínez as co-facilitator of the group.
Beginning in a church basement, the group later rotated meeting in each
member’s home, a step that drew members together as well as helped them
feel safe. Trust and security were fleeting for Guatemalans in that period
174 The New Humanitarians

when the approval rate for political asylum was less than 1 percent (INS Year-
book, 1984) and the U.S. government was funding the brutal dictatorship.
The early goals were to break the isolation members were experiencing and
to rebuild the sense of community they had lost in exile. The group received
support from the larger community, including Casa Guatemala and Su Casa,
a Catholic Worker house. Group meetings were always followed by informal
social gatherings in spirited Guatemalan fashion. The group transitioned from
previous discussions of traumatic material to lighter conversation in a relaxed
setting, nourished by the presence of children, spouses, friends, music,
dance, and traditional food.
In 1990 group members expressed concern about their children dealing
with the effects of trauma, loss, and dislocation. New volunteers were
recruited to meet with the children while the parents met in a separate room.
This new group incorporated therapeutic activities to support the children’s
identity as Guatemalan as well as help them cope with the challenging tran-
sitions to life in a large North American city. As children of survivors, the
young group members carried their own suffering. The group members devel-
oped a distinct role in the community, where they contributed to the cultural
and political activities through traditional Maya dance, theater, and art; they
named themselves Konojel Junam (All Together). They also worked with Jan
Erkert and performed a piece of their own design, “Jornadas de Esperanza”
(Journeys of Hope) to a full house at the Harold Washington Library.
After several years of meeting together and moving through distinct stages,
the adult group focused on an oral history project to bring validation to their
experiences and raise awareness about the human rights situation in
Guatemala. The group had collected testimonies of members in the form of
life narratives rather than focusing solely on traumatic events. They received
funding for one year from the Illinois Humanities Council to present a series
of public presentations they named “Twelve Parallel Lives.” Each narrative
represented a sector of Guatemalan civil society targeted by the repression.
The series of presentations, which took place in public spaces such as the
Chicago Cultural Center, universities, and bookstores, included an introduc-
tion, reading of one narrative by someone other than the author, discussion
facilitated by a center volunteer with questions from the audience, and clos-
ing with a marimba and traditional dance by Konojel Junam. A community
arts group created a series of paintings and prints inspired by the narratives
and donated the image used on the flyer. The Guatemalan community
actively participated and donated traditional food. Community support and
validation was meaningful to the group, and Chicagoans benefited from the
opportunity to learn directly and personally about the human rights situation
in Guatemala.

INNOVATIONS
This section introduces ways in which the center’s program has and continues
to evolve to meet the needs of our clients. Whether challenged by changes in fund-
ing, demographics, or shifts in immigration policy, the center remains committed
to develop and test creative responses.
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 175

A Community Organization
The Marjorie Kovler Center developed an individualized approach to treatment
that is nonhierarchical, noninstitutional, and nongovernmental, and its organiza-
tional structure mirrored this approach. The internal structure and spirit of the cen-
ter’s organization of staff and volunteers remains basically horizontal. Everyone, from
interns to senior directors, is encouraged to contribute ideas and opinions, make cof-
fee, wash dishes, and mop up when necessary. Clear and direct communication is val-
ued over chain-of-command style. Our clients tend to be hypersensitive to the power
dynamics of human behavior—an open, warm community serving tea or coffee to
all visitors encourages a return visit and the chance to form bonds of trust and
friendship. There is no mistaking how much we have learned and still have to learn
from survivors—about forming community, engaging in social action, courageously
speaking out against injustice, enduring the losses, and sharing the victories together.

Recent Funding and Growth of the Torture Treatment Program

From 1987 to 2000, the center relied on numerous grants beginning with the
initial grant from the Blum-Kovler Foundation that launched the Marjorie Kovler
Center. This foundation has continued to support the center’s work with an
annual donation. Additional sources of funding have included local (e.g., Michael
Reese Trust Fund) and national foundations (e.g., Rosenberg Fund for Children)
as well as individual donors. Functioning on a small budget that provided two
full-time and one half-time staff, the center has depended on volunteers in pro-
viding services. Maintaining consistent funding was an ongoing struggle and
required administrative coordination of grant writing and reporting. In the mid-
1990s, the Marjorie Kovler Center applied for and received funding from the
United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. This additional resource
has helped fund a staff position that conducts intake assessments.
Minnesota Senators Dave Durenberger and the late Paul Wellstone, a Republi-
can and a Democrat, first introduced the Torture Victims Relief Act (TVRA) in
1994. Enacted in 1998, the TVRA had strong bipartisan support in both the House
and the Senate. In 2000, the first year of appropriated funds that implemented the
TVRA, the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the Administration for Children and
Families awarded four-year grants to seventeen organizations.
The Marjorie Kovler Center was one of the grantees in 2000 and has continued
to receive funding through the Torture Victims Relief Act. This meant that almost
overnight the center staff increased from three to nine. A stronger infrastructure
to support the volunteer network was a direct outgrowth of this funding, and the
capacity to provide services to torture survivors doubled within twelve months.

Current Case Management and Community-Building Efforts

Case management and volunteer coordination were essential components of
the initial design of the center. The growth in 2000 allowed for case management
176 The New Humanitarians

to build a team (two full-time staff and two full-time volunteers). They have built
a unique model of service provision, linking client needs with skilled volunteers.
Rather than a traditional case management model, whereby each is responsible
for coordinating services for a set caseload of clients, the model follows a trans-
disciplinary approach. As such, roles and responsibilities for each service (e.g.,
coordination of health appointments, forensic exams, ESL tutoring, special
events) are rotated, resulting in greater knowledge of services and resources by the
team and greater accessibility for clients.

Nurturing Familiar Occupations: Farms and Bees

Historically, the Marjorie Kovler Center has been committed to community
building, and case management supports this through organized trips and activi-
ties. The case management team solicits free tickets and coordinates client groups
to attend local cultural events, many relating to the clients’ culture and others
expanding exposure to local resources. Community building expanded beyond
the Chicago city limits when a volunteer, Tom Spaulding, invited the center’s
clients and staff to visit a rural farm, Angelic Organics. Here, clients had the
opportunity to participate in farm tasks and specialized workshops. The farm
held special meaning for clients who reconnected with positive experiences and
memories from their home countries. As a Guatemalan woman shared, “You can
see many farms, but none invite you in. Here you feel at home.”
After trips to the farm, clients expressed the wish to return. This inspired the
development of a local urban farming project where clients could use their agri-
cultural skills and experience connection with the earth in their own neighbor-
hood. With staff support and resources from the Angelic Organics Learning
Center, the center began collaborations with the Chicago Waldorf School, and
clients have been planting and tending their organic garden located only two
blocks away. This urban farm project also promoted the development of a rooftop
apiary at the center, with honeybees as the “livestock.” Clients have the opportu-
nity to harvest honey and tend to the bees—an occupation familiar to many—
under the guidance of volunteer, Mirsad Spahovic, who was a beekeeper for
twenty years in his native Bosnia.

Nourishing Universal Rituals: International Cooking Group

Vegetable produce from the garden and honey from the roof are used every
other week by the international cooking group. At each group meeting, a client
oversees preparation of a meal from his or her home country, and group mem-
bers follow the client’s lead, pitching in with chopping, sautéing, and seasoning,
culminating with sitting down to share and enjoy a delicious meal. Participation
in familiar occupations and engagement in universal rituals have served to
support rebuilding of community, evidenced by high turnout and sustained
membership in these groups.
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 177

Dignified Work
Vocational assessment of a survivor’s skills is another aspect of joint case man-
agement and occupational therapy services offered at the center. An Occupational
History assessment is conducted when a client is referred to occupational therapy
(OT). This assessment considers the interests, skills, and strengths of the client in
the home country as well as adaptation to the new environment. OT services are
primarily concerned with how the sequelae of torture, displacement, and accul-
turation affect a survivor’s ability to perform meaningful occupational roles in the
domains of self-care, leisure, and work within challenging environments that sys-
temically restrict occupational opportunities. The new environments confronted
by refugees and asylum seekers often foster “occupational deprivation,” which pre-
vents access to potential opportunities and inhibits the essential need for belong-
ing (F. Kronenberg, N. Pollard, 2005; G. Whiteford, 2005). The most predominant
environmental obstacles identified by clients in the OT assessment include (1)
barriers to employment, such as long waits for work authorization, lack of read-
ily available jobs, difficulty transferring existing skills, and limited access to fur-
ther education; (2) isolation, including lack of social opportunities that feel safe
and culturally comfortable as well as homesickness; and (3) diminished status
secondary to the loss of occupational roles, for example, in the role as family
provider, parent, or community leader. The occupational therapist works closely
with case managers who assist with specific vocational tasks, including creating a
résumé, filling out job applications, practicing for interviews, and obtaining
educational equivalencies.
The paucity of culturally familiar social opportunities and opportunities for
enhancing skills is addressed through group activity interventions such as com-
munity outings, the international cooking group, urban farming groups, and links
to appropriate community resources. These services, designed to meet needs that
clients identify, demonstrate that engagement in positive experiences offers a
means for clients to use their skills and capacity to create safe connections and
communities. These have taught us that engagement in meaningful experiences
can be transformative.

CURRENT DEMOGRAPHICS
The Marjorie Kovler Center has sought to transform programming and
services in response to survivors’ needs and systemic environmental changes. The
demographics of countries represented have shifted dramatically over the past
twenty years. The number of survivors receiving services at the Marjorie Kovler
Center has also steadily increased with each year. Tables 9.1 through 9.4 indicate
the current demographics of survivors receiving services at the center, referral
sources, and volunteer valuations.
178 The New Humanitarians

Table 9.1 Participant Demographic Information for Fiscal Year 2007

Age No. % World region (nationality):
Persons served: 330 0–10 5 1% Africa 209 63%
Female 164 (50%) 11–20 23 7% Latin America 50 15%
Male 166 (50%) 21–30 89 27% Asia 35 11%
Survivor status: 31–40 117 35% Europe 15 5%
Torture survivors 284 (86%) 41–50 61 18% Middle East 14 4%
Family members 46 (14%) 51–60 30 9% North America 5 2%
61–70 7 2%
Source: 2007 Annual Report, Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance.

CONCLUSION
As demographics shift in response to worldwide conflicts, the lessons learned
about providing a healing environment for survivors of torture continue. A remark-
able journey has been undertaken in Chicago through the work of the Marjorie
Kovler Center. This chapter shared snapshots of the journey and provided insights
into the necessary social conscience and community effort that go into creating a
response to a social illness such as torture. The journey is bittersweet. We are happy
and saddened by our twenty-year efforts to assist survivors of torture in rebuilding
their lives. It is our sincere wish to close our doors one day because our services are
no longer needed—that torture is no longer practiced in the world we share.

Table 9.2 Nationalities Served in Fiscal Year 2007 (total 53)

Afghanistan 1 Eritrea 19 Nigeria 2
Albania 6 Ethiopia 15 Pakistan 2
Angola 4 Guatemala 27 Rwanda 3
Benin 1 Guinea 5 Senegal 1
Bosnia-Herzegovina 5 Haiti 4 Sierra Leone 1
Bulgaria 1 Honduras 1 Somalia 5
Burkina Faso 2 India 1 Sri Lanka 1
Burundi 2 Indonesia 1 Sudan 8
Cambodia 1 Iran 2 Thailand 1
Cameroon 33 Iraq 3 Tibet 1
Chad 5 Kenya 4 Togo 43
Chile 1 Kosovo 3 Tunisia 4
Colombia 9 Liberia 7 Turkey 4
Congo 13 Malawi 2 Uganda 11
Congo (DRC) 24 Mauritania 3 United States 5
Cote d’Ivoire 2 Mexico 1 Vietnam 15
Ecuador 6 Mongolia 1 Zimbabwe 2
El Salvador 5 Nepal 1 Total 53
Source: 2007 Annual Report, Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance.
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 179

Table 9.3 Referral Sources in Fiscal Year 2007

Source of Referrals Oct. 2006–Sept. 2007
Mutual Aid Associations 8
Ethnic/Religious Communities 38
Hospitals/Clinics 3
Lawyers/NIJC 43
Other 8
TOTAL 100
Source: Year-end Data Report, Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland
Alliance.

BIOGRAPHIES
Rev. Dr. Sid Mohn is president of Heartland Alliance for Human Needs &
Human Rights, a service-based human rights organization focused on invest-
ments and solutions to help the most poor and vulnerable in our society succeed.
He joined the organization in 1980, and also serves as president of its three part-
ners: Heartland Housing, Heartland Health Outreach, and Heartland Human Care
Services. Prior to his tenure at Heartland Alliance, he held positions with the
Chicago Urban League, the Kane/DeKalb Counties Employment and Training
Consortium, International Documentation, and La Casa Center. Dr. Mohn is a
graduate of Temple University, received his Master of Divinity from the School of
Theology at Claremont, California, and his doctorate from McCormick Theolog-
ical Seminary in Chicago. He is a United Church of Christ clergyperson and a
member of the Order of Ecumenical Franciscans. Dr. Mohn is past chair of the
board of directors of the National Immigration Forum and is a member of the
board of directors of International Social Services U.S. Committee for Refugees,
Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and Global Chicago.
Rev. Craig Mousin has been the university ombudsperson at DePaul University
since 2001. He received his BS cum laude from Johns Hopkins University, his
JD with honors from the University of Illinois, and his MDiv from Chicago

Table 9.4 Volunteer Hours and Valuation in Fiscal Year 2006

Volunteers Hours Rate Value
Amate and Mennonite Volunteers 4,800 $12 $57,600
Counseling by trainees 1,904 $50 $95,200
Clinical professionals 1,588 $100 $158,800
Interpreters 219 $40 $8,760
Case Management volunteers 810 $10 $8,100
Total 9,231 $328,460
Source: 2007 Annual Report, Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance.
180 The New Humanitarians

Theological Seminary. He joined the College of Law faculty in 1990, and served as
the executive director of the Center for Church/State Studies until 2003, and co-
director from 2004–07. He is an associate editor of the center’s publication,
Religious Organizations in the United States: A Study of Identity, Liberty and the
Law (Carolina Academic Press, 2006). He co-founded and continues to co-direct
the center’s Interfaith Family Mediation Program. He has taught in DePaul’s
School for New Learning, the Religious Studies Department, the College of
Liberal Arts and Sciences, and in DePaul’s Peace Minor program. He has also
taught immigration law and policy as an adjunct law professor at the University
of Illinois College of Law. Rev. Mousin began practicing labor law at Seyfarth,
Shaw, Fairweather & Geraldson in 1978. In 1984 he founded and directed the
Midwest Immigrant Rights Center, a provider of legal assistance to refugees,
which has since become the National Immigrant Justice Center. He also directed
legal services for Travelers & Immigrants Aid between 1986 and 1990. He helped
found DePaul College of Law’s Asylum and Immigration Legal Clinic. Rev. Mousin
was ordained by the United Church of Christ in 1989. He has served as an associ-
ate pastor at Wellington Avenue U.C.C. and was a founding pastor of the DePaul
Ecumenical Gathering (1996–2001). Rev. Mousin is the secretary of the board of
trustees of the Chicago Theological Seminary. In addition, he is member of the
leadership council of the National Immigrant Justice Center and the Immigration
Project of Downstate Illinois. Both provide legal services to immigrants and
refugees. He previously served on the Illinois Equal Justice Project of the Chicago
and Illinois State Bar associations.
Edwin Silverman, PhD, received his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University
and his doctorate from Northwestern University. He has been employed by the State
of Illinois since 1973. From 1976 until 1997, he administered the Illinois Refugee
Resettlement Program, which became part of the Illinois Department of Public Aid
in 1980. In 1997 the program became part of the Illinois Department of Human
Services, and he continues to administer it as the chief of the Bureau of Refugee &
Immigrant Services. He has actively participated in the development of program
and policy at the federal level, and contributed to the drafting of the Refugee Act. He
is president emeritus and active on the executive board for SCORR, the national
affiliation of State Coordinators of Refugee Resettlement. He has received awards
from the federal government, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), and various community groups for his contributions to the area of
refugee resettlement. He also received the assistant secretary’s Public Service Award
from DHHS and was one of five national recipients in 1995 of the American Society
for Public Administration’s National Public Service Award.
Thomas Hollon, PhD, received his doctorate in clinical psychology in 1955
from Catholic University and earned the Diplomate in Clinical Psychology from
the American Board of Professional Psychology in 1961. Dr. Hollon served on the
staff of Rockford Memorial Hospital, on the boards of the Rock River Valley
Mental Health Association and the Shelter Care Ministries (serving the homeless
mentally ill), and on the faculties of DePaul University and the University of
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 181

Illinois College of Medicine. He served as president of the Illinois Psychological

Association, chair of its Social Issues Section, and its representative to the council
of the American Psychological Association. On a pro bono basis, Dr. Hollon
served as chair of the Citizens Advisory Council of Illinois Mental Health Region
1-A and of the Winnebago County Health Planning Committee; president of the
local chapter of United Cerebral Palsy; and member of the Illinois Human Rights
Authority, the Suicide Prevention Council, the Health Professional Network of
Amnesty International, and the Psychologists for Social Responsibility. Finally,
Dr. Hollon was central to organizing the national Conference on Victims of
Torture at the University of Chicago in 1987, co-sponsored by the IPA, Cook
County Hospital, and Amnesty International. He then led the way the follow-
ing year to the establishment of the Marjorie Kovler Center for the Treatment of
Survivors of Torture under the aegis of Travelers & Immigrants Aid and IPA, and
he served for the center’s first eight years as a volunteer therapist and the chair of
its Executive Clinical Committee.
Susana Jiménez Schlesinger, PhD, is a clinical psychologist who earned her
doctorate in counseling psychology from Loyola University in 1983. She taught at
Loyola University, the Institute for Christian Ministries at the University of
San Diego, Central YMCA College, and the National College of Education in
Evanston, IL. She served as a consulting psychologist with the Head Start Program,
Enhanced Family Childcare Homes Program of El Valor, and the Boys & Girls
Clubs of Chicago, and continues her longstanding private practice. She served as
chair of the Social Responsibility Section for the Illinois Psychological Association
from 1994–97 and is presently chair of their Peer Assistance Committee and liai-
son for Ethnic/Minority Issues. She also represents the IPA on the Coalition of
Illinois Counselor Organizations Steering Committee for the Prevention of
Violence in Schools. She volunteered as a Spanish-speaking psychologist at the
John Garfield School’s Family Enrichment Program. Finally, she was a founding
member of the Marjorie Kovler Center, served on its Executive Clinical Committee,
and was a pro bono bilingual psychotherapist.
Irene Martínez, MD, is an internist at John Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook
County in the Division of General Medicine and is a member of the Preventive
Medicine Section. A native of Córdoba, Argentina, she graduated from medical
school in 1980. Dr. Martínez was a desaparecida/political prisoner during
Argentina’s “Dirty War.” She was an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience
and moved to the United States after she was released from prison. In the mid-
1980s, Dr. Martínez became an advocate for torture survivors, recognizing their
special needs from her own experiences. She was one of the founding members of
the Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance in Chicago, where she continues
to contribute her expertise. She strongly encourages the practice of artistic expres-
sion to be part of the healing process and disease prevention. Dr. Martínez enjoys
painting, writing, dancing, and caring for her daughter
Sr. Sheila Lyne, RSM, is president and chief executive officer of Mercy Hospital
& Medical Center, Chicago’s first hospital. Sister Sheila holds a master degree in
182 The New Humanitarians

psychiatric nursing from St. Xavier University and an MBA from the University of
Chicago. Sr. Sheila’s association with Mercy dates back to 1958 when she was a stu-
dent nurse. In 1970 Sister Sheila was appointed director of Mercy’s Diagnostic and
Treatment Center. She was promoted from this position to assistant vice president
and director of human resources. As vice president, Sister Sheila honed her skills
and solidified her role as a leader within the organization. She was named acting
president in October 1976 and president in February 1977. In 1991, she was
appointed commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. She was the
first woman to hold the position as well as the first non-physician. Since her return
to Mercy in December 2000, Sr. Sheila has focused on the development and expan-
sion of Mercy programs and services that respond to the growing communities
surrounding the hospital. Sister Sheila is a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the
Americas, Regional Community of Chicago, and currently serves on the board of
St. Xavier University.
Steven Miles, MD, is professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota
Medical School in Minneapolis and is on the faculty of the university’s Center for
Bioethics. He is board certified in internal medicine and geriatrics, and teaches
and practices at the University of Minnesota. Previously, he was assistant profes-
sor of medicine and associate director of the Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at
the University of Chicago, 1986–89. He has taught in many countries and has
served as medical director for the American Refugee Committee for twenty-five
years, which has included service as chief medical officer for 45,000 refugees on
the Thai-Cambodian border and projects in Sudan, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzogovina,
Indonesia, and on the Thai-Burmese border. He has published three books, more
than twenty chapters, and 120 peer-reviewed articles on medical ethics, human
rights, tropical medicine, end of life care, and geriatric health care.
Antonio Martínez, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and co-founder of the
Marjorie Kovler Center, serving as its director for the first seven years. Dr. Martínez
earned a PhD in clinical psychology and critical theory, at the University of
Massachusetts–Amherst, a masters degree in community social psychology at the
University of Puerto Rico–Rio Piedras, and a BA in general studies concentrating in
psychology and anthropology at the University of Puerto Rico–Rio Piedras.
Presently, he works with the Ambulatory Health Services of Cook County at the
Dr. Jorge Prieto Family Health Center in Chicago. Dr. Martínez is also regular
trainer for the International Office of Immigration and Naturalization Services
Asylum Division at the Federal Law Enforcement Center in Glencoe, GA. He has
addressed the chief justices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service at their
national annual conference regarding issues of torture and credibility. Dr. Martínez
has lectured about trauma and the severe consequences of abuse and torture in
the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Puerto Rico, Chile,
Argentina, London, and Nepal, and Colombia. He also provided expert testimony
for the People’s Law Office representing four survivors of police torture in Chicago
under Commander Burge. He received several awards recognizing his work in the
area of trauma induced by torture, including the Norma Jean Collins Award, the
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 183

Chicago Community Trust Fellowship, and the UNESCO Chair for Peace. He had
the honor of being a consultant to actress Glenn Close in her Toni Award perform-
ance as Paulina, a torture survivor, in the Broadway play Death and the Maiden. He
is an advocate of a systemic and developmental model for the accompaniment of
survivors of torture. His philosophy of treatment was published by the Universidad
Pontificia Javeriana and the Center Terres des Homes, Italia, Centro de Acom-
pañamiento y Atención Psicosocial Terres des Hommes Colombia, Bogota 2004,
“Modelo de solidaridad de atención a los sobrevivientes de tortura.”

Fertile Soil

This life-giving soil,

On which the sower plows
One furrow after another
Terrace upon terrace
Carefully spreading seeds
With the sole purpose
Of creating a garden teeming with hope,
Watered with her children’s tears,
Making her womb a more fertile place.

In this soil,
The seasons of the year are lived daily.
In autumn,
Fallen branches gently gathered
Are carried as fertilizer to the garden,
And in the gentle silence of the night,
Our hearts’ anguish is softened.
When winter arrives,
And suffering’s cold overtakes us,
The warm embrace and the sower’s own suffering lift us.
With spring we see
The rebirth of life,
A restlessness revealed,
And a great desire to smell the scent
Of newness, of beauty and of what has been lost.
And beneath the summer’s burning sun
Arises the steep slope of loneliness.
Each somber and bitter step
Accompanied by exile and torture
But soothed by mother earth’s lifeblood.

On this soil,
When the tempest, the thunders, the forests’ lament
Overpower the depth of your being
Snatching your breath and your reason for living,
Someone is ever present to remind you
184 The New Humanitarians

Of the dance of the winds over the rivers,

Of the joyous and colorful song of the birds,
And of the shining rainbow
Revealing her brightness after the storm.

This fertile soil

Is indeed nurtured with love,
Her sowers keeping ignited
The eternal flame of unconditional commitment,
Defying the silence of a dark day,
Knowing that with the coming of the dawn
They will see the sun rise and,
With the delicate touch of the dew,
Will bring forth the sweet fragrance
of solidarity, respect and mutual understanding.

Beautiful soil, thank you.

For upon entering your space
The dawn springs up in us,
Though perhaps for only a moment,
And from your womb sprout
Peace, goodness, warmth, compassion.
For the fruit of your harvest is love.
Thank you, sowers,
For your difficult and steadfast work.
Graced by your dedication and affection,
From this soil we taste the sweetest of all nectars.

Matilde De la Sierra
Chicago, IL
August 25, 2007

Dedicated to Kovler Center

On its twentieth anniversary

Tierra Fértil

Esta tierra productiva,

en donde el sembrador hace un surco y otro surco,
tablón tras tablón esparciendo las semillas cuidadosamente;
con el único propósito de construir una huerta llena de esperanza.
Es una tierra regada con el llanto de sus hijos;
llanto que hace de su vientre un lugar más fecundo.

Esta tierra en donde las estaciones del año

se viven a diario.
En el otoño,
las ramas caídas recogidas gentilmente
son llevadas al huerto para que sirvan de abono,
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 185

y en el silencio de la noche
el dolor de nuestros corazones se hace suave.
Cuando el invierno llega,
y el frío del sufrir se apodera de nosotros,
el abrazo cálido y el mismo sufrir del sembrador nos levanta.
Con la primavera,
vemos el renacer de la vida,
con una inquietud descubierta,
con un gran deseo de sentir el aroma de lo nuevo,
de lo bello, de lo perdido.
Y bajo el candente sol del verano,
se sube la cuesta de la soledad,
con paso sordo y amargo,
acompañado por el destierro y la tortura;
pero atenuado por la sangre vital de la madre tierra.

En esta tierra;
cuando la tempestad, los truenos, el lamento de los bosques
dominan lo más profundo de tu ser,
siempre existe alguien que te recuerda
de la danza de los vientos sobre los rios,
del canto alegre y vívido de los pájaros,
y el arco iris reluciente que deja ver
su brillantez después de la tormenta.

Esta tierra fértil realmente está tratada con amor.

Sus sembradores mantienen encendida
la llama perenne de entrega incondicional;
desafiando el silencio de un día obscuro
a sabiendas que a la espera de la madrugada
se vislumbrará la salida del sol y,
junto al roce delicado del rocío,
traerán el perfume de la solidaridad,
el respeto y la mutua comprensión.

Tierra bella, gracias.

Porque al entrar en tu espacio nace en nosotros,
aunque sea por un instante, la aurora,
porque de tu vientre germinan
la paz, la bondad, la cordialidad, la compasión;
porque el fruto de tu cosecha es el amor.
Gracias sembradores
por su trabajo arduo y continuo.
Porque por su dedicación y cariño,
de esta tierra se obtienen los mejores néctares.

Matilde De la Sierra
Chicago, IL
Agosto 25, 2007
186 The New Humanitarians

Dedicado a Kovler Center

Por su 20mo aniversario
(Reprinted with permission.)

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Marjorie Kovler Center
Founder/Executive Director: Mary Fabri
Mission/Description: The Kovler Center provides comprehensive, community-
based services in which survivors work together with staff and volunteers to
identify needs and overcome obstacles to healing. Services include mental
health (individual or group psychotherapy, counseling, psychiatric services,
and a range of culturally appropriate services on-site in the community), health
care (primary health care and specialized medical treatment by medical pro-
fessionals specifically trained to work with torture survivors), case management
(access to community resources, including tutoring, ESL, food, transportation,
special events), interpretation and translation (bridging cultural and linguistic
barriers in medical, mental health, and community settings), and legal referral
(referral and collaboration with immigration attorneys and organizations).
Website: http://www.heartlandalliance.org/kovler/index.html
Address: The Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance
1331 West Albion
Chicago, IL 60626
Phone: 773.751.4045
Fax: 773.381.4073
E-mail: MFabri@heartlandalliance.org

REFERENCES
Bogner, D., Herlihy, J., & Brewin, C. R. (2007). Impact of sexual violence on disclosure
during home office interviews. British Journal of Psychiatry, 191(2), 75–81.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge: Harvard
University Press.
Conroy, J. (2001). Unspeakable acts, ordinary people: The dynamics of torture. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf.
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and
Tsunami Relief, 2005. Public Law 109-13, 109th Congress (May 11, 2005). Retrieved
October 9, 2007, from http://www.epic.org/privacy/id_cards/real_id_act.pdf.
Fabri, M. (2001). Reconstructing safety: Adjustments to the therapeutic frame in the treat-
ment of survivors of political torture. Professional Psychology: Research & Practice,
32(5), 452–457.
Caring for Torture Survivors: The Marjorie Kovler Center 187

Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery. New York: Basic Books.

Immigration and Naturalization Service. (1984). Statistical yearbook (Table 3.3, p. 77).
Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Kronenberg, F., Pollard, N. (2005). Overcoming occupational apartheid: A preliminary
exploration of the political nature of occupational therapy. In F. Kronenberg, S. Algado,
N. Pollard (Eds.). Occupational therapy without borders: Learning from the spirit of
survivors (pp. 58–86). New York: Elsevier.
Lifton, R. J. (2004). Doctors and torture. New England Journal of Medicine, 351(5),
415–416.
McAndrews, R. K. (2002). Asylum Law Reform. New England Journal of International &
Comparative Law, 8:1, pp. 103–124.
Martin-Baró, I. (1994). Writings for a liberation psychology (A. Aron, S. Corne, eds.).
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
National Immigrant Justice Center (n.d.). National immigrant justice center: Home.
Retrieved October 7, 2007, from http://www.immigrantjustice.org/.
Office of the United High Commissioner for Human Rights (December 10, 1984). United
Nations Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment. Retrieved October 7, 2007, from http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm.
Reagan, R. (May 9, 1984). Televised speech, Retrieved October 1, 2007, from
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/timeline/index_4.html.
Scarry, E. (1985). The body in pain: The making and unmaking of the world. New York:
Oxford University Press.
Timmerman, J. (1981). Prisoner without a name, cell without a number. New York: Alfred A.
Knopf.
Whiteford, G. (2005). Understanding the occupational deprivation of refugees: A case
study from Kosovo. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(2), 78–88.
Wolf, E. R. (1999). Envisioning power: Ideologies of dominance and crisis. Berkeley:
University of California Press.
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 10

International Center on
Responses to Catastrophes
Stevan Weine

For the past fifteen years, I have conducted a program of services research con-
cerning understanding and helping with the psychosocial needs of families
impacted by the global catastrophes of war and forced migration. Since 2002, I
have also led efforts at the University of Illinois–Chicago’s International Center
on Responses to Catastrophes, to build an academic context for interdisciplinary
approaches to services research concerning contemporary global catastrophes.
This chapter describes this research and reflects on key aspects of the work includ-
ing family resilience, community collaboration, services, cultural theory, and
ethnography.

NEED FOR BROADER PERSPECTIVES

Diffuse are the workings of violence and power.
—W. G. Sebald (2003)

When I talk with those who have survived war and have become refugees or
forced migrants, they tell me about the crushing problems they have encountered,
which may include combat, siege, imprisonment, murders, atrocities, poverty, loss
of their homes and communities, separation from family, loss of opportunities,
health problems, and social and cultural isolation. But often enough, they also
express hopes for the future, which are often focused on the young. We all wish we
could provide them with what they need to improve their lives, be it better hous-
ing, jobs, schools, or neighborhoods, or just help them make it through a lone-
some day.
One thing that can be done to help is research. Research is a way of rigorously
documenting these people’s experiences and systematically trying to understand
how to offer effective help, perhaps through psychosocial interventions. We do

189
190 The New Humanitarians

this work because they deserve it, and because we believe the knowledge gained
through research can make a difference in the helping efforts that either are, or
could be, offered. Research with families impacted by war and forced migration is
especially needed given the complexity of their situations, the intractability of
some of the difficulties that they face, and the varied ways they manage to survive.
For the past fifteen years, I have been committed to helping families impacted
by war and forced migration both through providing community-based services
and through conducting investigations that better clarify how psychosocial inter-
ventions might be useful in addressing some of the difficulties that these families
and we prioritize. I decided to do both service provision and research having
encountered too many situations where the intent to do good through services has
not resulted in demonstrable benefit to those in need. I am also acutely aware that
when academics conduct investigations with no apparent links to efforts to help,
this may also be problematic. At best, the efforts at service provision and services
research operate synergistically: helping and learning can go hand in hand.
What bothers me is that even if I can do this research, it by no means guaran-
tees that policymakers and programs in governments and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) will pay attention. So one chooses to do investigations that
seem to have a reasonable chance of convincing decision makers to help affected
families and communities. Sometimes I want to respond by studying every catas-
trophe that crosses my path; however, it would be foolish to try to do that. Thus,
I have worked at being more disciplined, approaching catastrophes by conducting
what may be called a program of services research.
In conducting services research with families impacted by war and forced
migration, one key challenge has been to set a broad interdisciplinary framework
for this work that adequately addresses people coming from different geographi-
cal regions and cultures, out of different war and forced-migration experiences,
and thus facing different mental and physical health problems, with different
needs, strengths, and meanings. After having variously used the terms war, tor-
ture, refugee, genocide, migrant, poverty, and pandemic to define each situation,
we have often used the term “catastrophes” as a reasonable framing device for the
work that we have been doing. Catastrophes refer to wide-scale events, including
human-made conflicts, pandemics, and natural disasters, which result in massive
destruction, losses, and distress. Our work has focused primarily on human-made
events, often related to war. Furthermore, since many of these events take place in
global environments that involve cross-border and cross-cultural processes, we
have sometimes used the term “global catastrophes.”
Global catastrophes present a complex array of experiences and outcomes that
emanate from events of mass violence, deprivation, displacement, and disease that
are associated with long-term social instability. Global catastrophes exact grave
tolls on individuals, families, communities, and societies. The variety of responses
to such tragic events that exist in assortments of services, policies, and practices
are too often fragmented, short term, and not supportive of local communities
and cultures.
International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 191

I came to the issue of global catastrophes from the trauma mental health field.
It was through my experience leading the efforts to write International Trauma
Training Guidelines for the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies in
the late 1990s that I saw just how wed the trauma mental health field has been to
individual, psychopathological, and cognitive models. Through the consensus
guidelines we developed (Weine et al., 2002), we hoped to change the attitudes
and behaviors of professional experts who conduct international trauma trainings
by encouraging them to adapt approaches that were more contextually broad. Our
success was at best mixed, I believe, in part because the trauma mental health field
has had so few constructs and methods to work at levels other than the individ-
ual, the psychopathological, and the cognitive. This impacted my research career
by making me further commit to a services research approach, which emphasized
other levels of focus for services and research, especially family, community,
culture, and resilience. To learn more about these areas, I had to go outside the
refugee trauma literature to learn from other literatures such as those of preven-
tion, public health, community psychology, and family therapy.
I have seen evidence, not only from the trauma mental health field, that inves-
tigations of catastrophes are too often approached within one sector, or from the
perspective of a single discipline. Additionally, there is little empirical knowledge
that attempts to understand the processes of vulnerability and resilience at the
levels of families, communities, cultures, systems, and societies. Research into
these experiences requires innovative perspectives that regard catastrophes as part
of broader public health, social, cultural, and political crises. For governments and
NGOs to develop and implement more effective helping efforts, I believe these
dimensions must be better comprehended.
I recognize that the term catastrophe is not without its disadvantages. In the
era of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, when catastrophes appear regularly on the
mass media, the term catastrophe has come to be associated with events that are
deeply concentrated in time and require emergency and short-term responses.
When I use catastrophes, I do not mean to imply any such restrictions in time or
scope. Indeed, many catastrophes are prolonged, as are their ongoing and evolv-
ing consequences for individuals, families, communities, and societies, requiring
long-term responses. Although there still exists some unease around the use of
this term, we have found that it has been productive in building an interdiscipli-
nary space in academic medicine within which it was possible to build knowledge
that informs multisectoral helping efforts for families impacted by war and forced
migration.

A PROGRAM OF RESEARCH
For the past fifteen years, I have led a program of services research designed to
help families and communities that have endured several different types of global
catastrophes. This program began at the time of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-
Herzegovina in 1992, with a focus on the issue of mental health services for
192 The New Humanitarians

Bosnian refugees in the United States, and extended into mental health services
issues in post-conflict countries of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo. Beginning in
2001, this program of research expanded to focus on HIV/AIDS in predominately
Muslim postwar societies (Kosovo and Tajikistan) because we found this was a
priority public health issue that was not being comprehensively addressed or
investigated. It has also expanded to focus on teenage refugees and their families
from African countries, including Liberia and Burundi, now in the United States.
To date, this work has been supported by multiple funders, including Yale
University, the University of Illinois–Chicago (UIC), the State of Illinois Depart-
ment of Human Services, the Ministry of Health of Kosovo, the U.S. Civilian
Research & Development Foundation, several private foundations, and four
grants from the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).
The overall intent of this program of research has been to (1) conduct studies
that scientifically elucidate the basis for helping families impacted by war and
forced migration through psychosocial interventions; (2) conduct investigations
informed by social sciences and cultural theory of the social and cultural
processes shaping families’ services experiences; (3) advocate for interdisciplinary
research efforts that bridge intervention and cultural realms so as to more ade-
quately address the real-world problems of families impacted by war and forced
migration; and (4) assist service organizations in developing programs and poli-
cies that are better attuned to the psychosocial needs of families impacted by war
and forced migration.

INTERNATIONAL CENTER ON RESPONSES TO CATASTROPHES

Services research concerning families impacted by war and forced migration
cannot occur without a proper research environment that provides research infra-
structure, collaborators, consultation, training, supervision, mentoring, and
resources. This type of research environment has been built through establishing a
university-based center. The International Center on Responses to Catastrophes
(ICORC) at UIC was established in 2002 in order to advance scholarship and serv-
ices in this area of contemporary importance for the city of Chicago and the world.
ICORC is a cross-campus unit organized through the Department of Psychia-
try and the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research. Its primary mission is to
promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship that contributes to improved
helping efforts for those affected by catastrophes. The center is highly interdisci-
plinary in its approach, with university faculty from collaborating departments
and colleges representing mental health and health services, humanities, and
social sciences. Vital to the center’s work is building domestic and global collabo-
rations with academic, advocacy, and services organizations. ICORC activities
have three core realms of focus:

• Documentary: to document the human experiencing of global catastrophes

through literary and multi-media approaches
International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 193

• Ethnographic: to analyze the cultural and social dimensions of global catas-

trophes through ethnographic inquiries
• Intervention: to conduct innovative, family-focused, and community-based
services research on the mental health consequences of global catastrophes

In fulfilling its mission, ICORC

• Conducts interdisciplinary, collaborative and original research on responses to

global catastrophes
• Serves as a venue for regular scholarly dialogue on topics central to the docu-
mentation and improvement of responses to global catastrophes
• Promotes partnership and collaboration within UIC, as well as with other
organizations and institutions conducting research and interventions in this
area
• Prepares the next generation of scholars, scientists, documentarians, and
policy makers through interdisciplinary education and training

In a subsequent section, I will provide summary descriptions of some of the

projects that ICORC has undertaken thus far in fulfillment of this mission. Here,
I want to highlight that although I am the author of this text, none of this work
that constitutes the program of services research was or could be done alone. It
has required many kinds of partnerships with interdisciplinary academics (from
other health professions, the humanities, and social sciences), with community
leaders, parent advocates, students, and trainees. Many, but not all, of their names
are included as co-authors in the publications listed in the references. We think of
ICORC as a place where conversations and collaborations that usually do not
occur can take place. I have found it to be a helpful, although not uncomplicated,
structure within which to work. For example, there is the ongoing concern of how
to provide interdisciplinary training and mentoring to beginning investigators
who come from different backgrounds and disciplines.
Lest I give the impression that institutional arrangements are the only neces-
sary elements to building a program of services research, allow me to mention a
few words about how I became a services researcher. In 2006, when I was asked to
speak at a roundtable of community psychologists, the organizer, Professor Ed
Trickett of the UIC Department of Psychology, asked me to explain how I became
a services researcher focused on these types of global catastrophes. The story that
I told emphasized the role of mentoring. As much as I have imagined myself to be
treading new paths, I have always known that as a researcher, I depended greatly
upon others to help me reach destinations. Even the very things that we call
“paths” and “destinations” need to be invented before they can be realized. You
need to know that there is a place for you. You have to be able to see that place and
the way that will get you there. You have to hope that you can make it. Just seeing
or hoping is not enough. You need to actually do things to get there: talk a differ-
ent talk or walk a different walk. I know that I could not have done any of these
194 The New Humanitarians

things on my own. Over the past twenty-five years, I have had many mentors. I
found them in when I was in college, at medical school, completing a psychiatry
residency, and serving as a faculty member. These mentors have included poet
Allen Ginsberg, psychologist Daniel Levinson, psychiatrist Ivan Pavkovic, family
scientist Suzanne Feetham, medical anthropologist Norma Ware, and ethnogra-
pher and rhetorician Ralph Cintron. Without my multiple and distinct mentors,
I would never have been in a position to conduct a program of services research.

RESEARCH PROJECTS
A program of research is a series of research projects, each building on the ones
before and aiming toward a focused understanding of several priority concerns.
What follows are descriptions of some of those projects, arranged geographically
and chronologically, with the key themes that have organized this work. Although
I will not mention all of the names of my collaborators in this overview, it is
important to again note that none of these projects were conducted alone. All
required scientific and community collaborations in order to succeed.

Bosnian and Kosovar Refugees in the United States

Treatment and Services Studies
I came to services research on refugee and migrant families via posttraumatic
stress syndrome (PTSD) research (Weine et al., 1995(a); Weine et al 1995(b)),
treatment research, and ethnographic and cultural studies. The treatment studies
provided preliminary evidence that both Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
(Smajkic et al., 2001) and testimony psychotherapy may lead to improvements in
PTSD and depressive symptoms, and to improvements in functioning, among
refugee adults (Weine et al., 1998). However, what was just as notable was how
many refugees chose not to participate in treatment at all or, having received effec-
tive treatments, decided to drop out. This fact led us to conduct several studies of
refugee mental health services, including a study of access (Weine et al., 2000) and
an investigation of the roles of providers’ attitudes and approaches in the delivery
of effective mental health services for refugees (Weine et al., 2001). This last effort
revealed that among service providers, there was substantial misinformation and
stigma concerning mental health symptoms of refugees and treatment for those
symptoms. It also revealed that providers were not doing enough to educate indi-
vidual clients, family members, or community members about the effects of
trauma on individual and family mental health.
We engaged in extensive ethnographic- and humanities-based studies of
Bosnian survivors and their narratives. An ethnographic study of a Bosnian
refugee family provided a close, detailed portrayal and analysis of how one refugee
family used its own strengths and resources to heal and adjust (Weine et al., 1997).
I also pursued book-length studies that focused on the narrative dimensions of
survivors and refugees. My first book investigated the Bosnian cultural value of
International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 195

merhamet, a self and group concept associated with multiethnic co-existence

(Weine, 1999). A second book examined cases and theory concerning the use of
survivors’ testimonies across several historical contexts and service sectors, draw-
ing upon Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of the dialogic narrative (Weine, 2006). A third
book, Our City of Refuge: Teens, War, and Freedom, tells the story of teenage
refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina in the city of Chicago (Weine, under review).

Intervention Research with Migrants and Refugees

Insights derived from the aforementioned studies gave us an empirical basis to
try to help refugees through focusing on helping their families. This led to devel-
oping a family intervention with narrative methods that aimed to improve access
to mental health services and other sources of support. The Prevention and Access
Intervention for Families (PAIF) was conducted with Bosnian refugee families in
Chicago from 1998–2003 by a collaborative, multidisciplinary services research
team at UIC (Weine, 1998). This NIMH-funded study investigated a Coffee and
Families Education and Support Group (CAFES), which was a time-limited,
multiple-family education and support group for Bosnian families. This condi-
tion was compared with a control group that received no such intervention. A
group of survivors with PTSD and their families were randomly assigned to
receive either the intervention or the control condition. Longitudinal assessments
occurred every six months for eighteen months to document effects over time
postintervention. Results showed that the CAFES multiple-family group was
effective (1) in engagement (73%) and retention (Weine et al., 2005(b)); (2) as an
access intervention in the overall sample (longitudinal increases in the number of
mental health visits [p < .005]; both depression [p < .003] and family communi-
cation [p < .0159] enhanced the group’s access effect) (Weine et al., in press (b));
and (3) as a preventive intervention (with increased social support in subsamples
of males, urban families, and the more highly traumatized) (Weine et al., 2004).
Youth CAFES was an adaptation of CAFES to more specifically focus on the needs
of teen refugees in Chicago that has been qualitatively studied (Weine et al., 2006).
Tea and Families Education and Support (TAFES) was an NIMH-funded adapta-
tion of the CAFES intervention for newly arrived Kosovar refugees in Chicago.
The results showed increases in social support and psychiatric service use among
participating families (Weine et al., 2003). In sum, these CAFES studies demon-
strated that multiple-family groups with families postwar may be effective in
increasing networking, knowledge, and communication, and to a lesser extent
support. It showed that further investigation of multiple-family groups postwar is
warranted, especially research focused on youth.

Joining Multiple-Family Groups

To improve the engagement strategies of preventive interventions for refugee
families, this NIMH-funded study used mixed methods to investigate family
196 The New Humanitarians

factors and processes involved in engaging Bosnian refugees in multiple-family

support and education groups (Weine, 2001). Refugee families that joined
multiple-family groups were distinguished from families that did not in terms of
differences in quantitative factors. Families that engaged had previously experi-
enced statistically significant more transitions, more traumas, and more difficulties
in adjustment.
Family processes that may be related to multivariate analysis of these quantita-
tive factors in relation to engagement and retention were specified through quali-
tative investigation (Weine et al., 2005(b)). The findings indicated that engagement
may be related not only to factual characteristics of families, but also to family
members’ perceptions about strategies for responding to adversities. Families that
engaged had concerns about traumatic memories that persisted despite avoidant
behaviors. However, what they perceived as more of a problem were concerns
regarding maintaining the family, supporting their children, and rebuilding their
social life. This study underlined the importance of a focus upon engagement in
conducting multiple-family groups with families that have experienced adversities
related to political violence. Engagement strategies for multiple-family groups
should correspond with the underlying family factors and processes by which
refugee families manage transitions, traumas, and adjustment difficulties.

Kosovo
Kosovar Family Professional Education Collaborative
In May 2000, the Kosovar Professional Education Collaborative (KFPEC) was
founded by Dr. Ferid Agani of the University of Prishtina, Dr. John Rolland of the
University of Chicago, and myself (Rolland & Weine, 2000). The KFPEC aimed to
support and enhance the family work of Kosovar mental health professionals and
to design and implement family-oriented mental health services in Kosovo. The
KFPEC chose to build family services centered on a psychoeducational, multiple-
family group program for severe mental illness. The KFPEC’s work was at the core
of the mental health policy of the Kosovar Ministry of Health and its seven
regionally based community mental health centers. The objective of one study
was to describe the effects of a psychoeducational, multiple-family group pro-
gram for families of people with severe mental illness in postwar Kosovo (Weine
et al., 2005(c)). The subjects were thirty families of people with severe mental ill-
nesses living in two cities in Kosovo. All subjects participated in multiple-family
groups and received home visits. The program documented medication compli-
ance, number of psychiatric hospitalizations, family mental health services use,
and several other characteristics for the year prior to the groups and the first year
of the groups. The families attended an average of 5.5 (out of 7) meetings, and
93 percent of these families attended 4 or more meetings. Comparing the year of
the group intervention with the year prior to the intervention, there were multi-
ple significant changes, including decreased hospitalization (p < .0001); increased
International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 197

medication compliance (p < .0001); increased use of combined oral and depot
medications (p < .0003); increased family members’ use of mental health services
(p < .0143). We also conducted ethnographic interviewing and observations with
Kosovar and international providers and policymakers (Cintron & Weine, 2004;
Weine, Agani, & Cintron, 2003; Weine et al., 2003) and with Kosovar adolescents,
family members, and community members regarding HIV/AIDS (Weine et al.,
2004). The KFPEC program also provided training for mental health profession-
als, led to policy change in the Ministry of Health, and resulted in successful dis-
semination of the multiple-family group program to five other community
mental health centers. In addition, KFPEC has a many-year track record in pro-
viding contextually sensitive and culturally competent expert training and con-
sultation on building family resilience–based mental health services in Kosovo.

Kosovar Attitudes on Drugs and HIV/AIDS (KADAH)

To specify the sociocultural issues impacting HIV prevention, our team con-
ducted a multi-sited ethnography of illegal drugs and HIV/AIDS in Kosovo that
included participant-observation initiatives in schools, community and service
sites, and households, and in-depth interviews with Kosovar adolescents and fam-
ilies (Weine et al., 2004). This study specified the opportunities and obstacles for
addressing HIV risk behavior associated with families’ “practical knowledge”
(Scott, 1998). Several forms of families’ practical knowledge among parents and
youth were identified, labeled, and defined through analysis of field notes and
interview transcripts. For example, for Kosovar youth and parents, HIV/AIDS was
“not a big problem” compared with the political, economic, social, and cultural
crises. Kosovar youth saw HIV/AIDS risks from the vantage point of the “new
reality” and its problems of “boredom” and the “cooler” lifestyle. Kosovar parents
regarded HIV/AIDS as a “contemporary disease” that “assaults Kosovar tradition.”
They feared “losing the youth.” Other selected sociocultural variables and their
impact on key intervention realms were specified. For example, in showing how
HIV is being storied by youth and families, it raised the question of how an inter-
vention script should frame HIV/AIDS as a moral discourse. This study identified
multiple key sociocultural variables that impacted youth and family behaviors as
well as HIV prevention. KADAH also established a functioning interdisciplinary
research team that demonstrated the feasibility of conducting ethnographic
research concerning HIV/AIDS in Kosovo.

Preliminary Adaptation of KFARY

We developed an intervention, called Kosovar Families Addressing Risks in
Youth (KFARY), which is an eight-session, multiple-family group that improves
family support and diminishes youth prerisk and risk behaviors for thirteen to
sixteen year olds at elevated risk. Seven sessions of multiple-family group inter-
ventions, a first version of the KFARY intervention manual, was collaboratively
198 The New Humanitarians

written by the KFARY Kosovar and American investigators by incorporating

elements of CAFES, CHAMP (McKay et al., 2000), and Be Proud! Be Responsible!
(Jemmott, Jemmott, & Fong, 1998). Then the KFARY manual was “prepiloted” in
Kosovo using ethnographic methods designed to analyze evidence regarding the
intervention’s feasibility and acceptability in the Kosovar context. Specifically, we
conducted a session by session run-through over five days with a group of
Kosovar families that included fourteen-to-sixteen-year-old children. For each
session, the KFARY ethnographic fieldworker took notes of group sessions, as well
as of the one-hour daily family feedback sessions and one-hour debriefings of the
KFARY facilitators.
This process generated field notes that were then analyzed to yield select
session-by-session findings. Several overall conclusions were that (1) families
enthusiastically endorsed the KFARY groups as demonstrated in their full atten-
dance and in their statements (e.g., “I didn’t imagine that I’d work with my son”);
(2) the group will likely be more effective if it targets a subgroup of adolescents at
elevated risk, such as those with school problems; (3) engagement and retention
will increase for girls and women if babysitting is provided so that they do not
have to stay home with younger kids; and (4) some key terms and scripts need to
be adapted so as to have appropriate meanings for Kosovars, such as “self-respect,”
“shame,” and “family strengths.” On the basis of this evidence, a second version of
the KFARY manual was collaboratively written. In sum, prepilot evidence suggests
that KFARY is feasible and acceptable to Kosovar youth and families. We are
presently seeking funding for a wider implementation and evaluation of the
KFARY HIV/AIDS preventive intervention.

Tajikistan
Formation of Collaboration between American and Tajik Researchers
In 2004 I met Dr. Mahbat Bahromov, a physician and public health official from
Tajikistan, who was at the time completing a master’s degree in international health
policy from Brandeis University. We traveled to Tajikistan and secured research
permission from government authorities, identified a team of Tajik investigators,
conducted site visits, and expanded the collaborative dialogue. Dr. Bahromov was
awarded a Muskie Fellowship that allowed him to spend three months with the
UIC research team to receive further training in qualitative data analysis and
HIV/AIDS prevention research. He then returned to Tajikistan where he became
employed in the Tajikistan HIV/AIDS Center as the HIV/AIDS coordinator of the
National Coordinating Committee to Fight and Prevent HIV/AIDS, TB, and
Malaria in Tajikistan. Dr. Bahromov and I formed a collaboration between
ICORC/UIC and the Tajikistan HIV/AIDS Center to focus on the issue of Tajik
migrants and HIV/AIDS. Between 2005 and the present, I visited Tajikistan and
Moscow multiple times. Several collaborative pilot studies were conducted,
including the following two pilot studies.
International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 199

Pilot Ethnographic Study of Married Male Migrants

This pilot study aimed to preliminarily characterize married male migrants’
HIV/AIDS risk and protective knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as key
contextual factors that would likely impede or facilitate a preventive intervention
(Weine et al., in press (a)). This was a collaborative, multi-sited ethnography in
Moscow that included minimally structured interviews with sixteen subjects and
focus groups with a total of fourteen subjects. All invited subjects agreed to
participate.
The results suggested that many Tajik male migrant workers in Moscow were
having unprotected sex with commercial sex workers. Although some of the
migrants had basic knowledge about HIV, the migrants’ ability to protect them-
selves from acquiring HIV is compromised by harsh living and working condi-
tions as a consequence of being unprotected by law in Russia. The migrant
workers’ experience of being unprotected appears to diminish their self-efficacy in
ways that would likely also impede efforts at HIV prevention. For instance, it
appears to interfere with their assessment of HIV risk. Tajik male migrant work-
ers in Moscow also have important sources of religious, community, and family
support that may facilitate targeted HIV prevention interventions. One example
is the value of being the provider and protector of the family. To respond to
HIV/AIDS risks amongst Tajik male migrant workers in Moscow, preventive
interventions are needed that take into account their harsh living and working
conditions and that mobilize existing sources of religious, community, and fam-
ily support. Further study is needed to more comprehensively characterize
HIV/AIDS risk and protective knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, as well as key
contextual factors that would likely impede or facilitate a preventive intervention.
These results call for further systematic study of the relationships between mas-
culine norms and HIV risk and preventive behavior. The issues of polygamy,
socioeconomic independence, and risk awareness should also be points of focus.
Ethnography, survey research, and intervention development is presently being
conducted through the support of the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foun-
dation. For example, we are collaboratively developing and piloting an intervention
for men to be conducted on the four-day train ride from Dushanbe to Moscow.

Pilot Ethnographic Study of Wives of Migrants

This study aimed to examine the experiences of the wives of migrant workers
in Moscow and to characterize their HIV/AIDS risk and protective knowledge,
attitudes, and behaviors (Weine et al., 2005a). This was a collaborative ethnogra-
phy in Dushanbe that included minimally structured interviews with twenty
wives of migrant workers currently working in Moscow. No person refused to be
interviewed. The results documented the wives’ concerns over their husbands’
safety and health in Moscow, and the many difficulties of wives living without
husbands in Tajikistan. Wives give tacit acceptance to their husbands’ sexual
200 The New Humanitarians

infidelity in Moscow. In a male-dominated society, gender norms limit wives’ abil-

ities to protect themselves or their husbands. The wives had limited awareness of
HIV as well as limited ability to speak about sexual activity, HIV/AIDS, and con-
doms, or to request HIV testing. Wives do not use condoms with their husbands
and have no choice but to depend upon the husband’s role as protector. Wives
turn to their in-laws or to their “circle of friends” for support, but seldom do these
relationships focus on HIV/AIDS.
To respond to HIV/AIDS risks among the wives of Tajik male migrant workers
in Moscow, preventive interventions should consider enhancing knowledge
among wives and seeking feasible ways to empower wives to talk with their hus-
bands about HIV/AIDS risks and protection. We are presently collaboratively
developing and piloting a preventive intervention with women from the circles of
friends to be conducted through the community-based poly-clinics.

Refugee Youth in the United States

HOMES for Refugee Youth
To address the concerns of refugee adolescents who come from other countries
to Chicago, ICORC started Houses of Memories and Expectations (HOMES). In
the summer of 2004 and 2005, HOMES recruited fifteen Chicago high school stu-
dents who were refugees from Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Liberia, Ethiopia,
Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, India, Nigeria, and Congo. Visiting artists
introduced the teens to writing and photography, and guided them in exploring
themes of home, family, war, migration, identity, and the future. The teens
explored Uptown neighborhoods, wrote stories, and took photographs. Nerina
Muzurovic (a former adolescent refugee) and I assisted them with applying to col-
lege and helped them practice writing college essays. The teens built “houses of
memories and expectations” that had a gallery exhibition and together compiled
a “visual ethnography” of refuge that was published (Weine, 2004). The HOMES
experience showed that creative arts offer potentially useful modalities for engag-
ing and helping teen refugees. HOMES demonstrated that many of the central
concerns of Bosnian refugee adolescents were also shared by other refugee ado-
lescents, including trauma-related suffering, access to services, educational chal-
lenges, and family support. However, HOMES also showed that adolescents and
their families from non-Western cultures have markedly different expectations
regarding services and adolescence itself. HOMES demonstrated that it was pos-
sible to engage youth and families from new refugee communities and to form a
productive group of adolescents from multiple cultural groups.

A Services Approach to Preventive Mental Health for

Adolescent Refugees
This three-year ethnographic study, presently being conducted, in collabora-
tion with Dr. Norma Ware of Harvard University, aims to develop contextual
International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 201

knowledge on (a) family and ecological resources that protect against mental
health problems for at-risk refugee adolescents and (b) the service sectors work-
ing with this population (Weine & Ware, 2007). This knowledge will serve two
purposes, one substantive and the other, methodological. Substantively, study
results will inform the subsequent development of a preventive intervention for
two African refugee groups. Methodologically, it will shed light on the nature and
scope of ethnographic study needed for intervention development with new
refugee populations. This study is guided by family eco-developmental theory;
theories of resilience, trauma, and migration; and a services approach. The spe-
cific aims are to (1) examine, over time, the experiences of at-risk Liberian and
Burundian refugee adolescents so as to characterize the family and ecological pro-
tective resources that may be enhanced by preventive services; (2) examine the
service sectors working with these groups to reveal how service structure,
processes of care, and practitioner knowledge and perceptions promise to facili-
tate or impede preventive interventions; and (3) conduct a meta-analysis of the
study data and methods to clarify the type and extent of ethnographic study
needed for intervention development with new refugees. This study collects data
on refugee youth and families in Illinois and Massachusetts. Thus far, we have
conducted observations and begun interviews with adolescents and families. The
results of this ethnography will be documented as papers to elaborate new mod-
els for preventive interventions with newly arrived refugee teenagers as well as one
or more actual interventions that can be collaboratively piloted and evaluated in
the communities where the refugees live.

Key Themes of Our Approach to Services Research

Several key themes define our approach to researching with families impacted
by war and forced migration related to global catastrophes. These include family
resilience, community collaboration, services, cultural theory, and ethnographic
methods.

Family Resilience
The family is arguably the most important life context for survivors of human-
made global catastrophes given that most have suffered severe losses to their con-
nections to community and society. The results of our studies have detailed the
struggles of families where multiple traumas and losses interacted with parental
distress, social and economic difficulties, and cultural transition. Along with the
stories of struggle, evidence of strength and resilience also emerged. The analytic
findings from several studies have demonstrated a number of family resources
that appeared to help shield youth, for example, from mental health and behav-
ioral problems. These included (1) family communication about difficult issues
including trauma and mental health concerns, (2) parental monitoring and
supervision of youth, (3) family emphasis on education, (4) parental school
202 The New Humanitarians

involvement, (5) conversion of the cultural capital of youth, and (6) parent advo-
cacy for youth. Much of our family intervention work is based upon family
strength and resilience approaches (Walsh, 1998). For example, CAFES tried to
enhance existing family strengths such as family togetherness. Because families do
not function in isolation, our conceptualization of families also encompasses eco-
logical protective resources such are those involving the school and community.
Thus, we use family eco-developmental theory, which envisions family members
in the context of a family system that interacts with larger social systems (Szapocznik
& Coatsworth, 1999). Our focus on the resources that exist in the family also has
led to a focus on preventive interventions that may enhance these resources and
reduce negative outcomes. One constant issue of concern is that the family is
defined very differently in varying sociocultural contexts, which means that fam-
ily-focused interventions must always take into account these differences and not
impose a definition of the family that does not fit.

Community Collaboration
Our research is informed by a community-based, participatory research
approach where community members, persons affected by the conditions under
study, and other key community stakeholders are partners in each phase of the
work from conception to dissemination of results. Key community-based, partic-
ipatory research (CBPR) principles that we follow include (1) building on cultural
and community strengths (e.g., family values); (2) co-learning among all com-
munity and research partners; (3) shared decision making; (4) commitment to
application of findings with goal of improving health by taking action, including
social change; and (5) mutual ownership of the research process and products
(Israel, Schulz, Parker, & Becker, 1998; Schulz, Krieger, & Galea, 2002). We believe
that a CBPR approach is necessary to address the specific mental and physical
health challenges in refugee, migrant, and traumatized communities. Most
important is giving families, youth, schools, and community leaders a real say in
the development and implementation of interventions. Also essential is fostering
collaborations with community, health, mental health, educational, and religious
institutions. Thus, a CBPR approach should (1) make the voices of families
impacted by war and forced migration heard and relevant to services and science;
(2) increase the confidence and competence of community-based providers, edu-
cators, and leaders; and (3) build a learning system that keeps knowledge flowing
and communication open between these communities, organizations, and
researchers.

Services
Our research approach also prioritizes service sectors, which refer to an array
of different organizations and groups, both community and clinical, whose work
aims to address the needs facing families impacted by war and forced migration.
International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 203

We are interested in the different types of interventions that services provide for
families impacted by war and forced migration, including both clinical and pre-
ventative interventions. We continually ask ourselves the core question that
underlies services research: what works for whom, under what conditions, and
toward what ends? (Hohmann & Shear, 2002). Because refugees, forced migrants,
and other traumatized persons often do not have access to or may not seek tradi-
tional mental health services, we are especially interested in preventive and inno-
vative intervention approaches. Our approach further focuses on showing how
service structures, processes of care, and practitioner knowledge and perceptions
can facilitate or impede effective interventions for families impacted by war and
forced migration. We believe that it is essential to build empirical knowledge in
this area if we are to be able to deliver effective psychosocial interventions to
families impacted by war and forced migration in real-world settings.

Cultural Theory
Our approach incorporates cultural theory that offers a more contextual and
nuanced view of the cultural changes relating to trauma and migration than cur-
rent psychological formulations may do. For example, we have used the concept
of “cultural capital,” derived by Bourdieu (1977, 1998), to analyze the social inte-
gration of immigrant youth in French schools. Cultural capital is defined as the
meanings, knowledge, customs, achievements, and outlooks that are related to a
person’s social positions. This has led to an interest in the processes of converting
cultural capital that can be observed and documented in refugee and migrants,
especially in youth. It is common for social science researchers to use cultural the-
ory to critique institutions and practices. What is unique about our program of
research is that we seek to integrate this commitment to cultural theory–based
inquires with a commitment to making better interventions. Thus, the objective
is to promote deeper cultural understanding and also to promote better interven-
tions. We do not believe that these are incompatible goals. Our experience has
demonstrated that service providers and organizations, although sometimes
reluctant to subject their work to rigorous cultural critique, have in several
instances identified the benefits of having learned to adapt their methods to bet-
ter fit with the particular cultural situations of families impacted by war and
forced migration.

Ethnographic Methods
Our research uses ethnographic methods because they offer an appropriate
way to address the challenges facing research being conducted in socially and cul-
turally diverse settings. For example, one challenge is the lack of basic knowledge
of what cultural norms matter for youth in predominately Muslim societies and
how those norms impact HIV prevention. A second challenge is the lack of
scientific knowledge about the process of adapting interventions. Our chances of
204 The New Humanitarians

meeting these challenges are increased by choosing ethnographic methods

(Weine & Ware, 2007). Certain core principles guide most ethnographic research,
especially (1) an iterative process, in which data are analyzed as they accumulate,
and the resulting insights and questions subsequently are investigated as part of a
single data collection effort; (2) collection of data over an extended period of
time, often years; (3) immersion in the field setting and collection of data through
observations; (4) the use of informants, that is, people living in the setting who
teach researchers about the phenomenon under study; and (5) a purposeful sam-
pling strategy that involves selecting as informants those from whom we are likely
to be able to learn most about the phenomenon under study. Ethnographic meth-
ods offer ways of analyzing the impact of culture and context upon experience,
and the processes of change (Weine, Ware, & Lezic, 2004). Ethnographic methods
have been productively used to complement quantitative research methods and in
intervention development and evaluation (Hohmann & Shear, 2002).

TRAINING TOMORROW’S RESEARCHERS

In June 2006, I sat in Buenos Aires for coffee with Dr. Derrick Silove, a leading
researcher in refugee mental health from the University of New South Wales in
Sydney, Australia (Silove, 1999). Derrick told me he fears that many of today’s
established researcher programs in refugee mental health may not survive beyond
their leaders, and that their leaders’ expertise may not be adequately transferred to
the next generation. I told Derrick that this critique could certainly apply to me,
and that I was especially concerned about how to train the next generation of
interdisciplinary researchers focused on psychosocial interventions with refugees
and other traumatized populations. Although over the past fifteen years I have
mentored many beginning investigators who have been involved in writing
papers, getting grants, traveling abroad, and providing services, I know I could be
doing more. My own experience receiving mentoring tells me that to conduct
high-quality research on traumatized populations requires more than a small
dose of mentoring and research experience. It requires a continuous and con-
certed effort of mentoring, supervision, and research opportunities with capable
interdisciplinary mentors.
A few U.S. academic centers have federally supported programs that offer
some research training in topics that include a focus on refugees. These include
the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, University of Chicago Program in
Culture and Mental Health Behavior, and the Tulane-Xavier Minority Training in
International Health. However, there are not many U.S. investigators conducting
high-quality clinical or preventive research concerning families impacted by war
and forced migration, and that includes few who are in position to provide spe-
cialized mentorship to beginning clinical investigators.
Most mental health professionals and health professionals who are working
with refugees do so as practitioners. They may have a wealth of information and
practical experience, but they have few opportunities for obtaining high-quality
International Center on Responses to Catastrophes 205

research training and mentoring by more advanced researchers. Few beginning

clinical investigators have opportunities to learn and conduct research with fam-
ilies impacted by war and forced migration. Yet many students, trainees, and
junior faculty are highly interested in conducting research that helps develop
evidence-based interventions for the large numbers worldwide who have been
impacted by human-made and natural catastrophes. We have attempted to
respond to these needs through ICORC, where we have created opportunities for
beginning investigators to conduct research on families impacted by war and
forced migration. However, I believe Derrick Silove’s concerns are correct, and
that there is more those of us in the field could do to make possible the kind of
mentoring that beginning investigators need in order to ensure their continuing
ability to build research knowledge and services on behalf of families impacted by
war, forced migration, and other global catastrophes.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: International Center for Responses to Catastrophes
Founder and Executive Director: Stevan Weine, MD
Mission/Description: The primary mission of the International Center for
Responses to Catastrophes (ICORC) is to promote multidisciplinary research
and scholarship that contributes to improved helping efforts for those affected
by catastrophes. The center, at University of Illinois–Chicago (UIC), is highly
multidisciplinary in approach, with university faculty from collaborating
departments and colleges representing mental health and health services,
humanities, and social sciences. Vital to the center’s work is building national
and international collaborations with academic, advocacy, and services
organizations.
Address: University of Illinois, College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
1601 W. Taylor Street, Fifth Floor, Chicago IL 60612
Phone: (312) 355-5407
Fax: (312) 996-7658
E-mail: smweine@uic.edu

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Ajeti, L., Elliot, M., Alidemaj-Sereqi, V., Landau, J., Asllani, M., Mango, M., Pavkovic, I.,
Bunjaku, A., Rolland, J., Çala, G., Saul, J., Makolli, S., Sluzki, C., Statovci, S., &
Weingarten, K. (2005c). A family approach to severe mental illness in post-war Kosovo.
Psychiatry, 68(1), 17–28.
Weine, S. M., Vojvoda, D., Hartman, S., & Hyman, L. (1997). A family survives genocide.
Psychiatry, 60, 24–39.
Weine, S. M., & Ware, N. (2007). A services approach to preventive mental health for
adolescent refugees. (1 R01 MH076118-01A2) Washington, DC: National Institute of
Mental Health.
Weine, S. M., Ware, N., & Lezic, A. (2004). An ethnographic study of converting cultural
capital in teen refugees and their families from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Psychiatric
Services, 55, 923–927.
 11

International Trauma
Studies Program
Jack Saul

The International Trauma Studies Program (ITSP) is a training and research

institute committed to enhancing the natural resilience and coping capacities in
individuals, families, and communities that have endured and/or are threatened
by traumatic events resulting from domestic and political violence, war, and natural
disaster. ITSP pursues its mission through providing professional training,
implementing and evaluating innovative community-based initiatives, offering
technical assistance to international organizations, and helping to build a global
learning community in the areas of trauma, mental health, and human rights.
Dr. Soeren Buus Jensen of Copenhagen and I founded the International Trauma
Studies Program in 1998. It is one of the few trauma programs committed not only
to training professionals who serve survivors of all forms of traumatic events, but
also to developing and evaluating family and community-oriented mental health
and psychosocial services for survivors of massive trauma and loss. To best
serve this population, it has been the mission of ITSP to advance the scientific
understanding of the impact of catastrophic events on individuals, families,
communities, and societies at large, as well as the corresponding pathways to
recovery and resilience.
Since its inception, ITSP has provided intensive, one-year (two-semester)
training to more than 300 practitioners, who over the last ten years have devel-
oped numerous training programs, research projects, and clinical and psychoso-
cial initiatives for populations of survivors in more than thirty countries. First
established as an interdisciplinary program based at New York University (NYU)
School of Medicine, ITSP now runs as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization affiliated with the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public
Health, where I am currently an assistant professor of clinical population and
family health.

209
210 The New Humanitarians

HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Background
The International Trauma Studies Program grew initially out of the Bellevue/
NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, which I co-founded in 1995. The Bellevue
program was established as a medical and mental health service for torture sur-
vivors. In developing a treatment philosophy, the program took a strengths-based
approach. It regarded survivors as having resources and assets that have enabled
them to survive their victimization; thus, the aim of treatment was seen as
enhancing their re-empowerment. We recognized the necessity of using a culturally
sensitive approach with clients, which drew on their own cultural and religious
resources for healing from the effects of severe human rights abuses. In addition
to intensive individual, group, and family psychotherapy, we focused on symptom
reduction, assistance with social difficulties, and networking with community
organizations. The rationale was that if the survivors were supported and given
relief from immediate symptoms, they could mobilize their natural, inherent
capacities for healing and coping. We saw the process of recovery from the trauma
of torture as progressing in stages: from the sense of unpredictable danger to
reliable safety, from dissociated trauma to acknowledged memory, and from
stigmatized isolation to restored social connection.
Within the first two years of its development, the Bellevue program provided
needed medical and mental health services to scores of torture survivors from
over forty countries. As the program developed, there was a growing awareness of
the need to develop a broader range of services for this population in metropolitan
New York City. At the time, it was estimated that there were over 400,000 torture
survivors living in the United States, with between 70,000 and 90,000 survivors
living in the New York City area alone. Most of these survivors had already resided
in the area for years with their families, living in immigrant enclaves, and likely
had never received specialized services for the long-term affects of any severe
traumatization they may have experienced. There was a need to develop programs
outside the hospital setting in the communities in which the refugees resided,
programs that could offer alternative psychosocial services to populations from
cultures that were not always open to or could not benefit from Western forms of
psychotherapeutic intervention. For example, a support group of Tibetan refugees
seen at the clinic wanted help in setting up their own nonprofit organization so
they themselves could assist other Tibetan refugees with the myriad of social and
economic challenges to adapting to life in New York. But the requirement of the
hospital was that these refugees were to be diagnosed and treated for a mental
health disorder in group or individual therapy.
In the context of a growing need for a more comprehensive psychosocial
approach to assisting refugee survivors of torture, as well as the need for more
intensive training of staff and interns at the hospital in working with severely
traumatized survivors of human rights violations, we began to look at the need to
create opportunities for advanced training at NYU. It was then that I met Soeren
International Trauma Studies Program 211

Buus Jensen, a psychiatrist from Denmark, who had spent the previous three years
(1994–96) working with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the former
Yugoslavia during the war. He was the WHO program manager for mental health
services and later the head of the overall Humanitarian Aid Program for WHO
during the war (SR/special representative). Among his initiatives were the imple-
mentation of regional trauma-training programs for Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian,
and Macedonian mental health practitioners who were providing services for
traumatized victims during the war, while they themselves were suffering from
some of the same traumatic experiences and reactions. The so-called regional
model provided training in thirteen different regions for thirty to thirty-two pro-
fessionals (mainly psychiatrists and psychologists) through a one-year course.
In some areas such as Mostar, Bosnia, practitioners were brought together
under United Nations’ protection for joint training workshops. Dr. Jensen con-
ducted the intensive training courses called PPT (Posttraumatic Therapy), which
included didactic training in trauma theory and intervention, case supervision,
and experiential work in supervised groups on how the practitioners could take
care of themselves and prevent burnout while doing such emotionally demanding
work. The training model was developed based on previous experiences gained
from his training programs in Denmark and further inspired by his encounter
with the Chilean Human Rights movement (1989–93).
Dr. Jensen developed a network of international advisors on trauma training
for a nongovernmental organization (NGO) he created called the International
University Center for Mental Health and Human Rights, and was meeting with
experts from around the world to learn about trauma-training programs. To his
surprise, as he toured Europe and the United States, he found very few training
programs. Jensen and I decided to develop an intensive trauma-training program
at NYU similar to that run during the Yugoslavian war.

Phase One: 1998–2001

Initial financial support to develop the ITSP was provided through a curricular
development challenge grant from NYU’s Provost Office. The goal was to create an
interschool and interdepartmental program at the university that could provide
postgraduate training as well as act as a catalyst for the development of academic
courses in the study and treatment of psychosocial trauma. The nature and content
of the training program was influenced from the beginning by our clinical and
research experience with survivors of political violence—torture, war, state terror-
ism, and genocide. I had been a research assistant for Professor Hillel Klein, MD,
from Hadassah Medical School and director of the Jerusalem Center for the Study
of Psychosocial Trauma and Holocaust. Klein, a practicing psychoanalyst and
Holocaust survivor, had done pioneering work on the impact of massive trauma
and loss on individuals, families, and society, and had been a proponent in the early
1980s of shifting attention in the trauma field from a focus on the pathology of
212 The New Humanitarians

trauma to the understanding of the intra-psychic, familial, social, and cultural

resources that were important in Holocaust survivors’ return to living productive
lives—that is, their process of adaptation and revival (Klein, 2003).
Prior to his work in the former Yugoslavia, Jensen had done research with
survivors of state terrorism in Chile, where he became interested in the uses of
testimony to promote the process of healing. As recalled in Trauma and Healing
under State Terrorism (Agger and Jensen, 1993), psychologists in Chile found
that survivors who had given testimonies, in the context of creating documen-
tary evidence for later war crimes trials of those who had carried out torture and
disappearances from the Pinochet era, were found to have improved mental
health compared to those who had not given testimony and were still waiting
in line to do so. Based on this work and what they saw as the importance of sur-
vivors having a purposeful context in which to construct a coherent narrative of
their experience, Agger and Jensen developed a method of testimony therapy
with refugee survivors of torture living in Denmark (Agger and Jensen, 1990).
Jensen brought to the curriculum the human rights framework from South
America, referred to by the acronym DITE—documentation, investigation, therapy,
and evaluation. The mental health and human rights perspective advocated a
position of therapeutic non-neutrality in working with victims of human rights
violations: it was important in this work to establish an alliance in condemning
the inhumane practices suffered by the victim.
The training program began at NYU in the fall of 1998 with over forty students
participating in the course in two separate tracks: one was a more intensive track
was for clinicians and the other, requiring fewer hours, was oriented toward
community-based practices and open to practitioners other than mental health
professionals (e.g., lawyers, community activists, youth workers, managers of
NGOs, United Nations personnel, and artists). The program revolved around
workshops run by visiting faculty who were at the forefront of the trauma field,
and leaders at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), the
most prominent organization promoting research and clinical practice in work
with trauma survivors. The format of the training was divided into didactic work
on trauma theory and intervention, case studies, and self-care. Students worked
in small groups to discuss cases, engage in role-play and other experiential learning
methods, and discuss the impact of the work on themselves as well as strategies
for self-care. In the tradition of the Yugoslavian training program, students were
required to carry out a project in order to complete the program. These projects
ranged from workshops, to small clinical studies, to the development of citywide
advocacy activities for trauma survivors. Three students teamed up the
first year to create a program honoring survivors of torture on the UN day
commemorating survivors.
The development of the ITSP training program was enhanced by its participation
in the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Task Force on International
Training, co-led by Drs. Stevan Weine and Yael Danieli (2003). The goal was the
development of guidelines for training in mental health and psychosocial response in
International Trauma Studies Program 213

international contexts. At the time, there were tensions in the field of trauma
response. There was a critique of mental health professionals streaming into war
zones and post-conflict settings to offer Western-oriented therapeutic techniques and
concepts for trauma treatment, but ignoring the political, economic, social, and
cultural contexts and hierarchy of needs of the recipient populations. This set of
guidelines was one of the inputs for the development of recent guidelines on mental
health and psychosocial response by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s recent
report titled “IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emer-
gency Settings” (IASC, 2007).

Community-Based Services for Survivors of Torture

ITSP pursued its commitment to community-oriented work with survivors of
torture and refugee trauma by establishing a nonprofit called Refuge, which estab-
lished an alliance with other three other organizations assisting torture survivors
in the New York area—Solace/Safe Horizon; Doctors of the World, USA; and the
Cross Cultural Counseling Center of the International Institute of New Jersey
(IINJ)—to form the Metro Area Support for Survivors of Torture Consortium
(MASST). The MASST Consortium, under the leadership of the Solace/Safe
Horizon director Ernest Duff, received a Torture Victims Relief Act (TVRA) grant
from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, and over the six years of TVRA
funding support, the MASST Consortium developed a range of services for over
2,000 survivors of torture and their family members. Services included informa-
tion and practical assistance; support for families and youth; referrals for legal,
medical, and social services; educational and vocational development; individual,
family, and group counseling; community development and capacity building;
community arts and cultural programming; and medical and mental health eval-
uations for political asylum.
Refuge’s role in the consortium was the provision of technical assistance to
Solace/Safe Horizon and IINJ on the development of family-oriented clinical
services, training of clinicians and community workers, and the development of a
network of mental health professionals that provided pro bono therapeutic serv-
ices to survivors of torture and their families. In 2000, Refuge became a member
of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs with the other mem-
bers of the MASST Consortium.

From the Clinic to the Stage

One innovative project developed by Refuge in its work with refugee commu-
nities was Theater Arts Against Political Violence. The project was developed by
Steven Reisner, a psychoanalyst and former actor and theater director; Robert
Gourp, a theater director; and myself as the producer. In working with torture
survivors, it became increasingly apparent that many of them desired a public
forum to speak out about the injustices they had endured in their country of
214 The New Humanitarians

origin—and the injustices that were still taking place. Many had been student
leaders and political activists before coming to live in exile in New York City. There
is a lot of emphasis about working with the individual or family in the privacy of
the therapy office, where what is said does not leave the office, but work that is
done privately can leave out the political dimension. We began to see that there
was a value in creating a public forum where survivors could speak about their
experiences, and we felt there was a necessity to work in a fashion that created a
nonhierarchical exchange with survivors.
The program had its origin at Bellevue Hospital in a project with the then U.S.
Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services to train asylum offices in
methods of sensitively interviewing applicants who were severely traumatized.
One thing we did was to hire a theater group and trained the actors to play trau-
matized refugees—something quite counterintuitive for actors who rarely had
knowledge of such human rights violations in their own lives. The asylum officers
would role-play interviews with the actors, and we would freeze the action to
speak about what was happening during each interview.
After the training, the theater group expressed an interest in creating a play
about the issue of human rights violations—and the collective responsibility we
all share in relation to these violations. The theater group began to explore themes
related to political violence and the refugee experience. Because this experience
was foreign to most of the actors, despite the actors being a culturally diverse
group, they began to invite refugees who had been political prisoners to meet
with the theater group to talk about their experience, and eventually to engage in
a collaboration with the director and actors to create a performance based on the
survivors’ experience and creative input.
We found that the refugees felt honored to have the opportunity to speak with
artists about their lives. For many, it was first time they had been asked by
Americans about their experience. We brought Tibetans, Guatemalans, Africans,
and eventually a group of Chileans to meet with the theater group. These Chileans
had been living in the Bronx for over fifteen years and had rarely spoken to
Americans about their experience. The Chileans were very appreciative that we
were offering them a space to tell their stories and then to have their stories repre-
sented theatrically. We started a collaborative process in which the Chilean sur-
vivors spoke about their experiences during the Pinochet era, their imprisonments
and experiences of oppression and torture, and the actors engaged them in a dia-
logue. Then the theater group would go to work improvisationally on the mate-
rial and bring back scenes to the survivors, who would critique the work and make
recommendations: “You portrayed the pain effectively, but what we didn’t see
were the moments of humanity, warmth, and humor that was so important to us
when we were in prison.” The theater work opened up a dialogue among sur-
vivors, actors, and mental health professionals that had not been anticipated.
The Theater Arts Against Political Violence performed at Tibet House in New
York City during an event to honor torture survivors. By that time, the group of
Chileans had begun to engage in conversations about their experiences as political
International Trauma Studies Program 215

activists and prisoners with members of their own families and community,
and with other Latin American communities in New York. Two months later,
they took the raw, unedited video of the theater work and the performance to
Chile on their first visit in fifteen years. There, they met with other activists and
theater groups to share their work. The theater work became part of an opening
of communication within families and communities, and in the transnational
community to which they belonged. In 2000 Theater Arts Against Political
Violence was invited to collaborate with the International Organization for
Migration on a project that integrated theater approaches in the training of
psychosocial counselors in Kosovo. The project culminated in the production
of a theater piece performed at the National Theater in Prishtina, Kosovo
(Reisner, 2003).

Internationally Based Training and Services

In 2000 ITSP became a partner in the development of family- and community-
oriented mental health services in postwar Kosovo. In May of that year, a collab-
orative team effort between American and Albanian Kosovar mental health
professionals was initiated to address the enormous psychosocial and mental
health needs of the Kosovar population following the end of the war in 1999. The
project, called the Kosovar Family Professional Education Collaborative (KFPEC),
was co-sponsored by the University of Illinois–Chicago (UIC), the University of
Chicago, the American Family Therapy Academy, the International Trauma
Studies Program at NYU, and the University of Prishtina. The Albanian Kosovar
team based in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of
Prishtina Medical School decided to develop a strengths-based mental health
orientation in their hospital and emerging community mental health system.
They decided to draw on existing resources in the Albanian Kosovar community
to promote recovery after the period of oppression and war, as well as to address
other public mental health concerns.
In the aftermath of the war in Kosovo in 1999, the Albanian Kosovar society
was faced with having to build a mental health system while at the same time hav-
ing to contend with widespread experiences of loss, violence, and forced geo-
graphical displacement. The Serbian authorities had permitted very few formal
health or mental health services in the previous ten years, and most mental health
and social services for Albanian Kosovars had been provided by a parallel system
of professionals and paraprofessionals who worked underground, usually without
pay. A few mental health practitioners had been able to continue their education
and provide services at University Hospital in Prishtina. This small group of psy-
chiatrists, psychologists, and nurses took responsibility for building a mental
health system and providing services to a large number of families in need. Dur-
ing the war, most of the Albanian Kosovar mental health professionals had fled the
country. Many had lived in refugee camps and had faced serious danger, as well as
the loss of family members and friends.
216 The New Humanitarians

One of the innovative projects initiated after the war by Albanian Kosovar
mental health professionals was the development of mobile teams. These teams
went to some of the villages to work with families that had suffered major losses
during the massacres that had been perpetrated on hundreds of villages in
Kosovo. It is estimated that over 10,000 Albanian Kosovars had been murdered.
The American and Albanian Kosovar group visited one of the small villages,
where they had been working with a number of families. Slovia was a village
where Albanian and Serbian Kosovars had lived together for decades. It was a
small agricultural village of 2,000 people some thirty miles southwest of the
capitol, Prishtina. One evening in May 1999, Serbian military forces entered the
village. They sent a group of Serbians from the village to identify the male Albanian
leaders there. The next day, Serbian forces entered the village, took males from the
houses, and shot them, often in front of their families. One group of villagers
managed to escape the village but were later caught and slaughtered. The violence
lasted throughout the day. Bodies were buried in mass graves just outside the
village. Days later, the Serbian forces returned to the village, and in an attempt to
remove the evidence of their atrocities, dug up the corpses, placed them on trucks,
and departed the area. On a hill above the village, half the graves of the fifty-eight
people who had been massacred were empty. It was not likely that the bodies
would ever be retrieved. For many families, their grief at losing up to five mem-
bers of their families was compounded by their not having the bodies available for
a proper funeral according to Muslim tradition (Saul, Ukshini, et al., 2003).
One of the consequences of the massacre was that with the death of the
younger, stronger men of these families, the elders, often elderly women, had to
take an active role in leading their extended families of widows and children. The
Kosovar mental health professionals who had begun to work with these families
took an approach that explored their sources of strength and resilience. During
this initial phase of work with families, the Kosovar professionals were very inter-
ested in developing a mental health expertise based on strengthening family and
community resilience.
The KFPEC received funding in 2001 to develop a services-based training
program aimed at developing psychoeducational groups for families of the
severely mentally ill. This five-year project successfully led to the development of
teams at each of the regional community mental health centers in Kosovo. In
December 2006, the program became integrated into the Kosovo’s health system
(Pulleybank-Coffee, Griffith, et al., 2006).
During this time, ITSP also worked with the Center for War, Peace and the
News Media in implementing a diversity training program with Serbian and
Albanian Kosovar media professionals. The program brought over forty media
professionals together in Prishtina for a two-week training in investigative
journalism, which included a two-day module on trauma reactions as well as
strategies for interviewing victims of violence, addressing the journalists’ own
traumatic stress reactions, and developing methods of self-care. The groups
came together to work on a collaborative project on the families of the missing
in each ethnic group.
International Trauma Studies Program 217

During this first phase in the development of ITSP, a number of principles

emerged. First, there was a shift from focusing exclusively on training in individ-
ually oriented clinical approaches to treating trauma survivors, to emphasizing
the strengthening of the natural support systems of family and community. We
learned from our work in the community with survivors in New York, with sur-
vivors in the context of theater, in the development of individual and collective
narratives, in Kosovo, and through our international training faculty. By the end
of the three years, we were bringing in approaches that derived from specializing
with working with trauma survivors, or working with populations in non-Western
contexts; in addition, we were questioning the efficacy of mental health
approaches to trauma response in Western contexts as well. This realization and
critique was further crystallized as we experienced the events of September 11,
2001, in our neighborhood (where ITSP faculty lived and worked) and were faced
with responding as professionals and as residents to one of the hardest-hit popu-
lations. By that time, we had trained more than 100 mental health and allied
professionals in our nine-month training program in trauma theory and inter-
vention. Many of those trained at ITSP filled the ranks of directors and managers
of newly funded projects to work with the victims of 9/11 in hospitals, community
mental health centers, and schools.

Phase Two: 2001–2004

Before September 11, 2001, I could not anticipate that I would soon be bring-
ing our professional expertise into my own home, my children’s school, and my
local community. I live in downtown Manhattan and my children—ages five and
eight at the time of the terrorist attacks—attended a public school two blocks
from the World Trade Center site. It was in my children’s school that I began to
work with other community members to address the needs of children, adults,
and families as a community.
A reversal took place: I was now the “local” and began to experience myself
what my international colleagues had told me about post-disaster situations else-
where: the ever-present print, radio, and television journalists chasing after the
story; international relief organizations arriving on the scene and interviewing
local professionals to inform their own funding applications; the missionaries and
outreach workers offering support; and the influx of trauma and grief counselors
and body therapists of all kinds. Downtown Manhattan had become a spiritual
and therapeutic supermarket. At the same time, the local population was engaged
in numerous activities to assist others, yet their efforts to promote recovery, much
as in international contexts, were undervalued and received very little direct finan-
cial support. The capacity of local mental health professionals in the community,
as well as organizations that had been working all along to assist youth and
address other community problems, were often ignored (Saul, 2007).
We anticipated, based on our international experience, that there would be an
influx of researchers and clinicians focusing exclusively on the symptoms and
treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And in fact, quite quickly, a
218 The New Humanitarians

great deal of funding was directed toward training mental health professionals to
treat individuals suffering from PTSD; at the same time, the grassroots efforts of
professionals, community organizations, and community members addressing
the ongoing needs of those around them only rarely gained the attention of
private funders, relief organizations, and government agencies. We thus made a
decision to focus our energies on developing both a community project in lower
Manhattan and a disaster response training program that would bring to the New
York mental health community the family and community approaches to trauma
and disaster based on a resilience framework.

Downtown Community Resource Center

The week that the fourth year of our program started, our students could not
pass the checkpoints in Lower Manhattan to get to class. Many of us living down-
town had been directly affected, escaping from the falling buildings and the debris
storms, and having to evacuate our homes for a period of time. But the class went
on, and we added an emergency symposium for New York mental health profes-
sionals on trauma response with a presentation by Dr. Jensen, who had arrived in
New York City that week to open the ITSP course.
In order to address the needs of children and families in lower Manhattan, I
joined a group of parents, some of who were mental health professionals, who
teamed up to create family support committees in the schools. These school
communities were on the west side of downtown Manhattan, just next to the
World Trade Center site in the neighborhoods of Tribeca and Battery Park City.
These communities comprised children, teachers, parents, residents, and workers
who had experienced the greatest physical exposure to the events of 9/11: the
deaths of friends and family members, direct threats to their own lives, emergency
evacuations from workplaces and schools, physical danger from the debris storms,
displacement from their home and businesses, and environmental contamina-
tion. With all of New Yorkers, they also faced a series of subsequent events,
including the plane crash in the borough of Queens, going to war in Afghanistan
and Iraq, the anthrax contamination, and numerous threats accompanied by
heightened terrorist alerts.
The family support programs formed a coalition across school communities to
share ideas about how to address the emotional consequence of the events of 9/11
among children and parents. The initial approach of the New York City Board of
Education to address the needs of children affected by these events had focused
on screening them for PTSD and offering therapeutic services to those who were
identified as having difficulties. As mentioned earlier, not only was very little
attention paid to the impact of these events on teachers and parents, but neither
group was asked for input regarding the children’s evaluations. Moreover,
although the mental health of children became the focus of the school system’s
efforts, there was initially no place for parents to discuss their own concerns as a
group. To tackle this, the family support committees developed community
International Trauma Studies Program 219

forums where parents, teachers, and school staff from the downtown elementary
schools could come together to address emerging concerns. ITSP’s community-
based work was supported and enhanced by the participation of Dr. Claude
Chemtob, a child psychologist and disaster specialist, who moderated the com-
munity forums and advocated for the project with local funders. The community
approach we used was based on the work of Dr. Judith Landau, a child and com-
munity psychiatrist, whose Link Model of Community Resilience became the
inspiration for our work to promote recovery by engaging and supporting com-
munity members in their efforts to promote recovery (Landau and Saul, 2004).
During one of the forums, a needs assessment was conducted, and members
of the school community established as a priority creating a public space or
resource center where community members could come together and share
ideas, projects, resources, and their combined creativity. This center was to have
the following goals:

• To recognize and strengthen existing skills, resources and resilience in the

community
• To enhance connectedness in families, neighborhoods, organizations, and
occupational groups
• To promote mental and physical wellness in youth, adults, and families
• To create forums for public discourse and the expression of the multiplicity of
community voices, viewpoints, and histories

We received funding from the New York Times Foundation to start a com-
munity resource center, and then worked with the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency (FEMA) Project Liberty for a contract to establish a resource center
in the community that could support the efforts of community members and
offer them stipends and administrative support to conduct programs. On a vol-
untary basis, many people living in lower Manhattan were already developing a
variety of activities for children and families. The goal of the funding would be
to support these activities, promote sustainability of these projects, and prevent
burnout. Refuge was eventually awarded a substantial contract from FEMA to
develop a demonstration project promoting community resilience through com-
munity engagement.
Through the resource center, community members were able to engage resi-
dents and workers beyond the school community to develop a number of projects
for youth and families. Two projects focused on promoting public discourse about
the challenges and ways of coping with the impact of 9/11: a community video
narrative archive and a theater project based on the oral histories of community
members. Developed by downtown residents, the archive housed a diversity of
community voices and experiences, and made the stories of downtown life avail-
able on the Web and in public places in the area. It became a site where people
could hear others’ stories and gather to share and record their individual or fam-
ily stories. The theater project was an adaptation of the previous work of Theater
220 The New Humanitarians

Arts Against Political Violence in its use of performance as a way of bringing

together community members, artists, mental health professionals, and others in
a collaborative mode for exploring, expressing, and representing experience as
well as providing a public space for groups to reflect on that experience. The proj-
ect involved the development of an ensemble of professional actors who collected
community stories from group interviews following 9/11 and transformed them,
through improvisation, into a theatrical performance. Ironically titled “Every-
thing’s Back to Normal in New York City: Below Canal—A Work in Progress,” the
piece was performed in the community, followed by discussions among the actors
and the audience. During each subsequent performance, the ensemble incorpo-
rated the community’s reactions from the one before. As the work progressed, it
followed and interacted with the shifting experience of people living and working
in Lower Manhattan. The theater project was envisioned as an ongoing catalyst
for community conversation during the coming year. Other projects initiated by
community members and supported by the resource center included a community-
based disaster preparedness and response initiative that has produced a pub-
lished manual; a community website; peer support programs, including one for
artists and one for journalists directly affected by the terrorist attacks; and a
Samba rhythm school for teenagers throughout New York City.
The work of the resource center reinforced our view that by tapping into com-
munity competencies and resilience after major traumatic events, professionals

Figure 11.1 Scene from “Everything’s Back to Normal in New York City,” performed in
the fall of 2003. Photo courtesy of Jack Saul.
International Trauma Studies Program 221

could best foster mental health. What we saw in the aftermath of September 11,
2001, in New York City is that a comprehensive approach that endorses connect-
edness and enhances resources at the levels of the individual, family, and commu-
nity most likely will have the best chance of promoting a lasting recovery.

Disaster Response Workshop Series

Within a week after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, ITSP initiated a series of work-
shops for professionals on disaster and trauma treatment. Experts in the field either
volunteered or taught for very low fees, and donations for the training were used
to support community projects in Lower Manhattan. The workshops broadly
focused on individual, family, and community resilience perspectives. From
September 2001–May 2003, over 3,000 professionals attended the workshop series.
One unique aspect of the training was bringing in the experience of international
presenters who had experience working in contexts dealing with the aftermath of
violence and terrorism, including Palestinian and Israeli mental health profession-
als and colleagues from Kosovo, Africa, and Latin America. Nancy Baron presented
a workshop titled “Turning the Tide? Working with Violence Affected Families and
Communities from the Field in Africa.” The workshop reversed the usual expecta-
tion of knowledge transmission and examined the relevance of using helping
models from developing countries with long-standing conflict in the work with
communities in New York City. It examined comprehensive, community-based
psychosocial and mental health interventions developed in Uganda, Sudan, and
Burundi to assist populations affected by violence. These interventions build on
the natural strengths of the traditional African society, empowering families and
communities to manage members’ psychosocial concerns.
One of the most important things we attempted was to address the gap
between those specializing in developing and researching evidence-based
approaches to trauma treatment, and those who had been working with families
and communities that had suffered trauma. Judith Landau and I helped organized
plenaries during the next year at the annual conferences of both the American
Family Therapy Academy in New York City and the International Family Therapy
Association in Istanbul. These conferences brought together prominent practi-
tioners from the field of trauma treatment with family therapists and interna-
tional practitioners. Bridging these two fields was incorporated into the mission
of ITSP and has since shaped the development of its curriculum, with the partic-
ipation of prominent family therapists and systemic theorists who have been
working with families that had suffered from child abuse, domestic violence,
poverty, homelessness, and political violence.

Phase Three: 2004–2007

The next phase in ITSP’s development was characterized by an intensified
focus on international training, development, and evaluation of family and com-
munity resilience approaches with survivors of torture and refugee trauma in
222 The New Humanitarians

New York City. We also applied principles of community engagement and

resilience to the development of supportive learning communities among current
students and alumni of our training program. During this phase, we were responsive
to the needs of organizations that were turning to us for help in facilitating staff
welfare programs.
One of the strengths of the program was the increasing linkage between train-
ing and fieldwork in communities. Scholarships to the training program have
been given each year to community activists from the former Yugoslavia, West
Africa, Cambodia, and Latin America, who are developing programs for refugee
populations in New York. As part of the training on community interventions,
community leaders are often invited to class to engage in simulated community
forums. Here, they are trained collaboratively with students in conducting needs
assessments, enhancing community leadership and capacity, program develop-
ment, and evaluation.
By the beginning of the third phase of its development, ITSP had gained recog-
nition as an organization with expertise in family and community approaches
with traumatized populations. Members of our faculty were invited to give
numerous international presentations, as well as host international visitors inter-
ested in learning more about the community-oriented work carried out in Lower
Manhattan. Presentations and connections were made with organizations in the
Middle East, including Iran, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Egypt. Throughout this
phase, we received numerous requests from universities and NGOs for assistance
in the development of a similar comprehensive trauma-training program.
As our 9/11 work was winding down, and with numerous trauma-training
programs and trauma centers having been developed in New York since 9/11, we
were able to turn our attention back to working with communities that had
suffered from the devastations of war and forced migration, and to begin to further
develop international collaborations for training. In our work with New York
refugee populations, we increasingly focused on addressing the needs of survivors
of torture and refugee trauma. Our program, Refuge, continued to receive funding
as part of the MASST Consortium with three other organizations. Our role had
shifted over the years from providing training and technical assistance to refugee
mental health professionals at our collaborating organizations to collaborative
work with refugee communities in which there were high numbers of survivors of
torture and other traumatic human rights abuses. In 2002 we initiated a partner-
ship with leaders of the West African community in Staten Island.
Following a community forum and needs assessment, we began working with
community “links,” or change agents, to address the most pressing needs of this
primarily Liberian and Sierra Leonean population (Landau, 2007). The leaders of
this emerging community organization decided it would be best to operate as a
project under the auspices of our nonprofit, Refuge. The first priority was to
establish a community space that was geographically accessible to refugees living
in the housing projects in the Parkhill neighborhood of Staten Island. The housing
management donated a space that was converted into a community drop-in
International Trauma Studies Program 223

center and named African Refuge. The links understood that many members of
this community of over 4,000 refugees living in close proximity had not taken
advantage of available health and social services. Under the leadership of
Mr. Jacob Massaquoi, a torture survivor himself, who had managed to escape the
civil wars in Liberia and gain political asylum in the United States, African Refuge
began offering basic social services and acted as a much-needed bridge between
community members and provider organizations. The center grew, organically
responding to expressed needs of the refugees coming to the center, providing
immigration assistance, access to health insurance and health care, job and edu-
cational counseling, computer education and access, informational forums, and
case-work services. The strategy was to offer needed services to whoever came in
to the center and ask for only a minimum of information from this highly suspi-
cious population of refugees. They were not only dealing with the emotional
aftermath of the war, and the loss of family members, home and property, but also
the challenges of now living in one of the most impoverished and crime-ridden
neighborhoods of New York City.
A number of collaborative arts projects were implemented at Africa Refuge.
One such project was Coming Home, an arts initiative that used photography and
film to connect older Liberians in the Diaspora with friends and family at home.
A group of eight elders in Staten Island, NY, came together over the course of two
months to create messages for the project coordinator, Serena Chaudhry, to carry
to friends and family in Liberia. Then Ms. Chaudhry delivered the messages,
filmed responses, and returned them to the Staten Island community. Coming
Home culminated in a multimedia exhibit in December 2006 at the Snug Harbor
Cultural Center on Staten Island. The exhibit featured stories, photos, and films
taken by the elders and their friends, families, and allies.
The mission of African Refuge was to find successful ways of delivering services
to survivors of torture and war. Within two years, Mr. Massaquoi and his small
group of community volunteers had managed to provide services and referrals for
close to 600 community members. A survey of those attending the center for services
found that over 80 percent of the adult participants had experienced the recent
wars, and close to 50 percent of them reported personal experiences of having been
tortured. With the success of the program, the housing management in Parkhill
offered African Refuge another space to create a youth and family center.
By 2007 African Refuge had created a collaborative, after-school tutoring
program in partnership with the International Rescue Committee and was
establishing a Youth Task Force in Staten Island to address the growing needs of
African refugee youth and strategies to reduce tensions between these youth and
other ethnic groups. With the establishment of the Liberian Truth and Recon-
ciliation Commission’s Diaspora statement-taking program, African Refuge
became an implementing partner with this commission, under the leadership of
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, in providing outreach, community
sensitization, and psychosocial follow-up for statement givers. Responding to
the need to promote improved intergroup relations and collaboration as essential
224 The New Humanitarians

ingredients in the African refugees’ adaptation to life in the United States,

African Refuge widened its scope to address the needs of anyone from the
neighborhood in need of services. ITSP would continue to provide technical
assistance and capacity building in order to promote African Refuge as an
African-focused torture and refugee psychosocial program.
The year 2007 also saw the development of ITSP’s first field-based training
program in Arua, Uganda, under the leadership of ITSP’s director of international
training, Dr. Nancy Baron. The program was a response to the need to provide
training in the development of psychosocial programs in developing countries as
well as offer a train-the–trainer course. The site in Uganda could accommodate
students from the United States and Europe as well as provide training for
psychosocial staff working for NGOs in Africa and the Middle East.
As we enter our tenth year, ITSP has refined its mission to continue to
research family and community resilience approaches with populations that have
endured massive trauma and loss, and to build the capacity of a diverse group of
professionals involved in this work on a national and international level. Over the
past ten years, ITSP has developed an audio-visual library of over 600 hours of
workshops, and is now pursuing the technology to make these resources, as well
as current education activities, available to international groups requesting
assistance and partnership in developing similar programs in their countries.
The International Trauma Studies Program has also initiated an annual
multidisciplinary conference in trauma studies for the general public. A con-
ference in 2007, titled “Narratives of Suffering and Transformation,” brought
together professionals and students from the fields of psychology, psycho-
analysis, anthropology, literary and performance studies, human rights and
law, journalism, and the arts to examine current constructions of social trauma
and the War in Iraq.

WHAT HAS MADE ITSP DISTINCT?

ITSP’s distinct contribution to the field of trauma, mental health, and psychoso-
cial response has been largely shaped by three factors: our focus on working with
survivors of political violence from a systemic approach, our location in New York
City, and our firsthand experience as responders to the World Trade Center attacks.
Many of us at ITSP have come to trauma work with a theoretical perspective
grounded in a family systems approach, as well as experience working with sur-
vivors of political violence. This has, from the beginning, led us to attend to the
social and political dimensions of traumatic suffering and, in particular, to the
social contexts in which people recover or are vulnerable to exploitation. Two
members of our faculty, Esther Perel and Steven Reisner, both children of sur-
vivors of the Nazi Holocaust, have brought an invaluable perspective to the pro-
gram based on their firsthand knowledge of survivor families and communities,
as well as their experience working in theater. Other faculty and advisors—Soeren
Buus Jensen, Judith Landau, Nancy Baron, Nancy Wallace, and Donna Gaffney—
International Trauma Studies Program 225

have had extensive international mental health and human rights experience in
diverse cultures, which has reinforced a comprehensive approach that includes
interventions with populations at multiple levels of the individual, family, com-
munity, and society at large.
As the program has developed in New York City, we have benefited from
resources and opportunities that have strengthened our international and multi-
disciplinary perspectives, including the presence of the United Nations, interna-
tional humanitarian and human rights organizations, academic institutions, and
the city itself as a center for media and the arts. New York City as an international
crossroads has enabled ITSP to have ongoing exchanges with visiting scholars,
practitioners, and students. The large and diverse immigrant population in New
York City naturally challenges professionals working with diverse populations to
articulate the cultural meanings, biases, and values underlying their work.
Since we have been have working on the development of international mental
health and psychosocial response during the past decade, our firsthand experience
as a local population of residents and professionals dealing with the impact of
9/11 has provided invaluable experience of the challenges in doing this work. Even
though our experience in New York was markedly different from the experiences
of those in developing countries, where resources and systems of mental health
care are almost nonexistent, there were some similar difficulties. We witnessed
some of the same problems seen elsewhere in emergency response, such as the dif-
ficulties of coordination, responding to the needs of local populations, and the
challenges of collaborative engagement with communities in developing systems
of care. We saw the limits of U.S. national approaches to disaster and terrorism
preparedness and response, and the conflicts of interest that are created when dis-
aster response is outsourced to profit-oriented companies. This experience has
strengthened our advocacy for both top-down and grassroots approaches to dis-
aster preparedness and response.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES
The greatest organizational challenge faced by ITSP as a small nonprofit organ-
ization has been making the choice to pursue only funding for research and pro-
gram development that fits our mission. We have had many opportunities to
pursue available funding in the trauma field, which focuses on the predominant
scientific discourse, privileges symptom reduction, and tends to ignore the social
and political environment of the affected populations. These avenues of revenue,
while plentiful, would take us in a different direction than we believe is needed, so
in the face of underfunding, we have chosen to find independent, creative solu-
tions. Just as in most places in the world where populations are recovering from
disasters, we have had to be innovative and to rely on the goodwill of volunteers.
Many senior professionals have devoted a great deal of volunteer time to our com-
munity psychosocial and arts projects. The lack of resources has also reinforced the
need to engage survivors themselves as equal partners in the project of healing.
226 The New Humanitarians

This approach has enabled us to do pilot work that now informs current
research proposals. Because of the focus on our work, we have also become a
resource for an international network of professionals in the mental health field
that has been developing culturally sensitive family- and community-based
approaches to trauma work.
Another challenge we face is finding adequate funding for community-based
organizations. This is illustrated in the current work we are doing with the West
African refugee community where we are developing a task force to strengthen the
capacity of the community to address the needs of their youth. Funding for this
type of service is usually directed to large organizations, while very little funding
goes where it is needed most: directly to community-based organizations. As a
result of this situation, the large organizations outside the community have the
financial resources to do the work but do not have access to the local population.
The community-based organizations, who are more in tune with the needs of the
community members and have the greater ability to engage them in seeking serv-
ices, have access but insufficient resources to provide these services themselves. As
we have learned, when a community-based organization such as African Refuge
engages the community, the demand for services often stretches the organization
beyond its resources. At the same time, the large provider organizations with
funding look to the community organizations for help in referring clients to
them, but are usually unable to fund the community organizations for this very
time-consuming outreach work. The community organizations, consequently,
often feel ethically compelled to provide unreimbursed outreach services to the
large organizations, which depletes the smaller organization’s resources. We end
up having to advocate for the community organizations so that their capacity is
not undermined by the larger provider organizations.
Over the years, our training program has relied on the contributions of senior
professionals who have not been available to become part of an ongoing core
group for the organization because of competing commitments. For the most
part, it has not been financially possible to fund such professionals to be available
on an ongoing basis. Instead, we have been supporting the development of an
alumni community that can contribute to the development of the organization as
well as provide voluntary support and consultation for the organization’s activi-
ties. Still, there is need for administrative support to help maintain the program
and provide a structure for continued education, project support, and referral for
clinical services and workshops.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS
Over the past ten years, the upsurge in interest in the psychosocial and mental
health consequences to people who have suffered traumatic events has led to
numerous training and intervention programs. These programs have been directed
at the effects of torture, war, natural disasters, and the consequences of individual,
familial, and communal violence. Experience and evidence has shown that there
International Trauma Studies Program 227

are few trained professionals capable of mounting an effective response to these

situations. Experts rushing in from other countries frequently lack an understanding
of the language, culture, and political context of the countries to whose needs they
are responding, and their programs frequently are not integrated into existing
response structures. These efforts, hastily organized, provide short-term interven-
tions that leave people without support for their long-term needs.
In response to the ongoing training needs, the International Trauma Studies
Program is currently in the process of refining its goals for the future. Based on a
review of current research in the field, the documentation of hundreds of hours
of workshop presentations and discussions, and a body of clinical and community
data collected in both our international and local work as well as through conver-
sations with our network of faculty and program participants, a number of obser-
vations have emerged as starting points for our future direction.
First, as we have seen in international responses to catastrophes in recent years,
Western mental health perspectives and efforts often have suffered from an arro-
gance and a lack of self-criticism and openness that have led to ineffective and
economically wasteful efforts worldwide, and in many cases, have been damaging
because they have undermined local capacities and ways of coping with traumatic
events. Fortunately, there has been an emerging consensus about core principles
that should guide future international work, as well as a set of best practices,
recently published in the IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial
Support in Emergency Settings (IASC, 2007). The core principles of this work
include the promotion of human rights and equity, maximizing the participation
of local populations in humanitarian response, doing no harm, building on avail-
able resources and capacities, integrating support systems, and developing a mul-
tilayered set of complimentary supports that meets the needs of diverse groups.
What we have advocated in New York in response to local mental health needs
(such as work with refugees and response to the World Trade Center attacks) has
been to learn from international expertise in dealing with catastrophe. This view
has been further reinforced through exposure to numerous international pro-
grams as well as experience in the field. We are in the process of making available
through our website (www.itspnyc.org) training resources that can be accessed by
international practitioners. There is currently a need for more research and devel-
opment of evidence-based practices that focus on collaborative or participatory
models of working with families and communities.
Another observation that has been important in defining our future direction is
that promotion of psychosocial well-being is a process that in many contexts must
be addressed in relation to the needs within a community to promote justice,
reconciliation, and broader social development. One of the current challenges in
our field is how we might develop participatory approaches in post-conflict settings
that are culturally and contextually appropriate. How do we engage with local
communities so that they can develop their own solutions to redress past griev-
ances and promote individual and collective healing? How can we address the
larger social, political, and economic causes of suffering as an integral part of
228 The New Humanitarians

advancing psychosocial well-being. And what are the human resources and sources
of resilience that may promote processes of coexistence between previously con-
flicted groups? These are some of the questions that will be central to future train-
ing and research initiatives at ITSP.
A third observation that has already informed our work, as well as our training
program, is that what may be the most effective tool in building capacity to address
the needs of populations dealing with catastrophe is the development of supportive
helper communities. ITSP has already engaged in a process of convening alumni
groups and creating online communities of professionals and community workers
in need of support and educational resources to enhance their work. We envision,
during the next year, developing a global classroom that can bring professionals
together from different countries for workshops and ongoing consultation, super-
vision, and peer support.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: International Trauma Studies Program
Founder/Executive Director: Jack Saul
Mission/Description: The_International Trauma Studies Program (ITSP) per-
spective is that recent natural and human-made catastrophes have highlighted
the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the study, treatment, and preven-
tion of trauma-related suffering. ITSP is now a training and research program
affiliated with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The
program has been enriched by the participation of a diverse student body,
ranging from mental health professionals, healthcare providers, attorneys, and
human rights advocates to journalists and media professionals, academicians,
oral historians, and artists. Students and professionals are given the opportu-
nity to develop and share innovative approaches to address the psychosocial
needs of trauma survivors, their families, and their communities. ITSP offers a
dynamic combination of academic studies, research, and practical experience
working with trauma survivors in New York City, the United States, and
abroad.
Website: http://www.itspnyc.org/
Address: International Trauma Studies
c/o Jack Saul, Ph.D.
245 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2205
New York, NY 10016
Phone: 212-889-8117
Fax: 212-889-8117
E-mail: jacksaul@mac.com
International Trauma Studies Program 229

REFERENCES
Agger, I., & Jensen, S. B. (1990). Testimony as ritual and evidence in psychotherapy for
political refugees. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3(1), 115–130.
Agger, I., and Jensen, S. B. (1993). Trauma and healing under state terrorism. London:
Zed Books.
Baron, N., Jensen, S. B., & de Jong, J. T. V. M. (2002). Mental health of refugees and inter-
nally displaced people. In J. Fairbanks, M. Friedman, J. de Jong, B. Green, & S. Solomon.
(Eds.). Guidelines for psychosocial policy and practice in social and humanitarian crises
(pp. 243–270). New York: Report to the United Nations.
Fullilove, M., & Saul, J. (2006). Rebuilding communities post-disaster: Lessons from 9/11.
In Y. Neria, R. Gross, R. Marshall, & E. Susser. (Eds.). September 11, 2001: Treatment,
research and public mental health in the wake of a terrorist attack (pp. 164–177).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (2007). IASC Guidelines on mental health and psychosocial
support in emergency settings. Geneva: IASC.
Klein, H. (2003) Survival and trials of revival: Psychodynamic studies of Holocaust survivors
and their families in Israel and the diaspora. Posthumous manuscript.
Landau, J. (2007). Enhancing resilience: Families and communities as agents for change.
Family Process, 46(3), 351–365.
Landau, J., & Saul, J. (2004). Facilitating family and community resilience in response to major
disaster. In F. Walsh & M. McGoldrick. (Eds.). Living beyond loss. New York: Norton.
Pulleyblank-Coffey, E., Griffith, J, & Ulaj, J. (2006). The first community mental health
center in Kosovo. In A. Lightburn & P. Session. (Eds.), Handbook of community-based
clinical practice (pp. 514–528). New York: Oxford University Press.
Reisner, S. Private trauma/public drama: Theater as a response to international political vio-
lence, In SF Online, 2.1 (Summer, 2003) (http://www.barnard.columbia.edu/sfonline/
ps/reisner.htm).
Saul, J. (1999). Working with survivors of torture and political violence in New York City.
Zeitschrift für Politische Psychologie, 7(1–2), 221–232.
Saul, J. (2007). Promoting community resilience in lower Manhattan after September 11,
2001 [monograph]. American Family Therapy Academy: Systemic Responses to Disaster;
Stories of the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Winter 2007, 69–75.
Saul, J., Ukshini, S., Blyta, A., & Statovci, S. (2003). Strength-based treatment of trauma in
the aging: An Albanian Kosovar case study. In J. Ronch & J. Goldfield. (Eds.). Mental well-
ness in aging: Strength based approaches (pp. 299–314). London: Health Professions Press.
Weine, S., Danieli, Y., Silove, D., Van Ommeren, M., Fairbank, J., Saul, J. (2002). Guidelines
for international training in mental health and psychosocial interventions for trauma-
exposed populations in clinical and community settings. Psychiatry: Interpersonal and
Biological Processes, 65(2), 156–164.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Media Articles about Our Work
Barry, E. (2007, October 31). Seeking hidden accounts of atrocity. Retrieved from New
York Times website. June 4, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/nyregion/
31reconcile.html?_r=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/B/Barry,%20Ell
en&oref=slogin.
230 The New Humanitarians

Cohen, P. (1999, May 8). The study of trauma graduates at last. Retrieved from New York
Times website. June 4, 2008, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A05
E0DD1F3CF93BA35756C0A96F958260.
Riccardi, S. (2001, August 3). Where journalism strokes ethnic hostility. Retrieved
September 24, 2003, from the University of Washington, Dart Center for Trauma and
Journalism website, www.dartcenter.org.
Rosenberg, T. (1997, December 28) To hell and back. Retrieved from New York Times web-
site, June 4, 2008, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9807E5DC123EF93
BA15751C1A961958260.
Saul, J. (2002, September 11). 2 pillars are crucial to helping children adjust. New York
Times, p. 17.
Schmitt, E. (1997, December 21). Asylum agents learn to assess tales of torture. New York
Times, p. A1.
Waters, R. (2004, November/December). The citizen therapist: Making a difference in the
wider world. Surviving disaster: Jack Saul believes communities are the antidote for
trauma. Psychotherapy Networker, pp. 40–41.

Video and Performance

Saul, J. (producer), & Ray, J. (director). (2002). A partnership for kids: Post 9/11 coping
strategies for the school community [video]. New York: International Trauma Studies
Program, NYU.
Saul, J. (producer), & Reisner, S. (director). (2000). Head soup: The work of Theater Arts
Against Political Violence [theatrical production]. New York: Refuge.
Saul, J. (producer), & Gampel, A. (director). (2003). Everything’s back to normal in New York
City: Below Canal, a work in progress [theatrical production]. New York: Downtown
Community Resource Center, International Trauma Studies Program, NYU.

Websites
African Refuge. www.africanresilience.org.
Coming Home: Connecting Older Liberians in the Diaspora with Family and Friends Back
Home. www.itspnyc.org/african_refuge/cominghome.html.
International Trauma Studies Program. www.itspnyc.org.
Theater Arts Against Political Violence. www.itspnyc.org/theater_arts_against.html.
 12

Center for Health, Intervention,

and Prevention
Jeffrey D. Fisher

The Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP) is based at the
University of Connecticut (UConn) in Storrs, Connecticut. Since its inception,
CHIP has created new scientific knowledge in the areas of health behavior
(understanding how and why people behave as they do with respect to their
health) and health behavior change (understanding how to change individuals’
unhealthy behavior to embrace more healthy alternatives). This knowledge is used
by CHIP to design, implement, and evaluate practical interventions to change
unhealthy behaviors (e.g., sexual and drug use behaviors that can transmit HIV)
in populations at risk for poor health and even death. Worldwide, many such pop-
ulations are impoverished and disenfranchised, experience serious health dispar-
ities, and are urgently in need of interventions to help protect them from poor
health. CHIP designs its interventions with substantial input from behavioral sci-
entists, from those who will receive the interventions, and from those who will
implement them (J. Fisher, Cornman, Norton, & Fisher, 2006). Its interventions
are theory based, cost-effective, and designed to be widely disseminated to large
numbers of individuals to maximize the interventions’ impact on seemingly
intractable health problems. Work at CHIP helps to advance health promotion
science and practice at the national and international levels.
CHIP started as the University of Connecticut AIDS Risk Reduction Project
(ARRP) in 1985, in an attempt to respond to the emerging international HIV pan-
demic. Since the early 1980s, HIV has killed approximately 27.1 million people
worldwide (UNAIDS, 2007) and remains today an extremely serious global health
threat. In CHIP’s early years as ARRP, its research was focused entirely on increas-
ing HIV prevention behaviors in populations at risk. It was essentially the work of
two brothers, Jeff and Bill Fisher. My brother Bill and I were born on the same day
three years apart. We shared birthday parties as children and experienced sibling
rivalry growing up. We both went to graduate school in social psychology at Purdue

231
232 The New Humanitarians

University, overlapping in our studies by one year. I became a professor at the

University of Connecticut, and Bill became a professor at the University of Western
Ontario. Our early HIV prevention research was funded by a single grant from the
U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and we were assisted in our work
by a few staff members.
We had grown up in the 1960s (a “curse” in that we felt a need to do something
to try to “change the world”), and both of us had become disaffected with some
of the focus of social psychology, the field in which we had received our doctor-
ates. Although social psychology had the theoretical insights, methodologies, and
statistical procedures to make important contributions to the solution of critical
social and health problems, it tended to eschew such activities. In stark contrast,
from our early days as graduate students, our orientation, nurtured by our mentor,
Dr. Donn Byrne, had been to apply social psychological theories and experimental
methods to address “real world” problems.
We both had done early theoretical and applied work on human sexuality
with Byrne, and had worked together and even jointly published a study on condom
purchasing behavior while in graduate school (W. Fisher, Fisher, & Byrne, 1977).
However, until the start of the HIV epidemic, the preponderance of my early
career work had been on recipient reactions to help (e.g., exploring what types of
help spawn the greatest subsequent self-help efforts by recipients), and most of
Bill’s had been on pregnancy prevention and on the effects of sexual stimuli on
human behavior. After about ten post-PhD years researching different areas, we
began working together again early in the HIV epidemic on human sexual
behavior—and especially on how to change HIV risk behavior. This work ulti-
mately led to the creation of CHIP.
I had been a professor at the University of Connecticut for over twenty years
when CHIP began with the goal of creating a scholarly environment in which theory
in social psychology and the behavioral sciences could be applied to address HIV
risk behavior and other critical public health problems. CHIP’s work would have
demonstrable applied implications for fostering health behavior change in those
at risk. It would be a place where linking behavioral science theory, rigorous
research methodology, and “real world” applications would be the norm, rather
than the exception. CHIP would be a research enterprise in which such activity
would be nurtured in any way possible. In many academic disciplines, applica-
tion is paid little more than “lip service,” and in fact, is regarded as of secondary
importance to theory. CHIP would be different. It would demonstrate repeatedly
that applied problem- and solution-focused research questions are exceptional
contexts in which to develop powerful theories that actually work to predict and
change human behavior.
CHIP would also be multidisciplinary, rather than adopting the typical
structure of a university department, which supports only a single discipline.
A multidisciplinary approach to health problems (e.g., involving behavioral
scientists from different disciplines working together with physicians, nurses,
and even patients) could produce sophisticated approaches to health issues, as
Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 233

well as considerable synergies. Many aspects of CHIP would foster multidisci-

plinary health behavior change research. CHIP would assist its members in
forming multidisciplinary research groups, fund pilot work by these teams, and
ultimately assist them to identify funders for the resulting large-scale research,
intervention implementation, and/or dissemination projects. It would attempt
to offer more administrative support to those with grants than did typical uni-
versity departments so that researchers could focus on what they do best—
research and application—rather than grants administration. In contrast to
many university departments, CHIP would have a scholarly, an applied, and an
entrepreneurial focus. It would also have a somewhat different culture: be
faster paced, be more able to react quickly and outside the box administra-
tively, and be more service oriented toward its affiliates. Universities sometimes
create “centers” to serve these types of functions, and in some cases, provide
them with significant financial support. The University of Connecticut already
had several centers, but none of them performed the type of work I envisioned
for CHIP. So I petitioned the university to start a new center with the charac-
teristics outlined above.

CHIP’S PREDECESSOR
Bill and I had been involved in HIV prevention research since the start of the
HIV epidemic in the early 1980s. We planned our first HIV-related research study
sitting around our parents’ dining room table in Ohio one Thanksgiving, and we
crystallized the ideas that ultimately were reflected in the theoretical model that
would guide most of our health behavior change research at a breakfast table at an
early HIV prevention conference in Vermont. Our first HIV prevention research,
and the initial work of CHIP’s predecessor, ARRP, in 1985, focused on the rela-
tionship between fear of AIDS and AIDS preventive behavior. It addressed the
question, Was a particular level of fear of HIV associated with optimal levels of
HIV preventive behavior? The research was funded with a $1,000 grant from the
Society for the Scientific Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), followed by a $50,000
grant on this topic from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada and several small grants from the University of Connecticut.
ARRP’s—and our—first large grant (for about $2 million) was from the U.S.
NIMH, beginning in 1989 and extending to 1995. It focused on a theory-based
approach to designing, implementing, and evaluating HIV risk behavior change
interventions in college students. As part of that grant, we created an intervention
for mixed-sex groups of college students—implemented in dormitories—that
was effective in lowering students’ HIV risk behavior. The work was based on the
Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills (IMB) model of HIV risk and preven-
tion (J. Fisher & Fisher, 1992; W. Fisher & Fisher, 1993; J. Fisher & Fisher, 2002;
W. Fisher, Fisher, & Harman, 2003; J. Fisher, Fisher, & Shuper, in press) initially
developed over breakfast in Vermont, which has since been very widely cited and
used in health behavior change research at CHIP and internationally. From 1995
234 The New Humanitarians

to 2000 our work focused on using the IMB model to design, implement, and
evaluate cutting-edge interventions to reduce HIV risk behavior in minority
urban high school students. It pitted peer-based versus teacher-based HIV pre-
vention interventions against one another in an effort to ascertain the most effec-
tive way to perform large-scale HIV prevention interventions in urban high
schools. As part of this work, we developed a low-cost HIV prevention interven-
tion for inner-city high school students that changed their AIDS risk behavior
and maintained it at lower levels.
The seeds of the much larger entity that CHIP comprises today were sown in
1997 when the university approved the formation of the Center for HIV Inter-
vention and Prevention, the predecessor to the current CHIP. (So in a sense, this
chapter is written on CHIP’s tenth anniversary.) By 1997 Bill and I were compet-
ing with much larger organizations for very substantial grants, and the name
AIDS Risk Reduction Project (ARRP) was obsolete. Organizations with similar
names were based in the community, not in academia, and were doing a very dif-
ferent type of work, so I asked the university for permission to start a new multi-
disciplinary center to replace ARRP. I believed this would help us win our next,
much larger grant. This project focused on developing, implementing, and evalu-
ating theory-based interventions to change HIV risk behavior in seropositive
individuals (people living with HIV/AIDS). It was a huge departure for the HIV
prevention field since the bulk of extant HIV prevention interventions were done
with seronegatives (people who did not have HIV). Typical interventions
attempted to help prevent seronegatives from acquiring HIV but ignored seropos-
itives, who—if they did not practice safer sexual and drug use behavior—could
spread HIV and damage their own health by acquiring other pathogens. Clearly,
a more complete approach to HIV prevention would have to involve interventions
for both seropositives and seronegatives.
Based on the strength of our previous work, in 1997 the university agreed to
initiate the new multidisciplinary center, without committing any money, and
with the stipulation that it must quickly succeed in acquiring substantial outside
funding. The document authorizing the center stated that if substantial funding
did not follow, the center could be closed. Fortunately, instead, $3.5 million for
our seropositives prevention research project was provided by the U.S. NIMH.
The project involved teaching physicians theory-based approaches to having
effective conversations about prevention with their seropositive patients in order
to help lower patients’ levels of risky sexual and drug use behavior. The physician-
based intervention was successful, and has since been modified for use by other
types of health care providers with seropositive individuals. This intervention
approach has been disseminated throughout the world.
In addition to the seropositives prevention project, the grant proposals that
CHIP submitted for other projects were also successful. Much to CHIP’s good for-
tune, in the next few years, critical new faculty and other PhDs with research
interests and/or funding in HIV prevention were recruited to UConn, and they
joined CHIP. Adding Blair Johnson, Kerry Marsh, Deborah Cornman, Rivet
Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 235

Amico, Mike Copenhaver, and Bede Agocha turned CHIP into a much more sub-
stantial operation. CHIP also began to receive institutional support from the
Department of Psychology, the dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the vice
provost for Research and Graduate Education (VPRGE), and began to thrive as an
expanded entity.
There were still critical unfilled needs for increased center support, so in 2002,
CHIP began to negotiate a successor agreement with the university. Under this
new agreement, CHIP would become one of a select few university research cen-
ters, and would receive substantial institutional support. The university would
provide CHIP with newly constructed, 9,000 square feet of research and office
space as well as funds to create a shared research and administrative infrastruc-
ture. Since our first grant, all CHIP research administration had been done solely
by the Department of Psychology. It was important to have some of our own
administrative staff located physically within the center so they could perform
essential work “close to home” and still interface with the Department of Psy-
chology. The agreement also included money for seed grants to fund pilot
research to provide promising data and to lead to more successful, and larger,
externally funded projects. Under the new agreement, CHIP’s charge was to
become a major multidisciplinary center for health behavior change research
throughout the University of Connecticut system.
Consistent with this charge, CHIP undertook an extensive inventory to iden-
tify faculty with interests in health behavior change research across the several
campuses of the university. Faculty with relevant interests were asked if they
wanted to affiliate with the center, and CHIP went from having 5 affiliates in
2002 to over 115 at present. Also in 2002, with the help of the Psychology
Department head, the dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the provost, we
recruited Seth Kalichman, an important HIV prevention researcher, to come to
UConn from Wisconsin Medical College. At that point, CHIP affiliates included
psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, communications scientists, nursing
scientists, kinesiologists, nutritional scientists, statisticians, physicians, psychia-
trists, computer scientists, and others representing each school and college of
the institution (Photo 12.1). In addition, graduate students who received their
PhDs with CHIP faculty began to affiliate formally when they received their
degrees and continued their affiliation from their new institutions. Faculty from
other universities in the United States and abroad with interests in health behav-
ior change joined CHIP as well. To accommodate this influx of new affiliates,
CHIP began to hire more of its own administrative personnel and took over a
greater share of its administrative work.
Yearly external grant funding for CHIP research grew geometrically. In 2002
total costs expended by CHIP on research comprised about $1.4 million. Dramat-
ically, CHIP research funding has grown almost sixfold, to $8.3 million per year,
since CHIP became a university research center in 2002. This was done in several
ways. We “primed the pump” and stimulated additional research grant applications
in existing CHIP faculty affiliates and research personnel by providing seed grants
236 The New Humanitarians

Figure 12.1 Some of CHIP’s Research Affiliates: from left, Bill Fisher, Michael
Copenhaver, Jeff Fisher, Seth Kalichman, Leslie Snyder, Blair Johnson, Kerry Marsh, Bede
Agocha, Deborah Cornman. Courtesy of Dollie Harvey, University of Connecticut.

for promising research likely to lead to external funding. Seed grant proposals are
reviewed by a panel of CHIP experts using NIMH grant review criteria and rules,
and mentoring reviews are provided to applicants. If a proposal is not funded, sug-
gestions are given on how to make it stronger for the next round of seed grants.
Moreover, we provide faculty with information on potential external grant-
funding opportunities, form groups of researchers to pursue them (when neces-
sary), and support these groups in any way possible. CHIP provides institutional
funding for both substantive and statistical/methodological presubmission reviews
of CHIP external grant applications by outside experts to give its affiliates an
“edge” in the peer review process. CHIP also hosts an active, biweekly lunch time
“health behavior change” speaker series with internationally known guest speakers
who meet with interested CHIP faculty and students to discuss their interests and
stimulate new research.
Universities often do not provide faculty who have grants with adequate
administrative support, and therefore having a grant can become a burden. CHIP
attempts to provide excellent administrative support to its affiliates after their
grants are funded. Because of CHIP’s very large increase in outside grant funds,
since 2002 there has been substantial growth in the university’s funding of CHIP’s
research infrastructure, which assists CHIP’s grant-funded faculty. In the past five
years, the UConn administration has provided CHIP with several administrative
positions to handle grant- and center-related financial, personnel, and program-
related matters, and with additional monies to fund seed grants to support future
faculty research. In 2002 the CHIP administrative team had only one employee; in
2007 there were eleven CHIP administrative employees (8.25 FTE). Overall,
CHIP’s administrative and operations budget from the university has increased
Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 237

from about $350,000 in 2002 to about $800,000 in 2007. There has been a
corresponding increase in grant-funded research employees. In 2002 CHIP had a
relatively small number of these staff members, but in 2008, there were about
100 grant-funded research staff working on CHIP research projects in
Connecticut and around the world.
The more than twofold increase per year in university support and the sixfold
increase per year in external grant funding (from $1.4 to $8.3 million) since 2002
have helped CHIP develop new HIV prevention interventions in South Africa,
Mozambique, China, Uganda, India, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam, New Zealand, and
Ukraine. This work has included HIV prevention interventions that focus on
seronegative and seropositive individuals, as well as on heterosexual, homosexual,
and injection drug using populations, among others. Other groups that have been
the focus of CHIP’s HIV prevention interventions have involved adolescents, sexu-
ally transmitted disease clinic patients, soldiers in African countries, and prisoners.
Some of CHIP’s intervention work is designed to benefit a particular group of
individuals in a particular place. But much more often and as a matter of princi-
ple, CHIP interventions are built from the very start so that that if they are found
to be effective, they can be disseminated nationally and internationally, and reach
very large numbers of people cheaply and effectively. Innovative work in this
realm has involved interventions that have peers, rather than traditional interven-
ers, intervene to help other peers practice safer sex and drug use. In addition to
my own work, this type of intervention has been implemented by Bob Broadhead,
Bill Fisher, and Seth Kalichman, among others. Peers have certain advantages as
interveners, in that they can “walk the walk, and talk the talk” of the target popu-
lation, have greater access to them, and perhaps have greater credibility with them
than others might have. Peers also have a unique ability to advocate new behav-
iors and in so doing, to change group norms and expectations for what types of
behavior are acceptable, which can help maintain behavior change over time.
Although initiating new, healthier behaviors is critical to health behavior change,
it is maintaining these new behaviors over long periods of time that is essential for
substantial, sustained changes in public health. Effective peer-based interventions
developed in CHIP have involved urban, minority, high school students interven-
ing to promote HIV prevention in other students, and even having active injec-
tion drug users intervene to promote HIV prevention in other active injection
drug users. We have also identified some unique situations in which peer-based
interventions may fail (e.g., when peer networks are unstable, or when peer inter-
veners begin to display, over time, antisocial behaviors inconsistent with what they
advocated in the intervention).
Peers have been used in other novel ways in CHIP’s HIV prevention interven-
tions. We have found that individuals in some groups that practice risky behavior
feel invulnerable to HIV—they believe they could never become HIV positive.
When asked what it would take to make them feel vulnerable to HIV, these indi-
viduals often answer “show me someone who is ‘just like me,’ who practices the
same risk behaviors that I practice, but who has contracted HIV,” or “show me that
238 The New Humanitarians

someone who I consider attractive, and could imagine myself having sex with,
could be HIV infected.” This has led us to create powerful videos of real people
living with HIV, some of whom are very attractive, who tell their stories and
establish their similarities to high school or college student audiences. Each of
these people contracted HIV in high school or college. We have found that exposure
to these videos increases HIV testing behavior in the audience, and in concert with
the other HIV prevention intervention components, leads to sustained behavior
change in young people.
Another area in which CHIP researchers have taken the lead is in interven-
tions to promote safer sex among individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Historically,
most HIV prevention interventions have focused on helping HIV seronegative
individuals stay uninfected. The most effective way to accomplish this goal
involves fielding a “mixture” of interventions, some targeting seronegatives and
others targeting seropositives—and promoting safer sex and drug use in both
populations. Interventions for seropositives can help them practice safer behav-
iors, so they do not spread the virus to seronegatives or infect themselves with
other pathogens. CHIP research on understanding the unique HIV risk dynam-
ics of seropositives (which differ in important ways from risk dynamics among
seronegatives), and on learning how to harness this knowledge and use it to
change risky behaviors in this critical population, has been pathbreaking. The
Healthy Relationships and Options interventions for seropositives developed at
CHIP by Kalichman and associates, and by Bill, myself, and our associates,
respectively, have been disseminated worldwide.
Other interventions for seropositives developed at CHIP have involved helping
them to adhere to antiretroviral medications (ARVs), which can save their lives. If
people on ARVs don’t take the medicines about 95 percent of the time, and many
do not, they can develop a resistant virus, which is difficult to impossible to treat,
and which can be transmitted to others through unsafe sex or drug use. People
infected by these individuals may also contract difficult to impossible-to-treat
viruses. High levels of ARV adherence, which are critical to avoid developing a
resistant virus and transmitting it through risky behavior, are very difficult to
maintain and must be sustained indefinitely. Therefore, creating adherence-
enhancement interventions is challenging and at the same time astoundingly
important. Theory-based interventions by Kalichman’s team and our team, and
by others in CHIP, have helped seropositive individuals increase and sustain their
adherence to ARVs. One CHIP intervention program, funded by NIMH, involved
creating software to assess the dynamics of each patient’s nonadherence, and
offering highly engaging, interactive, tailored interventions to address and reme-
diate the causes of poor adherence.
With a strong presence in the HIV prevention and ARV adherence fields, CHIP
moved to diversify to other health behavior change areas. This was motivated
partly by the university’s mandate for CHIP to become a broadly based health
behavior change center, partly by the fact that CHIP’s expertise could easily be
applied in other health behavior change areas, and partly because, as in the stock
market, a broad grant portfolio protects against a “downturn” in research funding
Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 239

in any one area. CHIP already had excellent research on issues related to research
synthesis, by Blair Johnson and associates, in its portfolio. This research involves
the use of sophisticated statistical procedures to assess across multiple research
studies and determine what types of interventions are most effective for prevent-
ing a given health threat. Some of Johnson’s research synthesis work was in the
HIV prevention realm, and some was in other health behavior change areas. Addi-
tional new research outside HIV prevention included work by Leslie Snyder and
associates on using social marketing techniques to promote healthy behavior,
work on cancer prevention and on assisting individuals to cope with cancer,
research on reducing adverse self-medication behaviors in older adults, and work
on pregnancy prevention, exercise genomics, and diet and exercise interventions
for diabetics, among other studies.
The move to diversify CHIP’s research portfolio is still under way, and is
critical. In 2005 CHIP introduced the Center for Health Communication and
Marketing (CHCM), headed by Leslie Snyder, which is a U.S. Centers for Disease
Control (CDC)–funded “center-within-a center” in CHIP. CHCM, like CHIP,
addresses health behavior change across several areas. It helps anchor CHIP in a
broader domain of health behavior change arenas, expands its depth of expertise
to communications sciences (CHIP had previously been especially strong in psy-
chological approaches to health behavior change), and provides a greater diversity
of funding streams (most previous CHIP funding had come from the U.S.
National Institutes of Health [NIH]).
Breadth of focus is important, and diversity of funders is crucial. As previously
stated, CHIP expertise has the potential to benefit public health in many realms,
and it would be desirable to be able to do so. Moreover, diversification across
health behavior change areas and funders—involving both public funding
sources (such as the CDC and NIH) and private sources (such as the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)—is important. To
date, CHIP’s external grant support has consisted predominantly of public fund-
ing. Although CHIP has been very successful obtaining such resources, future
efforts to develop more privately funded research are important. Today, some of
the most innovative and important prevention work worldwide is being funded
by private organizations such as the Gates Foundation.
Although we have attempted to diversify the breadth of CHIP’s research
portfolio across health behavior change domains, we struggle with the question
of how far to move beyond our roots in HIV prevention. In an ideal world,
with unlimited funds and personnel, the answer would be clear. But university
funds available to CHIP for additional expansion of its faculty and research are
limited, and we have to make careful choices. Mostly, CHIP has to rely for new
affiliates on faculty recruited to the university for another reason (e.g., the
teaching and/or research needs of a university department), who then choose
CHIP as the place to base their research. CHIP cannot dictate their areas of
expertise, and is fortunate when new faculty interests correspond to CHIP’s
needs. Such additions, while critical, do not permit CHIP to grow in new areas
in a planful way.
240 The New Humanitarians

With a finite budget, planful growth could mean taking funds from some of
our programs (e.g., seed grants, presubmission grant reviews, “brown bag” lec-
tures) and investing them in a new area (e.g., a position to bolster CHIP cancer
prevention research and coordinate cancer prevention activities). Should CHIP
take resources from current areas of strength—which are providing support for
the entire CHIP research enterprise—and put them into new areas, quite possibly
at a cost to our current functions? Too much of this sort of activity could be risky.
At this point, we have made a commitment to attempt to expand our foci in a few
new, health-related areas; with more financial support and the addition of new
university faculty with interests in other health domains, broader-based expan-
sion could become possible.
One way for CHIP to diversify successfully and quickly is for it to recruit sev-
eral new senior researchers with large—and already funded—grant portfolios in
select new areas. Rather than being a “university department” hire with a CHIP
co-affiliation, such a hire would be a CHIP hire first, with departmental tenure
and co-affiliation. This could quickly jump start research in a new domain. We are
currently recruiting two senior faculty investigators with research interests in any
of these areas: alcohol and drug abuse; prevention, treatment and management of
chronic diseases such as cancer, obesity, or metabolic syndrome; health risk reduc-
tion in other areas; health communication marketing campaigns; dissemination of
effective health behavior change interventions; and intervention cost-effectiveness
analysis. Unfortunately, these types of hires are very rare for university centers. If
we can use them to add new research foci and simultaneously add synergy to some
of our current areas, we will be optimally successful.

THE UNIVERSITY’S MOTIVATION TO SUPPORT CHIP

Aside from small “seed grant” projects, all of CHIP’s research expenditures are
supported entirely by its success at winning external grants. Simply put, our grants
pay the costs of our research. Since 2002 CHIP has successfully competed for over
$54 million in new federal grants, and current annual CHIP research expenditures
are about $8.3 million. Historically, about 60 percent of the external grant dollars
CHIP researchers apply for are ultimately funded, which is an enviable rate of suc-
cess. This is likely because of the quality of CHIP researchers and CHIP research,
as well as the activities CHIP engages in to help its researchers succeed—seed
grants, external presubmission reviews of grants by experts, and others.
Outside of research expenditures, all of CHIP’s operating expenses have been
borne by the University of Connecticut, which has invested about $3.1 million to
cover these expenses (e.g., costs of funding personnel and equipment for CHIP
administration; expenses for seed grants, furniture, office supplies, and more)
since 2002. The university has also invested about $4 million in constructing
about 15,000 square feet of new space for CHIP researchers and administration
during the past five years. This has made it possible for CHIP to have researchers
from different disciplines under one roof, which creates a great deal of synergy in
common physical and intellectual space.
Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 241

Why would a university make such an investment? Universities value research

and teaching, as well as providing service to the community, the state, and ulti-
mately the world. In fact, research, teaching, and service comprise a university’s
stated mission. The work CHIP does is highly consistent with the research mis-
sion of a university, the most valued of the three by many academics. CHIP fac-
ulty affiliates have performed pathbreaking research with important conceptual
and applied significance, and published their work in top-ranking journals. This
work has been highly influential in the health behavior change field and has been
widely disseminated. Within the research mission of a university, “basic” research
has historically been afforded somewhat greater value than applied research—
which is CHIP’s major focus. In addition to the research mission of a university,
the type of work done at CHIP might also favorably impact on faculty members’
teaching, contributing new theoretical models and compelling applications and
illustrations of them. Finally, research that impacts the public health is quite
consistent with a university’s service mission. So in terms of consistency with the
tripartite mission of a major research university, CHIP’s work is appealing,
although perhaps not the most appealing type of activity in which faculty members
might engage. So what else explains the university’s willingness to invest in CHIP
over the past several years?
In addition to serving the missions of the university, the type of work CHIP
performs, which is funded by external sponsors (e.g., NIMH, the CDC, state gov-
ernments, and private foundations) confers significant financial advantages to the
university. Each grant carries a charge (termed “indirect costs” and ranging from
40 percent to over 60 percent, or even higher, depending on the institution), to
pay for the facilities required to perform the work and other necessary activities
such as business and accounting services. University research that is not externally
funded requires the same types of expenditures (e.g., for facilities), but the costs
are not paid by outside funders and must be absorbed by the university. Although
one might not like to think of universities as businesses, in many ways they are.
The money brought into the institution by the grants CHIP receives, and the pres-
tige associated with these grants—in addition to the contributions of grant-
funded work to the missions of the university—are major motivators for the
institution to support the types of activities in which CHIP engages.
When we initially applied to the university for center status in 1997, without
requesting funding, the administration’s acceptance of the proposal was likely
motivated by the fact that the work the new center would do could enhance the
university’s mission. Another critical factor was likely that a successful center
could attract substantial research funding and prestige. In 2002, after receiving
several more very large grants, we petitioned the university for a new agreement
requiring the commitment of substantial university resources: startup expenses to
support a much larger multidisciplinary center, funds to cover the yearly costs of
running the center (i.e., funds to cover the administrative costs of the center, seed
grant funds, and other costs), and monies to build a facility to house the center.
The 2002 request was for about $350,000 for the first year (to provide startup
administrative staff and seed grants), a percentage return on the indirect costs
242 The New Humanitarians

generated by new grants to the center, and a research/office facility that would cost
about $2 million. (In subsequent years, the base operating budget was increased,
and the percentage return on indirect costs was dropped.)
The university agreed to the request, likely because a strong center could help
the institution meet the research and service aspects of its mission, but also
because of the financial benefits associated with supporting a center that was
clearly highly successful at winning grants and apt to become even more so. The
same motivation likely was responsible for the funding of construction of an
expanded CHIP facility in 2006 (6,000 square feet, opening in 2007, to augment
the initial 9,000 square feet constructed in 2003) at a cost of about $1.5 million.
A factor in this decision was also the likelihood that without additional space, it
would be impossible for CHIP to continue to grow its grant portfolio. In 2007,
to help ensure CHIP’s long-term growth and to assist it in expanding its
research base, CHIP was provided with two tenure-track faculty positions,
described above.
What overall returns to the university can be used to justify these expendi-
tures? CHIP’s grant portfolio has grown phenomenally since 2002, when the uni-
versity began to support the center by funding its administrative operations and
constructing space for CHIP. During the period 2002 to the present, yearly CHIP
grant funding has grown sixfold. Over $54 million in new funding, some of
which extends well into the future, has been obtained, which has supported a
great deal of research activity by UConn scholars at CHIP. During the period
2002 to the present, yearly indirect cost returns to the university generated by
CHIP’s grants, which under Connecticut law can be used by the institution to
improve its research infrastructure (e.g., provide research funding to faculty
without grants; purchase research equipment for university departments), have
ranged from about $0.3 million in 2002 to about $1.9 million in 2007 and 2008,
and have totaled in excess of $9 million. The home departments of CHIP faculty
affiliates and their deans also benefit from indirect returns from CHIP grants
(i.e., each receives a percentage of the indirect costs generated by CHIP grants
from members of their faculty). Other nonfinancial benefits to the institution
from CHIP grants involve producing exceptional scholarship, contributing to the
solution of critical worldwide health problems, helping to recruit and retain
excellent faculty and graduate students, and providing graduate assistantships
and unique research settings to support training of a very substantial number of
graduate students per year.
During the 2002–8 interval, total operating cost expenditures on CHIP by the
university have equaled $3.1 million, and construction costs for CHIP facilities
have equaled $4 million. At this point in CHIP’s history, the university has expended
about $7.1 million on CHIP operations and facilities ($3.1 and $4 million, respec-
tively), and has had $9 million in indirect costs returned to it. At present, since
CHIP has sufficient space in which to grow, indirect costs recovered from new
grants can continue to increase without additional facility costs, and the university
may ultimately have made quite a reasonable investment return when considering
Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 243

financial and other benefits (e.g., to its standing among major U.S. research uni-
versities, to its research portfolio, to recruiting and retaining excellent faculty and
graduate students, and to funding graduate student training). CHIP’s operating
expenses over time, which are paid for entirely by the institution, have increased
at a much slower pace than CHIP’s grant portfolio or its indirect cost returns. This
suggests economies of scale and provides confidence that, over time, indirect costs
generated by CHIP grants will very substantially overtake the funds the university
has expended on CHIP operating expenses and facilities construction. (In
the years 2002 to present, CHIP’s indirect returns to the university from its grants
have ranged from twice its operating budget from the institution, to over four
times its operating budget).

EVOLUTION OF CHIP’S STRUCTURE OVER TIME

As CHIP has grown over time, its structure has evolved. CHIP was “born”
within the UConn Department of Psychology and performed its administrative
functions with assistance from that department until September 2007. Until 2004
most major decisions were made by the CHIP director and the Psychology
Department chair, with informal consultation from CHIP affiliates. In 2004
CHIP’s director began to report to the university vice provost for Research and
Graduate Education (VPRGE), and CHIP continued to receive oversight and sub-
stantial administrative support from the Psychology Department. Most major
decisions continued to be made by its director in consultation with the Psychol-
ogy Department head and the VPRGE, again with informal consultation from
CHIP affiliates. In a sense, CHIP was relatively “closely held” by the university.
The reason CHIP initially received administrative support from the Psychol-
ogy Department and did not function as an independent entity was because, as a
young organization, there were economies of scale in “bundling” administrative
services. In addition, CHIP did not have a sufficiently deep or mature business
staff to become administratively independent until about 2006. The relationship
with the Psychology Department to help administer CHIP’s business was critical
in the early years; indeed, CHIP could not have thrived without the tremendous
assistance it received from the Psychology Department and its chair, Charles
Lowe. Later, as CHIP matured and became capable of functioning independently,
it became clear that administrative efficiencies could be achieved from separating
from the Psychology Department and running its own business operations.
In 2007, in anticipation of becoming administratively independent, CHIP
formed a more active executive committee made up of junior and senior CHIP
affiliates. This committee meets four or more times a year and broadly advises the
director and associate director on matters of interest and concern.
One of the major challenges CHIP faces at present is becoming a center with a
number of faculty and staff leaders, not just in research, but in administration. To
this end, the position of CHIP associate director Deborah Cornman has been
expanded in the past few years. CHIP is also involving additional faculty affiliates
244 The New Humanitarians

in its administrative leadership. Its founding director (the author of this chapter)
will likely retire in the next five years, and for CHIP to continue to thrive, its lead-
ership needs to become broader, deeper, and more decentralized. This is being
done through having a vital executive committee and generally by becoming a
more inclusive organization. Another element that could foster more broad-based
leadership would be for CHIP’s structure to evolve, over time, to be more similar
to traditional NIMH-funded research centers. This would involve the creation of
several “cores” that perform critical functions for the center, each with its own
leadership (CHIP is not, at this time, an NIMH-funded center, but it may aspire
to become one in the future).
In this context, CHIP might evolve to have an active administrative core (led
by its director, associate director, and the CHIP business team leader) as well as a
formal methods core, responsible for supporting CHIP researchers and ensuring
that CHIP grants use state-of-the-science research methods and statistical proce-
dures. CHIP could also develop a formal developmental core, charged with assist-
ing CHIP scientists in the development of new research proposals. This group
could also oversee the provision of seed grant funds and presubmission reviews of
grant applications, and provide information about external funding possibilities.
Since many CHIP affiliates have a serious interest in intervention dissemination—
relatively unique among research centers—and since CHIP has had substantial
success in this domain, adding a dedicated dissemination core, which would
specialize in developing theory and research on the science of successfully dis-
seminating evidence-based interventions, would also be desirable. A center organ-
ization in terms of cores, each with its own leadership, could broaden CHIP
leadership and encourage more activity on the part of rank-and-file CHIP mem-
bers, who would belong to the cores. It could create additional synergies within
the center, provide new opportunities and benefits for junior faculty, and position
CHIP to apply successfully for NIMH or CDC center grant funds.
Some of the challenges CHIP faces involve whether it will be able to continue
to grow at its current pace in an environment in which federal grant funding is
leveling off and in some cases decreasing (Loscalzo, 2006; Zerhouni, 2006). The
fact that CHIP performs multidisciplinary research may help in this respect, since
multidisciplinary work is consistent with the “NIH roadmap” and is not targeted
for decreased funding (Zerhouni, 2003). As with grant funds, it may ultimately be
a challenge for CHIP to continue to obtain increased operating funds from the
university to support its programs.
Assuming that CHIP can continue to increase its grant portfolio and operating
funds, it is absolutely critical that the center not grow too fast. At times in its short
history, CHIP’s growth has outstripped its ability to provide services to its affili-
ates, which has caused temporary difficulties. Geometric growth can create orga-
nizational problems and pressures for limited resources and physical space. Too
much growth can also change the character of an organization which initially
made it appealing. In sum, the challenge for us is to choose the right rate of
growth in the face of a myriad of seemingly attractive opportunities.
Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 245

CONCLUSION
It has been a privilege for me to have had the opportunity to start CHIP, and
to have helped create and influence the development of an organization that
attempts to aid others in need. In just a few years, CHIP has gone from having a
couple of grants, a couple of researchers, and a couple of graduate students, in a
couple of rooms on the second floor of the UConn psychology building, to a very
substantial enterprise with its own facility. Along the way, I firmly believe that
some of our efforts have benefited the public health of vulnerable populations,
and, hopefully, saved more than a few lives.
For me, the University of Connecticut has been a place where I was able to
have a promising idea (for CHIP) and receive the tremendous and continuing
support needed to turn it into reality and to sustain it. Throughout my career,
I have continuously been amazed at the “places I’ve been able to go,” to quote
Dr. Seuss. Part of this success has been because of wonderful partners, such as
my brother, Bill, and others too numerous to name, over a career of thirty-
three years. All are terribly important to me, and some are among my best
friends. I have had the good fortune to have had truly magnificent collabora-
tors, graduate students, and staff in my own research programs and wonderful
staff within the CHIP administration. They wear many hats, work very long
hours, and go beyond the call of duty daily. They are committed to the goals of our
research and to the vision of the center. Among these folks, Deborah Cornman,
associate director, has been an important part of the CHIP administration
from the start. My wife and family have always been supportive of my work
with CHIP.
My career in psychology has given me the opportunity to contribute to science,
build theory, and engage in an ever-changing array of extremely interesting proj-
ects with potentially great practical significance. I have been able to have fascinat-
ing discussions about what promotes healthy and unhealthy behavior, apply for
grants with extraordinarily talented groups of people, and obtain the funding
needed for large-scale health behavior change intervention research projects that
can benefit public health. I have been a part of the creation of amazing teams of
people, who have gone on to do almost unbelievable things. I have met and
worked with wonderful people worldwide, and have immensely enjoyed being
part of the growth of exceptional postdoctorate, graduate, and undergraduate stu-
dents and staff at the university and elsewhere. It is a pleasure to watch people
grow to do—consistently and well—what they at first never thought they could
ever do, just as it has been a pleasure to grow in these ways myself over the past
thirty-three years. I have never been bored, even for a moment.

Acknowledgments
Thanks to William Fisher, Wynne Norton, and Beth Krane for the helpful com-
ments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. Thanks to NIMH for over twenty years
of continuous research support.
246 The New Humanitarians

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP)
Founder/Director: Jeffrey D. Fisher
Mission/Description: The University of Connecticut’s Center for Health, Inter-
vention, and Prevention (CHIP) creates new scientific knowledge and theoret-
ical frameworks in the areas of health behavior, health behavior change,
health intervention, and prevention. It disseminates theory-based knowledge
and new, cutting-edge interventions through research, capacity building,
teaching, mentoring, and collaboration at the university, local, state, national,
and international levels.
Website: http://www.chip.uconn.edu/int_res_int.htm
Address: Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention (CHIP)
University of Connecticut
2006 Hillside Road, Unit 1248
Storrs, CT 06269-1248
Phone: 860-486-5917
Fax: 860-486-4876
E-mail: jeffrey.fisher@uconn.edu
lisa.dunnack@uconn.edu (Lisa Dunnack, administrative assistant)
sarah.bothell@uconn.edu (Sarah Bothell, webmaster)

REFERENCES
Fisher, J. D., & Fisher, W. A. (1992). Changing AIDS-Risk Behavior. Psychological Bulletin,
111, 455–474.
Fisher, J. D., & Fisher, W. A. (2002). The Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model.
In R. DiClemente, R. Crosby, & M. Kegler. (Eds.). Emerging Theories in Health Promo-
tion Practice and Research (pp. 40–70). San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.
Fisher, J. D., Fisher, W. A., & Shuper, P. A. (In press). The Information-Motivation-Behavioral
Skills Model of HIV Preventive Behavior. In R. DiClemente, R. Crosby, & M. Kegler. (Eds.).
Emerging Theories in Health Promotion Practice and Research (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA:
Jossey Bass.
Fisher, J. D., Cornman, D. H., Norton, W. E., & Fisher, W. A. (2006). Involving Behav-
ioral Scientists, Health Care Providers, and HIV-Infected Patients as Collaborators
in Theory-Based HIV Prevention and Antiretroviral Adherence Interventions.
JAIDS, 43, S10–S17.
Fisher, W. A., & Fisher, J. D. (1993). Understanding and Promoting AIDS Preventive
Behavior: A Conceptual Model and Educational Tools. Canadian Journal of Human
Sexuality, 1, 99–106.
Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention 247

Fisher, W. A., Fisher, J. D., & Harman, J. J. (2003). The Information-Motivation-Behavioral

Skills Model: A General Social Psychological Approach to Understanding and Promoting
Health Behavior. In J. Suls & K. Wallston. (Eds.). Social Psychological Foundations of
Health and Illness (pp. 82–105). United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishers.
Loscalzo, J. (2006). The NIH Budget and the Future of Biomedical Research. New England
Journal of Medicine, 354(16), 1665–1667.
UNAIDS, (2007). 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update: Executive Summary. Retrieved December 2,
2007, from UNAIDS website: http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/
EpiUpdate/EpiUpdArchive/2007/default.asp.
Zerhouni, E. (2003). The NIH Roadmap. Science, 302, 63-64, 72.
Zerhouni, E. A. (2006). NIH in the Post-Doubling Era: Realities and Strategies. Science,
314(5802), 1088–1090.
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 13

REMEDY
William H. Rosenblatt, Teresa
Bartrum, and Myron Panchuk

REMEDY (Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World) is an

organization dedicated to promoting the recovery of unused medical supplies for
the purposes of providing aid, reducing waste, and promoting cost-effectiveness.
As a catalyst for change, this group seeks to inspire through education, practice,
and example.
REMEDY is committed to cooperating with other charitable organizations
engaged in similar activities. By working together, these organizations hope to
more efficiently and reliably respond to those in needs.

BACKGROUND
Founded in 1991 by William H. Rosenblatt, MD, professor of anesthesiology
at Yale University School of Medicine, REMEDY is a group of health care profes-
sionals who promote the nationwide recovery of opened-but-unused surgical
supplies. The end goal of their mission is to provide international medical relief
and to reduce solid medical waste in hospitals.
During the 1980s, Dr. Rosenblatt was a pediatrician in training at Stanford
University in California. He was well aware of the Inter-plast program in Palo
Alto: the first program of its kind to perform cleft lip and cleft palate surgery for
the indigenous peoples of Latin America. As a trainee in pediatrics, Dr. Rosenblatt
did not have the opportunity to participate in mission trips, but when he came to
Yale as a trainee in anesthesiology, he found that trip anesthesiology residents
were in high demand. He started traveling to Latin America to provide anesthesia
for cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries. These medical missions had a profound
impact on him. He was exposed to the lack of adequate equipment and the problems

249
250 The New Humanitarians

that this created. With this new insight, he returned to a modern operating room
and noted that the exact same equipment— excess supplies prepared for surgery—
was being discarded without ever being used. As a result, Dr. Rosenblatt formed
REMEDY in 1988. He began recovering unused supplies from operating rooms at
Yale-New Haven Hospital. He discovered that nurses and doctors at other facilities
had been attempting to collect unused supplies as well, but without a formalized
program. The great disparity in the conditions between operating rooms in countries
where medical supplies are lacking and in modern operating rooms where there
is an excess of equipment reinforced Dr. Rosenblatt’s quest to find a solution that
would bridge this gap.
The regulation of medical waste in the United States was also a factor that initially
blocked the creation of REMEDY. At about the same time that Dr. Rosenblatt was
formulating the concept of a recovery effort, reports of medical waste washing up
on the shores of Long Island were appearing in the media. This created a public
outcry. A similar mishap was documented at another hospital in Long Island. A
barge that was carrying general household waste was found on inspection to be
carrying a small amount of medical waste. Eventually, the hospital disposed of
the entire barge as medical waste—a costly solution. Medical waste is typically
treated chemically and either landfilled or incinerated. When there is chemical
treatment, there is the potential for the chemicals to leech into the ground water.
When medical waste is incinerated, toxins may also be produced. In the early
1990s, U.S. hospitals decided to no longer risk a small amount of medical waste
being found in materials that were labeled “general” waste; instead, all hospital
waste was labeled “medical” waste.
Gloves, sutures, drapes, gowns, and many other items are prepared for use during
surgeries, but not all are used. These supplies are discarded nevertheless because they
are no longer considered to be “sterile.” This is true even if there has been no contact
with a patient. Because of legal concerns, these supplies cannot be used in the United
States, but they are enthusiastically accepted by many charitable organizations for
distribution to healthcare personnel throughout the developing world.
For years healthcare workers have voluntarily collected these supplies; however,
such efforts are often erratic and can place both the individual and the institution
at legal risk. In addition, these isolated efforts could not possibly recover the huge
surplus that becomes available in U.S. hospitals.
As a result of these concerns and new procedures, hospitals began producing a
tremendous amount of what was designated “medical waste,” with a disposal cost
six times that of normal hospital waste. If the hospital could send tons of materials
to an organization such as REMEDY, a cost savings could result.
REMEDY started as pilot project at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) in
Connecticut. This location also served as a base for research studies conducted by
Dr. Rosenblatt in collaboration with Dr. David Silverman. These studies demon-
strated the efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness of supply
recovery through the REMEDY program. After the studies were published, inquiries
began to pour in from medical professionals from across the United States.
REMEDY 251

REMEDY became a nonprofit organization committed to teaching about and

promoting the recovery of surplus medical supplies. Drs. Rosenblatt and Silverman
developed a comprehensive in-service teaching packet with all the information
needed to start a standardized recovery program based on the REMEDY model,
applicable to any surgical procedure in hospitals throughout the United States.
Recovery protocols were designed for easy adaptability in operating rooms and for
critical care routines. This educational packet is distributed free of charge to any
requesting hospital. Materials can be found at REMEDY’s website, www.remed
yinc.org/Content/Educational_Materials.asp.

PHILOSOPHY
Rather than reinvent the logistics of charitable medical supply distribution,
REMEDY suggested turning to the huge network of U.S.-based nonprofit medical
charities to form partnerships. It is the mission of these groups to support and
successfully deliver medical assistance and supplies to countries in need. These
groups have the staff, knowledge, experience, funding, and overseas contacts to
successfully deliver recovered supplies to appropriate medical professionals.
REMEDY encourages each hospital’s recovery program to target donations to any
organization or project they wish.
As of June 2004, the REMEDY programs had donated many millions of dollars
worth of supplies from operating rooms alone. This has resulted in a vast increase
in medical aid sent from the United States to the developing world.
To date, REMEDY has assisted more than 600 hospitals around the United
States in program implementation and the identification of potential recipient
charities. REMEDY relies on the expertise of these U.S.–based nonprofit agencies
to distribute these materials abroad.
In 2004 REMEDY became an endorser of the Environmental Protection
Agency’s Waste Wise program. By becoming a partner in this program, the REMEDY
recovery programs are able to translate the amount of supplies recovered
every year into greenhouse gas reductions. Waste Wise uses the EPA’s Waste
Reduction Model (WARM) to estimate the amount of gas emissions prevented
through an organization’s solid waste reduction activities. There is no fee for
membership, and it allows groups to set their own goals that are feasible for their
individual organizations. (For more information on Waste Wise, see www.remed
yinc.org/Content/Wastewise.asp.)

SUPPLY RECOVERY PROGRAMS

In addition to the accomplishments of the REMEDY pilot program at Yale, there
has been significant success over the years among the hospitals and groups that have
requested the REMEDY in-service teaching packet. REMEDY follows up on all
requests for teaching packets and on the progress of those initiatives. REMEDY is
252 The New Humanitarians

not a membership organization, so it can be difficult to get regular feedback from

those who have used REMEDY’s ideas or resources.

Protocols
REMEDY has developed recovery protocols that are designed to be quickly adapt-
able to the everyday operating room routine. Although these are the procedures
developed for the active pilot program in the operating rooms of Yale-New Haven
Hospital (YNHH), they can be modified to adapt to the demands and resources of
each healthcare facility. YNHH uses a “case cart” system, where supplies for each sur-
gical procedure are sent to the operating room on a prepared, wheeled cart.

What Supplies Can Be Recovered?

This is a sample list of the items commonly recovered through the REMEDY
pilot program at YNHH. This list is offered only as an example, and does not
imply that other organizations should recover these same items, nor limit their
recovery to items that appear on this list.

• 4 ⫻ 4 Sponge • Hemo Clip

• Absorbable Hemostat • Hemovacimpervious
• Absorbent Towel Split Drape
• Ace Bandage • Intestinal Sucker
• Aortic Cannula • Irrigation Syringe
• Arthroscope Drape • Iv Set
• Burn Dressing • Jackson Pratt Drain
• C-Arm Drape • Lap Set 18x18
• Cast Padding • Lap Set 4x18
• Cautery Pad • Large Drape
• Cautery Pencil • Magnetic Pad
• Cherry Sponge • Mucus Trap
• Chest Tube • Open Sponge
• Cone Splash Shield • Open Sta-Tite
• Cover Sponge • Other Syringe
• Disposable Vascular Clip • Paper Towel
• Electrode • Partial Lap 4 ⫻ 18
• Electrosurgical Dispersive • Peanut Sponge
• Endotracheal Tube • Penrose Drain
• Extremity Sheet • Prep Solution Pack
• Femoral Irrigation And • Rolled Gauze
Suction Tip Set • Salem Sump
• Foley Catheter • Scalpel Blade (No Sharps
• Heel Protector Exposed/Foil Intact)
REMEDY 253

• Skin Graft Carrier • Suture (No Sharps Exposed/Foil

• Skin Marker Intact) Sponge-Package
• Skin Staple • Tape Roll: Cloth/Paper
• Soft Suction • Tissue Stapler And Refill
• Specimen Container • Tube & Cord Holder
• Staple Remover • T-U-R-Y Set
• Steri Strip • Telfa Packaged
• Steridrape • Urine Culture Tube
• Sterile Gloves • Urine Drainage Bag
• Stockinet Impervious • Urine Meter
• Straight Catheter • Vascular Occlusion
• Suction Hose • Vasefine Gauze
• Surgical Gown • Wet Pruf Packaged
• Surgical Patties (In Package Set) • Xeroform
• Yankeur

CHALLENGES FOR STARTING THE PROGRAM

REMEDY has experienced steady and positive growth. REMEDY typically
works with one hospital staff member who is motivated to start a REMEDY pro-
gram. Unfortunately, that individual may find roadblocks at the facility. REMEDY
works with invested individuals and helps work through any difficulties they
might face.
There are several problems a hospital may experience in creating a REMEDY
program, but the most frequent problem is administrative. The administration
has to have a clear vision of what needs to be done. One example that demon-
strated a need for clear communication was a situation in a hospital in the state of
Washington. Although one nurse was diligently working at collecting surplus
supplies, the hospital administration thought the REMEDY Recovery Program
reflected poorly on the hospital. The concern was that the hospital would be seen
as wasting too much material. This was a concern shared by the YNHH adminis-
tration prior to the start of the Yale pilot program. Fortunately, only positive
reporting appeared in the media, the authors of which understood that waste is
inevitably produced by hospitals, as in other industries. REMEDY was making
good use of that so-called hospital waste.
Other individuals meet resistance from the hospitals’ risk management services.
The perception exists that the hospital could be held liable for injury to a patient
abroad. A legal opinion from the Yale School of Law noted that without the sale
of the items and with a clear statement that the materials were donated “as is,” the
donating facilities were indemnified.
Storage is yet another issue. If a hospital is unable to find a charity to take their
unused materials on a regular basis, storage space (a premium in hospitals) is vital.
254 The New Humanitarians

How REMEDY Handles Challenges

Although REMEDY has been successful, it has grown slowly. The program has
been in place for seventeen years. Instead of making giant strides, Dr. Rosenblatt
thinks REMEDY has plodded along. REMEDY has not sought to rush develop-
ment after having seen similar types of programs fail when they tried to jump
ahead too quickly.
As Dr. Rosenblatt reflects over REMEDY’s past seventeen years, he wishes that
he would have tried to secure funding earlier in an attempt to help the program
grow faster. He also thinks the hospital projects are too independent, and wishes
they would form tighter networks and maintain better communication and ties
with each other. This would increase benefits for all involved. The typical hospi-
tal’s cost of recovering these supplies has amounted to a minor expense of no
more than $200 a year. Additionally, by avoiding the discarding of tons of solid
medical waste, a hospital should realize a net savings for the length of time the
hospital has participated in the REMEDY program. As a byproduct of the pro-
gram’s in-house exposure at YNHH, hundreds of thousands of dollars in new dis-
posables and capital equipment have also been donated to the REMEDY pilot
program. The majority of these collected supplies have been donated to the fol-
lowing nonprofit organizations:

• New Haven/Leon (Nicaragua) Sister Cities Project

• Albert Schweitzer Institute
• New Haven/Hue (Vietnam) Sister Cities Project
• New Haven/Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sister Cities Project
• PUMA (Operation Blessing Nepal)
• Knightsbridge International
• Hand Carry Program

In addition to the accomplishments of the original REMEDY project at Yale,

there has been significant success in the hospitals that have developed programs
based on the REMEDY model.
REMEDY currently has 640 hospitals using the model in the United States.
These are either established REMEDY hospitals or hospitals that are just joining
the program. During the last six months, they have received REMEDY’s written
materials and are developing their recovery programs.

REMEDY’S SHOOTING STARS

REMEDY is delighted the following programs have embraced the full REMEDY
philosophy, not only by running supply recovery programs but also by disseminating
the ideas and methods to others: Duke Recovery, MED World, Supplies Overseas
(SOS), Medical Bridges, and MedShare International.
REMEDY 255

REMEDY TODAY
REMEDY shifted from concept to reality by just doing it. Dr. Rosenblatt’s idea
of distributing supplies was turned into a working model. Protocols were written
and put into a book form to be sent to those interested in the program. There was
not a lot of discussion and planning. It was just a question of doing it, and from
there, REMEDY simply evolved over time.

HOW REMEDY SUPPORTS ITSELF

REMEDY first acquired funding through personal donations from medical
colleagues and friends. At first, efforts were local. The REMEDY annual appeal
raises over $10,000 yearly from donators across the United States. Efforts now also
include grant writing.
REMEDY supports itself primarily through grants and family foundation
gifts. A comprehensive list is available on the website at www.remedyinc.org. A
teaching packet and a list of other ways in which individuals can contribute are
also available on the website.
REMEDY’s work is augmented in various ways, including

• Online donations: https://payments.auctionpay.com/ver3/?id=w022042

• Mail-in donations: www.remedyinc.org/Content/Mail_In_Donations.asp
• In-kind donations: www.remedyinc.org/Content/In_Kind_Donations.asp
• Shop online: www.remedyinc.org/Content/Support_Us.asp
• Wish list: www.remedyinc.org/Content/Wish_List.asp
• Medical supplies and equipment: make donations by visiting the Medical
Equipment Donation Agency (Med-Eq) program at www.med-eq.org/

RAISING AWARENESS FOR REMEDY

REMEDY creates educational opportunities for interested hospitals, organiza-
tions, and others. By participating in venues that raise awareness, REMEDY
shows interested individuals how to start their own programs and network with
similar organizations.
REMEDY representatives attend several academic and professional meetings
throughout the year. One such gathering is the Association of Operating Room
Nurses (AORN). REMEDY attends this meeting annually, and has been doing
so since 1993. REMEDY also attends the American Society of Anesthesiologists,
the American Medical Students’ Association, and Clean Med’s annual meetings.
Also, in the 1990s, REMEDY published academic articles that appeared in
anesthesiology (1996, 1997), orthopedic (1996), and plastic surgery (1996)
journals. Dr. Rosenblatt published two articles in the Journal of the American
Medical Association (JAMA) (1992, 1993), and REMEDY received marked
interest as a result.
256 The New Humanitarians

MEASURES OF SUCCESS
Another indication of REMEDY’s success over the past seventeen years is
the building of partnerships with students from Yale and other colleges who
travel to developing countries for medical and educational projects. REMEDY
supplies medical devices for these endeavors. For the Yale students, this is a
wonderful opportunity to transport supplies and enhance their experience on
these trips.

REMEDY ON DISASTER RELIEF

When a natural disaster affects the world community, REMEDY makes no
direct contribution to the relief aid in the affected region. REMEDY has long
maintained that the millions of dollars of medical supplies collected by associ-
ate hospitals are best suited for the chronic shortages that affect the developing
world and are not adequate for acute relief. A coordinated relief effort requires
immense organization. Predictability and compatibility are of the utmost
importance. When a doctor is working in a disaster area, he or she needs to
know exactly what supplies are available and how they must be rationed. The
healthcare worker has no use for the heterogeneous and often unpredictable
supplies that can be donated through the REMEDY recovery process. There is
nowhere to store these supplies until they can be used, and the funds used for
shipment are better spent elsewhere. Sending boxes of supplies to a disaster
region may make people feel good, but in all likelihood would pose a burden on
the recipient. Perhaps REMEDY is missing an opportunity to request “disaster
donations” from the public, and to receive media attention, but REMEDY
believes that donor generosity would be misguided.
So how does REMEDY respond to crises? After the acute events are over, the
affected communities will continue to need help and the equipment and supplies
provided through the REMEDY model. When the international community
responds to the next tragedy, REMEDY will be there to help charitable agencies
that already have an established long-term commitment to the region.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS FOR REMEDY?

A REMEDY sister project called Med-Eq, which pairs more advanced materials
and equipment with charitable agencies, was started in 2005. Begun as e-mail alert
system in 1998 (AIRe-mail), Med-Eq is an interactive database website. Items that
are not suited to general medical-surgical care are posted on the Med-Eq website.
Agencies whose specific mission can deliver an item to an appropriate site are
connected with the donor.
REMEDY will be working on revisiting the need for the decontamination of
recovered surgical supplies earmarked for donation and will continue its ongoing
examination of the legal issues involved in the recovery of surgical supplies from
U.S. hospitals.
REMEDY 257

REMEDY invites readers to visit the website at www.remedyinc.org. Also,

REMEDY networks with groups interested in initiating hospital supply recovery
programs, such as

• International relief/aid organizations

• Medical waste-reduction and environmental organizations/professionals
• Medical ethics groups
• Government agencies
• Associations of healthcare professionals and facilities
• Supply vendors

REMEDY collaborates with interested readers through the website email at

www.remedyinc.org/Content/Contact.asp. Anyone interested in waste reduction
in hospitals is encouraged to contact Dr. Rosenblatt.

AWARDS REMEDY HAS RECEIVED

The prestigious Rolex Award for Enterprise was bestowed upon Dr. William H.
Rosenblatt in May 1996. The five winners of this award (from an initial field of 2,300)
also received extensive international media coverage. As a result, REMEDY received
requests for information from many U.S. hospitals as well as from facilities in Japan,
West Africa, Mexico, France, Switzerland, India, Pakistan, Cameroon, Kenya, Canada,
Germany, Grenada, the Netherlands, Romania, Philippines, and Ivory Coast.
REMEDY received the Cost-effectiveness Award from Anesthesiology News
(sponsored by an educational grant from Stuart Pharmaceuticals) in April 1994
for achievement in cost-effectiveness in the operating room.
REMEDY has also been awarded the Green Ribbon Award from the New
Haven Chamber of Commerce and the Committee on Environmental Issues.
REMEDY won the Current Innovations Award (Anesthesiology News magazine) in
1992. In 1999 Alaska state legislature officials honored REMEDY for the intro-
duction of the program to hospitals throughout the state.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

William H. Rosenblatt, MD, president, is professor of anesthesiology at

Yale University School of Medicine, the founder of REMEDY, its volunteer
medical director, and primary author of the seminal articles on recovery
published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and others.
Dr. Rosenblatt has been the recipient of multiple awards for his work with
REMEDY, including the 1996 Rolex Award for Enterprise in Science and
Invention. Dr. Rosenblatt was nominated for the Ford Foundation Leader-
ship for a Changing World Award (2000), the Conrad N. Hilton Award
(1999), and the Points of Light Award (1999).
258 The New Humanitarians

David G. Silverman, MD, vice president, is professor of anesthesiology and

director of clinical research, Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University
School of Medicine. He is also medical director of the Yale-New Haven
Hospital Pre-Admission Center. Dr. Silverman is a highly accomplished
investigator with over seventy publications in major medical journals and
numerous grant-funded studies; he is the co-author of the seminal articles
on recovery published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
and others.
Chris Ariyan, MPH, director, is the program director for strategic planning
with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s East Region. Prior to joining Anthem,
he was a healthcare consultant with Deloitte Consulting and Ernst & Young
LLP. He was also co-founder and executive vice president of HealthInfo
Corp, a Web-based patient and physician education service. Mr. Ariyan
received his Master’s of Public Health degree with a concentration in
healthcare management from Yale University and was the first executive
director for REMEDY (1992–97).
Catherine Adcock Admay, JD, director, has been a member of the Duke Law
School faculty since September 1996. She teaches comparative and public
international law, directs the International Development Clinic, and is
affiliate faculty of the Duke Center for International Development (DCID)
at the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University. Prior to
her appointment at Duke, she was a lecturer and co-director of the inter-
national development clinic at New York University Law School. She has
worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Office of the Legal Advisor
in the United States Department of State, and with private law firms in
Washington, D.C.
Darryl Rotman Kuperstock, director, is a past executive director of REMEDY.
During her tenure (1995–2003), the organization grew significantly, and
her service culminated with the development and launch of the current
REMEDY website. She brings with her significant, diverse professional and
volunteer experience in the fields of management consulting, program and
event planning, nonprofit organizational leadership development, editing,
library science, and the visual arts.
Allen Katzoff, director, has spent the past fifteen years managing entrepre-
neurial initiatives in the nonprofit sector. Before that, he spent many years
in executive marketing positions with high-technology companies and
founded a start-up data compilation company. Currently, he serves as the
director of the Center for Adult Learning at Hebrew College in Boston and
is on the board of directors of the Vain and Harry Fish Foundation. He was
an important advocate of REMEDY’s application to the Fish Foundation,
which led not only to an initial gift but also to continued support. He has
an MBA from Northeastern University.
Mary Koto, PhD, director, has worked for more than twenty years in
marketing, strategic planning, and operations in the medical industry.
REMEDY 259

Most recently, she served as vice president of marketing for Accumetrics,

a privately held cardiovascular diagnostics company. Prior to that, as vice
president at LMA North America, she headed marketing and operations,
and helped to launch two major anesthesia devices that have influenced
standards of care worldwide. During her years there, she was responsible
for LMA-NA becoming a significant REMEDY corporate supporter—one
of the earliest. Her most important contribution to REMEDY to date was
her leading role in the first REMEDY staff retreat in December 2004. At
her own expense, she traveled from her home in San Diego to meet with
the staff for a one-day session during which the REMEDY mission was
focused and strengthened. She has a BA and MBA from Stanford University
and a PhD in biology from Yale.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: REMEDY
Founder: William Rosenblatt, MD
Mission/Description: REMEDY, Recovered Medical Equipment for the
Developing World, is a nonprofit organization committed to teaching about
and promoting the recovery of surplus operating room supplies. REMEDY pro-
vides proven recovery protocols that can be adapted quickly to everyday oper-
ating room or critical care routines. As of June 2006, the REMEDY at Yale
University program alone has donated more than 50 tons of medical supplies.
It is estimated that at least $200 million worth of supplies could be recovered
from U.S. hospitals each year, resulting in an increase of 50 percent in the
medical aid sent from the United States to the developing world.
Website: http://www.remedyinc.org/
Address: 3-TMP, 333 Cedar Street
P. O. Box 208051
New Haven, CT 06520-8051
Phone: (203) 737-5356
Fax: (203) 785-2802
E-mail: Will.rosenblatt@Yale.edu
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 14

Center for Global Initiatives

Chris E. Stout

Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking
and inhumane.
—Martin Luther King Jr.

The Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) is the first center devoted to training
multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and students to bring services that
are integrated, sustainable, and resiliency based, with publicly accountable out-
comes, to areas of need worldwide via multiple, small, context-specific collab-
oratives that integrate primary care, behavioral healthcare, systems
development, public health, and social justice. The word “global” is not used as
a synonym for overseas or international, but rather to indicate local as well as
transnational disparities and inequities of health risk and illness outcomes. We
seek to eschew the many disconnects between separation of body/mind,
physical/mental, and individual/community, and offer instead a synthetic
model of integration. CGI’s philosophy and approach is always that of a
collaborator and colleague. No “West-Knows-Best” hubris. We learn as we
teach. We feel as we treat.
We focus on the complex healthcare issues involved in community crises,
healthcare inequities, humanitarian emergencies, and relief situations, from
the individual care level to a regional scale. All activities are grounded in sci-
ence/evidence-based practice models and best practices in culturally diverse
communities. We will focus on all underserved and economically disadvan-
taged populations, but hold a special focus on refugees and immigrants both in
Chicago and globally. A fundamental approach to all of the center’s work is
that individuals need to acquire a sense of control over their lives. We see our-
selves as being members of a global community of hope, focusing on inherent

261
262 The New Humanitarians

strengths and augmenting recovery and resilience. The center also works via
collaborative relationships with medical schools, graduate schools, undergrad-
uate programs, and schools of public health to provide training that will result
in an internationally recognized diploma/certification in global health.
Whew! This is the triumphal rant that one must so often banter in order to
gain the coveted 501(c)3 status or the attention of foundations for funding. Put
more simply, the CGI works to save lives and teaches others how to do likewise.
Period. Full stop.

THE MOST UNIQUE ASPECTS OF THE CENTER

Perhaps the most important aspects of the Center for Global Initiatives are the
simplest:

1. We serve as an incubator and hothouse for new projects. We help to nurture,

grow, and launch these projects as self sustaining, ongoing interests.
2. After a project has taken hold, we serve as pro bono consultants, fee-free
Coopers & Lybrand’s, if you will. We help those now managing the work
with whatever it is they may need: materials, medicines, case consultation,
introductions.
3. About 90 percent of our projects have come about as a result of being invited
to do the work. That is, we do not come up with project ideas or toss darts at
a globe to determine where to go next. There seems to be a global line outside
our door waiting to be the next one to work with us. When we are not a good
fit, we work to triage to a more suitable organization.
4. As best we can, depending on the project, we seek to blend primary care,
behavioral health, and public health into an ultimately self-sustaining, out-
comes accountable, culturally consonant result.

And really, everything else is the details. So here are some of those.

THE PROBLEM
Healthcare services, sciences, systems, education, and research all suffer from
disconnections—globally and locally, biologically and behaviorally, in training
and in practice—and health inequities are global in scale.

THE SOLUTION
There has not been a truly integrated center that is at once mindful of all the
complex aspects of global health inequities; focused on small, outcomes-oriented
projects; and also agile, responsive, improvisational, and empowering in the clin-
ical, training, and research domains.
Center for Global Initiatives 263

THE MISSION
The Center for Global Initiatives reaches across disciplines and international
borders to bring together partners to provide education, training, and research
programs that crosscut with primary care, behavioral healthcare, and public
healthcare services within a context of social justice that addresses health inequal-
ities. The center works to

• Advance the education and performance of local and international health pro-
fessionals and students in health-related fields to meet the challenges of health
inequalities
• Maintain a philosophy and approach as that of a collaborator and colleague
• Foster a sense of control over the lives of those with whom we work
• Augment inherent strengths and resilience
• Improve preparedness for reacting to human-made and natural disasters and
their aftermath
• Strengthen collaboration as well as the sharing of experience and knowledge
among various stakeholders addressing global health inequities (primary care,
behavioral healthcare, and public health)
• Improve people’s lives by decreasing premature death and disability with a
special focus on the underserved, refugee, and immigrant populations’ needs
• Provide clinical services
• Augment existing medical, psychological, science education, research, and
service capacity (including health education)
• Build capacity of local communities to improve health and healthcare access
• Motivate the public and private sectors to drive consensus and action for the
improvement of health globally
• Fold in issues of behavioral health, violence, and prevention as public health
concerns
• Integrate all the health sciences and services with policy and advocacy at both
the governmental and nongovernmental levels in order to create appropriate
funding methods and sources, capacity building, and sustainable development

HOW THINGS STARTED

As a little boy, I was not what you would call much of an athlete. I was bit shy
and bookish, and I was quite overweight (often the butt of teasing—it is not very
cool to be fat and named Stout when you are a child). Adding to this, I had
crooked teeth, and then braces (twice). But I somehow developed a spirit for
adventure, perhaps in reaction to a rather sheltered (albeit quite loving) house-
hold. Fast-forwarding to today, I have taken up mountain climbing (as very much
the amateur). In doing so, I have set out to do the Seven Summits—reaching the
top of the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. I have been fortu-
nate to have summited three of the easy ones so far: Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa;
Mt. Elbrus, Europe (Russia); and Mt. Kosciusko, Australia.
264 The New Humanitarians

After my first major climb, Mt. Kilimanjaro, I met a Tanzanian guide who
was studying in the seminary. We kept in touch over the ensuing years, and he
became involved in running an orphanage for children who had lost both par-
ents to AIDS. I developed a project called Just ’Cause to collect toys and school
supplies for them for Christmas. I was successful in amassing quite a shipment,
but I was then faced with an unbelievable bureaucracy, high costs, and long
delay in shipping everything over to them. So, I thought there had to be a
better way.
At about that same time, I went on my first medical mission. It was for about
three weeks in Halong Bay, Viet Nam, with the Flying Doctors of America (see
Chapter 8 in this volume). I was so moved by doing that work, and I was so
miffed at the hassles involved with trying to ship materials to Africa, that the
seed for the center was planted. Also during this time, I was fortunate to have
been selected to serve as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) special repre-
sentative to the United Nations via Division 9 of the American Psychological
Association. Thus, blending my background in clinical psychology with my UN
experiences in sustainable development (I presented a paper that was the result
of a year-long project on behavioral health’s role in health and sustainable
development vis-à-vis a UN document known as the Copenhagen Declaration),
mixing in what I had learned in Viet Nam and from the Flying Doctors’ organ-
ization, along with a passion for public health (as a board of health member for
many years and later a public health fellow), in a context of battling the
inequities experienced by those less fortunate, marginalized, or disenfranchised,
the center was born.
I have been involved in various healthcare start-ups, and I was reminded of
what Susan Davis once noted: donors nowadays have recognized the value of
entrepreneurial skills in managing a not-for-profit, rather than running a
want-ad.1 I believe that the center is an evolutionary progression from my clin-
ical business ventures and international medical projects. I have been on med-
ical missions with Flying Doctors of America to Vietnam, Peru, and most
recently, to the Amazon basin. These impactful experiences taught me that
active participation in international work is critical for a real understanding of
others and of events.

WORKING TOGETHER TO RESPOND TO GLOBAL HEALTH INEQUITIES

All CGI programs are developed and implemented with public and private,
local and international, academic and community-based partners. The objective
is to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, pool resources, and integrate method-
ologies and perspectives from other disciplines, institutions, peoples, and coun-
tries. Here are a few of the organizations and universities with which the center is
currently collaborating:
University of Illinois–Chicago, College of Medicine
Flying Doctors of America (see Chapter 8 in this volume)
Center for Global Initiatives 265

International Center for Equal Healthcare Access (see Chapter 7 in this

volume)
Jamkhed (aka Comprehensive Rural Health Project—CRHP) (see Chapter 6
in this volume)
Institute for One World Health (see Chapter 5 in this volume)
Sustainable Sciences Institute (see Chapter 4 in this volume)
Rush University’s Health Services Management Program
University of Benin
Argosy University/Illinois School of Professional Psychology
Chicago School of Professional Psychology
Adler School of Professional Psychology
College of William and Mary
University of Colorado Health Sciences
Loyola University, Chicago’s Center for Experiential Learning

DELIVERABLES
The ultimate deliverable is to save and improve the lives of those suffering from
illness. A nice side effect is that we are developing new innovations in the process
of doing our work, as in the SMART project: Sustainable Medical Arts, Research,
& Technology (noted in detail below), wherein emergency first aid and treatment
algorithms were developed, including a training methodology and pictograms for
generalizability in different countries that would minimize language and literacy
limits. This work product can be adapted quickly for use in similar areas of need,
globally.
Part of our approach to funding and for being self-sustaining ourselves is to
provide training for students and professionals. For students, we provide credits
that their universities can consider as transfer or elective. For professionals, we are
applying to be accredited and licensed to provide continuing medical education
and continuing education credits.
Volunteers may participate in optional international mission experiences.
And in the near future, we hope to have completed construction of a global
health fellowship that offers certification in international development for
U.S.-based students and professionals, and a healthcare and systems develop-
ment certificate for international students and professionals. Similarly, we are
designing a post-doctoral fellowship for graduates in clinical psychology that
should blend clinical services with program development and also provide the
appropriate supervision to qualify for sitting for the licensure examination in
clinical psychology.
And we like to track what we do and write about it, so book chapters such as this
one would also be one of our deliverables. We also seek to provide position papers
via our website, submit to peer-reviewed journals, and produce books. Use of the
media via interviews also helps increase awareness of need and hopefully desire in
the audience to volunteer for projects or participate in our educational programs.
266 The New Humanitarians

FUNDING RESOURCES
It seems that with few exceptions, funding is always a challenge. When I started
the center, I paid for everything out of my own pocket, as I think many founders
do. Websites, domain name registration, e-mail accounts, a computer, mobile
phone and service, Internet service, travel costs, pencils, and paper—you quickly
learn there are a lot of expenses. It is just like opening a small business, which in
a sense, any organization is. I have been fortunate to make ends meet in the nas-
cent stages through making economical purchases, having lots of volunteer help
(see Staffing below), and having a “day job” to pay for the needs of the center as
well as my family. But things have been pretty tight at times. As the cliché goes,
“no mission without a margin,” and the following note some of the ways we are
starting to fund our work.
Staffing costs are typically the biggest financial challenge for any organization.
Our solution is as robust as it is simple. We do not pay anyone. That is, all our staff
members are volunteers, including me. We take no salary or benefit other than
enjoying the work we do. Now, honestly, this will not go on forever (we hope), but
the work is getting done. We look forward to the day when we can spend less time
chasing project dollars and more time doing the projects.
Having come from a background of start-ups and having an entrepreneurial
spirit, I am looking to fill a need in the niche of those interested in international
affairs and global health inequities—in particular from the discipline of psychology,
what I know best. And the early returns are promising. In 2007 (the year this is being
written), I had a number of speaking invitations for psychology undergraduate and
graduate students and also for students in public health, medicine, and leadership
programs. And the buzz seems to be building as evidenced by numerous media
interviews (magazines, newspapers, and television), and a wonderful number of
contacts from individuals, students, programs, and other organizations wishing to
volunteer or collaborate. We plan to channel those interested in workshops and lec-
tures into appropriate trainings that will be income generating. We also plan to seek
seminar sponsorships via grants and provide continuing medical education and
continuing education credits to licensed professional attendees.
We also have plans to develop a certificate or diploma programs that integrate
topics ranging from public health principles and primary care to behavioral
healthcare and systems management. Tuition funds would support these pro-
grams with margins to additionally support other projects.
Volunteers who wish to travel to work with a international project can deduct
their associated travel costs from their taxes in many instances. Volunteers who are
in school may be able to use student loan funds to support their travel costs if
their universities allow them to gain elective credits for the experience (this often
happens if they write a paper or give a presentation on their work and experience
upon return).
We worked with another organization I had founded, Summits for Others
(see www.SummitsForOthers.org) in the summer of 2007 and embarked on a
new approach to fundraising: sponsoring the center in a summit attempt of
Center for Global Initiatives 267

Mt. Whitney (the tallest in the continental United States) with graduate
psychology students. We plan on doing more traditional types of fundraising
as well, such as having various levels of sponsors, seeking good corporate citi-
zens as benefactors, holding events such as in-home dinners and discussions,
and seeking support from related organizations such as Rotary to help with
travel funds. We also work for specific program funding via the “Adopting an
Outcome” model, in which we calculate the cost of making an impact (e.g.,
twelve cents for an antimalarial to save a life) in order to educate potential
contributors and thus hopefully motivate them to contribute in the process.
Our board has also been a source of funding—both in providing funds and
acting as conduits to funding sources and pro bono sources (“a penny saved . . .”).
The center offers “Academic Memberships” to universities for a annual fee.
Membership benefits include the opportunity for students to participate in courses
and workshops on International Travel Tools and Methods, Global Health
Initiatives, International Humanitarian Interventionism, and others; local oppor-
tunities to work with international populations via clinical, research, and specific
projects; opportunity for at least one international trip per year; provision of fund-
ing opportunities to help defray travel expenses of students; connections with
other ongoing projects and learning opportunities; experiences on an individual-
ized basis for students and faculty; opportunities to “seed” the start of ongoing
projects; having the center serve as an ongoing resource and informational clear-
inghouse; student mentoring; access to a vast global network of contacts; collabo-
rative project launching; and collaborative grant and donor procurement. Students
from these universities who volunteer for center projects are eligible for center
travel scholarships and possible elective credit. Students from nonmember univer-
sities do not qualify for such funding opportunities.

STAFFING MODEL
I suppose you could describe our model as an ensemble. We are very fortunate
to have many professionals volunteering as staff and on the board of directors
(including Dale Galassie, MA, and Edith Grotberg, PhD). Our attorney, Carleen
Schrader, JD, worked pro bono to complete all of our incorporation and not-for-
profit paperwork, and even paid for all of the associated fees. My mentor, Ralph
Musicant, JD, has guided me, encouraged me, and kicked me in the kiester
through every step of the center’s development. I have been blessed with a volun-
teer fundraiser, Laura Welch, who has additionally taken on more leadership tasks
to move the Center forward.
All our projects are staffed by volunteers. Much of our research and develop-
ment work is done by a wonderful group of graduate students from the Adler
School of Professional Psychology’s Community Service Practicum Program. At
the time of this writing, we are forging a relationship with Loyola University,
Chicago’s new Center for Experiential Learning, which is very exciting and a won-
derful additional resource.
268 The New Humanitarians

EXAMPLES OF PAST AND CURRENT PROJECTS

CGI has been fortunate to be involved in many interesting and what we believe
are impactful projects. These have been varied, and I expect they will continue to
be. I would like to invite any interested reader to contact us if you have interest in
learning more about any of the following projects. Also, please frequently check
the Projects area of our website (see www.CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org) for the
most current information on work going on or planned. Also, feel free to contact
us and solicit help for a project you may be working on. We are always open to col-
laborating or make better connections.

CONTACT (Coordination & ONline Tracking of

Activities & Clinical Teams)
The center is currently developing a freely accessible, Web-based database that
will serve as a central warehouse of information for groups working in the Equa-
torial Amazon Basin. This pioneering database will provide the first centralized
location for details on medical missions, medication and equipment donations,
and guidelines and protocols for services and programs that have proven results
within the tribal communities. Our hope is to expand the database to other rural
community projects worldwide.

SMART (Sustainable Medical Arts, Research, & Technology)

To combat the lack of primary and emergency care in rural areas of Cambodia,
the center aims to teach indigenous women basic public health practices and emer-
gency medical care to aid those in their villages. Women will be trained to stabilize
and care for patients until ready for transport to the nearest medical facility.

THRIVE (Tanzanian Health & Resilience Initiative Valuing Education)

Expanding on the kindergarten for orphans created in Moshi, Tanzania, in
2005, CGI now aims to add healthcare education for the children and local med-
ical care providers. In collaboration with doctors, nurses, and staff at Huruma
Designated Hospital, the center will develop programs for nursing students, the
orphans, and the community that focus on HIV treatment and AIDS prevention
as well as on combating malaria, TB, and other illnesses endemic to that area.

Project Niños
In the summer of 2007, the center collaborated with Flying Doctors of America
in a pioneering project within several Bolivian prisons. Currently, hundreds of
Bolivian children live with their incarcerated parents in both minimum- and
even maximum-security prisons throughout this South American country. After
treating over 600 imprisoned men, women, and children, the center has begun
Center for Global Initiatives 269

developing a unique educational and social skills training program in coopera-

tion with teachers in prison-run schools. In addition, programs in parenting skills,
noncompetitive play, resilience development, music, and creative/expressive arts will
be developed to improve the welfare of the inmates’ children in order to maximize the
potential for improving their lives. For a look at our 2007 Project Niños beginnings,
please visit http//homepage.mac.com/masonimage/ThreeDaysinaBolivianPrison/
index.html.

WorldWise
Through a collaborative with partners in rural India who have developed a
comprehensive, community-based primary health care approach, CGI is a con-
duit for recruiting students for summer experiences that will provide a life-
changing perspective on healthcare. The project is called WorldWise, and it is
being made available only to graduate students in any health discipline and to
medical students.
One of the main aims of the project is to reach the poorest and most margin-
alized, and to improve their health. In reality, perhaps not everyone in the world
will be able to have equal health care. However, it is possible to make sure that all
people have access to necessary and relevant health care. This concept is known
as equity, and it is an important principle of this project. Health is not only the
absence of disease but also includes social, economic, spiritual, physical, and
mental well-being. With this comprehensive understanding of health, the project
focuses on improving the socioeconomic well-being of the people as well as
other aspects of health. Health does not exist in isolation, but it is inherently
related to education, environment, sanitation, socioeconomic status, and agri-
culture. Therefore, improvement in these areas by the communities in turn
improves the health of the people. Health care includes promotive, preventive,
curative, and rehabilitative aspects. The integration of these areas brings about
effective health care.
Working at the grassroots level with village health workers and community
groups leads to the process of empowerment of women and communities in gen-
eral. This is an important aspect of community-based health care. Once people
have knowledge and can make informed decisions, they have power they can use
in constructive ways to transform their communities.
The majority of health problems in rural areas will be basic, but these problems
can become worse and may even cause death if not identified and treated at the
onset. To a large extent, the problems will be preventable and amenable to health
detection. The project began with a view to develop a healthcare delivery program
best suited to the needs and resources of this rural area. The essential element of
the project is community involvement in the planning and in the activities of the
project. The experience is for those interested in the exchange of learning; candi-
dates must be able to handle rugged experiences/adventure, and they must be
interested in global health in a pragmatic way.
270 The New Humanitarians

BASIS (Bio-pharmacogenomic Access & Sustainable Infra-Structure)

Good friend and colleague Mariano Levin, PhD, of Argentina, a Howard
Hughes Fellow, has received grant funding from the World Health Organiza-
tion/Pan-American Health Organization (WHO/PAHO) South-South project to
search for new drugs to fight African and American trypanosomiasis. This project
combines genomics, high throughput, and the design of novel drugs. The center
seeks to help expand the resources and the outreach of his work.

ENVOY (Enabled, Networked Ventures Optimizing Yields)

This project focuses on neglected diseases and seeks to operationalize projects
via collaborations with DzGenes, PAHO, Sustainable Sciences Institute (SSI),
Institute for OneWorld Health (iOWH), and Xomix. I am intrigued by the clever
Médecines Sans Frontières (see Chapter 1 in this volume) approach of buying
cheaper copies of HIV/AIDS drugs in India and using them in Africa, as well as
the Brazilian approach to medication patents. And, while it is genuinely wonder-
ful what the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is doing, such an approach still
smacks of dependency and almost a pharmaco-colonialism of sorts. Although it
is immensely important that many such foundations will be providing monies for
the global distribution of medications, and these palliative efforts will be indeed
necessary, they will be just as surely insufficient and shortsighted. I would offer
that it would also be helpful for countries to be able to have the medical technol-
ogy know-how to work on their own specific needs. We hear a lot about the prob-
lem of the “digital divide” between those with technology and those
without—this typically refers to computer availability and Internet access. But
there is also a divide between the haves and have-nots of medical technology and
knowledge.
The center would collaborate with countries to create sustainable medical solu-
tions for their most pressing and neglected public health problems/concerns. In
some areas, this may be providing medical services of all disciplines; it may be
clinic and hospital establishment or reconstruction; it could be augmentation of
medical and science education, research, and service capacity (including health
education); or it may include the expansion of medical sciences education to
include genomic sciences and drug discovery technologies, such as pharmacoge-
nomics (request a proof-of-concept paper from the center’s website, or a reprint
of my article on remedying neglected diseases published in the World Economic
Forum’s journal World Link).

Medical InterAction
Contacts and relationships have been developed with colleagues in Benin
that crosscut various areas: health and illness, poverty and sustainability, envi-
ronmental concerns, traditional healing and medical sciences/health treatment,
and education. We plan to develop a scientific and economic mechanism of
Center for Global Initiatives 271

researching the medicinal properties of specific plant materials used by our

Benin partners (university scientists and traditional healers) to further develop
medicines, use the resultant knowledge to refine the compounds to have fewer
side effects and improved dosing characteristics, and develop that intellectual
property into concomitant economic value that will provide for economic sus-
tainability, self-sufficiency, and independence for ongoing research. This would
be within an overarching context of making resultant products available to
those impoverished and in need. We seek to establish not only a groundbreak-
ing mechanism to ensure the perpetuation of traditional medicines but also to
further develop medicines for local and global benefit.
A current problem for the big pharma companies is that they have not been
internally investing in new medication research—known as “the pipeline.” The
results of our proposed work will not only serve to fill this critical void via licens-
ing and royalty agreements of the resultant intellectual property that are equitable
and mutually beneficial, but this project may also serve as a pilot study that can
generalize and scale as a global model for others to mimic.
Additionally, since Benin is a land in transition and under development, there
is a new risk of the loss of the current richness of the biodiversity of the region. In
order to ensure such losses will be avoided, we also seek to develop a literal
“botanical garden” of the species of plants that are promising candidates for phar-
macological research. Thus, this work provides an example of the intersection of
science, pharmacological development, intellectual property rights offering
economic sustainability and capacity building, environmental preservation, public
health impacts, medical sciences education, and cultural traditions.

BUILDING BRIDGES
We often use the word “architecting” when we are in the nascent design phases
of a project. It seems we do a bit of bridge building—between cultures, peoples,
and disciplines—and honestly, this is a wonderful process. I personally enjoy this
remarkably frustrating and difficult work so very much. Next to my family, noth-
ing affects me so deeply. I encourage you to honor your gift, and if the center can
help you do so, please be in touch.

BIOGRAPHIES
Chris E. Stout
Chris E. Stout, PsyD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who has the necessary
entrepreneurial experience in healthcare center start-ups (chief operating officer
of YellowbricK and founding chief executive officer of Timberline Knolls). He also
is a clinical full professor in the University of Illinois–Chicago College of
Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry, a fellow in the School of Public Health
Leadership Institute, and a core faculty member of the International Center on
Responses to Catastrophes at the University of Illinois–Chicago. He also holds an
272 The New Humanitarians

academic appointment in the Northwestern University Feinberg Medical School,

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ Mental Health Services and
Policy Program, and was a visiting professor in the Department of Health Systems
Management at Rush University. He served as an NGO special representative to
the United Nations. He was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the
board of examiners for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. He holds
the distinction of being one of only 100 worldwide leaders appointed to the World
Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow 2000. He was invited by the Club
de Madrid and Safe-Democracy to serve on the Madrid-11 Countering Terrorism
Task Force.
Dr. Stout is a fellow in three divisions of the American Psychological Association,
past president of the Illinois Psychological Association, and a distinguished practi-
tioner in the National Academies of Practice. He was appointed as a special (citizen)
ambassador and delegation leader to South Africa and Eastern Europe by the
Eisenhower Foundation. He is the series editor of Contemporary Psychology (Praeger),
and Getting Started (Wiley & Sons). He produced the critically acclaimed, four-
volume set titled The Psychology of Terrorism. Dr. Stout has published or presented
over 300 papers and 30 books/manuals on various topics in psychology, including the
popular Evidence-Based Practice (Wiley & Sons, 2005, with R. Hayes). His works have
been translated into eight languages. He has lectured across the nation and interna-
tionally in nineteen countries, and visited six continents and over seventy countries.
He was noted as being “one of the most frequently cited psychologists in the scientific
literature” in a study by Hartwick College. He is the 2004 winner of the American
Psychological Association’s International Humanitarian Award and the 2006 recipient
of the Illinois Psychological Association’s Humanitarian Award.
He has served as chief of psychology, director of research, and senior vice pres-
ident of an integrated behavioral healthcare system during a fifteen-year tenure.
He served as Illinois’ first chief of psychological services for the Department of
Human Services/Division of Mental Health, making him the highest-ranking psy-
chologist in the State of Illinois and a committed reformer of psychology within
the governmental setting. He also served as chief clinical information officer for
the state’s Division of Mental Health in 2004—a state cabinet-level position. He
is the first psychologist to have an invited appointment to the Lake County Board
of Health. The breadth of his work ranges from having served as a judge for Dean
Kamen’s FIRST Robotics competitions, to serving on the Young Leaders Forum of
the Chicago Community Trust. His humanitarian activities include going on
international missions with the Flying Doctors of America to Vietnam, Rwanda,
Peru, and the Amazon; War Child in Russia; working with the Marjorie Kovler
Center for the Treatment of Survivors of Torture (see profile in this volume),
Amnesty International, Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, the Elizabeth Morse
Charitable Trust, and Psychologists for Social Responsibility. He founded a
kindergarten for AIDS-orphaned children in Tanzania and continues as a con-
sultant. He also was a delegate to the State of the World Forum in Belfast. He is a
signatory to the UN’s 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Center for Global Initiatives 273

Rights. He is the inventor of the 52 Ways to Change the World card deck. He is
listed in Fast Co.’s Global Fast 50 nominees and in Richard Saul Wurman’s 1000:
The Most Creative Individuals in America. He currently serves on the Illinois
Disaster Mental Health Coalition and the Medical Reserve Corp, and he is a mem-
ber of the APA Disaster Response Network.
His current interests are in the multidisciplinary aspects of global psychology
and healthcare, complex systems, and battling mediocrity. He’s an ultramarathon
runner, diver, and avid (albeit amateur) alpinist, having thus far summited three of
the world’s seven summits and Mt. Whitney (tallest in the continental 49 states),
and founded SummitsForOthers.org.

Ralph Musicant
Ralph Musicant is a Harvard Law School (1971) graduate who has founded and
operated start-up companies in a variety of industries: coal mining, comic book and
cigar magazine publishing, computerized multiple listing service for commercial
office space, and a behavioral health company offering telephone counseling by
licensed therapists. He is currently managing director of Ideas and Methods Inc., a
Chicago-based business consulting and acquisition firm. His academic career
includes an appointment as the Martin C. Remer Visiting Distinguished Professor
of Finance (1976) at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern
University. Most recently, he was an invited speaker at a Colloquium on E-therapy
presented by the Institute of Cybermedicine at Harvard Medical School.

Edith Grotberg
Edith Grotberg, PhD, spent five years in Sudan teaching at the Ahfad University
for Women in Omdurman. There, she began her work on resilience, which culmi-
nated in an international study of the promotion of resilience, with data gathered
from twenty-seven sites in twenty-two countries. Her books on resilience include
A Guide to Promoting Resilience in Children: Strengthening the Human Spirit and
Tapping Your Inner Strength: How to Find the Resilience to Deal with Anything; she
was also editor of Resilience for Today: Gaining Strength from Adversity. She has
conducted work with UNICEF, Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD), UNESCO, and International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC). She has worked with colleagues in Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil to
enhance resilience skills and behaviors. Her current work involves life-long well-
being in the Western Hemisphere.

Carleen L. Schreder
Carleen L. Schreder is an attorney and one of the founders of Levin & Schreder
Ltd. in 1988. She graduated from Lake Forest College in 1979 and received her JD
from the University of Chicago Law School in 1982. Her practice is focused in the
274 The New Humanitarians

areas of estate tax and income tax planning for individuals and businesses. In
addition to her legal work, Ms. Schreder is active in community organizations. She
was recognized for her community work by the Chicago Bar Foundation, which
awarded her the 1988 Maurice Weigle Award as an Outstanding Young Lawyer.
She is currently a board member of Chicago Foundation for Women and is a past
board member and officer of Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers
and Chicago Abused Women Coalition. Ms. Schreder is an author and presenter
on topics related to tax planning, including an article on Illinois estate tax appor-
tionment, which appeared in the Illinois Bar Journal in June 2007, and a presenta-
tion on the same topic at the Chicago Bar Association Probate Practice
Committee in November 2007.

Dale W. Galassie
Dale W. Galassie, MA, MS, has served as the executive director of the Lake County
Health Department/Community Health Center since 1992, an organization that
employs approximately 1,000 staff members with resources of $60 million. It pro-
vides a comprehensive array of public health, primary care, behavioral health, and
environmental health services in Lake County. Dale previously served as the director
of management services for the Health Department from 1981. His pre–public
health life was in higher education, serving from 1975 to 1981 as business manager
of Lewis University, a Christian Brothers institution in Will County, Illinois.
His years of senior-level administrative experience are complemented by his
academic accomplishments, including a Baccalaureate degree in political science
and business, an MA in administration, and an MS in social justice from Lewis
University; a fellow in the University of Illinois School of Public Health Leadership
Institute and a Primary Care Fellow through the United States Bureau of Primary
Health Care. He is chair of Midwest American Regional Public Health Leadership
Institute, and as a self-committed, life-long learner, ABD in his doctorate degree in
administration and leadership through Vanderbilt University.
He routinely speaks to professional organizations, special interest groups, and
legislative bodies. He has testified before numerous state and federal legislative com-
mittees as an outspoken member of the public health community to promote social
justice. He is an active Adjunct Faculty member for Webster University since 1982,
teaching graduate courses in Health Administration and Human Resource
Management. He is also the proud father of three young adult daughters raised in
Lake County, Illinois.
His association affiliations include past chair of the Illinois Association of
Public Health Administrators, President 1996–97; Illinois Public Health Associ-
ation Executive Council, 1993 to 1996; Illinois Primary Health Care Association,
past president, and currently serving on the Legislative and Public Policy Com-
mittee. He currently serves on the National Association of Community Health
Centers Legislative Policy Committee. Other association activities include past
co-chair of the Illinois Department of Public Aid, Medicaid Advisory/Managed
Center for Global Initiatives 275

Care Sub-Committee. He also serves on the National Association of County &

City Officials, Committee to Promote Public Health and Legislative Committees,
National Association for Public Health Policy, and other public health advisory
committees. He served as the vice-chair of the National Association of County
and City Health Officials (NACCHO), Metro-Forum Group, and maintains cur-
rent membership in that group. He is also an active member of the Northern
Illinois Public Health Consortium.

Laura Welch
Laura Welch is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a BA
in arts administration. Her earliest work involved fundraising with American
Players Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin; serving as public relations director
with the Peninsula Players in Door County, Wisconsin; and acting as the annual
fund manager with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, where her team raised over
$7.5 million. Her desire to be more socially active led Laura to create the Devel-
opment Department for the Family Resource Center, a child abuse agency in
St. Louis, where she initiated a capital campaign for a new building. She moved
on to be director of development for the Women’s Self-Help Center, a counseling
center for abused women in St. Louis. She also was asked to establish the annual
giving and special events arm of the Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation in
Corvallis, Oregon. She has volunteered extensively, including serving as chair of
the Corvallis Arts Center board of directors, consulting on the capital campaign
for the Majestic Theatre, also in Corvallis, Oregon, and as chair of the Benefit of
Hope for the American Cancer Society of DuPage County, Illinois. She is now
home with her two children and husband in Naperville, Illinois, and continues
her exciting work on a volunteer basis with the Center for Global Initiatives.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Center for Global Initiatives
Founder and/or Executive Director: Dr. Chris E. Stout, PsyD
Mission/Description:
The Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) is at once mindful of all complex
aspects of global health inequities while being focused on small, outcomes-
oriented projects so that it is also agile, responsive, improvisational, and
empowering in clinical, training, and research domains. It is the philosophy of
the center that the optimal way of successfully addressing these injustices and
disconnects is by multiple, small-scale projects with a coordinated
approaches and outcome accountability.
CGI is the first center devoted to training multidisciplinary healthcare profes-
sionals and students to bring services that are integrated, sustainable, and
resiliency based, with publicly accountable outcomes, to areas of need
276 The New Humanitarians

worldwide via multiple, small, context-specific collaboratives that integrate

primary care, behavioral healthcare, systems development, public health, and
social justice. We seek to eschew the many disconnects between separation
of body/mind, physical/mental, and individual/community, and offer instead a
synthetic model of integration. The Center’s philosophy and approach is
always that of a collaborator and colleague. No “West-Knows-Best” hubris.
We learn as we teach. We feel as we treat.
Perhaps the most important aspects of the Center for Global Initiatives are the
simplest:

1. We serve as an incubator and hothouse for new projects. We help to nurture, grow,
and launch them as self sustaining, ongoing interests.
2. After a project has taken hold, we serve as pro bono consultants—forever if need
be. We help those now managing the work with whatever it is they may need—
materials, medicines, case consultation, introductions.
3. About 90 percent of all of our projects have come about as a result of being invited
to do the work. That is, we do not come up with project ideas or toss darts at a
globe to determine where to go next. There seems to be a global line outside our
door waiting to be the next one to work with us. When we are not a good fit, we
work to triage to a more suitable organization.

Website: CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org
Address: 120 North LaSalle Street, 38th Floor
Chicago, IL 60602 USA
Phone: +1.847.550.0092, ext. 2
Fax: none
E-mail: Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org

NOTE
1. Susan M. Davis,“Social Entrepreneurship: Towards an Entrepreneurial Culture for Social
and Economic Development” (July 31, 2002). Available at SSRN (http://ssrn.com/
abstract=978868).
 Afterword
Keith Ferrazzi

If you take the ingredients of social entrepreneurship, venture philanthropy, and

social networking, liberally mix with individuals who hold a passion for making a
true difference in various aspects of people’s lives throughout the world, and then
take a sample of some of the best, the result you have is The New Humanitarians.
Chris Stout has served as a uniting thread to connect these organizations in this
three-volume set. While these organizations are all different in their approaches
and goals, they share a common aspect of their work: innovation. Indeed, they are
the new humanitarians. They are born from the power of the individual taking
action in a novel way, and then using the power of their relationships to effect
impactful change. After all, giving back is a huge part of a life well led.
In the spirit of Three Cups of Tea, Chris’s adventuresome life has taken him to
a variety of exotic and often not-so-safe locales, and the work he has done in these
venues has resulted not only in his Center for Global Initiatives, but also The New
Humanitarians. He has done well with many of the aspects I wrote about in Never
Eat Alone but applied them in the milieu of humanitarian work. He and I share a
kinship, as Chris was a reviewer for the ABE Awards that I founded, a fellow
Baldrige Award reviewer, and a fellow “TEDizen” during the Richard Saul
Wurman era; was elected as a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic
Forum; and served as faculty with me in Davos. So it is no surprise that Chris has
the brainpower as well as the horsepower to have accomplished this wonderful
compilation of wunderkinder.
Chris is able to contribute to Davos talks and UN presentations, but he is much
more at home working in the field and with his students. He is known for bring-
ing people together in cross-disciplinary projects worldwide—in healthcare,
medical education, human rights, poverty, conflict, policy, sustainable develop-
ment, diplomacy, and terrorism. As the American Psychological Association said

277
278 Afterword

about him and his work: “He is a rare individual who takes risks, stimulates new
ideas, and enlarges possibilities in areas of great need but few resources. He is able
to masterfully navigate between the domains of policy development while also
rolling up his sleeves to provide in-the-trenches care. His drive and vigor are dis-
guised by his quick humor and ever-present kindness. He is provocative in his
ideas and evocative in spirit. His creative solutions and inclusiveness cross con-
ceptual boundaries as well as physical borders.” The New Humanitarians serves a
testament to this praise.
Simply put, these organizations are amazing. The people behind the organi-
zations are amazing. Their stories are amazing. And as a result, this book is
amazing.
 Series Afterword

THE NEW HUMANITARIANS

I am honored to include Professor Chris Stout’s three-volume set—The New
Humanitarians—in my book series. These volumes are like rare diamonds
shining with visionary perspectives for the fields of human rights, health, and
education advocacy; charitable and philanthropic organizations; and legal rights
and remedies.
The New Humanitarians volumes are of great value to informed citizens,
volunteers, and professionals because of their originality, down-to-earth
approach, reader-friendly format, and comprehensive scope. Many of the specially
written book chapters include the latest factual information on ways in which the
new leaders, advocates, and foundations have been instrumental in meeting the
critical medical and human service needs of millions of people in underdeveloped
and war-torn countries.
Professor Chris Stout has developed a pathfinding set here. A gifted and prolific
psychologist who planned and edited these comprehensive volumes, Stout has
developed an original concept couched in these three remarkable books. I predict
that the New Humanitarians will rapidly become a classic, and will be extremely
useful reading for all informed citizens and professionals in the important years
ahead.
Albert R. Roberts, DSW, PhD
Series Editor, Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions
Professor of Social Work and Criminal Justice
School of Arts and Sciences
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

279
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 About the Editor and Contributors

Chris E. Stout is a licensed clinical psychologist and founding director of the

Center for Global Initiatives. He also is a clinical full professor in the College of
Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; a fellow in the School of Public Health Lead-
ership Institute; and a core faculty member at the International Center on
Responses to Catastrophes at the University of Illinois–Chicago. He also holds an
academic appointment in the Northwestern University Feinberg Medical School
and was visiting professor in the Department of Health Systems Management at
Rush University. He served as a nongovernmental organization special representa-
tive to the United Nations for the American Psychological Association, was
appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow, and was
an invited faculty at their annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He was invited by
the Club de Madrid and Safe-Democracy to serve on the Madrid-11 Countering
Terrorism Task Force.

Dr. Stout is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, past-president of

the Illinois Psychological Association, and is a distinguished practitioner in the
National Academies of Practice. He has published thirty books, and his works
have been translated into eight languages. He was noted as being “one of the most
frequently cited psychologists in the scientific literature” in a study by Hartwick
College. He is the 2004 winner of the American Psychological Association’s Inter-
national Humanitarian Award and the 2006 recipient of the Illinois Psychological
Association’s Humanitarian Award.

Raj S. and Shobha Arole co-founded The Comprehensive Rural Health Project,
Jamkhed, India, in 1970. Both Drs. Raj and Mabelle Arole had a deep commitment
and compassion for the poor and marginalized. As medical doctors, with training
both at CMC Vellore, India, and at Johns Hopkins in the United States, they

281
282 About the Editor and Contributors

returned to Jamkhed, India, to implement a community-based health and devel-

opment program. As highly motivated public health specialists, their vision was to
empower people, particularly the rural poor and women, to take their health into
their own hands. Both the Aroles were the recipients of the Magasaysay Award for
community leadership in 1979. Dr. Raj Arole also received the Padmabhushan
(one of the highest honors in India) for commitment to the rural poor. In 1999,
at the age of sixty-four, Dr. Mabelle Arole passed away from heart disease. The
program now is still under the leadership of Dr. Raj Arole. Their daughter, Dr.
Shobha Arole, is the associate director of the project, and their son, Ravi, is
involved in administration. The Aroles were also chosen by the Schwab Founda-
tion as social entrepreneurs in the field of innovative, community-based health
and development. The project is committed to empowering people, integrating
health, promoting equity, and serving as a replicable and sustainable model for
India and the world.

Teresa Bartrum attended Ball State University for her undergraduate studies.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and photojournalism. She worked
at the Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Indiana, and at the Star Press as a staff pho-
tographer for five years before moving back to the field of psychology. She then
worked at the Youth Opportunity Center, a juvenile residential treatment facility,
as a frontline supervisor in the Treatment of Adolescents in Secure Care (TASC)
Unit of this organization. While employed at this organization, she helped
develop and facilitate a therapeutic horseback riding program, served as a thera-
peutic crisis intervention instructor, and completed multiple in-service trainings.
She is currently attends the Adler School of Professional Psychology while pur-
suing her doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She completed her community
service practicum at the Center for Global Initiatives while working on the book
project The New Humanitarians: Innovations, Inspirations, and Blueprints for
Visionaries.

Mary Black, MS, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist with the Marjorie Kovler
Center of Heartland Alliance. Her responsibilities include assessment and inter-
vention focused on enhancing the functional skills needed to perform meaning-
ful occupational roles that have been compromised or abandoned as a result of
torture, displacement, or injury. She has been extensively involved in working
with refugee individuals, families, and children, using individual and group activ-
ities to help support the maintenance of cultural identity while coping with the
multiple challenges presented in transitioning to an urban lifestyle in the United
States. Ms. Black has over eleven years’ experience working with refugees and
those seeking asylum in the United States, and has collaborated with many schools
and numerous community programs including Casa Guatemala, the Community
Culture Council of Dance Africa Chicago, Mioghar Eedee Ogoni (an Ogoni,
Nigeria, children’s group), and Angelic Organics Farm. She has presented at numer-
ous ISTSS conferences and at the National AOTA conference in 2003 and 2007. She
About the Editor and Contributors 283

has an MS in occupational therapy from the University at Illinois–Chicago and is

licensed in the state of Illinois.

Marie Charles founded ICEHA, the global leader in clinical skills rapid transfer to
emerging nations in November 2001. Drawing on its pool of over 650 highly qual-
ified infectious disease professionals from fourteen Western countries, ICEHA
deployed into ten countries in Africa and Asia within three years of commencing
operations, transferring at least 7,500 aggregate human-years of clinical expertise
to local colleagues. As one of the world’s leading fourth-generation NGOs, ICEHA
uses a unique funding model, whereby Western funding catalyzes 300 percent
matched funding by recipient developing countries. In recognition of her profes-
sional achievements, Dr. Charles received the National Medal of Honor from the
president of Vietnam at the opening of the Vietnamese National Assembly in
Hanoi in June 2007. She was also named a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Insti-
tute in 2006 and served as adjunct professor at Columbia University School of
International and Public Affairs in 2004–2005.

Josefina Coloma is a senior research associate in the Division of Infectious

Diseases in the School of Public Health at UC–Berkeley. She received a BA in bio-
logical sciences from the American College of Quito, Ecuador, in 1983 and a PhD
in microbiology and molecular genetics from UCLA in 1997. Coming from a
developing country and having had the opportunity to study in the United States,
she felt that doing something about the large gap in scientific knowledge between
the two was in part her responsibility. Dr. Coloma has been working with Dr. Eva
Harris since 1993 to build scientific capacity in developing countries. Dr. Coloma
helped envision and fund the Sustainable Sciences Institute (SSI) and has served
on its board of directors since 2000. Dr. Coloma believes that her involvement
with SSI allows her to give back to her native country of Ecuador some of what
she has learned and experienced.

Mary Fabri, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and director of Torture Treatment

Services and International Training for Heartland Alliance in Chicago, Illinois.
She is the current president of the National Consortium of Torture Treatment
Programs. Dr. Fabri provides consultation and training internationally on the
consequences of severe trauma, cross-cultural psychotherapy, and secondary
traumatization. Since 2004 she has been collaborating with Women’s Equity in
Access to Care and Treatment (WE-ACTx) in Rwanda, addressing the needs of
traumatized HIV-positive women. She has also conducted trainings in
Guatemala and Haiti. She has published on topics pertaining to refugee mental
health, cross-cultural treatment modifications, and the psychological conse-
quences of torture. After receiving her doctoral degree in clinical psychology
from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in 1986, Dr. Fabri has
devoted her career to working in the public health sector. She worked as a staff
psychologist at Cook County Hospital until 1995 when she joined Heartland
284 About the Editor and Contributors

Alliance as the clinical coordinator for the Bosnian Mental Health Program; in
1997, she became the training coordinator for the Refugee Mental Health
Training Program. In 2000 Dr. Fabri became the director of the Marjorie Kovler
Center after fourteen years of providing pro bono services to torture survivors.

Keith Ferrazzi is one of the rare individuals to discover the essential formula for
making his way to the top through a powerful, balanced combination of market-
ing acumen and networking savvy. Both Forbes and Inc. magazines have desig-
nated him one of the world’s most “connected” individuals. Now, as founder and
CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, he provides market leaders with advanced strategic
consulting and training services to increase company sales and enhance personal
careers. Ferrazzi earned a BA from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard
Business School.

Jeffrey D. Fisher is a professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut. He

is the founder and director of its Center for Health, Intervention & Prevention
(CHIP). Most of his work has involved theoretical and empirical work on social
psychological factors that can affect the success of interventions to change human
behavior. His early research (with Arie Nadler) focused on how to facilitate the
seeking of needed help, and what types of help promote favorable and unfavor-
able recipient reactions to aid (e.g., self-sufficiency vs. continued help seeking;
favorable vs. unfavorable reactions to the donor of help). More recent work has
involved similar issues in the realm of health psychology. He has published exten-
sively on factors associated with HIV risk behavior, and has done a great deal of
conceptual and empirical work in the area of interventions to increase HIV pre-
ventive behavior. His work also focuses on designing theoretically based interven-
tions to increase adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and on health behavior
change in general. As principal investigator, he has been awarded seven major
NIMH grants since 1989 on HIV risk reduction and medical adherence, totaling
over $20 million, and he has lectured and consulted internationally in the area of
HIV preventive behavior.

Allan Gathercoal is the president and founder of Flying Doctors of America,

which he established in 1990. He travels the globe, but his second home is in Latin
America. He has been the team leader on more than 140 medical and dental mis-
sions. Allan is an ordained minister and holds a doctorate from Columbia Theo-
logical Seminary. He is a private pilot and an aficionado of adventure sports. He
was born in England.

Mario González is the clinical supervisor of the Marjorie Kovler Center of

Heartland Alliance in Chicago, Illinois. He is a native of Guatemala, where he
studied and received his license in psychology from the University Rafael
Landivar in 1984. He is bilingual and bicultural. In addition to clinical oversight
of the Kovler Center program, Mr. González provides supervision to the case
About the Editor and Contributors 285

management and clinical staff, consultation to pro bono therapists and immi-
gration attorneys, and evaluation services for forensic psychological documen-
tation for political asylum applicants. He also provides psychotherapy to torture
survivors and has special interests in diagnostics and cross-cultural psychotherapy.
Prior to working with torture survivors, Mr. González was the director of the
Instituto del Progreso Latino’s Gang Involvement Prevention Program, where
community outreach was an integral part of the services provided. In addition
to his training in psychology, Mr. González also earned a bachelor’s degree in
accounting and administration from La Patria College, Guatemala, in 1970 and
a master’s in education and psychology from the Universidad Rafael Landivar,
Guatemala, in 1978.

Victoria Hale established her expertise in all stages of biopharmaceutical drug

development at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug
Evaluation and Research and at Genentech Inc., the world’s first biotechnology
company. She presently maintains an adjunct associate professorship in biophar-
maceutical sciences at the University of California–San Francisco, is an advisor to
the World Health Organization (WHO) for building ethical review capacity in the
developing world, and has served as an expert reviewer to the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) on the topic of biodiversity. Dr. Hale’s recent honors include
being elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Acade-
mies and being named a 2006 John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
Fellow. Other recent achievements include being selected as an Ashoka Fellow for
work in leading social innovation (2006) and as Executive of the Year by Esquire
magazine (2005), and receiving the Economist Innovation Award for Social and
Economic Innovation (2005) and the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
from the Skoll Foundation (2005). She was named one of the Most Outstanding
Social Entrepreneurs by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship in
Switzerland (2004). In 2004 Dr. Hale and OneWorld Health (iOWH) were
included in the Scientific American 50, the magazine’s annual list recognizing
outstanding acts of leadership in science and technology.

Eva Harris is an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases in the

School of Public Health at UC–Berkeley. She received a BA in biochemical
sciences from Harvard University in 1987 and a PhD in molecular and cell biology
from UC–Berkeley in 1993. In 1997 Dr. Harris received a MacArthur “Genius”
Award for her pioneering work developing programs and working to build scien-
tific capacity in developing countries to address public health and infectious dis-
ease issues. To continue and expand this work, Dr. Harris founded the Sustainable
Sciences Institute (SSI) in 1998. SSI is a San Francisco-based, international non-
profit organization that supports scientists and public health professionals in
developing countries as they work toward meeting the public health needs of their
communities. Dr. Harris has published over sixty-five peer-reviewed articles, as
well as a book on her international scientific work.
286 About the Editor and Contributors

Marianne Joyce is a clinical social worker at the Marjorie Kovler Center of

Heartland Alliance. Since joining the staff in 2000, she has conducted clinical eval-
uations, supervised and trained graduate student interns, engaged survivors in
healing therapies, provided consultation to volunteer therapists, and documented
and testified to the psychological effects of torture in support of asylum claims.
Her first role with the Kovler Center in 1990 was as a volunteer interpreter and
co-coordinator of a Guatemalan children’s group. She has been involved with
survivors bringing lawsuits against perpetrators residing in the United States in
collaboration with the Center of Justice and Accountability. She has trained health
providers, attorneys, and interpreters in the United States on issues of sensitivity
in their work with survivors. She has helped train health professionals from
Guatemala, Haiti, and Iraq on treatment issues. She holds a BS in psychology from
the University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign and an MA from the School of
Social Services Administration at the University of Chicago. She has taught
human rights at the School of Services Administration as adjunct faculty.

Jordan Kassalow is a co-founder of Scojo Vision LLC and the Scojo Foundation.
He is also the founder of the Global Health Policy Program at the Council on
Foreign Relations, where he served as an adjunct senior fellow from 1999–2004.
Prior to his position at the council, he served as director of the Onchocerciasis
Division at Helen Keller International. He currently serves on the board of direc-
tors for Lighthouse International and on the medical advisory board of Helen
Keller International. The recipient of numerous awards, including the Social
Innovator of the Year award from Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of
Management, the Aspen Institute’s Henry Crown Fellowship, and a Draper
Richards Foundation Fellowship, Dr. Kassalow received his doctorate of optome-
try from the New England College of Optometry and his master’s in public health
from Johns Hopkins University. In addition to his position at Scojo Foundation,
he is currently a partner at the practice of Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick, and
Associates.

Katherine Katcher is a recent graduate of Columbia College, where she majored

in anthropology and studied abroad in Dharamsala, India. She has traveled exten-
sively through Eastern Europe, the Balkans, East Africa, and Latin America and is
passionate about sustainable development and finding innovative approaches to
ending poverty.

Annie Khan, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, migrated to Toronto, Canada,
in 1994. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in
neuroscience and psychology. While working in community-based organiza-
tions, she felt compelled to do more for disenfranchised populations. She pur-
sued a master’s in counseling psychology at the Adler School of Professional
Psychology and is currently working on her doctorate in clinical psychology. She
worked at the Center for Global Initiatives as a placement student on The New
About the Editor and Contributors 287

Humanitarians: Innovations, Inspirations, and Blueprints for Visionaries book

project.

Graham Macmillan is senior director of Scojo Foundation, a leading social enter-

prise focused on reducing poverty and generating opportunity through the sale of
affordable eyeglasses and complementary products. Prior to joining Scojo
Foundation, Mr. Macmillan served as director of business development for the
ChildSight program at Helen Keller International. He currently serves on the board
of directors of the FISH Hospitality Program and is a member of the Micro-franchise
Development Initiative at Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of
Management. Mr. Macmillan was a 2006 fellow at the Global Social Benefit Incu-
bator at Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society, and
has been an invited judge with NYU Stern’s Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial
Studies business plan competition as well as the Robert F. Wagner School for
Public Service’s Catherine B. Reynolds Undergraduate Scholarship in Social
Enterprise competition. He received his BA in international studies and history
from Colby College and his MSc in management of international public service
organizations from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School for Public
Service. Mr. Macmillan is currently pursuing an MBA through the TRIUM
Program (NYU Stern, London School of Economics, and HEC Management
School of Paris).

Mehmet Oz received a 1982 undergraduate degree from Harvard and a 1986 joint
MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the
Wharton Business School. He is vice-chair of surgery and professor of cardiac
surgery, Columbia University; founder and director, Complementary Medicine
Program, New York Presbyterian Medical Center; currently, director, Cardiovas-
cular Institute, New York Presbyterian Hospital. Research interests include heart
replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and health care policy.
He is a member of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery; American Board of
Surgery; American Association of Thoracic Surgeons; Society of Thoracic
Surgeons; American College of Surgeons; International Society for Heart and
Lung Transplantation; American College of Cardiology; and the American Society
for Artificial Internal Organs. He is the author of more than 350 publications.

Myron Panchuk completed his BS degree in psychology and philosophy at Loyola

University of Chicago in 1976. In 1982 he was ordained to the priesthood for the
Chicago Diocese of Ukrainian Catholics and has actively served this community
for over twenty years. His professional work includes designing and facilitating
retreats and conferences for clergy and laity, professional development, conflict
resolution, and social advocacy. He is a co-founder and member of Starving For
Color, a humanitarian organization that provides baby formula for orphans in
Ukraine. He is currently a counseling graduate student at the Adler School of
Professional Psychology and is engaged in a community service practicum with
288 About the Editor and Contributors

Dr. Chris Stout at the Center for Global Initiatives. He intends to continue his
studies and pursue a doctorate in depth psychology.

Kevin P. Q. Phelan is a senior communications manager for Doctors Without

Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the United States. Since 2001 he has
worked with MSF in Angola, the Palestinian Territories, Iraq, Sudan, Haiti,
Uganda, Nigeria, and Niger. Before joining MSF, he worked as a correspondent at
Radio France International, as a teacher at the City College of New York, and as a
social worker in the Bronx and Queens.

William H. Rosenblatt is professor of anesthesiology, Yale University School of

Medicine, the founder of REMEDY, its volunteer medical director, and primary
author of seminal articles on recovery published by the Journal of the American
Medical Association and others. Dr. Rosenblatt has been the recipient of multiple
awards for his work with REMEDY, including the Rolex Award for Enterprise in
Science and Invention given by the Rolex Foundation in 1996.

Jack Saul is a psychologist who has worked for more than twenty years with indi-
viduals, families, and communities that have endured war, torture, and forced
migration. Since 1997 he has directed the International Trauma Studies Program
(ITSP), now affiliated with the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia
University, where he is assistant professor of clinical population and family health.
ITSP provides post-graduate training in trauma theory, treatment, and preven-
tion in New York and Uganda. In 1995 Dr. Saul co-founded the Bellevue/NYU
Program for Survivors of Torture and served as its first clinical director. He helped
establish the Metro Area Support for Survivors of Torture (MASST) Consortium
and created a nonprofit organization, Refuge, which provides psychosocial
services to refugee families and communities in New York City. Following the
9/11/2001 World Trade Center attack, Dr. Saul formed the Downtown Commu-
nity Resource Center with Lower Manhattan residents, and was funded by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a demonstration project in
community resilience following catastrophe. Since 2000 he has worked with the
Kosovar Family Professional Education Collaborative to develop community
mental health services based on a family- and community-resilience approach. He
is a member of the American Family Therapy Academy and received the 2002
Marion Langer Award for Human Rights and Social Change of the American
Association for Orthopsychiatry.

Patrick Savaiano is currently enrolled in the doctoral (PsyD) program at the

Adler School of Professional Psychology (ASPP) in Chicago, Illinois. He gradu-
ated from the University of Notre Dame in 2004 with a BA in history and Spanish,
and has since worked in marketing, real estate, and music. In the summer of 2003,
he had the rewarding experience of traveling to Costa Rica by himself to work
with Habitat for Humanity. Although he still plays guitar in two bands, in 2006 he
About the Editor and Contributors 289

decided to shift his “day job” away from business and into the profession of psy-
chology. In fall 2007, as part of ASPP’s Community Service Practicum, he worked
under Dr. Chris E. Stout at the Center for Global Initiatives (CGI). He became an
integral member of a team of students and professionals that ultimately put
together a book project entitled The New Humanitarians: Innovations, Inspira-
tions, and Blueprints for Visionaries. Mr. Savaiano hopes to use the experience he
has gained at ASPP and CGI to fuel his desire to help the less fortunate and under-
served populations throughout the world.

Jennifer Staple founded Unite For Sight during her sophomore year at Yale
University in 2000. Under her stewardship, the organization has grown from a
community-based nonprofit organization in New Haven to an international non-
profit organization serving the medically underserved in twenty-five countries.
She has created ninety chapters throughout the world, engaging more than 4,000
professionals and students. The goal of the organization is to create eye dis-
ease–free communities, and Unite For Sight has provided services to more than
600,000 people worldwide. Currently a medical student at Stanford University
School of Medicine, she is a cum laude graduate of Yale University, where she
received her bachelor’s degree in biology and anthropology in May 2003. For her
commitment to public service and leadership, Ms. Staple has been featured in
books and received many international awards.

Miriam Stone is responsible for fundraising, communications, and developing

franchise partner opportunities. Prior to joining Scojo Foundation, she worked as
a consultant to a variety of international social enterprise organizations, includ-
ing Solidaridad’s Latin America program and Tilonia, the U.S. fair trade distribu-
tor for the Barefoot College in India. She has also worked as a community eye
health organizer in Guatemala and has traveled extensively throughout Latin
America. The author of published articles, poetry, and a memoir, Ms. Stone grad-
uated from Columbia University in 2003 with a degree in cultural anthropology
and creative writing.

Stevan Weine, a psychiatrist, is a researcher, writer, teacher, and clinician in the

Department of Psychiatry and the Health Research and Policy Centers of the
University of Illinois–Chicago, where he directs the International Center on
Responses to Catastrophes. He is co-founder and co-director of the Project on
Genocide, Psychiatry, and Witnessing, which provides family-focused, community-
based mental health services to Bosnians; conducts interdisciplinary research on
survivors; and engages in mental health reform in postwar countries. His schol-
arly work focuses on familial, cultural, and historical dimensions of traumatiza-
tion. Dr. Weine is principal investigator of a National Institute of Mental
Health–funded research study “A Prevention and Access Intervention for Survivor
Families” that is studying the effectiveness of the Coffee and Family Education
and Support intervention with Bosnian and Kosovar families in Chicago, a
290 About the Editor and Contributors

resilience-oriented, multiple-family group intervention first developed with

CCFH. In 2001 he was awarded a Career Scientist Award from the National
Institute of Mental Health on “Services Based Research with Refugee Families” for
which he is conducting an ethnography of Bosnian adolescents and their families.
Weine is author of a book based upon survivors’ oral histories, When History is a
Nightmare: Lives and Memories of Ethnic Cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina
(Rutgers, 1999). His new book, Living Histories, is a narrative inquiry of diverse
testimony readings from within four different twentieth-century sociohistorical
occurrences of political violence. Weine is also chair of the Task Force on Interna-
tional Trauma Training of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
and principal co-author of the “Guidelines for International Trauma Training of
Practitioners in Clinical and Community Settings.” He is co-founder of the Koso-
var Family Professional Education Collaborative and Services, involving CCFH,
and scientific director the Services Based Training for Kosovar Community
Mental Health and Prevention, which is building family-focused, community-
based public mental health services in Kosovo. For more information, see his
webpage at the International Center on Responses to Catastrophes.

Martine Zoer, born and raised in the Netherlands, has lived in the United
Kingdom and Canada. As a fundraising and publicity associate of the Sustainable
Sciences Institute, she has written multiple grant proposals since 2003, including
grant proposals for Big City Mountaineers, GirlVentures, National Children’s
Literacy Group, Venice Arts, and WriteGirl. A prolific writer, she has also pub-
lished numerous articles in national and international publications as well as two
children’s books, including The Kids’ Guide to Living Abroad. She is currently
working on a book about Dutch war brides who married Canadian servicemen
after World War II.
 Index

Note: A page number followed by an f indicates that the reference is to a figure.

1000: The Most Creative Individuals in
America (Wurman), 273
52 Ways to Change the World, 273
9/11 attack. See September 11 terrorist
attack (2001)
AAI. See Accelerated Access Initiative
(AAI)
AASLD. See American Association for the
Study of Liver Diseases’ (AASLD)
Abbott, Grace, 158
Accelerated Access Initiative (AAI),
123–124
“Access to anti-AIDS medication,” 121
Access to Essential Medicines Campaign,
19–20
ACTs. See Artemisinin-based combination
therapies (ACTs)
Addams, Jane, 158
Admay, Catherine Adcock, 258
Afghanistan, MSF aid operation, 11,
21–22
African Refuge, 223–224
African trypanosomiasis, 20
Agger, I., 212
AIDS. See HIV/AIDS
AIDS Risk Reduction Project (ARRP),
233, 234
Albanian Kosovar community, and ITSP,
215–216
Alchemical process, 149–150
AlmaAta Declaration on Primary Health
Care, 93
Altman, Michael, 154
Alvardo, Noel Flores, 49
AMB/ATT Program. See Applied
Molecular Biology/Appropriate
Technology Transfer (AMB/ATT)
American Association for the Study of
Liver Diseases’ (AASLD), 72
Amnesty International (AI), xxviii, 159,
160
Angelic Organics Learning Center, 176
Angola
Angolan refugees, 8
conflicts in, 7, 13
CRHP operation in, 102
MSF operation in, 20–21
ANM. See Auxiliary nurse midwife
(ANM)
Antiretroviral medications (ARVs), 19,
122–124, 130, 238

291
292 Index

Antiretroviral medications (continued) Amyris/Sanofi-aventis, contribution

in Rwanda and Burundi, 124 to, 87–88
shortage of, 20 Artemisinin Project and, 87
Applied Molecular Biology/Appropriate Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Technology Transfer (AMB/ATT) grant, 88
basic principles, 61 scope of, 88
formation of, 59–60 WHO recommendations, 88
Harris’s vision, formalization of, 62–63 ARVs. See Antiretroviral medications
manual amplification of Vibrio (ARVs)
cholerae, 61 Association of Operating Room Nurses
objective of, 60 (AORN), 255
phases of, 60–61 Associations de loi, French law, 4, 17
training courses in different countries, Atwell, Ed, 154–155
63 Auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM), 99
Architecting, defined, 271
Ariyan, Chris, 258 Bailey, Dan, 155
Armed conflicts, victims of, 24–25 Bakhtin, Mikhail, 195
Arole, Mabelle Bangladesh, 1, 4
background, 96 Baron, Nancy, 221, 224
foundation of CRHP, 93 Barre, Siad, 14
in memoriam, 109 BASIS (Bio-pharmacogenomic Access &
in UNICEF, 107 Sustainable Infra-Structure), 270
Arole, Raj, xx Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of
at CRHP, 106–107 Torture, 210
early life, 95–97 Belli, Alejandro, 59, 63
in Jamkhed, 97–99 Berrie, Scott, xix, 48
at NRHM, 112 Biafra, Nigeria
working abroad, 106–107 genocide in, 3
Arole, Shobha, xix–xx MSF operation in, 4
CRHP, role in, 106 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 239,
in different countries, 108 270
training at Jamkhed, 107 Binh Thanh OPC, Vietnam, 122
Aroles “Blenderfuge,” 62
in beginning in Jamkhed, 97–99 Blindness in developing countries. See also
early life of, 95–97 Unite for Sight
founded CRHP in 1970, 93 barriers in treatment, 31–32
future plans by, 112–113 Ghana (see Buduburam Refugee
involvement in training for primary Camp, Ghana)
health care, 108 Vision 2020 goals and, 32
lessons learned by, 111–112 Blum-Kovler Foundation, 162
questions and answers with, 113–115 A Boat for Saint-Germain-des-Prés
as social entrepreneurs, 94 (Emmanuelli), 7
training VHWs as agents of Bolivia
transformation, 100–101 Flying Doctors of America in, 151–152
Aron, Raymond, 6 Sustainable Sciences Institute in, 66
Artemisinin-based combination therapies Bolivian Women’s Prison Mission, 151
(ACTs) Bon Marché hospital, Bunia, 25
Index
Boots, Nora, 107, 108
Borel, Raymond, 4
Bosnian and Kosovar Refugees, United
States
Intervention Research with Migrants
and Refugees, 195
Joining Multiple-Family Groups,
195–196
Treatment and Services Studies,
194–195
Bosnian Serbs, 15
Boyle, Brian, 125
Braille Without Borders, xxiii
Brand, Paul, 96
Brauman, Rony, 2, 7, 11
Brugeman, Walter, 154
Buduburam Refugee Camp, Ghana
blindness due to atrocities at, 38–40
entrepreneurial skill building at, 40–42
establishment of, 37–38
James Clarke’s services at, 35–36, 39, 42
Karrus Hayes’ services at, 35, 36, 39
tragedy of blindness at, 36–37
Unite for Sight programs at, 35–36, 42
Building Educated Leaders for Life
(BELL), xxvi
Bush, George H.W. (President), 13
Butare, Rwanda, 15
Byrne, Donn, 232
CAFES. See Coffee and Families
Education and Support Group
(CAFES)
Caldwell, Gillian, xxvii
Cambodia
genocide, 11
ICEHA in, 140–141
Canada
Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council, 233
torture victims (see Canadian Centre
for Victims of Torture)
Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture,
159
Carré, John le, 84
Carroll, Roseanne, 151–152
Carroll, Scott, 151–152
293
Caruso, Denise, xxvi
CBPHC. See Community-based primary
health care (CBPHC)
CBPR. See Community-based
participatory research (CBPR)
CDC. See U.S. Centers for Disease Control
(CDC)
Center for Global Initiatives (CGI),
xxii–xxiii
Academic Memberships, 267
BASIS project, 270
collaboration with other
organizations, 264–265
CONTACT project, 268
ENVOY project, 270–271
funding resources, 266–267
mission of, 263
organizational development, 263–264
philosophy and approach, 261–262
program development, 265
Project Niños, 268
solutions for health care-related
problems, 262
staffing model, 267
THRIVE project, 268–269
unique aspects of, 262
WorldWise project, 269
Centerforglobalinitiatives.org, 268
Center for Health, Intervention, and
Prevention (CHIP), xxii, 231
cancer prevention and, 239
CHCM, establishment of, 239
foundation of, 231–232
grant from NIMH, 238
grant from University of Connecticut,
240–243
HIV prevention interventions, peer-
based, 237
multidisciplinary approach to health
problems, 232–233
organizational structure, development
of, 243–244
research expenditures, 240
sexual and drug use behavior, research
on, 234
Center for Health Communication and
Marketing (CHCM), 239
294
Center for HIV Intervention and
Prevention, 234
Center for Justice and Accountability
(CJA), 168
Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), xxv
Center for Victims of Torture,
Minneapolis, 159
Center for War, Peace and the News
Media, 216
CGI. See Center for Global Initiatives
(CGI)
CHAI. See Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS
Initiative (CHAI)
Chantilly Principles, 17
Charhon, Francis, 7
Charles, Marie, xx, 123
Chaudhry, Serena, 223
Chavan, Ratnamala Jaganath, 109–110
CHCM. See Center for Health
Communication and Marketing
(CHCM)
Chemtob, Claude, 219
Chicago
immigrants and refugees in, 158
Metropolitan Sanctuary Alliance, 160
physicians and psychologists in, 160
Religious Task Force on Central
America, 160
Theological Union, 170
torture survivors in, 159
torture treatment center in, 161–162
Travelers and Immigrants Aid (TIA),
158, 160
Children
healthcare education for, 268
mental health of, 218
CHIP. See Center for Health, Intervention,
and Prevention (CHIP)
Cholera epidemic, 16
Christian Medical College, Vellore
Christmas card, 125
Churches, response to torture, 159–160
Cintron, Ralph, 194
CJA. See Center for Justice and
Accountability (CJA)
Clarke, James and Unite for Sight, 31,
35–36, 39, 42
Clinical coaching, 137
Index
Clinical competency, 134
Clinical mentor candidates, 140
Clinical mentoring, 132–133, 136–137,
141
Clinical protocols, 124
Clinical research, 123–124
Clinical skills, 121, 127–128, 140
Clinton, Bill (President) and Scojo
Foundation, 53
Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative
(CHAI), 132, 134
Clinton Global Initiative and Scojo
Foundation, 53
Close, Glenn, 183
CME. See Continuing medical education
(CME)
Coffee and Families Education and
Support Group (CAFES), 196
Coloma, Josefina, 60
Coming Home, 223
Common Bond Institute (CBI), xxiv
Community-based participatory research
(CBPR), 202
Community-based primary health care
(CBPHC), 107, 108
Community Relations Council, xxviii
Community Resource Center, Manhattan,
218–221
Community Service Practicum Program,
Adler School of Professional
Psychology, 267
Comprehensive Rural Health Project
(CRHP), xix–xx, 93
and Ghodegaon, 103–106
health program by, 102–103
involvement in training for primary
health care, 108
official campus of, 99
as organization, 94
principles of community-based
primary health care, 110–111
rehabilitation center in memory of
Marbelle, 109
sustainability and globalization,
106–109
training women as VHWs, 99, 107
transformation of individuals and
communities, 94–95
Index
village transformation by people,
103–106
Congo-Brazzaville Civil War, 25
Constant Gardener, The (Carré, John le),
84
CONTACT (Coordination & Online
Tracking of Activities & Clinical
Teams), 268
Contemporary Psychology (Stout),
271–272, 272
Continuing medical education (CME),
138
Cook County Hospital, Chicago, 160
Cooke, Hale, 97
Copenhagen University Hospital,
Denmark, 159
Cornell Weill Medical College, 125
Cornman, Deborah, 243
Cranston, Alan, xxx
CRHP. See Comprehensive Rural Health
Project (CRHP)
Cross Cultural Counseling Center of the
International Institute of New
Jersey (IINJ), 213
Crystal Eye Clinic, Ghana, 35–36, 37
Danieli, Yael, 212
Darfur, Sudan
Darfur, Sudan, and MSF operations, 24
Davis, Susan, 264
Death and the Maiden, 183
Democratic Republic of Congo, and MSF,
25
Dengue, 67, 68
Department of Psychology, the dean of
Liberal Arts and Sciences, 235
Deutsch, Ana, 159, 160
“Digital divide,” 270
Disaster response workshop series, and
ITSP, 221
DITE (documentation, investigation,
therapy, and evaluation), 212
Division of Infectious Diseases, University
of Chicago, Berkeley, 68
DNDi. See Drugs for Neglected Diseases
initiative (DNDi)
Doctors Without Borders. See Médecins
Sans Frontières (MSF)
295
Doll, Cassandra, 140
Don, Felipe, 50–51
Dr. Kutumbiah (consultant for president
of India), 96
Drucker, Peter, 154
Dr. Wilson (MSF physicians), 19
Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative
(DNDi), 20
Duff, Ernest, 213
Durenberger, Dave, 175
Dutch government, and MSF, 23
Eastern Pakistan, tidal wave victims, 1, 4
Eflornith, 20
Emergency Medical and Surgical
Intervention Group. See Groupe
d’Intervention Medical et
Chirurgical d’Urgence (GIMCU)
Emmanuelli, Xavier, 2, 14
Endeavor, xxv
English
as second language, 164, 167
technical course by Harris, 58
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Waste Reduction Model (WARM), 251
Waste Wise program, 251
ENVOY (Enabled, Networked Ventures
Optimizing Yields), 270
EPA. See Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)
Epicentre, 10
Equal Healthcare Access, 121
Equity, health care, 269
Erkel, Arjan, 23
Erkert, Jan, 173
Ethiopia, and MSF, 12
Ethiopian government, refugee
resettlement, 12–13
“Everything’s Back to Normal in New
York City,” theater project, 220f
Evidence-Based Practice (Stout), 272
Ex-army nurse. See Helenbai
Exodus World Service, xxxi–xxxii
Eye care, 35–36
Eye Clinic, Tamale Teaching Hospital, 35
Fabri, Mary, xxi
Families, and effect of torture, 171–172
296
Family support committees, 218
FAR. see Rwandan armed forces (FAR)
Farms and bees, 176
Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), 219
Federal Refugee Resettlement Program,
158
Feetham, Suzanne, 194
Felipe, Don, 50–51
FEMA. See Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)
Fertile Soil (poem), 183–184
52 Ways to Change the World, 273
Fisher, Bill, 231
Fisher, Jeff
Fitzduff, Mari, xxviii
Flying Doctors of America, xx–xxi, 145
adding physical therapy teams, 152
background, 145–147
Bolivia and Peru, mission in, 151–152
concept to reality, 149–150
current direction of, 152–153
funding, 150
future direction of, 153
integrating work with environmental
groups, 153
medical team, 146f
members, 148, 151
missions, 147–149
overcoming obstacles, 150–151
volunteers, 148
Fournier, Christophe, 24
FRC. See French Red Cross (FRC)
French government, and Biafran
genocide, 3
French Red Cross (FRC), 3
Galassie, Dale W., 274–275
Garcia, Lu, 108
Gathercoal, Allan, xx–xxi, 145
funding by, 150
mentors of, 154
mission, 147
motto for, 153
spiritual life of, 149
vision for Flying Doctors of America,
146, 151
Gathercoal, Allan M., 155
Index
Gavhale, Angadrao, 104
Geekcorps, xxvii
Genefke, Inge, 159
Geneva Conventions, 2
Getting Started (Stout), 272
Ghodegaon village and CRHP, 103–106
Gillies, Rowan, 22
Ginsberg, Allen, 194
Gland Pharma Limited, 84, 85
Global catastrophes, 190
“Global Health,” 121
Global health inequities, 262
Global Health Policy Program, 53
Global positioning devices (GPS), 69
Global Security Institute (GSI), xxx
Global Village Engineers (GVE),
xxiii–xxiv
Goemaere, Eric, 19
González, Mario, 173
Gourp, Robert, 213
GPS. See Global positioning devices (GPS)
Graves-Abe, Katie, 141
Grotberg, Edith, 273
Groupe d’Intervention Medical et
Chirurgical d’Urgence (GIMCU), 4
Guide to Promoting Resilience in Children:
Strengthening the Human Spirit
and, Tapping Your Inner Strength:
How to Find the Resilience to Deal
with Anything, A (Grotberg), 273
Guram, Moses, 102–103
Hale, Victoria, xix
Hanoi, 125–127
Harris, Eva, xix
formation of SSI, 63
foundation of AMB/ATT Program, 60
learnings of, 72–75, 74f
Leishmania, detection of, 58
and Peñaranda, 75f
teaching Belli, 59
teaching molecular biology, 58–59
workshop with Coloma, 60
Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma, 159
Hayes, Karrus, 31, 35, 36, 39
Health by the People (WHO), 93
Health care
community-based, 269
Index
medical waste collection, 250
problems in rural areas, 269
HealthInfo Corp, 258
Healthy Relationships and Options
interventions for seropositives, 238
Heartland Alliance. See Travelers and
Immigrants Aid (TIA)
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs &
Human Rights, 158, 179
HEDO. See Highland Education
Development Organization
(HEDO)
Heineken Breweries, 124
Helenbai, 98
Henry Dunant Center, 53
Hepatitis C virus (HCV), 66–67
Highland Education Development
Organization (HEDO), 126
HIV. See HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS, 127, 135–136, 142
ARV treatment, 19
characterization by using
Ethnographic Study, 199
late-stage, 130
in Nepal, 134
obstacles in treatment, 18
pandemic, 121, 124, 128, 143
patients, condition of, 122–123, 125,
131
research on treatment, 122
virus, 130
among wives of Tajik workers, 200
HIV prevention conference in Vermont,
233
Hoetelmans, Richard, 124–125
Hollon, Thomas, 180
Hord, Allen, 155
Hull House, 158
Humanities Research Council of Canada,
233
Human Rights Campaign (HRC), xxx
Hybrid Vigor Institute, xxvi
IASC Guidelines on Mental Health and
Psychosocial Support in Emergency
Settings, 213, 227
IATEC. See International Therapy
Evaluation Center (IATEC)
297
ICDDR, B. See International Center for
Diarrheal Disease Research in
Bangladesh (ICDDR, B)
ICEHA. See International Center for
Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA)
ICORC. See International Center on
Responses to Catastrophes
(ICORC)
ICTs. See information and
communication technologies
(ICTs)
IDA. See International Dispensary
Association (IDA)
Ideas and Methods Inc., 273
IHL. See International Humanitarian Law
(IHL)
IINJ. See Cross Cultural Counseling
Center of the International
Institute of New Jersey (IINJ)
Illegal Immigration Reform and
Immigrant Responsibility Act
(1996), 166
Illinois Bar Journal, 274
Illinois Department of Mental Health, 158
Illinois Psychologists Association (IPA),
160
Illinois Refugee Resettlement Program,
180
IMB model. See Information, Motivation,
Behavioral Skills (IMB) model
Immanuel, Mabelle. See Arole, Mabelle
Inconvenient Truth, An (Gore), 153
Indochina, communist takeover of, 7
Infectious diseases in tropics. See Visceral
leishmaniasis (VL)
Infectious diseases in tropics
iOWH, role in prevention, 80
therapeutic drugs, 79
Information and communication
technologies (ICTs), 68
Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills
(IMB) model, 233–234
Institute of OneWorld Health (iOWH),
xix
in Bihar (see iOWH in Bihar, India)
business sustainability of, 89
Diarrheal Disease Program, 88
foundation story of, 80–81
298
funding model of, 82f
Gates Foundation, partnership with,
83
and global inequities of accessing
medicines, 90–91
goals of, 86–87
ICDDR,B, collaboration with, 88
idea behind, 80
malaria program of (see iOWH
malaria program)
organizational snapshot, 90–91
pioneering new business model, 82–83
proof of concept of, 89f
strategy of networked innovation,
following, 81–82
International Agency for Prevention of
Blindness, 33
International Center for Diarrheal Disease
Research in Bangladesh (ICDDR,
B), 88
International Center for Equal Healthcare
Access (ICEHA), xx, 121
clinical mentors of, 137, 138–140
co-investment deal for, 134–135
factors for success of, 141–142
foundation grant, 129
funding for, 128
future of, 142
in-country partners of, 134
initial focus of, 125
loyal visionary corporate donors of, 135
meeting in London, 130
passionate entrepreneurs of, 140–141
prevention of HIV transmission, 126
program model of, 129–134
quality control, 136–137
scope of, 121–122
summary of, 143
Vietnam-Lao Cai Province, 126
Western funders for, 136
International Center for Responses to
Catastrophes, xxi
International Center on Responses to
Catastrophes (ICORC)
approach of research, 201–204
HOMES project, 200–201
issue of global catastrophes, dealing
with, 190–191
Index
KFARY project, 197–198
primary mission of, 192–193
program of research, 191–192
research on Bosnian and Kosovar
Refugees, 194–196
research on Kosovo, 194–196
research on Tajikistan, 198–200
research with war impacted families,
189–190
training for researchers, 204–205
International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC), 2–3
International cooking group, 176–177
International Dispensary Association
(IDA), 85
International donor funding, 124, 127
International Family Therapy Association,
Istanbul, 221
International Humanitarian Law (IHL), 23
International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD), xxxii
International Rescue Committee (IRC), 6
International Society for Traumatic Stress
Studies (ISTSS), 212
International Society for Traumatic Stress
Studies Task Force on International
Training, 212
International (Soviet-American)
Professional Exchange, xxiv
International Therapy Evaluation Center
(IATEC), 123
International Trauma Studies Program
(ITSP), xxi–xxii
administrative and operations budget,
236
annual multidisciplinary conference in
trauma studies, 224
audio-visual library workshop, 224
community-based services, 213
community resource center, 218
disaster recovery workshop, 221
distinct contribution, 224–225
founders, 209
goals for future, 226–228
historical background, 210–211
institutional funding, 236
International training and services,
215–217
Index
organizational challenges, 225–226
organizational development during
1998–2001, 211–213, 211–213
psychosocial well-being, promotion of,
227–228
safer sex and drug use, 238
theater and, 213–215
in Uganda, 224
International Trauma Training Guidelines
for the International Society for
Traumatic Stress Studies, 191
International University Center for
Mental Health and Human Rights,
211
Inter-plast program in Palo Alto, 249
Interpreters, 164, 170
Invisible Conflicts, xxv–xxvi
iOWH. See Institute of OneWorld Health
(iOWH)
iOWH in Bihar, India
conducting clinical trials, 84
delivering drugs to remote locations,
85
Paromomycin IM Injection, use of, 84,
89f
reducing inequities in treatment, 85
value chain, pharmaceutical, 86f
iOWH malaria program
ACTs and, 87
Amyris and Sanofi-aventis,
partnership with, 87, 88
Artemisinin Project and, 87–88
Jay Keasling’s contributions to, 87–88
semisynthetic artemisinin,
development of, 87
iOWH value chain, 86f
challenges in drug delivery, 85
diarrhea program, 88, 89f
drug delivery to remote places, 85
Gland Pharma Limited and IDA,
partnership with, 85
goals of, 86
malaria program (see iOWH malaria
program)
IPA. See Illinois Psychologists Association
(IPA)
Iraq
MSF aid operation in, 25–26
299
social trauma during War, 224
UN aid operations in, 13–14
Irene Pastoral Counseling Program, 170
ITSP. See International Trauma Studies
Program (ITSP)
Itspnyc.org, 227
Jamkhed, xix–xx, 97–99
Jamkhed: A Comprehensive Rural Health
Project (Arole and Arole), 106
Jamkhed Institute for Training and
Research in Community Health
and Population, 107
Jean, François, 12
Jensen, Soeren Buus, 209
testimony therapy for torture
survivors, 212
WHO, role in, 211
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation, 63
Johnson, Blair, 239
Journal of the American Medical
Association (JAMA), 255
Just Cause, 264
Kadam, Lalanbai, 94–95
Kalichman, Seth, 235
Karma, and past life belief, 173
Kassalow, Jordan, xix, 48
Katzoff, Allen, 258
Keasling, Jay, 88
KFARY. See Kosovar Families Addressing
Risks in Youth (KFARY)
KFPEC. See Kosovar Family Professional
Education Collaborative
(KFPEC)
Khadka, Ramesh, 108
Khayletshia, South Africa, 19
Khmer Rouge genocide, 11
King Faycal Hospital, Kigali, 15
Kinzie, David, 159
Kirschner, Robert, 160
Klein, Hillel, 211
Kosovar Families Addressing Risks in
Youth (KFARY), 197–198
Kosovar Family Professional Education
Collaborative (KFPEC), 196–197,
215, 216
300 Index

Kosovo Long Island hospitals, and medical waste,

Kosovar Attitudes on Drugs and 250
HIV/AIDS (KADAH), 197 Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), xxv
Kosovar Family Professional Low-Cost Approach to PCR: Appropriate
Education Collaborative, 196–197 Transfer of Biomolecular Techniques,
Ministry of Health, 192 A (Harris), xix, 63
National Theater, Prishtina, 215 Lowe, Charles, 243
Preliminary Adaptation of KFARY, Loyal and Visionary Donors, 135–136
197–198 Loyola University, Chicago, 267
Kosovo war (1999), 215 Lubetzky, Daniel, xxviii
Kothari, Bansi, 97 Luers, Wendy, xxxi
Koto, Mary, 258 Lyne, Sister Sheila, 161, 181
Kouchner, Bernard, 2, 4 Lyons, Cathie, 107
Doctors of the World, foundation of, 7
Operation Provide Comfort, role in, MacArthur Award, 63
14 MacPherson, Dr., 96
Kovler, Peter, 162 Mahila Mandals, 102
Kuperstock, Darryl Rotman, 258 Mailman School of Public Health,
Kurd refugees, 13, 14 Columbia University, 209
Kusadgaon village, India, 105 Malhuret, Claude, 2, 6, 7
Mamani, Nataniel, 62
Lalanbai. See Kadam, Lalanbai Manhattan, community projects, 218
La Mancha, 26–27 Manuscript-writing workshops, 64–65
Landau, Judith, 219, 221 Maria, torture surivivor, 163
Landuyt, Kate, 108 Marjorie Kovler Center, xxi
Langson Province, 126 case management, 176
La Paz, Bolivia, 152 clinical model for torture treatment,
Lavelle, Jim, 159 164–170
Laxmi, Vijaya, 49–50 community organization, formation
Lebanon of, 175
Civil war, 5, 24 founders of, 157
MSF operation in, 6–7 funding, 175
Ledyard, Evan, xxv relationships with torture survivors,
Leishmania 168
cause of, 58 safety and trust to survivors, 165
detection of, 59 services for torture survivors,
Leishmania braziliensis, 62 162–163
Leishmaniasis. See Leishmania structure (location, office and staff),
Lesotho, and HIV prevalence rate, 132 162
Levin, Mariano, 270 Therapeutic Accompaniment model,
Levinson, Daniel, 194 169
Lewis, Robin, 125, 129 Therapeutic Partnership model,
Liberian Truth and Reconciliation 169–170
Commission, 223 torture survivors, case study, 163–164
“Libertés Sans Frontières,” 11 Marjorie (Kovler’s mother), 162
Link Model of Community Resilience, Marks, Susan, xxxi
219 Martínez, Antonio, 161, 182
Index
Martínez, Irene, 160, 181
Massaquoi, Jacob, 223
MASST. See Metro Area Support for
Survivors of Torture Consortium
(MASST)
Material aid program, 65
Maternal and child health (MCH), 100
MCH. See Maternal and child health
(MCH)
M&E. See Monitoring and evaluation
(M&E)
Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the
World), 7, 213
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), xviii, 1
Access to Essential Medicines
Campaign, 19–20
in Afghanistan, 11, 21–22
aid in Cold War, 10–11
in Angola, 20–21
armed conflict victims, treatment for,
24–25
in Biafra, 3–4
“border-free” operations, 4
in Cambodia, 11
in Cambodian border, 8
dangers faced by aid workers, 22–23
dangers faced by volunteers, 22–23
early days, 4–6
Epicentre, Paris, 10
in Ethiopia, 12
in former Yugoslavia, 15
founders, 2
General Assembly (1979), 7
HIV/AIDS, prevention of, 18–19
humanitarian intervention, 13–15
internal crisis, 16–17
International Council, establishment
of (see Chantilly Principles)
La Mancha and social mission of,
26–27
legal issues, 23
in Liberia, 21
limitations, 12
logisticians, role of, 8–9
malnutrition, dealing with (see
Nutritional crises and MSF)
and media, 4
301
medical components, 9
medical guidelines and protocols, 9
meningitis vaccination campaign in
Nigeria, 17
MSF Charter, 5
need for innovative medical tools, 26
Nobel Prize for Peace, 17–18
as nonprofit organization, 4
in North Korea, 13
organizational development, 9–10
pharmaceutical drugs, 9
private funding, 23–24
public recognition, 6
and Red Cross, 2–3
rehabilitation programs, 25
in Rwanda, 15–16
sexual violence victims, treatment for,
25
in Somalia, 14
split, tension within, 6–7
in Thailand, 8
United States, interest in, 6, 11
Med-Eq, 256
Media
MSF opeartion and, 4
private funding with, 23
Medical Assistance Programs, 151
Medical InterAction, 270–271
Medical Mercy Missions, 147
Medical waste
recovery of, 250
storage of, 253
Meningitis, treatment of. See Oily
chloramphenicol
Mental health
cross-cultural, 169
refugees (see Refugee Mental Health
Program)
war and, 171
Mercy Hospital, 161
Merhamet, 195
Metro Area Support for Survivors of
Torture Consortium (MASST),
213
Midwest Immigrant Rights Center
(MIRC), 160, 180
Miles, Steven, 161, 182
302
Ministry of Health, Congo Brazzaville, 129
Ministry of Health, Kosovo, 192
MIRC. See Midwest Immigrant Rights
Center (MIRC)
Mogadishu, Somalia, 14
Mohn, Sid, 158, 160, 179
Molecular biology, defined, 58
Moll, Heidi, xxxi
Mollica, Richard, 159
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E), 136
Mother Teresa, 145, 149, 154
Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, 172
Mousin, Craig, 160, 179
MSF. See Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF);
Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF)
MSF-Belgium, 29–30
MSF Charter, 5
MSF clinics and hospitals, 18
MSF-France, 10
MSF-Holland, 10
MSF-Spain, 10
MSF-Switzerland, 10
MSF volunteers, 5
Musicant, Ralph, 267, 273
“Narratives of Suffering and
Transformation,” 224
Narrative therapy, 166, 174
National Consortium of Torture
Treatment Programs, 213
National Immigrant Justice Center. See
Midwest Immigrant Rights Center
(MIRC)
National Medal of Honor, 128
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM),
112
National Theater, Prishtina, 215
National Vector Borne Disease Control
Programme (NVBDCP), 84
New England Journal of Medicine, 84
New Haven Chamber of Commerce and
the Committee, 257
New York City, 220
Board of Education, 218
community resource center, 220
Family Therapy Academy, 221
immigrant population in, 225
Index
torture survivors in, 210
trauma centers, 222
New York Times Foundation, 219
New York University (NYU)
International Trauma Studies
Program, xxi
School of Medicine, 209
Nicaragua, 57
earthquake of 1972, 5
Leishmaniasis in, 58
NIH. See U.S. National Institutes of
Health (NIH)
“NIH roadmap,” 244
NIMH. See U.S. National Institute of
Mental Health (NIMH)
9/11 attack. See September 11 terrorist
attack (2001)
Nonhierarchical organization of
passionate entrepreneurs, 140–141
Nonviolent Peaceforce, xxix
Nutritional crises and MSF, 26
NVBDCP. See National Vector Borne
Disease Control Programme
(NVBDCP)
Occupational therapy (OT), 177
Oily chloramphenicol, 20
Olweean, Steve, xxiv
1000: The Most Creative Individuals in
America, (Wurman), 273
OneVoice, xxviii–xxix
Orbinski, James, 17
Orrego, Cristian, 58, 59
OT. See Occupational therapy (OT)
Our City of Refuge: Teens, War, and
Freedom (Bakhtin), 195
Our Voices Together, xxvi–xxvii
Pagé, Patrice, 23
PAHO. See Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO)
Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO), 66
Pannell, William, 154
Paromomycin IM Injection
Gland Pharma Limited
manufacturing, 84, 85
Index
IDA and, 85
NVBDCP, inclusion in, 84
success of, 84
WHO, approval of, 84
PATH. See Program for Appropriate
Technology in Health (PATH)
Pavkovic, Ivan, 194
PCR. See polymerase chain reaction
(PCR)
PDAs. See Personal data assistants (PDAs)
PDCS. See Pediatric Dengue Cohort
Study (PDCS)
PDVI. See Pediatric Dengue Vaccine
Initiative (PDVI)
Peace Brigades International (PBI), xxix
Pécoul, Bernard, 20
Pediatric Dengue Cohort Study (PDCS),
67, 74f
Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative
(PDVI), 68
Peñaranda, Maria Elena, 75f
Perel, Esther, 224
Perpich, Rudy, 159
Personal data assistants (PDAs), 69
Peru
detection of Leishmania in, 59
Flying Doctors of America in, 151–152
Sustainable Sciences Institute in, 59
Pfizer. See Pharmacia
PharmAccess International, 124
Pharmacia, 83
Phillips, Timothy, xxxi
Phnom Penh, Viet Nam, 11
Phuong, Do Nguyen, 127
Pinel, Jacques, 9
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 58–59
Population Services International (PSI),
53
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
160, 172, 194, 217
Posttraumatic Therapy (PPT), 211
PPT. See Posttraumatic Therapy (PPT)
Practice of accompaniment, 169
Program for Appropriate Technology in
Health (PATH), 66
Program for Torture Victims, Los Angeles,
159
303
Project on Justice in Times of Transition,
xxxi
Provincial Health Authorities and Family
Health International, 122
Provincial Health Department, 127
PSI. See Population Services International
(PSI)
Psychology and Human Rights Abuses
(Martínez), 160
Psychology of Terrorism, The (Stout), 272
Psychotherapist, 169
Psychotherapy, 169–170
PTSD. See Posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD)
Quiroga, José, 159, 160
Raghunathan, Pratima, 63
Rastogi, Ruchi, 140
Ready-to-use foods (RUF), 26
Red Cross
French Red Cross (FRC), 3
International Committee of the Red
Cross (ICRC), 2–3
Refugee, refugee camps, 7–8
medical guidelines, 9
Rwandan, 16
theatre, interaction with, 214
in United States, 200
Refugee Act (1980), 158
Refugee Mental Health Initiative by the
Office of Refugee Resettlement, 158
Refugee Mental Health Program, 161
Rehabilitation and Research Centre for
Torture Victims (RCT), 159
Reisner, Steven, 213, 224
Religious Organizations in the United
States: A Study of Identity, Liberty
and the Law (Mousin), 180
Remedyinc.org, 257
REMEDY (Recovered Medical Equipment
for the Developing World), xxii
awards received by, 257
challenges faced by, 254
disaster relief, 256
historical background of, 249
hospital administration, 253
304
REMEDY (Recovered Medical Equipment
for the Developing World)
(continued)
hospitals in United States, 254
medical devices supply, 256
and other organizations, 254
philosophy of, 251
pilot program at YNHH, 252–253
raising awareness for, 255
supply recovery programs, 251–253
support through grants and family
foundation gifts, 255
Reniers, Kathy, 140
Resilience for Today: Gaining Strength from
Adversity (Grotberg), 273
Rey, Héctor Guillermo Vilar, 155
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 239
Roberts, Guy, 63
Robin, Pat, 173
Room to Read, xxiii
Rosenblatt, William H.
awards, 257
formation of REMEDY, 249–250
medical waste recovery, 250–251
Rottenberg, Linda, xxv
Rousseau, Christine, 63
Roux, Marcel, 13
RUF. See Ready-to-use foods (RUF)
Rwanda
AIDS patient in, 123
genocide, 15–16
Western physician in, 122
Rwandan armed forces (FAR), 16
Rwandan Patriotic Front, 16
Salcedo, Victor Conde, 151
Salvadoran and Guatemalan families, 159
Sanctuary Movement, 159
Sartre, Jean-Paul, 6
Saul, Jack, xxi, 209
disaster response workshop and, 221
experience of 9/11 terrorist attack, 217
Save the Children, UK, 14
Savimbi, Jonas, 52
Schlesinger, Susana Jiménez, 181
School of International and Public Affairs
(SIPA), 125
Schopper, Doris, xviii
Index
Schreder, Carleen L., 267, 273–274
Schwab Foundation, 94
Schwimmer, Emy McCord, 140
Science, 60
Scientific Capacity-Building Program, 64,
65
Scojo Foundation, xix
background of, 46
business skills to entrepreneurs,
teaching, 47
Clinton Global Initiative, featuring, 53
core mission of, 49
empowering women, 47–48
initial problems faced by, 51, 52
Kassalow, Jordan, contribution of, 48,
53–54
learning process of, 52–53
measuring success of, 48–49
model of, 46
organizational snapshot of, 55
organized system of training,
maintaining, 47
President Clinton endorsing, 53
programs, utility of, 52
providing reading glasses, 45
and PSI, 53
responsibility of, 45
Scojo Vision LLC and, 48
Scott Berrie, contributions of, 48, 54, 54f
size of, 46–47
success stories of, 49–51
support from Franchise Partners, 46
support from Vision Entrepreneurs,
45, 47
Scojo Vision Entrepreneurs
“Business in a Bag,” backpack for, 46
selling affordable reading glasses, 46
training for, 47
women empowerment and, 47–48
Scojo Vision LLC, 48, 53, 54, 286
Scott, Marianne, xxvi–xxvii
Search for Common Ground, xxxi
Secours Medical Français (SMF), 4
September 11 terrorist attack (2001)
community resource center for
victims, 218–221
disaster response workshop for
victims, 221
Index
ITSP’s role during, 217
Service research, Key Themes of
Community Collaboration, 202
Cultural Theory, 203
Ethnographic Methods, 203–204
Family Resilience, 201–202
Services, 202–203
Sexual violence victims, 25
Share and Care, Nepal, 108
Shimkus, Chris, xxiii
Sierra Leone, Liberia, 21
Silove, Derrick, 204
Silverman, David G., 250, 258
Silverman, Edwin, 158, 160, 180
SIPA. See School of International and
Public Affairs (SIPA)
SIPAI (Immunization System Database),
68
Sleeping sickness. See African
trypanosomiasis
SMART (Sustainable Medical Arts,
Research, & Technology), 268
Smith, Leïla, 63
Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten
Island, 223
Snyder, Leslie, 239
Social Work Education in Ethiopia
Partnership (SWEEP), xxiv
Society for the Scientific Study of Social
Issues (SPSSI), 233
Solace/Safe Horizon, 213
Somalia
civil war and violence, 13, 14
MSF operation in, 14
South Africa, HIV prevention programs,
19
Southern Poverty Law Center, xxx
Soviet Union, and cold war, 7
Spahovic, Mirsad, 176
Spaulding, Tom, 176
SPSSI. See Society for the Scientific Study
of Social Issues (SPSSI)
SSI. See Sustainable Sciences Institute
(SSI)
Staple, Jennifer, xviii
Staten Island, New York, 222, 223
Stokes, Christopher, 25
Stout, Chris E., 263
305
Sullivan-Knopf, Eva, 170
Summits for Others, 266
Survivors of torture
accompaniment by psychotherapist,
169
asylum for, 166
Cambodian women, 173
case study of, 163
community-based services, 213
community support, 167, 174
cultural context of treatment, 172
demographics, 177–178
empowerment and, 168
encouragement and support, 175
expression of dissent, 168
families, 171–172
family therapy, 164
farming and bees, 176
Guatemalan, 173–174
legal process, dealing with, 166
occupational therapy, 177
recovery process, 172
rehabilitation (see Rehabilitation and
Research Centre for Torture
Victims (RCT))
safety and trust to, 165, 171
self-care (see Occupational therapy
(OT))
self-talk, 164
social condition, 165
spiritual support to, 170
symptoms and behaviors, 172, 175
treatment regimes, 165
Sustainable Sciences Institute (SSI), xix, 60
Board of directors creating core
program, 63
characteristic of Managua defined by,
73–74
creation of Scientific Capacity-
Building Program, 64 (see also
Scientific Capacity-Building
Program)
early years of, 63–66
global solution for infectious diseases
by, 70
growth of, 66–69
landmark study between Division of
Infectious Diseases, MOH, and, 68
306
Sustainable Sciences Institute (SSI)
(continued)
launch of new database, 68–69
learnings of Harris in, 72–75
manuscript-writing workshops, 64–65
mission of, 64
and PDCS administration, 67
problems and achievements of, 69–72
providing networking among
scientists, PAHO, PATH, and CDC,
66
small grant and material aid program,
65
strength of, 69
successes of, 71–72
TTF and, 67
TAFES. See Tea and Families Education
and Support (TAFES)
Tajik Researchers, 198–200
Tajikistan
Formation of Collaboration between
American and Tajik Researchers,
198
Pilot Ethnographic Study of Married
Male Migrants, 199
Pilot Ethnographic Study of Wives of
Migrants, 199–200
Tarun Shetkari Mandals, 102
TASSC. See Torture Abolition and
Survivors’ Support Coalition
International (TASSC)
Taylor, Carl E., 97
Tea and Families Education and Support
(TAFES), 196
Technical Training Foundation (TTF), 67
Tectonidis, Milton, 26
Thailand, and MSF operations, 8, 18
Theater Arts Against Political Violence,
213, 214, 215, 219–220
Theaters, and trauma survivors, 213
THRIVE (Tanzanian Health & Resilience
Initiative Valuing Education), 268
Tibetan refugees, 210
Tibet House, New York City, 214
Tierra Fértil, 184–186
Timmerman, Jacobo, 165
Tonus, 1, 4
Torrente, Nicolas de, 22
Index
“Torturable class” of people, 165
Torture. See also Posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD)
definition, 171
effect on family, 171–172
emotional and physical pain, 157, 166
politics and, 170
US response to, 158–159
victims (see Survivors of torture)
Torture Abolition and Survivors’ Support
Coalition International (TASSC),
168
Torture Victims Relief Act (TVRA), 175,
212
Trauma. See also Posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD)
abuse and, 162
impact of, 165
psychological consequences, 169–170
retraumatization, 166
traumatic event, 157, 174
traumatic experiences, 163–164
violence and, 172
Trauma and Healing under State Terrorism
(Agger and Jensen), 212
Trauma stories, 171
Travelers Aid of Metropolitan Chicago,
158
Travelers Aid Society, 158
Travelers and Immigrants Aid (TIA), 158,
160
Treatment and Needs of Victims of
Torture and Their Families
(Martínez), 161
Trickett, Ed, 193
Trinh, Trinh Ngoc, 125
TTF. See Technical Training Foundation
(TTF)
Tuition funds, 266
“Turning the Tide? Working with
Violence Affected Families and
Communities from the Field in
Africa,” workshop, 221
TVRA. See Torture Victims Relief Act
(TVRA)
“Twelve Parallel Lives,” 174
UConn. See University of Connecticut
UN. See United Nations (UN)
Index
UNHCR. See United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR)
United Nations (UN)
aid operations in Iraq, 13–14
aid operations in Somalia, 14
definition of torture, 171
General Assembly, 158
peacekeeping operations in Angola, 21
Voluntary Fund for Victims of
Torture, 175
United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), 8, 35
United States
aid to “win hearts and minds” and
gather intelligence, 21
Bosnian and Kosovar Refugees, 194
Operation Restore Hope, launch of, 14
Refugee Youth, 200
regulation of medical waste, 250
Services Approach to Preventive
Mental Health for Adolescent
Refugees, 200–201
Somalia war and, 15
United Way, 158
Unite For Sight, xviii
annual Global Health Conference,
goals of, 32
entrepreneurial skill, building, 40–41
foundation of, 32
fundraising efforts for eye care, 34
global programs, 34
goals of, 33
James Clarke, contributions of, 35–36,
39, 42
Karrus Hayes, contributions of, 35, 36,
39
organization snapshot, 43–44
programs in refugee camps (see
Buduburam Refugee Camp,
Ghana)
promoting financial success of
communities, 41–42
reducing these identified barriers, 33
scope of, 32–33, 42
steps behind building, 42–43
volunteers of, 34
Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
158
307
University Hospital, Prishtina, 215
University of Connecticut
AIDS Risk Reduction Project (ARRP),
231
grant support for CHIP, 240–243
University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC), 192
University of Maryland School of
Medicine, 154
University of Prishtina Medical School
Department of Psychiatry and
Neurology, 215
Unorthodox Funding Model, 134–135
U.S. air force, aid operation, 13–14
U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
66, 239
U.S. Civilian Research & Development
Foundation, 192
U.S. Department of Immigration and
Naturalization Services, 214
U.S. National Institute of Mental Health
(NIMH), 192, 232, 244
U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH),
239
V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation, 66
Venice Family Clinic in Southern
California, 159
VHWs. See village health workers
(VHWs)
Vibrio cholerae, 61
Vice provost for Research and Graduate
Education (VPRGE), 235
Vietnamese healthcare providers, 122
Vietnamese refugees, boat to rescue, 6
Village health workers (VHWs), 99
agents of transformation, 100–101
impact of, 103
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL)
Bihar, India, prevalence in, 83
deadly parasitic disease, 83
NVBDCP, India, and, 84
sand fly, causing, 83
Vision of Race Unity Award, 147
Vision 2020 goals and “The Right to
Sight”, 32
VL. See Visceral leishmaniasis (VL)
Voices of South Asian Women (Arole), 107
Volunteer Ophthalmic Services to
Humanity (VOSH), 48
308
VPRGE. See Vice provost for Research and
Graduate Education (VPRGE)
Wade, Sherman, 155–156
Wakil, Adil Ed
program on hepatitis C virus,
establishment of, 66–67
role in SSI, 63
Ware, Norma, 194
WARM. See Waste Reduction Model
(WARM)
Waste Reduction Model (WARM), 251
Waste Wise, 251
Wayne, Seth, 35
Weine, Stevan, xxi, 212
helping families impacted by war and
forced migration, 190
issue of global catastrophes, 191
mentors of, 194
program of services research by,
191–192
programs supported by, 24
research with war impacted families,
190–191
Welch, Laura, 267, 275
Wellington Avenue United Church of
Christ, Chicago, 159
Index
Wellstone, late Paul, 175
West African refugee, 222, 226
Western healthcare
delivery, 132
provider, 123
WHO. See World Health Organization
(WHO)
Witness, xxvii
Witness for Peace (WFP), xxix
Wood, John, xxiii
World Health Organization (WHO)
Paromomycin and, 83, 84
Vision 2020 goals, 32
Wurman, Richard Saul, 273
Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH), 250,
252
Yale School of Law, 253
Yale University, 192
YNHH. See Yale-New Haven Hospital
(YNHH)
Youth Task Force, Staten Island, 223
Yugoslavia (former), and MSF, 15
Yugoslavian war, trauma victims, 211
Zuckerman, Ethan, xxvii
The New Humanitarians
Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions
Albert R. Roberts, Series Editor

Finding Meaning in Life, at Midlife and Beyond: Wisdom and Spirit from Logotherapy
David Guttmann
 The New
Humanitarians

Inspiration, Innovations, and

Blueprints for Visionaries

Volume 2
Changing Education and Relief

Edited by Chris E. Stout, PsyD

Foreword by Mehmet Oz, MD

Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions

Albert R. Roberts, Series Editor
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The new humanitarians : inspiration, innovations, and blueprints for visionaries / edited
by Chris E. Stout ; foreword by Mehmet Oz.
p. cm. — (Social and psychological issues: Challenges and solutions, ISSN
1941–7985)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–275–99768–7 ((set) : alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–275–99770–0 ((vol. 1) :
alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–275–99772–4 ((vol. 2) : alk. paper) — ISBN
978–0–275–99774–8 ((vol. 3) : alk. paper)
1. Philanthropists. 2. Humanitarianism. 3. Charities. 4. Social action. I. Stout, Chris E.
HV27.N49 2009
361.7'4—dc22 2008020797
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2009 by Chris E. Stout
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008020797
ISBN: 978–0–275–99768–7 (set)
978–0–275–99770–0 (vol. 1)
978–0–275–99772–4 (vol. 2)
978–0–275–99774–8 (vol. 3)
ISSN: 1941-7985
First published in 2009
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com
Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the

Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To all of those profiled herein and to all of those they help—you are all heroic.
This page intentionally left blank
 Contents

Foreword by Mehmet Oz, MD ix

Acknowledgments xi
Introduction by Chris E. Stout xiii
1: Braille Without Borders: Do You Need Vision to Be a Visionary? 1
Paul Kronenberg and Patrick Savaiano
2: Room to Read: The Democratization of Literacy 15
John Wood and Patrick Savaiano
3: Global Village Engineers 31
M. Christopher Shimkin and Annie Khan
4: Common Bond Institute: Vision and Journey 43
Steve Olweean
5: The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 57
Alice K. Johnson Butterfield, Abye Tasse, and Nathan Linsk
6: Center for Urban Pedagogy 85
Myron Panchuk and Patrick Savaiano
7: Endeavor: High-Impact Entrepreneurs, High-Impact Change 95
Stephanie Benjamin, Teresa Barttrum, Annie Khan, and Valeria Levit
8: ACCION International 111
Teresa Barttrum
9: Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 129
Evan Ledyard, Nathan Mustain, Amy Nemeth, Katie Scranton, Morgan
Smith, David Thatcher, Carolyn Ziembo, and Diana Zurawski
viii Contents

10: Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 163

Earl Martin Phalen and Teresa Barttrum
11: The Hybrid Vigor Institute: Relevant Knowledge, Innovation
Solutions, and Better Decisions through Collaboration 187
Denise Caruso
12: Our Voices Together 203
Marianne Scott
13: IESC Geekcorps: Development for the New Millennium 235
Donald Bernovich II and Kathy M. Tin
Afterword by Keith Ferrazzi 241
Series Afterword by Albert R. Roberts 243
About the Editor and Contributors 245
Index 255
 Foreword: Honor Roll

From the time I first met Chris after our election as fellow Global Leaders of
Tomorrow in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meet-
ing, I was impressed by his remarkable insight and diligence. Over the years, we
have collaborated on various health-related projects, and we have shared pro-
found sadness over many global tragedies.
Now Chris has embarked on a daunting challenge—that of compiling a Who’s
Who, or Honor Roll, of worldwide humanitarian organizations. Chris has taken
his proverbial golden Rolodex of contacts and friends and compiled an impressive
list that represents the “best of the best” in global human service organizations.
Although Chris made his admittedly “biased” choices by going to the founders he
already knew, he has nevertheless highlighted some of the best in the world–some
well known, some almost unknown—but all that represent a sampling of the
finest. Each is a testament to the power of the human spirit in the face of seem-
ingly insurmountable challenges and deficits.
All the familiar bromides are absent from The New Humanitarians. Though it
would be tempting to wring our collective hands at the enormity of the prover-
bial “world-going-to-hell-in-a-hand-basket,” The New Humanitarians is a totem
of real inspiration. Chris has highlighted organizations that favor results over
standard protocol in accomplishing their work. Those herein are doing the
difficult—not by following in other’s footsteps, but by forging new paths and
finding new solutions to mankind’s humanitarian needs. The time has come for
them to collectively tell their stories—a daunting task, but that is something Chris
has experience with.
Someone once remarked that the core issue with Nazi Germany was not that
there was a Hitler, but that there were too few Schindlers. The New Humanitarians
gives us all hope that there is a new generation of Schindlers across the globe, and
our imaginations can show us the differences they will make for the future.
Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA
This page intentionally left blank
 Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I want to thank all of the people involved in the organizations
profiled herein. Many people would not be alive or function at the levels they are
without your vision and passion. Period. Full stop. It is your zeal that has so
inspired me to publish these books. My thanks to each of you for taking the time
to craft what has become this set. I am fortunate to call each of you my friend, and
the world is blessed to have you. I also must apologize to those who lead organiza-
tions that are not included herein. It is a function of time and space—not having
adequate amounts of either. Nevertheless, I hold a great and abiding respect for all
of those working in the so-called humanitarian space. The world is in your debt.
Debbie Carvalko is my publisher extraordinaire at Praeger/Greenwood. With-
out her pitching my proposal, this project would not have been made into the
reality that you are holding in your hand. She was a valued collaborator in the
shepherding of the production of the manuscripts to final production. Debbie,
you are amazing.
I was fortunate to gain valuable help in organizing, interviewing, and writing with
a valued set of graduate student assistants: Annie Khan, Teresa Bartrum, Stephanie
Benjamin, Mark Zissman, Valaria Levit, and Donald Bernovich. I would like espe-
cially to thank Patrick “Skully” Savaiano, who from the start displayed not only a keen
sense of organization of the myriad of complexities that this project involved, but
also demonstrated a wonderful balance of professionalism blended with a hip,
e-mail-savvy communication style with some of the most prominent leaders in the
humanitarian space. This is an incredible feat by an incredible person—tip-o-the-hat
to you, Skully. And I would also like to particularly thank Myron Panchuk, who
served as a fantastic resource and intellect to this project. I owe you my friend.
It was my mother who modeled rather than lectured about the importance of
helping others. She provided me with an inspiring example that I can only hope
to be able to mimic for my children. Thanks, Mom.
xii Acknowledgments

The support of my wife, Karen, is always invaluable, whether I am writing or

not; and she was especially helpful in her ever-sharp review of many of the first
drafts of what now appear herein, as well as tolerating my innumerable, long-
winded, overly animated discourses about so many of the incredible stories and
works of those profiled. Both of my children, Grayson and Annika, were valued
partners in the early production steps of helping me stay organized with the chap-
ters and whatnots of such a project. They were willing and able freelancers who
could perforate pages as well as offer critique on some of my more complicated
sentence-structuring problems. I thank and love you all.
Chris E. Stout
Kildeer, IL

Care to do more yourself? Please do! Here’s how . . .

1. Visit CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org for more information on projects you can

be a part of. If you don’t see something you think you can help with, e-mail me
at Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org and I may be able to connect you to
another organization that can help, or we may be able to initiate work.
2. Consider suggesting The New Humanitarians to others and start a viral
buzz! Think of all your contacts who may be interested in this book. If you
go to www.Praeger.com and search for “The New Humanitarians” you can
print a downloadable flyer for the book to give to interested others. You
can also email the Praeger link to interested others as well as the
CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org.
3. Inquire if your local or university library has The New Humanitarians in its
collection, or on order. If you recommend it to them, they may add it and oth-
ers can read it as well.
4. Request a presentation at your local college, university, public library, high
school, church, mosque, synagogue, book seller, coffee shop, service organ-
ization (Rotary, Lyons, etc.), or book club by e-mailing a request to
Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org or by calling 847.550.0092, ext. 2.
5. Request an interview by a broadcast, cable, or Internet television program,
radio, newspaper, or magazine reporter. Media kits are also available by request
to Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org or by calling 847.550.0092, ext. 2.
 Introduction
Chris E. Stout

Welcome to a trip around the world. You will travel to six continents, led by men
and women of various ages and backgrounds. Be warned: you may go to some
fairly desperate places, but they all have a seed of hope. You will not be traveling
as a tourist, but rather as an activist with more than three dozen organizations—
each one incredible. Each chapter is a story, a story of need, of response, and of
accomplishment. They are all at once different, but yet the same as being an inspi-
rational account demonstrating the power of the individual triumphant over the
challenges of poverty, illness, conflict, or a litany of injustices. My friend, Jonathan
Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, said of the project that it is a
counter to the pervasive “pornography of the trivial” that infects much of what is
in print these days. I suspect he is correct.
As a sad postscript but powerful testament to the seriousness of the work
done by those profiled herein, a few days prior to this manuscript being sent in
to the publisher, I was speaking with a representative with Médecins Sans
Frontières who told me that three of their staff had been killed in a conflict zone
in northwest Africa. My heart sunk on this news. Although I know such things
happen—and with much more frequency than I usually let myself believe—I
was more honored to get the stories of these heroic organizations out to a
broader audience.
In these three volumes, readers will learn about individuals who have created
organizations that:

• Break up human trafficking rings and teach citizens how to intervene in other
injustices
• Go to conflict areas and put themselves at risk to end the conflict
• Help ensure elections are just
• Go to active war zones to administer emergency medical care
• Provide training and loans in order to empower people out of poverty
xiv Introduction

• Create a new language and then put it to use in developing education and job
training programs
• Work to stop nuclear war and curb the development of weapons of mass
destruction
• Create an ingenious for-profit organization that supports the not-for-profit
work
• Solve a problem of medical supply shortages in the developing world while
also alleviating medical waste problems in the developed world
• Export social services training into self-sustaining programs
• Create project-based trainings in order to increase capacity for global projects
• Treat immigrant and refugee survivors of torture in a culturally competent
manner that is encompassing and holistic
• Help boys conscripted into being child soldiers adapt to a normal life
• Create the first not-for-profit pharmaceutical company to help in the battle of
neglected diseases
• Advance education for girls where it is almost unheard of
• Integrate urban environmental design with democracy, civic participation,
and social justice
• Bring the philosophy of “it takes a village to raise a child” to formative elementary
school years, blend cultural heritage, and inspire students by mobilizing parents,
teachers, and young adults
• Connect experts from a range of fields to work together on problems such as
curing and preventing infectious and epidemic diseases, analyzing the risks of
science and technology breakthroughs, and designing enforceable global
health and environmental policies

CONTEXT FOR THE PROJECT

In developing my own nascent organization, the Center for Global Initiatives

(profiled herein), I came to realize that there are many successful, groundbreak-
ing models that already exist worldwide, but there really isn’t a blueprint or a
how-to on the subject. Although this is most likely due to the uniqueness of the
organizations and their leadership examined herein, as well as their idiosyncratic
approach to conducting their work, it is my hope that these volumes will provide
readers a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse of the organizations and offer incredibly
valuable insights, present insider experiences, and give advice that few would
ever have access to from one organization, let alone from more than forty of
the best-of-the-best.
I went about the selection process via the people I know. I met some in Davos
at annual meetings of the World Economic Forum, or perhaps at a TED conference
(back when Richard Saul Wurman still orchestrated them), or a Renaissance
Weekend, or by being a co-nominee in the Fast Company Fast-50, or goodness
knows where. I did not apply any scientific methods or algorithms to seek out the
Introduction xv

most cost-efficient organizations, those with the most stars on Charity Navigator,
or those listed in a Forbes table. I was totally subjective and biased. I left my scientific
method in the lab because I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the
most innovative humanitarian organizations in the world, or to have collaborated
with their incredibly talented founders/directors.
In fact, it is my experiences with these extraordinary people that led to my idea
for this book project. There are many wonderful, long-standing organizations that
do important work, but I found that many of the organizations I was working
with were newer and, honestly, a bit more edgy. Many have more skin-in-the-game.
These founders were on the ground and doing the work themselves, not remotely
administrating from a comfortable office miles or a continent away. But don’t let
my capricious favoritism prevent you from researching the many, many other
fantastic organizations that exist throughout the world. In fact, I hope this book
may cause you to do exactly that. (I suppose I could have tried to get a book deal
to compile the Encyclopedia of New Humanitarians, but I will leave that to someone
with way more spunk than I.)
Though many of us are content in helping various causes by writing checks of
support or perhaps even volunteering, the individuals profiled herein preferred to
actually start their own organizations—to enact their passionate interests. So
therein was the idea that crystallized the concept for this New Humanitarians
project. I wanted to find out what makes these new humanitarians tick and how
their brainchildren worked. Now, through this three-volume set, readers can, too.
From Braille Without Borders and Witness, to Geekcorps and ACCION,
humanitarian groups are working worldwide largely in undeveloped countries to
better people’s lives. Whether they are empowering people with schools for the
blind, intervening in human trafficking, giving the underserved access to technology,
or helping individuals work out of poverty, the men and women of these innovative
organizations offer their tremendous talent to their causes, along with great
dedication and, sometimes, even personal risk to complete their missions. The
work of these groups is remarkable. And so, too, are the stories of how they
developed—including the defining moments when their founders felt they had to
take action.
This project features a sampling of humanitarian groups across various
areas: medicine, education, sustainable development, and social justice. These
new humanitarians have been very successful with on-the-ground guerilla
innovations without a lot of bureaucracy or baloney. They are rebels with a
cause whose actions speak louder than words. They have all felt a moral duty to
serve as vectors of change.
I did not want to be the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Changing the
World or Humanitarian Aid for Dummies, but I did want to canvass the organiza-
tions whose founders I know personally and have had firsthand experiences with,
as well as showcase others who are recognized pioneers, and have them describe
in their own words where they gained their original idea, or what the tipping
point was that so moved them to create their own organizations. I hope readers
xvi Introduction

may gain not only inspiration, but also actionable approaches that are based on
the real-world experiences of those profiled if they, too, care to take action.
Many of those appearing herein already hold world renown, so I hope this
project will give readers the chance to learn the answers to questions rarely
answered publicly, such as “How did you first get funding? Did you have false
starts or failures? How creatively do you approach opportunities and
obstacles—be they organizational or political? How do you create original solu-
tions? What would you do differently today or what do you know now that you
wish you knew then?”

COMMON DENOMINATORS

Even though the approaches of all these organizations are different, they do
share a number of commonalities. At the time they formed their entities, each
organization was novel in its approach to dealing with the problems it was
addressing. The organizations were not restricted by past ways of thinking or act-
ing. They created innovative approaches to produce something that was real and
actionable from a concept and a vision. They developed practical approaches to
solutions, some complex, some elegant, all robust and lasting. They were provoca-
tive. They were unhappy or unsatisfied with approaches others were using, and
decided: if you can’t join ’em, beat ’em. And they did just that—they cleared their
own trails to sustainability for their organizations for the benefit of others.
They also either have a global reach or are at least not bound to the North or
the West. These are “young” organizations with an average organizational age of
fifteen years, with the majority being founded ten or fewer years ago. Thus, they
are new enough to demonstrate generalizable methods to help readers in their
own development of their work, while demonstrating sustainability and viability
of their model and approach. Simply put, it is my goal to have this set of books
demonstrate how these organizations make a difference. Each of them has taken
an approach to their life and work by living like they mean it. While there is the
essence of the power of one, it is one for all.
The organizations profiled in this three-volume book set differ in many other
ways as well. Some have been recognized with many awards and accolades
(MacArthur “Genius” Award recipients, fellows of institutes or think tanks, etc.),
whereas others are newer or have such a low profile or are so remote as to not be
picked up by any radar. I like that diversity. Some have incredible budgets and
others almost none, but they all do amazing things with what they have. And
with the increased exposure gained from being in this book set, they may be able
to gain more people’s awareness.
For example, Braille Without Borders is an organization created in 1998 by
Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg when they left Europe to establish the Reha-
bilitation and Training Centre for the Blind, a preparatory school for elementary-
school children in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Before the center was
Introduction xvii

opened, blind children there did not have access to education. These children were
stigmatized outcasts who held little hope for integration or much of a future.
Although there are many governmental and nongovernmental organizations that
have set up eye clinics for surgery or eyeglasses, there is a large group of blind people
that cannot be helped by these clinics. The center was created for them.
If this wasn’t challenge enough, those in the TAR had no written form of com-
munication. There was no Tibetan version of what many blind individuals use to
read, known as Braille (invented in 1821 by Frenchman Louis Braille). So, of
course, Sabriye invented a Tibetan script, or Braille if you will, for the blind. This
script combines the principles of the Braille system with the special features of the
Tibetan syllable-based script.
Impoverished countries worldwide account for nearly 6 million preschool and
school-age children who are blind, and 90–95 percent of them have no access to
education. Braille Without Borders wants to empower blind people in such coun-
tries so they can set up projects and schools for other blind people. In this way the
concept can be spread across the globe so that more blind and visually impaired
people have access to education and a better future.
It is people like Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg and all of those herein
who are taking the kind of action that William Easterly pines for in The White
Man’s Burden—they are interested in results and they deliver. They offer small-
scale results that make a large-scale impact.

STRUCTURE

Readers will find that some of the chapters are authored by the founder or
current leader of the organization profiled. Other chapters are the result of an
interview. I wanted this book to be thematic and structured, but I also wanted
to provide a wide berth for every organization to best tell its story. Thus, for
some it is literally in their own voice, first-person. In other instances interviews
were conducted and a story unfolds as told by the founder or current leader, the
de facto coauthor.
I had established a set of standard questions that could be used as a guide, but
not as a strict rule-set. I told every organization’s leader that he or she could fol-
low them or ignore them, or to choose whatever was appropriate. I was very
pleased with the result. That is, most chapters cover similar thematic aspects—
how they started, how they manage, and so forth. But I think I have been able to
steer clear of the chapters looking like cookie-cutter templates with simply dif-
ferent content sprinkled in the right spots here and there. It was my hope to cre-
ate a set of guidebooks, not cookbooks, and I hope you as a reader will enjoy a
similarity between chapters in their construction, but great variability in their
voice and creation.
I asked authors to sketch the background on their centers or organizations, when
they started, canvass their history to current day, provide a description of their
xviii Introduction

model, indicate how large they are, what type of corporate structure (non-for-profit,
university based, etc.) they have, what metrics they use to track productivity or how
they measure success, and biographical information about the founder.
I also had a set of curiosities myself: Where did the idea came from? What was
the inspiration/motivation for the starting the organization? Was there “that one
incident” (or the first, or the many events) that so moved the founder to no longer
“do nothing” and take action. I felt that reading about specific cases or vignettes of
groups or individuals who were helped would give a finer grain as to outcomes and
impacts of such organizations. But I also wanted to learn how these organizations
defined success. I think readers will be not only pleased, but inspired. I hope that
readers will have their own passions sparked and have their desire to know (and
perhaps, to do) more increased.
Organizing the chapters was a bit of a challenge. As you will see, there is much
overlap between their activities, and many somewhat defy an easy categorization
(which I like, actually), so I did the best I could to make what I hope readers will
consider to be reasonable groupings. Or, perhaps this will at least cause readers to
look at all three volumes!
And now, it is with great pleasure (and awe) that I introduce the new
humanitarians.

VOLUME 1: CHANGING GLOBAL HEALTH INEQUITIES

Médecins Sans Frontières/Founded in 1971
I was in Geneva when I first met Doris Schopper, a physician who was involved
in the founding of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and she was an incredible
person filled with energy and stories. As readers will find, this chapter provides a
frank and transparent description of the chaos involved in the nascent years of
MSF—quite the shift to the Nobel Prize–winning organization and operation of
today. Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent humanitarian medical aid
agency committed to two objectives: providing medical aid wherever needed,
regardless of race, religion, politics, or sex, and raising awareness of the plight of
people it helps.

Unite For Sight/Founded in 2000

If you ever want to feel inadequate, just look up Jennifer Staple. While most of us
were struggling to get through undergraduate school, Jennifer, while at Yale, formed
what has become an award-winning global enterprise doing incredible work. The
organization’s model serves as an inspiration regarding the power of making and
acting upon connections. Unite For Sight implements vision screening and educa-
tion programs in North America and in developing countries. In North America,
patients are connected with free health coverage programs so that they can receive
an eye exam by a doctor. In Africa and Asia, Unite For Sight volunteers work with
partner eye clinics to implement screening and free surgery programs.
Introduction xix

Scojo Foundation/Founded in 2001

In the small world of global efforts, I read a piece by Jordan Kassalow, OD,
MPH, and I called him while he was at the Global Health Policy Program at the
Council on Foreign Relations in New York, serving as an adjunct senior fellow. We
had a wonderful conversation, and I have referenced his keen points on the deadly
reciprocity of illness and warfare in subsequent talks I have given. He and Scott
Berrie went on to found the Scojo Foundation. Their mission is to reduce poverty
and generate opportunity through the sale of affordable eyeglasses and comple-
mentary products. Scojo Vision Entrepreneurs are low-income men and women
living in rural villages who are trained to conduct vision screenings within their
communities, sell affordable reading glasses, and refer those who require
advanced eye care to reputable clinics.

Sustainable Sciences Institute/Founded in 1998

I tell people that Eva Harris, PhD, could make a lab out of a Jeep and that she
is the spiritual cousin of MacGyver. I have read her seminal book, A Low-Cost
Approach to PCR, and though not a biologist, I was astounded. We first spoke on
the phone some years ago about the possibility of collaborating on a project
together, and my astonishment continued. She developed the Sustainable Sciences
Institute (SSI) and holds a mission to develop scientific research capacity in areas
with pressing public health problems. To that end, SSI helps local biomedical sci-
entists gain access to training, funding, information, equipment, and supplies, so
that they can better meet the public health needs of their communities.

Institute for OneWorld Health/Founded in 2000

I first spoke to Victoria Hale, PhD, after she and her attorneys had been meet-
ing with Internal Revenue Service attorneys to convince them that the Institute for
OneWorld Health was indeed a NOT-for-profit pharmaceutical company. We
were looking to collaborate on a pharmacogenomic project in which my Center
would do the “R” of R&D and she would work on the “D,” or development. We
first met face-to-face in Geneva at the World Economic Forum headquarters.
Today, the Institute for OneWorld Health develops safe, effective, and affordable
new medicines for people with infectious diseases in the developing world.

Jamkhed (aka Comprehensive Rural Health

Project—CRHP)/Founded in 1970
Shobha Arole, MD, came looking for me in Davos at a World Economic Forum
Annual Meeting. I will never forget that, in our conversation, I presumed she
needed help with getting some doctors to Jamkhed, but she quickly, and ever so
kindly, told me that she was in the market for students so she could help train
xx Introduction

them before they developed their bad habits. And she and her father, Raj Arole,
MD, are doing so, and quite successfully. Their Comprehensive Rural Health Project
(CRHP) was started to provide healthcare to rural communities, keeping in mind
the realities described above. It developed a comprehensive, community-based
primary healthcare (CBPHC) approach. CRHP is located at Jamkhed, which is far
away from a major city and is typically rural, drought-prone, and poverty
stricken. One of the main aims of the project is to reach the poorest and most
marginalized and to improve their health. In reality, perhaps not everyone in the
world will be able to have equal healthcare. However, it is possible to make sure
that all people have access to necessary and relevant healthcare. This concept is
known as equity, and it is an important principle of CRHP. Health is not only
absence of disease; it also includes social, economic, spiritual, physical, and mental
well-being. With this comprehensive understanding of health, the project focuses
on improving the socioeconomic well-being of the people as well as other aspects
of health. Health does not exist in isolation: it is greatly related to education,
environment, sanitation, socioeconomic status, and agriculture. Therefore,
improvement in these areas by the communities in turn improves the health of
the people. Healthcare includes promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative
aspects. These areas of integration bring about effective healthcare.

International Center for Equal Healthcare Access/Founded in 2001

I met Marie Charles, MD, MIA, in Quebec City at a Renaissance Weekend. I
listened to her presentation on her Center’s work, and I knew I had found a kin-
dred spirit. In fact, at the time of this writing, it is looking promising that we will
be working collaboratively together in Cambodia. Marie founded the Interna-
tional Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA), which is a truly remarkable
nonprofit organization of 650+ volunteer physicians and nurses who transfer
their medical expertise in HIV and infectious diseases (>7,000 aggregate man-
years of human capital) to colleagues in more than twelve countries in the devel-
oping world. Rather than perpetuating a continued dependence on Western
charity, this creates a sustainable system that allows these countries to provide
healthcare to their own patients at the highest possible standards and yet within
the existing resource limitations. As an interesting but crucially important side-
note, the recipient developing countries themselves shoulder the major share of
the program implementation costs, giving them a true sense of proprietary pride,
value, and ownership as opposed to “receiving charity.” ICEHA turns the paradigm
of international development on its head.

Flying Doctors of America/Founded in 1990

Allan Gathercoal, DDiv, and I have been through a lot together—stuck in
Nairobi, stuck in Burundi, bribing airport officials with lighters in Hanoi to bring
medicines in, working in Bolivian prisons together; and, most recently, we met in
Introduction xxi

Cambodia. Allan is the founder of Flying Doctors of America, and his organiza-
tion runs short-term medical/dental missions to the rural regions of Third World
countries.

Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance/Founded 1987

I’d speculate that Mary Fabri, PsyD, spends more time some years in Rwanda
than in Chicago. She goes to where the needs are, and when in Chicago, the needs
are at the Marjorie Kovler Center, where she is director and one of the clinical
co-founders. The Kovler Center provides comprehensive, community-based services
in which survivors work together with staff and volunteers to identify needs and
overcome obstacles to healing. Services include Mental Health (individual or
group psychotherapy, counseling, psychiatric services, and a range of culturally
appropriate services on-site in the community), Health Care (primary healthcare
and specialized medical treatment by medical professionals specifically trained to
work with torture survivors), Case Management (access to community resources,
including tutoring, ESL, food, transportation, special events), Interpretation and
Translation (bridging cultural and linguistic barriers in medical, mental health,
and community settings), and Legal Referral (referral and collaboration with
immigration attorneys and organizations).

International Center on Responses to Catastrophes/Founded in 2002

Stevan Weine, MD, is a renaissance kind of guy. He can gain impressive NIH
grants and awards while also writing about Alan Ginsberg and Bruce Springsteen
(and take time to coauthor and present with me as well). I have had the pleasure
of traveling to all sorts of places with Steve and meeting a fascinating group of
activists, scientists, and intellectuals, all the while listening to some great music.
He is a mentor, a role model, and a good friend. He also is the founder of the Center
at the University of Illinois–Chicago, whose primary mission is to promote multi-
disciplinary research and scholarship that contributes to improved helping efforts
for those affected by catastrophes.

International Trauma Studies Program/Founded in 1997

It was Stevan Weine who introduced me to Jack Saul, PhD, and took me to visit
Jack’s International Trauma Studies Program (ITSP), now at Columbia University.
Jack’s perspective is that recent natural and human-made catastrophes have high-
lighted the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the study, treatment, and pre-
vention of trauma-related suffering. So, at New York University in 1997, he
founded the original program. It is now a training and research program at
Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The program has been
enriched by the participation of a diverse student body, ranging from mental
health professionals, healthcare providers, attorneys, and human rights advocates,
xxii Introduction

to journalists and media professionals, academicians, oral historians, and artists.

Students and professionals are given the opportunity to develop and share
innovative approaches to address the psychosocial needs of trauma survivors,
their families, and communities. ITSP offers a dynamic combination of academic
studies, research, and practical experience working with trauma survivors in New
York City, the United States, and abroad.

Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention

@UConn/Founded in 2002
Jeff Fisher, PhD, invited me to his Center at UConn, and I had the flu. I would
not have missed such an opportunity for the world. You see, the University of
Connecticut Psychology Department’s Center for Health, Intervention, and Pre-
vention (CHIP) creates new scientific knowledge in the areas of health behavior,
health behavior change, and health risk prevention and intervention. CHIP provides
theory-based health behavior and health behavior change expertise and services at
the international, national, state, university, and community levels.

REMEDY/Founded in 1991
REMEDY, Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World, is a
nonprofit organization committed to teaching and promoting the recovery of
surplus operating-room supplies. Proven recovery protocols were designed to be
quickly adapted to the everyday operating room or critical care routine. As of June
2006, the REMEDY at Yale program alone had donated more than 50 tons of
medical supplies! It is estimated that at least $200 million worth of supplies could
be recovered from U.S. hospitals each year, resulting in an increase of 50 percent
of the medical aid sent from the United States to the developing world.

Center for Global Initiatives/Founded in 2004

The Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) is my baby. It is the first Center
devoted to training multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and students to
bring services that are integrated, sustainable, resiliency based, and that have
publicly accountable outcomes to areas of need, worldwide, via multiple, small,
context-specific collaboratives that integrate primary care, behavioral healthcare,
systems development, public health, and social justice. The word “global” is not
used herein as a synonym for overseas or international, but rather local as well as
transnational disparities and inequities of health risk and illness outcomes. The
Center seeks to eschew the many disconnects between separation of body/mind,
physical/mental, individual/community, and to offer a synthetic model of inte-
gration. CGI’s philosophy and approach is always that of a collaborator and
colleague. No West-Knows-Best hubris. Perhaps the most important aspects of
the Center for Global Initiatives are the simplest: it serves as an incubator and
Introduction xxiii

hothouse for new projects; it helps to nurture, grow, and launch those projects
as self-sustaining, ongoing interests; and after a project has taken hold, it serves
as pro bono consultant to help those now managing the work with whatever
they may need—materials, medicines, case consultation. About 90 percent of
all CGI’s projects have come about as a result of being invited to do the work.
As best can be done, depending on the project, CGI seeks to blend primary
care, behavioral health, and public health into an ultimately self-sustaining,
outcomes-accountable, culturally consonant result.

VOLUME 2: CHANGING EDUCATION AND RELIEF

Braille Without Borders/Founded in 1997
Sabriye, Paul, and I used to joke about how we were likely the poorest atten-
dees in Davos at the World Economic Forum. And in spite of our modest bank
balances, I can tell you that they were two of the most powerful of the movers
and shakers there. Braille Without Borders wants to empower blind people in
these countries so they themselves can set up projects and schools for other
blind people. In this way the concept can be spread across the globe so other
blind and visually impaired people have access to education and a better future.

Room to Read/Founded in 2000

I heard John Wood talk about his post-Microsoft adventure of founding Room
to Read. His brainchild partners with local communities throughout the develop-
ing world to establish schools, libraries, and other educational infrastructure.
They seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education is
a lifelong gift that empowers people to ultimately improve socioeconomic condi-
tions for their families, communities, countries, and future generations. Through
the opportunities that only an education can provide, they strive to break the cycle
of poverty, one child at a time. Since its inception, Room to Read has impacted the
lives of over 1.3 million children by constructing 287 schools, establishing over
3,870 libraries, publishing 146 new local language children’s titles representing
more than 1.3 million books, donating more than 1.4 million English language
children’s books, funding 3,448 long-term girls’ scholarships, and establishing 136
computer and language labs.

Global Village Engineers/Founded in 1992

Chris Shimkus is a good guy and a good friend with whom I first connected
in Geneva at the WEF Headquarters. He took one of those proverbial leaps of
faith and left his “day job” to devote himself to the work of Global Village Engi-
neers (GVE). GVE is a volunteer corps of professional engineers supporting the
local capacity of rural communities in developing countries to influence public
xxiv Introduction

infrastructure and environmental protection. Its engineers choose to volunteer

their skills to ensure the livelihood of these communities by building long-term
local capacity, especially in situations of disaster prevention and rehabilitation
and the need for environmental protection. They believe that infrastructure will
best serve communities when they have the capacity to become involved from
project inception through construction. Governments and project sponsors
often do not invest in communicating basic facts to the community about design,
construction, and maintenance. The mission of Global Village Engineers is to
find these facts and develop the local capacity to understand such facts.

Common Bond Institute/Founded in 1995

I first met Steve Olweean, PhD, in an airport in Oslo—or was it Helsinki? We
were on our way to St. Petersburg to the conference he founded. That conference
was a lightning rod of connections with people I continue to work with around
the world, from Sri Lanka to Tel Aviv, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what
Steve does. He founded the Common Bond Institute (CBI), which is a U.S.-based
NGO that grew out of the Association for Humanistic Psychology’s International
(Soviet-American) Professional Exchange. The Professional Exchange was initiated
in 1982 as one of the first Soviet-American nongovernmental human service
exchanges. CBI organizes and sponsors conferences, professional training programs,
relief efforts, and professional exchanges internationally, and it actively provides
networking and coordination support to assist newly emerging human service
and civil society organizations in developing countries. Its mission is cultivating
the fundamental elements of a consciousness of peace and local capacity building,
which are seen as natural, effective antidotes to small-group radical extremism
and large-group despair, as well as to hardship and suffering in the human condition.
To this end, enabling each society to effectively resolve and transform conflicts,
satisfy core human needs within their communities, and construct effective, holistic
mechanisms for self-determination, self-esteem, and fundamental human dignity
and worth is the purpose of their work.

SWEEP/Founded in 2004
The Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago
(UIC), Addis Ababa University (AAU), The Council of International Programs
USA (CIPUSA), and a network of nonprofit agencies are engaged in an exciting
effort to develop the first-ever master’s degree in social work in Ethiopia, through
a project known as the Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership, or SWEEP.
The undergraduate social work program at AAU was closed in 1976, when a mil-
itary regime ruled the country. Now, with a democratic government in place since
the early 1990s, the SWEEP project is working in collaboration with AAU’s new
School of Social Work and nongovernmental agencies in Ethiopia to develop
social work education and practice.
Introduction xxv

CUP/Founded in 1997
The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) makes educational projects about places
and how they change. Its projects bring together art and design professionals—
artists, graphic designers, architects, urban planners—with community-based advo-
cates and researchers—organizers, government officials, academics, service providers
and policymakers. These partners work with CUP staff to create projects ranging
from high-school curricula to educational exhibitions. Their work grows from a
belief that the power of imagination is central to the practice of democracy, and that
the work of governing must engage the dreams and visions of citizens. CUP believes
in the legibility of the world around us. It is the CUP philosophy that, by learning
how to investigate, we train ourselves to change what we see.

Endeavor/Founded in 1997
Linda Rottenberg, who co-founded Endeavor, is a Roman candle of energy,
enthusiasm, and brainpower. I met her through the World Economic Forum as a
Global Leader of Tomorrow. She is amazing at delivering on what’s needed in cre-
atively intelligent ways. Endeavor targets emerging-market countries transitioning
from international aid to international investment. Endeavor then seeks out local
partners to build country boards and benefactors to launch local Endeavor affiliates.

ACCION/Founded in 1961
ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission of
giving people the financial tools they need—micro enterprise loans, business
training, and other financial services—to work their way out of poverty. A world
pioneer in microfinance, ACCION was founded in 1961 and issued its first micro-
loan in 1973 in Brazil. ACCION International’s partner microfinance institutions
today are providing loans as low as $100 to poor men and women entrepreneurs
in twenty-five countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and sub-Saharan
Africa, as well as in the United States.

Invisible Conflicts/Dwon Madiki Partnership/Founded in 2006

I just met Evan Ledyard at a talk I gave at Loyola University in Chicago, and
he introduced me to the work he has done with an incredible group of students.
Invisible Conflicts is a student organization that sponsors the education, men-
torship, and empowerment of twenty Ugandan orphans and vulnerable children.
A twenty-one-year civil war in northern Uganda, between the government and a
rebel faction called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has led to the forced dis-
placement of over 1.7 million people into internal refugee camps. To support
their rebellion, the LRA abducted more than 30,000 Ugandan children, forcing
them to be sex slaves and to fight as child soldiers. Because of these atrocities, all
xxvi Introduction

of the DMP-sponsored children live in squalid conditions in and around the

many displacement camps. Because life around these camps is marked by
poverty, hunger, and little or no access to education, an entire generation of children
find themselves denied a childhood and a chance to succeed in life.

BELL/Founded in 1992
Building Educated Leaders for Life, or BELL, recognizes that the pathway to
opportunity for children lies in education. BELL transforms children into scholars
and leaders through the delivery of nationally recognized, high-impact after-school
and summer educational programs. By helping children achieve academic and
social proficiency during their formative elementary-school years and embrace
their rich cultural heritage, BELL is inspiring the next generation of great teachers,
doctors, lawyers, artists, and community leaders. By mobilizing parents, teachers,
and young adults, BELL is living the idea that “it takes a village to raise a child.”

Hybrid Vigor Institute/Founded in 2000

I first met Denise Caruso at a TED Conference. She was just stepping down
from her position as technology columnist at the New York Times, just before the
tech bubble burst. Smart gal. I was immediately smitten by her intellect, and in
subsequent emails and conversations, she agreed to help me in the pondering of
my nascent ideas for my Center as she was building her Institute in the form of
Hybrid Vigor. The Hybrid Vigor Institute is focused on three ambitious goals: (1)
to make a significant contribution toward solving some of today’s most
intractable problems in the areas of health, the environment, and human potential,
both by producing innovative knowledge and by developing processes for sharing
expertise; (2) to develop new methods and tools for research and analysis that
respect and use appropriately both the quantitative methods of the natural sci-
ences and the subjective inquiries of the social and political sciences, arts, and
humanities, and to establish metrics and best practices for these new methods of
collaboration and knowledge sharing; (3) to deploy cutting-edge collaboration,
information extraction, and knowledge management technologies, so that working
researchers from any discipline may easily acquire and share relevant work and
information about their areas of interest.

Our Voices Together/Founded in 2005

Marianne Scott and I had a wonderful conversation one Sunday night that I
will never forget. Without repeating it, I do want to say I was touched by her
humanity in a very powerful and lasting way, and I knew then that she needed to
be represented in this project. Our Voices Together holds a vision of a world in
which the appeal of lives lived in dignity, opportunity, and safety triumphs over
the allure of extremism and its terrorist tactics. The people of this organization see
Introduction xxvii

a future where terrorist tactics are not condoned by any community worldwide.
They understand that to achieve this, trust must be built on mutual trust and
respect around the globe. They recognize the vast potential in engaging the United
States in diplomacy by connecting communities. To this end, they promote the
vital role of people-to-people efforts to help build better, safer lives and futures
around the world.

Geekcorps/Founded in 1999
Ethan Zuckerman has a wicked sense of humor, and he is not afraid to use
it. I last saw Ethan in Madrid at an anti-terrorism conference, and we spoke of
wikis as a solution to a puzzle I was working on about Amazonian medical
services. How obvious. Ethan is the founder of Geekcorps, which has evolved
into the IESC Geekcorps, which is an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organ-
ization that promotes stability and prosperity in the developing world through
information and communication technology (ICT). Geekcorps’ international
technology experts teach communities how to be digitally independent: able to
create and expand private enterprise with innovative, appropriate, and affordable
information and communication technologies. To increase the capacity of
small and medium-sized business, local government, and supporting organizations
to be more profitable and efficient using technology, Geekcorps draws on a
database of more than 3,500 technical experts willing to share their talents and
experience in developing nations.

VOLUME 3: CHANGING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Witness/Founded in 1992
I first saw some of the work of Witness at the Contemporary Museum of
Art in Chicago, and I was quite disturbed and moved by the images I saw—
which was the point. I then contacted Gillian Caldwell of Witness about this
book project, and I got the distinct impression that she wondered “who is this
guy, and is he on the level?” So, with some emails back and forth, and the good
timing of the WEF Annual Meeting, where she happened to be going, I gained
some street cred with her as I’d been an invited faculty, gone to Davos a num-
ber of years, and knew Klaus Schwab, who had also written the foreword for
one of my other books. Then she let me into the tent, and I am very glad she
did. Witness does incredible work by using video and online technologies to
open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. It empowers people to
transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting
public engagement and policy change. It envisions a just and equitable world
where all individuals and communities are able to defend and uphold human
rights.
xxviii Introduction

The Community Relations Council/Founded in 1986

I worked on a three-volume book set (The Psychology of Resolving Global
Conflicts: From War to Peace, Praeger, 2005) with Mari Fitzduff, PhD, and I had no
idea of the violence she was exposed to in Belfast as a child growing up there. Now
it makes perfect sense as to her development of the Community Relations Council.
Its aim is to assist the people of Northern Ireland to recognize and counter the
effects of communal division. The Community Relations Council originated as a
proposal of a research report commissioned by the NI Standing Advisory Com-
mittee on Human Rights. The Community Relations Council was set up to promote
better community relations between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland
and, equally, to promote recognition of cultural diversity. Its strategic aim is to
promote a peaceful and fair society based on reconciliation and mutual trust. It does
so by providing support (finance, training, advice, information) for local groups
and organizations; developing opportunities for cross-community understanding;
increasing public awareness of community relations work; and encouraging
constructive debate throughout Northern Ireland.

Amnesty International/Founded in 1961

Amnesty International’s (AI’s) vision is of a world in which every person
enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and other international human rights standards. In pursuit of this vision,
AI’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending
grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience
and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work
to promote all human rights. AI has a varied network of members and supporters
around the world. At the latest count, there were more than 1.8 million members,
supporters, and subscribers in over 150 countries and territories in every region
of the world. Although they come from many different backgrounds and have
widely different political and religious beliefs, they are united by a determination
to work for a world where everyone enjoys human rights.

PeaceWorks Foundation and OneVoice/Founded in 2002

Daniel Lubetzky is one of those incredible people who turn on a room
when they enter it. He does so not with bravado and brashness, but rather with
a quiet power that captures those around him. He is a compelling person with
a compelling mission. He founded OneVoice with the aim to amplify the voice
of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of Israelis and Palestinians
who wish to end the conflict. Since its inception, OneVoice has empowered
ordinary citizens to demand accountability from elected representatives and
ensure that the political agenda is not hijacked by extremists. OneVoice works
to reframe the conflict by transcending the “left vs. right” and “Israeli vs. Palestinian”
Introduction xxix

paradigms and by demonstrating that the moderate majority can prevail over
the extremist minority. Although the needs and concerns of the Israeli and
Palestinian peoples are different—Israelis wish to end terror and the existential
threat to Israel; Palestinians wish to end the occupation and achieve an inde-
pendent Palestinian state—the vast majority on each side agree that these goals
are achievable only by reaching a two-state solution. OneVoice is unique in that
it has independent Israeli and Palestinian offices appealing to the national inter-
ests of their own sides with credentials enabling them to unite people across the
religious and political spectrum. It recognizes the essential work many other
groups do in the field of dialogue and understanding, but OneVoice is action
oriented and advocacy driven. It is about the process and demanding account-
ability from its members and from political leaders. A peace agreement, no
matter how comprehensive, will be ineffective without populations ready to
support it. The focus is on giving citizens a voice and a direct role in conflict
resolution.

Nonviolent Peaceforce/Founded in 1998

Nonviolent Peaceforce is a federation of more than ninety member organizations
from around the world. In partnership with local groups, unarmed Nonviolent
Peaceforce Field Team members apply proven strategies to protect human rights,
deter violence, and help create space for local peacemakers to carry out their work.
The mission of the Nonviolent Peaceforce is to build a trained, international civilian
peaceforce committed to third-party nonviolent intervention.

Peace Brigades/Founded in 1981

Peace Brigades International (PBI) is an NGO that protects human rights and
promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts. When invited, it sends teams of
volunteers into areas of repression and conflict. The volunteers accompany
human rights defenders, their organizations, and others threatened by political
violence. Perpetrators of human rights abuses usually do not want the world to
witness their actions. The presence of volunteers backed by a support network
helps to deter violence. They create space for local activists to work for social justice
and human rights.

Witness for Peace/Founded in 1983

Witness for Peace (WFP) is a politically independent, nationwide grassroots
organization of people committed to nonviolence and led by faith and conscience.
WFP’s mission is to support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the
Americas by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices that contribute to
poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean.
xxx Introduction

Southern Poverty Law Center/Founded in 1971

Throughout its history, the Center has worked to make the nation’s Constitutional
ideals a reality. The Center’s legal department fights all forms of discrimination and
works to protect society’s most vulnerable members, handling innovative cases that
few lawyers are willing to take. Over three decades, it has achieved significant legal
victories, including landmark Supreme Court decisions and crushing jury verdicts
against hate groups.

Human Rights Campaign/Founded in 1980

After having served as a federal advocacy coordinator on the Hill for the
American Psychological Association for twelve years, and at the state level even
longer, I have come to know and very much appreciate the twists and turns of law
making and the body politic. I have also come to know and respect the impressive
work of those in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). They have evolved from
battling stigma to being a political force to contend with—no easy task in the
Beltway or on Main Street USA. The Human Rights Campaign is America’s
largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC
strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that
achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. HRC seeks to improve the lives
of GLBT Americans by advocating for equal rights and benefits in the workplace,
ensuring that families are treated equally under the law, and increasing public
support among all Americans through innovative advocacy, education, and out-
reach programs. HRC works to secure equal rights for GLBT individuals and
families at the federal and state levels by lobbying elected officials, mobilizing
grassroots supporters, educating Americans, investing strategically to elect fair-
minded officials, and partnering with other GLBT organizations.

Global Security Institute/Founded in 1999

Back in the late 1990s, as a member of Psychologists for Social Responsibility
and living in Chicago, I was asked to represent that organization at a meeting called
Abolition 2000. The goal of that group was to have abolished nuclear weapons by
2000. I had the chance to meet its founder, the late Senator Alan Cranston, and I
was smitten. That movement evolved into the organization Jonathan Granoff now
leads, known as the Global Security Institute (GSI). It is dedicated to strengthen-
ing international cooperation and security based on the rule of law with a partic-
ular focus on nuclear arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament. GSI was
founded by Senator Alan Cranston, whose insight that nuclear weapons are
impractical, unacceptably risky, and unworthy of civilization continues to inspire
GSI’s efforts to contribute to a safer world. GSI has developed an exceptional team
that includes former heads of state and government, distinguished diplomats, effec-
Introduction xxxi

tive politicians, committed celebrities, religious leaders, Nobel Peace laureates, dis-
armament and legal experts, and concerned citizens.

Search for Common Ground/Founded in 1982

I first had the pleasure of meeting Susan Marks in Davos at a breakfast meeting
in which we were to co-facilitate a discussion. I could not keep up with her! She had
us all enthralled with her perspectives and experiences, and I was astonished. She
and her husband John started the Search for Common Ground as a vehicle to
transform the way the world deals with conflict: away from adversarial approaches,
toward cooperative solutions. Although the world is overly polarized and violence
is much too prevalent, they remain essentially optimistic. Their view is that, on the
whole, history is moving in positive directions. Although some of the conflicts cur-
rently being dealt with may seem intractable, there are successful examples of
cooperative conflict resolution that can be looked to for inspiration—such as in
South Africa, where an unjust system was transformed through negotiations and
an inclusive peace process.

Project on Justice in Times of Transition/Founded in 1992

Mari Fitzduff introduced me to Timothy Phillips in the context of working on
this project, and needless to say, I was taken aback by their work. The Project on
Justice in Times of Transition brings together individuals from a broad spectrum
of countries to share experiences in ending conflict, building civil society, and
fostering peaceful coexistence. It currently operates in affiliation with the Foun-
dation for a Civil Society in New York and the Institute for Global Leadership at
Tufts University. Since its creation in 1992 by co-chairs Wendy Luers and Timothy
Phillips, the Project has conducted more than fifty programs for a variety of leaders
throughout the world and has utilized its methodology to assist them in addressing
such difficult issues as the demobilization of combatants, the status of security
files, police reform, developing effective negotiating skills, political demonstrations,
and preserving or constructing the tenets of democracy in a heterogeneous society.
Through its innovative programming, the Project has exposed a broad cross-section
of communities in transition to comparable situations elsewhere, and it has
contributed to the broadening of international public discourse on transitional
processes.
In recent years the Project has conducted programs that have helped practi-
tioners and political leaders strategize solutions in a variety of countries and
regions, including Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Guatemala, Kosovo,
Northern Ireland, Palestine, and Peru.

Exodus World Service/Founded in 1988

Heidi Moll was cheering my son and me on last fall in a five-kilometer run that
was a fundraiser for Exodus World Service and other agencies. I first came to
xxxii Introduction

know of their refugee work via a church we used to attend, and it was remarkable.
Exodus World Service transforms the lives of refugees and of volunteers. It educates
local churches about refugee ministry, connects volunteers in relationship with
refugee families through practical service projects, and equips leaders to speak up
on behalf of refugees. The end result is that wounded hearts are healed, loneliness
is replaced with companionship, and fear is transformed into hope. Exodus
recruits local volunteers, equips them with information and training, and then
links them directly with refugee families newly arrived in the Chicago metropolitan
area. It also provides training and tools for front-line staff of other refugee service
agencies. In addition, Exodus has developed several innovative programs for use
by volunteers in their work with refugees.

International Institute for Sustainable Development/Founded in 1990

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) contributes to
sustainable development by advancing policy recommendations on international
trade and investment, economic policy, climate change, measurement and assess-
ment, and natural resources management. By using Internet communications, it
is able to report on international negotiations and broker knowledge gained
through collaborative projects with global partners, resulting in more rigorous
research, capacity building in developing countries, and better dialogue between
North and South. IISD is in the business of promoting change toward sustainable
development. Through research and through effective communication of their
findings, it engages decision makers in government, business, NGOs, and other
sectors to develop and implement policies that are simultaneously beneficial to
the global economy, to the global environment, and to social well-being. IISD also
believes fervently in the importance of building its own institutional capacity
while helping its partner organizations in the developing world to excel.

LET’S GET GOING

I hope you enjoy learning more about these amazing individuals and their
work. I certainly have enjoyed working with them and in completing this remark-
able writing project. They all have the common denominator of changing people’s
lives, and isn’t that truly the way to change the world?
 1

Braille Without Borders: Do You

Need Vision to Be a Visionary?
Paul Kronenberg and
Patrick Savaiano

“Dear parents, don’t worry about your children. The farm is clean and the food
is excellent.” With these words, the deputy mayor of the city of Lhasa in Tibet saw
a new group of blind students off to the Braille Without Borders training farm in
Shigatse, accompanied by their parents and Wangchen Geleg, the vice president
of the Tibet Disabled Persons Federation. The deputy mayor continued, “With
the preparatory school in Lhasa and the vocational training center in Shigatse,
Tibet’s blind will be in a position to integrate themselves into regular schools or
professions.”
In September 2002, Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg changed the name
of their organization to Braille Without Borders. This name carries two significant
meanings that serve as the foundation for their mission. First, the co-founders of
Braille Without Borders (BWB) want to convey the organization’s willingness to
work anywhere in the world. Second, and more importantly, the organization
wants to create an environment for the blind and visually impaired that is “with-
out borders.” In other words, BWB promotes the empowerment of the blind
among all individuals and recognizes the right of all people to explore and set
their own borders. BWB wants its students to gain the feeling that they belong in
society, and that they have the right to exist and be treated as human beings. The
blind and visually impaired often have borders and obstacles placed upon them,
intentionally or not, by the sighted people of the world. This situation is accentu-
ated in the developing areas of the world such as the Tibetan Autonomous Region
(TAR) in which the blind have traditionally been excluded from most social activ-
ities and opportunities.
Based on World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, 161 million people live
with a disabling visual impairment, of which 37 million are blind and 124 million
have low vision. Every five seconds, someone becomes blind, and a child goes blind
every minute. About 90 percent of these individuals live in developing countries

1
2 The New Humanitarians

of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific regions. About 90 percent of the
blind children in these developing countries have no access to education. Before
Braille Without Borders began in the TAR, the region’s blind children did not have
access to education. They led lives on the margins of society, with extremely few
chances of integration. According to official statistics, some 30,000 of the 2.5 million
inhabitants of the TAR are blind or highly visually impaired. This figure is an aver-
age that is well above that of most areas of the world. The causes of visual impair-
ment or blindness are both climatic and hygienic: dust, wind, high ultraviolet light
radiation, soot in houses caused by heating with coal and/or yak dung, and lack
of vitamin A at an early age. Inadequate health care also plays a major role, and
cataracts are widespread. The Tibetan government and private organizations have
set up eye camps to train local doctors to perform appropriate surgeries, but there
remains a significant population of blind people in the TAR that cannot be helped
in this way.
Braille Without Borders was founded with the intention of empowering blind
people from areas like the TAR so that they can set up their own projects, schools,
and businesses for other blind people. In this way, the concept of eliminating the
borders that are placed upon the blind can spread worldwide so that more blind
and visually impaired individuals will have access to education and opportunities
to integrate into society as they wish. BWB also hopes to change the perception of
others who view blind people as being less able to fit into society than sighted
people. The hopeful and encouraging words spoken by the deputy mayor of the
city of Lhasa exemplify an acceptance of the organization’s mission and a shifting
perception toward blind people in Tibetan society.

HISTORY OF BWB
In the summer of 1997, Sabriye Tenberken, a blind woman from Germany and
co-founder of BWB, traveled within the TAR to investigate the possibility of
providing training for the blind and visually impaired people of Tibet. She quickly
realized that there were no programs in place for the education and rehabilitation for
blind people in the TAR. She decided to take the initiative to found an organization
that would alleviate this problem. A local school in the city of Lhasa provided space
for the project, and a local counterpart took care of all of the official paperwork.
Tenberken had realized that she was blind at the age of twelve, after she met
another girl who said she was blind even though she saw more than Sabriye did.
While attending a school for sighted kids, Sabriye had been picked on by other
kids, but she had never known why. She was also treated in a different way by
teachers and parents of other (sighted) children. They spoke to her in baby voices,
gave her the largest piece of cake, and sometimes spoke to her in loud voices as if
she were deaf. Sabriye had never seen very well, and the realization that she was
“just” blind was a great relief to her. Now she knew why she had been treated dif-
ferently than other children her age. She chose to be transferred to a special school
for blind children and quickly realized that she was not the only one who was
Braille Without Borders: Do You Need Vision to Be a Visionary? 3

unable to see. At this school, she gained a lot of self-confidence through activities
such as mountain climbing, kayaking, downhill skiing, and horseback riding.
Through this training, she developed a will to accomplish things that even many
sighted children did not dream of doing.
Tenberken originally became interested in Tibetology after visiting a special
exhibition on Tibet as a teenager. She and her fellow students were allowed to
touch the different artifacts, and she became interested in what Tibet was about.
She applied to study the subject at Bonn University. Since Sabriye was the first
blind student ever to enroll in this course of study, no books in Braille were avail-
able. Even more significant, a Tibetan Braille script did not exist. As an extremely
motivated individual, Tenberken decided to develop a Tibetan script for the blind
instead of withdrawing from the program at Bonn University. This script com-
bined the principles of the Braille system with the special features of the Tibetan
syllable-based script. Her script was submitted for close examination to an eminent
Tibetan scholar, who found it to be readily understandable and easy to learn. Until
Tenberken developed this script for her studies in 1992, the TAR had no script for
its blind people. To this day, the blind and visually impaired people in Tibet con-
tinue to use Tenberken’s script.
In the summer of 1997, Sabriye went to Tibet to study the situation of blind
people. On this trip she met Paul Kronenberg, a Dutch engineer, who was back-
packing through Tibet. She told him about her idea for setting up a project for
blind people, and he was the only foreigner on the trip who did not think Sabriye
was totally insane. They exchanged addresses, and nine months later, when
Sabriye had all the paperwork ready to return to Tibet to start the first school for
the blind, she called Paul to say good-bye. Instead of responding with “I wish you
good luck,” Paul said, “I will come with you.” The next day, he quit his job; only
five days later, in May 1998, Sabriye and Paul left Europe to establish the first
Rehabilitation and Training Centre for the Blind in Tibet.
They began their project with a preparatory school for blind elementary
school children. They made the necessary arrangements for six children from
different villages to board at the school. The children came from different parts
of the TAR and had to get used to one another’s dialects. A local teacher was
found and, within a matter of days, she was fully instructed in the Tibetan Braille
script. The children learned the Tibetan Braille alphabet on homemade wooden
boards with Velcro dots and, within just six weeks, they knew each of the thirty
Tibetan characters and could count in the Tibetan, Chinese, and English lan-
guages. This immediate success helped provide the foundation for a hopeful
future for BWB.

VALUES AND BELIEFS

BWB holds several core values and beliefs that aid in driving its mission. The
organization aspires to aid people with blindness and visual impairments world-
wide, regardless of race, creed, national origin, sex, age, handicap, disease entity,
4 The New Humanitarians

social status, financial status, or religious affiliation. As mentioned above, the

organization does not view blindness as a justifiable reason for placing borders
around an individual’s opportunities. Blindness is not a reason to be socially
excluded; it is a personal characteristic or quality and not a stain or deviance.
BWB believes that blindness is no longer a disability when (1) society accepts
blindness as a part of life that is equal to sightedness, (2) people with blindness
have access to opportunities that afford them the ability to learn empowering
techniques and methods that compensate for their inability to see, and (3) people
with blindness and visual impairments organize and empower themselves and
self-assuredly fight for equal opportunities. BWB has organized its programs and
mission to make headway in these areas, eliminate factors that contribute to the
perception of visual impairment as a disability in society, and instill self-confidence
in its blind students.

PREPARATORY SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND

The first step toward accomplishing these goals was the establishment of a
preparatory school in 1998. Since the blind population of the TAR is so wide-
spread, BWB decided that it would be best to have the blind children boarded in
Lhasa at the Preparatory School for the Blind so they would both live and be
trained at the center. From financial, organizational, and logistical perspectives, it
would have been too complicated and difficult to set up individual training pro-
grams in the remote areas of the TAR. With the children boarding at the school,
training and education could be provided much more effectively. Adjusting to a
new environment and being separated from familiar surroundings made it neces-
sary for the children to accept and learn new techniques for the blind as quickly
and efficiently as possible. Additionally, the children would have the opportunity
to communicate with other blind people and exchange experiences of common
difficulties they had at home. So from the beginning, the Preparatory School for
the Blind has provided classes and lodging for children and adolescents between
five and fifteen years of age.
It is the organization’s goal that during their one to two years’ training, the chil-
dren will gain enough self-confidence to cope independently with the difficulties
of daily life. First, the students receive intensive training in orientation, mobility,
and daily living skills. This training involves helping the students improve their
orientation in a room and on the school compound, walk with a cane, eat with
chopsticks, and develop daily hygienic skills. Orientation training is followed by
training in the Tibetan, Chinese, English, and mathematical Braille scripts. In
addition to the training in special techniques for the blind, the students are also
instructed in basic colloquial Chinese and English language skills. The primary
goal of the preparatory school is that after completion of the basic training, the
young students will be able to integrate themselves into local “regular” elementary
schools.
Braille Without Borders: Do You Need Vision to Be a Visionary? 5

PRODUCTION OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

Although Braille script is the basis of literacy for blind people worldwide, only
a fraction of blind individuals are actually able to read it. As mentioned above,
prior to Sabriye Tenberken’s invention of a Tibetan Braille script, there was no
means for the blind people of Tibet to become literate. Through literacy, the blind
can gain access to knowledge and skills, so BWB makes it a priority to train its stu-
dents in reading Braille. The organization believes that once literate, the children
will have access to education, and therefore be more able to increase their self-
confidence, learn a profession, and integrate into society. In order to provide read-
ing and work materials for the students attending the school and the vocational
training program, BWB established a workshop that produces Tibetan Braille
materials. Eberhard Hahn, a blind German mathematician, developed a computer
program to convert written Tibetan into Tibetan Braille script. Tibetan texts are
typed into a computer through Wyle transliteration, and Hahn’s program con-
verts this transliteration into Tibetan Braille. The first Tibetan Braille books were
produced through this process in August 2001.

VOCATIONAL AND SKILLS TRAINING

Although helping children gain education through literacy has been BWB’s
first priority, the organization has also focused on many different skills that can be
developed by the blind children. Many of these skills can be directly applied to the
future professions of the children. For instance, children at the school can be
trained in Tibetan and Chinese medical massage, pulse diagnosis, and acupres-
sure. In the autumn of 2000, two blind, educated medical massage trainers were
located and brought to start this program at the school.
The students may also obtain musical training, and especially talented blind
children are trained by a professional musician in singing, composing, and play-
ing musical instruments. With the addition of the organization’s organic training
farm in Shigatse, BWB is making great progress toward gaining viable vocational
opportunities for its students. Beginning in the summer of 2004, students have
been able to take animal husbandry training, including the production of milk,
yogurt, and cheese as well as agricultural training in the cultivation of vegetables
and grain. During that same summer, the students began to receive training in
making handicrafts, including knitting, weaving, and basket making. Finally, the
students began to be trained in the use of computers. Through vocational and
skills training, BWB hopes to provide its students with self-confidence as well as
future career options.

Training Farm in Shigatse

As part of its mission to provide its students with vocational and skills train-
ing, BWB set up a forty-acre training “farm” in the Tibetan town of Shigatse,
6 The New Humanitarians

about 250 kilometers west of Lhasa, in the spring of 2004. Although the farm is
essentially a vocational training center for blind young adults in the neighboring
counties around Shigatse, it also provides residential facilities for blind students
who have gained admission to the nearby government “regular” school. In 2007,
seven more blind students from the project in Lhasa joined the three original stu-
dents at the regular school next to the farm. The teachers at the regular school
were so happy with these students that they have requested that the farm send as
many as it can. Having these additional academic, blind students resident on the
farm has created or renewed an academic interest in the blind vocational students
who were already living there. These original vocational students have begun
freely attending the tuition classes that the farm offers to the academic students
from Lhasa.
The year 2007 marked the beginning of many new, exciting systems and pro-
grams on the farm. The training farm has goals to build up a quality dairy herd,
improve the care and rearing of riding horses, and organize the piggery and poultry.
The animal husbandry unit on the farm has been consolidated to one plot that
used to be an army barracks. BWB has recently installed an environmentally
sound toilet system that was pioneered by a German/Dutch association called
Ecosan. This Ecosan system has been tested successfully in central Europe and
Asia. Its central feature is the separation of urine from feces by means of a simple,
yet clever, partition in the toilet bowl itself. Urine is directed into a holding tank
so that it can be later used as urea on the fields. Feces are directed into a holding
pit where they quickly compost. This system saves water by using materials such
as leaves, ash, and earth instead, which are kept in containers nearby the toilets. By
adding these materials to the feces receptacle after each use, the composting
process begins more quickly. The students and staff were instructed in using and
maintaining this new system, and learned about its advantages for the environ-
ment. It is a system that can be installed easily in the most remote, rural Tibetan
homes. Furthermore, it provides input for organic agriculture and supports the
importance of using organic methods in Tibetan soil, where the organic compo-
nent can be less than 4 percent.
In the autumn of 2007, BWB began the final phase of its work on a compost-
ing factory at the training farm. The building was completed and features ten
cubicles on one side for ten pairs of opposing composting boxes. This makes the
compost much easier to turn, making it both blind friendly and sighted friendly.
More cubicles line the other side for storing and mulching straw, grass, leaves, and
paper. Mulching, cutting, and hacking machines in three different sizes are on-site
as well. The new composting factory is situated adjacent to six organic green-
houses.
Michael Parent from Canada, the third BWB Westerner, introduced the “Mini
Square Meter Greenhouses.” These greenhouses work according to a method of
kitchen gardening that has been practiced for many years on the terraced moun-
tainsides of Darjeeling in India. This system is especially suitable for blind gar-
dening. Each gardening bed is one square meter, and planting is accomplished by
Braille Without Borders: Do You Need Vision to Be a Visionary? 7

placing individual seeds through holes punched in a template. The beds are
arranged adjacent to each other, and form a line as long or as short as required for
the blind students who are gardening. The beds are separated from the path by a
raised barrier to prevent the blind or sighted farmer from walking on the earth
that contains the growing seeds. Since each bed is a meter wide, each plant in the
bed can be attended to individually and conveniently. The beds are covered by
shade cloth or plastic depending on weather conditions. This cloth or plastic is
supported by arches, one meter high, that are made from any sturdy yet flexible
material. These mini-greenhouses are exceptionally easy to maintain and inex-
pensive to construct. One bed costs approximately five euros and can be replicated
easily by rural Tibetan households. Several local nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs), as well as the Swiss Red Cross, have adopted this system and are imple-
menting it in local villages.
In addition to the greenhouses, the farm has also benefited from the instruc-
tion of a German animal husbandry expert, Boris Schiele. In 2005 Schiele gave a
course in the care of dairy cows to the staff and students. The emphasis was on
diet as a main requirement in the production of quality organic milk. Students
also learned how to use a computerized, individual feeding program made possi-
ble because BWB grows its own fodder in its own fields. The growing pattern of
grains and fodder was reorganized with the dairy herd in mind. New stables were
also constructed so that the blind could work there easily. The milk that is pro-
duced is used directly in BWB’s cheese production unit. The popularity of the
organization’s organic cheese is growing. Two staff, one sighted and one blind,
recently returned from a practical course in cheese production in Holland. Stores
as far away as Shanghai have expressed interest in the unique blend of European
and Tibetan cheeses being produced on the farm. BWB hopes that the sales of the
cheese will help generate income to cover at least a portion of the organization’s
running costs.

Self-Integration Project
Shortly after BWB began its projects at the preparatory school and training
farm, the positive impact that was being made on the students became apparent.
Children who came from backgrounds in which they were completely excluded
from society discovered that they were not the only ones living that way. The
students were able to share their experiences, and they were exposed to blind
teachers, who were able to perform the tasks necessary to that profession. All the
students were treated the same. Within a matter of days, the students’ will to learn
grew stronger, and their self-confidence increased considerably. If a student com-
plained that he or she could not perform a certain task, the teachers and staff
replied that the blind teachers and Ms. Tenberken were able to perform the task—
so the student should be able to as well. The students showed that their increasing
self-confidence was an extremely important step toward possessing the courage to
approach the daily tasks of life in society.
8 The New Humanitarians

One day, a few of the students walked into the center of Lhasa, and some
nomads very rudely shouted at them, “Hey, you blind fools!” Kienzen, the oldest
of the small group, turned around and told the nomads that yes, he was blind, but
he was not a fool. “I am going to school. I can read and write! Can you do that? I
can even read and write in the dark! Can you do that?” The nomads were aston-
ished: they could not read or write because they had never even visited a school.
This experience sparked conversation and curiosity among the members of this
nomadic group, and about six months later, they brought a blind boy from their
region to the project. This example helps illustrate how important it is for all chil-
dren to know and believe that they are valuable members of society. BWB wants
its students to take pride in their blindness and to embrace it as a part of their
quality as people. In other words, BWB hopes to have the children stand up in
their societies and say, “I am blind. So what?”
In the Tibetan society, as in many societies, it is believed that blindness is a
punishment for something done wrong in a previous life. Through its work in
the TAR, BWB is helping to modify this perception of the blind. Because of
plenty of media attention given to the organization, the project is visited by
numerous Tibetan and Chinese people who are curious to see firsthand what is
going on there. When they are confronted with happy blind children, they won-
der how it can be that these children are being punished for past wrongdoing.
Instead, the staff tells visitors that the children are not being punished, but that
they have been presented with a challenge for their next life. This call for a new
perception of the blind is acceptable because it fits within this cultural context.
The visitors seem to be open to this idea and suddenly see the blind with new-
found respect.
Initially, BWB planned to train special field workers to counsel the students
through this significant transition on a regular basis. They received help from
some staff members of the organization Save the Children, who visited the school
weekly. However, after only a few months, the staff at BWB noticed that the stu-
dents were doing extremely well on their own, and that they had integrated them-
selves into their classrooms and school. BWB’s staff gave this some thought and
realized that this process of integration the blind children were going through was
an extremely important one. They wanted to name this process. They realized that
they could not call it “re-integration” because the children had never before been
successfully integrated. They also could not name the process “integration”
because this did not fully capture the students’ experience. As the blind students
began integrating with sighted children, the staff noticed that the blind students
were willing to show those around them exactly what they were capable of doing.
They were willing to ask for help from sighted children when needed, and they
were willing to help sighted children when they were able. They made friends as
well as competitors in class, demonstrating that the integration was real, and that
the blind do not need to receive special treatment. To describe this process, BWB
came up with the term “self-integration.” Ultimately, on their own, the blind
children were able to gain a foundation of knowledge at the school and, more
Braille Without Borders: Do You Need Vision to Be a Visionary? 9

importantly, enough self-confidence to integrate themselves into the school, a

profession, and daily society.

Massage Clinic
An amazing success story that has resulted from BWB’s efforts in educational
and vocational training was the opening of its Massage Clinic, which was founded
in 2003 by the organization’s first massage therapy graduates, Kyila and Digi. It is
the worthwhile and promising result of more than three years’ training in massage
and physiotherapy. The clinic’s founders have since been joined by three addi-
tional graduates, Tenzing, Tashi, and Drolma. The clinic has also expanded by
renting and renovating five additional rooms. A variety of massages, including
Chinese massage, Thai massage, physiotherapy, acupressure, and oil massage, are
currently offered at the clinic. It is situated on the main road in the center of the
city of Lhasa. The clinic has proven to be a star attraction for tourists, both
Western and Asian, and has advertisements in the major hotels and restaurants of
Lhasa. It has achieved a high degree of independence in that it no longer requires
subsidies from BWB and handles its own accounting and management.
Not only has the clinic grown into a successful business, but the manner of
appointing management has evolved since its inception as well. Originally, the tra-
ditional Tibetan attitude prevailed in that positions of responsibility would go to
the eldest. No special talents or qualifications were required to gain positions of
responsibility other than the accumulation of years. The eldest were also expected
to earn the most money and work the fewest number of hours. Eventually, how-
ever, it was agreed that the manager should be the individual who could motivate,
encourage, and communicate most effectively with colleagues, customers, and
officials. Based on these criteria, seventeen-year-old Lobsang, the youngest among
the staff at the clinic, was chosen to be manager, and the clinic has expanded
under his leadership. It now boasts a neon sign overlooking the main road of
Lhasa, and its staff members give numerous local TV and radio interviews.

TOTNES SCHOOL, ENGLAND

Another inspiring story began in 2007 when two of the organization’s blind
students took part in an English course at the Totnes School in England. Kyila,
also co-founder of the Massage Clinic, graduated from the intermediate as well as
the advanced intermediate courses offered by Totnes School. Nyima studied in the
same school and graduated from the pre-intermediate section. They studied with
sighted students from Europe and Asia, and the Braille script and learning mate-
rials that they used were partly printed in BWB’s Braille printing house, partly
provided by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). Like their fellow
sighted students, Kyila and Nyima were integrated with local host families and
were soon able to find their way around Totnes. Neither of them had problems
finding friends, and thanks to the enthusiastic help of their teachers and hosts,
10 The New Humanitarians

they were able to follow the classes successfully. They were soon able to make small
trips on their own, and even traveled to London by themselves.
During their stay in Totnes, Kyila and Nyima wanted to go to visit a school for
the blind in England to get some ideas for their own school in Lhasa. BWB staff
were uneasy at first, fearing that those at the English school would get the impres-
sion that the school in Lhasa was rather backward in comparison. BWB did not
want its students to be discouraged, but the staff was surprised to find that the
students’ reaction was quite different than expected. Understandably, the Lhasa
blind students were amazed at the advanced computer equipment and the tech-
nical knowledge of the English blind students. However, the Lhasa students also
seemed amused by the “interesting” but “unnecessary” gadgets the English were
using, such as machines that tell the blind if a glass is full or not, whether or not
it is raining outside, and whether or not the sun is shining. Kyila and Nyima
mutually agreed on one point: their classmates at the school in Lhasa were more
advanced in the use of Braille than the blind students they met during their stay
in England. “They just work with talking books and speech synthesizers,” said
Nyima. “This has nothing to do with real reading.” Kyila noted that although blind
students in Tibet have no problem using a white cane as a walking aid, “blind
people in England seem to be shyer. They don’t want to be acknowledged as a
blind person and so they cannot imagine traveling independently.”

THE NEW INDEPENDENCE

The observations noted by Kyila and Nyima are evidence that the organiza-
tion’s goals are being achieved by its students. Not only are the students concerned
with learning and integrating into society, but they see the real opportunity to
lead independent lives. As part of this “help for self-help” mission and to augment
the process of “self-integration,” BWB entered into a do-it-yourself phase in 2006
that continues to this day. This phase has marked an ongoing effort to put more
responsibility in the hands of the Tibetan staff of the organization. For instance,
important tasks that were once performed by founders Tenberken and Kronenberg,
such as bookkeeping, scheduling, planning of curricula, and meeting with offi-
cials, have been handed off for the most part to their Tibetan colleagues. This
important step toward project independence has not come easily. In fact, some
staff members could not cope with this new situation and the greater responsibil-
ities that came with it, and unfortunately they chose to withdraw from the project.
However, several former students of BWB have since stepped up and replaced
those staff members. The new and very young colleagues of the BWB staff are
highly motivated and engaged with the project. They have felt free and confident
enough to work on developing new teaching methods and plans and in this way
create new structures within BWB.
The high level of motivation of the new teachers is not always welcomed by
some older staff. “They’re still too young!” complained a longtime teacher about
her new colleagues who were once her students. “I don’t want to be given orders
Braille Without Borders: Do You Need Vision to Be a Visionary? 11

by my former students,” grumbled another teacher. The cook moaned that it was
never this strict before. “How old do you have to be to have your own ideas?”
answered Kyila, who recently returned from her year’s study in England with
interesting new ideas and plans for the project. Kyila, together with Yudon, a for-
mer student who has studied in a “regular” school in Tibet, have reformed the
English and Chinese curricula and have organized new teaching materials. They
have also, on their own, redecorated, rearranged, and reorganized the organiza-
tion’s early childhood training, called the Mouse Class. Gyenzen, a former student,
now heads the Braille Printing Division and takes care of the students’ needs for
Braille textbooks. These young teachers have been called the Gang of Three, and
they are attempting to break old, negative work habits that have been established
over time. “We can run the project independently only if we work together,” agree
Kyila, Yudon, and Gyenzen, who seem surprised and disappointed at the reaction
of some of their older colleagues. Tenberken and Kronenberg have tried to stay
out of these internal conflicts as much as possible, but they have reported feeling
quite happy about the fresh air and the positive mood this new, young staff has
brought to the project: “Their influence transfers to the kids. We hope and trust,
too, that our rookie management will be open to advice from their elders while
keeping their youthful enthusiasm.” Over the last decade, the co-founders of BWB
have watched their mission take shape.

NEXT STEPS: THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE

FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS
Given all that has been accomplished by BWB with relatively limited funding,
it is amazing to consider the organization’s lofty future goals. The organization
believes that the current situation—an extreme lack of education for blind people
in the developing world—can be changed, particularly by visionaries who are
blind or visually impaired. In order to make progress toward this ultimate goal,
BWB has established the International Institute for Social Entrepreneurs (IISE) in
Kerala, India, and hopes to officially open this international center for social
enterprises in January 2009. The IISE will train blind individuals (age eighteen
and over) who have the right initiative, motivation, and skills, and who want to
develop social projects in their own countries based on the model that has been
established in Tibet. BWB recognizes that visually impaired people who have
overcome obstacles in their lives, such as co-founder Sabriye Tenberken, are prob-
lem solvers. These individuals have great empathy toward social problems because
they have experienced many firsthand. This is why BWB has chosen to focus on
attracting IISE participants who are blind or partially sighted.
The campus of the IISE is located in a pristine little village by the Vellayani
Lake, approximately 15 kilometers from the center of Trivandrum, the capitol of
Kerala state in India. It has been built in an environmentally friendly, ethnic style
that is based on the ideology of the late, renowned architect Laurie Baker. The
center has incorporated rain water harvesting, solar and wind energy, waste
12 The New Humanitarians

management systems, and the Ecosan waste treatment system used at the training
farm in Shigatse. It is built on two plots of land, one used for the school campus
and the other to house the staff headquarters. The overall concept is to design this
project as a model for all future institutions of its kind.
BWB would like its applicants for training at the IISE to be creative, innovative,
and motivated. The visually impaired and blind students must be able to read and
write in either enlarged print or English Braille script. Thanks to the hard work of
the local administrative director, Tigi Philip, and a highly motivated group of pro-
fessors, the framework of the curriculum has been completed. Over a course of
one year, the students selected to attend the IISE will be trained in fundraising,
public relations, management, project planning, computer technology, English,
and communication skills among others. The students will be given the tools
necessary to set up their own schools for the blind or visually impaired, improve
existing schools, or start other social projects in their own countries.
To support Braille Without Borders with a donation, or volunteer your serv-
ices, please visit their website at http://www.braillewithoutborders.org for more
information.

BIOGRAPHIES
Sabriye Tenberken studied Central Asian studies at Bonn University. In addi-
tion to Mongolian and modern Chinese, she studied modern and classical Tibetan
in combination with sociology and philosophy. Since no blind student had ever
ventured to enroll in these kinds of courses, she could not fall back on others’
experiences. She had to develop her own methods to come to terms with her
course of studies. As a result, she decided to develop a Tibetan script for the blind.
Sabriye coordinates and counsels the BWB project. She is responsible for the
training of teachers and trainers for the blind, and initially she taught the children
herself. Further, she selects and supervises all staff members. Sabriye is also
responsible for fundraising and communication with official and sponsoring
organizations.
She has written three books in which she tells about the history of the project
and the way she dealt with becoming blind: Mein Weg fuehrt nach Tibet (My Path
Leads to Tibet ; Arcade Publishing, New York); Tashis’ New World; and Das siebte
Jahr (The Seventh Year). The first book has been published in eleven languages,
including English.
Paul Kronenberg has been working with Sabriye since May 1998 to establish
the Rehabilitation and Training Centre for the Blind in Tibet. He also worked
part-time as a designer and construction coordinator for the Swiss Red Cross in
Shigatse. Paul has a technical background. He graduated in four different studies:
mechanical engineering, computer science, commercial technology, and commu-
nication system science. For several summers during his studies, Paul worked for
different organizations in development projects in Africa, Eastern Europe, and
Tibet. Paul is responsible for all technical aspects and maintenance in the center’s
Braille Without Borders: Do You Need Vision to Be a Visionary? 13

program. He trains people in bookkeeping, office work, and the use of computers.
Along with being responsible for communications and fundraising, Paul started
up the production of Tibetan Braille books and supervises all construction activ-
ities within the project.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Braille Without Borders
Founders: Paul Kronenberg and Sabriye Tenberken
Mission/Description: According to WHO statistics, 161 million people live with
a disabling visual impairment, of whom 37 million are blind and 124 million
have low vision. Every five seconds someone becomes blind, every minute
somewhere a child goes blind. About 90 percent of these individuals live in
developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific regions.
Moreover, nine out of ten blind children in developing countries have no
access to education. Braille Without Borders wants to empower blind people
from these countries so they themselves can set up projects and schools for
other blind people. In this way, the concept can be spread across the globe so
more blind and visually impaired people have access to education and a
better future.
Website: braillewithoutborders.org
Address: Förderkreis Blinden–Zentrum Tibet—Braille Ohne Grenzen e.V.
c/o Paul Kronenberg
Im Auel 34, D-53913 Swisttal, Germany
Phone: 0049-2226-913403
Fax: 0049-2226-913404
E-mail: blztib@t-online.de
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 2

Room to Read: The

Democratization of Literacy
John Wood and Patrick Savaiano

MISSION
Room to Read was founded on the belief that “World Change Starts with
Educated Children,” and that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty.
The organization strives to provide children with access to education, one child at
a time, one school at a time, and one village at a time. The overall goals of the
organization are best summed up in its mission statement:

We partner with local communities throughout the developing world to provide

quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language
children’s literature, constructing schools, providing education to girls, and estab-
lishing computer labs. We seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief
that education empowers people to improve socioeconomic conditions for their
families, communities, countries, and future generations. Through the opportuni-
ties that only education can provide, we strive to break the cycle of poverty, one child
at a time.

Room to Read focuses on countries that lack the resources to educate their
children. It currently operates in eight countries—six in Asia (Cambodia, India,
Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam) and two in Africa (South Africa and
Zambia)—with plans to expand throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America in
the years to come to better meet the needs of children throughout the developing
world.
John Wood, Founder and CEO, launched Room to Read after a trek through
Nepal. He visited several local schools and was touched by the warmth and enthu-
siasm of the students and teachers, but also saddened by the shocking lack of
resources that were available to them. Driven to help, Wood quit his senior exec-
utive position with Microsoft and built a global team to work with rural villages
to build sustainable solutions to their educational challenges. He continues to be

15
16 The New Humanitarians

inspired by meeting people around the world who have a thirst for education,
such as witnessing children in Vietnam reading toothpaste tubes because they lit-
erally had no books. “What most inspires me is that this is one of the great chal-
lenges of today’s world,” says Wood. “Can we reach out to the 800 million people
in the world who lack basic literacy and give them the tools they need and the
opportunity to break the cycle of poverty through education? In itself it’s inspir-
ing because it’s doable. We live in an age of unparalleled prosperity, yet something
as basic as literacy is missing from this many people. So in a way it’s a very daunt-
ing task but also doable, and that inspires me. We as an organization, collectively,
can make a huge dent and do something about this problem.” Individuals such as
philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, Steve Ballmer (CEO of Microsoft), and Presi-
dent Jimmy Carter have helped inspire Wood to reinvent his career and create his
vision to democratize access to books and education worldwide.
In founding Room to Read, Wood interwove proven corporate business prac-
tices with his bold vision to provide educational access to 10 million children in
the developing world. His novel approach to nonprofit management called for
several factors to ensure its success. First, it required scalable, measured, and sus-
tainable results. Second, it required low overhead, allowing maximum investment
in educational infrastructure. Third, it required that challenge grants be put in
place to help foster community ownership and sustainability. Finally, the organi-
zation required strong local staff and partnerships in order to create culturally rel-
evant programs. Over the last decade, Room to Read’s staff and supporters have
put his vision into practice.

HISTORY OF ROOM TO READ

The Room to Read story begins in 1998 with Founder and CEO, John Wood.
In 1998, Wood was an overworked Microsoft executive looking for the quiet soli-
tude of a trekking vacation. While backpacking in the Himalayas, Wood met a
Nepalese man who invited him to visit a school in a neighboring village. Hoping
for a chance to see the real Nepal, rather than his tourist’s trek, Wood agreed. This
short detour would change his life forever, for the man Wood met was a Nepalese
education resource officer. Wood soon discovered that despite this man’s huge
heart and tremendous work ethic (traveling mountain passes on foot to visit his
schools), he had very few resources to offer the schools in his charge. At the
school, Wood came face to face with the harsh reality confronting millions of
Nepalese children: there were almost no books. Wood was stunned to discover
that the few books in the school library—a Danielle Steele romance, the Lonely
Planet Guide to Mongolia, and a few other backpacker castoffs—were so precious
that they were kept under lock and key to protect them from the children. As
Wood left the village that day, the school headmaster made a simple request:
“Perhaps, Sir, you will someday come back with books.” This request would not
go unheard. After returning from his trek, Wood e-mailed friends to ask for their
help in collecting children’s books and was overwhelmed with the response. Over
Room to Read: The Democratization of Literacy 17

3,000 books arrived within the next two months. The following year, Wood and
his father flew to Nepal, rented a yak, and returned to the village to deliver the
books.
Soon after that trip, Wood made the decision to leave the corporate world in
order to devote himself to starting a new nonprofit. In his memoir, Leaving
Microsoft to Change the World, Wood explains, “Did it really matter how many
copies of Windows we sold in Taiwan this month when there were millions of
children without access to books?” In late 1999, Wood quit his executive position
with Microsoft and started Room to Read. With Room to Read, Wood sought to
combine the corporate business practices he had learned at Microsoft with an
inspiring vision: to provide the lifelong gift of education to millions of children in
the developing world. He contended that with nearly 800 million illiterate adults
worldwide and more than 200 million children without access to school, a non-
profit “with the scalability of Starbucks and the compassion of Mother Teresa” was
required. Beginning in Nepal, Wood and Dinesh Shrestha, future Nepal Country
Director, began working with rural communities to build schools and establish
libraries. To date, Room to Read has created over 440 schools and more than 5,100
libraries.
In 2000 Room to Read began the Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship Program
after recognizing that many girls are denied access to education because of cul-
tural bias. This scholarship fund targets young girls and provides a long-term
commitment to their education that lasts an average of ten years. There are
now more than 4,000 girls on Room to Grow scholarships. In the summer of
2001, Erin Keown Ganju joined the organization as CEO and was instrumen-
tal in its expansion into Vietnam, where she had previously worked for two
years. Erin quickly became Wood’s partner as the two of them continued to
push hard to expand Room to Read’s geographic and programmatic presence.
With growing demand for Room to Read’s services, expansion continued into
Cambodia in 2002, followed by India the next year. In 2003 Room to Read also
began publishing local language children’s books, in addition to providing
donated English language books used to stock its libraries. Room to Read
works with local authors and local illustrators to develop new children’s books
and publish them in-country. To date, 226 local language children’s book titles
have been published.
The year 2004 was also very significant for Room to Read: the organization
celebrated one of its first major milestones on April 29 with the opening of its one
thousandth library in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Later that year, just days after the
December 26 Asian tsunami devastated thousands of villages, Room to Read
launched operations in Sri Lanka in order to rebuild schools and help ease the
suffering of children there. In addition to expanding into Sri Lanka in 2005, Room
to Read also launched programs in Laos, its sixth Asian country. On September 2,
just eighteen months after its one thousandth library ceremony, Room to Read
opened its two thousandth library, once again in Cambodia. The year 2005 ended
with another huge milestone, the donation of the millionth book. Room to Read’s
18 The New Humanitarians

five-year strategic plan was completed in 2006, and in December 2007 the
organization opened its five thousandth library in Nepal. Room to Read contin-
ues to expand its programs, locations, and capacity to carry out its mission into
2008 and beyond.

ROOM TO READ’S PROGRAMS

Providing quality educational opportunities in the developing world is not a
simple task. Each new country offers a unique set of challenges and opportunities,
every region has its strengths and weaknesses, and every community has its own
needs. For these reasons, Room to Read employs local teams led by a local direc-
tor in each country. It hires local staff who are personally vested in their nation’s
educational progress and empowers them to make key programmatic decisions.
Team members speak the language, know the customs, and understand what it
takes to implement each program successfully. They ensure that programs are of
the highest quality and are designed to meet each community’s specific needs.
With input from these local teams, Room to Read has developed a long-term,
holistic, and multipronged approach to address a range of educational needs and
create lasting change for children in the developing world. The organization’s five
core programs include the School Room Program, the Reading Room Program,
the Local Language Publishing Program, the Computer Room Program, and the
Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship Program.

School Room Program

Adequate schools are often scarce in rural areas of the developing world, a fac-
tor that contributes to poverty and limits economic development. It is not
uncommon for young children to walk several hours each way just to attend
school. Many of the schools that do exist are often ramshackle collections of
crumbling bricks, loose sheet metal, and dirt floors. Although these structures are
no longer safe for children, they continue to be used because the community has
no alternative. In other villages, the school structure might be sufficient, but class-
rooms are grossly overcrowded, with as many as eighty students jammed into a
room designed for forty. Unfortunately, these schools cannot count on outside
help because government funding for education is scarce. In many countries, the
government does not sponsor certain components of education such as pre-
school, which is the building block for a successful primary and secondary educa-
tion. Although many communities in the developing world are committed to
universal education, they do not possess the resources to achieve that goal in the
near future. To help address these issues, Room to Read’s School Room Program
partners with local communities to build several types of schools to meet the spe-
cific needs of each village and culture.
In Laos, Nepal, and Vietnam, Room to Read constructs four- to fourteen-room
buildings for primary and secondary schools that currently have unsafe structures
Room to Read: The Democratization of Literacy 19

or overcrowded classrooms. The organization might assist in completing school

construction projects that have been delayed or help to identify communities that
are in need of schools. For example, Room to Read partnered with the local com-
munity to expand the Shree Janakalyan Lower Secondary School in the Dhadhing
district of Nepal. In the past, young students who completed fifth grade had to
walk a minimum of one hour each way on a busy highway to reach a secondary
school. Tragically, every year some students were killed in road accidents. As a
result, the community and school began expanding the number of grades they
offered in order to make it a full secondary school (grades 1–10). Room to Read
partnered with the community to add an additional six-room building to facili-
tate this expansion.
The vast majority of primary and secondary schools established by Room to
Read include libraries, often the first library the students have been able to use.
These libraries provide extracurricular reading materials as well as games and
activities that nurture intellectual curiosity and improve reading and critical
thinking skills. In addition, these schools include adequate toilet facilities, also
rare in many developing world schools. These facilities improve hygiene and
increase privacy, which leads to increased student retention rates, especially
among girls. In Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and, to a lesser extent, Laos, Room to Read
also provides access to preschool. Educational studies demonstrate that early
childhood learning makes a significant and positive impact in the educational
development of young students. Furthermore, preschools offer an organized
learning environment in which small children can be nurtured. This arrangement
frees up the time of parents, grandparents, and siblings (especially older sisters),
who would otherwise be needed to provide care.
Room to Read understands that a child’s education begins with an adequate
learning environment. For example, in Vietnam, although the Education and
Training Ministry understands the importance of preschool education, the funds
to build preschools are simply not available. The government hopes that many of
the poor local communities can contribute material and labor to construct com-
munity preschools on their own, but these communities are often too poor to do
so. In the community of Tan Lap in Long An province, villagers realized that they
urgently needed schools for their children. The villagers knew that if their young
children could attend school, they could focus on farming and better support
their families. In addition, a preschool would begin to teach the children the crit-
ical skills they need to improve their lives and lift themselves out of poverty. With
the support of Room to Read, today thirty-one young students are learning, writ-
ing, singing, and dancing in their new preschool.
A Room to Read preschool usually consists of a one- to three-room building
and includes appropriately child-sized furniture as well as lavatory facilities. These
structures are well built, include plenty of ventilation, and have a strong roof to
withstand the heavy rains of the monsoon season. Many have a school yard with
a fence and gate to provide security, and some—depending on location—even
have a playground for the children. By setting high standards and expectations,
20 The New Humanitarians

Room to Read has partnered with local communities to build over 440 schools to
date. Thousands of young students are now learning in safe, child-friendly envi-
ronments that encourage their mental, physical, and spiritual development.

Reading Room Program

The concept of a school library is virtually nonexistent in many communities
throughout the developing world. Because so many people in the developing
world survive on less than one U.S. dollar per day, children’s books are considered
luxury items. In some cases, not a single book is available to children to encour-
age independent learning, intellectual curiosity, and passion for reading. Teachers
lack the resources and expertise to establish libraries. Even when children have
acquired the skills to read, many do not have access to books to practice these
skills.
Without the existence of a children’s book publishing industry, the variety of
local language children’s books available to young readers in many of these coun-
tries is severely limited. Books that reflect local culture in an artistic and engaging
style are in short supply. In addition, although many rural schools teach English,
most have no English language books. If there are no children’s books to engage
children and help them learn English, their curiosity, motivation, and ability to
learn can be lost. Establishing libraries and filling them with children’s books,
both in English and in local languages, through the Local Language Publishing
Program continues to be a cornerstone of Room to Read’s mission.
The first step toward the lifelong gift of education is putting a book in the
hands of a child. Room to Read’s Reading Room Program seeks to facilitate this
by establishing a library in every new primary and secondary school it builds, as
well as in many existing schools. Room to Read creates a child-friendly learning
environment, complete with as many as 300 to 3,000 age-appropriate, local lan-
guage and English language children’s books (the exact number depends on the
country, the size of the space, and the type of library), furniture, games, puzzles,
and posters. In these libraries, students find books that expand their world, teach
them new ideas, and equip them with critical life skills. Furthermore, Room to
Read provides training on proper library implementation with three years of
support, which includes the provision of additional children’s books and further
training for staff.
Room to Read establishes Reading Rooms in several different types of settings
that include schools it has helped to construct, schools that have applied specifi-
cally for a library, and other environments where children have a need to learn,
such as orphanages, children’s hospitals, schools run by other nonprofits, and
community centers. The majority of libraries established by the organization are
created within existing rooms and in partnership with a school or community.
Because the school community provides a clean room, Room to Read is able to
create a child-friendly learning environment quickly and relatively easily. One
example of such a library is the Binh Xuan Primary School in Tien Giang,
Room to Read: The Democratization of Literacy 21

southern Vietnam. Here, the school board believed that having a library and
books would boost the quality of education at the school and motivate the
approximately 900 students and teachers. When they presented the idea to Room
to Read’s Vietnam team, they also offered to appoint a dedicated librarian to run
the program.
Established in late 2005, the Binh Xuan Primary School Reading Room is
divided into two parts: one area for bookkeeping and housing the books, and
another area where students can sit and read. Located on the main floor of the
school, the room was renovated and equipped with lights and electric fans to
ensure a safe and comfortable environment for the students. All bookshelves,
reading tables, and seats, sized for primary school students, are colorfully painted.
A section of the floor is covered with bright foam where students can sit on soft
pillows to play with educational games and read books. Over 600 English and
Vietnamese books await the eager students. In addition, fun and educational
posters are on the walls to attract students and inspire curiosity and an interest in
reading.
Several of Room to Read’s local teams have discovered that many highly pop-
ulated schools want to become partners to establish larger libraries but simply do
not have the capacity to dedicate rooms, because their schools are already too
crowded. In 2005 Room to Read’s team in Cambodia came up with a new
approach called Constructed Reading Rooms (CRRs). CRRs are stand-alone
library buildings, which are constructed and then furnished in the same fashion
as the library rooms. Special care is taken to construct these buildings as model
facilities to further promote the value of education in the community. Buildings
are designed using local architectural styles in order to foster local pride and
ensure that they fit in with their surroundings. Some of the CRRs are built in
conjunction with Room to Read’s Computer Room Program and include fully
furnished libraries as well as computer labs.
One example of a CRR is the Teuk Thlar Primary and Junior High School
located in the province of Banteay Meanchey in the northwest part of Cambodia.
With nearly 2,000 students, the school’s tiny library—two shelves, one table, and
200 books—was far from adequate. Despite the relative dearth of books in the
library, it attracted many students daily. Unfortunately, the number of books was
very limited, and neither the school nor the community could afford to construct
a good library building or improve the single, existing room. By partnering with
the community, Room to Read helped to change this situation. With the commu-
nity contributing funds, labor, and security, the library opened in September 2005
and received over 5,000 unique visits in its first few months of operation.
Room to Read expanded the CRR model to Laos and Nepal in 2006 and is
continuing to grow this important type of Reading Room so that all children,
regardless of their school environment, can access children’s books easily.
Unfortunately, in many school communities there is simply not enough space to
have a room that is fully dedicated as a library. To address these challenges, Room
to Read’s local teams find innovative solutions to best meet the needs of each
22 The New Humanitarians

school or community. The organization has established libraries in classrooms

and community centers, and it has created mobile book carts that can move from
room to room to ensure that children have access to books. Room to Read has
donated over 2.2 million books and published an additional 2 million books
representing 226 new local language children’s titles to fill the shelves of its
libraries. In Nepal and Cambodia, not only is Room to Read the largest nonprofit
importer of English language books, it is also one of the top publishers of both
Nepali and Khmer children’s books.
The vast majority of Room to Read’s children’s books in English are donated
by or purchased at a steep discount from large publishers such as Scholastic and
Chronicle Books. Room to Read is then able to ship thousands of books at a time
to its partner countries. These English language children’s books are supple-
mented with self-published, local language books so that children have books in
their own language as well as in English in order to foster a love for reading.
Reading Rooms are typically established with an initial donation of several hun-
dred books in order to evaluate how efficiently the books are used. Within six
months to a year, if the libraries have a check-out system in place and children are
spending time there to read, a second donation of books is provided. To date,
Room to Read has established over 5,100 libraries in its partner countries. These
libraries come in all shapes and sizes, but they have a common element: local
teams work with the community to determine how best to provide access to chil-
dren’s books and create a child-friendly environment.

Local Language Publishing Program

Although Room to Read has successfully established thousands of bilingual
libraries in developing countries, this is just one component of its work. In
2002 the Nepal team discovered that Room to Read’s libraries were not being
used to their fullest potential because students did not have access to quality
children’s books in their local language. Before learning English, these children
first needed to learn to read Nepali in order to develop good literacy skills in
the local language. Room to Read’s Nepal team quickly determined that there
were simply not many quality Nepali children’s books available. Parents were
too poor to afford reading material for their children, so publishers were not
motivated to publish children’s books in the local language. To fill this gap in
high-quality children’s books in the local language, Room to Read boldly
decided to launch the Local Language Publishing Program. With seed funding
provided by the Skoll Foundation in 2003, this program was launched to cre-
ate and publish new, local language children’s books, thereby giving children
access to the type of books that will spark imagination, curiosity, and a desire
to learn to read.
To support its commitment to providing a lifelong education for all children,
Room to Read began to produce age-appropriate and culturally relevant children’s
literature in local languages, so that children in the developing world have the
Room to Read: The Democratization of Literacy 23

same opportunities as those who grow up surrounded by children’s books at

home, at school, or in the local public library. The Local Language Publishing
Program provides children with materials that will inspire them to read, expand
their minds, and develop a lifelong love for reading and learning. Room to Read
is significantly increasing the quantity and diversity of children’s books currently
published in eighteen local languages, as well as in English, by sourcing and
publishing new children’s literature within seven of the eight countries in which
it works (with plans to launch the Local Language Publishing Program in Zambia,
the eighth operating country, in the near future). Many of the books that are pub-
lished by the organization are bilingual English and local language children’s
books that are especially beneficial to children because they can be used through-
out a child’s development. Initially, they can be read to stimulate a child’s imagi-
nation and, later on, to reinforce reading skills in the local language and to aid in
the initial study of English.
Room to Read works with local writers and illustrators to develop new, cultur-
ally relevant children’s books. Many of these stories are adapted from local folktales,
while others are sourced from various writing competitions and writers’ workshops
that are sponsored and held by Room to Read. The competitions and workshops are
designed to promote a culture of writing, as well as reading, and to source and
develop new creative talent. As a result, the books are appropriate to the local con-
text, which is not always the case for children’s books written for a non-local audi-
ence. Of all the manuscripts submitted to Room to Read, only the very best are
selected for publication. The books are often field tested by children to garner feed-
back on plot, character development, and general suitability for the target age group.
Bilingual books are subsequently translated into English, with the goal of maintain-
ing the local flavor and integrity of the story. All the local language books are printed
within the respective countries in order to create local jobs and promote the local
economy. Room to Read aims to provide a variety of content to children in the
developing world by covering a wide range of themes, including beginning words
and basic vocabulary, the environment, health, math skills and concepts, morals and
values, animal life, family life, folktales, and rhymes and poems. Room to Read is
currently one of the top publishers of local language children’s books in Nepal and
Cambodia. Its goal is to be the “Dr. Seuss of the developing world.” To date, Room
to Read has published over 226 titles and printed over 2 million books in eighteen
local languages. Because the books are published within the countries in which
Room to Read works, it is possible to keep costs extremely low, approximately
US$1 per book. Most importantly, young children in the developing world now
have new, high-quality books to read and enjoy.

Computer Room Program

Opportunity is inherent in technology, and although computer technology has
brought huge numbers of people across the globe closer together, thus far it has
failed to reach the millions who lack access to the necessary infrastructure.
24 The New Humanitarians

Nowhere is the “digital divide” more evident than in the developing world, where
computers are available to less than 2 percent of the population.1 Consequently,
computer literacy is one of the largest unmet needs of educational systems, and it
often holds young students back from being part of the global community and
from improving their economic situation.
Computer labs can have a life-changing impact on children. The access pro-
vided by the labs allows students to develop computer literacy skills that can lead
to further learning and job opportunities. Research shows that when teachers
integrate computers and other technology resources into daily instruction, these
resources can improve test scores; build students’ communication and critical
thinking skills; promote creativity, innovation, and collaboration among students;
and increase students’ community and global awareness.2 Computer labs can have
the added effect of improving attendance and reducing attrition rates by provid-
ing an incentive for students to stay in school.3 Overall, computer labs help
improve the quality and relevance of education in developing world settings and
equip children with skills they will need in the twenty-first century.
With this in mind, Room to Read has developed the Computer Room Program.
It is one of the last programs launched in Room to Read’s partner countries,
because it is beneficial to establish a working relationship with communities
through the School Room or Reading Room Programs prior to investing in this
more costly and complex program. Room to Read works with government schools
and local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to make computer access a real-
ity. Computer labs are established in schools and NGO-run community centers.
The labs consist of six to twenty-one new computers (depending on the country
and the size of room) with warranties, universal power supply (UPS) units, net-
working equipment and wiring, learning software, and voltage stabilizers. Other
basic needs, such as furniture and a whiteboard, are often included as well.
An integral aspect to this program is the training provided to the computer lab
teachers to help them develop a curriculum, improve their computer teaching
skills, and ensure that hardware is maintained properly. The computer classes, and
the teachers themselves, are periodically evaluated to quickly remedy any knowl-
edge gaps and to reward successful programs with more computer resources. Over
a three-year period, Room to Read provides follow-up training, as well as addi-
tional software and occasionally additional computers. Computer classes nor-
mally complement standard class time. In addition to teaching computer literacy
and typing skills, the computers are used in conjunction with traditional classes
to provide pragmatic application to relevant studies. Computer training and
access are also often extended to members of the community after school hours.
One story of a successful Computer Room initiative comes from Battambang,
Cambodia, where Room to Read established a computer lab for the more than
4,000 students at Net Yang Secondary School, a government school that caters to
students from the surrounding rural areas. With many of his students too poor
to afford access to private computer labs, the school director approached Room to
Read to establish a computer lab within the school. His desire was supported by
Room to Read: The Democratization of Literacy 25

the rest of the school administration, all of whom were highly committed to meet-
ing and fulfilling the Challenge Grant requirements. After its completion in June
2005, the lab began serving many of the 429 students in grade 9, which has had
the highest drop-out rate. Students use the lab twice for two hours each week to
learn computer fundamentals and English and Khmer typing. One teacher,
Mr. Neng Iv said, “[The] computer room will help students to stay at school. Chil-
dren will gain a good benefit by studying the life skill from this project. The gift
from Room to Read Cambodia would improve the human resource in my school.”
Through its Computer Room Program, Room to Read is providing thousands of
students in the developing world their first access to technology.

Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship Program

For many reasons, including economics and cultural bias, families in developing
countries often fail to educate girls. In Cambodia, for example, girls’ enrollment in
school drops precipitously as they get older. At the primary level, 91 percent of girls
are enrolled in school; at the secondary level, only 19 percent are enrolled; and at the
upper secondary level (grades 9–10), the number drops to 7 percent. In Nepal, only
35 percent of women are literate. In India, the female literacy rate is 52 percent, and
it is estimated that 35 million children are not attending school. If a family is able to
send only one child to school, which is often the case in poor communities, it is
almost without exception the oldest boy who is selected. In rural areas, girls are kept
behind to work in the fields or in the home. They are often expected to marry and
begin having their own children by adolescence. In urban settings, some girls leave
schools to sell tourist items or work in factories; others fall into prostitution. Room
to Read aims to keep girls in school, thereby empowering them to end the cycle of
poverty.
The Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship Program has an immediate and direct
impact on the lives of thousands of girls in the developing world. An education
provides security and support to girls and empowers them to make informed life
decisions. A solid education early in life is known to be a key ingredient for the
improved status of women, which provides a ripple of positive effects throughout
society. For every year a girl remains in secondary school, her wages increase
10–20 percent. An educated woman has fewer children, so population growth is
slowed in resource-scarce countries. Infant mortality decreases by 8 percent for
each year a woman stays in school. Family health and nutrition improve in the
home of an educated woman. An educated woman is more likely to educate the
next generation. These are all examples of how educating women can have a pos-
itive effect on families, communities, and countries.
Room to Read makes a long-term commitment to each girl on scholarship: as
long as she attends classes and receives passing grades, her education will be
funded through the completion of secondary school. This promise provides an
incentive for her to do well in school and for the family to support her through
the process. Currently, the majority of Room to Read’s scholarship students range
26 The New Humanitarians

in age from five to ten years. Depending on the country and region, the scholar-
ship covers all the needs of a young girl, including monthly school fees, school
uniforms, books, stationery, backpacks, a female Room to Read staff member to
oversee the program and mentor the girls, additional tutoring as needed,
transportation (such as a bicycle or bus fare) for girls living far from school, lunch
money for girls who live too far from school to eat at home, medical checkups and
expenses, and field trips and workshops. The program officers work closely with
the Room to Grow scholarship recipients and give them the support they need to
be successful. They actively help to remove roadblocks the girls may encounter by
meeting regularly with the girls, their families, and the school administrators.
Along the Vietnamese and Cambodian border, sex trafficking of young girls is all
too common. Some families struggling to make ends meet or feed themselves are
often forced to make unthinkable choices, including selling a child into trafficking.
The ADAPT Program (An Giang Dong Thap Alliance for the Prevention of Traffick-
ing) is a joint venture among several NGOs that seeks to prevent the trafficking of
young women by enhancing their educational opportunities and improving their
vocational options through a supportive web of services. Room to Read provides the
scholarship component of this program. The ADAPT scholarship program is
designed to be a collaborative commitment among the child, the adults in her life, the
school, and Room to Read. The girl scholar commits to doing her best in her studies.
In return, the parents commit to supporting her to continue her education. The
school encourages her academic performance, and Room to Read covers the finan-
cial cost of her education. In 2007, over 4,000 girls from underprivileged families in
Cambodia, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and South Africa attended school as
Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship recipients. This program will continue to grow rap-
idly in the future so that more girls will have an opportunity to receive an education
and improve their lives. “When you educate a girl, you educate the next generation.”

CHALLENGE GRANT MODEL

A key aspect of John Wood’s vision for Room to Read has been the Challenge
Grant Model through which communities co-invest with Room to Read, facilitating
the long-term sustainability of its projects after the local teams have moved on to
assist other villages. New villages often raise a significant portion of the overall
expenditure in the form of dedicated space, labor, materials, and/or small amounts
of cash. These challenge grants act as catalysts for community building while also
maximizing the local participation and expertise brought to the programs. In order
to receive Room to Read’s services, a community must sign the Challenge Grant
contract. For the School Room Program, for example, this contract stipulates that
the village must assemble a construction committee that meets regularly to ensure
progress. An agreed-upon blueprint must also be used, ensuring that schools are
built safely and cost effectively. Finally, the village must donate funds, materials,
land, and/or labor to the effort. This model of community ownership produces a
deep sense of commitment and a lasting impact on education in rural areas. Because
Room to Read: The Democratization of Literacy 27

of this approach, Room to Read’s construction projects are sustainable institutions

that are able to provide for the education of children in the long term.
Local Room to Read teams generally do not seek out future locations. Instead,
communities must apply to Room to Read for assistance with a construction proj-
ect. Once a community has been chosen as a future site for a Room to Read
program, it must make considerable contributions to the process. The village
must also pass Room to Read’s thorough needs assessment. If a school would like
to partner with Room to Read to establish a library, it is required to support the
project by providing dedicated space, a dedicated librarian who commits to
receiving Room to Read training in library skills, and, in the case of the library
construction projects, materials and labor to aid in construction. If a school com-
munity has been chosen as a future site for a Room to Read computer lab, it must
provide the teachers to run the lab (at least one teacher must go through Room to
Read training), committed oversight of the ongoing project, and lab security.
Furthermore, the school community is responsible for funding ongoing mainte-
nance and electricity associated with the lab as well as Internet access, if available.
Through the implementation of the Challenge Grant Model, and the intimate
involvement of local communities, the organization helps to ensure that Room to
Read’s programs are successful and sustainable.

MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

Room to Read is committed to ensuring the highest quality programs so that
it can have the greatest impact on the lives of children throughout the developing
world. To this end, each project is subject to monitoring and evaluation (M&E),
both internally and externally. The in-country staff visit the programs regularly
and use a variety of methods, such as interviews and surveys, with key stakehold-
ers, students, and teachers to gather information about program effectiveness.
Through this internal monitoring, the staff are able to provide useful feedback
and to highlight areas for future program improvements. In turn, Room to Read
as an organization is able to make modifications when necessary based on the
feedback of local teams, teachers, and students. In addition to its in-country M&E
staff, Room to Read has hired a global program officer devoted to overseeing M&E
in all the countries and programs. This position exemplifies Room to Read’s focus
on M&E and its commitment to systematically monitor and evaluate its work. As
of 2007, a formalized, global monitoring system had been implemented that uses
a mixed-methods approach to collect data across all countries related to access,
use, and sustainability of Room to Read’s programs.
Room to Read also conducted an independent, external evaluation in 2005 of all
its programs in four countries (Sri Lanka and Laos were excluded because they were
new to the partnership at the time). To investigate the effectiveness of the programs,
this evaluation employed a sixty-six-item survey that focused on teachers’ and stu-
dents’ perceptions, attitudes, and self-reported behaviors with regard to each Room
to Read program in each country. The questions focused on teachers’ and students’
28 The New Humanitarians

involvement in the programs, their perceptions of the quality of operations, and the
value and impact of the programs. In each country across each program, students
and teachers rated the programs highly: 91 percent and 87 percent of respondents
rated the Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship Program and the School Room Program,
respectively, a four on a four-point scale; additionally, 82 percent, 80 percent, and
70 percent of respondents rated the Computer Room, Reading Room, and Language
Room programs, respectively, a four out of four. In the Reading Room Program, stu-
dents and teachers agreed that students were becoming better readers and were read-
ing more often as a result of the program. The majority of respondents agreed or
strongly agreed that each program was running well.
John Wood admits that there are many things he would have done differently had
he founded Room to Read with the knowledge he has now. First of all, he would have
hired more people more quickly. Because Room to Read was a start-up organization,
Wood was naturally worried about money, payroll, and similar issues, but this worry
led to his personally printing receipts, licking stamps, and running to the post office
even two years into the project. He also wishes that Room to Read had begun invest-
ing in publishing local language children’s books earlier. The sooner a new organiza-
tion starts making a difference, the sooner the organization can scale. In hindsight,
Wood also recognizes the importance of setting up strong systems—every kind of
system: customer databases, project databases, financial systems, and more. Getting
the programs started quickly became problematic once Room to Read realized that
it had not put certain systems in place first. Wood and Room to Read are constantly
learning, and through ongoing evaluation are committed to continue making
improvements within the organization.

AWARDS, HONORS, AND PRESS

Over the past few years, Room to Read has received several distinguished
awards, including the Fast Company/Monitor Group “Social Capitalist Award,” the
Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and the Sand Hill Group Foundation’s
“Social Entrepreneurship” Award. In addition to these organizational awards,
Founder and CEO John Wood has been selected for several honors, including the
Draper Richards Foundation Fellowship, the “Young Global Leader” Award from
the World Economic Forum, and Time magazine’s “Asia’s Heroes Award.” Room
to Read has been featured in many prestigious newspapers, magazines, websites,
and television shows, including the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, Business
Week, Time, Town and Country, International Herald Tribune, Bloomberg Televi-
sion, CNN, and PBS programs.

NEXT STEPS FOR ROOM TO READ

Room to Read’s job is not done. There are currently more than 770 million illit-
erate adults in the world, two-thirds of whom are women and girls. In addition, there
are over 70 million children not currently enrolled in primary school and more than
Room to Read: The Democratization of Literacy 29

150 million not enrolled in secondary school. The need for Room to Read’s educa-
tional programs spans the globe. To respond to this worldwide demand for its pro-
grams, Room to Read is committed to expanding geographically. In 2006 it expanded
to a new continent by launching operations in South Africa. In 2008 it began pro-
grams in Zambia, and it hopes to expand into two additional African countries by
2010. The organization also plans to expand into two additional countries in Asia by
2010, beginning with a launch in Bangladesh later in 2008. In addition, it plans to
conduct initial research on expansion to Latin America beginning in 2009. As Room
to Read expands further into Asia and Africa, as well as to Latin America, it will
simultaneously maintain its commitment to increasing its activities and support
within the countries where it is currently operating. Within the next three years, the
organization’s ambitious goal is to establish a total a 13,000 libraries and impact more
than 5 million children. Ultimately, Room to Read’s mission is to bring the lifelong
gift of education to 10 million children in the developing world.

TESTIMONIALS
Your glorious help has changed our school, and inspired our students to improve their
academic performance. The students at our school received some of the highest exam
scores out of the Kaski district, the first time our school received such distinction. We are
very grateful to you all.
—Udaya Karki, Principal, Harihar English School, Nepal

Before I saw the colorful Room to Read books, I thought reading was only for home-
work. Now, I can read books that are fun and learn about other places and animals.

—Puja, Class 6, Masbar, Nepal

On behalf of the teaching staff and students at the Le Ngoc Han Secondary School,
I want to thank all of you in Room to Read for your generous gift of a computer lab. Your
support will help our young generation face the challenges of the future.

—Dong Thi Bach Tuyet, Training and Educational Services,

Tien Giang Province, Vietnam

My name is Kun Nara. I am a student in grade 9 of Net Yang High school. I am very
excited about the gift from Room to Read Cambodia because I’ve never seen and had the
opportunity to use this kind of computer technology before. My family is very poor. I don’t
have money to pay for the private computer school like some students in rich families. So
this is a great opportunity for me to engage in this skill. Room to Read is amazing. I would
like to say thank you to the donor who has offered great opportunities to the poor like us.

—Kun Nara, Net Yank High School, Battambang, Cambodia

My mother used to tell me that “girls who know how to read and write will only
write love letters to boys . . . so it is better that girls do not go to school.” Times have
30 The New Humanitarians

changed since I was young and I know that going to school is the only way that [my
granddaughter] will ever get out of this poverty we live in.

—seventy-nine-year-old grandmother of a Room to Grow scholar, Cambodia

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Room to Read
Founder and/or Executive Director: John Wood
Mission/Description: Room to Read partners with local communities through-
out the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by
establishing libraries, creating local language children’s literature, construct-
ing schools, providing education to girls, and establishing computer labs. We
seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education
empowers people to improve socioeconomic conditions for their families,
communities, countries, and future generations. Through the opportunities
that only education can provide, we strive to break the cycle of poverty, one
child at a time.
Website: roomtoread.org
Address: Room to Read
The Presidio
P.O. Box 29127
San Francisco, CA 94129 USA
Phone: +1.415.561.3331
Fax: +1.415.561.4428

NOTES
1. Chinn, M. & Fairlie, R. (2006). “ICT use in the developing world: An analysis of
differences in computer and Internet penetration.” NET Institute Working Paper No.
06-03 (http://ssrn.com/abstract=936474).
2. Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT). (1996). Changing the conversation about
teaching & learning technology: A report on 10 years of ACOT research. Retrieved Decem-
ber 6, 2007, from http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/library.html.
3. Rusten, E. (2003). “Using computers in schools.” In Academy for Educational Develop-
ment (AED)/LearnLink, Digital opportunities for development: A sourcebook on access and
applications. Retrieved December 8, 2007, from http://learnlink.aed.org/Publications/
Sourcebook/home.htm.
 3

Global Village Engineers

M. Christopher Shimkin and
Annie Khan

Global Village Engineers (GVE) is a nonprofit engineering initiative whose pur-

pose is to create a global program through which highly skilled and experienced
engineers can be of service to the world community and address vital worldwide
social, economic, and civic needs.
GVE is composed of a volunteer corps of professional engineers supporting
the local capacity of rural communities in developing countries by demystify-
ing aspects of public infrastructure construction and environmental protection
projects. GVE’s engineers choose to volunteer their skills to assure the liveli-
hood of these communities by building long-term local capacity, especially in
situations requiring disaster prevention, rehabilitation, and/or environmental
protection.
We believe that infrastructure will best serve communities when they have the
capacity to become involved from project inception through construction and
finally with long-term maintenance. Governments and project sponsors often do
not invest in communicating basic facts to a community about design, construc-
tion, and maintenance issues. Our mission is to find these facts and develop the
local capacity to understand such facts. We join efforts with knowledgeable non-
governmental organization (NGO) personnel, who use their new technical under-
standing to organize more effective public advocacy efforts.
After GVE volunteers work in the field to assess the engineering needs of a
given project, they work with their NGO counterparts to formulate a strategy to
impart the technical information in a simple and accessible manner based on cul-
tural understanding and sensitivity. They also act as project catalysts and liaisons
among the engineering designers, advocacy and environmental organizations,
policy makers, and the impacted community organizations.

31
32 The New Humanitarians

GVE VOLUNTEERS
GVE volunteers also have the opportunity to practice specific skills and enjoy
the satisfaction of teaching new skills to people who deeply appreciate their value
in maintaining their very survival, not to mention setting the foundation for their
economic development. GVE volunteers follow up their assessments and initial
trainings with ongoing dialogue and additional trainings with the communities
until community members feel comfortable acting alone.
The volunteer corps of professional engineers is a vital component of our
organization. GVE has developed an active network of technical professionals
whose expertise extends across many engineering disciplines, including waste-
water treatment, information technology, environmental impact, roadway design
and construction, water and air quality impact, hydrogeology, storm water man-
agement, water supply, natural disaster preparedness, hazardous materials/waste,
hydrology, hydropower, solid waste management, bridges/structures, and flood
control.

WHY IS GVE UNIQUE?

Global Village Engineers is an organization that recruits and manages a volun-
teer corps of civil engineers, environmental scientists, and other technical experts
who work with rural communities and NGOs in the developing world. Its unique
mission is to empower these bodies through education and training on infra-
structure issues that impact them so that they become effective advocates on their
own behalf. This mission is based on the fundamental principle that people are
powerless when self-doubt prevents them from participating in the political and
social systems that bring infrastructure to their local environments.
Today, there are organizations that mobilize engineers and engineering stu-
dents to construct housing, small water-supply systems, and schools. These vol-
unteers actually perform the work, and in doing so, supply a valuable development
function. However, these groups tend to work on small, relatively uncomplicated
projects; more importantly, they do not focus on educating and training their com-
munities and NGOs about the scientific and engineering principles required to
understand the technical details that describe a project’s impact on a particular
community. In the GVE model, however, stakeholders learn from GVE volunteers
how to integrate technical facts into their strategies for participating in the plan-
ning, design, and implementation of a project. It is this education that allows com-
munity members to deal effectively with the private and public agencies that all too
often control or impact their local environments—often to their detriment.
Another important and somewhat unique component of GVE’s strategy is to
capitalize on seasonal downturns in the civil engineering industry by providing
working engineers with meaningful volunteer work that enriches their profes-
sional careers. The small- to midsized firms that provide many of GVE’s volun-
teers rarely offer the international, cross-cultural experiences such as GVE’s that
many excellent employees want.
Global Village Engineers 33

HISTORY
M. Christopher Shimkin is the founder of GVE. The idea for GVE occurred to
Christopher after his experiences in El Salvador in the aftermath of Hurricane
Mitch in 1992. Mitch caused unspeakable destruction to the homes and lives of
people, especially in an area called Bajo Lempa near the Lempa River. To help pre-
vent future devastation, funding was allocated to design and build a levee that
would prevent the banks of the Lempa River from flooding, thereby protecting the
people in this area. The individuals involved with overseeing the levee project did
not fully comprehend the intricate design structure and nuances of such a proj-
ect; as a result, they were unable to effectively evaluate the situation. Christopher
was asked to meet with these individuals to help bridge the gap between design
and implementation.
While assisting with this project, Christopher interacted with the local com-
munity, conveying some basic engineering concepts to them. The information
he shared seemed to make a great deal of difference in the attitudes of these
individuals. For example, he explained a basic protocol involved with building
linear structures such as roads, levees, or bridges. Christopher explained that
“stations” are used as guiding points. Stations are numbered stakes planted in
the ground. Christopher explained to several community members what the
numbers on the stakes meant. At the end of the trip, there was a summary meet-
ing, and people were asked for feedback regarding what they learned. One
farmer, who had limited formal education, stated that for the first time in his
life, he understood what the numbers on the stakes meant, and how they trans-
lated to the design map. Such knowledge made a lasting impression on this indi-
vidual because now it was easier for him to make sense of at least one aspect of
the project.
For Christopher, this was the birth of the idea for GVE. Christopher was taken
aback by the impact of basic engineering concepts and the power of such critical
knowledge on these community members. Christopher experienced firsthand the
implications of how empowerment of the local population, and how things that
are taken for granted by some, can have a profound impact on the lives of others.
Specifically, basic engineering knowledge can equip people with the ability to
learn and understand how things are affecting their environment and, conse-
quently, their lives. Furthermore, this knowledge can impact their rights and priv-
ileges, since their lives are directly affected. Christopher recognized the
importance of information sharing: “If one person can be deeply affected by basic
engineering information, then so can others.”
Upon returning from his trip to El Salvador, Christopher proceeded to discuss
his ideas with other engineering colleagues, who were also passionate about this
plan. Christopher felt so strongly about the role he could play in helping others
that he quit his job and founded Global Village Engineers. Everything came
together, and it proved easy to inspire other engineers to join GVE. To date, there
have been between 100 and 150 GVE volunteers. According to Christopher,
“You’re an engineer for a reason, and the reason is that there is a human being
34 The New Humanitarians

impacted by the work you do, and you need to understand that. You’re not just
building a bridge—the bridge has a purpose and it has an impact, not just an
environmental impact . . . it puts it in human terms.”

THE GVE MODEL

As stated on the GVE website (www.gvengineers.org), “GVE’s mission is to
support the local capacity of rural communities in developing countries to influ-
ence public infrastructure and environmental protection.” GVE acts as a con-
sulting agency by taking on the role of empowerment, so that individuals feel like
a part of the process. GVE helps the local population understand the reasoning
and importance of building a structure a certain way in their town or village.
Communicating with the local population about the changes that may occur in
their community helps alleviate tension over facts that may be misunderstood or
not understood at all. This is an important step in rapport building, which
encourages community members to feel comfortable talking about and sharing
their concerns, including having someone understand their point of view.
According to Christopher, “We consult, we listen, we explain, we educate, and we
‘demystify’ the process.” GVE plays an integral role in breaking down communi-
cation barriers, thus empowering and helping communities collaborate for their
own betterment.
Christopher strongly believes in GVE’s role as a mediator and consultant, and
he discourages the practice of having outsiders go into a country and build struc-
tures, since this would harm the country by taking away from their economy. GVE
believes that these countries have qualified people available to work, and it is more
important to work with the local populations.

GVE PROJECTS
Levee Inspection and Maintenance Guide Training
The damage inflicted on the people of the Lower Lempa by annual flooding
highlights the need to invest in long-term technical solutions and appropriate
land-use decisions in the Lower Lempa region of El Salvador.
As part of a comprehensive flood prevention plan, an earthen levee is being
constructed on both sides of the Lempa River. Accompanied by United Commu-
nities, a grassroots organization of community leaders, GVE continues to observe
the levee’s construction.
GVE emphasized the importance of ongoing inspection and maintenance to
keep levees in good repair. Ultimately, levee maintenance is the responsibility of
the Lower Lempa communities. At their request, our engineers demonstrated var-
ious levee maintenance techniques in the field, and prepared a guide describing
how to complete minor repairs and how to identify, record, and plan for major
maintenance needs.
Global Village Engineers 35

Las Colinas Landslide Mitigation

For the Santa Tecla, El Salvador, project, GVE is assisting communities that have
been affected by the Las Colinas landslide as well as other communities that con-
tinue to be threatened by future landslides or mudslides. Over 500 residents died
in the Las Colinas landslide. In addition to community participation in the proj-
ect, the city of Santa Tecla has been an instrumental partner in working to find
practical solutions to mitigating the risks of the communities. Local interest in the
development of this project is very high. Therefore, the local media are always on
hand to get the most recent developments from Global Village Engineers.

GVE Mentoring Assistance

Several projects illustrate the effects of GVE assistance and mentoring. One
example involves a community in El Salvador that was built on the river banks. A
hydropower facility was located close to this area, and community members
thought the power facility was responsible for the frequent floods. People came to
this conclusion because flooding occurred on sunny as well as rainy days. How-
ever, the river on which this community was built is approximately 350–400 kilo-
meters long and stretches through three countries. Therefore, if it rained in
Honduras three days before, by the time the water traveled to this community, it
could be a sunny day there. Individuals were unaware of this principle of water-
shed hydrology. GVE explained the hydrology mechanics to the community
members, helping them understand the factors that impacted their environment
and indirectly preventing conflict between the community and the hydro facility.
In another example, GVE acted as a mediator. In engineering design, one of the
main documents is called the design plan. One aspect of the overall design plan is
the highly detailed technical specifications document, which lists all the technical
requirements down to the sizes of different screws and the strength of metal
required to sustain a structure. Someone had acquired the design plan for the
levee in El Salvador, read that the levee was to be built for a “ten-year design
storm,” and misinterpreted the information. The person thought that a ten-year
design storm meant the levee would only last ten years. This information was
published in the local newspapers, which resulted in a local upheaval. The com-
munity felt betrayed and undermined: they did not understand that a ten-year
design storm is an engineering term meaning the levee was designed to sustain
storms of a certain size and statistical frequency. Deciding on a ten-year storm
designation affects the height of the levee, allowing it to handle a certain amount
of water from a storm of a certain size that has a 10 percent chance of occurring
in a given year. GVE was integral in helping to defuse a highly volatile situation by
explaining the meaning of this term to the local communities.
Another example of GVE at work involved a project in Nicaragua. GVE worked
with a mayor who had many simultaneous projects and was having problems
prioritizing the most important tasks, especially from a technical engineering
36 The New Humanitarians

standpoint. GVE guided her and informed her about the appropriate processes
for hiring an engineer, the expectations she should have of an engineer, and the
appropriate engineering costs involved. She was new to the position and the
nuances of the role; GVE was there initially to help her organize and prioritize,
and was also available for ongoing support when needed.

Project Update: Lower Lempa, El Salvador

In February 2005, GVE volunteers and the country director for Voices on the
Border visited the United Communities of the Lower Lempa in El Salvador. The
trip was focused on continued work with communities in Lower Lempa affected
by annual flooding and was a tremendous success. The main objectives of the visit
were to consolidate ongoing community maintenance of the levee, promote more
systematic inspections of the levee, and continue communication exchanges with
the communities.
Over thirty-five members from eighteen communities participated with GVE.
Together, they reviewed the status of nearly half of the approximate 14.85 kilo-
meters of levee already constructed. In the follow-up meeting, GVE volunteers
reviewed basic levee construction and provided suggestions on maintenance con-
cerns. GVE volunteers applauded community maintenance done so far, including
the stone paving of ramps by communities on their own initiative.
The second half of the meeting was an open discussion around the improved
structuring of maintenance and inspection teams, and the collective development
of a reporting form for levee conditions that will be centralized, compiled, and
distributed to the Ministry of Agriculture (government agency responsible for
levee construction), GVE, local police, city government, and others.

Individuals Touched by GVE

Concepcion (Conce) is a farmer, with a wife and two kids. He has a first-grade
education and lives in the Lower Lempa area of El Salvador. GVE has been working
with Conce on the levee project for approximately two or three years. GVE taught
Conce simple field techniques to check if work should or should not be conducted
on a levee at any given time. For example, an important aspect of a levee, which is
made of soil, is that it should not have too much water or it should not be too dry.
The method used to determine this involves rubbing some of the dirt together in
one’s hand. If there is some dirt left on the hand, it means one thing, and if there is
no dirt in the hand, it means something else. Conce was taught this method.
One day, Conce was in the field with an engineering inspector while work was
being conducted on the levee. Conce decided to check the conditions of the levee
by the method he had been taught. After conducting this basic inspection, he real-
ized that the conditions were not appropriate to conduct work on the levee. At this
point, Conce informed the bulldozer operator about his concerns and requested
that he stop work. The bulldozer operator was demeaning toward Conce since he
Global Village Engineers 37

did not believe that Conce had the appropriate knowledge regarding levee con-
struction. However, the engineering inspector vouched for Conce’s knowledge
and demanded that the bulldozer operator stop working. Conce has repeated this
story on many occasions because he felt empowered, important, and appreciated.
The basic information he was taught gave him self-confidence and respect.
Another individual named Fernando was also personally touched by GVE.
Christopher was at a meeting with representatives from the Japanese, American, and
Salvadorian governments as well as various other community members. Someone
asked Fernando what GVE had done for him and how the organization had helped
him. Fernando said that two years previously, before the help of GVE, whenever he
tried to contact various government representatives to request a meeting, he was
ignored. After working with GVE for two years, Fernando gained the respect of the
governmental representatives. As a result, he can now contact the government to
request a meeting, and representatives would attend the meeting. Through the help
of GVE, Fernando gained the respect needed so that he could participate in shaping
the outcome of projects by gathering stakeholders on his own terms.
A consistent theme with these stories involves respect, empowerment, and the
“voice” individuals attain through their interactions with GVE. Christopher
believes it is important not just to convey information but to take in information,
“to sit down and just listen . . . through listening one can learn many unexpected
details; it is fascinating to hear someone, and it’s exhilarating to be a part of the
solution.” Christopher understands the importance of gaining trust and building
a relationship in order to help others. This is an integral part of the GVE model:
the people-oriented aspect is what separates GVE from private companies. GVE is
invested in understanding the communities where it is working and in helping
community members feel secure with GVE and its intentions.

SECRETS TO SUCCESS
In order to obtain projects, GVE develops partnerships with big organizations
such as Oxfam. Larger organizations have connections to smaller agencies in var-
ious countries where GVE works. Often, these larger agencies can connect GVE to
other organizations and potential projects. In addition, Christopher has a network
of people he contacts to determine if there are any projects where GVE can make
a difference. Information about GVE is also spread by word of mouth, which is a
testament to the work that GVE does.
GVE charges for projects depending on the size and funding of the organiza-
tion. For example, larger organizations typically have funding available for their
projects; smaller agencies, such as the Share Foundation or Voices on the Border,
have limited funds. GVE will often fund projects involving smaller agencies.
Generally, the operation of GVE involves minimal overhead, and it is based com-
pletely on the generous work of its volunteers.
Individual donations are the primary source of funding. Money is also pro-
vided through foundations and partnerships with various engineering companies.
38 The New Humanitarians

Engineering companies will donate cash or give special compensation to their

employees to work with GVE. For example, an employee can be granted three extra
days of vacation, as long as he or she donates time to working on a project with
GVE. In addition, volunteers donate their expenses, such as airfare and food. GVE
actively hosts annual fundraising campaigns to obtain general funding.

THE GVE SUCCESS METER

When a community asks GVE to return, that represents a powerful marker for
success. Since it is difficult to measure empowerment or the respect that commu-
nity members gain, another measure is the number of individuals who actively
maintain contact with GVE. However, this is also difficult to measure, since indi-
viduals from the regions in which GVE works do not have telephones or elec-
tronic forms of communication.
People benefit from the GVE-related projects because they are big projects, in
the sense that these projects geographically impact many communities and thou-
sands of people. Communities may be oblivious to the help they have received,
yet they may notice that a river has not flooded in over three years. GVE worked
on a project in Cambodia where the Sesan River runs out of Vietnam into the
Mekong River, and every community on that river was impacted by the project.
Although GVE did not meet with all those people, the project impacted them
positively.
Success also comes through inspiring engineers. A lot of present-day engineer-
ing designs are done in the office, using computers. As a result, when engineers are
granted the opportunity to travel and interact with various communities, it fuels
their passion and helps them feel motivated about the work they are doing.
According to Christopher, “It gives them a moral boost and makes them feel good
about what they are doing by being able to go and share it with others.”

CHALLENGES FACED BY GVE

Obtaining funding is difficult, especially for Christopher because he exhibits a
level of passion that others may not share. Christopher has worked tirelessly to
obtain funding. For example, he was in competition for one particular fellowship
for two and a half years and, unfortunately, was not awarded the fellowship. To
Christopher this is the most challenging and frustrating aspect of his job: the dis-
appointment of not feeling heard, the inability to comprehend why others cannot
see the valuable work that GVE has done/is doing, and the disbelief that others do
not feel the same about helping improvised communities.
Such obstacles have not stopped Christopher from persisting. He continues to
explain the benefit of the services provided by GVE, in the hopes that others will
understand. If someone is not interested, then he will move on to someone else or
use another strategy. It is this level of persistence, motivation, and drive that
makes GVE the organization that it is.
Global Village Engineers 39

To assist with GVE’s growth, Christopher has implemented a board of direc-

tors and a board of advisors. They represent a core group of people who under-
stand the mission of GVE. They play a critical role in sharing information and
formulating creative solutions because they provide different perspectives and
resources to explore avenues to help the growth of GVE.

INFLUENCES AND INSPIRATIONS

Christopher cites his parents not as mentors but as inspirational coaches. He
describes his father as a self-inspired philanthropist and his mother as someone
who understands the workings of philanthropy; passion from both parents to do
right in the world has been instilled in Christopher. His parents helped to advise
and guide Christopher when he first created the idea for GVE.
Christopher admires his parents’ ability to adapt and understand situations
where one has no experience. Neither parent had the remotest technical back-
ground, yet both quickly embraced the GVE concept from a humanitarian point
of view. His parents can take a concept that one may have difficulty understand-
ing and help someone feel intelligent.
Christopher is also highly self-driven. He explained that his inspiration comes
from within. Since he is his primary source of inspiration, it is hard for him to
grapple with the thought that others do not comprehend the mission of GVE. He
believes that the best way to help others understand the importance of GVE’s
work is to help them feel the frustration an individual from the community may
feel. This is accomplished through role plays that Christopher has his audience
participate in whenever he is guest lecturing. Christopher truly believes GVE’s
mission; it represents a method of solving many problems while having a big
impact on people’s lives.

WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE DIFFERENTLY?

In reflecting on what he might have done differently, Christopher believes he
should have fully engaged the engineering societies. Many people are attempt-
ing to do the same thing but in different ways; communicating with the engi-
neering community might have produced a collaborative effort that would have
generated better results. Part of Christopher’s mission involved changing the
culture of engineering. For example, in the legal profession, pro bono work is
part of the culture; in the engineering field, this is not the case, nor are most
projects implemented with the full engagement of all stakeholders. Christopher’s
idea was to recruit people and encourage longevity at work by asking employers
to allot volunteers an extra week of vacation; in addition, he wanted to influence
how engineers and engineering firms approach projects that have considerable
community impact.
Christopher’s ingenuity may be ahead of its time. GVE is focused not just on
helping build physical structures but on building relationships with people and
40 The New Humanitarians

empowering them through communication and knowledge. Engineering firms

are traditionally focused on concrete results.

THE FUTURE OF GVE

From an organizational point of view, there will be further development of the
board of directors to support the growth of GVE. The GVE model has been
proven, many people are embracing the concept, and the next important step is
bringing engineering leadership at the board of directors’ level.
Christopher has chosen a difficult path. “It’s very hard, when talking about the
funding stuff, when someone doesn’t believe it and you start to question yourself.
. . . I gave up a whole profession and career of thirteen to fourteen years and
jumped into this without experience, thinking this is a great idea [so] why isn’t
everyone else jumping on the bandwagon?” Despite these challenges, Christopher
has worked against the odds to empower others in developing countries, and his
accomplishments speak for themselves. He is truly an inspiration to engineers and
to anyone wanting to be a humanitarian.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS
The Civilized Engineer by Samuel Foreman
The Introspective Engineer by Samuel Foreman
The Existential Pleasures of Engineering by Samuel Foreman

Christopher believes that these three books put engineering in perspective,

especially the first book, in terms of passion for human lives and human rights.

M. CHRISTOPHER SHIMKIN
M. Christopher Shimkin is a summa cum laude master’s graduate in business
administration from Northeastern University. Mr. Shimkin was selected as one of
the World Economic Forum’s 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow for 2002.
Since 1982 he has been directly involved in community service work. Begin-
ning as a class agent for the Eaglebrook School and responsible for postgradua-
tion class fundraising, he then moved into local community as well as broader
international involvement concerning education and the environment.
In 1992 Mr. Shimkin became a volunteer board member of the Millis (MA) Edu-
cational Resource Initiative Team and eventually was elected president. His success
in attracting funds to support the initiatives of this nonprofit organization provided
support for curriculum-enhancing programs within the local school system.
In 1993 Mr. Shimkin became a mentoring tutor for the national MATHCOUNTS
program as well as a volunteer member of the Charles River Rail Association, work-
ing toward improved rail service in the suburban Boston area. In 1996 and 1997,
he was appointed by the town of Millis to serve on the Open Space Plan Com-
mittee and Drinking Water Committee.
Global Village Engineers 41

Mr. Shimkin has been an invited speaker at Oxfam America, the World Bank,
Boston University’s Center for Energy and Environment, Tufts University, Roger
Williams College, University of Massachusetts, Brandeis University, and North-
eastern University’s Graduate School of Business Administration to speak about
environmental professions and environmental impact evaluations. With regard to
the engineer’s role in international sustainable development, Mr. Shimkin was a
panelist at the Engineers Without Borders’ annual meeting, guest speaker at the
Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) annual meeting, and at the Cornell
University ESW chapter.
A graduate of civil/ocean engineering from the University of Rhode Island in
1989, he pursued a consulting career in environmental engineering, developing
expertise in water quality evaluations, civil works infrastructure planning and
design, and environmental regulatory compliance. His affiliations include

• University of Massachusetts–Lowell: University of Massachusetts Sustainable

Development Advisory Committee.
• Boston Network on International Development: Board of Advisors

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Global Village Engineers
Founder and/or Executive Director: M. Christopher Shimkin
Mission/Description: Global Village Engineers (GVE) is a volunteer corps of
professional engineers supporting the local capacity of rural communities in
developing countries to influence public infrastructure and environmental
protection. GVE’s engineers choose to volunteer their skills to assure the liveli-
hood of these communities by building long-term capacity, especially in situ-
ations requiring disaster prevention, rehabilitation, and/or environmental
protection. They believe that infrastructure will best serve communities when
community members have the capacity to become involved from project
inception through construction. Governments and project sponsors often do
not invest in communicating basic facts to the community about design, con-
struction, and maintenance. The mission of Global Village Engineers is to find
out these facts and develop the local capacity to understand such facts.
Website: www.gvengineers.org
Address: Global Village Engineers, Inc.
6 Seward Ave.
Beverly, MA 01915 USA
Phone: +1.978-927-0219
Fax: +1.978-927-0219
E-mail: info@gvengineers.org
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 4

Common Bond Institute:

Vision and Journey
Steve Olweean

When vision is imbued with belief and presence in our day-to-day life, our
actions serve to confirm and root it in reality.
—Steve Olweean, Founding Director, Common Bond Institute

Common Bond Institute (CBI) began essentially in the same form it has sustained
throughout its existence. It began literally as a vision and intuitive journey. Over
time, the journey increasingly required the creation of an organizational
structure to allow the vision to be better planted in the corporal world for prac-
tical application.
Quite appropriately, CBI has maintained itself as a living “idea” rather than a
brick and mortar “place” by establishing itself as a web-based, virtual organization,
using the vehicle of increasingly accessible grassroots global communications,
particularly the Internet. Through its extensive international network, CBI is able
to link the commitment, energies, and resources of many collaborating organiza-
tions, groups, and individuals around the globe, forming intentional community
and strategic alliances to address humanitarian needs in troubled and under-
served regions of the world.
Collaboration is seen as the new standard for being an effective organiza-
tion, and there is certainly a wealth of likely partners throughout the world
these days. The daunting task of learning just how many like-missioned organ-
izations exist at any one time increasingly underscores the fact that the world
is experiencing an extraordinary surge in creative change agents coming forth
and taking action to contribute to a palpable shift in consciousness toward a
universal culture of peace. A benefit of actually being in this stream is feeling
the sheer presence and force of this escalation, and how it is changing the
course of reality.

43
44 The New Humanitarians

CBI’s particular story goes back to the 1980s and to an inspiring era of fledg-
ling citizen diplomacy efforts in a polarized world split between the United States
and the Soviet Union. This was a time of unprecedented and often uncharted
opportunities for individuals to take dramatic steps in bridging the chronic gap of
a seemingly intractable Cold War. These were heady days of collapsing stereotypes
and grassroots bridges that circumvented institutional chasms created by hostile
governments heavily invested in maintaining an “enemy” mentality. CBI was just
one of the products that emerged from stepping into this unfamiliar space and
engaging personally with those who, for all purposes and intents, represented the
well-publicized, entrenched image of “The Other.”
The name Common Bond emerged intuitively from the personal experience of
reaching past artificial barriers to find and acknowledge our human commonal-
ity, and to experience a deep connection and belonging that neutralizes the energy
of fear often felt when confronted with difference and the unknown. It also
embodied the mission of traveling this same road through fear-based belief
systems regarding the unknown within each of us that reflect outward into our
relationships with others and the world.

HISTORY
In August 1990, Steve Olweean was a practicing psychotherapist in Michigan
when two important events occurred that led him to organizing CBI. One was the
escalating tensions of war in the Middle East as Iraq invaded Kuwait, and the sec-
ond was his becoming involved in coordinating an international professional
exchange visit to the then Soviet Union.
Steve’s own long history as an activist in civil rights, social justice, and anti-
war efforts in the 1960s and 1970s naturally drew him to what intuitively felt
like a next step in this same journey: contributing to bridges being built
through citizen diplomacy between the two most polarized parts of the human
community—the United States/the West and the then Soviet Union—and an
equally polarized region that impacted daily on the rest of the world—the
Middle East. In particular, his many years of working as a psychologist and
outreach crisis intervention worker in community mental health services for
high-risk, marginalized, and underserved populations prompted him to use
that professional and personal experience in finding ways he might contribute
to improving the level of human services in these troubled societies. The goal,
then as now, was to seek ways to increase the capacity of local communities to
empower and heal themselves.

Kuwait
The 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait brought with it a tragic impact on civilians
caught up in the violence. By February 1991, when Iraqi troops left Kuwait, news
of large numbers of civilians suffering from emotional, psychological, and physical
Common Bond Institute: Vision and Journey 45

trauma spread throughout the world. This suffering was compounded further by
massive numbers of Iraqi civilian victims as a result of the Gulf War.
While listening to a National Public Radio (NPR) interview, Steve heard a
Kuwaiti doctor being asked if his hospital needed more medical supplies, equip-
ment, and physicians. The doctor was blunt: his words were, “We don’t need
equipment or supplies—we need therapists. There is an epidemic of psychologi-
cally traumatized victims that is growing every day, and we don’t know how to
treat them.”
Assuming there must be a relief effort in the works to address this great need,
Steve called the Free Kuwait office in Washington, D.C. As a father of two young
children at the time, he was unable to volunteer to go to Kuwait for an extended
period himself. However, based on his experience as a trauma therapist and his
personal background as an Arab American Muslim, he was interested in orienting
Western therapists to the Middle Eastern and Islamic culture they would need to
be sensitized to in attempting to operate effective treatment services. In speaking
to the director, Steve was surprised to find that not only was there no such mental
health relief effort under way, but that the office was desperately trying to find a
way for one to be organized.
After conversations with both the Free Kuwait office and the Kuwaiti embassy,
where he gathered details on what services currently existed in Kuwait and what
relief organizations they were aware of, it became apparent that although there
were numerous efforts to provide relief services and supplies for the physical
needs of food, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies, there was little if any organ-
ized service at the time to address the intense psychological needs of the popula-
tion. The Red Cross and other organizations, including the UN, had conducted
surveys and determined trauma was pervasive, that there was indeed a great and
growing need for help, and that the indigenous services were far lacking or nearly
nonexistent to address the massive need. At the time, though, no organized
program was in place to actually provide services. Over the weeks and months that
followed, there were a number of small groups and individuals that traveled from
the United States to Kuwait on their own to offer treatment services. Steve
provided consultation to several of these groups and individuals. He linked the
Free Kuwait office, the Kuwaiti embassy, and the main hospital in Kuwait City
with various trauma treatment groups and institutes to assist in generating more
direct services. It was clear from these conversations that there was a profound
lack of trained therapists in Kuwait, and that the true solution would be in
providing vital practical training to local therapists rather than relying on bring-
ing in outside services.
It was during this time that Steve also realized the serious limitations of exist-
ing treatment models for situations like Kuwait, and he began exploring new
models for providing emergency psychological trauma treatment to large popula-
tions of victims in regions where services are either underdeveloped or compro-
mised by social upheaval. This would eventually lead to conceiving of the
Catastrophic Trauma Recovery model used by CBI in its trauma treatment training
46 The New Humanitarians

project serving local counselors in underdeveloped regions of conflict, including

communities in the Middle East such as Palestine and Iraq.

Soviet Union
At the same time that the crisis in Kuwait was unfolding, Steve became
involved with a Soviet-American professional exchange. In those early days, the
level of practical training and skills in all areas of human services, and particularly
in mental health, social work, and medicine, was seriously lacking in the USSR,
and Soviet colleagues were desperate to obtain any skills possible to help them
assist with the overwhelming and rapidly growing need for treatment services in
a society literally teetering on the edge of collapse.
Beginning in 1983, the Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP) had
forged an immensely challenging, annual international professional exchange to
the Soviet Union, initially shepherded by a core group of pioneers, including Fran
Macy, Tom Greening, Anya Kucharev, and Paul Von Ward, and continued tenu-
ously from year to year. The purpose of the exchange was to initiate contact with
Soviet colleagues and nurture relationships that might be built on for future
cooperation if the opportunity arose.
These were difficult years of intensified animosity and polarity between the
two societies, with the saber rattling of a Star Wars weapons race and Ronald
Reagan’s depiction of the USSR as the “Evil Empire.” As tensions rose, AHP
became even more committed and determined to continue its exchange, even as
the extraordinarily difficult process of obtaining visas and travel permissions
had to be reinvented each year in the face of many obstacles placed in the way
by both U.S. and Soviet bureaucracies. Members of the delegations would push
to make travel arrangements and then simply begin their journey, sometimes
while still awaiting final confirmation that their visas would be accepted at the
border. Citizen diplomacy was not only unvalued during this period; it also was
suspect and considered an obstacle to other agendas. Ironically, there was agree-
ment on this point by many citizen diplomats: that established political agenda
of maintaining the logjam of mutual animosity was circumvented and jeopard-
ized by grassroots citizens reaching out across both sides of a line drawn in the
sand. This conclusion only motivated many citizen diplomats in general to
redouble their efforts.
In 1986 Carl Rogers, one of the founders of AHP, traveled to the USSR and
drew national acclaim from Soviet government officials. Even they were aware
of this internationally renowned psychologist and peace-building activist. In
1987 Virginia Satir made the trip as travel logistics very slowly began to
improve. On the heels of these visits, in 1990 Steve took on coordination of
AHP’s exchange as the Soviet Union entered the years of Perestroika and
Glazunov, and immediately began building on the vital groundwork previously
laid by his colleagues. This was a period when it was increasingly possible to stay
with Soviet colleagues in their homes—an act hereto illegal—and to begin
Common Bond Institute: Vision and Journey 47

cooperating on joint efforts together, rather than simply meeting briefly from
time to time once a year in a hotel or public place. It was also a time of rapidly
increasing ability to communicate directly around the globe—initially by rare
and expensive fax and phone, and eventually by the truly paradigm-shifting
vehicle of the Internet. The realm of the possible rapidly and dramatically
changed, and continued to change as new and expanded levels of cooperation
opened literally from month to month.
Steve led regular professional delegations to the Soviet Union one or two times
a year on whirlwind, two- to three-week trips to St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vilnius,
Riga, Kiev, Tblisi, Odessa, and other cities in the communist world, visiting col-
leagues hungry for professional contact with the West. Once there, meetings with
Soviet colleagues were arranged based on who and what location was available at
the time, often improvised from day to day. The mutual desire to be together and
know each other was powerful and urgent, and it galvanized people into creating
all sorts of arrangements to overcome the barrage of barriers and “official denials”
to meeting. In retrospect, there was also an amazing degree of naïveté and daring,
particularly on the part of the much more vulnerable friends and colleagues in
these communist countries. Yet it is believed it was this kind of willingness to
create such opportunities and to act on them, together with many such efforts
occurring during this same pivotal period, that helped contribute to the rapid and
unprecedented opening between the two polarized societies. In terms of his per-
sonal experience in this stream of activity and consciousness, it was the energy,
promise, and practical hope of these early meetings that fed the dream from
which CBI emerged.
Between trips, Steve maintained ongoing communication with colleagues to
continue planning and preparing for ever-expanding collaborative efforts and
projects. Each visit was packed with a schedule of training workshops and
seminars, and intense brainstorming meetings that always went very late into the
night, with much planning for how to exploit the remarkably mounting opportu-
nities for collaboration. There was truly a mutual milking of the preciously
private, concentrated time allowed to the American and Soviet colleagues, where
both creative and ambitious projects were spawned and deep personal relation-
ships formed. It was, in fact, the personal relationships, trust, and commitments
that were to be the seedbed for all future efforts.
Following each exchange trip, Steve returned to the United States with an
intense urgency to “do” something, to make use of these rare, new, and tenuous
bridges while they were still at hand. Particularly since this was a time of great
upheaval and crisis throughout the entire Soviet Union, and there was potential
for both incredible new possibilities and devastating occurrences—including
relapse into a closed dictatorial society—he was filled with a profound sense of
urgency to act immediately before this tenuous opening might close. As the Soviet
Union and its new incarnation, the Commonwealth of Independent States, con-
vulsed, it was clear to anyone involved that the door could easily swing shut again
at any moment on this entire region of the world.
48 The New Humanitarians

Steve thought that acting immediately, even hastily, was the only logical and
practical option. There was no time to weigh factors, measure feasibility, or carefully
consider the depth of the commitment being initiated. Without purposely crafting
a detailed path in advance, he and his colleagues found themselves in a position of
trusted responsibility to act. This was less a cognitive experience as one of heart and
the soul. On some level, the decision seemed to have already been made, and the
focus was more on figuring out how to fashion the next step in implementing what-
ever was possible at the moment. It was not until he met with the AHP board again
to present plans for moving forward with a list of collaborations that he realized a
new chasm had opened, this time between the board and him.
Steve came to the AHP board with a great deal of enthusiasm and a barrel full
of proposals and calls for action, fully expecting the ideas to be grasped and
moved on immediately. However, most of the board—which had not been
directly engaged in the exchange or vision—was unable to fully relate to the situ-
ation and was overwhelmed by the breadth of proposals. The fear of liability and
of diverting time and resources from the organization’s other activities caused
great concern for many board members. As a result, the proposals were not
accepted, and he left the meeting disappointed and frustrated. This was to become
a discouragingly repeated experience in future board meetings.
Since at the time he was coordinating the International Professional Exchange
and was also in the role of International Liaison for AHP, however, Steve was given
latitude for whatever energies he wished to personally put into international rela-
tions and activities, as long as these efforts did not obligate the organization, put
it at legal risk, or require its time and resources.
After the third AHP board meeting addressing the action proposals, it became
evident that the vision Steve was following had outgrown the parameters of what
the larger organization saw as its immediate priorities and capabilities, creating an
impasse within the organization he had called his professional home in doing this
work in the world. At the same time, those on the board who were sympathetic
and supportive of his work counseled him to consider formally moving forward
on his own, because, in reality, he had already been doing so for some time.
It was at this point that Steve transformed the vision he had been carrying and
following all along into a separate organization and mission. Common Bond
Institute was created as a leaner, faster, and bolder vehicle for continuing to follow
and realize the vision in ways that put it into concrete practice in the world.
Relieved of the liability concerns and conflict with other organizational prior-
ities, AHP was happy to move into the role of being a primary endorsing and sup-
porting organization that did not need to engage its own resources.
The fall of the Soviet Union created more opportunities for open collabora-
tion, and in summer 1992, Steve organized a three-month professional exchange
visit to the United States for four key psychologists—three from HARMONY
Institute for Psychotherapy and Counseling in St. Petersburg, Russia, and one
from the Lithuanian School Psychology Service in Vilnius. Over the course of
these three months, with an intense schedule of meetings, conferences, presentations,
Common Bond Institute: Vision and Journey 49

and networking conducted in a number of cities across the United States, a new
and even deeper level of professional collaboration and friendship was forged.
One of the key products of this time together was the creation of the first Annual
International Conference on Conflict Resolution (ICR), and the launching of a
larger vision of what they were co-creating together.
The ICR Conference was first conceived as a half-day seminar for perhaps fifty
people to be held during Steve’s next exchange visit to Russia. After a long discus-
sion of possible topics for this new seminar, lasting into the early morning hours
at Steve’s kitchen table, the planning group decided that the focus would be the
very process they had all experienced together: overcoming and bridging the
initial artificial barriers between them to reach a common place of understanding,
deep connection, and trust. The main topic was to be conflict resolution, and the
subtitle was “Sharing Tools for Personal and Global Harmony.”
The summer exchange ended in mid-August when the four colleagues
returned home to Russia and Lithuania. During the interim months leading up
to Steve’s next trip to St. Petersburg in May, the only means of communication
were rare faxes, brief phone calls, and hand-delivered letters. As news of the
conference was publicized—primarily by distributed notices and word of
mouth—the idea quickly took on a life of its own. The event site was changed
twice from HARMONY’s modest offices to a hotel, and then a larger hotel as
the number of participants rose, and the dates were expanded to accommodate
what was becoming a program of several days. Between August 1992 and early
May 1993, the conference concept grew remarkably, from a modest half-day
seminar for Russian and American participants to a six-day international con-
ference with nearly 450 participants attending from a number of countries
around the world.
When Steve and his colleagues again met each other as the conference opened
in St. Petersburg, they shared their astonishment at what had been created. They
realized then that their effort had hit upon a vital topic, time, and place to which
many were drawn. As participants enthusiastically volunteered their perceptions
of what the purpose of the conference was, it became obvious that each person
brought with him or her a piece of the experience to invest in the community of
the conference, and that the event itself was more of a vehicle for synthesizing the
many diverse experiences into a common, co-created one for all. This was an
invaluable lesson and set the frame for all future conferences, including the fifteen
Annual ICR Conferences that have occurred to date, a number of related confer-
ences on separate topics, and CBI’s most recent initiative in launching another
major annual international conference in 2006 and occurring each year since—
the Annual International Conference on “Engaging The Other”: The Power of
Compassion. The image of a mandala has been used ever since as a working
model: creating the center structure of programs, with opportunities built in for
the participants to add to and complete the process.
In much the same way as these conferences, over the course of its history CBI’s
nature has been shaped by the metaphor of a mandala in pursuing its work in the
50 The New Humanitarians

world, through crafting possibilities for creative expansion and development of its
programs, and inviting others to co-create new, innovative reflections of a core
design.

COLLABORATORS
An account of CBI’s history could not be complete without including the
indispensable contributions of three key, long-time collaborators who have been
involved in this journey from its beginning.
From very early on, literally in the formative days when CBI was just coalescing
as an idea, Steve’s daughters, Jehan and Jessie, contributed a phenomenal amount
of their time, energy, skills, and heart to ensuring the often tedious nuts and bolts
of organizing CBI’s many efforts were accomplished. As they literally grew up in
the midst of a flurry of activity surrounding these nonstop proceedings, each began
to also grow into her own individual purpose for remaining a part of this work in
the world, by taking on her own piece of the mission for herself. Today, while each
pursues her own professional career, both continue to assist CBI as seasoned con-
ference organizers and contributors to the programs and mission.
Sandra Friedman, past president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology
and an early participant in AHP’s Soviet-American Professional Exchange, as well
as the co-founder with Steve of the International Humanistic Psychology Associa-
tion, has been a strong supporter and consultant throughout CBI’s existence.
Along with Mark Pevzner and Alexander Badkhen of HARMONY Institute,
Friedman has been a key contributor to the formulation of the conferences and
training projects of CBI.

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE, MISSION, AND STYLE

Structure
CBI is an international, nongovernmental, nonpolitical organization. It creates
educational, training, conflict transformation, and humanitarian relief programs
in various regions of the world, in collaboration with local partner organizations
and groups. Its orientation is multidisciplinary and multicultural, and through-
out its history it has been operated primarily by volunteers, in cooperation with
other like-missioned organizations, large and small. Funding for its programs is
obtained through conference registrations, donations, and occasional grants.

Philosophy and Mission

Cultivating the fundamental elements of a consciousness of peace along with
local capacity building are seen as natural, effective antidotes to small-group, rad-
ical extremism and large-group despair, as well as the hardships and suffering of
the human condition. To this end, enabling each society to effectively resolve and
Common Bond Institute: Vision and Journey 51

transform conflicts; satisfy core human needs within communities; and construct
effective, holistic mechanisms for self determination, self esteem, and fundamental
human dignity and worth is the purpose of CBI’s work.
CBI is grounded in the application of humanistic psychology’s principles in its
commitment to capacity building at both the grassroots and social institutional
level. It actively works to form strategic alliances and partnerships with organiza-
tions, groups, and individuals dedicated to nurturing global relationships while
creating and promoting an authentic world culture of peace.

Style
By design, CBI’s efforts are fundamentally collaborative for a larger impact. It
maintains an extensive and expanding global network of partner organizations
and groups that cooperate in pulling the requisite pieces together to create and
operate programs, while minimizing the drain on individual group resources.
CBI follows the principles of creating intentional community: all efforts, and
particularly conferences, are designed to be living laboratories for creating and
participating in deep, authentic community as a common ground of reference for
exploring core themes and integrating formal learning. The conferences offer a
dynamic microcosm of the larger, diverse global community and a first-hand,
personal experience of moving beyond artificial barriers to the reality of what is
both possible and practical. The purposeful use of intentional community is a
central element of CBI’s work. It assumes the basic drive/need for integration
through interconnectedness and belonging that can be nurtured to develop con-
scious intent toward harmony and peace in our relationships.

PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

CBI organizes and sponsors international conferences, professional training
programs, humanitarian relief projects, and professional exchanges; has assisted
in establishing and developing locally based professional schools in human serv-
ices; and actively provides consultation, networking, coordination support, and
professional materials to assist newly emerging human service and civil society
organizations in post-communist and developing countries that are regions of
conflict. The focus is on improving local capacity for peace and healing through
increasing skills and services, exploring human relationship dynamics, and
expanding public dialogue and awareness of critical issues.

Conferences
Over the last sixteen years, CBI has organized a number of international,
multicultural, and multidisciplinary conferences, many in collaboration with
HARMONY Institute for Psychotherapy and Counseling in Russia and the Inter-
national Humanistic Psychology Association (IHPA), and some in cooperation
52 The New Humanitarians

with other organizations, such as the Jane Goodall Institute. CBI maintains an
extensive international network through its programs. Examples of conferences
include
The annual International Conference on Conflict Resolution (ICR), which
has been held each year in Russia since 1993, is a major international event
that has received support over the years from the presidents of the United
States and Russia, is endorsed by over ninety organizations internationally,
and is open to participants globally. It brings together hundreds of presenters
and participants from around the world for skills training in conflict resolu-
tion and for exploration of the essential elements of conflict, transformation,
and healing. The ICR conference also serves as a major networking and
recruiting source for training projects.
The annual International Conference on “Engaging The Other”: The
Power of Compassion (ETO) was first established in 2006 and quickly became
an annual event. It examines concepts of “The Other” from a universal, cross-
cultural perspective to promote wider public dialogue about images of “Us
and Them.” The conference addresses the roots of negative belief systems,
stereotyping, prejudice, polarization, and enemy images; how to move past
artificial barriers of misunderstanding and distrust to cultivate compassion
and capacity for appreciation of diversity, reconciliation, and peace; and how
to apply the results to the current state of world relationships. It is held in con-
junction with the development of an edited book (in progress) addressing psy-
chosocial concepts of “The Other” in a cross-cultural forum. The ETO
conference, like the edited book and training project in progress, is an inte-
grated collaboration to examine this fundamentally subjective phenomenon
with an inclusive, multicultural eye.
The International Youth Conference on the Ecology of War and Peace was
established in 2004 for participants from various societies around the world
fourteen to eighteen years of age to address negative stereotypes, prejudice, and
the demonizing and dehumanizing of “The Other.” Working in cooperation
with the Jane Goodall Institute, the theme of ecology has been integrated as a
common link that resonates with all parties as they delve into personal interac-
tions and, as a community, explore these relationship dynamics.
CBI has also organized and cooperated on a number of international confer-
ences in Russia, Spain, Germany, and the United States. Conferences serve multi-
ple purposes, including offering a highly charged milieu for engaging with others
on a personal and professional level to share perspectives, information, and expe-
riences; receive skills training; network; and develop cooperative action plans for
putting principles to work in the world. The conferences are forums for teachers
and learners alike, and they invite teachers to become learners and learners to
become teachers.
Each year, important partnerships emerge from these conferences. Some directly
involve CBI and its partners in organizing and operating programs, such as the proj-
Common Bond Institute: Vision and Journey 53

ects described later in this chapter. Others involve individuals and organizations that
meet at the conferences and pursue their own collaborations, and where CBI may
simply play an initial role in facilitating these connections for a time. This support-
ing match-maker role has come to be a valuable service that CBI offers.

Integrated International Conference Series

In 2004 CBI initiated an experiment in coordinating an integrated series of
five international conferences in three countries that shared a focus on explor-
ing and advancing the consciousness of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
Although each was independent with variations in partners, content, and
goals, all events in this series were programmatically linked to build on each
other for an energetic flow and larger impact. Following the success of this
model, CBI has continued the process, inviting other conferences to join the
network to maximize the energy and products of each event and promote an
expanding, proactive network of social activists and healers for greater mutual
benefit.

Training Projects
As direct products of these conferences, CBI has organized a number of pro-
fessional training projects in trauma recovery, conflict transformation, and civil
society for professional and paraprofessional groups intended to raise the skill
level of local colleagues in underserved regions of conflict. Among recipient
groups are local mental health and relief workers, peace activists, school and uni-
versity faculty and staff, and civil society service providers.

Catastrophic Trauma Recovery Project (CTR)

As a result of working with colleagues from Balkan countries during the
Balkan Wars in the late 1990s to assist them in accessing treatment services for
trauma victims, it soon became evident that there was little available to adequately
meet the massive need. It was also determined that direct services offered by
outside providers were sorely limited and short term at best, and that a far more
effective route lay in increasing the treatment capacity of local relief workers
and counselors—those who were already involved in assisting the large popula-
tions of victims within their communities. In response, CBI developed the
Catastrophic Trauma Recovery (CTR) training model, a comprehensive, inte-
grated training/treatment model for working with large populations of cata-
strophic trauma victims that is simple, standardized, repeatable, time sensitive,
easily taught, and culturally sensitive. The CTR model, which is included in a con-
tributed chapter to the book Psychological Impact of War Trauma on Civilians,
edited by Dr. Stanley Krippner, became the design for CBI’s trauma training
efforts. In 1998 it established a humanitarian relief effort tailored to provide
54 The New Humanitarians

intensive train-the-trainer initiatives in catastrophic trauma recovery skills, pro-

vided by expert teams of mental health specialists to local professionals and relief
workers in regions of conflict where services are underdeveloped and the society’s
infrastructure have broken down.
Since then, CBI has organized trauma trainings in cooperation with HARMONY
Institute for Psychotherapy and Counseling in Russia, the EMDR-Humanitarian
Assistance Program, and other professional training organizations serving com-
munities in the Balkans, Middle East, Caucasus, and Russia. The relief effort is
endorsed and supported by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) within the
regions served. As part of the training structure, CTR trainings are also typically
attached to the ICR conference and conducted immediately after.

Current Training Projects under Development

1. Bait Al Hayat/House of Life: a project to establish a children’s trauma treat-
ment center in Nablus, West Bank, Palestine, to assist children suffering from
trauma as a result of war and violence. Currently, there are no such trauma
treatment services available, particularly for children, in the Nablus region.
2. “Engaging The Other”: a training program growing out of the annual Inter-
national Conference on “Engaging The Other,” intended to promote increased
public awareness, understanding, and sensitivity to the dynamics of negative
stereotyping, prejudice, and fear-based belief systems. It is geared to the lay
public (schools, community centers, universities, etc.). Like the conference, the
goal is to promote a wider dialogue on these dynamics within communities
and to address local issues.
3. Capacity For Peace and Democracy—Palestine: a collaborative project with
Palestinian universities in Gaza and the West Bank to establish a Center for Con-
flict Resolution and Human Rights that would support visiting professors and
provide a curriculum in human services (psychology, social work, health science,
education) and civil society (democratic studies, conflict resolution/mediation,
government, political science, economics/business). The purpose is to help pre-
pare future Palestine leaders and local professionals to be skilled in providing
critical human services to the population, all to increase capacity for a viable,
peaceful Palestinian nation. Another aspect is to create opportunities for NGOs
and universities in Palestine and Israel to cooperate on issues that promote
understanding, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

Publications in Development
“Engaging The Other”: an edited book project in conjunction with the interna-
tional conference, “Engaging The Other.” The book will include contributions
by authors representing a diversity of cultures and societies around the world,
exploring the fundamentally subjective phenomenon of “The Other,” each
through a unique cultural eye.
Common Bond Institute: Vision and Journey 55

“Engaging The Other”: a documentary film project of in-depth interviews, pres-

entation excerpts, and community experiences compiled from the ETO
conferences.
Journal of Conflict Transformation: a virtual, web-based journal compiling con-
ference proceedings and articles addressing conflict transformation and
healing.

Professional Exchanges
Early in CBI’s development, when restricted travel created greater barriers to
personal encounter, a number of professional exchanges were operated to
promote this invaluable contact, primarily between post-communist or Middle
Eastern societies and the United States. As a result of easier access and the pres-
ence of a number of available conferences and programs, today travel is more
related to direct participation in these planned activities rather than separate
exchanges.

Other Projects and Efforts Growing out of Conferences

A number of collaborations, projects, and even organizations initiated by par-
ticipants have grown out of CBI’s conferences over the years. A new project is
underway to archive these various efforts to better track the conference products
and to promote cooperative networking links between them.

THE POWER OF VISION

Sharing a vision is seen as essential to the purpose of CBI, because vision
instills us with both hope and power, and a fortitude beyond ourselves that guides
and moves us to action, particularly action for a better world. At the same time,
one of the central accomplishments of CBI that has come to be appreciated is
providing itself as a concrete example of putting legs on vision, and providing the
reality of individual, grassroots empowerment and initiative in creating positive
change in the world around us.
It is the kind of idea we all have the capacity to create and possess at some time
and to some degree, and then bring into the world if we choose. The essential
element is in taking the step of believing the possibility is real, and then the next
step of acting as though it is real, until there is no difference. When vision is
imbued with belief and presence in our day-to-day life, our actions serve to con-
firm and root it in reality.
CBI’s first and lasting achievement, then, has come to be its own existence
and presence as a creative change agent among a rapidly growing number of
similarly creative agents in large and small examples around the globe that
share a common characteristic: personal empowerment expressed through
empowering others.
56 The New Humanitarians

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Common Bond Institute
Founder and/or Executive Director: Steve Olweean
Mission/Description: Common Bond Institute (CBI) is a U.S.-based, non-
governmental organization that grew out of the Association for Humanistic
Psychology’s International (Soviet-American) Professional Exchange. The Pro-
fessional Exchange was initiated in 1982 as one of the first Soviet-American
nongovernmental human service exchanges. CBI organizes and sponsors
international conferences, professional training programs, relief efforts, and
professional exchanges, and actively provides networking and coordination
support to assist newly emerging human service and civil society organiza-
tions in developing countries that are regions of conflict.
In its mission, cultivating the fundamental elements of a consciousness of
peace and local capacity building are seen as natural, effective antidotes to
small-group, radical extremism and large-group despair, as well as to the hard-
ships and suffering of the human condition. To this end, enabling each society
to effectively resolve and transform conflicts, satisfy core human needs within
their communities, and construct effective, holistic mechanisms for self deter-
mination, self esteem, and fundamental human dignity and worth is the pur-
pose of CBI’s work.
Common Bond Institute is grounded in the application of humanistic psy-
chology’s principles in its commitment to capacity building at both the grass-
roots and social institutional level. It works to actively form strategic alliances
and partnerships with organizations, groups, and individuals dedicated to
nurturing global relationships while creating and promoting an authentic
world culture of peace.
Website: www.cbiworld.org
Address: 12170 South Pine Ayr Drive
Climax, MI 49034 USA
Phone: +1.269.665.9393
Fax: +1.269.665.9393
E-mail: SOlweean@aol.com
 5

The Social Work Education

in Ethiopia Partnership
Alice K. Johnson Butterfield,
Abye Tasse, and Nathan Linsk

Our story is about the development of social work education in Ethiopia. It is

about the power of our shared vision, leadership, and collaboration. It is about
global networking and our efforts to capitalize on available and plentiful human
resources from around the world and use them in an environment of scarce
resources in Ethiopia. Our story is about the power of one person connecting with
another to develop new programs to meet human needs, establish international
partnerships in higher education, and bring about social change.

ONE PERSON CONNECTING WITH ANOTHER

Long before any of us thought about working in the development of social
work education in Ethiopia, the seed for our involvement began with the adop-
tion of three children from Ethiopia by Richard and Kay McChesney of St. Louis,
Missouri. When taking their son, Leul, to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church for
services, Kay met Dr. Enagaw Mehari, a medical doctor, who at the time was a vis-
iting professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Through the People2People
organization, Dr. Mehari was organizing a delegation of medical experts in
HIV/AIDS from universities around the United States to travel to Ethiopia. The
purpose of the visit was to meet with university, government, and health care offi-
cials in Ethiopia with the objective of identifying potential areas of collaboration
in HIV/AIDS prevention and research between universities. In discussing the
planned visit by medical faculty, Dr. McChesney asked a simple question: “What
about the children—the orphan victims of HIV/AIDS?” Dr. Mehari responded
quickly and invited Kay, a sociologist and family therapist, to join the delegation.
Kay declined because of work, the newness of the adoption, and family responsi-
bilities; she suggested that Alice Butterfield would be someone to substitute in her
place. Alice had worked as a social work faculty member in child welfare projects
57
58 The New Humanitarians

in Romania, and also had personal experience in international adoption. Kay had
first met Alice at a public health conference, and later, they worked together on a
family homelessness project in St. Louis and became friends.
Alice received an e-mail inviting her to go to Ethiopia for seventeen days in
May 2001 as a member of a delegation led by former ambassador to Ethiopia,
David H. Shinn (2001). A decision had to be made quickly. Dean Creasie Finney
Hairston of the University of Illinois–Chicago approved her trip. Upon accept-
ing the invitation, Alice clarified that her participation with the People2People
delegation would be to represent the Jane Addams School of Social Work, where
she was a professor.
From her perspective, Alice was particularly interested in the role of social
work in Ethiopia. What was the need for social work? Did the profession exist?
Searching the academic literature, she found articles from the 1960s with refer-
ence to social work in Ethiopia (Sedler, 1968a; 1986b; Stein, 1969). There was a
School of Social Work at Haile Selassie I University, which offered a bachelor’s
degree beginning in the late 1950s (Sedler, 1968c). During that time, the school
was recognized in Ethiopia and throughout Africa as a center of excellence. Three
young faculty were sent to the United States to obtain doctorates in social work as
part of a plan to build the capacity of Ethiopian faculty. The next reference to
social work in Ethiopia was in an article written by Katherine Kendall (1986),
which noted the closing of the School of Social Work and its replacement by a
degree in applied sociology:
The social theory is heavily Marxist. . . . In addition to a course on Marxist thought
and practice, students take courses on Marxist sociology and anthropology. . . .
While there are no methodological courses in the social work sense, research and
statistics are given considerable emphasis. . . . There is one course on the history of
social welfare which is explored within the context of class struggle. Study visits have
replaced field work. (p. 18)

Now the facts were evident. When the Derge military regime came to power in
1974, the school was closed. By definition, social problems did not exist within a
socialist state; it was the purpose of government to meet all human needs. Social
work was bourgeois—and did not have a place in Ethiopia.1 “All reference to
social work was discouraged on the grounds that it was reformist and represented
a bourgeois machination to keep the working classes in a perpetual state of
dependence” (Gebre-Selassie, 1999, p. 7).
But who were the doctoral students who came to the United States to study
social work? Would it be still possible to find them? Searching the Internet gave no
clue, so Alice turned to a network of colleagues who are members of the Associa-
tion for Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA)
(http://www.acosa.org). She sent out an e-mail that asked if anyone knew about
social work education in Ethiopia or knew any social workers in Ethiopia. She got
one reply—an e-mail from Dr. Rosemary Sarri, an emeritus faculty from the
University of Michigan. Her former doctoral student, Seyoum Gebre-Selassie, had
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 59

gotten his doctorate in sociology and social work in 1976, obtained a teaching posi-
tion at the University of Wisconsin, and then went back to Ethiopia in 1979.
Although the School of Social Work there had been closed, he had been a dean and
also had served in university administration. She had lost contact with him over the
years, but Rosemary was sure he was still in Ethiopia. Alice should contact Seyoum.
Finding Professor Seyoum was not difficult. It seemed that “everyone” she met
in visits to the community or in meetings at Addis Ababa University knew him.
Alice met Professor Seyoum Gebre-Selassie in May 2001. He confirmed the 1960s
accounts about social work in Ethiopia written in the International Social Work
journal. He and his longtime friend and colleague, Professor Andargatchew Tes-
faye, were two of the three students sent for doctoral study to the United States.
With his country reeling from the takeover by the military regime, Seyoum made
a decision to return. “I did not want to be asked by someone in the United States
as to what I did about it when my country was in deep peril. . . . I was ridden with
doubt whether I was right in deciding to come back. But, in hindsight, I knew
I made the right decision” (Surafel, 2001).
Back at their university, now named Addis Ababa University, the two professors
were successful in “hiding” six courses in macro social work in the sociology and
anthropology curriculum at Addis Ababa University. Some thirty years later in
2001, only this remnant of social work education remained. Professor Seyoum esti-
mated that fewer than fifty social workers with baccalaureate degrees from Haile
Selassie I University were still practicing in Ethiopia. Many had left Ethiopia, and
most of those who remained were nearing the end of their careers. Nonetheless,
these senior social workers were leaders in nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs), and had mentored many applied sociology graduates who had followed
them in the ways of social work. Also, within the Department of Sociology and
Social Anthropology (SOSA), professors Seyoum, Andargatchew, and younger col-
leagues such as Tefari Abate, Ayalu Gebre, and Melese Getu had successfully placed
the goal of developing a master’s degree in social work in the university’s five-year
strategic plan. Later, this official statement in university documents became impor-
tant in convincing an external funding agency to support a planning process for a
graduate degree in social work. In just a few sentences over coffee at the Dessalgn
Hotel, Professor Seyoum set the objectives for the next several years:

We need to start the profession of social work in Ethiopia. We should start a School
of Social Work—because that is the history here. Social work and law were the two
strongest schools at Haile Selassie I University. But, first, we’ll start with a master’s
degree.

SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION IN ETHIOPIA

PARTNERSHIP (PROJECT SWEEP)
Together, Addis Ababa University and the University of Illinois–Chicago wrote
a proposal for seed funds to Higher Education for Development (HED), the inter-
mediary organization established in 1992 as the Association Liaison Office for
60 The New Humanitarians

University Cooperation in Development (ALO). HED assists the nation’s six

major higher education associations in partnering with the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID). HED has funded over 250 university-to-
university partnerships since its inception, from education, law, agriculture, and
other disciplines. The proposal submitted by the Jane Addams College of Social
Work and Addis Ababa University was the first social work program to receive
funding. The college received $99,000 to partner with Addis Ababa University to
establish Ethiopia’s first ever master’s degree in social work. A five-year Memo-
randum of Agreement was signed by the two universities to collaborate in teach-
ing, research, and service.
This small amount of seed funding and the higher education partnership it
represented were essential in providing the funds and mechanism for the first part
of realizing our partnership’s dream of graduate social work education in
Ethiopia. Beginning in 2002, a planning committee from Addis Ababa University
(AAU) and the University of Illinois–Chicago (UIC) met several times in each
country. We named our partnership the Social Work Education in Ethiopia
Partnership (Project SWEEP). We worked together using a strategic planning
approach with several phases, including an in-country needs assessment followed
by curriculum development, faculty exchange, and program planning. We set up
an advisory committee in Ethiopia, which consisted of social workers with BSW
degrees from the previous program in social work and some with later degrees in
applied sociology from the program that had replaced social work. A second advi-
sory committee of local social work leaders in Chicago, including representatives
from the Ethiopia Community Association, provided guidance, responded to
requests for material goods, and assisted in exchanges of Ethiopian faculty to
Chicago (for a complete report, see Johnson Butterfield & Linsk, 2005).

LEADERSHIP AT ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY

The planning and curriculum development process that began through Project
SWEEP was at the grassroots level. As our small planning committee of UIC and
AAU faculty worked to develop the MSW program, the AAU members of the
team, particularly Professor Seyoum Gebre-Selassie, brought the project to the
attention of the new president of Addis Ababa University, Professor Andreas
Eshete, UNESCO Chair for Human Rights and Democracy. President Andreas put
his power behind social work education. He valued the future degree and its
potential role as part of the country’s effort to reduce poverty through social and
economic development. By the second year of our planning process in 2003, deci-
sion makers at the highest level of university administration had decided that
social work would be started at Addis Ababa University as an independent school,
not as a department-based program. In part, this decision revolved around the
difficulty of “grafting” a graduate degree in social work into the Department of
Sociology and Social Anthropology (SOSA). After professors Seyoum and
Andargatchew retired, no SOSA faculty had been trained in social work. The brain
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 61

drain also had had its effect: SOSA had sent three young staff to the United States
and Canada to study social work, but none had returned. In addition, the depart-
ment was already accepting many students, and to add a third discipline at the
graduate level without an undergraduate degree in place would be difficult.
With this change of auspices, the work of the Project SWEEP partnership, and its
plan for graduate social work education, gained the full support of AAU officials. At
this time, the power shifted from a grassroots effort, driven by a small group of peo-
ple and a planning grant, to ownership of the initiative by Addis Ababa University.
From this point onward, the involvement of President Andreas was a major reason
why Project SWEEP was successful. He championed the development of social work
education, noting its relevance to affirmative action; the rights of women and chil-
dren, including areas that intersect law and social work; and the need for counseling
for students in their transition to urban, college life. President Andreas has contin-
ued to affirm the importance of social work as a profession, including its expansion
to the baccalaureate and doctoral levels at Addis Ababa University, and in the future,
its replication in regional colleges and emerging universities in Ethiopia.
In assessing the importance of leadership at Addis Ababa University, we doubt
that starting a new School of Social Work from scratch would have become real-
ity if it were not for the synergistic involvement of Dr. Abye Tasse, former dean of
the Institut du Développement Social (IDS) in France, and an international leader
of social work education. Abye’s migration back to his native country is quite
remarkable. He fled Ethiopia at sixteen when the Derge military regime came to
power. He was in refugee camps in Sudan for two years, then migrated to Egypt
and finally to France, where he got a scholarship to study political science. He was
in need of a job to help support himself, and so he began his career in social work
as a youth worker in a poor community. He eventually went on to obtain his mas-
ter’s degree and doctorate, and served at all levels of the university—from lecturer
to dean of one of the top three schools in France. Returning to Ethiopia for the
first time in thirty-three years, Abye visited Addis Ababa University, initially just
to see what was happening in higher education. He met President Andreas, and
soon thereafter, became involved bringing about university reforms.
In 2004 Abye took what was to be a two-year sabbatical. President Andreas
appointed Abye as dean of social work and associate vice president for Interna-
tional Affairs. Abye brought leadership in international social work to Ethiopia. In
October 2004, he was elected president of the International Association of Schools
of Social Work (IASSW). Prior to that, he chaired the Katherine Kendall Award,
given to an international social work educator by IASSW and the International
Federation of Social Workers (IFSW). Thus, in just two years—from planning to the
start of a graduate degree—Ethiopia went from a country without an educational
program in social work to a country with a School of Social Work led by a dean who
was the president of the International Association of Schools of Social Work
(IASSW).
Dr. Abye brought reality to the vision of social work education in Ethiopia. His
leadership style espoused a “can do” attitude. In practical terms, this meant
62 The New Humanitarians

starting the new school without anything—without a faculty, computers, office

space, budget, or even approval for the degree through Addis Ababa University
processes. Abye went to work immediately. Over a six-month period in early 2004,
the curriculum was approved by the Graduate Council at AAU. Admissions crite-
ria were developed, and exams were given and graded by the UIC-AAU faculty
team. Forty students were admitted. With the leadership of President Andreas
Eshete’ and Dean Abye Tasse, the school had secured computers, office equip-
ment, and classroom and library space for the School of Social Work in a new
building on the university’s main campus by the start of classes in September
2004. However, since university budgets must be approved more than a year in
advance, the school opened without budgeted funds for the first year of operation.
How did Addis Ababa University move so quickly to start a new School of
Social Work in a resource-poor environment without faculty lines or budgets in
place? As noted previously, the commitment of leaders at the top administrative
level of Addis Ababa University was principally important. Secondly, a small part
of this answer is that Project SWEEP grant funds were extended for an additional
year. UIC took no overhead or administrative costs for managing Project SWEEP,
so all the $99,000 grant was used for program development and implementation.
Grant funds were conserved throughout the two-year planning process by not
paying salaries for the time team members worked on Project SWEEP, and by
providing only hotel and travel costs, plus $12 per day per diem for UIC faculty.
Initial activities included community visits; a needs assessment of graduating
seniors, agency staff, and possible employers; as well as assistance in developing
a field education manual by Faith Bonecutter, the director of field education at
the Jane Addams College. In 2004 HED allowed the remaining funds to be used
for travel for UIC professors Nathan Linsk, Donna Petras, and Alice Johnson
Butterfield to teach intensive courses in the first year of offering the MSW degree
at AAU. AAU dean Abye Tasse and associate dean Melese Getu taught courses
above their regular workload in the new MSW program. Resident international
faculty included Dr. James Rollin, an assistant professor at UIC, who was
recruited by Teachers for Africa and joined the AAU faculty in 2004, followed by
Dr. Deborah Zinn, in 2008. AAU hired two additional faculty, Dr. Sandhya Joshi
from India in 2004 and Dr. Charlla Allen from Cleveland, Ohio, in 2006, to staff
the new program.

LACK OF CLARITY AND CHANGES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Two other factors were also essential in advancing the rapid development of
social work education in Ethiopia: a lack of clarity about what social work was
in the Ethiopian context and how it should be developed, and the rapidly chang-
ing context of higher education in Ethiopia. These factors intertwined to create
an advantageous setting for the immediate development of social work educa-
tion. First, the environment that we began working in certainly could be
described as one that lacked clarity about social work education and how it
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 63

should be developed. This confusion led to an open situation that allowed for
innovation, often bypassing the formal system of organizational change, based
on the vision of restarting social work education in Ethiopia.

This lack of clarity combined with the felt need of something else. We felt a call for
this new “thing” but nobody knew what it was really was or what it was supposed to
be. Then, the idea clicked. As we started to work with the idea of social work, we real-
ized that our “new idea” was reminiscent of the past history of social work education
in Ethiopia. It drew on the reputation and accomplishments of the previous gradu-
ates of social work and applied sociology who served the country for many years in
high positions of authority. The idea also developed as a response to the NGO ref-
erence to social work—calling it “social work” as what they were doing—but not
really knowing social work. In this vacuum and confusion, all were ready to find
ways to help. (Tasse, Johnson Butterfield, & Linsk, 2007, p. 8)

Second, this lack of clarity existed within a larger policy environment of change
rapidly taking place in higher education. Historically, Ethiopia’s 1 percent partic-
ipation rate in higher education was one of the lowest in the world. Beginning in
the 1990s, higher education became a national priority through strategic plan-
ning, national conferences, and new initiatives. “In addition to its traditional role
of educating, creating knowledge and developing the mind, it is increasingly asked
to train, be student-centered, practice-oriented, society-focused, and to teach pro-
fessions that require skills and hands-on training” (Yizengaw, 2003, p. 7). The
University Capacity Building Program (UCBP), a joint venture of the Ministry of
Capacity Building and the Ministry of Education, began constructing thirteen
new/extended universities throughout Ethiopia. By 2002, the larger environment
of the university system in Ethiopia was rapidly expanding from its base of six
universities and five colleges/institutes to nineteen public universities. When com-
pleted in 2009, the new universities will enroll more than 121,000 new students.
In addition, a Higher Education Proclamation approved by the Ethiopian parlia-
ment initiated new reforms, including increased autonomy for institutions of
higher education, a priority for developing new degree programs, and expanding
graduate education to increase the number of Ethiopian academics (UCBP, 2008).
The government’s priority of higher education positively influenced our abil-
ity to start two new graduate degrees—the master’s in social work (MSW) in 2004
and a PhD in social work and social development in 2006—within the larger uni-
versity system. Innovation and creativity were valued over bureaucracy and red
tape. During planning and the start-up of the new graduate degree, our challenge
was to figure out how to offer the classes or design the exam, or develop admis-
sions criteria, or prepare a new student orientation—all the tasks associated with
new program development and educational administration—and then do it.
Much leeway was allowed for the AAU-UIC team to design new and innovative
ways of delivering graduate education. When university approvals were
required—such as in senate approval for the curriculum, or for the admissions
criteria and processes—the university administration was prompt, professional,
64 The New Humanitarians

and attentive to urgent deadlines. All in all, our experience within the university
environment was one of innovation and development. In this environment, the
UIC-AAU partnership served as a catalyst that influenced the larger university by
example through new ways of doing things related to graduate education. In the
next section, we discuss some of the innovations that were part and parcel of the
new MSW degree that were different ways of doing things from the traditional
educational processes at Addis Ababa University.

THE PARADOX OF THE POOR AND EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS

As noted above, the establishment of the new Graduate School of Social Work
(GSSW) fit well within the overall policy goals of higher education in Ethiopia. In
addition to this alignment with the context of higher education is what we call the
paradox of the poor: “the poor who have nothing, yet we have everything” (Tasse,
2007, p. 1). What does “the paradox of the poor” mean? We learned a lot about
what this meant from watching Professor Seyoum at work. On short notice, he
could make a few phone calls and pull key players together for an important meet-
ing “before the Jane Addams group left town.” It was he who identified many
members of the advisory group, and all those he invited got involved and stayed
involved over the years. His network was expansive and extensive. As we met peo-
ple in Ethiopia and sought to introduce ourselves, we could not count the num-
ber of times that just the mention of Seyoum Gebre-Selassie’s name elicited the
following response: “He is my professor.” He brought the UIC team into his net-
work of colleagues—a network that he built in a resource-poor environment
through his inspiration, work, and service.
It was Professor Seyoum who worked diligently behind the scenes at AAU as
the champion of social work education. Our core UIC-AAU team has often
reflected on the fact that Addis Ababa University’s decision to start the social work
program as an independent school was a blessing in disguise. We did not have to
navigate our way through the processes of integrating a new program into a
department’s existing policies and procedures. Innovation could occur more rap-
idly because there was no need to deal with the typical turf issues and professional
dispositions that make up academia in any part of the world. The challenge was
to figure out what we needed and strategize how to obtain it. Since it would be
impossible to start a new graduate program without teaching faculty, this was our
partnership’s first strategic concern.
Thus without “anything,” we turned to what we had—a network of profes-
sional colleagues and organizations around the world that might have interest in
contributing to the development of social work education in Ethiopia. We imag-
ined mobilizing a diverse network of social work faculty from around the world
to contribute their time and expertise to the school. Dean Abye sent an e-mail
invitation letter to our colleagues in our UIC and IASSW networks (see Figure 5.1).
In a few candid sentences, this was the dean’s offer: “Come to Ethiopia. Pay your
own way. Give a seminar. Teach. Live in my guest house and share my food.” Over
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 65

Rouen/Addis Ababa March 2004

Dear colleagues and friends,

First of all, I would like to thank you all personally and on behalf of Addis Ababa University, for the
spontaneous and generous help you offered to my request of participation in seminars that my colleagues
of Addis Ababa University and myself, intend to organise at the new Graduate School of Social Work,
which will start in September 2004. I know that all of you have many activities and large engagements in
different areas, and I appreciate your commitment to contribute and enrich our seminars with your
experience.
As I have mentioned with each of you in our previous exchanges, the Addis Ababa University has
decided to open a new School of Social Work; and I have been nominated to be the first Dean of this
School. The mobilisation of the entire university administration to give a high profile for this new school
is, as I can see it, tremendous. This project elaborated by Addis Ababa University in co-operation with
Jane Addams College of the University of Illinois at Chicago, is the first graduate school of social work
ever in Ethiopia.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the dedication of the faculty of Addis Ababa University,
(particularly Seyoum Gebre-Selassie, Andargatchew Tesfaye, and Melese Getu) and of the University of
Illinois at Chicago (especially Alice K. Johnson and Nathan L. Linsk) for their tireless engagement in this
venture.
It is in this context that we wish to organise several seminars. The main objective of the seminars (12
seminars a year of a maximum of a week) is to give a wide opportunity for our graduate students, faculty
members and partners from multiples agencies (public and private) a high level of input by distinguished
social work educators and specialists on issues related to social work education from around the world.
Each seminar organised under this program will be in relation to the courses that we are going to teach in
this new school. Based on an interactive method of teaching, the seminars will provide a unique
opportunity for our students and faculty members to elaborate knowledge on social work education in the
country. Beyond the direct interest to build a school with a high standing, this will also help, I am sure, to
form deep relations among social work educators around the world with colleagues from Ethiopia
teaching in this new school, will also develop institutional relations between the Addis Ababa University
and your institutions.
I know your dedication for international solidarity in the field of Social Work Education and beyond, and
I thank you again for agreeing to contribute to the development of a new school of Social Work in Africa
and to build a new and unique kind of partnership.

Best wishes,

Abye Tasse

P.S. As I have mentioned to you, there is no problem on accommodation for your venue in Addis. If you
need a letter of support from the Addis Ababa University in order to find funding for your travel, please
feel free to contact me.

Figure 5.1 Letter Inviting Colleagues to Give Seminars and Secure Their Own Funding

sixty people from around the world answered the invitation. Many have come to
Ethiopia at their own expense—exactly as they were invited—and provided a
workshop or taught a course at no charge. International seminars were integrated
with regular courses, and students were expected to attend. Table 5.1 shows the
international faculty who went to Ethiopia to share their expertise.
We also used our network to fill the gaps in teaching that could not be covered
by faculty in Ethiopia. One of the major innovations was the use of a block teach-
ing model for offering MSW and PhD courses at Addis Ababa University. Courses
Table 5.1 International Seminars
International Trainer
Dorothy Faller, MSW, Faller International Training LLC,
Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Prof. Ralph Brody, Cleveland State University,
Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Prof. Ariella Fridman and Dr. Miriam Golan,
University of Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Prof. Lena Dominelli, Past President of the International
Association of School of Social work, Director, Center
for International Social and Community Development,
University of Southampton, United Kingdom.
Prof. Shimon Peres, Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
Asst. Prof. Gurid Aga Askeland, Diakonhjemment
College, Norway.
Senior Lecturer Greta Bradley, The University of Hull
School of Nursing, Social Work and Applied Health
Studies, England.
Professor of International Social Work Karen Lyons,
Department of Applied Social Sciences,
London Metropolitan University.
Dr. Rena Feigin, Bob Shapell School of
Social Work, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Prof. Nancy L. Green, École des Hautes Études en
Sciences Sociales (Paris), France.
Prof. Richard Kordesh, College of Urban Planning and
Public Affairs, University of Illinois–Chicago.
Title of Seminar Linked with MSW Course
Organizational Management, SSWA 601 Integrated Practice Methods I.
September 27–Oct 5, 2004.
Seminar in Management, SSWA 621 Management & Leadership.
October 18–22, 2004.
Seminar on Psychology of Women and Gender, SSWA 611 Social Problems & Community
December 6–10, 2004. Health.
Seminar on Social Policy & Ethics, SSWA 631 Social Policy & Ethics.
January 10–14, 2005.
Seminar on Evaluation Research, SSWA 642 Research Methods.
May 16–20, 2005.
Seminar on Reflexive Research Methods, SSWA 642 Research Methods.
May 9–13, 2005.
Seminar on Reflexive Research Methods, SSWA 642 Research Methods.
May 9–13, 2005.
Lectures on Globalization, Regionalism, and Social
Work; Migration and Social Work; Child Care
in an International Context—October 2005.
Seminar on Breaking Through: Family Coping
with Illness and Disability: An Integrative
Treatment Concept. February 3, 2006.
Seminar on Comparative Migration History, SSWA-672 Social Mobilization: Food
February 2006. Security & Refugee Resettlement.
Seminar on Family-Based and Asset-Based
Approaches to Community Development,
Dec. 17–21, 2007.
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 67

typically feature an intensive, adult-learning block approach, which allows stu-

dents to focus on the content of one course for one month at a time, four days a
week. The format allows faculty from outside of Ethiopia to teach a complete
course over a three- to-four-week period. This has been an important innovation
because support from international faculty is necessary until the capacity of
Ethiopian faculty is built. Overall, the use of international faculty also led to inno-
vations in teaching pedagogy through the use of interactive teaching methods in
the classroom. Methods include working in groups, role plays, simulations, com-
munity projects, group exercises, guest speakers, and so on. These pedagogical
methods are different from the usual didactic lecture and exam format typical of
teaching at AAU (see, for example, Askeland & Bradley, 2007).
With the start of the PhD in social work and social development in 2006, we
expanded our network to include expert social work faculty from other universi-
ties in the United States. Those who taught courses at the School of Social Work
at AAU include Robert Miller, University of Albany, Qualitative Methods; Valerie
Chang, Indiana University, Teaching and Pedagogy in Social Work; Margaret
Adamek, Indiana University, Writing for Publication; Richard Kordesh, University
of Illinois–Chicago, Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis; Rosemary Sarri,
University of Michigan, Advanced Assessment for Action Research; Larry
Kreuger, University of Missouri, Quantitative Methods; Klaus Serr, Australian
Catholic University, Community Practice & Capacity Building; Donna Petras, Prac-
tice with Children & Families; Nathan Linsk, University of Illinois–Chicago, Social
Problems and Community Health, Advanced Counseling Skills, and Meta Evaluation
& Dissemination; and Alice Johnson Butterfield, University of Illinois–Chicago,
Integrated Practice I: Groups and Communities, Action Research & Models of Social
Change and Knowledge Building in Social Work and Social Development.
Some colleagues on the list above were granted release time by their deans for
teaching in Ethiopia. Some sandwiched teaching courses in Ethiopia between
teaching semesters in the U.S. system, or used their summer vacation for teaching.
Others were retired from formal academic positions and had more flexibility to
teach during regular semesters in Ethiopia. Two from UIC fielded their sabbatical
research in Ethiopia. Nathan was awarded a Fulbright African AIDS Research Pro-
gram Award in 2006–7, and Alice carried out research on eight HED-funded
higher education partnerships in Ethiopia during her sabbatical in 2007–8.
In fact, the development of research, especially action research, has been a hall-
mark of the program. Linsk was able to use the Fulbright award to conduct a study
of the initial scale-up of HIV/AIDS antiretroviral drugs made possible by funding
from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global
Fund for Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV. Although funds were coming quickly, it
remained unknown whether people with HIV could use the treatments and
adhere to care regimens. The study, made possible through a team of MSW stu-
dents and volunteers, demonstrated that rates of adherence were high, but that the
cultural context of adherence required redefinition to improve antiretroviral
treatment (Linsk, Gosha, Getu, Aklilu, & Prabhughate, 2007). In addition, the
68 The New Humanitarians

Figure 5.2 Field visit to rural Ethiopia. Courtesy of Alice K. Johnson Butterfield.

thesis requirement of the MSW provided a range of research products in diverse

areas including HIV/AIDS, adolescent issues, homelessness, social networks,
divorce consequences, water use, and a range of community development
approaches, to name a few. Butterfield’s continuing research on single women and
their needs, strengths-based approaches, and university partnerships is providing
vital data on community needs and ways to address them. The PhD program (see
below) augments research productivity, creating a whole field of social work
research that did not exist previously.
Other educational innovations also occurred. The School of Social Work was
the first to include field education (internships) as part of its academic program.
A Memorandum of Agreement was signed by AAU and the Christian Relief &
Development Association (CRDA), a nonsectarian umbrella organization of over
200 NGOs. CRDA played an active role in developing field placements for AAU
students. Three social work students were also placed on the standing commit-
tees of Parliament: Committee on Social Affairs, Committee on Finance and
Community Development, and the Committee on Rural Development. The
placements were so successful that the idea has now expanded to include other
schools and colleges of AAU, such as economics and gender studies, with twenty-
six interns placed in 2007. Future plans include developing a part-time program
specifically for members of Parliament. Sixty-seven Parliament officials have reg-
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 69

istered to take the exam for admission to the master’s in social work program.
Thirty Parliament members representing all political parties will be accepted.
The School of Social Work requires a different admissions process than is usual
at AAU. It includes a personal statement and a résumé in addition to the usual
information about the applicant; three letters of reference (a form for writing a
short paragraph about the applicant and signing it); sponsorship through gov-
ernment, NGOs, or self; bank statement; GPA; and exam. The process of admis-
sion includes a two-part point system: (1) pre-screening using the personal
statement and other applicant information, and (2) blind review of the exams by
the AAU-UIC faculty team. Efforts are made to assure that disadvantaged groups
are represented among students in the MSW program, including women, those
working in public welfare, those working in NGOs in rural areas, persons with
disabilities, and persons with an interest in preparing for roles as social work fac-
ulty in Ethiopia. Admission requirements have been broadened to include the
BA degree in social and/or health sciences or other disciplines, with weight given
to work experience in NGOs or public welfare organizations. Another new admis-
sions policy was a three-day student orientation and assessment program, which
we called the Privileged Method of Learning. Sessions included the privileged
process of learning, student and faculty expectations, methods of personal organ-
ization, and preferred modes of assessment for student learning. Students spend
the weekend preparing an individual assessment, and then meet with their faculty
advisor to discuss their learning plan. Overall, this intensive orientation has been
valuable in dialoguing with students, establishing a culture of learning and mutual
support, and sharing the development of the school, our vision of social work,
and the future of the profession in Ethiopia. These sessions were also designed to
orient students to the “different ways of doing things at the School of Social
Work” when compared, perhaps, to the traditional type of educational experi-
ences with which they were familiar.
Efforts were also made to take the university to the community and bring the
community into the university. Field trips took students and faculty to rural com-
munities, and ordinary people who had established local NGOs and their own
microenterprise associations were invited to come to the classroom to share their
expertise. For example, women from the Kechene Potters Association participated
in a community assessment project in 2005; they presented their pottery products
and the work of their association to students and professors. The benefits of this
type of collaboration were mutual. In the case of the Kechene Potters, their
engagement with the university resulted in a thesis project (Yeneabat, 2006),
which in turn brought the potters’ situation to the attention of a businessman
from Cleveland, Ohio, who was participating in the Ethiopian Workforce Entre-
preneurship Training Program. In 2007 he donated $5,000 to purchase grinding
and clay mixing machines that will vastly improve the number and quality of pots
the women can produce.
In just two years, eighty students with MSW degrees have graduated from
AAU, with seventy students currently enrolled in the two-year, full-time program.
70 The New Humanitarians

Graduates are highly sought by government, international NGOs, and local

NGOs. Some graduates are now working with embassies and international aid
organizations throughout Ethiopia. In recognition of the work of the UIC-AAU
partnership, Addis Ababa University’s School of Social Work and UIC’s Jane
Addams College of Social Work received the Partners in International Education
Award from the Global Commission on Social Work Education, Council on Social
Work Education in 2006. In 2007 the Council of International Programs USA
received the same award for their more than fifty years of international training
and exchange programs, including their collaborative role with Addis Ababa
University in Ethiopia.

A DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN SOCIAL WORK

AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
In retrospect, much of the work of the partnership has rested on the good will
and voluntary service of many people from around the world. This type of proj-
ect is sustainable as long as the vision of social work education holds, and people
are able to stay involved. From the first planning meeting through Project SWEEP,
the issue of sustainability was discussed. The words of Professor Seyoum still ring
true: “Sustainability is built on the capacity of the faculty.” We knew from then on
that ultimately there must be a doctoral program in place to prepare faculty for
positions at Addis Ababa University and other universities in Ethiopia that may
develop social work programs. This idea became our vision of sustainability. In
2006 Addis Ababa University decided to start a doctoral program in social work
and social development.
David Moxley, formerly of Wayne State University and now on the faculty of
the University of Oklahoma, Alice, Abye, and Melese collaborated on a grant pro-
posal to the Ministry of Education for funds to start the PhD program. Addis
Ababa University was successful in obtaining US$141,000 for the new doctoral
program from the Development Innovation Fund of the Ministry of Education,
through funds from the World Bank. In 2006 eight of the first MSW graduates
were admitted to doctoral study. In 2007 seven additional students were admitted,
including three with MA degrees in fields other than social work. These doctoral
students represent faculties at Awassa University, Bahir Dar University, and Addis
Ababa University’s Department of Psychology. They plan to return to their home
universities upon completion of their degrees. In this way, the doctoral program
is attempting to build faculty capacity in social work and related fields at other
public universities in Ethiopia. Typically, doctoral students are appointed as lec-
turers, so their roles will include coordinating field education, advising students,
serving as assistant deans, participating in strategic planning, and co-teaching
courses with international faculty.
The curriculum plan for the PhD program combines ideas brought by the
Ethiopian and international faculty who were involved in its development.
According to Johnson Butterfield (2007, p. 6),
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 71

A challenge faced by the international team which developed the doctoral curricu-
lum was combining their various views about what doctoral education should
entail. The two Ethiopian members of our team had received doctorates in France
and England; another professor obtained her doctorate in India; I had obtained
mine in the United States. The British experience leaned toward individual work
with a faculty chairperson and extensive individualized readings; the French experi-
ence included lively “discussion and debate” seminars with the great minds of the
university; the program in India focused on applied research. My experience at
Washington University in St. Louis involved interdisciplinary courses and research
practicum. As we sought to create a plan for doctoral education in Ethiopia, each of
us brought our biases to the table. . . . We also knew that the new doctoral program
had to address the difficult problems of Ethiopia and the urgent need for faculty. . . .
we sought a way to streamline the doctoral educational process without compro-
mising quality. Our work together became synergistic.

The doctoral program at Addis Ababa University is a year-round program. Stu-

dents complete all required courses over the first calendar year, so they are eligible
to teach in the second and third years of study. A qualifying assessment based on
the portfolio approach and an oral presentation to a faculty committee replaces the
typical written exam. The dissertation can follow a traditional monograph format,
or a set of three published articles that document the student’s research and schol-
arship on a social issue of local, regional, or national importance. AAU faculty and
its international team may design team-based or action-research projects that may
include undergraduate and master’s degree students who are participating directly
in research. Based on faculty expertise and existing national priorities within
Ethiopia, the doctoral program outlines four potential project areas:

• Capacity Building: augmenting the capacity of local communities to reduce

poverty through comprehensive community development involving literacy,
microenterprise, youth development, housing, rural development, and soil
and water conservation, and using best practices from social development and
participatory approaches
• Child Welfare: fostering improvements in child welfare, including orphan
care, international and in-country adoption, nonformal education, gender
equity, the reduction of harmful traditional practices, juvenile justice, divorce,
and child custody
• Health: abating the transmission of HIV and addressing other public health
issues (e.g., malaria, TB, blindness, polio, birth defects, water-born diarrhea
diseases, malnourishment) by using best practices in outreach, prevention,
treatment, and medication adherence (especially for antiretroviral therapies),
community collaboration, and awareness building
• Refugees and Migration: improving humanitarian responses to displacement,
migration, and refugee resettlement; conflict resolution; decreasing stigma and
marginalization among vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities,
women, homeless persons; and so on.
72 The New Humanitarians

SOCIAL WORK AS A COMPONENT OF CHANGE

From the beginning planning phase of Project SWEEP, the general situation of
poverty in Ethiopia resulted in a very quick acknowledgement that social work
was not a solution in and of itself. The needs of the country of Ethiopia are very
great. As one of the poorest countries in the world, an estimated 80 percent of its
70 million people live on less than $2.00 a day. Most of Ethiopia’s people are farm-
ers in a country where droughts and famine recur. The literacy rate for adults over
age seventeen is approximately 42 percent. Malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and
other diseases contribute to a life expectancy at birth of about forty-eight years.
Approximately 1.3 million persons (3.5 percent of the population) are living with
HIV/AIDS. An estimated 870,000 children have been orphaned by the virus
(UNAIDS, 2008), and the total number of children orphaned because of all causes
is 4,800,000 (UNICEF, 2005).
These problems require interdisciplinary, comprehensive, and multifaceted
approaches and solutions. Our vision was that social work alone was not suffi-
cient. Rather, social work should be a component of change—a catalyst for
mobilizing other systems to respond to Ethiopia’s wide-ranging needs in com-
munity development, child welfare, health, food security, and so on. Our efforts
to make social work a catalyst for change include a variety of collaborative efforts
with other groups and organizations working in Ethiopia. Our collaboration

Figure 5.3 Primary-school children in Ethiopia. Courtesy of Richard Kordesh.

The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 73

takes varied forms. In simple terms, what makes our partnership work is an
ongoing effort to communicate and build synergy among and between various
projects and activities taking place in Ethiopia. The next section discusses social
work as a component of social change in Ethiopia through collaboration with
other organizations.

COLLABORATION WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Our efforts at making social work a catalyst for change often took the form of
collaboration with other groups and organizations with similar interests or work
in Ethiopia. These efforts were not preplanned or strategically decided. They
occurred through the opportunities and synergies that were created as a result of
the overall process of bring people representing organizations from around the
world to contribute to the development of social work education in Ethiopia. In
addition, as we drew on our network, and as that network expanded, there were
new opportunities for collaboration and partnerships. Without staff to keep all of
these efforts organized, the connections between various people and projects were
sometimes open and very visible, and at other times, not everyone was informed
of the connections and opportunities that various members of our core group of
UIC-AAU faculty were pursuing or developing. However, through e-mail, phone
calls, and face-to-face meetings at international conferences, we tried to keep
everyone informed.
Collaboration is subject to the availability of at least some resources. UIC’s
main resource was faculty with a continuing interest in building the social work
and educational capacity of Ethiopian institutions. So, one of the major foci of the
UIC faculty involvement has been the identification of other organizations with
in-kind resources to help build the capacity of the Ethiopian institutions. All of
the collaborative relationships described below share a similar goal, which is to
help build the capacity of Ethiopian institutions. The list below briefly summa-
rizes how various organizations collaborated over the six-year period between
2002 and 2008. Additional information is available on the SWEEP website at
http://www.aboutsweep.org.

• Books For Africa collects, sorts, ships and distributes books to Africa. Books
for Africa shipped forty-two boxes of books to Addis Ababa University in 2007.
In February 2008, a forty-foot container (approximately 35,000 books) was
shipped to Ethiopia for our partnership work with Addis Ababa University,
Bahir Dar University, Gedam Sefer, schools, and other projects (http://www.
booksforafrica.org).
• Council of International Programs USA (CIPUSA) is a nonprofit interna-
tional exchange organization that brings well-qualified professionals to the
United States for practical training experiences. CIPUSA hosted Ethiopian fac-
ulty that came to the United States through Project SWEEP, and received two
grants from the U.S. Department of State for starting the Community Work
74 The New Humanitarians

and Life Center at AAU, and the Ethiopian Workforce Entrepreneurship and
Training Program (http://www.cipusa.org).
• Christian Relief and Development Association (CRDA) is a nonpartisan
organization of more than 200 indigenous and international NGOs and
faith-based agencies operating in Ethiopia. CRDA provides technical sup-
port, training, information, and capacity building support to NGOs. CRDA
has played a major role in the field placement of social work students
(http://www.crdaethiopia.org).
• Community Work & Life Center (CWLC) at Addis Ababa University provides
career development and counseling for students at AAU. This grant expanded the
SWEEP partnership to involve the Career Center at Cleveland State University, a
comprehensive career development center that provides educational and career
development opportunities in collaboration with university and community
partners (http://www.aau.edu.et/communityworks/index/home.htm).
• Ethiopian Workforce Entrepreneurship and Training Program. Based on the
success of the Community Work and Life Center, CIPUSA received U.S. State
Department funds for entrepreneurship training with the Ethiopian Employ-
ers Federation (EEF). This project was linked with the CWLC at AAU. Two
interns from the School of Social Work worked on the project, and many social
work students participated in the week-long training. EEF signed a Memoran-
dum of Agreement with AAU to provide linkages for student internships with
the business community (http://www.cipusa.org).
• Ethiopian North American Health Professionals Association (ENAHPA) is a
nonprofit organization established in 1999 by Ethiopian-born professionals
now living and working in the United States and Canada. In 2005 ENAPHA
shipped about 3,000 books and journal sets to Addis Ababa University for the
School of Social Work (http://www.enahpa.org).
• Higher Education for Development (HED) promotes the involvement of U.S.
higher education in global development. In 2007 HED provided funds to sup-
port a doctoral research assistant for research on eight higher education part-
nerships in Ethiopia (http://www.hedprogram.org).
• Teachers for Africa Program of the International Foundation for Education
and Self Help (IFESH) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit, charitable organiza-
tion that permits teachers, school administrators, and professors from the
United States to spend an academic year in Africa to improve the educational
systems. IFESH’s Teachers for Africa (TFA) program has provided faculty for
the School of Social Work at Addis Ababa University for four years
(http://www.ifesh.org).
• Linking Lives. Anna Hovde, MSW, a social worker who participated with Alice
in the original visit to Ethiopia, was integrally involved in developing SWEEP
and guest lecturing in the MSW program. She has established an NGO that
focuses on mental health and substance abuse issues at two hospitals and one
community site in Addis Ababa, and has been a catalyst for the newly estab-
lished Alcoholics Anonymous group.
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 75

NEXT STEPS AND DIRECTIONS

Our attempts to link the development of social work education in Ethiopia with
the work of other organizations or projects in Ethiopia have built the capacity of
our loose network to a new level. We call this level the evolution of the UIC-AAU
partnership to other endeavors. This phase of the UIC-AAU partnership is just
beginning. It builds, however, on the same basic idea that social work should be a
catalyst for change—and one among many other disciplines and players that are
needed to bring about such change. Thus, this second area related to making social
work a catalyst for change includes new projects that build from the original part-
nership base, but extend to new areas or partners. This next section provides a brief
overview of two emerging outreach projects: the development of an international
university-community partnership with the Gedam Sefer community in Ethiopia
and a tri-partnership linking Addis Ababa University, the University of
Illinois–Chicago, and the Institute of Social Work in Tanzania. Looking to the
future, we have also reconceptualized the meaning of the Social Work Education in
Ethiopia Partnership.

Evolution of the UIC-AAU Partnership to Other Endeavors

Gedam Sefer is an urban slum area of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In 2004 social
work students at AAU conducted a community assessment in Gedam Sefer. A
research project in the summer of 2005 assessed the skills and capacities of a ran-
dom sample of 100 female-headed households living in slum housing (Johnson
Butterfield & Kebede, 2007), followed by thesis research on social networks and
livelihoods (Gessese, 2006; Kebede, 2006). In 2007 PhD students at AAU contin-
ued the engagement with the Gedam Sefer community through action-research
miniprojects. Thus, the work with Gedam Sefer that first started as a class assign-
ment, evolved to form the basis for an international university-community part-
nership with the community (see Figure 5.4).
Improving child and family outcomes is interwoven into the university-commu-
nity partnership in Gedam Sefer and its intervention strategy in both process and
outcomes. The ultimate goal of the new partnership with the community is to
improve the lives of women and children, particularly those subject to abuse and sex-
ual exploitation. To do this, the university-community partnership brings together
the people of the Gedam Sefer community with AAU’s School of Social Work, UIC’s
Jane Addams College of Social Work, and the Love for Children Organization in
Ethiopia. Our partnership promotes and implements a strategy known as Asset-
Based Community Development (ABCD) (c.f., Kretzmann & McKnight, 1993). This
strategy does not bring predefined projects to the community for their acceptance
and participation. Rather, we are working with residents to (1) understand, docu-
ment, and organize the community’s inherent strengths and capabilities; (2) priori-
tize issues, develop methods of planning, and organize “the community’s own
projects”; and (3) implement these projects and evaluate results using participatory,
action-research methods. Thus, the university-community partnership is
76 The New Humanitarians

This project establishes a new university-community partnership between the Gedam Sefer community,
Addis Ababa University School of Social Work, the University of Illinois at Chicago—USA, and Love
for Children Organization. It builds on action research projects that AAU students and faculty have
undertaken in cooperation with leaders and residents in the Gedam Sefer community. It grows from
innovative efforts already underway in Gedam Sefer that show great potential for strengthening the
community. Through a partnership of residents, leaders, graduate students and faculty, this initiative will
empower the community to set goals for its improvement and create its own projects to improve the lives
of children, youth, and families.
Goals
1) To organize a stable, diverse core group of community leaders. This group will include
local government leaders, men and women who have been active in solving community
problems, youth who wish to become productive participants in improving the community,
school leaders, business leaders, and others.
2) To build the community’s capacity to develop and promote sound community revitalization
plans in partnership with local government.
3) To document and communicate the community’s many assets.
4) To promote productive roles for families in community building.
5) To establish a model university-community partnership that can be applied to other areas of
Addis Ababa.
Structure
1) The core group of community residents and leaders will number between thirty and
forty members. It will serve as the participatory body through which community priorities are
established and projects will be selected for implementation.
2) A larger network of community residents will be invited to participate in the project at
forums, planning meetings, in project teams, and in action research projects.
3) There will be three full-time staff: a project coordinator and two outreach workers. These
staff will be hosted by the Love for Children Organization, the fiscal agent for the project’s
startup grant.
4) A team of AAU doctoral and graduate students will assist with the project’s implementation
while carrying out action research projects.
5) Faculty from Addis Ababa University and the University of Illinois at Chicago will be
involved as trainers, advisors, and evaluators.
Areas of Focus
Capacity building for communities own projects such as micro-enterprise, development of
a community library and community center, child protection projects, youth-led enterprises, and
others as they emerge from the community.
For more information, contact: Mulu Yeneabat, MSW, Project Coordinator
korabageru@yahoo.com; or Alice K. Johnson Butterfield, PhD akj@uic.edu

Figure 5.4 Gedam Sefer Action Research and Development Project: A University-
Community Partnership. Courtesy of Alice K. Butterfield and Mulu Yeneabat.

community owned in that the community identifies its strengths, prioritizes its
needs, makes a plan, and implements it through the investment of its assets and its
participation in every process of the project.
At this time, we are working with several groups, including women’s and
men’s garbage collector associations, youth associations, car washer associations
made up of former juvenile delinquents and street youth, and traditional com-
munity leaders. We expect leadership opportunities to become available for local
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 77

residents, especially among poor, semi-illiterate women and unemployed youth

living in the Gedam Sefer community. Microenterprise, housing, the develop-
ment of home-based businesses, a community library, literacy, and school-linked
educational projects are some areas of interest among the community groups.
For example, citizens in the Gedam Sefer community formed an association and
started a community library with only four books. Addis Ababa University, the
British Consulate, and Christian Children’s Fund provided 1,400 additional
books. Approximately 300 children and youth use the library each day. Our proj-
ect will be working with the library in a summer tutoring project and will pro-
vide approximately 4,000 additional books through the Books for Africa
shipment in 2008.
The Gedam Sefer Community-University Partnership will be a central force
in action-research education at Addis Ababa University. Students working in the
Gedam Sefer community are being taught how to do action research, which not
only leads to the development of knowledge and the writing of scholarly papers,
but also focuses on empowerment and capacity building in partnership with the
communities where the research is taking place. The ABCD effort promotes,
recognizes, and honors the contribution of the community throughout all
phases of the work, and we expect to show outcomes directly tied to improved
social functioning among poor families in Gedam Sefer. With the action
research component that underlies the project, the project has potential for scal-
ing up the strengths-based approach for university-community engagement
with poor communities.

Tri-Partnership: UIC-AAU-ISW in Tanzania

One spin-off of Nathan Linsk’s sabbatical at AAU GSSW was the request by
the American International Health Alliance Twinning Center to partner with the
Institute of Social Work (ISW) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The partnership
focuses on developing capacity at ISW to provide continuing education as well
as to help develop an MSW and a future PhD program at ISW. ISW’s history is a
mirror image of AAU’s social work programs. At the same time that the previous
social work program in Ethiopia was closing, ISW was established as a technical
school to equip the country with social workers to work in the child welfare sys-
tem. Over the next thirty years, several certificate and higher diploma programs
emerged under the auspices of social work, but the school lacked qualified fac-
ulty to teach at higher levels as well as higher degree programs. However, in 2005,
ISW began its bachelor’s in social work degree program. Nathan Linsk was
approached to try to use some of the lessons from Project SWEEP to help
enhance the ISW program as well as help them provide a community-based,
paraprofessional social work training program in Tanzania. The program is now
operational in order to enhance curriculum offerings, resources, an HIV training
and counseling center, and field instruction, as well as to provide training to the
Department of Social Welfare.
78 The New Humanitarians

In 2008 a three-way partnership is being established among AAU’s School of

Social Work, ISW’s programs, and the Jane Addams College of Social Work. This
partnership will allow ISW to use the AAU model to jump-start graduate social
work in Tanzania, using the same visiting faculty model, as well as provide oppor-
tunities for ISW faculty to begin doctoral study in Ethiopia. In addition, AAU’s
School of Social Work PhD students may obtain teaching and research opportu-
nities in Tanzania. Forming a South-South interaction to enhance social work
education incubated by the resources of Jane Addams College is an unheard of
effort, where Americans facilitate local collaboration rather than impose their
own programs in-country, particularly with respect to orphans and vulnerable
children as well as HIV/AIDS.

Reconceptualizing Project SWEEP

The development of social work education in Ethiopia that has occurred over
the past six years has outgrown our original conceptualization of the Social Work
Education in Ethiopia Partnership. Initially, SWEEP referred to a grant-funded
planning project between the University of Illinois–Chicago and Addis Ababa
University. Today, the concept of SWEEP is much more. From its base in social
work and higher education, SWEEP has evolved into an informal network repre-
senting faculty and students from other universities, professionals from various
disciplines, and NGOs—all of which are engaged with various institutions and
organizations in Ethiopia for education, social work, capacity building, and devel-
opment purposes. With this in mind, in 2008 we redesigned and restructured the
SWEEP web page to capture the dynamic nature of our loosely organized network
and reflect the synergy of a variety of collaborative efforts by people and organi-
zations from around the world.
The revised SWEEP web page emphasizes two broadly defined focal areas: edu-
cation and social work. Our definition of education particularly includes the role of
higher education partnerships in Ethiopia and Africa. Our definition of social work
is one that is based on partnership engagement with communities and organiza-
tions, and on organizing and community development. It encompasses work in
areas of community health, orphans and vulnerable children, refugee resettlement,
and poverty reduction. The SWEEP web page at http://www.aboutsweep.org pro-
vides reports of activities and projects, as well as resources for the advancement of
education, research, training, and service delivery in Ethiopia and Africa.

MENTOR, INFLUENCER, AND INSPIRATION:

PROFESSOR SEYOUM GEBRE-SELASSIE
Our story began with meeting Professor Seyoum Gebre-Selassie in Ethiopia,
and this chapter closes with bidding him good-bye. He was our mentor, influ-
encer, and inspiration. We wonder what the chance would have been for social
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 79

work education to start at the professional level had it not been for the tireless and
ongoing work of Seyoum over the many years that he served his country as a pro-
fessor, researcher, and social worker. Of a surety, his role in restarting social work
education in Ethiopia was central and essential. In some respects, his tireless work
in Ethiopia kept the foundation for social work strong in Ethiopia. To honor him,
those who knew him in Ethiopia and the United States are in the process of start-
ing a fund for scholarships and community support for the poor in Ethiopia in
collaboration with the Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers and
Social Anthropologists (ESSSWA; http://www.essswa.org). We share here a short
listing of some of his accomplishments and contributions to social work in
Ethiopia. (See Figure 5.5.)
In closing our story about SWEEP and the development of graduate social
work education in Ethiopia, the words of Professor Seyoum are fitting. In 1969
he represented Ethiopia and Africa in a panel discussion on teaching and social
work values at an international conference. The chair was Dr. Herman D. Stein,
a social work pioneer, who had worked with the young Seyoum in Africa. The
question raised was “whether social work educators should undertake a con-
scious effort to promote changes in the value system of their society” (Stein,
1969, p. 33). Seyoum’s answer reflects his view of social work education at Haile
Selassie I University:

Professor Seyoum Gebre-Selassie

June 5, 1936–February 10, 2007

Professor Seyoum Gebre-Selassie entered into rest after a short

illness on February 10, 2007. He was born and lived for much of his
life in Addis Ababa. He was a Professor Emeritus in the Department
of Sociology and Social Anthropology (SOSA) at Addis Ababa
University (AAU). He earned his BA in 1959 (Ethiopia), his 1st MA
in 1961 (India), his 2nd MA in 1975 (USA), and his Ph.D. in 1976
(USA). Professor Seyoum had extensive teaching, research and
administrative experiences. He served as a Director of the Awassa
Community Development Training and Demonstration Center, a
Registrar of AAU, a Dean of the School of Social Work (Haile Professor Seyoum
Selassie I University), a Dean of the College of Social Sciences at Gebre-Selassie (June
AAU, and a Chairman of the Department of Sociology at AAU. Prof. 5, 1936–February 10,
Seyoum co-founded various professional organizations and played
2007). Adapted from
leadership roles in most. Some of the organizations in which he made
noble contributions include the Family of Guidance Association of the webpage of the
Ethiopia, the Association for Social Work Education in Africa, the Association of
Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers, and Sociologists, Social
Anthropologists (ESSSWA), the Pastoral and Environmental Workers, and Social
Network for the Horn of Africa, and the International Association of Anthropologists.
Schools of Social Work
(http://www.essswa.org.et/professor_seyoum_gebreselassie_h.htm).

Figure 5.5 Professor Seyoum Gebre-Selassie

80 The New Humanitarians

In Ethiopia, we have made a start in exposing students to experiences which help

him to learn by doing. . . . When the student is exposed to a situation where he is
forced to interact with people outside his “class,” he discovers that people are not
after all as stupid as he thought. He discovers that useful ideas can come from
them. It is interesting to note that it is after such exposures that students start
demanding more rights for self-determination for the people and for themselves. . . .
They often express strong feelings about the importance of involvement and par-
ticipation of the clientele in problem identification, decision making and action.
(Stein, 1969, p. 31)

Nearly forty years later, this is the vision that Seyoum Gebre-Selassie brought
to the AAU-UIC partnership: “The social worker is not one who sits on a pedestal
and pontificates. The social worker works with the people. Not for the people,
with the people. This is the important distinction.”2

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership (SWEEP)
Founders/Executive Directors: Alice K. Johnson Butterfield and Nathan L. Linsk
Mission/Description: The Jane Addams College of Social Work, University
of Illinois–Chicago (UIC), Addis Ababa University (AAU), the Council of
International Programs USA (CIPUSA), and a network of nonprofit agencies
are engaged in an exciting effort to develop the first-ever master’s degree in
social work in Ethiopia, through a project known as the Social Work Edu-
cation in Ethiopia Partnership, or SWEEP. The undergraduate social work
program at AAU was closed in 1976 when a military regime ruled the
country. Now, with a democratic government in place since the early
1990s, the SWEEP project is working in collaboration with AAU’s new
School of Social Work and NGOs in Ethiopia to develop social work edu-
cation and practice.
Website: www.aboutsweep.org
Address: Jane Addams College of Social Work
University of Illinois–Chicago
1040 West Harrison Street (M/C 309)
Chicago, IL 60607 USA
Phone: +1.312.996.0036
Fax: +1.312.996.2770
E-mail: akj@uic.edu; nlinsk@uic.edu
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 81

NOTES
1. In Karl Marx’s theory of class struggle, the bourgeoisie (merchants and artisans) were
originally viewed as a progressive force in overthrowing the feudal system. Later, how-
ever, the middle class becomes “a reactionary force as it tries to prevent the ascendancy
of the proletariat (wage earners) in order to maintain its own position of predomi-
nance” (High Beam Encyclopedia, 2008).
2. From Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership, a documentary film produced by
Moges Tafesse and co-produced by Alice K. Johnson Butterfield and Nathan Linsk
(2004). Synergy Habesha Film Production: An Independent Social Media, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.

REFERENCES
Askeland, G. A., & Bradley, G. (2007). Linking critical reflection and qualitative research on
an African social work master’s programme. International Social Work, 50(5), 671–685.
Gebre-Selassie, S. (1999). The genesis and development of the Department of Sociology and
Social Administration. Proceedings of the Founding Conference of E.S.S.S.W.A.: The
Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers and Anthropologists (pp. 6–8). Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia: Addis Ababa University, Sociology Department.
Gessese, A. (2006). Human strengths approach for sustainable livelihood. Unpublished MSW
thesis, School of Social Work, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
High Beam Encyclopedia. (2008). Bourgeoisie. In Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.), 2008.
Retrieved February 2, 2008, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-bourgeoi.
html.
Johnson Butterfield, A. K. (2007). The internationalization of doctoral social work educa-
tion: Learning from a partnership in Ethiopia. Advances in Social Work, 8(2), 1–15.
Johnson Butterfield, A. K., & Kebede, W. (2007). Asset based community development:
Assessing women’s skills in slum households in Ethiopia. Paper presented at the Interna-
tional Consortium for Social Development, 15th International Symposium, Hong
Kong, China.
Johnson Butterfield, A. K., & Linsk, N. (2005, August). Social Work Education in Ethiopia
Partnership—Project SWEEP. Final Report. Association Liaison Office for University
Cooperation in Development. USAID. Retrieved May 30, 2008, from http://www.
aboutsweep.org/ALOReport-Final-AKJ.pdf.
Kebede, W. (2006). Social networks and communication among female householders. Unpub-
lished MSW thesis, School of Social Work, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
Kendall, K. A. (1986). Social work education in the 1980s: Accent on change. International
Social Work, 29(1), 15–28.
Kretzmann, J. P., & McKnight, J. L. (1993). Building communities from the inside out: A path
toward finding and mobilizing a community’s assets. Chicago: ACTA.
Linsk, N. L., Gosha, M., Getu, M., Aklilu, M., & Prabhughate, P. (2007). Adherence and
treatment support in Ethiopia, Paper presented at 2nd Annual International Treatment
Adherence Conference, Jersey City, NJ.
Sedler, R. F. (1968a). Social welfare in a developing country: The Ethiopian experience.
International Social Work, 10(1), 1–12.
Sedler, R. F. (1968b). Social welfare in a developing country: The Ethiopian experience: Part
II—Social welfare service. International Social Work, 11(1), 9–22.
82 The New Humanitarians

Sedler, R. F. (1968c). Social welfare in a developing country: The Ethiopian experience: Part
III—The role of social work education. International Social Work, 11(1), 36–44.
Shinn, David H. (2001, July). HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia: The silence is broken; the stigma is not.
Center for Strategic and International Studies, Africa Program. Washington, DC.
Retrieved February 9, 2008, from http://www.csis.org/media/csis/pubs/anotes_0107.pdf.
Stein, H. D. (1969). Teachability and application of social work values: A panel discussion.
International Social Work, 12(1), 23–34.
Surafel, G. (2001). Professor Seyoum Gebre-Selassie: Of an age and its worries. Addis
Tribune Archives. Retrieved February 7, 2008, from http://www.addistribune.com/
Archives/2001/03-08-01/Professor.htm.
Tasse, A. (2007, July 17). The role of social work education in facilitating social development.
Plenary Session, International Consortium for Social Development, 15th International
Symposium. Hong Kong, China.
Tasse, A., Johnson Butterfield, A. K., & Linsk, N. (2007). Higher education partnerships for
global development: Social work as a development actor. Paper presented at APM Coun-
cil on Social Work Education, San Francisco, CA.
UNAIDS. (2008). Ethiopia. Retrieved February 2, 2008, from http://www.unaids.org/en/
CountryResponses/Countries/ethiopia.asp.
UNICEF. (2005). Ethiopia Statistics. Retrieved February 2, 2008, from http://www.
unicef.org/infobycountry/ethiopia_statistics.html#30.
University Capacity Building Program (UCBP). (2007). Ministry of Education & Ministry
of Capacity Building, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Retrieved February 1, 2008, from
http://www.ucbp-ethiopia.com/.
Yeneabat, M. (2006). Pottery production: An asset for women livelihood: Case study on
Kechene women potters in Addis Ababa. Unpublished MSW thesis, School of Social
Work, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
Yizengaw, T. (2003). Transformation in higher education: Experiences with reform and expan-
sion in Ethiopian higher education. Keynote paper prepared for Regional Training
Conference on Improving Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work!
Accra, Ghana, September 23–25, 2003. Retrieved on February 2, 2008, from http://
siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRREGTOPTEIA/Resources/teshome_keynote.pdf.

CONNECTIONS
For more information about the Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partner-
ship, visit the web page at http://www.aboutsweep.org. We welcome collaboration
and networking with other individuals, groups, and organizations in education,
social work, and other disciplines through training, research, and program devel-
opment. Contacts in the United States and the Ethiopia are

Alice K. Johnson Butterfield

Professor
Jane Addams College of Social Work
University of Illinois–Chicago
1040 West Harrison Street (M/C 309)
Chicago, IL 60607
Email: akj@uic.edu
The Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership 83

Abye Tasse
Associate Vice President for International Affairs
Dean of Social Work
Addis Ababa University
P.O. Box 1176
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Email: abeytas@aau.edu.et

Nathan Linsk
Professor
Jane Addams College of Social Work
University of Illinois–Chicago
1040 West Harrison Street (M/C 309)
Chicago, IL 60607
Email: nlinsk@uic.edu

Websites
Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership (Project SWEEP). This web-
site provides a history of SWEEP and its accomplishments. It provides
information and resources for those interested in the advancement of edu-
cation, research, training and service delivery in Ethiopia and Africa.
http://www.aboutsweep.org
Addis Ababa University (AAU) is the oldest institution of higher education in
Ethiopia. AAU’s mission is to develop and disseminate knowledge relevant
to solving basic problems of development through teaching, research, schol-
arship, and services to the community. AAU started the first-ever MSW
degree in social work in Ethiopia in 2004, and a doctoral program in social
work and social development in 2006. http://www.aau.edu.et
African Child Policy Forum is an independent advocacy organization working
on behalf of African children. http://www.africanchildforum.org
Ethiopian Society of Sociologists, Social Workers, and Anthropologists
(ESSSWA) promotes professional competence and ethics through the profes-
sions of sociology, social work, and anthropology. http://www.essswa.org.et/
University of Illinois–Chicago is actively engaged in several projects linking
social work, teacher education, training, research, and community develop-
ment in Ethiopia.
• The Jane Addams College of Social Work, http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/
college/
• College of Education, http://education.uic.edu/
• Great Cities Institute, http://www.uic.edu/cuppa/gci/
• Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center, http://www.matec.info/
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 6

Center for Urban Pedagogy

Myron Panchuk and
Patrick Savaiano

The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) is a nonprofit organization that is inter-
ested in how social movement evolves and influences legislation concerned with
urban development. Our mission is to create community education about places
and how they change. One of CUP’s first exhibits was held on the centenary of the
promulgation of the first building code of the city of New York in 1901, which
mandated an indoor bathroom for every two families. The exhibit was hosted by
the Storefront for Architecture and Art, and presented a contemporary look at the
relationship between civic government and the needs of the people it serves. This
exhibit was not a traditional “retrospective,” but rather a first-time look at the
guiding principles, directions, needs, and concerns of the urban dweller and
his/her habitat. The result was to create a new reference point, a framework that
critically evaluates the intricate interplay of need and function, code and environ-
ment, and even urban decay and renewal. For the Center for Urban Pedagogy, the
city itself is a school from which we learn; its citizens, policy makers, and diverse
social groups the architects, who design, create, destroy, and build.

PHILOSOPHY
The work of CUP stems from a belief that the power of imagination is central
to the practice of democracy, and that the work of governing must engage the
dreams and visions of citizens. CUP believes in the legibility of the world around
us. What can we learn by investigation? By learning how to investigate, we train
ourselves to change what we see.
CUP creates educational projects about places and how they change. Projects
bring together art and design professionals—artists, graphic designers, architects,
urban planners—with community-based advocates and researchers—organizers,
government officials, academics, service providers, and policymakers. These

85
86 The New Humanitarians

partners work with CUP staff to create projects ranging from high school curric-
ula to educational exhibitions.
CUP also works with youth on collaborative projects that explore the urban
environment. Educational projects build on the everyday experiences of young
people and help them learn about democracy, civic participation, and social
justice. Civic engagement requires a new kind of civic education, one that
explores how decisions are made, what is at stake, and how residents can be
involved in this critical process. By implementing the tools of art, design, and
technology, we draw the connections that exist between everyday life and the
decisions that give it form.
The approach of project-based learning brings youth face to face with the
people who make the decisions that affect their lives: community advocates,
government officials, and businesspeople. Students then work with our staff to
create educational projects that integrate their knowledge and share their insights
with the general public.
For example, at City-as-School High School, an alternative public school in
lower Manhattan, CUP organized a semester-long investigation into how New
York City deals with its garbage. Students visited garbage sites and conducted
interviews with garbage experts, community activists, and government officials.
As a result of this investigation, the class created a thirty-minute documentary
and a series of educational posters to communicate what they had learned to the
broader community. CUP works in school, after school, and outside of school to
reach students where they are. Programs range from single-session workshops to
semester-long projects.

HISTORY
The seed for this organization was planted during two of the earliest projects.
The first project was about building codes. The purpose was to engage a wide
cross section of people who were involved in building code issues, such as com-
munity activists, policy analysts, and even local artists. This included a diverse tap-
estry of people who were involved in the regulatory process that impacts code
legislation: those who uphold codes, those who wish to change them, and even
those who evade them. The fruit of this effort was a highly effective and success-
ful exhibition in which the different social sectors concerned with this issue came
together and were engaged in a creative process of dialogue, input, and reflection.
This was a very exciting moment in the work of this group because it actually
produced an opportunity for reflection that had never existed in our city. People
who were interested in architecture and art began to think about the politics of
design in a way that was not just didactic, but that also created a unique occasion
for understanding the actual social impact of design itself.
The second project that was critical in CUP’s development focused on garbage
and waste. The city was shutting down its only garbage dump, and since there was
no long-term resolution in sight, we began to wonder how we could address this
Center for Urban Pedagogy 87

growing problem. A group of fifteen students was engaged to start investigating

this issue. After a semester of visiting recycling stations, waste transfer points, and
dumps, a number of educational projects were crafted (including a video presen-
tation, a model, and poster art) to communicate what had been learned. A video
documentary was screened at a local theater, and the students moderated a panel
discussion about the future of the city’s trash problem. By investigating the infra-
structure, students uncovered a variety of political issues, not only the issue of
where the trash actually goes and how it is shipped, but even who pays the health
costs incurred in having trash nearby. This approach to urban concerns became the
method and basis of most of our youth programs. The focus was on a single urban
concern about which little was known; through investigating the issue, students
were able to uncover an entire civic, political, economic, and social reality. When
one looks around a city and tries to investigate why things are the way they are,
much is learned about all the persons involved in shaping the urban landscape.
In 1997 CUP published the results of its first project in a small booklet entitled
A How-To Guidebook for Urban Objects. At that time, CUP was an informal group
of people with diverse backgrounds but a shared interest in undertaking interpre-
tive projects about the city. Since then, CUP has grown organically as a vehicle for
collaboration. CUP received its nonprofit status in 2002 and hired its first full-
time staff members in 2005.
CUP has organized or participated in exhibitions at Storefront for Art and
Architecture, Anthology Film Archives, Apex Art Curatorial Program, City
University of New York Graduate Center, and PS 1 Contemporary Art Center in
New York; Mess Hall and the Chicago Architecture Foundation in Chicago; and
Kunsthalle Exnergasse in Vienna.
CUP has partnered with other nonprofits such as Sustainable South Bronx,
Place in History, the Municipal Arts Society, the Fifth Avenue Committee, REPO
History, Temporary Services, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Global
Kids, the Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), the Public Housing Residents of
the Lower East Side (PHROLES), the Legal Aid Society, the Community Service
Society of New York, the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, the Fiscal
Policy Institute, the Met Council on Housing, and the New York City Public
Housing Residents Alliance.
Since 2001 CUP has worked with over 700 students from institutions and
organizations such as the city-run Tier-II shelters, City-As-School, the Academy
of Urban Planning, Math and Science Upward Bound, the Heritage School,
Monroe High School, Parsons the New School of Design, the Cooper-Hewitt
National Design Museum, the Wyckoff Houses, and PS 164.

FOUNDER AND STAFF

Damon Rich is the founder of CUP. There are three other individuals centrally
involved with the organization: Rosten Woo, Valeria Mogilevich, and Lize Mogel.
Each provides connections to other organizations with which CUP is involved
88 The New Humanitarians

and plans long-term goals with them. CUP also provides the staff for the projects,
creates the best teams possible to make a projects happen, and works with volun-
teers to implement them.
CUP engages an extensive network of volunteers. At any given time, there are
probably about thirty individuals engaged with some aspect of the organization.
These volunteers are involved in a diversity of tasks, including proofreading, writ-
ing e-mails, creating informative pamphlets, providing art direction, conducting
TV shoots, and researching. Some get involved maybe once or twice a year; others
work on projects for weeks and months at a time.
What makes CUP interesting is the variety of backgrounds represented, and
the many talents volunteers bring to the collaborative efforts. Some have back-
grounds in architecture and design, some in public policy, and others in media
studies. Everyone benefits from a wealth of talent, a diversity of skills, and a
multiplicity of influence.

SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS: A SAMPLER OF THE

WORK OF CUP THROUGH THE YEARS
Mapping the Concourse
The Grand Concourse, a central thoroughfare in the Bronx designed to be the
Park Avenue of the Bronx, turns 100 years old in 2009. In anticipation of this cen-
tennial, the Bronx Museum of Art asked CUP to design a charrette for high school
students to study the Grand Concourse. In April 2007, CUP trained eight high
school students from the Bronx High School for the Visual Arts to lead an all-day
charrette for their peers. The charrette’s goal was to produce a portrait of the
neighborhood around the museum and brainstorm visions for its future. The
project is ongoing and will continue through 2009.
This series of workshops will introduce young people in the Bronx to urban
planning and urban design concepts as well as democratic participation
schemes such as the connecting of physical design with the politics of imple-
mentation. The workshops will build on one another to produce a thorough,
compelling, and adaptive vision of the concourse, the neighborhood, and the
future.

Knoxville: Building Communities

The Art Gallery of Knoxville, Tennessee, invited CUP to explore the urbanism
of its hometown. CUP’s resulting installation drew upon various plans to
re-energize Knoxville and included a sculpture of Knoxville’s odd shape, which is
the result of annexing smaller municipalities in order to raise tax revenues. Wall
text and photographs documented these development plans with archival mate-
rial from the city library and the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, which is dedi-
cated to preserving African American history in Knoxville.
Center for Urban Pedagogy 89

Schoolyard Visions
Planning should not be stale and monotonous. It should sound like a captivat-
ing beat over which other sounds, rhymes, and melodies can be played. In this class,
we examined the exterior spaces that surround the Academy of Urban Planning.
Our job is not to take things for granted, but to question why things are the way they
are and propose new directions. This is a theoretical project: it probably will not be
built, so participants can dream a little, and make outrageous and new proposals.

Green Information Center

“When is recycling day?”
“Where can I get a bike map?”
“What kind of trees are on my street?”
All of these questions and many more can be answered by visiting the Green
Information Center, a roaming booth made by youth at the New Settlement
Apartments in New York City. Students in the Bronx Helpers summer program
created a mobile recycling information center out of recycled materials. The
information center was packed with bicycle route maps, recycling and sorting
information from the NYC Department of Sanitation, proposals for local tree
planters, and green zines that catalogue the students’ experiences during an entire
summer of investigating tree-related environmental issues.

The Connection between Abandoned Buildings and Homeless People

Ecologists study the environment and how it changes. This class decided to
look at environmental problems in New York City, such as abandoned buildings
and homeless people—buildings without people and people without buildings.
Participants in this project interviewed four people who work with abandoned
structures and homeless people in New York City. To understand housing issues
and how old buildings can be remodeled, they then spoke with Carmen Vasquez
at Hope Community and Nellie Hester Bailey at the Harlem Tenants Council.
Kristen Simpson of the NYC Department of Homeless Services and Lindsay Davis
at the Coalition for the Homeless were also interviewed.
After that, the group transcribed the interviews, took pictures, made collages,
drew maps, studied what had been found, and discussed their thoughts. The proj-
ect provided vital information for those who want to make a difference in this
critical area of social justice.

Abuse of Power: The SPURA Story

The story of Manhattan is not only the story of the powerful crushing the
weak, or sometimes the weak beating all odds to defeat the powerful. It is also the
story of the weak becoming strong enough to screw the weaker.
90 The New Humanitarians

Since the 1950s, the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA), bounded by East
Broadway, Willett, Essex, Delancey, and Grand streets, has been the center of divisive
land-use politics. Today, it contains the largest publicly owned undeveloped site in
Manhattan below 96th Street, locked in a fight between the partisans of low-income
housing and the champions of economic development. Taking advantage of a fifty-
year-old history of unrealized plans, CUP produced a booklet on SPURA’s history.
In March 2006, for The Dimes of March exhibit at the Reena Spaulings Fine
Art Gallery located in SPURA, Damon Rich created a set of pavement markings
indicating surrounding sites of unrealized plans for housing, community spaces,
and commercial facilities.
In March 2007, CUP installed elements of this project in Lost and Found City,
an exhibition at the Storefront for Art and Architecture that was curated by stu-
dents at the Bard Center for Curatorial Studies. In conjunction with the exhibit,
Damon Rich led a walking tour of SPURA and its environs, featuring several guest
guides who had been directly involved with the SPURA conflict.

What’s Poppin’ at Fulton Mall?

In partnership with the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s Design Your
’Hood program, CUP’s Damon Rich and Amber Yared worked with Alex Gilliam to
develop and teach an eight-week course on architecture and design for New York
City high school students at Brooklyn’s Fulton Mall. This is an area that has been the
target of city planning as well as constant efforts to try to improve this area. This
course began as a public-history project to take a look at what was on this mall
already, without considering what might be needed to improve it. Fulton Mall is
actually one of the most commercially successful streets in New York City, but the
quality of merchandise marketed and the types of consumers catered to are on the
lower end of the economic spectrum. There was a discriminatory sense of the worth
of this space in a statement made that “this low-class space needs to be improved.”
Our project focused on the cultural significance of this area, and that if it were
going to be revamped, it should be done in consultation with the people who live
and do business there. This project consisted of stories and photographs. A year
and a half later, a series of articles published in the New York Times and the Daily
News addressed the unique cultural significance of the Fulton Mall area and cre-
ated a needed perceptual shift in the consciousness of the public.
Students explored the area through sketches, drawings, photographs, inter-
views, and general social interaction. Back in the studio, they translated their
observations into drawings, collages, skits, models, and a photocopied zine. These
were displayed at the Brooklyn Historical Society.

Big Up, Jamaica!

What if information about the future of a community could be as sexy, alluring,
and as much fun as shopping? In the Jamaica Food Court, a small bulletin board
Center for Urban Pedagogy 91

displays information about plans for Jamaica’s future in a quiet, uninviting, and
unexciting way. No alternative visions of the future were presented—only matter-
of-fact architectural renderings of the plan as an established fact. The nearby retail
shops of Jamaica Avenue, in marked contrast, celebrated the investigation of alter-
natives. You could get green with blue high-tops, Velcro, or lace-ups, or . . . ?
As part of the exhibition, Jamaica Flux, organized by the Jamaica Center for Arts
and Culture, CUP built an experimental urban planning community outreach
module using a pair of Nike Terminator high-tops with an embedded video screen,
and installed it in the Sneaker Mart at the Gertz Mall. The screen displays thoughts
from Jamaica residents on the past, present, and future of their neighborhood. On
the street, a large poster announced the outreach initiative: Jamaica’s Future.

Public Housing 101

Where did public housing come from? Who lives there? Who makes the decisions?
What does it look like? What are some of the issues facing public housing today?
These questions guided three CUP educators and eight City-as-School stu-
dents through a semester of collaborative learning. They first conducted inter-
views with a group of public housing stakeholders, including tenants,
administrators, elected officials, researchers, architects, and organizers. A series of
educational posters and a set of three video pieces were created to try to capture
what had been learned.

CUP SERVICES
Educational Programming
CUP creates and implements project-based curricula for high school and
college students. We love to work with inspired instructors and administrators to
bring students face to face with issues that shape neighborhoods. We are excited
by the challenge of working in different contexts, from afterschool math and
science enrichment programs to Regents-based biology classes, in high school art
classrooms and college architecture studios. Potential programs can range from
semester-long, project-specific curricula to single-session workshops.

Professional Development
CUP provides workshops for teachers and administrators—helping educators
connect students to their communities through art and design.

Exhibition Design and Development

Even in the Internet age, physical exhibitions retain a special power to bring
together people and ideas. Working with historical museums, art institutions, pro-
fessional organizations, and community groups, CUP curates, develops, and
92 The New Humanitarians

designs educational environments on a variety of scales, from kiosks to museums.

Call or e-mail Damon Rich to discuss CUP’s ability to help you bring your audi-
ence together with your ideals.

Video Production
CUP produces videos that bring clarity to complex questions, using techniques
from documentary film and digital animation.

MEASURING SUCCESS
Because we work in the interpretive sphere and not in direct advocacy, or direct
services, the success of our work is not directly measurable by standard metrics.
Certainly, we measure success by the number of people who attend our events,
complete our programs, and order/use our tools. We believe that we have built
many coalitions and have had a positive effect on the politics of the city. Quite
often our work is interpretive. Since we do not build buildings or create new
structures, we attempt to help people understand the problems that exist within
the urban environment where those structures might be built. This hopefully will
lead to policy reassessment and to positive change. A prime example of this was
the project we did in downtown New York City called What’s Poppin’ on Fulton
Mall, profiled earlier in this chapter.

FUNDING
CUP is funded primarily through foundations and contracts with schools and
organizations that hire its services. A smaller amount comes from private bene-
factors and donors. CUP’s largest grants this year will be about $25,000. The
annual budget is around $200,000.
When it started in 2002, CUP had a budget of $5,000. Its first project was
funded by a gift from a local radio station, Hot 97, which donated a mixer we sold
on eBay. Until about two years ago, all projects were worked on by volunteers.

NEXT STEPS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

We are always trying to produce work that is geared to the specific needs of the
local community. Our collaborative research teams are considering new ways of
designing exhibits that are more durable and long lasting. At the same time, we
keep trying to figure out how we can produce models and exhibitions that are
nimble and can be easily assembled and disassembled. There is also a need for
more Web design and media projects.
We would like to get more people involved in our efforts, and to be a resource
for activists that want to do more design work. We are producing new programs
that are specifically designed to attract such talent to our organization.
Center for Urban Pedagogy 93

FOUNDER AND STAFF

Damon Rich is the Founder and Chair of CUP, a nonprofit organization that
educates communities about design, planning, and politics. After training
as an architect at Columbia University, Damon worked for New York City’s
Department of Parks and Recreation, eventually becoming the chief of staff
for capital projects. Since leaving the department in 2000, in addition to
running CUP, Damon has taught design at schools including Parsons the
New School of Design, Heritage High School, the Brooklyn Museum, the
Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, and the Queens Library Adult
Learning Center. He also writes regularly about architecture and politics for
publications including the Village Voice, Nation, Metropolis, and
Architecture. Recently, Damon was awarded a New York State Council on the
Arts award for his work with adult literacy and architecture, as well as a fel-
lowship from the MacDowell Colony for his work on the history of urban
renewal. From 2007, Damon has served as a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard
Graduate School of Design.
Rosten Woo, Executive Director, has been producing public educational projects
with CUP since 1999. He teaches design history and theory at Parsons the New
School for Design and produces historical research and writing on history,
design, and public policy for Place Matters, the Municipal Arts Society,
Metropolis magazine, and the Village Voice. He has also worked as a researcher
and policy analyst for a variety of nonprofit organizations, including Common
Ground Community and the Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center.
He serves on the boards of like-minded nonprofits, Place in History and
Groundswell Community Mural Project. He received his BA in government
from Cornell University.
Valeria Mogilevich, Program Manager, a native New Yorker, coordinates the
execution of design and education projects about the city’s inner workings
as CUP’s Program Manager. She comes from a background in visual studies
and film as well as architectural theory, with a degree from Brown
University in modern culture and media (magna cum laude, 2004). In addi-
tion to working many years in the nonprofit sector, she is an independent
film curator specializing in scientific films. Valeria is also on pest-control
patrol in the CUP office.
Lize Mogel, Development, Associate/Artist, is an artist who makes maps, distrib-
uting and inserting her projects into urban public space. She has produced
site-specific cartographic projects for transit shelters in Los Angeles and for
former World’s Fair sites in North America. Lize also has worked with the
Journal of Aesthetics and Protest and the Center for Land Use Interpretation in
Los Angeles. As a fundraiser, she was a grants officer at the Museum of Con-
temporary Art in Los Angeles from 2002–4, where she was responsible for
foundation and government giving. She works as a grants consultant for the
Center for Advanced Visual Studies at MIT and Good Old Lower East Side,
among others.
94 The New Humanitarians

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)
Founder: Damon Rich
Mission/Description: The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) creates educa-
tional projects about places and how they change. Their projects bring together
art and design professionals—artists, graphic designers, architects, urban
planners—with community-based advocates and researchers—organizers,
government officials, academics, service providers, and policymakers. These
partners work with CUP staff to create projects ranging from high school
curricula to educational exhibitions. Their work grows from a belief that the
power of imagination is central to the practice of democracy, and that the work
of governing must engage the dreams and visions of citizens. CUP believes in
the legibility of the world around us. It is the CUP philosophy that by learning
how to investigate, we train ourselves to change what we see.
Website: anothercupdevelopment.org
Address: CUP
At the Old American Can Factory
232 Third Street #B402B
Brooklyn, NY 11215 USA
Phone: +1.718.596.7721
E-mail: info@anothercupdevelopment.org
 7

Endeavor: High-Impact
Entrepreneurs, High-Impact
Change
Stephanie Benjamin, Teresa
Barttrum, Annie Khan, and
Valeria Levit

MISSION STATEMENT
Endeavor transforms the economies of emerging markets by identifying and
supporting high-impact entrepreneurs. High-impact entrepreneurs have the
biggest ideas and most ambitious plans. They have the potential to create thriving
companies that employ hundreds, even thousands of people, and generate mil-
lions in wages and revenues. And they have the power to inspire countless others.
Endeavor targets only these high-impact entrepreneurs. Endeavor helps them
to break down society’s barriers to success, offers world-class strategic advice, and
open doors to capital. With Endeavor’s guidance, these entrepreneurs become role
models, encourage others to innovate and take risks, and create sustainable eco-
nomic growth.
Together, Endeavor and high-impact entrepreneurs change industries, com-
munities, and entire countries.

HISTORY
Ten years ago in Latin America, economic interests were focused on the two
extremes of the population: the poor and the very successful. Microfinancing
helped the poor population get loans to start small businesses, which were needed
to survive. At the other end of the spectrum, investors focused on large, national
multiconglomerates. There was an overlooked segment of emerging markets
made up of middle-sized companies that were not being offered any type of
mentorship or guidance. Linda Rottenberg, a graduate of Harvard College and
Yale Law School, saw there was opportunity in the emerging markets that was
going unnoticed. In order to spur economic growth in emerging markets and
bridge the gap between microcredit organizations and large-scale public-works
projects, Linda Rottenberg co-founded Endeavor, along with fellow Yale Law

95
96 The New Humanitarians

School graduate Peter Kellner, in 1997. They realized that if they configured a
model that fused these segments of the emerging market economics together, a
sizeable momentum for middle-sized businesses could be created. This momen-
tum would enable the small- to middle-sized companies to expand, thereby
enhancing private-sector development in Latin America and providing the oppor-
tunity for vast economic growth and expansion.
Endeavor grew around the goal of making an impact one entrepreneur at a
time. The founders believed that if you inspired one entrepreneur, that person
would inspire the next, and then each of these would inspire others, creating
waves of change. Endeavor’s founders were not looking at change on a national
scale; rather, they were looking at change in human terms: human capital and the
ability for human beings to change things.
To initiate the waves of change, Endeavor planned to go into Latin American
countries and partner with the local business leaders where they would focus on
two main goals. The first goal was to create jobs where employment was chal-
lenged. Endeavor wanted to scale companies in order to create a sizable number
of jobs so that more people could work. Second, Endeavor wanted to alter the per-
ception some of the cultures had when it came to taking risks. Entrepreneurship
was not a viable option in many of these emergent market countries because of
the cultural aversion to failure.
Initial funding for Endeavor came about from Linda Rottenberg knocking on
investors’ doors and presenting them with the issues facing entrepreneurs in Latin
America. People called her crazy for doing this, but she stuck with it and contin-
ued to show people the value that Endeavor could bring to communities in these
countries. She framed the proposition in this way: “You’re a business leader and
you’re an Argentinean; you have an obligation to help bring your country to a
level where the currency is not collapsing and the economy is sound.” Her per-
sistence with this argument eventually led to a couple of business leaders taking a
risk on her dream, and funding was provided by an Argentine business leader and
from the AVINA group. AVINA’s mission, which can be found at www.avina.net,
states, “We contribute to sustainable development in Latin America by encourag-
ing productive alliances based on trust among social and business leaders and by
brokering consensus around agendas for action.” With this initial investment,
Rottenberg and Kellner introduced Endeavor in Argentina and Chile.

THE ENDEAVOR APPROACH

Endeavor’s plan for helping midsized companies followed this comprehensive,
five-step approach: (1) identify high-growth, innovative entrepreneurs lacking
systemic support; (2) support selected Endeavor Entrepreneurs by supplying
mentoring, training, networks, and access to capital; (3) unite investors, mentors,
and entrepreneurs in a network bound by shared values and goals; (4) disseminate
best practices in entrepreneurship through conferences, media, case studies, and
online tools; (5) promote local entrepreneurial role models to encourage belief
Endeavor: High-Impact Entrepreneurs, High-Impact Change 97

that individuals living anywhere, from any background, can turn ideas into world-
class ventures. Endeavor also identified five barriers to entrepreneurship that pre-
vent ideas from becoming high-impact businesses. These include lack of role
models, limited knowledge about new venture creation, limited access to smart
capital, lack of trust, and lack of management expertise and contacts. Their five-
step approach, explained in detail below, addresses each of these barriers.
The first part of Endeavor’s plan required locating innovative, high-impact
entrepreneurs. Rottenberg and Kellner sought out the ones who had the biggest
ideas and most ambitious plans. They looked for candidates with the potential to
create thriving companies that could employ hundreds, even thousands of people,
and generate millions in wages and revenues. And they looked for entrepreneurs
who would have the power to inspire countless others.
The process of locating the entrepreneurs who will become Endeavor Entre-
preneurs currently takes six to eight months in each country. Rottenberg and
Kellner analyze hundreds of entrepreneurs in search of the best emerging-market
role models. Endeavor is not out to save companies that are struggling and rarely
works with companies that are start-ups. They identify middle-sized companies
that are between three and ten years old, are already generating a sizable amount
of income, and appear to have the potential to expand exponentially. Each poten-
tial company goes through a very rigorous search and selection process. The
guidelines for the search criteria include the categories of entrepreneurial initia-
tive, business innovation, values and ethics, role model potential, development
impact, and overall fit with Endeavor.
According to Endeavor, the criterion of entrepreneurial initiative focuses on
whether the entrepreneur has demonstrated the vision, persistence, and drive to
transform a new venture into a successful business. Readiness to take the business to
the next level is also an essential component to the selection process. Exploring
the likelihood of the business being able to change or improve a particular
industry within the country or region is also an aspect of the criterion of business
innovation. Each business must demonstrate its integrity and respect for the rule
of the law, making their values and ethics clear to investors and consumers. The
development impact criterion involves judging if the business has the potential to
have substantial economic value through revenues, wages, and job creation.
Finally, Endeavor must be able to see how its assistance can substantially increase
the entrepreneur’s chance for success. The entrepreneur needs to be able to accept
input from and also give back to Endeavor in a mutually beneficial fashion.
Candidates are scouted by proactive research done by the Endeavor staff, from
recommendations through the Endeavor network, or by nomination through the
Endeavor website. The process of selection involves several levels of increasingly
difficult interviews and reviews. The initial interview is conducted by the Endeavor
staff to assess viability as a candidate. Then, a second opinion review takes place,
during which senior-level VentureCorps advisors conduct multiple interviews with
each candidate, probing business strategy, innovation, growth potential, and the
entrepreneur’s personal qualities. A local selection panel made up of ten to fifteen
98 The New Humanitarians

VentureCorps and local board members interview candidates, deliberate, and

select candidates for an international panel. The final review involves a managing
director from another Endeavor office, who interviews the candidate, and a finance
expert, who reviews the prospective company’s financials. If an entrepreneur
passes through all these levels, the company can then be presented to the Interna-
tional Selection Panel, made up of international business leaders. Only after the
International Selection Panel interviews, deliberates, and unanimously votes on
candidates can they then become Endeavor Entrepreneurs.

TAKING ENDEAVOR ENTREPRENEURS TO SCALE

Endeavor differentiates itself from others in the entrepreneurship-support
sphere in two critical ways: who it identifies and how it supports them. At selec-
tion, Endeavor Entrepreneurs typically run young businesses with $0.5 million
to $15 million in revenues and with high-growth potential. These businesses are
caught in development’s no-man’s land. Endeavor steps in because these entre-
preneurs need far more than a small loan from a microfinance institution, but
they are not yet big enough or proven enough to attract the attention of multi-
lateral institutions, such as the World Bank or private equity firms. As of 2005,
198 Endeavor Entrepreneurs from 140 companies have been certified through
Endeavor’s rigorous search and selection process, screened from a pool of
14,044 applicants.
The second part of Endeavor’s approach is to establish a support system for the
selected entrepreneurs. Endeavor provides them with the world-class resources
they need to achieve the greatest impact. After designing a customized, eighteen-
month assessment plan, Endeavor provides the specific tools and services these
entrepreneurs will need to thrive. This means offering access to mentors and to
strategic consulting, both on-site and off-site. To help these entrepreneurs con-
front their most serious business challenges, Endeavor matches them with busi-
ness professionals in its network with relevant expertise, knowledge, and contacts.
These VentureCorps advisors give critical feedback and guidance to the entrepre-
neurs on an ongoing basis. Endeavor’s VentureCorps is made up of high-level
consultants, investment bankers, lawyers, accountants, venture capitalists, entre-
preneurs, and corporate executives.
Whether a company’s need is raising capital, revamping a business model, or
looking to franchise out a business plan, Endeavor identifies the tipping point that
is preventing each company from going big. Endeavor gives the companies an
entrée into a network of individuals they otherwise would not have had access to,
including top business leaders both in their countries and from the United States.
Endeavor recruits top MBA students from leading U.S. business schools to
spend their ten-week summers working on-site with the entrepreneurs to help
them develop a business plan or market entry strategy. The projects include
honed business plans, analyses of company growth options, and market feasibil-
ity studies. Endeavor also engages MBA students throughout the year in off-site
Endeavor: High-Impact Entrepreneurs, High-Impact Change 99

consulting projects through partnerships with programs such as MIT’s Global

G-Lab and Harvard Business School’s Field Studies, among others. In several Latin
American countries, Endeavor has partnered with the Boston Consulting Group in
order to provide further strategic guidance to the chosen Endeavor Entrepreneurs.

THE ENDEAVOR GLOBAL NETWORK

The third component of the model is another key to the success of the
Endeavor Entrepreneurs, and it revolves around peer and professional network-
ing. Endeavor unites their Endeavor Entrepreneurs with each other, creating a
global community of peers. Each month, Endeavor countries arranges meetings
for the Endeavor Entrepreneurs to share experiences, give each other advice, and
discuss the challenges common to entrepreneurs in their country. For many
emerging-market entrepreneurs, this is the first time they have met with others
who understand their commitment and drive to create something new. One result
of arranging these contacts between companies is that an entire community has
developed where everyone involved is encouraged to think big and take risks. This
has helped to circumvent certain barriers that have historically prevented local
business from thriving in Latin American countries. Having access to an empa-
thetic community of like-minded entrepreneurs is very important since there has
traditionally been a marked stigma attached to failure; the aversion to risk has
prevented other entrepreneurs from following through with original business
ventures.
Other barriers have included a lack of mentors and a lack of readily available
networking opportunities. Endeavor overcame these obstacles by setting up a
local board of directors in each country, again with the top business people, and
then by setting up a network of companies or other individuals who spend the
time helping each company go to scale.
The fourth component of the model involves organizing exclusive workshops,
seminars, individual presentations, and other special events for the selected
entrepreneurs. These events occur locally on a monthly basis, and globally in
Endeavor’s annual New York City Leadership Forums and bi-annual Entrepreneur
Immersion Tours. By directly assisting these selected entrepreneurs, Endeavor
seeks to promote entrepreneurship on a broader local scale and also to bring
Endeavor Entrepreneurs onto the international playing field. Endeavor works to
increase local awareness about entrepreneurship and share best practices of the
business creation process by partnering with local universities and the media, and
by implementing policy reform. To encourage entrepreneurship among young
people, Endeavor works with local business universities to develop entrepreneurship
curricula. Endeavor convenes events for their entrepreneurs to present their com-
panies to local university students. In addition, Endeavor works with professors at
the top U.S. business schools to write case studies on Endeavor Entrepreneurs in
order to share the lessons of the emerging-market entrepreneurship with a global
academic community.
100 The New Humanitarians

Through partnerships with major media publications, Endeavor promotes a

culture of entrepreneurship to a mass audience. In Argentina, Endeavor produces
a sixteen-page monthly newspaper section with La Nacion, the nation’s most pres-
tigious newspaper, which relates real histories of Argentine entrepreneurs. In
Brazil, Endeavor and leading business magazine Voce S.A. sponsor the Entrepre-
neurs of the New Brazil award to recognize Brazilian entrepreneurs who have
potential to become leaders in the Brazilian economy.
Endeavor is also working in partnership with the multilaterals to examine the
policy and legislative changes that emerging-market governments can make to
facilitate the development of incentives for new business creation and venture
capital investing. In every country in which they operate, Endeavor and its
entrepreneurs have met with government leaders to lobby for necessary infra-
structure changes.

CONTRIBUTING TO WORLDWIDE SOLUTIONS

Endeavor saw the reality that it is not just one person or one solution to solve
a problem. Issues such as global development or poverty are not going to be
addressed just by issuing microfinance; there has to be a series of steps in think-
ing about how to get countries toward development, which is essentially one of
the areas that Endeavor addresses. Endeavor offers alternative and additional solu-
tions to other programs that are out there; it tries to ensure that the solutions
being worked on compliment other organizations—not compete with them.
Endeavor attempts to work in synchrony to make progress in global development.
Private-sector solutions have become a priority in the world, and people are see-
ing the increased importance of creating jobs, helping to show how the growth of
the private sector is a solution to getting people out of poverty. Endeavor ensures
that its entrepreneurs are being connected with other corporations based on the
prospective goal of having the companies work together to address global prob-
lems, such as poverty and a struggling economy, from a united front.
The last part of Endeavor’s five-step model focuses on the goal that each
Endeavor Entrepreneur will ultimately be able to give back to his or her commu-
nity, and also inspire others in the community to become entrepreneurs. In the
United States, entrepreneurs have become community leaders and philanthro-
pists, donating time, money, and knowledge to their local communities. Endeavor
aims to foster this same philanthropic tradition in emerging markets. In every
Endeavor country, Endeavor Entrepreneurs have begun reinvesting in the local
office through voluntary financial donations that help make the in-country oper-
ations self-sustainable. As community leaders and role models, these entrepre-
neurs also mentor other earlier-stage entrepreneurs, share their stories to inspire
future generations, spearhead socially responsible business initiatives, and launch
their own nonprofit organizations.
With Endeavor’s guidance, the entrepreneurs become role models; they
encourage others to innovate and take risks, and they create sustainable economic
Endeavor: High-Impact Entrepreneurs, High-Impact Change 101

growth. The entrepreneurs do not just spend a year or two working with
Endeavor, and then the relationship is over. Once an entrepreneur’s company has
achieved a certain level of growth, Endeavor’s goal is that the company will con-
tinue giving back to the community and always being aware of and promoting
further economic expansion well into the future. These may seem like lofty plans
for midsized companies, but this model is hard to argue with when looking at
Endeavor’s record of success at helping entrepreneurs reach their potential.

ENDEAVOR’S VALUE PROPOSITION

Full potential, according to Endeavor, does not just mean accumulation of
monetary capital for the company. Endeavor has created a “value proposition,”
demonstrating how stimulating entrepreneurship can transform entire emerging-
market societies. The value proposition breaks down the combined effects of
Endeavor working with a high-impact entrepreneur into five different categories
of capital: financial, human, social, intellectual and cultural. Financial capital cre-
ates new jobs and wealth by unleashing new talent. With Endeavor’s backing and
active support, 55 percent of Endeavor Entrepreneur companies have collectively
raised approximately $908.4 million in equity financing. Human capital develops
leaders through hands-on training and advising. One measure of human capital
is that 86 percent of Endeavor Companies provide in-house training and education
to employees. Social capital mobilizes networks to attract investors and business
mentors. An example of social capital is the 23,334 hours of one-on-one mentor-
ing given by top professionals in Endeavor’s VentureCorps. Intellectual capital pro-
duces cutting-edge research and sparks innovation. There have been 246 major
entrepreneurship awards received by Endeavor and its entrepreneurs, illustrating
how well their positive influences around the world have been recognized. Lastly,
cultural capital showcases role models to generate opportunity and influence pol-
icy. Currently, 80.8 percent of Endeavor Entrepreneurs are financially giving back
to Endeavor, promoting the program’s continued expansion and growth.
Endeavor measures its own success by looking at the success of each the com-
panies with which it works. Today, 96 percent of Endeavor Entrepreneur compa-
nies are still operating in countries where the vast majority of entrepreneurial
ventures typically close within forty-two months. Sixty-eight percent of Endeavor
Entrepreneurs were the first in their communities to receive outside financing or
institutional support. Over 1,000 angel investors and venture capitalists recog-
nize Endeavor’s seal of approval. Endeavor’s goal of expanding private sector
development in emerging market economies is growing fast, especially if one
looks at the fact that 380,593 people have already received entrepreneurial edu-
cation directly through Endeavor. Aside from numbers, Endeavor also measures
its success by observing how Endeavor Entrepreneurs continue to think big and
creatively, and continue to expand and grow. They inspire others in their com-
munities to open businesses and become entrepreneurs, thus continuing the cycle
of economic expansion.
102 The New Humanitarians

THE IMPACT OF ENDEAVOR ENTREPRENEURS

Endeavor offers evidence that high-impact entrepreneurs produce significantly
more jobs than the average small-to-medium-sized (SME) companies. The aver-
age number of people employed by Endeavor Entrepreneurs is 263. High-impact
entrepreneurs create high-value jobs that pay well, with benefits. Endeavor Entre-
preneurs have created 79,386 jobs paying on average ten times the national mini-
mum wage, generated US$1.9 billion in revenues during 2006 alone, and with
Endeavor’s support, secured close to US$1 billion in financing. Ninety-one per-
cent of Endeavor Entrepreneurs provide more benefits than those required by law.
High-impact entrepreneurs develop innovations that improve the quality of
life. Innovation has been proven to lead to increases in the minimum wage and
other measures of the standard of living. Of Endeavor Entrepreneurs, 81 percent
invest in research and development, with 50 percent having secured, or are in the
process of securing, patents.
High-impact entrepreneurs attract investment capital, encouraging a virtuous
cycle of growth. Even in the United States, fewer than half of new firms survive
past the four-year mark. High-impact entrepreneurs are role models. Endeavor
Entrepreneurs know approximately 5,800 people whom they have influenced to
start high-impact businesses.
With Endeavor’s ongoing support, Endeavor Entrepreneurs generated rev-
enues of US$1.9 billion in 2006. Yet Endeavor operated in 2006 with a worldwide
budget of only US$6.87 million. This 276 multiple illustrates how Endeavor effec-
tively leverages its services and support to help entrepreneurs achieve success.
Endeavor is in the top 2 percent of employers at Stanford’s Graduate School of
Business and is one of the most successful recruiters at the Harvard Business
School. In 2007 alone, Endeavor screened over 350 MBA candidates, selecting 33
from ten top business schools to work for Endeavor Entrepreneurs and local
Endeavor affiliates.
In the United States, access to professional support networks is commonplace.
Endeavor Entrepreneurs cite lack of access to key networks as their number one
obstacle prior to working with Endeavor. Millions of citizens have heard the stories
of Endeavor Entrepreneurs in classrooms, conferences, and local media. Interna-
tionally, these entrepreneurs are writing books, becoming regular commentators
on CNNenEspañol, and taking part in politics; Endeavor Entrepreneurs are
becoming real leaders in their countries and are being recognized as role models
around the world. There are 117 case studies on Endeavor Entrepreneurs being
taught in universities around the world, and 3,497 youth in emerging markers have
taken up the entrepreneurial path directly because of an Endeavor success story.

Endeavor Entrepreneur: OfficeNet

One example of a private-sector business that Endeavor helped catapult into
being a large, multinational company is OfficeNet, an office supply company
started in Argentina by Andres Freire and Santiago Bilinkis. Andres and Santiago
Endeavor: High-Impact Entrepreneurs, High-Impact Change 103

finished their undergraduate studies at a top Argentine university and joined the
majority of their peers as middle managers at Proctor & Gamble. Every Thursday
night from 1995 to 1996, the twenty-four-year-old aspiring entrepreneurs met in
a Buenos Aires bar to brainstorm ideas even though they had few local role mod-
els, no education on the entrepreneurial process, and little encouragement from
family and friends.
One day, they hit upon the idea of creating the Staples of Latin America—taking
advantage of the fragmented, inefficient office-supply industry and resolving to
transform it through technology, reliable service, and modern marketing strategies.
They spent months studying each aspect of the U.S. business and learning the
Argentine market. They named their office supply company OfficeNet. Rather than
launching retail stores, which had high capital requirements, Office Net was
designed to be entirely delivery based. The concept of using telemarketers and cat-
alogs was rarely employed in the Argentine market. Every time Andres and Santiago
approached an investor, they were immediately refused. Finally, in the spring of
1997, they convinced a wealthy businessman to give them $50,000 in exchange for
100 percent ownership of the firm. Andres and Santiago seized the deal. Six months
later, in 1998, when Endeavor first discovered the young entrepreneurs, OfficeNet
had twenty-two employees and annual sales projections of $2 million.
With the help of Endeavor’s network of venture capitalists, Andres and Santiago
renegotiated a deal with their investors and went from zero ownership to 35 percent
equity participation. Endeavor provided mentoring on financing, growth, and lead-
ership development. Endeavor sent a Stanford MBA to develop a business model for
regional expansion. Endeavor introduced the entrepreneurs to investors in Brazil,
opening doors for OfficeNet’s expansion into that country as well.
Today, OfficeNet is the largest and fastest-growing office supply company in
Latin America. In 2004 Andres and Santiago sold the business to Staples. They
have won numerous awards and are frequently featured in newspapers and tel-
evision. They have shared their story with thousands of people at Endeavor con-
ferences and university-sponsored events. Andres and Santiago were the first
Endeavor Entrepreneurs to take active roles in giving back to Endeavor. Santiago
became the first Endeavor Entrepreneur to join the board of Endeavor Argentina,
and Andres recently joined Endeavor’s Global Advisory Board. OfficeNet currently
serves 40,000 companies in Argentina and Brazil; there are currently 520 employees
and annual revenues total US$57.4 million.
OfficeNet is good example for how Endeavor chooses and works with compa-
nies. OfficeNet had a fairly well-established business, but it was only with the help
of Endeavor that it was able to expand into another country, and the owners were
able to gain 35 percent equity in their company.

THE LEARNING CURVE

Endeavor is the only nonprofit of its kind, and it has not been without its fail-
ures and lessons. It has had huge learning experiences, especially when Endeavor
104 The New Humanitarians

first started selecting entrepreneurs. Endeavor recognized different categories of

entrepreneurs; some were considered to be diamonds in the rough, and others
were seen as sure-fire successes. The big lesson Endeavor learned was that some
of the entrepreneurs selected as sure-fire successes did not necessarily need help
to become successful. Endeavor began to hone its search to focus on those entre-
preneurs who really needed Endeavor in order to reach their maximum growth
potential. Endeavor is not just looking to join up with a company because it is
going to become successful; rather, the goal is for there to be a mutually benefi-
cial relationship.
Fundamentally, Endeavor operates on the belief that there are entrepreneurs in
every corner of the world and opportunity for great growth in all emerging-
market countries. Endeavor operates in countries where it believes it will have the
cooperation and support of the people who are going to be responsible for help-
ing to take the middle-sized companies to scale. This includes identifying coun-
tries with stable economic growth and low corruption levels. Endeavor works with
top business leaders, who not only provide the financial means for Endeavor to
establish presence, but also agree to work and identify the entrepreneurs that are
selected and helped to become the success stories that their countries really need.

Endeavor Entrepreneur: Geomar

Another example of an Endeavor Entrepreneur going from a midsized com-
pany to a large-scale success can be seen by looking at the story of Javier Donoso
from Chile, who now exports seafood products to Asia, Europe, and the United
States through his company, Geomar. Javier had taken over his family’s clothes
manufacturing company to pay for his college tuition, and he significantly
increased revenues and employees by 400 percent and 7,000 percent, respectively.
Years later, after visiting Asia, he saw an opportunity to export nontraditional
seafood products from Chile; this vision soon became transformed into Geomar.
Geomar produces gourmet, canned seafood products. The company purchases
fresh seafood from the local fishing industry along Chile’s 3,000 miles of coast and
immediately processes the products in its Conception-based plant. Within twelve
hours of arrival, the products are de-shelled; cut to market specifications; classified
by color, size and type; and sterilized and packaged. The company has invested
heavily in intense quality control, close interaction with clients, and value-added
processes to build long-term brand loyalty in its target markets. Despite initial
resistance from distributors to promoting a foreign brand, Geomar had established
a strong presence throughout Asia when Endeavor met Javier.
An Endeavor MBA student and the G-Lab teams from MIT researched interna-
tional expansion opportunities for Geomar. Endeavor Chile’s board of directors
and VentureCorps mentors helped Javier raise capital and negotiate with share-
holders. Endeavor mentors provided guidance on internationalization, including
currency transactions and capital structure. Endeavor mentors also helped develop
a market penetration strategy and then forged business leads for the U.S. market.
Endeavor: High-Impact Entrepreneurs, High-Impact Change 105

Endeavor’s financial restructuring enabled Geomar to experience 225 percent

sales growth and 193 percent job growth. Javier subsequently received financing
from a large Chilean investment group. He has had successful expansion into
Spain and into the United States. He presented at the New York Fancy Food Show
in 2004–6. Today, Javier is a local leader in the Entrepreneur Network and a great
role model; he has been spearheading Endeavor Chile’s Entrepreneur Reinvest
Program. As evidenced by Javier’s experience, local and international growth as
well as increased numbers of jobs are all hallmarks of Endeavor Entrepreneurs.

LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

Endeavor went from concept to reality based on the unfaltering belief held by
the founders that entrepreneurs exist everywhere. Entrepreneurs inspire people
to think big, and they also go out achieve results themselves. Endeavor is proac-
tive about helping the entrepreneurs and also about recording and reporting
results. Endeavor does this in order for the entrepreneurs to see how they have
changed and grown, and also to illustrate how much more they can achieve. For
a company to be able to see its recent growth in specific facts and figures and to
be able to visualize its future potential is a motivating factor for each Endeavor
Entrepreneur.
In terms of opportunities and obstacles, Endeavor is unique in that is sees
them as being the same thing: both provide the chance to grow and thrive. When
it comes to the cliché about the glass being half-empty or half-full, Endeavor
always sees its glass as being half-full. It approaches challenges with a positive
attitude, and by promoting a working environment where there is a lot of sup-
port available, Endeavor helps entrepreneurs treat their own obstacles as oppor-
tunities. Every problem that arises can be solved in an innovative matter, and
Endeavor tries to inspire entrepreneurs to think in those terms as well. The entre-
preneurs internalize this way of thinking, and then they can instill positive think-
ing in other people in their communities. Another way that Endeavor is unique is
that its model can be easily molded to the individual needs of each client regard-
less of where the client is located. Endeavor’s assistance is practical and useful
since it encourages original thinking and adapts to the specific need faced by each
individual entrepreneur.
Endeavor encourages innovative thinking, and it practices what it preaches.
The CEO, Linda Rottenberg, is a leader who believes in listening to and being very
supportive of her staff. She solicits advice from all those around her and believes
that is a large reason for the success of Endeavor. When it comes to thinking about
entrepreneurship in emerging markets, she cited Golda Meir as being one of her
influences because Meir was a really strong woman who led Israel during a very
precarious time.
Within these emerging-market countries, Endeavor is considered the “go to”
organization for entrepreneurship: governments have approached Endeavor to
draft policies; investors rely on Endeavor’s seal of approval; universities partner
106 The New Humanitarians

with Endeavor to create case studies; and individuals attend Endeavor-sponsored

conferences and download materials to learn concrete steps on the entrepreneur-
ial process. The organization produces impact reports every year that contain a
very extensive metrics page focused on measuring Endeavor’s impact on these
countries in terms of job creation and education received through entrepreneur-
ial workshops. The numbers are measurements used to illustrate the continuing
success of Endeavor and are a testament to the efforts of business leaders and gov-
ernment officials around the world.
Countries outside of Latin America have taken notice of these success stories,
and Endeavor expansion plans are going to be at the heart of the organization’s
focus for the coming years. The organization has been approached by the presi-
dent of Ghana, who said they need Endeavor in Ghana. Business leaders in
Lebanon, Egypt, India, and throughout Asia and the Middle East have been clam-
oring for Endeavor to bring its model to their countries as well. Endeavor sees this
as proof in and of itself that it is succeeding. After only ten years of operation,
Endeavor currently operates in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, South
Africa, Turkey, and Uruguay, and Endeavor India will be opening next. The ambi-
tious expansion plan the organization is embarking upon has the goal of reaching
twenty-five emerging markets, including countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle
East, all within the next decade.

Endeavor Entrepreneur: Stitch Wise

One of the Endeavor Entrepreneurs who reflects Endeavor’s growing global
impact outside of Latin America is Natalie Killassy. She has been able to reduce the
number of rock fatalities at AngloGoldAshanti’s Mines in South Africa. Falling
debris is a major cause of injuries and fatalities, and the stitching that Natalie
designed prevents rocks from falling out of mining bags. In 1997, Natalie Killassy
began a sewing company on the Western Deep Levels mine in the Gauteng
Province of South Africa. Struck by the substantial number of men who were
made paraplegics though mining accidents, and who no longer capable of mine
work, she persuaded AngloGoldAshanti to provide machines and workspace for a
new venture called Stitch Wise. After customizing sewing machines to suit dis-
abled workers, she chose protective rainwear as the company’s first product. Real-
izing that many of her workers’ injuries stemmed from rock falls, Natalie spent
eighteen months in a deep, underground mine test site to develop improved
equipment to prevent roof collapse. Her solutions included improved backfill
bags that support overhead rock. These products are now industry standard and
are critical to the industry. “Without backfill bags, we’d be out of business,” said
one senior manager at AngloGoldAshanti on a National Geographic documen-
tary. Made from woven polypropylene fabric, Stitch Wise backfill bags are more
resilient and safer than the typical wooden supports used in mines. Endeavor first
met Natalie in mid-2004 for her first screening interview. She attended the first
panel in South Africa in Cape Town in December 2004.
Endeavor: High-Impact Entrepreneurs, High-Impact Change 107

Endeavor mentors helped Natalie hone her business strategy to stimulate

new growth. Endeavor board members and mentors steered Natalie through
critical negotiations with mining companies and the establishment of a new fac-
tory in Klersdrop. Endeavor sent three MBA interns: the first two MBAs helped
simplify ownership structure, and the third MBA helped design an employee
ownership plan.
Today, Natalie has 145 employees—nearly half of whom are paraplegics. With
Endeavor’s mentorship, she has redefined her business strategy and now has a
profitable business with US$5.9 billion in revenues in 2007—proving that a
socially conscious business can compete on price and quality. Natalie supplies
12,000 patented backfill bags a year to the mining industry—50 percent of the
South African market. The South African Bureau of Standards recently retained
Natalie to write the industry’s specification for backfill and retention materials.
Natalie was the first of Endeavor’s South African Entrepreneurs’ class to make a
significant cash donation to Endeavor South Africa as part of the Entrepreneur-
ship Reinvestment Program. With the recent registration of two new patents,
Natalie and Stitch Wise are poised for new growth and broader impact with safety
equipment, training, and the employment of differently abled workers.
Natalie Killassy provides a good example to highlight some of the multifaceted
ways Endeavor chooses and helps its entrepreneurs. Natalie had started up her
own company, which focused on helping those in her community by providing
jobs that could be adapted for handicapped people, and she also recognized the
market for safer products. This matched Endeavor’s goal of increasing community
production and revenue. Her story also provides examples of how Endeavor oper-
ates. It explains how Endeavor goes about improving a company’s business and
expansion plans. Natalie’s company can continue to grow and create new products
because of the help that Endeavor provided for Stitch Wise. The story of Stitch
Wise shows that Endeavor is open to helping all different types of companies, in
all different regions of the world, no matter how specific the entrepreneur’s needs
and goals may be. It also shows how Endeavor Entrepreneurs reinvest in their local
Endeavor office, helping to ensure the program’s continued success.

MEDIA MENTIONS AND AWARDS

Endeavor has attracted quite a lot of media attention. It is estimated that
381.6 million people have been reached through media content about Endeavor
and Endeavor Entrepreneurs. In July 2007, in an updated and expanded paper-
back edition of The World Is Flat (pp. 495–496), the New York Times columnist
Thomas L. Friedman called Endeavor’s model for high-impact entrepreneurship
“the best anti-poverty program of all.” Friedman praises Endeavor’s “mentor
capitalist” model for helping midsize entrepreneurs expand and create jobs, and
for supporting innovation in developing countries worldwide. “As important as
it is to help make poor people into small business people,” Friedman says, “it is
just as important to make small business people in a developing country into
108 The New Humanitarians

big business people who can employ lots of their neighbors.” Friedman goes in to
explain that “it is precisely these sorts of middle-class start-ups and small busi-
nesses that create the most jobs and the greatest innovation in a society.”
This is the “pro-entrepreneurship” example that Friedman says has the “inspi-
rational power” to encourage individuals in the developing world, where role mod-
els are scarce, to think big. “There is no greater motivator for the poor than looking
at one of their own who makes it big and saying: If she can do it, I can do it.”
Endeavor’s “mentor capitalist” model breaks down economic and cultural bar-
riers through rigorous screening and strategic advising from its network of world-
class business leaders. With their guidance, 266 Endeavor Entrepreneurs have
created 79,000 jobs and generated $1.9 billion in revenues.
Endeavor is the only nonprofit that supports high-impact entrepreneurs in
emerging markets. At the White House Conference on the Americas in July 2007,
Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez stated, “We must work to ensure that
there is equal opportunity for everyone in the Americas, not just those at the top
of the economic ladder.” He then cited Endeavor as being one of the top new com-
panies working to help ensure equal opportunities for all people that “has hun-
dreds of case studies of successful Latin pioneers.”1
Endeavor has received numerous awards and notable recognitions for its work.
For the fifth year in a row, Endeavor received the Social Capitalist Award, which
recognizes it as one of the forty-five top-performing nonprofits in the world by
Fast Company/Monitor Group. Some other recent awards include being named
by NuWire Investor as one of the Top 15 Charities for Investors for 2007.
Endeavor co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg won the 2007 Organization of
Women in International Trade’s Woman of the Year Award, which recognizes
women around the world for their efforts in international trade and development.
She also was honored among those receiving the 2007 Women of Worth Award
from the Worth Collection LTD, which celebrates women who have achieved
extraordinary success in their professional pursuits.

FUNDING
Linda Rottenberg started out with two businesses, and since then, Endeavor
has grown exponentially. Endeavor’s aim is to become a fully self-sustaining
organization of, by, and for entrepreneurs. Currently, Endeavor has established an
Entrepreneur Give-Back Program that asks Endeavor Entrepreneurs to donate a
portion of equity or incremental revenues back to the organization in order to
help the next generation of high-impact entrepreneurs succeed. The goal is to
have each Endeavor office self-sustaining ten years after launch. In markets where
there is not a strong tradition of philanthropy, Endeavor is changing the cultural
mind-set and jump-starting a virtuous cycle of giving back.
Sustaining Endeavor financially, at both the local and global levels, involves a
combination of several factors. This model requires an active board of directors
and mentors. Each member on the board of directors pays to be on the board,
Endeavor: High-Impact Entrepreneurs, High-Impact Change 109

which provides much of Endeavor’s funding. Funding also comes from other
places, including corporate donations. The mentors in Endeavor’s VentureCorps
are an essential part of the organization’s entrepreneurial services; they contribute
to Endeavor financially and through their time. Endeavor runs as a decentralized
model: its global office operates separately from its affiliate offices in each coun-
try. This is similar to a franchise model, where each of the offices runs their own
budgeting. This helps ensure that each office is able to focus on the individual
needs of each company without having to conform to a greater global model.
Endeavor continually sets the bar incredibly high, ensuring that investors and
other companies are able to trust the value of the entrepreneurs that Endeavor
connects them to. Endeavor does not bend the rules when it comes to choosing
their entrepreneurs; every entrepreneur must reach the very high threshold defin-
ing what qualifies as a high-impact Endeavor Entrepreneur.

ADVICE TO FUTURE ENTREPRENEURS

These high standards have helped Endeavor have an impressive first ten years,
and the organization is grateful for all its success. However, it does not regret the
mistakes and slipups along the way. Endeavor believes that becoming successful
requires falling down a few times, being able to pick yourself back up, and learn-
ing from your mistakes. There is nothing in Endeavor’s trajectory that the organ-
ization would have done differently, and it is willing to offer advice to others who
are interested in learning about entrepreneurship. Although Endeavor’s main
headquarters in New York has only sixteen staff members, they are interested in
answering questions about entrepreneurship and in collaborating any way that
they can with all interested people. If someone is interested in becoming an entre-
preneur and working with emerging markets, Endeavor highlights the importance
of understanding what communities do and the importance of listening to people.
It promotes getting out into the world and understanding the mechanics of differ-
ent communities. Endeavor describes entrepreneurs as humans who are inspired
by ideas, and says that ideas are the underlying point of any successful venture.
For further reading, Endeavor suggests two books. The first one is The Business
of Changing the World by Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler. It talks about how coop-
erative efforts can engage corporations such as Starbucks with private-sector
development and help emergent market countries get to where they need to be.
Endeavor is also a big advocate of The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman; quota-
tions from the book were mentioned above, and in the book, Friedman talks fur-
ther about the importance of Endeavor’s current projects. Endeavor’s website,
www.Endeavor.org, has much more information, including a data bank of articles
related to private-sector growth in emerging market communities.
Renowned institutions such as the World Economic Forum, World Bank,
Harvard Business School, and the Wall Street Journal, as well as legendary entre-
preneurs Michael Dell and Jerry Yang (Yahoo!), have all recognized Endeavor for
its cutting-edge model for private-sector development. Endeavor is transforming
110 The New Humanitarians

the economies of emerging markets by identifying and supporting high-impact

entrepreneurs. The rise of social entrepreneurship inspires people with business
skills to solve social problems. This solution disrupts the status quo and leads to
long-term, sustainable economic growth all throughout the world.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Endeavor
Founder: Linda Rottenberg
Mission/Description: Established in 1997, Endeavor is a global nonprofit
organization that targets emerging-market countries transitioning from inter-
national aid to international investment. Endeavor helps transform the
economies of emerging markets by identifying and supporting high-impact
entrepreneurs.
High-impact entrepreneurs have the biggest ideas and most ambitious plans.
They have the potential to create thriving companies that employ hundreds,
even thousands, of people, and generate millions in wages and revenues. And
they have the power to inspire countless others.
Endeavor targets only entrepreneurs with high-impact potential. They scour a
country for these entrepreneurs, and they help them break down a society’s
barriers to success, offer world-class strategic advice, and open doors to cap-
ital. With Endeavor’s guidance, these entrepreneurs become role models,
encourage others to innovate and take risks, and create sustainable economic
growth. Together, Endeavor and high-impact entrepreneurs are changing
industries, communities, and entire countries.
Website: www.endeavor.org
Address: Endeavor Global
900 Broadway, Suite 600
New York, NY 10003 USA
Phone: +1.212.352.3200
Fax: +1.212.352.1892
E-mail: info@endeavor.org

NOTE
1. http://www.commerce.gov/NewsRoom/SecretarySpeeches/PROD01_003157
 8

ACCION International
Teresa Barttrum

The mission of ACCION International is to give people the tools they need to
work their way out of poverty. By providing “micro” loans, financial services, and
business training to poor women and men who start their own businesses,
ACCION’s partner microfinance organizations help people work their own way
up the economic ladder with dignity and pride. With capital, people can grow
their own businesses. They can earn enough to afford basics such as running
water, better food, and schooling for their children.
In a world where 3 billion people live on less than $2 a day, it is not enough to
help 1,000 or even 100,000 individuals. ACCION’s goal is to bring microfinance
to tens of millions of people—enough to truly change the world. ACCION knows
that there will never be enough donations to do this. That is why the organization
has created an anti-poverty strategy that is permanent and self-sustaining.
ACCION was founded to address the desperate poverty in Latin America’s
cities. Begun as a student-run volunteer effort in the shantytowns of Caracas,
ACCION today is one of the premier microfinance organizations in the world,
with a network of lending partners that spans Latin America, the United States,
Africa, and now Asia. Over the last four decades, it has built a tradition of devel-
oping innovative solutions to poverty. Although ACCION’s approach has changed
over the years, the driving force behind its mission remains the same: It is still the
people served, the women and men of impoverished communities, who shape its
work. It is their courage and ingenuity, and the tremendous power of their
dreams, that continues to inspire ACCION and to renew its dedication to the
search for new and better solutions to poverty.

HISTORY: A RETROSPECTIVE
ACCION International was founded in 1961 by an idealistic law student
named Joseph Blatchford.
111
112 The New Humanitarians

An amateur tennis player, Blatchford had just completed a goodwill tennis tour of
thirty Latin American cities. He returned haunted by the images of Latin America’s
urban poor: the crowded shantytowns, the open sewers, the hungry and hopeless
faces. Determined to help, Blatchford and his law school friends raised $90,000 from
private companies to start a new kind of organization: a community development
effort designed to help the poor help themselves.
In the summer of 1961, Blatchford and thirty volunteers flew to Venezuela and
set to work. Initially greeted with skepticism, the fledgling “ACCIONistas” were
soon working closely with local residents to identify the community’s most
pressing needs. Together, volunteers and residents installed electricity and sewer
lines, started training and nutrition programs, and built schools and community
centers.
Over the next ten years, ACCION started programs in three more countries:
Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. During that time, the organization placed over 1,000
volunteers and contributed more than $9 million to development in some of the
poorest communities of Latin America.

Microlending Begins
By the early 1970s, ACCION’s leaders were becoming increasingly aware that
their projects did not address the major cause of urban poverty in Latin America:
lack of economic opportunity. “We began to sense that a school or a water system
didn’t necessarily have long-term impact. We were simply reorganizing the
resources that a community already had within it, rather than increasing their
resources,” former ACCION director Terry Holcombe remembered.
The employment situation in the urban centers was dire. Drawn by the mirage
of industrial employment, thousands of rural migrants were flocking to the cities
each year. Once there, however, they found that jobs were scarce. The few that
were available often did not pay a living wage. Unable to find work, and lacking a
social safety net, many of these urban poor started their own small enterprises.
They wove belts, banged out pots, and sold potatoes. But they had no way to grow
their tiny businesses. To buy supplies, they often borrowed from local loan sharks
at rates as high as 10 percent a day. Most of their profits went to interest payments,
leaving them locked in a daily struggle for survival.
In 1973 ACCION staff in Recife, Brazil, noticed the prevalence of these infor-
mal businesses. If these small-scale entrepreneurs could borrow capital at com-
mercial interest rates, they wondered, could they lift themselves out of poverty?
ACCION’s Recife program coined the term “microenterprise” and began issuing
small loans. To ACCION’s knowledge, these first loans helped launched the field
of microcredit.
The experiment in Recife was a success. Within four years, the organization
had provided 885 loans, helping to create or stabilize 1,386 new jobs. ACCION
had found a way to generate new wealth for the working poor of Latin
America.
ACCION International 113

Expanding Opportunity: Building a Model

Over the next decade, ACCION helped start microlending programs in four-
teen countries in Latin America.
ACCION and its partners developed a lending method that met the distinct
needs of microenterprises: small, short-term loans built confidence and a credit
record; site visits replaced paperwork. With a loan repayment rate of 97 percent,
ACCION’s clients soon shattered the myth that the poor were bad credit risks.
Given access to affordable capital, they could and would improve their lives.
ACCION soon found that microlending had another revolutionary quality: it
paid for itself. The interest each borrower paid helped cover the cost of lending to
another.
The ability to cover costs, augmented by ACCION’s new loan guarantee fund,
the Bridge Fund, enabled ACCION’s partners to connect with the local banking
sector and dramatically increase the number of microentrepreneurs they reached.
Between 1989 and 1995, the amount of money loaned by ACCION’s Latin American
Network multiplied more than twenty times. Yet, all the while, ACCION knew
that it was reaching less than 2 percent of the microentrepreneurs in need of its
services.
The organization remained convinced that microlending had the potential to
transform the economic landscape of Latin America. To do so, however, ACCION
knew that microlenders would need access to a much larger pool of capital.
In response, ACCION helped create BancoSol, the first commercial bank in the
world dedicated solely to microenterprise. Founded in Bolivia in 1992, BancoSol
is a bank of the poor: its clients are market vendors, sandal makers, and seam-
stresses. Yet today, BancoSol offers its 82,000 active clients an impressive range of
financial services, including savings accounts, credit cards, and housing loans—
products that just five years ago were accessible only to Bolivia’s upper classes.
In 1994 ACCION helped BancoSol sell certificates of deposit in the U.S. finan-
cial market, certificates backed by nothing more than the good word of a woman
selling oranges on the streets of La Paz. For the first time, the world’s premier
financial institutions invested in microenterprise, not out of charity, but because
it was good business.
BancoSol is no longer unique: more than fifteen ACCION-affiliated organiza-
tions are now regulated financial institutions, and others are on their way. With
the power to access the financial markets, they have the potential to reach not just
thousands, but millions, of the poor.

Bringing Microlending “Home”: The U.S. Initiative

In 1991, concerned about growing income inequality and unemployment in
the United States, ACCION brought its microlending model home, launching a
program in Brooklyn, New York. Like the underprivileged microentrepreneurs
helped by ACCION abroad, the diverse population of small business owners in
114 The New Humanitarians

the United States is faced with a specific set of barriers to accessing business
financing: having no credit history, having damaged credit, or needing a loan
that is too small for a bank to make. These are the people that ACCION aimed
to help so that they, too, could work their way to economic success in a dignified
manner.
Over the next five years, ACCION worked to adapt its lending model to the
very different social and economic context of the United States. In 2000
ACCION’s U.S. initiative was renamed ACCION USA, which today has offices in
Atlanta, Miami, New England, and New York, as well as licensees in California,
Illinois, New Mexico, and Texas. In 2005 the organization expanded its reach
nationwide when it launched its Online Small Business Loan Application,
enabling ACCION USA to offer its small business loans to entrepreneurs through-
out the United States. Together, ACCION USA and its licensees make up the U.S.
ACCION Network, the largest microlending network in the country. By year’s end
2007, the U.S. ACCION Network had loaned more than $206 million to more
than 21,000 low-income entrepreneurs in forty states and Puerto Rico.
A nonprofit subsidiary of ACCION International, ACCION USA is a
community-based organization whose mission is to make access to credit a
permanent resource for small business owners. To reach even more low-income
business owners in need of credit, ACCION USA is centralizing loan processing,
deploying Internet-based lending and call centers, and opening new lending
offices. ACCION USA also capitalizes on innovative partnerships to provide credit
and training to support small business development. ACCION USA has worked
with banks such as Bank of America, Citizens Bank, and Wachovia to promote
referrals of clients who do not meet standard bank requirements. In Miami, com-
munity partner AXA Financial provided funding for ACCION USA clients to
receive one-on-one marketing and accounting training.

ACCION Expands to Africa

In October 2000, ACCION began working in partnership with microlending
organizations in sub-Saharan Africa, marking its first initiative outside the
Americas. Recognizing the vital need for microcredit throughout Africa, ACCION
committed itself to reaching increasing numbers of the continent’s poor, self-
employed men and women in the years to come. Currently, ACCION is providing
technical assistance to microlenders in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda,
with plans to enter Cameroon and Senegal in 2009.

ACCION Expands to India

In 2005 ACCION reached further, to help even more working poor in one of
the world’s most populated countries, India, through the Unitus-ACCION
Alliance for India. Since then it has also established partnerships with microfi-
nance institutions YES Bank, Swadhaar Finaccess, and Grameen Koota.
ACCION International 115

ACCION’S MOTIVATION
According to William Burrus, president and CEO of ACCION USA and former
executive director of ACCION International, “My inspiration comes directly from
the people we serve. Their stories are full of courage, hard work, and dreams.”
These feelings are shared by each staff member at ACCION. ACCION remains a
mission-driven organization, and the people they serve are the driving force
behind its success. When introduced to staff members, one quickly realizes that
ACCION’s mission is the primary reason why people work here. They feel as if
they are making a difference; they feel as if they are cultivating an important tool
for global poverty alleviation.

WHY MICROFINANCE?
Most of the world’s 3 billion poor people cannot find work. Few jobs are avail-
able where they live, and those that are often do not pay a living wage. To survive,
they must create their own jobs by starting tiny businesses or microenterprises.
They make and sell tortillas, sew clothes, or sell vegetables in the street—anything
to put food on the table.
Microentrepreneurs work hard—sometimes eighteen hours a day. Yet with no
capital to grow their businesses, they remain trapped in a cycle of poverty. To open
their businesses each day, they are often forced to borrow from loan sharks, who
charge as much as 10 percent a day, or they pay higher prices to buy goods on
credit. Any profit they earn goes to others, leaving them locked in a daily struggle
for survival. What they need to break free is working capital: a loan as small as
$100 at a fair rate of interest. But most banks will not lend to them. The loans they
need are often considered too small for banks to justify the time and expense to
administer them, and microentrepreneurs lack the collateral and credit history
required by traditional lenders.
That is why ACCION began issuing microloans over forty years ago. A small
loan can cut the cost of raw goods or buy a sewing machine. Sales grow, and so do
profits. With a growing income, people can work their way out of poverty.
In the United States, microfinance helps people move out of welfare, rebuilds
inner city neighborhoods, and provides a viable alternative for those left behind
by factory closings and corporate downsizing.
Microfinance is a smart strategy because it builds on the one asset found in
even the poorest communities: the power and determination of the human
spirit.

HOW ACCION WORKS

Historically, anti-poverty programs have not been able to help more than a tiny
fraction of the world’s poor. There simply is not enough charitable money in the
world to adequately address the challenges, and there never will be. That is why
ACCION is leading the effort to create a permanent answer to poverty. Unlike
116 The New Humanitarians

traditional charities and many other microlending efforts, ACCION’s partner

programs are designed to cover their own costs.
It works like this: borrowers pay interest on their loans, enough to cover the
expense of making a loan. In this way, each borrower helps finance the cost of
lending to the next. The more people the program reaches, the more resources it
has to reach others.
This focus on financial sustainability has helped ACCION’s partner programs
increase the number of people served from 13,000 in 1988 to over 3 million at the
end of 2007.
We now know that microfinance can help the poor and be profitable. In
Mexico, ACCION’s partner Banco Compartamos now serves over 838,000 poor
and low-income entrepreneurs while making a profit. With profits, microfinance
institutions can break free of the limitations of donor funds because they can
attract private investment.
In other words, microfinance has the potential to access billions of dollars in
the international financial markets to help the very people our system has tradi-
tionally left behind. ACCION’s goal is to make this potential a reality.

WHO ARE THE BORROWERS ACCION’S WORK SERVES?

In Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia, ACCION and its partner
programs work with poor, self-employed men and women who rely on microen-
terprise as their main source of income. These individuals range from the very
poor to those who have some assets but remain marginalized from the main-
stream economy and society. ACCION’s Latin American, Caribbean, African, and
Asian borrowers

• Are among the regions’ poorest people at the time of their first loan
• Usually have no collateral
• May not be able to read or write
• May not have enough capital to open for business every day
• Are 65 percent female

In the United States, ACCION USA works with low- and moderate-income
borrowers who have their own businesses but are economically marginalized and
have no access to commercial business loans. They are often unable to afford for-
mal training and frequently have no forum for forming business contacts or
receiving peer support. They are single mothers on public assistance and store-
front owners with small but well-established businesses. Many are recent immi-
grants. ACCION USA borrowers

• Are 86 percent minority

• Are 42 percent female
• Own businesses such as restaurants, retail, computer services, beauty salons,
and taxi services
ACCION International 117

• Often rely on their microbusiness for 50 percent or more of their family

income
• Often have business assets of less than $5,000
• Often have no personal or business credit, or have bad credit prior to receiv-
ing an ACCION loan

THE ACCION MICROFINANCE MODEL

ACCION’s partner programs provide small, short-term loans at interest rates
that reflect the cost of lending. ACCION’s loan methodology and range of finan-
cial services have been designed both to meet the needs of microentrepreneurs
and to ensure that the microfinance organizations it works with are financially
sustainable. Best of all, the model has enabled ACCION’s partners’ clients to work
their own ways up the economic ladder, with dignity and pride.
ACCION considers microentrepreneurs skilled business people, not recipients
of charity. Like traditional banks, ACCION partner programs evaluate potential
borrowers using measurements such as business assets—which could be as small
as a tin stall in the market—amount and cost of goods sold, cost of raw materi-
als, and household expenses. But unlike traditional banks, the partner programs
do not make loans based on revenue or collateral alone. Often, ACCION clients
need only demonstrate a need for the loan and the will to achieve their goals.
Because of the poverty of its clients and their lack of credit history, ACCION
sends loan officers to meet potential borrowers in their places of work, where they
also weigh intangibles such as references from customers and neighbors, and the
loan officer’s own “gut feeling” about the microentrepreneur’s drive to succeed.
This character-based lending allows us to go “beyond the numbers” and develop
a more complete picture of a potential borrower than a traditional credit score.
The character-based lending involves traditional techniques, such as reviewing the
business’s prospects, examining any business plan that has been created, and
determining if there is a market need. However, the model takes the lending
process one step further. Loan officers working with ACCION will interview
neighbors to see if the potential borrower pays his or her bills on time; check the
potential borrower’s character with neighbors, family, and business associates;
and secure household items as collateral.
Borrowers either apply for loans individually, or if they lack physical collateral
or a co-signer, they team up with a few other borrowers. Known as solidarity
group lending, this method allows members to cross-guarantee one another’s
loans in lieu of collateral. This works well for those individuals who live in
extremely poor or rural regions. It allows the group members to hold each other
accountable for the loan repayment and provides additional support for each
individual solidarity group member. Successful members of the solidarity group
can then apply for further loans. For example, ten women might take out a $1,000
loan via solidarity group lending, and each individual woman would receive $100
of the total loan. The women may meet once a week to discuss business best
118 The New Humanitarians

practices and submit the loan payment that is due. If one group member is short
on her payment that week, all the other members can pool funds to cover for that
person, with the understanding that she will make it up to the group over time.
ACCION spearheaded this approach in Latin America in the 1970s to help bring
microlending to the poorest of the economically active population.
First loans start small—often as low as $100 in Latin America. Borrowers who
repay their loans on time are eligible for increasingly larger loans. This process,
called stepped lending, keeps initial risk at a minimum while allowing microen-
trepreneurs to carefully grow their businesses and increase their incomes.

THE ACCION APPROACH

ACCION’s goal is to bring microloans to enough people to have a significant
impact on poverty. There will never be enough charitable donations to accomplish
this. It has been estimated that it would cost over $250 billion to reach 500 million
poor people—a figure well beyond the reach of donor funds. That is why ACCION
is leading the effort to make microlending financially self-sustaining. Although
ACCION understands that this is only one of many solutions for addressing the
problems of global poverty, its members remain motivated and driven toward this
cause.
As mentioned, microlending programs have the potential to cover their own
costs. The interest each borrower pays helps to finance the cost of lending to
another. In most other poverty alleviation efforts, often driven by direct aid, every
person helps bring the program closer to its financial limits. Successful microlend-
ing programs, on the other hand, generate more resources with each individual
they help.
As a result, well-managed microlending programs generate more income than
they spend, allowing them to expand and reach more marginalized microentre-
preneurs. And, once they become economically viable financial institutions, they
have the ability to access much broader sources of lending capital—the billions of
dollars invested in the world’s financial markets.
Several of ACCION’s partners have already made the transition from non-
profit, charity-dependent organizations to banks or other regulated financial
institutions. The three largest (Banco Solidario of Ecuador, Banco Compartamos
of Mexico, and Mibanco of Peru) each reach over 100,000 poor and low-income
microentrepreneurs.
These pioneering microlending institutions have led the way for the microfi-
nance industry, demonstrating that it is possible for a commercial lender to
both serve the poor and be profitable. As a result, commercial banks that previ-
ously served only the upper class are increasingly opening their doors to
microentrepreneurs. ACCION has helped five commercial banks—SOGEBANK
(Haiti), Banco del Pichincha (Ecuador) and Banco ABN-AMRO Real (Brazil),
YES Bank (India), and Ecobank (West Africa)—begin lending to the self-
employed poor.
ACCION International 119

ACCION’s emphasis on commercial viability and institutional growth—

known as the commercial approach—has helped its partner microfinance
institutions (MFIs) reach scale and financial self-sufficiency. To help its part-
ners attain these goals, ACCION provides technical assistance to improve oper-
ations and efficiency, as well as loan guarantees to help access commercial
capital.
This model has changed over time, and currently rests with the idea that
ACCION acts as a technical consultant to those organizations they help establish
as the initial source for microlending in each particular country. Typically,
ACCION sets up a working relationship with one organization that then works
with their own countrymen and women to establish microlending situations. At
this point, ACCION will offer support and guidance and may make an investment
in the company. This, in turn, allows the organization to further their investments
in microentrepreneurs locally. ACCION continues to offer this support and assis-
tance via assigned advisors in the designated countries. ACCION currently has
thirty-five international partners, resulting in one of the most well-established
microfinance networks in the world. In the United States, by contrast, loans are
made directly by ACCION USA.

WHERE DOES ACCION WORK?

ACCION partners with more than thirty-five microfinance organizations
throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa, as well as serving U.S.
microentrepreneurs through the U.S. ACCION Network. For a more detailed
description of locations see Table 8.1, and for regularly updated statistical infor-
mation visit the ACCION website (www.accion.org).

ACCION KEY STATISTICS

ACCION’s goal is to bring the full range of financial services to ever-increasing
numbers of people, in order to have a significant impact on alleviating global
poverty. ACCION’s partners and affiliates operate in twenty-five countries in
Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the United States.
Since 1997 ACCION’s affiliated programs have issued $12.3 billion in microloans to
more than 4.94 million people, with a historical repayment rate of over 97 percent.
(See Table 8.2.)
As part of ACCION’s commitment to rigorous reporting standards and strong
financial performance, the following reports are now available as PDFs on the
organization’s website. Some of the documents offered online include historical
annual statistics of ACCION partners in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa,
Asia, and the United States since inception. They also include quarterly statistics
by program of the ACCION Network in Latin America and the Caribbean,
including data on new borrowers, active borrowers, amount disbursed, and active
portfolios.
120 The New Humanitarians

Table 8.1 ACCION Microfinance Partners

North America South America Peru
United States Argentina Mibanco
U.S. ACCION Network Columbia Microcrédito Venezuela
Mexico (Banco Columbia) BanGente
ADMIC Brazil Africa
Compartamos Banco CrediAmigo (Banco do
Ghana
Nordeste)
Central America EB-ACCION Savings & Loan
Real Microcrédito (Banco
El Salvador ABN AMRO Real) Nigeria
Apoyo Integral ACCION Microfinance
Bolivia
Guatemala Bank, Ltd
BancoSol
Génesis Empresarial Tanzania
Colombia
Banrural Akiba Commercial Bank
Cooperativa Emprender
Honduras FINAMERICA Uganda
Banco Popular Covelo Fundación Mario Santo Uganda Microfinance
(Bancovelo) Domingo Limited
FINSOL Ecuador Asia
Nicaragua Banco Solidario
China
Financiera FAMA CREDIFE (Banco del
Inner Mongolia Microcredit
Pichincha)
Caribbean Company
Fundación Ecuatoriana de
Dominican Republic Desarrollo India
Banco Ademi Grameen Koota
Paraguay
Haiti Swadhaar
El Comercio Financiera
SogeSol (SOGEBANK) YES SAMPANN (YES Bank)
Fundación Paraguaya
Source: ACCION International.

HOW IS ACCION SUSTAINED?

ACCION has been sustained in a variety of ways since its inception in 1961,
and this remains true today. It is sustained through individual philanthropy, pri-
vate foundation grants, public grants, and investments. It is reported that the bulk
of revenue comes from private contributions but an approximate breakdown can
be seen in Table 8.3.

Table 8.2 2007 Statistics for ACCION Partner Programs

Latin America and
the Caribbean Africa Asia Totals
Active clients 3.03 million 88,538 1,976 3.12 million
Total amount $5.01 billion $123 million $382,000 $5.14 billion
disbursed
Active portfolio $2.89 billion $81.6 million $169,000 $2.97 billion
ACCION International 121

Table 8.3 ACCION Revenue Sources, 2007

Source Percentage of Operating Revenue
Private contributions 43%
Contracts and training fees 21%
Investments and fee income 29%
Dividends from investments 14%
AIMCO management fees 4%

ACCION is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and is committed to minimizing its admin-

istrative and fundraising expenses, consistently keeping these expenses at a level
below 25 percent of total costs. For example, in 2007 ACCION (in terms of per-
centages of expenses) spent only 12 percent on administration and 12 percent on
fundraising, while 76 percent was spent on program services.

HOW DOES ACCION MEASURE SUCCESS?

ACCION measures success in a variety of ways. One can measure success by
looking at the number of clients the organization is reaching and by the growth
in the number of clients served. Another measure of success is the active loan
portfolio of the ACCION partner network. All of these numbers, regardless of
which you choose to use as a benchmark, are increasing. ACCION admits it took
a long time to get to this point—over thirty years—but now that the ball is
rolling, growth has accelerated sharply. ACCION’s website contains its annual
report, which portrays the growth of the organization from its earliest days to the
immediate past. For example, the report shows that it took ACCION three
decades to reach its first 1 million clients. The second million were reached
three years later, in mid-2006, and the third million in half that time, by the end
of 2007.
ACCION also measures its success by going out to the communities, villages,
and cities where their clients live and work, and asking them directly about the
impact of microfinance on their lives. María Otero, ACCION president and CEO,
tells a story of how one of ACCION’s Central American clients responded when
María asked her, “How has microfinance helped you?” The woman brought María
into the next room. There, hanging proudly on the wall, were her children’s diplo-
mas from school. She replied, “This is how it’s affected my life!” She had been able
to pay the school fees and to sustain a reliable income over time to allow her chil-
dren to finish school. She herself had never been able to finish school, and she had
always prioritized education in her children’s lives.
Yet another example is Jose Antonio Sanos of Villa de San Antonio, Honduras,
a client of ACCION partner Banco Popular Covelo (Bancovelo). He and his family
live in a small village just outside of Comayagua, about ninety minutes north of
Tegucigalpa. Axel and Dana, ages 4 and 7, race around their backyard climbing on,
over, and through stacks of cement blocks. Jose reflects on the business that will
122 The New Humanitarians

someday send them to college. “Like any businessman, I want to grow,” he

declares. “Like any father, I want to send my children to school.”
Ten years ago, Jose started a cement block business with his brother and father.
His father had mastered cement block making early in Jose’s life and wanted to
pass on the lessons of the trade to the next generation. For many years, they
worked as a team, but sustained growth was hard to come by on a tight budget.
Nevertheless, consistent local demand for the blocks told Jose their business
was a good one. Even when his father and brother left to work in construction in
Comayagua, Jose carried on. His persistence paid off when he learned about
ACCION partner Bancovelo’s fixed asset loans for small businesses. After an
enthusiastic conversation with the local Bancovelo loan officer, Jose knew that
progress for his business was now within reach.
With a first loan of 10,000 limpiras, or US$550, Jose was able to buy updated
tools and better quality sand and cement mix. Within a matter of months, he had
paid the loan off and had taken out a second one for 30,000 limpiras, or US$1,600,
to buy the shiny blue truck that he now uses to deliver orders.
With the right tools and materials, and a reliable vehicle, Jose is now surpass-
ing his competition in quality and customer service, all thanks to access to capital
through Bancovelo. He has more clients than ever and is employing two nephews
to help him between their classes at the local high school. “Someday, when Dina
and Axel are old enough,” he promises me, “they will help me too, but only after
they get their studies done!”
Juan Pirir, a client of ACCION partner Génesis in Guatemala City, Guatemala,
has another story of success to share. When Juan was a boy, he had to work in the
fields to help support his family instead of attending school. With little opportu-
nity in his small village in rural Guatemala, he continued working the same fields
into adulthood. But in order to support his six children, Juan needed to supple-
ment his meager income. So he began to dabble in woodworking. Soon, he was
spending his mornings on the farm, and his afternoons and nights building
couches and chairs. He started selling them on the side, but the process was slow
and the returns low. “I only had a couple of tools, and they were all manual.” he
recalls. “I would work for three days to build just one couch.”
Then Juan heard about ACCION’s partner, Génesis. With his first small loan,
he invested in an electric saw. Sixteen loans later, he has a full workshop of tools,
including a modern table saw. Employing several neighborhood boys part-time,
he can now turn out one couch a day. Several nights a week, Juan travels two hours
each way to sell his furniture in Guatemala City.
The profits from his business have enabled Juan to add a room and a tin roof
to his concrete house. But most importantly, he is able to provide an education for
his children. “When I was young, I had to work. Now all of my children are in
school,” he smiles. “It makes me happy to give them an opportunity I never had.”
Alice Nkugwa is a client of ACCION partner Uganda Microfinance Limited
(UML), and she can tell you that a successful business is not just about making
enough money. “When the business is good, you don’t get tired,” she says with a
ACCION International 123

smile. Alice, age 36, and her two employees work long hours, serving meat, beans,
and chips at the carryout she opened three years ago. After working for seven years
as a seamstress and dressmaker, Alice realized something critical: she would never
“make enough money” in that line of work alone. Today, in addition to sewing
shirts and dresses at home, she is dedicated to keeping her carryout open Monday
through Saturday—and even some Sundays.
Alice received her first loan from UML in 2002, buying cooking oil, flour, and
meat with the precious cash. Since then, she has received four other loans, the
most recent for 1 million shillings, or approximately $550. The sum is more than
she has ever handled, but she’s not worried: “I have confidence in my business.”
“We would be badly off without the loans,” Alice says. “I’m not only running a
business, I’m supporting my three children and four of my brother’s, too.” With a
growing savings account and the experienced UML staff supporting her, Alice has
peace of mind about her business—and ambitious plans for the children’s futures.
“I want them to learn so they can get a job to work.” With business this good,
Alice’s energy is boundless. She is planning on opening another carryout soon.
And her plans do not stop there: “Someday, I will build a house to rent out. You
can make good money with that, too,” she says proudly.
Yet another client eager to share her success story is Lucila Mendoza Moisin, a
client of ACCION partner Fundacion Ecuatoriana de Desarrollo in Otavalo,
Ecuador. Lucila wanted to give her children everything she never had: a decent
house, an education, and the skills to land a good job. But Lucila knew she could
never realize that dream on her maid’s salary. So when she became pregnant with
her first child, she opened a business of her own, a craft stand in Otavalo’s famous
market. To buy inventory, Lucila and her husband had to turn to a neighborhood
loan shark. Soon they were spending most of their profits on interest payments.
Lucila’s dream began slipping away.
Then she found an alternative: Fundacion Ecuatoriana de Desarrollo. She bor-
rowed US$100, paid off their debts, and stocked up on inventory. Today, after
three loans, the couple has earned enough money to buy a small house of their
own. Now Lucila is optimistic about her children’s future. “My parents didn’t have
enough for me to study,” she says. “With my children, it will be different.”
You can find similar ACCION success stories around the globe. All of
ACCION’s microentrepreneurs have the same dreams and hopes: the chance for
a better life for themselves and their families.

HOW HAS ACCION DEALT WITH CHALLENGES?

ACCION concedes that the road has not been without bumps. The organiza-
tion has had to adjust—sometimes in a major way—how it operates several times
over the forty-five years of its history. One major obstacle surfaced early in the life
of the organization, and remains a challenge for it and all nonprofits. Then executive
director John Hammock was on a fundraising trip to Pittsburgh as Bill Burrus
visited New York, both attempting, on the same day—a day later referred to as
124 The New Humanitarians

“Black Friday”—to secure significant and much-needed grants that would keep
ACCION afloat. Both were turned down, and neither had any idea how they were
going to make payroll the next week. Perseverance and determination gained the
upper hand, though, and proved that ACCION was much more than an idea and
that it would continue to prove viable.
After that day, Burrus and Hammock decided they needed to be more creative
and experiment with different ways to help solve the funding problem. According
to Bruce Tippet, another founding member, they began examining their work in
Brazil, where they had begun experimenting with microlending. Although the
business world did not believe poor clients had the resources or “moral fortitude,”
to quote Tippet, to pay back loans, ACCION had a different impression because
the organization had had first-hand experience with members of the community,
and believed in their integrity.
Within that first year of microlending, 1973–74, ACCION discovered some-
thing that has proven to be a cornerstone of microfinance and has made it an
effective tool in helping to alleviate poverty: the poor can be good credit risks.
When the numbers came in, ACCION found that its clients were repaying their
loans at a rate of 99.9 percent.
Once the organization had proof that microlending could be effective, the next
major obstacle to overcome involved expanding the model—to help more people.
ACCION wanted to reach millions of people, not merely the hundreds their
Brazilian pilot program had begun to assist. Over the years, ACCION persisted in
its beliefs and practices, but remained flexible—ultimately achieving what many
had previously thought to be impossible. More than forty years later, ACCION
continues to grow and adapt to ever-changing times and world conditions, and
successfully: at the close of 2007, the number of active clients served by its part-
ners was over 3 million, in no fewer than twenty-five countries.
Until recently, ACCION had never had the financial reserves to be truly confi-
dent that it could build a sustainable organization over time. But one of the hall-
marks of the organization has always been its adaptability, which has allowed it to
change its approach time and again to suit needs and market conditions. ACCION
has evolved from community developer, to microlender, to loan guarantee
provider, to investor, and to more, and in so doing, it has grown independent of
some of the major sources of funds that initially sustained it. Today, public funds
account for only a tiny fraction of operating revenue. ACCION has increased
private contributions, together with corporate philanthropy, enormously. For
example, in September 2006, ACCION received a grant of over $5 million from
insurance giant American International Group Inc. (AIG). As it expands, ACCION
knows that developing and providing new financial tools for the poor, such as
microinsurance, in order to allow microfinance to move beyond credit, is critical
to help achieve scale. The AIG grant is assisting ACCION to realize that goal.
Perhaps even more significantly, ACCION has recently realized major assets
from an investment in Mexican MFI partner Compartamos, which ACCION
made through its Gateway Fund in 2000. Compartamos’s enormously successful
ACCION International 125

IPO in April 2007, which underscored the viability of commercial microfinance

and the deep interest of capital markets in the field, not only proved a seminal
event for microfinance overall, but provided ACCION with a far, far stronger
financial foundation.
ACCION today is growing exponentially, compared to the past. By the end of
2007, the organization had already expanded to over 200 employees, and microfi-
nance had more than made its way into public awareness. One employee said recently
that two and a half years ago, barely anyone was acquainted with the word “microfi-
nance”; today, it is a term recognized by most individuals at the grocery store. With
this growth rate, ACCION admits it will need to remain flexible as the pressures rise.
Nonetheless, it admits there are things it could do, or could have done, better.
“If there was one thing I would have done differently, it would have been to
change our name early on to something more ‘marketable,’” says Bill Burrus.
“We’ve suffered over the years because our name is not pronounceable by many
people, and others just assume we’re a Latin organization.” Also, “I wish I had
understood how to better raise the profile of ACCION for fundraising and recog-
nition purposes,” he concedes. “Over the years, we’ve been a well-kept secret that
has often limited our ability to do our work. We’ve always been resource starved,
in part, because we didn’t market ourselves aggressively to the public.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR ACCION?

ACCION’s approach is called the commercial model of microfinance. By
ACCION’s estimates, anywhere from 30–50 million people currently use microfi-
nance to improve their lives, mostly through working capital loans. ACCION
believes, however, that for microfinance to reach the billions of people that could
benefit from it, a more scaleable and sustainable model of microfinance must be
followed.
ACCION is expanding the parameters of microfinance by helping to engage
commercial partners such as major banks and insurance companies, and helping
its partner monetary financial institutions (MFIs) to tap capital markets. Now
that the poor have proven to be credit worthy, ACCION’s goal is to continue to
demonstrate, as the Compartamos IPO has shown, that the industry is investment
worthy. Microfinance as a viable asset class allows an MFI in a developing nation
to issue bonds or equity to fund its growth and build its organization, reaching
more and more of the entrepreneurial poor. ACCION believes that only through
this commercial approach can microfinance truly scale to reach the hundreds of
millions of people who could benefit from access to financial services.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BY ACCION

ACCION has published books, reports, and monographs that can be down-
loaded from the Publications section of their website. The topics range from pre-
dictions for microfinance in the next ten years to summaries of ACCION’s
126 The New Humanitarians

conference series, Cracking the Capital Markets. ACCION says that the organiza-
tion takes a great deal of pride in its thought leadership and industry expertise,
and this manifests itself in the publications it produces.

MANAGEMENT AT ACCION
María Otero
María Otero is president and CEO of ACCION International, a leading global
microfinance institution that seeks to open the financial systems in developing
countries to reach the poor. Ms. Otero first joined ACCION in 1986 as director of
its lending program in Honduras, where she lived for three years. She became the
president of the organization in 2000.
Ms. Otero is a leading voice on sustainable microfinance and has published
extensively on the subject, including as co-editor of The New World of Microfi-
nance published by Kumarian Press. Ms. Otero chairs the board of ACCION
Investments, a $20 million investment company for microfinance, and co-chairs
the Microenterprise Coalition. She also serves on the boards of directors of micro-
finance institutions in Latin America. Ms. Otero serves on several other boards as
well, including that of the Calvert Foundation, the United States Institute of
Peace, and BRAC Holding of Bangladesh, the largest nongovernmental organiza-
tion (NGO) in the world.
From 1995 to 2005, Ms. Otero served as the chair of the MicroFinance
Network, a global association of 30+ lending microfinance institutions. She
chaired the board of Bread for the World from 1992–1997. In 1994 President
Clinton appointed Ms. Otero to serve as chair of the board of directors of the
Inter-American Foundation, a position she held until January 2000. She has also
served in an advisory capacity to the World Bank’s Consultative Group to Assist
the Poorest (CGAP).
Since 1997, Ms. Otero has been an adjunct professor at the John Hopkins
School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In 2000 she received Hispanic
magazine’s Latina Excellence Award, and was also featured in Latina magazine. In
2005 she was profiled in Newsweek’s special report “How Women Lead” as one of
twenty influential women in the United States.
María Otero has an MA in literature from the University of Maryland and an
MA in international relations from John Hopkins SAIS. She was born and raised
in La Paz, Bolivia, and resides in Washington, D.C.

William Burrus
In June 2000, William Burrus was named president and CEO of ACCION USA,
a nonprofit organization created to fulfill ACCION’s mission in the United States.
Previously, Mr. Burrus had served as executive director of ACCION International
from 1980–1994, a period of dramatic organizational development. In 1994 he
ACCION International 127

agreed to lead ACCION’s U.S. initiatives in the newly created position of senior
vice-president of the U.S. division.
Mr. Burrus has dedicated most of his professional career to international
development with a focus on Latin America. He began his career as a volunteer
with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. He and his wife later served
as co-directors of an integrated rural development program in the state of
Hidalgo, Mexico, sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. In
1973 Mr. Burrus joined ACCION in Costa Rica as regional director for Central
American and the Caribbean.
By the end of 1994, when Mr. Burrus began to focus his efforts on the United
States, ACCION had developed a network of affiliated microenterprise programs
in thirteen Latin American countries and five U.S. cities. By 2006, the U.S.
ACCION Network had grown to five separate licensee organizations, three direct
lending offices, and an Internet lending capability that, together, enabled the
organization to lend nationwide.
Mr. Burrus holds an undergraduate degree in sociology from Arizona State
University and a master’s in international management from the Thunderbird
Graduate School of International Management.
Mr. Burrus has received the Warren Award, Service to Humanity from Verde
Valley School, and a Career Achievement Award from the Thunderbird Alumni
Association.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: ACCION
Executive Director: María Otero
Mission/Description: ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization
with the mission of giving people the financial tools they need—microenterprise
loans, business training, and other financial services—to work their way out of
poverty. A world pioneer in microfinance, ACCION was founded in 1961 and
issued its first microloan in 1973 in Brazil. ACCION International’s partner micro-
finance institutions today are providing loans as low as $100 to poor men and
women entrepreneurs in twenty-five countries in Latin America, the Caribbean,
Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa as well as in the United States.
Website: www.accion.org
Address: ACCION International & ACCION USA Headquarters
56 Roland Street
Suite 300
Boston, MA 02129 USA
Phone: +1.617.625.7080
Fax: +1.617.625.7020
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 9

Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon

Madiki Partnership
Evan Ledyard, Nathan Mustain,
Amy Nemeth, Katie Scranton,
Morgan Smith, David Thatcher,
Carolyn Ziembo, and
Diana Zurawski

INTRODUCTION
Evan Ledyard
Invisible Conflicts is a student organization at Loyola University in Chicago; it
started out with only ten people, and within two years rapidly expanded to over
100 members. After uncovering heartbreaking atrocities in Northern Uganda,
these students took the initiative to facilitate change in the lives of individuals
living in zones of conflict worldwide. With limited resources, experience, time,
and knowledge, the group did what it knew how to do best—build friendships.
After creating personal relationships with the community in Gulu, Uganda, Invis-
ible Conflicts launched the Dwon Madiki Partnership—a program that provides
twenty war-torn orphans with an education, emotional support, health care, and
more.
The following pages contain the personal stories of the individuals who created
Invisible Conflicts and the Dwon Madiki Partnership, and the people who
inspired them. It begins with the story of the cofounder, Nathan Mustain.

FOUNDER’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Nathan Mustain
I am a high-school dropout and recovering addict. But now, instead of cocaine
and speed, I thrive on justice and love. On a Habitat for Humanity work trip, I
found the reason to clean up my life: love. This encounter with love challenged me
to become a better person. In this new life, I now have the pleasure and privilege
of working with my friends to make the world a better place—one life at a time,
through Invisible Conflicts.

129
130 The New Humanitarians

HISTORY OF THE WAR

Nathan Mustain (research by Amy Nemeth)
In the fall of 2005, I read an article in Smithsonian titled “Uganda, the Horror.”
The piece described a twenty-year-long civil war in northern Uganda1 that
spawned a disaster that Jan Egeland, United Nations Undersecretary-General for
Humanitarian Affairs in 2003, described as “the world’s biggest neglected human-
itarian crisis.”2 The war between the Ugandan government in the South and the
rebel army, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in the North, has persisted since
1986. This conflict has devastated the area in northern Uganda known as Acholi-
land3 and created a horror for the children of this region.
With the people of northern Uganda growing weary of war, the rebels resorted
to kidnapping children to fill their ranks. The LRA targeted children between the
ages of five and fourteen. They did so because children are easily brainwashed and
big enough to carry guns, but small enough to sneak into villages and schools to
kidnap more children. Once they were taken into the bush, the children were
immediately desensitized, forced to watch other abductees being tortured and
brutally killed, and often forced to partake in the killings themselves.4 Their
victims were often mutilated, for example, left alive without toes, fingers, or lips.
Vaginas and lips were punctured and padlocked shut. Children were forced to lick
the spattered brains off their friends’ cracked and crushed heads, which they were
forced to beat to a pulp as they screamed and begged for mercy.5 To ensure that
the children did not escape, the LRA commanders sometimes forced them to kill
their own parents, eliminating any possibility of returning home.6 Since 1986
more than 30,000 children have been abducted.7
To escape nighttime abduction by the LRA and its brutal army of children, the
children of Acholiland began to commute every night to Gulu, the main town in
northern Uganda. Every night, thousands of children, called “night commuters,”
would flock to Gulu to sleep in the streets, under verandas, in the bus park, and in
hospital corridors.8 The war in northern Uganda created a generation of children
too afraid to sleep in their own homes. At the same time, they have been robbed
of a formal education.
As the war dragged on, the LRA’s raids on villages and schools grew more grue-
some. In an attempt to counter the insurgency in 1996, the Ugandan government
forcibly displaced all northern Ugandans who lived in rural areas and moved
them into internally displaced person camps (IDP) camps. According to the
government, such extreme measures were necessary to protect the civilian popu-
lation and to cut off the rebels’ access to small farming villages, which were their
main source of food and child soldiers.
The government gave the Ugandan people twenty-four hours to uproot their
lives and move into these camps.9 Anyone found outside the camps after the dead-
line would be treated as hostile rebel combatants. As of 2006, about 1.5 million
Ugandans lived in the IDP camps where diseases, such as ringworm, malaria, and
HIV/AIDS, run rampant as a result of the horrendous conditions in the camps.10
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 131

People living in camps rely completely on foreign aid, such as from the World Food
Program, for survival since the Ugandan government provides almost nothing.11
After I first learned of the crisis, there were two things that especially horrified
me. First, I was repulsed at the thought of children being brainwashed, mutilated,
and forced to kill. Upon further reflection, what began to haunt me even more was
the fact that I had never heard about this war. I had always made it a point to stay
up with news. I read the New York Times, listened to NPR and the BBC, and
considered myself relatively well informed. But this war had been going on for two
decades, and I had never heard of it. Why was the world not outraged at this holo-
caust? It was not as if people didn’t know. If Smithsonian could publish such a
revealing article about it, the governments of the developed world must also have
known. Why were the media reporting nothing? Why were the powerful govern-
ments of the world doing nothing? I decided I would make it my business to talk
about this conflict. I would do my part to bring it into the public eye.
I made quite a nuisance of myself. At the gym, between classes, and at parties, I
was constantly saying to my peers, “So, have you heard about what’s going on in
Northern Uganda?” I read everything I could find about the conflict and its history.
I made it my personal mission to tell this story to anyone and everyone who would
listen. And in contrast to the stereotype of the apathetic American student, people
did care. My fellow students wanted to do something to stop these crimes against
children, but they felt powerless. I constantly heard “Wow, I really want to help, but
what can one person do?” My inevitable response was “Maybe one person can’t do
much, but if we work together, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish.”
Yet in order to gather crowds of like-minded people together, I needed a way to
tell this story to many people at once. I discovered it by accident as I continued to
bring up the topic of children soldiers at parties when people were having a good
time. One time during spring break, at a University of Texas party, I made my usual
comment, “You’ll never believe what’s going on in Northern Uganda . . . ,” when
someone replied, “Yeah, I know, I just saw this incredible documentary about it
called Invisible Children.” He told me that his fraternity brothers had watched this
movie together, and it had gotten them fired up to take action. As soon as I got
home, I visited the Invisible Children website and ordered a copy of the DVD.
When it came in the mail two weeks later, I watched it and was floored. It was
more than a documentary. It was a call to action. I knew I had my medium for
telling this story to my peers.

INVISIBLE CHILDREN
Amy Nemeth
Invisible Children is a youthful, grassroots organization that began in 2003
when three college-aged American men decided to travel to Africa. Originally,
Laren, Jason, and Bobby set out to document the story of refugees from Darfur,
Sudan. However, because of the war, they could not fly into southern Sudan, and
132 The New Humanitarians

ended up in northern Uganda instead. Gulu, the largest city in northern Uganda,
is the center for the United Nations Peacemaking Mission to Sudan. The three
filmmakers decided that this would be a good starting point for their story. One
day, as they were traveling to Sudanese refugee camps, the truck in front of them
was shot up by Ugandan rebels, members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA),
and they were forced to turn back and stay in the town of Gulu for the night. The
city was completely overrun by unsupervised children, sleeping in every place
imaginable—under porches, in the bus park—and hundreds of them were
packed like sardines on the floors of a local hospital. The three filmmakers began
asking them questions, and realized that they had never heard of the civil war in
Uganda. The story they discovered “shocked and inspired” them.12
These three filmmakers soon learned that northern Uganda’s conflict had
ravaged the region since 1986. The rebel LRA, led by Joseph Kony, aimed at over-
throwing the Ugandan government to institute a government based on the Ten
Commandments. Having little support from the people of northern Uganda, the
LRA resorted to kidnapping children as young as five to fill their ranks. It is esti-
mated that up to 90 percent of the LRA are children.13 Laren, Jason, and Bobby
made a documentary to tell the story of the “invisible children”14 of northern
Uganda, who have become both the weapons and the victims of this conflict.
After the filmmakers returned to the United States, they intended to share this
documentary with their family and friends only. But soon they began screening it
across the nation. At each screening event, people kept asking them, “What can we
do?” Out of a need to do more, Jason, Laren, and Bobby created Invisible Children
Inc. The mission of Invisible Children is “to improve the quality of life for war-
affected children by providing access to quality education, enhanced learning
environments, and innovative economic opportunities for the community.”15
The film is exciting and entertaining, and helps audiences connect to the
humanity of the children affected by the war in a way that our over-stimulated
MTV generation can apprehend. I contacted the offices of Invisible Children in
San Diego and asked them for promotional materials so I could hold a screening
at Loyola University in Chicago, where I was a sophomore at that time. It turned
out that Invisible Children was on a national tour, and they had a team visiting
Chicago the following January. I thought that in the meantime, I would hold a
screening myself.

THE FIRST SCREENING

Nathan Mustain
I tried to reserve a room on campus for the screening, but the office in charge
of such matters informed me I could not do that unless I belonged to an officially
recognized student organization. At that time, I was not part of any campus
organization. I was a science geek. I spent all my free time holed up at the gym or
with my nose in a book. I had not plugged into any of the campus clubs that were
involved in social justice work. When I approached these campus groups, none of
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 133

them showed interest, since they were all busy with their own projects. That was
understandable, but very frustrating. How could I do it alone? So I tried being a
little sneaky, and set a precedent for Invisible Conflicts’ MO for the future: “It is
easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.”
I knew my friend Joey had started a campus club called Sangha before he grad-
uated the previous year. So I called and asked him what I had to do in order to
become a member. He said, “I hereby dub thee president.” I now had authority to
sign contracts with Invisible Children, reserve rooms, and put up promotional
material on campus, all under the name of Sangha. Little did the university know,
but Sangha had never held an official meeting or a single event.
I made banners and put up posters all over campus, on coffee shop bulletin
boards, and in various spots in the local community. I e-mailed every professor on
campus. I invited them and their classes to attend the screening, and explained
why they should care, with different arguments for different disciplines. I wrote
e-mails tailored specifically to political scientists, biologists, psychologists, and
sociologists. I wanted everyone to know.
Although I put my phone number on all the posters with a note inviting people
to help with the screening, only two people responded. One was Morgan Smith, a
sophomore transfer student who had been in the process of organizing a screen-
ing of the film herself. We joined forces, and together we promoted the screening
more effectively. Dr. David Kanis was the other person to call after seeing a poster
at a local coffee shop. Dr. Kanis explained that he had been to Uganda several
times, had in fact taught at a university in the heart of the conflict region, and
knew the filmmakers of Invisible Children personally. He offered to come to the
screening along with a couple of his Ugandan friends, and to respond to audience
questions. On a cold night in January 2006, Morgan Smith, my friend Jeremy
John, and I sat in Loyola’s Galvin Auditorium (we had been joined by the crew of
the Invisible Children national tour) and waited to see if our efforts had paid off.
Morgan brilliantly thought to ask everyone for their e-mail addresses on the way
in. It was her thinking that enabled the founders of Invisible Conflicts to come
together. The auditorium filled to capacity, with nearly 300 people.
By the end of the screening, there was not a dry eye in the crowd. Then Dr. Kanis
came to the front with his Ugandan friends, including a six-year-old boy named
Joshua, recently from Gulu, and said, “This is the face of the war in Uganda. This
child right here would be a prime target of the LRA rebels. It is children just like
him who are being abducted every day and subjected to horror and brutality
beyond anything we could imagine.” At that point, the crying in the audience
became audible. I was struck by how powerful it was to put a human face to the
stories we had just heard. It was on this night also that I first met Caroline
Akweyo, a beautiful and soft-spoken woman from Uganda who had been
abducted by the LRA three times, suffered immensely, had her family sliced to
pieces before her eyes, and finally made it to the United States where she received
political asylum. Caroline shared her story in a very quiet and gentle way that
demanded the attention of the audience. She further drove home the point that
134 The New Humanitarians

the people hurt by this war were just like the people in the audience, with real
hopes and fears, people who feel pain and joy, and whose lives have been shattered
by the bloody chaos of this war.

CAROLINE AKWEYO’S STORY

Interview conducted by Dave Thatcher; recorded by Amy Nemeth
In 1986, when the war began, I was nine years old. My first memory of the war
was the killing of my uncle’s wife. She was a local brewer, and one of the rebels
accused my uncle’s wife of poisoning him. The rebels came and cut her into pieces
before the whole clan as I was forced to watch. The rebel movement was growing
stronger in my village, so my father decided to construct a structure outside of the
village where we went to sleep at night to avoid abduction. As time went on,
abductions were more frequent, so my brothers were sent to a boarding school.
In 1988 my father was arrested and interrogated by government soldiers
because we had a large farm in our village that had become the center for the
village. They suspected my father of supporting the rebels. After they found him
innocent, they warned him not to return to our village. My father then moved the
rest of my family into Gulu-town, which was about thirty miles from our home.
We had no food in Gulu; so my mother, Grace, my sister, Florence, and I had
to go back to our farm to collect food. The rebels ambushed us on our way and
took Florence and me—they left my mother because she was older. Luckily, my
mother was a school teacher, and one of the rebels was a former pupil who recog-
nized her. My mother was able to arrange the release of Florence and me. I was
eleven years old at the time of my first abduction.
When I finished primary school, I was sent to Aboke Girl’s Secondary [high
school] in the Lira District. The war had gotten a lot worse. The rebels were
cutting off the legs, ears, and other limbs of civilians, and they were killing people
for minor infractions. At Aboke, the rebels would go and abduct girls. While I was
in school, there were three different abductions. The school was run by Catholic
nuns who would follow the rebels into the bush and attempt to secure the release
of the students by bribing the rebels with money. The girls from Aboke were valu-
able to the rebels because they were educated. Many of the rebels had very little or
no schooling, but the abducted girls were still treated as property.
When I was sixteen, I was abducted from Aboke. The school had steel doors
in [an] attempt to keep the rebels out. The rebels would shoot at the buildings
and threaten to bomb them unless the doors were opened. Once the rebels got
into the school, they would walk among us and choose the ones who were tall
and slender. The rebels believed the tall and slender girls would be able to walk
the longest distances and were also the smartest. I was abducted along with
eighty-nine other girls.
For the first few days, we were forced to walk and run long distances. We had
to resort to stealing food in order to survive. The rebels immediately attempted to
interrogate and brainwash us—we were always under constant threat. The rebels
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 135

would not let us [the Aboke girls] stay together because they feared that we would
try and plot an escape. They paired us up with older girls who had already been
in the bush for awhile and had already been brainwashed.
Once in the bush, I was given to a commander to be his fourth wife. While in
the bush, I had to watch people being killed, and I was not allowed to show
emotion. As a wife, I was treated as property and was expected to stay with the
commander at all times. Because I was the wife of a commander, younger girls
were given to me and my fellow wives to cook and clean for us.
I was able to escape while we were on the move between Kitgum and Lira. We
were attacked by government soldiers and were commanded to lie in the grass
until nightfall. After the fighting, everyone got up and continued on the road. I
stayed hidden in the grass and did not move or speak for the whole night. The
next day, I walked to the nearest village and found the local counselor, who got me
in touch with the government. I returned home in 1997 and discovered I was
pregnant. I was sixteen years old.
In 1999 I was invited to Chicago on a scholarship to learn how to become a
Montessori teacher. When I arrived in the USA, I applied for political asylum and
was granted asylum status.

INVISIBLE CONFLICTS BEGINS

Nathan Mustain
With Morgan’s list of e-mail addresses from the first screening, we sent out an
invitation for everyone to meet once again. Based on what we had heard and seen
from the audience at the screening, and on what we had been thinking and dis-
cussing, I sent out this e-mail:

Dear Friends,
You are reading this email because like so many others, you have heard the cry of
children living under the weight of terror, oppression and injustice, and you have
decided to do something about it—i.e., you gave us your email address at the screen-
ing of Invisible Children last week. This is the call to action. This is an invitation to
join the struggle for justice. This is our chance to live for something more.
Perhaps like me, when you watched that amazing film, several questions came to
mind, such as
1. WHY didn’t I hear about this before?
2. WHERE are the western media?
3. WHAT is our government’s stance on the Ugandan conflict, and what is it doing
to help bring about a just peace?
4. HOW can I help?
Of particular concern to us is question #4, and answering this question will be
the focus of our endeavors. We want to know how we can help. In the near future, a
group of people just like you (and including you) will join forces to found an
136 The New Humanitarians

alliance dedicated to answering this call to action we heard so powerfully last Mon-
day night. This group will be dedicated to being part of the solution by attacking the
problem in several ways:

1. Raising awareness—it is vital that people hear the stories that our media are
ignoring. It is up to us to spread the word. If we are silent, these children will
remain invisible, and the murder, rape and abduction will continue. If we tell
their story, people will hear. People will act.
2. Raising support—as a group, we will explore ways in which we can raise finan-
cial, moral, and political support for those working on the ground both in
Uganda, and here in the U.S. This is NOT a political group, but we WILL make
it a point to tell our leaders that we want action. We will stand united, in soli-
darity with our brothers and sisters in Africa.
3. Answering the call—ultimately, we would like to provide opportunities for those
who feel called to go to the areas of conflict and work “in the trenches.” As
Dr. David Kanis said last Monday, “I guarantee you that if 25 thousand American
college students show up in Uganda over the next year, we will have MAJOR
change.” We believe in this vision, and we want to be a part of that first 25 thou-
sand. We are also aware that Uganda is not the only sight of Invisible Conflict, and
thus we will not limit ourselves to advocacy on behalf of that country. Rather, we
will keep our minds, hearts, eyes and ears open to the cry of invisible conflicts and
their invisible victims the world over. Uganda is where we begin.

As they say, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do
nothing.” We will not stand by while evil men have their way. We have been inspired
by the story told by Jason, Laren and Bobby, three regular guys about our age who
decided to make a difference and use their talents to “be the change” they wanted to
see in the world. This is our chance to do the same. We all have talents that were
given to us for a reason. When we join forces and dedicate our skills and energy to
making a difference, there is no end to what we can accomplish. Since this group has
not yet formed, this is your chance to help shape it. We are open to suggestions and
dependent on you to bring your ideas to the movement. You can make this your
thing by bringing your unique talents to the table. Again, now is the time for cre-
ativity. Now is the time to educate ourselves and the world. Now is the time to start
a movement.
Let’s remember the boy at the end of the film who said, “Hopefully since you have
a camera; you can’t forget about us.” We won’t.
Earlier, I listed four questions I had after seeing this film. There has been, how-
ever, one other burning question that has been with me ever since I saw the film
one year ago: WHEN DO WE START? I am very happy to say, that time is NOW.
Please let us know if you want to be removed from this list.

IMMEDIATE NEEDS

I. PHASE ONE: DIAGNOSIS: To hold an open forum open to all those who desire
to help found this alliance. At our first meeting, we will work on the following:
A. Identify the problems we will attack
B. Outline our response to those problems
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 137

C. Determine how we’ll execute our response

II. PROGNOSIS—the nasty details
A. Discuss how we’ll pay for the execution
B. Brainstorm various roles, offices, administrative and procedural needs, i.e.,
the nitty gritty
—(i.e. What’s the problem, what’re we gonna do about it, who’s gonna do it,
how’re we gonna pay for it; recognize those experienced in dealing with university
administration in order to get our club officially recognized by Loyola University.)
C. Draft a constitution
D. Elect officers
E. Get university recognition
F. Establish a schedule and timetable for the movement
III.EXECUTION—our movement hits the streets
A. First official meeting as club
B. First action
C. First blood.

At our first meeting, about thirty people showed up and we spent a few hours
sharing what was on our hearts and minds. During that time, and at the next two
meetings, we laid down a few basic tenets we would follow as we formed the cul-
ture and structure of our organization. The following is a summary of the vision
that took shape during those first meetings.
First, we had to decide whether to focus just on Uganda, or to expand our focus
to include other conflicts that are ignored by wealthier and more well-developed
countries. We quickly found that the room was charged with passion, and that
people hungered both to learn more about other places where unreported conflicts
ravaged people’s lives and to take action to stop the violence. But we also wanted
to focus our energy effectively on the conflicts we learned about. There was an
intense desire in the room to know more, to expose the truth, and to fight evil,
whether in Uganda or in our own backyards. We felt our generation was sleeping,
and we wanted to help wake it up. In order to remain flexible so that we could
expand our work to focus on other conflicts in the future, we named our new
organization Invisible Conflicts: “Invisible,” because we realized that the world was
full of conflicts ignored by powerful governments, western media, and college
campuses. It was also a tribute to the people of Invisible Children, whose “hip,” fun,
youthful, and positive approach to changing the world inspired us so much.
Next, we dedicated ourselves to learning all we could about the conflicts we
would address. It was important to read history and current news from all per-
spectives, and especially to engage people from the conflict zones—to hear their
stories, get to know them, and help them tell their stories. We believed that if our
peers heard these stories, they would want to take action. Our organization would
be an amplifier for the voices of victims. We would not speak for anyone, but
rather empower people to speak for themselves. We would do this through art,
film, public gatherings, political advocacy, and the establishment of personal rela-
tionships with people from conflict zones.
138 The New Humanitarians

We did not want to stop at telling stories. We all felt a strong compulsion to
take concrete action. Many of us were frustrated with abstract theoretical discus-
sions about how to make the world a better place. We wanted to create a positive
change in the world. Most of us were not from the typical “social justice” crowd.
We were average college students from many different walks of life, faiths, politi-
cal affiliations, and world views. We were united by a passion and a common
desire to take action in order to change the world.
To encourage people to join us, we needed to overcome several obstacles. Lack
of awareness was the first obstacle that we tackled by educating ourselves as much
as possible. Next, we set out to overcome the feeling of powerlessness that infects
our generation. To combat this sentiment, we worked out several strategies. First,
we would tell these stories in a culturally relevant way. There can be no better
example of a group that uses this approach than Invisible Children. Their docu-
mentary and other educational videos are done in a fast-paced, hip, and playful
style that speaks to our MTV generation in its own language and urges viewers to
take action. So we used their movie to help us tell the story of northern Uganda.
Another obstacle to greater involvement among our peers was the existence of an
“enlightened inner circle,” a phenomenon that infects many groups. From the very
beginning, the people of Invisible Conflicts made a commitment to reject a cul-
ture of exclusivity, and to foster an environment in which people from any socioe-
conomic, political, or religious background could come together to work for
peace. We believed that if change is to happen, we needed to help our peers in
making the quest for a better world a part of everyday life. We wanted to enable
the future leaders of America, the lawyers, businessmen and women, and account-
ants to be a part of this movement without feeling ostracized for not selling all
they owned and moving to Africa to live in a mud hut. This is why we seek to put
the tools for making concrete change in people’s hands, making it as simple as
possible to make a difference. The earlier people see that their actions can change
the world, the more likely they are to integrate the quest for justice into their
everyday lives as they move on to build careers and raise families. We believe
everyone can help. That is why we resolved to encourage creativity and even to get
a little crazy if necessary. We would remain positive, but never deny the horrific
nature of the conflicts we sought to end. We were a group of everyday optimists,
realists, and idealists, and we knew we could change the world, one story at time.
But it was not enough to tell these stories. We wanted to be changed by them,
and to become a part of them. We came to realize that it is one thing to fight for
peace on behalf of “poor children” in Africa, but it was another to do so for one’s
friends. That is why we dedicated ourselves to establishing personal relationships
between people in our own community and those in conflict regions. By using
technology and art to communicate, we would build friendships with people in
northern Uganda. We would also send people to the region to gain empathy and
understanding, and to make friends.
Fostering relationships in conflict regions has been an extremely important
part of our work. The things we have learned and gained through these friend-
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 139

ships have transformed us and brought us both pain and joy. From the beginning,
we agreed that our guiding principle would be humility. We were not anyone’s
“savior,” and we rejected the hierarchy of paternalism. We have resources to share
as wealthy Americans from a nation of power and privilege. Yet we were plagued
by problems ourselves and, therefore, had much to learn from our friends in con-
flict regions. We were never under the illusion that we had the answers to all the
world’s problems. Rather, we wanted to make friends, to help them where we
could, and to allow them to help us.
Once we established that we had much to learn, we agreed that we would not
wait to act until we felt “qualified.” We would take action whenever possible. All
our actions were guided by our mission:

We recognize that the world is full of invisible conflicts ignored by mainstream

media and governments. We enable the victims of these conflicts to tell their stories,
and we establish real and personal relationships between communities of power and
privilege and those of poverty and oppression. Through the mutual exchange of val-
ues and knowledge, we find practical ways to help one another, and transform com-
munities, both at home and in conflict regions. Committed to cultural relevance and
positivity, we encourage everyday people to take action by giving them simple and
concrete ways to make a difference. By taking action ourselves, we lead the way for
our peers.

TAKING ACTION: ENDING A WAR

Nathan Mustain and Morgan Smith
We had identified the problem: There had been a war targeting children rav-
aging Uganda for twenty years, and most of the world did not know about it. The
people of Uganda needed to tell their stories, and the world needed to help them
stop the war and bring about a just and prosperous peace.
How could the problem be solved? The Sudanese government needed to stop
funding and arming the LRA rebels. The people of America had to speak together
and give our leaders the political capital they needed to take a stand for northern
Uganda’s children. If the United States pressured the Sudanese government to stop
financing the war, and pressured the Ugandan government to take serious
measures for peace, the war could be stopped. We needed to mobilize the American
people and harness the power of the media.
Our first actions were to hold public screenings of the film Invisible Children.
Afterwards, our new friend and advisor, Caroline Akweyo, shared with the audi-
ence about her life in Uganda. This was always a powerful experience that enabled
the audience to connect with what they had just seen in a human way. To every-
one who walked through the door, we gave a pamphlet listing simple things every-
one could do to make a difference. With the pamphlet were blank sheets of paper
and pens, with which we encouraged everyone to write a letter to the government
representative of their choice—right then and there. We projected a sample letter
140 The New Humanitarians

onto the screen at the front of the auditorium, but encouraged people to speak
from their hearts about what they had just learned from Caroline and the docu-
mentary. This tactic helped audiences see the power that individuals can have
when they come together. Then we collected the letters as people left, stamped
them, and mailed them. Since the first screening of Invisible Children, we have
mailed nearly 1,000 letters to government officials.
In addition to a large letter-writing campaign, Invisible Conflicts began a cam-
paign to ask Oprah Winfrey to cover the crisis on her show: we sent her sixty roses,
with a note stating that each rose represented 500 children that had been abducted
in northern Uganda. Naturally, we cannot take full credit for the segment about
northern Uganda and Invisible Children on her show just months after our cam-
paign began, but we did receive a call asking us to stop sending Oprah e-mails—
they had gotten the picture.
Noting the success of our group at organizing large screenings, the Invisible
Children organization asked us to arrange and promote a peace vigil in Chicago
as part of a worldwide event they were planning called the Global Night Com-
mute. We provided volunteers to run the event, and promoted it all over Illinois.
Over 2,000 people showed up, and most stayed all night in Grant Park, despite a
constant downpour of frigid rain. We also bombarded the media with press
releases and got coverage by most major news outlets in Chicago. In cities
throughout the world, nearly 100,000 people participated in the Global Night
Commutes. That night, almost everyone wrote a personal letter to their state
representatives and to President George W. Bush, asking for the promotion of
peace in northern Uganda. It is said to be the largest demonstration concerning
African issues in U.S. history. The Senate took note and issued a joint resolution
calling for peace in Uganda. They promised to allocate more resources to peace
efforts, to increase humanitarian aid, and to help the Ugandan government
rebuild infrastructure once peace came. The rebels and the Ugandan army signed
a cease-fire shortly thereafter, which, though tenuous, has held a fragile peace in
place ever since.16
Aware that the work was not over when the guns fell silent, Invisible Conflicts
has continued to work for a lasting and just peace in northern Uganda. In October
2006, we sent a delegation to Washington, D.C., for the northern Uganda lobby
days. The weekend was packed with speakers, including Betty Bigombe, the
ambassador from Uganda, and Ugandans who had been abducted by the LRA.
The last day was spent talking to Illinois senators Barack Obama and Richard
Durbin, as well as U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky’s (D–IL) representatives
about supporting the peace talks that were taking place in Uganda. The trip revi-
talized our understanding of the importance of raising our voices and asking for
change. The organizations sponsoring the lobby days held a symposium for the
students so that they could get a better understanding of the war in Uganda. As
informative and important as it was to comprehend the situation, we got frus-
trated with everyone trying to theorize why there is such chaos in Uganda. It
reminded us why we love Invisible Conflicts: we want to know the kids that bear
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 141

the stories of the country. We want to make relationships and partner with them
so that they know they are not alone. Uganda lobby days reiterated for us the
importance of (1) building a strong connection with the people of Uganda and
(2) taking political action as often as possible. The weekend in Washington, D.C.,
showed us that both are valuable and needed in order to create change.
Our efforts to open the eyes of our community to the atrocities occurring in
northern Uganda paid off. Since 2003, when Invisible Children made their docu-
mentary, night commuting and child abduction in northern Uganda have ceased.
In 2006 a cease-fire was declared and peace talks have ensued between the
Ugandan government and the LRA. Because of pressure from civil society, many
international actors, including the United States, have sent envoys to Uganda to
show their support for the peace talks.
One remarkable thing we learned from the many Ugandans we met through
our advocacy work was what they wanted for their country. Whenever we met
Ugandans, we made it a point to ask what they thought their country needed.
Every single time they replied, “Education.” If Ugandans wanted education, we
would do our best to help them get it.

THE DWON MADIKI PARTNERSHIP

Dwon Madiki Beginnings
Katie Scranton
My first taste of Uganda was in the Chicago home of Caroline Akweyo. Caroline
had been attending screenings of the documentary Invisible Children for months,
willingly sharing her unfathomable stories of being abducted by the LRA in
Uganda. Invisible Conflicts had invited Caroline numerous times to share her
experiences, and she always humbly accepted. As in any relationship, it took time
before we could all become friends with Caroline, our new Ugandan acquain-
tance. I spoke to her only briefly after screenings, filled with curiosity as to how a
woman could survive war, cross an ocean, and so effortlessly speak to entire audi-
ences of college students, professors, and locals. During the following summer,
two of the founding members of Invisible Conflicts, Morgan Smith and Nathan
Mustain, began meeting with Caroline in hopes of forming a personal connection
between the Chicago-based college group and the children of Gulu, Uganda.
Caroline told them that her mother, Grace, was a teacher in Gulu and had always
dreamed of starting an orphanage for children affected by the war. Because of
limited resources, Invisible Conflicts decided to put quality over quantity by sup-
porting a small number of children instead of attempting to build a large orphan-
age. Providing about fifteen kids with an education at the primary level was,
initially, the most realistic task for the group.
The next fall, Morgan and I often visited Caroline’s home in Rogers Park, a
north-side neighborhood of Chicago, to discuss the vague, unformed ideas of
supporting the education of a few kids in Gulu. First, we had to narrow down
142 The New Humanitarians

which children we would sponsor. Ultimately, we decided to support those that

were most vulnerable—children orphaned by the war or by the AIDS pandemic.
Our talks about the evolving partnership in Gulu were often interrupted by the
smell of homemade Acholi food as Caroline would appear from the kitchen insist-
ing that we eat dinner. We soon learned to show up at Caroline’s without a tight
schedule or a full stomach. The side conversations between Caroline and her
family in Luo, the food we were eating, and the unhurried pace of our visits made
Morgan and me feel as if we had left the United States for a few hours and landed
in Gulu. We were becoming friends with a woman of shocking history and
immeasurable strength. Even after all she had been through, Caroline did not stop
sharing her story and cooking dinner for us.
On the day of the Gulu Walk, Caroline and members of Invisible Conflicts
joined many others in solidarity with the people of Uganda by walking eight miles
through the streets of Chicago. Morgan and I were strolling down the sidewalk
casually talking to Caroline when an idea surged. We asked Caroline, “How do you
say ‘the voice of tomorrow’ in the Acholi language?” She paused to think for a few
moments. After searching the language of her childhood and her far-off home, she
replied, “I guess that would be something like Dwon Madiki.” A name for the
growing project had been born. The naming of the Dwon Madiki Partnership was
not simply the choosing of a few words—it was creation of a vision. Our hope
increased as we realized that our efforts would amplify the voices of children who
had been robbed of a say in their own futures. A year later, Caroline’s daughter,
Stella, said that in Gulu, the name Dwon Madiki “has a ring to it when people hear
it there . . . the name is like poetry.”
The first responsibilities of brainstorming for the Dwon Madiki Partnership
were passed on to Morgan and to me. Who were we to design a framework for a
program in a country we had never visited and for children we had never met? We
did not speak their language. We did not know their names. We were not
acquainted with the protocols and procedures of an international nongovern-
mental organization (NGO). We did not even know how to call Uganda, let alone
start an educational partnership.
Later, Morgan and I arrived at a local café on Sheridan Road, ordered sand-
wiches, found a table, and let our minds wander. Our conversation was a whirlwind
of ideas and theories and visions and themes we had each individually thought of
for some time. How do we support these kids . . . we should amplify their voices . . .
we can’t speak on their behalf . . . we need to let them do the talking . . . how can they
express themselves to us . . . if they take pictures of their lives and do art, we could use
it here somehow . . . we could do art exhibits . . . we could invite people and make it
a fundraiser . . . how many kids can we support . . . what are we even doing . . . we’ve
never done this before . . . how could we . . . we’re only college students . . . what’s the
first step . . . how do we move from theory to reality?
Without the chance to dialogue and build off of each other’s inspiration, we
would not have been able to piece it all together the way we did. And even then,
our plan was not totally straightforward or even feasible.
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 143

At our next Invisible Conflicts meeting, Morgan and I felt as if we would burst.
We had been filled with some indescribable sense of direction that I would attrib-
ute to no one more capable than God. We entered the room that Thursday night
at eight o’clock with overwhelming anticipation. The development of it all had
unfolded before our eyes, and it was now time to update the group on progress.
Since both of us were somewhat hesitant to speak in front of everyone, we talked
to each other before the meeting. How much do we tell? Our ideas are not very well
formed yet. Should we wait to update everyone until we have a more concrete vision?
Our hesitancy was probably the result of more than just shyness or insecurity.
When I asked myself why I would be apprehensive to tell such exciting news to the
group, I had to confront a deeper, more personal possibility. The moment Morgan
and I opened our mouths, the vision for the partnership would no longer be ours.
In fact, it never was ours in the first place, but in that moment, we were reminded
that this belongs to everyone. This indeed is a partnership because it is held
together not just by Morgan and me, but by Caroline and Grace and everyone in
Invisible Conflicts, and especially by the children in Gulu.
Morgan began that night, uninhibited. She shared the ideas of exchanging art
and exhibits. She told of the new name, the Dwon Madiki Partnership, which even
uses the Acholi’s native language, Luo, to capture the vision of amplifying the
voice of Ugandans. The secret was out. And to our relief, the responsibility was no
longer on our shoulders alone. We were joining forces. Our excitement had spread
to all corners of the room. Our ideas were not judged for their likelihood or per-
fection. Instead, they had been welcomed as the first steps toward the formation
of a relationship with strangers across the world.
I heard the voice of Uganda for the first time late one night in a tiny Chicago
apartment. I had never used an international phone card before. It was about
midnight when I called because I was told it would be early morning in Uganda.
The number was so long I almost forgot why I was calling, and the sound the
phone made was so foreign to me that I was not sure if it was a ring or a busy
signal. I heard the bright, accented voice of a woman answer while roosters
sounded in the background. About a year before, I did not even know where
Uganda was in Africa, and now I was calling to that distant country, trusting that
there was actually a woman there named Grace, and that she would be expecting
a call that morning before she left for school. We stumbled through the conversa-
tion because of the delay, but our delight to finally speak to each other dispelled
any awkwardness.
Soon after, Grace began informing us of their needs and hopes for the partner-
ship. They agreed on the name Dwon Madiki, and she said that the first move was to
rent a small office across from Lacor Hospital in Gulu and buy a sign to put out front.
The estimate was $30 a month to rent the office and about $10 to have a sign printed
(see Photo 9.1). This was the first time that Invisible Conflicts had to be financially
conscientious. Paying rent every month meant we were entering into a long-term
commitment. There would be no turning back. Our first wire transfer to Grace was
just enough for the rent, a sign, and a few office supplies, such as a stapler and a desk.
144 The New Humanitarians

Photo 9.1 The Dwon Madiki Partnership office is located in the Labor Trading Center
in Gulu-Town, Uganda. It serves as both office and center for the after-school program.
Courtesy of David Thatcher.

I’ll never forget the photograph Grace e-mailed to us of her in the office, with noth-
ing but a stapler on the desk. Yet that simple photograph captured the determined
spirit of a woman in circumstances we had never known. The photo captured the
face of a new friend and the beginnings of our journey as a partnership.
We took the first step to get to know the kids. One afternoon, we invited Invis-
ible Conflicts members to write and decorate short questionnaires for the kids. We
brainstormed fun, innocent questions to ask the kids, and we let them know they
could answer either in writing or in pictures or both. Our desire was to include all
the kids, so we asked Grace to help those who were too young to write. That day,
about seven of us finished more than a dozen colorful sheets of paper, full of ques-
tions for the children, and mailed them off, eager to hear back from the kids.
As a group, we felt that we could initially provide for fifteen kids at the primary
school level. That fall semester, we started meeting with Caroline to narrow down
the category of children we would sponsor, deciding that we would support those
that were most vulnerable.
We regularly communicated by e-mail and occasionally by phone. Grace had
chosen which kids would be included in the partnership based on criteria such as
need, loss of parents, and trauma from experiences with the LRA. One day we got
an e-mail with an attachment. All the little pictures and short biographies had
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 145

been taped onto a sheet of paper, scanned, and e-mailed to us. There on a bright
computer screen at Loyola University Chicago were fifteen beautiful faces with
names. These were the faces of Dwon Madiki.
Weeks later, a thick package arrived in the mail filled with little drawings and
our questionnaires—complete with answers to our questions in the delightful
crayon scrawls of children. The drastic variety of their pictures stirred us. Some
were of young girls cooking and boys playing soccer, while others were of soldiers,
machetes, severed limbs, helicopters, bullets, blood, and death. The answers to our
questions were just as varied. Some wrote that their favorite thing to do was eat or
play, while others wrote that their favorite thing to do was fight. In response to the
question, what makes you laugh, some had simply written “fighting,” or had
drawn two men with guns (see Photo 9.2). We all held their art in awe and could
finally feel a bit of these kids’ reality.
It was clear we could not simply stop at exchanging art. It was time to move
forward with the children’s education. Grace, as always, did work before we even
asked her to. She had already found local schools for each child and had arranged
their placements with the teachers. Now all that was lacking was money. It was
early November; their school fees were due by January, or else the kids would miss
out on an entire term of schooling.
While Grace was putting the program together in Uganda, the students here in
the United States were working on fundraising. How would we make enough
money to get these kids through the year? Most of our money had come from small
donations from the screenings, bake sales, and T-shirt sales. We discussed increas-
ing bake sales and T-shirt sales, but knew that these alone would not be enough.
So, in keeping with the young, innovative, and certainly ridiculous approach of
Invisible Conflicts, we figured out how to raise the $6,000 in less than two months.
Late one night at Morgan’s apartment, about a dozen of us gathered to brain-
storm over some take-out Mexican food. An idea appeared out of nowhere. Partly
as a silly joke, and partly out of frustration for lack of a better idea, I shouted,
“Why don’t we just jump in the lake?” After a brief moment of silence, Nathan
replied, “Why not?” Soon everyone was convinced that it was the best, most insane
way we could raise $6,000 in two months.
We were now going to jump into freezing Lake Michigan in the dead of winter.
The name I.C. Plunge was cleverly coined. We divided up tasks such as who would
research the safety, who would contact lifeguards, who would begin drafting an
I.C. Plunge information packet, and so on. Who would have thought that too
much Mexican food, a joke of an idea, and a few inspired college students would
add up to the birth of an educational partnership in Gulu, Uganda?

I.C. Plunge 2006

Morgan Smith
December 2, 2006, was the day of the first annual I.C. Plunge. After barely a
month of planning the day’s activities, creating art to reflect our goals and desires
146 The New Humanitarians

Photo 9.2 The Dwon Madiki Partnership offers an after-school program for the children
of Dwon Madiki and the surrounding community. This artwork was made by Aciro Mercy,
a child in the after-school program. Courtesy of the Dwon Madiki Partnership.

for Dwon Madiki, and raising capital, the I.C. Plunge came into existence. Over
thirty-five people jumped, and two hundred showed up in support. Together, we
raised over $7,000, exceeding our goal by $1,000. The level of collaboration
between students, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Metropolis Coffee Company, and bagel
shops that occurred in such a short period of time was humbling. Many people
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 147

took action right away and pursued various avenues of creativity to assist in the
dynamic production of the I.C plunge. Students from schools all over Illinois,
including the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of
Illinois–Chicago, showed up ready to jump into the cold water. Invisible Conflicts
members facilitated the sign-in and money collection, and dispersed information
about the Dwon Madiki partnership. At around one o’clock in the afternoon, all
thirty-five plungers headed outside into the frigid December air to take part in an
idea that started off as a joke and would end up transforming lives of twenty stu-
dents in another country. The jump was exhilarating. That something so silly
could change someone’s life created an odd sensation. After we warmed up, ate
some food, and drank hot chocolate, the amount of money raised was announced.
It was shocking enough that we actually met our goal, but raising $1,000 above
that opened our eyes to the possibilities that exist when we are courageous enough
to be adventurous with our creativity.

The Establishment of Dwon Madiki

Dave Thatcher and Diana Zurawski
Before the plunge, the Dwon Madiki Partnership was little more than an idea.
On December 2, after the participants had dried off, the costumes had been judged,
and the money had been counted, the idea became a reality. By early January, Invis-
ible Conflicts had deposited over $7,000 in the bank and had four members
preparing for a summer trip to northern Uganda to set up the partnership.
During the months of January to May 2007, the foundations for the partnership
were laid. Dwon Madiki evolved from the mere fiscal sponsorship of education to
a holistic program with integrated after-school and holiday-break components.
Equipped with little knowledge of how to set up such an organization and pro-
gram, a couple of members spent long hours on the phone communicating with
Grace Odonga, the director in Uganda, trying to evaluate the immediate logistical
costs needed to get started.
We began by wiring money to pay for school uniforms, scholastic materials, and
school fees, allowing the kids to begin their first trimester of the year. Next, money
was sent for basic start-up costs. We purchased a computer, printer, desks, and other
needed supplies for the office. Slowly, a legitimate office and program began to
emerge. The kids started to come to the office after school, and Grace, along with
four volunteers she had recruited, began to provide them with activities such as art,
traditional music, and dance training. As the months went on, Invisible Conflicts
continued to receive packages of the kids’ artwork. They were beautiful, heartbreak-
ing, and endearing. Drawings of guns and war were scattered in between sketches of
children playing and families cooking. All twenty-one of the kids were victims of a
war that had robbed them of a childhood and of the most basic human rights, such
as adequate housing, nutrition, health, and security. This realization powerfully hit
home when at some point, one of the children, Jimmy Komakech, mysteriously dis-
appeared. To this day, we have no idea where he is or what happened to him.
148 The New Humanitarians

With so many factors working against the kids’ capacities to succeed in life, we
realized that just paying for their school fees was not enough. How could they do
well in school and in life beyond if they received only one meal a day? Could the
children succeed if they were exposed to debilitating sicknesses and diseases? How
could we deal with guardians who are never fully invested in their education?
It was these early insights that helped us to understand the need for a more
comprehensive framework and a holistic program that would address the myriad
issues affecting the kids. As this framework was developed with Grace and her
volunteers, the mission and vision of the Dwon Madiki Partnership was born.

VISION
The Dwon Madiki Partnership (DMP) works for a world where orphan and vul-
nerable children of northern Uganda are provided the necessary resources, support
and environment to succeed in school and achieve holistic development of self, fam-
ily and community.

MISSION
The DMAP empowers children to succeed in school and life through
• provision of quality education
• engagement in & access to holistic development, activities, resources and men-
torship
• fostering of personal relationships with students in Chicago through media, art
and technology
In addition to the vision and mission, an ethos, or a set of guiding principles,
also emerged regarding how we would accomplish the mission and operate a
successful program. These guiding principles reflect that the program is a part-
nership, and not a charity. We call them The Four E’s:

Guiding Principles—The Four E’s

Educate ourselves and others

Engage in meaningful, concrete, and sustainable ways to be catalysts for change
Exchange ideas, stories, and wisdom to foster real and personal relationships
Empower ourselves and others through education, engagement, and exchange

Following the establishment of the framework, vision, and mission, another

important expansion of the partnership occurred when Invisible Conflicts teamed
up with the Gear Up Alliance—a federally funded program that works with
failing inner-city schools to prepare kids for postsecondary education. Invisible
Conflicts members spent time with kids from failing inner-city Chicago schools
during a summer camp operated by Gear Up. Members of Invisible Conflicts,
Diana Zurawski and Laura Morales, talked with the kids about conflict, violence,
and conflict resolution in their own communities. The culmination of the
program was a conference call between the Dwon Madiki children in Gulu and
the Gear Up kids in Chicago, during which they dialogued and connected over
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 149

common experiences, hopes, and appreciation of hip-hop star 50-Cent. The final
question of the event was particularly poignant: a thirteen-year-old Chicago
student inquired, “Do you ever get afraid to walk alone at night?” His voice had a
certain sense of familiarity as though he, too, knew the fear he spoke of. The
students on the other end of the line answered truthfully, explaining how war has
affected their daily lives.
Because we felt it was not enough to carry on a distant relationship if the
program was going to succeed, in the summer of 2007, we sent four members,
Dave Thatcher, Amy Nemeth, Lauren Springstroh, and Monica Mormon, to
finally meet our friends in Gulu, Uganda. As the departure for the summer trip
drew closer, the group began to organize fundraising events, donation drives, and
sensitization campaigns. Donations included cameras, art supplies, clothes, toys,
a web cam for the office, vitamins, toothpaste and toothbrushes, soccer balls, and
more school supplies. All together, the four traveling group members had a com-
bined total of twelve bags (nine of which arrived in Uganda two weeks after the
travelers did). The traveling team left on May 31 and arrived in Uganda on June 1.
The kids in Gulu were extremely excited to meet the students, and wrote and sang
this song for them: “I woke up in the morning and heard that my school fees were
paid/For, that someone would care for my life so far away in the States/I wish, I
wish that the angels, that the angels would never depart/And if it is possible to
open our hearts, for you to see our love for you.”
Seeing the program firsthand and witnessing the social, physical, and eco-
nomic conditions within which the kids lived was a life-changing experience for
the group. It was an experience of paradoxes: bubbling happiness arising from
kids who lived in a sea of suffering. At the office, the kids seemed to play hap-
pily as if they had not a care in the world, but it was in talking to their guardians
and in visiting their homes that the atrocities of the war and the dire needs it
had created became apparent. Besides the horrible economic and physical
conditions the war had created, every child in the program had a personal expe-
rience of violence. Many had been born in the bush to mothers who had been
abducted. Some had been forcibly made to witness torturous killings. Others
had friends or family members who had been abducted, never to be heard from
again. It all constituted a trauma-ridden life, through which the kids were
astoundingly resilient.
So how were college students, some just eighteen years old, supposed to under-
stand and develop—in partnership with a school teacher a thousand miles away
with her small cadre of young volunteers—a program that could address such
issues? Was it even possible? During their stay, the team collected data from sur-
veys conducted with the kids, their guardians, and their teachers. These inter-
views, supplemented by pictures and voice and video recordings, recorded the
plight of children in northern Uganda. This documentation provided not only
vital information as to how the program could be improved, but it also allowed
the group to help the children by telling their stories in the United States and
advocating on the kids’ behalf.
150 The New Humanitarians

The team was invited as guests on the main radio station in the North—Mega
FM—to speak about the Dwon Madiki Partnership. The following day, the office
was flooded with members of the community who had children they wanted to
enroll in the program.
After a summer of listening to and documenting stories of the war, engaging the
community, spending time with the kids and their guardians, and seeing firsthand
the IDP camps, the team returned with a wealth of knowledge concerning what
needed to be done to empower the kids in Uganda in order to make the partner-
ship more effective. Four developmental categories were identified to structure the
after-school activities. These activities would address a range of issues impeding
the kids’ ability to succeed in life, focusing on holistic development of self, family,
and community. A specific vision and mission was created for each category:
Health
Vision: The DMP works for a world where orphan children of northern Uganda
will perform basic hygiene, have adequate nutrition, practice proper disease preven-
tion, respond in a healthy manner to emotions, and acknowledge their self-worth.
Mission: DMP will provide supplies, adequate meals, education of disease process
and preventive measures, emotional explanation and support, and encouragement.

Social Values
Vision: The DMP works to help children develop a positive self-image in order
to encourage healthy social relationships with family, peers, and community.
Mission: The DMP will help through multimedia activities, community events,
and fun activities that encourage teamwork.
Nurture and understand cultural values
Develop a strong sense of self-worth
Create modes of communication between children and community members

Life Skills
Vision: DMP works to provide children in northern Uganda with the necessary
resources to help them envision their goals and future aspirations.
Mission: This will be achieved through motivation:
Provide exciting learning and multimedia tools
Encourage goal setting through steps
Cultivate positive self-image
Develop a self and community value system

Education
Vision: The DMP strives for an environment in which children in northern
Uganda would receive quality education, internalize its worth, and have access to the
necessary support in order to achieve their academic goals.
Mission: The DMP will
Pay school and lunch fees
Provide school supplies, uniforms, and tutoring
Facilitate relationships with positive role models in the community
Provide educational, interactive activities
Cultivate the value of education with family and peers
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 151

Uganda Trip, Winter 2007

Amy Nemeth and Carolyn Ziembo
To build on this momentum, we knew that we needed to continue developing
the program. In the fall of 2007, we began planning for another trip to Uganda.
Three members volunteered to go during the month of December—Amanda
Fuentes, Graci Willis, and Kate Reynolds. By assessing the situation in Uganda
from the previous trip, we had determined the kids lacked proper health educa-
tion. In order to give the children of Dwon Madiki the proper tools to be suc-
cessful in life, we decided to prioritize a health initiative for the trip. The main
goal was to implement a health program—which worked out well since Amanda
and Kate were both pursuing nursing in school. The girls left with a mission to
incorporate health instruction and health care into the children’s after-school
program. This was to help facilitate basic health skills, such as learning facts
about germs and how to fight infection in everyday life circumstances. Other
objectives of the trip were to re-evaluate the after-school program and progress
of the kids, conduct more documentation and needs assessment surveys, and
begin recording the kids singing, playing instruments, and reciting poems for a
CD project.

I.C. Plunge 2007

Morgan Smith
To make the winter trip feasible and to sustain DMP for a second year, it was
time for another chilly swim. Since group membership had more than quadru-
pled, and in light of the previous I.C. Plunge’s astounding monetary result and the
large number of plungers, we decided to challenge ourselves by raising our goal to
$12,000. Unlike the previous year, we had time to prepare. During the entire fall
semester, we vigorously encouraged college students, high school students, church
congregations, and Loyola University faculty members to join in the I.C. Plunge.
The teamwork that took place to prepare for the event was outstanding. We even
involved local polar bear clubs, radio stations, and newspapers to help spread the
word about the fundraiser. After all, the I.C. Plunge had been added to the “Top
100 Things to do at Loyola.”
With the amount of time we had to organize the event, at the I.C. Plunge
reception, we were able to demonstrate to the participants the significance of
the partnership through artwork and our own video documentary. To demon-
strate the four developmental categories of DMP (health, social values, life
skills, and education), pictures of the children in their daily activities were dis-
played by each category throughout the entire room. But the artwork was not
just there for show—it was interactive, allowing people to respond to the kids
by sending them their thoughts, encouragement, and prayers. The kids in
Uganda even gave the plungers some encouragement. One DMP orphan was
152 The New Humanitarians

asked, “How do you feel about all them jumping into a freezing lake for the I.C.
Plunge?” He said, “To me they are doing it because they love us, like they are
suffering for us.”
Eventually it was time for the plunge, and roughly 300 people were waiting at
the beach for support. The weather was terrible. It was snowy, icy, and incredibly
windy. Braving the harsh conditions, sixty-five plungers stormed into Lake
Michigan, shouting and laughing—and for the first time in her life, our dear
friend Caroline Akweyo stepped into a body of water. Once all the donations were
counted—the vast majority in $10s and $20s—we had surpassed our goal of
$12,000 by raising over $15,000.

Amplifying Voices
Carolyn Ziembo
The artwork at the I.C. Plunge 2007 was an enormous success, and since we
have made it a point to empower and amplify the voices of the unheard, Invisible
Conflicts was given a unique opportunity to let the children of DMP tell their
stories with an exhibit at the Push Pin Gallery in the Loyola University Museum
of Art (LUMA) in the spring of 2008. This public exhibit featured drawings and
poems by the children, photographs taken by and of them, and other media,
including bracelets and banana leaf creations all crafted by the Dwon Madiki kids.
The LUMA exhibit was a thrilling opportunity for the children to explain and
illustrate their stories through their own work. One of Dwon Madiki’s tenets
remains to engage; thus, the exhibit asked viewers of the gallery how they felt
about what they had seen, and explained what they could do to help and empower
the children of the DMP. By allowing the children to tell their stories to people
from across the world and by engaging these people in Invisible Conflicts’
mission, the LUMA exhibit brought inspiration to many guests because of the
children’s spirit and faith against all odds.

VISION FOR THE FUTURE

The Dwon Madiki Partnership
Carolyn Ziembo
Invisible Conflicts and DMP plan to continue evolving and improving. In
November 2007, we purchased a plot of land near our Gulu office. The land, in
conjunction with a previously owned plot, will combine to create more free space
for the children to play. On this land, Invisible Conflicts wants to build a soccer
field, net-ball field, school, and eventually a new office. In addition to these
improvements, we would like to move all the DMP children into top Ugandan
schools in the area. With increased funding, the children will receive better edu-
cation in private schools, and have better resources and more qualified teachers.
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 153

We have chosen to provide a sustainable means of education and empowerment,

making sure each child successfully finishes his or her schooling. A quality and
stable education prepares children to achieve and discover their goals in life. Thus,
Dwon Madiki plans to make sure each child in the program completes secondary
school.
The Dwon Madiki Partnership has become a positive force in the community
of Acholi people. They come from around the area to watch the children dance
and sing songs. The hopeful nature of the children has brought together all kinds
of people, especially in difficult times. Eventually, we plan to increase the eco-
nomic sustainability of Dwon Madiki in Gulu by fostering successful revenue-
producing endeavors, therefore lessening the partnership’s reliance on our
financial assistance. We hope that our Ugandan partners will be able to sustain the
program on their own in the future.

The Democratic Republic of Congo

Amy Nemeth
Another vision we have is to expand beyond Uganda and establish programs
similar to the Dwon Madiki Partnership in other conflict regions. Since our estab-
lishment in 2005, we have been looking into other areas that have yet to be
exposed to the Western world. In 2006, we were told the story of the Democratic
Republic of Congo’s (DRC) struggle and knew we could not turn our back on the
DRC.
Four times larger than France, the Democratic Republic of Congo is situated
in the Great Lakes region of Africa.17 The DRC has vast mines of diamonds, gold,
copper, cobalt, coltan,18 and cassiterite.19 Its history has been one of conflict and
instability, influenced by the foreign policies of its neighbors and by policies of
Western countries such as the United States. In 1998 it was the center of a war that
involved six other African nations. The Second Congo War (1998–2002) also
ushered in a period of foreign investment, during which many contracts made
with Western or multinational corporations were done through third parties. Very
little profit from these resources found its way back to the Congolese people.20 It
is estimated that three million people died during the Second Congo War.21
Because the conflict that still plagues East Congo is an international one, we
believe that the international community has the responsibility to bring peace to
the DRC. Peace in the DRC would greatly facilitate the establishment of peace in
the rest of Africa.22
At Invisible Conflicts, we believe that, with knowledge and the right tools, peo-
ple have the power to make a difference in the world. On November 30, 2006, we
hosted the investigative journalist Keith Harmon Snow at Loyola
University–Chicago. Before an audience of Loyola students and faculty, Snow
enlightened the community on the atrocities that are committed daily in the DRC,
and he also gave us concrete ways to stop these atrocities.23
154 The New Humanitarians

We firmly believe that a partnership between communities of power and priv-

ilege and communities of poverty and oppression is necessary to bring about
positive change; thus, we strive as much as possible to listen and to partner with
people from regions of conflict. In 2006 we partnered with Nugalula Kela, a mem-
ber of Friends of the Congo,24 and Jacques Bahati, a member of Africa Faith and
Justice Network,25 in order to better educate ourselves.
Invisible Conflicts also seeks to lead by example. In 2006 we participated in the
Run for the Congo 5K walk and run event in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Through this
event, we showed our solidarity for the Congolese and raised awareness among
the Chicago community. In 2007 we formed a DRC committee that is dedicated
to finding ways to educate ourselves and our community on the situation in the
DRC. We hope to screen documentaries about the DRC to the Loyola community
and to host more speakers to talk about the DRC. The DRC committee has also
provided us with a sample letter and key contacts in the political and business
communities that have the power to influence an end to the atrocities being com-
mitted in the DRC. In 2008 we are planning to participate in the DRC lobby days
in Washington, D.C., to encourage our legislators to make the DRC a priority.

CONCLUSION
Evan Ledyard, Katie Scranton, and Dave Thatcher
As the partnership between the students at Loyola University–Chicago and the
community in Gulu continues to grow, Invisible Conflicts has expanded to the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The UIUC chapter of Invis-
ible Conflicts, led by Nathan Mustain’s brother, Patrick Mustain, in the United
States and by Deacon Leonsyo in Uganda, has formed a partnership with the com-
munity of Pajule, Uganda; the group plans to create a program similar to the
Dwon Madiki Partnership. Establishing more partnerships between other univer-
sities and communities around the world is what Invisible Conflicts hopes to wit-
ness in the future. By building more partnerships around the globe, more
relationships will be formed and more lives impacted.
You may hear people say that some situations are hopeless. But it is never hope-
less. With the relationships Invisible Conflicts has formed over the past three
years, the group has seen the faces of real people in these situations staring back
with hope. It is easy to just write off devastating situations as hopeless, but we find
hope through our relationships with others—and that takes a lot of time, trust,
openness, and commitment. Members of Invisible Conflicts have learned that
creating change requires many small steps, and that the Dwon Madiki Partnership
did not evolve without guidance or hard work. As Invisible Conflicts has demon-
strated, doing big is not always the best way to foster change, but that big change
can be found in the smallest of actions. However, the important thing is simply to
act. Recognizing the importance of action, a member of Invisible Conflicts, Katie
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 155

Scranton, has said, “I know that I cannot touch everyone’s life. I know that I am
capable of so little. And yet in response to such a crisis, I have to make a decision.
Either I love one person fully, or I love no one at all. Either I speak to one person
with hope, or I speak not at all. Either I enter into service and uncertainty, or I
move not at all. Either I become friends with a woman in Uganda that I’ve never
met, or I come to know no one at all. Either I see hope in the foreground of
despair, or I truly see nothing at all.”
It is of this kind of belief and passion that the late Senator Robert Kennedy
spoke in an address to the University of Cape Town. He said, “Few will have the
greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of
the events, and in the total of all these acts will be written the history of this
generation. . . . It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that
human history is thus shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to
improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny
ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of
energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the
mightiest walls of oppression and resistance” (Day of Affirmation Address, June
6, 1966).
We are standing up. We are raising our idealistic voices against injustice. Tiny
ripples of hope are emanating from bake sales, screenings, letters, and summer
adventures, carrying themselves from the shores of Lake Michigan to the heart of
war-torn Uganda. These ripples are traveling the thousands of miles between
shores on currents of intimate, personal, and empowering relationships. And they
are gaining momentum.
This is our story. It is a story of countless small actions and of the develop-
ment of true friendships. This is a story in which a few hundred small donations
opened a world of possibility, and where lives were changed on both sides of the
Atlantic. Its success lies in the enduring, purposeful relationships that were estab-
lished and that give so much meaning to life. In the very act of empowering
others, in helping some to overcome the structures of poverty and oppression, we
have in turn been empowered. The children of Dwon Madiki have empowered us
with hope and with understanding. We have learned so much through our inter-
actions with them. As they have recounted their stories of growing up in the
midst of war, we have been able to glean what it means to embody courage and
strength. This has carried over to all that we do and has given us the courage to
continue forward.
As the kids’ grades continue to improve and as three meals a day become a con-
stant occurrence in their lives, the ripples continue to spread. Our first child grad-
uated from middle school this past year and will be moving on to high school. Her
name is Joan, and she wants to be a doctor. She has discovered empowerment for
the first time, and her story is our story. To quote the social activist Margaret
Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can
change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever does.”26
156 The New Humanitarians

APPENDIX: WHAT YOU CAN DO

Act with Invisible Conflicts–Loyola:
Participate in the I.C. Plunge
Donate to us online at www.invisibleconflicts.org
Start a chapter of Invisible Conflicts at your church, high school, or college
E-mail us to see how you can get involved at invisibleconflicts.
loyola@gmail.com

Act on YOUR Issue/Passion: SMALL Ways to Make a Difference

Educate Yourself:
Research the issue
Google alerts
Talk to people from the conflict regions (from local NGOs, etc.)

Gather People:
Find others concerned about a similar issue
Talk to local schools with likeminded groups
Contact churches
Send out e-mails
Make Facebook groups
Put up posters in café

Begin to Act:
Screen documentaries
Present at functions
Meet people from conflict zones
Ask them how to partner
Contact local art stores for supplies
Write to the government (go to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
to find the contact information for your officials in Congress)

Links
Websites: Uganda
www.invisibleconflicts.org
www.invisiblechildren.com
http://www.ugandarising.com/home.html
http://www.ugandacan.org/
http://www.enoughproject.org/uganda
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 157

Websites: Democratic Republic of Congo

http://www.afjn.org/d.r.congo/overview/
http://www.enoughproject.org/congo
http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/
http://www.runforcongowomen.org/

Sample Letter: Uganda

Dear _______________,

I write to express my deep concern about the conflict in northern Uganda. For
more than twenty years, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) has been fighting to over-
throw the government of Uganda. The LRA rebels have captured more than 30,000
children to use as frontline soldiers and sex slaves.
Fear of abduction causes thousands of children to flee their rural homes each
night. The conflict has uprooted at least 80 percent of northern Uganda’s popula-
tion, and up to 1.3 million people live in squalid camps that usually lack adequate
clean water and sanitation.
Leadership from the United States can bring peace to this troubled region. I
respectfully ask that you advocate for the following:
The U.S. must support and strengthen the Juba peace process.
Peace talks are at a critical time right now and need support from the U.S. and
the international community to succeed.
Call the State Department, urging them to publicly support the peace talks.
• Increase humanitarian and development assistance for northern Uganda.
• More than 1.3 million people are displaced by this conflict and are dependent on
international assistance. Please see that U.S. aid will not be decreased even
though there is now relative peace in the region.
• Please call for and participate in public hearings to examine the crisis in northern
Uganda.
Your attention to this urgent matter can drastically improve the lives of those in
northern Uganda —especially those of children.

Sincerely,

____________________

Sample Letter: Democratic Republic of Congo

Dear _____________

Although in recent months peacekeeping efforts in Darfur and Northern Uganda

have been gaining greater media attention, one conflict has remained under the
radar. Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo has reached a critical point.
158 The New Humanitarians

According to the Enough! Project (www.enoughproject.org), 260,000 people have

been displaced, and dozens of innocent bystanders have been injured or killed as a
result of factionalized militant groups such as the Rasta militia. The relations
between these many groups are incredibly complex; among the militias are groups
led by Hutu rebels who were involved in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Many of
these militias have been involved in brutal atrocities against villagers in the DRC.
Adding to the complexity of the military operations are the UN peacekeeping mis-
sions, which have been reduced to barely more than an observer role.
The time to act is now. The United States, a leading player on the global stage, needs
to work with our allies and the UN in order to press the Congolese government to neu-
tralize these militant groups and develop an aid plan, including the stabilization of
both the political and humanitarian crises in the DRC. More detailed information on
this and other conflicts is available at www.enoughproject.org. As one of the wealthi-
est and most powerful nations in the world, the United States government needs to
step up its awareness and aid of all conflicts, not just those gaining media attention.

Sincerely,

____________________

Thank you!

Acknowledgments
All of us at Invisible Conflicts would like to express our thanks to

• Invisible Children, whose moving documentary inspired us at Loyola

University–Chicago to take action. We have learned so much from your
organization, and we thank you for your courage and insight.
• Dr. David Kanis, our exceptional resource for the conflict in northern Uganda.
You have taught us so much, and we can not express our gratitude for your
patience in our journey to establish our group.
• Caroline Akweyo, your strength has been an inspiration to us all. You have
become a wonderful friend and advisor to our group. Without Caroline, the
Dwon Madiki Partnership would not be in existence.
• Grace Odonga, our director in Uganda, who has dedicated countless hours and
resources to helping us make the Dwon Madiki Partnership a reality. We
cannot thank you enough for opening up your heart and home to the children
of Dwon Madiki.
• The volunteers at the Dwon Madiki Partnership: Kevin Opira, Paul Onono,
Lily, Robert Komakech, and Simon Ojara for your dedication to the success of
the Dwon Madiki Partnership.
• Drew Tessler, our dear friend from the Gear-Up Alliance. Your kind heart and
hard work is what has connected lives between students in Chicago and DMP.
• Jacques Bahati, our invaluable contact into the horrors of the conflict in the
Democratic Republic of Congo. Your passion has aroused us all at Invisible
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 159

Conflicts to take action to help end the conflict in the DRC. Thank you for
opening our eyes to another tragic conflict in the world.
• Dr. Patrick Boyle, who was our faculty advisor for the first two years. Thank
you for putting your faith in our brand-new group.
• Dr. Chris E. Stout, a new friend to Invisible Conflicts. We thank you for giving
us the opportunity to be a part of this project. We look forward to years of
alliance and mentorship in the future.
• Dr. John Donoghue, our new friend and faculty advisor. Your encouragement
and support has meant so much to us; it gives us hope for the future of Invis-
ible Conflicts.
• Our families and friends of Invisible Conflicts. Your love, support, and prayers
have made us who we are today. Thank you for your patience and under-
standing, despite our constant bombardments for things such as pledges to
jump into Lake Michigan in December.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Invisible Conflicts/Dwon Madiki Partnership
Founder: Nathan Mustain
Mission/Description: Invisible Conflicts is a student organization that sponsors
the education, mentorship, and empowerment of twenty Ugandan orphans
and vulnerable children. A twenty-one-year civil war in northern Uganda,
between the government and a rebel faction called the Lord’s Resistance Army
(LRA), has led to the forced displacement of over 1.7 million people into inter-
nal refugee camps. To support their rebellion, the LRA abducted over 30,000
Ugandan children, forcing them to be sex slaves and fight as soldiers. Because
of these atrocities, all of the Dwon Madiki Partnership–sponsored children live
in squalid conditions in and around the many displacement camps. Since life
around these camps is marked by poverty, hunger, and little or no access to
education, an entire generation of children find themselves denied a child-
hood and a chance to succeed in life. The Dwon Madiki Partnership, by fund-
ing the education of these children and addressing their developmental needs,
offers them a chance to succeed and in turn give back to their communities,
thus helping break the cycles of poverty and violence caused by the war.
Website: www.invisibleconflicts.org
Address: Invisible Conflicts
Crown Center
6525 North Sheridan Road
Room 546
Chicago, IL 60626 USA
Phone: (412) 5807284
E-mail: invisibleconflicts.loyola@gmail.com
160 The New Humanitarians

NOTES
1. P. Raffaele, “Uganda: The Horror,” Smithsonian (February 2005) (retrieved from
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/uganda.html?c=y&page=1).
2. Uganda Conflict Action Network, “Religious Sign-On Letter for Peace in Northern
Uganda” (2006) (retrieved December 22, 2007, from http://www.ugandacan.org/
signonletter.php).
3. C. Mansour (writer), and L. Poole and J. Russell (directors), Invisible Children [motion
picture], (USA, 2005). Acholi is an ethnic tribe from Uganda. Many Uganda simply call
northern Uganda “Acholi-Land” because the majority of the population from northern
Uganda are Acholis.
4. Invisible Children, 2005.
5. P. Raffaele, “Uganda: The Horror,” Smithsonian (February 2005) (retrieved from
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/uganda.html?c=y&page=1).
6. P. McCormack (writer), and P. McCormack and J. J. Miller (directors), Uganda Rising
[motion picture] (Canada: Mindset Media, 2006).
7. Uganda Conflict Action Network, “The Conflict” (2006) (retrieved December 21, 2007,
from http://www.ugandacan.org/history.php).
8. Invisible Children, 2005.
9. Invisible Children, History of the War (retrieved October 11, 2007, from
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/about/history/).
10. K. Drews, “A Long Way Gone: Four LU Students Volunteer in Uganda.” Phoenix, closer
look (September 12, 2007).
11. D. Thatcher (producer/writer), Freezin for a Reason [motion picture] (USA, 2007).
12. Invisible Children, 2005.
13. Invisible Children, History of the War.
14. These children are “invisible” because “they roam distant battlefields away from public
scrutiny, because no records are kept of their numbers or age, because their own armies
deny they exist” (Invisible Children, 2005).
15. Invisible Children (retrieved October 11, 2007, from http://www.invisiblechildren.
com/theMission).
16. Invisible Children (retrieved January 5, 2008, from http://www.invisiblechildren.
com/theMovie/media/).
17. History of the War, DR Congo’s Life or Death Transition [Motion picture] (USA:
Catholic Relief Services 2006).
18. Coltan, or colombo-tantalite ore, is used to make pinhead capacitors and is an essen-
tial component used in all cell phones. Congo contains 80 percent of the world’s
reserves of coltan.
19. Cassiterite, or tin oxide, is a mineral used for electronic circuit boards. It is the most
traded metal on the London Exchange.
20. Natural Resources in Conflict: Democratic Republic of Congo. (n.d.), Global Witness
(retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://www.globalwitness.org/).
21. Country Profile: Democratic Republic of Congo (2007, October 13). British Broadcast-
ing Company (retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/ coun-
try_profiles/1076399.stm).
22. J. Bahati (2007, November 3). Interview with Jacques Bahati. Interview presented at
lunch with Invisible Conflicts.
23. W. Barrett (2006, December 6). Hidden Reality: Award-winning journalist Keith
Harmon Snow visits Loyola to discuss. Phoenix, news (retrieved January 2, 2008, from
Invisible Conflicts/The Dwon Madiki Partnership 161

Loyola University Chicago website: http://media.www.loyolaphoenix.com/media/

storage/ paper673/news/2006/12/06/News/Hidden.Reality-2523951.shtml).
24. http://www.friendsofthecongo.org/.
25. http://www.afjn.org/.
26. The Institute for Intercultural Studies (retrieved June 12, 2008, from http://www.inter
culturalstudies.org/faq.html#quote).
This page intentionally left blank
 10

Building Educated Leaders

for Life (BELL)
Earl Martin Phalen
and Teresa Barttrum

Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) is a nonprofit educational organiza-

tion that runs academically focused programs for children. The organization
defines education broadly but divides it into three main categories: the mastering
of the basic skills, the development of social skills (in terms of how people inter-
act as a community), and the knowledge of self.
BELL recognizes the pathway to opportunity for children lies in education.
BELL transforms children into scholars and leaders through the delivery of nation-
ally recognized, high-impact summer and after-school educational programs.
BELL exists to dramatically increase the academic achievements, self-esteem, and
life opportunities of children living in low-income, urban communities. BELL pur-
sues a goal that 100 percent of their scholars will achieve academic and social pro-
ficiency in their formative elementary school years. It is the organization’s hope
that BELL scholars will graduate from college and pursue meaningful career paths.
They will, hopefully then, give back to their community. They will be great fathers
and mothers, friends and mentors, leaders and citizens. BELL is one part of a larger
movement of social entrepreneurs dedicated to the evolution of society and the
achievement of a more equitable and just world.
BELL sees itself as a part of the civil and human rights movement. The orga-
nization’s leaders believe in persistence, unyielding faith, and acknowledgment of
past sacrifices. Earl Martin Phalen, BELL’s cofounder and CEO, refers back to the
days of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott. Individuals risked their security
and their children’s security for something that was right. Therefore, Phalen
believes that when individuals are able to step back and immerse themselves in
history, in terms of recognizing the sacrifices others are making to achieve a
particular goal, individuals quit complaining because they realize that what indi-
viduals do today does not even come close to the sacrifices that were made to open

163
164 The New Humanitarians

doors for us today. This recognition underlies the patience and drive for BELL’s
success today.
By helping children achieve academic and social proficiency during their form-
ative elementary school years and embrace their rich cultural heritage, BELL is
inspiring the next generation of great teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists, and com-
munity leaders. By mobilizing parents, teachers, and young adults, BELL is living
the idea that “it takes a village to raise a child.”
BELL was founded in 1992 by a group of black and Latino students from
Harvard Law School as a community service project conducted at the Agassiz
School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Led by Earl Martin Phalen and Andrew L.
Carter, the law students wanted to give back to the community in the same way
others had given back to them or had opened opportunities for them in their lives.
The students began a small tutoring program in a local school in Roxbury,
Massachusetts, where most children could not read, write, or do math at grade-
level proficiency. The students quickly discovered it was easy to get their scholars’
aspirations to rise, but most of the children in the program had not mastered the
basic foundation of academic skills that would allow them to meet their height-
ened dreams.
After the first pilot program with its initial group of twenty scholars, Phalen
and his colleagues were motivated by their results. They then partnered with a
group of parents and decided a need existed to formalize a program. Phalen
believed the mentoring portion of the program inspired children and helped
them to believe in themselves, so this portion of the pilot program remained. A
rigorous academic program was added to help make sure the scholars mastered
the three Rs: reading, writing, and arithmetic.
BELL was able to follow this initial group of twenty scholars and discovered
that every member had enrolled in or graduated from college, compared to only
30 percent of their peers.
In 1993 BELL partnered with both the Agassiz Elementary School in Cambridge
and the Tobin Elementary School in Roxbury, and established itself as a nonprofit
organization. Co-founder Earl Martin Phalen continues to lead BELL, and
Phalen’s mentor, Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree Jr., served as board chair
for thirteen years before transitioning to board chair emeritus.
BELL evolved and complemented its BELL After School Program with the
BELL Summer Program in 1996 to achieve an even greater impact on children’s
lives. BELL soon began making partnerships, winning awards, and maintaining
quality service as it evolved. It was not long before BELL found itself expanding to
other cities. In 1997 BELL expanded to New York City and two years later began
work to Washington, D.C.
As of 2007, BELL has 12,180 scholars in the summer and after-school pro-
grams. BELL now runs programs in Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New York, and
Springfield (MA). BELL’s original group of twenty volunteers has expanded to
approximately 1,200 employees; 1,000 of these are part-time positions. Of the
1,000 employees, 50 percent are teachers, and the other 50 percent are college and
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 165

Figure 10.1 BELL hopes, in pursuing its mission, that their impact on children is not
limited to the reach of their programs, but that they also present models to be replicated and
applied throughout the world to help thousands or even millions of children excel.
Courtesy of BELL.

graduate student tutors. The remaining are full-time employees who handle
administration and lead the school-based sites.
In pursuing its mission, BELL hopes the impact on children is not limited to
the reach of the programs, but that the programs also present models to be repli-
cated and applied throughout the world to help thousands, even millions, of
children excel. There is no limit to the impact BELL can have on education; there
is no limit to what a child can achieve with the support and guidance of caring
tutors and mentors.
BELL’s vision is centered on a belief in the limitless potential of all children. By
providing the best after-school and summer educational programs, BELL is help-
ing children develop the core reading, writing, and math skills children need to
succeed in school and in life.
BELL does not limit its work to teaching children academic skills; rather, BELL
seeks to instill, through mentorship and high expectations, a strong belief among
all children that they can pursue their dreams. BELL also believes that engaging
parents in the education process will strengthen schools, and engaging young
adults in meaningful service experience will strengthen communities. BELL pro-
vides support for parents to engage as advocates and facilitators of their children’s
education. BELL celebrates the values of community and diversity, and helps
166 The New Humanitarians

children, families, and adults take ownership of their shared resources and vision
for their communities.
BELL programs offer tutoring in literacy and math with research-based and
multicultural curricula. The scholars are mentored by positive adult role models
to build self-esteem and respect for others. BELL maintains a staff of committed,
certified teachers and trained college-age tutors. The programs are run in small
groups and consist of experiential learning through guest speakers, field trips, and
service projects.
In BELL programs, scholars excel. In each of the last five years, every child
entering BELL at the failing level in reading and math advanced to a higher aca-
demic level. More than 80 percent of BELL scholars achieved proficient or
advanced levels in core skills, compared to 30 percent of their peers.
Originally, the BELL After School Program was a two-day-a-week program.
Over time parents began voicing their desire to have the program offered more
days a week. The summer program operates five days per week, eight hours per
day; and now the after-school program operates three, four, or five days per week,
based on the school system. With that schedule in place, BELL expanded and
made the transition from volunteer staff to paid positions to allow the program to
operate more days per week.
This transition to paid staff was made for two primary reasons. First, with
BELL expanding, the organization realized that in order to make this commit-
ment, it would need consistent staff. This would ensure the curriculum would be
covered thoroughly and consistently, and would help provide quality services. In
order to have this consistency in staff, BELL would have to create paid positions.
Second, BELL found it difficult to maintain mentors of color for the program.
Phalen and others were approached by students of color who loved donating their
time to mentor and tutor children, but they often found themselves needing paid
part-time employment. They were forced to quit volunteering in order to find
paying jobs. It was very important to BELL to maintain a majority of students of
color as tutors so the BELL scholars can see role models, who may not be from
Baltimore, Boston, Detroit, New York or Springfield (MA), but who may be from
Chicago, Los Angeles, and Houston. These tutors grew up in tough communities,
and they, too, aspired to attend college. They made this one of their goals and were
living that goal. BELL wanted to make sure kids saw living, breathing examples
that looked like them and who could inspire them to work hard.
To creatively overcome this obstacle, BELL applied to have mentors and tutors
paid through work-study positions. As it continued to grow, BELL began to pay
its tutors directly. BELL has continued to pay staff in order to ensure consistency
of instruction and also to maintain a majority of role models of color.
When BELL first started, people thought the idea of using after-school time
and summer hours for academics were ridiculous. Many voiced concerns that
these hours were best used for art, music, and play because children had already
worked hard in school. Phalen believes children need a holistic education, and
BELL’s summer program has that: morning is academics and afternoon is art,
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 167

drama, field trips, guest speakers, music, and service projects. Phalen illustrates his
point by the following example: If your child could not read, and you had the
choice of helping him or her learn to read for two hours or play basketball for two
hours, which would you rather the child do? Phalen responds to his own example
by saying, “Quite frankly, I don’t care what your answer is because these scholars
are like my children, and I know when they are sixteen and seventeen, and I see
them on the streets and they say, ‘Mr. Phalen you didn’t prepare me with what I
needed to be successful.’ I don’t want to do that to them. We are going to teach
them how to read and raise their self-esteem about who they can become and
make sure they understand that when they move on to do great things, they better
turn around and give back to others.”

BELL AFTER SCHOOL

At BELL, learning does not stop when school is over for the day. The BELL After
School Program is a supplemental educational program designed to boost chil-
dren’s academic and social achievements in a safe and supportive environment.
BELL After School meets on weekdays for 2.5 hours per day at school-based
sites. In the program, scholars receive a nutritious snack before certified teach-
ers and highly trained university students provide one hour of literacy tutoring
to scholars in small groups (see Table 10.1). BELL staff use a skills-based, mul-
ticultural curriculum to help scholars learn core reading and writing skills. Lit-
eracy tutoring is followed by forty minutes of homework help, with an emphasis
on math. Scholar-choice enrichment completes the day, and includes activities
such as art, drama, dance, and physical education. Special activities such as
guest speakers and cultural presentations contribute to scholars’ healthy social
development.

BELL SUMMER
BELL recognizes that one of the best strategies for impacting children’s
achievements is to provide educational opportunities when they are on summer
vacation. That is why the organization developed the BELL Accelerated Learning
Summer Program (BELL Summer).
Summer learning programs such as BELL Summer help children use the sum-
mer season to advance their academic performance and broaden their under-
standing of the world. Every year, BELL’s summer outcomes show the impact the
program has on the academic achievements and social development of the schol-
ars. In the program, scholars gain an average of six months in grade-equivalent
reading, writing, and math skills (see Figure 10.3).
Today, researchers have flocked to quantify the effectiveness of summer learn-
ing programs on the academic and social developments of children. Most recently,
the Nellie Mae Education Foundation released a report titled The Learning Season:
The Untapped Power of Summer to Advance Student Achievement. Among their key
168 The New Humanitarians

Table 10.1 Typical Day in the BELL After School Program*

Daily Schedule Description
3:00–3:30 Snack and Community Time provides scholars
Community Time the opportunity to develop
positive, supportive peer
relationships through group activities.
3:30–4:30 Literacy Activities Literacy tutoring uses skills-based
curricula and a leveled readers’ library
of more than 100 multicultural
children’s books. Literacy activities
also include journal writing,
independent reading, and guided reading.
4:30–5:10 Homework and Math Math tutoring uses a skills-based curriculum
and a variety of manipulatives to develop
an understanding of basic math concepts
and skills. BELL also provides
individualized help with school-assigned
homework.
5:10–5:30 Enrichment Activities Scholars end the day engaged in educational
games and team-building activities.
5:30 Session ends Session ends, and parents pick up children.
Fridays Mentor Fridays Special activities, including cultural, athletic,
or performing arts activities, art
workshops, community service projects,
and field trips.
*Schedule varies by location.
Source: BELL After School Program Description (2007).

findings, one is strongly aligned with BELL’s own assessment of the impact of out-
of-school-time educational opportunities:

The summer months represent a unique slice of time, when children can learn and
develop in myriad ways that will help them in school and far beyond. Summer learning
is not just about retaining information; it is about problem-solving, analyzing and syn-
thesizing information, generating new ideas and, working in teams, learning to be with
all kinds of people—all skills that help building learning in a broad way, and can, at
time when schools are narrowing their curriculum, lend breadth to student learning.

BELL’s eleven-year experience with summer education has shown the unique
and powerful opportunities the summer months provide for learning. On aver-
age, American students spend 180 days in school during the year, which is signif-
icantly less than their peers in Europe and Asia. For example, children in India and
China attend school somewhere between forty to seventy additional days each
year. Over twelve years, that amounts to three to four additional years of schooling.
BELL Summer is a full-day, five-day-per-week program. In the morning, schol-
ars learn core reading, writing, and math skills from a highly trained staff of
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 169

Figure 10.2 Summer learning programs like BELL Summer help children use the
summer season to advance their academic performance and broaden their understanding
of the world. Courtesy of John Abbott.

professional teachers and teacher assistants (see Table 10.2). In the afternoon,
scholars focus on strengthening social skills through daily enrichment activities
such as art, music, drama, and dance. On Mentor Fridays, scholars learn from
guest speakers and cultural presentations, visit museums and parks, and engage
their community in service projects.
In 2007 BELL’s summer program served nearly 4,000 scholars in the three
regions of Baltimore, Boston, and New York City. This is double the number of
scholars served the previous year. Most of this growth was in the newest region,
Baltimore, which has been experiencing phenomenal success since 2005. BELL
Summer in Baltimore had the distinct honor of being selected among six nation-
ally recognized programs by the Baltimore City Public School System to imple-
ment a district-wide summer education initiative. This newly developed
partnership with the city provided the opportunity for 2,000 children in twelve
Baltimore public schools to experience the impact of BELL Summer’s program.
The consistent endorsements of summer learning only validate the importance
of supporting high-quality programs such as BELL Summer. BELL is delighted to
announce that the STEP UP Act, in which BELL was cited in as a model for effective
170 The New Humanitarians

Figure 10.3 BELL summer scholars’ academic gains, by month, all cities combined.
Source: Tiffany M. Cooper (2003), “BELL Accelerated Learning Summer Program: 2003
Program Outcomes,” 7; H. Cooper et al. (1996), “The Effects of Summer School Vacation
on Achievement Test Scores,” Review of Educational Research 66 (3):227–268.

summer learning programs, was signed into law by President Bush on August 9,
2007. As part of the America COMPETES Act, the legislation will provide nearly
70,000 children across the country with high-quality, summer learning programs
similar to those offered by BELL and the Center for Summer Learning.
This triumph is a victory for BELL’s scholars, parents, staff, and community
supporters, whose passion for education has created greater opportunities for all
children across the nation. They, too, will now have the chance to realize their
potential through summer learning initiatives.
Phalen believes that in five years from now, summer learning will be the core
cornerstone to American public education. He thinks BELL will be one of the
quiet contributors to moving the country in that direction, and this makes him
feel proud.

WHERE DOES PHALEN’S INSPIRATION COME FROM?

Earl Martin Phalen is proud to say he was adopted and was in foster care for two
years. He calls his family amazing. He calls his mother and father role models and
mentors. He is touched by how, even though they had seven children of their own,
they chose to give yet another child a chance at a better life. He was deeply affected
by how his parents chose to live their lives and the values that guided them. Phalen
believes the love his parents taught him and had for each one of their children
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 171

Table 10.2 Typical Day in the BELL Summer Program*

Daily Schedule Description
8:30–9:00 Breakfast Community Community Time provides scholars the
Time opportunity to develop positive,
supportive peer relationships through
group activities.
9:00–11:00 Literacy Instruction Literacy tutoring uses skills-based
curricula and a leveled readers’ library
of more than 100 multicultural
children’s books. Literacy activities also
include journal writing, independent
reading, and guided reading.
11:00–12:00 Math Instruction Math tutoring uses a skills-based
curriculum and a variety of
manipulatives to develop an
understanding of basic math concepts
and skills. BELL also provides
individualized help with school-
assigned homework.
12:00–1:00 Lunch & Recess
1:00–4:00 Enrichment Activities Art, music, physical education, dance, and
drama.
4:00–4:30 Community Time & Session ends, and parents pick up
Dismissal children.
Fridays Mentor Fridays Special activities, including cultural,
athletic, or performing arts activities,
art workshops, community service
projects, and field trips.
*Schedule varies by location.
Source: BELL Summer Program Description (2007).

helped craft and shape him into the person he is, and that love has prepared him
to be a good leader. He recognizes his opportunities in life have been because of the
talent God bestowed upon him, but also because somebody cared enough to give
back. Phalen feels his personal life journey is intimately linked to the organization’s
history and what it tries to provide for their scholars today.
The turning point in Phalen’s life that motivated him to incite positive change
for something he feels passionately about occurred during his first summer break
from law school. He originally attended law school because he wanted to become
involved in politics. Phalen mentioned that he always thought he would end up
being a mayor somewhere and use his political status to promote social justice.
Typically, first year law students spend their first summer vacation working in
a law firm and learning the basics of the profession. Phalen was encouraged by a
mentor of his during this period to spend his summer doing something creative
instead. He mentioned that Phalen could always pick up working in a law firm his
second summer.
172 The New Humanitarians

Phalen found himself in Kingston, Jamaica, that summer, working for the
Jamaican Council for Human Rights. He and his colleagues were performing habeas
corpus work. He liked the work and loved the people he worked with, but he told his
supervisor that he really missed being around children. He is from a big family, has
thirty nieces and nephews, and found himself missing their company. His supervisor
encouraged him to volunteer at Maxfield Park Orphanage, a local orphanage in
Kingston. On his first day volunteering there, Phalen found himself teaching a first
grader how to add. He admits he struggled with it at first, but once she understood
that if you took one pencil and one crayon and counted them, 1 ⫹ 1 ⫽ 2. Phalen
recalls seeing her eyes light up and knew, at that moment, this was his personal
calling. He decided to use the rest of his experience in law school to build an organ-
ization that would help many more children’s eyes to light up as that girl’s did.
Along Earl Martin Phalen’s path, others have helped mentor and shape the
individual he is today. One such individual is Professor Charles Ogletree. He is
considered one of the most influential lawyers in the country and has played a sig-
nificant role in high-profile cases, such as the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas hear-
ings, and helped draft the South African Constitution. Phalen is inspired by
Professor Ogletree’s drive and motivation. As a leader and friend, Phalen believes
Professor Ogletree had the greatest non-family member influence on him because
Ogletree put his name behind BELL. His name allowed funding doors to open
that would not otherwise have existed for BELL. Phalen believes Ogletree has
constantly been there for BELL, helping the organization get bigger, stronger, and
better. Phalen firmly believes BELL’s association with Professor Ogletree has given
BELL credibility in the eyes of others.
Dr. Robert Peterkin is another mentor of Earl’s who had a great impact on
BELL. Dr. Peterkin has been on the board of BELL since the beginning. Phalen
stresses the importance of Dr. Peterkin’s role in BELL’s development because he
was able to provide expert advice on creating strong educational programs. In
the 1980s, Dr. Peterkin founded the first schools for African American boys in the
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, school district, and he has been the superintendent of
several school districts.
Another significant person in Earl’s life was Ruth Batson. She was a civil rights
leader whose importance and impact has her featured in the acclaimed television
series Eyes on the Prize. Ms. Batson passed away two years ago. Phalen was touched
by her passion toward children, fairness, equality, and justice. She was deeply com-
mitted to social justice, was uncompromising in her fight for justice and equality,
and firmly believed in what this country has the potential to be. She informed
Phalen that he was the next generation of leadership. She told him that somebody
had helped her out and had given her opportunities when she began fighting for
social justice, and her passing knowledge on was her way of continuing the united
effort of struggling for equality.
She inspired Phalen to see the difference a small group of people—when united
and willing to risk everything—can make. She inspired him on how to really be the
kind of David in the David and Goliath fight and come out victorious.
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 173

A large amount of Phalen’s inspiration comes from his belief in God and his spir-
ituality. He credits his parents with instilling these values within him. He believes if
you boil things down to good and evil or right and wrong, he is trying to be on the
side of good. He is trying to live a life he believes God would look favorably upon.
He admits he is not doing it perfectly but uses his spirituality as a daily guide. It con-
tinues to drive him forward and to help him remain committed.
His love of history has also been a source of inspiration. For example, while
in St. Louis to present at the National Urban League’s annual conference in
July 2007, he visited the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock,
Arkansas. It had the Emancipation Proclamation on display. He feels seeing a
piece of history like this and others help one better understand the struggles of
our ancestors.
He also listens to Martin Luther King Jr.’s tapes and Malcolm X’s tapes. He tries
to stay connected. He feels individuals can easily “fall asleep” in regard to others’
plight. The things that keep him “awake” are history, time with his family, and
time with scholars. Last year he was only able to visit program sites for fund-
raising visits. This year he made a point to return to several schools and be a
mentor for scholars because spending time with scholars and seeing their eyes
light up inspire him to work harder to find ways to create communities that are
safe and allow everyone to pursue the best this country has to offer.

BELL’S OUTCOME INITIATIVES

From the beginning, BELL has aggressively pursued ways of measuring its serv-
ices for quality and impact. Phalen states BELL wanted to know what was work-
ing for their scholars. The staff wanted access to immediate feedback so they could
change their program if it was not working. BELL recognized it had made a com-
mitment to the children and wanted to ensure the program had the ability to ful-
fill that commitment.
Phalen fears we live in a society where a vast majority of the nation does not
believe the children BELL serves have any intellectual capacity or potential. BELL
wants to make a case statement that all individuals need to do is challenge chil-
dren, support them, have rigor, hold them to high expectations, and love them. He
believes children will rise to the highest of highs, and BELL wanted to build a body
of evidence to prove that even though these are the lowest-income urban com-
munities, the lowest-performance schools, the children in the program are doing
very well.
The second phase of BELL’s motivation to collect extensive outcomes came in
the 1990s. People began to realize school alone was not enough to appropriately
educate the youth of America. The new question became how to help all students
achieve high marks. Those who originally had objected to BELL’s use of after-
school time and summer time were now recognizing these as valuable times that
were underused. Individuals began researching this topic and found BELL had
already established some significant statistics. Now, when foundations were
174 The New Humanitarians

looking for the outcomes, BELL was able to provide relevant statistics for evalua-
tion to support this initiative.
This rigorous collecting of outcomes has set BELL apart from other organiza-
tions. BELL’s scientific study put it in the top one-tenth of 1 percent when meas-
uring outcomes. This has separated BELL and helps the organization acquire
resources and funding today. People now know if you want a serious academic
after-school or summer program, BELL is the one that has been doing it and
doing it well for fifteen years.

BELL’S SUCCESS
BELL measures success by reviewing two main areas: outcomes and scholars’
success.
As mentioned earlier, BELL is very rigorous about assessment and evaluation.
BELL recognized the need to develop its own system to evaluate the scholars’
academic abilities. BELL found many scholars received As and Bs in school, but
none were able to read or write on grade level, and in fact, only one of its fifth
graders was able read above a first-grade reading level. These children were doing
“well” on their report cards, their parents thought they were doing well, and even
the children thought they were doing well. BELL is aggravated with the false sense
of confidence that has been developed in children—and that most, without some
intervention, will lack even the most basic skills they will need in life.
Therefore, in the beginning, BELL tried to prove the case to itself, the scholars,
their families, the school systems, and society at large. BELL was attempting to
prove that when scholars are given academic rigor, encouragement, structure, and
love, they are going to meet and exceed high standards. So ever since, BELL uses a
nationally normed diagnostic test (pre- and post-) to measure where program
scholars start and where they end up (see Figure 10.4). There are monthly quizzes
given during the after-school program as well as mid-summer quizzes given dur-
ing the summer program to plot scholars’ individual progress. BELL does not hide
from these data but instead use them to improve programs.
Children in the six-week summer program gained an average of four and half
months in reading, writing, and math skills. Two years ago, BELL realized its own
outcomes looked promising and began looking into hiring an independent eval-
uator, the Urban Institute, to see if the outcomes could be duplicated. The study
proved what BELL already knew: BELL’s programs have a statistically significant
impact on reading scores, and the programs also increased parental involvement
in children’s education, two of BELL’s top goals.
Acquiring long-term data to support BELL’s success is more anecdotal. For
example, it is known that 100 percent of BELL’s first class of twenty scholars are
in or have graduated from college because BELL did a Where Are They Now sur-
vey of those scholars. After the first few years, it became difficult to remain in
touch with scholars as the organization grew. BELL recognizes the missed oppor-
tunity for gathering outcomes, so it is now in the third year of tracking “alumni”
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 175

Figure 10.4 Reading performance levels.

Source: Tiffany M. Cooper (2005), “BELL Outcomes Report: After School Program
2004–2005.”

scholars. BELL has started an initiative to track where the scholars are now, how
they are doing, how they are progressing long-term, and how they were impacted
by the program. BELL would like to maintain contact with each scholar roughly
twice a year to obtain updates on the scholars’ lives.

One Scholar’s Story: Kourtney Lewis

Although Kourtney always believed she was academically talented, her per-
formance did not place her anywhere near the top of her class. She spent first, sec-
ond, and third grades at a public school in her neighborhood, where she felt her
teachers were ill equipped to feed her curiosities. “When I was in elementary
school, my teachers didn’t push me,” she says. “They knew that I was different
from other students, and that school wasn’t a challenge for me, but they couldn’t
do anything for me.”
At the age of ten, Kourtney transferred to a new school district as part of
Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), a voluntary deseg-
regation program. The move ultimately afforded Kourtney opportunities she never
had at her local school. Her new school district had a smaller student-to-teacher ratio
and provided more resources per student than Kourtney’s neighborhood school.
When she arrived at her new school, Kourtney was placed in a remedial program.
For a student who craved greater intellectual challenge and stimulation, being in
remedial education was difficult. “When I was in the remedial class,
I wanted to be independent and I wanted to learn more, which made it really hard
for me.” It took the help of her mother, a mentor, and an intensive summer program
to move Kourtney from the remedial program into advanced courses, where she has
since excelled. With high expectations from those around her, Kourtney now says, “I
know what I have to do to get an A.” And Kourtney has found earning top marks not
just possible but probable. In 2006 she was recognized by METCO for earning the
highest grade point average of all students in her grade in the Boston-area program.
176 The New Humanitarians

Now in her sophomore year at a public high school in Lincoln, MA, Kourtney
has her sights set on attending Stanford University or a historically black college
or university when she graduates. She wants to pursue a career in law.

BELL’S STRUGGLES WITH FUNDING

BELL has undergone three phases of funding over the past fifteen years. The
first phase of funding for BELL was the initial funding of the organization with an
echoing green foundation grant. This foundation funds many young social entre-
preneurial organizations, such as Teach for America, City Year, Jump Start, and
ACE. Many of these organizations, both then and now, were started by students
just graduating from college who were willing to do high-risk work. The echoing
green Foundation finds young, hungry students whom they think are talented and
have a solid idea that will significantly improve society. They gave Phalen and
BELL an award of $12,500, which was BELL’s budget for the first year of opera-
tion. At that time, BELL consisted of two employees: Phalen and Arlene Hudson.
The salary budget was split between the two equally, and the remaining money
was spent for educational supplies, food, and field trips. Some supplies, such as
books, were donated.
The first year was not sustainable. Phalen admits that an annual income of
$5,000 is not enough for an individual to live successfully. Phalen calls Hudson a
saint because she had complete faith and trust in him and in the mission of BELL.
They both strongly believed in BELL’s concept, so they both felt the sacrifice was
worth it. Phalen’s parents owned a condo and were able to allow him to live there
rent free. It immediately became BELL’s headquarters.
A big break for BELL came in the second year and brought the organization to
the second phase of funding. An article in the Boston Globe was published in
October 1993 pertaining to BELL. It ran on the front page of the learning section.
This was at a time where BELL had just sent out proposals to 100 local founda-
tions. BELL received a couple of no’s, and then some other foundations wanted to
know what other funders were supporting BELL. BELL did not have any, so it was
not able to provide any names. Nevertheless, the State Street Bank stepped for-
ward and said it would invest $15,000. The Charles Hayden Foundation also came
forward and donated $33,000. A third significant donation of $15,000 came from
the Boston Foundation. These and several individual gifts increased the budget
from $12,500 the first year to $87,500 the second year.
This funding allowed the organization to survive and provided basic suste-
nance pay to its employees. BELL took on an additional staff member but kept
each salary at $20,000 a year. BELL never wanted people to question the organi-
zation’s integrity or motives. The three employees then accounted for $60,000 of
the annual budget, and the rest was put into programming. The infusion was
actually a lifesaver for the staff, who were just scraping by.
The following year, BELL’s budget went up to $212,000. Cambridge College, a
local college, served as an incubator for BELL. BELL now had six staff members
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 177

working out of Phalen’s living room and one-bedroom apartment. It was over-
crowded and did not provide good working conditions. Cambridge College said
they loved the work BELL was doing. They offered BELL a professor’s office and
covered phone, fax, mailing, and office space for BELL for the next four years.
The first two funding phases for BELL consisted of a “hold tight and the money
will come” mentality. The significant donations were regarded as BELL’s salvation
by Phalen. The next phase of funding for BELL was to continue to have great out-
comes, but to share those outcomes and raise money based on those outcomes: a
sign of business maturity.
Phalen admits that his belief set was partly to blame for BELL’s initial funding
struggles. He always had believed nonprofits should not make money. Phalen
admits not recognizing at that time that being nonprofit is a tax status, and that if
you do not have some kind of surplus, programs cannot be offered. BELL came to
the realization in the last four years that. like any good business, it needed a
business model. The business model BELL settled on allows it to take advantage
of supplemental educational services under the No Child Left Behind Act. The
children who qualify for these services are children in low-performing schools
who are income eligible for free or reduced price lunch; those are exactly the chil-
dren BELL serves. BELL has now set itself up so it can receive vouchers parents
have and use the vouchers as the primary economic driver for its work.
Currently, BELL’s funds are 60 percent from government and 40 percent from
philanthropy. Since BELL made the conscious choice of finding a business model
and delivering on it, in the last four years, its business has gone from $4 million to
$31.4 million in annual revenue.
This steep growth obviously entailed several other simultaneous developments
within the business. BELL had to build the infrastructure and build organizational
capacity to realize this growth in service to scholars and revenues. During this
period, BELL expanded from 1,000 scholars to 12,000 scholars.
Phalen believes the last phase has really been about understanding how to
run a business, and understanding that every business needs a strong economic
engine if it wants to succeed. He now understands it is not about how much
money an organization makes, but rather it is about the predictability and the
reliability of renewing those funding sources. Phalen also believes that how an
organization invests resources is critical. Investment in providing superior
services and building the organization for long-term sustainability is the key
to success.

BELL’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE

BELL’s growth and expansion were not always this simple and easy year after
year. BELL’s biggest challenge, thus far, was in their middle years of 1996 and 1997.
During this time, BELL had two years of $200,000 plus deficits. BELL had to have
board members, friends, and supportive individuals dig into their own pockets to
help keep the organization afloat. This was a very difficult period for BELL.
178 The New Humanitarians

BELL’s motivation and drive as an organization was not dampened. Everyone

involved simply believed that if BELL was destined to exist, it would succeed. They
simply focused on how many children they were going to serve the following year.
Once that was decided, they would simply not stop until the money was raised,
and they accepted the deficit budgets. BELL would take into consideration which
schools were interested, and this is how the organization would budget: this
school wants us and this school wants us, so we’re going to grow to X number of
kids this year. This approach was not like BELL’s current financial planning, where
the organization has a budget, staff tracks budget versus actual monthly, and a
reasonably well-developed system is in place to help forecast revenues. BELL
makes some reasonable assumptions about the funding it can raise, but that is
based on ten years of historical evidence. It is also based on a percentage of the
renewals the organization will get back from the previous year, given the fact it
delivered on its promise. BELL admits that this method is not fully predictive, but
it is much more so than in the past. In the past, the organization may not have
always met its goals because of a lack of funds.
For a period of two and half years, the organization basically survived from pay
period to pay period, but the determination and faith mentality that everything
would work out helped pull BELL through this period.

BELL’S APPROACH TO CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING

AND OVERCOMING CHALLENGES
BELL thinks everyone’s complete faith in their organization’s success is quite
creative itself. They refused to accept no for an answer. Where others might have
crumbled, BELL persisted. BELL has also learned to create opportunities. For
example, Professor Ogletree, board chair and Harvard Law School professor,
secured a meeting with the new owners of the Red Sox baseball team when they
came to town looking for an educational program to support. As a result, now
every year, up to twenty-five BELL graduates each receive a $10,000 college schol-
arship from the Boston Red Sox. BELL also created a flag football event with the
New England Patriots, called the BELL Bowl, which raises hundreds of thousands
of dollars to support BELL’s summer program.
BELL has also been very good about creating partnerships. The Urban Institute
study was a way to do that. Despite educating 12,000 scholars annually, BELL
knows that over 13 million children in the United States live in poverty. Those
involved at BELL wanted to know what they could do to reach these other chil-
dren. They wanted to find an avenue that would get their knowledge out to the
rest of the world.
BELL staff members went on a conference circuit where they knew there would
be educational influencers. One such individual was Senator Barak Obama of
Illinois. He picked up on BELL’s idea and helped create legislation known as the
STEP UP Act. The STEP UP Act points out that America’s youth are underedu-
cated and in school less time per year than students in some other countries.
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 179

Obama was interested in a great summer learning model to help children in

America compete. He picked up the BELL Summer model, and it is now written
into legislation. The Act became law on August 9, 2007, as part of the America
COMPETES Bill. Now each year, $100 million worth of summer funds will go to
approximately 70,000 children throughout the United States.
As an organization, BELL is opportunistic about improving its program, but it
also wants to help the 13 million children in this country living in poverty. BELL
staffers feel responsible to take what they know and help more and more of those
children realize their potential and have access to the American dream.
Another example of BELL’s creative outreach is the partnership with
Houghton Mifflin, a book publishing company. When BELL wanted to improve
its curriculum, it sought out Houghton Mifflin and asked about a partnership.
This partnership, and the curriculum, evaluation materials, and assessment tools,
have taken BELL’s educational services to an even higher level.
BELL is also extremely thankful for its partnership with New Profit Inc. (NPI).
NPI helps organizations scale. NPI was critical in helping BELL revamp the struc-
ture of its board of directors, refine its growth strategy (with the support of
Monitor Group), attract several major six- and seven-digit donors, and use policy
as a way to expand social impact. This partnership was the key to BELL’s capacity
efforts and to BELL’s rapid growth.
BELL’s continued growth and expansion were accelerated by the newly recon-
structed board of directors. From 1992 through 2004, BELL’s board served in an
advisory capacity. Directors helped facilitate entrée into new communities,
informed the program model and service objectives, and reviewed quarterly and
annual financial statements to ensure the organization’s health. As BELL began to
standardize and apply business practices to its operations, this board was restruc-
tured and became an active governing body with subcommittee working groups.
Since 2004 BELL’s governing board has been responsible for holding the organ-
ization accountable and helps the senior management team think through critical
issues of strategy, fundraising, finances, and social impact. Subcommittees com-
prised of directors and a senior management liaison carefully analyze policies,
goals, and results for each functional area of the organization.

The Red Sox Program in Further Detail

Imagine the excitement of walking onto the field at Fenway Park in front of a
sell-out crowd. David Ortiz pats you on the back and Manny Ramirez gives you a
high-five. You have reason to celebrate: you are a Red Sox Scholar.
The Red Sox Scholars Program is an innovative partnership between BELL, the
Boston Red Sox, and presenting sponsor Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Centered on the basic premise that every child can excel and reach his or her full
potential given support and the right resources, the Red Sox Scholars Program
provides $10,000 college scholarships to twenty-five fifth-grade scholars each year.
In addition, doctors, nurses, and staff members from Beth Israel Deaconess
180 The New Humanitarians

Medical Center, the program’s presenting sponsor, volunteer to serve as mentors

to support the scholars through middle school, high school, and on to college.
Every year, the Boston Red Sox kick off the program with an annual ceremony
at Fenway Park to honor the scholars’ hard work and commitment to their edu-
cation in front of the entire Red Sox Nation. The ceremony is also televised on the
New England Sports Network, reaching the scholars’ peers, teachers, principals
and approximately 3 million other homes in New England. During the academic
year, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center hosts professional “Shadow Days” and
other educational and experiential activities for the scholars and their mentors.
To ensure the ongoing success of the program, BELL and the Red Sox Founda-
tion host the annual Field of Dreams Gala fundraiser, a gathering of business
executives, community leaders, and Red Sox owners and legends. On this inspira-
tional night, Boston welcomes the new class of Red Sox Scholars and reaffirms its
commitment to providing children with the support they need to succeed in the
classroom and in life.
In the three years since the program’s inception, seventy-five shining stars have
become Red Sox Scholars. BELL, the Red Sox, and Beth Israel Deaconess look
forward to continuing this amazing partnership and helping many more future
leaders achieve their full potential in school and in life.

IF I HAD KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW

As mentioned earlier, Phalen once believed that in order to show your com-
mitment and success, you had to act like a saint. He does not think so anymore;
rather, commitment and success are what BELL delivers to children, families, and
the nation. BELL started by trying to just raise enough to get by and not to have
too much in the coffers. Phalen uses the organization Teach for America to exem-
plify his point. This organization originated around the same time as BELL, but
the founder raised $300,000 before the organization opened its services up to the
public. With those resources in place, the founder could focus more energies on
building an organization and executing the plan. With BELL’s initial $12,500, the
vast majority of BELL’s early years were focused on survival.
Phalen recognized success is about a good business plan. An organization
needs to create a well-written plan and then market that plan. Individuals need to
go out and get the money they need to in order to execute the plan. He believes
smart people raise the money as fast as they can, gather what they need to run the
business (or at least close to that), and then they grow the business. Phalen
believes an organization needs to understand what its business model is, raise the
funds to support the business plan, be passionate about the plan, and not make it
about the leaders’ personal sacrifice—make it about what the organization brings
to the community, what the end result is for children and families.
Phalen also said he had the false belief that money would cure all the organi-
zation’s problems, and that once BELL had the money, everything else would fall
into place. Phalen found this did not hold true. When BELL doubled the size of
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 181

the staff, the organization actually became less productive, outcomes and quality
went down, and the culture was lost. All this happened because he did not know
how to manage people effectively. Phalen mentioned the social entrepreneur
myth. Many people who engage in social justice work do it because they love kids,
for instance. They are not great business people, and they are not entrepreneurs,
but they are great educators. They are not passionate about building a business
that can educate children; they are passionate about working directly with
children. In the early years, Phalen wished he would have gone to business school
rather than law school. He recognizes he built a business that focuses on educa-
tion, and that business skills would have come in helpful in the long run. He has
picked up many of the skills along the way, but feels BELL’s growth could have
been accelerated if it had been guided better.
Phalen feels the social entrepreneur myth helps account for the fact that there
are a million and a half nonprofit organizations in the world, and 92 percent of
them have budgets of less than $1 million. Other than museums, hospitals, and
universities, fewer than 1 percent of nonprofits have budgets over $20 million.
Only 144 of these nonprofits have grown since 1970 to revenues of $50 million
dollars or more. Many people do not have the desire or skills to grow an organi-
zation. The nonprofit capital markets—how organizations are funded—also pre-
vent others who do have the desire and skill from realizing their dreams.
There are also some misconceptions regarding how to acquire funding.
Stanford University released a study that is counterintuitive to common beliefs.
Most people believe organizations should diversify their funding in order to suc-
ceed. Stanford studied those 144 nonprofit organization mentioned above and
found that 142 had only one major stream of funding, either from the govern-
ment or individuals.1 Phalen encourages organizations to get professional support
to help them understand the economics of their business, and help them learn
what their economic engine is. This has the potential to have a transformative
impact on their work.

BELL’S NEXT STEPS

In terms of BELL’s next steps, the organization just finished its strategic plan
for 2008. BELL plans to double in size from 12,000 scholars to 25,000 scholars
over the next five years. BELL also wants to expand into three to five new com-
munities throughout the country.
BELL hopes to continue to use both partnerships and politics to expand its
social impact. BELL looks to be a major player under the STEP UP Act. BELL
plans on helping to ensure that legislative bills are passed to provide training,
technical assistance, and quality assurance accreditation to those who will receive
the $100 million from this Act. BELL wants to help maintain best practices in the
field and make sure children receive great services.
BELL was excited to launch a new program in the summer of 2006: BELL
BOYS. This is partnership with the Charles Hayden Foundation. BELL is
182 The New Humanitarians

developing the summer enrichment program, modeled after BELL Summer,

specifically to address the interests and needs of black and Latino boys, the
most vulnerable student population. Implementing innovative and effective
models such as this, and researching the impact, continues to be important to
BELL’s future.

BELL’S AFFILIATE PROGRAM

Another attempt at reaching more children and expanding BELL’s impact is
through its affiliate program. Nonprofit organizations have affiliates just as for-
profit organizations have franchises. BELL maintains partnerships with affili-
ates, which further expands and promotes BELL’s after-school and summer
programs.
BELL signs up affiliates who want to take the BELL program content, training,
technical assistance, and assessment tools and implement the BELL model in their
own facilities or programs. The affiliates pay BELL a small fee for these services.
Last year BELL had a pilot program with the Boys and Girls Club in Palo Alto,
California, for 500 children. It was very successful. As a result of this success, BELL
hopes to gain five to ten more affiliate partners in the coming year. BELL will con-
tinue to work out any kinks in this program and hopes to continue its expansion.
BELL is excited about this program because it has the potential to reach many
more children than BELL programs alone. BELL will be serving approximately
25,000 children directly, but then potentially serving an additional 25,000 children
through their affiliates.
The affiliate program would then create a network that would bring organiza-
tions together to share best practices and discuss new trends in the field.

AWARDS AND HONORS BELL HAS RECEIVED

BELL was awarded the 2006 Social Capitalist Award by Fast Company magazine
and the Monitor Group. The award recognizes the top organizations changing the
world that use innovation and entrepreneurship to create sustainable solutions to
urgent social issues.
BELL was selected by President Bill Clinton from a national pool of 3,600
nominees to receive the 1997 President’s Service Award, the most prestigious
award for national community service. The award reflects the importance the
president placed on community service, and is presented in recognition of out-
standing service directed at solving critical social problems.
The BELL Summer Program was recognized as one of the best educational
summer programs in the nation by Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Summer
Learning.
BELL CEO Earl Martin Phalen won the Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay’s Clara
Barton Humanitarian Award in recognition of his service to children and families.
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 183

BELL’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Nicholas Bogard, president of J. Nicholas Arthur, one of the nation’s leading exec-
utive search firms. Mr. Bogard contributes a wealth of business experience to
BELL. He is the chair of BELL’s Development Committee. Mr. Bogard
spearheads special events fundraising and leads major searches for executives
within BELL.
Gene Guill, managing director in the Loan Exposure Management Group
(LEMG) of Deutsche Bank’s Global Banking Division based in New York.
Mr. Guill is the past chairman of the International Association of Credit Port-
folio Managers and a past president of the New York Chapter of the Risk
Management Association. He holds a BA from Davidson College and a PhD in
economics from Duke University. He serves on BELL’s Finance Committee.
Kathleen Kelley, global macro portfolio manager at Kingdon Capital Manage-
ment. Ms. Kelley is an experienced and highly successful hedge fund manager
and economist. Ms. Kelley serves on the board of the Bedford-Stuyvesant
“I Have A Dream” Program and the Iris House, a center for women and their
children. She holds a BA in math and economics from Smith College and a
general course diploma from the London School of Economics. Ms. Kelley
serves on BELL’s Development Committee.
John J-H Kim, president and CEO of Rakuten USA. He brings to BELL a wealth
of experience growing educational organizations. He is the founder and chair-
man of the District Management Council. Mr. Kim was also president of
Kaplan Learning Services. He was a founder and CEO of Chancellor Beacon
Academies. Mr. Kim is vice chairman of BELL’s board and chair of its Gover-
nance Committee.
Deb Knez, trustee of the Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation. Ms. Knez
is an engaged philanthropist with considerable experience in nonprofit devel-
opment. She is an overseer of the Boston Children’s Museum, a board mem-
ber of United Way of Massachusetts Bay, and works closely with the Dana
Farber Cancer Institute. Ms. Knez sits on BELL’s Development and Program
committees. She spearheads BELL’s individual giving campaigns.
Donald Manekin, co-founder of Seawall Development Company. Mr. Manekin
is a driving force in community-focused real estate development. He cur-
rently sits as regional president and national board member of the National
Association of Industrial and Office Properties and works with civic organ-
izations, including Teach for America and the Open Society Institute.
Former chief operating officer of Baltimore City Schools, Mr. Manekin
brings substantial experience in education and civic leadership to BELL’s
board of directors.
Soren Oberg, managing director and member of the Operating Committee at
Thomas H. Lee Partners. Prior to joining THL, Mr. Oberg worked at Morgan
Stanley in the Merchant Banking Division and in the Global Strategists’ office
at Cowen & Company. He serves on the board of several private companies
184 The New Humanitarians

and is a Founding Board Member of the Canada Wide Virtual Science Fair.
Mr. Oberg serves on BELL’s Finance Committee.
Professor Charles Ogletree Jr., chair emeritus of BELL’s board. Professor Ogletree
is a professor of law at Harvard Law School and the founder of the Charles
Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice. He is a highly esteemed legal
scholar, civil rights lawyer, and leader. Professor Ogletree is deeply committed
to serving public schools and institutes of higher education.
Earl Martin Phalen, co-founder and CEO of BELL. Earl Martin Phalen serves as
the organization’s president. He is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard
Law School. Mr. Phalen has earned several awards in recognition of his com-
mitment to children and the achievements of BELL, including the President’s
Service Award and the 2006, 2007, and 2008 Social Capitalist Awards.
Chris Piela, regional vice president of Montgomery Insurance and a member of
the Liberty Mutual Group. Mr. Piela brings a wealth of business and financial
experience to BELL’s board of directors. He is a former CFO of Specialty Risks
at Liberty Mutual. Mr. Piela sits on the Governance Committee and oversees
BELL’s fiscal management as chair of its Finance Committee.
Dr. Lauren Smith, pediatric hospitalist and the medical director of the Medical-
Legal Partnership for Children at Boston Medical Center. She is focusing
her research on the impact of public policy on vulnerable children’s health.
Dr. Smith also serves as medical director of the Massachusetts Department
of Public Health and as associate professor of pediatrics at the Boston
University School of Medicine. Dr. Smith is the chair of BELL’s Program
Committee.
Laurene Sperling, BELL’s current board chair. Ms. Sperling is an accomplished
philanthropist with a background in corporate finance and investment bank-
ing. She is the former vice president at Cowen & Company. Ms. Sperling lends
her expertise to universities, independent schools, and public schools as well as
to BELL’s Governance, Development and Program committees.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL)
Founder: Earl Martin Phalen
Mission/Description: BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) recognizes that
the pathway to opportunity for children lies in education. BELL transforms
children into scholars and leaders through the delivery of nationally recog-
nized, high-impact summer and after-school educational programs. By help-
ing children achieve academic and social proficiency during their formative
elementary school years and embrace their rich cultural heritage, BELL is
inspiring the next generation of great teachers, doctors, lawyers, artists, and
community leaders. By mobilizing parents, teachers, and young adults, BELL
is living the idea that “it takes a village to raise a child.”
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) 185

Website: www.bellnational.org
Address: BELL Headquarters
60 Clayton Street
Dorchester, MA 02122 USA
Phone: +1.617.282.1567
+1.800.305.0671 (Toll Free)
Fax: +1.617.282.2698
Email: Ephalen@bellnational.org

NOTE
1. See http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/creating_high_impact_nonprofits/.
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 11

The Hybrid Vigor Institute:

Relevant Knowledge, Innovation
Solutions, and Better Decisions
through Collaboration
Denise Caruso

The Hybrid Vigor Institute is dedicated to the proposition that collaboration is the
key to solving society’s most complex problems.
Introducing experts to each other’s work has long been known to be a power-
ful catalyst for breakthroughs in scientific research. But Hybrid Vigor’s operating
belief is that systematic, skillful collaboration can also speed solutions to the
intractable problems that exist outside the lab, in the real world. Whether address-
ing such pandemic diseases as avian flu, the threat of biological terrorist attacks,
or our growing need for secure and sustainable food and energy supplies, research
shows that experts and stakeholders working together can produce the most
relevant knowledge and innovative solutions to address such problems. Together,
they also can make the best possible decisions about how those solutions should
be adopted and used by society.
An independent nonprofit founded in 2000, Hybrid Vigor was named to
represent metaphorically the cross-pollination between the wild and the culti-
vated at the edges of a field, which can increase the strength and vitality of crops.
In that same way, a systematic approach to collaboration can infuse new vitality
and creativity into the process by which problems are solved.
This approach requires a new mechanism for producing knowledge that works
in conjunction with, but does not depend upon, the university, the corporation,
the government, the philanthropic sector or any other institution. That new
mechanism might best be thought of as networked communities of practice, each
a kind of Roman forum for research, organized around a series of individual
topics or problems.
Although Hybrid Vigor’s projects and program areas have evolved over the
years, the organization has remained steadfastly focused on its original, twin
goals: one, to build a global network of diverse thinkers who embrace collabora-
tive, boundary-crossing inquiries; and two, to establish new methods and best

187
188 The New Humanitarians

practices for collaboration by and across many sectors—including academia,

private industry, philanthropy, and public policy.
While adamant about the need for and advocating the advantages of interdis-
ciplinary research, Hybrid Vigor does not pit collaboration against expertise.
Specialized knowledge is, should be, and will remain vitally important. But at the
same time, collaborative approaches are required to synthesize and contextualize
society’s vast stores of specialized knowledge in service of real-world problems
and issues.

BEGINNINGS
The catalyst for what was to become the Hybrid Vigor Institute was a 1998
meeting between Denise Caruso and Richard Solomon. Caruso, a veteran technol-
ogy analyst and journalist who was then serving as the technology columnist for
the New York Times, had known Solomon for many years as a senior scientist and
telecommunications policy expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Long interested in machine vision systems, he had been a key figure in the devel-
opment of the high-definition television standard in the United States.
Solomon also had been instrumental in the creation of the first super-high-
resolution video camera, for the Polaroid Corporation. At their 1998 meeting, he
told Caruso that something about the camera had been troubling him. Its imag-
ing capabilities were beyond anything else in the world at that moment in time,
but why was it that this powerful new device still could not replicate the proper-
ties of human vision?
To answer his own question, Solomon had begun prowling the literature of dis-
ciplines that studied vision. He discovered that many fields—including neuro-
physiology, psychophysics, quantum mechanics, and biochemistry—study
aspects of vision, but none of them were communicating with each other about
their findings. In fact, those whose fields were related enough to even know each
other’s work existed tended to consider each other as competitors for scarce
research funding, and guarded their findings rather than pooling their knowledge.
But Solomon, not beholden to any particular disciplinary perspective, found a
treasure trove of new ideas in the context of his questions. As he synthesized them,
he was inspired to begin working with a trio of colleagues—one from the private
sector, one from academia, and one from a government agency—to design an
entirely new set of machine vision technologies based on their research. Today, he
is the chief technology officer at Creative Technology LLC, where he is working to
commercialize the new technologies that his interdisciplinary foray yielded.
Inspired by Solomon’s story, Caruso began designing an organization that
could bring experts together to address their common problems. Also a
successful publisher, editor, and conference producer, she had founded and pro-
duced three executive newsletters and conferences that had chronicled the
nascent convergence of computers, communication, and information and had
introduced its executives. Two years later, with $225,000 in seed funding from
The Hybrid Vigor Institute 189

three private donors, she resigned from the Times and incorporated Hybrid
Vigor as a nonprofit.
Within weeks, Diana Rhoten, an associate professor at Stanford University with
a PhD in social sciences, policy, and educational practice, approached Caruso. She
had heard about Hybrid Vigor through a colleague and wanted to join the organ-
ization. Her interdisciplinary approach had already been funded by grants from
the Fulbright Commission, the Stanford University Center for Latin American
Studies, and others. Rhoten’s knowledge and experience in academia were the
critical ingredients to move Hybrid Vigor from a project to a real research organ-
ization; as co-founder, she grounded Caruso’s vision in the realities of modern
interdisciplinary practice.
Hybrid Vigor has made its mark by selecting topics of practical relevance and
bringing together the best people to work on them. Its first project, with Diana
Rhoten serving as principal investigator, was born of the idea that although inter-
disciplinary research has tremendous anecdotal value, no common evaluation
metrics had yet been developed to reflect the improved results with which
collaboration is credited. In order to start to understand the problem, Rhoten
designed a one-year pilot study of the social networks and anthropological con-
ditions at eight interdisciplinary research centers in the United States. Funded by
an interdisciplinary program at the National Science Foundation, A Multi-Method
Analysis of the Social and Technical Conditions for Interdisciplinary Collaboration
was one of the very first studies to provide empirical data on how interdisciplinary
research is practiced on the ground.1
Although Rhoten has since left the organization, she continues her affiliation
as a Hybrid Vigor Fellow and serves as director of the Knowledge Institutions pro-
gram area at the Social Science Research Council in New York. In addition to an
ongoing NSF-funded project studying interdisciplinary graduate students, during
2007 and 2008 she took a temporary position with the National Science Founda-
tion as a program director in the areas of Virtual Organizations and Learning &
Workforce Development for the Office of Cyberinfrastructure, and works with
various academic and non-academic organizations on the design, implementa-
tion, and assessment of new organizational forms of research and training.
Denise Caruso’s ongoing study of risk and technological innovation has also
brought the institute to the attention of scientists, policy makers, and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world. In February 2002,
Hybrid Vigor published a monograph by Caruso, titled “Risk as Continuum: A
Redefinition of Risk for Governing the Post-Genome World,”2 an unconven-
tional, interdisciplinary argument for redefining risk in the context of biotech-
nology that included expert findings in the fields of molecular biology,
sociology, communications, science and technology studies, law, public policy,
ecology, and economics.
The article was selected as a Book of the Month and was distributed to members
of the Global Business Network. Based on the findings in “Risk as Continuum,” in
October 2002, Hybrid Vigor published a Rockefeller Foundation–commissioned
190 The New Humanitarians

white paper by Caruso that further explored the terrain, titled “Risk: The Art and
the Science and Choice.”3
In 2006, as a direct result of this work, Caruso completed the book Interven-
tion: Confronting the Real Risks of Genetic Engineering and Life on a Biotech Planet,
which won the silver medal for science writing in the 2007 Independent Publisher
Book Awards. Published under the auspices of Hybrid Vigor Press, Intervention
was reviewed by a wide range of publications, including the international science
journal, Nature.

FOCUS ON THE SHARED TOPIC

A hybrid itself, the Hybrid Vigor Institute today is part think tank, part
research institute, and part consultancy. Whether it is working to change public
policy, conducting a research project, or helping a client assemble the right group
of people for a collaboration, the organizing principle for all the institute’s work
is the shared topic or problem.
An ideal Hybrid Vigor topic is one that is studied by several disciplines
(preferably in both the social and natural sciences), affects multiple sectors of
society, and has the greatest need or potential for a shift in traditional thinking by
way of collaboration or integrating disciplinary knowledge. Using the topic or
problem as its focal point, the institute actively seeks out and connects experts and
stakeholders from a range of fields to exchange information and/or work together.
This approach calls into service three complementary activities to encourage
learning, deliberation, and collaboration. They include publications, working
symposia, and the development and deployment of methods that support or
require collaboration.
Publications lead the list for one simple and obvious reason: research and
problem solving are as much about literature as they are about inquiry. No mat-
ter what tools or metrics individuals may use to gather data for their work, no
matter whether they “agree” with collaborative approaches or not, they all write—
and read others’—reports about their findings. Publications that bring together a
variety of perspectives are the best and most universal way to engage experts’ and
the public’s interest in a particular issue or problem. And because all experts are
laypeople when outside their home disciplines, all Hybrid Vigor publications are
written and edited to be understood by a non-technical, non-academic audience.
With the exception of its books, Hybrid Vigor’s publications are free and avail-
able from Hybrid Vigor’s website to anyone with an Internet connection. Books
and other media are available at market costs far below the cost of books from a
traditional academic press.
So far, Hybrid Vigor has published one book (the previously mentioned Inter-
vention) and several well-received journals, study reports, and white papers on
topics ranging from the role of clouds in climate change to the role of collabora-
tion in philanthropy and the definition of risk in the context of technological
innovation.
The Hybrid Vigor Institute 191

The institute’s first publication, in 2001, was a white paper written by Caruso
and Rhoten on the roadblocks to interdisciplinary research, titled “Lead, Follow or
Get Out of the Way: Sidestepping the Barriers to Effective Practice of Interdisci-
plinarity.” In it, they detailed the latest data and thinking about specific roadblocks
to interdisciplinary practice, including the strong institutional bias against
interdisciplinarity at most universities, the challenge of getting access to cross-
disciplinary data and publications, and competition and the “geopolitics” of
knowledge within the academy.
In addition to Caruso’s risk reports, Hybrid Vigor released three other publica-
tions in 2002. One was the findings from a Surdna Foundation–funded study by
Rhoten, which examined the workings of the internal networks of individuals, teams,
and programs within a foundation, called “Organizing Change from the Inside Out:
Emerging Models of Intra-Organizational Collaboration in Philanthropy.” Given
that such collaborations are not formal or typical enough to study directly, Rhoten’s
study and report focused on more preliminary issues, including emerging forms of
collaboration within foundations, and if (and how) internal collaborations affected
the process and performance of grantmaking.
The Institute’s next publication, titled “The Living Skies: Cloud Behavior and
Its Role in Climate Change,” was authored by the London-based Hybrid Vigor
fellow Oliver Morton, a well-known science writer, who is presently news and
features editor for Nature. Morton tapped the work of researchers in several dis-
ciplines for a fascinating exploration of the climatic effects of clouds—the second
largest source of energy for the atmosphere—on an atmosphere with significantly
higher levels of greenhouse gases.
In “The Living Skies,” Morton explained why today’s computer-driven models
of the climate system, which make use of a physics-based understanding of its var-
ious processes, may be producing large errors. He also explored other, more
controversial potential problems with the models—for example, the possibility
that bacteria and various aerosols may also play a critical, yet unexplored role in
climate change. The month after Morton’s report was released, CNN published a
news story about the British scientists he had cited, noting their theory that cer-
tain bug species may have evolved the ability to manipulate the weather in order
to secure their own survival.
“As If You Were There: Matching Machine Vision to Human Vision” was
authored by Richard Solomon when he was serving as a senior scientist for the
Program on Vision Science & Advanced Networking at the University of
Pennsylvania’s Center for Communications and Information Science and
Policy. The paper explores the themes he discussed with Caruso in 1998—
specifically that compared to older theories based on psychophysical measure-
ments, many of the results recently published in the neurological literature
about how the human vision system works are surprising and counterintuitive.
The new research challenges long-held assumptions about how electronic
transmission components, cameras, displays, processors, and even audio
speakers should work. With this new information, engineers could begin to
192 The New Humanitarians

design more accurate electronic systems that would replicate a scene as if the
observer were present.
To complement its publication strategy, the institute hosts or co-hosts
invitation-only working meetings or symposia, each organized around a focal
topic or problem. Attendees include experts and established researchers from a
range of disciplines and, as funding permits, their graduate students and protégés,
as well as relevant stakeholders. These meetings are generally organized as either
a prelude to a formal project collaboration, or as part of the collaborative learn-
ing process for an ongoing project.
For example, the institute has co-hosted two meetings on risk and genetic
engineering—one in advance of submitting a grant proposal, and one to present
findings from its NSF-funded methodology study. Along with the epidemiologist
Larry Brilliant (now the director of Google.org), Global Business Network, the
Seva Foundation, and several schools of public health from several major univer-
sities, including Columbia and Stanford, Hybrid Vigor also co-hosted one of the
earliest meetings on preparedness for pandemic influenza, Pandefense 1.0. The
meeting was attended by top influenza experts from academia, government, and
the World Health Organization, as well as by representatives of private industry,
the investment community, and public health organizations such as the Red
Cross.
Hybrid Vigor also develops and deploys sophisticated techniques to improve
collaboration across both disciplinary and/or geographic boundaries. Most
recently, the institute began a collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University to
test the feasibility of a new methodology for assessing and characterizing unprece-
dented risks. To pursue this, the Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences
program of the National Science Foundation awarded Hybrid Vigor an
exploratory research grant for the project, called “Understanding Genomics Risks:
An Integrated Scenario and Analytic Approach.” Since the project’s completion
and subsequent publication of its findings, the published results have attracted the
attention of practitioners in government and private industry who are consider-
ing the approach for cases ranging from bioterrorism to health care and identity
theft.4

CATALYTIC COLLABORATION
Although it is one of the only organizations that is focused wholly on the practice
of collaboration, Hybrid Vigor is far from the only voice that insists upon its value.
Its benefits, and the shortcomings of deconstructing and “understanding” the world
primarily through the narrow filters of specialization, have been apparent for several
decades. Great discoveries and shifts in traditional thinking are commonly attributed
to researchers crossing disciplinary boundaries. Interdisciplinarity has been hailed as
the wellspring for innovation by many of the most respected intellectuals and scien-
tists of history, including the biologist and theorist Edward O. Wilson, the physicist
Werner Heisenberg, and the philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn.
The Hybrid Vigor Institute 193

Upon learning that he had received a 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry, Alan
MacDiarmid of the University of Pennsylvania said unequivocally that the
challenges and stimulation of struggling to exchange ideas with people from other
disciplines will lead to major scientific breakthroughs. “When people with
completely different scientific backgrounds get together to solve a common prob-
lem, you have to learn a different way of speaking, a different language,” said
Dr. MacDiarmid. “It’s much tougher. It takes you out of your comfort zone. But
it’s more rewarding.”5
But interdisciplinary research and collaboration is not important simply
because it is personally rewarding, or even because it will lead to the discovery of
more interesting ideas. Because it so dramatically increases the explanatory power,
the immediate relevance, and the practical application of research to real-world
problems, it can no longer safely be considered as just an option. Instead, Hybrid
Vigor maintains that collaboration across disciplines should be considered as the
required partner to traditional, specialized inquiry.
Within the university, the best immediate evidence of the popularity and util-
ity of crossing disciplinary boundaries comes from the growing numbers of new,
hybrid disciplines that are being formed. Given the growing acceptance of such
fields as bio-anything, industrial ecology, the cognitive sciences, and scores of oth-
ers, there is obviously great potential for relevant discourse and discovery in the
spaces between traditional disciplines.
The Human Genome Project is a relatively recent example, where physicists,
computer scientists, biologists, and others worked together to invent better meth-
ods for determining the sequence of the hereditary information encoded in
human DNA. In fact, the entire field of biotechnology is a cross-disciplinary,
cross-sector endeavor.
An older but equally powerful example is the now-ubiquitous graphical user
interface for computers that drove consumer acceptance of personal technology,
as well as the laser printer and many other now-commonplace devices. The staff
of Xerox Corporation’s Palo Alto Research Center, the birthplace of these
advances, notably included cognitive psychologists, anthropologists, computer
programmers, architects, cultural theorists, artists, and others from many more
fields of expertise.
Even far outside the realm of science and technological innovation, child wel-
fare groups also insist that interdisciplinary, collaborative discussions in child pro-
tection cases—which include judges, administrators, case workers, healthcare
providers, and defense counsel—yield substantively better outcomes for abused
and neglected children.
Many other successful examples exist outside the traditional research setting as
well, such as the ongoing National Atmospheric Deposition Program, formed in
1978 to determine trends in the chemical climate of the United States. Composed
of a group of scientists from many different disciplines, public and private uni-
versities, industries, and environmental protection organizations, the data the
group gathered via agreed-upon sampling and methodology protocols were an
194 The New Humanitarians

important part of the motivation and scientific foundation for the Clean Air Act
amendments of 1990.
Yet despite the hosannas offered to the practice, our culture continues to over-
whelmingly favor specialized expertise. Hybrid Vigor’s first challenge was to
understand this paradoxical phenomenon: What forces are at work here? Why do
so many continue to pay such high praise to collaboration, while at the same time
they consistently make decisions based on tightly bounded, limited expertise?
It found that most of today’s existing institutions throw up barrier after barrier
to collaborative research and problem solving, and the problem starts on the
training ground for specialized expertise: the university. For example, collabora-
tion emphasizes the goal rather than individual achievement,6 but a university
department confers professional legitimacy solely upon the basis of individual
achievement, and provides both funding models and the rewards and require-
ments for career advancement—including tenure and publishing quotas—to
sustain them.
In this context, the march toward institutional acceptance of hybrid disci-
plines, such as the cognitive sciences, makes sense. When they were still considered
“interdisciplinary,” their practitioners were dancing on the razor’s edge of illegit-
imacy. But when they yielded sufficient individual achievement that a funding
structure, rewards, journals, and publishing requirements could be snapped into
place around them, they then became “accepted” disciplines in their own right.
The myriad of ways in which universities strongly discourage the crossing of
disciplinary boundaries are too lengthy (and disheartening) to list, but one of the
most problematic roadblocks is the logistics and the semantics of collaboration,
particularly for obtaining funding or publishing research results. In some fields,
collaborative research is not even tolerated.
For example, the Journal of the American Society for Information Science pub-
lished a survey of authors from various scientific disciplines who published
papers with an interdisciplinary focus.7 What they discovered was that co-authors
who were in the same discipline or subject area were officially considered “collab-
orators,” while researchers outside that discipline were listed as “consultants,” no
matter how integral their contribution. The authors claimed this was only way
they could circumvent the roadblocks of peer review and not damage their
chances to be considered for tenure and promotion.
Another sticky cultural problem is that what constitutes a success for practic-
ing interdisciplinarity is often radically different from success in disciplinary
work. Scientific disciplines in particular usually require quantitative or measura-
ble results, but a successful collaboration is based upon exploration and curiosity
in the service of solving a problem or answering a question, which may or may not
yield the kind of tangible “product” expected from traditional research.
The prevailing, disciplinary approach to problem solving is often tightly
bounded, simplistic, and linear, calling into play what Margaret Somerville and
David Rapport call the “symptom-treatment” coupling, which most often fails to
address the more fundamental issue of basic causes. Collaboration by definition
The Hybrid Vigor Institute 195

encourages more iterative, “out of the box” thinking, since the boxes (i.e., areas of
expertise) have been at least mightily perforated, if not removed entirely.8
In the preface to their 2000 book, Transdisciplinarity: reCreating Integrated
Knowledge, Somerville and Rapport also noted that disciplinary projects are often
so tightly defined that it would be unusual not to produce a result, but it is diffi-
cult to confidently predict whether a proposed collaborative project will succeed.
Instead of setting up a traditional result as a condition of success, they said, it
might be more useful for collaborators to pinpoint the larger, meta-reasons why a
collaborative project might fail—the personal, organizational, psychological, or
intellectual barriers that could cause a project to implode. In that way, they can set
the boundary conditions for success by avoiding obvious disaster.

THE CHALLENGE OF COMMON TOPICS AND LANGUAGE

From an organizational perspective, the identification of a topic common to all
participants—as opposed to the transfer of an accepted problem from an already
established discipline, to be solved by the group—is considered a prerequisite for
the success for any collaborative endeavor.9 Working on a common problem has
been the de facto mode of successful collaboration in the technology industries,
and more recently in biotechnology, where the intricacies of designing and build-
ing computers and software—and now, adapting them for use in biological
systems—bring together people of disparate backgrounds to solve complex prob-
lems as a team.
Within the university setting, the International and Area Studies program at
the University of California–Berkeley has met with great success by conducting a
regular workshop, using faculty from several disciplines, to help doctoral students
hone their dissertation theses. The workshop, according the program’s executive
director, has “accelerated the completion of dissertations; created intense and
highly productive inter-disciplinary discourse across the social sciences, humani-
ties, and professional schools; fostered wider audiences for their individual
projects; and created on-going intellectual communities and collegiality on
campus, and beyond.”10
Workshop participants do significantly better in some funding competitions,
and other organizations are using the workshops as a model for their own proj-
ects. Most encouragingly, numerous participants say that the workshop “charged,
or re-charged, their intellectual batteries and significantly accelerated their
research and writing.”11
A more cautionary tale comes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), established by the United Nations in the late 1980s to advise gov-
ernments of the processes and likely consequences of global climate change. The
group was composed of a diverse group of scientists who, according to observers,
were overly concerned with assessment orthodoxy and political propriety, and
thus never managed to rise above the level of their disciplines to agree on how to
approach and/or narrow the common problem.
196 The New Humanitarians

As a result, researchers did not consult each other about extremely complex
questions, such as how to achieve an integrated assessment of the cost and impact
of climate change, thus the phenomenon was never discussed in a way that
allowed policy makers and interested lay people to appreciate the nature of the
problem. Although much disciplinary data and committees and subgroups have
since been generated, no synthesis has taken place to date, and overall, the IPCC
is perceived as a wasted opportunity.
The lack of common understanding between disparate fields and sectors that
use different vocabularies and modes of inquiry is widely acknowledged as the
most significant personal challenge to collaboration for experts who are accus-
tomed to great fluency and literacy within their own specialized areas.
What may be even worse than simply not understanding the jargon of
another’s discipline is another problem that surfaces frequently: disciplines may
use a common pool of language to construct their unique metaphors.
For example, the economist David Wear points out, when an economist says
“competition,” or an ecologist says “niche,” the economist thinks “neoclassical
production theory” and the ecologist thinks “identifiable components of
ecosystems.” But an ecologist’s use of “competition” is about the forces that
exclude all but the best-suited species from a “niche”; for the economist, the niche
is a competitive market that supports several firms.
There are countless similar examples in the literature. Needless to say, this can
be not only very confusing, but can lead to serious misapprehensions, project
evaluations gone awry, and unwarranted assumptions of ignorance by (and
about) the unwary boundary-crossing researcher.
As a result, members of a collaborative team, or a researcher who intends to
communicate results to an interdisciplinary audience, must reach agreement not
only on the interpretation of the data (which already highlights differences in back-
grounds and traditions) but also on the way every term is defined and used. As one
researcher wrote, “This certainly increases the heaviness of the research process,
not to mention the difficulties in communicating the results. I am tempted to mut-
ter, ‘If one can only speak to those who use the same words as oneself ’”12—which,
of course, would defeat the purpose of collaborating in the first place.
Unfortunately, there is no silver-bullet solution to this problem. The best prac-
tice for collaborators is to first invest in a common understanding of disciplinary
jargon and methods. Beyond that, or outside of a team environment, researchers
must be hyper-vigilant about language, taking extra effort to explain themselves
rather than expecting their team members to translate between the various short-
hands of lingo and metaphor, shared scholarly references, and assumptions.
Related but separate from the issues of common language, gaining access and
familiarity with other experts’ published work is also a serious barrier for
collaborative work. When asked how they seek interdisciplinary information, only
52 percent of the scientists interviewed in a 1997 study published in the Journal of
the American Society for Information Science said they scan journals in other
subject areas themselves.
The Hybrid Vigor Institute 197

The reason is astonishingly prosaic. Physically, the journal collections of dif-

ferent disciplines are generally housed in departmental libraries, usually within
departmental buildings. Constraints of time and attention seem to dictate that
these geographic boundaries are seldom crossed by those from outside disci-
plines or subject areas. In addition, very few of the thousands of academic
journals published today are available in full text via the Internet and World
Wide Web, narrowing their accessibility even more. When they are available,
subscriptions tend to be prohibitively expensive—even more so than their
print counterparts.
Conceptually, it is an unspoken but well-known practice that researchers gen-
erally “don’t go where they don’t know.” Thus, the journals of other disciplines are
often terra incognita, presenting vast foreign landscapes of linguistic, theoretical,
and methodological difference.
What is more, these journals may continue to be unknown for other, more dire
reasons. Because of the high (and rising) cost of academic journals, each year uni-
versity libraries reduce their journal and monograph collections—even as the
production of scholarly information is growing exponentially. Create Change, a
project sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries, the Association of
College and Research Libraries, and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic
Resources Coalition, claims that “the free flow of scholarly information, the
lifeblood of scholarly inquiry and creativity, is being interrupted.”13 As a conse-
quence, scholars and students around the world have access to less and less intel-
lectual output each year.
Ironically, at the same time that access to quality material is narrowing, the
influx of unfiltered, unsolicited publications to the inboxes of researchers is
increasing. How to cull the wheat from the chaff for anyone wanting to reach
across disciplinary boundaries presents a significant challenge and opportunity
for the practice of collaborative work.

COMPETITION, TURF, AND TRUST

The ability for individual researchers to overcome the psychological barriers of
turf and competition—dubbed “the geopolitics of knowledge” by a leading trans-
disciplinary scholar, Julie Thompson Klein—is key to the success of any interdis-
ciplinary venture, and a key to Hybrid Vigor’s “institute without walls” approach.
In fact, good interdisciplinary work is more likely to occur when there are several
persons present who have both eclectic knowledge and a disregard for boundaries
of others’ intellectual turf.14
On an institutional level, “de-turfing” these boundaries is the idea behind the
growing number of university-hosted interdisciplinary centers, including recent
entrants such as Stanford University’s Bio-X Program for Bioengineering,
Biomedicine, and Biosciences; the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and UC–Berkeley’s Health Sciences
Initiative.
198 The New Humanitarians

A long-running example of how transcending boundaries can work is the

McGill Centre for Medicine, Law, and Ethics, established in 1986. At the start of
the process, three faculty deans, from medicine, law, and religious studies, were
fully committed to transdisciplinarity and to “unselfish cooperation beyond their
faculties,” according to the center’s founding director. Several other important
reasons were also responsible for its success, including the trust that McGill Uni-
versity placed in individuals and the center as an institution, and the risks they
allowed the center to take by launching into large, complex, controversial, highly
sensitive, and difficult projects, including assessment of the threat of the
HIV/AIDS epidemic in the mid-1980s.15
The Natural Resources Research Center at North Carolina State University was
less fortunate. Despite a promising start, when three schools joined together—
and quickly obtained funding—to build a center to house an interdisciplinary
program, it did not take long before internal wrangling over the allocation of
equipment grants and space, as well as internal politics, began chipping away at
the cooperative spirit between the schools. Today, there are some collaborative
contacts and cooperative programs, but as one faculty observer noted, “the dream
of a highly creative Natural Resources Research Center is dead—killed off by con-
tinuing worry and unhappy memories about . . . trying to work together when
there was not enough communication and trust among the parties to overcome
the inevitable problems of living together in the same outstandingly useful phys-
ical facility.” The verdict: opportunity lost.16
The nascent university centers mentioned above, and others of their ilk, would
do well to heed the warnings inherent in both these examples. Obtaining the
funds and building an interdisciplinary center are apparently the easiest parts of
the task; keeping the key players on equal footing, all pulling toward the same
goals, requires ongoing and sustained effort in order to achieve long-term success.
Trust is closely related to issues of turf and competition, particularly since it
may be true that disciplines serve to discipline trust more than anything else—by
their distinctive vocabularies, the ideas they advance, and the standards of proof
they accept.17 This explains why one specialist’s perspective is often greeted skep-
tically by another. It has little to do with the “other” per se; it has to do with the
degree of trust we confer upon those whose perspectives we already know.
But learning to trust is absolutely essential if collaboration is to consistently
yield the kinds of discoveries and unexpected connections that it has in the past.
Those working together to solve a common problem cannot look for the similar-
ities or matching patterns between their works and others’ unless they are willing
to risk their position as “experts” long enough to actually focus on another
expert’s perspective. We will never know how many significant discoveries have
never seen the light of day because of this brand of intellectual insecurity.
Although trust may seem like an intangible, excessively psychological goal, it is
cited consistently in the literature as a reason many collaborative projects break
down. The various participants in a collaboration must trust that they are
respected and considered as equals to those outside their fields—and that they are,
The Hybrid Vigor Institute 199

in fact, in the presence of equals—in order to feel secure enough to engage in the
process. (This is particularly true with researchers from the natural sciences, who
tend to believe their focus on quantitative data is superior.) Cultivation of trust also
creates a critically important aura of credibility around any collaboration.

FUNDING PROCESS, NOT PRODUCT

Given the breadth and depth of the kinds of challenges that an individual or
team faces entering a collaboration, it is obviously not the easier, softer approach.
Collaborative work requires tenacity and a tolerance for ambiguity that many tra-
ditional thinkers find difficult to maintain.
Unfortunately, that tenacity must extend to finding sustainable ways to finance
collaborative inquiry. Despite its many significant successes in biological systems,
in social and economic interactions, in artificial life and evolutionary dynamics—
successes that have truly changed the course of how research in many disciplines
is conducted—organizations such as Hybrid Vigor continue to struggle with
convincing funders of the value of collaborative processes.
Most funding organizations, from government agencies to private founda-
tions, clearly prefer discrete, narrowly focused projects with unambiguous, meas-
urable results to those that put an equal emphasis on the process by which a
project is accomplished. Even if they are inclined toward a process-oriented pro-
posal, reviewers generally make their evaluations based on the expectations and
metrics of traditional expertise, rather on the more inclusive philosophies and
practices of collaboration. This practice more often than not prevents interdisci-
plinary and collaborative projects from being funded, and continues to relegate
them to undeserved, second-class status.
For example, in 2001, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invited grant appli-
cations for Centers of Excellence in Cancer Communications Research (CECCR).
The Request for Applications stated that CECCR applicants were expected to pro-
pose and conduct research that would lead to major scientific advances in knowl-
edge about cancer communications and their translation into practice. This
mission included several overarching goals that were specifically interdisciplinary
in nature and criteria.
Of the twenty proposals submitted—including one in which Hybrid Vigor was a
participant—none were funded. According to reports from NCI and rumors from
informants, none received high enough scores from the peer review because of the
turf wars, disparate expectations, language issues, and so on—all well-known barri-
ers to interdisciplinary research, but apparently not factored into the review process.
We expect that, eventually, agencies and foundations will learn how to evaluate
and adequately fund these kinds of inclusive approaches. But in the meantime, like
many other organizations that focus on a process rather than a product, Hybrid
Vigor has had to become adept at maximizing impact on a small and perpetually
uncertain budget. Its early decision, for example, to keep the institute “virtual”—that
is, bringing together collaborators only on a per-project basis, rather than
200 The New Humanitarians

maintaining a full-time staff and office—was designed to keep Hybrid Vigor always
pushing for the freshest and most relevant topics and co-investigators, but it has
proven to be a wise financial strategy as well.
The institute continues to receive project grants from foundations and gov-
ernment agencies, but has also begun actively seeking out general operating funds
from select philanthropies and private individuals that understand the impor-
tance of promoting and supporting collaborative problem-solving processes. A
newly minted consulting practice is also helping to underwrite the organization’s
less lucrative projects and operations, while allowing clients to exploit the organi-
zation’s expertise in a variety of areas, including facilitating collaborations and
meetings, writing white papers and articles, and assembling research teams. And
at the end of 2006, the institute transformed its website, Hybridvigor.org, from a
resource center for publications into a blog. It is building a roster of guest blog-
gers known for their affiliation with various interdisciplinary topics or methods,
such as risk assessment. As they bring their constituents to Hybrid Vigor, they will
raise their own profiles as well as the organization’s.
No one anticipated that an organization such as Hybrid Vigor, designed from
the ground up to be collaborative in nature, would end up dealing so directly with
the same realities—that is to say, the same difficulties—of established institutions
that are trying to learn the art and the science of collaboration. But its enthusiasm
for the task it has undertaken is undiminished by the slings and arrows of fortune,
or lack thereof. It remains committed as ever to developing the methods and facil-
itating the collaborations that will result in a new knowledge ecology—one that
conjoins specialized information and expertise with accountability, complex
understanding, and enduring impact.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: The Hybrid Vigor Institute
Founder and/or Executive Director: Denise Caruso
Mission/Description: The Hybrid Vigor Institute is an independent, not-for-profit
research organization and consultancy based in San Francisco that is dedicated
to interdisciplinary research and collaborative problem solving. It is focused on
two goals:

1. To establish new methods, tools, and best practices for collaboration and
knowledge sharing that can satisfy the demands of both the natural and the
social sciences, and that can accommodate the important and underused
contributions of the arts and humanities
2. To build a global network of diverse thinkers from both public and private
sectors who are comfortable with these kinds of boundary-crossing
inquiries, and who meet the highest standards of professional performance
in their respective fields
The Hybrid Vigor Institute 201

As a result, the Hybrid Vigor Institute will make significant contributions

toward solving some of today’s most intractable problems threatening the
health, well-being, and quality of life of people and the communities in which
they live.
Website: www.hybridvigor.org
Address: Hybrid Vigor Institute
1459 18th Street, Suite 189
San Francisco, CA 94107 USA
Phone: N/A
E-mail: info@hybridvigor.org

NOTES
1. Diana Rhoten, A Multi-Method Analysis of the Social and Technical Conditions for Inter-
disciplinary Collaboration, Final Report, National Science Foundation BCS-0129573.
2. Denise Caruso, “Risk as Continuum: A Redefinition of Risk for Governing the Post-
Genome World,” Hybrid Vigor Journal (February 2002), http://hybridvigor.net/
health-determinants/publications/.
3. Denise Caruso, “Risk: The Art and the Science of Choice,” Hybrid Vigor Journal
(October 2002), http://hybridvigor.net/health-determinants/publications/.
4. Baruch Fischhoff et al., “Analyzing Disaster Risks and Plans: An Avian Flu Example,” Jour-
nal of Risk and Uncertainty 33 (2006): 131–149; W. Bruine de Bruin, et al., “Expert
Judgments of Pandemic Influenza Risks,” Global Public Health 1.2 (June 2006): 178–193.
5. Denise Caruso and Diana Rhoten, “Lead, Follow, Get Out of the Way: Sidestepping the
Barriers to Effective Practice of Interdisciplinarity,” Hybrid Vigor White Paper, April
2001; 7.
6. Desmond Manderson, “Some Considerations about Transdisciplinarity,” in Transdisci-
plinarity: reCreating Integrated Knowledge, ed. Margaret Somerville and David Rapport,
86–93 (Oxford: EOLSS Publishers, 2000).
7. Jian Qin, F. W. Lancaster, and Bryce Allen, “Types and Levels of Collaboration in
Interdisciplinary Research in Sciences,” Journal of the American Society for Information
Science 48.10 (1997): 893–916.
8. Caruso and Rhoten, 9–10.
9. S. T. A. Pickett, William Burch Jr., and J. Morgan Grove,“Interdisciplinary Research: Main-
taining the Constructive Impulse in a Culture of Criticism,” Ecosystems 2 (1999): 302–307.
10. David L. Szanton, “Dissertation Workshops at U.C. Berkeley,” March 2001 (accessed at
http://www.grad.washington.edu/envision/practices/practices/dw2.html, July 2008).
11. Ibid.
12. Liora Salter and Alison Hearn, Outside the Lines: Issues in Interdisciplinary Research
(Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1996), 53.
13. Caruso and Rhoten, 12.
14. Anthony McMichael, “Transdisciplinarity in Science,” in Transdisciplinarity: reCreating
Integrated Knowledge, ed. Margaret Somerville and David Rapport, 207.
202 The New Humanitarians

15. Margaret Somerville,“Transdisciplinarity: Structuring Creative Tension,” in Transdiscipli-

narity: reCreating Integrated Knowledge, ed. Margaret Somerville and David Rapport, 100.
16. Ellis Cowling, “Transdisciplinarity: Philosophy, Practice, and Future,” in Transdisciplinar-
ity: reCreating Integrated Knowledge, ed. Margaret Somerville and David Rapport, 154.
17. Roderick Macdonald, “Transdisciplinarity and Trust,” in Transdisciplinarity: reCreating
Integrated Knowledge, ed. Margaret Somerville and David Rapport, 61–76.
 12

Our Voices Together

Marianne Scott

We should offer an example of moral leadership in the world, committed to

treat people humanely, abide by the rule of law, and be generous and caring
to our neighbors . . . we can offer parents a vision that might give their
children a better future.
9/11 Commission Report recommendation

The task of changing a hate-filled world belongs to each one of us.

Mariane Pearl,
A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl

Early on September 11, 2001, Norma Steuerle boarded Flight 77 at Dulles

Airport outside of Washington, D.C. She was heading west to cross the Pacific
for a family vacation. Her husband, Gene Steuerle, an economist, was attend-
ing a conference in Asia where their daughter, Kristin Steuerle, a pediatrician
on active duty with the U.S. Navy, was stationed. A little over an hour after
takeoff, terrorists took control of the plane carrying Norma and crashed it into
the Pentagon.
Following 9/11, in the wake of initial widespread global solidarity against
terrorist tactics and the outpouring of goodwill they received from strangers as
well as neighbors, Gene and his daughters, Kristin and Lynne, realized they now
had a special voice. It was one that they did not ask for or even want, one they
would gladly give up to get Norma back, but a special voice nonetheless. This
voice could effectively transmit a message that was so very different from the mes-
sage the terrorists were trying to send. This voice was most evident in action. By
responding in ways that demonstrated the oneness of humanity, that reciprocated
the outpouring of generosity they had received, and that were in line with the way

203
204 The New Humanitarians

Norma had lived her life, they could defy the terrorists’ intent to divide through
fear, and they could honor her. Acts of compassion could send an alternative mes-
sage to the message of hate propagated by terrorists. Their voices and actions
could help build a safer, more compassionate world. It was this global spirit of
community and the power of these simple acts of compassion that motivated the
family of Norma Steuerle to form Our Voices Together.
The Steuerle family began reaching out to other families who had lost loved
ones on September 11 (see Table 12.1). They found people working to improve
conditions in Afghanistan because of the direct tie between that country’s tragic
history and the loss of their loved ones. Joyce Manchester and David Stapleton
were supporting healthcare for mothers in Afghanistan in honor of friends also
killed on Flight 77. Sally and Don Goodrich were building a school in memory of
their son Peter, a passenger on the second plane to hit the World Trade Center.
Susan Retik, widowed and pregnant on 9/11, was reaching out to widows in
Afghanistan.

Table 12.1 Our Voices Together Family Profiles

Terrorist acts create devastating loss. Nonetheless, these families, like many others, are
determined to generate more good in the world out of tragedy. These are the stories of a
few of the families who make up Our Voices Together.
The Steuerle Family
Norma Steuerle was a passenger on American Airlines Flight 77; her plane was hijacked
and flown into the Pentagon. In response to the outpouring of goodwill her husband
Gene and daughters, Lynne and Kristin, received and to honor the goodness and
understanding Norma brought to the world, Gene, Kristin, and Lynne Steuerle decided to
donate 100 percent of their federal Victim Compensation Fund settlement to start two
charities: Our Voices Together and the Alexandria Community Trust, a community
foundation that serves as a catalyst to increase charitable investment in Alexandria, VA.
Eric Gardner
Eric Gardner’s brother, Jeff, was an insurance executive with an office in the World Trade
Center. Jeff also was an avid participant with Habitat for Humanity both at home in New
Jersey and in Latin America. Asked why he volunteered, he remarked that he knew his life
was privileged and he did not want to forget that. After his death on September 11, 2001,
the Gardner family—parents, the late David and Eileen Gardner, and siblings, Eric Gardner
and Amy Beth Kassan—established the Jeffrey Brian Gardner Scholarship fund to allow
college students to continue Jeff’s work with Habitat for Humanity International’s Global
Village program. To date 174 college students have received Jeff Gardner scholarships to
enable them to help build homes in Central America, the Caribbean, and Africa.
The Alderman Family
Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman lost their youngest son at the World Trade Center. To
honor his life, the family created the Peter C. Alderman Foundation to help walking-
wounded victims of terrorism and mass violence who had survived but because of
traumatic depression could no longer function. They realized they could not bring Peter
back but could help heal others as a living memory to him. One billion people, one sixth
Our Voices Together 205

Table 12.1 (Continued)

of the world’s population, have directly experienced terrorism, mass violence, ethnic
cleansing, and genocide. The Peter C. Alderman foundation has trained doctors from
twelve countries on four continents to heal the wounds of victimized populations. It runs
Peter C. Alderman Mental Health Clinics in Cambodia and Uganda. Their goal is to train
doctors and establish a network of clinics in post-conflict countries. As the Aldermans
say, “It’s a personal matter: we are victims of terrorism helping victims of terrorism.”
www.petercaldermanfoundation.org
Sally and Don Goodrich
Sally and Don Goodrich’s son Peter was on United Airlines Flight 175 on 9/11; it was the
second plane flown into the World Trade Center. Don Goodrich, an attorney, serves as
the chair of the board of Families of September 11th, working to prevent terrorism while
preserving civil liberties in the United States. Sally, an educator, wanted to respond with
the kind of love and cross-cultural exploration that Peter had shared with the world. She
has been the driving force in the development of the Peter M. Goodrich Memorial
Foundation, which works primarily in the Pashtun provinces of Afghanistan supporting
education and addressing the fundamental needs of fragile populations. Among its
activities, the foundation has built a school for girls, supports orphans in Wardak, and
hosts several Afghan exchange students at high schools and colleges in the United States.
www.goodrichfoundation.org
Susan Retik
Susan and her husband, David, were expecting their third child when David was killed on
September 11. In November 2001, Dina was born. After David’s death, Susan was very
appreciative of the financial and emotional support she received from around the world.
Recognizing the importance of a generous community, she realized that many Afghan
widows are victims of the same war that had claimed the David’s life. Susan co-founded
Beyond the 11th to reach out to widows in war-torn areas, especially in Afghanistan, and
offer mutual support. Beyond the 11th began with an annual fundraising bike ride from
Ground Zero in New York City to the Boston Commons. www.Beyondthe11th.org
Joyce Manchester and David Stapleton
David and Joyce were close friends of Leslie Whittington, Charles Falkenberg, and their
young daughters, Zoe and Dana, all of whom were passengers on American Flight 77 that
was flown into the Pentagon. Read about their ongoing philanthropic efforts to support
education in Afghanistan in the story of the Afghan Education Giving Circle of Northern
Virginia in Appendix 1 of this chapter.
Len Burman
Len Burman and Leslie Whittington had been colleagues and fellow economists on the
faculty at Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute. A few years after her death, Len
read Tracy Kidder’s book Mountains Beyond Mountains, about Paul Farmer’s medical
work in Haiti. Inspired by his work and in memory of the Whittington-Falkenberg
family, Len and his son, Paul, cycled across America in 2005 raising over $100,000 for
Dr. Farmer’s organization, Partners in Health. www.Ride4Haiti.org
Marilynn M. Rosenthal (deceased)
Joshua Rosenthal, son of Dr. Marilynn M. Rosenthal, professor emerita at the University
of Michigan–Dearborn, worked in the World Trade Center’s south tower. After his death,
206 The New Humanitarians

Table 12.1 (Continued)

she established the annual Rosenthal Lecture at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R.
Ford School of Public Policy and traveled to the United Arab Emirates to meet with the
family of the young hijacker who had piloted the plane that crashed into the south tower.
When she lost her battle with cancer in August 2007, she was turning her investigation
into a book. “I’m not justifying what he did. He’s a murderer. But if you just hate . . . and
you don’t try to understand, all you do is perpetuate the hate and the wars and the killing
over and over again. I don’t know any way to do it except through understanding. That
doesn’t mean forgiving. For me, it’s not a matter of forgiveness. It’s a matter of
understanding.” Her intellect, her warmth, her courage, her determination, her optimism,
and her search for truth and understanding are greatly missed.

The Steuerle family already knew Len Burman, who was bicycling across the
United States to raise funds for Haiti in memory of a friend and colleague killed
on 9/11. He introduced them to Eric Gardner, whose family had set up a scholar-
ship to enable college students to volunteer abroad building homes in poor com-
munities, one of his brother’s passions before he was killed at the World Trade
Center. They recognized that coming together could amplify these voices, and in
the long run, help to diminish terrorism by reaching out in friendship to those
very communities around the world from which terrorists recruit.
With a few more families and friends of 9/11 victims, this core group formed
Our Voices Together in Washington, D.C. As Gene Steuerle said when launching
Our Voices Together on the fourth anniversary of 9/11 in 2005, “Terrorists today
are using their resources to do enormous harm. We are trying to use our resources
to do enormous good.”
Our Voices Together advisory board member Nikki Stern, whose husband
worked on the ninety-fourth floor of 1 World Trade Center, aptly noted that on
September 11, the plane went crashing into her husband’s life briefly and into her
own life permanently.
Those planes went crashing into all of our lives permanently. Our Voices Together
recognizes that we do not have to allow those who sought to destroy to be the ones
to wholly define the legacy of this permanent crash. We can shape the legacy of that
day by bringing good out of tragedy and building a safer, more compassionate world.

THE GLOBAL CHALLENGE AND OUR VOICES

TOGETHER’S VISIONARY RESPONSE
At no point in history has America’s national security depended as much on
our ability to be a respected and integral part of the world community. Effective
counterterrorism requires more than military force, intelligence, law enforcement,
and homeland security measures. These efforts, while significant, do little to
diminish the popular appeal of violent tactics or the underlying hatred that
excuses such actions.
Our Voices Together 207

We know terrorists lose their ability to coerce if they lose their ability to recruit.
The message and strategy of global extremist groups such as al Qaeda can be pow-
erful only as long as they gain supporters. In Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of
Suicide Terrorism, Robert Pape of the University of Chicago observed, “An indi-
vidual can die. Only a community can make a martyr.”1
The challenge is more than just stopping those who are bent on destruction
through terrorist tactics. Of course, these individuals must be stopped before
they take more lives. A comprehensive counterterrorism strategy also must
include engaging communities in those places where would-be martyrs find fer-
tile support—in other words, helping to build a world where the appeal of lives
lived in dignity, opportunity, and safety triumphs over the allure of extremism
and its terrorist tactics.
In the sixth year of the War on Terror, the U.S. military finally institutionalized
this doctrine. The December 2006 Army and Marine Corps’ Counterinsurgency
Field Manual says, “At its core, [counterinsurgency] is a struggle for the popula-
tion’s support. The protection, welfare, and support of the people are vital to suc-
cess.”2 Among the paradoxes of counterinsurgency, it notes that “sometimes, the
more force is used, the less effective it is.”3 This new counterinsurgency field man-
ual was followed in October 2007 by the first ever joint Navy, Marine Corps, and
Coast Guard cooperative strategy for sea power. It focuses on humanitarian mis-
sions and stresses “that preventing wars is as important as winning wars.”4 In
November 2007, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates delivered the Landan Lecture
at Kansas State University and became the first secretary of defense to call for “a
dramatic increase in spending on the civilian instruments of national security.” He
said, “One of the most important lessons of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is
that military success is not sufficient to win: economic development, institution-
building and the rule of law, promoting internal reconciliation, good governance,
providing basic services to the people, training and equipping indigenous military
and police forces, strategic communications, and more—these, along with secu-
rity, are essential ingredients for long-term success.”5
Secretary Gates also noted that the military had taken on these burdens but that
this was no replacement for “the real thing—civilian involvement and expertise.”
Our Voices Together is part of a growing number of people who know that “citizen
involvement and expertise” is our nation’s best asset. Ordinary citizens are one of the
most powerful and most underappreciated elements of our national influence
abroad. Our Voices Together understands that to achieve a safer future, we must
build mutual trust and respect around the globe. Our Voices Together recognizes the
vast potential in engaging our entire nation in diplomacy by connecting communi-
ties. A nonprofit, nonpartisan network of people and organizations, Our Voices
Together promotes the vital role of people-to-people efforts to help build better,
safer lives and futures around the world through three principal program areas.

1. The “Agenda of Opportunity”—promoting global philanthropy and volun-

teerism to empower Americans to respond to terrorism with meaningful,
208 The New Humanitarians

positive global action, such as hosting foreign students, engaging in interfaith

and international service projects, or providing job skills, school supplies, and
medical care to communities abroad in need.
2. A network of good out of tragedy—Our Voices Together supports and helps
others support a growing network of organizations and individuals providing
hands-on services as a constructive civilian response to terrorism. Many of
these organizations have grown out of 9/11.
3. Building a safer, more compassionate world—Our Voices Together is working
to reframe the public discussion concerning terrorism away from fear and
toward actions that engage rather than disenfranchise communities world-
wide. The Safer, More Compassionate World public awareness campaign pro-
motes citizen diplomacy as a critical part of our nation’s efforts to counter
terrorism.

Our Voices Together is not so naïve as to believe that such efforts are the single
antidote to terrorism. They are a component of a comprehensive strategy. As 9/11
Commission chairman Thomas Kean and vice chairman Lee Hamilton wrote in
the Washington Post, “America’s long-term security relies on being viewed not as
a threat but as a source of opportunity and hope.”6

1. An Agenda of Opportunity: Promoting

Global Philanthropy & Volunteerism
Recommendation: A comprehensive U.S. strategy to counter terrorism
should include economic policies that encourage development, more open
societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families
and to enhance prospects for their children’s future.
9/11 Commission Report 7

Poverty and lack of education are not root causes of terrorism. Most terrorist
leaders are not poor or uneducated, and poor, uneducated people are not more
likely to become terrorists. Yet the final report of the National Commission on
Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission Report) called for
the United States to offer an “Agenda of Opportunity” of education, employment,
and the prospect of a brighter tomorrow. Poverty, exclusion, and ignorance create
fragile conditions and foster resentment, which extremists then exploit and use to
rationalize terrorist tactics. As the 9/11 Commission Report noted, “When people
lose hope, when societies break down, when countries fragment, the breeding
grounds for terrorism are created.”8
Gene Steuerle wrote in a letter to the editor published in the July 17, 2007,
edition of the Wall Street Journal:

There are two reasons to fight poverty as a response to terrorism. First, it offers an
alternative vision of how to work for a better society and how to unite those who are
Our Voices Together 209

divided. Second, terrorists depend upon the emotional support of their communi-
ties, and these communities are much less likely to exhibit hatred toward those who
are actively engaging with them to construct better lives.
I work with a group of families who have lost loved ones to terrorism and are try-
ing to make a difference by devoting their own resources to activities like building
schools or clinics in poor areas of the world, often those communities most affected
by terrorists. Our work complements, not competes with, the sacrifices of those who
serve as police or firefighters or military.9

Terrorists realize that in our modern world, each one of us has tremendous
power. They use theirs to hurt others. Our Voices Together asks people not to
downplay their own power to make better the lives of many others. What more
powerful statement can there be about our nation that that of our people, inter-
ested in the world around them, personally reaching out to provide education or
medical care or jobs? Our Voices Together offers tools to help people to engage in
global philanthropy and actively promotes international volunteer opportunities.
Gifts That Count is Our Voices Together’s alternative, online gift shop that
encourages people to change the way they “gift.” The idea is simple: instead of
buying birthday, holiday, or other gifts that friends may not need, give something
in their name to those in need. When individuals donate through Gifts That
Count, they are giving directly to the projects of Our Voices Together network
organizations and can customize an e-card to be sent to the person in whose name
the gift was selected. Gifts That Count has raised over $200,000 for featured
projects in two and a half years.
Global Giving Circles offer an opportunity for small groups of friends to get
more substantially engaged in global philanthropy. A giving circle is commonly
defined as “a group of individuals who pool grant making resources to pursue
common goals in a particular interest area and who commit to learn with each
other and with leaders and activists in the field.”10 In partnership with the
Clarence Foundation, Our Voices Together promotes giving circles as a response
to terrorism. For example, the Afghan Education Giving Circle of Northern
Virginia, started by Our Voices Together board members David Stapleton and
Joyce Manchester, is committed to supporting two primary schools outside of
Kabul over three years. (See the story of the Afghan Education Giving Circle of
Northern Virginia in Appendix 1 of this chapter.)
Think Big, Act Big FunRaisers are online tools set up by Our Voices Together
to enable community and youth groups to hold local fundraising events for the
charities and causes featured in Gifts That Count. During the program’s first year
and a half, two basketball Hoop-a-thons in California to support anti–child slav-
ery efforts in the carpet industry in India, a long-distance bike ride in Canada for
schools in Pakistan, and an art event in Wisconsin for women’s projects in
Afghanistan, took place.
Our Voices Together also points people toward volunteer opportunities in the
United States and abroad, such as the Jeffrey Brian Gardner scholarship for college
students who want to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity International. From
210 The New Humanitarians

2002 to 2007, 174 college students—mostly of them low income who would not
have otherwise been able to afford the experience—received Jeffrey Brian Gardner
scholarships to build homes in Latin America, Africa, and the Caribbean. In 2003
this scholarship helped finance a special youth exchange: twelve students from
Haiti and twelve from the Dominican Republic built for a week in the Dominican
Republic and then traveled together to Haiti to build for a second week.

2. A “Counterterrorist” Network of Good out of Tragedy

Al-Qaeda, Arabic for “the base,” is an international terrorist network today
only nominally led by Osama bin Laden. As leading terrorism expert and Our
Voices Together advisory board member, Bruce Hoffman told Congress in early
2006, “It has become a vast enterprise—an international franchise with like-
minded local representatives, loosely connected to a central ideological or
motivational base, but advancing the remaining center’s goals at once simulta-
neously and independently of each other.”11 It is a coalition of extremist groups
and individuals who have chosen to use terrorist tactics to achieve common
aims. Al-Qaeda holds the twisted view that force, intimidation, and hatred are
the way to improve the lives of Muslims around the world. And they have
shown, they are willing to make extraordinary personal sacrifices of their own
resources and lives to do so.
Out of the horror of their violent methods another network is growing. This
network of “counterterrorists” is a network of private citizens using largely their
own resources to generate good will and hope (see Table 12.2). These are people
who understand that the battle against terrorism is a very long one, and who rec-
ognize that people everywhere around the world are looking for ways to improve
lives. They see that alternatives to the extremists’ message of hatred and their
agenda of violence occur when one village meets another in acts of compassion.
The Our Voices Together network empowers people with ideas and opportunities
to take positive, concrete actions. Our Voices Together is nothing more and noth-
ing less than people reaching out in kindness to other people around the world.
As families meet families, networks of friendship, understanding, and mutual
respect are formed.
Our Voices Together started from a core group of families who are making
a positive difference in honor of lost loved ones. The formal network has grown
to more than twenty-four organizations providing hands-on services as a con-
structive civilian response to terrorism. These groups provide education in
rural regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, facilitate interfaith dialogue, organ-
ize global volunteering opportunities, run international exchange programs,
provide physical and mental health care to people who are suffering, conduct
global public opinion polling, and in many other ways increase cross-cultural
understanding.
By fostering collaboration across these groups and spreading word about their
work, Our Voices Together is working to increase their impact and to multiply the
Our Voices Together 211

Table 12.2 Our Voices Together Network Organizations

• Alfred Friendly Press Fellowships
• American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS
• Beyond the 11th
• Central Asia Institute
• Clarence Foundation
• Daniel Pearl Foundation
• Families of September 11
• GlobalGiving Foundation
• Global Volunteers
• Grassroots International
• Green Village Schools
• Help the Afghan Children
• Institute for International Education
• Interfaith Youth Core
• Manjari Sankurathri Memorial Foundation
• Peter C. Alderman Foundation
• Peter M. Goodrich Memorial Foundation
• Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED)
• Save the Children
• Seeds of Peace
• Terror Free Tomorrow: Center for Public Opinion
• Unity Productions Foundation—20,000 Dialogues
• Women for Women International
• Zade Foundation for International Peace and Understanding

number of people engaged in responding to terrorism in this way. Our Voices

Together provides the following free services to organizations in the network:

• Visibility for the work of network organizations as a response to terrorism. The

work of network nonprofits is featured on the Our Voices Together website
and in Our Voices Together’s nationwide campaign promoting citizen
diplomacy.
• Networking. Opportunities to collaborate on innovative solutions to common
challenges, including an annual conference in Washington, D.C., and periodic
peer-to-peer support and networking virtual meetings are available through
Our Voices Together.
• Online fundraising portal. Our Voices Together encourages international phi-
lanthropy as a practical and innovative response to terrorism and promotes
network participants’ fundraising efforts via online tools.
• Online action portal. Our Voices Together’s online community of people inter-
ested in responding to terrorism through positive actions has grown to nearly
6,000. Our Voices Together enables organizations to take full advantage of this
212 The New Humanitarians

community by disseminating opportunities for the public to get involved with

their work. The Action Center is divided into four major categories:

Build Understanding—opportunities to reach out in friendship through

interfaith service projects, select books for book clubs, and participate in
music and other events of network organizations
Give/Donate—online tools to facilitate financial support for projects
organized by organizations in the network through alternative gifts and
other forms of philanthropy
Volunteer—opportunities to host an exchange student or international vis-
itor, volunteer abroad, or organize a Safer, More Compassionate World event
Raise Your Voice—advocacy and other efforts whereby individuals can
engage their elected officials, the media and the general public

• Tailored organizational support services. Our Voices Together also supports the
smaller organizations in the network through tailored organizational, market-
ing, and media support. This has included help designing their websites,
brochures, and other outreach materials, as well as organizational support. A
good example of this was the 2006 “Roads to You: Celebration of One World”
international young musicians’ assembly sponsored by the Zade Foundation.
Our Voices Together organized the Washington, D.C., leg of this tour of thirty
young adult musicians from Tunisia, Iran, Turkey, Canada, the UK, China,
Malaysia, Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere. The Assembly’s month-long
tour to Washington, D.C., Houston, and Los Angeles used music to combat cul-
tural ignorance and intolerance, and to promote respect for diversity. To increase
direct cross-cultural interaction, Our Voices Together worked with a team of
Washington, D.C., area groups to organize home stays with local families and
visits to local schools, community centers and places of worship for the musi-
cians. The home stays and concerts sparked lasting interfaith and cross-cultural
friendships, and the effort reached close to 4,000 people in the Washington area.

3. Building a Safer, More Compassionate World

Awareness Campaign
Our Voices Together’s signature program, the Safer, More Compassionate
World campaign, is aimed at reframing public dialogue about counterterrorism
from an overwhelmingly fear-based focus on strategies of force and coercion, to
include strategies of positive action and global partnerships, and to offer substan-
tive opportunities for citizen action (see Table 12.3).
This effort began with the fifth anniversary of September 11 in 2006. Our
Voices Together members realized early that year that on college campuses across
the United States, tensions and differences were running very high over the war in
Iraq and concerns about the impact of the War on Terror on civil liberties and
human rights. University administrators were asking themselves how they could
Our Voices Together 213

Table 12.3 Terrorism

Terrorism is
• A tactic used by extremists to coerce opponents and to gain supporters.
• The use of violence by an organization other than a national government to cause
intimidation or fear among a civilian target audience.
• A global threat to human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy, as well as the
territorial integrity and security of nations.
• Condemned by every single member of the United Nations. The United Nations
Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy was adopted on September 8, 2006.
• Supported by some groups who see violent acts as justifiable.
Terrorism isn’t
• Associated with any particular religion, nationality, or ethnic group.
• Caused by poverty. Most terrorists are not poor, and poor people are not more likely to
use terrorist tactics. Yet exclusion and poverty give rise to grievances that are often
exploited by terrorists. The UN’s Counter-Terrorism Resolution recognizes that
development, peace, security, and human rights are interlinked and mutually
reinforcing.
• Quelled through one nation’s military or homeland security measures alone.
International cooperation is required to disrupt terrorist financing, expose networks,
and bring terrorists to justice. The resonance of extremists’ message must also be
addressed. Economic and educational opportunities, interfaith and cross-cultural
respect, and international exchanges are effective ways to do so.

mark this anniversary in a way that did not inflame these tensions. Our Voices
Together reached out to colleges to encourage them to think beyond memorial
services and disaster preparedness training in order to rekindle the solidarity and
goodwill that existed in the days following the attacks. Our Voices Together pro-
posed that universities organize panel discussions on/around September 11 with
scholars and family members of 9/11 victims talking about responding to terror-
ism through a multipronged strategy with an emphasis on positive actions indi-
viduals could take to help diminish the hatred underlying the attacks.
The fifth anniversary forum series asked and answered the question, What can
I do to help stop terrorism? The series fostered a paradigm for individuals to
respond to terrorism through positive works and to encourage a comprehensive
strategy of global engagement and understanding. Topics included engaging com-
munities abroad, sustainable development, building international understanding,
and U.S. relations with the Muslim world. Through fairs or expos in conjunction
with the panel discussions, the events also sought to increase student participation
in study/volunteer abroad opportunities in developing countries, to encourage
cross-cultural studies and study of international development issues, and to
engage more students in interfaith dialogue and alternative gift giving.
In September 2006, on eighteen university campuses nationwide, students and
faculty explored these issues through town hall meetings, information fairs, and
good-deeds events. Build a Safer, More Compassionate World events reached
214 The New Humanitarians

approximately 2,500 people directly and thousands more indirectly via C-SPAN
and other media coverage, offering concrete actions that students—indeed, every-
one—could take to act as forces for positive change. Participating universities were
large and small, public and private, and included Brandeis University, the Univer-
sity of Michigan, American University (Washington, D.C.), Cornell University, East
Central University (OK), and others. In addition, on and around September 11,
2006, organizations that are part of Our Voices Together were featured in almost
thirty print, television, radio, and Internet news outlets around the world.
Fifth anniversary activities were not limited to college campuses. Our Voices
Together encouraged people everywhere to mark the fifth anniversary of 9/11 by
helping to build a safer, more compassionate world; community events included
a concert and talk at the American Center in Munich, Germany. Our Voices
Together offered the first step of signing the Statement of Global Responsibilities
petition (see Table 12.4.) Over 6,000 people signed the petition that fall.
In this successful series, Our Voices Together recognized the kernels of a larger
Safer, More Compassionate World campaign. Public opinion polling was consis-
tently showing that people around the world viewed Americans as hardworking
but also arrogant, greedy, selfish, and violent. Polling indicated that majorities in
developing countries, in particular, felt left out of the world’s growing economic
prosperity, trampled by America’s overwhelming presence globally, and not
listened to by the United States. When terrorist tactics are employed to “make” the
United States pay attention or to pull back internationally, these negative percep-
tions of our nation turn lethal.

Table 12.4 Our Voices Together: Responsibilities in the Global Community Statement
We believe in an interdependent world there is a pressing need to recognize and act on
moral obligations to the global community. These responsibilities include
• Striving to create opportunities for longer life, dignity, prosperity, equality, and
freedom for all people
• Promoting cross-cultural and interfaith understanding
• Protecting individuals from pervasive threats
We believe that addressing the existing disparity in living standards worldwide is central
to reducing terrorism—not because terrorists are poor or because poor people are more
likely to become terrorists, but because poverty creates fragile conditions and resentment
which extremists exploit. Over time, greater equity, greater interfaith and cross-cultural
interaction, and acts of goodwill neutralize the ability of terrorists to polarize
communities and manipulate popular support for their actions. And they offer a contrast
to terrorist tactics as forces for change.
We believe that we can and must learn from our past. Each of us can make a difference.
While terrorists use their resources to cause enormous harm, each of us can marshal our
resources and pool them to generate enormous good.
We, the undersigned, join Our Voices Together in building a safer, more just and
compassionate world.
Our Voices Together 215

By using our nation’s core strengths—generosity, volunteerism, and entrepre-

neurship as well as our diversity of religions, ethnicities, cultures, and countries of
origin—to build relationships one person at a time, these perceptions could be
changed. This is the basic tenet of the concept of citizen diplomacy: in a vibrant
democracy, “the individual citizen has the right, even the responsibility, to help
shape United States foreign relations, one handshake at a time.”12 Many of today’s
major international exchange organizations (such as the Institute for Interna-
tional Education, an organization in the Our Voices Together network) were
founded in the aftermath of World War I by private citizens as part of the effort
to seek ways to prevent future wars. In this same spirit, Our Voices Together
designed its Safer, More Compassionate World campaign, consisting of nation-
wide forums, online strategies, and advocacy.
The 2007 forum series started with a panel discussion featuring four international
journalists from Egypt, Bangladesh, Brazil, and Kenya discussing anti-Americanism
worldwide, xenophobia in the United States, and strategies for bridging the gaps and
fostering understanding between the United States and the world. “Hearts and
Minds: Foreign Perceptions of the U.S. & American Understanding of Foreign
Cultures” took place at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., before a
standing-room-only crowd of approximately 150 people and was broadcast live on
C-SPAN, where thousands more watched it.
Over the fall of 2007, twenty-three more Safer, More Compassionate World
events took place on university campuses and in community centers from upstate
New York to southern California, reaching approximately 1,500 people directly
and thousands more via media coverage of the events. Sixteen of these were
hosted and coordinated by each state’s local and state League of Women Voters,
through a formal collaboration with the League of Women Voters Education
Fund. Our Voices Together wrote a Forum Toolkit and offered it free to any com-
munity or student group interested in exploring these themes through a public
discussion. The toolkit offers step-by-step instructions to organize a forum,
including discussion questions for panelists, tips for working with the media,
checklists for organizers, evaluation forms, and strategies for moving the audience
beyond discussion into action. By spring of 2008, fifty Safer, More Compassionate
World events had taken place across the country.
Using the forums as a starting point, Our Voices Together employed online
methods to further engage the public. The Our Voices Together Blog continues
provocative, in-depth conversations about long-term security, citizen involve-
ment, and counterterrorism. Our Voices Together experimented with many of the
online social networking websites, asking people to send in their stories of how
they are helping to build a safer, more compassionate world, encouraging people
to spread the word to their friends, and challenging them to take action.
Our Voices Together also adopted its first targeted advocacy efforts, lobby-
ing for the Global Service Fellowship Act as a member of the Brookings inter-
national service coalition that catalyzed this legislation. Introduced in the
House and Senate in 2007 as part of efforts to confront terrorism, the bill seeks
216 The New Humanitarians

to establish a new Federal fellowship program to provide funding for lower-

income international volunteers.

OUR VOICES TOGETHER: ORGANIZATIONAL

EVOLUTION OF AN IDEA
The Steuerle family started with an idea. When Our Voices Together launched
in 2005, it was among the first organizations to recognize and to try to harness the
vast potential in engaging our entire nation in helping to create a safer, more com-
passionate world as a response to terrorism. In less than three years, Our Voices
Together has

• Pioneered the role of individuals to counter terrorism through compassionate

actions globally, such as visionary philanthropy, interfaith understanding, and
international volunteerism and service
• Led by example by providing critical financial, media, and in some cases, oper-
ational support to save lives, educate children, protect the environment, and in
other ways make a vital, positive difference in the world
• Provided millions around the world with a different image of 9/11 families and
an alternative vision of how to counter terrorism
• Succeeded in giving people concrete ways to respond to terrorism that get
them beyond the fear
• Provided critical elements of an innovative and truly comprehensive paradigm
for counterterrorism to policy makers and citizens alike

The Steuerle family recognized that there were already inspiring people and
organizations making a huge difference on the ground around the world
addressing international poverty, building international understanding, and
engaging in interfaith dialogue. There were also families that had been directly
affected by terrorism and wanted to help address the underlying hatred and
poverty so often used as an excuse to justify terrorist tactics. The Steuerles saw
the value in not creating yet another direct service organization, but in network-
ing those existing organizations and voices. Together, they could provide an
answer to all those people who had been asking, “What can I do?” that was not
based in fearful, defensive actions, but on creating goodwill, much as Norma
Steuerle had done during her life.
The Steuerle family provided start-up funding for Our Voices Together from
the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund settlement they received. The Our
Voices Together organization began as a project of the Community Foundation of
the National Capitol Region and became independent in 2005. Over the organi-
zation’s short lifespan, individuals have sustained the organization; most of the
major donors have lost a family member or friend to an act of terrorism. In 2007
the Wallace Global Fund supported Our Voices Together’s operations through a
small general support grant.
Our Voices Together 217

With an operating budget below $300,000 annually, including direct financial

support for network organizations through fundraising, Our Voices Together has
relied on a tremendous amount of volunteer time from an extremely dedicated
board of directors as well as others, and on in-kind and discounted services. A
small, all-volunteer core consisting of Gene, Lynne, and Kristin Steuerle; Eric
Gardner; Joyce Manchester and David Stapleton; Len Burman, along with Norma
Steuerle’s best friend, Rev. Claudia Merritt; and Leslie Whittington’s sister-in-law,
filmmaker Susan Koch, worked with nonprofit and international service consult-
ant Zahara Heckscher and Marianne Scott, an accomplished former Foreign
Service officer and former executive director of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, as
well as with interns to set up the organization and develop the website and early
programming. Throughout, this team relied on wisdom and suggestions from an
illustrious advisory committee. (See list and bios of committee members at the
end of this chapter.) As of this writing, the organization has two staff, Marianne
Scott as executive director and Cecilia Snyder, an experienced nonprofit commu-
nications specialist, talented graphic artist, and webmaster, as director of commu-
nications and e-initiatives. Three members of the 9/11 Commission are members
of the honorary committee: Chairman Thomas H. Kean, Vice Chairman Lee
Hamilton, and member Bob Kerrey.
As a pioneer, the organization had to learn some things through trial and error.
For example, Our Voices Together’s model of offering fundraising tools for events
turned out to be extremely labor intensive on a small scale. Although events such
as the Hoop-a-Thon organized by a California high school student enabled him
to use his love of an American sport to help children he has never seen, in a coun-
try he has never visited, and planted the seeds for his long-term interest in elimi-
nating child labor around the world, a few of these events annually were just not
financially sustainable for Our Voices Together.
Another example of trial and error was the structure of the citizen diplomacy
awareness campaign. Our Voices Together initially unveiled a Learn, Act, Share
structure to the online campaign, encouraging people to begin a journey that
starts with becoming globally informed, moves to taking actions at home or
abroad, followed by sharing what they have done with their communities, elected
leaders, and others. Feedback indicated this structure was catchy and understand-
able. Our Voices Together collected online curriculum, news, and book resources
for all ages on topics ranging from fostering tolerance and cross-cultural
understanding to undermining terrorist networks. However, since Our Voices
Together is focused on the second step—Act—people moved away from
OurVoicesTogether.org to other websites and organizations for the first step and
then did not come back to take steps two and three; as a result, Our Voices
Together was unable to track whether people had continued along the three-step
journey. As a network that promotes direct service and giving abroad, Our Voices
Together needed to measure actions in order to evaluate its own effectiveness. A
new, online Action Center solved this problem, and Our Voices Together found
that the critical challenge is moving Americans from embracing the concept of
218 The New Humanitarians

citizen diplomacy as an important part of countering terrorism to becoming cit-

izen diplomats themselves.
The major challenges faced by Our Voices Together have been in scale and
resources. Collaboration with other organizations and an incredible group of
committed volunteers and wonderful interns have very successfully stretched its
impact and helped spread the core message, but exponentially, more Americans
will need to take personal responsibility for citizen diplomacy to make a major
difference in global public opinion.
Our Voices Together has continued to look for more “voices.” Many people who
did not suffer a personal loss on September 11, 2001, still found it to be a profound
turning point in their own lives. Our Voices Together has heard from students study-
ing Arabic to be able to communicate directly with people in a part of the world they
just had not given much thought about before; professionals who left the corporate
sector to follow a passion for international service; international journalists who
renewed their commitment to their profession as they realized the vital role balanced
reporting plays in informing the world; people who reached out to estranged family
members in a spirit of reconciliation; and many people who recommitted themselves
to their own faith and, in so doing, gained new respect for other faiths. It is the poten-
tial power of bringing these individual experiences together in a way that amplifies
their impacts and thus blunts the long-term effectiveness of terrorist tactics that Our
Voices Together seeks to harness. Terrorist tactics will cease to be used when they are
no longer effective. The more we can show that each of us refuses to be cowed by
these tactics and that instead of driving us apart, they drive us together, the closer we
will get to the day when terrorist tactics are no longer used.
In late 2007, Our Voices Together began thinking more creatively about how to
address these challenges and about expanding its reach and impact exponentially.
As a result, Our Voices Together decided to take another bold and rather unusual
move: During the summer of 2008, Our Voices Together will merge with fellow
nonprofit Americans for Informed Democracy (AID), a student-focused,
Baltimore-based group that seeks to build a new generation of globally conscious
leaders; AID works on more than 1,000 university campuses across the United
States and in more than ten countries worldwide.
Both Americans for Informed Democracy and Our Voices Together were born
out of the tragedy of 9/11 to encourage citizens to build bridges internationally and
to recognize their individual power to make a positive difference in our interde-
pendent world. Beginning in the fall of 2008, a new “Rethinking Counterterrorism”
initiative at AID will continue Our Voices Together’s Safer, More Compassionate
World forum series on university campuses, and AID will launch new program-
ming aimed at reframing the public discussion concerning terrorism. The merger
will also provide greater opportunities for students, in particular, to get involved
with the organizations that have been the heart of the Our Voices Together network.
Parallel to this merger, Our Voices Together’s global philanthropy program will
unveil a new home at www.GlobalGiving.org as the Safer, More Compassionate
World Fund. The Global Giving Foundation uses online technology to link grass-
Our Voices Together 219

roots projects improving lives and driving change in communities around the
world with the people who can support them. Global Giving has been part of the
Our Voices Together network and Gifts that Count since 2005. Enabling them to
grow the Safer, More Compassionate World global philanthropy initiatives will
provide an economy of scale to expand online giving as a response to terrorism.
Thus, although the voices of Our Voices Together will move into two new
homes, the expectation is that this will make them even more effective at building
a safer, more compassionate world. Our Voices Together believes that, although
government policies and support are absolutely vital, ultimately it is ordinary
people who are most effective at building trust across cultures and in stimulating
the hope that is required to build a better, safer future, one in which people do not
embrace tactics that destroy but adopt tactics that construct. In the eloquent voice
of Argentinean bilingual poet, novelist, peace activist, and educational psycholo-
gist Maria Cristina Azcona that she lent to Our Voices Together, “peace needs hope
to grow” (“Peace and Hope” by Maria Cristina Azcona. Our Voices Together, 2005.
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewpoetry.asp?AuthorID=2933&ID=131894.
Reprinted with permission).

Peace and Hope

By Maria Cristina Azcona, Argentina
Peace needs hope to grow.
Hope is an open window.
Through it, pain breathes.
A sorrowful heart
Needs a mouthful of air,
Nothing more than that.
The North and the South,
The West, the East and the rest
To be only one.
An emerald sea,
A golden sun reflected.
Humanity hand by hand.

Special thanks to Teresa Barttrum for her outstanding effort in compiling the
initial draft of this story of Our Voices Together.

APPENDIX 1: THE STORY OF THE AFGHAN EDUCATION

GIVING CIRCLE OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA.
Joyce Manchester and David Stapleton
On September 11, 2001, we lost good friends and a former colleague on the
plane that terrorists crashed into the Pentagon. Leslie Whittington, Charlie
Falkenberg, and their two small children, Zoe (8) and Dana (3), were on their way
to Australia where Leslie was to spend a semester on sabbatical.
220 The New Humanitarians

Around the time of the first anniversary of 9/11, David felt strongly that he
wanted to do something in memory of Leslie and her family. The war in Afghanistan
was in the news, but people like us—upper-middle-class and upper-middle-aged
Americans—had not been asked to contribute to the effort in any substantial way.
We decided to honor Leslie, Charlie, and their family through a response that would
be in keeping with Leslie’s life work and help address the conditions in Afghanistan
that had allowed terrorists to take hold there.
Leslie Whittington taught at Georgetown University. Her academic research
often focused on how public policy affects the lives of women and their families.
She was one of many economists who argue that providing economic opportuni-
ties to women in developing countries and investing in them through education
and health care are critical to establishing their rights, improving living standards,
and promoting political stability. Since we are both also economists, supporting a
real-life implementation of such an approach appealed to us. We initially sup-
ported the Safe Motherhood Initiative in Afghanistan, a program that trains
women to be birth assistants. This program offers career opportunities for women
and has already contributed to substantial reductions in Afghanistan’s extraordi-
narily high maternal and infant mortality rates.
Soon another fellow economist, Gene Steuerle, contacted us about Our Voices
Together. We became founding board members and helped develop the online
alternative gift shop known as Gifts That Count. We saw the gift shop as a way to
encourage middle-class households to do what we had done: support develop-
ment in countries that were, or could become, hotspots for terrorism. At the same
time, the gifts would raise awareness of the needs of the developing world. But the
gift shop did not catalyze the larger donations we knew those households were
capable of making, the kind that would have a profound people-to-people impact.
So we kept investigating other ways to get those households involved.
We were convinced by Greg Mortensen, author of Three Cups of Tea and
founder of the Central Asia Institute, and by a volunteer with a small nonprofit,
that providing better educational opportunities for Afghans was more than an act
of good will. We felt strongly that opportunities based on education would have
greater appeal to young people and their communities than opportunities offered
by the extremists. We were taken by the idea of building a school in Afghanistan.
We also learned about giving circles, found the concept appealing, and decided
to organize one for the purpose of building schools in Afghanistan. Marc Manashil
of the Clarence Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting global giving
circles and a member of the Our Voices Together network, gave us practical advice
about organizing our giving circle. We invited four households, mostly in our
northern Virginia region, to join our giving circle with the understanding that
each would make a substantial contribution to one or more mutually agreed-
upon projects. The group decided on a six-month time frame of monthly potluck
dinners, rotating homes until we had made our first grants.
At our first meeting in January 2007, over a delicious dinner of Afghan food
from recipes we found on the Internet, we talked about what we wanted to do, our
Our Voices Together 221

desire to establish a long-term connection with the project(s) we supported, and

how we could best evaluate our impact and effectiveness. We agreed that as we
learned more about Afghanistan, our own approach might have to adjust, but that
we wanted concrete evidence that we were making a positive difference in people’s
lives. We agreed to focus on supporting one or more community education proj-
ects in Afghanistan and to consider funding complementary community infra-
structure projects if needed. We wrote a Points of Agreement document to solidify
our starting position.
At our second potluck dinner in February, we agreed to make decisions by con-
sensus. We developed a process to put together a formal Request for Proposals
(RFP), identify organizations to receive the RFP, and work formally with the
Clarence Foundation. Members of the giving circle took on individual assign-
ments. Members spent the next month drafting the RFP, reading, searching the
Web, and calling nonprofit organizations working on educational projects in
Afghanistan.
At our third dinner meeting in March, we discussed the draft RFP. We agreed
to emphasize the ongoing nature of the relationship we would like to build with
the chosen organization, as well as a requirement of strong community support
for the project. Our original idea of building a school was challenged as we found
many existing schools in need of structural repairs and improvements, curricu-
lum development, teacher training, or other academic support. We also thought
hard about the security situation in the location of our project. Children in areas
that continue to be hit by violence desperately needed education, but did we want
to jeopardize their lives, the lives of their teachers and families, and the success of
the investment by providing American funding for a school? We considered start-
ing in an area that was reasonably secure and where the probability of establish-
ing a long-term relationship with a community was relatively high. With those
issues in mind, we narrowed the list of organizations to five and sent our draft
RFP to Marc Manashil of the Clarence Foundation for comment and review.
At our fourth meeting in late April, good weather allowed us to enjoy an out-
door barbecue together. Our RFP was now in excellent shape. We agreed to send
it to the five organizations we had identified and ask for responses by June 1 so
that we could make our decision by the end of the month. We discussed ways to
ask foundations and corporations for support of giving circles with an interna-
tional focus. We realized that our circle needed a name and brainstormed
possibilities.
By our fifth meeting in June, we had received four attractive proposals. One
organization declined to submit. Because two of the proposals were substantially
closer to what we were looking for than the others, it was not difficult to reach
consensus on the two winning projects. We decided also to make small grants to
the other two organizations, to show our support for the work they are doing for
the children of Afghanistan and our appreciation of their effort to submit pro-
posals. Although we had not made our June deadline, we were very pleased to have
come so far in a little over six months.
222 The New Humanitarians

As it turned out, our two winning projects also allowed us to conduct a small
grant-making experiment. One project was organized by a large, well-established,
widely respected international NGO, and the other was the initiative of a talented
and energetic American woman who had been working in Afghanistan as a volun-
teer for several years. That contrast presented an opportunity for us to better under-
stand the relative strengths of those two types of nonprofits in connecting our giving
circle to a school and its community, and putting our grant funds to good use.
By the end of August 2007, the Clarence Foundation had received signed agree-
ments from the two nonprofits and had sent the initial grant money to each of
them. The grants call for the two organizations to report on progress periodically,
with the first reports due within six months.
At the time of writing the grant letters, we finally settled on our name. We are
the Afghan Education Giving Circle of Northern Virginia. We look forward to
helping the children and communities of our two schools for a long time to come.

Summaries of the Two Selected Projects

The exact names and places of the schools are not mentioned to protect their
security.

School #1 under the Direction of a Small Nonprofit

The small nonprofit works in the economic hub of northern Afghanistan, a
“melting pot” of languages, cultures, and religious practices. The area is relatively
secure, and the nonprofit has developed strong relationships with the communi-
ties and the Ministry of Education. In 2007 we contributed $20,000 to pay for
water systems and hygiene training at three rural schools north of Mazar-i-Sharif
that together serve about 3,000 boys and girls. We also promised additional sup-
port for a co-ed school of 800 students, built in 2005 with the help of a U.S. cor-
poration. The school is located in a village that is home to two ethnic
communities. Abandoned during decades of war, it now has a high percentage of
returned refugees. The village elders had shown a strong commitment to estab-
lishing a school for their children, allowing classes to be held in a mosque, then
later in an abandoned house, until the new school was completed.

School #2 under the Direction of a Large International Nonprofit

The large nonprofit proposed that we help an existing girls’ primary school in
a community outside of Kabul that needs significant support. Despite the area’s
close proximity to Kabul, only two thirds of boys and one third of girls in the area
are enrolled in school. The girls’ school offers grades one through seven but has
been unable to provide an acceptable level of education because of inadequate
funds. Our group is committed to providing $74,000 over a three-year period to
enable the staff of the large nonprofit to work with school staff, the community,
Our Voices Together 223

and the Ministry of Education to repair and maintain the school, train and
support school staff, promote community-based activities to support enrollment
and attendance, and design and start to implement an approach aimed at increas-
ing the number of female teachers. We also hope to fund the addition of grades
eight and nine.

APPENDIX 2: CELEBRATE THEIR LIVES: OUR INSPIRATION

Our Voices Together is inspired by the lives and spirits of loved ones lost to acts
of terrorism.

Peter C. Alderman
Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman
Our son Peter was twenty-five years old, standing on the threshold of a bright
and promising life. Suicidal terrorists stole his future. That it would have been glo-
rious was guaranteed by his history.
Peter literally had hundreds of friends. People gravitated toward him. He was
bright. He was witty. And he knew how to have a good time. But most importantly,
Peter deeply cared for his friends. Each of them believed that they had a special con-
nection to him. Eight days after Peter was killed, we held a party for his friends at our
home. More than 200 friends came from all over the United States, many of whom
he had known since kindergarten. We celebrated Peter’s life, toasting him with
champagne and beer (his preferred drinks), eating his favorite foods, and telling Pete
stories. We laughed and we cried, and no one slept and no one seemed able to leave.
The celebration began at one in the afternoon and lasted well into the next day.
We knew that Peter enjoyed and was challenged by his job at Bloomberg LP, but
we never really knew how he was regarded at work. We should have known. Not
only was he responsible, but people at all levels looked to Peter for support. He
was generous with his time: solving their problems, helping them to learn new
techniques, getting them through training programs and even helping them find
new apartments. His superiors expected great things from him. Taking his job
seriously, Peter arrived early for the Risk Waters conference at Windows on the
World on September 11, 2001.
Peter died too young to leave his mark on the world. We believe that the work
of the Peter C. Alderman Foundation will leave a profound and indelible mark
that Peter existed on this earth. Peter would be proud. (Excerpts from Elizabeth
and Stephen Alderman, Celebrate Their Lives: Our Inspiration—Peter C. Alder-
man. Our Voices Together website, 2006. Reprinted with permission.)

Jeff Gardner
Jeffrey Brian Gardner was born on June 1, 1965, and was raised in Livingston,
New Jersey. Although he received his bachelor’s degree in Food Science from
224 The New Humanitarians

Rutgers University in 1987, Jeff spent his professional career in the insurance
industry with an office in the twin towers in New York City.
Jeff was an avid participant with Habitat for Humanity. On any given weekend
he could be found at a Habitat build site in Newark, New Jersey, but he had also
gone to Honduras and Brazil to build homes with Habitat’s Global Village Pro-
gram. Asked why he did so, he remarked that he knew his life was privileged and
he didn’t want to forget that.
At the time of his death on September 11, 2001, Jeff had already planned his
next Global Village build. He was preparing to head back to Latin America, this
time as a team leader to raise awareness of the burden of poverty and to build a
decent, affordable house for a family.

Peter Goodrich
The following reading from the Qur’an, preceded by remarks from Peter Elvin,
close family friend and Rector of St. John’s Church, Williamstown, MA, are from
the Vermont memorial service held for Peter Goodrich:
In the early hours of recoiling from the news that Peter Goodrich was on board
Flight 175, someone was heard to say, “For Christ’s sake, he read the Qur’an!” I saw
his copy of the Qur’an on Monday. It is full of markers, where passages crossed his
threshold of wondering. Would that our Bibles had as many markers. His Bible does,
by the way. It is in tribute to Peter’s wide-embracing search for answers, as well as for
his profound respect for questions, that our first reading today is from the Qur’an,
which we have cause to say Peter did read for Christ’s sake, to be a peacemaker in
our time.
This is a reading from a portion entitled “The Dinner Table”:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
“O you who believe! Be upright for Allah, bearers of witness with justice, and let
not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to
piety, and be careful of your duty to Allah; surely Allah is aware of what you do. Allah
has promised to those who believe and do good deeds that they shall have forgive-
ness and a mighty reward.”

Daniel Pearl
Danny, as everyone called him, was born on October 10, 1963. He grew up in
Los Angeles and attended Stanford University, where he co-founded a student
newspaper and graduated at the top of his class.
A gifted writer and musician from a very young age, Danny joined the Wall
Street Journal in 1990 and traveled around the world with his violin and his lap-
top, searching for truth and making friends along the way. He started in the
Journal’s Atlanta bureau and then moved to the Washington bureau, followed by
the London bureau, where he served as a Middle East correspondent. He met his
wife, Mariane, a Buddhist, French-Dutch-Cuban journalist, in Paris in 1998 and
moved there; a year later, they were married. In 2002 Danny and Mariane moved
Our Voices Together 225

to Bombay, India, where Danny became the South Asia Bureau Chief for the Wall
Street Journal.
Danny was in Karachi, Pakistan, in January 2002, retracing the steps of “shoe
bomber” Richard Reid when he was abducted by terrorists for being a journalist,
an American, and a Jew. For weeks, millions around the world—from heads of
state, to religious leaders and ordinary people—rallied for Danny’s release. His
murder was confirmed on February 21, 2002. Two days before his abduction,
Danny learned that Mariane, who was expecting their first child, was carrying a
baby boy. He chose a universal name for their universal son. In May, just three
months after his murder, Mariane Pearl gave birth to Adam Pearl.

David Retik
Dave Retik, a general partner and founding member of Alta Communications,
was one of the few people who was able successfully to strike the perfect balance
between work and family life. Although Dave enjoyed numerous career successes
in his eight years as part of the Alta/BEDCo family, everyone within the Alta fam-
ily most remembers Dave for his warm smile, loyal friendship, hard work, and
relentless practical jokes, and for his dedication to the benefits of casual dress
within the office.
The true joy of Dave’s life was his family, which included his wife, Susan, and
children, Ben (4) and Molly (2). Dave was excitedly awaiting the birth of his third
child, for Susan was seven months pregnant at the time of his tragic death on Sep-
tember 11, 2001. Dave was a devoted father who was most happy when playing with
children. He had the unique gift of being able to put a smile on any child’s face.

Joshua Rosenthal
Josh had a natural talent for negotiating the big and the little exigencies of life,
and he had a streak of the whimsical as well. More than anything, he had a gift for
friendship, and he treasured the many friends he had in his lifetime. Josh was
working at Fiduciary Trust International when his life tragically ended at the
World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001.
Josh grew up, safe and suburban, in Michigan. His was a sunny childhood. He
was much influenced by a family tradition of interest in public affairs. Majoring
in political science and economics, he spent two summers as a congressional
intern in Washington, D.C., and a year as an aide to a member of the British par-
liament. Josh received his AB from the University of Michigan in 1979.
Josh’s first job was as special assistant to the new president of the New York
Mercantile Exchange. He then moved on to Amarada Hess, JP Morgan, the New
York Metropolitan Museum of Art (as associate treasurer), Grantham, Mayo in
Boston, and back to New York City. Continuing his work in the field of
international finance, Josh was a senior vice president at Fiduciary Trust
International.
226 The New Humanitarians

Norma Steuerle
Norma Steuerle was a talented family therapist, a loving mother and wife, and
a dedicated volunteer with her church and community.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the oldest of three daughters of Norman and
Helen Lang, Norma loved to discover the world around her from the very begin-
ning. In 1970 Norma Lang married Gene Steuerle, and early in 1971, they moved
to Madison, WI, where Norma literally talked her way into the psychology depart-
ment midyear. With her indomitable spirit, Norma managed to finish within four
years, earning her PhD in social psychology. Norma and Gene also started a fam-
ily at this time. Their first child, Kristin, entered the world in 1973, and their sec-
ond daughter, Lynne, arrived in 1977. Norma established a thriving counseling
private practice when the family moved to Alexandria, VA.
Norma loved her work, combining deep concern for her patients with
common-sense wisdom and a great sense of balance, conveying a deep spiritual
notion about what is important in life. Her dedication, skill, and competence were
evidenced by the number of those who sought her out. Most of all, she loved her
family, and nothing excited her more than to visit or be visited by them.

Leslie Whittington, Charles Falkenberg, Dana, and Zoe

Leslie Whittington’s passions included family, teaching, and a quest for knowl-
edge. Leslie had a heart full of love for her husband, Charles, whom she had met
in high school in Colorado. “Charles was a bike-riding, mountain-climbing, love-
to-be-at-home-with-his-girls kind of dad,” says Reverend Barbara Wells. He
promoted his vision of socially responsible business though his work at ECOlogic.
Their daughters, Zoe and Dana, were a source of delight and the center of their
lives. Dana, age three, loved dressing up as a princess. Zoe, age eight, enjoyed
soccer, singing, dancing, and Girl Scouts. “I would hope that all families could
learn to live together with as much joy as this family did, and that all children
could be as cherished as these children were,” says their grandmother, Ruth Koch.
Leslie was so full of life and energy and so skilled as a teacher that she won awards
even for teaching statistics—part of her work as associate professor and associate
dean at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute (GPPI). According to GPPI Director
of Policy, Judith Feder, “She believed profoundly in educating students that wanted
to change the world. She saw it as her job to be sure they had the skills to do so.”
One of those students was Alan Berube. “Most people remember their favorite
teacher in life as an elementary or high school teacher. I had my favorite teacher
at age twenty-five in Leslie,” says Alan. “There are some people who just make the
world function better. Leslie was one of them.”
The family was traveling to Australia, where Leslie planned to spend her sab-
batical furthering her research on women, families, and work. As always, her own
family was an integral part of her journey. Kenner Stross, best friend and
godfather says simply, “They were a family, and they left as a family.”
Our Voices Together 227

APPENDIX 3: WHO IS WHO AT OUR VOICES TOGETHER

Board of Directors
Eric Gardner is the data analysis advisor at the Georgetown Public Policy
Institute, where he was a colleague of Leslie Whittington, who was killed on
American Airlines Flight 77. His brother, Jeffrey Brian Gardner, was killed at
the World Trade Center on 9/11. His family established the Jeffrey Brian
Gardner Memorial Scholarship Fund at Habitat for Humanity International in
Jeffrey’s memory. They are also supporting the building of a house with the
Newark, NJ, chapter of Habitat for Humanity. He received a BA in history
from Rutgers College and an MPP from Georgetown University.
Joyce Manchester is a supervisory economist at a federal agency in Washington,
D.C. She has a PhD in economics from Harvard University and graduated
from Wesleyan University. She previously served as an economist at the Social
Security Administration, Congressional Budget Office, the World Bank, and as
assistant professor at Dartmouth College. She and her spouse, Our Voices
Together board member David Stapleton, have two teenage daughters.
Joyce Manchester is a co-founder of the Afghan Education Giving Circle of
Northern Virginia.
Rev. Claudia W. Merritt is an Episcopal priest serving at St. Paul’s Episcopal
Church in Miller’s Tavern, VA. She received a BA in economics from Carnegie
Mellon University, an MBA from Vanderbilt University, and an MDiv from
Princeton Theological Seminary. She has been involved with organizations
addressing issues of homelessness, racial equality, and poverty. She currently
resides in Richmond, VA.
Lynne Steuerle Schofield is special assistant to the dean of the College of Educa-
tion at Temple University. Lynne holds two master’s degrees from Carnegie
Mellon University: an MS in statistics and an MPhil in public policy. Lynne is
working on her doctorate in statistics and public policy.
David Stapleton is an economist and the director of the Center for Studying
Disability Policy at Mathematica Policy Research in Washington, D.C. He
holds a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin. He and his
spouse, Our Voices Together board member Joyce Manchester, have two
teenage daughters. Together they started the Afghan Education Giving Circle
of Northern Virginia which funds school projects in Afghanistan.
Gene Steuerle is a founder of Our Voices Together, and the Alexandria Commu-
nity Trust, a community foundation. He is a senior fellow at the Urban Insti-
tute, the author or co-author of eleven books, a former deputy assistant
secretary of the treasury, and former president of the National Tax Association.
Kristin Steuerle Swanson is a pediatrician in northern California. Until late 2007,
she was on active duty with the U.S. Navy. A native of Alexandria, VA, she grad-
uated from Princeton University with a BA in molecular biology and from the
University of Virginia Medical School in 2000. Since medical school gradua-
tion, she has been on active duty in pediatrics and also spent one year overseas
228 The New Humanitarians

with the Marines, organizing medical support for a small humanitarian mis-
sion to Pohnpei, Micronesia.

Staff
Marianne Scott, executive director, came to Our Voices Together from the Daniel
Pearl Foundation. She was the first executive director of that nonprofit organ-
ization, which she helped the Pearl family start in honor of her college friend
Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped and murdered in Pak-
istan in 2002. Before working with the Daniel Pearl Foundation, Marianne
worked with the American Committees on Foreign Relations and served six-
teen years as a career Foreign Service officer specializing in international aca-
demic and professional exchanges and cultural affairs. From the late 1980s to
the late 1990s, she lived and worked in Latin America and Africa. She was the
executive director of the Instituto Guatemalteco Americano, an educational
and cultural binational center in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and served in the
cultural affairs sections of the American embassies in Mexico City, Mexico, and
in Nairobi, Kenya. She is the author of A Citizen’s Guide to Global Economic
Policymaking, published by the League of Women Voters Education Fund in
December 2002. She is a Stanford University graduate.
Cecilia Snyder, director of Communications and e-initiatives, has worked for
fifteen years in the international development field using electronic media as
an advocacy tool, and focusing on education and outreach through new tech-
nologies. Prior to joining Our Voices Together, Cecilia Snyder was director of
new technologies at the Communications Consortium Media Center and
executive editor of several online news services for journalists, including
PLANetWIRE.org, PUSHJournal.org, and SavingWomensLives.org.
Cecilia used websites, electronic listservs, RSS feeds, and targeted e-mail bulletins
while working at Bread for the World Institute, the Panos Institute, the Centre
for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), and the Population
Council.
Cecilia has also designed several print publications and scientific posters for hard
copy and electronic distribution. These products reflect an informatics per-
spective, which values effective dissemination of data. She received a master of
liberal arts degree from Georgetown University in 2002 (focusing on image
ethics of nonprofit advocacy organizations) and a bachelor’s of science in soci-
ology from Virginia Tech in 1992.

Honorary Board
The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton
Member, Homeland Security Advisory Council, 2002–present
President and director, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars,
1999–present
Our Voices Together 229

Co-chair, Iraq Study Group, 2006

Vice Chairman, 9/11 Commission, 2002–2004
U.S. Congress, Ninth District, Indiana, 1965–1999

The Honorable Thomas H. Kean

President, Drew University, 1990–2005
Chairman, 9/11 Commission, 2002–2004
Governor of New Jersey, 1982–1990

The Honorable Bob Kerrey

President, The New School, 2001–present
Member, 9/11 Commission, 2002–2004
U.S. Senator, Nebraska, 1989–2001
Governor of Nebraska, 1983–1987

Advisory Board
Ambassador Akbar S. Ahmed, the Ibn Khaldun chair of Islamic Studies and pro-
fessor of international relations at American University. Washington, D.C., is the
former high commissioner of Pakistan to Great Britain. He has advised Prince
Charles and other world leaders on Islam. Dr. Ahmed is a distinguished anthro-
pologist, writer, and filmmaker. He has been actively involved in interfaith dia-
logue for many years. He has published many books, including Journey into
Islam: The Crisis of Globalization, and co-edited After Terror: Promoting Dialogue
among Civilizations. The Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understand-
ing features Dr. Ahmed and Daniel Pearl’s father, Dr. Judea Pearl.
Stephen J. Alderman co-founded the Peter C. Alderman Foundation (PCAF) with
his wife, Elizabeth, his daughter, Jane, and his son, Jeffrey. He was a member of
the steering and executive committees of 9/11 Families United to Bankrupt
Terrorism. Dr. Alderman graduated from the State University of New York
Upstate Medical Center–Syracuse with an MD. He chaired the Radiation
Oncology departments at Roosevelt–St. Luke’s Hospital and Catholic Medical
Center in New York City, and at the White Plains Hospital Center in White
Plains, NY.
Elizabeth Alderman, co-founder of PCAF, has served as co-chair of the Memor-
ial Committee for Families of September 11th. Since September 11, 2001,
Ms. Alderman has made numerous appearances on television, including
NOW with Bill Moyers, the Today Show with Katie Couric, and American
Morning with Paula Zahn. On November 4, 2004, Ms. Alderman was honored
by Court TV with their annual Everyday Heroes Award. Ms. Alderman gradu-
ated from Syracuse University with a BS degree in special education. She
taught mentally challenged and emotionally disturbed children for ten years.
230 The New Humanitarians

Bob Boisture is a member of Caplin & Drysdale’s Washington, D.C., office.

Mr. Boisture is the leader of the firm’s exempt organizations practice group
and currently serves as president of the firm. Mr. Boisture joined the firm in
1979; from 1986 to 1992, he served as associate general counsel and then direc-
tor of public policy for the YMCA of the USA, rejoining Caplin & Drysdale in
1992. Mr. Boisture also serves as director of YMCA Activate America, a
national leadership initiative to strengthen YMCA’s capacity to help Americans
find healthier ways to live. Mr. Boisture is a graduate of Oxford University and
Yale Law School.
Leonard E. Burman is a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and co-director of the
Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. He is also a visiting professor at
Georgetown University’s Public Policy Institute, where his friend and
colleague, Leslie Whittington, who died on American Airlines Flight 77, was
associate dean. Dr. Burman is an expert in public finance and modeling the
effects of government policies. He has held high-level positions in both the
executive and legislative branches, serving as deputy assistant secretary for tax
analysis at the Treasury Department from 1998–2000 and as senior analyst at
the Congressional Budget Office.
Mimi Evans’s extensive experience in philanthropy includes strategic planning,
major gifts, foundation and corporate relations, special events, public relations,
and marketing. She is currently the director of development at NOW, a public
affairs show seen weekly on PBS. She has directed fundraising efforts and raised
millions of dollars for many prestigious institutions, including the Interna-
tional Fund for Animal Welfare, the Hunger Project, the U.S. Fund for UNICEF,
the New York Philharmonic, Yale University, Williams College, and Trinity
College. Prior to her fundraising career, she founded Bailey & Company
Communications in Albany, NY, which specialized in corporate and association
public relations. A graduate of the State University of New York–Albany,
Ms. Evans is also a freelance consultant and a talented graphic designer, editor,
and writer. She is the mother of two sons who have served in Iraq and
Afghanistan (one as a U.S. Marine and one as a humanitarian aid worker).
Elliot Gerson is responsible for the Aspen Institute’s seminars and public pro-
grams and activities, including programming for the International Freedom
Center to be created at the World Trade Center site. He is a graduate of
Harvard College and Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and
Yale Law School.
Louis W. Goodman is dean and professor of international relations at American
University’s School of International Service, positions he has held since 1986.
Previously, Dr. Goodman served on the faculty of Yale University’s
Department of Sociology and as director of the Latin American and Caribbean
programs of the Social Science Research Council and the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars. The author of numerous books and articles,
Dr. Goodman currently focuses on research on democracy building and civil-
ian control of the armed forces in Latin America.
Our Voices Together 231

Sarah W. Goodrich is a Title I/Reading First coordinator and reading specialist in

the North Adams, MA, public schools. She is a member of the Bennington
School District Board, the board of the Reading Institute in Williamstown,
MA, and deacon of First Congregational Church, Old Bennington. Ms. Goodrich
lost her son, Peter M. Goodrich, on 9/11. She co-founded the Peter M.
Goodrich Memorial Foundation. She is the mother of Foster Hetherington
and Kim Trimarchi and grandmother to Ben, Sarah, James, and Eamon. She is
married to Don Goodrich, chair of the board of Families of September 11th.
Bruce Hoffman has been studying terrorism and insurgency for thirty years. He
is currently a tenured professor in the Security Studies Program at George-
town University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Washington,
D.C. Professor Hoffman previously held the corporate chair in counterterror-
ism and counterinsurgency at the RAND Corporation and was also director of
RAND’s Washington, D.C., office. From 2001–2004, he served as RAND’s vice
president for external affairs, and in 2004, he also was acting director of
RAND’s Center for Middle East Public Policy. Professor Hoffman was adviser
on counterterrorism to the Office of National Security Affairs, Coalition Pro-
visional Authority, Baghdad, Iraq, during the spring of 2004, and from
2004–2005 was an adviser on counterinsurgency to the Strategy, Plans, and
Analysis Office at Multi-National Forces-Iraq Headquarters, Baghdad. He was
also an adviser to the Iraq Study Group (Baker-Hamilton Commission), serv-
ing on the Military and Security Experts Working Group.
Thomas S. Johnson is chair of the board for the Institute for International Educa-
tion, an organization in the Our Voices Together network. His son, Scott, worked
at the World Trade Center, where he was killed on September 11, 2001. Mr. John-
son has served as president and director of Chemical Bank and Chemical Bank-
ing Corporation, Manufacturers Hanover Corporation, and chairman and CEO
of GreenPoint Financial Corporation and GreenPoint Bank. Mr. Johnson is the
chairman of the board of trustees of Trinity College and a trustee of the Asia Soci-
ety, the Cancer Research Institute of America, Religion in American Life, the
United Way of New York City, and WNET Channel 13. He is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations and former chairman of the board of directors of
Union Theological Seminary. Mr. Johnson is also a director of the Lower
Manhattan Development Corporation board.
Christopher Koch has an extensive experience producing, writing, and directing
nonfiction programming and documentaries for television and radio.
Mr. Koch has directed and produced award-winning programs on history, sci-
ence, technology, current events, and the environment. His documentary film
Blacklist: Hollywood on Trial received the first presidential Emmy Award for
superior programming. He directed and wrote Normandy: The Great Crusade,
which received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. He is the former
executive producer of NPR’s evening news program, All Things Considered,
and public television’s series on journalism, Inside Story. He began his televi-
sion career at KQED, the public television station in San Francisco, and at the
232 The New Humanitarians

ABC documentary unit, Close Up. Mr. Koch received a master’s degree with
honors from Columbia University on a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship
and a BA from Reed College. He is a member of the Producers’ Guild of
America. He is a relative of Leslie Whittington and her family, passengers on
American Flight 77.
Susan Koch, Emmy and Peabody Award–winning documentary filmmaker, has
produced and directed award-winning documentaries and nonfiction pro-
gramming for worldwide distribution and television broadcast. Her work has
appeared on ABC, NBC, HBO, PBS, MTV, the Discovery Channel, National
Geographic, American Movie Classics, and the Learning Channel. Ms. Koch
directed City at Peace, which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Washington,
D.C., and at Lincoln Center in New York City, and was broadcast on HBO.
Before forming her own company, Susan Koch was a producer at NBC News.
Susan Koch began her television career at WETA-TV, the public television
station in Washington, D.C. In September 2002, Koch produced an ABC/
Nightline special, Remembering a Family, on her four family members who
were killed on the flight that crashed into the Pentagon. The program focused
on what family and friends are doing to honor their lives. Ms. Koch serves on
the board of the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children.
Charles MacCormack is currently president and CEO of Save the Children Fed-
eration, a nonprofit, nonsectarian, humanitarian organization. He currently
serves as co-chair of the Basic Education Coalition and the Campaign for
Effective Global Leadership, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Rela-
tions, the Executive Committee of InterAction, the Advisory Committee on
Voluntary Foreign Aid, and the Food Security Advisory Committee. He
received his doctorate and master’s degrees from Columbia University and
graduated from Middlebury College. He was a Fulbright Fellow at the Univer-
sidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. He has also participated in a special
three-year program at the Harvard Business School on Leadership of Global
Nonprofit Organizations.
Susan Retik is the co-founder and director of Beyond the 11th, a charitable
organization devoted to supporting widows in war-torn areas, especially in
Afghanistan. She received her BA from Colgate University. While living in New
York City, she worked in marketing at Scholastic. On September 11, Ms. Retik
already had two children, Ben (3) and Molly (2). She was seven months preg-
nant, and two months later she gave birth to a second daughter, Dina.
Nikki Stern was most recently executive director for Families of September 11th, a
national outreach and advocacy group founded by families of victims of the
September 11, 2001, attacks. A communications consultant, Ms. Stern, whose
husband was killed on 9/11, has been active in facilitating discourse among and
between various constituencies on issues ranging from Ground Zero in New York
to the recommendations of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon
the United States (the 9/11 Commission). Ms. Stern is currently consulting on
communications and organizational development while working on a book.
Our Voices Together 233

Zade Dirani is a young Jordanian composer and pianist, passionate about playing
his compositions that blend Eastern Arabic scales with Western contemporary
influences. Dedicated to using his music to bring people together, his efforts
have resulted in his CDs charting on Billboard, prestigious awards, friendships
forged worldwide, and accolades, including a feature in People magazine. To
continue cross-cultural understanding through the arts, Zade launched the
Zade Foundation for International Peace and Understanding, aimed at help-
ing young musicians share with the world a deeper understanding of their cul-
tures by offering them a unique opportunity to expand their roles from
musicians to become proactive peace builders and future community leaders.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Our Voices Together
Founders: C. Eugene Steuerle, Lynne Steuerle Schofield, and Kristin Steuerle
Mission/Description: Our Voices Together holds a vision of a world where the
appeal of lives lived in dignity, opportunity, and safety triumphs over the allure
of extremism and its terrorist tactics. Our Voices Together sees a future where
terrorist tactics are not condoned by any community worldwide and under-
stands that to achieve this, trust must be built on mutual respect around the
globe. It recognizes the vast potential in engaging the people of the United
States in diplomacy by connecting communities. To this end, Our Voices
Together promotes the vital role of people-to-people efforts to help build bet-
ter, safer lives and futures around the world.
Website: www.ourvoicestogether.org
Address: Our Voices Together
1730 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Suite 712
Washington, DC 20036 USA
Phone: +1.202.223.0080

NOTES
1. Robert A. Pape, Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism (New York:
Random House, 2005), p. 80.
2. David H. Petraeus, The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual, FM3-
24/MCWP3-33.5, James F. Amos (Foreword) (Department of the Army, December 15,
2006), pp. 1–28.
3. Ibid., pp. 1–27.
4. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century
Seapower (October, 2007, http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/maritime/maritime_
strat_oct07.pdf ), p.4.
234 The New Humanitarians

5. Robert M. Gates, Landan Lecture, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS (November 26,
2007).
6. Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton, “Are We Safer?” Washington Post (September 9,
2007), B01.
7. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report
of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (New York: W.W.
Norton & Company, 2004), p. 379.
8. Ibid., p. 378.
9. Wall Street Journal, Letter to the Editor by Gene Steuerle, July 17, 2007.
10. S. J. Clohesy, Donor Circles: Launching and Leveraging Shared Giving (San Francisco,
CA: Women’s Funding Network, 2004).
11. Bruce Hoffman, “Combating Al Qaeda and the Militant Islamic Threat: Testimony
before the House Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Uncon-
ventional Threats and Capabilities on February 16, 2006” (RAND Corporation, 2006).
12. Coalition for Citizen Diplomacy, http://www.coalitionforcitizendiplomacy.org/.
 13

IESC Geekcorps: Development

for the New Millennium
Donald Bernovich II
and Kathy M. Tin

Picture a Peace Corps volunteer working in some far, remote area helping improve
crop production or teaching children in a small schoolhouse. Now picture the vol-
unteer with a pocket protector and laptop working to connect a remote village to
the digital community. This is a volunteer from IESC Geekcorps. Founded in 1999
by Ethan Zuckerman and Elisa Korentayer, IESC Geekcorps follows the Peace
Corps’ model of sending volunteers and consultants to countries lacking digital
infrastructure to help build up their information/communication technology
(ICT) capacity. Essentially, the goal is to move a country from being a technology
backwater to becoming a leading ICT-enabled country.

INSPIRATION
The inspiration for Geekcorps originally came from Ethan Zuckerman, who
studied music in Ghana on a Fulbright Fellowship (Dewan, 2000). In 1993, while
visiting the University of Ghana library, he noticed that it did not have any books
newer than 1957, the year Ghana had gained its independence from Great Britain.
He thought that if only there were an Internet connection, the library could vir-
tually double its collection. Thus, Geekcorps was started to help countries lacking
in ICT resources. When Geekcorps goes into a country, the Geek staff works with
private and public companies and provides technological training and resources
so that these organizations can function digitally.

PREPARING THE GEEKS

Just sending a group of Geeks into a developing country is not enough. They
need to be prepared for the new culture they will be living in and learn other skills
as well. IESC Geekcorps recognizes that the Geeks they recruit already have the

235
236 The New Humanitarians

technical know-how to get the job done, but they may need some training in how
to teach their skills to others (Harkins, 2001); thus, there is a need to prepare the
volunteers about the culture they will be living in before they leave. Most of IESC
Geekcorps volunteers and consultants do only brief assignments in-country, so
there is no luxury for providing cultural immersion training once they arrive.
Therefore, cross-cultural training begins before they leave on their assignments.
Once they arrive, a short in-country orientation is provided that teaches the basics
of living and working in the new culture.
A second component of the training for every Geek is focused on teaching
exercises (Harkins, 2001). Since the volunteers and consultants are only spending
a short time developing the project, they need to train locals on how to maintain
and work with the technology afterward. Finally, training on expectations—those of
the IESC Geekcorps managers, the volunteers and consultants, and the businesses—
is provided. This is done to ensure that volunteers and consultants remain realis-
tic and do not become disheartened because of overblown expectations and goals.

FIRST FEW YEARS

Geekcorps’ first project was in Ghana since that was where the idea for the
organization originated. Called Ghana 2000, this project envisioned sending in six
tech volunteers to set up an operating base, and then rotating groups of volunteers
in and out over short periods of time. When the call went out for the first six
volunteer slots, Geekcorps received almost 150 applications. Over the next three
years, seven teams of approximately six volunteers each were sent to Ghana to
help local partnering agencies gain Internet connections, improve computer
infrastructure, and become current with the digitized world. These partnering
agencies included an art gallery, a graphic design firm, and Ghana’s Internet
service provider (ISP).
Geekcorps began with about $300,000 from the founder’s own pocket as well
as donations from others within the dot.com community at the time (Grow,
2001). These funds did not last long with all the work going on in Ghana. Dona-
tions were requested from private donors and foundations, but something more
was needed for Geekcorps to survive and grow. In August 2001, the International
Executive Service Corps (IESC) acquired Geekcorps, which turned it into IESC’s
Information and Technology Division. IESC is a nongovernmental organization
(NGO) that specializes in economic development programs worldwide. IESC
started in 1964, sending American business experts on missions to furnish, upon
request, technical and managerial advice to businesses in developing countries.
Over the years, IESC has implemented more than 200 integrated development
programs in more than 130 countries, generating over 25,000 technical assistance
activities using both volunteers and consultants.
Like Geekcorps, many of IESC’s core programs use volunteers, thus enabling
IESC to take advantage of the synergy in the acquisition of an ICT division into
its portfolio. Likewise, by joining IESC, Geekcorps expanded its reach through
IESC Geekcorps: Development for the New Millennium 237

IESC’s international programming experience via IESC’s United States Agency for
International Development (USAID)–funded projects, which totaled $22 million
a year (Grow, 2001). In return, IESC benefited from Geekcorps’ technology skills
to help ensure that IESC would develop projects geared for the information age.
Therefore, the integration into IESC has been a tremendous benefit in allowing
Geekcorps to expand its mission and reach far more places than previously. This
was the beginning of the new chapter in the life of Geekcorps, now called IESC
Geekcorps.

SINCE IESC’S ACQUISITION OF GEEKCORPS

In the beginning of 2002, IESC Geekcorps began one-month placements for
software engineers and programmers in Armenia. These volunteers engaged in
information technology (IT) development and marketing projects with small- to
medium-size firms that had been identified as potential up-and-comers in the
global market. About the same time, opportunities arose in Sofia, Bulgaria, for
volunteers to go in, carry out assessments, and make recommendations to
improve IT for four local firms.
In mid-2002, a total of eight Geeks were sent to Mongolia over the course of
twelve months to provide networking and programming/software expertise for
local businesses. Rapidly, over the next few years, Geeks were also sent to Thailand
to work on an ambitious database development project, to Zimbabwe to imple-
ment a new high-tech communication tool (Control-F1), and to begin work in
Lebanon to help bring the local tourism industry into the information age.
In November 2003, IESC Geekcorps began a unique adventure in Mali.
There, Geekcorps set up a new office and was tasked with finding technologi-
cal options to connect more than 145 radio stations in Mali. This connected
network would enable the radio stations to exchange development information
and content, and strengthen the reach that radio had in this West African
nation.
In 2003 IESC Geekcorps went to Senegal. Senegal’s financial services infra-
structure was primarily limited to the main urban centers, with little or no pene-
tration in rural areas. As a result, the majority of small- to medium-size
enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas faced major challenges when trying to access
even the most basic financial services. This situation led to nonuniform economic
development concentrated in Senegal’s major urban centers and an associated
rural-to-urban population migration. In addition, a large section of the Senegalese
population remained “unbanked,” with little knowledge of or insight into even the
most basic financial instruments, such as interest-based saving, investing, and
other services available on an individual or community basis. IESC Geekcorps
deployed approximately fifteen volunteers over the next year to Senegal to work in
the following areas: initiating e-finance, strengthening operations and manage-
ment of SMEs through ICT, improving SME access to market via ICT tools, and
strengthening telecenters and cyber cafés.
238 The New Humanitarians

GEEKCORPS TODAY
Although Ethan Zuckerman left IESC Geekcorps in 2004 to work for the
Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School and the Open
Societies Institute (OSI), IESC Geekcorps continues to grow and prosper.
In 2005 IESC Geekcorps volunteers started working with USAID’s East and
Central Africa Trade Hub to create a common interface between systems in order
to share and store information between the Kenyan and Ugandan border control
agencies in Mombasa, Nairobi, the Malaba Border Post, and Kampala. A team of
four Geeks was sent out to do field research on existing systems, and to design a
platform to meet international standards as per World Customs Organization
rules in the Revised Kyoto Convention.
IESC Geekcorps proved to be as busy throughout 2005 and 2006 as in previous
years. The organization had great success in Mali by empowering community
radio stations with Internet connectivity, and along the way made technological
leaps in the process with the development of BottleNet, a do-it-yourself antennae
designed to be constructed from basic materials easily found in Mali (i.e., plastic
water bottles, window screen mesh, used valve stems from motorbikes, television
and low-cost coaxial cables) that could receive wireless transmissions up to 2–3 GHz.
The organization also designed a software integration system to ease transporta-
tion bottlenecks in East Africa; coordinated a “Who’s Who” of Sudanese Diaspora
for the government of southern Sudan; developed training courses to make tech-
nology fun, exciting, and most importantly, profitable for microentrepreneurs
worldwide; and designed the Desert PC to withstand a high-heat, high-dust, low-
electricity environment.
Continuing the momentum into 2007, IESC Geekcorps was able to send
Microsoft development experts to Lebanon to participate in IESC-led Access to
International Markets through Information Technology (AIM-IT) program, which
worked to improve the capacity of SMEs specializing in technology products or
services, and also harnessed technology to increase tourism into the region. Also in
Lebanon, an ICT Academy program was developed to mobilize ICT skills in the
country so that Lebanon could recover from recent devastation and provide afford-
able access to the Internet in rural areas by connecting ICT training centers to the
Internet, and by providing ICT training to residents in rural areas in Lebanon.
Other successes include further building of radio stations in Mali for USAID
in several regions throughout the country. Through IESC Geekcorps assistance,
these community radio stations have become self-sustaining by using established
connections primarily to send e-mail, access the news, and deliver information. To
make the stations more sustainable, IESC Geekcorps also developed the Cybertigi,
a mini cyber café that allows affordable and accessible ICT services. The Cybertigi
design allows Malians in even the remotest regions to have access to laser printers,
scanners, digital cameras, and photo printers, as well as to have the ability to play
video games, burn CDs, and transfer music from cassette tapes to CDs or
MP3 players.
IESC Geekcorps: Development for the New Millennium 239

Currently, IESC Geekcorps is expanding opportunities for both ICT volunteers

and consultants to participate in its programs through short-term assistance. ICT
usually finds its way into many of IESC’s core practice areas, such as trade, SME
development, tourism, and financial services. IESC Geekcorps has expanded its
programming to include developing financial service software, working with edu-
cation centers to help them incorporate ICT into their students’ curriculum, and
finding ways to introduce ICT into programs to bring about peace and prosperity
around the world. Thus, what started as one man’s dream to bring ICT resources
to developing countries has evolved into a reality where IESC Geekcorps Geeks
are paving new paths and bridging the digital divide in those countries.

STAFF
IESC Geekcorps has program staff in the Washington, D.C., headquarters of
the International Executive Service Corps and full-time field staff managing the
larger country programs.
Washington, D.C.:
• Merove Heifetz, Geekcorps associate
• Gladys Villacorta, AIM-IT program manager
• Lina Parikh, Smarter Seminars consultant
Bamako, Mali:
• Olivier Alais, Geekcorps Mali program manager
Beirut, Lebanon:
• Mohammed Bensouda, AIM-IT country director
• Mahmoud Elzein, AIM-IT deputy country director

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: IESC Geekcorps
Founders: Ethan Zuckerman and Elisa Korentayer
Mission/Description: IESC Geekcorps is an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization that promotes stability and prosperity in the developing world
through information and communication technology (ICT). IESC Geekcorps’
international technology experts teach communities how to be digitally inde-
pendent: they are able to create and expand private enterprise with innova-
tive, appropriate, and affordable ICTs.
International technical volunteers are the Geekcorps difference, offering a sig-
nificant focus on the transfer of skills—a task that is often not possible with
consulting agreements where specialists focus only on deliverables, not on
capacity building or sustainability.
240 The New Humanitarians

Website: www.IESC.org
Address: IESC Geek Corps
1900 M St. NW Suite 500
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: 202-326-0280

REFERENCES
Dewan, S. (2000, October 19). A techie volunteer corps. New York Times. Retrieved Jan-
uary 8, 2008, from http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/featured_articles/
001019thursday.html
Grow, B. (2001, August 15). Trying to spread the tech wealth. Business Week. Retrieved
January 8, 2008, from http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2001/
tc20010815_833.htm
Harkins, A. M. (2001, May 1). Training digital divide warriors. Linux Journal. Retrieved
January 8, 2008, from http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/4595
 Afterword
Keith Ferrazzi

If you take the ingredients of social entrepreneurship, venture philanthropy, and

social networking, liberally mix with individuals who hold a passion for making a
true difference in various aspects of people’s lives throughout the world, and then
take a sample of some of the best, the result you have is The New Humanitarians.
Chris Stout has served as a uniting thread to connect these organizations in this
three-volume set. While these organizations are all different in their approaches
and goals, they share a common aspect of their work: innovation. Indeed, they are
the new humanitarians. They are born from the power of the individual taking
action in a novel way, and then using the power of their relationships to effect
impactful change. After all, giving back is a huge part of a life well led.
In the spirit of Three Cups of Tea, Chris’s adventuresome life has taken him to
a variety of exotic and often not-so-safe locales, and the work he has done in these
venues has resulted not only in his Center for Global Initiatives, but also The New
Humanitarians. He has done well with many of the aspects I wrote about in Never
Eat Alone but applied them in the milieu of humanitarian work. He and I share a
kinship, as Chris was a reviewer for the ABE Awards that I founded, a fellow
Baldrige Award reviewer, and a fellow “TEDizen” during the Richard Saul Wurman
era; was elected as a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum;
and served as faculty with me in Davos. So it is no surprise that Chris has the
brainpower as well as the horsepower to have accomplished this wonderful com-
pilation of wunderkinder.
Chris is able to contribute to Davos talks and UN presentations, but he is much
more at home working in the field and with his students. He is known for bring-
ing people together in cross-disciplinary projects worldwide—in healthcare,
medical education, human rights, poverty, conflict, policy, sustainable develop-
ment, diplomacy, and terrorism. As the American Psychological Association said

241
242 Afterword

about him and his work: “He is a rare individual who takes risks, stimulates new
ideas, and enlarges possibilities in areas of great need but few resources. He is able
to masterfully navigate between the domains of policy development while also
rolling up his sleeves to provide in-the-trenches care. His drive and vigor are
disguised by his quick humor and ever-present kindness. He is provocative in his
ideas and evocative in spirit. His creative solutions and inclusiveness cross con-
ceptual boundaries as well as physical borders.” The New Humanitarians serves a
testament to this praise.
Simply put, these organizations are amazing. The people behind the organi-
zations are amazing. Their stories are amazing. And as a result, this book is
amazing.
 Series Afterword

THE NEW HUMANITARIANS

I am honored to include Professor Chris Stout’s three-volume set—The New
Humanitarians—in my book series. These volumes are like rare diamonds shin-
ing with visionary perspectives for the fields of human rights, health, and educa-
tion advocacy; charitable and philanthropic organizations; and legal rights and
remedies.
The New Humanitarians volumes are of great value to informed citizens,
volunteers, and professionals because of their originality, down-to-earth
approach, reader-friendly format, and comprehensive scope. Many of the specially
written book chapters include the latest factual information on ways in which the
new leaders, advocates, and foundations have been instrumental in meeting the
critical medical and human service needs of millions of people in underdeveloped
and war-torn countries.
Professor Chris Stout has developed a pathfinding set here. A gifted and pro-
lific psychologist who planned and edited these comprehensive volumes, Stout
has developed an original concept couched in these three remarkable books. I
predict that the New Humanitarians will rapidly become a classic, and will be
extremely useful reading for all informed citizens and professionals in the impor-
tant years ahead.
Albert R. Roberts, DSW, PhD
Series Editor, Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions
Professor of Social Work and Criminal Justice
School of Arts and Sciences
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

243
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 About the Editor and Contributors

Chris E. Stout is a licensed clinical psychologist and founding director of the

Center for Global Initiatives. He also is a clinical full professor in the College of
Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; a fellow in the School of Public Health Lead-
ership Institute; and a core faculty member at the International Center on
Responses to Catastrophes at the University of Illinois–Chicago. He also holds an
academic appointment in the Northwestern University Feinberg Medical School
and was visiting professor in the Department of Health Systems Management at
Rush University. He served as a nongovernmental organization special represen-
tative to the United Nations for the American Psychological Association, was
appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow, and was
an invited faculty at their annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He was invited
by the Club de Madrid and Safe-Democracy to serve on the Madrid-11 Countering
Terrorism Task Force.

Dr. Stout is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, past-president of

the Illinois Psychological Association, and is a distinguished practitioner in the
National Academies of Practice. He has published thirty books, and his works
have been translated into eight languages. He was noted as being “one of the most
frequently cited psychologists in the scientific literature” in a study by Hartwick
College. He is the 2004 winner of the American Psychological Association’s Inter-
national Humanitarian Award and the 2006 recipient of the Illinois Psychological
Association’s Humanitarian Award.

Teresa Barttrum attended Ball State University for her undergraduate studies.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and photojournalism. She worked
at the Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Indiana, and at the Star Press as a staff pho-
tographer for five years before moving back to the field of psychology. She then

245
246 About the Editor and Contributors

worked at the Youth Opportunity Center, a juvenile residential treatment facility,

as a frontline supervisor in the Treatment of Adolescents in Secure Care (TASC)
Unit of this organization. While employed at this organization, she helped
develop and facilitate a therapeutic horseback riding program, served as a thera-
peutic crisis intervention instructor, and completed multiple in-service trainings.
She currently attends the Adler School of Professional Psychology while pursu-
ing her doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She completed her community
service practicum at the Center for Global Initiatives while working on the book
project The New Humanitarians: Innovations, Inspirations, and Blueprints for
Visionaries.

Stephanie Benjamin grew up on Long Island, New York, always dreaming of

being a doctor and an artist. She earned her bachelor’s degree in art history and
studio art from Tulane University in New Orleans and continued her education in
Northwestern University’s post-baccalaureate pre-medical school program.
Currently, she is at the Adler School of Professional Psychology working on a
master’s degree in counseling psychology and art therapy. Through her internship
at the Center for Global Initiatives, she worked to help ameliorate inequalities in
global healthcare by writing for The New Humanitarians as well as doing grant
research and writing for other worldwide projects. After completing her clinical
internship at Rush University Medical Center, she will be attending medical
school in order to become a physician and continue working to improve health-
care around the world.

Originally from North Pekin, Illinois, Donald Bernovich II has traveled and
worked in a number of different locations. For the past five years, he lived in Rapid
City, South Dakota, where he worked as a work-life consultant at Ellsworth Air
Force Base. Prior to this, he lived in Malaysia, were he worked as a volunteer
English instructor and counselor for a year. He received his BA from Benedictine
University in 1997 and his MS from Capella University in psychology in 2005.
Donald is currently a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the Adler School
of Professional Psychology, located in Chicago, Illinois.

Alice K. Johnson Butterfield is professor at the Jane Addams College of Social

Work, University of Illinois–Chicago. Her scholarship includes international
social work education, the nonprofit sector in Romania, participatory community
change, and asset-based community development in Ethiopia. She is co-editor of
University-Community Partnerships: Colleges and Universities in Civic Engagement
(2005) and Interdisciplinary Community Development: International Perspectives
(2007), published by Haworth Press. Dr. Butterfield is a leader of ACOSA, and a
member of the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Global Social
Work Education. Her research includes international higher education partner-
ships in Ethiopia, funded by the Great Cities Institute and HED, and the Gedam
Sefer University-Community Partnership. She is co-PI of a project with Bahir Dar
About the Editor and Contributors 247

University to establish an MEd for school directors in Ethiopia. In 2007 she

received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University–St. Louis.

Denise Caruso is executive director and co-founder of the Hybrid Vigor Institute
in San Francisco, an independent, not-for-profit research organization and con-
sultancy dedicated to interdisciplinary and collaborative problem solving. In
December 2006, she published her first book, on risk, public policy, and biotech-
nology, titled Intervention: Confronting the Real Risks of Genetic Engineering and
Life on a Biotech Planet, which won a silver medal in the science category of the
2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards. She continues to work on projects
both in academia and the private sector to improve critical-thinking and decision-
making processes, with a special focus on science- and technology-related inno-
vations. Caruso is a former New York Times columnist, an affiliated researcher at
the Center for Risk Perception and Communication at Carnegie Mellon Univer-
sity, and a director emerita of the Electronic Frontier Foundation; she also
serves on the boards of the Independent Media Institute and the Molecular
Sciences Institute. Caruso also serves on the advisory boards of Public Knowl-
edge, which advocates for a vibrant “information commons”; London-based
SustainAbility.com, the world’s leading business consultancy on corporate
responsibility and sustainable development; and the Graduate Program in Design
at California College of the Arts. She is a graduate of California Polytechnic State
University–San Luis Obispo.

Keith Ferrazzi is one of the rare individuals to discover the essential formula for
making his way to the top through a powerful, balanced combination of market-
ing acumen and networking savvy. Both Forbes and Inc. magazines have desig-
nated him one of the world’s most “connected” individuals. Now, as founder and
CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, he provides market leaders with advanced strategic
consulting and training services to increase company sales and enhance personal
careers. Ferrazzi earned a BA degree from Yale University and an MBA from
Harvard Business School.

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Annie Khan migrated to Toronto, Canada,
in 1994. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto in
neuroscience and psychology. While working in community-based organizations,
she felt compelled to do more for disenfranchised populations. She pursued a
master’s in counseling psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology
and is currently working on her doctorate in clinical psychology. She worked at
the Center for Global Initiatives as a placement student on The New Humanitarians:
Innovations, Inspirations, and Blueprints for Visionaries book project.

Since May 1998, Paul Kronenberg has been working together with Sabriye
Tenberken to establish the rehabilitation and training center for the blind in Tibet.
He also worked part-time as a designer and construction coordinator for the Swiss
248 About the Editor and Contributors

Red Cross in Shigatse. Paul has a technical background, having completed studies
in mechanical engineering, computer science, commercial technology, and com-
munication systems. For several summers during his studies, Paul worked for
different organizations in development projects in Africa, Eastern Europe, and
Tibet. Paul is responsible for all technical aspects and maintenance at Braille
Without Borders. He also trains people in bookkeeping, office work, and the use
of computers. In addition to being responsible for communications and fundrais-
ing, Paul began the production of Tibetan Braille books and supervises all
construction activities within the project.

Evan Ledyard graduated from Loyola University–Chicago. He majored in psy-

chology with a minor in communication. He joined Invisible Conflicts in 2006
and was co-vice president from 2007–8. In the future, he hopes to continue being
part of Invisible Conflicts and travel to Uganda to help further develop the Dwon
Madiki Partnership.

Valeria Levit was born in Donetsk, Ukraine, and grew up in the Crimean Peninsula.
Growing up in the family of doctors, Valeria was groomed for a route of excellence
in education and was accepted into an academy for musically talented children at
the age of seven. At the age of thirteen, she transferred to the Medical Lyceum to
study medical and biological sciences with the goal of medical school in the
future. However, after finishing one year at the Lyceum, Valeria immigrated with
her family to Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Stevenson High School with
honors and was accepted to Loyola University of Chicago. Valeria was on the
Dean’s list each semester at Loyola and graduated with a major in psychology and
minor in pre-medicine. During her undergraduate studies, Valeria volunteered at
a hospital and several not-for-profit organizations. It did not take her long to real-
ize that she has a passion for studying the human mind. After graduating from
Loyola, Valeria was accepted to the Adler School of Professional Psychology.

During her first year in the graduate school, Valeria fulfilled her community serv-
ice practicum at the Center for Global Initiatives, which is dedicated to fighting
against health disparities around the world. At the age of twenty-two, Valeria is a
second-year student at Adler and is greatly interested in the mind/body aspect of
psychology. Valeria is a member of the Golden Key Honors Society and the
American Psychological Association. Currently she resides in Morton Grove,
Illinois, with her family.

Nathan Linsk is the principal investigator of the Midwest AIDS Training and
Education Center at the Great Lakes Addictions Technology Transfer Center. He
is professor of social work at the Jane Addams College of Social Work, University
of Illinois–Chicago. Dr. Linsk has extensive clinical experience serving individu-
als with HIV/AIDS in a number of settings, and has been involved in the training
of HIV/AIDS healthcare providers nationally and internationally for ten years.
About the Editor and Contributors 249

In 1994 he co-chaired the International Society for AIDS Education conference.

His international consultation includes Romania (PI on World AIDS Foundation
Grant, 1991–4), Namibia, Malawi, and Ethiopia. He was awarded a Fulbright
Research Award in Ethiopia in 2006. His latest work in Africa is a partnership
project in Tanzania on social work education and training on HIV/AIDS and the
orphan situation.

Nathan Mustain is a graduate of Loyola University–Chicago who studied biology,

graduating in May 2008. He is the co-founder of Invisible Conflicts and served as
president from 2005–7. Nathan is now working as a spokesperson, political advo-
cate, and adviser to Invisible Conflicts. He plans on becoming a physician and to
work with the world’s poor, who are also the world’s sick. In working with them,
he seeks to understand what keeps them poor and sick. Then he hopes to change
these “distal” causes of disease and poverty by helping people to find wellness, and
by partnering with educators and lawmakers to change the educational, political,
and economic systems that keep people sick and poor. Nathan also dreams of
traveling the world and connecting communities of wealth and power with those
living under oppression and poverty.

Amy Nemeth, a student at Loyola University–Chicago, is expected to graduate in

May 2009 with degrees in history and secondary education with a focus in polit-
ical science and peace studies. After joining Invisible Conflicts in the fall of 2005,
she traveled to Uganda in the summers of 2007 and 2008 to volunteer at the Dwon
Madiki Partnership. She was co-president of Invisible Conflicts from 2007–8. She
hopes to travel back to Uganda and other war-torn areas as well as to inspire
future students to get involved with Invisible Conflicts.

Steve Olweean is founding director of Common Bond Institute, a founder and

president of the International Humanistic Psychology Association (IHPA), past
president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, founder of the Annual
International Conference on “Engaging The Other,” and co-founder of the Annual
International Conference on Conflict Resolution and the Global Youth Confer-
ence on the Ecology of War and Peace.

He has written and presented internationally on concepts of “The Other,” the

social/psychological dynamics of group paranoia, victim identity, inherited com-
munal trauma, negative belief systems, cross-cultural dialogue, forgiveness and
reconciliation, conflict transformation, and building capacity at the grass roots
and social institutional level for an authentic world culture of peace. His current
book project is Engaging The Other, a compilation of chapters by diverse authors
each exploring concepts of The Other from their unique cultural perspectives. He
received his degree in clinical psychology from Western Michigan University, and
is a psychotherapist with a treatment focus on recovery of victims and perpetra-
tors of abuse, trauma recovery, and healing negative belief systems. He developed
250 About the Editor and Contributors

the integrated Catastrophic Trauma Recovery (CTR) treatment model for treating
large populations victimized by war and violence in developing countries that are
regions of conflict.

Mehmet Oz received a 1982 undergraduate degree from Harvard and a 1986

joint MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
and the Wharton Business School. He is vice-chair of surgery and professor of
cardiac surgery, Columbia University; founder and director, Complementary
Medicine Program, New York Presbyterian Medical Center; currently, director,
Cardiovascular Institute, New York Presbyterian Hospital. Research interests
include heart replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and
healthcare policy. He is a member of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery;
American Board of Surgery; American Association of Thoracic Surgeons;
Society of Thoracic Surgeons; American College of Surgeons; International
Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation; American College of Cardiology;
and the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs. He is the author of over
350 publications.

Myron Panchuk completed his BS degree in psychology and philosophy at Loyola

University–Chicago in 1976. In 1982 he was ordained to the priesthood for the
Chicago Diocese of Ukrainian Catholics and has actively served this community
for over twenty years. His professional work includes designing and facilitating
retreats and conferences for clergy and laity, professional development, conflict
resolution, and social advocacy. He is a co-founder and member of Starving For
Color, a humanitarian organization which provides baby formula for orphans in
Ukraine. He is currently a counseling graduate student at the Adler School of
Professional Psychology and is engaged in a community service practicum with
Dr. Chris Stout at the Center for Global Initiatives. He intends to continue his
studies and pursue a doctorate in depth psychology.

Earl Martin Phalen is the co-founder and CEO of BELL (Building Educated
Leaders for Life), a nonprofit organization created to dramatically increase the
educational achievements, self-esteem, and life opportunities of black and Latino
children living in low-income, urban communities. BELL operates high-quality
summer and after school educational programs for 12,000 children in Baltimore,
Boston, Detroit, New York City, and Springfield, MA. BELL provides direct serv-
ices to children and works to change the systems that impact children. As a result
of these efforts and a partnership with Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the
STEP UP Act was voted into law in August 2007. STEP UP will bring $100 million
worth of high-quality summer learning programs to children throughout the
country. Mr. Phalen is unswerving in his commitment to helping children excel.
As a young adult, Mr. Phalen participated in the Lutheran Volunteer Corps as the
assistant coordinator of a homeless shelter for women in Washington, D.C., and
served as a summer law associate at the Jamaican Council for Human Rights.
About the Editor and Contributors 251

In 1997 President Clinton awarded Mr. Phalen and BELL the President’s Service
Award for outstanding community service. Mr. Phalen currently sits on the advi-
sory board for the Center for Summer Learning at the Johns Hopkins University
and serves on the education advisory committees of Massachusetts governor
Deval Patrick. Mr. Phalen holds a BA in political science from Yale University and
a JD from Harvard Law School.

Patrick Savaiano is currently enrolled in the doctoral (PsyD) program at the

Adler School of Professional Psychology (ASPP) in Chicago, IL. He graduated
from the University of Notre Dame in 2004 with a BA in history and Spanish,
and has since worked in marketing, real estate, and music. In the summer of
2003, he had the rewarding experience of traveling to Costa Rica by himself to
work with Habitat for Humanity. Although he still plays guitar in two bands,
in 2006 he decided to shift his “day job” away from business and into the pro-
fession of psychology. In fall 2007, as part of ASPP’s Community Service
Practicum, he worked under Dr. Chris E. Stout at the Center for Global
Initiatives (CGI). He became an integral member of a team of students and
professionals that ultimately put together a book project titled The New
Humanitarians: Innovations, Inspirations, and Blueprints for Visionaries.
Mr. Savaiano hopes to use the experience he has gained at ASPP and CGI to
fuel his desire to help the less fortunate and underserved populations
throughout the world.

Marianne Scott helped start Our Voices Together and has led the organization
since fall 2005. Before this she was the first executive director of the Daniel Pearl
Foundation, which she helped the Pearl family start in honor of her college friend
Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan
in 2002. Marianne spent sixteen years as a career Foreign Service officer with the
United States Information Agency (USIA) and the Department of State, specializ-
ing in international academic and professional exchanges and cultural affairs.
Eleven of these years, she lived and worked at U.S. embassies and American cul-
tural and educational centers overseas in Latin America and Africa. She is the
author of A Citizen’s Guide to Global Economic Policymaking, published by the
League of Women Voters Education Fund in December 2002. She is a graduate of
Stanford University.

Katie Scranton is a student at Loyola University–Chicago majoring in bilingual-

bicultural elementary education with a minor in Spanish language and literature.
She has been involved with Invisible Conflicts since 2006 and is constantly
impressed by the dedication and passion of those involved in the group. She was
co-president of Invisible Conflicts from 2007–8. She plans to travel to Uganda to
finally meet the children and volunteers of the Dwon Madiki Partnership. Katie
expects her involvement in the work and vision of Invisible Conflicts to continue
far into her future.
252 About the Editor and Contributors

M. Christopher Shimkin is a summa cum laude master’s graduate in business

administration from Northeastern University. Recently, Mr. Shimkin was selected
as one of the World Economic Forum’s 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow, and he
currently serves on several nonprofit and engineering advisory boards. A gradu-
ate in civil and ocean engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 1989, he
pursued a consulting career in environmental engineering, developing expertise
in water quality evaluations, civil works infrastructure planning and design, and
environmental regulatory compliance as a senior engineer.

Morgan Smith is a student at Loyola University–Chicago. She is a student in the

Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and hopes one day to use her nursing skills in
Africa. She has been to South Africa to observe that healthcare system through a
program called International Scholar Laureate, which deepened her interest in
returning to the continent to assist in the healthcare shortage. In 2005 she
co-founded Invisible Conflicts with Nathan Mustain, as well as the Dwon Madiki
Partnership with Katie Scranton in 2006.

Abye Tasse is associate vice president for international affairs, and dean of the
School of Social Work at Addis Ababa University. He is president of the Interna-
tional Association of Schools of Social Work. He has also worked to develop social
work education in Romania and Cameroon. His scholarship includes research
design in social sciences and in immigrant and refugee matters, comparative
research on migration, policy work on social work education, and the monitoring,
evaluation, and restructuring of higher education institutions. He is the author of
Ethiopians in France and the United States: New Forms of Migration.

Sabriye Tenberken studied Central Asian Studies at Bonn University. In addition

to Mongolian and modern Chinese, she studied modern and classical Tibetan in
combination with sociology and philosophy. Since no blind student had ever
before ventured to enroll in these kinds of studies, she could not fall back on the
experiences of anyone else, so she had to develop her own methods to come to
terms with her course of studies. It was thus that a Tibetan script for the blind was
developed. She coordinates and counsels the Braille Without Borders project. She
is responsible for the training of teachers and trainers for the blind, and she ini-
tially taught the children herself. Further, she selects and supervises all staff mem-
bers. She is also responsible for fundraising and communication with official and
sponsor organizations. Tenberken has written three books in which she tells about
the history of the project and the way she dealt with becoming blind: Mein Weg
fuehrt nach Tibet (My Path Leads to Tibet; Arcade Publishing, New York); Tashis’
New World; and Das siebte Jahr [The Seventh Year]. The first book has been pub-
lished in eleven languages, including English.

David Thatcher is a student at Loyola University–Chicago pursuing a dual degree

in economics and international studies. He has been involved with Invisible
About the Editor and Contributors 253

Conflicts since 2006, serving as Dwon Madiki Partnership’s lead coordinator and
financial adviser. In this capacity, he organized and led the first trip of students to
Gulu, Uganda, where they spent the summer setting up the Dwon Madiki Part-
nership (DMP) office and documenting the program. Upon graduating from
Loyola University–Chicago, Dave plans to obtain a master’s degree in interna-
tional development and continue to work with and develop the DMP.

Kathy M. Tin is a development professional with more than six years of experi-
ence in both new business development and program management, as well as
seven years in software development. Ms. Tin’s particular expertise is in develop-
ing programs using information and communications technology (ICT) as an
enabling tool to promote economic and social development. She currently serves
as a director with the International Executive Service Corps (IESC) Geekcorps
division. Prior to joining IESC, Ms. Tin worked at CARE in several capacities and
also as a Peace Corps volunteer in Romania.

John Wood is founder and CEO of Room to Read, an international nonprofit that
partners with local communities in the developing world to build educational
infrastructure. John left a distinguished career at Microsoft to lead the Room to
Read team in constructing over 5,600 schools and libraries with more than 3 million
books and sponsoring over 4,000 scholarships for girls. Author of Leaving
Microsoft to Change the World, John marries the “scalability of Starbucks with the
compassion of Mother Theresa” to create one of the fastest-growing, most effec-
tive, and most award-winning nonprofits of the last decade.

Carolyn Ziembo is a student at Loyola University–Chicago. She is expected to

graduate in 2010 with degrees in English and history. She has been involved with
Invisible Conflicts since 2006 and was secretary from 2007–8. In addition to help-
ing with other Dwon Madiki and Invisible Conflicts projects, she led the develop-
ment of the art exhibit at LUMA. In the future, she hopes to travel to Uganda and
meet the children of the Dwon Madiki Partnership.

Diana Zurawski is a student at Loyola University–Chicago majoring in elemen-

tary education. She has been involved with Invisible Conflicts since 2005 and is
visiting Uganda in the summer of 2008 to assist in curriculum development of the
Dwon Madiki Partnership. Diana hopes to teach in the Chicago Public Schools
and looks forward to establishing new connections between students in Chicago
and Gulu.
This page intentionally left blank
 Index

Note: A page number followed by an f or t indicates that the reference is to a figure or

table respectively.

9/11 Commission Report, 208 approach of, 111, 118–119

9/11 terrorist attack BancoSol, creating, 113
fifth anniversary of, 212–214 Central American clients of, 121
fourth anniversary of, 206 dealing with challenges, 123–125
victims of, 206, 213 foundation of, 111–112
future approach of, 125
AAU. See Addis Ababa University (AAU), goal of, 111, 116, 118
Ethiopia growth of, 125
AAU-UIC partnership India, expanding to, 114
Gedam Sefer Community-University investment in Compartamo, 124–125
Partnership, 75–77, 76f key statistics, 119
Project SWEEP (see Social Work Latin American Network, 113
Education in Ethiopia Partnership management at, 126–127
(Project SWEEP)) microfinance and, 115
success and award for, 69–70 microfinance model, 117–118
ABCD strategy. See Asset-Based microfinance partner programs, 120t
Community Development (ABCD) microfinancing, discovering
strategy cornerstone of, 124
Access to International Markets through microlending 118–119
Information Technology (AIM-IT) microlending programs in Latin
program, 238 America, 113
ACCION International, xxv–xxvi mission of, 111
ACCION Revenue Sources, 2007, 121 motivation of, 115
ACCION USA and, 114 organizational snapshot, 127
additional comments by, 125–126 overcoming challenges, 123–124
Africa, expanding to, 114 partner programs of, 116–117, 120t

255
256
ACCION International (continued)
revenue sources, 2007, 121t
staff in Recife, Brazil, 112
success stories of, 121–123
survival of, 120–121
U.S. initiative of, 113–114
working strategy of, 115–116, 119
ACCION International, history of
ACCION’s U.S. initiative, 113–114
BancoSol, 113
Blatchford’s contribution, 111–112
Bridge Fund and, 113
developing new lending method, 113
expansion to Africa and India, 114
microlending, beginning of, 112
ACCION Microfinance Model, 117–118
“ACCIONistas,” 112
ACCION Partner Programs, 116, 120t
ACCION’s Recife program, 112
ACCION USA
beginning of, 113–114
borrowers of, 116–117
mission of, 114
Acholiland, Uganda and civil war, 130
ACOSA. See Association for Community
Organization and Social
Administration (ACOSA)
Action Center, Our Voices Together,
211–212, 217
Adamek, Margaret, Indiana University, 67
ADAPT Program. See An Giang Dong
Thap Alliance for the Prevention of
Trafficking Program (ADAPT
Program)
Addis Ababa University (AAU), Ethiopia
doctoral program in social work and
social development, 70–71
educational innovations in (see
Educational innovations in School
of Social Work, Ethiopia)
Gedam Sefer Community-University
Partnership, 75–77, 76f
MOA with CRDA, 68–69
MSW program in, 61–62, 63 (see also
Social Work Education in Ethiopia
Partnership (Project SWEEP))
UIC-AAU-ISW in Tanzania, 77–78
UIC partnerships, 59–60
Index
Adler, Carlye, 109
Afghanistan
improved conditions in, 204
safe motherhood initiative in, 220
Agassiz Elementary School, Cambridge, 164
“Agenda of Opportunity,” Our Voices
Together, 207
Gifts That Count, 209
Global Giving Circles, 209
9/11 Commission Report, 208
pointing toward volunteer
opportunities, 209–210
recommendation for, 208
Think Big, Act Big FunRaisers, 209
AHP. See Association for Humanistic
Psychology (AHP)
Ahmed, Akbar S., 229
AID. See Americans for Informed
Democracy (AID)
AIG. See American International Group
Inc. (AIG)
AIM-IT. See Access to International
Markets through Information
Technology (AIM-IT) program
Akweyo, Caroline, 133–135
Alderman family, 204t–205t
Alderman, Elizabeth, 229
Alderman, Peter, 204
Alderman, Stephen J., 229
Allen, Charlla, 62
ALO. See Association Liaison Office for
University Cooperation in
Development (ALO)
Al-Qaeda, 210
American International Group Inc. (AIG),
124
Americans for Informed Democracy
(AID), 218
American International Health Alliance
Twinning Center, 77
An Giang Dong Thap Alliance for
Prevention of Trafficking Program
(ADAPT Program), 26
AngloGoldAshanti’s Mines, South Africa,
106
As If You Were There: Matching Machine
Vision to Human Vision (Solomon),
191–193
Index 257

Asset-Based Community Development Benioff, Marc, 109

(ABCD) strategy, 75–76 Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Association for Community Organization at Harvard Law School, 238
and Social Administration Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 180
(ACOSA), 58 Bi-annual Entrepreneur Immersion
Association for Humanistic Psychology Tours, 99
(AHP), 46–47, 48 Bilinkis, Santiago, 102–103
Association Liaison Office for University Binh Xuan Primary School Reading
Cooperation in Development Room, 20–21
(ALO), 59–60 bin Laden, Osama, 210
AVINA, mission of, 96 Bio-X Program, Stanford University, 197
Azcona, Maria Cristina, 219 “Black Friday,” New York, 123–124
Blatchford, Joseph, 111
Badkhen, Alexander, 50 Bobby, 131–132
Bailey, Nellie Hester, 89 Bogard, Nicholas, 183
Bait Al Hayat (House of Life) project, Boisture, Bob, 230
Palestine, 54 Bonecutter, Faith, 62
Baker, Laurie, 11 Books for Africa, 73
Ballmer, Steve, 16 Boston-area program, 175
Banco Compartamos, Mexico, 116 Boston Globe, 176
Banco Popular Covelo. See Bancovelo, BottleNet, 238
ACCION partner Braille script, Tibetan, 3, 5
BancoSol, Bolivia, 113 Braille Without Borders (BWB), xvi-xvii,
Bancovelo, ACCION partner, 121–122 xxiii
Batson, Ruth, 172 beliefs of, 4
Barttrum, Teresa, 219 do-it-yourself phase of, 10
Beck Cultural Exchange Center, Knoxville, educational materials, producing, 5
Tennessee, 88 goal of, 2
BELL Accelerated Learning Summer history of, 2–3
Program (BELL Summer). See IISE, establishing, 11–12
BELL Summer program inception of, 1
BELL After School Program, 164–165 infusion of young teachers, 10–11
working strategy of, 166–167 organizational snapshot, 13
typical day in, 168t Preparatory School for the Blind,
BELL BOYS, 181–182 establishing, 4
BELL Bowl, 178 significance of name, 1
BELL. See Building Educated Leaders for success stories of, 9–10
Life (BELL) TAR, importance in, 1–2
BELL’s success Tibetan Braille materials, production
scholars’ academic abilities, evaluating, of, 5
174–175, 175f Totnes School, England and, 9–10
Lewis’s experiences, 175–176 values of, 3–4
BELL Summer, 164 vocational and skills training 5 (see
impact on scholars, 167 also BWB vocational and skill
schedule, 168–169, 169f training)
scholars’ academic gains, 170f Brazilian entrepreneurs, Endeavor, 100
success of, 169–170 Brazilian pilot program, ACCION, 124
typical day in, 171t Bridge Fund, 113
258
Brilliant, Larry, 192
Bronx Helpers summer program, 89
Bronx High School for Visual Arts, 88
Building Educated Leaders for Life
(BELL)
affiliate program of, 182
approach to creative problem solving,
178–180
awards and honors received by, 182
BELL After School Program (see BELL
After School Program)
BELL Summer program (see BELL
Summer)
board of directors of, 183–184
challenges faced by, 177–178
Charles Hayden Foundation and,
181–182
creative outreach of, 179
education, defining, 163
expansion in 1997 to New York City,
164
foundation of, 164
funding struggles of, 176–177
future plans of, 181–182
helping children, 163–164
holistic education for children,
166–167
organizational snapshot, 184–185
outcome initiatives of, 173–174
paid staff in, 166
partnerships, 164
programs, 166
pursuing its mission, 165, 165f
STEP UP Act and, 169–170
strong belief in children, instilling,
165–166
success, 174–175, 175f
vision of, 164
Burman family, 205t
Burman, Len, 206, 217
Burman, Leonard E., 230
Burrus, William, 115, 123–124, 126–127
Bush, George W. (President), 140
Business of Changing the World, The
(Benioff and Adler), 109
Butterfield, Alice Johnson, University of
Illinois–Chicago, 57–58, 67
BWB. See Braille Without Borders (BWB)
Index
BWB self-integration project
initiation of, 8–9
modifying perception of blind, 8
positive impact on students, 7, 10–11
BWB training farm, Shigatse
animal husbandry unit, consolidation
of, 6
composting factory, 6
Ecosan toilet system, installation of, 6
establishment of, 5–6
“Mini Square Meter Greenhouses,” 6–7
Schiele, Boris, contribution of, 7
BWB vocational and skill training
massage clinic, 9
self-integration project of, 7–9 (see also
BWB self-integration project)
training farm, establishment of, 5–7 (see
also BWB training farm, Shigatse)
Cambridge College, 176
Capacity For Peace and Democracy,
Palestine, 54
Carnegie, Andrew, 16
Carter, Andrew L., 164
Carter, Jimmy (President), 16
Caruso, Denise
Hybrid Vigor, founding (see Hybrid
Vigor Institute)
study of risk and technological
innovation, 189f
CBI programs and activities
conferences, 51–53
miscellaneous projects, 55
organizational snapshot, 56
professional exchanges, 55
publications in development, 54–55
training projects, 53–54 (see also CBI
training projects)
CBI. See Common Bond Institute (CBI)
CBI training projects
Bait Al Hayat, Palestine, 54
Capacity For Peace and Democracy,
Palestine, 54
CTR and, 45, 53–54
ETO training, 54
CECCR. See Centers of Excellence in
Cancer Communications Research
(CECCR)
Index
Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), xxv
exhibitions, participation in, 87
founder and staff of (see Center for
Urban Pedagogy, founder and staff)
funding of, 92
history of, 86–87
measuring success of, 92
mission of, 85
new opportunities of, 92
organizational snapshot of, 94
partnerships with nonprofits, 87
philosophy of, 85–86
services of, 91–92 (see also CUP
services)
successful projects of, 88–91 (see also
CUP projects)
working with students, 87
Center for Urban Pedagogy, founder and
staff, 87–88
Mogel, Lize, 93
Mogilevich, Valeria, 93
Rich, Damon, 90, 93
Woo, Rosten, 93
Center for Urban Pedagogy, history of
codes building project, 86, 87
garbage and waste management, 86–87
nonprofit status, receiving, 87
vehicle of collaboration, 87
Center for Urban Pedagogy, philosophy of
educational projects, creation of, 85–86
project-based learning, approach of, 86
urban environment, exploration of, 86
Centers of Excellence in Cancer
Communications Research
(CECCR), 199
Challenge Grant Model, 26–27
Chang, Valerie, Indiana University, 67
Charles Hayden Foundation, 176,
181–182
Chile, Endeavor in, 96
Christian Relief & Development
Association (CRDA), 68–69, 74
CIPUSA. See Council of International
Programs USA (CIPUSA)
Civil war in Uganda
between LRA and Ugandan
government, 130–131
plight of children during, 130, 131, 132
259
Clarence Foundation, 209
Coalition for Homeless, New York City, 89
Common Bond Institute (CBI), xxiv–iv
CTR model, 45, 53–54
history of (see Common Bond
Institute, history of)
naming of, 44
organizational snapshot, 56
organizational structure of, 50
origin of, 43–44
philosophy and mission of, 50–51
power of vision of, 55
programs and activities of (see CBI
programs and activities)
style of, 51
Common Bond Institute, history of
collaborators of, 50
Kuwait, services in, 45–46
Olweean’s initiative, 44 (see also
Olweean, Steve)
Soviet Union, services in, 46–50 (see
also Soviet Union during1980s
to1990s)
Community Work & Life Center (CWLC),
Addis Ababa University, 74
Compartamos, 124–125
Computer Room Program
computer labs, establishing, 24
development of, 24
history behind, 23–24
Net Yang Secondary School,
Cambodia, 24–25
training computer lab teachers, 24
Concepcion and GVE, 36–37
Constructed Reading Rooms (CRRs)
concept of, 21
expansion of, 21–22
Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
and CUP, 90
Council of International Programs USA
(CIPUSA), 73–74
“Counterterrorists” network, Our Voices
Together
Al-Qaeda and, 210
free services given to, 211–212
good will and hope, generating,
210–211, 211t
Create Change project, 197
260
CRDA. See Christian Relief &
Development Association (CRDA)
CRRs. See Constructed Reading Rooms
(CRRs)
CUP. See Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)
CUP and developmental plans in
Knoxville, 88
CUP and Green Information Center, New
York City, 89
CUP projects
abandoned buildings and homeless
people, connection between, 89
Design Your ’Hood program,
partnership with, 90
Fulton Mall project, 90
Grand Concourse mapping, 88
Green Information Center, 89
Jamaica Flux, 90–91
Knoxville community building, 88
public housing, collaborative learning
on, 91
schoolyard visions, 89
SPURA project, 89–90
CUP services
educational programming, 91
exhibition design and development,
91–92
professional development, 91
video production, 92
CWLC. See Community Work & Life
Center (CWLC), Addis Ababa
University
Cybertigi, 238
Daniel Pearl Foundation, 217
Das siebte Jahr (The Seventh Year)
(Tenberken), 12
Davis, Lindsay, 89
December 2006 Army, 207
Decision, Risk, and Management Sciences
program, 192
Democratic Republic of Congo, the (DRC)
conflict and instability, 153
Invisible Conflicts in, 153–154 (see also
Invisible Conflicts)
Department of Sociology and Social
Anthropology (SOSA), Addis
Ababa University, 59, 60–61
Index
Digi, 9
Dirani, Zade, 233
DMP. See Dwon Madiki Partnership
(DMP)
Donoso, Javier, 104
DRC. See Democratic Republic of Congo,
the (DRC)
Durbin, Richard, 140
Dwon Madiki Partnership (DMP), 129
Aciro Mercy’s artwork, 146f
beginnings, 141–143
children of, 155
children’s education program, 145
developmental categories of, 150
establishment of, 147–150
faces of, 144–145
framework of, 148
future vision of, 152–153
Gear Up Alliance and, 148–150
guiding principles of, 148
I.C. Plunge, 145–147, 146f
laying of partnership foundations,
147
mission of, 148
naming of, 142
office and sign, 144, 144f
positive force in community, 153
responsibilities of brainstorming for,
142
Uganda Trip, 149–150,151
vision of, 148
Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of
Suicide Terrorism (Pape), 207
East and Central Africa Trade Hub,
USAID, 238
Ecosan toilet system, 6
Educational innovations in School of
Social Work, Ethiopia
action research, development of,
67–68
admission processes, 69
block teaching model, 65–67
field education, inclusion of, 68–69,
68f
interactive teaching methods, 67
international faculty, 67
reaching out to community, 69
Index
Educational opportunities in developing
countries
lack of, 16, 18
Room to Read and (see Room to Read)
ENAHPA. See Ethiopian North American
Health Professionals Association
(ENAHPA)
Endeavor, xxv
advice to future entrepreneurs, 108–109
in Argentina and Chile, 96
barriers in way of, 97, 99
culture of entrepreneurship,
promoting, 100
economic growth of, 103
and Endeavor Entrepreneurs (see
Endeavor Entrepreneurs)
five-step approach of, 96–98
founders of, 95–96
Friedman praising “mentor capitalist”
model of, 107
funding for, 108–109
in Ghana, 106
global network, 99–100
goal of, 101
as “go to” organization, 105–106
Gutierrez comment on, 108
high-impact entrepreneurs, 102 (see
also OfficeNet)
history of, 95–96
learning experiences, 103–104 (see also
Geomar)
local and international growth of,
105–106 (see also Stitch Wise)
media mentions and awards, 107–108
“mentor capitalist” model,” 108
mentors, 104, 107
mission of, 95
network, 97
network of venture capitalists, 103
organizational snapshot, 110
recognition from renowned
institutions, 109
Rottenberg’s contribution in success
of, 105
staff, 97
value proposition, 101
worldwide solutions, contribution to,
100–101
261
Endeavor Entrepreneurs
advice to future, 109–110
contributions to society, 100–101
first, 103
Geomar, 104–105
high-impact of, 102
lesson learned by, 103–104
locating, 96–97
OfficeNet, 102–103
special events helping, 99
success of, 101
support system for, 98–99
VentureCorps advisors, role of,
97–98
Endeavor, plan of, 96–97
Endeavor’s South African Entrepreneurs,
107
Engaging The Other, book project, 54
Engaging The Other, documentary film
project, 55
“Engaging The Other,” training
program, 54
Entrepreneur Give-Back Program, 108
Entrepreneur Network, 105
Entrepreneurship Reinvestment Program,
107
Eshete, Andreas, 60, 61
Ethiopian North American Health
Professionals Association
(ENAHPA), 74
Ethiopian Workforce Entrepreneurship
Training Program, 69, 74
ETO. See International Conference on
“Engaging The Other” The Power
of Compassion (ETO)
Evans, Mimi, 230
Falkenberg, Charles, 205, 226
Farmer, Paul, 205
Fernando and GVE, 37
Forum Toolkit, 215
Freire, Andres, 102–103
Friedman, Sandra, 50
Friedman, Thomas L., 107–108
Fuentes, Amanda, 151
Fulton Mall, Brooklyn, 90
Fundacion Ecuatoriana de Desarrollo,
Otavalo, Ecuador, 120t, 123
262
Galvin Auditorium, 133
Ganju, Erin Keown, 17
Gardner family, 204t
Gardner, Eric , 217, 227
Gardner, Jeff, 223–224
Gates, Robert, 207
Gear Up Alliance and Invisible Conflicts,
148–150
Gebre-Selassie, Seyoum, 79f
“paradox of poor,” 64
social work education in Ethiopia,
58–59, 60
SWEEP and, 78–80
Gedam Sefer Community-University
Partnership, 76f
ABCD strategy, 75–76
improving lives of women and
children, 75, 76–77
Geekcorps and “Who’s Who” of Sudanese
Diaspora, 238
Génesis, ACCION partner, 122
Geomar
expansion opportunities for, 104
financial restructuring, 105
Gerson, Elliot, 230
Getu, Melese, AAU, 62
Gifts That Count, 209
Global Giving Circles, 209
Global Giving Foundation, 218–219
Global G-Lab and Harvard Business
School, 99
Global Night Commute, 140
Global Service Fellowship Act, 215
Global Village Engineers (GVE),
xxiii–xxiv
challenges faced by, 38–39
history of, 33–34
individuals helped by, 36–37
influences and inspiration behind, 39
model, 34, 37
NGOs and, 31, 32
organizational snapshot of, 41
partnerships with organizations, 37
projects, 34–36 (see also GVE projects)
purpose of, 31
scope of, 31
sources of funding of, 37–38
success meter of, 38
Index
uniqueness of, 32
United Communities and, 34, 36
volunteers of, 32
Goodman, Louis W., 230
Goodrich family, 205t
Goodrich, Peter, 224
Goodrich, Sarah W., 231
Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW),
AAU, Ethiopia
educational innovations and (see
Educational innovations in School
of Social Work, Ethiopia)
establishment of, 61–62, 63
paradox of poor, 64–65, 65f, 66t
success of, 69–70
Grand Concourse mapping and CUP, 88
GSSW. See Graduate School of Social
Work (GSSW)
Guill, Gene, 183
Gulu, Uganda
Acholiland children fleeing
commuting to, 130
Lacor Hospital in, 143
partnership between Loyola University
students and Chicago community
in, 154
sustainability of Dwon Madiki in, 153
trip to, Invisible Conflicts members,
149–150, 151
Gutierrez, Carlos M., 108
GVE. See Global Village Engineers (GVE)
GVE mentoring assistance, 35–36
GVE projects
assistance and mentoring
responsibilities, 35–36
helping individuals, 36–37
Las Colinas landslide mitigation, El
Salvador, 35
Levee inspection and maintenance
training, El Salvador, 34
GVE volunteers, 32
Gyenzen, BWB, 11
Hahn, Eberhard, 5
Hamilton, Lee H, 208, 228–229
Hammock, John, 123
Harlem Tenants Council, New York
City, 89
Index
HARMONY Institute for Psychotherapy
and Counseling in St. Petersburg,
Russia, 48, 49, 51
HED. See Higher Education for
Development (HED)
Heckscher, Zahara, 217
Heisenberg, Werner, 192
Higher Education for Development
(HED), 74
formation of, 59–60
MSW program in AAU and (see Social
Work Education in Ethiopia
Partnership (Project SWEEP))
university-to university partnerships,
funding, 60
Hoffman, Bruce, 210, 231
Holcombe, Terry, 112
Hoop-a-Thon, 217
Hope Community, New York City, 89
House of Life project (Bait Al Hayat),
Palestine, 54
Hovde, Anna, 74
How-To Guidebook for Urban Objects, A
(CUP), 87
“How Women Lead” ( Newsweek), 126
Hudson, Arlene, 176
Human Genome Project, Xerox
Corporation, 193
Hybrid Vigor Institute, xxvi
beginning of, 188–189
catalytic collaboration of, 192–195
challenges of, 194, 195–197
competition, turf, and trust, 197–199
foundation of, 187
funding process for, 199–200
goals of, 187–188
organizational principle of, 190
organizational snapshot of, 200–201
publication strategy of, 192
publications, 190–191
significance of, 189–190
IASSW. See International Association of
Schools of Social Work (IASSW)
I.C. Plunge
in 2006, first annual, 145
in 2007, 153
artwork at, 154
263
coinage of,
existence of, 146–147
ICR Conferences. See International
Conference on Conflict Resolution
(ICR)
ICT Academy program, 238
IDP. See Internally displaced person (IDP)
camps
IDS. See Institut du Développement Social
(IDS) in France
IESC Geekcorps, xxvii
early years of, 236–237
expansion of, 237, 239
first project of, 236
inspiration for, 235
organizational snapshot, 239–240
present status and success of, 238–239
staff of, 239
training, 235–236
IESC. See International Executive Service
Corps (IESC)
IFESH. See International Foundation for
Education and Self Help (IFESH)
IFSW. See International Federation of
Social Workers (IFSW)
IHPA. See International Humanistic
Psychology Association (IHPA)
IISE. See International Institute for Social
Entrepreneurs (IISE), Kerala, India
Institut du Développement Social (IDS)
in France, 61
Institute of Social Work (ISW), Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, 77
Information/communication technology
(ICT), 235, 236
Informed Democracy, 218
Internally displaced person (IDP) camps,
130–131
International and Area Studies program,
University of California–Berkeley,
195
International Association of Schools of
Social Work (IASSW), 61
International Conference on Conflict
Resolution (ICR), 49, 52
International Conference on “Engaging
The Other” The Power of
Compassion (ETO), 49, 52
264
International Executive Service Corps
(IESC), 236
acquisition of Geekcorps, 237
International Federation of Social
Workers (IFSW), 61
International Foundation for Education
and Self Help (IFESH), 74
International Humanistic Psychology
Association (IHPA), 50, 51
International Institute for Social
Entrepreneurs (IISE), Kerala, India
eco-friendly campus of, 11–12
establishment of, 11
scope of, 12
International Professional Exchange, 48
International Selection Panel, 98
International Youth Conference on
Ecology of War and Peace, 52
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), 195
Internet service provider (ISP), 236
Intervention: Confronting the Real Risks of
Genetic Engineering and Life on a
Biotech Planet (Caruso), 190
Invisible Children
formation of, 131
mission of, 132
Invisible Children (film)
first screening of, 133–134
at Grant Park, public screening of, 140
inspiration behind, 132
on national tour, 133
Invisible Conflicts, xxv–xxvi
actions taken in Uganda, 139–141
beginning of, 135–137
creating changes in lives, 154–155
in Democratic Republic of Congo,
153–154
DMP, launching of, 129 (see also Dwon
Madiki Partnership (DMP))
and DMP plan, 152–153
DRC committee, formation of, 154
fostering relationships, 138–139
founding members of, 141
Gear Up Alliance and, 148–150
guiding principle of, 139
members of, 148, 149
mission of, 137–138, 139
naming of, 137
Index
organizational snapshot, 159
peace vigil in Chicago, promoting, 140
public exhibition at LUMA, 152
Run for Congo 5K walk, participation
in, 154
UIUC chapter of, 154
ISP. See Internet service provider (ISP)
Jamaica Center for Arts and Culture, 90
Jamaica Flux and CUP, 90–91
Jane Addams College of Social Work, 60,
62
Gedam Sefer Community-University
Partnership, 75–77, 76f
UIC-AAU-ISW in Tanzania, 77–78
Jason, 131–132
Joey, 133
John, Jeremy, 133
Johns Hopkins School for Advanced
International Studies (SAIS), 126
Johnson, Thomas S., 231
Joshi, Sandhya, 62
Journal of Conflict Transformation, Web-
based journal, 55
Journal of the American Society for
Information Science, 194, 196
Kanis, David, 133, 136
Kean, Thomas H. 208, 217, 229
Kechene Potters Association, 69
Kelley, Kathleen, 183
Kellner, Peter
analyzing entrepreneurs, 97
founding Endeavor, 96
Kerrey, Bob, 217, 228
Kidder, Tracy, 205
Killassy, Natalie
Endeavor’s global impact and, 106
Stitch Wise and, 106–107
Kim, John J-H, 183
Klein, Julie Thompson, 197
Knez, Deb, 183
Koch, Christopher, 231–232
Koch, Susan, 232
Komakech, Jimmy, 147
Kony, Joseph, 132
Kordesh, Richard, University of
Illinois–Chicago, 67
Korentayer, Elisa, 235
Index
Kreuger, Larry, University of Missouri, 67
Krippner, Stanley, 53
Kronenberg, Paul, 1, 3, 12–13
Kuhn, Thomas, 192
Kylia, 9, 10–11
Lake Michigan and I.C. Plunge, 145, 152,
155, 159
La Nacion, 100
Laren, 131–132
Las Colinas landslide mitigation and
GVE, 35
Latin America, Endeavor in, 96, 100
Latina magazine, 126
Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way:
Sidestepping the Barriers to Effective
Practice of Interdisciplinarity
(Caruso and Rhoten), 191
Learning Season: The Untapped Power of
Summer to Advance Student
Achievement, The, 167
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
(Wood), 17
Leonsyo, Deacon, 154`
Lewis, Kourtney, 175–176
Linsk, Nathan, University of
Illinois–Chicago, 67, 77
Linking Lives, 74
Lithuanian School Psychology Service in
Vilnius, 48
Living Skies: Cloud Behavior and Its Role
in Climate Change (Morton), The,
191
Local Language Publishing Program, 20
culture of writing, promoting, 23
“Dr. Seuss of developing world,” goal
of, 23
launch of, 22
literature in local languages,
production of, 22–23
Loyola University, Chicago
Invisible Children, screening of film,
133
Invisible Conflicts, 129 (see also
Invisible Conflicts)
Loyola University Museum of Art
(LUMA), 152
LUMA. See Loyola University Museum of
Art (LUMA)
265
Luo, 142, 143
Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)
nighttime abduction of children, 130,
132
peace talks with Ugandan government,
141
war between Ugandan government
and, 130–131, 132
Love for Children Organization in
Ethiopia, 75, 76f
Lower Lempa, El Salvador
GVE’s flood prevention plan, 34
updation of flood prevention project
of, 36
Lower Lempa levee inspection and
maintenance and GVE, 34, 36
LRA. See Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA)
MacCormack, Charles, 232
MacDiarmid, Alan, 193
Manashil, Marc, 220
Manchester family, 205t
Manchester, Joyce, 209, 217, 227
Manekin, Donald, 183
Marine Corps’ Counterinsurgency Field
Manual, 207
Masters in Social Work (MSW) program,
AAU, Ethiopia
action research, development of, and,
67–68, 68f (see also Gedam Sefer
Community-University
Partnership)
block teaching model, 65–66
government’s role, 63–64
representation of disadvantaged
groups, 69
success of, 69–70
SWEEP and (see Social Work
Education in Ethiopia Partnership
(Project SWEEP))
McChesney, Kay, 57–58
McGill Centre for Medicine, Law, and
Ethics, establishment of, 198
Mehari, Enagaw, 57
Mein Weg fuehrt nach Tibet (My Path
Leads to Tibet) (Tenberken), 12
Meir, Golda, 105
Mercy, Aciro, 146f
Merritt, Rev. Claudia W., 217, 227
266
METCO. See Metropolitan Council for
Educational Opportunity
(METCO)
Metropolitan Council for Educational
Opportunity (METCO), 175
Mexican MFI partner Compartamos. See
Compartamos
MFIs. See Microfinance institutions
(MFIs) and ACCION
“microenterprise,” ACCION, 112
Microfinance/microlending, 115
organizations, 111
results of, 118
Microfinancing, 95
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) and
ACCION, 119
Miller, Robert, University of Albany, 67
“Mini Square Meter Greenhouses,” 6–7
Mogilevich, Valeria, 87, 93
Mogel, Lize, 87, 93
Moisin, Lucila Mendoza, 123
Morales, Laura, 148
Morton, Oliver, 191
Moxley, David, 70
MSW program. See Masters in Social Work
(MSW) program, AAU, Ethiopia
Multi-Method Analysis of the Social and
Technical Conditions for
Interdisciplinary Collaboration, A,
189
Mustain, Nathan
autobiography of, 129
emails to audience of Invisible
Children, 135–137
first screening of Invisible Children,
and, 133–134
and history of civil war in Uganda,
130–131
Mustain, Patrick, 154
My Path Leads to Tibet (Mein Weg fuehrt
nach Tibet) (Tenberken), 12
National Atmospheric Deposition
Program, 193
National Cancer Institute (NCI), 199
Natural Resources Research Center
(North Carolina State University),
The, 198
Index
Nature, journal, 191
NCI. See National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Nellie Mae Education Foundation, 167
Net Yang Secondary School, Cambodia,
24–25
New Profit Inc. (NPI), 179
New York City Leadership Forums,
Endeavor, 99
New York Times, 107, 131, 188, 247
9/11 Commission Report, 208
9/11 terrorist attack
fifth anniversary of, 212–214
fourth anniversary of, 206
victims of, 206, 213
Nkugwa, Alice, 122–123
NPI. See New Profit Inc. (NPI)
NYC Department of Homeless Services,
New York City, 89
Nyima, BWB, 9–10
Obama, Barack, 140, 178
Oberg, Soren, 183–184
Odonga, Grace, 134, 141
Dwon Madiki Partnership, and,
142–145
finding schools for children, 145
providing children with activities, 147
OfficeNet, expansion of, 102–103
Ogletree, Charles, Jr., 164, 172, 178, 184
Olweean, Steve
AHP and, 46–47, 48
CBI emergence in Soviet Union, 48
civil rights activist, role as, 44
ICR conference and, 49
International Professional Exchange
and, 48
services in Kuwait, 44–46
Online Small Business Loan Application,
114
Open Societies Institute (OSI), 238
Organizing Change from the Inside Out:
Emerging Models of Intra-
Organizational Collaboration in
Philanthropy (Rhoten), 191
OSI. See Open Societies Institute (OSI)
Our Voices Together, xxvi–xxvii
Action Center of, 211–212, 217
advisory board of, 229–233
Index
AID, merging with, 218
blog, 215
board of directors of, 227–228
family profiles of, 204t–206t
formation of, 203–204, 206
free services of, 211–212
funding of, 216–217
global challenge, responses to (see Our
Voices Together and global
challenge)
Global Giving Foundation and,
218–219
Global Service Fellowship Act,
215–216
honorary board of, 228–229
inspiration behind, 223–226
launch of, 216
Learn, Act, Share structure of, 217
major challenges faced by, 218
networking, 210–212, 211t
organizational snapshot, 233
principal program areas of, 207–208
responsibilities in global community
statement, 214, 214t
staff of, 228
Statement of Global Responsibilities
petition, 214, 214t
volunteer’s contribution to, 217
writing Forum Toolkit, 215
Our Voices Together and global challenge
“Agenda of Opportunity,” program,
207–208, 208–210
counterterrorist network, 208,
210–212, 211t
people-to-people efforts, promoting,
207
Safer, More Compassionate World
campaign, 212–216
terrorism challenge, 206–207
Our Voices Together Blog, 215
Otero, María, 121, 126–127
Palo Alto Research Center, 193
Pape, Robert, 207
Parent, Michael, 6
Peace Corps, 235
“peace needs hope to grow” (Azcona), 219
Pearl, Daniel, 224–225
267
PEPFAR. See President’s Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
PhD program in social work, AAU
curriculum plan of, 70–71
four potential project areas of, 71
initiation of, 70
Ministry of Education’s funding of, 70
Moxley’s role, 70
vision of sustainability and, 70
Peterkin, Robert, 172
Petras, Donna, 67
Pevzner, Mark, 50
Phalen, Earl Martin, 163, 184
and BELL struggle for funding,
176–177
illustrating use of BELL, 166
inspiration of, 170, 173
lessons learned by, 180–181
mentors of, 164, 172
significant moment of, 171–172
Philip, Tigi, 12
Piela, Chris, 184
Pirir, Juan, 122
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR), 67
Proctor & Gamble, 103
“pro-entrepreneurship,” Endeavor, 108
Program on Vision Science & Advanced
Networking, University of
Pennsylvania, 191
Project SWEEP. See Social Work
Education in Ethiopia Partnership
(Project SWEEP)
Psychological Impact of War Trauma on
Civilians (Krippner), 53
Push Pin Gallery, 152
Rapport, David, 194
Reading Room Program
CRRs and 21–22
establishing libraries, 20–21
Local Language Publishing Program,
20
Scholastic and Chronicle Books,
contribution of, 22
Red Sox Foundation, 180
Red Sox Nation, 180
Red Sox Scholars Program, 179–180
268
Request for Proposals (RFP), 221
Retik family, 205t
Retik, David, 225
Retik, Susan, 232
Revised Kyoto Convention, 238
RFP. See Request for Proposals (RFP)
Rhoten, Diana, 189, 191
Rich, Damon, 87, 90, 93
Risk as Continuum: A Redefinition of Risk
for Governing the Post-Genome
World (Caruso), 189
Risk: The Art and the Science and Choice
(Caruso), 190
RNIB. See Royal National Institute for the
Blind (RNIB), 9
Rogers, Carl, 46–47
Rollin, James, 62
Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship
Program, 17
ADAPT Program, 26
empowering girls, 25
impact of, 25
long-term commitment, making,
25–26
Room to Read
awards and honors for, 28
Challenge Grant Model of, 16, 26–27
focus of, 15
future plans of, 28–29
global monitoring system of, 27
history of, 16–18 (see also Room to
Read, history of)
mission of, 15–16, 23
organizational snapshot, 30
programs of (see Room to Read
programs)
project evaluating system of, 27–28
Wood, John, vision of, 15–16
Room to Read, history of
donation of millionth book, 17
expansion of, 17
five-year strategic plan, completion of,
17–18
Ganju’s contribution, 17
one thousandth library, opening of, 17
Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship
Program and, 17(see also Room to
Grow Girls’ Scholarship Program)
start of, 17
Index
two thousandth library, opening of, 17
Wood’ s Nepal experience, 15–16
Room to Read preschools, 19–20
Room to Read programs
Computer Room Program, 23–25 (see
also Computer Room Program)
educational opportunities, providing,
19
Local Language Publishing Program,
20, 22–23
Reading Room Program (see Reading
Room Program)
Room to Grow Girls’ Scholarship
Program, 17, 25–26
School Room Program (see also School
Room Program)
Rosenthal family, 205–206t
Rosenthal, Joshua, 225
Rosenthal, Marilynn M., 205
Rottenberg, Linda
analyzing entrepreneurs, 97
co-founding Endeavor, 95
contribution in success of Endeavor,
105
receiving Woman of the Year Award,
108
Royal National Institute for the Blind
(RNIB)
Safer, More Compassionate World
campaign, Our Voices Together,
208
activities of, 213–215
aim of, 212
events, 215
Global Service Fellowship Act and,
215–216
Our Voices Together Blog, 215
starting of, 212–213, 213t
Statement of Global Responsibilities
petition and, 214, 214t
SAIS. See Johns Hopkins School for
Advanced International Studies
(SAIS)
Sangha, 133
Sanos, Jose Antonio, 121, 122
Sarri, Rosemary, University of
Michigan, 67
Schakowsky, Jan, 140
Index
Schiele, Boris, 7
Schofield, Lynne Steuerle. See Steuerle,
Lynne
School Room Program
providing access to preschools, 19–20
completing school construction
projects, 18–19
libraries, establishment of, 19 (see also
Room to Read, history of)
relevance in developing countries, 18
School of Social Work, AAU
establishment of, 60–62
factors helping, 62–64
“paradox of the poor,” and, 63–64
educational innovations in (see
Educational innovations in School
of Social Work, Ethiopia)
success and recognition, 69–70
Second Congo War, 153
Scientific disciplines and Hybrid Vigor,
194
Scott, Marianne, 217
Scranton, Katie, 141–142
Simpson, Kristen, 89
Social Capitalist Award, 108
Serr, Klaus, Australian Catholic
University, 67
Seward Park Urban Renewal Area
(SPURA), 90
Shimkin, M. Christopher and GVE, 33,
34, 37, 40–41
Shrestha, Dinesh, 17
Small-to-medium-sized (SME)
companies, 102
Smith, Morgan, 133
Smith, Lauren, 184
Snow, Keith Harmon, 153
Snyder, Cecilia, 217, 228
Social work education in Ethiopia
Butterfield, Alice, and, 57–58
educational innovations used in (see
Educational innovations in School
of Social Work, Ethiopia)
factors, expediting development of,
62–64
Gebre-Selassie, Seyoum, contributions
of (see Gebre-Selassie, Seyoum)
GSSW, establishment of, 61–62, 63, 64
HED and, 59–60, 62
269
“paradox of the poor” and, 64–65, 65f,
66t
Project SWEEP and (see Social Work
Education in Ethiopia Partnership
(Project SWEEP))
seed for developing, 57
Tasse, Abye, contributions of (see
Tasse, Abye)
UCBP and, 63
Social Work Education in Ethiopia
Partnership (Project SWEEP)
AAU-UIC planning committee and,
60–61
collaboration with other
organizations, 73
Eshete, Andreas, contributions of, 60, 61
formation of, 59–60
future plans and directions of, 75–78
HED, contributions of, 60, 62
MSW program at AAU, 60, 62, 63–64
organizational snapshot, 80
PhD program at AAU, 70–71
School of Social Work, start of, 61–62
(see also School of Social Work,
AAU)
Seyoum, Gebre-Selassie, contributions
of, 60, 64
Tasse, Abye, contributions of, 61–62
(see also Tasse, Abye)
vision of change and, 72–73, 72f
Solomon, Richard
Hybrid Vigor, founding (see Hybrid
Vigor Institute)
literary work of, 191
Somerville , Margaret, 194, 195
SOSA. See Department of Sociology and
Social Anthropology (SOSA), Addis
Ababa University
South African Bureau of Standards, 107
Soviet Union during1980s to1990s
AHP, contributions of, 46–47
CBI emergence, 47, 48, 49–50
human services, lack of, 46
ICR Conferences in, 49
Virginia Satir1987 trip, 46
Sperling, Laurene, 184
SPURA. See Seward Park Urban Renewal
Area (SPURA)
Staples of Latin America and OfficeNet, 103
270
Stapleton family, 205t
Stapleton, David, 209, 217, 227
State Street Bank and BELL, 176
Statement of Global Responsibilities
petition, 214, 214t
STEP UP Act, United States of America,
169–170, 178
Steuerle family, 204t
formation of Our Voices Together, 206
funding for Our Voices Together, 216
reaching out to other families, 204
starting with idea, 216
Steuerle, Gene, 203, 208, 217, 227
Steuerle, Kristin, 203, 217, 227–228
Steuerle, Lynne, 203, 204, 217, 226, 227
Stern, Nikki, 206, 232
Steuerle, Norma, 203, 226
Stitch Wise, 106–107
Swanson, Kristin Steuerle. See Steuerle,
Kristin
SWEEP’s future plans and directions
reconceptualizing, 78
UIC-AAU partnership to other
endeavors, 75–77, 76f
UIC-AAU-ISW in Tanzania, 77–78
TAR. See Tibetan Autonomous Region
(TAR)
Tashis’ New World (Tenberken), 12
Tasse, Abye
leadership style of, 61–62
invitation mail to UIC/IASSW
colleagues, 64–65, 65f
Teach for America, 180
Teachers for Africa Program of IFESH, 74
Tenberken, Sabriye
creating Braille Without Borders, xvi–
xvii, 2–3
developing Tibetan script for blind, 3
biography of, 12–13
Terrorism, 212t
Tesfaye, Andargatchew, 59
Teuk Thlar Primary and Junior High
School and CRR, Cambodia, 21
Think Big, Act Big FunRaisers, 209
Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR)
BWB in (see Braille Without Borders
(BWB))
Index
problems of visual impairment in,
1–2
Tibetan Braille script, development of,
3, 5
Tippet, Bruce, 124
Tobin Elementary School, Roxbury, 164
Transdisciplinarity: reCreating Integrated
Knowledge (Somerville and
Rapport), 195
UCBP. See University Capacity Building
Program (UCBP)
Uganda
civil war in northern, 130–131
Invisible Conflicts in (see Invisible
Conflicts)
Uganda Microfinance Limited (UML),
122, 123
“Uganda, the Horror” (Smithsonian),
130
UIC. See University of Illinois–Chicago
(UIC)
UIUC. See University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
UML. See Uganda Microfinance Limited
(UML)
“Understanding Genomics Risks: An
Integrated Scenario and Analytic
Approach,” 192
United Communities, 34, 36
United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), 236
United Nations Peacemaking Mission in
Sudan, 132
University Capacity Building Program
(UCBP), Ethiopia, 63
University of California–Berkeley,
International and Area Studies
program, 195
University of Illinois–Chicago (UIC),
AAU partnerships, 59–60 (see also
Social Work Education in Ethiopia
Partnership (Project SWEEP))
University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign (UIUC), 147, 154
U.S. ACCION Network, 114
USAID. See United States Agency for
International Development
Index 271

Vasquez, Carmen, 89 Winfrey, Oprah, 140

VentureCorps advisors, 97–98 Wood, John
Victim Compensation Fund, 216 nonprofit management, approach to, 16
Visual impairment vision of, 15–16, 28
BWP, services toward (see Braille Woo, Rosten, 87
Without Borders (BWB)) World Customs Organization, 238
WHO’s report on, 1–2 World Food Program, 131
Voce S.A., 100 World Health Organization (WHO)
visual impairment report, 1–2
War on Terror World Is Flat, The (Friedman), 109
civil liberties and War on Terror, www.GlobalGiving.org, 218
212–213 www.goodrichfoundation.org, 205
sixth year of, 207
Washington Post, 208 Yudon, BWB, 11
Wear, David, 196
Western Deep Levels, South Africa, 106 Zinn, Deborah, 62
Whittington, Leslie, 205, 226 Zuckerman, Ethan
WHO. See World Health Organization Geekcorps, founding, 235
(WHO) as inspiration for Geekcorps, 235
Willis, Graci, 151 leaving IESC Geekcorps, 238
Wilson, Edward, 192 Zurawski, Diana, 148
This page intentionally left blank
The New Humanitarians
Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions
Albert R. Roberts, Series Editor

Finding Meaning in Life, at Midlife and Beyond: Wisdom and Spirit from Logotherapy
David Guttmann
 The New
Humanitarians

Inspiration, Innovations, and

Blueprints for Visionaries

Volume 3
Changing Sustainable Development
and Social Justice

Edited by Chris E. Stout, PsyD

Foreword by Mehmet Oz, MD

Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions

Albert R. Roberts, Series Editor
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The new humanitarians : inspiration, innovations, and blueprints for visionaries / edited
by Chris E. Stout ; foreword by Mehmet Oz.
p. cm. — (Social and psychological issues: Challenges and solutions, ISSN
1941–7985)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–275–99768–7 ((set) : alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–275–99770–0 ((vol. 1) :
alk. paper) — ISBN 978–0–275–99772–4 ((vol. 2) : alk. paper) — ISBN
978–0–275–99774–8 ((vol. 3) : alk. paper)
1. Philanthropists. 2. Humanitarianism. 3. Charities. 4. Social action. I. Stout, Chris E.
HV27.N49 2009
361.7'4—dc22 2008020797
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2009 by Chris E. Stout
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008020797
ISBN: 978–0–275–99768–7 (set)
978–0–275–99770–0 (vol. 1)
978–0–275–99772–4 (vol. 2)
978–0–275–99774–8 (vol. 3)
ISSN: 1941-7985
First published in 2009
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com
Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the

Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To all of those profiled herein and to all of those they help—you are all heroic.
This page intentionally left blank
 Contents

Foreword by Mehmet Oz, MD ix

Acknowledgments xi
Introduction by Chris E. Stout xiii
1: WITNESS 1
Gillian Caldwell
2: From Violence to Agreement: The Work of the
Community Relations Council in Northern Ireland 17
Mari Fitzduff
3: Amnesty International: A Global Movement
That Began with One 51
Malachi Garff, Orlando Rodriguez, and James Wood
4: The PeaceWorks Foundation: Building Consensus
and Mobilizing the Grassroots in Israel and Palestine 65
Daniel Lubetzky
5: Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic Choice for the Future 89
Mel Duncan, Mark Zissman, and Patrick Savaiano
6: Peaceful Bodyguards: Nonviolent Action in
War Zones for the Protection of Human Rights: Lessons
from Three Decades with Peace Brigades International 105
Barbara J. Wien
7: Witness for Peace: Transforming
People—Transforming Policy 123
Stephanie Benjamin and Teresa Barttrum,
interviewing Melinda St. Louis
viii Contents

8: Southern Poverty Law Center 137

Myron Panchuk and Patrick Savaiano
9: Human Rights Campaign 157
Trevor Thomas and Myron Panchuk
10: The Global Security Institute: Seeking True Security
for All through International Cooperation 177
Rhianna Tyson
11: Search for Common Ground 191
John Marks and Susan Collin Marks
12: The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 213
Tim Phillips
13: Exodus World Service 239
Heidi Moll Schoedel
14: A Successful Institution in a Struggling System:
The Story of the International Institute for Sustainable
Development and Sustainable Development in Canada 263
Lillian Hayward
Afterword by Keith Ferrazzi 287
Series Afterword by Albert R. Roberts 289
About the Editor and Contributors 291
Index 301
 Foreword: Honor Roll

From the time I first met Chris after our election as fellow Global Leaders of
Tomorrow in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meet-
ing, I was impressed by his remarkable insight and diligence. Over the years, we
have collaborated on various health-related projects, and we have shared pro-
found sadness over many global tragedies.
Now Chris has embarked on a daunting challenge—that of compiling a Who’s
Who, or Honor Roll, of worldwide humanitarian organizations. Chris has taken
his proverbial golden Rolodex of contacts and friends and compiled an impressive
list that represents the “best of the best” in global human service organizations.
Although Chris made his admittedly “biased” choices by going to the founders he
already knew, he has nevertheless highlighted some of the best in the world–some
well known, some almost unknown—but all that represent a sampling of the
finest. Each is a testament to the power of the human spirit in the face of seem-
ingly insurmountable challenges and deficits.
All the familiar bromides are absent from The New Humanitarians. Though it
would be tempting to wring our collective hands at the enormity of the prover-
bial “world-going-to-hell-in-a-hand-basket,” The New Humanitarians is a totem
of real inspiration. Chris has highlighted organizations that favor results over
standard protocol in accomplishing their work. Those herein are doing the
difficult—not by following in other’s footsteps, but by forging new paths and
finding new solutions to mankind’s humanitarian needs. The time has come for
them to collectively tell their stories—a daunting task, but that is something Chris
has experience with.
Someone once remarked that the core issue with Nazi Germany was not that
there was a Hitler, but that there were too few Schindlers. The New Humanitarians
gives us all hope that there is a new generation of Schindlers across the globe, and
our imaginations can show us the differences they will make for the future.
Mehmet Oz, MD, MBA
This page intentionally left blank
 Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I want to thank all of the people involved in the organizations
profiled herein. Many people would not be alive or function at the levels they are
without your vision and passion. Period. Full stop. It is your zeal that has so
inspired me to publish these books. My thanks to each of you for taking the time
to craft what has become this set. I am fortunate to call each of you my friend, and
the world is blessed to have you. I also must apologize to those who lead organiza-
tions that are not included herein. It is a function of time and space—not having
adequate amounts of either. Nevertheless, I hold a great and abiding respect for all
of those working in the so-called humanitarian space. The world is in your debt.
Debbie Carvalko is my publisher extraordinaire at Praeger/Greenwood. With-
out her pitching my proposal, this project would not have been made into the
reality that you are holding in your hand. She was a valued collaborator in the
shepherding of the production of the manuscripts to final production. Debbie,
you are amazing.
I was fortunate to gain valuable help in organizing, interviewing, and writing with
a valued set of graduate student assistants: Annie Khan, Teresa Bartrum, Stephanie
Benjamin, Mark Zissman, Valaria Levit, and Donald Bernovich. I would like espe-
cially to thank Patrick “Skully” Savaiano, who from the start displayed not only a keen
sense of organization of the myriad of complexities that this project involved, but
also demonstrated a wonderful balance of professionalism blended with a hip,
e-mail-savvy communication style with some of the most prominent leaders in the
humanitarian space. This is an incredible feat by an incredible person—tip-o-the-hat
to you, Skully. And I would also like to particularly thank Myron Panchuk, who
served as a fantastic resource and intellect to this project. I owe you my friend.
It was my mother who modeled rather than lectured about the importance of
helping others. She provided me with an inspiring example that I can only hope
to be able to mimic for my children. Thanks, Mom.
xii Acknowledgments

The support of my wife, Karen, is always invaluable, whether I am writing or

not; and she was especially helpful in her ever-sharp review of many of the first
drafts of what now appear herein, as well as tolerating my innumerable, long-
winded, overly animated discourses about so many of the incredible stories and
works of those profiled. Both of my children, Grayson and Annika, were valued
partners in the early production steps of helping me stay organized with the chap-
ters and whatnots of such a project. They were willing and able freelancers who
could perforate pages as well as offer critique on some of my more complicated
sentence-structuring problems. I thank and love you all.
Chris E. Stout
Kildeer, IL

Care to do more yourself? Please do! Here’s how . . .

1. Visit CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org for more information on projects you can

be a part of. If you don’t see something you think you can help with, e-mail me
at Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org and I may be able to connect you to
another organization that can help, or we may be able to initiate work.
2. Consider suggesting The New Humanitarians to others and start a viral
buzz! Think of all your contacts who may be interested in this book. If you
go to www.Praeger.com and search for “The New Humanitarians” you can
print a downloadable flyer for the book to give to interested others. You
can also email the Praeger link to interested others as well as the
CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org.
3. Inquire if your local or university library has The New Humanitarians in its
collection, or on order. If you recommend it to them, they may add it and oth-
ers can read it as well.
4. Request a presentation at your local college, university, public library, high
school, church, mosque, synagogue, book seller, coffee shop, service organ-
ization (Rotary, Lyons, etc.), or book club by e-mailing a request to
Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org or by calling 847.550.0092, ext. 2.
5. Request an interview by a broadcast, cable, or Internet television program,
radio, newspaper, or magazine reporter. Media kits are also available by request
to Chris@CenterForGlobalInitiatives.org or by calling 847.550.0092, ext. 2.
 Introduction
Chris E. Stout

Welcome to a trip around the world. You will travel to six continents, led by men
and women of various ages and backgrounds. Be warned: you may go to some
fairly desperate places, but they all have a seed of hope. You will not be traveling
as a tourist, but rather as an activist with more than three dozen organizations—
each one incredible. Each chapter is a story, a story of need, of response, and of
accomplishment. They are all at once different, but yet the same as being an inspi-
rational account demonstrating the power of the individual triumphant over the
challenges of poverty, illness, conflict, or a litany of injustices. My friend, Jonathan
Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, said of the project that it is a
counter to the pervasive “pornography of the trivial” that infects much of what is
in print these days. I suspect he is correct.
As a sad postscript but powerful testament to the seriousness of the work
done by those profiled herein, a few days prior to this manuscript being sent in
to the publisher, I was speaking with a representative with Médecins Sans
Frontières who told me that three of their staff had been killed in a conflict zone
in northwest Africa. My heart sunk on this news. Although I know such things
happen—and with much more frequency than I usually let myself believe—I
was more honored to get the stories of these heroic organizations out to a
broader audience.
In these three volumes, readers will learn about individuals who have created
organizations that:

• Break up human trafficking rings and teach citizens how to intervene in other
injustices
• Go to conflict areas and put themselves at risk to end the conflict
• Help ensure elections are just
• Go to active war zones to administer emergency medical care
• Provide training and loans in order to empower people out of poverty
xiv Introduction

• Create a new language and then put it to use in developing education and job
training programs
• Work to stop nuclear war and curb the development of weapons of mass
destruction
• Create an ingenious for-profit organization that supports the not-for-profit
work
• Solve a problem of medical supply shortages in the developing world while
also alleviating medical waste problems in the developed world
• Export social services training into self-sustaining programs
• Create project-based trainings in order to increase capacity for global projects
• Treat immigrant and refugee survivors of torture in a culturally competent
manner that is encompassing and holistic
• Help boys conscripted into being child soldiers adapt to a normal life
• Create the first not-for-profit pharmaceutical company to help in the battle of
neglected diseases
• Advance education for girls where it is almost unheard of
• Integrate urban environmental design with democracy, civic participation,
and social justice
• Bring the philosophy of “it takes a village to raise a child” to formative elementary
school years, blend cultural heritage, and inspire students by mobilizing parents,
teachers, and young adults
• Connect experts from a range of fields to work together on problems such as
curing and preventing infectious and epidemic diseases, analyzing the risks of
science and technology breakthroughs, and designing enforceable global
health and environmental policies

CONTEXT FOR THE PROJECT

In developing my own nascent organization, the Center for Global Initiatives

(profiled herein), I came to realize that there are many successful, groundbreak-
ing models that already exist worldwide, but there really isn’t a blueprint or a
how-to on the subject. Although this is most likely due to the uniqueness of the
organizations and their leadership examined herein, as well as their idiosyncratic
approach to conducting their work, it is my hope that these volumes will provide
readers a unique behind-the-scenes glimpse of the organizations and offer incredibly
valuable insights, present insider experiences, and give advice that few would
ever have access to from one organization, let alone from more than forty of
the best-of-the-best.
I went about the selection process via the people I know. I met some in Davos
at annual meetings of the World Economic Forum, or perhaps at a TED conference
(back when Richard Saul Wurman still orchestrated them), or a Renaissance
Weekend, or by being a co-nominee in the Fast Company Fast-50, or goodness
knows where. I did not apply any scientific methods or algorithms to seek out the
Introduction xv

most cost-efficient organizations, those with the most stars on Charity Navigator,
or those listed in a Forbes table. I was totally subjective and biased. I left my scientific
method in the lab because I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the
most innovative humanitarian organizations in the world, or to have collaborated
with their incredibly talented founders/directors.
In fact, it is my experiences with these extraordinary people that led to my idea
for this book project. There are many wonderful, long-standing organizations that
do important work, but I found that many of the organizations I was working
with were newer and, honestly, a bit more edgy. Many have more skin-in-the-game.
These founders were on the ground and doing the work themselves, not remotely
administrating from a comfortable office miles or a continent away. But don’t let
my capricious favoritism prevent you from researching the many, many other
fantastic organizations that exist throughout the world. In fact, I hope this book
may cause you to do exactly that. (I suppose I could have tried to get a book deal
to compile the Encyclopedia of New Humanitarians, but I will leave that to someone
with way more spunk than I.)
Though many of us are content in helping various causes by writing checks of
support or perhaps even volunteering, the individuals profiled herein preferred to
actually start their own organizations—to enact their passionate interests. So
therein was the idea that crystallized the concept for this New Humanitarians
project. I wanted to find out what makes these new humanitarians tick and how
their brainchildren worked. Now, through this three-volume set, readers can, too.
From Braille Without Borders and Witness, to Geekcorps and ACCION,
humanitarian groups are working worldwide largely in undeveloped countries to
better people’s lives. Whether they are empowering people with schools for the
blind, intervening in human trafficking, giving the underserved access to technology,
or helping individuals work out of poverty, the men and women of these innovative
organizations offer their tremendous talent to their causes, along with great
dedication and, sometimes, even personal risk to complete their missions. The
work of these groups is remarkable. And so, too, are the stories of how they
developed—including the defining moments when their founders felt they had to
take action.
This project features a sampling of humanitarian groups across various
areas: medicine, education, sustainable development, and social justice. These
new humanitarians have been very successful with on-the-ground guerilla
innovations without a lot of bureaucracy or baloney. They are rebels with a
cause whose actions speak louder than words. They have all felt a moral duty to
serve as vectors of change.
I did not want to be the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Changing the
World or Humanitarian Aid for Dummies, but I did want to canvass the organiza-
tions whose founders I know personally and have had firsthand experiences with,
as well as showcase others who are recognized pioneers, and have them describe
in their own words where they gained their original idea, or what the tipping
point was that so moved them to create their own organizations. I hope readers
xvi Introduction

may gain not only inspiration, but also actionable approaches that are based on
the real-world experiences of those profiled if they, too, care to take action.
Many of those appearing herein already hold world renown, so I hope this
project will give readers the chance to learn the answers to questions rarely
answered publicly, such as “How did you first get funding? Did you have false
starts or failures? How creatively do you approach opportunities and
obstacles—be they organizational or political? How do you create original solu-
tions? What would you do differently today or what do you know now that you
wish you knew then?”

COMMON DENOMINATORS

Even though the approaches of all these organizations are different, they do
share a number of commonalities. At the time they formed their entities, each
organization was novel in its approach to dealing with the problems it was
addressing. The organizations were not restricted by past ways of thinking or act-
ing. They created innovative approaches to produce something that was real and
actionable from a concept and a vision. They developed practical approaches to
solutions, some complex, some elegant, all robust and lasting. They were provoca-
tive. They were unhappy or unsatisfied with approaches others were using, and
decided: if you can’t join ’em, beat ’em. And they did just that—they cleared their
own trails to sustainability for their organizations for the benefit of others.
They also either have a global reach or are at least not bound to the North or
the West. These are “young” organizations with an average organizational age of
fifteen years, with the majority being founded ten or fewer years ago. Thus, they
are new enough to demonstrate generalizable methods to help readers in their
own development of their work, while demonstrating sustainability and viability
of their model and approach. Simply put, it is my goal to have this set of books
demonstrate how these organizations make a difference. Each of them has taken
an approach to their life and work by living like they mean it. While there is the
essence of the power of one, it is one for all.
The organizations profiled in this three-volume book set differ in many other
ways as well. Some have been recognized with many awards and accolades
(MacArthur “Genius” Award recipients, fellows of institutes or think tanks, etc.),
whereas others are newer or have such a low profile or are so remote as to not be
picked up by any radar. I like that diversity. Some have incredible budgets and
others almost none, but they all do amazing things with what they have. And
with the increased exposure gained from being in this book set, they may be able
to gain more people’s awareness.
For example, Braille Without Borders is an organization created in 1998 by
Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg when they left Europe to establish the Reha-
bilitation and Training Centre for the Blind, a preparatory school for elementary-
school children in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Before the center was
Introduction xvii

opened, blind children there did not have access to education. These children were
stigmatized outcasts who held little hope for integration or much of a future.
Although there are many governmental and nongovernmental organizations that
have set up eye clinics for surgery or eyeglasses, there is a large group of blind people
that cannot be helped by these clinics. The center was created for them.
If this wasn’t challenge enough, those in the TAR had no written form of com-
munication. There was no Tibetan version of what many blind individuals use to
read, known as Braille (invented in 1821 by Frenchman Louis Braille). So, of
course, Sabriye invented a Tibetan script, or Braille if you will, for the blind. This
script combines the principles of the Braille system with the special features of the
Tibetan syllable-based script.
Impoverished countries worldwide account for nearly 6 million preschool and
school-age children who are blind, and 90–95 percent of them have no access to
education. Braille Without Borders wants to empower blind people in such coun-
tries so they can set up projects and schools for other blind people. In this way the
concept can be spread across the globe so that more blind and visually impaired
people have access to education and a better future.
It is people like Sabriye Tenberken and Paul Kronenberg and all of those herein
who are taking the kind of action that William Easterly pines for in The White
Man’s Burden—they are interested in results and they deliver. They offer small-
scale results that make a large-scale impact.

STRUCTURE

Readers will find that some of the chapters are authored by the founder or
current leader of the organization profiled. Other chapters are the result of an
interview. I wanted this book to be thematic and structured, but I also wanted
to provide a wide berth for every organization to best tell its story. Thus, for
some it is literally in their own voice, first-person. In other instances interviews
were conducted and a story unfolds as told by the founder or current leader, the
de facto coauthor.
I had established a set of standard questions that could be used as a guide, but
not as a strict rule-set. I told every organization’s leader that he or she could fol-
low them or ignore them, or to choose whatever was appropriate. I was very
pleased with the result. That is, most chapters cover similar thematic aspects—
how they started, how they manage, and so forth. But I think I have been able to
steer clear of the chapters looking like cookie-cutter templates with simply dif-
ferent content sprinkled in the right spots here and there. It was my hope to cre-
ate a set of guidebooks, not cookbooks, and I hope you as a reader will enjoy a
similarity between chapters in their construction, but great variability in their
voice and creation.
I asked authors to sketch the background on their centers or organizations, when
they started, canvass their history to current day, provide a description of their
xviii Introduction

model, indicate how large they are, what type of corporate structure (non-for-profit,
university based, etc.) they have, what metrics they use to track productivity or how
they measure success, and biographical information about the founder.
I also had a set of curiosities myself: Where did the idea came from? What was
the inspiration/motivation for the starting the organization? Was there “that one
incident” (or the first, or the many events) that so moved the founder to no longer
“do nothing” and take action. I felt that reading about specific cases or vignettes of
groups or individuals who were helped would give a finer grain as to outcomes and
impacts of such organizations. But I also wanted to learn how these organizations
defined success. I think readers will be not only pleased, but inspired. I hope that
readers will have their own passions sparked and have their desire to know (and
perhaps, to do) more increased.
Organizing the chapters was a bit of a challenge. As you will see, there is much
overlap between their activities, and many somewhat defy an easy categorization
(which I like, actually), so I did the best I could to make what I hope readers will
consider to be reasonable groupings. Or, perhaps this will at least cause readers to
look at all three volumes!
And now, it is with great pleasure (and awe) that I introduce the new
humanitarians.

VOLUME 1: CHANGING GLOBAL HEALTH INEQUITIES

Médecins Sans Frontières/Founded in 1971
I was in Geneva when I first met Doris Schopper, a physician who was involved
in the founding of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and she was an incredible
person filled with energy and stories. As readers will find, this chapter provides a
frank and transparent description of the chaos involved in the nascent years of
MSF—quite the shift to the Nobel Prize–winning organization and operation of
today. Médecins Sans Frontières is an independent humanitarian medical aid
agency committed to two objectives: providing medical aid wherever needed,
regardless of race, religion, politics, or sex, and raising awareness of the plight of
people it helps.

Unite For Sight/Founded in 2000

If you ever want to feel inadequate, just look up Jennifer Staple. While most of us
were struggling to get through undergraduate school, Jennifer, while at Yale, formed
what has become an award-winning global enterprise doing incredible work. The
organization’s model serves as an inspiration regarding the power of making and
acting upon connections. Unite For Sight implements vision screening and educa-
tion programs in North America and in developing countries. In North America,
patients are connected with free health coverage programs so that they can receive
an eye exam by a doctor. In Africa and Asia, Unite For Sight volunteers work with
partner eye clinics to implement screening and free surgery programs.
Introduction xix

Scojo Foundation/Founded in 2001

In the small world of global efforts, I read a piece by Jordan Kassalow, OD,
MPH, and I called him while he was at the Global Health Policy Program at the
Council on Foreign Relations in New York, serving as an adjunct senior fellow. We
had a wonderful conversation, and I have referenced his keen points on the deadly
reciprocity of illness and warfare in subsequent talks I have given. He and Scott
Berrie went on to found the Scojo Foundation. Their mission is to reduce poverty
and generate opportunity through the sale of affordable eyeglasses and comple-
mentary products. Scojo Vision Entrepreneurs are low-income men and women
living in rural villages who are trained to conduct vision screenings within their
communities, sell affordable reading glasses, and refer those who require
advanced eye care to reputable clinics.

Sustainable Sciences Institute/Founded in 1998

I tell people that Eva Harris, PhD, could make a lab out of a Jeep and that she
is the spiritual cousin of MacGyver. I have read her seminal book, A Low-Cost
Approach to PCR, and though not a biologist, I was astounded. We first spoke on
the phone some years ago about the possibility of collaborating on a project
together, and my astonishment continued. She developed the Sustainable Sciences
Institute (SSI) and holds a mission to develop scientific research capacity in areas
with pressing public health problems. To that end, SSI helps local biomedical sci-
entists gain access to training, funding, information, equipment, and supplies, so
that they can better meet the public health needs of their communities.

Institute for OneWorld Health/Founded in 2000

I first spoke to Victoria Hale, PhD, after she and her attorneys had been meet-
ing with Internal Revenue Service attorneys to convince them that the Institute for
OneWorld Health was indeed a NOT-for-profit pharmaceutical company. We
were looking to collaborate on a pharmacogenomic project in which my Center
would do the “R” of R&D and she would work on the “D,” or development. We
first met face-to-face in Geneva at the World Economic Forum headquarters.
Today, the Institute for OneWorld Health develops safe, effective, and affordable
new medicines for people with infectious diseases in the developing world.

Jamkhed (aka Comprehensive Rural Health

Project—CRHP)/Founded in 1970
Shobha Arole, MD, came looking for me in Davos at a World Economic Forum
Annual Meeting. I will never forget that, in our conversation, I presumed she
needed help with getting some doctors to Jamkhed, but she quickly, and ever so
kindly, told me that she was in the market for students so she could help train
xx Introduction

them before they developed their bad habits. And she and her father, Raj Arole,
MD, are doing so, and quite successfully. Their Comprehensive Rural Health Project
(CRHP) was started to provide healthcare to rural communities, keeping in mind
the realities described above. It developed a comprehensive, community-based
primary healthcare (CBPHC) approach. CRHP is located at Jamkhed, which is far
away from a major city and is typically rural, drought-prone, and poverty
stricken. One of the main aims of the project is to reach the poorest and most
marginalized and to improve their health. In reality, perhaps not everyone in the
world will be able to have equal healthcare. However, it is possible to make sure
that all people have access to necessary and relevant healthcare. This concept is
known as equity, and it is an important principle of CRHP. Health is not only
absence of disease; it also includes social, economic, spiritual, physical, and mental
well-being. With this comprehensive understanding of health, the project focuses
on improving the socioeconomic well-being of the people as well as other aspects
of health. Health does not exist in isolation: it is greatly related to education,
environment, sanitation, socioeconomic status, and agriculture. Therefore,
improvement in these areas by the communities in turn improves the health of
the people. Healthcare includes promotive, preventive, curative, and rehabilitative
aspects. These areas of integration bring about effective healthcare.

International Center for Equal Healthcare Access/Founded in 2001

I met Marie Charles, MD, MIA, in Quebec City at a Renaissance Weekend. I
listened to her presentation on her Center’s work, and I knew I had found a kin-
dred spirit. In fact, at the time of this writing, it is looking promising that we will
be working collaboratively together in Cambodia. Marie founded the Interna-
tional Center for Equal Healthcare Access (ICEHA), which is a truly remarkable
nonprofit organization of 650+ volunteer physicians and nurses who transfer
their medical expertise in HIV and infectious diseases (>7,000 aggregate man-
years of human capital) to colleagues in more than twelve countries in the devel-
oping world. Rather than perpetuating a continued dependence on Western
charity, this creates a sustainable system that allows these countries to provide
healthcare to their own patients at the highest possible standards and yet within
the existing resource limitations. As an interesting but crucially important side-
note, the recipient developing countries themselves shoulder the major share of
the program implementation costs, giving them a true sense of proprietary pride,
value, and ownership as opposed to “receiving charity.” ICEHA turns the paradigm
of international development on its head.

Flying Doctors of America/Founded in 1990

Allan Gathercoal, DDiv, and I have been through a lot together—stuck in
Nairobi, stuck in Burundi, bribing airport officials with lighters in Hanoi to bring
medicines in, working in Bolivian prisons together; and, most recently, we met in
Introduction xxi

Cambodia. Allan is the founder of Flying Doctors of America, and his organiza-
tion runs short-term medical/dental missions to the rural regions of Third World
countries.

Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance/Founded 1987

I’d speculate that Mary Fabri, PsyD, spends more time some years in Rwanda
than in Chicago. She goes to where the needs are, and when in Chicago, the needs
are at the Marjorie Kovler Center, where she is director and one of the clinical
co-founders. The Kovler Center provides comprehensive, community-based services
in which survivors work together with staff and volunteers to identify needs and
overcome obstacles to healing. Services include Mental Health (individual or
group psychotherapy, counseling, psychiatric services, and a range of culturally
appropriate services on-site in the community), Health Care (primary healthcare
and specialized medical treatment by medical professionals specifically trained to
work with torture survivors), Case Management (access to community resources,
including tutoring, ESL, food, transportation, special events), Interpretation and
Translation (bridging cultural and linguistic barriers in medical, mental health,
and community settings), and Legal Referral (referral and collaboration with
immigration attorneys and organizations).

International Center on Responses to Catastrophes/Founded in 2002

Stevan Weine, MD, is a renaissance kind of guy. He can gain impressive NIH
grants and awards while also writing about Alan Ginsberg and Bruce Springsteen
(and take time to coauthor and present with me as well). I have had the pleasure
of traveling to all sorts of places with Steve and meeting a fascinating group of
activists, scientists, and intellectuals, all the while listening to some great music.
He is a mentor, a role model, and a good friend. He also is the founder of the Center
at the University of Illinois–Chicago, whose primary mission is to promote multi-
disciplinary research and scholarship that contributes to improved helping efforts
for those affected by catastrophes.

International Trauma Studies Program/Founded in 1997

It was Stevan Weine who introduced me to Jack Saul, PhD, and took me to visit
Jack’s International Trauma Studies Program (ITSP), now at Columbia University.
Jack’s perspective is that recent natural and human-made catastrophes have high-
lighted the need for a multidisciplinary approach to the study, treatment, and pre-
vention of trauma-related suffering. So, at New York University in 1997, he
founded the original program. It is now a training and research program at
Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. The program has been
enriched by the participation of a diverse student body, ranging from mental
health professionals, healthcare providers, attorneys, and human rights advocates,
xxii Introduction

to journalists and media professionals, academicians, oral historians, and artists.

Students and professionals are given the opportunity to develop and share
innovative approaches to address the psychosocial needs of trauma survivors,
their families, and communities. ITSP offers a dynamic combination of academic
studies, research, and practical experience working with trauma survivors in New
York City, the United States, and abroad.

Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention

@UConn/Founded in 2002
Jeff Fisher, PhD, invited me to his Center at UConn, and I had the flu. I would
not have missed such an opportunity for the world. You see, the University of
Connecticut Psychology Department’s Center for Health, Intervention, and Pre-
vention (CHIP) creates new scientific knowledge in the areas of health behavior,
health behavior change, and health risk prevention and intervention. CHIP provides
theory-based health behavior and health behavior change expertise and services at
the international, national, state, university, and community levels.

REMEDY/Founded in 1991
REMEDY, Recovered Medical Equipment for the Developing World, is a
nonprofit organization committed to teaching and promoting the recovery of
surplus operating-room supplies. Proven recovery protocols were designed to be
quickly adapted to the everyday operating room or critical care routine. As of June
2006, the REMEDY at Yale program alone had donated more than 50 tons of
medical supplies! It is estimated that at least $200 million worth of supplies could
be recovered from U.S. hospitals each year, resulting in an increase of 50 percent
of the medical aid sent from the United States to the developing world.

Center for Global Initiatives/Founded in 2004

The Center for Global Initiatives (CGI) is my baby. It is the first Center
devoted to training multidisciplinary healthcare professionals and students to
bring services that are integrated, sustainable, resiliency based, and that have
publicly accountable outcomes to areas of need, worldwide, via multiple, small,
context-specific collaboratives that integrate primary care, behavioral healthcare,
systems development, public health, and social justice. The word “global” is not
used herein as a synonym for overseas or international, but rather local as well as
transnational disparities and inequities of health risk and illness outcomes. The
Center seeks to eschew the many disconnects between separation of body/mind,
physical/mental, individual/community, and to offer a synthetic model of inte-
gration. CGI’s philosophy and approach is always that of a collaborator and
colleague. No West-Knows-Best hubris. Perhaps the most important aspects of
the Center for Global Initiatives are the simplest: it serves as an incubator and
Introduction xxiii

hothouse for new projects; it helps to nurture, grow, and launch those projects
as self-sustaining, ongoing interests; and after a project has taken hold, it serves
as pro bono consultant to help those now managing the work with whatever
they may need—materials, medicines, case consultation. About 90 percent of
all CGI’s projects have come about as a result of being invited to do the work.
As best can be done, depending on the project, CGI seeks to blend primary
care, behavioral health, and public health into an ultimately self-sustaining,
outcomes-accountable, culturally consonant result.

VOLUME 2: CHANGING EDUCATION AND RELIEF

Braille Without Borders/Founded in 1997
Sabriye, Paul, and I used to joke about how we were likely the poorest atten-
dees in Davos at the World Economic Forum. And in spite of our modest bank
balances, I can tell you that they were two of the most powerful of the movers
and shakers there. Braille Without Borders wants to empower blind people in
these countries so they themselves can set up projects and schools for other
blind people. In this way the concept can be spread across the globe so other
blind and visually impaired people have access to education and a better future.

Room to Read/Founded in 2000

I heard John Wood talk about his post-Microsoft adventure of founding Room
to Read. His brainchild partners with local communities throughout the develop-
ing world to establish schools, libraries, and other educational infrastructure.
They seek to intervene early in the lives of children in the belief that education is
a lifelong gift that empowers people to ultimately improve socioeconomic condi-
tions for their families, communities, countries, and future generations. Through
the opportunities that only an education can provide, they strive to break the cycle
of poverty, one child at a time. Since its inception, Room to Read has impacted the
lives of over 1.3 million children by constructing 287 schools, establishing over
3,870 libraries, publishing 146 new local language children’s titles representing
more than 1.3 million books, donating more than 1.4 million English language
children’s books, funding 3,448 long-term girls’ scholarships, and establishing 136
computer and language labs.

Global Village Engineers/Founded in 1992

Chris Shimkus is a good guy and a good friend with whom I first connected
in Geneva at the WEF Headquarters. He took one of those proverbial leaps of
faith and left his “day job” to devote himself to the work of Global Village Engi-
neers (GVE). GVE is a volunteer corps of professional engineers supporting the
local capacity of rural communities in developing countries to influence public
xxiv Introduction

infrastructure and environmental protection. Its engineers choose to volunteer

their skills to ensure the livelihood of these communities by building long-term
local capacity, especially in situations of disaster prevention and rehabilitation
and the need for environmental protection. They believe that infrastructure will
best serve communities when they have the capacity to become involved from
project inception through construction. Governments and project sponsors
often do not invest in communicating basic facts to the community about design,
construction, and maintenance. The mission of Global Village Engineers is to
find these facts and develop the local capacity to understand such facts.

Common Bond Institute/Founded in 1995

I first met Steve Olweean, PhD, in an airport in Oslo—or was it Helsinki? We
were on our way to St. Petersburg to the conference he founded. That conference
was a lightning rod of connections with people I continue to work with around
the world, from Sri Lanka to Tel Aviv, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what
Steve does. He founded the Common Bond Institute (CBI), which is a U.S.-based
NGO that grew out of the Association for Humanistic Psychology’s International
(Soviet-American) Professional Exchange. The Professional Exchange was initiated
in 1982 as one of the first Soviet-American nongovernmental human service
exchanges. CBI organizes and sponsors conferences, professional training programs,
relief efforts, and professional exchanges internationally, and it actively provides
networking and coordination support to assist newly emerging human service
and civil society organizations in developing countries. Its mission is cultivating
the fundamental elements of a consciousness of peace and local capacity building,
which are seen as natural, effective antidotes to small-group radical extremism
and large-group despair, as well as to hardship and suffering in the human condition.
To this end, enabling each society to effectively resolve and transform conflicts,
satisfy core human needs within their communities, and construct effective, holistic
mechanisms for self-determination, self-esteem, and fundamental human dignity
and worth is the purpose of their work.

SWEEP/Founded in 2004
The Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago
(UIC), Addis Ababa University (AAU), The Council of International Programs
USA (CIPUSA), and a network of nonprofit agencies are engaged in an exciting
effort to develop the first-ever master’s degree in social work in Ethiopia, through
a project known as the Social Work Education in Ethiopia Partnership, or SWEEP.
The undergraduate social work program at AAU was closed in 1976, when a mil-
itary regime ruled the country. Now, with a democratic government in place since
the early 1990s, the SWEEP project is working in collaboration with AAU’s new
School of Social Work and nongovernmental agencies in Ethiopia to develop
social work education and practice.
Introduction xxv

CUP/Founded in 1997
The Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP) makes educational projects about places
and how they change. Its projects bring together art and design professionals—
artists, graphic designers, architects, urban planners—with community-based advo-
cates and researchers—organizers, government officials, academics, service providers
and policymakers. These partners work with CUP staff to create projects ranging
from high-school curricula to educational exhibitions. Their work grows from a
belief that the power of imagination is central to the practice of democracy, and that
the work of governing must engage the dreams and visions of citizens. CUP believes
in the legibility of the world around us. It is the CUP philosophy that, by learning
how to investigate, we train ourselves to change what we see.

Endeavor/Founded in 1997
Linda Rottenberg, who co-founded Endeavor, is a Roman candle of energy,
enthusiasm, and brainpower. I met her through the World Economic Forum as a
Global Leader of Tomorrow. She is amazing at delivering on what’s needed in cre-
atively intelligent ways. Endeavor targets emerging-market countries transitioning
from international aid to international investment. Endeavor then seeks out local
partners to build country boards and benefactors to launch local Endeavor affiliates.

ACCION/Founded in 1961
ACCION International is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission of
giving people the financial tools they need—micro enterprise loans, business
training, and other financial services—to work their way out of poverty. A world
pioneer in microfinance, ACCION was founded in 1961 and issued its first micro-
loan in 1973 in Brazil. ACCION International’s partner microfinance institutions
today are providing loans as low as $100 to poor men and women entrepreneurs
in twenty-five countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, and sub-Saharan
Africa, as well as in the United States.

Invisible Conflicts/Dwon Madiki Partnership/Founded in 2006

I just met Evan Ledyard at a talk I gave at Loyola University in Chicago, and
he introduced me to the work he has done with an incredible group of students.
Invisible Conflicts is a student organization that sponsors the education, men-
torship, and empowerment of twenty Ugandan orphans and vulnerable children.
A twenty-one-year civil war in northern Uganda, between the government and a
rebel faction called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), has led to the forced dis-
placement of over 1.7 million people into internal refugee camps. To support
their rebellion, the LRA abducted more than 30,000 Ugandan children, forcing
them to be sex slaves and to fight as child soldiers. Because of these atrocities, all
xxvi Introduction

of the DMP-sponsored children live in squalid conditions in and around the

many displacement camps. Because life around these camps is marked by
poverty, hunger, and little or no access to education, an entire generation of children
find themselves denied a childhood and a chance to succeed in life.

BELL/Founded in 1992
Building Educated Leaders for Life, or BELL, recognizes that the pathway to
opportunity for children lies in education. BELL transforms children into scholars
and leaders through the delivery of nationally recognized, high-impact after-school
and summer educational programs. By helping children achieve academic and
social proficiency during their formative elementary-school years and embrace
their rich cultural heritage, BELL is inspiring the next generation of great teachers,
doctors, lawyers, artists, and community leaders. By mobilizing parents, teachers,
and young adults, BELL is living the idea that “it takes a village to raise a child.”

Hybrid Vigor Institute/Founded in 2000

I first met Denise Caruso at a TED Conference. She was just stepping down
from her position as technology columnist at the New York Times, just before the
tech bubble burst. Smart gal. I was immediately smitten by her intellect, and in
subsequent emails and conversations, she agreed to help me in the pondering of
my nascent ideas for my Center as she was building her Institute in the form of
Hybrid Vigor. The Hybrid Vigor Institute is focused on three ambitious goals: (1)
to make a significant contribution toward solving some of today’s most
intractable problems in the areas of health, the environment, and human potential,
both by producing innovative knowledge and by developing processes for sharing
expertise; (2) to develop new methods and tools for research and analysis that
respect and use appropriately both the quantitative methods of the natural sci-
ences and the subjective inquiries of the social and political sciences, arts, and
humanities, and to establish metrics and best practices for these new methods of
collaboration and knowledge sharing; (3) to deploy cutting-edge collaboration,
information extraction, and knowledge management technologies, so that working
researchers from any discipline may easily acquire and share relevant work and
information about their areas of interest.

Our Voices Together/Founded in 2005

Marianne Scott and I had a wonderful conversation one Sunday night that I
will never forget. Without repeating it, I do want to say I was touched by her
humanity in a very powerful and lasting way, and I knew then that she needed to
be represented in this project. Our Voices Together holds a vision of a world in
which the appeal of lives lived in dignity, opportunity, and safety triumphs over
the allure of extremism and its terrorist tactics. The people of this organization see
Introduction xxvii

a future where terrorist tactics are not condoned by any community worldwide.
They understand that to achieve this, trust must be built on mutual trust and
respect around the globe. They recognize the vast potential in engaging the United
States in diplomacy by connecting communities. To this end, they promote the
vital role of people-to-people efforts to help build better, safer lives and futures
around the world.

Geekcorps/Founded in 1999
Ethan Zuckerman has a wicked sense of humor, and he is not afraid to use
it. I last saw Ethan in Madrid at an anti-terrorism conference, and we spoke of
wikis as a solution to a puzzle I was working on about Amazonian medical
services. How obvious. Ethan is the founder of Geekcorps, which has evolved
into the IESC Geekcorps, which is an international 501(c)(3) nonprofit organ-
ization that promotes stability and prosperity in the developing world through
information and communication technology (ICT). Geekcorps’ international
technology experts teach communities how to be digitally independent: able to
create and expand private enterprise with innovative, appropriate, and affordable
information and communication technologies. To increase the capacity of
small and medium-sized business, local government, and supporting organizations
to be more profitable and efficient using technology, Geekcorps draws on a
database of more than 3,500 technical experts willing to share their talents and
experience in developing nations.

VOLUME 3: CHANGING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Witness/Founded in 1992
I first saw some of the work of Witness at the Contemporary Museum of
Art in Chicago, and I was quite disturbed and moved by the images I saw—
which was the point. I then contacted Gillian Caldwell of Witness about this
book project, and I got the distinct impression that she wondered “who is this
guy, and is he on the level?” So, with some emails back and forth, and the good
timing of the WEF Annual Meeting, where she happened to be going, I gained
some street cred with her as I’d been an invited faculty, gone to Davos a num-
ber of years, and knew Klaus Schwab, who had also written the foreword for
one of my other books. Then she let me into the tent, and I am very glad she
did. Witness does incredible work by using video and online technologies to
open the eyes of the world to human rights violations. It empowers people to
transform personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, promoting
public engagement and policy change. It envisions a just and equitable world
where all individuals and communities are able to defend and uphold human
rights.
xxviii Introduction

The Community Relations Council/Founded in 1986

I worked on a three-volume book set (The Psychology of Resolving Global
Conflicts: From War to Peace, Praeger, 2005) with Mari Fitzduff, PhD, and I had no
idea of the violence she was exposed to in Belfast as a child growing up there. Now
it makes perfect sense as to her development of the Community Relations Council.
Its aim is to assist the people of Northern Ireland to recognize and counter the
effects of communal division. The Community Relations Council originated as a
proposal of a research report commissioned by the NI Standing Advisory Com-
mittee on Human Rights. The Community Relations Council was set up to promote
better community relations between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland
and, equally, to promote recognition of cultural diversity. Its strategic aim is to
promote a peaceful and fair society based on reconciliation and mutual trust. It does
so by providing support (finance, training, advice, information) for local groups
and organizations; developing opportunities for cross-community understanding;
increasing public awareness of community relations work; and encouraging
constructive debate throughout Northern Ireland.

Amnesty International/Founded in 1961

Amnesty International’s (AI’s) vision is of a world in which every person
enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and other international human rights standards. In pursuit of this vision,
AI’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending
grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience
and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work
to promote all human rights. AI has a varied network of members and supporters
around the world. At the latest count, there were more than 1.8 million members,
supporters, and subscribers in over 150 countries and territories in every region
of the world. Although they come from many different backgrounds and have
widely different political and religious beliefs, they are united by a determination
to work for a world where everyone enjoys human rights.

PeaceWorks Foundation and OneVoice/Founded in 2002

Daniel Lubetzky is one of those incredible people who turn on a room
when they enter it. He does so not with bravado and brashness, but rather with
a quiet power that captures those around him. He is a compelling person with
a compelling mission. He founded OneVoice with the aim to amplify the voice
of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of Israelis and Palestinians
who wish to end the conflict. Since its inception, OneVoice has empowered
ordinary citizens to demand accountability from elected representatives and
ensure that the political agenda is not hijacked by extremists. OneVoice works
to reframe the conflict by transcending the “left vs. right” and “Israeli vs. Palestinian”
Introduction xxix

paradigms and by demonstrating that the moderate majority can prevail over
the extremist minority. Although the needs and concerns of the Israeli and
Palestinian peoples are different—Israelis wish to end terror and the existential
threat to Israel; Palestinians wish to end the occupation and achieve an inde-
pendent Palestinian state—the vast majority on each side agree that these goals
are achievable only by reaching a two-state solution. OneVoice is unique in that
it has independent Israeli and Palestinian offices appealing to the national inter-
ests of their own sides with credentials enabling them to unite people across the
religious and political spectrum. It recognizes the essential work many other
groups do in the field of dialogue and understanding, but OneVoice is action
oriented and advocacy driven. It is about the process and demanding account-
ability from its members and from political leaders. A peace agreement, no
matter how comprehensive, will be ineffective without populations ready to
support it. The focus is on giving citizens a voice and a direct role in conflict
resolution.

Nonviolent Peaceforce/Founded in 1998

Nonviolent Peaceforce is a federation of more than ninety member organizations
from around the world. In partnership with local groups, unarmed Nonviolent
Peaceforce Field Team members apply proven strategies to protect human rights,
deter violence, and help create space for local peacemakers to carry out their work.
The mission of the Nonviolent Peaceforce is to build a trained, international civilian
peaceforce committed to third-party nonviolent intervention.

Peace Brigades/Founded in 1981

Peace Brigades International (PBI) is an NGO that protects human rights and
promotes nonviolent transformation of conflicts. When invited, it sends teams of
volunteers into areas of repression and conflict. The volunteers accompany
human rights defenders, their organizations, and others threatened by political
violence. Perpetrators of human rights abuses usually do not want the world to
witness their actions. The presence of volunteers backed by a support network
helps to deter violence. They create space for local activists to work for social justice
and human rights.

Witness for Peace/Founded in 1983

Witness for Peace (WFP) is a politically independent, nationwide grassroots
organization of people committed to nonviolence and led by faith and conscience.
WFP’s mission is to support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the
Americas by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices that contribute to
poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean.
xxx Introduction

Southern Poverty Law Center/Founded in 1971

Throughout its history, the Center has worked to make the nation’s Constitutional
ideals a reality. The Center’s legal department fights all forms of discrimination and
works to protect society’s most vulnerable members, handling innovative cases that
few lawyers are willing to take. Over three decades, it has achieved significant legal
victories, including landmark Supreme Court decisions and crushing jury verdicts
against hate groups.

Human Rights Campaign/Founded in 1980

After having served as a federal advocacy coordinator on the Hill for the
American Psychological Association for twelve years, and at the state level even
longer, I have come to know and very much appreciate the twists and turns of law
making and the body politic. I have also come to know and respect the impressive
work of those in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). They have evolved from
battling stigma to being a political force to contend with—no easy task in the
Beltway or on Main Street USA. The Human Rights Campaign is America’s
largest civil rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender (GLBT) equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC
strives to end discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that
achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all. HRC seeks to improve the lives
of GLBT Americans by advocating for equal rights and benefits in the workplace,
ensuring that families are treated equally under the law, and increasing public
support among all Americans through innovative advocacy, education, and out-
reach programs. HRC works to secure equal rights for GLBT individuals and
families at the federal and state levels by lobbying elected officials, mobilizing
grassroots supporters, educating Americans, investing strategically to elect fair-
minded officials, and partnering with other GLBT organizations.

Global Security Institute/Founded in 1999

Back in the late 1990s, as a member of Psychologists for Social Responsibility
and living in Chicago, I was asked to represent that organization at a meeting called
Abolition 2000. The goal of that group was to have abolished nuclear weapons by
2000. I had the chance to meet its founder, the late Senator Alan Cranston, and I
was smitten. That movement evolved into the organization Jonathan Granoff now
leads, known as the Global Security Institute (GSI). It is dedicated to strengthen-
ing international cooperation and security based on the rule of law with a partic-
ular focus on nuclear arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament. GSI was
founded by Senator Alan Cranston, whose insight that nuclear weapons are
impractical, unacceptably risky, and unworthy of civilization continues to inspire
GSI’s efforts to contribute to a safer world. GSI has developed an exceptional team
that includes former heads of state and government, distinguished diplomats, effec-
Introduction xxxi

tive politicians, committed celebrities, religious leaders, Nobel Peace laureates, dis-
armament and legal experts, and concerned citizens.

Search for Common Ground/Founded in 1982

I first had the pleasure of meeting Susan Marks in Davos at a breakfast meeting
in which we were to co-facilitate a discussion. I could not keep up with her! She had
us all enthralled with her perspectives and experiences, and I was astonished. She
and her husband John started the Search for Common Ground as a vehicle to
transform the way the world deals with conflict: away from adversarial approaches,
toward cooperative solutions. Although the world is overly polarized and violence
is much too prevalent, they remain essentially optimistic. Their view is that, on the
whole, history is moving in positive directions. Although some of the conflicts cur-
rently being dealt with may seem intractable, there are successful examples of
cooperative conflict resolution that can be looked to for inspiration—such as in
South Africa, where an unjust system was transformed through negotiations and
an inclusive peace process.

Project on Justice in Times of Transition/Founded in 1992

Mari Fitzduff introduced me to Timothy Phillips in the context of working on
this project, and needless to say, I was taken aback by their work. The Project on
Justice in Times of Transition brings together individuals from a broad spectrum
of countries to share experiences in ending conflict, building civil society, and
fostering peaceful coexistence. It currently operates in affiliation with the Foun-
dation for a Civil Society in New York and the Institute for Global Leadership at
Tufts University. Since its creation in 1992 by co-chairs Wendy Luers and Timothy
Phillips, the Project has conducted more than fifty programs for a variety of leaders
throughout the world and has utilized its methodology to assist them in addressing
such difficult issues as the demobilization of combatants, the status of security
files, police reform, developing effective negotiating skills, political demonstrations,
and preserving or constructing the tenets of democracy in a heterogeneous society.
Through its innovative programming, the Project has exposed a broad cross-section
of communities in transition to comparable situations elsewhere, and it has
contributed to the broadening of international public discourse on transitional
processes.
In recent years the Project has conducted programs that have helped practi-
tioners and political leaders strategize solutions in a variety of countries and
regions, including Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Guatemala, Kosovo,
Northern Ireland, Palestine, and Peru.

Exodus World Service/Founded in 1988

Heidi Moll was cheering my son and me on last fall in a five-kilometer run that
was a fundraiser for Exodus World Service and other agencies. I first came to
xxxii Introduction

know of their refugee work via a church we used to attend, and it was remarkable.
Exodus World Service transforms the lives of refugees and of volunteers. It educates
local churches about refugee ministry, connects volunteers in relationship with
refugee families through practical service projects, and equips leaders to speak up
on behalf of refugees. The end result is that wounded hearts are healed, loneliness
is replaced with companionship, and fear is transformed into hope. Exodus
recruits local volunteers, equips them with information and training, and then
links them directly with refugee families newly arrived in the Chicago metropolitan
area. It also provides training and tools for front-line staff of other refugee service
agencies. In addition, Exodus has developed several innovative programs for use
by volunteers in their work with refugees.

International Institute for Sustainable Development/Founded in 1990

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) contributes to
sustainable development by advancing policy recommendations on international
trade and investment, economic policy, climate change, measurement and assess-
ment, and natural resources management. By using Internet communications, it
is able to report on international negotiations and broker knowledge gained
through collaborative projects with global partners, resulting in more rigorous
research, capacity building in developing countries, and better dialogue between
North and South. IISD is in the business of promoting change toward sustainable
development. Through research and through effective communication of their
findings, it engages decision makers in government, business, NGOs, and other
sectors to develop and implement policies that are simultaneously beneficial to
the global economy, to the global environment, and to social well-being. IISD also
believes fervently in the importance of building its own institutional capacity
while helping its partner organizations in the developing world to excel.

LET’S GET GOING

I hope you enjoy learning more about these amazing individuals and their
work. I certainly have enjoyed working with them and in completing this remark-
able writing project. They all have the common denominator of changing people’s
lives, and isn’t that truly the way to change the world?
 1

WITNESS
Gillian Caldwell

HOW THINGS STARTED

Cecilia is a woman from the war-torn country of Sierra Leone. In front of a court-
room of people, Cecilia recounts how rebel soldiers mutilated and killed her son
before beginning to bury her alive. She is one of the subjects of Witness to Truth,
a video WITNESS produced with Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation
Commission on the country’s decade-long civil war—and a reminder of the enor-
mous power of video to connect us with people who have experienced human
rights abuses in places far away.
I first came face to face with the power of images as a little girl living in New
York City. My mother ran an art gallery in SoHo and our loft was adjacent to the
gallery. One day a canvas appeared on our living room wall. It was a massive and
very intense painting by Leon Golub featuring a mercenary government agent
urinating on a political prisoner. The prisoner was lying on the floor with his hands
bound and tied. There were several other agents standing by while the torture pro-
gressed, and one of them was staring at me—staring at him. It was as if he was
challenging me to stop him. Golub made everyone who looked at his so-called
mercenary series of paintings a “witness”—and left us wondering what we were
going to do with the images that had been seared in our mind’s eye.

Undercover Video
Fast forward two decades to 1995, when I was working as a civil rights attorney
in Washington, D.C. An acquaintance named Steve Galster had just returned from
a trip to Russia and asked me for a few minutes of my time. I had no idea why he
wanted to meet, but I agreed. Over a beer, he told me that he had been in the
Russian far east for an environmental nonprofit investigating the Russian mafia’s
involvement in the trade of Siberian tiger pelts when they offered to sell him

1
2 The New Humanitarians

women. He was shocked and deeply disturbed. He asked if I would help him plan,
execute and videotape an undercover investigation into the trafficking of women
out of Russia for forced prostitution. I said I would do what I could after-hours at
the civil rights firm to research the issue and figure out how to raise some money
for the project.
Two weeks later and better informed, there was no turning back. I resigned
from my position at the firm and arrived unannounced at Steve’s office saying I
was ready to get to work. I figured I could wait tables if necessary until we were
able to raise the money we needed. Five months later, we had formed a dummy
company called International Liaisons, specializing in foreign models, escorts, and
entertainers. And we were in the midst of a frigid January in Moscow. By day we
met with nonprofits focused on violence against women—and by night Steve
used undercover cameras to film meetings with the mafia in which he pretended
he wanted to start a business importing women into the United States to work as
high-class call girls. One night, we went to the popular Night Flight club where
there was known to be a brisk prostitution business. I did my best to dress the part
(I doubt I was very convincing) and make connections with women who were
willing to talk. Steve wore his undercover camera and did the same with signifi-
cantly more success. It was a pretty intense experience, especially since we were
living in the same apartment where a lot of the undercover meetings took place
and were being filmed with hidden cameras. There was a drunken man who beat
his wife next door, and a homeless woman with a pack of growling dogs (more like
wolverines really), whom I often found in the stairwell late at night. But Steve and
I managed to get ourselves back to the United States in one piece, with some very
powerful footage in tow.
Soon after our first investigation in Russia, we were introduced to WITNESS—
a nonprofit organization that promotes the use of video in human rights
advocacy—and they gave us a second Hi8 video camera to produce our film. After
about eighteen months of filming and conducting other investigations in Russia
as well as in Japan, Macau, Germany, Holland, Switzerland, and the United States,
we made a film called Bought & Sold: An Investigative Documentary about the
International Trade in Women. The film contained an unusual mix of grainy
undercover footage of our transactions with the mafia, candid interviews with
women around the world who had been forced into prostitution, and testimonies
by human rights experts and counselors to help frame the issues.
The film and its associated advocacy helped lay the groundwork for a Con-
gressional resolution on trafficking, and subsequently for the U.S. Congress to
pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and for the UN to approve a protocol
against human trafficking. It was then that I realized how a few people with a cam-
era and support from WITNESS could make a real difference in the world.
This story is a good example of how video in the right context can often serve
as the catalyst for the success of campaigns that have fallen under the public’s
radar. Although there were several documentaries already made on human traf-
ficking at the time, none had been used strategically in an advocacy context. And
WITNESS 3

although several well-respected, international human rights organizations had

been tackling the issue for years, none had injected their campaigns with a visual
component. It was this potent combination of frontline advocacy and indis-
putable visual evidence that enabled us to receive widespread media coverage—
including the BBC, CNN, ABC, the New York Times, and the Washington
Post—and gain access to those in power to ultimately make a real difference.
A critical ingredient to our campaign—and one that continues to be a central
motivation in my work to this day—was our focus from the beginning on devel-
oping strategic alliances and collaborations. As a two-person team with no cre-
dentials or name recognition, and with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor devoted to
marine mammal conservation, Steve and I knew that we needed to ally ourselves
with other groups immersed in the issue to establish credibility. What this experi-
ence taught me early on is that it is important to learn and benefit from the work
that other advocates are doing and find ways to reinforce each other. Instead of
reinventing the wheel, capitalize on the strengths that each respective group can
bring to a campaign and work together toward the same goal. Unfortunately, this
collaborative spirit is all too rare in the nonprofit community, where groups are
often in “competition” for resources or whose differing approaches to tackling the
same problems get in the way of coalition building.

WITNESS PAST
After the success of Bought & Sold, I was recruited to become WITNESS’s first
full-time director in 1998. WITNESS was founded by rocker Peter Gabriel
(originally with the band Genesis and now a long-time solo artist), who had come
up with the idea in 1989 while on the Human Rights Now! tour with Amnesty
International. Peter is widely recognized as one of the world’s most important and
innovative musicians. His performances typically involve cutting-edge technolog-
ical innovation, and he has demonstrated his commitment to human rights
through his work with Amnesty and other groups.
While on tour with Amnesty, Peter traveled to nineteen countries, where he met
dozens of survivors of human rights abuses and listened to their moving stories of
suffering and frustration. Some had been tortured or harassed; some had been
denied basic rights to food, shelter, or freedom; and others had witnessed their
loved ones murdered. In many of the cases, the perpetrators had gone unpunished
for their crimes, and the stories were covered up, denied, and forgotten.
The early 1990s were the days before technology and the Internet had the
potential to connect even the most isolated people to the global community. Peter
had brought along one of the first consumer video cameras to record the stories
he heard on the tour. And it occurred to him that if we equipped these activists
with their own cameras, they could share their experiences with the world and
become empowered in their courageous struggles for truth and justice. Peter knew
that moving images communicate with an immediacy matched by no other
medium, and they inspire people to take action. What he also had the foresight to
4 The New Humanitarians

see is that technology’s power to affect change can only be fully realized when the
people who have the most to gain—those subjected to human rights abuses—can
harness it for themselves.
It was not until several years later that the broader public began to recognize
this power. The tipping point came in 1991, when a bystander on a Los Angeles
freeway used an amateur video camera to record the beating of Rodney King by
the city police department, sparking widespread riots and galvanizing a world-
wide conversation about police brutality and race. Peter was able to leverage this
momentum to raise seed funding from the Reebok Human Rights Foundation,
and WITNESS was born the following year as a project of the Lawyers Committee
for Human Rights (now Human Rights First). In 2001 we spun off as our own
independent 501(c)(3) organization and set up shop in a loft in the Tribeca neigh-
borhood of Manhattan. We were an extremely lean operation back then, with only
four of us (and a team of dedicated interns) handling everything from training
our partners in the field to video production, media outreach, fundraising, and
administration. To this day, my staff jokingly refers to my “inner administrative
assistant” because of my impulse to hark back to these early days and do all the
data entry myself. It was actually a very significant time in my professional devel-
opment, since it gave me my second pass at hands-on experience with every aspect
of nonprofit development.

WITNESS PRESENT
We’ve all come a long way since then. Now in 2008, we have a staff of thirty and
a budget of $4.8 million, and our offices take up nearly three floors of a building
subsidized by the City of New York for arts and media organizations, based in the
Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. Our mission also has evolved from our initial
focus of providing video cameras to as many human rights groups as possible: we
realized early on that a video camera is only effective if the user is properly
trained. We provide our partners with hands-on training in the strategic uses of
video and support them from start to finish in producing powerful videos to sup-
port their advocacy. And we broker relationships with political leaders, film festi-
vals, and media makers to ensure targeted distribution of their productions.
Working from an assumption that video and communications technology can
and should be a tool for every human rights advocate, WITNESS has partnered
with hundreds of groups in over seventy countries and on a broad range of issues
spanning the spectrum of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.

THE ROLE OF WITNESS

WITNESS’s role is to complement the more traditional forms of advocacy
being done by other human rights groups. The challenge of the modern human
rights movement has always been to create accountability—independent, trans-
parent, and enforceable mechanisms ensuring that human rights standards are
WITNESS 5

maintained, and that citizens have a right to participate in civil society on equal
terms. To stop abuse, activists traditionally rely on written documentation pre-
sented to the UN and other governing bodies, and on “official observers,” whose
eyewitness accounts serve as verification of the experiences they witnessed.
Although these techniques are essential to securing government accountability,
video can serve as a powerful counterpart to written documentation, and
WITNESS’s experience proves that it substantially magnifies the impact of our
partner’s advocacy. Written reports also often fail to engage the broader public,
whose awareness, concern, and action are essential to move human rights issues
to the center of civic and public debate—a powerful platform for change.
I can think of no more powerful example of this than the recent events at the
Abu Ghraib prison. Although major human rights organizations—including
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International—had released written reports
on the abuse of Iraqi prisoners months earlier, it was not until visual evidence shot
on cell phones by the perpetrators themselves surfaced that the public took notice
and demanded accountability and reform. More recently, charges were dropped in
the case of a bystander arrested for inciting violence at the Republican National
Convention in New York after videotape surfaced showing the man simply walk-
ing down the street prior to the arrest. And for the first time, an eyewitness to the
recent London terrorist bombings reported live to the BBC on his cellular phone
from the underground “tube.”

A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN

In 2003, after a year of much thinking and talking about how to maximize our
impact and our strategy, we reinvented ourselves yet again to embrace a two-pronged
approach to our mission. This entailed scaling back the number of intensive part-
nerships with human rights groups (our Core Partners) to no more than fifteen per
year, allowing us to invest more time and resources into each, and launching a new
program called Seeding Video Advocacy, which provides a basic introduction to
video advocacy for hundreds of other organizations each year. Taken together, these
two programs enable us to enhance both the depth and the breadth of our work,
servicing the needs of the global human rights community in a much more strategic
manner. So far our new approach seems to be working. In the past two years, we have
seen more advocacy successes in our Core Partner campaigns than during the previ-
ous thirteen years combined, and numerous participants in our Seeding workshops
have reported campaign successes using video.
What unifies all this work is WITNESS’s role in it—providing strategic and
technical support so that frontline activists dramatically enhance the effectiveness
of their advocacy. WITNESS is deliberate about responding to needs expressed at
the local level, rather than driving the conversation in terms of partnership
choices from our New York office. We do not solicit groups with which to work;
instead, local human rights groups approach us for partnership and must
undergo a rigorous application process to be accepted into the program. Once a
6 The New Humanitarians

partnership is formed, the partner leads the campaign advocacy agenda and video
production efforts.
This bottom-up or grassroots approach enables us to respond organically to
emerging issues in the human rights landscape. The result is that marginalized
groups that otherwise would not have a global platform for their campaigns can
reach audiences with the power to make a difference. It also builds the capacity of
these groups to drive their own advocacy long after WITNESS leaves the picture.
We are beginning to develop relationships with social justice media groups in key
regions where we work, which will in turn support other groups in their regions.
What we are seeking is a multiplier effect that exponentially increases the leverage
of WITNESS’s investment and leads to self-sustaining video advocacy initiatives
over time.

NEW CONDITIONS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS PROMOTION

It is unlikely that an organization such as WITNESS could have even come into
existence until now. The human rights framework we rely on to do our work was
only created in 1948 in the wake of World War II—and until recently, only a
handful of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) existed to protect and
promote human rights. Today, there are countless human rights defenders around
the globe, and the rise of legal instruments and democratic states has led to an
explosion of activity on the front lines. In this post-9/11 climate, where the U.S.
government is facing declining global respect, the burden lies with the NGO
movement to highlight human rights violations and influence the behavior of
governments. Advances in technology have also fueled this grassroots transfor-
mation, making it possible for rights defenders to overcome communication bar-
riers and alert the world to unfolding crises in ever more timely and efficient ways.
These developments hold promise. But local organizations around the world still
must fight overwhelming odds to advance the cause of civil society. Many WITNESS
partners operate in locations without rights and the rule of law tradition, or where
governments are too weak to enforce basic civil and legal protections. For some, soci-
etal conditions—poverty, starvation, and lack of education—create situations where
the powerful can exploit children and adults as soldiers, sex slaves, or cheap labor.
Others confront ingrained religious, cultural, racial, or gender biases that create
entire classes of people who are not protected by law.

THE POWER OF STORIES

Despite all these macro forces at work, the inspiration behind WITNESS
always comes down to the individual stories. Our mission is built upon the art of
storytelling, and a video is only as powerful as the stories it contains. This is what
makes the medium arguably the most direct and visceral tool of communication
we have to work with today, and what has always drawn me to video as a tool for
advocacy. Take, for instance, the wrenching story of Neyra Azucena Cervantes.
WITNESS 7

Neyra was a beautiful, sixteen-year old girl who disappeared on her way home
from school in her home city of Chihuahua City, Mexico, in May 2003. Her body
was later found. She had been raped and murdered, along with hundreds of other
women in the region—a phenomenon termed “feminicide.” As if this were not
enough for one family to confront, Neyra’s first cousin, David Meza, was then tor-
tured into falsely confessing to her murder and spent three years in jail awaiting a
trial that never took place. Thanks to an international campaign for his acquittal
by our partner Comision Mexicana, which included the video Dual Injustice, pro-
duced with WITNESS, David was released in June 2006.
Sometimes in our videos, the line between victim and perpetrator becomes
blurred. In the video A Duty to Protect, we meet a girl named January who wears
fatigues and recounts how she joined the army when she was ten years old.
January is one of thousands of children who have been recruited as soldiers in the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They are taught to kill—adults, other
children, sometimes even their own families—and are given drugs to numb their
fear and conscience. As with many girl soldiers, January’s plight is made worse by
the sexual violence she must also confront on a daily basis. In association with our
partner AJEDI-Ka/PES, WITNESS screened and distributed A Duty to Protect to
key International Criminal Court (ICC) officials in November 2005 in order to
encourage the ICC to investigate and prosecute people responsible for recruiting
and using child soldiers. In March 2005, an ICC commitment was secured, and
Thomas Lubanga Dvilo from the DRC was arrested by the ICC for enlisting and
conscripting child soldiers.
Another story I cannot forget is that of Valdemir—a young Brazilian man who
is essentially a modern-day slave, toiling in rural Brazil. In the video Bound by
Promises, Valdemir describes how he was hired to load 130-pound logs onto
trucks on a charcoal estate for sixty days straight, only to receive a $45 paycheck—
one tenth of what was promised to him. When he complained, he was told sim-
ply, “A bullet from my shotgun is all you have a right to here.” Human rights
groups estimate that there are currently around 25,000 men like Valdemir living a
life of indentured servitude in rural Brazil. Driven from their homes and families
because of the lack of other economic opportunities, these men often end up
indebted to landowners and must work endlessly in an effort to buy back their
freedom. Some die on the job. Others never see their families again. Bound by
Promises is part of a major campaign advocating for an end to slave labor in Brazil,
and was recently screened at the State Commission for the Eradication of Slave
Labor, which consists of several state representatives responsible for designing
local policies to eradicate slavery.

To Get the Videos Seen

As powerful as these and other videos are, they only have an impact if they get
seen. WITNESS is continually looking for new opportunities to promote our
videos and expand our audiences. In this sense, we are fortunate because
8 The New Humanitarians

WITNESS represents the confluence of three forces—entertainment, human

rights, and the corporate world—as represented by our three founding entities,
Peter Gabriel, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, and the Reebok
Foundation. This merging of very different sectors affords us the unique oppor-
tunity as a social enterprise to draw upon creative multisector initiatives, and on
a growing team of high-visibility supporters to promote the issues addressed in
our films.
One of the creative ways we approach our work is through the strategic use of
celebrity spokespeople who have demonstrated an increasing willingness to lend
themselves to global human rights issues. They are instrumental to increasing
WITNESS’s partner visibility and the impact of our work by lending their names
and voices through narration of videos and by sponsoring benefit events. In 1996
Peter Gabriel, along with numerous other celebrities, participated in the VH1
Honors, a nationally televised event that honored WITNESS for its innovation. Since
then, our videos have been narrated by actors including Tim Robbins and Susan
Sarandon, and accompanied by music and audio introductions by such artists as
Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Lou Reed, and Michael Stipe, among others.
We have also been fortunate to have had some incredible musical artists donate
performances at our annual benefit events. Recent artists include Paul Simon,
Angelique Kidjo, Fred and Kate of the B-52s, Emmylou Harris, Nile Rodgers and
CHIC, Philip Glass, Jackson Browne, and Suzanne Vega. The Academy
Award–winning actress Angelina Jolie co-hosted our first major Focus for Change
benefit dinner and concert in 2005, featuring our work in Sierra Leone. Angelina
had gotten involved in our campaign earlier that year after we had met at the
World Economic Forum in Davos. She accompanied me on a trip to Sierra Leone
to present our video Witness to Truth to President Tejan Kabbah and urge him to
support the implementation of key recommendations made by the country’s
Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Our second Focus for Change benefit was co-hosted by actor Gael Garcia
Bernal, who discussed our ongoing campaign to end the forced displacement of
millions of people in Burma over the past decade. He joined other celebrity
guests, including Peter Gabriel and Tim Robbins, in signing a petition calling on
the United Nations to pass its first-ever resolution on Burma; the petition was
delivered to the office of the UN secretary general, with coverage of the event
picked up by over sixty global newspapers. Our 2007 Focus for Change benefit was
co-hosted by Peter Gabriel and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and featured performances by
Jackson Browne and The Roots.

SUPPORTING THE WORK OF WITNESS

These annual benefits have made a huge impact in helping us begin to diver-
sify our funding portfolio, since the majority of tickets and tables are sold to indi-
viduals and corporations. Like many start-up organizations, our initial funding
came mainly from the foundation world. Our seed grant from Reebok helped to
WITNESS 9

leverage support from other funders after I came on board, including a range of
donors such as the Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Glaser Progress
Foundation, and more recently, the Omidyar Network, Skoll Foundation for
Social Entrepreneurship, and Oak Foundation. We have also been supported over
the years by a core group of committed individual donors and by some corporate
sponsors. We also have a small but steady earned income stream through the sale
and licensing of our video archive and the sale of fine art prints through an inno-
vative project called Artists Support www.witness.org, which features collabora-
tive works by international artists, including Kiki Smith, William Wegman, and
Sebastião Salgado.
Today, our portfolio is composed of 57 percent foundations, 15 percent indi-
viduals, 4 percent corporations, 9 percent earned income, 4 percent board of
directors, and 11 percent in-kind goods and services, which includes all our excel-
lent legal and design work, for example. This breakdown represents a healthy
balance of support for our operations. However, we are continually seeking to
diversify our support base to lesson our reliance on any one source of funding.
After the early days of one-year grants, we have developed the track record to begin
receiving multiyear grants from our long-time foundation donors (90 percent of
which are earmarked for general operating support) as well as several matching
grants for specific projects—both of which help to leverage new sources of fund-
ing. Our audited financial statements reflect our focus on maintaining a lean and
efficient administrative capacity, consistently showing that for every dollar
donated to the organization, 75 percent directly supports our programs, which is
significantly higher than the industry standard of 66 percent. I must confess to
wishing the allocation were 100 percent, but of course someone has to pay the
bills, raise the money, and help staff navigate the health insurance system. We
recently hired our first director of external relations, who will focus her efforts on
major gifts and corporate sponsorship, and formed a seven-member committee of
our board of directors to focus on fundraising and earned income. As a policy, in
order to avoid any conflict of interest in doing our human rights work to hold
governments accountable for their obligations, WITNESS does not accept any
funding from the U.S. government. In 2006, in association with our investment advi-
sors, we created a socially responsible investment strategy to ensure an ethical and
transparent process for growing our small pot of reserves, which is critical to our
institutional stability. This strategy focuses on both positive and prohibitive screen-
ings of potential funds in accordance with our mission and organizational values.

EVALUATING PROGRESS
We are currently working hard to manage our rapid rate of expansion. In the
past four years, we have quadrupled our staff and budget, and within the past year
alone, we have grown by approximately 20 percent. To keep pace with our pro-
grammatic growth and vision, we need more staff, and to manage our growing
staff, we need a stronger infrastructure. In an organization our size, each staff
10 The New Humanitarians

member added requires a new job description and a reassessment of the descrip-
tions of other staff and their activities within the organization. New staff also
require orientation to our culture, processes, and strategy. New staff integration,
while ensuring that institutional memory is built by all staff as they work with us
and preserved as they leave over time, is a continuing challenge in a rapidly evolv-
ing organization. As we have grown, we have seen the need for greater interde-
partmental communication and organizational planning that is ambitious yet
achievable; in other words, we have to slow down enough to think and talk things
through with each other, and we have to be sure that our plans are flexible enough
to accommodate the ever-present reality of important new opportunities that
compete with existing ones for our resources and capacity.
WITNESS conducts rigorous qualitative and quantitative evaluation of our
programs to hold ourselves accountable to our board, partners, funders, and
ultimately ourselves. Our meticulous focus on evaluation enables us to demon-
strate “positive return on social investment,” as the new venture philanthropists
who fund our work would call it. Sample metrics include the number of
cameras distributed, videos produced, and trainings conducted; the activism
our website generates; media coverage of our work; and, most importantly,
impacts of our campaigns on changing policies and practices. We communi-
cate our progress via monthly e-newsletters, monthly broadcasts of partner
videos, and quarterly and annual reports that are also made available for
download on our website.
We borrowed an approach from the corporate sector when we launched our
first biannual Performance Evaluation Dashboard two years ago. This document—
named for its graphic resemblance to the dashboard of a car—provides a series of
at-a-glance metrics to better quantify and qualify our results, set goals for the
future, and improve our work. The data in the dashboards are carefully compiled
through a rigorous analysis by departmental managers, and our approach is fre-
quently cited as a model by other nonprofits and donors. The most innovative
chart in the dashboard is the one we designed to measure the progress of our advo-
cacy campaigns by assessing points for planned “outputs,” “impacts,” and “results.”
In keeping with WITNESS’s nonproprietary approach, the dashboard is published
twice annually on our website, and is available under a Creative Commons license
so that it can be adapted for use by other organizations.
Another key focus of our work and my attention has been the development of
a solid group of management practices. Under the direction of our new deputy
director (and note that we waited too long to make this hire as many organiza-
tions do), WITNESS recently conducted an organization-wide analysis of the key
areas of our work from which we are seeking results. All our key goals and activi-
ties have been incorporated into five broad Key Results Areas (KRAs): (a) Training
in Video Advocacy; (b) Generating Advocacy Impact; (c) Building an Accessible
Human Rights Video Archive; (d) Expanding Awareness and Engagement in
Human Rights; and (e) Developing Institutional Capacity. Our annual work plans
are now organized around the KRAs, rather than departmental lines, which helps
WITNESS 11

to reinforce everyone’s understanding of how their work contributes to the larger

mission of the organization.
Along with the KRAs, we have implemented a structure for ensuring that clear
accountability and allocation of responsibilities are associated with each initiative
untaken. DARCI (an acronym for Decision, Accountable, Responsible, Consultant,
Informed) is an accountability matrix that provides a clear management structure
for all activities within departments and across the organization. I was introduced
to the KRA and DARCI models through an excellent leadership program offered
by the Rockwood Leadership Program (see www.rockwoodleadership.org).
We have also developed a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan in each
department and across the organization to assess the impact of our work and
adjust our plans as needed. We have both an annual and a three-year work plan
and budget for the organization, and we conduct regular, focused reviews of our
progress through weekly all-staff meetings, weekly departmental and interdepart-
mental meetings, bi-monthly organizational managers meetings, biannual staff
performance evaluations and board of directors meetings, regular evaluations by
participants in our Seeding Video Advocacy program of short-term trainings,
annual performance evaluations by each Core Partner with the goal of an average
mark of 4 out of 5, and written annual reports on all organizational activities.
Although we still need to grow more in order to achieve the scale of impact we
hope for, we are not pursuing a heavily bricks-and-mortar approach to scale.
Instead, we have embraced decentralized models for adaptation and replication of
our strategies. In addition to our website, built on the Joomla! open-source plat-
form, and the use of Creative Commons licensing for our dashboards and Media
Archive, we are employing a metaphorically “open-source” approach to our scal-
ing initiatives. These initiatives include Seeding Video Advocacy, the free distribu-
tion of curricula and other resources for local use, an annual two-week Video
Advocacy Institute providing an immersive introduction to video advocacy for
social justice advocates, and the new Hub—our so-called YouTube for Human
Rights which I will cover more in detail later. This nonproprietary approach to all
our work demonstrates our commitment to disseminating the WITNESS
methodology as broadly as possible to leverage systemic social change. We are
continuing to improve our ability to be in two-way conversations with our
stakeholders—not just the human rights groups we support with training and
equipment, with whom we have always enjoyed a robust dialogue, but also
broader audiences we hope to reach via new Web 2.0 strategies such as blogs,
which can help engage volunteers, donors, and other advocates in our work.

USING GLOBAL COMMUNICATION FOR CHANGE

To provide a summary of our trajectory over the past fifteen years, I would say
that in WITNESS’s early days, our primary obstacles were sociopolitical in
nature, while today they are largely technical and infrastructural. Throughout
our history WITNESS has consistently taken risks in order to evolve. Just like
12 The New Humanitarians

many other so-called social enterprises, we embrace the truth that the only thing
constant is change, and are always growing and reinventing ourselves—guided
by our founding mission and principles—to adapt to the changing landscape.
The biggest challenge we currently face is how to capitalize on emerging tech-
nological opportunities to make sure that the people who potentially could bene-
fit the most from these tools, specifically those living in the Global South, are not
left out because of inequities in access. Communications media have changed dra-
matically in the fifteen years since WITNESS was founded. In the past five years in
particular, the rise of digital technology has changed the entire way we communi-
cate. In this globally connected world, there are expanding opportunities to reach
broader audiences on the local, regional, and international levels. Coupled with
the fact that technology is more affordable and easier to use than ever, there has
never been such opportunity to promote a global culture of human rights.
In response to these opportunities, we launched the Hub project in fall 2007.
The Hub is an online destination where anyone, anywhere can upload footage of
human rights violations from their cell phones, video cameras, and other mobile
devices, and respond to calls to action about the abuses they witness. Working
with a global team of allies, the site will embrace the populist shift toward user-
generated content to advance human rights. Although we have become a more
recognized force in the human rights world in recent years, we hope the Hub will
enable WITNESS to become even more widely known as a key ally working to
support global advocacy campaigns, and as a reliable resource for news media and
a public eager to learn more about human rights issues generally ignored by
mainstream media.
The Hub can be seen as the third prong of WITNESS, joining the Core Part-
ners and Seeding Video Advocacy as a critical dimension of our work, and
expanding our impact even more broadly by making the tools of video advocacy
available to anyone interested in using them. This new stage of WITNESS’s growth
moves us closer to the promise of Peter Gabriel’s powerful original vision—the
possibility of a technology-enabled populist platform where everyone’s stories of
human rights abuse and solutions are heard. Peter wanted to put video cameras
into the hands of as many human rights activists as possible in the hope that they
would capture evidence of abuses and put their footage into the public sphere,
provoking a global response.
Another ongoing technical challenge at WITNESS is how to minimize the
security risks faced by our Core Partners and other advocates we support. We
recently devoted an entire chapter of our book Video for Change: A Guide for
Advocacy and Activism to the subject, which also raises ethical issues that need to
be addressed when working in potentially dangerous conditions. Although an
advocate using video may not be able to eliminate risks, it is possible to antici-
pate and minimize them. In addition, because of the sensitive nature of the con-
tent likely to be uploaded and shared on the Hub site, WITNESS has a
responsibility to provide as much security and anonymity as possible. We must
set an example for how media can be used in a human rights context, and we
WITNESS 13

have developed a list of requirements to ensure the integrity and vision of the
Hub is not compromised.

DEVELOPING THE BEST STAFF

On the institutional front, our management team is currently focused on
developing an ever-more inclusive environment in which open communication is
encouraged and hierarchy minimized. At the same time, there is an ongoing need
to clarify the process by which the myriad decisions made each day are docu-
mented in departmental accountability and decision-making matrices. To pro-
mote a culture of inclusiveness, we have committed to sending each staff member
on a leadership retreat via the aforementioned Rockwood Leadership Program
(www.rockwoodfund.org), an intensive seminar focused on developing innate
leadership potential. Each staff member also has a budget for annual classes that
further professional development.
WITNESS is committed to promoting a culture of pluralism and equal oppor-
tunity, and we have a very diverse and global staff in comparison to many of our
nonprofit peers; for instance, we have eight countries and twenty-one languages
represented on staff. Nevertheless, we face ongoing challenges in hiring staff who
are reflective of the communities we serve, particularly at the most senior posi-
tions. We are making progress—for instance, of the last twelve new hires, eight are
women and six are people of color—but always must strive to do a better job of
networking in more diverse circles to help WITNESS become the truly vibrant
culture we want it to be.
Finally, in a high performance culture such as ours, there is the ongoing risk of
burnout. This is a very real concern, particularly among those staff who confront
images and stories of unspeakable brutality daily. To address this issue, WITNESS
has invested in a series of vicarious trauma sessions with a licensed trauma ther-
apist affiliated with NYU–Bellevue Hospital. We also try to provide flexibility for
work at home and sabbaticals to accommodate personal circumstances and
reward dedication of service.
Although WITNESS has had to remain nimble and adaptable to embrace all
these new changes, we have had our share of growing pains. One example can be
seen with our second all-staff retreat in 2006. Since it took place shortly after
several new hires were made, we constructed the retreat as an intensive, inward-
looking time to improve how we work together. This involved some candid dis-
cussion around interpersonal communications. Although intended as a
constructive exercise, these efforts backfired because we did not plan for re-entry
back into the office environment. The long-term impact of that retreat has been
mixed—a combination of positive steps toward much more interdepartmental
communication and managerial empowerment, and some damaged trust to be
rebuilt. As a result, we have re-thought how to approach subsequent retreats to
foster a safe and supportive environment for reflection, processing, and closure
after what can be an intensive and emotional experience.
14 The New Humanitarians

Another recent mistake can be seen in the way I introduced the new Hub ini-
tiative, conceived at a board of directors meeting, to the organization at large. At
first, many staff resisted the idea of a populist website for human rights, fearing
that it could contradict our mission to provide hands-on training and intensive
support to selected human rights groups and would pose security risks to the site’s
users, and questioning whether a disproportionate number of resources would be
directed toward the new initiative and away from our other programs.
Once we took the time to discuss the concept as an organization and involve
people more (i.e., through a full-day staff meeting, a Town Hall conference with
invited outside guests, and an internal steering committee made up of members
from each department), we got the buy-in we needed from across the staff, along
with a great deal of enthusiasm to make this exciting project happen. The lesson I
learned through this process is that when introducing a major new project into an
organization, it is critical to take the time to explain, discuss, and bring everyone
on board, even at the risk of slowing the project down and delaying implementa-
tion, since the project’s success is ultimately contingent upon a united and sup-
portive staff. Another key learning from facilitating sensitive discussions was that
the most honest feedback will always surface in small-group conversations, with
designated “rapporteurs” to report back the sense of the group without attribut-
ing remarks to anyone personally.

LESSONS LEARNED
Looking back on the last decade of work at WITNESS, I have learned a lot of
lessons—both meta and micro. At the micro level, I learned that it helps to do it
all in the early days of a start-up, but you should begin delegating and building
leadership and institutional memory as soon as you can. I learned that it is a mis-
take to wait too long before getting a fully-fledged finance department in place,
and that having done it all yourself before—when the organization was smaller
and engaged in less work—can warp your perspective on the human resources
required as the organization grows.
I learned that hiring a deputy director is often delayed too long; in our case, it
certainly was. It meant that for a time, I was doing internally oriented manage-
ment that I should not have been doing, instead of focusing my energies in places
external to us where my investment could have the greatest return for the organ-
ization. I learned that building and engaging a board of directors and an advisory
committee is a tremendous amount of work—and that you get out of it what you
put in. I also learned how important it is to develop strong board leadership and
participation in fundraising early on in an organization’s growth.
At a meta level, I learned that collaboration and teamwork are challenging but
critical to success. I learned how important it is to acknowledge people publicly
for their contributions to your work. I learned that it always takes longer than you
think it will. I learned that good management is one of the most challenging
aspects of leadership, and that it requires deep personal work and self-knowledge
WITNESS 15

to do it right. I learned that stress is choice: we can choose to experience stress in

stress-inducing circumstances, or not to. I learned that we are wiser and more
powerful when we are relaxed and focused. And I learned that a commitment to
personal ecology—a balanced, healthy, happy life—is one of the most enduring
gifts that leadership can bring to an organization.

APPENDIX
WITNESS (www.witness.org)
1. Watch Rights Alert videos, urgent calls to action for human rights campaigns
in which our Core Partners and Partner Network are engaged.
2. Sign up to receive WITNESS e-newsletters.
3. Donate to WITNESS.
4. Find out about volunteer opportunities: interns, translators, professional film-
makers, copy editors, and field volunteers.
5. Find out about upcoming WITNESS events, download a press kit, or read arti-
cles about WITNESS.
6. Search the Media Archive, over 3,000 hours of video from human rights
defenders around the world.
7. Visit the WITNESS store (www.witness.org/store) to purchase videos.

Training (www.witness.org/training)
1. Watch Video for Change: A How-To Guide on Using Video in Advocacy and
Activism; download the book in English, French, Russian, or Spanish for free.
2. Watch Video for Change and review a sample Video Action Plan to guide video
advocacy efforts.
3. Read an overview of video advocacy and review case studies that provide
examples of successful uses of video advocacy by WITNESS partners.
4. Watch and read Tips and Techniques, the WITNESS video and handbook that
guide users through the essentials of creating videos.
5. Seeding Video Advocacy: learn about short-term training opportunities for
organizations and individuals outside the WITNESS partnership structure.

The Hub (www.witness.org/hub)

See It—where you can view and interact with human rights media uploaded
by the Hub community.
Share It—where you can create and join groups or discussions that coincide
with your interests or expertise.
Take Action—where you can engage and activate other users around your
campaigns and events.
Volunteer with the Hub—do research, blog, edit media, review content, translate,
and transcribe.
16 The New Humanitarians

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: WITNESS
Founder and/or Executive Director: Gillian Caldwell
Mission/Description: WITNESS uses video and online technologies to open
the eyes of the world to human rights violations, empowering people to trans-
form personal stories of abuse into powerful tools for justice, public engage-
ment, and policy change.
Website: www.witness.org
Address: 80 Hanson Place
Fifth Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11217 USA
Phone: 718-783-2000
Fax: 718-783-1593
E-mail: witness@witness.org
 2

From Violence to Agreement: The

Work of the Community Relations
Council in Northern Ireland
Mari Fitzduff

The knock came again at the door, loud and peremptory in the silence of the
Northern Ireland countryside. I opened it, the children scampering under my feet
eager to see some new faces. Outside was a group of young soldiers—British army
soldiers, some of the many thousands who had been coming here since 1969 in
the soon to be lost hope that they could prove themselves to be a positive buffer
in the war between the unionist/Protestant and nationalist/Catholic communities
in Northern Ireland.1 They had since then become part of that war themselves.
Now, in 1983, almost all their efforts were directed at defeating the Irish Republi-
can Army (IRA), who had for the previous decade bombed pubs, restaurants,
dance halls, and anyone deemed to be remotely connected to the British Govern-
ment and particularly the Northern Ireland police. For the army to come into the
area in which I had lived with my husband and children for six years was itself a
dangerous trek for them. Mid-Ulster, where we lived, had the second-highest
political murder rate in Northern Ireland, second only to Belfast itself. It was
known as “The Killing Fields” since it was an interface area where many Catholic
and Protestant areas bordered each other, and thus gave many opportunities for
paramilitaries on both sides, and the security forces, to play out their deadly
killing game. The war had been going on for almost a decade and a half and
showed no sign of victory or loss for either side.
We lived in a mainly Catholic area, near what had been my husband’s family
settlement for almost 300 years. His Protestant forebears had come over from
Scotland, probably in search of religious freedom themselves, and eager to take up
the opportunities available in the northern part of the island of Ireland. They had
farmed and prospered, building up their distinctive houses and businesses
through employing many of the indigenous Catholics in their neighborhood on
the shores of Lough Neagh.

17
18 The New Humanitarians

I was from the south of Ireland, and my mother’s family had been one of the
oldest of the Catholic families in the area where we now lived. She was descended
from an early Irish earl, whose clan was O’Neill, and who had been driven out by
the precursors of my husband’s family during the sixteenth century. The remains
of the clan’s forts could still be seen nearby.
Our locality had seen the worst of much of the violence that had started again
in the late 1960s.2 Many Catholic and Protestant neighbors, soldiers, and police-
men had been killed within a few miles of where we lived, some in front of their
families. Our family business, because of its complicated history, had been blown
up by both Protestant and Catholic paramilitaries and now functioned with only
a square-foot window of light, so as to better protect it from bombs.3 It was in an
area that was being continually patrolled and searched by the army and the police.
Our two sons, both born in the late 1970s, were brought up with the constant
sound of surveillance helicopters, often landing beside our house, and the fre-
quent sounds of bombs and gunfire. Their great aunt was the postmistress of the
post office at the end of our lane that was so often robbed by the IRA in pursuit
of funding for their military campaign that it was eventually closed.
It was to this neighborhood we had come home to in late 1976 to start a fam-
ily. Despite the political tensions and the violence, ordinary criminality was
almost absent in the area. It was a place of beauty, and the quiet lanes gave many
opportunities for children to grow up in a wholesome way. Nevertheless, it was
not uncommon to see gangs of paramilitary masked men moving about the area
as they placed their own roadblocks along the roads between the villages and the
towns. At times it was not easy to tell which group was in charge on any particu-
lar day, and it often necessitated quick thinking to secure a safe passage after being
stopped. Luckily, the family history meant that our family had feet in both reli-
gious camps, which could be helpful. But wariness was always the order of the
day—as indeed it was as I opened the door to find the British soldiers outside.
They stood there, a group of them, with their guns at the ready. All of them were
young faced, and heavily laden with bulletproof vests and helmets. None of them
had the plummy, typical accents that their generals often sported. No, these were
working class lads, with regional accents, many from areas of high unemployment
throughout Britain—seeking their livelihood, and often their education, through
the army. Politely they asked was it just my family inside, and would I mind if they
took a look inside my house?4
And then I remembered that just a short while before, I had seen a few men on
some kind of maneuvers outside my kitchen window—undoubtedly the IRA. I
stood there—struck by the youth of the faces in front of me, and knowing that
many of those outside in the field beyond my kitchen window almost inevitably
still bore the marks of puberty themselves. It struck me deeply that within the next
few minutes, more young bodies could join the hundreds before them in the
graves. And I thought in my despair that there has to be another way of doing
this—of sorting out the tangles of injustice and hate that had so marked my
country, cost so many lives, broken so many relationships—but how?
From Violence to Agreement 19

DISCOVERING A NEW SCIENCE

It was my Damascus moment, defining both a conviction and a search that has
remained with me to this day: although conflicts are inevitable, and in many cases
it may be even necessary to redo structures of exclusion or oppression, there
surely must be many ways in which these issues can be tackled and agreed upon
without the use of violence. And so I began my search into what I soon learned
was then called the field of conflict resolution.5 To my relief, I discovered that, of
course, I was far from the first to feel passionately about there being better ways
to address our conflicts, and learned that there was an actual body of theory and
knowledge being developed around such possibilities. It was not easy to find it in
those pre-Internet days, particularly living as I did deep in the countryside.
Although I had started doing some graduate work, few of the university libraries
in Northern Ireland had begun to gather the resources that were becoming avail-
able in the United States and the UK, particularly at the emerging peace program
at Bradford University. I did two things to hasten my learning: I decided to focus
my doctorate on studying the fairly unusual phenomenon of people who had
once espoused sectarian activities, including bombing and murder, but who had
moved away from them and who now espoused dialogue as the way forward. And
I also offered to teach courses in the universities that would focus on conflict res-
olution. The initial courses I offered were one on mediation, and subsequently
one looking at policy issues concerned with diversity management. Mediation was
such a new term in Northern Ireland that for my first class, half of the people who
turned up thought they were coming to a course on meditation.
In addition I undertook a television series with Radio Telefis Eireann, the
broadcasting station of the Republic of Ireland, called Waging Peace, which looked
not at the usual bloody campaigns through which the Irish had sought their free-
dom but at the many nonviolent campaigns that had been used by those who
wanted to challenge the rule of the British in Ireland.

NEW BODIES?
Because of such work, I was contacted in 1984 by the Chief Executive of
SACHR, the Standing Advisory Commission on Human Rights, a quasi-
governmental body set up by the British Government in 1975 to address issues of
human rights in Northern Ireland. SACHR members were concerned that many
of the security, equality, and economic activities currently being undertaken by
the government were insufficient to bring the conflict to an end. They were also
concerned that although there were assorted groups working throughout North-
ern Ireland on community relations issues in an independent and often ad hoc
fashion, there was no body dedicated to ensuring the crucially needed cooperation
and understanding between the two major communities in any strategic or com-
prehensive way.
SACHR were keen to investigate the possibility of setting up a new body that
would concern itself with the promotion of better community relations within
20 The New Humanitarians

Northern Ireland,6 given the continuing absence of any local political power, and
what suggestions would emerge for its development, remit, and status. Because of
my work with the universities, they approached me and a colleague, Hugh Frazer,
who was at that time the director of the main community development funding
body—the Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust—which had been set up in 1979
particularly to fund local community work.7 We were asked to investigate two
issues: (a) the adequacy and effectiveness of present structures for promoting
improvement in community relations in Northern Ireland, and (b) whether a
central body should be created to coordinate and fund community relations in
Northern Ireland.
Undertaking the report for SACHR provided us with an excellent opportunity
to overview what actually was happening in the field, how effective it appeared to
be, and what was deemed to be lacking in focus or capacity. We were empowered
to consult very widely at local and regional levels, and across the community
divides. We discovered that the number of organizations concerning themselves
primarily with community relations work in Northern Ireland in 1984 was forty-
five. Most were tiny, worked independently of each other, and were funded by
independent trusts; few were strategic in their approach. The number of full-time
staff they employed altogether was approximately 117, and the number of
part-time, voluntary staff was 86. In contrast the number of people working
in the security forces was about 30,000, including police (approximately 12,000)
and the British army, which fluctuated between 12,000 and 18,000 at any one
time.8 The amount of resources available overall for community relations work
was less than $2 million, which was approximately 0.5 percent of the figure
needed for the security bill.
After a widespread consultation process, our report recommended that the
British government should seriously consider resourcing programs and activities
designed to improve relations between the two main communities (Frazer and
Fitzduff 1986). It recommended that a new community relations agency should
be established to support and encourage the efforts of all those individuals and
groups concerned to improve communication, understanding, and tolerance
between the communities, and to initiate new work in this area. It should be an
independent organization managed by a small board of trustees drawn from
across the communities, with a quarter of its membership appointed by govern-
ment and three quarters nominated by key agencies actively involved in building
better community relations. Although independent of government, it should be
funded by the government, as the resources needed to fund it were likely beyond
the scope of most foundations, but also because it was believed that a closer
relationship with government could ensure that its voice could be heard within
government as the body deemed necessary.
In addition, and to increase the new agency’s leverage on the government, the
report also suggested the promotion of a specialist community relations unit
within the central core office of the government. This unit should be tasked with
advising the secretary of state and other ministers on all aspects of promoting
From Violence to Agreement 21

better community relations, eliminating discrimination, and ensuring that the

policies of all government departments—housing, health, industry, economic
development, education—were geared to improving community relations.9 This
unit should also be charged with ensuring that promoting community relations
was given a much higher priority, and that adequate funding was made available
to community relations initiatives on the ground.

FORMATION OF THE CENTRAL COMMUNITY

RELATIONS UNIT (CCRU)
The report was to prove seminal in the expansion and development of com-
munity relations activities in Northern Ireland. The suggestion to set up a unit
within government to address issues of equality and community relations was
acted upon in 1987, and discussion was conducted relatively speedily for a gov-
ernment initiative—an indication perhaps of the continuing violence, and
despair about how to end the conflict. What helped was the fact that there was also
another ongoing initiative within the Civil Service that was also looking at the
issue of community relations, with the significant support of the head of the Civil
Service, Ken Bloomfield, for the development of the new unit.10 He quickly
appointed civil servants to set up the new body, which was called the Central
Community Relations Unit (CCRU)11 and was charged with “formulating,
reviewing, and challenging Government’s policies in order to address issues of
equality and improve community relations.”12 It was tasked with exploring the
ideas that had been brought forth in the Frazer and Fitzduff report, along with
other issues of interest to the task. The two most senior civil servants appointed
proved themselves to be people of intelligence and courage—the kind of
“champions” needed within an institution if new initiatives are to get started, pit-
ted as they often are against institutional inertia and cynicism.13
The new unit, the CCRU, was located within the Central Secretariat, and was
thus established with direct access to the head of the Civil Service and subse-
quently to any British ministers who were in positions of responsibility for
Northern Ireland. This direct connection was to prove vital in growing the new
and independent agency, and in assessing what its strategic approach should be in
developing community relations work. Using the Frazer and Fitzduff report as a
starting point, the agency consulted widely with many statutory and nongovern-
mental organizations (NGOs), and began to develop its own agenda.
One of its first tasks was the setting up of what was to become known as the
Cultural Traditions Group (CTG) in 1988, which was to prove to be of vital assis-
tance in the later development of the new and independent body. This group con-
sisted of approximately twenty people, from both Protestant and Catholic
backgrounds. It was headed up by the former controller of the BBC, Dr. James
Hawthorne, and its members were drawn from universities, museums, Irish-
language groups, and other cultural bodies. While not without their political and
theological differences, these were people who were committed to attempting an
22 The New Humanitarians

open appreciation of each other’s culture, and to a willingness to see that culture
reflected in the structures and legislation of the state (Ryder 1994). During the
formative phase, they began a series of conferences that was to prove to be semi-
nal in framing the variety of cultures in Northern Ireland as a source of richness,
and not as a problem. The first of these conferences was called Varieties of Irish-
ness, the second Varieties of Britishness, and the third Varieties of Europeans, all
providing a fresh way of looking at community differences.14 When, in 1990, the
new independent body was formed, the CTG group became a subgroup of the
Community Relations Council.
In addition, CCRU assisted with securing the legal infrastructure for the
further development of integrated education, which was an anomaly in a
region where almost 100 percent of education was effectively segregated. Their
work meant that the Department of Education for Northern Ireland (DENI)
made provision for integrated education under the Education Reform Order
(1989), and it became possible for existing segregated schools to opt for inte-
grated status through a parental ballot. Recognizing, however, that most
schools would continue to retain their segregated status, the Order also pro-
vided for two programs to become mandatory in all schools: Education for
Mutual Understanding (EMU) and Cultural Heritage, both of which were
designed to help children to learn to respect themselves and others, and to get
to know about and understand their own culture and that of the other main
community. Cross-community contact between schools was also encouraged as
part of these programs. In addition, in 1990, a common history curriculum was
also instituted in all schools, and in 1993, a common religious curriculum was
introduced.
In an attempt to involve local councilors in community relations work, in 1989
CCRU offered financial assistance to district councils in Northern Ireland that
were willing to establish community relations programs.15 Funding was condi-
tional on cross-party support. Most of the councils took up the offer, and pro-
ceeded to appoint community relations officers, whose task was to assist the
development of programs within the council area that were designed to address
issues of violence and hostility.
CCRU also took the bold step of seeking to recognize and respect the special
significance of the Irish language in Northern Ireland, to support the encourage-
ment of it, and to fund a body related to its development, as well as assisting the
funding of an Irish-language newspaper. In view of the fact that the Irish language
had previously been forbidden for public use in Northern Ireland, this was an
extraordinarily brave initiative.
In addition, the unit also addressed the issue of community inequalities through
a program called Targeting Social Need (TSN), which was designed to tackle sig-
nificant differences in the socioeconomic profiles of the Catholic and Protestant
communities, and improve social and economic conditions by targeting resources
on Northern Ireland’s most disadvantaged areas.16 The development of all these
initiatives was to provide a crucial background context to the emergence of the new
From Violence to Agreement 23

independent body, the Community Relations Council (CRC), which was the sec-
ond body that had been suggested by the report.

THE EMERGENCE OF THE COMMUNITY RELATIONS COUNCIL (CRC)

In the meantime, I continued to develop my interest in the field. In 1987,
along with a few colleagues, I helped set up the Northern Ireland Mediation
Centre, which subsequently was to become of critical use in helping train medi-
ators and in mediating some of the most difficult of the conflict issues, such as
hostilities during marches and funeral violence.17 In addition, I had produced a
book called Community Conflict Skills (Fitzduff 1988), which was a resource
book for those who were trying to facilitate dialogue across the very difficult
community divides, and constructively address Northern Ireland’s political,
constitutional, and social conflicts. Also, fearful that a hesitant government
would want any new body to address only softer issues of relationships without
ensuring an adequate focus on the tougher issues of equality, human rights, and
agreement on constitutional issues, I developed a Typology of Community Rela-
tions Work document, explaining how community relations work had to take
place alongside other efforts, such as equality, security, economic, political, and
human rights work (Fitzduff 1989a).
Eventually, in the autumn of 1989, the setting up of the Community Relations
Council (CRC) was announced. The members of the council were drawn from the
statutory, private, voluntary, community, and academic sectors, including some
from the Cultural Traditions Group. One-third of the members were appointed
by the minister.18 They were drawn widely from the community, and in them-
selves, they represented the very deep divisions in Northern Ireland. From the
beginning, the intentions of the CRC were to include not just those who repre-
sented the middle ground in the conflict, but also those at the harder edges,
including some who had been associated with violence.
The post of director was advertised. Having by now become even more com-
mitted to taking the work forward, I applied for an interview and was appointed
the founding director. During my interview process, I articulated some conditions
for undertaking the work if offered the post. The first was that, as I had outlined
in my typology paper, it would be clearly understood by all that this work could
only be seen as complementary to those efforts I had addressed in my typology
paper—otherwise, I believed, and suggested, that the new body would have no
credibility. Criticisms had already begun to flow its way: the republicans were say-
ing that the body was a trick by the British government to substitute issues of
good relations for issues of equality, justice, and an agreed political solution. The
unionists for their part, ever vigilant regarding the ties with Britain that they felt
the British government was trying to unloose, saw the new body as a trick to force
them into a united Ireland. The second condition was that, despite the fact that the
government was prepared to extensively fund this new body to help develop good
relations initiatives with all sections of society, the body itself would truly be an
24 The New Humanitarians

independent body, answerable only to its own board members.19 These terms hav-
ing been agreed to, I was offered and accepted the post.

The Task of the CRC

The task facing the CRC was daunting. The number killed in the Northern
Ireland conflict was 3,600 people—but given that the population of Northern
Ireland was only 1.6 million, this was the equivalent of more than 600,000 dead in
the United States. Ten times as many people were injured. The CRC set up its
office just off Great Victoria Street, which boasted the most bombed hotel in
Europe. Our office frequently shook with the sound of bombs exploding in the
nearby center of the city. At times we had to be evacuated because of bombings or
threatened bombs. Less than a mile away from our offices, within a one-square-mile
area of North Belfast, there were over 600 murders during the period of the
Troubles.20 At almost every street corner, the colors on the curbstones differenti-
ated the territory of the Taigs (slang word for Catholic) or the Prods (Protestants).
Their separation had been assisted by the erection of massive “peace” walls
designed to offer some element of security to both beleaguered communities.21 The
sectarian differences throughout society were all encompassing: only 7 percent of
people lived in what could be termed “mixed” (i.e., Protestant/Catholic) areas.
Even fewer went to mixed schools, and youth organizations such as the Girl
Guides and Boy Scouts were also sectarian in nature. By age twelve, children had
learned thirty different ways of telling the difference between a Catholic and a
Protestant, including the subtle combination of accent, name, and background
clues that ensures such “telling.” Although there were groups in existence that had
been addressing community distrust issues, few of them were effectively con-
nected with those with the power to most effectively change the situation: the
politicians and the paramilitaries. In addition, a majority within the NGO sector
were arranged along sectarian lines. The massive community development work
that was inaugurated by the first commission in the early 1970s had certainly
energized community-based work—but such work had consolidated itself along
the lines of the conflict, creating many territories where few of another religion
would venture (Fitzduff 1995).
Many institutions, such as the BBC and museums, had located themselves
firmly in alignment with the Protestant/unionist community, so much so that at
the time I was writing the SACHR report, there was only one recently appointed
Catholic at the senior level within the BBC. A quick visit to any of the state muse-
ums would ensure that the visitor thought there were only Protestants living in
Northern Ireland—the existence of Catholics, despite their being 33 percent
(1921) and later rising to 43 percent (2002) of the population was usually com-
pletely ignored. Only 7 percent of the police were Catholic, and complaints
against police from Catholic communities were endemic.
Sports in Northern Ireland also generally reflected the denominational split.
Catholics generally played Gaelic football, camogie, and hurling, games indigenous
From Violence to Agreement 25

to Ireland. Protestants generally played soccer, rugby, hockey, and cricket at school,
games more usually associated with Britain. Even though soccer (football) was
played by both communities, support for teams was mainly given on a denomina-
tional basis, and the game on occasion gave rise to violent expressions of sectari-
anism by both players and spectators alike. Even where communities enjoy the
same sport, for example boxing, bowling or athletics, these tended to be organized
around churches or youth clubs that are mostly denominational and thus prevent
mixing.
Cultural celebrations, and in particular those marches and festivities that cele-
brate particular victories or commemorate particular losses for either community,
were often divisive and sometimes violent occasions. Activities such as music and
dancing were usually aligned to particular identities, for example Irish or
Scottish/British. And community marching has often been a particularly divisive
issue between the communities.
Given such divisions, not only was the work we were suggesting difficult, but it
was also likely to be dangerous.22 In divided societies, those that are most hated
are often those who attempt to be inclusive: for example, in Northern Ireland,
mixed couples and mixed families within estates were usually the first to be
attacked, bombed, or burned out in times of tension. Undertaking community
relations work was to court unpopularity and resistance—most political parties
refused to actively support it except for the nonaligned Alliance Party, a relatively
middle-class organization, which at its most successful represented less than
10 percent of the population.
From its beginning, the task was daunting—it was obvious that the newly-
created CRC would not lack for work.

First Days of the CRC

In our first days of the CRC, we made it clear that the Council felt it had a
responsibility to work with all sections of society. It believed that prejudice and
sectarianism were unfortunately widespread, that they existed irrespective of class
and creed, and that every person and group had both a responsibility and oppor-
tunity to participate in combating them. It therefore sought to work with statu-
tory, voluntary, and community bodies, and to work within areas such as sport,
housing, cultural pursuits, security, business, trade unions, community develop-
ment, media, and the churches (CRC 1991 annual report).
The CRC started life with four program staff, three administrative staff, and a
director.23 It split its work into three areas, the first of which was working with
groups whose prime focus was undertaking community relations work. The sec-
ond area was dealing with groups whose prime concern was not community rela-
tions, but which nevertheless had a capacity to contribute to the work by
mainstreaming community relations work within their programs. The third area
was maintaining and developing the work of the Cultural Traditions Group on all
aspects of culture and identity.24
26 The New Humanitarians

As the council had also acquired a funding responsibility, it was enabled to

leverage cooperation in the above areas through the provision of funding for
groups, and this funding was to help substantially in developing the work.25

COMMUNITY RELATIONS GROUPS

When Hugh Frazer and I had undertaken our original report on the state of
community relations in Northern Ireland in 1985, there were only 45 badly
funded groups undertaking cross–community relations work in Northern
Ireland. Under the auspices and funding of the CRC, this number increased sig-
nificantly. By 2007, there were more than 130 organizations that arranged oppor-
tunities to enable people to meet across the community and institutional divide,
and to address issues of differences, including issues of politics, policing, equality,
and identity.26 In such workshops can be found local politicians, trade union offi-
cials, ex-prisoners, prison officers, community and church and youth leaders,
police and soldiers, former paramilitaries, teachers, and others. To detail here all
of the efforts in the many areas where such work has developed over the past
few years would be impossible,27 but I have chosen several case studies that exem-
plify the range of work that is being undertaken by these groups.

Single-Identity Work
Although developing cross-community group work was obviously important,
the CRC recognized from the start that that there was also a need for the devel-
opment of single-identity work, as a preparation for contact-group work. Single-
identity work is in-depth group work on issues of difference within groups that
are either unionist/Protestant or nationalist/Catholic, and it is aimed at increasing
the confidence of a group in terms of its identity and capacity (Church et al.
2001). Group workers discovered that communities, particularly those most ghet-
toized through history and locality, frequently lack confidence, and can be too
defensive and aggressive to engage in successful contact work. Single-identity
work therefore looks at ways to enable communities to look nondefensively at the
validity and worth of their own history and culture. It also includes work that
enables groups to begin to identify issues about which they feel they can safely
meet and cooperate with people from different communities. Without such pre-
contact work, it was discovered that cross-community dialogue work could be
burdened with so much defensiveness that it could be hostile and counterpro-
ductive. In addition, single-identity work not only increased the confidence of a
group, but it also often succeeded in developing the necessary leaders who could
reach out beyond their ghettoized identities to connect with the other side. This
work was recognized to be so important that it eventually received significant
funding from the CRC and other funders, on the condition that such programs
were seen eventually to lead to cross-community dialogue, and not to an increase
in hardening identities (Hughes and Donnelly 1998).
From Violence to Agreement 27

The Interface Project28

The Interface Project is an integrated community development/community
relations project that was set up along the interface areas of Belfast, many divided
by so-called peace walls, erected to keep them apart. These areas were where vio-
lence was at its highest in the city. Following two years of single-identity work,
which addressed issues of common social problems, local skilled mediators even-
tually succeeded in bringing together community development groups to look at
ways in which together they could address the need to break down the emotional
and physical walls that separated them. This project, and others along the inter-
face, which were eventually to include many ex-prisoners as they returned to their
communities, was to provide a fertile space for dialogue between paramilitaries
and communities in the years preceding the Agreement (O’Halloran and
McIntyre 1999). This group was also to prove essential in managing the tensions
generated by the various marches of the different communities, and provided
stewards and mediators for such events, which often engendered significant vio-
lence on the streets.

The Peace and Reconciliation Group29

The Peace and Reconciliation group, based in Derry/Londonderry30 was set up in
the 1980s to deal with the hostile relationships existing in the city, and in its early
days, it particularly dealt with the problems of rumors and counter-rumors that
contributed significantly to the spiral of violence. By using the services of contacts
within each community (often ex-prisoners or ex-paramilitaries), it maintained a
watchful eye on escalating stories of possible attack and counterattack, and often
prevented these from stimulating full-scale violence within the city by clarifying
such rumors. Subsequently, the group has been significantly involved in working on
developing training for community sensitivity with the police and army, whose
actions in trying to maintain law and order were often counterproductive, particu-
larly within nationalist areas where the police and army were treated with particu-
lar distrust, but also in some loyalist areas. The group also spent much of its time
facilitating contact between those who were most violently involved with each other,
and on facilitating dialogue between the communities, particularly at times of par-
ticular tension such as parading and the breakdown of cease-fires.

Workers Education Association31

The Workers Education Association (WEA) is an adult community learning
organization dedicated to making education available to those for whom it is least
accessible. In 1991 the WEA began to develop programs addressing issues of com-
munity relations. It set up an antisectarian project, called Interface, which worked
with organizations in the voluntary and community sectors and with trade unions
in a consultative manner to help them develop antisectarian polices and practices
28 The New Humanitarians

specific to their particular circumstances.32 Subsequently, the Interface project

expanded and worked closely with the district council community relations offi-
cers helping to develop the capacity of local individuals and groups to engage
more confidently and effectively in community relations activities. The project
annually attracted up to a thousand participants across all parts of Northern
Ireland. The WEA later expanded its work to develop programs focusing on col-
laboration between groups, including training in negotiation and group develop-
ment. It also developed Managing Better Relations, a program designed to build
the capacity of victim/survivor self-help groups to effectively manage internal and
external relations work with victims/survivors groups.
The WEA also produced many of the most seminal training manuals for com-
munity relations work, including titles such as Preparing for Change; Us and
Them; Paths Through the Past; Conflict Management; Principled Negotiation Skills;
Community Group Management; Facilitative Leadership; Building Successful
Partnerships; Developing Facilitation Skills; and Our Social History. All contributed
to the competencies necessary for individuals and communities to begin to
address their divided histories and aspirations more constructively.

Counteract
Counteract, which began in the early 1990s, was a group that functioned under
the auspices of the trade unions, and whose task was to end sectarianism in the
workplace. At the beginning of the Troubles in 1969, workplaces were not only
mostly divided, but, where there were some workplaces with both Protestant and
Catholic workers, those in the minority often suffered from harassment, and in
some cases murder. At particular times of the year, and particularly during those
events commemorating historical gains or losses for each community, tensions
would be extremely high. Counteract began a series of programs with both
employers and workers aimed at eliminating such hostility: workplace awareness
programs, antisectarian programs, policies for dealing with flags and emblems,
and eventually the training of antisectarian harassment officers who were respon-
sible for ensuring the end of such harassment. Counteract was one of the first
major groups to develop in-house training with shop stewards and managers.
Their work was developed in often difficult and dangerous circumstances, but
they succeeded in almost eliminating much of the intimidating sectarian behav-
ior that has unfortunately marked so many workplaces in Northern Ireland for
decades (Counteract 1993), and which used to make life so miserable, and often
dangerous, for many workers from both communities.

North Belfast Community Development Centre33

North Belfast has suffered more from political and sectarian violence than any
other area of Northern Ireland. It is an area crisscrossed by Catholic and Protestant
areas, with a high murder rate between the communities. Communal riots are a
From Violence to Agreement 29

particular feature of the area, and particularly during the summer, when the
“marching” season is at its highest.34 Beginning in the mid-1990s, the North Belfast
Community Development Centre concentrated on cross-community dialogue
between community leaders from different traditions to enlist their help where
possible in limiting such violence. A particular feature of such work was the use of
mobile phone networks, long before these became universally available. Community
leaders were issued mobile phones to keep them in touch even when it was diffi-
cult to go into each other’s areas. These were particularly useful to alert others of
trouble brewing on each side, and in developing integrated strategies to avoid the
worst of such confrontations. Such programs significantly limited the communal
violence that was such a dangerous Saturday night feature of the area, particularly
in the summer (Jarman and O’Halloran 2000).

Churches
Church membership and attendance in Ireland, both in the Republic of Ireland
and in Northern Ireland, are the highest in Western Europe. The churches are still
very important centers of social and leisure activity, particularly in rural areas
where church attendance numbers are the highest. For much of the conflict, how-
ever, with a few honorable exceptions such as the Quakers and some individuals
from some of the other churches, churches have either denied that addressing the
conflict was their business, or have given a religious endorsement to political and
cultural allegiances.
In some cases, churches and their congregations have deliberately blocked rec-
onciliation work; in the mid-1980s, a Presbyterian clergyman was forced out of
office by his congregation because he crossed the road one Christmas Eve to shake
hands with the local Catholic priest in a very minor gesture of reconciliation. A
decade later, he was still receiving threatening letters about his action. With the
arrival of the CRC, and the new concentration on community relations work in
the early 1990s, there was a large increase in the number of church-based organi-
zations that began to concentrate on community relations. The Evangelical
Conference on Northern Ireland (ECONI) undertakes substantial internal work
with its congregations aimed at increasing tolerance, and was one of the first
Protestant organizations to involve Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA. pub-
licly in dialogue.35 All the main churches adopted Youth Link, an organization
whose purpose is to foster youth work across the community divide.36 The Young
Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) began to develop programs dealing with
identity and sectarianism, and set up programs to foster community relations.37
And during the mid-1990s, the role of a few clergymen, both Protestant and
Catholic, was crucial in developing dialogue between Sinn Fein and the Dublin gov-
ernment, and in helping the Sinn Fein leadership understand Protestant/unionist
thinking, and their desire to remain connected with Britain.
Some of the local churches began to play an increasingly important part in
facilitating tolerance through activities such as shared social action, shared Bible
30 The New Humanitarians

study groups, interdenominational worship, joint services and demonstrations

following murders, setting up interdenominational clergy groups and inviting
clergy of other denominations to preach in their churches. Training for student
and incumbent clergy to prepare them to deal with such issues, and in how to
develop community relations is now being undertaken by all the major churches
under the auspices of a variety of church-based reconciliation groups such as
Corrymeela, a reconciliation group set up in the 1960s to foster dialogue between
the churches.38

MAINSTREAMING COMMUNITY RELATIONS

The CRC recognized that in a society that is divided along religious, cultural, or
political lines, it is important that work that increases interaction and dialogue, and
that develops focused options for cross-communal cooperation, is incorporated as
much as possible into every aspect of society. In Northern Ireland, it was felt by those
interested in community relations work that such divisions are so detrimental to the
development of trust that every opportunity possible should be taken to incorporate
and integrate such work into as many institutions as possible.

Security Forces
The successful use of force in any conflict will depend upon a variety of factors,
including the degree of consensus among the people about the legitimacy of such
force, the representative nature of the force, the scale of the civil unrest, and the
tactics used by state forces to control and stop the conflict. Both the nature of the
history of the forces in Northern Ireland and the tactics they used unfortunately
ensured that in many cases the security forces themselves were perceived by sub-
stantial sections of the community, most generally in nationalist areas, to be part
of the problem. The main source of irritation and resentment about the security
forces was often the quality of the contact between them and the public when
security forces were conducting vehicle checkpoints, foot patrols, or house
searches. The number of such interactions taking place was estimated to be about
40,000 per day. The most widespread complaint about them was that of rudeness
by the security forces, followed by concern about their use of abusive and sectar-
ian language, very frequent street searches, prolonged car searches, aggressive
house and body searches, and interference with nationalist emblems and symbols.
Beatings and scuffles were sometimes reported, particularly between young men
and the security forces. Sometimes death threats were made, either against the
person being searched or against a relative, or threats were made to pass on infor-
mation about Catholic targets to loyalist paramilitaries—a practice proven to
have happened in some cases. Attempts to harass or blackmail people into giving
information were also a source for frequent complaint (CAJ 1992). In addition,
the security forces ran informants and undertook many covert operations, which
substantially increased the suspicion of local communities about their objectives.
From Violence to Agreement 31

Given the above scenario, the CRC and other conflict resolution bodies such as
Mediation Network and the Peace and Reconciliation group in Derry/Londonderry,
encouraged the security forces to look at possible interventions that could ensure
that the contact itself did not continue to be a problem in fueling resentment and
diminishing cooperation with the security forces.39 Both the Royal Ulster Constab-
ulary (RUC, the police) and the army took steps to increase the quality of their
recruits, and put in place selection programs to try to identify bias on the part of
would-be trainees. Both sections of the security forces intensified their training to
include a much greater emphasis on social skills and interaction work. The army
began to prepare its staff for coming to Northern Ireland through an intensive
regime that includes some understanding of the history of the region, cultural
awareness work, video training on contact work of a positive quality, and in some
cases, talks with community workers from both of the main traditions about ways
to improve the interactions between the army and the community. The army also
introduced very strict rules governing the expected quality of soldiers’ interactions
on the streets, with strict disciplinary measures if these are transgressed.
In 1993 the RUC, in cooperation with Mediation Network and other conflict
resolution bodies, began to develop its own programs to deal with issues of
sectarianism among the force, and to promote and encourage a greater respect
and understanding among its staff for the differing cultural and political
traditions in Northern Ireland. Such training is now an integral part of the initial
training of all recruits entering the force, and has also been introduced as part of
the in-service training of established police personnel. Many of the police now
have also been trained in mediation techniques and are gradually introducing
more informal dispute resolution techniques into their repertoire. Their use of
such techniques substantially decreased the number of complaints about the
security forces. Both police and army increased the rapidity with which they could
identify any hostile patterns that were emerging in a particular area, or by a
particular regiment. Such identification meant that they could more speedily
intervene to curtail any negative patterns identified.40

Sporting Progress
The idea of addressing divisions through sport is a very ancient idea, best
exemplified by the Olympic Games. In Northern Ireland, however, research has
shown that sport is more frequently used to reinforce divisions than to unite com-
munities (Sugden and Bairnen 1993). With the assistance of the CRC, the Sports
Council began to address this issue, and sporting activities began to be used with
increasing frequency to provide opportunities for increased cultural understand-
ing and cross-community cooperation.
In 1995 the Sports Council appointed a full-time community relations officer to
ensure that such a community relations need would inform where possible the fur-
ther development of sport. Work has been undertaken with and by the various
agencies responsible for sport. One example is the Irish Football Association,
32 The New Humanitarians

responsible for the promotion of soccer. Although soccer is one of the few games
played by both communities, many teams were of single identity, and games
between teams of different identities frequently led to displays of sectarianism and
violence, particularly by club members and spectators. Such games often necessi-
tated a large police presence. Some of these teams are now making substantial
efforts to field a mixed team of players, and are using various methods to limit the
use of the matches as opportunities for contention. Such work is gradually
proving successful in limiting the sectarian hostilities that have traditionally
attended football.
Sporting skills are also now increasingly being taught on a cross-community
basis; rugby and Gaelic football core skills, for example, are now taught together
where possible. Some schools are now providing sports from both traditions as
part of their curriculum, particularly in integrated schools. And “taster” courses
in each sport are now more frequently provided across the community; for
example, the Irish Rugby Football Union is now targeting more participation by
Catholics in the game by means of Saturday morning sessions with children in
Catholic areas. Other new and creative ways are being found by some associations
to promote contact and respect between differing sporting traditions; several have
set up experimental “mixed rules” games where the participants play games
that are a mixture of their traditional games, for example hockey and hurling.
Efforts are also being made to introduce more “neutral” games such as basketball,
which are free of historical connotations and which have gained in popularity.

Institutional Antisectarian Work

In 1976 a Fair Employment Commission (FEC) was established to receive
complaints of discrimination in employment, to investigate the extent to which
there was inequality, and to ensure that organizations began to address equality
issues in an effective manner. Subsequent equality legislation, along with the work
of the successors of the FEC ensured that by the 1990s, discrimination against
Catholics was beginning to be substantially reduced. Such reduction, however,
often did little to improve relationships within organizations, and in some cases
was seen to exacerbate such relations. The CRC, therefore, began to encourage all
organizations, including government departments, public bodies, educational
institutions, and community, voluntary, and social bodies to undertake the fol-
lowing antisectarian activities to help them become more inclusive:

• Audit staffing (and management committees where they existed)

• Review employment practices to try to ensure greater community balance
• Audit customer ratios to ensure that all communities were served where pos-
sible
• Undertake antisectarian work addressing negative attitudes and behavior
within an organization that, deliberately or otherwise, could prevent a balance
in staffing and servicing
From Violence to Agreement 33

• Train staff members to increase their ability and confidence to work in and
with any community
• Review locations to ensure accessibility for all sections of the community
• Undertake anti-intimidation work with trade union officials, management,
and staff to prevent and deal with intimidation
• Encourage an ethos within the organization to ensure that it respects the
cultures of all communities in its decisions about public holidays, the display
of symbols and flags, and its choice of patrons.41

Such work is not easy, involving as it does people in management who are often
themselves fearful of such contact, but substantial strides were taken in developing
such work in many areas, including businesses (CRC 1997), social services (Barry and
Higgins 1999), and service delivery (Dunn and Morgan 1999). This approach has
been further assisted by the statutory requirement placed upon most major institu-
tions in 2000, following the Belfast Agreement, not just to address issues of equality,
but also to address issues of “good community relations.”42 This requirement has sig-
nificantly increased the necessity for organizations to develop their expertise in this
area, and many drew substantially upon the previous learnings of other institutions
in the field that had already partnered with the CRC in developing such work.

Business
Another newcomer that CRC helped entice into the building of peace was the
business community, which began to develop its approach to the ending of violence
in the early 1990s.43 Although previously content to complain about the effects of
the violence on business from the sidelines, the business community now began to
coalesce with trade unions to see if a more strategic approach could be put into
place that would put pressure on both republican and loyalist paramilitaries to end
their campaigns of violence, and to pressure the politicians to get down to the busi-
ness of building an agreement. Groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the
Institute of Directors, the Confederation of British Industry, and all the major trade
unions joined together and began to make statements urging the need to increase
cross-border cooperation, end the war, and start serious political negotiation. In
addition, they involved themselves in dialogue with all the political parties, includ-
ing Sinn Fein, even before the cease-fires were announced in 1994. Their influence
was very salutary, particularly on the unionist political parties, which began to feel
the need to respond to the pressure to enter into serious political dialogue.

CULTURAL TRADITIONS WORK

Affirming Identity
The first efforts of the Cultural Traditions Group were aimed at affirming the
validity of differing identities. There was agreement among the group that those
aspects of culture that were mainly Catholic had been discriminated against both
34 The New Humanitarians

in their coverage by the media and in their support by the state. Since affirmation
could be seen as threatening to many unionists, who feared it as a manifestation
of political assertion, it was also deemed necessary to assist the development of
cultural confidence (and not triumphalism or majoritarianism) among those who
were unionist. Single-identity work on the part of both communities was encour-
aged in the first instance, and many single-identity projects were resourced and
funded. Sometimes these were historical projects; World War I and World War II
projects were particularly popular among unionists who felt that their role and
loyalty in these wars had been significantly overlooked. The Orange Order, an
institution feared and reviled by most Catholics, received funding to make a video
of its work and history. In the case of nationalists, extra or new funding was given
to projects that endorsed and developed Irish language and culture.
The CTG also resourced and funded a proliferation of published cultural
materials that addressed existing gaps in such materials and encouraged new
thinking around the various traditions. The group also assisted broadcast media
productions that would similarly exemplify cultural variety, and they helped to
ensure local programming that exemplified an ethos of diversity. It also helped
develop the growth in local history societies in many areas, particularly through
helping to resource groups such as the Ulster Federation for Local Studies. The
local history societies provided for two necessary factors: In the first instance, for
many people, they provided a place of cultural affirmation, a chance to recall their
roots and to feel proud of their areas. Second, such groups were also encouraged
by the quality of the work itself to address their pasts in all of their complexity,
and not just to focus on the simplicities that could confirm rather than decrease
divisions. Increasingly, these groups also in many cases provided and continue to
provide excellent vehicles for encouraging cross-community contact. Many suc-
ceeded in crossing the political and social boundaries, and began to share history
and cultural sessions on a regular basis.

Cultural Traditions “Fairs”

In 1991 the CTG organized the first-ever Cultural Traditions Fair in Belfast.
Through it, they brought together about forty groups with very different cultural
and historical perspectives for a few days to provide an open exhibition for each
other and for the public. It was a unique and challenging undertaking for it
brought together groups that had been in the main suspicious, hostile, and often
violent regarding one another for most of the life of the state. The fair was subse-
quently repeated at many locations throughout Northern Ireland. In addition to
the cultural fairs, the CTG also organized a symbols exhibition that has been dis-
played at most local district councils. This was a very colorful exhibition of the
hundreds of artifacts from all traditions that are displayed in homes and halls and
streets, and on lapels, throughout the island of Ireland, usually to proclaim a par-
ticular loyalty, and often relating to particular institutions. In many cases, these
symbols can give offence or cause hostility (Bryson and McCartney 1994). Such
From Violence to Agreement 35

cultural displays, however, can accustom people to being in the proximity of sym-
bols with which they usually feel uncomfortable or hostile, and tentatively point
to a richness of political diversity that is available to be creatively harnessed rather
than used destructively.
Ireland is extremely rich in musical tradition. Its instrumental compositions
are based on flute, tin whistle, violin (fiddle), bodhran (an Irish drum) and, in
some cases, accordion music. Unaccompanied singing, local folk compositions,
and the music of such groups as the Chieftains, which has gained an international
reputation, add to the variety. In addition there is a vast repertoire of dance music
for traditional Irish dancing. Unfortunately, although the musical tradition has
always had some participants from the Protestant community, it has usually been
seen as Catholic. Hence, it has sometimes attracted both the verbal and physical
hostility of loyalists, and pubs have been attacked because of their custom of play-
ing such music.
By providing opportunities for music groups to consolidate and develop the
existing interest on the part of some Protestants in such music, threats were for
the most part averted. In addition, by encouraging the Scottish musical tradition,
a tradition that is part of the heritage of many unionists and that historically has
had very strong links (both in music and in dance) with the Irish tradition, it has
been possible to widen the appreciation that now exists of both Irish and Scottish
music and dance in both communities. Work has also been undertaken by a group
called the Different Drums to combine the main drums—the Irish bodhran and
the traditional unionist Lambeg—in some exciting instrumental compositions,
thus displaying their capacity for interaction and harmony.44 Such work began in
1989 and has provided for a much less-threatening musical connection between
the communities. In addition, it has spurred an interest in new combinations that
can combine the best of both traditions.

Irish Language
Toward the late 1980s, and particularly under the influence of the Cultural
Traditions Group, it was recognized by many that the negative government
response to the Irish language had been both shortsighted and unnecessary, par-
ticularly in view of the fact that in other locales, the regional languages of Welsh
and Scots Gaelic had each received significant support for their retention and
development. The refusal of the unionist government to provide any support for
the Irish language had provided a significant bone of contention for nationalists,
who added that refusal to their list of discriminations.
The BBC was persuaded to introduce occasional programs on the Irish lan-
guage to its radio audiences. Although there was considerable resistance from
many unionists, the BBC persisted with the experiment, and was eventually per-
suaded to introduce a regular Irish-language program in 1981, followed by some
broadcasting for schools in 1985. In 1991 the BBC broadcast its first television
production in Irish. In 1990 the CTG, along with the British government, helped
36 The New Humanitarians

to set up and fund the Ultacht Trust, a nonsectarian group to develop and fund
the study and practice of the Irish language, and which included on its manage-
ment committee members from the unionist tradition. In addition, the govern-
ment began to fund those schools that taught through the medium of the Irish
language on the same basis as other schools. In 1992 the secretary of state for
Northern Ireland announced that where there was a local demand, street names
in Irish could be erected alongside the English names.
A more recent public variant in the identity debate in Northern Ireland has
been the emergence of the Ulster Scots language45 as a factor for consideration as
an identity marker for those Protestants who had traveled from the lowlands of
Scotland to Northern Ireland in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This
language was protected, often through rural isolation, as a living, spoken language
throughout many parts of Northern Ireland. With the advent of more regional
and international media, it seemed to be dying a natural death until its revival by
the development of an Ulster Scots Society in 1992. The language became impor-
tant, primarily as a cultural and political identifier for some Protestants, as had the
Irish language in the 1980s for many Catholics. The need for its support has been
recognized as part of the Agreement, and it is one of the recognized languages of
the political Assembly.
Northern Ireland has always had a vibrant dramatic tradition—not just on the
stages of its major city, Belfast, but also throughout its villages and towns, where
local drama has had a significant place in the life of the community. In some cases,
this involvement was to prove to be of significance both in affirming a culture and
in questioning its simplifications. A report released in 1994 showed how the work
of local dramatists working in tandem with local dramatic groups had a very sig-
nificant effect in facilitating discussion about problematic issues both within and
between communities (Grant 1994). The drama helped pose fundamental ques-
tions about issues such as identity, social concern, and the political possibilities
that beset the conflict. In particular, when the drama picks up and deals with the
very complex emotions surrounding local community dilemmas over paramili-
tary activity, dissatisfaction with policing, social and cultural marginalization, and
other issues, it has an extremely engaging capacity that can be more powerful than
many seminars and workshops.
Such was the success of the above programs that, following the Belfast Agree-
ment in 1998, a new Department for Culture Arts and Leisure (Ministry DCAL)
was set up and began to take particular responsibility for issues of culture and
diversity. It set up a program called Diversity 2146 as a joint venture between the
Community Relations Council and DCAL, whose aim was to ensure that cultural
diversity continues to be regarded as a positive, not a negative force, in Northern
Ireland. Its aims are to facilitate support mechanisms relevant to cultural diversity,
and to examine existing legislation, policies, and projects to ensure that they all
assist the development of a culturally pluralist society. This mainstreaming of cul-
tural pluralism within a governmental department of Northern Ireland as an aspi-
ration to be supported and resourced is an indication of how far the success of
From Violence to Agreement 37

such work has traveled. What was once illegal has now become an essential part
of government policy designed to ensure a sustainable peace.

TRAINING CHANGE AGENTS

Given the need for the multiplication of the work, both in kind, quality, and
quantity, one of the first issues CRC addressed was the issue of training for the
work. It defined training as the acquisition of knowledge and skills, in a structured
context, which has immediate application to the conflict resolution work in hand.
The CRC believed that this preparation of people and groups to deal more confi-
dently and effectively in the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict
would usually require two overlapping elements: the acquisition of knowledge
and the development of specific skills.
The knowledge requirement for such intervention is usually for new ways of
analyzing and understanding the dynamics of conflict that can circumvent older
and more destructive ways of resolving it: the need to devise win/win solutions to
the conflict as opposed to win/lose scenarios, or the knowledge and understand-
ing of the particular histories of the differing communities, and their differing
hopes and fears. Necessary skills include the ability to better understand and
manage the dynamics of group work, the ability to manage difficult emotions
emerging within a group, to empathize and support people in addressing their
hostilities and fears in safety and moving beyond these to cooperation, to ensure
that the group or institution faced up to and addressed the necessary changes
within their community or institution, and to help them deliver on such. The
need for support in developing or facilitating training in Northern Ireland has
proven to be substantial. Workshops are often fraught with denial, anger, and/or
tension. Participants are drawn from widely differing perspectives, and few par-
ticipants have been untouched by the violence. Workshops can include relatives of
people who have been killed by the security forces or by the paramilitaries.
Dealing with such issues can be extremely demanding, and the need for support
and for casework sharing is vital.
Such development, in its initial stages, often met with at the very least resist-
ance on the part of many organizations and groups; in many cases, it was met with
open hostility on the part of those who were either fearful of its potential to fur-
ther increase divisions, or those who saw it as counterproductive to their own
political preferences. Careful entry strategies, which involve securing the consent
and support of those responsible for policy making and resource allocation, were
required if such work was to be allowed to proceed effectively.
Another major problem facing preparation work was that of the appropriate
focus for the work. A conflict brings up so many difficult issues that the problem of
being overwhelmed by obvious conflict resolution needs is substantial, and not nec-
essarily conducive to accurate prioritizing. In one particular week, trying to arrange
for a containment or cessation of violence may be the most pressing priority. On the
other hand, the more long-term work of trying to reconstruct the structures that
38 The New Humanitarians

continue the violence, such as structures of inequitable patterns of housing or

employment, or divided educational systems, needs to be thoroughly conducted so
as to ensure an eventual diminution of the circumstances that spawn the occurrence
of violence. Gradually, within Northern Ireland (which has had the luxury of occa-
sional respites from the kind of communal violence that has beset other conflicts), a
variety of training approaches have been developed to take account of parallel needs,
locational needs, and short-term, medium-term, and long term needs.
Four major approaches to training began to be developed, and are still gener-
ally available from the CRC and through other agencies. The first is a modular
approach, which offers training for particular needs that have been identified, or
pilot testing of training for emerging needs. The second approach is to offer train-
ing through more intensive, action-learning programs for those involved full time
in community relations work. The third approach has been to develop customized
programs in conjunction with other organizations (public, statutory, voluntary,
community, or business) based on more precise identification of their needs for
conflict resolution. The fourth and most recent approach has been to organize
such training on a locality/area base, so as to ensure that the conflict resolution
needs of a particular place—village, town, rural ward or city estate, or hostile
sectarian interface—are addressed in a more effective manner.
Training modules are often run on a one- to three-day basis, addressing partic-
ular areas of difficulty or need. Most were originally organized through the CRC,
but are now mainly delivered through or in conjunction with other agencies. They
are offered so as to provide a repertoire of skills for use in various conflict situa-
tions, and the participants usually come from a variety of backgrounds: commu-
nity workers, trade union representatives, local council political representatives,
youth workers, and others. They often include

• Contact facilitation skills, creative ideas about how to organize qualitative con-
tact, and how to arrange for longer-term, sustainable opportunities for con-
tinuing such contact and thus ensuring its effectiveness
• Prejudice reduction work, which addresses prejudice and stereotyping as well as
accurate information sharing between communities about each other’s hopes,
fears, and beliefs
• Political dialogue and cooperation skills, including practice in listening and clar-
ification skills, and exercises in creating constructive discussions of differing
political choices and preferences by the participants
• Cultural traditions work that facilitates the sharing of cultural expression in a
noncontentious way through shared fairs, festivals, and workshops
• Single-identity work to enable communities to look nondefensively at the
validity and worth of their own history and culture
• Cross-community justice and rights work to ensure that groups address rights
issues on a principled rather than a loyalty basis
• Antisectarian work, which assists people in conducting community and
organizational audits to assess their sectarian nature, and to subsequently
From Violence to Agreement 39

develop programs to increase their inclusive capacity, for example, through

mixed-management committees and shared work on social issues
• Anti-intimidation work, which addresses issues of intimidation within the
community and the drawing up of organizational and community strategies
to deal with the problem

Mediation skills training was also recognized to be vital for mediation within and
between communities, and between politicians, paramilitaries, and governments.
Action-learning training programs were initially developed to address the needs of
people involved in full-time community relations work. What had once been a vol-
untary, often part-time activity began to develop into a full-time, quasi-professional
occupation. It was in response to such developments that the CRC initiated its
Action Learning Program for those involved in full-time community relations work.
The program was run by the CRC, sometimes in conjunction with other commu-
nity relations groups, and took place over a period of six months. The course con-
sisted of three residential workshops and six working days. As part of the course,
participants initiated, developed, and evaluated a conflict resolution project in their
own area of work. The course was particularly geared to local conflict resolution
strategy identification and practice. The program also provided the individual with
increased skills in intensive group work, as well as the modular skills identified
above.
Customized programs that addressed particular organizational needs became
more popular, and these were increasingly developed by the CRC in conjunction
with other agencies. Such programs are probably now the most common form of
training in Northern Ireland. The programs are tailored to suit the needs of
particular groups to deal with sectarianism and issues arising from community
divisions. They are drawn up in consultation with the organization, and if possible
or appropriate, such programs attempt to involve the organization’s training or
personnel officer. Organizations included the Sports Council, Health and Social
Services boards, the Education and Library boards, the Training and Employment
Agency, the security forces, local councils, all the main churches, and many others
who were encouraged to train their own personnel to undertake the community
relations training work that was needed to address particular issues relevant to
their work.
Local area programs began to emerge in some areas as the number of people
willing to be involved in reconciliation work increased. These were tailored to
address particular area needs. In Derry/Londonderry city, for example, many
groups from differing areas of the city, and from varying areas of interest such as
human rights and church work, began to collectively address the major exodus of
Protestants from the west bank of the city to the east bank. In the Portadown area,
many groups joined together to address the continuing violence in the town, both
between and within communities. Such locally based programs have now become
the norm on the part of all district councils, which were later tasked with devel-
oping such programs in the wake of the Belfast Agreement of 1998.
40 The New Humanitarians

Much of the training work initiated by the CRC is now being undertaken by
organizations such as TIDES (Training for Transformation, Interdependence,
Diversity, Equity, and Sustainability), Mediation Northern Ireland, and the
numerous organizations and consultants for the work listed on the CRC website.
In addition, much of this training is now accredited through the Open College
Network (OCN).47

PROLIFERATION
During the 1990s community relations work began to successfully engage a
much wider spectrum of people, including those who had previously been cyni-
cal about the “peace and doves” stereotype attached to the work (Bloomfield
1997). It therefore became more possible to build a coalition of people and organ-
izations addressing both the “softer” issues, such as understanding, dialogue, and
cooperation, as well as the “harder” issues of inequality, rights, policing, and polit-
ical and constitutional differences.
In addition, the program begun in the 1970s that more substantially resourced
community development began to pay significant political dividends. Such work,
in the absence of local democracy, had provided for community participation in
governmental consultation processes about social, economic, and political issues.
By the 1990s, however, it had also helped to generate a new breed of “community”
politicians, who developed loyalist, republican, and feminist thinking in a way that
significantly enriched the political mix of parties that were eventually able to sign
the Belfast Agreement. Parties such as the PUP, the UDP, the NIWC, and Sinn Fein
all have considerable experience at community and social politics, including
cross-community local work, through their involvement in such programs as the
Interface Project, or the North Belfast Community Development Centre.48 Such
experiences provided them with fruitful contacts gained from their collective
experience in addressing local social issues together, and greatly assisted their col-
lectively addressing the social and economic tasks that faced them as representa-
tives in the new Assembly.
In addition, following the ceasefires of 1994, external assistance was also
offered for peace building by the European Union, which decided to help under-
pin the peace by allocating substantial funds to help build the economy and
enshrine peace. Such funds have been useful, as their criteria for distribution often
included the need for communities to work together through local partnerships,
such as business, political trade union, and community representatives working
together on funding decisions. Such work built on much of the community rela-
tions work that had been developed or funded by the CRC in the early 1990s, and
significantly multiplied that work.
As the dominos began to fall, and a political agreement dawned, I left the CRC
in 1997 for other fields. I believed the backbone of the work had been completed,
and the institutional implications of the work were beginning to be threaded and
mainstreamed into every organization in Northern Ireland. Before I left in 1997,
From Violence to Agreement 41

I sought to undertake one further innovation.49 Some time previously, professors

Tom Hadden and Kevin Boyle had written a book addressing the central question
of separation and sharing in a divided society (Hadden and Boyle 1994). It was a
hope of mine to look at the possibility of policy legislation, which would be com-
plementary to equality legislation, but which would ensure that every public
agency, and where possible business, voluntary, and community organizations
would also be encouraged to take their obligation to promote good community
relations seriously. The CRC therefore commissioned Tom Hadden to write a
paper, “Possible Structures for the Development and Implementation of Policy
Appraisal on Separation and Sharing (PASS).”50 This proved to be the forerunner
of the Good Relations requirement that was written into the text of the Belfast
Agreement in 1998. This law ensures that the work of the Community Relations
Council would, by law, now be shared by every publicly funded body in Northern
Ireland—and that the need to be vigilant and plan for the management of diver-
sity would become part of the responsibility and everyday planning of all of our
major organizations, thus helping to assist in sustaining peace.

LESSONS LEARNED
Find institutional champions to support and protect your work. The CRC
could never have been set up without the active support of the head of the
Civil Service at that time, assisted by several courageous civil servants who
braved the complicated and dangerous terrain of Northern Ireland to help
establish it. Such momentum was hugely assisted by a variety of significant
people from the community, including the legal, academic, trade union, and
business sectors, who supported it steadfastly throughout its development
and on into the somewhat easier terrain that followed the Belfast Agreement
in 1998. In addition, the efforts of helping to shape the work of organiza-
tions such as the police and army became possible only when champions
from within these organizations emerged to help promote and develop the
work within those institutions.
Use insider/outsider roles constructively. The development of the work of the
CRC often involved creating linkages with people on the inside of major
organizations who were willing to share possible opportunities with each
other, and accustom each other to the cultural and organizational necessi-
ties for success. Such work often involved partnerships in raising issues at
appropriate meetings, helping each other phrase letters to leaders and
organizations to ensure positive responses, identifying possible challenges
and blockages, and framing opportunities for progress in as nonthreatening
a fashion as possible.
Do what you can, when you can—or you may regret it later. In Northern
Ireland this meant consistently identifying those areas where progress, with
some energy and courage, appeared to be possible to achieve, even on the
most difficult of bloody days. Such a multifaceted approach also has meant
42 The New Humanitarians

that at difficult times, when one area of work became too difficult or too
dangerous to progress, there were others where some success could be
achieved, and thus the momentum of progress could be retained. We dis-
covered it was never too early to start what needed to be done on medium-
or long-term issues such as providing training, creating safe public housing,
finding extra employment possibilities, or developing shared schools—and
that delaying such efforts may mean that opportunities for political agree-
ments slip away at a later stage.
Do not deny the importance of identity. The decision of the Cultural Tradi-
tions Group to assist in affirming and valuing cultural and theological dif-
ferences, rather than fudging or hiding them, was important. It is ironic that
often only when such have been validated do people feel free to become
more flexible—but such flexibility needs to be at their own pace and time,
not that of any outside organizations.51
Help provide conceptual reframing, and a language with which to progress.
The recognition that a win/lose outcome to any conflict is likely to be a loss
for all, and the need to create win/win solutions in order to create sustain-
able solutions, provided a useful conceptual framework for much of the
work. Such a framework has been particularly useful not just in helping to
resolve local issues of marching and street fighting, but also in enlightening
much of the new political thinking that eventually emerged around solu-
tions for power sharing. The reframing of cultural differences as richness—
not as problems—helped immeasurably in informing both policy and
practice. The idea that people living in Northern Ireland can have both an
Irish and a British passport—rather than having to choose—was a logical
extension of the work of the CRC.52 In addition, familiarizing politicians
with conflict resolution process strategies enabled them to do difficult
things under the auspices of “conflict resolution”—a framework used fre-
quently by the leaders of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) as the conflict
began to come to an end.53
Nurture the ground. John Paul Lederach (1998) places great importance on
the development of a “peace constituency” in order to ensure ultimate suc-
cess in resolving a conflict. If one fails to create a groundswell that can
accept the necessary compromises that often accompany a settlement, and
enough support for an accommodating solution has not been garnered, it
may be too late to start acquiring such when the agreement is in sight—and
the agreement will fail. The sheer number of projects that were developed
in Northern Ireland provided for the necessary linkages between govern-
ment, paramilitaries and politicians—and for a multitude of discussions
within and between communities in order for an agreement to be reached
(Williams and Fitzduff 2007).
Learn from elsewhere. When a war is in progress, it can be difficult to do anything
other than survive. Every news bulletin that brings word of another death (as
many did in Northern Ireland over the past thirty years) ensures that there has
From Violence to Agreement 43

been all too little time for those involved in conflict resolution to stop, reflect,
and learn from what has been achieved in such resolution elsewhere. And yet,
when we lifted our eyes from our bloody streets and took the time to meet with
those involved in the practice of conflict resolution elsewhere, it both revived
and revised many of our approaches to our own problems. Aided by organiza-
tions such as the Project on Justice in Times of Transition,54 the British
Council’s Governance Program,55 and UNU/INCORE,56 we were able to look
at a multitude of possibilities elsewhere where violence had been managed
more constructively, where war lords had at last become constructive leaders
in creating a future of peace together, and to learn from them.
Mainstream the work. It is never enough for one or a few agencies to be tasked
with ensuring good relations within a region or a country. Where divisions
of history, ethnicity, language or power exist, they provide a perfect petri
dish for the development of conflict and for possible violence to erupt.
Therefore, the task of ensuring that existing divisions are managed and
resolved peacefully must be shared by all institutions and people that have
the capacity to continually create, recreate, and sustain a fair, just, and inclu-
sive society for all citizens, and one in which equality is proactively pursued,
diversity is valued, and mutual interdependence is recognized and catered
for. Without such commitment, any agreements reached may be easily
breached, and violence may return.
Patience. Unfortunately, recreating and refocusing a society that has been caught
for decades—indeed centuries—in its hatred for each others’ perspectives and
hopes is a long, frustrating, and sometimes dangerous task. When I first took
the post of director of the CRC in 1990, I placed on my wall a list of organiza-
tions we wanted to enlist in our work, and we staged a plan for each of them,
from first conversation, to their taking responsibility for actively training for
their community relations work. Some came on board relatively quickly,
within a span of one or two years. Some, such as the churches, took much
longer, but by 1998, most had come on board. Some took an even longer time.
Following the civil strife of 1969, the Housing Executive of Northern Ireland
had been set up to deal with claims of discrimination, and had largely suc-
ceeded in undertaking this task successfully. However, most of the estates it
administered were either Catholic or Protestant, and such ghettoization was
extremely problematic for those families that wanted to live in mixed estates so
as to broaden the perspectives of their children, and in particular for the
increasing number of people in mixed marriages who had nowhere safe to live.
In 1992 we began conversations with the Housing Executive on a possible
mixed public housing estate, which would be jointly managed by the two com-
munities. It was over fourteen years later, in 2006, that the Housing Executive
announced it was ready to begin its work on such an idea. Learning to be
patient, and persistent, in the face of people’s fears was not easy—but luckily
those who continued the work of the council after I left continued the conver-
sations, year after year, until more and more alliances were created.57
44 The New Humanitarians

Believe that all can change. Inevitably, there are people for whom change is
extremely difficult. Such resistance can be based on a reluctance to lose power,
while for many, it is based on a fear of losing identity. Some individuals and
groups, whose core meaning has become bound up with their engagement in
the conflict, may also resist its resolution, knowing (perhaps only at a subcon-
scious level) that such resolution may leave them bereft in some way (Fitzduff
1989b). However, the experience of Northern Ireland would seem to suggest
that there are few organizations or people that are not at some level capable of
developing positive changes in their attitudes and behavior toward the out
group, even when a conflict is still in progress. To see Martin McGuinness, a
onetime IRA commander, and Dr. Ian Paisley, an apparently irredentist union-
ist, sharing power with each other and relaxing and joking as they do so in
2007, is indeed an encouragement to maintaining the faith in the possibility of
change on the part of the most apparently fundamentalist of believers. Retain-
ing such faith even through the darkest of times is perhaps the most important
contribution that community relations workers can make to the development
of sustainable peace.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: The Community Relations Council
Founder and/or Executive Director: Mari Fitzduff
Mission/Description: The aim of this council is to assist the people of Northern
Ireland to recognize and counter the effects of their communal division. It was
set up to promote relationships among Catholics and Protestants in Ireland. Its
aim is to promote a peaceful and just society based on reconciliation and
mutual trust.
Website: www.nicrc.org.uk/about-the-council/background-info
Address: Mailstop 086
Waltham, MA 02454 USA
Phone: 781-736-5017
E-mail: mfitzd@brandeis.edu

NOTES
1. Unionists generally want to retain the constitutional link with Britain, while national-
ists want to break that link and unite the island of Ireland under the government of the
Republic of Ireland. The island had been under British rule since the eleventh century,
but following a long independence struggle, it was divided in 1921. The southern
portion of the island achieved independence, while the northern part retained its British
link to suit the fears and the needs of the Protestant communities. The term republicans
From Violence to Agreement 45

generally refers to those Catholics who were most passionately committed to a united
Ireland, many of whom were prepared to countenance violence to achieve their aim.
Loyalist was a term usually used to denote Protestants who were most passionately
“loyal” to the British monarchy—some of whom were involved in paramilitary groups.
2. Discrimination against Catholics became rife in Northern Ireland in the decades fol-
lowing the division of the island in 1921 (Rose 1971). The civil rights movement started
in 1967 as a movement for Catholic equality, but not enough was done quickly enough
to address issues of inequality. Within two years, a peaceful process was turned into a
violence campaign that saw the reemergence of paramilitary forces on both sides.
3. A few generations previously, the family had become Catholic through marriage, but
they retained the trappings of the settlers.
4. For others, politeness was often absent, and the behavior of the security forces, both army
and police, was sometimes counterproductive to the maintenance of peace (CAJ 1992).
5. In Northern Ireland, much of this work was called community relations work. In other
situations, it is called coexistence work, conflict transformation work, or peace-building
work. This work is about achieving sustainable agreements to address societal or inter-
national divisions and conflicts without the use of military force.
6. There had been a body, the Community Relations Commission, charged with such
responsibilities set up in the early 1970s, but it had been abolished after an abortive
attempt to set up a new parliamentary Assembly in Northern Ireland through the
Sunningdale agreement of 1974. This agreement set up a power-sharing government
between the politicians that lasted only a few months. After this attempt at a political
power-sharing arrangement, the regional Assembly was dissolved, and power returned
to the British government. Responsibility for community relations within Northern
Ireland was settled upon the Department of Education. The department was charged
with formulating and sponsoring policies for the improvement of community rela-
tions in Northern Ireland, and continued to do this through minor funding of district
councils as well as community and voluntary groups.
7. Now called the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland (www.community
foundationni.org).
8. The total population of Northern Ireland is 1.6 million. When the region was created
in 1922, Protestants were almost 66 percent of the population, Catholics 33 percent.
Current figures from 2001 census (http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/ni/popul.htm) are 43.76%
Catholic, 53.13% Protestant, 0.39% other, and 2.72% none.
9. In the absence of regional politicians, a secretary of state and ministers were appointed
by the United Kingdom government to run Northern Ireland. This arrangement,
which was known as Direct Rule, continued until the setting up of a new regional
Assembly after the Belfast Agreement of 1998.
10. Now Sir Ken Bloomfield.
11. Now called the Community Relations Unit (see http://www.ccruni.gov.uk/).
12. Two new branches, Linguistic Diversity and New TSN (Social Inclusion), were subse-
quently established in the autumn of 1998.
13. The more senior civil servant appointed was Ronnie Spence, who was assisted by a col-
league, Tony McCusker. The fact that they would have been perceived as coming from
different religious communities helped the credibility of their work.
14. These were facilitated by the existence of the Institute of Irish studies, based at Queen’s
University in Belfast, and led with vision by Professor Ronnie Buchanan. The institute
was set up in 1965 and became a leading center for research-led teaching in Irish
46 The New Humanitarians

Studies. One of the most notable features of the institute was that it spanned the
community divide.
15. Such were the open hostilities between the local representatives that it was not
unknown for the police to have to be brought in to manage the eruption of physical
violence within the council chambers.
16. Although Catholic were proportionally more disadvantaged that Protestants, there
were many communities where Protestants were also poor—and not to have included
them in programs addressing poverty would itself have been discriminatory,
17. This now works under the name of Mediation Northern Ireland and provides most of
the mediators for issues of tension and division in Northern Ireland (see www.media-
tionnorthernireland.org).
18. The erstwhile chair of the CTG, the ex-controller of the BBC, Dr. James Hawthorne,
was to become chairman of the CRC, and a distinguished Catholic ex–civil servant,
Dr. Maurice Hayes, was in turn to become chair of the CTG.
19. Although there were a few minor attempts by the Civil Service and others within gov-
ernment to influence some decisions in the first year of the council’s existence, they were
quickly reminded of the council’s independence by the strength and public credibility
of the council members. To this day, the council remains a mainly government-funded,
independent body, despite several attempts to set it up as a regular NDPB—a non-
departmental public body—the usual status for executive bodies of the government.
20. The Troubles was a universally used euphemism for the conflicts in Northern Ireland.
21. By the time of the Belfast Agreement, there were forty-two such walls.
22. Staff were challenged and threatened from both sides—as director I received bullets in
the post, the usual sign of death threats.
23. By 2007 this had grown to forty staff.
24. Dr. Maurna Crozier, who had so ably provided support for the development of the
CTG group in its early days, was appointed the first CTG development officer within
the newly established CRC.
25. In its first year, the council gave out 176 grants, a total of $1.38 million. In 2005–2006
the CRC distributed over 800 grants, and disbursed $13 million (CRC Annual Reports
1991 and 2006).
26. After the ceasefires of 1994, the European Union allocated £350 million toward work
aimed at the development and maintenance of the peace, and this significantly
increased the number of groups undertaking the work.
27. For a fuller review of such work, see the website of the Community Relations Council
(http://www.community-relations.org.uk/community-relations/).
28. http://www.belfastinterfaceproject.org/.
29. http://www.peaceprg.co.uk/.
30. Protestants call it Londonderry; Catholics call it Derry.
31. http://www.wea-ni.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1.
32. With the creation of Counteract—see next section—trade unions were no longer seen
as a primary target group.
33. http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/cdc/.
34. There are over 3,000 marches in Northern Ireland every year, most of them Protestant.
Many of these march down streets that once were Protestant and now are Catholic,
thus creating tension within these neighborhoods (Jarman 1999).
35. http://www.econi.org/.
36. http://www.youthlink.org.uk/index.cfm?id=17.
From Violence to Agreement 47

37. http://www.ymca-ireland.org/Equity%20diversity%20&%20Interdependence.htm.
38. http://www.corrymeela.org/.
39. Republicans usually saw working with the security forces in any capacity as “‘collu-
sion,” and people doing the work found themselves threatened for undertaking it.
40. As part of the Belfast Agreement of 1998, the Patten report (http://www.belfast.
org.uk/report.htm) brought about a total overview of police culture, recruiting prac-
tices, and other topics. The police force in existence today is rapidly addressing issues
of community balance within its ranks, with Catholics being recruited on a 50–50
basis with Protestants.
41. See Logue (1993) for recommendations about such work.
42. Belfast Agreement (http://www.nio.gov.uk/the-agreement).
43. http://www.international-alert.org/pdfs/lblp_Northern_Ireland.pdf.
44. Different Drums (http://differentdrums.info/). The Lambeg drum is most often played
by the marching bands of the Orange Order, a traditionally male religious Protestant
organization. See http://www.grandorangelodge.co.uk/.
45. This language/dialect is spoken in the lowlands of Scotland, where many of the Protes-
tant settlers came from in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries.
46. www.diversity21.co.uk.
47. See http://www.mediationnorthernireland.org/, http://www.tidestraining.org/courses.
html, and http://www.community-relations.org.uk/services/training-and-support/.
48. The (PUP) Progressive Unionist Party, the UDP (Ulster Democratic Party) and the
NIWC (Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition) all have their basis in local community
work. Sinn Fein also draws much of its support from such work.
49. I subsequently took over UNU/INCORE, a combined United Nations and University
of Ulster international research program on issues of conflict, and in 2004 I founded
an MA program for midcareer professionals interested in coexistence issues at
Brandeis University in the United States.
50. Tom Hadden, unpublished paper written for the CRC, February 1997.
51. We continually funded translation facilities for cross-community meetings, even
though everyone in Northern Ireland speaks English. If we did not provide such facil-
ities, this became the point of contention that stopped people from moving on.
However, when they were provided, what happened most often was that after a per-
functory, short time speaking Irish or Ulster Scots, most participants happily reverted
to using English in order to dialogue more effectively and speedily.
52. The Belfast Agreement means that anyone born in Northern Ireland is free to choose
either or both British and Irish identities and passports.
53. The IRA was the foremost nationalist/Catholic paramilitary group in Northern Ireland.
54. http://www.pjtt.org/.
55. http://www.britishcouncil.org/governance.htm.
56. http://www.incore.ulst.ac.uk/.
57. These include people such as Dr. Duncan Morrow, who is currently director of the
CRC, and whose vision and inspiration has been a huge asset in continuing to develop
the credibility and capacity of the CRC.

REFERENCES
Barry, E., and P. Higgins. (1999). Getting Off the Fence: Challenging Sectarianism in Personal
Social Services. London: Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work.
48 The New Humanitarians

Bloomfield, David. (1997). Peacemaking Strategies in Northern Ireland: Building Complemen-

tarity in Conflict Management. London: Macmillan.
Boyle, Kevin, and Tom Hadden. (1994). Northern Ireland: The Choice. London: Penguin.
Bryson, Lucy, and Clem McCartney. (1994). Clashing Symbols: A Report on the Use of Flags,
Anthems and Other Symbols in Northern Ireland. Belfast: CRC.
CAJ. (1992). Adding Insult to Injury. Belfast: CAJ.
Church, Cheyanne, Anna Visser, and Laurie Johnson. (2002). Single Identity Work: An
Approach to Conflict Resolution in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland: UNU/INCORE
(http://www.ciaonet.org/wps/chc05/).
Counteract. (1993). Annual Report. Belfast: Counteract.
CRC. (1991 and 2006). Annual Reports. Belfast: CRC.
CRC. (1995). “Of Mutual Benefit”: The Capacity of Economic Development to Contribute to
Community Relations. Belfast: CRC.
CRC. (1997). Doing Business in a Divided Society. Belfast: CRC.
Fitzduff, Mari. (1988). Community Conflict Skills. Belfast: CRC.
Fitzduff, Mari. (1989a). A Typology of Community Relations Work and Contextual Necessities.
Belfast: Policy Planning and Research Unit. Reprinted 1993 as Approaches to Commu-
nity Relations Work. Belfast: CRC (http://www.community-relations.org.uk/filestore/
documents/Approaches_to_Community_Relations_Work.pdf).
Fitzduff, Mari. (1989b). “From Ritual to Consciousness: A Study of Change in Progress in
Northern Ireland.” Unpublished PhD thesis, Londonderry: University of Ulster.
Fitzduff, M. (1995). “Managing Conflict: Voluntary Organizations, Government, and the
Search for Peace,” in Voluntary Action and Social Policy in Northern Ireland, ed. Acheson
and A. Williamson. Avebury Press.
Fitzduff, M. (2002). Beyond Violence: Conflict Resolution Processes in Northern Ireland.
Tokyo: United Nations University Press/Brookings.
Frazer, Hugh, and Mari Fitzduff. (1986). Improving Community Relations. Standing Advi-
sory Commission on Human Rights (http://www.community-relations.org.uk/
filestore/documents/Improving_Community_Relations.pdf).
Grant, David. (1994). Playing the Wild Card: Community Drama. Belfast: Queen’s Univer-
sity Institute of Irish Studies.
Hughes, Joanne, and Caitlin Donnelly. (1998). Single Identity Community Relations in
Northern Ireland: Final Report. Ulster Papers in Public Policy and Management, no. 77.
Belfast: University of Ulster.
International Alert. (2000). The Business of Peace: The Private Sector as a Partner in Conflict
Prevention and Resolution. London: International Alert (http://www.international-alert.
org/publications.htm#business).
Jarman, N. (1999). Material Conflicts: Parades and Visual Displays in Northern Ireland.
Oxford: Berg.
Jarman, N., and Chris O’Halloran. (2000). Peacelines and Battlefields? Responding to
Conflict in Interface Areas. Research and Policy Reports No. I. Belfast: North Belfast
Community Development Centre.
Logue, Ken. (1993). Anti-Sectarian Work. Belfast: CRC.
Lederach, John Paul. (1998). Building Peace: Sustainable Reconciliation in Divided Societies.
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O’Halloran, Chris, and Gillian McIntyre. (1999). Inner East Outer West: Addressing Conflict
in Two Interface Areas. Belfast: Belfast Interface Project.
From Violence to Agreement 49

Patten, Chris. (1998). The Report of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern
Ireland (http://www.belfast.org.uk/report.htm).
Rose, Richard. (1971). Governing without Consensus: An Irish Perspective. London: Faber.
Ryder, Chris. (1994). Cultural Traditions 1989-94. Belfast: CRC.
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Williams, Sue, and Niall Fitzduff. (2007). Retrospective on Northern Ireland Emerging from
Conflict. Cambridge: Collaborative for Development Action.
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 3

Amnesty International: A Global

Movement That Began with One
Malachi Garff, Orlando
Rodriguez, and James Wood

Amnesty International (AI) is a worldwide movement committed to ending

abuses of human rights. Its vision is of a world in which every person enjoys all
the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights along
with other international standards. In pursuit of this vision, AI’s mission is to
undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave human
rights abuses. It operates under the firm conviction that individuals can make a
difference.
The idea for Amnesty International was born back in the 1960s when one man
became outraged over a news account of two Portuguese students who were
imprisoned for making a toast to liberty.
Peter Benenson, a lawyer and political activist, was sitting on a London under-
ground train, reading the Daily Telegraph, when he spotted the article that
reported on these two students’ unwarranted arrest and incarceration. The
account provoked deep frustration within Benenson, not surprisingly, since his
ideas of equality and justice had been instilled in him at a young age.
As a student, he had been engaged in a number of endeavors in humanitarian
aid, including but not limited to providing services for victims of the Spanish
Civil War and Jewish children fleeing Nazi occupation. These endeavors were
symbolic of Benenson’s character as an activist. But it was that moment, he claims,
when he was sitting in the London Tube, reading that article about the imprisoned
Portuguese students, which inspired Benenson to start a campaign that would
quickly become an international movement for the promotion of human rights
worldwide.
“Appeal for Amnesty, 1961” was a call to action for governments around the
world to provide information and services for those whom Benenson termed
“prisoners of conscience,” defined as those physically restrained from or punished
for expressing their opinions.

51
52 The New Humanitarians

Benenson assembled a group of lawyers, scholars, and professionals, all like-

minded on beliefs regarding humanity. Together, they wrote an article called “The
Forgotten Prisoners,” published in the Observer, where they outlined their mission
with four succinct objectives:

1. To work impartially for the release of those imprisoned for their opinions
2. To seek for them a fair and public trial
3. To enlarge the Right of Asylum and help political refugees to find work
4. To urge effective international machinery to guarantee freedom of opinion1

The response to the article was extremely positive, and the general public was so
inspired that within weeks, the campaign had acquired representation in countries all
over the world. It provided the leverage to start a worldwide, grassroots movement.
In the same year, the first international meeting was held to discuss the
direction of the movement and the ultimate goals for Amnesty to work toward; in
attendance were representatives of Belgium, the UK, France, Germany, Ireland,
Switzerland, and the United States. An office was opened in London, run by
volunteer staff members. Soon after, the “Threes Network” was established,
whereby each AI group adopted three political prisoners to represent, all of whom
were from diverse geographical and political locations to emphasize the group’s
impartiality.
In less than two years’ time, by 1963, Amnesty International comprised
350 groups, had adopted 770 prisoners of conscience, and had successfully
secured the release of 140 of these prisoners. The International Secretariat was
established in London, and the International Executive Committee (IEC) was
set up with Benenson as its secretary. Within three years of having written
“Appeal for Amnesty,” Benenson was named president of Amnesty Interna-
tional, the number of its adopted prisoners had nearly doubled, and the UN
had given AI consultative status.
By many standards, the growth of this organization on an international scale
was phenomenal; it might have been a product of the times. The world might not
have been ready for Amnesty International in any other decade. Benenson himself
emphasized that the timing of AI’s launch was an important component to its
growth: “There was only one time when Amnesty could have been born, and that
was in the exhilarating, brief springtime in the early sixties”2 when social change
was the status quo. The organization certainly came in a time when newly realized
struggles for political and religious freedom were beginning to spread around the
world and ignite passion among international citizens for a new “civil society,”
governed by tolerance and equality. Larry Cox, executive director of the U.S.
section of Amnesty International relays that the climate of the 1960s most
certainly impacted his commitment to human rights work. He states,

It was a time in history when people saw problems in the world and felt inspired to do
something about it; more importantly, that they felt they could do something about it.
Amnesty International 53

These were not people in government or people of power: these were concerned citi-
zens who felt responsibility not just for themselves or their neighbors or even people
within their own country; it was a concern for the well-being of humanity.3

That sentiment—that ordinary people can be vehicles of change and capable

of defense for others—is what Amnesty strives to accomplish today.
And indeed, many leaders of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) are not only
warriors of human rights battles of the present; they are also veterans of social
movements of the 1960s. Products of their generation and driven by profound
determination to deliver liberties enshrined under the United Nations Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, these leaders have been a critical part of this orga-
nization’s growth.
Joshua Rubenstein, director of the Northeast Regional Office of AIUSA since
1975, was a student at Columbia in the late 1960s, where the takeover of univer-
sity buildings and student demonstrations against the Vietnam War, university
policy, and government affiliations were stifled by egregious police brutality.
Coupled with his academic pursuits in the history of the Soviet human rights
movement and the Holocaust on German-occupied Soviet territory, he could not
have funneled his passions, experiences, and expertise into a more appropriate
movement and career.
Curt Goering, senior deputy executive director of AIUSA, was raised by
socially conscious parents: his father ran a relief and reconstruction agency in
Europe after World War II, and his mother spent her time with prisoners of war
and orphans, volunteering innumerable services to soup kitchens. Goering was
involved in the anti–Vietnam War movement and had registered as a conscien-
tious objector, inspiring his decision to leave the country legally and spend the
greater part of his twenties in Europe and the Middle East.
While he was engaged in academic pursuits in Israel and Palestine, Goering
was given a taste of the human conflicts that surround the region and witnessed
firsthand the confiscation of land and destruction of trees, crops, and sometimes
homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He also studied alongside students who
were frequently arrested by Israeli military authorities. These life experiences most
likely shaped his mindset and personal mission; he needed to be engaged in a
movement to address and reconcile these problems.

THE UNITED STATES SECTION OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL (AIUSA)

Today, the Amnesty International movement has become an organization that
works to fulfill human rights needs not only for prisoners of conscience; it also aims
to reconcile a more holistic range of human rights violations. AIUSA is one of about
sixty national sections of the global organization. It represents just a fraction, includ-
ing approximately 360,000 AI members out of the global 2.2 million worldwide. As
a section, most of its campaigns and advocacy work are part of a larger international
strategic framework and are coordinated by the International Secretariat (IS). In
54 The New Humanitarians

consultation with sections, the IS develops an international strategy that identifies

strategic opportunities for a particular section to address based on, among other fac-
tors, location and government relationships between two foreign bodies.
Once these campaigns have been selected, AIUSA develops its own strategy to
achieve campaign objectives, including increasing public awareness and mobiliz-
ing AI members. It is hoped that this will lead to a successful resolution of the
human rights issue. To assist with this, AIUSA operates regional offices in six
major metropolitan areas of the country.
Each of these regional offices acts as a support center and communication
vehicle to and from AIUSA volunteer leaders and members regarding national
goals, and the plans and activities undertaken to accomplish them. The staff of
these regional offices organize, mobilize, and support volunteers to do impactful
work related to AIUSA’s human rights efforts. This is a fundamental characteris-
tic of the modern-day AIUSA. It is the same, in principle, with what Benenson had
envisioned for the Amnesty International movement almost fifty years ago.
Benenson developed his work with people who were considered to be scholars
and intellectuals; by some standards, this was an elitist group with large gaps
between them and the people whose rights they were trying to protect. It was
always in Benenson’s vision for Amnesty to be a movement in which everyone
could be an active participant and beneficiary. In the early years, it lacked the
mechanisms and the means to accomplish this, but not the will.
With over forty years of development under its belt and with the changes in
times, Amnesty has become more strategic in its efforts to reach out to the world.
Communications have increased at the capacity of which modern times have
allowed: Advertisements for Amnesty campaigns can be seen in virtually every
medium that exists. Nearly every Amnesty section has a website. Performers
across the globe promote Amnesty campaigns, and human rights have become
part of more and more curricula in U.S. schools since AI’s inception.

Human Rights Education

AIUSA published its first educational packet on teaching human rights in
classrooms in the 1980s. It has since developed its own Human Rights Education
program as one of its mechanisms for increasing awareness of the Universal Dec-
laration of Human Rights, the broader range of human rights violations endemic
in the world, and the actions individuals and Amnesty members are performing
in an effort to end these violations.
Karen Robinson, the director of AIUSA’s Human Rights Education program
has indicated that recently, and particularly since 9/11, school programs across the
country are taking an active interest in incorporating AIUSA’s Human Rights
Education program into their curricula.

I believe that as people start to understand human rights as something that is both
universal and personal, international and local, a value and a legal system, they see the
Amnesty International 55

infinite implications for teaching and learning. I am happy to say that I have seen many
individuals involved with and exposed to HRE grow into not only activists but people
who seek to bring human rights values to life each day in their actions and behavior
towards others. I know teachers that have gone on to develop their own courses, uni-
versity faculty that have gotten their schools to start human rights programs, students
that have gone on to run organizations, to teach, to do a range of things.

Of course, human rights education exclusively in the classrooms would not be

a holistic approach of reaching out to members and activists in the making. Per-
formance arts and celebrity engagement have proven to a successful method of
showing people, especially young people, that human rights are part of very real
and personal values.
Since 1976, Amnesty has relied on benefit events for fund raising and as a tool
to raise human rights awareness, to highlight human rights violations across the
globe, and to encourage individual action to fight these same abuses. One of the
first Amnesty events to change the face of benefits was the Secret Policeman’s Ball,
a comedy gig organized by John Cleese, the star of the Monty Python movies.
Using Cleese’s connections with Monty Python, the Secret Policeman’s Ball
brought together on stage many of the biggest names in comedy, and the show
was a quick success. Musical performances by artists such as Pete Townsend and
John Williams provided a further draw for the show, and the Secret Policeman’s
Ball was soon held every few years. The Secret Policeman’s Ball has raised money
and awareness for the fight for human rights, and the show’s success has encour-
aged the proliferation of benefit events that capitalized on the draw of celebrities,
musicians, comedians, and actors alike.
Following the Secret Policeman’s Ball, Amnesty sought to improve its national
profile in the United States. The Conspiracy of Hope Tour of 1986 proved to be
effective. With six stops around the country and leading artists such as Peter
Gabriel, Sting, The Police, and U2, the concert was a hit. Most memorable was its
stop at Giants Stadium in New York, where the day-long show was sold out, was
broadcast live on MTV and Fox internationally, and featured even more artists
such as Carlos Santana, Miles Davis, and Peter Paul & Mary. The Conspiracy of
Hope Tour not only raised $3 million for the organization and focused the
nation’s attention on human rights, but Amnesty membership also increased by
45,000 within one month of the end of the tour, leaving no doubt about the effec-
tiveness of the tour’s impact in the fight for human rights.
Using the model of the Conspiracy of Hope Tour, the Human Rights Now!
1988 Tour introduced human rights to a global audience, with stops in nineteen
countries and featuring Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, Sting, Peter Gabriel,
and Youssou N’Dour.
Today, within AIUSA’s broader campaign to address the array of human rights
violations in Darfur, Yoko Ono has donated the rights to John Lennon’s music to
create the music compilation, Instant Karma. The Amnesty International
Campaign to Save Darfur seeks to mobilize millions of people around the urgent
catastrophe in Darfur, Sudan. It combines the power of John Lennon’s music
56 The New Humanitarians

recorded by some of the world’s best-known artists, together with cutting-edge

forms of instant activism enabled by the Internet and the latest in mobile tech-
nologies. More than fifty musical artists, including U2, Green Day, Ben Harper,
and Aerosmith, have joined this international effort that combines John Lennon’s
music, technology, and human rights activism.
As one of the tools to combat the most desperate human rights crisis in the
world, Instant Karma has produced the funds for Amnesty to be more active in the
process of reinstating peace within Darfur. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have
been killed by both deliberate and indiscriminate attacks, and over 2.5 million
civilians have been displaced. Although violence persists, the UN Security Council
has mandated what may be an effective peacekeeping operation to guarantee
security for the people of Darfur. UN peacekeepers have been granted access to the
territory.

AIUSA Actions
The growth of this membership pool, influenced by education, community
outreach, and the media, results in the power of numbers—an asset without
which the bureaucracy of Amnesty International would be useless. The member-
ship pool is instrumental, even indispensable, in executing campaigns: engaging
volunteers to participate in demonstrations, letter-writing campaigns, and other
efforts to pressure responsible parties to do what they have committed to do in
respect of human rights. Within the United States, the victories of membership
efforts are evident in changes of legislation that effectively honor human rights,
one step at a time. Here is a closer glimpse at some of the other campaigns
engaged in by AIUSA.

Stopping Torture
Stopping torture is one of a handful of campaigns that has been on AIUSA’s
agenda for over forty years. It has been a priority campaign throughout the years
because AIUSA, grounded in the international legal prohibitions against torture
and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, considers it to be one of the gravest
violations of human rights, essentially immoral, illegal, and counterproductive.
Torture undermines the moral and legal principles on which society is based.
Moral authority and the ability to pressure allies are lost when world leaders resort
to torture and to cruel, inhuman, and degrading practices. As a means of interro-
gation, torture often results in false statements; instills resentment and anger in
the victims and their families, friends, and community; and generates embittered
opponents. This hostility can—and does—translate into devastating conse-
quences for those considered enemies.
Since its foundation, the United States has cherished the notion that individu-
als have a right to be free from oppression and torture, and that certain human
rights are unalienable. The Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution prohibits “cruel
Amnesty International 57

and unusual punishment”; extends “the right of the people to be secure in their
person,” and prevents self-incrimination partly to ensure that authorities avoid
the coerced extraction of confessions.
Among the international conventions the United States has ratified that pro-
hibit torture are the Geneva Conventions, the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights, and the International Convention against Torture. The
United States ratified the International Convention against Torture at the urging
of President George H. W. Bush, who made it clear that “the United States must
continue its vigorous efforts to bring the practice of torture and other gross
abuses of human rights to an end wherever they occur.”4 The United States reaf-
firmed these ideals in its report to the UN Committee against Torture.
In the midst of these developments in the international community’s views on
torture and human rights, the attacks of September 11, 2001, and the subsequent
“War on Terror” motivated the United States government to take a defensive
posture, to enforce new laws, and to introduce new acts in the name of ensuring
the safety of its citizens. Among these was the Military Commissions Act, passed
in 2006, which authorized the United States to hold prisoners indefinitely without
charge or trial, to assume guilt before innocence, to alter the definition of torture,
and to use information obtained through brutal treatment as evidence. On
January 11, 2002, the United States transferred the first detainees to the U.S. Naval
Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
The U.S. administration chose Guantánamo as the location for this detention
facility in an attempt to hold detainees beyond the reach of U.S. and international
law. Guantánamo has become the most visible symbol of U.S. human rights abuses
in the name of the War on Terror. Five years later, despite widespread international
condemnation, hundreds of people of more than thirty nationalities remain there.
Goering recounts that these recent executive and congressional decisions have
been a source of frustration for AIUSA. Not only have these actions breached
agreements made in based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but
they have also jeopardized the human rights position Americans take on an inter-
national level.

The image of the U.S. has been so discredited, it is so damaged now that it is hard
for AIUSA to figure out effective ways, if there are any left, to utilize the power and
the influence of the U.S., still the strongest country in the world, to have a positive
impact on human rights around the world. Because the United States government is
so discredited, that the first thing that is thrown back in the government’s face when
it raises human rights issues anywhere in the world is, “look at your own back yard.”
And unfortunately as long as that back yard is as dirty as it is, U.S. human rights
policy cannot be very effective.5

Thus, in more recent history, AIUSA has revisited its Denounce Torture campaign
with force in order to thwart human rights violations in its own backyard, in its
own country: to shut down the Guantánamo prison cell and to overturn the
Military Commissions Act.
58 The New Humanitarians

AIUSA takes this action to restore the rights of these victims of torture and
other abuses, and to restore the United States’ voice in human rights issues across
the globe in places such as Burma (Myanmar) and Pakistan. The administration
of President George W. Bush itself has voiced several warranted criticisms to those
governing powers, but we must reconcile our own violations before we expect the
global community to respect our criticisms of others’ human rights positions.

These abuses: stripping the rights of detainees to challenge their detention in court,
the stripping of habeas corpus was something that, when I first came to Amnesty in
the early 80s, was an issue that we were fighting, a right we were fighting to have
restored in places like Chile or Argentina where there was a ruling junta and where
habeas had been suspended.6

In response to these human rights violations, specifically with regards to the

Guantánamo prison cells, the campaign to Counter Terror with Justice is asking
parliamentarians around the world to sign up for Amnesty International’s frame-
work to end illegal detention in the War on Terror. AIUSA has been collecting sig-
natures from U.S. constituents. The signatures will be delivered to the U.S.
Congress. Demonstrations have taken place, and others will proceed until this
prison cell has shut down completely.

Death Penalty
AIUSA has always maintained that the death penalty is the ultimate, irre-
versible denial of human rights. By working toward the abolition of the death
penalty worldwide, AIUSA’s Program to Abolish the Death Penalty looks to end
the cycle of violence created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias
and tainted by human error.
Abolishing the death penalty has consistently been part of the core of AIUSA’s
campaigns. Rubenstein, Goering, and Cox have all relayed that a significant
portion of their work as human rights leaders involved condemning legislative
decisions to support the death penalty and protesting the sentences of a number
of individuals, some of whom have been exonerated in part thanks to pressures of
the activist community.
In earlier years, Goering relays, abolishing the death penalty was a difficult
campaign to publicize. After all, the beginning of the campaign in the 1970s coin-
cided with a nationwide rise in crime. It was thought, even among AIUSA
members, that abolishing the death penalty was perhaps not a true human rights
issue but rather a legal enforcement and criminal matter. But AIUSA maintains
that in fact, the death penalty was and still is a human rights issue.
As part of its early abolitionist strategy, AIUSA highlighted possible wrongful
death sentences for juveniles and the mentally disabled. Even in recent history,
some states had imposed the death sentence for offenders as young as fourteen.
Many found these particular elements of the death penalty to be troublesome,
including those who did not originally believe that the death penalty was a human
Amnesty International 59

rights issue. Gradually, the faults of the justice system began to surface, and many
began to understand the bigger picture of the death penalty.
After a wider pool of people became receptive to considering the death penalty
as a human rights issue, more people were willing to listen to other details
surrounding AI’s reports: the trends of enforcing the death penalty seemed to
discriminate by race and class, and there had been obvious discrepancies in the
verdicts handed down for defendants of different regions and class. This remains
a serious problem within the United States that has yet to be fully resolved, but
there have been steps in the right direction.
Rubenstein recalls one of the more vindicating moments to resist reinstate-
ment of the death penalty in the face of adverse legislation. William Weld, gover-
nor of Massachusetts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, considered introducing the
death sentence for juveniles as young as sixteen and reintroducing firing squads as
an alternative to death by lethal injection. Rubenstein was frequently quoted in
the Boston Globe in the midst of these debates, condemning the implication that
these ideas would be acceptable at the turn of the century and were good practices
for respecting human rights. Suddenly, Weld’s calls to reintroduce the death
penalty went silent. Rubenstein was informed that these propositions were dis-
missed when a 1987 AI report on the death penalty in the United States was placed
on Governor Weld’s desk. The report provoked a strong response among Weld’s
staff, and he was warned not to extend the death penalty to juvenile offenders.
Thus, the attempt ended.
In more recent history, DNA investigations have exonerated numerous people
for crimes they, in fact, did not commit, including instances in which people were
on death row and, tragically, people whose death sentences had been carried out
already. This, of course, has been a very meaningful development in Amnesty’s
efforts to abolish the death penalty. In very recent history, in December 2007, New
Jersey became the first state in forty years to abolish the death penalty through
legislative process.

Stop Violence Against Women

Amnesty International launched its global Stop Violence Against Women
Campaign (SVAW) three years ago to help break the silence around this problem
and to create a world where women and girls are afforded their basic human
rights. Across the globe, Amnesty International members have united to work
toward making women’s human rights a reality; the campaign is intended to be a
contribution to the efforts of the women’s rights movements around the world.
With this campaign, Amnesty International will show that the right of women to
be free from violence is integral to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As
long as violence against women continues, the promise of human rights can never
be fulfilled.
Within the broader Stop Violence Against Women campaign, AIUSA launched
its campaign to stop violence against Native American and Alaskan Native
60 The New Humanitarians

women. A team of researchers delved into these Native communities and investi-
gated; they spoke with village elders, tribal leaders, police officers, and women’s
health organizations to discover what the fundamental problems were within
these communities that had the reputation of abusing women.
As Goering recounts, it was not instant trust between AIUSA and the repre-
sentatives of these native communities. They might have been skeptical of AI’s
intentions and AI’s ability to understand the complexities that surround the cli-
mate of Native women’s grievances. Eventually, it came to be seen that Amnesty
could be an effective partner to amplify the voices of these communities on the
margins of American society.
Amnesty released its Maze of Injustice report that revealed personal anecdotes
and surprising statistics. Women from these communities are 2.5 times as likely to
experience rape as American women anywhere else across the country. White
male offenders were the culprits in 86 percent of rape crimes, and none of them
was held accountable by Native American or United States law.
These women’s stories and the report inspired change. Joint legislative strate-
gies were put into place to prosecute male offenders who had previously walked
away from their crimes. In one case, funds were raised to develop a new safe shel-
ter for women, right across the street from the police station. Shelters such as this
are now equipped with adequate health care equipment and rape kits. Although
there is still a long way to go before women of all communities are protected from
abuse, it is encouraging to know that these communities’ voices were heard, and
steps were taken to improve the well-being of women within these communities.

Urgent Action, Special Focus Cases, and Individuals at Risk

The scope of Amnesty International’s objectives has expanded over the years.
It now has the capacity and strives to address the bigger picture of social problems
within the context of its campaigns. Still, it has not forgotten its roots. Releasing
prisoners of conscience remains a major objective. Just as in the days when
Benenson wrote about two Portuguese students who had made a toast to freedom
and were sentenced to prison, Amnesty consistently produces literature, articles,
and blogs to report on the unjust imprisonment, killings, and disappearances of
individuals around the world. The movement selects a handful of special focus
cases, individuals whose rights have been violated and whose dismal fates reflect
some of the bigger problems of the political climate and abuses of power of gov-
ernment bodies.
The membership pool of Amnesty works together to pressure governments to
release these prisoners of conscience in a number of ways, but the most wide-
spread method is by sending letters to these responsible parties. And the difference
writing letters can make is astounding. It is one of AIUSA’s oldest mechanisms to
cause the release of prisoners of conscience. The development of communications
has allowed Amnesty members’ voices to be heard far and wide and in the most
expedited fashion.
Amnesty International 61

AIUSA’s speediest human rights response program is called the First Appeal
Pledge Program (FAPP). FAPP permits the Urgent Action (UA) staff to write and
send individualized messages on human rights concerns by fax, telex, telegram, or
e-mail in the names of members who have pledged to pay for these prompt com-
munications. Messages are sent to targeted government officials within hours of
reception of the Urgent Action or WARN action at the UA office.
In addition to ensuring a prompt kick-off response on daily Urgent Action
cases, FAPP allows the UA staff to participate in the Worldwide Accelerated
Response Network (WARN), which is made up of 110 contacts in seventeen coun-
tries that commit to taking immediate action 24/7 on case information from AI
researchers on weekends, evenings, and holidays. WARNs are issued when there is
no time to prepare and distribute a full UA case sheet, but immediate faxes,
telegrams, e-mails or telexes are urgently required. There have been successes
resulting from these particular methods.
One example of a success was the case of photojournalist Jennifer Latheef of
the Maldives. She was sentenced to ten years in prison for photographing a
peaceful protest. While she was in prison, guards threatened her with torture
and drowning. Her captors kicked her with steel-toed boots, resulting in a
spinal injury. Amnesty International activists from around the world sent let-
ters to the Maldivian authorities calling for Jennifer’s release. In August 2006,
authorities freed her before she served the first year of her sentence. She attrib-
utes her release to the outpour of support from Amnesty members across the
globe. She has been quoted as saying, “Thanks to Amnesty, ten years became
ten months.”7
In any year, Amnesty members produce on average 100,000 letters to send to
government authorities, pleading with them to release prisoners of conscience.
Thousands of prisoners of conscience are documented every year, and hundreds
are released, largely as the result of external pressures and Amnesty efforts.
These campaigns are just a flavor of what Amnesty has been dedicated to in the
past and in most recent years. There are constantly updates in our work, and the
AI website (www.aiusa.org) provides the latest information. Currently, Amnesty is
undergoing the implementation of a strategic plan with aims to reach out to a
wider membership pool, to inform communities at large of the United Declara-
tion of Human Rights, and to engage a new generation of human rights activists
and agents of common good.
AIUSA Executive Director Larry Cox will continue to promote human rights
as the basis for peace and security in the post-9/11era. He believes this mission is
particularly important in the United States, a country he cites as having abdicated
its role as human rights leader.

What we need is for people to take part in the democratic process that allows
their representatives of their government and other governments live up to their
words. The value of an organization like Amnesty International is that it has the
power to make people come together and have the collective power to force
62 The New Humanitarians

governments to do what all governments are reluctant to do: to restrain them-

selves and to admit that they have certain obligations that they have to follow
whether they like it or not.8

We would like to say that we predict a world in which there will not be a need
for organizations such as Amnesty International, but we cannot. Cox indicates
that the content of Amnesty’s work will change over time. However, there will
always be a need for a mechanism and a movement that keeps the human ten-
dency to do harm to its own kind in check. That is what makes AIUSA a mecha-
nism to preserve democracy and it is in line with the role of Amnesty
International that Benenson envisioned half a century ago.

In 1961 I wrote “pressure of opinion a hundred years ago brought about the eman-
cipation of the slaves.” Pressure of opinion is now needed to help Amnesty Interna-
tional achieve its ultimate objective: to close for business. Only then, when the last
prisoner of conscience has been freed, when the last torture chamber has been
closed, when the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a reality
for the world’s people, will our work be done.9

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Amnesty International
Founder and/or Executive Director: Larry Cox (AIUSA)
Mission/Description: Amnesty International’s vision is of a world in which every
person enjoys all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and other international human rights standards. In pursuit of this
vision, AI’s mission is to undertake research and action focused on preventing
and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom
of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the
context of its work to promote all human rights.
Website: http://www.amnestyusa.org/contact/
Address: 5 Penn Plaza
New York, NY 10001 USA
Phone: 212-633-4286
FAX: 212-370-0183
E-mail address: jwood@aiusa.org

NOTES
1. Peter Benenson, “The Forgotten Prisoners,” Observer (May 28, 1961).
2. Amnesty International interview with Peter Benenson, December 2007.
3. Amnesty International interview with Larry Cox, December 2007.
Amnesty International 63

4. “Statement on Signing the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991,” George H. W. Bush,
March 12, 1992.
5. Amnesty International interview with Curt Goering, December 2007.
6. Ibid.
7. Amnesty International interview with Jennifer Latheef.
8. Interview with Larry Cox.
9. Statement by Peter Benenson for Amnesty International.
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 4

The PeaceWorks Foundation:

Building Consensus and
Mobilizing the Grassroots in
Israel and Palestine
Daniel Lubetzky

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been defined by violence, mistrust, and
absolutism. Throughout its history, extremists have time and again hijacked the
agenda for a resolution to further their own ends, turning what has been a terri-
torial conflict into a religious and ideological battleground. These minorities,
existing on both sides and dominating the media spotlight, seek to manipulate the
political situation and are determined to keep moderate agendas for reform and
conflict resolution an unattainable reality.
The result of this pattern is, at this point, well known: decades of stalemated
accords and failed peace conferences, which seem only to add fuel to the fire of
cyclical violence and calls for vengeance from both sides. The result is yet
another year of bloodshed, another year of occupation, another year of possibil-
ity giving way to despair and desperation. The result is that people now believe
that the conflict is intractable—that as hope for change expires, day by day the
time to find a viable, mutually acceptable resolution is lost.
The PeaceWorks Foundation, and its flagship initiative, the OneVoice Move-
ment, were founded to confront and alter this status quo—first, by proving that
the conflict is not intractable, and second, by helping to create a new environment
on the ground in which an agreement can be reached and implemented. But in
order to seek a new future, we needed new tools: a new framework to analyze the
situation, and a new methodology to change it.

METHODOLOGY AND STRUCTURE

Founding the OneVoice Movement: Creating a
New Framework and Methodology
The OneVoice Movement was founded in 2002, on the tail end of another round
of failed negotiations. In the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, these were
some of the worst of times: in frustration and hopelessness, the world watched as
65
66 The New Humanitarians

the Oslo peace process collapsed, degenerating into unprecedented violence on both
sides. It was so difficult precisely because we had glimpsed, or thought we had
glimpsed, the promise of a resolution: never before had we felt so close to ending the
conflict, to see it all come unraveled. Daily, the media—with new images of blood-
shed and violence, with new stories of the eighty ways the process that delivered the
Oslo accords was coming unhinged—confirmed our most cynical fears: that this is
irresolvable. That violence is and will be the order of the day, every day. That Israelis
and Palestinians will never agree on anything.
In the midst of these dark times, it occurred to me that there had to be another
way. As a Jew, the son of a Holocaust survivor, and someone who had studied,
written about, traveled extensively through, and launched a successful business
venture in the region, I had come to know scores of people—Israelis, Palestinians,
Jews, Muslims, Christians—living the conflict day in and day out. And despite the
media coverage portraying nothing but an onslaught of violence and vengeance
on each side, none of the people I knew, loved, and worked with wanted to anni-
hilate the other side. None of them wanted every inch of the land from the
Mediterranean to the Jordan River, no matter the cost. None of them was partic-
ularly interested in a holy war declared against the other side. And none of them
rejoiced in the collapse of yet another peace accord. What people on the ground
really wanted, as far as I knew and as far as I saw, was a better life for themselves
and their children. People wanted an end to the conflict, and all the benefits that
could come from that end: stability, security, stronger economies, freedom from
the constraints and inhumanities of occupation and existential threat. People
wanted the most basic of human rights: to live their lives in peace.
Where were these people, these stories in the media? Where were their voices?
Why was no one asking them what they thought, what they wanted? It seemed
clear to me that if ordinary Israelis and Palestinians had a larger say in the process,
we might be looking at a radically different situation—we might be looking at a
negotiated resolution that provides for some, though not all, of the demands of
each side. At the core, this is what the PeaceWorks Foundation and its OneVoice
Movement were designed to accomplish.
OneVoice is based on the simple premise that the average Israeli and the aver-
age Palestinian would elect to support a negotiated peace that involves some com-
promise rather than continue to live in a state of perpetual war and conflict.
However, historically, the problem has been that moderates, who are in fact in the
majority on each side, are vastly underrepresented in the decision-making
process, as they tend to be more passive and less fervent than their extremist coun-
terparts. The mainstream media, in turn, exacerbates this problem by giving spot-
light to violence, religious fanaticism, and absolutist dogma, often relegating the
call for nonviolence, reasoned pragmatism, and compromise to the unwritten and
unheard.
The result is that Israelis and Palestinians see only the most negative version of
“the other,” as filtered through media portrayals and deeply embedded stereo-
types: Palestinians see Israelis as soldiers and brutal occupiers; Israelis see
The PeaceWorks Foundation 67

Palestinians as suicide bombers and terrorists. Thus, although the majority of

Israelis and Palestinians want an end to the conflict, they do not believe they have
a partner on the other side, nor do they feel empowered to take action. The dis-
connect between moderates within and across Israeli and Palestinian societies
reinforces the dominance of extremists, predisposing them toward mobilization
and activism, and enabling them to prey on the apathy of moderates.
Confronting this dynamic is the critical first step in creating large-scale change
for the better in the region. The conflict, always framed as a conflict between
Israelis and Palestinians, and between Jews and Muslims, needs to be reconsidered
and reframed as one between the vast majority of moderates on both sides against
a small but disproportionately loud, active, and effective group of violent extrem-
ists on both sides. Israelis and Palestinians have lived for decades with a conflict
that has been hijacked and manipulated by external and internal forces of extrem-
ism alike, to the point that average citizens have lost faith in the process, in the
ability of their leaders to deliver change, in the vision of a future peace, and most
concretely and deeply, in the existence of a moderate counterpart across the bor-
der. We must work to rebuild that faith—by revealing the partner that already
exists and by strengthening moderates on both sides from the grassroots up—in
order for any progress at the top level to be possible and lasting.

How It Works: “Enlightened Self-Interest” and Parallel Initiatives

The OneVoice methodology is designed to prime the grassroots for mobiliza-
tion toward demanding a resolution of the conflict. The primary focus is on
appealing to the “enlightened self-interest” of individuals rather than their
compassion for the “other side.” The majority of Israelis and Palestinians do not
understand, nor are they necessarily willing to accept, the historical narrative and
claims of the other side. But Israelis do not need to embrace Palestinian
concerns—or vice versa—in order to start negotiating; they are each motivated
by unique national aspirations. Israelis need not love Palestinians to make peace;
Palestinians need not love Israelis. What is required is a basic acceptance of the
fact that ensuring the independence and security of “the other” will guarantee
one’s own—and the willingness to compromise for its sake.
In fact, more consensus exists between Israelis and Palestinians than most
assume; indeed, all of us, and not just those in the midst of the conflict, see only
the most extreme versions of Israelis and Palestinians. Yet, even in the most diffi-
cult of years—in 2006 during the second Israel-Lebanon war, for example—
polling on both sides reveals strong majority support for a two-state solution.
Consensus exists. But it has been obscured by years of war, occupation, terror, and
violence. A critical step in the conflict resolution process is revealing the hidden
consensus that already exists, and working to build consensus where there is dis-
trust and disagreement.
Unlike other initiatives and organizations working in the field of Israeli-
Palestinian conflict resolution, however, OneVoice is not a “joint” movement.
68 The New Humanitarians

There is a need and a place for groups that seek to promote cross-border and cross-
cultural dialogue, understanding, and cooperation. Yet often, those groups have a
limited appeal: they tend to draw in the left of each society, those already associated
with the “peace camp.” There is also a need to appeal to a wider segment of the
public, to create a space for the center and center right (as well as the left) to
become active agents in the process, to contribute positively to claiming their lives,
their futures, and their nations back from the grips of the extremists’ agendas.
OneVoice seeks to fill this role by organizing itself not as a joint Israeli-
Palestinian movement, but as two separate, equally nationalistic, parallel
movements—OneVoice Israel (Kol Ahad Israel) and OneVoice Palestine (Soutuna
Filastin)—both united under the banner of the OneVoice Movement. Each office is
staffed by locals with strong nationalist credentials. This unique structure enables
each branch to remain accountable, politically relevant, and legitimate within its
society, while both work for the same end goal: a two-state solution in accordance
with the will of the majority of citizens on both sides.
The Palestinian effort employs language focused very clearly on the end of
occupation, the promotion of democracy, and civic unity. On the Israeli side, the
language used focuses on the importance of security, safety, and civic unity.
OneVoice has sought to create a movement that is structured as a microcosm of
the very environment and political culture that it seeks to foster in Middle East:
consensus-driven, self-empowered, parallel civic movements focused on progress
and moderation. The OneVoice methodology and structure allows its members to
speak in strong nationalistic terms without marginalizing their counterpart on
the other side.

Funding OneVoice
The nature of the Middle East brings with it a great number of obstacles with
regard to funding. Immediate outputs and returns are more tangible at the micro
level given the volatility of the political situation. The OneVoice Movement is
focused and driven toward conflict resolution, not toward conflict management.
Therefore, its activities and programs take a bold and often risky approach to
Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution. This, in turn, impacts the issues of income
and funding. Raising funds is extremely difficult because most people have lost
hope for progress. Many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that attempt to
do Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution work have closed or have shrunk
dramatically. OneVoice is one of the few entities that have shown enough innova-
tion, progress, and momentum in order to continue to recruit more donors and
funding in recent years.
To date, the PeaceWorks Foundation has successfully built a funding structure
by strengthening relationships with well-established foundations (such as the Ford
Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Nathan Cummings Foundation,
and many others) that have supported its work over several years. Moreover, the
OneVoice board and core supporters have not only been financial contributors
The PeaceWorks Foundation 69

themselves, but they also have helped to build a network in communities around
the globe that are fully invested in the movement. The PeaceWorks Foundation has
employed a business model to reinforce its fundraising efforts. Gift matching has
proven to be highly successful mechanism, which is used both to increase financial
support but also bridge gaps and build partnerships between Jewish/Muslim/
Israeli/Arab communities.
Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the income
received from individuals. This is the result of the aforementioned network being
built by OneVoice’s international supporters and by increasing the movement’s
fundraising capacity with more hires. OneVoice has also increased recruitment of in-
kind partners, from the IBM International Foundation to Yahoo! and Continental
Airlines. PeaceWorks LLC, whose support allowed for the initial creation of the
PeaceWorks Foundation, continues to be a strong partner, donating 5 percent of its
profits to the foundation.
It is important to note that funding is still a major limitation for the move-
ment. OneVoice works in a space where many people do not believe there is hope.
With current resources, OneVoice has been forced to switch off between scaling
its numbers via canvassing and recruitment campaigns and increasing the depth
of its civic engagement programming. In the coming years, with the 2007
Annapolis Conference breakthrough, it is imperative that OneVoice invests in
both areas simultaneously.

ONGOING PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

Building Consensus: Citizen Negotiations
In 2003, with initial funding from the IBM International Foundation and a
handful of courageous, committed donors, and with the input and guidance of a
cadre of experts in the field—running the gamut from the left to the right, reli-
gious to secular, Israeli to Palestinian, American to European—OneVoice devised
a unique polling system designed to give a platform to moderate voices while
teaching citizens the necessity of negotiation and compromise. The poll posed as
questions the ten issues that stand at the heart of the conflict and at the center of
every drafted accord, and invited individuals to vote on the very issues with which
the top-level negotiation teams at the time were grappling—from borders and
settlements to Jerusalem to refugees. A special weighted voting system was devised
to force people on each side to set priorities and make compromises: each person
was given a total of 100 “negative” points, which could be allocated among the ten
questions. For example, if someone wished to convey that he or she would not,
under any circumstances, accept a resolution that allowed for free access to holy
sites for all peoples, this could be shown by allotting all 100 points to the negative
answer. However, that would leave the responder no room to reject any of the
other nine positions. In other words, no one was allowed room in the poll to be
an absolute rejectionist. People were made to prioritize the issues they felt most
70 The New Humanitarians

strongly about over those where they could leave room for negotiation and
compromise.
Beginning in 2004, OneVoice brought this Citizens’ Negotiations Platform to
the streets of Israel and Palestine. Over 130,000 Israelis and Palestinians, through-
out cities, villages, and refugee camps, voted on these issues and gave their feed-
back on how each should be resolved. The results were startling, and they showed
an incredibly high level of consensus on a range of issues, including the more con-
tentious and difficult ones. And despite the common perception that the conflict
was intractable, 76 percent of both Israelis and Palestinians—the exact same per-
centage on each side—affirmed a two-state solution as the way forward.
Yet numbers alone, even powerful ones, do not inspire systemic change and do
not motivate people into action. In order for OneVoice’s numbers to mean any-
thing, we needed to build a human infrastructure of engaged, committed, and
mobilized citizens who could become leaders in their own communities, and who
could further the process. History has shown that a strong civil society is an essen-
tial prerequisite to conflict resolution.

Forging a Grassroots Network: Youth Leadership

and Town Hall Meetings
Israeli and Palestinian youth in particular have fallen victim to the manipula-
tion by ideologies of extremism. There is a critical void of positive and viable out-
lets for youth to be engaged and activated. Unless their frustrations are channeled
in the direction of moderation, these young leaders will continue to find them-
selves exploited as pawns by extremist thinking and action.
OneVoice’s Leadership Development Program, initiated in 2005, uses a
series of seminars and workshops to train young Israelis and Palestinians in the
art of public speaking, conflict resolution, mobilizing support, and becoming
leaders within their own communities. Workshops typically take place with
two or three days of intensive introductory training, and culminate with
trained Youth Leaders equipped to go out and recruit others who will empower
their communities to use nonviolent means to address the conflict. The most
active and articulate members are able to represent the voice of Israeli and
Palestinian moderates abroad as ambassadors in OneVoice’s International
Education Program.
Recruiting and training young leaders is a crucial and ongoing part of
OneVoice’s program work in both Israel and Palestine. OneVoice plays an impor-
tant role in demonstrating to young people that there is an alternative platform to
violent protest, a platform of nonviolent, negotiated settlement. Moreover,
through regular workshops, OneVoice is able to create cohesiveness between
moderate grassroots Palestinians and Israelis and emphasize that moderates
should work together. Thus far, these workshops have recruited and engaged more
than 3,000 youth activists, 1,300 of whom have graduated to become highly
trained Israeli and Palestinian Youth Leaders. Over the next few years, OneVoice
The PeaceWorks Foundation 71

is planning to expand and deepen this program, to increase the level of responsi-
bility and involvement of Youth Leaders who reach the highest levels of training.
OneVoice’s Youth Leaders are a powerful driving engine in making sure voters
participate in Citizens’ Negotiations Platform. We use various approaches such as
democratization and anti-incitement campaigns, rallies, town hall meetings, and
university campus events to encourage participants to vote. In addition to these
outreach programs, person-to-person recruitment drives, Internet campaigns,
and mobile voting kiosks will help ensure that Palestinians and Israelis aged fif-
teen and over in all communities—including refugee camps and kibbutzim—
have the chance to voice their views on resolutions to the conflict.
One of the most significant ways of reaching out to the Israeli and Palestinian
people is through face-to-face town hall meeting campaigns. At a grassroots level,
there is constant debate among people from a complete spectrum of political beliefs
about how they should be applying themselves in the current political climate. For
too long such platforms have been dominated by those espousing hard-line or
extremist views. Previous OneVoice town hall meeting campaigns have served as a
powerful recruitment tool for activists, with an average of over 85 percent of those
attending meetings signing up to OneVoice principles.

A Closer Look at OneVoice Israel

OneVoice Israel is headquartered in Tel Aviv. Developing a cadre of committed
core supporters has long been a goal of local programming in OneVoice Israel.
With the success and development of the OneVoice Youth Leadership Program as
the greatest asset to the movement’s work, it was able to use the strong base of
support it had cultivated in the early years of the movement to scale up the quality
of the young leaders it was recruiting during the 2006–7 year.
Young leaders are the heart and the engine of OneVoice Israel, and they serve
as the primary change agents throughout the movement. These committed young
people inspire the direction of the movement, and help enact and execute the pro-
grams and policies within it. Youth Leaders are at the helm of OneVoice’s outreach
efforts and recruitment. Starting in 2006–7 and extending into 2008, OneVoice
Israel is significantly expanding and deepening its recruitment practices.
In the past, OneVoice employed a leadership development strategy centered on
a comprehensive series of workshops, with one used to build on another. Because
of the high turnover inherent in any such movement, it was necessary to develop
a model that conformed to such realities. OneVoice Israel decided to employ the
“highway model”—constructed in a way that new leaders can join at any time.
This enabled the movement to accommodate new activists in the program. On the
sixth of each month (almost every month, except in cases of holidays), OneVoice
holds preliminary youth leadership activities.
Building upon its past success, OneVoice held six leadership seminars during
the 2006–7 year. Each of these events drew between twenty-five and thirty partic-
ipants. The movement also made special arrangements to accommodate young
72 The New Humanitarians

religious leaders who could not participate in meetings on the weekends. In 2008,
OneVoice Israel has been holding these seminars and events monthly.
Each seminar is thoroughly evaluated both by OneVoice staff and by the par-
ticipants, using an open comment period as well as confidential questionnaires.
Both methods enable OneVoice to tailor its approach to ensure maximum quality
and effectiveness in its operation.
Seminar topics in the past have included

• How to Influence Myself and Others by Dr. Amir Kfir

• How Does the Media Work? by Michal Eldar, Ben Or Communications
• Conflict Resolution: Part 1 (Theory) by Dr. Muli Peleg
• Conflict Resolution: Part 2 (Simulations) by Dr. Muli Peleg

To encourage its Youth Leaders to become more invested and involved in

OneVoice, the movement has instituted a tiered reward system. A main compo-
nent of this system is sending the movement’s best and most established Youth
Leaders on international tours as part of the International Education Program.
Recruitment on different campuses is done in partnership with the local stu-
dent unions. These collaborations are conducted both formally and informally.
OneVoice Israel has been particularly effective in its efforts to recruit leaders of
these student groups to join OneVoice. Some of the chairmen/women go on to
participate in OneVoice Youth Leadership Seminars and in turn are motivated to
help us engage the rest of their campuses.
OneVoice has now organized chapters on all of Israel’s Universities: Tel Aviv
University, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Hebrew University–Jerusalem,
Haifa University, Bar Ilan University, and the Technion. In addition, OneVoice
Israel has reached out to and is the process of formalizing chapters in nearly
twenty different colleges, including the Hertzliya Interdisciplinary Center,
Netanya College, Rehovot College, and the Peres Academic Center.
OneVoice recently scored a significant victory at Hebrew University–Jerusalem
when it was permitted to register officially with the student union. Such registra-
tion affords OneVoice the ability to draw from student funds and hold recognized
events on campus, and broadens its ability to do recruitment on campus and
advertise through posters and other media.
Despite significant successes, however, the process is not an easy one. Although
OneVoice Israel has been able to draw significant crowds to its training events,
these new recruits need to be provided avenues through which they can be
inspired to remain engaged in shaping the movement for the future. To this end,
OneVoice Israel recently developed a spectrum of leadership subcommittees:

Strategy. This committee empowers Youth Leaders to take a more active role in
developing the movement’s strategy. Before a new campaign is undertaken,
the strategy subcommittee is an important conduit through which individ-
ual leaders can provide feedback and perspective to enhance the effort. The
The PeaceWorks Foundation 73

movement understands that providing a platform for collaboration

between the professional staff and the leaders on strategy is important
because the Youth Leaders are the ones on whom the success of a project
depends. Having them involved in the planning ensures maximum ability to
succeed.
PR Communications and Design. OneVoice Israel is at a distinct advantage in
terms of its public relations effort: a large number of activists are
involved in student media and work for several public relations compa-
nies throughout the country. The PR Committee provides an avenue
through which activists can contribute to the movement’s public rela-
tions strategy. The committee also confers with the OneVoice communi-
cations team during meetings and through other avenues, and is involved
in the design and dissemination of branding materials such as flyers for
events and stickers.
Recruitment and Field Activity. For a movement determined to overturn the
status quo, efforts to recruit more members are paramount. It is cliché to
note that “there is strength in numbers,” but in Israel and Palestine, where
an active and visible majority of citizens have never publicly backed the
peace process, a display of strong numbers could really be the tipping point
to conflict resolution. The recruitment committee is mostly made up of
activists on university campuses. Those on the committee are generally
responsible for all events on campus and are the primary vehicles through
which the OneVoice message is propagated in this venue. The committee is
likely to focus in the future on events promoting the signing of the
OneVoice Mandate (see Table 4.2) and on collaboration with the move-
ment’s professional staff to uncover new growth areas.
Local Events. OneVoice Israel will continue to emphasize local events as part of
its methodology. Such events correspond to OneVoice’s yearly campaigns—
the two most recent of which are discussed at length later in this chapter—
but all ultimately seek to build on OneVoice’s core tenets of civic
responsibility for ending the conflict. The Local Events Committee facili-
tates the creation of small events in different venues across the country and
connects with leaders who need guidance in organizing and undertaking
such events.
Internet. OneVoice Israel is aware of the increasing power of the Internet and
alternative media, and the importance of harnessing the potential of tools
such as blogs and participatory forums. The Internet, as a user-driven and
largely user-defined environment, is an ideal realm for OneVoice to spread
its message: it is an arena in which local, moderate voices can reach out to
a much wider audience, without the usual mitigating mouthpiece of the
mainstream media. The Internet Committee collaborates to identify
opportunities to employ this strategy and makes them available for
activists, and collaborates with the communications team to effectively
employ this strategy.
74 The New Humanitarians

A Closer Look at OneVoice Palestine

OneVoice Palestine is headquartered in Ramallah and Gaza City. Recent
Palestinian history is replete with paradigm-shifting societal transformations and
geopolitically momentous events. These include Hamas’s victory in the Palestinian
Legislative Council elections, the international blockade of the Hamas-led govern-
ment, the Second Lebanon War, the Israeli government’s reactions and attitudes
toward internal Palestinian political developments, the emergence of the Arab
Peace Initiative, and most recently the Annapolis Conference and its aftermath.
OneVoice at large, and OneVoice Palestine specifically, has been forced to cope with
each of these events in order to maintain relevance in a society with rapidly shift-
ing political whims and newly emerging challenges.
As much as they represent a challenge, however, evolving political realities also
provide OneVoice with new opportunities to affect positive change in the region.
OneVoice Palestine is uniquely suited to respond to these challenges by providing
an infrastructure through which the moderate majority of Palestinians can
respond to a tumultuous political climate, and creating a platform for mobilizing
the Palestinian grassroots for change: an end to the occupation, and the creation
of a viable, independent state.
Town hall meetings represent one of OneVoice Palestine’s chief advocacy tools.
From May through December 2006, for example, the movement conducted eleven
town hall meetings, coinciding with a number of severe crises within the Palestinian
body politic. These crises included violent episodes emanating from Fatah-Hamas
tensions, the financial blockade of Palestine, the inability to pay public service
employees, and the general regional instability following Israel’s war with Hezbollah.
The ongoing tense political atmosphere has exacerbated the general feeling of
hopelessness among Palestinians. During these times of great political and social
turmoil, OneVoice Palestine has focused on uplifting people and on giving them
a new political alternative, arguing that hopelessness, depression, and a turn to
violence will lead to a worse situation. Through its town hall meetings, the move-
ment seeks to encourage every citizen to believe that he or she has a specific role
to place to ending the occupation. We focus first on small, personal efforts at
bringing about nonviolent change as paramount to the larger effort, enabling each
citizen to play a part, from cities to villages to refugee camps. OneVoice Palestine
routinely reaches out to communities in locations as diverse as Hebron, Nablus,
Tulqarem, the city of Jenin, Jenin refugee camp, Salfeet, Tubas, Qalqelia,
Al-Mazra’a Al-Gharbeyah village, Jericho, and Al-Jalazoun refugee camp.
The town hall meetings are ongoing activities the movement conducts to
catalogue newly emerging political sentiments and ideas in an effort to maintain
sustainable relationships with individuals who might be eager to participate in
altering the status quo. In an effort to track its penetration into Palestinian
society, OneVoice Palestine maintains meticulous records of attendance at the
individual meetings and the topics discussed therein. Table 4.1 summarizes the
qualitative and quantitative results of these meetings in 2006–7, and reveals one
The PeaceWorks Foundation 75

Table 4.1 Attendance and Recruitment at Town Hall Meetings throughout

Palestine, 2006–7
Percentage # Added on
Number of Affirming Mailing List
Location Attendees OV Principles
Hebron 70 71% 30
Nablus 97 72% 43
Tulqarem 86 76% 33
Jenin (city) 77 64% 20
Jenin (refugee camp) 110 54% 15
Salfeet 64 67% 11
Tubas 50 58% 10
Qalqelia 90 73% 37
Jericho 130 65% 42
Al-Mazra’a 88 69% 7
Al-Jalazoun Refugee Camp 143 68% 14
Totals 1005 67% 262
Source: PeaceWorks Foundation.

of OneVoice Palestine’s ongoing struggles: gaining e-mail contacts for the indi-
viduals who attend its events. It is an infrastructure issue that OneVoice continues
to try to overcome by maintaining frequent and regular outreach to the commu-
nities it activates.
Concurrent with its focus on town hall meetings, OneVoice Palestine empha-
sizes the need to recruit, train, and deploy Youth Leaders within the movement.
Using the strong foundations it had developed over time, OneVoice Palestine uses
professional techniques to develop, strengthen, and evaluate the leadership pro-
gram and the young leaders emerging from it. These methods include

• Undertaking daily recruitment of new members through workshops, meetings

with students, youth center activities, and contacting individuals and partici-
pants who take part in OneVoice Palestine events.
• Holding regular meetings that brief youth sectors about OneVoice and about
the leadership program.
• Using application forms that every young person must complete to join as a
member.
• Creating core groups and committees of the most active and loyal activists in
the southern, northern, and middle districts of the West Bank and holding reg-
ular meetings with these committees. These meetings focus on developing
monthly action plans to delegate tasks and responsibilities for activists during
a given month. The committees also ensure ongoing promotion of OneVoice
across Palestine and the creation of strong relationships necessary to harness
the requisite people power for civil activities.
76 The New Humanitarians

• Keeping meticulous records that help measure the quantitative and qualitative
results of this program. This includes records of new members, very active
members and members who require training in particular subjects.
• Encouraging each activist to fill out evaluation forms in terms of what training
he or she attended, how many new members were recruited, and how many
signatories were recruited for the OneVoice Mandate (see Table 4.2). These
forms also serve to measure Youth Leaders’ ability to represent OneVoice
locally and abroad.
• Holding graduation ceremonies and providing certificates for dedicated
activists.
• Collaborating with dignitaries who specialize in areas such as Israeli and for-
eign media, presentation skills, negotiations strategies, public awareness cam-
paigns, team-building exercises, and conflict resolution.

In an attempt to increase its outreach beyond the West Bank, in the late fall of
2006, OneVoice inaugurated its new Gaza office after months of preparation,
planning, and grassroots work. OneVoice Palestine had done outreach in the Gaza
Strip in the past during the 2005 presidential elections; however, the increased
restrictions on people’s movement between the West Bank and Gaza often pre-
vented the movement’s Ramallah-based staff and activists from traveling to Gaza.
This made it necessary for the movement to redouble its efforts and deepen its
activism in order to advance its mission of ending the conflict through a two-state
solution.
Amid a challenging situation on the ground, the opening of the Gaza office
enabled OneVoice Palestine to further its outreach and broaden its Youth Leader-
ship Development program to highlight the necessity of nonviolent but assertive
engagement toward ending the occupation—a critical but often unheard message
in the Gaza strip.
OneVoice staff in Gaza work under the most challenging of circumstances,
especially since the June 2007 takeover of Gaza by Hamas, and the office has often
needed to operate quietly to avoid danger. The staff there have shown extraordi-
nary courage and commitment, and have succeeded in forming an advisory
board, holding numerous meetings with young Gazans in order to build the nec-
essary human infrastructure, and initiating a signature drive on the OneVoice
mandate. In the coming year, if the political situation allows for it, OneVoice
hopes to hold larger events in Gaza, largely targeting refugees.

Taking It Global: the International Education Program

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is having a polarizing effect on campuses and
communities around the world. The conflict is all too often either the cause of, or
an excuse for, bad relations between different ethnic or religious groups on cam-
puses and in communities.
The PeaceWorks Foundation 77

The goal of the OneVoice International Education Program (IEP), launched

during the 2005–6 school year, is to address the growing polarization over Middle
East politics on university campuses throughout the word. OneVoice’s strong cre-
dentials in both Israel and Palestine are what set it apart from other organizations.
By bringing these credentials to campuses and communities outside the Middle
East, by introducing OneVoice Youth Leaders to divided campuses, OneVoice is
able to create a respectful audience from groups of all backgrounds and political
persuasions. This allows us to bring together students who would never normally
sit in the same room, let alone applaud the same ideals, to realize that they have
more in common than they could have imagined. We offer them a common cause
and focus for their endeavors that will help them turn negative energy into posi-
tive action. Using the same methods we use in Israel and Palestine, OneVoice
shows these groups that their views and goals coincide more than they realize, and
that a united message can help build sustainable peace.
Over the past year, OneVoice has brought Israeli and Palestinian Youth Leaders
to address groups in New York, London, New England, California, Michigan,
Ohio, eastern Canada, Washington D.C., and North Carolina. We have engaged
thousands of students face-to-face and touched tens of thousands more through
media and follow-up events while also targeting community groups from the
Irvine Mosque and the Israel Center of San Francisco, where we were the highest-
rated event at their annual Shabbaton.
The majority of students who attend events come from communities that are
highly polarized. At the University of Connecticut, hard-line students had
harassed past speakers off the podium. Even before we arrived on campus, there
had been protests against our event. Although some students took up adversarial
and abusive stances toward the speakers, we were able to change the power
dynamic by standing up against them, isolating them, and giving a voice to mod-
erate opinions. In doing so, we created an atmosphere of complete support and
unity from the majority of the Arab, Muslim, and Jewish students in the room,
who expressed a willingness to work together and with us in the future. After
another similar experience, Alon Shaley, executive director of San Francisco Hillel,
said, “[OneVoice’s] presence on the SFSU campus is helping to lay a foundation
for dialogue and understanding. The fact that the campus was covered with
posters showing that there are Israelis and Palestinians who want to genuinely sit
down and engage in dialogue was simply priceless.”
OneVoice’s IEP also serves as a springboard for mixed Jewish-Arab/Muslim
groups to gain legitimacy and membership. At Western Michigan and Boston uni-
versities, OneVoice was able to draw hundreds of attendees to events hosted by
fledgling Palestinian-Israeli peace organizations. The Boston group is now part of
a regional peace alliance, which invited OneVoice back as the keynote speaker at
an event for hundreds of students, many introduced to each other through our
events. At Stony Brook, the IEP event was a landmark collaboration between the
Jewish and Muslim student groups—they have since been working together, suc-
cessfully raising money for malaria nets in Africa.
78 The New Humanitarians

In 2005 OneVoice was invited to Stanford University by administrators frus-

trated by consistent animosity between pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian students.
Leaders of the major groups on campus reluctantly sat around a table to hear
from our activists. The dialogue continued after we left, and this year, two of these
groups came together publicly for the first time to host us again. Students who
attended that town hall meeting are now organizing a local dialogue group.
OneVoice has also been called into schools from North Carolina in response to
race-related attack on Palestinian students, and to McGill University, where we
addressed students at an interfaith event the same night that a speaker with a rep-
utation for inciting Jewish-Arab tensions was speaking at another venue.
Articles written about events in regional papers such as the Ottawa Citizen,
Washington Jewish Week, Guardian, and the Stanford Review complement cov-
erage of international OneVoice events and legitimize OneVoice as a vehicle for
moderates in the Diaspora. OneVoice has captured the attention of interna-
tional dignitaries and world leaders from Tony Blair to Martin Luther King III
to Ambassador Dennis Ross, and such business leaders as Peter Weinberg and
Craig Newmark, all of whom have met with OneVoice youth representatives on
their respective trips to the Middle East. Through IEP we have developed part-
nerships with the Center for Citizen Peace-building at the University of
California-Irvine, Humanity Unites, and Americans for Informed Democracy.
OneVoice supporters who cannot travel to our offices in Israel and Palestine
are often inspired by attending events closer to home, meeting our volunteers,
and witnessing firsthand how effective these leaders are in engaging with and
activating their peers.
IEP simultaneously functions as an award system for OneVoice’s most highly
trained Youth Leaders. The experience of speaking at prestigious venues from
the House of Lords in London to the UN and the Canadian Parliament gives
credit and priceless experience to those who complete the training programs in
the Middle East, serving as motivation to continue in the program and, ideally,
to recruit other young people to join. The experience of entering the most hos-
tile campuses also gives these leaders public speaking experience and helps
develop their views on the conflict. After coming from Israel’s north and south,
and from Jenin to Bir Zeit, our Youth Leaders are challenged in an unfamiliar
atmosphere but return to the region invigorated by the support they generate
and the experience they gain.
In 2007–8, OneVoice IEP prioritized chapter building and continual regional
networking with students to create an infrastructure for mobilizing campuses on
an ongoing basis. By implementing some of the same training techniques and
mechanisms we use in the Middle East, we are hoping to create a lasting OneVoice
presence on college campuses, one that is organic, student driven, viral, and
dynamic.
As a policy, we work to ensure that all IEP funds come from separate grants
from groups that only cover programs outside the Middle East, so funds spent are
not detracting from any area where they are most needed.
The PeaceWorks Foundation 79

YEARLY CAMPAIGNS
Taking Personal Responsibility: The “What Are
You Willing to Do?” Campaign
All the civic engagement that OneVoice does is focused on priming the people
and transferring ownership back to them so they may begin to take action and to
demand accountability from their elected representatives. Rallies, festivals, and
marches during specific moments of political tension—Palestinian and Israeli
elections, the Gaza withdrawal, and so on—as well as on an ongoing basis, are the
means to amplify the voice of moderation. Yearly campaigns are designed to work
synergistically with the grassroots networks built by the Youth Leadership pro-
gram, town hall meetings, and Citizens’ Negotiations Platform by mobilizing
those already trained and involved, and by engaging and energizing a wider seg-
ment of each population.
In the fall of 2006, OneVoice launched its What Are You Willing to Do?
(WAYWTD) Campaign. One of its boldest campaigns, WAYWTD focused on the
personal responsibility of individuals in ending the conflict. It is easy to place all
the blame for a lack of progress on elected representatives, but there has also been
a critical failure on our part, as citizens, to build a grassroots base of support—to
truly vest the people with the power and the responsibility to drive the agenda for
a two-state solution.
The campaign launched in September 2006, in the streets of the West Bank,
Israel, and Gaza. OneVoice began to plant the seed of personal responsibility and
civic action through a viral sticker campaign. Thousands of stickers in Hebrew
and Arabic were strategically placed in cities and villages, refugee camps and
moshavim, asking the question, what are you willing to do to end the conflict?
This evocative campaign was the launching pad for large-scale events and a vari-
ety of other activities, all focused on amplifying the voice of moderation and rein-
vigorating the negotiation process toward a two-state solution.
The WAYWTD campaign centered on the OneVoice Mandate, a joint declara-
tion of collective Israeli and Palestinian goals toward a two-state solution. All
activities and outreach were designed to enlist and sign up people to the mandate,
which has become a critical tool for OneVoice in the months and years since. By

Table 4.2 The OneVoice Mandate

• Recognize the right of both peoples to independence, sovereignty, freedom, justice,
dignity, respect, national security, personal safety, and economic viability.
• Implement concrete confidence-building measures that will improve the lives of the
Palestinian and Israeli people, including ensuring freedom of movement for ordinary
civilians and fostering education against incitement on both sides.
• Immediately commence uninterrupted negotiations till reaching an agreement within
one year for a Two-State Solution fulfilling the consistent will of the overwhelming
majority of both populations.
80 The New Humanitarians

the end of 2007, signatories to the mandate had enabled OneVoice to scale up its
membership from around 180,000 Israelis and Palestinians to well over 600,000.
In January 2007, OneVoice was given an extraordinary opportunity by one of
its strongest and most steadfast partners, the World Economic Forum (WEF),
headed by Professor Klaus Schwab, a member of the OneVoice board. More than
1,000 Israelis and Palestinians from throughout Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza
conducted gatherings that were broadcast directly to their leaders gathered at the
plenary session at the 2007 WEF in Davos, Switzerland. In what Professor Schwab
termed as the first time ever that ordinary citizens had been able to address their
heads of state directly at the forum, young OneVoice leaders were actually given
center stage during a plenary session packed with over 2,000 dignitaries and
global business leaders. At the podium, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas as
well as Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni and vice premier Shimon Peres
responded to their citizens and their counterparts with candor. This rare and
unique event demonstrated the power of the people to bring leaders to the table,
and has served as the launching pad for emboldened citizens to test that power.
Professor Schwab introduced the session by explaining, “I have the privilege to
share this key session, if not the most important, at this year’s meeting.” He added,
“We thought we should give voice to the ordinary people, and you should listen.”
In preparation, at Tel Aviv University, OneVoice Israel had gathered over
200 Youth Leaders and supporters and filmed the Israeli statement to the lead-
ers in Davos. The primary message, delivered by Israeli program director Adi
Balderman, was to tell the political leaders that “the people are with you; there
are no more excuses. What are you, the movement’s leaders, willing to do to
end the conflict?” It was a very powerful call from nationalistic Israelis,
demanding that elected representatives take immediate action toward negoti-
ating a two-state solution.
OneVoice Palestine filmed and recorded its statement during a gathering of
more than 400 Palestinians in Al-Qasabah Theater in Ramallah on January 10.
Nisreen Shahin, director general of OneVoice Palestine, delivered a strong
message, expressing the determination of Palestinians to end occupation and
push their leaders to negotiate and achieve the two-state solution. This event was
supposed to take place on January 5 but had to be canceled because of the Israeli
incursion into Ramallah one day before. And despite all the deep pain felt by the
activists who had spend days and nights preparing for this event, Palestinian staff
and members were able to reorganize their efforts and reactivate supporters
attend the event on January 10.
That night held still more challenges for our Palestinian staff and supporters,
however. As they filmed their statement inside Al-Qasabah, with hundreds of peo-
ple rising to their feet in support of ending the conflict and occupation through a
negotiated two-state agreement, hard-line groups protested outside the theater. In
the end, both for the safety of the staff as well as to protect the tapes of their state-
ment, which needed to be mailed express to Switzerland for the WEF, staff left
quietly, tapes in hand, through a back entrance.
The PeaceWorks Foundation 81

On January 7, 2007, OneVoice Israel and OneVoice Palestine came together in

Jerusalem to film a joint statement calling for moderation and a two-state solu-
tion. This was a very rare event: not only did they film a special message from the
people of Israel and Palestine, but OneVoice Youth Leaders from Israel, the West
Bank, and Gaza were able to meet, some for the first time. It is always a momen-
tous occasion. The statement from Jerusalem, delivered by Youth Leaders Eran
Schafferman and Saed Mashaal, emphasized the shared destiny and shared future
of the Israeli and Palestinian people. They noted the critical need for both sides to
take action to make Jerusalem a free city for all religions.
The leaders gathered on the stage responded directly to these statements, and
pledged to work toward a resolution with renewed energy and urgency. In
response to the statements from OneVoice activists, Minister Livni responded,
“After watching together these wonderful youth, after listening to President Abbas,
I have a feeling of sadness for lost opportunities, but also a great feeling of hope.”
She added, “But it is our responsibility as leaders to give them the hope. We must
make a promise and fulfill . . . the vision of two states living side by side in peace.”
She acknowledged deep skepticism among many that this vision can come about,
but stated, “We cannot fail” and emphasized the necessity of a realignment of
“moderates committed to a solution vs. extremists opposed to this vision as a
matter of ideology. Because we share the same vision, moderates must fight for the
same goals . . . disempower extremists and empower the moderates.”1
In turn, President Abbas remarked, “As I heard these messages, hope rose in my
heart that peace is possible, and overdue.” President Abbas explained he always
had believed in the primacy of people-to-people relations and expressed hope
that “these gatherings are what will lead to peace.” He stated emphatically: “I am
fully convinced that in spite of all the difficulties, peace is possible.” President
Abbas concluded, “the time has come to garner all the forces of goodwill . . .
Nothing is more important than peace, so that this strategic part of the world will
become an oasis of peace and stability.”
What is most remarkable about this event and these statements is that prior
to that day at WEF, the Israeli and Palestinian leadership had stopped meeting
entirely. No negotiations were taking place, nor were any on the horizon. The
World Economic Forum—and through it, the OneVoice Youth Leaders from
Israel and Palestine—helped broker a meeting that would enable negotiations
to recommence. That was truly what OneVoice aspires to accomplish: connect-
ing the voice of the public directly to the top-level leadership by simultane-
ously mobilizing the grassroots and engaging the leadership through a network
of partners.
Momentum from the WEF event enabled OneVoice to plan and hold a suc-
cessful campaign of regular events all over Israel and Palestine. Through monthly
mobilizations and activities, OneVoice reached out to a variety of social sectors in
a parallel fashion in Israel and Palestine—from the women’s movement, to
Palestinian farmers and Israeli kibbutzniks, to foremost religious authorities, and
even to the leaders of Palestinian refugee camps—all united and active under the
82 The New Humanitarians

banner of the OneVoice Mandate to demand decisive action from their elected
leaders.

Mobilizing the Grassroots: One Million Voices to

End the Conflict Campaign
The entire What Are You Willing to Do? campaign aimed to feed directly into
simultaneous Peoples’ Summits on October 18, 2007, in Tel Aviv, Jericho,
Washington D.C., London, Ottawa, and other sites around the world. This event
would build from the monthly WAYWTD events and truly showcase the voice of
the moderate majority to the media, the political leadership, and the world; it
would also serve as a kickoff for OneVoice’s next campaign: One Million Voices to
End the Conflict. By September 2007, OneVoice had collected over 500,000 Israeli
and Palestinian signatories to its mandate, calling for immediate, ongoing negoti-
ations toward a two-state solution; the Peoples’ Summits and the ensuing
campaign aimed at getting the next half million.
We had never tried to orchestrate anything of this magnitude before, and it was
an incredible challenge—not just to convince potential sponsors, donors, partici-
pants, and partners that we could pull it off, but to convince everyone, especially the
people on the ground, that it could actually help change the situation. OneVoice
encounters an enormous, constant lack of hope in the potential for positive change;
we hoped that a high-profile event would alter that dynamic. Right down to the
wire, we were bringing new people on board: new corporate sponsors, new per-
formers, new speakers. With only a few weeks remaining before the summits, things
appeared to be matching the audacious expectations built around it.
As OneVoice’s profile rose in conjunction with the One Million Voices to End
the Conflict campaign, the movement’s opponents launched their own campaign
to delegitimize OneVoice as a valid civil society movement and to force OneVoice
to cancel the events. Under the aegis of “Another Voice,” international rejectionists
who opposed a two state solution began organizing online to discredit the move-
ment. The crux of this effort sought to damage the reputation of OneVoice by
painting it as a Zionist organization dominated by American Jews and by painting
its Palestinian staff as willing collaborators intent on forfeiting Palestinian rights at
the negotiating table according to a firm political platform. This Internet campaign
disregarded OneVoice Palestine’s deep support across a wide ideological spectrum,
exemplified by the diverse membership of its board of trustees and supporting dig-
nitaries; it also ignored the explicit language used in the organization’s literature
stating that OneVoice does not advocate specific policy positions. The rejectionists
also targeted and shamed the event’s performers and speakers, attempting to force
the withdrawal of their participation in the summits.
Ultimately, because of explicit threats made against staff and performers of the
planned Jericho Summit, OneVoice Palestine was forced to postpone the event.
OneVoice Israel canceled the Tel Aviv event in solidarity with their Palestinian
counterparts soon afterward.
The PeaceWorks Foundation 83

It was truly devastating—for our staff, for our supporters worldwide, and for
those on the ground in the region who saw this event for what it was: an oppor-
tunity to amplify their voices, a chance to place their concerns and their calls for
resolution front and center on the world stage, a real possibility for peace.
Postponing the summits—and even more than that, being called collaborators
and manipulators, having our good intentions reduced to machinations designed
to rob the Palestinian people—brought many of us right up against the sharpest
edge of what we do and the world in which we operate. We realized how fragile it
all really is, this balance we have created between national interests and the com-
mon good, between honoring different historical narratives and pursuing a shared
future. I know that I am not alone among OneVoice staff when I say that it made
me doubt the power and potential of what we are attempting to accomplish. I
wondered if, perhaps, we had been wrong all these years.
But time passes, and you gain clarity. It would have been easy, in the aftermath
of the cancellations and in the wake of all these emotions, to blame the summits’
undoing wholly on rejectionist groups and those who oppose us. But we would be
left only with the meager consolation of our bitterness and sense of righteousness,
and we would not have the opportunity to emerge from the ordeal stronger, and
more prepared to do the work that we know we must do.
Thus we gathered our most committed Youth Leaders and volunteers, our
core staff and board members, and undertook a comprehensive review of
OneVoice’s successes and failures as an organization. Although external ele-
ments played a primary role in our setbacks, internal errors were also critical.
They enabled, fed, and magnified the damage, and our weaknesses as a move-
ment were exposed. In the weeks following the October 18th postponements,
OneVoice staff worked to zone in on the internal failures. In a report furnished
for the movement’s board of directors, we suggested a number of steps to help
rehabilitate the organization in the wake of the summits’ cancellations. These
plans included a changed governance structure, a clarification of OneVoice’s
specific advocacy mission, an effort to erase the effect of the smears on
OneVoice Palestine, an external audit, and more expansive measures to assess
the movement’s penetration into Israeli and Palestinian society. Most impor-
tantly, we included plans to deepen and strengthen our core programs—Youth
Leadership Development and our town hall meetings—to fortify and expand
our grassroots network, so that the next time we are faced with a large and loud
challenge, we will be equipped to face it and win.

MOVING FORWARD
In the end, sustainable, meaningful change will not come from boardrooms or
statehouses; it will come from ordinary citizens. The PeaceWorks Foundation is
committed to empower grassroots agents of change, highlighting consensus,
strengthening social and economic fabric, and empowering the people to wrest
their lives from the grips of interminable conflict.
84 The New Humanitarians

Presently, PeaceWorks—through its main initiative, OneVoice—is focused on

building consensus and mobilizing the grassroots in Israel and Palestine. But
moving forward, the foundation will seek to expand, to bring the methodology
that it developed for OneVoice to other conflict-ridden regions of the world. The
idea that conflicts occur not because of two irreconcilable sides battling over land
or resources or religion, but because a majority of moderate citizens have had
control of their destinies wrest away from them by a small fringe of violent abso-
lutists is not specific to Israel and Palestine—or to the Middle East at large. In fact,
this is the dynamic that rules our era and our world. As long as it is in existence,
the PeaceWorks Foundation will seek to upend this formula: we will strive to see
that the moderate majorities worldwide take a stand and reclaim their lives.
We have entered an age in which local conflicts have become internationalized,
local economies globalized, and personal futures irrevocably intertwined with
those of people halfway around the world. The result is that ordinary people have
more power and more responsibility than ever to effect real, large-scale change. By
giving them the tools to forge strong civil societies, to bridge the gap between top-
level leadership and grassroots interests, and to tap into a global community of
invested citizens, we create the promise of a better world that we can, and will,
realize.

BIOGRAPHIES
Daniel Lubetzky, Founder and President, PeaceWorks Foundation (USA)
Daniel Lubetzky is the Founder of PeaceWorks Holdings LLC, a business cor-
poration pursuing both peace and profit, and of the PeaceWorks Foundation and
the OneVoice Movement.
The son of a Holocaust survivor, Mr. Lubetzky was born in 1968 and raised in
Mexico City, where he began his education in Hebrew, English, Spanish, and
Yiddish. Mr. Lubetzky earned his JD from Stanford Law School in 1993. After
receiving a fellowship from the Haas Koshland Foundation to write about legisla-
tive means to foster joint ventures between Arabs and Israelis, he founded
PeaceWorks Holdings. PeaceWorks Holdings’ distribution network now spans
eight food industries, reaching over 10,000 food outlets, and has developed ven-
tures across four continents.
In the fall of 2000, Mr. Lubetzky began to research creative ways to amplify the
voice of moderates in the Middle East, culminating with the creation of the
PeaceWorks Foundation’s OneVoice Movement in 2002. In 1997 Mr. Lubetzky,
then twenty-eight years old, was selected by the World Economic Forum as one
of 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow (GLT); he formed the Business of Cooper-
ation GLT Task Force to examine ways in which business can be used as a cata-
lyst for peace and mutual understanding in war-torn and divided societies. In
2003 Mr. Lubetzky received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from his alma
mater, Trinity University. In 2004 the World Association of NGOs bestowed him
The PeaceWorks Foundation 85

with its Peace, Reconciliation, and Security Award. In 2005 Mr. Lubetzky was
honored with the Catholic Theological Union’s PeaceMakers Award.

Nisreen Shahin, Director General, OneVoice Palestine

Nisreen Shahin is seasoned executive whose professional experiences include
outreach, public relations, fundraising, budgeting, and translation. Having
worked for the Ministry of Interior in the International Relations Department as
the director of public relations, and drawing from her experience with Tawasul,
Mrs. Shahin has a keen ability to mobilize and activate her fellow citizens to work
toward positive alternatives and reform. She also worked with Italtrend, a
European Commission Technical Assistance Project to the Palestinian Electoral
Process. Her understanding of the democratic and civic challenges facing the
Palestinian people places her in an important position of leadership. She is fluent
in Arabic and English. She is the mother of a boy and a girl.

Mowaffaq Alami, Gaza Director, OneVoice Gaza

Mowaffaq Alami earned his BA from Bethlehem University in 2001. He has
worked as executive director of the Standing Cooperation Committee (SCC) in
Palestine, and within the Ministry of NGO Affairs as the executive director of the
Minister Office. Additionally he has been involved in OneVoice’s Youth Leader-
ship Training programs, and worked as coordinator for the Gaza Students in the
West Bank Committee.

Dr. Ezzeldin Masri, Youth Leadership Program Director, OneVoice Gaza

Dr. Masri is dedicated and trained in education, peace building, and negotia-
tions. He received his MA in political science from Northeastern Illinois University
in Chicago. He worked for three years in Chicago for the board of education as an
Arabic teacher. Dr. Masri returned to Gaza where he worked with the International
School and became assistant principal; he then worked as an English language
trainer at the Prince Hamad Center. From there, he was recruited in 2004 to the
Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Peace and Negotiations Department, where he trained
as a negotiator and political analyst. Dr. Masri is the father of a little boy and girl.

Oriella Ben-Zvi, Co-chair, OneVoice Israel

Oriella Ben-Zvi is a founding partner of Ben Or Consulting, a full-service
strategic communications and consulting firm, focusing on serving the needs of
Israel’s nonprofit and political communities, as well as the needs of international
organizations working in the region, including UNSCO, the World Bank, the
European Union, the Ford Foundation, and UNICEF. Ben-Zvi has extensive
experience in a variety of communications specialties including public relations,
86 The New Humanitarians

marketing, advertising, and fundraising. Before moving to Israel and founding

Ben-Or Consulting, Ben-Zvi worked in Washington, D.C., for the White House
Office of Presidential Advance, coordinating presidential and first lady events in
the United States and around the world, including major international summits
in Europe, Africa, and Asia. She also served on the advance staff of the several
political campaigns. Ben-Zvi holds a BA in diplomatic history and English from
the University of Pennsylvania and is a candidate for an MA in political commu-
nications from Tel Aviv University.

Gil Shamy, Executive Director, OneVoice Israel

Gil Shamy is the executive director of the Israeli Branch of OneVoice located in
Tel Aviv. He and his team have created a strong Youth Leadership program and
have brought together a groundbreaking coalition of Young Political Leaders
against Incitement. Currently, he is overseeing a Get-Out-the-Vote campaign for
the upcoming Knesset elections. Mr. Shamy studied international relations and
political communications in Israel. He has been politically active all his life, work-
ing in the Ehud Barak election campaign. He was born in Givataim.

Adi Balderman, Program Director, OneVoice Israel

Adi Balderman was born in Haifa and comes from a family who has been living
in Haifa for thirteen generations. She spent part of her childhood in Mexico City,
where she attended the International School. She has a BA in political science and
general studies from the University of Haifa, and an MA in European political
economy from the London School of Economics. She joined OneVoice because
she believes it has the power to mobilize the silent majority who wants to live
peacefully with each other.

Darya Shaikh, Executive Director, PeaceWorks

Foundation/OneVoice USA
Darya Shaikh joined OneVoice in January 2004, working as the public edu-
cation coordinator and program developer. Having received her BA in political
science and Middle Eastern studies at the McGill University in Montreal,
Quebec, Darya came to OneVoice with a deep understanding for grassroots
activism toward civic empowerment. She has been involved in reconciliation
efforts in the Middle East through Hashomer Hatzair and Givat Haviva since
she was nine years old. Over the course of three years, she worked as the facil-
itator and moderator for a delegation of Jewish-Israeli, Arab-Israeli, and
Bedouin youth. Her work at OneVoice has allowed her to combine her vision
of reconciliation and peace with her innate appreciation for coexistence. She
was born in Brooklyn, NY; her mother is Israeli, from Hadera, and her father is
Pakistani, from Karachi.
The PeaceWorks Foundation 87

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: OneVoice
Founder and Executive Director: Daniel Lubetzky
Mission/Description: OneVoice Movement is organized to empower ordinary
Israeli and Palestinian citizens to wrest the agenda for conflict resolution away
from violent extremists.
Website: www.onevoicemovement.org
Address: The PeaceWorks Foundation & OneVoice Movement
PO Box 1577-OCS
New York NY 10113 USA
Phone: Tel. 1.212.897.3985 x104
Fax: 1.212.897.3986
E-mail: Daniel@PeaceWorks.com; Daniel@onevoicemovement.org

NOTE
1. Webcast of the session can accessed through http://gaia.world-television.com/wef/
worldeconomicforum_annualmeeting2007/default.aspx?sn=19223.
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 5

Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic

Choice for the Future
Mel Duncan, Mark Zissman,
and Patrick Savaiano

A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their

mission can alter the course of history.
—Mahatma Gandhi

HOW ONE PERSON IS IMPORTANT

One night in a small Sri Lanka village, a man was walking on the street alone.
Suddenly, and without provocation, a second man approached on a bicycle and
threw a hand grenade at him. The grenade exploded, critically injuring the man.
As inconspicuously as he had appeared, the cyclist quickly rode away as if nothing
had happened.
Not unlike on any other night in a terror-stricken community, none of the
villagers came to the helpless and wounded man’s aid. Violence creates fear,
and can fear lock civil society into a desperate silence. As a rule, most fearful,
silent people do not come out of their homes at night. However, a Nonviolent
Peaceforce field team member heard the explosion and saw the man, lying
injured and bleeding in the street. Without hesitation, she quickly ran to his
aid, followed by another brave team member. As a result of their swift and
courageous action, they were able to get the man to a hospital in time for his
life to be saved.
The following night, the residents of the village marched through the streets to
celebrate the man’s survival and the courage of the Nonviolent Peaceforce per-
sonnel. The villagers committed themselves to stand united and not succumb to
individual fears: a first step for the rebuilding of local civil society.

89
90 The New Humanitarians

INTRODUCTION
In the twentieth century, the international community was unable to respond
in a timely or effective manner to crises that led to devastating armed conflicts,
brutal violence, and genocide, with Kosovo and Rwanda as two examples. In many
instances, the world simply chose not to respond. At other times, a reaction
occurred only after a considerable delay, typically with a militarized intervention.
Regrettably, both of these responses led to untold human misery and destruction
that could have been avoided with nonviolent civilian peacekeeping. It has been
estimated that as few as 1,000 people trained in nonviolence could have prevented
the violence and genocide that devastated Yugoslavia in 1998. Historically, this
conflict resolution technique has been used successfully around the world.
Nonviolence has not only changed governments and policies, but it has also been
effective in popular movements that confront power, injustice, terror, and human
rights violations.
The formation of Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) and its standing peace teams rep-
resents a new and powerful alternative to stop violence and human rights abuses
before they reach the catastrophic levels observed in places such as Yugoslavia,
Kosovo, and Rwanda. Conceived by a group of participants at the 1999 Hague
Appeal for Peace and constituted in the 2002 Convening Event in Surajkund, India,
NP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an international peaceforce of
civilians trained in nonviolent peacekeeping strategies. Composed of over seventy-
five member organizations, NP responds to requests for help anywhere in the world,
using proven methods of nonviolence to protect human rights, deter violence, and
help create space for local peacemakers to carry out their work. Nonviolent
Peaceforce represents the hope of many people for an alternative to massive military
intervention. It is a key component in the development of a strategic, cohesive, non-
violent response to brutality and threats of violence.

SOME UNIQUE ASPECTS OF NONVIOLENT PEACEFORCE

Although Nonviolent Peaceforce has learned from and builds upon the work
of other groups using nonviolent techniques, we are unique in several ways:

1. NP is an international organization from the bottom up. We have regional

offices worldwide and a fifteen-member International Governance Council,
with representatives from every inhabited continent.
2. NP is creating a permanent, large-scale, paid, and trained team of peacekeepers.
3. NP is not affiliated with any national, religious, or political viewpoint.
4. NP does not take sides in a conflict, but we help create emotional and physical
space between parties, enabling them to discuss differences and reach their
own solutions.
5. NP’s field members receive training in nonviolent, third-party intervention
strategies as well as training specific to the people, language, and culture of the
conflict areas to which they are sent.
Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic Choice for the Future 91

Mission
The mission of Nonviolent Peaceforce is to build a large-scale trained, interna-
tional, civilian nonviolent peace force. Our aim is to prevent warfare and violence
before they occur by enabling conflicting groups to enter into a discussion where
all parties are heard and real solutions can be found.

The Origins of Nonviolent Peaceforce

The inspiration for Nonviolent Peaceforce dates back to 1997–98. During this
time period, I (Mel Duncan) received a fellowship to study the connections
between grassroots organizing and spirituality. Very early in my work, the dualis-
tic way in which I organized for peace, justice, and the environment was chal-
lenged. Instead of conceptualizing these pertinent issues from a perspective of
right versus wrong, us versus them, or good versus evil, I was confronted with the
possibility of organizing my beliefs from a position of unity.
The ideological paradigm shift I began to experience led me to finish my fel-
lowship at a Buddhist monastery in southern France with a Vietnamese monk by
the name of Thich Nhat Hanh. He was extremely influential in helping me to fur-
ther abandon the dichotomies in my thinking. During the time I spent with Thich
Nhat Hanh, he shared with me his profound belief that the human race is no
longer in a place in history that takes sides. This idea really resonated with me and
became a catalyst for the conception of Nonviolent Peaceforce.
Following my departure from the monastery in late 1998, I returned to the
United States to work as a professor at the University of Minnesota. Shortly after
my homecoming, I realized that I felt deeply inspired to create a nonviolent peace
force. I had briefly outlined a reflective composition of what such an entity would
look like near the end of my tenure in southern France. Initially, when I wrote the
piece, I was just jotting down ideas and had very little intention of actually creat-
ing a nonviolent peace force. However, no matter how hard I tried, it was impos-
sible to get the vision out of my head. Consequently, one night my wife, Georgia,
told me to “just go for it.”
The next day, I was reading the Nation, a progressive magazine, and there was
an article about the upcoming Hague Appeal for Peace conference that was set for
May 1999. The purpose of the conference was to eliminate war during the twenty-
first century. I realized from reading this article that I had found a seemingly
appropriate venue to test out the currency of my idea. I was hopeful that attend-
ing this conference would not only allow me to examine the possibility of actually
establishing a nonviolent peace force, but it would also help me discover if other
people were in fact interested in the idea.
Resolute in my decision to attend the conference, I raised enough money and
luckily found a free place to stay. When I arrived at the conference, I was surprised
to discover there were 9,000 participants, far more than the 5,000 originally adver-
tised. However, it was so crowded that my ability to effectively communicate my
92 The New Humanitarians

idea was completely diminished. Even if I had stood on a chair and yelled at the
top of my lungs, I still would have been unable to achieve my goal; the background
noise was impenetrable. In the evening, and alone with my disappointment, I
called my wife and expressed my concerns about the futility of finding support for
my vision. In response, she wisely told me to be patient and listen quietly for the
right opportunity.
The next day, it was so crowded that I was completely wedged against the
back wall of a room. It appeared that I was doomed to experience the same
unfortunate result as on the previous day. However, to my surprise, I suddenly
heard another person ask other participants about the possibility of developing
a vision that was similar to mine. I was utterly amazed. Impassioned with a
sense of purpose, I pushed through the crowd, grabbed him by the arm, and
proclaimed, “If you’re serious about what you just said, then we have to start
organizing.”
That man’s name was David Hartsough, who is still centrally involved in
organizing Nonviolent Peaceforce. Ironically, we discovered that while I was hav-
ing this vision sitting in a Buddhist monastery, he was having the same one sitting
in a Serbian jail: he had been arrested for administering nonviolence training to
Kosovar Albanian students.
Later that night, David and I were feverously pulling people together who
shared our same vision. With these other creative participants, many of whom are
still involved in our organization, we had a conversation about whether this was
the time and place in history to increase the scale and scope, professionalism, and
international nature of civilian nonviolent peacekeeping. Based upon this and
further conversations, we then developed a proposal for actually creating a non-
violent peace force.
As a crucial step in developing Nonviolent Peaceforce, we engaged in academic
research and did a thorough feasibility study. That research is currently on our
website as an extensive, 360-page document. We also engaged in field research as
well. Often a group of us, using our own money or whatever other finances we
could raise, would conduct this research with people living in some of the most
violent places in the world.
At the same time we were doing the field research, we were finding that peo-
ple were saying to us, “I had that idea” or “We did that in our village” or “I wrote
a paper about that in university” or “My whole life I’ve been training to do this,”
and what we found was that far from being a vision that started with a group of
us, nonviolent peacekeeping is an idea that has occurred and recurred in many
people over the past half century. What has escaped CNN and other major
media outlets has not escaped the consciousness of thousands of us. Far from
being an organizing path, this is a task of us finding one another and saying that
now is the time to put forward our resources, time, talent, and indeed our lives
to expanding this concept of nonviolent peace keeping. For us, this vision finally
became a reality in December 2002, when Nonviolent Peaceforce officially
became operational.
Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic Choice for the Future 93

OUR WORK
It is with great satisfaction to report that many of the goals and projects of
our organization have been approved by hundreds of endorsers, including nine
Nobel Peace Prize laureates. In conducting all that we do, Nonviolent Peaceforce
strives to achieve three overarching goals: (a) to inform decision makers,
opinion leaders, the public, and public institutions, so as to build support for
nonviolent intervention; (b) to build the pool of people able to join peace teams
through regional activities, training, and the maintenance of a roster of trained,
available people; and (c) to deploy teams, learn from deployment projects,
and build a body of expertise on how to implement large-scale, nonviolent
intervention.
In order to accomplish these goals, Nonviolent Peaceforce performs a variety
of functions around the world. We work to create and maintain deployment proj-
ects; build the capacity for large-scale peacekeeping through training, engagement
with our member organizations, and regional activities; and influence decision-
making bodies worldwide. Currently, our deployment projects include Sri Lanka,
Guatemala, and the Philippines.
When we were invited to help in places such as Sri Lanka, or when societies
in the future request our help, there is a strict process we follow prior to deploy-
ment. First, our International Governance Council (IGC) determines whether
there is a clear mandate for intervention. If there is, we send an exploratory
team that, in consultation with local groups and the IGC, tailors specific strate-
gies and objectives for the conflict area. Strategies could include accompanying
local peace or human rights advocates, providing protective presence in threat-
ened areas, returning child soldiers, interposing ourselves, bridging local issues
to international, facilitating communication among the groups in conflict,
monitoring elections or ceasefires, training locals in conflict resolution, and
other strategies as appropriate. Moreover, we also look for exit strategies, with
the intent to turn over our work to local groups, since only those affected can
ultimately create a lasting peace.

Sri Lanka
We launched our first joint project in Sri Lanka in 2003 at the invitation of sev-
eral local and national Sri Lankan peace organizations. More than 67,000 people
have been killed and 1.6 million displaced in the civil war that has ravaged the
nation since 1983. Today, our staff in Sri Lanka consists of more than forty indi-
viduals, both local peacekeepers and international professionals. We currently
have twenty field team members plus support staff in five locations in Sri Lanka.
Nonviolent Peaceforce Sri Lanka (NPSL) engages in many different kinds of
activities, such as different forms of accompaniment, networking and connecting,
concerned engagement as internationals, presence at events and places at risk of vio-
lence and crisis, and rumor control. These activities are primarily at the request of
or in some way in support of local Sri Lankan civilians. Although NPSL sometimes
94 The New Humanitarians

provides feedback, inspiration, and a sounding board, our work is guided by the
local agenda, not ours. These activities, over time and repetition serve to

• Increase the actual safety of individuals

• Decrease violence in individual and family lives and in specific communities
• Increase nonviolent options to address problems and needs
• Support the building of new connections and networks
• Help raise the visibility of critical issues and the ability to discuss them

The result is reduced barriers to civilian involvement in peace with justice work.
We assume that as this work continues, and the positive outcomes increase and the
negative outcomes decrease, this will tend to make room for new civilian participa-
tion in both ongoing and new peace with justice activities. This in turn, should lead
to some structural changes, thus further increasing safety, decreasing violence, and
leading to more peaceful and just conditions in Sri Lanka. It is an iterative process
that requires significant follow up and support after the initial set of activities. It is
a process that is slow to develop and takes time to mature and show impact.

Philippines Project (Mindanao)

In Mindanao, the southernmost island region of the Philippines, more than
120,000 lives have been lost in a civil war fought over economics and land rights.
The naturally resource-rich Mindanao islands contribute 40–50 percent of the
Philippines economy. The region was originally settled by southeast Muslims
(“Moros”) nearly 1,000 years ago, was conquered by the Spanish in the 1500s, and
was most recently controlled by the United States.
In spite of a 1996 ceasefire and the agreements between the government of the
Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), people still live with
violence. Subsequently, in May 2007, we began a second International Civilian
Peacekeeping project in Mindanao on the basis of extensive feedback received and
extended support from local communities and main stakeholders in the southern-
most island region.
While in Mindanao, our organization supports the work of local agencies that
are working for peace and justice, some of which are involved in monitoring the
cease-fire agreement between the government and the MILF. We have accom-
plished this task by sending internationals to work hand in hand with the local
peacekeepers, which has thereby contributed to their safety. Together, Nonviolent
Peaceforce and these local groups have helped maintain the ceasefire agreement
and further the peace process in this rather volatile situation.

Guatemala Project
Guatemala is a nation plagued by fear and insecurity, even after eleven years
have passed since the signing of peace accords that ended their bloody, thirty-
six-year civil war. In this terror-stricken nation, violence still reigns with
Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic Choice for the Future 95

impunity. The number of violent deaths in Guatemala approximates that of

the 1970s and 1980s, and much of that is the result of the incapacity or unwill-
ingness of the national police to respond adequately to criminal acts and calls
for help from human rights defenders. In this violate climate, human rights
workers continue to work nonviolently toward a society where lives and laws
are respected.
National elections were held in Guatemala in early September and November
2007. A substantial increase in violence was anticipated during the time leading
up to and after the elections. Accordingly, we provided a team of four accompa-
niers, including a team coordinator, who helped ensure the security of the human
rights defenders against politically motivated violence.
As a testimony to the work we have done on this project, a leading member of
a Guatemala Woman’s Rights Group generously stated, “NP’s accompaniment has
helped a lot. I used to have the idea that if they wanted to kill you, they’re going
to do it, and they’ll probably kill the accompanier at the same time. So a person
would have the extra burden of responsibility for the accompanier. But we’ve seen
the specialized and professional nature of accompaniment, which means that the
accompaniers understand the political dimension. They are active, not like a
heavy bag you have to carry around, but someone you can discuss things with.
This is very helpful.”

STAFF TRAINING AND COMPENSATION

We have approximately ninety staff working worldwide, two thirds of them
employed as field team members. Basic training for these peacekeeping positions
is ten weeks long and includes hands-on education in local language(s), the area’s
culture, the nature of the conflict, and ways to engage individuals peacefully.
When appropriate, highly visible participants such as Nobel Peace Prize winners,
religious leaders, and former government leaders may be recruited.
Nonviolent Peaceforce field team members are asked for a two-year commit-
ment of duty. However, as a particular benefit, these positions are paid. In addi-
tion to a monthly stipend, our field team members receive a per diem that allows
them to live at the same levels as the communities in which they reside and work.
Additionally, death and injury insurance are also provided. Site deployments are
evaluated with great care and no unnecessary risk is taken. In the future, college
scholarships and contributions to retirement funds will be part of our compensa-
tion package.
The demand for these positions is quiet incredible. For example, we recently
recruited for eighteen field team members; however, applicant interest was
above and beyond this number. Subsequently, we had to cut off the recruitment
when we had ten applicants for every available position. Remarkably, the appli-
cants came from fifty-five different countries. In general, our field team mem-
bers are not exclusively from the United States. For instance, many come from
other nations, including Canada, Columbia, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt,
96 The New Humanitarians

Figure 5.1 Peace team trainees taking part in a simulation exercise, conducted in
cooperation with the Romanian military, as part of a Nonviolent Peaceforce training
(Cluj, Romania—August 2007). Photo by Phil Esmonde. Courtesy of Nonviolent
Peaceforce.

Romania, Spain, the UK, Germany, the Philippines, and Pakistan. The people
who believe in and are willing to participate in Nonviolent Peaceforce are there
in large numbers. We are proud to be able to provide answers to what people can
say “yes” to, when they say “no” to war. It is not enough just to resist. We have to
also create.

FUNDING
Adequate funding is a very important aspect of any organization, whether it
is in the early developmental stages or already firmly established. Nonviolent
Peaceforce is qualified as a charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) of
the United States Internal Revenue code. Approximately half of the money we
receive comes from individuals, and about 20 percent comes from grants pro-
vided by UNICEF and the governments of Germany, Canada, and Catalonia,
among others. Moreover, an additional 19 percent comes from foundations and
trusts. When we were just starting out in 1999, our fiscal resources were
extremely limited. By soliciting contributions through the mail, we were able to
raise $12,000. At this point, David Hartsough was the director of Peaceworkers,
which provided organizational support and some start-up money as well.
Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic Choice for the Future 97

Historically, our budget has ebbed and flowed. Currently, it’s extremely tight,
and we are trying to increase our fund-raising efforts. Contributors can assist us
fiscally in a multitude of ways. For instance, they can purchase Peace Bonds,
donate airline tickets and appreciated stock, or register to make monthly,
quarterly, or even yearly donations.

EFFICACY MEASUREMENT
Although it would be ideal, we really do not have a quantifiable way to ana-
lyze success. However, that is not a result of any deficiency within our organiza-
tion. Field work can be challenging: it requires an immense amount of attention
and creative decision making, and those factors alone do not allow for continual
and precise measurement. Additionally, it is extremely difficult to measure a
negative—how do you measure whether you prevented something from hap-
pening? For instance, there is really no way to know if the accompaniment we
provided in a specific situation prevented a violent and dire situation from
occurring. Instead, we examine other factors, such as the number of people par-
ticipating in civil society. Specifically, we are interested in discovering if that
number is either increasing or decreasing. Recently, however, we commissioned
the external evaluation of our longest-running project (of almost four years);
our member organizations came together in Nairobi for the first time in
five years in September 2007 to review that evaluation and make decisions as to
the next steps for our strategic plan.

LESSONS LEARNED
In conducting our initial research and through our various deployment
projects, we have learned some very interesting things about nonviolent con-
flict resolution worth discussing. Primarily, we quickly realized that nobody
can make anyone else’s peace for them. That is the function of the local people.
The most we can hope to do is provide the support and protection needed for
those doing their work so that they can feel safe, be productive, and stay alive.
We also learned that the most violent places in the world already had coura-
geous peacemakers and human rights defenders currently employing their
creative talents. More often than not, cross-culturally, those people were
women. Time and time again, they told us that isolation is a catalyst for
increased violence. For instance, quite recently, we were able to ensure the
safety of some 1,000 inhabitants in a Philippine village. The community had
become trapped between two armed factions, and the villagers were consider-
ing evacuation. However, at their request, our peacekeepers came to the village
many times over a period of about a week and communicated with both par-
ties. After a week of the special attention we provided, the villagers had enough
confidence not to flee their homes.
98 The New Humanitarians

There are a number of factors that cause successful interactions like this to
occur. In the contexts we are in, the combatants are susceptible to international
pressure. Ultimately, they prefer that the incidences of violence and brutality be
local phenomena that are not reported. Consequently, the dynamic changes when
a group of people from around the world are present. Moreover, our presence also
helps increase the stature of local people who are committed to peace building
and human rights. Finally, the fact that we are unarmed and encouraging peace
changes the atmosphere and encourages other people to step up and examine
their own behaviors.
From a managerial standpoint, we have discovered that adequate fiscal
resources and the development of an organization’s infrastructure (e.g., human
resources, administration, assessment, contractual procedures) are extremely
important in the growth of an organization. In some ways, we thought we
could develop Nonviolent Peaceforce much more quickly than we have. For the
future, we need to continue to develop the infrastructure to support greater
peacekeeping efforts. We have also learned that on an international level, it is
extremely difficult to develop these organizational components with a limited
amount of funds.

Figure 5.2 Nonviolent Peaceforce peacekeepers outside their office in Cotabato,

Mindanao, in the Philippines (August 2007). Photo by Erika Shatz. Courtesy of
Nonviolent Peaceforce.
Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic Choice for the Future 99

Figure 5.3 The second team of Nonviolent Peaceforce peacekeepers to work in Sri Lanka
(September 2005). Copyright © Bob Fitch Photo. Courtesy of Nonviolent Peaceforce.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS
A major challenge that Nonviolent Peaceforce will continue to face in the
future is our nonalignment or nonpartisanship in a conflict areas. We must tread
carefully to avoid being unduly influenced, to hold to our mission, and to coop-
erate with other groups without compromising our principles. We will continue
the practices we currently employ to maintain a nonpartisan position, field team
coordinators will be trained to be aware of and deal with these complex issues,
and diverse funding sources and personnel will help prevent alignment with
power structures.
As a future goal of the organization, we will remain committed to training
peacekeepers to build our capacity to respond rapidly to requests for help. Our
continued aim is to help create, or keep open, a safe space for local peacemakers
to do their work, and to protect civilians in areas of violent conflict. Toward this
end, we are recruiting qualified and experienced people to be trained as nonvio-
lent peacekeepers. These 500 people will become our reserve corps and will be
available for and committed to at least six months of service within a three-year
period following training.
We are also raising money for a $100,000 reserve fund that would be used as
seed money to help jump-start our rapid response when an urgent request is
made. This fund would enable us to hire an advance team, and pay their travel and
accommodation costs. As much as possible, we do not want the initial critical
100 The New Humanitarians

actions necessary for urgent rapid responses to be delayed because of a shortage

of funds.
As for future deployment projects, we are in the process of developing ventures
in Columbia and Uganda. The internal armed conflict in Colombia, which has its
roots in the political violence of the 1950s, has claimed tens of thousands of lives
and displaced countless more throughout its fifty-year history. Local and indige-
nous communities are coming together to implement peaceful alternatives to
violence. They are struggling to maintain a neutral stance between government
and the armed groups, having organized themselves as “Peace Communities.”
They face physical aggressions, psychological pressure, military violence, and
juridical threats. Through our protective presence, we will link local peace work-
ers to an international community dedicated to monitoring their human rights
and protecting their safety.
With respect to Uganda, since 1986, the northern region of the country has
been plagued by rebellions, the longest and most devastating by the Lord’s
Resistance Army (LRA). In spite of a cease-fire in the second half of 2006, the dan-
ger of renewed war has not been overcome, and violence is still threatening the
communities that have barely begun to recover. Throughout the region, as many
as 2 million people are displaced, often forced into camps.
Unfortunately, the LRA’s campaign has been characterized by the forced
abductions of thousands of Ugandan children—possibly over 25,000 children. As
described by Archbishop of Gulu John Baptist Odama, Uganda’s twenty-year-old
civil conflict is a “war that now has grandchildren.” Subsequently, the slow but
steady return of displaced citizens, ex-combatants, and former child soldiers to
their homesteads will require careful monitoring by unarmed civilians trained in
conflict resolution and protection services.

SUGGESTIONS
I would suggest that every new organization focus on expediently developing
the infrastructure for the organization; it will be crucial to growth. Additionally,
as a methodological approach, we have found it invaluable to affirm the obstacles
that we face as an organization. Barriers to success are an inevitable occurrence
that every organization will encounter. In our case, we acknowledge them, cre-
atively take the energy from them, and move through them. We do not deny the
problems we have, but instead use the energy from those problems to fuel a pos-
sible solution.

Suggested Website/Readings
• Nonviolent Peaceforce website: www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org
• A Force More Powerful, by Peter Ackerman and Jack Duvall
• Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan, a Man to Match His Mountains, by
Eknath Easwaran
Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic Choice for the Future 101

• All Men Are Brothers, by Mahatma Gandhi

• Peace and Every Step, by Thich Nat Hanh
• An Ordinary Man, by Paul Rusesabagina

NONVIOLENT PEACEFORCE INTERNATIONAL

GOVERNANCE COUNCIL
Our International Governance Council, the decision-making body of Nonvio-
lent Peaceforce, is currently composed of members from thirteen countries. These
members are chosen at our International Assembly.
Yukio Aki, International Governance Council Member; Japan.
Eric Bachman, International Governance Council Member, Executive Commit-
tee, Treasurer; Germany. Eric Bachman is a U.S. citizen and transnational
peace activist. He worked in Germany for thirty-six years as a conscientious
objector, and recently returned to the United States. Since 1971 he has
organized trainings and seminars in many countries on subjects including
nonviolence and nonviolent action, civil disobedience, environmental
issues, anti-nuclear movements, apartheid and racism, the conflict in
Yugoslavia, peace work in a war zone, and civilian-based defense. He was
one of the founders of the ZaMir Transnational Net, an electronic commu-
nication network that was set up in the Balkans during the wars in
Yugoslavia to enable communication among peace and human rights
groups. He also helps nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) use infor-
mation technologies, especially open source software, for social change and
peace work. He has worked closely with the International Fellowship of
Reconciliation, War Resisters International, German Federation for Social
Defense, Balkan Peace Team–International, Peace Cottage Lippinghausen,
and other peace groups in Europe and Germany. Recently he co-founded
the project Bridges of Encouragement and a newsletter, Peace across the
Atlantic.
Simonetta Costanzo Pittaluga, International Governance Council Member,
Executive Committee; Spain. Simonetta has over thirty-five years’ experience
in nonviolent transformation in various small-scale, grassroots social issues.
She is an accomplished Asthanga Yoga teacher and applies those ahimsa
principles to her professional public relations and education work. She has
been researching nonviolence and peace education and training since 1992
and is part of the NP member organization NOVA and the Center for Social
Innovation in Barcelona. She is Italian, born in South Africa, now living in
Barcelona, and the proud mother of two.
Omar Diop, International Governance Council Member Co-Chair, Executive
Committee; Senegal. Omar has worked as a high school teacher for
thirty years and has served as a board member of a teacher trade union for
twelve years. He created or participated in the founding of many civil society
organizations and is currently leading three of them: Senegalese Civic
102 The New Humanitarians

League, Senegalese Coalition of Human Rights Defenders, and the network

Citizenship, Democracy, Human Rights and Peace. Omar is also a founding
member and board member of Civil Society Organisations Coalition, which
works on the electoral process in Senegal. He is a former board member of
NP member organization West Africa Network for Peacebuilding
(WANEP). He led the development of a peace curriculum for primary and
secondary schools and has served as the main trainer on nonviolence and
peace education in Ivory Coast, Togo, Guinea, and Ghana. He is also an
executive committee member of the West Africa Human Rights Defenders
Network. He received his high school teaching certificate at École Normale
Supérieure of Dakar, and an MA in geography at the University of Dakar.
Omar currently lives in Dakar, Senegal, and has three grown daughters.
Mel Duncan, Executive Director, Nonviolent Peaceforce; United States. Mel
Duncan serves as the executive director of Nonviolent Peaceforce. Modeled
on the Gandhian concept of Shanti Sena, Nonviolent Peaceforce is com-
posed of trained civilians from around the world. In partnership with local
groups, NP applies proven and effective strategies to protect human rights
in areas of violent conflict and helps create space for local peacemakers to
carry out their work. NP currently has civilian peacekeepers working in Sri
Lanka, Guatemala, and the Mindanao region of the Philippines. Project
development is going on for Colombia and Uganda.
Duncan has over thirty years of organizing and advocating nonviolently for
peace, justice, and the environment. In 1997 he received the prestigious
Community Leaders Fellowship from the Archibald Bush Foundation,
which allowed him to spend one and a half years studying the connections
between peace, justice, and spirituality.
He is a graduate of Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was
awarded their Distinguished Citizen award in 2006. He also has a master’s
degree from the University of Creation Spirituality/New College, San
Francisco, California. He and his wife, Georgia, have eight children and live
in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Faith Edman, International Governance Council Member; USA.
Donna Howard, International Governance Council Co-Chair, Executive
Committee; USA. A long-time peace activist in the United States, Donna was
pivotal in founding a Catholic Worker house in Duluth, Minnesota, for
resistance and hospitality, and has served a prison sentence for disarming
the U.S. Navy ELF trigger system for nuclear war. Her other work activities
have been in human services: advocacy and counseling for low-income,
addicted, or mentally ill people. Donna joined the work of Nonviolent
Peaceforce immediately after its founding, served on the original board and
research team, and worked in Sri Lanka to lay the groundwork for the first
project. She has two grown sons.
Ramu Manivannan, International Governance Council Member, Executive
Committee; India. Ramu is an associate professor at the University of
Nonviolent Peaceforce: A Realistic Choice for the Future 103

Madras, Chepauk Campus, and is the founder and chairperson of Buddha

Smiles, a global initiative for peace, education, and development that works
with rural and urban poor children in India. Ramu is an international
teacher of the science and philosophy of Yoga and meditation and is an
active interfaith practitioner. Ramu and his wife, Sheela, have two children.
Mateo Menin, International Governance Council Member; Italy.
Israel Naor, International Governance Council Member; Israel. Israel was born in
Vienna, Austria. His immediate family escaped to Hungary to avoid the
German Anschluss; however, much of his extended family did not survive the
Holocaust. He continued schooling in Palestine and spent a year in National
Service, then was drafted into the newly created Israeli Army. He earned a
bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s in irrigation at the University
of California–Berkeley, and worked as a civil engineer for U.S. and Israeli com-
panies engaged in the planning/design of water resources development and
irrigation systems. Israel and his wife, Dorothy, have been involved in peace
activities in Israel since 2000, participating in demonstrations against the occu-
pation, the Separation Barrier/Wall, and the often-brutal treatment of
Palestinians. They are also engaged in humanitarian activities to save
Palestinian lives. They reside in Nof Yam, Herzliah, and have three children.
Lucy Nusseibeh, International Governance Council Member; Palestine.
Theo Roncken, International Governance Council Member; Bolivia.
Farrukh Sohail Goindi, International Governance Council Member; Pakistan.
John Stewart, International Governance Council Member, Executive Committee;
Zimbabwe. John has been a practitioner in the area of conflict transforma-
tion since 1986. He has worked on the Heal the Wounds Campaign to assist
victims of the FRELIMO and RENAMO armed conflict along the border
with Mozambique in eastern Zimbabwe. He has conducted training in non-
violent conflict resolution skills for the International Fellowship of Recon-
ciliation. Since 1999 John has worked with Nonviolent Action and Strategies
for Social Change (NOVASC), which provides technical and practical skills
for negotiation, mediation, and nonviolent action through training, inter-
vention, and accompaniment. He is also one of the founding members of
the Coalition on Conflict Management, a collaborative effort of more than
fifteen organizations. John resides in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Cuauhtémoc Romero Villagómez, International Governance Council Member.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Nonviolent Peaceforce
Executive Director: Mel Duncan
Mission/Description: Nonviolent Peaceforce is a federation of over seventy
five member organizations from around the world. In partnership with local
groups, unarmed Nonviolent Peaceforce field team members apply proven
104 The New Humanitarians

strategies to protect human rights, deter violence, and help create space for
local peacemakers to carry out their work. The mission of the Nonviolent
Peaceforce is to build a trained, international civilian peace force committed
to third party nonviolent intervention.
Website: http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org/
Address: Nonviolent Peaceforce
425 Oak Grove Street
Minneapolis, MN 55418 USA
Phone: 1-612-871-0005
Fax: 1-612-871-0006
E-mail: mduncan@nonviolentpeaceforce.org
 6

Peaceful Bodyguards: Nonviolent

Action in War Zones for the
Protection of Human Rights:
Lessons from Three Decades with
Peace Brigades International
Barbara J. Wien

INTERRUPTING THE VIOLENCE

Wherever there are armed conflicts and grave human rights abuses, there are
brave citizens who speak out against injustice and violence. These peace and human
rights advocates are often stigmatized, labeled as “subversives” or “guerrillas.” They
are routinely targeted by armed actors and suffer multiple abuses, such as persecu-
tion, harassment, arbitrary detainment, imprisonment, death threats, torture,
disappearance or assassination. Sexual abuse is also widely used as a weapon to
silence female rights advocates. Social movements are criminalized, and a climate of
endemic impunity exists in many countries.
However, a new international dynamic is at work in some conflicts today. At
the invitation of the local populations, nonviolent teams of foreigners are tran-
scending national borders and deploying to areas of repression to try to prevent
bloodshed at great personal risk. They are intervening along the chain of com-
mand, interrupting the orders to kill, standing with vulnerable communities, and
alerting many others in an attempt to forestall atrocities. Perpetrators of heinous
crimes are deterred when these foreign teams are present because the death squad
leaders and those higher up the chain of command make a calculated political
decision that the consequences and costs are not worth it.
One such group of foreigners that has been deploying to conflict zones for
nearly three decades is Peace Brigades International (PBI). Since 1981 PBI has
been sending highly trained teams of human rights observers into areas of conflict
and repression at the request of the local people to protect courageous individu-
als and communities who have been threatened with political violence. PBI is
best known for pioneering a comprehensive method called nonviolent protective
accompaniment. Accompaniment involves a high-profile presence alongside
threatened activists, intensive relationship building with all relevant actors in
the conflict, and activation of worldwide emergency response networks to

105
106 The New Humanitarians

Figure 6.1 PBI breaking the chain of command in human rights attacks. Source: Peace
Brigades.

generate immediate pressure in a crisis situation. An exploratory team is sent first

to see if the parties to the conflict might be influenced by the presence of foreign-
ers, and whether PBI’s methods would work.
This intensive, hands-on protection is one of the most effective tools avail-
able for the protection of human rights, and is currently being employed by
PBI in Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Nepal, and Indonesia.1 In the 1980s and
1990s, Peace Brigades also accompanied Native American communities in
Canada, and served in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti, Croatia, Serbia, Sri Lanka,
and East Timor. Furthermore, PBI has provided trainings in the Congo,
Rwanda, and Burundi for over forty nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
to share lessons about security precautions, risk assessment, and nonviolent
strategies.

WHAT IS PROTECTIVE ACCOMPANIMENT AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

How can Peace Brigades teams possible deter attacks using nonviolent strate-
gies? The answer is both simple and complex. Would you rather walk through a
dangerous neighborhood by yourself, or with a group of friends? Thugs and rob-
bers usually do not want witnesses and are deterred by the presence of others. In
the same manner that thousands of college students traveled to the southern
United States in the 1960s to escort black voters to the polls so they would not be
lynched by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), so, too, PBI field teams act as unarmed
escorts, peaceful bodyguards, witnesses, and a protective presence.
Peaceful Bodyguards 107

Protective accompaniment, pioneered by PBI in Guatemala, is an important

method of defending the political spaces of threatened activists and civilian
populations working nonviolently for democratic change. Equipped with the
local language, cross-cultural skills, notebooks, cameras, satellite phones,
extensive diplomatic contacts, security training, their foreign passports, and a
large international advocacy network, the PBI teams escort threatened civil
society activists, sometimes twenty-four hours a day. PBI safeguards diverse
groups of local activists so they can expose human rights abuses and mobilize
communities against violence and oppression. The PBI teams are backed up by
grassroots emergency response networks in fifteen countries, and by high-level
political support networks of elected officials in numerous capital cities. PBI’s
time-tested methodology mixes a nonviolent and nonpartisan stance with the
long-term physical presence of trained international observers.
The teams initiate contacts with almost all the parties to a conflict in order to
inform them of the PBI presence in the region. PBI teams leave a very big footprint
everywhere they go by announcing themselves through letters and calls to all the
authorities. In many instances, a U.S. field volunteer will visit his or her elected offi-
cial in the home district or on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., before deploying
with PBI to gain a letter of support to carry into a conflict, which can be presented
to the U.S. embassy and any soldiers when stopped at a checkpoint. This letter
offers another level of protection. Local authorities in a country are informed and
aware if PBI is operating in their area. Presumably, illegal, armed actors are aware
of PBI’s presence as well through informants and surveillance.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE NETWORKS

Complementing the physical presence of PBI volunteers are concerned grass-
roots individuals, labor organizations, elected officials, the diplomatic corps, UN
representatives, religious bodies, and academic leaders, who compose a worldwide
support network capable of reinforcing PBI’s presence.
The Emergency Response Network (ERN) mobilizes vital assistance in life-
threatening situations. It is activated whenever death threats, abductions, arrests,
assaults, or expulsion from the country threatens one of PBI’s teams, volunteers,
or someone they accompany. Members of the ERN send a fax, letter, or e-mail to
the relevant authorities to bring pressure to bear in the countries in which the cri-
sis is occurring. Citizens in fifteen European, North American, and Asian coun-
tries participate. They will contact members of Parliament or congressional
representatives on short-term notice. At the next level, PBI will activate its
Political Response Network (PRN), which operates at a higher level of politicians
and officials. PBI first attempts to use the leverage enjoyed with elected officials,
foreign ministries, and embassies in each country where PBI has offices before
activating the grassroots networks.
PBI’s ability to rapidly mobilize grassroots responses and high-level officials
helps deter violence directed against team members and the local activists whom
108 The New Humanitarians

PBI accompanies. Once someone joins the ERN, he or she can expect to receive
alerts, depending on the level of danger. Requests for faxes, letters, phone calls, or
a combination of all may be made. Members of the ERN receive a description of
the crisis situation, a suggested message, and information about phoning or
ordering a pre-composed fax to be sent.
Working side by side with local human rights defenders, PBI’s volunteers are
then just the outward symbols of the pressure the international human rights
community is prepared to apply in the event of abuse.

WHO IS BEING PROTECTED?

For twenty-four years, PBI has been escorting forensic anthropologists exhum-
ing bodies at clandestine gravesites in Guatemala to collect DNA evidence, or
since 1994 accompanying witnesses from Colombia testifying before the U.S.
Congress or the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The peace teams
have been visiting the offices of labor leaders on a daily basis in Indonesia, Mexico,
and Guatemala for years to deter attacks against them, or acting as international
observers at marches and demonstrations in Nepal so civil society can speak, to
site just a few examples.
PBI serves very diverse populations of human rights defenders; the following
represent just a few.

• Trade union, environmental, and globalization activists trying to stop the

effects of corporate privatization on democracy, workers’ rights, indigenous
communities, jobs, and the environment by protesting logging, drilling, min-
ing, and other extractive industries destroying their ecosystems
• Community peace negotiators working to stop ethnic violence and intolerance
• Human rights investigators documenting allegations of human rights violations
• Lawyers and legal groups pushing human rights cases in the courts
• Women’s and gay rights groups providing direct protection for females and
homosexuals, often the most vulnerable people during armed conflicts
• Family members of the disappeared offering mutual support networks and
denouncing ongoing human right violations
• Clergy and church workers assisting those most impacted by political violence
• Internally displaced populations struggling for the right of return

With PBI by their side, activists have taken massacre cases before the courts,
organized to empower disenfranchised women, exposed the human and
environmental cost of large-scale mining industries or illegal logging, and
claimed justice for displaced indigenous populations that have been forced off
their land by corrupt land owners or narcotics-trafficking gangs. These
examples are just a few of the struggles with which PBI is trying to help less
powerful populations.
Peaceful Bodyguards 109

PBI’S MISSION
PBI operates within the peace team field or, more technically, what is called
third-party nonviolent intervention (TPNI). TPNI involves various related
strategies, such as accompaniment, interpositioning, humanitarian assistance,
observation, and policy work. The movement has historic roots not only in
Gandhi’s vision, but also in the rich and deep theory and practice of the U.S. civil
rights movement. The emergence of Peace Brigades International in the early
1980s (along with Witness for Peace) played a critical role in developing this
branch of nonviolence. PBI pioneered the strategy of international protective
accompaniment, which was copied or modified by new peace team organizations
in the decades that followed. Such groups now include Christian Peacemaker
Teams, Nonviolent Peaceforce, the International Solidarity Movement, Friends
Peace Teams, Guatemala Accompaniment Project, and Iraq Peace Teams, among
many others.
The movement has naturally evolved over the last twenty years, with growing
numbers of groups and strategies. Advances in communication technology (cell
and satellite phones, e-mail, Internet) have allowed for real-time, international
reactions to crises as they develop almost anywhere in the world. Peace team
selection and training have become more rigorous. And PBI is seeing a diversifi-
cation of volunteers and staff, with greater numbers of people involved from the
Global South.
In recent years, several important books have been published on the subject of
protective accompaniment, such as Unarmed Bodyguards: International Accompa-
niment for the Protection of Human Rights (Mahony and Eguren, 1997) and
Nonviolent Intervention Across Borders: A Recurrent Vision (Moser-Puangsuwan,
eds., 2000). Training for Change also published a phenomenal training resource
called Opening Space for Democracy: Third-Party Nonviolent Intervention Curricu-
lum and Trainer’s Manual (Hunter and Lakey, 2003). Taking a Stand by Elizabeth
Boardman (2005) describes the growing field of nonviolent interpositioning.
As of this writing, PBI deploys multiple teams on the ground in Guatemala
(since 1983); Colombia (since 1994); Mexico (since 1998); Indonesia (since 1999);
and Nepal (since 2005). Formerly, PBI also deployed teams to El Salvador
(1987–1992), Sri Lanka (1989–1998), Canadian Native American communities
(1992–1999), East Timor (1992–2000) and Haiti (1995–2000). PBI was a found-
ing member of three coalitions: Cry for Justice (Haiti), Balkans Peace Team, and
International Service for Peace-SIPAZ (Chiapas).

WHERE DID THE IDEA OF A “PEACE BRIGADE”

COME FROM? PBI’S FOUNDING
PBI was founded by Buddhists, Gandhian disciples, and Quakers on
Grindstone Island, Canada, in 1981. The founders envisioned a world in which
people address conflicts nonviolently, where human rights are universally upheld,
and where social justice and intercultural respect have become a reality. They have
110 The New Humanitarians

practiced these principles and values by reaching decisions through the Quaker
method of decision making known as consensus at all levels of the organization.
The ideas of a peace brigade and the use of accompaniment as a strategy come
from both the Quakers and Gandhi. In seventeenth-century England, Quakers
offered their services as mediators before or during a conflict. This has its roots in
the Quaker belief that there is God in every person, and therefore, no person
should be debased, exploited, or destroyed.
In early twentieth-century South Africa, Gandhi trained groups in nonviolent
protest and personal interpositioning (getting in the way) while demanding fair
treatment for that country’s Indian population. Upon his return to India, he organ-
ized a group of peace volunteers in Bombay, calling them Shanti Sena, literally mean-
ing an international peace army or peace brigade. Gandhi believed that a group of
neutral people, trained and ready to suffer abuses, injury or even death while acting
to save lives, would have the moral authority to bring a sense of humanity to armed
conflicts and eventually convince opposing parties to seek peaceful solutions. PBI’s
work and use of accompaniment as a calculated strategy is an extension of this belief.

The First World Peace Brigade

After Gandhi’s death in 1962, activists in Shanti Sena helped form the World
Peace Brigade (WPB), along with Jayaprakash Narayan, a close associate of
Gandhi; Michael Scott from Britain, noted for his work on African liberation; and
A. J. Muste, a veteran of nonviolent action from the United States.
Sponsors of the WPB included Julius Nyerere, then prime minister of
Tanganyika, and Kenneth Kaunda, who later became president of Zambia. From
1962–1964, the main work of the WPB was promoting nonviolence as a compo-
nent of African liberation struggles.
The WPB initiative collapsed mainly because of difficulties of communication (in
those pre-fax, pre-e-mail days) and funding problems. “The problem of the World
Peace Brigade was money, money, money . . . very few things in the world are made
better by lack of money,” said Charles Walker at the 1981 founding meeting of PBI.
From 1964 to 1972, the Shanti Sena were involved in helping to negotiate a cease-
fire in the ten-year war between the Naga people and the Indian Government, and
maintained observer teams in the region for the following six years.
In the 1971 crisis that led to the founding of Bangladesh, peace brigades played
a variety of roles. From 1972 to 1974, the Cyprus Resettlement Project helped
resettle 5,000 Greek and 15,000–20,000 Turkish refugees who had fled their vil-
lages during fighting in 1963.

PBI’s Founding Meeting, Grindstone Island,

Canada, August 13–September 4, 1981
After this series of ad hoc international peace initiatives, on January 12, 1981,
a letter signed by Narayan Desai (Shanti Sena Mandal), Raymond Magee
Peaceful Bodyguards 111

(Peaceworkers), Piet Dijkstra (Foundation for the Extension of Non-violent

Action), Radhakrishana (Gandhi Peace Foundation), and George Willoughby was
sent out to a number of organizations inviting them to attend a conference to
revive the idea of an international organization committed to unarmed third
party intervention in conflict situations.
The founding meeting was attended by Raymond Magee, Lee Stern, Henry
Wiseman, Murray Thomson, Narayan Desai, Gene Keyes, Charles Walker, Dan
Clark, Mark Shepard, and Jaime Diaz. Among them, they had previously partici-
pated in numerous peace actions and organizations. Although some women had
been invited, none were able to attend, and the minutes note, “Those present
deeply regretted the lack of women participants.”
Debates at the meeting centered around the following issues: the role interna-
tional peace brigades could play in current conflicts; nonpartisanship; organizational
approaches (build a new organization from scratch, promote a new organization
from existing ones, coordinate existing interested groups, or encourage others to act);
the need to review the experiences of over fifty previous nonviolent actions; whether
this was the right moment to launch a new organization; the relationship of peace
brigades to the United Nations; and all the practicalities of setting up an international
organization, such as networking, training, project development, fundraising, and
location of the secretariat.
The meeting reached agreement on a structure (a directorate of four people,
and an Assembly of approximately twenty-five people, with subcommittees to
develop different areas) and approved the founding statement.

Comments Made During the Evaluation of the Meeting

“This enterprise was so tentative and tenuous PBI wondered ‘will it happen at all’
but it did, illustrating the hold which the idea of international non-violent
action had among its proponents. Our determination not to have a second fail-
ure [referring to the earlier World Peace Brigade initiative] must moderate zeal
with prudent achievable objectives.”—Charles Walker.
“This was primarily a collective enterprise without prominent leadership. The
World Peace Brigade had towering personalities but often at odds, unlike this
group.”—Narayan Desai.
“The attempt to initiate PBI appeared so fragile at times this week, but these
moments were overcome, and the outcome is indeed substantial.”—Hans Sinn.

Daniel Clark, a former secretary of PBI has written about the early years of
Peace Brigades in two articles: “Transnational Action for Peace” in Transnational
Perspectives (1983) and “Friends and International Peace Brigades” in Friends
World News (1983). He wrote the following:

PBI were already aware that Gandhi had envisioned the possibility of interna-
tional peace brigades, and that since his death, nonpartisan brigades had
112 The New Humanitarians

functioned within India during Hindu-Moslem rioting. PBI later discovered that
the World Peace Brigade had been formed during the early Sixties, and had been
active in assisting the Zambian independence movement. It had also organized
the Delhi-Peking March in which two American Friends, George Willoughby and
Charles Walker, took part in connection with the Indian/Chinese border conflict.
In 1964, several of the principals in the World Peace Brigade, including Marjorie
Sykes, a Friend in India, negotiated and monitored a ceasefire in a secessionist
guerrilla war in Nagaland. Later, in 1974, Charles Walker and A. Paul Hare had
been among the organizers of the Cyprus Resettlement Project, a successful
demonstration of the international peace brigade idea which was unfortunately
stopped short by a new Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

Minutes of Consultation on an International Peace Brigade, Grindstone Island,

Canada, August. 31–September. 4, 1981
Peace Brigades: Some Models, memo to the Grindstone Consultation by Charles
Walker
From Gandhi’s Peace Army to Peace Brigades International, by Narayan Desai,
Piet Dijkstra, and Charles Walker

THE MANDATE OF PEACE BRIGADES INTERNATIONAL

Noninterference
PBI has a very strong mandate of deploying only after being petitioned by the
local population. This is a clear departure from many missionary and aid agencies
that venture into foreign countries at their own behest. PBI also has an extremely
strict policy of noninterference in the affairs of the groups they protect. They
would never attempt to direct the work of the locals or advise them on how best
to carry out their goals. They follow the “First Do No Harm” philosophy modeled
on the Hippocratic Oath.

Neutrality
What does it mean to be neutral in a civil conflict or war? By taking that
position, is not PBI taking a position? It is true that PBI has historically been
on the side of the marginalized in a society. These are often indigenous popu-
lations that are usually the underdogs and the downtrodden. However, the PBI
brigades are not patronizing or pitying the locals. Rather, they see locals as very
courageous. The teams simply serve as observers in the conflicts and shadow
the threatened civil society leaders. They do not advocate for one side of the
conflict or another. They do not lobby for one particular piece of legislation or
another. They do not conduct public denunciation campaigns because that
would endanger the teams and the civilians whom PBI protects. PBI does advo-
cate for respect for international human rights norms and standards, and
peaceful resolution to conflict.
Peaceful Bodyguards 113

Nonpartisanship
There are many complex layers and levels to the conflicts where PBI serves.
The politics are long-standing, going back many generations. Far be it for out-
siders to begin to comment publicly on the complexities, or advocate for one
political party over another. Nor does PBI endorse legislation or take a stand
on aid to a country in conflict, except in very rare circumstances.2 PBI will con-
sider petitions for accompaniment by anyone who feels his or her rights are
being violated, but only from individuals who have denounced violence and
armed struggle.

METHODS OF EVALUATION AND INDICATORS OF SUCCESS

A substantial body of evidence collected over the last three decades indicates
that the increased presence and visibility of international peace teams has pre-
vented many arbitrary searches and arrests by government security forces because
of PBI’s intensive dialogue and prior relationship building with them. Further, it
has been documented that attacks on civilians from armed factions are down
when they know PBI teams are operating nearby.
Undoubtedly, the most noteworthy accomplishment is that in over a quarter of
a century, PBI has successfully protected the lives of thousands of activists, while
never losing a single volunteer in some of the most repressive environments in the
world. The results of PBI’s unique human rights protection program can be
gauged by a just a few of the following indicators:

a. Military leaders and security forces are increasingly held accountable for
atrocities.
b. Activists challenging corrupt power structures are surviving to build signif-
icant movements for peaceful social change in their countries. Some have
even been elected to public office.
c. Citizens who before were too intimidated to speak out are now taking a
stand and freely participating in grassroots civil society organizations.
d. Entire communities are emboldened to practice peaceful resistance to
armed actors.
e. Revenge killings have been reduced.

Last, it is important to note that the civil society workers PBI escorts and
defends have a multiplier effect in their countries, enabling activists to continue
organizing on behalf of a much larger constituency. They represent many others
in their ethnic group, community, region, or province. For instance, in Guerrero,
Mexico, PBI protects five organizations (sited elsewhere in this chapter), but this
affects more than fifty human rights workers.
Rigorous evaluation methods are used at multiple levels on a continuous
basis.
114 The New Humanitarians

• At the team level: Each PBI team holds weekly meetings where the work is
analyzed in conjunction with in-country experts, local NGOs, international
NGOs, and relevant stakeholders.
• Evaluations every three months at the local, regional, and national levels:
The local human rights organizations and individuals protected by PBI meet
with the teams on a regular basis to provide feedback and evaluation of our
work. They tell their escorts what is going well in the relationship, what they
would like PBI to do differently, and what changes they would like to see made.
• Evaluations at international level: PBI project leaders are required to submit
updated reports to the PBI International Council each month to ensure they
are operating within the requirements and mandate (both political and finan-
cial). Annually, the International Council reviews the financial practices and
records of the projects.
• Tri-annual global evaluation: Finally, every three years, all PBI projects undergo
an external evaluation by a team of country experts and human rights specialists,
the results of which are presented to PBI’s worldwide General Assembly. The eval-
uation is conducted on all of PBI’s projects simultaneously in order to exchange
lessons across the conflicts. An evaluation team of six persons visits and stays in
each country for several weeks, aided by two members of each field team. They
hold dozens of meetings with organizations, political analysts, staffs of interna-
tional NGOs, the United Nations, and members of other international accompa-
niment organizations, among others. Telephone interviews are conducted, and
questionnaires are sent to governing committee members, former PBI field
volunteers, and the current project office staff. PBI’s fifteen country groups are
also involved in the evaluations. The results of these evaluations, especially the
recommendations, have been invaluable for developing a strategic plan for each
project and increasing the impact of the projects. The most recent external eval-
uation was carried out in 2004 according to the “Do No Harm” approach,3 which
measures the impact of international NGOs in areas of conflict. The evaluators
drew up a report based on private interviews with those whom PBI teams accom-
pany. Their conclusions in 2004 were unequivocal: There is a great need for PBI.
Indigenous communities, women’s groups, lawyers, and relatives of the disap-
peared emphatically and unanimously told the evaluators that without PBI’s
presence, they could not carry on their critical work. Activists cited numerous
examples when the authorities cooperated and they felt safe because of PBI’s pres-
ence by their side.

CAREFUL SCREENING AND SELECTION OF FIELD VOLUNTEERS

Three decades of very careful screening and training of field volunteers has
ensured that PBI has become a trusted and trustworthy source of information,
human rights documentation, and dissuasion. The requirements to serve on a PBI
team are having a commitment to PBI’s principles, being at least twenty-five years
old, having appropriate language skills, and being available for one year in the field.
Peaceful Bodyguards 115

First, an interested person must apply and fill out a fairly lengthy applica-
tion about why he or she wishes to serve. Then, the person would be invited to
an orientation to see if PBI is a good fit. An orientation is usually a weekend-
long program involving intensive discussion, exercises, role plays, and briefings
on the human rights conditions in the countries where PBI serves and the
methodology of protection. Finally, a candidate may be invited to training.
These are rigorous, five- to six-day sessions in most instances. The training
team observes a candidate closely to assess his or her psychological profile and
suitability to serve on the team, such as cross-cultural adaptability, language
skills, maturity, thoughtfulness, commitment to nonviolence, and many other
traits.
PBI volunteers come from all walks of life: academia, public schools, social
work, building trades, engineering, businesses, government service, medical
professions, law, and many other careers. They have hailed from over forty coun-
tries in the last two and half decades, including Ireland, Poland, Argentina, Chile,
Peru, Colombia, all the Scandinavian countries, Spain, Germany, Italy, the UK, the
Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Canada, and the United States.
The overriding common characteristics shared by many of the field volunteers
are their patience, subtlety, low-key manner, persistence, and ability to navigate
frustrating and very difficult negotiations, sometimes with known perpetrators
of human rights abuses. Among the challenges facing PBI field volunteers during
their year-long to eighteen-month service are personal danger, cross-cultural
sensitivities, long hours, gender issues, homesickness, and total lack of privacy.
The team members live and work in the same house twenty-four hours a day,
seven days a week.

FUNDING
PBI has never accepted any U.S. government funding, nor has it ever charged
for protective services. This strict policy is largely because of the history of U.S.
involvement in the conflict countries where PBI deploys, and the conditions
attached to U.S. government funding. If PBI were to ever take funds from the U.S.
government, it is felt that the field teams might become suspect, and the threat-
ened activists they protect might be put at greater risk.

WHERE PBI OPERATES: THE WORK OF THE TEAMS

Colombia
Colombia has been the scene of a bloody civil war that has raged for forty-
six years. It has the one of largest internally displaced population in the
world—3.4 million inhabitants—after Sudan. Many trade union activists,
human rights lawyers, judges, Afro-Colombians, and the dispossessed from the
land have been massacred. Colombia has the worst human rights record in the
116 The New Humanitarians

Western Hemisphere: torture, extra-judicial killings and assassinations, disap-

pearances, and arbitrary arrests are perpetrated daily by military, paramilitary,
and guerrilla forces. The violent nature of the Colombian conflict is made even
more deadly by the millions of dollars the U.S. contributes yearly in military
aid. Human rights defenders, activists from displaced communities, and com-
munity-based organizations often find themselves as targets of violence. In
order to deter that possibility, Colombia project volunteers maintain a pres-
ence in the offices of threatened organizations such as the Inter-congregational
Commission for Justice and Peace, the Nunca Mas (Never Again) Project, and
the Association of Family Members of the Detained-Disappeared, among oth-
ers. By employing PBI’s tested method of providing unarmed, protective
accompaniment to threatened or persecuted individuals, Colombia project
volunteers are helping to secure safe spaces in which Colombian activists can
pursue their own nonviolent, peace-building goals. PBI also engages in diplo-
matic relations work in Colombia. By fostering connections with embassy staff,
military and government officials, and representatives of international human
rights agencies, the project can mobilize effective support in times of crisis.
Established in 1994, the Colombia project now operates in Bogotá,
Barrancabermeja-Magdelana Medio, Turbo-Uraba, and Medellin. Four highly
trained teams of thirty-five to forty field volunteers provide protective accompa-
niment to civilians fleeing from political violence. The beneficiaries are hundreds
of peace and human rights workers and thousands of internally displaced people.
PBI also builds diplomatic and political relations with the Colombian govern-
ment and foreign embassies. This is PBI’s largest project worldwide, with a $1mil-
lion+ budget. It was started in 1994.

Guatemala
Guatemala was the first country where PBI deployed (1983). There were count-
less, untold numbers of assassinations, personal tragedies, state sponsored terror-
ism against women and indigenous peoples, and organizational setbacks in the
early years before formal, systematic, well-prepared PBI accompaniments began.
The Guatemalan civil war lasted until 1996 and claimed over 200,000 lives. Many
residents are still trying to account for their dead loved ones. Residents are threat-
ened, harassed, and killed for trying to exhume the bodies and do DNA testing.
Anyone who tries to challenge the leaders of the former Guatemalan death squads
(known as clandestine or “parallel” powers) risks grave bodily harm and assassi-
nation. These clandestine patrols operate with impunity, and few dare to prose-
cute them.
Today, PBI operates in Zacualpa, Quiche, and Guatemala City, Guatemala.
Among the beneficiaries of PBI’s presence are trade union activists who have been
tortured in recent years for trying to organize for labor rights. PBI protects female
environmental activists trying to stop mining companies from destroying drink-
ing water and rain forests.
Peaceful Bodyguards 117

PBI has walked side by side with DNA specialists who are attacked while gath-
ering forensic evidence at clandestine graves in Guatemala to present to the UN.
Peace Brigades has been protecting many of these groups since 1983. Our nine-to-
twelve-person team operates in remote rural areas and the capital city. PBI works
with trade unionists, widows and “Family Members of the Disappeared,” forensic
scientists, and anthropologists among many other beneficiaries.

Mexico
Most people think of Mexico as a tourist destination, but the remote areas
where PBI operates actually have the fourth highest torture rate of any area in the
world. Security forces operate with impunity. There are no other international
organizations with a permanent presence on the ground in Guerrero and Oaxaca,
aside from PBI. These are the poorest and most militarized areas in Mexico.
Mexico has a long history of human rights violations. These include pervasive
torture and repressive counterinsurgency measures being carried out by the gov-
ernment in response to armed indigenous uprisings in the states of Chiapas
(1994), Guerrero (1996), and Oaxaca (2006). In 1999, as a result of the alarming
increase in the number of disappearances of community organizers and nonvio-
lent activists, along with the decreasing democratic organizing space available to
such activists because of threats of violent reprisals, PBI received a request to
establish a long-term, protective international presence from the Mexican group
CNI (National Independent Committee for the Defense of Prisoners, the
Persecuted, Detained, Disappeared, and Exiled), an association of family members
of the disappeared. CNI regularly receives threatening phone calls, its members
often are subject to intimidation and harassment, and some CNI members have
been assassinated and disappeared. PBI began accompanying members of CNI in
January 2001, and the project continued to expand with peace teams in Guerrero
and Oaxaca, and a coordinating team in Mexico City.
Mexican civil society had great expectations for improvements with the
2000 election of opposition candidate Vicente Fox as president. But since the
October 2001 assassination of lawyer Dina Ochoa, the risk for human rights
defenders has never been higher.
Following Ochoa’s killing and further death threats, PBI has been providing
increased accompaniment to organizations such as the Center for Human Rights
Miguel Austin Pro Juarez (PRODH). According to the center’s director, Edgar
Cortez, “PBI are convinced that the presence of PBI is important. Our decision [to
request accompaniment] was based on the fact that PBI’s presence could ensure
an adequate level of security for us. This supports our ability to mobilize and work
with the victims that come to us.” Established in 1998, the PBI Mexico project
focuses on protective accompaniment and information distribution. Accompani-
ment clients include not only PRODH but also the Voice of the Voiceless.
In Mexico, with a total of nine volunteers, PBI protects a network of over fifty
human rights workers trying to stop human rights abuses and violence perpetrated
118 The New Humanitarians

by landowners, army patrols, and police. PBI leads delegations of foreign diplomats
from the embassies in Mexico City to Guerrero to see for themselves the condition
of the people and learn about the violations.
PBI also conducts security workshops at the request of the local NGOs. PBI
never charges for these workshops. The Mexico City office also protects political
prisoners who have been wrongfully accused.

Nepal
The year 2004 saw mounting tensions between Maoist guerrilla fighters and
the king of Nepal. In 2005 exploratory PBI missions began conducting surveys
and interviews in 75 percent of the rural provinces of Nepal and Katmandu to
determine the threat level facing the civilian population and whether Peace
Brigades methods would be effective.
After a rigorous two-year examination and repeated visits to the country, it was
determined by the International Council of Peace Brigades that the teams could
effectively provide a protective presence and deter violence. The first permanent
team deployed to the capital, Katmandu, in spring 2005. In 2006 a five-person
team began monitoring protest rallies and providing peacekeeping to quell the
violence. Daily accompaniments of human rights leaders began in summer and
fall 2006.
PBI works to protect Dalits, or untouchables of the lower caste, who have been
raped by government soldiers. PBI had been petitioned by student organizers,
advocacy groups, and human rights lawyers to go to Nepal. PBI also had been
petitioned by the Advocacy Forum, Physicians for Human Rights, and the Nepal
Bar Association through a formal process to request “nonviolent protective
accompaniment.” PBI maintains an office in Katmandu and travels to many rural
provinces.

Indonesia
Established in 1999, the PBI Indonesia project focuses on protective accompa-
niment and workshops in conflict transformation. PBI has offices in Aceh, Japura,
Wamea, Papua, and Jakarta, Indonesia. PBI teams protect women’s rights groups,
civil society activists, and human rights lawyers. Their clients include, among
many others, the Rehabilitation Action for Torture Victims (RATA) and Flower
Aceh, a women’s rights group.
PBI has four subteams operating over a vast network of islands in the Indonesian
Archipelago. PBI works in the capital city of Jakarta and also in tiny rural villages.
In Indonesia, PBI provides accompaniment, but also teaches peace education, con-
flict transformation, and security workshops at the request of the local communi-
ties. PBI incorporates their local traditions and wisdom, so the curriculum is not
artificially imported. Because of numerous requests, PBI sent a team to Aceh
province in January 2001.
Peaceful Bodyguards 119

Aceh, a poor but resource-rich province located on the northern tip of

Sumatra Island, was the site of a long-running armed conflict between the gov-
ernment of Indonesia and an armed opposition group, the Free Aceh Movement
(Gherkin Aceh Media, GAM). The team in Aceh has had a presence for seven years
now and was one of the only international NGOs speaking the local language.
They were there during the recent tsunami. In 2006 a peace agreement was signed
between the guerrillas and the Indonesian government. PBI is continuing to mon-
itor the cease fire.
In Papua, PBI determined that there was sufficient evidence of torture and
repression by Indonesian military forces against those advocating for greater
political freedoms to deploy a peace team to the region beginning in 2005. PBI’s
presence has grown and continues to this today.
Each of the five PBI projects described above operates not only its sub–field
teams on the ground, but has its own steering committees and governing bodies,
political analysts, and training units. The teams protect human rights defenders
from the death squads twenty-four hours a day. The five projects are financially
monitored monthly, coordinated continuously, and evaluated yearly by the PBI
International Council and the International Secretariat in London (ISEC).
Separate project fundraisers write grants to secure money from many sources
around the world. The USA Country Group consults and communicates with the
five projects and the International Secretariat in London to support the projects’
work on their behalf and accurately represent them in the United States.

PBI IN THE UNITED STATES

PBI-USA raises political, human, and financial resources to support the over-
seas teams in five countries. The staff of PBI-USA participates in coalitions;
represents the organization in policy forums; and visits the offices of congres-
sional representatives, the White House, the State Department, embassies, the
Organization of American States, the United Nations, and many other agencies to
raise awareness of human rights violations our foreign field teams may have
witnessed. In coalition with many other U.S. nonprofit organizations, PBI-USA
provides careful information and documentation to officials so they may act to
prevent political repression against human rights activists, massacres, and grave
human rights abuses.
In addition, the U.S. staff raises money in the United States on behalf of the
field teams. The PBI-USA office retains just 10 percent of any foundation grant
awarded. The rest, 90 percent, goes directly to the field teams. Any money raised
from individual donors (noninstitutional funders) through grassroots fundrais-
ing is used to support the Washington, D.C., office and domestic programming.
Third, PBI-USA organizes programs and national speaking tours to attract
new people to serve on the teams. Orientation sessions are conducted twice a year
to recruit potential field volunteers. These sessions explain the criteria and risks
involved in becoming a PBI field volunteer. Returning field volunteers also travel
120 The New Humanitarians

around the United States, giving talks and speeches to raise awareness and money,
and to attract candidates. Upon request, the U.S. staff will also provide trainings
and public presentations for churches, grassroots groups, universities, schools, and
civic associations about our nonviolent methods.
Finally, the USA Country Group hosts a website, publishes a national newslet-
ter, transmits electronic newsletters, supervises interns, and distributes project
publications in the United States, among its many other tasks.
The U.S. office is one of fifteen Peace Brigades country groups around the
world. PBI-USA is a separate legal entity, has it own board of directors (called a
national coordinating committee), and has its own tax exempt status with the IRS.

CONCLUSION: PBI AS PART OF A GLOBAL

HUMAN RIGHTS MOVEMENT
There is now broad recognition among the international community of the
effectiveness of PBI’s protective accompaniment. By offering a field-based presence,
PBI complements the more traditional external pressure offered by the international
human rights movement, which provides insufficient protection in many circum-
stances. The United Nations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human
Rights First, and countless other NGOs have stated that PBI serves as their eyes and
ears on the ground in remote areas where they do not have a presence. These organ-
izations frequently thank the teams for protecting activists for whom they are advo-
cating. PBI has played a major role in highlighting the struggle of human rights
defenders nationally and internationally, and has helped put the protection of
human rights defenders on the agendas of governments all over the world.
There are challenges facing the peace team movement, both internal and exter-
nal. Generally, peace team groups have a very low profile and limited public recog-
nition, relative to environmental groups, for example, and little financial support.
In addition to looking for broader sources of funding, the groups also need to find
more potential candidates to accommodate the growing need for services and to
allow for greater selectivity. Other challenges include operating in the post 9/11
environment, the overwhelming nature of some conflicts, the multiplicity of vio-
lent actors in those conflicts (including non-state, religious, and economic
actors), and the ever-changing strategies of these aggressors.
At the same time, there are tremendous opportunities. The first is to tap into
the tremendous peace energy generated in opposition to the Iraq War. Another is
already underway: PBI has initiated talks with the other peace team organizations,
calling for greater collaboration in areas of mutual interest, such as fundraising,
media, public outreach, recruitment, training, and emotional support. If all the
peace team groups coordinated activities and programs, they could be greater
than the sum of their parts. “Movement building” among all peace team organi-
zations could significantly advance the field.
PBI works to open a space for peace in which conflicts can be dealt with non-
violently. PBI uses a strategy of international presence and concern that supports
Peaceful Bodyguards 121

local initiatives and contributes to the development of a culture of peace and jus-
tice. The aim of PBI’s international presence is to support both political and social
processes through joint strategies with local groups and individuals. In pursuing
innovative and nonpartisan strategies for peacemaking, PBI volunteers and sup-
porters around the world demonstrate that individuals working together can act
boldly as peacemakers even when governments cannot or will not.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Peace Brigades International
Executive Director: Katherine Hughes
Mission/Description: Peace Brigades International (PBI) is a nongovernmental
organization (NGO) that protects human rights and promotes nonviolent
transformation of conflicts. When invited, PBI sends teams of volunteers into
areas of repression and conflict. The volunteers accompany human rights
defenders, their organizations, and others threatened by political violence.
Perpetrators of human rights abuses usually do not want the world to witness
their actions. The presence of volunteers backed by a support network helps
deter violence. PBI teams create space for local activists to work for social
justice and human rights.
Website: http://www.peacebrigades.org/
Address: 1326 9th St, NW
Washington, DC 20001 USA
Phone: 202-232-0142
Fax: 202-232-0143
E-mail: katherine@pbiusa.org

NOTES
1. PBI’s strategies are described as among the most cutting-edge in the world by the
Center for Victims of Torture in their New Tactics in Human Rights workbook and their
case study, “Side by Side–Protecting and Encouraging Threatened Activists with
Unarmed International Accompaniment” found on the organization’s website.
2. On February 21, 2005, eight civilians including three children were massacred in the
San Jose de Apartado Peace Community in Colombia. PBI issued a rare public state-
ment urging protection for the Peace Community and their accompaniers, calling for
an investigation into the massacre and reiterating their commitment to protecting the
Peace Community. PBI activated all support networks, with special emphasis placed on
obtaining a political response in the United States. Working jointly with the Fellowship
for Reconciliation (FOR), PBI organized numerous meetings on Capitol Hill, at the
122 The New Humanitarians

Department of State, and with dozens of NGOs, including a public event with Amnesty
International. In coalition with many other human rights organizations, PBI sent a let-
ter to U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice calling on U.S. officials to withhold
human rights certification from Colombia until there was an investigation. Thirty-two
members of Congress sent a letter to President Uribe of Colombia, urging protection
for the peace community and justice for the perpetrators. As of 2008 that portion of
U.S. military aid tied to the State Department human rights certification (known as the
Leahy Amendment) is still being withheld from the Colombia military as a result of
widespread protests and grassroots emergency responses organized by PBI, the United
Church of Christ, Amnesty, FOR, and countless others.
3. The “Do No Harm” approach was developed by the Collaborative for Development
Action (CDA) based on an extensive analysis of lessons learned in the humanitarian aid
field in emergency situations. Conclusions are drawn regarding how humanitarian aid
agencies might improve their work, be more aware of the negative impact of their proj-
ects, and plan future projects accordingly. The strategy caught the attention of many
NGOs, donors, and academics. For more information, see the Collaborative for
Development Action (CDA) website at www.cdainc.com.
 7

Witness for Peace: Transforming

People—Transforming Policy
Stephanie Benjamin and
Teresa Barttrum, interviewing
Melinda St. Louis

Through the years, Witness for Peace (WFP) has answered prophetic calls to
accompany Latin Americans most affected by harmful U.S. policies and corporate
practices. WFP’s work in Nicaragua was born from the outrage at U.S. govern-
ment funding of the Contra War in the 1980s. Unlike the anti-Vietnam protests of
the decade before, where citizens protested within U.S. borders, WFP brought U.S.
citizens to the war zones of Nicaragua to witness firsthand the effects of the U.S.
government’s policy. Throughout the 1980s, WFP built a grassroots movement to
oppose U.S. government involvement in the war, primarily through its delegation
program. Witness for Peace’s success in Nicaragua built the momentum that
carried the organization into other countries in Latin America.
WFP documents the impact of unfair economic and military policies in
Nicaragua, Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela; exposes the human cost of these
U.S. policies to U.S. citizens who travel with WFP to these countries; and mobi-
lizes a motivated grassroots network of nonviolent, faith-based activists to hold
policymakers accountable for these policies and pressure for positive change.
In the past twenty-five years, WFP has developed and maintained a steady
nationwide base of 15,000 members, sent more than 13,000 people to Latin
American and the Caribbean on short-term transformative delegations, and sus-
tained a highly skilled team of international volunteers in program sites abroad.
In its first years, in the 1980s, WFP established its successful model of merging
the powerful forces of on-the-ground documentation, assertive media strategies,
a dynamic delegations program, and stateside grassroots mobilization.

WITNESS FOR PEACE MISSION STATEMENT

Witness for Peace is a politically independent, nationwide grassroots organiza-
tion of people committed to nonviolence and led by faith and conscience. Our
mission is to support peace, justice, and sustainable economies in the Americas by
123
124 The New Humanitarians

changing U.S. policies and corporate practices that contribute to poverty and
oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean. We stand with people who
seek justice.

COVENANT OF MISSION FOR PEACE

• We commit ourselves to nonviolence in word and in deed as the essential oper-
ating principle of Witness for Peace.
• We commit ourselves to honesty and openness in our relationships with one
another.
• We commit ourselves to a prayerful (reflective), spiritual approach and to
unity with one another as the foundations for this project.
• We commit ourselves to be responsible and accountable in our actions to the
community of which we are a part and to the principles of leadership that have
been established.
• We commit ourselves to maintaining the political independence of Witness
for Peace.
• We commit ourselves to act in solidarity and community with the Latin
American and Caribbean people, respecting their lives, their culture, and their
decisions. We will respect the suggestions of our hosts with regard to our pres-
ence and mobility in another land.
• We commit ourselves to record our witness and, upon return, to share our
experience with the North American people through the media, public educa-
tion, and political action.

THE BEGINNINGS
In 1983 faith-based peace activists in the United States began to hear stories of
how counterrevolutionaries (Contras) funded by U.S. taxpayer money staged cross-
border raids on civilian and military targets in Nicaragua from camps in Honduras
in an effort to topple the Nicaraguan government. On April 8, Contras attacked
El Porvenir, a tobacco farm a few miles from the Honduran border, wounding
civilians, burning the tobacco warehouse and fields, and damaging homes in the
community. The next day, thirty North Carolinians visiting Nicaragua at the time
heard about the attack and traveled six hours by bus from Managua to El Porvenir.
They entered a small house on the edge of the farm and saw blood on the floor and
walls. A young mother told the group that her baby, two toddlers, and her mother
had all been injured in the attack and taken away in an ambulance. She did not know
if they were dead or alive. As the group—eight pastors, academics, a housewife, a
congressional aide, and a retired IRS employee, among others—listened to the young
mother describe the attack, the bus driver honked the horn indicating it was time to
leave. The Nicaraguans asked the group to stay; the group was faced with an excruci-
ating decision: to go or stay. They got on the bus, and on the way back to Managua,
vowed to find a way to stop this war financed by the U.S. government.
Witness for Peace: Transforming People—Transforming Policy 125

This determined group went back to the United States and in three months
organized a delegation of 153 U.S. citizens to travel to Nicaragua to call attention
to the war and to demand an end to U.S. financial and moral support for the
Contras. On July 4 the delegation traveled to the border town of Jalapa where
Contra attacks had increased. People from Jalapa were grateful for the North
American presence in their town, telling the delegation that they felt safer when
they were there. They said, “If you leave, the bombing and shelling will start again
because it is your government that is funding this war. So with you here, you are
providing some protection to us.” These words touched the delegates in a
profound way. Could the war be stopped with a permanent presence of U.S. citi-
zens in the war zones? Many in the group said, “We must try.” Armed with a deter-
mination to stop the war, the group began Witness for Peace.
Providing protection and gathering information to share with people back in
the United States was their motive; the group realized that they had to organize in
order to maintain this type of presence and to bring this story back home.
WFP established an ongoing presence in Nicaragua from that point on, sending
thousands of U.S. citizens to accompany the Nicaraguan people in war zones and
to document the “human face” of the Reagan administration’s military policy. WFP
personnel on the ground in Nicaragua and thousands of visiting delegates heard
stories of how Contras murdered, raped, tortured, and kidnapped thousands of
innocent Nicaraguan civilians, and destroyed crops and infrastructure. WFP led
the way in bringing the brutal facts of those policies home to the U.S. public
through grassroots education and media outreach. From 1984 to 1989, WFP
activists across the United States organized events to resist Reagan’s war in Central
America. Thousands not only protested in the streets of the United States but also
made the journey to the war zones of Nicaragua to resist this brutal war with their
bodies, willing to risk their lives for peace as many through the centuries have
risked their lives for war. They often faced danger traveling on roads laced with
land mines. In 1985 a delegation from New York went on a WFP-chartered boat,
and was subsequently kidnapped by the Contras on the Rio San Juan. The delega-
tion openly defied a warning from the Contras to not go beyond a certain point on
the river. They were released after three days, bringing much-needed media and
congressional attention to the cruelties of the Nicaraguan war.
In 1988 the five Central American presidents designed a plan resulting in a
peace agreement that eventually ended the war in Nicaragua. Over the course of
the decade, WFP’s eyewitness accounts and documentation of the impact of the
U.S.-sponsored, vicious war motivated tens of thousands of U.S. citizens to protest
the war and demand that Congress stop providing financial aid to the Contras.
Such activism by WFP may have averted an all-out U.S. invasion of Nicaragua, and
certainly contributed greatly to the effort to cut off U.S. military aid to the Contras.
In 1990 Nicaragua had a peaceful transfer of power. As Nicaragua embarked on a
harsh program of structural adjustment programs promoted by the U.S., the
International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, WFP continued its
permanent presence and delegations continued, albeit in reduced numbers.
126 The New Humanitarians

WFP RECEIVES MORE CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL

PERMANENT PRESENCE
Nicaragua was not the only country bearing the brunt of U.S. policies. In the
1990s WFP was invited by people in Guatemala, Haiti, Cuba, and Colombia to
establish a presence in order to document the impact of harmful U.S. policies. In
1990 WFP was invited to accompany Guatemalan refugees in southern Mexico
who were organizing to return to their homeland. WFP established a presence in
both Guatemala and in the refugee camps in Mexico. WFP volunteers and dele-
gates accompanied the Guatemalan refugees on their first dangerous repatriation.
WFP escorted tens of thousands of returning refugees over the next two years.
During this time, WFP personnel in Guatemala heard about hundreds of thou-
sands of indigenous Guatemalans killed during the brutal civil war in Guatemala.
The U.S. administrations in the 1970s and 1980s supported Guatemalan military
dictators, supplying them with military aid and supporting their scorched earth
policy that resulted in what has since been classified as genocide. WFP took testi-
monies from Guatemalan survivors of four brutal mass killings that took place
between February and September 1982 in a small community of Rio Negro.
Guatemalan armed forces murdered 369 people, more than half the community’s
total population. At the time of the massacres, the people of Rio Negro were on
the verge of losing their homelands to a large dam project funded by the World
Bank. Although construction of the dam had begun in 1976, it was not until late
1982 that the Chixoy Valley and the community of Rio Negro were to be flooded,
just a few months after the massacres. WFP staff on the ground in Guatemala
wrote A People Dammed, a publication that examines the Chixoy Dam as a case
study in destructive World Bank lending, suggesting links between the project and
the 1982 Rio Negro massacres. The document brings to light the most damning
element: the lack of attention paid to the Maya Achí people of Rio Negro, who had
inhabited the Chixoy Basin for many centuries and were to be resettled with funds
provided by the World Bank. A People Dammed helped the community break the
story to the media, prompting the World Bank to investigate and rectify its failure
to adequately resettle people displaced by the Chixoy Dam. Afterward, WFP
organized the first nonviolent public protest ever held at the World Bank head-
quarters in Washington, D.C.
WFP also responded to a cry for help from the Haitian people in 1994. During
the height of the illegal regime that ousted President Jean Bertrand Aristide and
murdered thousands of Haitians, the Haitian religious community called for an
international presence to stand by a people in crisis. WFP sent the first of many
delegations to Haiti.
Witness for Peace answered the call to the highlands of Chiapas after forty-five
indigenous Tsotsils, fasting and praying for peace, were massacred in December 1997.
Paramilitaries had murdered the victims—the majority women and children—
with bullets and machetes. Witness for Peace took many delegations to Chiapas in
the following years to accompany those at risk of military action at the hand of
the U.S.-supported Mexican security forces and paramilitary groups. With time,
Witness for Peace: Transforming People—Transforming Policy 127

the focus shifted to documenting the effect of the North America Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA) on small coffee and corn farmers in Chiapas. In 2001 WFP
Mexico program headquarters moved to Mexico City and then in 2005 to the cur-
rent location, Oaxaca.
In 1999 WFP began a permanent presence and an active delegations program
in Cuba to expose the human costs of the U.S. embargo. Over the next six years,
more than a thousand WFP activists traveled to Cuba to witness the sinister
impact of the U.S. government’s forty-year blockade against the island nation. In
2005, after tightening the U.S.-Cuba travel regulations, the Office of Foreign
Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department denied WFP the license to take
delegations to Cuba. Even though delegations cannot visit Cuba at this point,
WFP grassroots groups continue to pressure Congress to lift the travel ban and the
embargo against Cuba.
In October 2000, WFP, at the request of Colombian civil society, began its first
permanent presence in South America. WFP was asked by churches and human
rights organizations in Colombia, who were familiar with WFP’s work in Central
America, to go to Columbia because of their concerns about the effects of U.S.
military aid to Colombia. Colombians felt that they had been forgotten by people
in the United States. For decades, Colombia has endured a brutal armed conflict
between the nation’s army, leftist guerilla movements, and right-wing paramili-
tary groups. Overwhelmingly, the victims of this conflict have been civilians. In
response, the United States created Plan Colombia, sending billions of dollars in
mostly military aid and training, but also substantial funding for aerial eradica-
tion of coca crops.
In March 2001, on very short notice, WFP organized a 100-person delegation
to Colombia. The delegation included religious, union, and organizational lead-
ership. The delegation split up into four groups and went to four areas of the
country that were directly involved in conflict. One of the groups spent several
nights with 1,000 Colombians living on the outskirts of a town, displaced because
of the violence and aerial fumigation. The team was close enough to the violence
to hear the gunshots and to feel the fear of the people. A five-year-old boy, know-
ing that the United States was funding military operations in his country,
approached one of the group members and asked her if people in the United
States hated Colombians.
WFP personnel in Colombia documented the human, social, and environ-
mental effects of this multibillion dollar military and counter-narcotics funding
package given to the Colombian armed forces. Ostensibly to fight the War on
Drugs, the Plan Colombia aid package has done little more than inflame a com-
plicated conflict that places civilians in the crossfire and destroys huge quantities
of legitimate subsistence crops. More than 3.6 million people have been displaced
from their homes because of the violence that kills around 30,000 Colombians
every year. A total of over 300,000 Colombians have died in the violence over the
past fifteen years. Hundreds of thousands will likely be displaced as a direct result
of government policies, and WFP is working to put a stop to this. WFP led the
128 The New Humanitarians

effort to organize the National Mobilization on Colombia, which brought 10,000

people to Washington, D.C., to educate the public and challenge policymakers to
end U.S. support for paramilitary death squads and destructive counter-narcotics
fumigation in Colombia.

WORK IN THE UNITED STATES

Although permanent presence in the international program sites is a keystone
of WFP program, equally important is the work in the United States to change
U.S. policies that negatively affect the people in Latin America. This difficult task
includes working for long-term structural changes in addition to lobbying policy
makers to pass or block certain legislation. In the 1980s, thousands of returned
delegates demanded time and time again that their elected officials in the House
and Senate vote “no” to Contra aid.
In 1994 WFP staff organized the first of many Washington, D.C., vigils to close
the U.S. Army School of the Americas, which offers combat and counterinsur-
gency training to soldiers of some of the most abusive militaries in the world. In
1994 many lobbied Congress to vote no on NAFTA, and in 2005 thousands of
WFP and other activists pressured policy makers to vote no on the Central
America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).
At times this lobbying produces positive results. In 2007, for example, there was
an important policy shift in Colombia, which directed some of the U.S. military
funding toward social aid funding. WFP has been part of a coalition on Colombia,
which for the last seven years has been encouraging that shift, a much more posi-
tive approach for U.S. policy. Although only one small step in the right direction,
it is worthy of celebration.
WFP also works at the micro level, encouraging personal transformation and
forging relationships between people in the Unites States and their neighbors in
Latin America. WFP observes these personal transformations in each delegation.
When people’s lives are changed, they are motivated to become long-term activists
in the Americas.
For example, WFP facilitates life-changing delegations for university students,
who are involved in efforts to ensure that their campuses do not purchase university-
licensed apparel that was made under exploitative conditions. WFP takes these
groups of students to visit factories in Nicaragua, which produce university apparel.
Many times, these are factories where union organizers have been fired and threat-
ened. Students visit and stay in workers’ homes, which are often one-room houses, to
learn about the realities facing the workers. In the morning, the students may join a
worker on a crowded bus packed with hundreds of other workers, all trying to get to
the factory so they can sew the pockets on the jeans that college students wear. The
students listen to the struggles of union organizers, and then brainstorm how they
can be in solidarity with those struggles back on their own campuses. WFP assists
with delegations such as these in order to help change the currently disjointed glob-
alized economy, in which consumers have no human connection with producers.
Witness for Peace: Transforming People—Transforming Policy 129

In 1997 WFP staff and membership worked closely with sweatshop workers in
Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zone, resulting in the first union contract ever secured for
sweatshop workers in Nicaragua. The union leadership directly credits WFP for
this remarkable breakthrough. The following year, international team members
and delegations were among the first on the scene in Nicaragua to aid with recon-
struction and much needed medical care after Hurricane Mitch. In 2000 WFP
published a groundbreaking, forty-page report called A Bankrupt Future that
detailed the devastating human effects of the debt crisis in Nicaragua.
On WFP delegations, transformations happen all the time. People make con-
nections, such as the one between producers and consumers. The delegations
offer opportunities to learn about those affected by various international policies,
and then to come back and work for change. WFP is not a charity-giving organi-
zation. The organization works to change policies in the United States while also
working to help improve problematic situations throughout Latin America.
Currently, WFP is situated in Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Cuba; infor-
mation about some of their work in these countries is summarized below.

CURRENT WFP PROGRAMS

Delegations to Colombia
Responding to calls for solidarity from Colombians, WFP has committed to
continue to send delegations of U.S. citizens to that country. A typical WFP dele-
gation to Colombia would be involved in learning firsthand about current issues
facing the Colombian people, and members also take a proactive position on
instigating change. The delegations meet with a wide range of experts and
activists, including leaders in the business community and the peace movement,
in order to hear their different analyses of U.S. policy in Colombia. They learn
about the economic roots of Colombia’s conflict, and see firsthand the impact of
aerial spraying. The delegation hears testimonies from displaced people and oth-
ers directly affected by the conflict as well as travels to areas outside of the capital
city of Bogotá to see firsthand the impact of U.S. military assistance and counter-
narcotics practices. Delegations talk with union organizers about the violence
they face and meet with U.S. Embassy and Colombian government and military
officials. They often help develop grassroots legislative and media strategies to
work for change.

Mexico Program
Witness for Peace’s work in Mexico focuses on U.S. policy and corporate prac-
tices toward our neighbor to the South. For example, one focus is on how NAFTA
has impacted Mexico’s most vulnerable people: small farmers and workers. WFP
addresses issues such as indigenous rights, food security, and working conditions,
and documents the relationship of NAFTA to Mexican migration. In October 2007,
130 The New Humanitarians

WFP released Forced from Home: U.S. Trade Policy and Immigration, a document
that examines the root causes of Latin Americans’ immigration to the United States.
WFP Mexico also looks at important alternative movements that are thriving in
Mexico, such as fair trade coffee production, peaceful resistance to militarization in
Chiapas, and sustainable farming and development models that provide alternatives
to NAFTA. WFP examines critical issues in Mexico City and the states of Oaxaca,
Puebla, Tlaxcala, and Chiapas.

Delegations to Mexico
WFP encourages participants in delegations to learn about how U.S. policies
and corporate practices affect people in Mexico. Delegations give participants the
opportunity to learn firsthand about these issues from those most affected by the
policies. There is a diverse range of delegations offered through the Witness for
Peace Mexico, a few of which are described below.
Globalization 101: At What Human Cost?: Despite promises that corporate-led
globalization and regional free trade agreements such as NAFTA will allevi-
ate poverty and support dignified and sustainable development, the case of
Mexico illustrates otherwise. Delegates learn how Mexican small farmers,
workers, indigenous people, women, and men are impacted by free trade,
and about the resistance strategies they have adopted to construct a health-
ier and more just future. Delegations can also focus more specifically on the
struggles of indigenous peoples in Mexico and of women.
The Globalization of Alternatives: Another World Is Possible: These delegations
debunk the myth that “everyone is against something, but not FOR any-
thing!” a common phrase heard among Mexican people. Participants learn
how Mexicans from all parts of civil society are proactively organizing to
construct communities that are true alternatives to the neoliberal develop-
ment model. They meet with labor organizers, urban neighborhood
activists, small farmers, and indigenous people who are seeking to build a
more just and inclusive Mexico.
Examining the Roots of Migration: Free Trade & Migration: These delegations
focus on policies that are driving people to take increasingly dangerous bor-
der crossings in search of a way to sustain the families they have left behind.
Delegates travel to southern Mexico to see firsthand the effects of U.S. policies
and how they have contributed to migration. Participants learn from activists,
farmers, and women about what the effects of migration have been on daily
life, and how people are creating alternatives in Mexico that allow for men,
women, and children to construct viable and healthy lives at home.
Fair Trade Coffee: People over Profits: The struggle for economic justice inside
and outside the free trade model is happening all over the world. In Mexico,
many viable alternatives have taken shape, one being the promotion of fair
trade. Fair trade attempts to offer small farmers a fair and living wage for
their work. Participants learn about the cooperative fair trade system in
Witness for Peace: Transforming People—Transforming Policy 131

Oaxaca and Chiapas, as well as about other organizations that are seeking a
better way to do trade.
Corn and the Mexican People: NAFTA and the Mexican Countryside: Because of
NAFTA, many Mexican agricultural producers are no longer able to com-
pete. This delegation focuses on the impacts of free trade agricultural poli-
cies on the Mexican countryside, providing meetings with organizations
that are fighting to change NAFTA-related agricultural policies and learn
from the very campesinos that are resisting these policies.
Biodiversity, GMOs, and Food Sovereignty: Mexico is considered one of the few
biologically “mega-diverse” countries in the world and has become a place
of intense debate over the use of natural resources and the introduction of
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), such as GMO corn. The impacts
of GMOs on health, culture, and the environment should not be underesti-
mated. The country’s biodiversity is an extremely valuable cultural and eco-
logical resource, but is also highly valued as an economic resource by
transnational companies. Participants learn about the threats of corporate
involvement and how indigenous communities in Chiapas and Oaxaca are
defending native foods and resources.
Where Does the Violence Begin?: The poor in Mexico are often those most vulner-
able to military and political violence. Mexico provides an example of how
economic violence can begin a larger cycle of violence such as in military con-
flict. These delegations visit areas of Mexico that have seen conflict and explore
what the roots are. They also learn about where the U.S. government and citi-
zens fit into this cycle of violence, and what is being done in Mexico to end it.

Other titles include Spirituality and Economic Justice, Faith, Conscience, and
Workers’ Rights: NAFTA and Its Impacts on Mexican Labor, and The Violence That
Plagues Mexico: Economic Roots. WFP is able to custom design delegations for
groups wanting to work in Mexico.

Witness for Peace Nicaragua Program

Based in Managua, Nicaragua, WFP has maintained a permanent presence in
this Central American country since 1983. Over the years, WFP has examined and
challenged unjust U.S. government policies and corporate practices that hurt the
poor majority in Nicaragua.
WFP has consistently maintained political independence and used nonviolent
direct action as a primary tool in Nicaragua. When the Contra war officially ended
in 1990, Witness for Peace saw that although the military battles were over, the
economic war was only beginning. Since the early 1990s, WFP’s Nicaragua pro-
gram has directed its focus toward U.S. economic policy, examining the effects of
U.S. government policy as well as those of institutions such as the IMF and the
World Bank. In addition, the work addresses corporate responsibility by advocat-
ing for respect of labor and human rights.
132 The New Humanitarians

Problems with Free Trade and Labor

In 2006 Witness for Peace Nicaragua continued to focus attention on free trade
and free trade agreements as essential issues affecting Nicaragua. Free trade opens
up markets by eliminating all taxes and tariffs on products being imported and
exported, creating one large economy in which everyone competes against
everyone else. Free trade is part of the model that encourages countries to produce
for export rather than for their own consumption. Under this model, poor
countries such as Nicaragua are supposed to use their “comparative advantage” to
compete against large economies like Mexico and the United States. Nicaragua’s
“comparative advantage” is a cheap, abundant labor force and cash crops.
Following in the footsteps of NAFTA, CAFTA (Central America Free Trade
Agreement) involves five Central American nations (Guatemala, El Salvador,
Honduras, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua), and the Dominican Republic. CAFTA
passed in the U.S. Congress by one vote on July 27, 2005. Since then, all partici-
pating countries have ratified the agreement, despite large and sometimes violent
protests by their citizens. Some Central Americans are protesting free trade
because for them, CAFTA means food insecurity, increased migration and
exploitation, and less democracy. On April 1, 2006, CAFTA went into effect in
Nicaragua. WFP plans to continue its campaign against these unfair, unjust free
trade agreements by working to monitor the effects of CAFTA and to promote
awareness of current bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements being nego-
tiated, specifically the Andean Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) between the United
States and Colombia and Peru. Talks with Ecuador, originally part of the AFTA
negotiations, have been suspended. Expanding NAFTA further south through the
regional free trade agreement CAFTA is a strategic step toward the hemisphere-
wide FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas).

“Racing Downward”
Nicaragua, like many developing countries, has spent decades looking for a way
to boost its impoverished economy. Under the neoliberal prescription to find a
comparative advantage, impoverished countries such as Nicaragua have been
obligated to offer cheap labor to the global economy. Each developing country
courts foreign companies wanting to produce a product inexpensively by offering
a cheaper labor force than other countries. In the apparel industry, the cheapest
countries will succeed in attracting foreign-owned garment assembly factories
(maquilas), which seek to attract orders from the United States’ big apparel brand
names, which, in turn, seek to attract us, the consumers. This system has spawned
the notorious “race to the bottom”: a race of developing countries to be the cheap-
est option for the multinational corporations that produce and sell our jeans and
T-shirts.
Prevailing neoliberal logic says Nicaragua should strive to win this race. Nicaragua
offers maquila investors the lowest wages in Central America, governmental tax
Witness for Peace: Transforming People—Transforming Policy 133

breaks, and unenforced labor laws. Such cost savings have attracted dozens of
foreign-owned maquilas, boosting the number of maquila jobs from 1,000 to over
70,000 in the last fifteen years.
These cost savings have taken their toll on Nicaragua’s workers. Foreign-owned
maquilas routinely violate and disregard Nicaragua’s worker-friendly labor laws,
which end up trampling on worker’s rights. The Ministry of Labor does little to
enforce the law, knowing that the companies may balk at increased production
costs and abandon Nicaragua for a country offering more lax laws. As a result,
thousands of Nicaraguan workers are regularly insulted and harassed by superi-
ors, forced to work late into the evenings, fired for pregnancy or illness, and
denied legally entitled pay and benefits. Unions that attempt to halt such exploita-
tion are summarily dismantled by management’s blatant acts of union busting.
Under CAFTA, sold to the Nicaragua public with the promise that a surge in
maquila jobs would replace lost agricultural jobs, the country is becoming even
more dependent on the maquila system. Given CAFTA’s failure to establish a real-
istic mechanism for labor law enforcement, more maquilas likely will mean more
exploitation. Many also question how long these maquila jobs will last. With the
recent entrance of bigger and cheaper contenders such as China, Nicaragua now
faces grim competition in the global race to the bottom. To win, Nicaragua may
need to allow for escalated erosion of workers’ rights.
Since 1990 Nicaragua has been greatly impacted by foreign debt, structural
adjustments, and the effects of international financial institution (IFI) policies.
For over fifteen years, Witness for Peace has advocated for debt cancellation
and the end of conditionality from IFIs. Today, WFP’s efforts focus on the
unconditional canceling of Nicaragua’s debt to the Inter-American Develop-
ment Bank and the removal of conditions by IFIs, including conditions pre-
venting social spending and those leading to the privatization of Nicaragua’s
public services.

Delegations to Nicaragua
WFP offers people the chance to get informed and involved by joining them on
one of its delegations to Nicaragua. Participants will be able to learn more about
CAFTA and the damaging effects of the U.S. policy of free trade. The delegations
will also learn what they can do to help stop the spread of free trade to the Andean
Region.
WFP remains devoted to educating U.S. citizens about the complex maquila
system that breeds such exploitation, and invites people to join ongoing delega-
tions to Nicaragua. Some of the highest-ranked activities on WFP delegations
include visiting a free trade zone maquila, talking privately with maquila workers
and unionists, and exploring realistic alternatives to the race to the bottom. To
learn more about maquilas and workers’ rights in Nicaragua, check out the WFP
publication Behind the Seams: Maquilas and Development in Nicaragua located on
WFP’s website.
134 The New Humanitarians

WITNESS FOR PEACE IN ACTION

In deciding which U.S. policies to focus on, WFP takes its cues from the people
at each international program site. The organization has always believed in the
integrity of working this way, regardless of whether or not it may cause the organ-
ization to veer away from issues that are front-page news. International Team
members who live and work at the program site carry out WFP programs at inter-
national sites for at least two years. These International Team members, all with
college or graduate degrees, are professionally trained facilitators and energetic,
knowledgeable educators responsible for planning and implementing the pro-
gram for each delegation. In the United States, WFP staff located in Washington
D.C., regional organizers, and grassroots activists spread out across the country
carry out the important work of WFP.
When facing important issues such as strategic planning or implementing a
certain campaign, decisions are made by consensus, with people representing all
different arms of the organization involved. As a grassroots network, WFP
requires the energy of all its members to be actively involved and move the work
forward. Consensus decision making is a challenging process because it gives
everyone a lot of power, but it also requires that everyone have the organization’s
best interest at heart, with a goal of trying to move forward with the best solution.
WFP also follows this model in consultations with partner organizations in
Latin America.
The WFP delegation model is innovative and original. When WFP began its
delegation model in 1983, study abroad programs and other types of immersion
programs were not very common. WFP does not use the traditional “book learn-
ing” education model. Rather than reading about Latin America in a textbook,
delegates gain a perspective on the current situation facing the majority of Latin
Americans through direct experience with the local population at each interna-
tional program site. WFP pedagogy, developed over the years, emphasizes inde-
pendent thinking combined with active, dynamic group discussion and
participation, accommodating different learning styles. Many different organiza-
tions consult with WFP, asking for help and for contacts on how to develop their
own kind of transformational experience.

CHALLENGES
When faced with countless challenges through the years, Witness for Peace has
relied on consultation with local partners and strategic planning. A current chal-
lenge is how to grow to a national scale as a grassroots network with very limited
human and financial resources. Almost all accomplishments are the result of the
incredible work of volunteers and committed people around the country, organ-
izing delegations and speakers tours.
Another challenge is keeping people engaged once they return to the United
States after a delegation to one of the international program sites. Keeping the
experience present and ensuring that people stay connected to the policy issues is
Witness for Peace: Transforming People—Transforming Policy 135

a difficult task. WFP attempts to provide tangible action ideas and tools for
activists, so that they remained engaged without feeling completely overwhelmed
with the enormity of the task of promoting more just policies. Examples of these
tangible actions include hosting a house party to discuss the root causes of immi-
gration, making calls to members of Congress at key legislative moments, or
organizing a media event.
An additional challenge has been finding a way to measure success. This is dif-
ficult considering WFP’s large goals, including structural changes in government
policies that may take years to accomplish. WFP recently finished a three-year
strategic plan, which includes qualitative and quantitative benchmarks. Using
these benchmarks allows the organization to track progress and monitor success.

FUNDING FOR WITNESS FOR PEACE

WFP is funded almost exclusively through the nationwide grassroots network
of members, small grants from religious communities and congregations, and the
fees paid for delegations. The organization occasionally receives small grants from
secular foundations for specific projects.

LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE

WFP has laid a strong foundation in the international program sites by forg-
ing strong partnerships and relationships. But in order to be more effective in
changing U.S. policy, a much broader and more informed network in the United
States is necessary. Because of limited resources, WFP has tended to focus prima-
rily on international needs, but in order to sustain the momentum needed to
change policies, the organization has committed to invest more energy and
resources in building up grassroots strength in the United States.
WFP wants all grassroots activists involved to feel they are connected to a
nationwide effort. A first step is an increased effort to disseminate information
about progress because everyone should be aware of all of the great work that is
taking place on a regular basis. WFP is also working in coalition with other organ-
izations so the efforts in targeting key members of Congress, addressing particu-
lar legislative battles, and identifying particular corporate targets are maximized.

JOINING WFP AND TAKING ACTION

Changing harmful U.S. policies in Latin America is a challenging goal, which
will require the determined activism of thousands. WFP invites you, the reader, to
join in this exciting movement for justice. Visit www.witnessforpeace.org to learn
more about the following ways to get involved, as well as much more.

• Travel to Latin America with Witness for Peace. There are many opportunities
to join an existing delegation or organize a customized delegation for your
group.
136 The New Humanitarians

• Join WFP’s Action Alert network. WFP sends timely updates and requests for
action when it is needed most.
• Lobby your member of Congress for more just policies toward Latin America.
WFP provides tips and tools as well as talking points on key policies.
• Participate in nationwide conferences, trainings, protests, and events. WFP
brings together activists from all over the United States to examine the current
state of the most critical issues facing Latin America and to receive important
activist training in coalition building, media work, legislative advocacy, and
nonviolent direct action.
• Get connected locally. WFP has six active regions around the country: New
England, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Upper Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest.
These regions host speaking tours of bold voices from Latin America, organ-
ize delegations, train activists locally, and much more.
• Donate to Witness for Peace. WFP can only continue its work in Nicaragua,
Mexico, and Colombia through the support of grassroots activists around the
country.
• Follow the example set by Witness for Peace, and help support peace, justice
and sustainable economies in the Americas.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Witness for Peace
Executive Director: Melinda St. Louis
Mission/Description: Witness for Peace (WFP) is a politically independent,
nationwide grassroots organization of people committed to nonviolence and
led by faith and conscience. WFP’s mission is to support peace, justice, and
sustainable economies in the Americas by changing U.S. policies and corpo-
rate practices that contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and
the Caribbean.
Website: http://www.witnessforpeace.org/
Address: 3628 12th Street NE
1st Floor
Washington, DC 20017 USA
Phone: 202.547.6112 X18
Fax: 202.536.4708
E-mail: melinda@witnessforpeace.org
 8

Southern Poverty Law Center

Myron Panchuk and
Patrick Savaiano

Recently, in New London, Connecticut, nooses were left in an African American

Coast Guard cadet’s bag. Black swastikas were spray-painted on two Jewish syna-
gogues in New Jersey. In Glendale, Arizona, a chemical bomb was tossed from a
car at a mosque. The bomb landed near two people associated with the Albanian
American Islamic Center. A Latino day laborer was beaten by a white male in
Marina, California, who had just offered him a job. In Palm Springs, California, a
gay man was attacked by a man who bit his ear off. In Garland, Texas, swastikas
and anti-Semitic slurs were painted on a pastor’s residence. All of these incidents
of hate acts were reported in 2007 and represent a growing trend in the number
of incidences of expressed hate, harassment, and discrimination.
In 2007 alone, over 300 similar acts of hate were reported by the Intelligence
Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center. This project is dedicated to monitoring
hate groups and extremist activity in the United Sates. Hate acts include, and are not
limited to, assault and intimidation; vandalism and the destruction of property; the
distribution of racist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic leaflets; rallies and speeches;
harassment; and even murder. All hate groups have beliefs or practices that attack or
malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics. The
number of hate groups has grown by 48 percent in recent years, from 602 in 2000 to
888 in 2007. The most notable are the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), neo-Confederates, neo-
Nazis, white nationalists, Christian Identity, racist skinheads, and black separatists.
From the 1800s until the 1960s, over 4,700 men and women were lynched in
the United States. The noose remains, and continues to be used, as a symbol of
racist intimidation of African Americans by whites. Although there have been few
reported noose incidents, since the case of the “Jena 6,” there has been a rash of as
many as sixty noose incidents over the course of just a few weeks in 2007. This
reflects an alarming new trend and a social reality that challenges the gains of the
civil rights movement, and signals what is perceived by many as a backlash against

137
138 The New Humanitarians

black America. It should also be noted that the level of hate crimes in this coun-
try is astoundingly high—more than 190,000 annually, according to the most
recent findings of the Department of Justice in 2005.

HISTORY
By the late 1960s, the legislative victories of the civil rights movement had yet
to be tested. In Montgomery, Alabama, the movement’s birthplace, two Southern
lawyers committed to racial equality were determined to exercise these laws to
their fullest potential. By taking pro bono cases that few others would pursue,
Morris Dees and Joseph J. Levin Jr. helped implement the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Some of their early lawsuits resulted in the
desegregation of recreational facilities, the reapportionment of the Alabama
legislature, and the integration of the Alabama state troopers.
After formally incorporating the Southern Poverty Law Center in 1971, with
Julian Bond as its first president, Dees and Levin began seeking nationwide sup-
port. They mailed thousands of letters explaining their clients’ needs and received
donations from committed activists all over the country, enabling them to hire a
staff and expand their work for justice. During the 1970s and 1980s, the center’s
courtroom challenges led to the end of many discriminatory practices. Their cases
won equal benefits for women in the armed forces, ended involuntary sterilization
of women on welfare, and reformed prison and mental health conditions. Several
of these early cases resulted in landmark decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.
When Klansmen in Decatur, Alabama, attacked a civil rights gathering on May 26,
1979, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) brought its first civil suit against a
major Klan organization. That case led to the 1981 creation of Klanwatch to moni-
tor organized hate activity across the country. When the scope of this work broad-
ened to include other types of hate groups, it was renamed the Intelligence Project.
SPLC attorneys developed strategies to hold white supremacist leaders account-
able for their followers’ violence. By suing for monetary damages for victims of
Klan violence, the Southern Poverty Law Center was able to bankrupt several
major Klan organizations and to draw national attention to the growing threat of
white supremacist activity.
SPLC civil suits would eventually result in judgments against forty-six individ-
uals and nine major white supremacist organizations for their roles in hate
crimes. Multimillion-dollar judgments against the United Klans of America and
the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations effectively put those organizations out of business.
Other suits halted harassment of Vietnamese fishermen in Texas by the Knights of
the KKK and paramilitary training by the White Patriot Party in North Carolina.
In 1994 the Southern Poverty Law Center began to investigate white suprema-
cist activity within the antigovernment militia movement. Shortly before the
April 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that took the lives of 169 people, Morris Dees
wrote a letter warning U.S. attorney general Janet Reno of the danger posed by
militias. After the bombing, the Southern Poverty Law Center published critical
Southern Poverty Law Center 139

information and special reports about the growth of the militia movement and
called for increased law enforcement. As the 1990s ended, the numbers of antigov-
ernment groups waned. At the same time, the Intelligence Project’s monitoring
efforts expanded to include groups such as the Nation of Islam, the Council of
Conservative Citizens, and the League of the South.
As the white supremacist movement grew more sophisticated—its members
trained in the use of weapons and organized into secret cells—the data compiled
by the Intelligence Project became even more important to law enforcement.
Today, its quarterly Intelligence Report is read by nearly 60,000 law enforcement
officers nationwide, and Intelligence Project research has led to criminal convic-
tions in several hate crime cases.
When the Southern Poverty Law Center began taking on the Klan in court,
threats of retaliation against the SPLC became real. Klansmen burned the
Southern Poverty Law Center’s office in 1983. Over the years, several plots to
bomb the SPLC offices and kill Morris Dees were thwarted.
SPLC lawsuits were effective in weakening organized white supremacist activ-
ity, but random hate crime increased in the 1980s. Children were growing up with
little knowledge of the sacrifices that had been made to bring legal apartheid to an
end. In 1989 the Southern Poverty Law Center decided to memorialize those
killed during the civil rights movement and to make the stories of their lives acces-
sible to all who seek to learn more about that era. Maya Lin, designer of the
Vietnam War Memorial, was commissioned to design the Civil Rights Memorial.
It stands on a plaza facing the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery,
drawing visitors from countries around the world.
In 1991 the Southern Poverty Law Center launched Teaching Tolerance,
providing teachers with free classroom materials on tolerance and diversity. The
program’s award-winning magazine is now read by more than 400,000 educators
nationwide, and Teaching Tolerance multimedia kits are in use in thousands of
schools across the country.

LANDMARK CASES
Challenging Segregation
Like other cities across the South, Montgomery, Alabama, took the extraordi-
nary step of closing swimming pools, parks, and recreational facilities rather than
integrate them as court ordered in 1958. Later, those pools were filled with dirt.
The Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) filled the city’s recreational
needs but continued to segregate children, going so far as to ban kids who swam
at an integrated pool from city-wide meets.
Then in 1969, the YMCA refused to admit two African American children to
its summer camp. Southern Poverty Law Center co-founder Morris Dees filed a
class action suit, Smith v. YMCA, to stop the YMCA’s policy of racial discrimina-
tion. He uncovered a secret 1958 agreement in which Montgomery officials gave
140 The New Humanitarians

the YMCA control of many city recreational activities. The court ruled the city
had invested the YMCA with a “municipal character” and ordered the YMCA to
stop discriminatory practices.
Joe Levin joined forces with Dees in 1971, creating the Southern Poverty Law
Center. Many early cases helped change the face of the South, including Nixon v.
Brewer, which resulted, for the first time since Reconstruction, in the election of
seventeen African American legislators in the state of Alabama.

Employment Discrimination
The Alabama state troopers long symbolized systematic oppression in the
South and, as late as 1972, remained an all-white institution. In 1963 troopers
stood behind George Wallace and his promise of “segregation now, segregation
tomorrow, and segregation forever,” and in 1965 beat civil rights activists during
the march from Selma to Montgomery.
Paradise v. Allen, filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center in 1972, trans-
formed the troopers forever and set legal precedent. Alabama was ordered to hire
one qualified African American trooper for every white trooper hired, until the
force was 25 percent black.
State officials resisted, imposing a virtual ban on hiring to preserve the all-
white force and making it difficult for newly hired African American troopers to
complete training. State officials also prevented African American officers from
advancing by refusing to implement fair promotion tests.
In 1987 the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court. In view of the troopers’ long
history of discrimination, the high court upheld SPLC’s controversial affirmative
action remedy. The case finally ended in 1995, more than twenty-three years after
it began. The Alabama state troopers have been transformed from a symbol of
oppression to an evidence of affirmative action’s success, with the highest
percentage of minority officers in the nation.
SPLC has litigated other landmark discrimination cases in the public and pri-
vate sectors, including

• Frontiero v. Richardson (1973), the first successful sex discrimination case against
the federal government. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Department of
Defense regulations granting certain benefits to the dependents of servicemen
but not to the dependents of servicewomen were unconstitutional.
• Dothard v. Rawlinson (1977), another Supreme Court case addressing women’s
rights, opened the way for women to be hired in law enforcement jobs tradi-
tionally reserved for men.

Opposing the Death Penalty

Although the Southern Poverty Law Center’s primary legal focus has been
the civil lawsuit, it has taken on compelling capital cases, seeking justice for
Southern Poverty Law Center 141

those too often sentenced to death because of race or a lack of funds. Cases
include those of

• Joan Little, an African American inmate accused of murdering a white jail

guard in North Carolina. The guard was found dead in her cell without his
pants. Little said he had tried to rape her. A jury found Little not guilty.
• Roy Patterson, a highly decorated African American Marine sergeant, facing
the death penalty after shooting two white Georgia law enforcement officers
who had been abusive toward him and his family. After a twelve-year legal bat-
tle, SPLC attorneys finally won Patterson’s freedom.
• Johnny Ross, who became the nation’s youngest resident on Death Row at age
sixteen after being convicted of the rape of a white woman in Louisiana in
1975. SPLC attorneys used blood tests that should have cleared him at his orig-
inal trial to prove Ross was innocent.

In 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court vacated the convictions of eleven death row
inmates in Alabama after affirming SPLC’s claim that the state’s death penalty
statute was unconstitutional. Dubbed the “kill ’em or let ’em go” provision, this
unique statute gave juries in capital cases but two choices: a guilty verdict that car-
ried an automatic death penalty or an acquittal.
The Court ruled in Beck v. Alabama that the failure to give the jury the option
of finding the defendant guilty of something less serious than capital murder—
such as manslaughter or first-degree murder—was unfair. This lack of options
created the risk that the jury would vote to convict defendants of capital murder
merely to avoid setting them free. “Such a risk cannot be tolerated in a case in
which the defendant’s life is at stake,” the Court stated.
In 1976 the Southern Poverty Law Center started a project known as Team
Defense. SPLC attorneys developed trial strategies for capital cases, using exist-
ing trials as laboratories for the proper use of pretrial motions, expert wit-
nesses, and jury selection procedures. Lessons learned were shared at seminars
and in manuals that SPLC published in an effort to guide attorneys across the
United States.
Although SPLC no longer produces the death penalty manuals, it financially sup-
ports the efforts of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization that represents
death row inmates and produces capital litigation manuals and other educational
materials. The Southern Poverty Law Center also continues to represent several
death row inmates in their appeals.

Battling Hate Groups

Since 1979 the Southern Poverty Law Center has shut down some of the nation’s
largest white supremacist organizations by helping victims of racist violence sue
for monetary damages. Although the hate groups usually do not have much
money, judgments won by SPLC have effectively put them out of business. These
142 The New Humanitarians

courtroom victories were funded entirely by SPLC supporters; the Southern

Poverty Law Center accepts no legal fees from its clients.
In 1979 over 100 members of the Invisible Empire Klan, armed with bats, ax
handles, and guns, clashed with a group of peaceful civil rights marchers in
Decatur, Alabama. Although the FBI investigated but could not find enough evi-
dence of a conspiracy to charge the Klansmen, SPLC filed a civil suit against the
Invisible Empire and numerous Klansmen in Brown v. Invisible Empire of the
KKK. SPLC investigators uncovered evidence that convinced the FBI to reopen the
case, and nine Klansmen were eventually convicted of criminal charges.
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s civil suit was finally resolved in 1990. The
settlement required Klansmen to pay damages, perform community service, and
refrain from white supremacist activity. In a unique addition, the Klansmen were
also required to attend a course on race relations and prejudice, taught by the
leaders of the civil rights group they had attacked back in 1979.
SPLC lawsuits in 1982 and 1984 ended Klan paramilitary activity in Texas and
Alabama. Klan groups in these states were training paramilitary forces in the use of
grenades, explosives, weapons, and techniques of ambush and hand-to-hand com-
bat, all in preparation for what they believed was an impending “race war.” In 1981
Texas Klansmen tried to destroy Vietnamese-Americans’ fishing businesses by burn-
ing their boats and threatening their lives. Armed Klansmen cruised Galveston Bay
and practiced guerrilla tactics at secret paramilitary camps. SPLC attorneys filed a
lawsuit, Association of Vietnamese Fishermen v. Knights of the KKK, which halted the
Klan’s terror campaign and shut down its paramilitary training bases.
On the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birth in 1987, as an interracial
group marched in all-white Forsyth County, Georgia, Klansmen throwing rocks
and bottles forced the group back. SPLC attorneys sued to vindicate the marchers’
rights in McKinney v. Southern White Knights. In October 1988, a federal jury
assessed nearly $1 million in damages against two Klan organizations and eleven
followers responsible for the attack.
To ensure the Klan felt the financial pressure of the verdict, SPLC investigators
traced the assets of the major Klan defendant, the Invisible Empire, over a five-
year period. In 1994 the Invisible Empire was forced to pay damages and disband.
The group’s office equipment was given to the NAACP.
In 1988 Tom and John Metzger sent their best White Aryan Resistance (WAR)
recruiter to organize a Portland skinhead gang. After being trained in WAR’s
methods, the gang killed an Ethiopian student. Tom Metzger praised the skin-
heads for doing their “civic duty.”
SPLC attorneys filed a civil suit, Berhanu v. Metzger, asserting the Metzgers
and WAR were as responsible for the killing as the Portland skinheads. In
October 1990, a jury agreed and awarded $12.5 million in damages to the family
of the victim, Mulugeta Seraw. In 1994 the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review
Metzger’s appeal, allowing SPLC attorneys to begin distributing funds from the
sale of WAR’s assets. The principal beneficiary is Seraw’s son, Henok, who receives
monthly payments from WAR’s bank account.
Southern Poverty Law Center 143

Nineteen-year-old Michael Donald was on his way to the store in 1981 when
two members of the United Klans of America abducted him, beat him, cut his
throat, and hung his body from a tree on a residential street in Mobile, Alabama.
The two Klansmen who carried out the ritualistic killing were eventually arrested
and convicted. Convinced the Klan itself should be held responsible, SPLC attor-
neys filed a civil suit on behalf of Donald’s mother in Beulah Mae Donald v. United
Klans. In 1987 the Center won a historic $7 million verdict against the United
Klans and the Klansmen who had been involved in the lynching.
The verdict marked the end of the United Klans, the same group that had
beaten the Freedom Riders, murdered civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo, and
bombed Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church. The group was forced to turn
over its headquarters to Beulah Mae Donald, and two additional Klansmen were
convicted of criminal charges.
On May 17, 1991, a member of a white supremacist organization called the
Church of the Creator murdered Harold Mansfield, an African American sailor
who had served in the Gulf War. After SPLC investigators documented the group’s
violent history, the center sued and obtained a $1 million default judgment
against the so-called church in Mansfield v. Church of the Creator.
Prior to the conclusion of the case, the church transferred ownership of its head-
quarters to late neo-Nazi leader William Pierce to keep it from falling into the hands
of Mansfield’s heirs. Until his death in 2002, Pierce headed the National Alliance (he
also authored The Turner Diaries, a fictional work that has inspired terrorists,
including Timothy McVeigh). In 1995 SPLC attorneys filed Mansfield v. Pierce, suing
Pierce for his role in the fraudulent scheme, and won an $85,000 judgment.
In July 1998, security guards at the Aryan Nations compound in Idaho shot at
Victoria Keenan and her son after their car backfired nearby. SPLC filed Keenan v.
Aryan Nations, seeking justice on their behalf. After a weeklong trial, a jury ruled
that leader Richard Butler and his organization were grossly negligent in selecting
and supervising the guards.
In September 2000, SPLC won a $6.3 million jury verdict against the Aryan
Nations and Butler. The judgment forced Butler to give up the twenty-acre com-
pound that had served for decades as the home of the nation’s most violent white
supremacists.
A South Carolina jury awarded the largest judgment ever against a hate group
in Macedonia Baptist Church v. Christian Knights of the KKK (1998). The Christian
Knights of the KKK, its state leader, and four other Klansmen were ordered to pay
$37.8 million, later reduced by a judge to $21.5 million, for their conspiracy to
burn an African American church.
The Southern Poverty Law Center brought the case on behalf of Macedonia
Baptist Church, one of several rural black churches burned by arsonists in the
mid-1990s. The judgment forced the Klan to give up its headquarters. When the
property was sold, the deed included a restriction that the land never be used for
white supremacist activities. The Christian Knights were transformed from one of
the most active Klan groups in the nation to a defunct organization.
144 The New Humanitarians

Protecting Worker Safety

For twenty-seven years, Nat Thomas Wilkins had worked at the Westpoint
Pepperell cotton mill in Opelika, Alabama, cleaning and combing cotton. Every
day, Wilkins inhaled millions of microscopic cotton dust particles that clogged his
lungs, making him so ill he could barely work. He was sent to a doctor and placed
on medical leave. After helping Wilkins apply for Social Security benefits, the
company terminated his employment.
Westpoint Pepperell never informed Wilkins of what it had suspected for
years—mill workers were in danger of contracting byssinosis, a preventable,
work-related lung disease commonly known as “brown lung.” By the time Wilkins
discovered the truth, he required a respirator.
The Southern Poverty Law Center took Westpoint Pepperell to court in Wilkins
v. Lanier (1979). Evidence showed the industry had concealed information about
brown lung disease from its workers. Although the suit could not restore Wilkins’s
health, it did clear the way for brown lung victims to receive some financial secu-
rity. Since the case ended in 1983, federal regulations control the level of dust to
which cotton workers may be exposed and require textile companies to provide
regular medical screenings.

Fighting for Tax Equity

Despite sitting on rich mineral deposits, Kentucky’s Appalachian counties
for years were among the poorest in the nation. A tax system virtually exempting
unmined coal from taxation ensured that typical miners working long, dangerous
hours paid more taxes on their vehicles than out-of-state coal owners paid on coal
reserves. Without tax revenues, schools and public facilities languished.
Lawsuits filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center in cooperation with
Kentucky fair tax advocates, such as Nowak v. Foster (1984) and others, helped
change the financial landscape. The lawsuits forced the state to begin collecting a
fair share of taxes from owners of valuable coal reserves. As a result, local schools
began receiving over $1 million annually in additional revenue. These taxes also
were credited with making possible an industrial park that provides hundreds of
local jobs.

The Confederate Flag

On April 25, 1963—the day U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy came to
Montgomery to urge the state to integrate one of its universities—Alabama
Governor George Wallace raised the Confederate battle flag over the state
capitol dome.
A lawsuit by Southern Poverty Law Center attorneys, Holmes v. Hunt, finally
brought the flag down in 1993. Working with African American state legislators,
SPLC used a forgotten sentence in the state code to argue the law permitted only
Southern Poverty Law Center 145

state and national flags to fly above the capitol. A state judge agreed and issued an
injunction prohibiting the governor from flying the flag.

Challenging Prison Conditions

The Southern Poverty Law Center fights to ensure that prisons and jails are not
barbaric institutions. In Pugh v. Locke, a landmark 1976 case involving SPLC, a
federal court ruled Alabama prisons were “wholly unfit for human habitation.”
SPLC attorneys worked for more than a decade to force the state to bring the
prisons up to constitutional standards. In 1995 Alabama took a giant step
backward when it brought back chain gangs, a relic of Alabama’s racist past. SPLC
attorneys sued in Austin v. James and secured an agreement that barred the state
from ever reinstituting chain gangs.
The Southern Poverty Law Center also challenged the state’s use of the
“hitching post,” a torture device to which inmates were handcuffed as punishment
for refusing to work. A federal district court ruled in Austin v. James that the
hitching posts were “cruel and unusual punishment” in violation of the Eighth
Amendment, and permanently banned their use.
The client later sought monetary damages for his ordeal on the hitching post.
That case, Hope v. Pelzer (2002), went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which declared
that the hitching post was “obviously cruel” and “antithetical to human dignity.”
A settlement agreement secured by SPLC attorneys in Bradley v. Haley (2000)
brought dramatic improvements in the health care received by Alabama’s men-
tally ill inmates. Before the far-reaching agreement, inmates such as Tommy
Bradley, suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, were banished to isolation cells
twenty-two hours a day and offered little or no care. Now Bradley and others
receive mental health services and interact with other inmates outside of their
cells up to eighteen hours a day.

Medical Services for the Poor

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Southern Poverty Law Center attorneys worked
to force Alabama to provide adequate care to the thousands of mentally ill and men-
tally retarded persons committed to state institutions. SPLC attorneys then turned
their attention to the abysmal services offered emotionally disturbed children in
foster care. R.C. v. Fuller (1988) led to a breakthrough court agreement, established
with help from mental health law experts at the Bazelon Center in Washington, D.C.
In Harris v. James, the Southern Poverty Law Center challenged Alabama’s fail-
ure to provide Medicaid recipients with medically necessary transportation as
mandated by federal law. Many SPLC clients were dialysis patients who had to go
without food to pay for transportation to regularly scheduled treatments. Some
were even forced to miss appointments altogether. In 1995 a federal judge ordered
the state to implement a new transportation assistance program. Since then, more
than 40,000 Medicaid recipients have been helped.
146 The New Humanitarians

Seeking Better Educational Opportunities

The Southern Poverty Law Center maintains a strong interest in educational
issues. SPLC attorneys have advocated for learning disabled children in Georgia
and Mississippi to ensure that their needs are met, and on behalf of homeless chil-
dren to ensure they receive the educational benefits to which they are entitled.
In Penny Doe v. Richardson (1998), the Southern Poverty Law Center sued on
behalf of a homeless African American teenage girl denied admission to public
school because of her homelessness. After SPLC filed a class action lawsuit on her
behalf, local and state school boards agreed to admit Doe and rewrite their poli-
cies to ensure that homeless children receive the same educational benefits as their
non-homeless peers.

Challenging the “School-to-Prison Pipeline”

From desegregation cases to a lawsuit brought on behalf of an African American
teenager denied admission to public school because of her homelessness, the
Southern Poverty Law Center has long advocated for better educational opportu-
nities and outcomes for children. Continuing its commitment to protecting the
rights of vulnerable children, in 2007 the center initiated a new project aimed at
stemming the flow of children from schools to prisons. The project is attacking
the problem on two fronts: in the schools and in the juvenile justice system. First,
it seeks to ensure that public schools provide the appropriate special education
services to children with emotional and behavioral disabilities. (As is well known
among special education and juvenile justice advocates, children with emotional
and behavioral disabilities are among the least likely to graduate from high school
and the most likely to end up in prison.) Second, it seeks major reforms in the
juvenile justice system—mainly by decreasing incarceration of nonviolent offend-
ers and ensuring that troubled children receive effective, community-based reha-
bilitative services.
The SPLC School-to-Prison Reform Project is an outgrowth of the center’s
work over the years representing children with disabilities in Louisiana,
Mississippi, and Alabama. By using a combination of advocacy strategies and
by working with parents and community leaders, the center has secured class-
wide relief for thousands of children. The project collaborates with and pro-
vides technical assistance to education, disability rights, and juvenile justice
advocacy groups around the country.
Despite widespread misconceptions, very few children confined in prison are
serious offenders. Most are nonviolent. Nationwide, about seven in ten suffer
from emotional disturbance or some other educational disability. Almost all come
from poor households. About two-thirds are African American or Latino. Many
of these children simply do not belong in the criminal justice system—but they
wind up there because of inadequate special education programs and overly puni-
tive school discipline policies.
Southern Poverty Law Center 147

Incarceration brutalizes children and tears apart their families. It drains gov-
ernment resources while doing little, if anything, to reduce crime. Juvenile prisons
are often plagued with violence and provide no meaningful rehabilitation, treat-
ment, or education. Recidivism studies have consistently shown that youths
released from juvenile prison are likely to re-offend. Experts agree there is a direct
pipeline from the juvenile justice system to the adult prison system.
By targeting the juvenile justice system, SPLC aims to intervene in the lives of
society’s most vulnerable members and stem the flow of children into adult prisons.
The center combines litigation, legislative advocacy, community organizing, and
public education to pursue juvenile justice reform in seven states in the Southeast.
Since 2005, the SPLC’s Mississippi Youth Justice Project has worked with grass-
roots advocates and state leaders to achieve major systemic reforms in that state,
creating a framework for model juvenile justice programs throughout the coun-
try. A Department of Justice report has chronicled horrific abuses in Mississippi
youth facilities: children were routinely beaten, shackled, tied to poles, and
hogtied. Suicidal girls were locked in dark, solitary cells without ventilation or toi-
lets. Children were denied basic needs, including education and proper medical
care. State legislation passed in 2005 and 2006 is now transforming the state’s
system to one that relies less on incarceration and more on community-based
treatment. A 2007 lawsuit by the Southern Poverty Law Center over abuses at the
state’s Columbia Training School, a prison for girls, led Mississippi’s political lead-
ers to close the facility.
In Louisiana, the SPLC supports the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana (JJPL).
In 2000 the center teamed with the JJPL to negotiate a settlement agreement with
the state and the U.S. Department of Justice that requires the state to reduce violence
and to improve medical and mental health services at juvenile correctional facilities.
The SPLC is also a member of the Alabama Youth Justice Coalition, a collabo-
rative venture that involves child, disability, and other advocacy groups statewide.
Although juvenile crime in Alabama has plummeted in the past ten years, there
has been a dramatic increase in the number of children in locked juvenile justice
facilities. Alabama now has one of the highest juvenile incarceration rates in
the United States. About eight in ten children locked up in Alabama in 2006 were
imprisoned for nonviolent misbehavior.
In addition, SPLC operates the Southern Juvenile Defender Center (SJDC), a
seven-state project aimed at improving the quality of indigent defense for chil-
dren in criminal proceedings. The SJDC conducts training seminars for defense
counsel and provides assistance in the form of research, motions banks, and liti-
gation support.

Immigrant Justice Project

The Southern Poverty Law Center created the Immigrant Justice Project (IJP)
in 2004 to address the unique legal needs of migrant workers, a group particularly
vulnerable to workplace abuse. IJP litigates cases that can result in systemic,
148 The New Humanitarians

industry-wide change. Prior to the establishment of IJP, there was no entity

providing legal representation to most immigrant workers in the South.
IJP protects the rights of migrant workers and presses for reform in the guest
worker program through litigation, education and community outreach. In the
spring of 2006, IJP filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of the food giant Del Monte
Fresh Produce on behalf of migrant workers who were being underpaid.
IJP also has filed lawsuits on behalf of migrant forestry workers and other guest
workers. IJP published a ground-breaking report, “Close to Slavery,” on the guest-
worker program in March 2007 and later testified several times before Congressional
hearings about the abuses guest workers experience.
After Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005, IJP added
another initiative to its agenda. In New Orleans and the surrounding area, IJP
found immigrants doing backbreaking cleanup work while being ruthlessly
exploited by U.S. companies. IJP filed major lawsuits against companies working
in New Orleans and is advocating stronger federal enforcement of worker protec-
tion laws. The stories of these workers are documented in Broken Levees, Broken
Promises: New Orleans’ Migrant Workers in Their Own Words.
In February 2006, IJP launched a project aimed at ending gender discrimina-
tion and sexual harassment of immigrant women in the workplace. The project
educates immigrant women about their rights, informs the public about the prob-
lem, and represents immigrant women who face sexual abuse on the job.

THE INTELLIGENCE PROJECT

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project is dedicated to moni-
toring hate groups and extremist activity in the U.S. It also publishes the Intelli-
gence Report, a quarterly magazine updating law enforcement, the media, and the
public on the activity it investigates. The project has also established law enforce-
ment training to help officers identify and respond to hate crimes.
The Intelligence Project was created in 1981 in response to an incident
two years earlier. During a peaceful march in Decatur, Alabama, Klan members
attacked civil rights activists. Curtis Robinson, an African American, shot a
Klansman in self-defense. When Robinson was convicted of assault with intent
to murder by an all-white jury, the Southern Poverty Law Center appealed his
conviction and brought its first civil suit against the Klan. During the suit, SPLC
investigators discovered evidence suggesting a resurgence of Klan activity. The
original intention was to take action against the Klan—and the cross burnings,
beatings, shootings, and other violence that authorities largely ignored.
Although the project’s original purpose was to gather information about the
Klan, it evolved into much more. Today, the project monitors domestic hate
groups—including neo-Nazi, racist skinheads, Christian Identity adherents, black
separatists, and extremist militias—making it an acknowledged expert on the
wide spectrum of U.S. hate activity.
Intelligence Project leaders, recognized as comprehensive and reliable sources of
information on the extreme Right, have been called upon by the government and
the media. The project’s director testified before Congress in 1996 about far-right
Southern Poverty Law Center 149

extremists in the military, and the editor of the Intelligence Report presented a paper
on Internet hate as a United Nations–certified expert to the UN’s High Commis-
sion on Human Rights in 2000.
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s intelligence information on Buford Furrow
was widely used in the media after he attacked a Jewish community center in Los
Angeles in 1999. Within hours the project identified Furrow as a former guard of
the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations, and the U.S. News and World Report said the project’s
work in the Buford case “bested the nation’s mighty law enforcement agencies.”1
Although the number and affiliation of the groups it tracks has expanded, and
although its methods have evolved into high-tech, online tracking as well as solid,
fundamental investigative techniques, the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelli-
gence Project never tires in its mission to document the threat of extremism.
Through its tracking efforts, incisive reporting, and educational programs, the
Intelligence Project is and will continue to be the nation’s preeminent monitor
and analyst of American extremism.

TEACHING TOLERANCE
In 1991, Teaching Tolerance began supporting the efforts of K–12 teachers and
other educators to promote respect for differences and an appreciation of diver-
sity. As part of its mandate, Teaching Tolerance publishes a semiannual, self-titled
magazine that profiles educators, schools, and programs promoting diversity and
equity in replicable ways. In addition, the program produces and distributes free,
high-quality anti-bias multimedia kits.
At Teaching Tolerance’s website, www.teachingtolerance.org, visitors can find a
wealth of resources, including

• Teaching Tolerance magazine, including current and back issues

• Ordering instructions for multimedia kits, handbooks, and the magazine
• Features such as Writing for Change, lessons that challenge bias in language
• Classroom activities and resources, classified by subject and grade level
• Grant opportunities for K–12 educators developing anti-bias projects in their
schools and communities

Teaching Tolerance has earned accolades from a variety of organizations,

including three Oscar nominations, two Academy Awards, and more than twenty
honors from the Educational Press Association of America—including the
Golden Lamp Award, its highest honor. Most of all, Teaching Tolerance is proud
to help educators bring tolerance into the classroom.

CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL

The Civil Rights Memorial honors the achievements and memory of those
who lost their lives during the civil rights movement, a period framed by the
momentous Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 and the assassination of
150 The New Humanitarians

Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968. Created by Vietnam Veterans Memorial designer
Maya Lin, the striking black granite memorial is located across the street from the
Southern Poverty Law Center’s office building in Montgomery, Alabama, a city
rich with civil rights history.
The Civil Rights Memorial is just around the corner from the church where
Dr. King served as pastor during the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955–1956,
and the capitol steps where the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march
ended in 1965.
The memorial is located on an open plaza accessible to visitors twenty-four
hours a day, every day of the week. There is no admission fee. The plaza is a
contemplative area—a place to remember the movement, to honor those killed
during the struggle, to appreciate how far the country has come in its quest for
equality, and to consider how far it has to go.
The Civil Rights Memorial Center is adjacent to the memorial. In addition to
exhibits about civil rights movement martyrs, the Memorial Center houses a fifty-
six-seat theater, a classroom for educational activities, and the Wall of Tolerance.

FUNDING
The Southern Poverty Law Center was incorporated in 1971 and is tax-exempt
under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions, grants,
and bequests are tax deductible. The tax identification number is 63-0598743.
SPLC’s work is supported primarily through donor contributions. The center
does not receive or use government funds.
During the last fiscal year, approximately 70 percent of SPLC’s total expenses were
spent on program services. At the end of the fiscal year, SPLC’s endowment—a
special, board-designated fund to support future work—stood at $201.7 million. The
center is proud of the stewardship of its resources. Financial documents are available
online. For more information, please visit the website at www.SPLCenter.org.

TEN WAYS TO SUPPORT THE CENTER’S EFFORTS

FOR JUSTICE AND TOLERANCE
1. Support the Center’s Work through a Tax-Deductible Gift
Without committed supporters, the center could not fund its many programs
for justice and tolerance. If you are interested in joining its family of supporters,
SPLC welcomes donations online, or by phone or mail. Or individuals may join
Friends of the Center by pledging a recurring donation once a month.

2. Join the National Campaign for Tolerance

The National Campaign for Tolerance seeks to enlist 5 million people to partic-
ipate in community tolerance initiatives. Individuals who join the campaign will
receive a Citizen’s Action Kit containing tools for fighting hate and intolerance.
Southern Poverty Law Center 151

3. Remember the Center in Your Estate or Retirement Plans

Many planned giving options include retirement plans, gift annuities, gifts of
stock and securities, and remembering the center in one’s will.

4. Fight Hate in Your Community and Schools

If your community is experiencing the effects of hate and bias, print Tolerance.org’s
10 Ways to Fight Hate and share its suggestions with other concerned community
leaders. Learn more about responding to hate at school, or how to address hate in
higher education using 10 Ways to Fight Hate on Campus.

5. Share How You Are Fighting Hate

If you have used the ideas in 10 Ways to Fight Hate and other center publica-
tions, or if you have developed your own strategy, let us know how it worked.

6. Promote Tolerance and Respect

Read 101 Tools for Tolerance to find simple ideas for promoting equity and diver-
sity in yourself, your home, your schools, your workplace, and your community.

7. Teach Tolerance in the Classroom

Encourage teachers and school administrators to use our free Teaching Tolerance
materials, read Teaching Tolerance magazine, and use our classroom resources and
activities. Educators can also apply for grants to create anti-bias projects.

8. Mix It Up at lunch
Read how to Mix It Up at Lunch to find out how schools in your area can par-
ticipate. Teens can cross social boundaries by starting a Mix It Up Dialogue
Group, applying for Mix It Up grants, or sharing their stories.

9. Monitor Hate in Your Local Community

Send us news clippings about hate crimes and hate group activity in your area,
or flyers, posters, and other hate materials for the Intelligence Project’s compre-
hensive records. Tell us about hate incidents you have observed. For news articles,
be sure to include the name of the newspaper and the date the story ran. Send
your materials to this address:

Attn: Hate activity

Intelligence Project
400 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, Alabama 36104
152 The New Humanitarians

10. Do Your Homework

Learn more about the civil rights movement and those who sacrificed their
lives to achieve equality. Read the Intelligence Report’s latest issue to educate
yourself about today’s hate and extremism. Get the latest updates on bias issues
from www.Tolerance.org. Stay up to date on the center’s work by signing up for
our e-newsletter.

BIOGRAPHIES
Joseph J. Levin Jr., SPLC Co-founder and General Counsel
Joseph J. Levin Jr. was born in Montgomery in 1943. His father was a lawyer
with a commercial practice, and young Levin entered law school, just as his fam-
ily expected him to do. He earned his JD from the University of Alabama in 1966.
After serving two years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Levin returned to his
hometown to join his father’s law practice. But the security of an established com-
mercial practice left him unsatisfied.
In the early 1960s, Levin saw one of his University of Alabama fraternity broth-
ers persecuted for expressing unpopular views. Melvin Meyer, editor of the school
newspaper, the Crimson White, was taunted by fellow students and the commu-
nity because he courageously argued in favor of integration at a time when
Alabama governor George Wallace “stood in the schoolhouse door” to prevent
black students from enrolling at the state’s largest college. The harassment
directed at Meyer peaked when the Ku Klux Klan burned a twelve-foot cross in
front of Levin’s Jewish fraternity house early one morning.
From the privacy of his office, Levin cheered another young Montgomery
lawyer—Morris Dees—as he made headlines with the successful representation
of a series of underdogs in civil rights cases. Levin told Dees’s brother that he
would like to help. Joe Levin and Morris Dees collaborated on a high-profile
defense case that became the Associated Press’s news story of the year. Although
inexperienced in civil rights practice, Levin was “a natural-born trial lawyer, tire-
less and bright,” Dees says. The two decided to start the law firm that eventually
became the Southern Poverty Law Center.
As the center’s legal director from 1971 until 1976, Levin worked on more
than fifty major civil rights cases. He argued the landmark sex discrimination
case Frontiero vs. Richardson, in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a
federal law giving preferences to men in the military. He also argued and won
Gilmore vs. City of Montgomery, in which the Supreme Court prohibited the use
of public recreational facilities by private academies seeking to avoid school
desegregation.
In 1976 Levin left the center to supervise President-elect Jimmy Carter’s Justice
Department transition team. He went on to serve as special assistant to the attorney
general and chief counsel to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In
1979 he entered private practice in Washington, D.C.
Southern Poverty Law Center 153

Levin continued his connection to the center by serving as its president and
board chairman. In September 1996, Levin returned to Montgomery to assume
the role of chief executive officer. Since November 2003, Levin has served as gen-
eral counsel, helping guide the center today and in the future.

Morris Dees, SPLC Co-founder and Chief Trial Counsel

Morris Seligman Dees Jr. was born in 1936 in Shorter, Alabama, the son of
farmers. He was very active in agriculture during high school and was named the
Star Farmer of Alabama in 1955 by the Alabama Future Farmers of America. Dees
attended undergraduate school at the University of Alabama, where he founded a
nationwide direct mail sales company that specialized in book publishing. After
graduation from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1960, he returned to
Montgomery, Alabama’s capital, and opened a law office.
He continued his mail order and book publishing business, Fuller & Dees
Marketing Group, which grew to be one of the largest publishing companies in
the South. In 1969 Dees sold the company to Times Mirror, the parent company
of the Los Angeles Times.
In 1967 Dees began taking controversial cases that were highly unpopular in
the white community. He filed suit to stop construction of a white university in
an Alabama city that already had a predominantly black state college. In 1969 he
filed suit to integrate the all-white Montgomery YMCA.
As he continued to pursue equal opportunities for minorities and the poor,
Dees and his law partner, Joseph J. Levin Jr., saw the need for a nonprofit organi-
zation dedicated to seeking justice. In 1971 the two lawyers founded the Southern
Poverty Law Center. Civil rights activist Julian Bond was its first president.
Dees has received numerous awards in conjunction with his work at the SPLC.
Trial Lawyers for Public Justice named him Trial Lawyer of the Year in 1987, and he
received the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award from the National Education
Association in 1990. The American Bar Association gave him its Young Lawyers
Distinguished Service Award, and the American Civil Liberties Union honored
Dees with its Roger Baldwin Award. Colleges and universities have recognized his
accomplishments with honorary degrees, and the University of Alabama gave Dees
its Humanitarian Award in 1993. In 2001 the National Education Association
selected Dees as recipient of its Friend of Education Award, its highest award, for
his “exemplary contributions to education, tolerance and civil rights.”
Dees is chief trial counsel for the Southern Poverty Law Center. In his pio-
neering role at the center, Dees participates in suing hate groups and mapping
new directions for the center. In addition to his work for the center, Dees fre-
quently speaks to colleges and universities, legal associations, and other groups
throughout the country. Over the years, he has been awarded at least twenty-five
honorary degrees.
Dees’s autobiography, A Season for Justice, was published by Charles Scribner’s
Sons in 1991. The American Bar Association re-released it in 2001 as A Lawyer’s
154 The New Humanitarians

Journey: The Morris Dees Story. His second book, Hate on Trial: The Case against
America’s Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi, was published by Villard Books in 1993. It
chronicles the trial and $12.5 million judgment against white supremacist Tom
Metzger and his White Aryan Resistance group for their responsibility in the beat-
ing death of a young black student in Portland, Oregon. His third book, Gathering
Storm: America’s Militia Threat, exposes the danger posed by today’s domestic
terrorist groups. It was published by Harper Collins Publishers in 1996.

Richard Cohen, President and Chief Executive Officer

A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Virginia School of
Law, Cohen came to the SPLC as its legal director and now serves as its president
and chief executive officer. He and Dees have formed a dynamic trial team, win-
ning a series of landmark lawsuits against some of the nation’s major hate groups.
Cohen also successfully litigated a wide variety of important civil rights actions:
defending the rights of prisoners to be treated humanely, working for equal edu-
cational opportunities for all children, and bringing down the Confederate battle
flag from the top of the Alabama state capitol.
In 1997, the national legal magazine American Lawyer selected Cohen as one
of forty-five young public sector lawyers “whose vision and commitment are
changing lives.” In 1999 he was a finalist for the National Trial Lawyer of the
Year Award for his work with Dees on Macedonia Baptist Church v. Christian
Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, a lawsuit that ended with a record $37.8 million
judgment against a Klan group for its role in the burning of a South Carolina
church.
Cohen also has been a creative force behind some of the center’s most success-
ful education projects. He has served as executive producer for six documentary
films created for the center’s Teaching Tolerance program. Four of those films
were nominated for Academy Awards, and two—Mighty Times: The Children’s
March in 2005 and A Time for Justice in 1994—won Oscars.
Since being named center president in 2003, Cohen has dedicated himself to
continuing the organization’s tradition of working tirelessly for those who have
no other champions. Under his leadership, the center established the Immigrant
Justice Project in 2004, opened a Mississippi office in 2005, and expanded the
organization’s work to reform the juvenile justice systems in Southern states. “Our
highest calling is representing those who have no voice and who fall through the
cracks in our society,” he said.
Cohen says one of his most meaningful cases was a lawsuit the center brought
on behalf of the wife and six children of a black man who died in police custody
in Hemphill, Texas. After the lawmen were acquitted of murder charges by a
hometown jury, they sued Cohen and Dees for suing them. Cohen managed to
turn the tables on the lawmen, winning a substantial monetary settlement for the
family and collecting evidence later used by prosecutors to convict the police offi-
cers on criminal civil rights charges.
Southern Poverty Law Center 155

James McElroy: Chair, Board of Directors

Like much of the United States at the time, racial tensions in James McElroy’s Illi-
nois hometown ran high during the civil rights era. Many of his friends and family
were either neutral or hostile to the civil rights movement, leaving McElroy, now
chairman of the SPLC’s board of directors, to look to figures such as Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., Julian Bond, and the Freedom Riders for inspiration.
That inspiration led to a number of early activist efforts for McElroy. Many of
his friends turned against him one day in high school when he decided to join
dozens of his fellow students in a walkout to protest a racial incident at the school.
He carried that activism to the University of Illinois, where he was known for
engaging members of the Ku Klux Klan in debates at a campus bar.
Ultimately, it was the early inspiration from the foot soldiers of the civil rights
movement and their pursuit of justice and equality that led McElroy to a career in
law. It also led to his eventual relationship with the center, which began almost by
accident fifteen years ago in a San Diego office building.
“By sheer coincidence, Morris Dees was in San Diego working on the Tom
Metzger case,” recalls McElroy, referring to the center’s landmark lawsuit against
Metzger and his hate group, White Aryan Resistance (WAR). “I heard he was in
the same office building where I was working. I wanted to introduce myself to
him, so I strolled down and said hello. I told him, ‘I know this is a Portland case,
but if you need any help in San Diego, let me know.’”
Dees was in San Diego to take Metzger’s deposition in the case that ultimately
resulted in a $12.5 million judgment against Metzger and WAR. The center filed
the suit on behalf of the family of Mulugeta Seraw, an Ethiopian student killed in
1988 by a Portland, Oregon, skinhead gang trained in WAR’s methods. Minutes
after McElroy’s chance meeting with Dees, Metzger filed a counter suit, stopping
the deposition. Dees sought McElroy’s help with the San Diego arm of the case.
In 1996 McElroy joined the center’s board of directors. Four years later, he
assisted the center with Keenan v. Aryan Nations in Idaho, which resulted in a
$6.3 million judgment against the Aryan Nations and its founder, Richard Butler.
In 2003 he was elected board chairman.

Julian Bond: First SPLC President and Member of the Board

As an activist who has faced jail for his convictions; as a veteran of more than
twenty years of service in the Georgia General Assembly; and as a writer, teacher,
and lecturer, Julian Bond has been on the cutting edge of social change since he
was a college student leading sit in demonstrations in Atlanta in 1960.
Bond also has a long history with the Southern Poverty Law Center. When
Morris Dees and Joseph J. Levin founded it in 1971, Bond became its first presi-
dent. He served as president emeritus for years, and today serves on its board of
directors. Bond also narrated two of the center’s videos, the Academy
Award–winning A Time for Justice and The Shadow of Hate, which was nomi-
nated for an Oscar.
156 The New Humanitarians

Acknowledgment
In preparing this chapter Patrick Savaiano interviewed Joseph J. Levin Jr., co-
founder and general counsel of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Southern Poverty Law Center
Founders: Morris Dees and Joseph J. Levin Jr.
President: Richard Cohen
Mission/Description: Throughout its history, the center has worked to make the
nation’s Constitutional ideals a reality. The center’s legal department fights all
forms of discrimination and works to protect society’s most vulnerable mem-
bers, handling innovative cases that few lawyers are willing to take. Over three
decades, it has achieved significant legal victories, including landmark
Supreme Court decisions and crushing jury verdicts against hate groups.
Website: http://www.splcenter.org
Address: 400 Washington Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36104 USA
Phone: (334) 956-8200
Fax: (334) 956-8488
E-mail: Lynn.tolerson@splcenter.org

NOTE
1. “Hitting before Hate Strikes,” U.S. News and World Report, Sept. 6, 1999.
 9

Human Rights Campaign

Trevor Thomas and
Myron Panchuk

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is America’s largest civil rights organization
working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality. By inspiring
and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against gay, les-
bian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) citizens and realize a nation that
achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
HRC seeks to improve the lives of GLBT Americans by advocating for equal
rights and benefits in the workplace; ensuring families are treated equally under the
law; and increasing public support among all Americans through innovative advo-
cacy, education, and outreach programs. HRC works to secure equal rights for
GLBT individuals and families at the federal and state levels by lobbying elected offi-
cials, mobilizing grassroots supporters, educating Americans, investing strategically
to elect fair-minded officials, and partnering with other GLBT organizations.
The Human Rights Campaign represents a grassroots force of more than
700,000 members and supporters nationwide. As the largest national gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization, HRC envisions an America
where GLBT people are ensured of their basic equal rights and can be open, hon-
est, and safe at home, at work, and in the community.

HISTORY
The Human Rights Campaign was founded in 1980, with a goal of raising
money for congressional candidates who supported fairness. In the years that fol-
lowed, the organization established itself as a resilient force in the overall move-
ment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights as it strived to achieve
fundamental fairness and equality for all.
In 1980 Steve Endean, an advocate for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
equality, founded the Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF) to raise money for
pro-fairness congressional candidates. In that era, several extremist, right-wing
157
158 The New Humanitarians

groups, including the Moral Majority and the National Conservative Political
Action Committee, were gaining notoriety, and HRCF was created in part to
counter their anti-gay tactics.
Over the decades that followed, the Human Rights Campaign—which
dropped the word “Fund” from its name in 1995—expanded its mission and
became a leading player in the pro-equality movement nationwide. It lobbied for
fair-minded legislation in Congress, worked alongside corporate America to gain
needed protections for GLBT workers, and spread the message of equality to every
corner of the country.

SOME NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF

THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN
• In its first major electoral effort in 1982, HRCF donated $140,000 to 118 con-
gressional candidates. Eighty-one percent of those candidates went on to win.
• In 1986 HRCF and its allies stopped right-wing attempts to revoke a law that
aided HIV-positive Washington, D.C., residents.
• In 1990, following HRCF’s lobbying, Congress passed the Americans with Dis-
abilities Act, which protects people with HIV and AIDS from discrimination.
• In 1992, HRCF endorsed Arkansas governor Bill Clinton in the presidential
race. After Clinton’s victory, HRCF’s executive director took part in the first
meeting between GLBT leaders and a sitting president.
• In 1995 HRC created its Workplace Project, which fights for fair-minded
workplace policies in corporate America.
• In 1997 HRC ran public service announcements on GLBT equality during the
landmark coming-out episode of the sitcom Ellen.
• In 1998, following the murder of Matthew Shepard, HRC led the national
movement supporting hate violence legislation to protect GLBT Americans.
• In 1999, thanks to HRC’s lobbying, the Senate passed a major hate crimes bill.
• After the attacks of September 11, 2001, HRC worked to ensure that survivors’
same-sex partners received federal relief funds.
• In 2002 HRC launched its Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Program to meet the unique needs of GLBT students of color.
• After a Massachusetts court ruled in favor of marriage equality in 2003, HRC
sent staff and funds to the statewide pro-fairness movement.
• Twice—in 2004 and 2006—HRC led the successful fight against the Federal
Marriage Amendment, which would have banned marriage for GLBT families.
• In 2005, HRC launched its Religion and Faith Program to reclaim the faith-
based debate over GLBT issues from the radical right.
• In 2006, thanks to HRC’s policy work, two key provisions in the Pension
Protection Act ensured financial protections for same-sex couples.
• In the 2006 elections, following HRC’s voter mobilization efforts, more than
200 pro-equality candidates won their races, resulting in a fair-minded major-
ity in the U.S. Congress.
Human Rights Campaign 159

The Human Rights Campaign works each and every day to create a fair envi-
ronment for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans. To become a part
of that movement, join HRC today.

SUPPORTING FAIR-MINDED CANDIDATES

Pro-equality laws come from pro-equality leaders. When fair-minded
Americans come together to support political candidates who support gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender civil rights, those candidates later become elected offi-
cials who help to enact laws that enhance the rights of their GLBT constituents.
The Human Rights Campaign offers campaign support for targeted pro-
equality candidates. Through extensive get-out-the-vote efforts, partnerships
with like-minded organizations, and financial contributions to candidates, HRC
plays a major role in elections across the country. HRC provides assistance with
message development, educational advertisements, get-out-the-vote mailings
and phone calls, grassroots membership mobilization, and fund raising.
HRC operates one of the largest and most successful political action committees
in the country, which endorses fair-minded federal candidates and provides them
with financial support. HRC members are also able to contribute directly to HRC-
endorsed candidates through HRC’s online contribution “bundling” program.

FOCUS ON DIVERSITY
The Human Rights Campaign’s diversity mission has two important and related
components. The first is to ensure that diversity is an intrinsic value of HRC’s orga-
nizational culture, not just a set of statistics or numbers. The second part of HRC’s
diversity mission is to be one of the most successful organizations in the country
at uniting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and straight supporters
with people of all races and backgrounds to ensure equality for all.
HRC’s Diversity Department, the first such program for a GLBT advocacy organ-
ization, is responsible for driving this diversity mission. In 2007 the organization cre-
ated a chief diversity officer position that reports directly to HRC’s president. In
addition to building partnerships and strategic alliances, supporting pride events for
people of color and conducting diversity trainings for the organization’s volunteers
and members, HRC’s Diversity Department is focused on two major initiatives:

• HRC’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Student Leader-

ship Program, a one-of-a-kind program that educates and organizes students,
faculty, and administrators at HBCUs on the issues specific to GLBT students.
Launched in 2002 in the wake of a swell of violence against black GLBT stu-
dents on HBCU campuses, this program empowers, inspires, and informs
campus communities. It trains student activists to sustain dialogue, build
viable student-led GLBT organizations, and open campus-wide debates on
GLBT issues, often for the first time.
160 The New Humanitarians

• HRC’s National Dialogue, an endeavor to give voice and power to gay, lesbian,
bisexual, and transgender people of color. Alongside qualitative and quantita-
tive research to identify the issues that would make a difference in the lives of
these communities, HRC is organizing a grassroots effort led by the organiza-
tion’s volunteers and members to engage face-to-face with GLBT people of
color at work, at home, at places of worship, and in the many different ways in
which we come together in our communities. The results of the National
Dialogue will inform HRC’s legislative agenda in 2008, as well as its diversity
and educational outreach programs.

EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH
Through research, educational efforts, and outreach, the Human Rights
Campaign Foundation encourages gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans
to live their lives openly and seeks to change the hearts and minds of Americans to
the side of equality. The HRC Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 50(c)(3) organ-
ization. Programs funded in part or in full through the HRC Foundation include

• The HRC Coming Out Project, which encourages GLBT and straight-
supportive Americans to come out and live openly by providing resources that
empower them to talk about their lives and advocate for GLBT equality.
• The HRC Family Project, which empowers members of the GLBT community
to take action to protect their families, improves the practices within key insti-
tutions that serve GLBT families and promotes visibility of GLBT families.
• The HRC Historically Black Colleges and Universities Outreach Program,
which trains student activists to sustain dialogue, build viable student-led
GLBT organizations, and open campus-wide debate on the issues that affect
the GLBT community, often for the first time.
• The HRC Religion and Faith Program, which amplifies the voices of clergy
who support GLBT equality while also equipping and empowering people of
faith to talk about GLBT issues from a religious perspective.
• The HRC Research Center, which serves as a comprehensive and authoritative
source of research on GLBT issues for members of the media, lawmakers, pro-
equality advocates, and other thought leaders.
• The HRC Workplace Project, which promotes equality in the workplace by
advocating for policies that prohibit discrimination against GLBT workers,
provide employees with equal benefits and diversity training, and encourage
appropriate marketing.

MEDIA OUTREACH
The Human Rights Campaign has participated extensively in the public policy
discussion and debate on America’s airwaves. HRC is often called upon by the
media to frame issues affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans,
Human Rights Campaign 161

and to offer thoughtful commentary on the news of the day. Whether it is offer-
ing a comment on the importance of marriage equality or guiding writers and
producers through the complicated questions surrounding workplace fairness for
GLBT employees, HRC is always willing to serve as an expert witness on the topics
that impact GLBT and straight-supportive Americans.
For decades, HRC has been a go-to resource for TV news, magazines, newspa-
pers, and radio shows on GLBT issues. HRC spokespeople have appeared on every
major TV network, as well as on cable news channels, including CNN and Fox
News. They have also been quoted everywhere from the New York Times and
Fortune magazine to small-town papers across the country. HRC also works
extensively with the GLBT media and with nontraditional press outlets, including
blogs and other online media.
HRC also produces its own weekly radio show and daily webcast, as well as fre-
quent public service announcements and advertisements. Every Monday, listeners
tune in to The Agenda with Joe Solmonese, an original show covering GLBT issues
and starring HRC president Joe Solmonese, broadcast live on XM Satellite Radio.
In addition, each weekday morning, HRC’s daily webcast, Equally Speaking, keeps
viewers updated on the day’s GLBT news. Plus, HRC’s many public service
announcements, which have appeared in print, online, and in radio and television
broadcasts, have addressed such key topics as hate crimes, marriage equality, com-
ing out, and workplace discrimination.

IMPORTANT HRC ISSUES

Aging
When gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender seniors need to turn to others for
housing assistance, they often face three challenges: lack of family help, a shortage
of welcoming housing, and fear of discrimination and harassment. Although het-
erosexual seniors often rely on their spouses or children to help them, many
lesbian and gay seniors find themselves without either resource, says Steven
Karpiak, executive director of Pride Senior Network.
In fact, when members of Senior Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) conducted
focus groups in New York City, they found that approximately two thirds of the
lesbian and gay seniors interviewed lived alone—a higher rate of isolation than
among the general elderly population. Other research has found similar results.
The need for assisted housing for lesbian and gay seniors, therefore, may be even
greater than it is for heterosexual seniors. Yet here, too, we face some unique
challenges.
With all the media attention that lesbian and gay retirement communities have
received in recent years, you may think there are plenty of welcoming places to go.
But the fact is that there are only a few. Most welcoming retirement communities
are still on the drawing board—and in many cases, plans have been stalled
because of an inability to attract the money needed to build them, according to
Terry Kaelber, executive director of SAGE, which is trying to build an assisted
162 The New Humanitarians

living facility for gay and lesbian seniors in New York City. “I think one of the
reasons for that is because gay and lesbian seniors, in general, are an invisible pop-
ulation, and because of that, it’s difficult to get hard-core marketing studies that
really mean anything to mainstream developers,” says Kaelber.
Moreover, even if all the planned communities were built, most of these devel-
opments would be very expensive to live in—costing more than many of today’s
gay seniors could or would pay. There also are ambivalent reports about whether
lesbian and gay seniors even want housing targeted specifically to them. Even
though many retirement centers historically have been organized by niche groups
(with some, for example, targeted to Catholics and others to Jews), many lesbian
and gay seniors report little interest in segregated housing and express a prefer-
ence to remain in their own community near friends and loved ones.
“The reality is most older people don’t live in retirement communities,
period. So there isn’t any reason to believe that would be particularly different
in the gay community,” says David Aronstein, a social worker and managing
partner of Stonewall Communities, a project to build gay- and lesbian-friendly
senior housing in Boston. “One thing that came out in our focus groups is that
people wanted it to be gay-managed [and] owned and predominantly occupied
by gays, but people were very clear that it would be fine if there were straight
people who lived there, too. People have wide friendship networks that aren’t
always exclusively gay.”
Although there are a few gay or lesbian retirement communities in Florida and
the Southwest, there has not been a rush to build retirement homes at gay and les-
bian vacation spots, such as Key West, Florida, or Provincetown, Massachusetts.
One reason, Aronstein suggests, is the distance those spots are from the nearest
medical facility.
Still, Marcy Adelman, a San Francisco psychologist and founder of the planned
Rainbow Adult Community Housing, notes there are increasing incidents of
“spontaneous combustion,” where small groups of friends have rented apartments
or purchased units next to each other in RV parks or rural developments to cre-
ate their own lesbian and gay senior housing communities.
Nancy Nystrom, a sociologist at Michigan State University, belongs to one such
group. “I do research with older women,” she says, “and I found several collective
groups of women who have bought homes in residential areas and then just
knocked down the common fences. Nobody knows about them because they’re not
advertising.” Her group of eight women, ranging in age from fifty-five to seventy-
one, plans to build a housing cluster of five to seven manufactured houses inter-
connected through a community common house at its center on a five-acre plot
outside Seattle. After paying their share of the land purchase, about $50,000, and the
purchase of their home, the women will have to pay only $517 per month in upkeep.
“The theory is the more interactive and more interconnected the women are
with each other and helping each other out, the longer they can put off the need
for full assisted living,” says Nystrom. Nystrom hopes the project, which is not up
and running yet, will serve as a model for other groups of lesbian and gay seniors.
Human Rights Campaign 163

Yet perhaps the most common problem is one of isolation and loneliness,
brought on by a fear of discrimination. “The major struggle that older lesbians and
gay men have in long-term care facilities is the need to remain closeted out of fear
of retaliation and out of an instinct of self-preservation,” says Doni Gewirtzman, a
Lambda Legal staff attorney who specializes in age discrimination.
In part, Gewirtzman says, this is because the current generation of lesbian and
gay seniors came of age in a time of “officially sanctioned homophobia and abuse
of gay people,” and the coping strategy that many of them learned was just to
remain in the closet. The result, however, is that many lesbian and gay seniors find
themselves unable to freely discuss what most people talk about when they get
old—namely, the people they love. The rights of elderly gays and lesbians vary
from state to state, even county to county, says Gewirtzman, noting that most
nursing home operations are regulated at the state level.

Hate Crimes
“Matt is no longer with us today because the men who killed him learned
to hate. Somehow and somewhere they received the message that the lives
of gay people are not as worthy of respect, dignity and honor as the lives of
other people.”
—Judy Shepard, HRC board member and mother of Matthew
Shepard, slain University of Wyoming student

In May 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Local Law
Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1592) with a strong bipartisan
vote of 237–180. The Senate approved the nearly identical Matthew Shepard Act
(S. 1105) as an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill.
The amendment passed by a voice vote after passing a procedural hurdle known
as “cloture” by a bipartisan vote of 60–39.
Unfortunately, while being reconciled in conference committee between the
House and Senate, just prior to being sent to the president’s desk, inclusion of the
hate crimes provision in the final version of the bill fell victim to challenges from
opponents of hate crimes as well as unrelated concerns regarding Iraq-related provi-
sions in the defense bill. The hate crimes veto threat issued by the White House and
organized opposition by House Republican leadership cost significant numbers of
votes on the right. Iraq-related provisions that many progressive Democrats opposed
cost votes on the left. Moderate Democrats, many of whom voted for the hate crimes
bill in May, did not want to test the president’s veto threat and risk a delay in
increased pay for military personnel. All of these factors resulted in insufficient votes
to secure passage of the bill with the hate crimes provision.
At this time, the Human Rights Campaign is working with allies to find
another legislative vehicle in the second half of this Congress to move the
Matthew Shepard Act forward. All violent crimes are reprehensible, but the
164 The New Humanitarians

damage done by hate crimes cannot be measured solely in terms of physical injury
or dollars and cents. Hate crimes rend the fabric of our society and fragment com-
munities because they target a whole group and not just the individual victim.
Hate crimes are committed to cause fear to a whole community. A violent hate
crime is intended to “send a message” that an individual and “their kind” will not
be tolerated, many times leaving the victim and others in their group feeling
isolated, vulnerable, and unprotected. According to 2004 FBI statistics, hate
crimes based on sexual orientation constituted the third highest category reported
and made up 15.5 percent of all reported hate crimes. Only race-based and
religion-based prejudice crimes were more prevalent than hate crimes based on
sexual orientation.

GLBT Health Issues, HIV, and AIDS

The Human Rights Campaign’s health information has historically focused on
issues surrounding the HIV/AIDS pandemic; however, HRC is broadening its
information scope to include a wider variety of issues such as lesbian health,
healthcare discrimination, and the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), a project that
provides a quality indicator for healthcare related to GLBT people. The Human
Rights Campaign is dedicated to the coverage of all health-related issues facing the
GLBT community.
HRC is working to secure adequate funding for HIV/AIDS prevention, treat-
ment, research, and housing, and for scientifically sound national HIV/AIDS
policy. In addition to our independent work on these issues, HRC works with our
allies in the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership. HRC believes that a coordinated and
comprehensive approach must be aggressively pursued to stop this epidemic. This
balanced approach must include significant and appropriate resources to help
prevent new infections from occurring; provide quality care, treatment, and sup-
port services for those living with HIV/AIDS; boost current research efforts to
find a cure; and understand the importance of the role HIV/AIDS is playing in the
global arena.

Immigration
Around the world, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender families face wide-
spread discrimination. Most governments do not offer legal recognition for same-
sex relationships. In addition, binational GLBT couples in many countries must
cope with immigration laws that fail to recognize their families.
In the United States, out of 1 million green cards or immigrant visas, approxi-
mately 75 percent are issued to family members of U.S. citizens and permanent
residents. However, the current definition of “family” in U.S. immigration law
does not include same-sex partners. Therefore, thousands of same-sex couples are
separated or live in constant fear of being stopped by officials who demand to
see documentation and threaten detention. In some cases, same-sex partners face
Human Rights Campaign 165

prosecution by the Citizenship and Immigration Service—including hefty fines

and deportations. U.S. citizens are sometimes left with no other choice but to
emigrate with their partners to a country with more fair-minded immigration
laws. The Human Rights Campaign is working with its allies in Congress to
amend current immigration law to cover same-sex relationships.

International Rights
Many other countries grant same-sex couples greater rights, benefits, and
protections than those available to GLBT families in the United States. In 2001 the
Netherlands became the first country to extend marriage rights to same-sex cou-
ples. Since then, marriage equality has become the law in Belgium, Canada, Spain,
and South Africa. Domestic partnership registration is also an option in a grow-
ing number of countries, and some governments recognize same-sex partnerships
for immigration purposes.
The Human Rights Campaign is working closely with state leaders across the
nation on marriage initiatives. In 2006 the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that
same-sex couples have a constitutional right to receive the same state-level
benefits, protections and obligations as opposite-sex married couples. As a result
of the ruling, the New Jersey legislature voted in late 2006 to offer civil unions to
same-sex couples.
Currently, same-sex couples are entitled to all the state-level rights and benefits of
marriage in Massachusetts. In addition, same-sex couples in Vermont and Connecti-
cut are able to enter into state-level civil unions. A 2006 court ruling in New York
denied marriage to same-sex couples and sent the issue to the legislature. California’s
supreme court ruled in June 2008 that same-sex marriage was valid.

GLBT Military
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue, Don’t Harass”—the current U.S. policy
on gays in the military—is the only law in the country that forces people to be
dishonest about their personal lives or be fired or possibly imprisoned. This
discriminatory policy hurts military readiness and national security while
putting American soldiers fighting overseas at risk. As recently stated by John
M. Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former sup-
porter of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), lifting the ban is inevitable. “When
that day comes, gay men and lesbians will no longer have to conceal who they
are, and the military will no longer need to sacrifice those whose service it can-
not afford to lose.”1
The Military Readiness Enhancement Act (MREA) remedies this discrimina-
tory and unworkable policy and replaces DADT with a policy of nondiscrimina-
tion. MREA was introduced in the 109th House of Representatives by Rep. Martin
Meehan (D–MA) with 122 bipartisan co-sponsors, and will be reintroduced in
the 110th Congress.
166 The New Humanitarians

Countless gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans have and will continue to
serve in the U.S. military with distinction. The only question is whether they
will have to lie about their sexual orientation to do so. Since enactment of the
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, numerous gay and lesbian troops have served
openly while pending discharge with no effect on unit performance, readiness,
cohesion, or morale. Moreover, U.S. military personnel are already serving side
by side with openly gay service members—with no identifiable negative
effects—in and from countries throughout the world. Former Defense Secre-
tary William Cohen agrees: the ban is discriminatory, and “we’re hearing from
within the military what we’re hearing from within society, that we’re becoming
a much more open, tolerant society for diverse opinions and orientation.”2 We
must end this discriminatory policy sooner rather than later, and ensure that the
U.S. military can recruit and retain the best and the brightest troops regardless
of their sexual orientation.

Adoption and Parenting Rights

In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in state legislation that
would prohibit or restrict the ability of GLBT people to adopt children or to
serve as foster parents. The sponsors of these bills disregard the social science
research and professional opinion on GLBT parenting. Moreover, these meas-
ures could potentially deny thousands of children awaiting foster care place-
ment or adoption the opportunity to find a home and a loving family.
Fortunately, none of the bills proposed since 2005 has passed, but the future
holds more challenges. Learn about the HRC Foundation Family Project’s All
Children—All Families initiative, which is committed to finding permanent
families for children by promoting fairness for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans-
gender foster and adoptive parents.

People of Color
You can be “in the closet” about your sexual orientation or gender identity, but
you cannot hide your race. The outside world sees race first. For people of color—
a term used to describe African Americans, Latinos/as, Asian Pacific Islander
Americans, Native Americans, Arab Americans, mixed-race people, and others—
that means we often identify first with our race or ethnicity before we identify
according to our sexual orientation or gender identity. We have unique experi-
ences and need to find ways to feel safe and to express our power. What does it
mean to be an African American gay male or lesbian, for instance? What does it
mean to be “out” as Mexican and bisexual? Through partnerships and programs,
the Human Rights Campaign strives to develop the tools and resources for gay,
lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning people of color to live full and
healthy lives without fear or oppression at home, in our communities, in the
workplace, and in our places of worship.
Human Rights Campaign 167

Religion and Faith

The Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program’s mission is to change
the conversation about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and faith.
Because of the pioneering efforts of brave religious people speaking out for equality,
a new movement for change is emerging that embraces a culture of welcome, com-
passion, and hospitality, values that are at the heart of all our faith traditions.
HRC’s program is engaged in this movement at every level. We have created
much-needed resources, such as our online weekly preaching and devotional
resource Out in Scripture, our Living Openly in Your Place of Worship guide, and
our biweekly e-newsletter. Through our Religion Council, we are ensuring that
every month 10 million Americans hear diverse religious voices speaking about
equality through newspapers, radio, television, blogs, and webcasts. Our work
with twenty-three Progressive State Clergy coalitions is also spreading equality on
the state and local level. And, through our Clergy Safe Space Conversations, we are
having difficult, yet faithful, conversations with religious leaders struggling to rec-
oncile their faith with GLBT concerns.
In doing this work, we literally stand with religious people in all the places they
gather. Our work takes us from organizing progressive clergy coalitions in fellow-
ship halls on a given Thursday night to partaking in Shabbat services on Friday
evening, to preaching from the pulpit on Sunday morning, followed by a Safe
Space Conversation in a church basement on Monday.
We are also taking the message of equality on the road to seminaries, college
campuses, and assembly halls, talking with people about faith, fairness, and the
religious tools for advocacy they can draw upon from their own faith traditions.
Our message of equality is also reaching the halls of Congress, where religious
leaders speak out on such critical justice issues facing the GLBT community as the
Federal Marriage Amendment, hate crimes legislation, and the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act. Throughout all this, we are spreading the good news
that transformation is truly happening one community at a time.

Transgender Issues
So this is the bottom line for me, the results of a lifetime of struggling with
self-definition. It is OK to be me, who I am. It is OK to tell people the truth
about myself. It is OK to live and work as I truly am. It is OK for the world
to know who I am. In fact, it’s not just OK to do that. It is absolutely neces-
sary. I am Debra Davis. I am a proud human being. . . . David is not here
anymore—Debra will be working here from now on.”
—Debra Davis, male-to-female transsexual, addressing staff and
faculty at Southwest High School in Minneapolis, 1998

It is not easy to come out on the job, even if you have already come out to your
family and friends. Those who come out as transgender in the workplace are often
168 The New Humanitarians

met with ignorance and a lack of respect. Some transgender people lose their jobs,
face discrimination and bigotry, or are forced to quit in order to avoid negative
reactions and hostility.
It is important to take inventory of the risks involved with being out at work.
Coming out on the job has the potential to affect your livelihood, since there is no
federal law that protects you from being fired because of your gender identity.
However, many states, cities, and counties have laws or ordinances that prohibit
discrimination based on gender identity and expression. Additionally, a number
of other states interpret their existing nondiscrimination laws to protect trans-
gender people. It is important to know the law in your city or state before coming
out at work.
Additionally, more corporations and businesses in the private sector are begin-
ning to cover gender identity and expression in their nondiscrimination policies.
A growing number of private-sector employers include gender identity in their
nondiscrimination policies, including such Fortune 500 companies as IBM and
JPMorgan Chase.
“Most employers wouldn’t knowingly create a hostile work environment for
the employees in whom they have invested time and training,” says Diego Sanchez,
director of TransHealth and Education and Development at the Justice Resource
Institute. “Inclusive policies help a company retain valuable employees.” If you are
transgender, you may wish to discuss your personal situation with a trusted
manager, supervisor, or human resources professional before coming out to
co-workers. Because of the possible consequences, there are many important
questions to ask oneself before coming out at work.

Corporate Equality
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation recently released the sixth annual
Corporate Equality Index showing an unprecedented 195 major U.S. businesses
earned the top rating of 100 percent, up from 138 last year—a 41 percent increase.
The Index rates employers on a scale from 0 to 100 percent on their treatment of gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees, consumers, and investors. The
195 businesses that met all of the criteria employ more than 8.3 million workers.
When the Index was first released in 2002, only 13 companies, employing
690,000 workers, received the top rating.
“More businesses than ever before have recognized the value of a diverse and
dedicated workforce,” said Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese.
“More importantly, these employers understand that discrimination against GLBT
workers will ultimately hurt their ability to compete in the global marketplace.”
“Yahoo! is proud to be part of HRC’s Corporate Equality Index and to be in the
company of a pioneering group that has stepped up to create a more inclusive
work environment for today’s diverse employee groups,” said Cammie Dunaway,
Yahoo!’s chief marketing officer and executive sponsor of the company’s GLBT
employee group. “We’re committed to making Yahoo! a great place to work and
Human Rights Campaign 169

remain focused on offering progressive employment policies and benefits while

recruiting the best talent from all backgrounds. We value our tens of millions of
LGBT consumers around the world and are always looking for ways to further
connect them to the information, passions, and communities that matter most to
them, on our Yahoo! LGBT Pride site and across our network.”
The movement in corporate America toward equality in the workplace has
prompted a coalition of corporations and civil rights groups to form the Business
Coalition for Workplace Fairness aimed at leveling the playing field by enacting
the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). This Act would ban work-
place discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
“In the next few weeks, Congress will vote on federal legislation that U.S.
employers have already overwhelmingly embraced,” said HRC president Joe
Solmonese. “It’s the right thing to do for our economy and for our country.”
Today, at least 282 cities and towns, and 19 states, across the country have
added workplace protections that protected against discrimination based on
sexual orientation in both public and private sector jobs. More than 93 local
jurisdictions, and 11 states, have laws that include protections based on gender
identity.
The Corporate Equality Index, which this year rates 519 businesses, measures
the extent to which employers protect their GLBT employees. Ratings are based
on factors such as nondiscrimination policies, diversity training, and benefits for
domestic partners and transgender employees. This year’s report includes these
findings: (1) the banking and financial services industry has 32 companies with
100 percent ratings, more than any other industry. There are also 30 law firms
with the top rating, up from 12 last year. (2) Three sectors saw their first company
achieve a top rating. In mail and freight delivery, United Parcel Service (UPS)
achieved 100 percent. In contrast, FedEx (FDX) received a 55 percent rating and
does not provide benefits for domestic partners firm wide, including to married
same-sex couples in Massachusetts. In the transportation and travel services
industry, Travelport, known for its travel sites such as Orbitz.com, is the first to
receive a perfect score. Harrah’s Entertainment (HET) is the first gaming industry
company to achieve 100 percent.
For the first time, a majority of rated firms—58 percent—provide employ-
ment protections on the basis of gender identity. Among the 57 companies that
have newly achieved a perfect score of 100 percent are Allstate Insurance Co.
(ALL), Electronic Arts (ERTS), Esurance, J.C. Penney (JCP), KeyCorp (KEY),
Macy’s (M), Marriott International (MAR), MasterCard (MA), Waste Manage-
ment (WMI) and Yahoo! (YHOO).

GLBT Youth
Why “Generation EQ” you ask? Well, you may have seen the current 18–25-year-
olds referred to as “Generation Q.” But this age group is more than just Generation
Queer (or even questioning!). This age group is more supportive of GLBT equality
170 The New Humanitarians

than any generation ever. From widely supported issues such as hospital visitation
and workplace fairness all the way to full marriage equality, young people are over-
whelmingly pro-equality. Further, it may very well be this generation that will see the
promise of full equality fulfilled.
The Human Rights Campaign supports providing our youth with comprehen-
sive sexuality education, which includes abstinence as one method of reducing
disease and unwanted pregnancies, but it also includes instruction and education
on contraception, which can stop the spread of HIV and other sexually transmit-
ted diseases.
Abstinence-only education programs teach youth that abstinence from sexual
activity until marriage is the expected social norm and the only manner in
which to avoid sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy. Further,
abstinence-only program educators are not permitted to discuss the proper use of
contraception, including condoms, as a way to reduce the risk of contracting HIV
or other sexually transmitted diseases. In abstinence-only programs, only failure
rates of condoms can be discussed.
HRC works in coalition with other organizations working to stop the spread of
HIV, such as AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families; Advocates for Youth;
the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League; and the Sexuality
Information and Education Council of the United States. HRC works to educate
policymakers on the dangers of abstinence-only programs on GLBT youth and
supports efforts to increase the availability of comprehensive sexuality education,
which includes abstinence but also other methods of reducing risk.
In February 2002, HRC joined seventy-seven other groups in sending a letter
to President George W. Bush urging him to reconsider his decision to request
huge increases in funding for abstinence-only programs in his budget. HRC has
also endorsed and encouraged members of Congress to support the Responsible
Education about Life Act. This legislation would provide $100 million to states
to support sexuality education that includes medically accurate messages about
both abstinence and contraception. HRC continues to encourage and advocate
for funding of broad-based prevention activities rather than abstinence-only
programs.
The current focus on abstinence-only prevention campaigns, while worth con-
tinued study for certain populations, is not meaningful to the GLBT community.
Same-sex couples cannot get married in forty-eight out of the fifty states and
therefore, abstinence only until marriage is an unreachable goal and means noth-
ing to the very population that needs to hear prevention messages. To continue to
advocate such a policy without implementing prevention programs directed to
the GLBT community is highly irresponsible and will only lead to further HIV
infections.
A discussion of the importance of abstinence must be coupled with compre-
hensive sexuality education. With nearly two thirds (63 percent) of teens in the
United States having had sexual intercourse by the time they are eighteen, it is vital
to provide them with information to protect themselves. Such discussions must
Human Rights Campaign 171

include information on methods of reducing risks, including use of condoms and

other birth control methods. Although abstinence-only programs may delay sexual
activity and reduce the number of sexual partners over a lifetime, abstinence-only
education programs that cannot discuss condoms are placing our youth in dan-
ger. In fact, only the failure rates of condoms can be discussed in abstinence-only
programs. Although there are obvious sensitivity concerns about at what age such
discussions should begin, to ignore these topics would be irresponsible and would
disregard the reality of teenage sex.
There is little scientific evidence that shows that abstinence-only education pro-
grams work. Research continues to demonstrate that comprehensive sexuality edu-
cation, including abstinence and contraception, is most effective. Well-respected
groups—including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of
Pediatrics, the Society for Adolescent Medicine, the Institute of Medicine, the
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Nurses
Association, and the American Public Health Association—all reject abstinence-
only programs and support comprehensive sexuality education. In fact, the
Institute of Medicine recommends the following: “Congress, as well as other
federal, state and local policymakers, eliminates the requirements that public funds
be used for abstinence-only education and that states and local school districts
implement and continue supporting age-appropriate comprehensive sex educa-
tion” (No Time to Lose: Getting More from HIV Prevention, Institute of Medicine).

STAFF
Joe Solmonese, President
As president of the Human Rights Campaign, Joe Solmonese has demonstrated
that he has the political, strategic, and communications skills to make the organiza-
tion a powerhouse both in Washington and around the country. Under his leader-
ship, the National Journal rated the organization the second most successful interest
group in all of Washington during the 2006 election.
His vision for equality is clear: to make sure that HRC is wherever there are gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans, and to equip them with all the assis-
tance and resources he can to help secure equality. Whether it is listening to gay
families tell their stories over coffee in Kansas or advocating for GLBT workers on
factory floors in North Carolina, Joe is working tirelessly to win the hearts and
minds of the American people.
Committed to making clear that nobody has a monopoly on religion, Joe
launched HRC’s Religion and Faith Program in 2005. The program provides new,
innovative resources for GLBT and straight-supportive people of faith so they can
stand up to those who use religion as a weapon. He has also worked hard to
engage a younger generation whose commitment to equality is greater than any of
their predecessors. He has mobilized hundreds of students, including those at his-
torically black colleges; overseen HRC’s highly successful Youth College campaign
172 The New Humanitarians

trainings; and spoken on several campuses, including Columbia University and

Cornell University. Joe understands that this next generation is the one that will
lead us to full equality for all Americans.
Before coming to HRC, Joe was chief executive officer of EMILY’s List, over-
seeing one of the nation’s most successful efforts to elect progressive women in
every part of the United States. Joe brings that experience to HRC and is leverag-
ing his experience to make the organization a national model of effective advo-
cacy. Heading up an organization with more than 700,000 members and
supporters, as well as an annual budget of more than $30 million, Joe understands
that the fight for equality is a people-powered movement that is only as strong as
those “on the ground.” That is why he implemented an unprecedented field and
political operation in the last two years.
During that time, HRC has seen several impressive victories. The House of
Representatives passed a hate crimes bill for the first time ever. The Senate and the
House of Representatives both soundly rejected the discriminatory Federal
Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And, despite the bitter and
divisive climate, HRC convinced Congress to pass groundbreaking new pension
benefits for same-sex partners.
With Joe at the helm, HRC was instrumental in moving the House, the Senate,
and state legislatures all over the country toward more fair-minded majorities. He
leveraged HRC’s political action committee, the largest PAC in the nation for
GLBT rights, in critical races nationwide. Out of the 225 candidates endorsed by
HRC in the last election, an astounding 211 were elected. And HRC successfully
flexed its electoral muscle in several high-stakes races, such as the defeat of the
notoriously anti-gay senator, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
Whether adding expertise and resources to HRC’s Workplace, Family, and
Coming Out projects, appearing on CNN or in the New York Times, or hosting his
weekly XM radio show, The Agenda with Joe Solmonese, Joe is committed to edu-
cational work that changes public opinion and ultimately moves our country for-
ward. A native of Attleboro, Massachusetts, Joe lives in Washington, D.C. He
graduated from Boston University in 1987 with a BS in communications.

Susanne J. Salkind, Managing Director

As managing director, Susanne Salkind is responsible for overseeing the
day-to-day administrative operations of the Human Rights Campaign, includ-
ing finance, human resources, information technology, general counsel, opera-
tions, and HRC’s stores and action centers. She works closely with President
Joe Solmonese to implement organization-wide programming and cross-
division decision making. Additionally, she serves as a liaison to HRC’s board
of directors and foundation board as well as overseeing communications to the
HRC board of governors.
Prior to serving as managing director, Salkind was the deputy campaign direc-
tor for HRC’s 2004 campaign to defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment. In this
Human Rights Campaign 173

role, she developed communications and lobbying strategy for the legislative
campaign, including television, newspaper, and online advertising; coalition man-
agement; and grassroots lobby organizing efforts.
Before joining the Human Rights Campaign, Salkind was an associate at the law
office of Arnold & Porter, where she specialized in legislative and election law. Salkind
originally came to HRC in July 1994 as the deputy political director. She was respon-
sible for designing and implementing electoral programs for the HRC political action
committee, including analyzing candidates, recommending contributions, and
developing advising campaigns for the $1.1 million campaign fund. Salkind also
directed voter registration and campaign involvement programs for more than
250,000 members and managed HRC’s Youth College campaign training program.
Salkind has also been a regional field manager for the National Abortion Rights
Action League, where she served as the primary liaison between the national pro-
choice political organization and its state affiliates. She has worked on or volun-
teered for numerous federal and state political campaigns, and worked in the
Maine state legislature for two years.
In 2002 Salkind received her JD from the University of Pennsylvania Law
School, graduating cum laude. In 1990 she graduated cum laude from Bates Col-
lege with a bachelor’s degree in biology. In her free time, she enjoys sailing, cook-
ing, and spending time in Delaware with her partner, Lynn, and her Labrador
retrievers, Mercy, Lily, and Captain.

Michael Cole, Senior Communications and Media Center Manager

Michael Cole manages the Human Rights Campaign’s state-of-the-art, in-house
media center, producing material for HRC town hall meetings, gala dinners, and
other events, as well as the award-winning www.hrc.org. He leads the team that pro-
duces Equally Speaking, a daily gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender news webcast
on the HRC website. Cole also produces The Agenda with Joe Solmonese, HRC’s
weekly, live radio show exclusively on XM Satellite Radio. He serves as the program’s
lead correspondent, producing packages in the field to capture the breadth and
depth of the GLBT community. Prior to holding this position, he worked on the
HRC press staff, advancing a message of fairness in the media. Cole focused on local
media markets, bringing him to more than a dozen states promoting GLBT equal-
ity everywhere from church basements in Topeka, Kansas, to the steps of the
Supreme Judicial Court in Boston. Before joining the Human Rights Campaign, he
worked at the U.S. Embassy in Belgium and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Christopher Johnson, Director of Public Affairs

and Interactive Communications
Christopher Johnson is the director of public affairs and interactive communi-
cations at the Human Rights Campaign. In this role, Johnson promotes and
advances the HRC foundation’s public education and outreach programs that
174 The New Humanitarians

strive to create a more welcoming world for GLBT people. He also helps oversee the
organization’s online political advocacy programs and manages outreach to blogs.
Prior to joining HRC’s staff in January 2007, Johnson served as communica-
tions director to Rep. Melvin Watt, D-NC, the former chair of the Congressional
Black Caucus. A native of Atlanta, Johnson also served as deputy press secretary
to Rep. David Scott, D-GA. Johnson has also worked for the Georgia Democratic
Party and the public relations firm Manning, Selvage and Lee Atlanta. Johnson
holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a certificate in markets and manage-
ment from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Brad Luna, Communications Director

Brad Luna joined the Human Rights Campaign as director of media relations
in the summer of 2005 and brings to the organization a diverse array of experi-
ences in the field of communications, including messaging for a member of
Congress and working for top-tier political campaigns, nonprofit organizations,
and Fortune 500 companies.
Prior to joining HRC, Luna worked at a Washington, D.C., public relations
firm, assisting the United Nations Foundation and advising General Electric on its
new product branding and marketing. In the 2004 election cycle, Luna managed
Rep. Brad Carson’s, D-OK., 2004 bid for the U.S. Senate. During this time, he
served as chief political strategist and oversaw the development of strategy, mes-
saging, and finance. This top-tier campaign was featured on Meet the Press with
Tim Russert, CNN, and Fox News, and in the New York Times, the Washington
Post, USA Today, and other national outlets, and was rated “the best run campaign
of 2004” by political analysts.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Human Rights Campaign
Founder: Steve Endean
President: Joe Solmonese
Managing Director: Susan J. Salkind
Mission/Description: The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil
rights organization working to achieve gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end
discrimination against GLBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves
fundamental fairness and equality for all.
HRC seeks to improve the lives of GLBT Americans by advocating for equal
rights and benefits in the workplace, ensuring families are treated equally
under the law, and increasing public support among all Americans through
innovative advocacy, education, and outreach programs. HRC works to secure
Human Rights Campaign 175

equal rights for GLBT individuals and families at the federal and state levels
by lobbying elected officials, mobilizing grassroots supporters, educating
Americans, investing strategically to elect fair-minded officials, and partner-
ing with other GLBT organizations.
Address: Human Rights Campaign
1640 Rhode Island Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20036-3278
Phone: HRC Front Desk: 202/628-4160; TTY: 202/216-1572; Toll-Free:
800/777-4723
Website: www.HRC.org
Fax: 202/347-5323

NOTES
1. John M. Shalikashvili, New York Times, Op-Ed, January 2, 2007.
2. Interview with Wolf Blitzer, CNN, January 2, 2007.
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 10

The Global Security Institute:

Seeking True Security for All
through International Cooperation
Rhianna Tyson

Nuclear weapons are impractical, unacceptably risky and unworthy of

civilization.
—Senator Alan Cranston

Nuclear weapons represent a thoroughly modern paradox: this means of

pursuing security undermines the end of obtaining security.
—Jonathan Granoff

INTRODUCTION
On August 6, 1945, the United States detonated a 15-kiloton nuclear weapon
in the atmosphere over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Ninety thousand people
were killed instantly, with 50,000 more dying of radiation sickness and other
related effects in the subsequent months. Three days later, the United States deto-
nated another nuclear weapon—this one a hydrogen bomb—over the city of
Nagasaki, instantly killing 74,000 people and injuring 75,000 others. Both cities
were utterly destroyed, leveling buildings and disintegrating roads, unleashing
what former Nagasaki Mayor Iccoh Itoh called a “calamity that came upon
Nagasaki like a preview of the Apocalypse.”1
The unrivalled destructive capability of nuclear weapons, combined with the
similarly unparalleled persistence of its deleterious effects, place nuclear weapons
in a class of their own. No other weapon continues to kill and poison future gen-
erations. No other weapon so completely destroys the environment—the air qual-
ity, the soil, the groundwater, the entire ecosystem. Nuclear weapons can render
all civilization obsolete. They are, as the visionary American senator Alan
Cranston understood, immoral, and they are unworthy of civilization. With this

177
178 The New Humanitarians

belief, he founded the Global Security Institute (GSI), a unique organization ded-
icated to strengthening international cooperation based on the rule of law, with a
particular focus on nuclear arms control and disarmament.
Combating the scourge of nuclear weapons is the paramount challenge fac-
ing the twenty-first century. There are, of course, other prescient challenges to
the survival of humanity and our planet, foremost of which being the threats
posed by climate change and the persistent poverty of billions. However, the
cooperation that is required for the negotiated elimination of nuclear weapons
will set the cooperative framework that is needed to address the other most
pressing threats facing humanity today, including climate change and poverty
elimination. As GSI president Jonathan Granoff said while testifying as a repre-
sentative of the International Peace Bureau to the World Summit of Nobel Peace
Laureates in 2007, addressing these global challenges “requires new levels of
international cooperation. No state, nor even a powerful group of states, can
succeed alone. Universal coordinated approaches using our highest values . . .
are needed.”2
Such cooperation will remain impossible while under the Damocles sword that
looms over our heads, in the form of thousands of deployed nuclear weapons,
many of them loaded onto missiles that remain on high alert, ready to be
launched within minutes. Senator Roméo Dallaire, the former head of the UN
peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, used a suitable metaphor for this dilemma in a
keynote address to a GSI-sponsored meeting in New York City in 2007. Asking
governments to cooperate on climate change while under the threat of nuclear
annihilation is akin to asking children to work out their differences while point-
ing loaded guns at each other’s temples.3 The Global Security Institute, therefore,
believes that we must collectively negotiate the elimination of nuclear weapons,
through the rule of law, as a primary step toward achieving an effective global
security regime.

THE DELICATE BALANCE OF THE FIFTY-YEAR NUCLEAR SCOURGE

After the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, other countries
rushed to join the United States in the “nuclear club”: the United Kingdom
tested its first weapon in 1952, followed by the Soviet Union (1952), France
(1960), and China (1964). By the 1980s, there were over 60,000 nuclear
weapons in existence.4 Most of the weapons deployed today represent about
eight times the destructive capacity as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
During the Cold War, the Soviets tested the RDS-220, or Big Ivan, a weapon
equivalent to over 3,000 Hiroshimas at over 50 megatons, and the U.S. tested
the B-41, a weapon equivalent to over 1,500 Hiroshimas. The destructive forces
that loom over humanity’s head exceed the capacity of the mind to grasp. The
good news is that not many countries have these devices, and over 95 percent
of today’s nuclear weapons are in the arsenals of just two countries—the
United States and Russia.
The Global Security Institute 179

Without any restraints in place, and with the growing perception that nuclear
weapons bring prestige to the country that develops them, it was widely believed
that the number of nuclear armed countries would inevitably skyrocket.5 This fear
incited the international community to limit the spread of nuclear weapons and
work toward their elimination by negotiating and adopting the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which entered into force in 1970. Under the NPT,
countries that do not possess these weapons promise never to acquire them, in
exchange for nuclear energy technology and the promise that those who do pos-
sess them will work “in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of
the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament.”6 Eventually,
all but three countries—India, Pakistan, and Israel7—signed the NPT, thus
achieving the nonproliferation goal of the treaty, and confirming the NPT as “one
of the three most important legal instruments of the 21st century.”8
For fifty years, the world was held hostage by the Cold War, whereby two coun-
tries possessed the capability to destroy the planet hundreds of times over.
According to a study by Nobel Laureate Sune Bergstrom, a limited nuclear
exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union would have killed a
billion people immediately, with possibly more than 2 billion people in the imme-
diate aftermath, rendering life for the survivors barbaric and brutally primitive in
the ensuing “nuclear winter,” the semi-permanent cold climate resulting from the
sun’s inability to penetrate the radioactive cloud-laden atmosphere.9
Miraculously, the fifty years of the Cold War came and went, and humanity
survived—barely. Several times, tension between the two superpowers nearly
resulted in a nuclear exchange, instances in which the planet very nearly escaped
extinction. The most infamous instance took place in 1962, when U.S. spy planes
discovered Soviet missiles in Cuba, shortly after Fidel Castro declared Cuba a
socialist state and formalized an alliance with the USSR. Thirteen days passed,
with both sides threatening to spark a nuclear war, before the United States and
the Soviet Union came to an agreement: the United States would publicly vow
never to invade Cuba in exchange for the dismantling of the Soviet missiles there.
In addition to this instance, there were thirty-two very serious accidents, false
alarms, and malfunctions involving U.S. nuclear weapons before 1980, according to
the U.S. government.10 One notorious example of a false alarm occurred in 1995,
when a scientific rocket launched off the coast of Norway showed up on Russian
radar as demonstrating a trajectory similar to that of a U.S. Trident missile. Russian
operating rules allowed President Yeltsin fewer than ten minutes to decide a course
of action: wait to see if it was a mistake, or launch a nuclear retaliatory strike. Thank-
fully, other early warning systems indicated conclusively that the rocket was not
heading toward Russia, and Yeltsin did not destroy the planet.
Although the world narrowly avoided an all-out nuclear war, the nuclear age
still managed to claim many victims. From uranium mining to nuclear explosion
testing, millions of people have been sickened or killed in the pursuit of nuclear
weapons. In the South Pacific, where France conducted 175 nuclear test explo-
sions,11 cancer and birth defect rates soared. Women in the Marshall Islands
180 The New Humanitarians

repeatedly gave birth to “jellyfish babies,” transparent, boneless babies doomed to

die only hours or days after their painful birth. Women in the western United
States found that the baby teeth of their children were replete with strontium-90,
a carcinogen produced by the nearby weapons testing undertaken at the Nevada
Test Site. The people of Kazakhstan near Semipalatinsk, the preferred testing
grounds for the Soviet Union, were similarly harmed.
Even though we have made great strides toward curbing the dangers of nuclear
weapons, such as through treaties banning the atmospheric testing of nuclear
weapons, further international safeguards on nuclear materials, and other such
limited measures, nuclear weapons continue to impoverish humanity and keep us
on the edge of annihilation.

• The United States spends over $100 million per day to maintain its nuclear
arsenal. This is the approximate annual budget of the International Atomic
Energy Agency to safeguard nuclear materials worldwide.12
• Approximately 30,000 nuclear weapons remain in the world, with over 95 percent
of them in the arsenals of Russia and the United States. The other 1,500 are pos-
sessed by China, the United Kingdom, France, Pakistan, India, and Israel.
• More than 4,500 warheads remain on hair-trigger alert.
• There are 2,360,000 pounds of existing Russian weapons-grade fissile mate-
rial, with much of it vulnerable to theft or diversion by terrorists or hostile
organizations.
• Only eight to ten pounds of fissile material are necessary to build a crude
nuclear bomb. As little as eight pounds of plutonium is needed to build a
bomb. A missile is not needed to deliver such a device; a tugboat or truck could
be used.
• Forty-four countries are capable of developing nuclear weapons. These coun-
tries have access to the fissile material and technology to build nuclear
weapons. With the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty jeopardized, nuclear
weapons could quickly spread.

Such a security paradigm is untenable. It defies credibility to presume that,

by accident or design, a catastrophic use of nuclear weapons will not ensue at
some point. Any use remains unacceptable, and the ongoing persistence of
some states that these weapons bring them unique and legitimate security
value is the greatest stimulant to the quest by others to acquire them. Inequity
breeds instability. Either all have a right to these devices, or none should have
them. Moreover, at present, no major powers are squared off as existential
mortal enemies, and pointing these weapons at one another is clearly senseless.
The weapons cannot deter a terrorist unafraid of self-destruction. Using a
nuclear weapon against a non–nuclear weapon state would be patently unac-
ceptable, and using them against a nuclear weapon state would be suicidal.
Thus, logic and morality compel working to obtain their universal, verifiable
elimination.
The Global Security Institute 181

REDEFINING SECURITY IN A POST–COLD WAR WORLD

The end of the Cold War presented an unprecedented opportunity for a new
security paradigm, one that was not based on a notion of “mutually assured
destruction” and where governments of the world could cooperate on new secu-
rity challenges, freed from the Damocles sword of nuclear annihilation.
Toward this end, Senator Cranston developed a Global Security Program
comprised of forty specialists drawn from around the world. These specialists met
in Moscow in September 1993, in Washington, D.C., in May 1994, and in New
Delhi in October 1994, where the Global Security Program was adopted. A report
was published by the Rajiv Gandhi Institute, and its findings were presented
by Mikhail Gorbachev to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in
October 1994. The final document was distributed widely to policymakers in
Washington, D.C., and 600 copies were presented to national leaders and experts
in scores of countries.
In an effort to transform the Global Security Program from dialogue to action,
Senator Cranston launched the Nuclear Weapons Elimination Initiative in 1995
under the auspices of the State of the World Forum, providing a high-profile plat-
form for the Nuclear Weapons Elimination Initiative to bring the message of
nuclear abolition to elite decision makers and opinion shapers. Widely cited state-
ments favoring abolition were compiled by the initiative under Senator Cranston’s
direction, including a pair of statements by military leaders in 1996 and by civil-
ian leaders in 1998.
As a way to institutionalize the Nuclear Weapons Elimination Initiative and
ensure its continuation, Senator Cranston, along with Jonathan Granoff and
other active State of the World Forum participants, created the Global Security
Institute in 1999. Mr. Granoff served as GSI’s CEO and continued his work as
vice president of Lawyers Alliance for World Security as well as the NGO
(non-governmental organization) Committee on Disarmament at the UN.
When Senator Cranston passed away on the eve of this new millennium, the
board of directors elected Granoff to serve as president and Senator Cranston’s
son, Kim Cranston, as GSI’s chairman. They quickly went about gathering
other leaders in the field to work in a synergistic fashion and thus developed
four dynamic, integrated programs, together designed to reduce threats posed
by nuclear weapons, strengthen international cooperation and law, and
advance rapidly toward a nuclear weapon–free world.

THE GLOBAL SECURITY INSTITUTE: A UNIQUE APPROACH

In today’s globalized world, governance is a multilevel process. A sea change in
our approach to security—which is what is required if we are to reframe nuclear
weapons as a source of insecurity—requires movement on all levels, at the head
of state level, at the legislative level, and at the level of civil society, in all countries,
everywhere. In sum, security must be understood in human terms—how people
actually live. Otherwise, we risk creating a world where some states attempt to
182 The New Humanitarians

become secure while neglecting the actual daily life needs of the vast majority of
people. Nuclear weapons have no place in a road map to human security.
GSI is unique in working to affect change at multiple levels. It operates through
four integrated programs, each targeting a different constituency of decision mak-
ers and influencers: governments, parliaments, and civil society leaders.
Through the Middle Powers Initiative (MPI), seven international NGOs—
including two Nobel laureate organizations—are able to work primarily with the
foreign ministries and, at times, the executive branches of key “middle-power”
governments: politically and economically significant, internationally respected
countries that have renounced the nuclear arms race, a standing that gives them
significant political credibility. This type of “track 11⁄2 diplomacy” is especially
effective with middle-power countries—such as Canada, Japan, European non-
nuclear states, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil—that then
encourage and educate the nuclear weapon states to take immediate, practical
steps to reduce nuclear dangers, and commence negotiations to eliminate nuclear
weapons. MPI convenes top-level diplomats in off-the-record meetings, offering
a noncombative atmosphere for the divergent players to work out the legal, polit-
ical, and technical solutions to eliminating nuclear weapons, thereby building
bridges between governments and constructing a global consensus.
MPI is composed of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear
War (IPPNW), the International Association of Lawyers against Nuclear Arms
(IALANA), the International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global
Responsibility (INES), the International Peace Bureau (IPB), the Nuclear Age
Peace Foundation (NAPF), and the Women’s International League for Peace and
Freedom (WILPF).
In Washington, D.C., GSI’s efforts are executed through the Bipartisan Security
Group (BSG), a group of experts with experience in diplomacy, law, intelligence,
and military affairs. Many BSG members are former high-level governmental offi-
cials, able to use their contacts and credibility to advance the consensus agenda
promoted by MPI. Through regular briefings on the Hill, BSG provides reliable
information and analysis of arms control and nonproliferation issues to members
of Congress and their staffs.
Outside of Washington, the policies advocated by GSI are advanced through
a program called the Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and
Disarmament (PNND), a nonpartisan forum for parliamentarians, nationally and
internationally, to share resources and information; develop cooperative strate-
gies; and engage in nuclear disarmament issues, initiatives, and arenas. Through
PNND, GSI helps parliamentarians become engaged in nuclear nonproliferation
and disarmament initiatives, and to turn the ideas of MPI into national legisla-
tion. Parliamentarians, because of their close relationship to constituents and
their connections with parliamentary colleagues worldwide, have a crucial role to
play in crafting policies that meet the security needs of the citizens of their coun-
tries, regions, and the world. As former UN Under-Secretary-General Jayantha
Dhanapala recognized, “The parliaments of the world are the bridges between
The Global Security Institute 183

government and civil society. They provide the funds to pay for national initia-
tives. Through their deliberations, they help to shape policy, and through their
investigative and oversight powers they build public accountability. They provide
a bulwark to ensure that governments comply with their international commit-
ments and pledges—a role that at times requires the enactment of domestic leg-
islation. These functions are absolutely vital to the future of nuclear disarmament.
They help to give disarmament not only vision, but also some backbone, muscle,
and teeth.”13
Through the Disarmament and Peace Education (DPE) program, GSI encour-
ages new leadership and promotes new thinking on nuclear weapons elimination
through innovative educational activities. GSI collaborates with prominent lead-
ers in other fields, including Nobel peace laureates, religious leaders, military
experts, students, scientists, and environmentalists. Through special events,
reports, and educational materials, GSI encourages others to incorporate nuclear
abolition advocacy into their own important activities. GSI has successfully built
a community of common purpose across a diverse spectrum of leadership by
positioning global security as a collective human imperative.
Each of these programs reinforces its respective approaches. For example, the
international perspective gained through working with significant middle-power
countries is a unique approach, highly valuable in advocacy and education in
Washington, which often lacks perspective beyond national interest. It is the firm
belief of GSI that only a global approach to protecting the climate, addressing
poverty, and eliminating nuclear weapons will be successful.
The coordinated efforts of the exceptionally dynamic leaders of each pro-
gram are noteworthy. MPI has a steering committee with such outstanding fig-
ures as Kim Campbell, former prime minister of Canada and the first female
head of government in North America; and Ambassador Miguel Marin-Bosch,
former deputy foreign minister of Mexico. MPI’s driving force is the visionary
world leader Senator Douglas Roche, O.C., former Canadian disarmament
ambassador, who is the author of nineteen books on peace and disarmament.
PNND Global Coordinator Alyn Ware nearly single-handedly traveled the
world to create the PNND network. Lastly, the Bipartisan Security Group’s
chairman and director are two of America’s most distinguished former ambas-
sadors, Thomas Graham and Robert Grey. The members of the BSG ensure
exceptionally high-level access to decision makers in Washington, a formidable
reinforcement to PNND’s direct link to parliaments the world over. This net-
worked, multidimensional approach allows the advancing of strategic policies
in great depth, while concomitantly ensuring broad outreach. Each program
makes efforts to circulate the advocacy materials produced by the others, thus
enriching the international dialogue with varying perspectives and approaches
to achieving the same results.
Although GSI’s programs stretch across the globe, the organization itself
remains relatively small. Each of the four offices—in New York, Washington, D.C.,
Wellington, New Zealand, and Philadelphia, PA—has a small staff. A great deal of
184 The New Humanitarians

its successful work is dependent upon volunteer efforts of its leaders and experts
and their abilities to inspire others to join GSI’s efforts.

GSI TODAY: RECENT ACTIVITIES AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES

In 2005 the Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation
of Nuclear Weapons ended without progress. No agreement could be reached on
how to strengthen either side of the core bargain—the responsibility to eliminate
nuclear arsenals and the obligation to effectively prevent their spread. The bitter
disagreements that deadlocked the month-long conference threatened not only the
international nonproliferation effort, but multilateralism itself.14
Incited by this failure, in 2005 the Middle Powers Initiative undertook its most
focused project yet—the Article VI Forum, a creative initiative to bring together
likeminded states and NGOs in a noncombative atmosphere, to brainstorm
together on the technical, political, and legal requirements necessary for achieving
a nuclear weapons–free world. Over thirty states have participated in this process
since its launch at the United Nations in New York in 2006. The governments of
Canada, Austria, and Ireland hosted and co-sponsored the third, fourth, and fifth
meetings of the forum, a testament to the value that these middle-power countries
see in this initiative. Other states, including Germany, Sweden, and Japan, are
anticipated to host future gatherings.
The Article VI Forum helped identify a consensus agenda for strengthening
both disarmament and nonproliferation to which all states should be able to
agree. Moreover, the policies identified by the Article VI Forum process pass key
tests: they do not diminish the security of any state; they reinforce the NPT and
enhance the rule of law; they make the world safer now; and they move the world
toward the elimination of nuclear weapons.15
The Article VI Forum will culminate in a conference in 2010, just prior to the
next review of the NPT. It will be held at the prestigious Carter Center in Atlanta,
GA, the third such time that GSI will have partnered with President Carter’s
esteemed institute.
The policies that are crafted through the Article VI Forum process are
advanced throughout the world. With its headquarters just blocks from the
United Nations, MPI regularly convenes decision makers in seminars, workshops,
and special events to push these policies up the bureaucratic ladders of their
respective foreign ministries. Beyond the UN, MPI sends high-level delegations
directly to the capitals of key countries, delivering presentations to the parlia-
ments and foreign ministries, and often holding audiences with foreign ministers
or prime ministers directly. In 2006 the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, former prime
minister of Canada and GSI advisory board member, successfully led MPI’s fifth
high-level delegation to the government of Canada since 1998. Other delegations
included General Lee Butler, former head of U.S. Strategic Command, Robert
McNamara, former U.S. secretary of defense, and actor and GSI supporter
Michael Douglas. The fifth delegation included MPI chairman, the Hon. Douglas
The Global Security Institute 185

Roche, O.C., BSG chairman Ambassador Thomas Graham, and GSI president
Jonathan Granoff. The delegation was received by the prime minister, the deputy
foreign minister, and the national defense minister. The delegation presented an
MPI briefing paper prepared especially for the government of Canada. In addi-
tion, the delegation formally testified before the House of Commons Foreign
Affairs Committee. Even more recently, in January 2008, MPI chairman Hon.
Douglas Roche, O.C., and the MPI program director were received by the foreign
ministries of Dublin, Berlin, Oslo, and Madrid, presenting MPI briefs and effec-
tively advancing the consensus agenda. In January of 2008, Granoff joined GSI
advisor President Mikhail Gorbachev in a private meeting with UK prime minis-
ter Gordon Brown, where they presented MPI’s most recent briefing materials,
Towards 2010: Priorities for NPT Consensus16 and Visible Intent: NATO’s Responsi-
bility to Nuclear Disarmament,17 along with significant declarations produced at
the Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.18
As we move closer to the next Review Conference of the NPT, more hopeful
signs of progress abound. In January 2007—and again in January 2008—a group
of establishment conservatives published an op/ed in the Wall Street Journal, call-
ing for the abolition of nuclear weapons. The path toward abolition spelled out by
these former U.S. officials, including former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger
and George Schultz, former defense secretary William Perry, and former senator
Sam Nunn, were nearly identical to the steps advocated by GSI and its programs.
This op/ed—produced through a process convened by the Hoover Institute and
to which several BSG members, including Ambassador Graham actively
contributed—and the momentum that it helped build, forever put to rest the
myth that abolition was impractical, radical, or at worst, anti-American. Such
momentum reinvigorates and impels GSI, despite its small pool of funding
sources, to expand its programs and seize the opportunities.
In October 2007, the PNND Global Council elected five dynamic female parlia-
mentarians as their new co-presidents. Each of these parliamentarians is a leader in
her own country, and a formidable spokesperson and campaigner for nuclear dis-
armament and nonproliferation. Alexa McDonough (Canada), Marian Hobbs
(Aotearoa-New Zealand), Lee Mikyung (South Korea), Uta Zapf (Germany), and
Senator Abacca Anjain Madisson (Marshall Islands) will lead this emerging force
of 500 legislators from over seventy countries in global parliamentary initiatives to
prevent nuclear proliferation and advance nuclear disarmament.
To highlight the power of the new female leadership of the network, GSI organ-
ized a panel event at the United Nations when diplomats gathered for the sixty-
second session of the General Assembly. Joining two of the new co-presidents on
the panel was civil society leader Cora Weiss and cultural icon Christie Brinkley, a
remarkable demonstration of the confluence of the parliamentary, diplomatic, and
civil society leadership of the abolition movement. Moderated by GSI senior officer
Rhianna Tyson, the event brought together women who are working on all levels
to prevent conflict involving nuclear weapons. Such an all-women panel, as the
chairwoman pointed out, was a rare occurrence at the UN, particularly for an event
186 The New Humanitarians

geared toward delegates attending the General Assembly’s First Committee on

Disarmament and International Security. This rarity, however, “does not reflect the
reality of the movement to abolish nuclear weapons,” said Ms. Tyson, “a movement
in which women have always played a leadership role.”19 It was particularly timely,
then, that this nuclear abolition panel was held on the eve of the seventh anniver-
sary of the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for greater
women’s participation at all levels of conflict resolution and prevention decision
making.
The Bipartisan Security Group, too, continues to grow in efficacy and strength.
Over the past several years, it has published a laudable number of respected policy
briefs, which form the basis of its advocacy with members of Congress and their
staffs, who are educated through regular briefings on the Hill. In many ways, the
quiet, ongoing meetings of BSG, and in particular those of its director, Ambassador
Grey, with senior staff on Capitol Hill, remain the backbone of GSI’s efforts.
Beyond these informal presentations, BSG offers official, on-the-record input
to governmental proceedings as well. Both BSG chairman Ambassador Thomas
Graham and GSI president Jonathan Granoff testified before the House
Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International
Relations as part of a panel focusing on the topic, “Weapons of Mass Destruction:
Current Nuclear Proliferation Challenges.” Subcommittee Chairman Christopher
Shays, R-CT, called the testimonies “some of the most substantive, interesting,
demanding, and valuable in my decades in Congress.”20
Substantial inroads have been made through the DPE program, too. In 2006
the Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates issued the Rome Declaration, the first state-
ment by these morally authoritative voices calling for the abolition of nuclear
weapons. GSI president Jonathan Granoff, a senior adviser to the Summit
Secretariat and representative of the Nobel laureate organization to the Interna-
tional Peace Bureau, was instrumental in this process. MPI chairman Hon.
Douglas Roche, O.C., and GSI advisory board member Jayantha Dhanapala, also
contributed to this historic summit.21 At the 2007 Summit of Nobel Peace
Laureates, Mr. Granoff chaired two sessions, including the closing press confer-
ence, a panel featuring Nobel laureates Mikhail Gorbachev, HH Dalai Lama, Betty
Williams, Muhammed Yunus, and Mairead Corrigan Maguire.
Taking a comprehensive vision toward security, GSI has begun working closely
with the Secure World Foundation to advance a cooperative security regime in
space and to prevent an arms race there. If space is weaponized, the moral imper-
ative to eliminate nuclear weapons will become all the more difficult to obtain.
From this values-based perspective, GSI works assiduously to integrate practical
analysis into its advocacy. In this regard, GSI has co-hosted presentations on the
subject at key UN events with the governments of Sweden, Russia, and China, and
with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.
In an interview with Banning the Bomb, Granoff said, “It is time that we started
looking at nuclear weapons with the same disgust as we look at the plague as a
weapon. No one would say that the plague is a legitimate weapon in the hands of
The Global Security Institute 187

some people but illegitimate in the hands of other people; the plague itself is ille-
gitimate as a weapon. Thus we need to carefully climb down this ladder of
nuclearism that we have . . . by taking steps that will make us safer, that will reduce
the value of nuclear weapons and the threat that we live under.”22

CONCLUSION
Fewer than 200 years ago, enslavement of human beings was an accepted prac-
tice in much of the world. Dozens of economies were dependent on the trade of
human beings as slaves. Despite the enormity of the task, the moral imperative of
abolishing slavery finally triumphed over the vested, powerful, institutionalized
interests that sought to preserve it, and after nearly a century of struggle, human-
ity finally rid itself of the evil of slavery. Who today could excuse the enslavement
of people as anything less than an abomination? Does anyone doubt that it is a
violation of humanity with which humanity cannot co-exist?
The parallels between the movements to abolish slavery and nuclear weapons
are striking. MPI chairman, the Hon. Douglas Roche, O.C., in a presentation to
the European Parliament in 2007, elaborated on these similarities:

• Nuclear weapons are the slavery of the twenty-first century. With their threat
of Armageddon, they enslave all of humanity. They are the “ultimate evil.”
• As this century progresses, the political structure must learn that nuclear
weapons and humanity cannot coexist, just as slavery and human rights
cannot co-exist. Nuclear weapons are a denial of the range of human rights
opened up by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• We cannot only deal with nuclear weapons by making the conditions of their
acceptance more palatable any more than Wilberforce could accept merely a
lessening of pressure of the chains around slaves’ necks; the total abolition of
slavery was required. So too, it will not be enough to have full ratification of
the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty or successful negotiations to ban the pro-
duction of fissile material; nuclear weapons in their entirety must be done
away with. The only hope for peace in the twenty-first century is the total abo-
lition of nuclear weapons. This can be achieved when the social, economic and
political structures turn against these weapons of mass murder. . . . Like the
slavery abolitionists, nuclear weapons abolitionists have history on our side.
Despite the seemingly impregnable hold of the powerful, new counter-forces
are developing and need but the concerted action of enlightened parliamen-
tarians aided by an energized civil society to prevail.23

The Global Security Institute is just one element making up this “energized
civil society” that, despite the enormity of the task, is confident of prevailing.
We know that if we do not eliminate nuclear weapons, the weapons will
surely eliminate us. Their abolition is the moral, legal, and political imperative
of our time.
188 The New Humanitarians

In 2002 Jonathan Granoff delivered a presentation at the closing ceremony of

the Gandhi and King Season for Nonviolence at the United Nations in New York.
Speaking from the heart that beats in every person who has dedicated his or her
life and work to the imperative of nuclear abolition, he said:

I believe that the mystery that has placed the power of destruction in the binding
forces of the atom has placed the healing power of love in our hearts and further
gifted us with both the courage and wisdom to use that power effectively. . . . I com-
mit to work to cause my country to disavow its unlawful, immoral posture of failing
to negotiate the elimination of nuclear weapons. I commit to work through national
and international legal mechanisms to curtail, control and abolish these devices.
Will not some of you join this call from the conscience of humanity?24

To find out more about the Global Security Institute and how you can support its
efforts, contact us through www.gsinstitute.org.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Global Security Institute
Founder: Senator Alan Cranston
Executive Director: Jonathan Granoff
Mission/Description: Global Security Institute is dedicated to strengthening
international cooperation and security based on the rule of law with a particu-
lar focus on nuclear arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament. GSI was
founded by Senator Alan Cranston, whose insight that nuclear weapons are
impractical, unacceptably risky, and unworthy of civilization continues to
inspire GSI’s efforts to contribute to a safer world. GSI has developed an excep-
tional team that includes former heads of state and government, distinguished
diplomats, effective politicians, committed celebrities, religious leaders, Nobel
peace laureates, disarmament and legal experts, and concerned citizens.
Website: http://www.gsinstitute.org
Address: One Belmont Ave. Suite 400
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 USA
Phone: 610-668-5488
E-mail: general@gsinstitute.org

NOTES
1. As quoted in “The Power Over the Ultimate Evil: In the Footsteps of Gandhi and King,”
by Jonathan Granoff, presented at the closing ceremony of the 2002 Gandhi and King
Season for Nonviolence, United Nations, New York, April 9, 2002. Available at
http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/Gandhi_King.pdf.
The Global Security Institute 189

2. See “Axis of Responsibility: Addressing the Critical Global Issues of the 21st Century,”
presentation by Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute, to the 8th
Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, December 12, 2007. Available at http://www.
gsinstitute.org/gsi/pubs/12_2007_Axis.pdf.
3. See “Preventing Nuclear Genocide,” keynote luncheon address by Senator Roméo
Dallaire, Special Representative of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and
Disarmament, at the PNND Global Council meeting, New York, October 12, 2007.
Available at http://www.gsinstitute.org/pnnd/index.html.
4. See Table of Global Nuclear Weapons Stockpile: 1945-2002, Natural Resources Defense
Council, at http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/nudb/datab19.asp.
5. Many countries did indeed develop nuclear weapons programs. Argentina, Brazil,
South Korea, and Taiwan at one point started domestic nuclear programs, but eventu-
ally renounced them and joined the NPT. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in
1991, the newly independent countries of Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine inherited
the nuclear weapons left on their territories, but each of them returned the weapons to
Russia and joined the NPT as non–nuclear weapon states. The South African apartheid
government was secretly developing nuclear weapons, which the post-apartheid gov-
ernment dismantled in a transparent and internationally verified manner, joining the
NPT in 1991. Iraq, too, had an active nuclear weapons program in the 1980s. Follow-
ing their defeat in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the UN-mandated inspections disman-
tled the last of the program. And in December 2003, Libyan leader Muammar Qadafi
voluntarily, and unexpectedly, renounced his country’s weapons of mass destruction
(WMD) programs.
6. Article VI of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Full text of the treaty is available at
http://disarmament.un.org/wmd/npt/npttext.html.
7. India first detonated a nuclear explosion on May 18, 1974, which the government
described as a “peaceful nuclear explosion.” On April 8, 1998, India detonated a
nuclear weapon device, two days after a missile test in Pakistan. For its part, Pakistan
tested its first nuclear weapon on May 28, 1998. Israel maintains a policy of “ambi-
guity,” neither confirming nor denying the existence of nuclear weapons in the
country. According to the Federation of American Scientists, the CIA reported in
1968 that Israel had successfully produced nuclear weapons, and by the 1970s, Israel
had approximately thirteen 20-kiloton atomic weapons. Currently, it is believed that
Israel possesses 100–200 nuclear weapons. See http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/
israel/nuke/index.html.
8. Banning the Bomb interview with Jonathan Granoff, president of the Global Security
Institute, April 2007. See http://www.vermont.be/banningthebomb/2007vienna/
videofiles/JonathanGranoff_WS.mov.
9. Sune Bergstrom’s study is cited in Carl Sagan, The Nuclear Winter, Council for a Livable
World Education Fund (Boston, MA: 1983), and summarized in “Preventing an Acci-
dental Nuclear Winter” by Dean Babst, June 28, 2001: http://www.wagingpeace.org/
articles/2001/06/28_babst_nuclear-winter.htm.
10. See “US Nuclear Weapons Accidents: Danger in our Midst,” Defense Monitor, 10(5),
Center for Defense Information, Washington, D.C.: 1981. Reprinted with permission at
http://www.milnet.com/cdiart.htm.
11. Of these, 41 were exploded in the atmosphere and 134 underground. When combined
with the tests undertaken in the Sahara desert, France’s total number of nuclear tests
amounts to 192. See http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/france/nuke.htm.
190 The New Humanitarians

12. Stephen I. Schwartz, Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of US Nuclear Weapons
Since 1940. (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1998).
13. Cited in the brochure of the network of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation
and Disarmament (see http://www.pnnd.org).
14. See Douglas Roche, O.C., “Deadly Deadlock: Political Analysis of the 2005 NPT Review
Conference,” at http://www.gsinstitute.org/2005NPTpoliticalanalysis.pdf.
15. See “Towards 2010: Priorities for NPT Consensus,” MPI paper for the 2007 NPT
Preparatory Committee, (Vienna: April 2007). Available at http://www.gsinstitute.
org/mpi/docs/Towards_2010.pdf.
16. Towards 2010 is available at http://www.gsinstitute.org/mpi/docs/Towards2010.pdf.
17. Visible Intent is available at http://www.gsinstitute.org/mpi/pubs/NATO_brief_2008.html.
18. The Rome Declaration (2006) can be found at http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/Rome_
Declaration_2006.pdf. The Charter for a World without Violence (2007) can be found
at http://www.nobelforpeace-summits.org/ENG/PDF/2007/CHARTER_ULTIMATE.pdf.
“Three Questions to Fulfill Our Duty to the Next Generation” (2007) can be found at
http://www.nobelforpeace-summits.org/ENG/PDF/2007/THREE_QUESTIONES.pdf.
19. The full transcript of these remarks is available at http://www.gsinstitute.org/gsi/
archives/303tyson.html.
20. The testimonies of GSI president Jonathan Granoff, BSG chairman Ambassador (Ret.)
Thomas Graham Jr., GSI advisory board member Dr. Frank von Hippel, Dr. Hans Blix,
and other arms control experts from the House subcommittee can be found at
http://www.gsinstitute.org/bsg/index.html.
21. Read the presentations delivered by Jonathan Granoff, Senator Roche, and Jayantha
Dhanapala to the Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates at http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/
Rome06_speeches.pdf.
22. Video footage of the interview is available at http://www.npt-webcast.info/
video.php?ID=88.
23. Douglas Roche, “Lessons from William Wilberforce: Priorities for Nuclear Weapons
Abolition,” Address to European Parliament International Conference on Nuclear
Disarmament (Brussels: April 19, 2007). Available at http://www.gsinstitute.org/mpi/
docs/04_19_07_Roche_EP.pdf.
24. The full text of these remarks is available at http://www.gsinstitute.org/docs/
Gandhi_King.pdf.
 11

Search for Common Ground

John Marks and Susan
Collin Marks

OUT OF MAD
It was 1982. The superpowers, the United States and the USSR, were caught
up in an arms race, framed by the nuclear doctrine of mutually assured
destruction, or MAD. John Marks was looking for a paradigm shift. He saw the
Cold War, metaphorically, as two boys standing knee deep in a room full of
gasoline. One held twelve matches; the other held nine—and they were argu-
ing over who had the most. John acknowledged that the mix of matches was
important and that certain combinations were more dangerous than others.
Still, he noted, attention was focused on rearranging the mix—on arms con-
trol. John, above all, was concerned that one match could ignite everything. For
the world to be truly safe, in his view, the gasoline would have to be drained
from the room.
This meant transforming the very framework or context in which the
United States and the USSR were confronting each other. John believed that
both countries would only become secure when the other one was secure. He
became an advocate of common security, which reflected a very different—
indeed, transformational—way of dealing with international security ques-
tions. He was convinced that there had to be better ways of resolving
differences—that confrontational, win-lose techniques were not only danger-
ous, but in the end, ineffective and unworkable. So in 1982 he founded a non-
profit organization in Washington, D.C., called Search for Common Ground
(Search), to find concrete ways of shifting how the world deals with conflict—
away from adversarial, you-or-me approaches to nonadversarial, you-and-me
solutions.
It was an audacious vision, and, at the beginning, Search had only two
employees—John and one other. Then, as now, funds were needed to give con-
crete form to the vision. He realized that fundraising provided the very lifeblood

191
192 The New Humanitarians

of the organization and saw it as an integral activity that needed to be enjoyed

and honored. Still, in those first years, money came in sporadically in four
different ways:

• Initially, there was a $20,000 grant from a foundation that had supported
John’s previous work as a political activist. John called it “severance pay.”
• The anti-nuclear movement was in full swing, and Search received several
foundation grants to help bring the business and minority communities into
the effort to build a more secure world.
• John stood up in living rooms for what he termed “Tupperware fundraising.”
He shared his vision and called for others to make a “substantial” contribution.
• Still, the sum of the above was not sufficient to operate Search, even on a shoe-
string. John had not understood that, as the founder, he would provide, in
essence, the organizational float. Then, his mother died and, fortuitously, left
him a modest, five-figure inheritance. His father declared he should invest the
money and buy stocks and bonds. Instead, John chose to invest in his vision,
and these funds allowed him to miss paychecks. (John did, indeed—to use his
father’s words—“piss away” his inheritance, and he thinks it was the best
investment he ever made.)

The organization struggled along, enjoying modest success, but operating very
much on the fringes. It was definitely out of tune with President Ronald Reagan’s
concept of the Soviet Union as the “evil empire.” But in 1989, as the Cold War
faded, Search hit the mainstream. It formed a partnership with the Moscow pub-
lication, Literaturnaya Gazeta, to establish the Soviet-American Task Force on
Terrorism. The results included an unofficial agreement between a former CIA
director and the ex-head of counterterrorism for the KGB that outlined how U.S.
and Soviet intelligence organizations might work together to combat terrorism.
The key recommendation (later published in the task force’s book, Common
Ground on Terrorism, was that the United States and the USSR should “treat ter-
rorism as a problem shared by both superpowers and cooperate wherever possi-
ble to eliminate the threat.”1 The KGB immediately accepted. The CIA initially
rebuffed the effort because the Agency rejected the premise of equivalence with
the KGB. But soon, as the Gulf War became imminent, the U.S. government
needed intelligence on Iraq, and the CIA had little choice but to establish a coop-
erative relationship with the KGB.
Not only was the counterterrorism project a success, but it also brought
credibility. In fact, the RAND Corporation, a key Pentagon think tank, became
the co-sponsor. The project attracted front-page attention and was the subject
of an ABC-TV Nightline program. Ted Koppel may have rolled his eyes when
he mentioned the name Search for Common Ground, but John was inter-
viewed, and the Nightline host made clear Search’s pivotal role in organizing
the project.
Search for Common Ground 193

INTO THE MIDDLE EAST

As Soviets and Americans were finding common ground, the Cold War was
ending, and John realized that the organization needed to expand—or die. Then,
as has occurred often in Search’s history, an unplanned opportunity presented
itself. Two people who had been involved in the terrorism project proposed that
Search organize a similar project on Lebanon. John agreed. He now had the con-
tacts and a model. So, in 1989, he set up the U.S.-Soviet Task Force on Lebanon,
recruited a high-level team of American participants, and flew off to Moscow for
the first meeting.
Two major ideas emerged. First, Lebanon could not be treated in a vacuum
without dealing with the larger Middle East, and second, rather than pursue a
bilateral, U.S.-Soviet strategy, a multilateral, regional approach seemed more suit-
able. As has also sometimes been true at Search, the original concept was flawed,
but susceptible to adjustments that made it work. Soon, John incorporated the
lessons learned and wrote a proposal for a multitrack effort to replicate in the
Middle East what the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe (now
OSCE) had done.
The proposal languished—until the first Gulf War. With armed violence rag-
ing, liberal American foundations such as Ford, MacArthur, and W. Alton Jones
wanted a peace plan, and Search’s proposal seemed to be just that: namely, a
regional structure that would bring together Arabs, Israelis, Iranians, and Turks.
Within months, each of these foundations made Search’s first, second, and third
six-figure grants.
Although seeking common ground in the Middle East was exactly what Search
had been doing with the United States and the USSR, the world had changed. Pro-
moting Middle East peace was clearly a mainstream activity. John knew Search
was operating in a new world when he received an unsolicited phone call from
former assistant secretary of state Alfred “Roy” Atherton, asking if he could join
the effort. Soon John and his colleagues were meeting Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser
Arafat, Hosni Mubarak, and Prince Hassan of Jordan. Search needed—and usu-
ally received—official permission to sponsor unofficial meetings. And the meet-
ings were often quite successful. In 1993–94, before official peace talks had
started, Search sponsored back-channel sessions between former Jordanian and
Israeli generals. The generals worked out a series of unofficial agreements that
became the basis of the eventual Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty.

BEFORE SEARCH
John clearly had come a long way from when, at age twenty-two, he came to
Washington in 1966. Then, he hoped for a meaningful Foreign Service career that
would end with his becoming an ambassador. He saw himself working out of an
office in the magnificent U.S. Embassy building on the Place de la Concorde in
Paris. He would negotiate treaties and drive a sports car around Europe. However,
as with so many of his generation, Vietnam got in the way. In John’s case, his draft
194 The New Humanitarians

board refused him a deferment to take a diplomatic assignment in London. John,

intent on staying out of the military, employed a novel strategy. He became one of
the few members of his generation to go to Vietnam to avoid the draft. He became
a civilian official working in the pacification program in a province east of Saigon.
The Vietnam experience knocked John off the linear path. In 1970 he resigned
from the State Department in protest over the U.S. invasion of Cambodia. He saw
himself changing sides when he went to work as executive assistant for foreign pol-
icy to U.S. Senator Clifford Case (R–NJ). His main task was to secure passage of the
Case-Church Amendment, which in 1973 cut off funding for U.S. military involve-
ment in the Vietnam War. He left the senator’s staff in 1973 and coauthored The CIA
and the Cult of Intelligence, a best-selling exposé about U.S. intelligence abuses. Next,
he wrote The Search for the “Manchurian Candidate,” an award-winning book about
the CIA’s use—and misuse—of LSD and other behavioral techniques.
John became a minor culture hero, but he was troubled by the adversarial qual-
ity of his work—which was mostly defined by what he was against. Instead of
throwing monkey wrenches into the old system, he wanted to build a new one.
While John was going through these changes, the woman who would become
Susan Collin Marks, his wife and closest colleague, was coming of age in South
Africa. Her home was in Port Elizabeth, a city nestled on a sweeping bay in the coun-
try’s southeast. Her mother was one of the first members of Black Sash, a women’s
human rights organization set up in 1955 to protest the “death of the constitution”
under apartheid laws. She taught Susan that apartheid was wrong. When Susan was
five, she accompanied her mother into black townships, where she saw the impact
of racism and discrimination. The experience of her mother’s courageous
activism—of being a white South African—shaped Susan’s life. After 1990, when
South Africa began its transition from apartheid to democracy, Susan channeled her
passion for justice and dignity into peacemaking, peacebuilding, and conflict trans-
formation under the auspices of South Africa’s National Peace Accord. On a daily
basis, she mediated conflicts, intervened in bloody street clashes, took a bullet in the
leg while trying to calm a confrontation, facilitated multiple dialogues and policy
forums, and helped formulate new policies of community policing.
The guiding principle in Susan’s work is the profound compassion that derives
from the African principle of Ubuntu, the interconnectedness of all human
beings. She believes that when people are provided with the space to be their best,
generally they will step into it. Susan would later write a book about the South
African peace process—and the Ubuntu spirit that defined it—titled Watching the
Wind: Conflict Resolution during South Africa’s Transition to Democracy (U.S. Insti-
tute of Peace: 2000).

Coming Together
In 1993 John traveled to South Africa to produce a TV series, called South
Africa’s Search for Common Ground. One evening he had a drink with co-producer
Hannes Siebert, who asked John if he was married. “I’m divorced,” said John, “but
Search for Common Ground 195

I’m looking.” Looking for what? asked Hannes “A tall, beautiful mediator,” replied
John. Hannes said, “I know her.” The next day, Hannes introduced Susan and
John. Within twenty-six hours, they bonded and recognized that they shared a
vision. Indeed, the first time John told Susan that he no longer wanted to tear
down the old system, but rather to build the new, Susan jokingly accused him of
having peeked into her notebooks and stolen her ideas.
By 1994 Susan had moved to Washington, married John, and joined Search.
They became a powerful team, and Search started to grow at the rate of about
20 percent each year. They complemented each other and had a knack for improv-
ing the other’s ideas. Susan was better with people and process. John specialized
in recognizing possibilities and developing new projects. Under their joint leader-
ship, Search attracted brilliant, committed, gifted people, and blossomed into an
international nongovernmental organization (NGO) with 350 full-time staff,
operating out of offices in seventeen countries. John and Susan became each
other’s principal advisor. They adopted a non-plagiarism rule and described their
work with the first-person-plural “we” (which form will be used for the rest of this
chapter).

Keeping Hope Alive

Today, reading the newspapers can be an overwhelming, disempowering expe-
rience. The world is clearly in peril. The Chinese ideogram for crisis combines
both danger and opportunity. At Search, we react to crisis by looking for the
opportunity that lies between the old, which is breaking down, and the new, which
is being born. We see the space between the old and the new as the place for
breakthroughs—and transformation. As Buckminster Fuller said,

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build
a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

One of our core principles is that conflict is a normal part of human interac-
tion, and that violence is only one of the possible responses—and not an
inevitable one. Indeed, most people, most of the time, choose the nonviolent path.
They find ways to resolve their differences peacefully—within families, at work,
and in communities. Even internationally, among states, most disputes are settled
amicably. Every day, the world whirrs with cooperation—from telephone and
postal services, to shared scientific data, to high-wire diplomacy. Indeed, despite
awful exceptions, the world is almost always much more at peace than at war.
Unfortunately, however, tens of millions of people are caught up in armed
struggles, and millions are still dying every year. Violent conflict has a profoundly
negative impact on the whole planet, even when it occurs in remote places. Where
violence exists, human rights are abused, economic development is stifled, the
environment suffers, hopes and dreams are shattered, and misery abounds. Every
day it becomes more urgent to stop the cycle of violence.
196 The New Humanitarians

It is clear that the world needs to develop constructive, positive ways to deal
with conflict. Current problems—whether economic, ethnic, or environmental—
are simply too complex and interconnected to be settled on a violent, adversarial
basis. The earth is running out of space, resources, and recuperative capacity to
deal with wasteful conflict. It is in everyone’s self-interest to resolve and transform
conflict. The world is interdependent. Borders, walls, legislation, and checkpoints
cannot keep out weapons of mass destruction, disease, resentment, and despair.
There is a practical and ethical imperative to creating a peaceful, nonviolent world
that offers dignified, decent lives for all.
Although the world is overly polarized and violent behavior is much too preva-
lent, we remain optimistic. We continue to search for—and often find—new ways
to empower large numbers of people to make a shift in attitudes and behaviors.
But inevitably, we have our share of setbacks. In Liberia, looters sacked our
radio studio. The Iraq war diverted much of our African funding. In the United
States, both the Left and the Right attacked our Network for Life and Choice as we
sought to drain the poison from the abortion issue. Still, we do not give up. In
Liberia, we rebuilt our Talking Drum Studio and resumed making radio programs
to encourage peacebuilding. We diversified our funding in Africa, finding new
sources. Sadly, however, we had to shut down the Network for Life and Choice
when escalating polarization caused our funding to dry up.
This is the story we want to tell—how an abstract idea—the search for com-
mon ground—became a concrete reality, with multiple forms of expression. How
it was built, expanded, and sustained; how it lives vibrantly in the hearts and
minds of a multi-cultural staff scattered across the planet; and how it continues to
reach into societies caught in deadly conflict, bringing inspiration and hope that
the violence can and will end, because there is a better way.

INSTITUTION BUILDING
Jean Monnet, chief architect of what became the European Union, has said,
“Nothing changes without individuals. Nothing lasts without institutions.”2 In
our view, the principal reason Search has flourished is because we have brought
social entrepreneurial skills to the field of conflict resolution, and because we have
built an organization with sufficient resources and personnel to tackle multilay-
ered conflicts that extend across entire countries and regions.
Historically, the conflict resolution field has been mostly composed of com-
mitted individuals. Sometimes, they work together in networks or ad hoc part-
nerships, but for reasons of both temperament and economics, they largely avoid
organizations. This is the consultant or sole practitioner model. We have devel-
oped an alternative. Instead of paying our staff consulting fees by the day, we
employ them by the year. In the process, we have made long-term conflict pre-
vention much more affordable. We believe that the most effective way to deal with
complex conflicts is for professional peacebuilders to be engaged on the ground
on a full-time, long-term basis.
Search for Common Ground 197

Organizationally, we have senior managers and country directors—master

builders who can inspire and lead, supervise complex projects, and hold together
many disparate pieces. We try to maintain a creative operating environment. We
believe that our organization—indeed, our lives—must be consistent with our
vision and the new world we seek to build.
We try to avoid a highly centralized system. We want the organization to be a
haven for sub-entrepreneurs, who operate autonomously, but within a common
ground framework. At the same time, we require strong financial management
from headquarters.
This model is full of challenges and contradictions. It requires both innovation
and effective administrative and financial systems. Unfortunately, such systems
rarely are exciting to social entrepreneurs, who would much rather develop a new
project than find ways to improve accounting procedures. Indeed, we recognize
that there is a core tension between nimbleness and stability. And we have learned
through experience—sometimes the hard way—that an organization like Search
requires both.
There are never enough hands to do everything. The passionate, talented peo-
ple who are drawn to our work are usually stretched to their limits. Exciting work
is accompanied by financial problems that drain energy from everyone. Even in
the Internet age, communications are difficult in many countries where we work.
Violence can flare up and wipe out years of work. Funding often falls through for
reasons that have no connection with our work or the conflict at hand, and every-
thing to do with the donor’s bureaucratic needs.
In fact, one beautiful summer day, when Search still had a staff of only forty,
the two of us sat together on a rock in the middle of Virginia’s Rappahannock
River and reviewed whether we really wanted to build an organization. Would
the administrative and financial burdens drag us down? We talked about our
vision of a world in which all people live peacefully. For this to happen, we
knew that humanity would have to learn how to transform conflict into change
and growth. We realized that there would be a need for effective institutions,
able to carry out large, complex activities. We reaffirmed our commitment to
building an organization that would be respected, respectful, resourceful,
sustainable, and at its core, transformational. We opted for continued growth,
despite the obstacles.
There also was—and is—the question of funding. Where would we find the
money? The field of conflict resolution is relatively new. Until 2006, only one
American foundation, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, provided sub-
stantial funding to the field as a field, and then Hewlett decided to close its pro-
gram. Still, through perseverance and ingenuity, we have been able to find funding
from governments—particularly European ones—and other foundations that
support conflict resolution as part of their backing for such activities as democra-
tization, human rights, good governance, and independent media. We have also
been able to secure an increasing amount of funds from individual and corporate
contributions.
198 The New Humanitarians

BASIC OPERATING PRINCIPLES

Each morning, 350 searchers, representing thirty nationalities, come to work at
our offices in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the United States. They
leave their ethnic and religious identities behind, and they work together to find
peaceful ways to deal with differences. They are Israeli and Palestinian, Hutu and
Tutsi, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian. It is heroic for them to stand for
peace—often in the midst of fear and hatred.
One of our basic operating principles is to employ people from all sides of the
conflict. This is crucial to our work of reconciling warring parties, since we believe
that in order for reconciliation to take place out there, it also must occur on the
inside. In other words, we as an organization must walk the talk.
We know that peace is a process, not an event. Although we certainly appreci-
ate those glorious moments when agreements are signed, we recognize that real
peace usually occurs after a long, arduous process of reducing fear, dealing with
concerns, and chipping away at stereotypes. Instead of confronting the other side
as the enemy, people in conflict gradually start to find solutions that maximize the
gain of all the parties involved.
We avoid parachuting. We believe that peacebuilding requires a long-term
commitment, and we avoid dropping into a conflict for a short visit. We use our
presence on the ground to develop knowledge and build a network of relation-
ships on all sides. We try to be inclusive and to involve as many partners and
allies as practical—including national governments, opposition groups, civil
society, security forces, diplomats, international organizations (such as the UN,
the World Bank, and the European Union), and—increasingly—the business
sector. We work on a societal level, and we usually adopt a multipronged, multi-
project strategy.
We become immersed in the local culture. We believe it is very important to
have a profound sense of where we are. Conflicts are complex, and it takes deep
engagement to understand them. In any given country, we try to combine what
we have learned elsewhere with the unique qualities present there. We work to
support and expand indigenous wisdom and creativity. We partner with local
peacebuilders to strengthen their ability to transform their own conflicts.
We recognize that each country is different, with a unique history and culture.
A standardized, off-the-shelf approach simply does not work, and we have no sin-
gle operating model. Still, we find similarities: everywhere there is a storytelling
tradition, and everywhere people in conflict see themselves as victims. In our view,
about 50 percent of our toolbox works when we enter a new place, and 50 percent
does not—and we never know which 50 percent it will be. For us, the keys are cre-
ativity and nimbleness.
Our methodology is rooted in a simple idea, which we heard first from South
African ANC (African National Congress) leader, Andrew Masondo: understand
the differences and act on the commonalities. And, within that framework, we
have developed a diverse toolbox, which includes such traditional techniques as
mediation, training, facilitation, and back-channel negotiations. Because violent
Search for Common Ground 199

conflict depends on stereotyping, demonizing, and dehumanizing, we also use the

tools of popular culture to help reverse this process. Thus, we produce soap operas
that communicate win-win messages of mutual respect, tolerance, nonviolence,
and problem solving. We make music videos that have turned into theme songs
for entire peace processes. We produce reality TV—with good values. In addition,
our toolbox includes street theater, sport, art, community organizing, and film
festivals.
In sum, we are weavers who knit together multiple strands to help mend coun-
tries that are torn and broken. We aim to de-radicalize and encourage moderate
voices. We work both top down and bottom up. We promote societal healing
across whole countries.

FIELD OFFICES
Until 1994, our funding came exclusively from individuals and foundations in
the United States. Motivated as the two of us were by both practical and roman-
tic impulses—a combination that remains the norm for us—we bought Eurail
passes and sought funding in the capitals of Europe. For a week, we spent our
nights in sleeping cars and, by day, met with foreign aid officials in Stockholm,
Oslo, Copenhagen, The Hague, and Brussels. It paid off. Soon, we were raising
more money in Europe than in the United States. We registered as a Belgian NGO,
and we adopted a strategy of having as many funding sources as possible. We
wanted to avoid being dependent on any single funder.
With new means to pay the bills, we started to open field offices. Our first was in
Macedonia, where our director was Robert Frowick, a retired U.S. ambassador, who
gave us instant status. When John first visited him in Skopje, he arranged for lunch
with the country’s president, who endorsed our program on national television.
Our next office was in Burundi. Its opening followed the 1994 genocide in
Rwanda. In November of that year, Lionel Rosenblatt, then head of Refugees
International, challenged us: if we could not take action to help prevent Burundi,
which has the same ethnic mix as Rwanda, from becoming a killing field, how
could we, in good conscience, call ourselves a conflict prevention organization?
Lionel was absolutely right. A month later, we were on a plane to Bujumbura. We
talked to everyone we could—Hutus and Tutsis, politicians, civil society leaders,
the diplomatic community, religious and business figures, women, youth, teach-
ers, and donors.
Because of the escalating violence, development agencies and other NGOs were
pulling out. We recognized an immediate need to defuse tension and prevent vio-
lence. We felt the key bastion against disaster was Ahmedou Ould-Abdullah, an
extraordinary man who was the UN secretary general’s special representative. He
was working tirelessly to negotiate, mediate, and cajole—to somehow stop the slide
toward the abyss. Ahmedou became our patron (and our future board member). He
went to bat for us with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),
which had a budget for economic development but was not spending it because of
200 The New Humanitarians

Figure 11.1 Burundian musicians make music for peace at a drumming festival.
Courtesy of the Search for Common Ground Archive.

the violence. Ahmedou requested that a good part of it be given to us. Within
months, we had our first program with a budget of more than $1 million a year.
Timing is critical to our work. It reflects a mix of instinct, common sense,
and good problem solving. We try to stay ahead of the curve, but not too far out
in front. At a head level, this means judging where we can bring added value,
and figuring out how to gain entry. At a heart level, it is a compassionate
response to the events in our world, and a deep listening to that inner voice that
draws us forward, even though we may not know exactly what that will mean or
what it will look like.

Burundi: Studio Ijambo

In Bujumbura, we set up a radio production facility, called Studio Ijambo,
which means wise words in Kirundi, to produce balanced, noninflammatory pro-
gramming. In Rwanda, hate radio had incited the killers. We hoped to use radio
to do the opposite: to defuse violence and build bridges. We recruited a team of
journalists—both Tutsis and Hutus. They were often considered traitors to their
ethnic group because they were working for the common good.
Studio Ijambo was—and is—a studio, not a station. Although we wanted to
disseminate our programming widely, we feared that if we became a radio station,
Search for Common Ground 201

we would be the target of government wrath, and we would be considered com-

petitive with other stations, rather than being seen as a resource. We hoped that
our shows would be broadcast by all the radio stations in the country, which is
what happened, and we subsequently adopted a similar model in starting studios,
not stations, in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Guinea, Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The idea was to provide local stations and networks with free, high-quality
programming that contained messages of peace and reconciliation. From the
beginning, our largest customer in Burundi was the country’s national radio. In
our peak years, we were producing as much as fifteen hours a week of original
programming.
Our programs were informative and balanced. Mixed Hutu/Tutsi reporting
teams were able to go where neither could go alone. They provided protection
for each other, and demonstrated both the reality and perception of balanced
reporting. In the mid-1990s, when the government and rebel groups cut off
contact, we initiated a series of parallel interviews, which allowed the various
factions to hear each other’s perspectives over the airwaves. We invited rebel
leaders for telephone interviews, and convened roundtable discussions of gov-
ernment, political party, and civil society leaders. Our journalists made a point
of traveling to remote corners of the country so that all Burundians felt
included in on-air conversations.
The studio set new standards in Burundi for unbiased journalism, and the local
radio stations began to change their style, too. The head of Burundi National
Radio has credited Studio Ijambo with greatly improving reporting standards
throughout the country. In an ABC Nightline program, host Ted Koppel called the
studio “the voice of hope.” At this writing, thirteen years after it started, the studio
is still going strong.
Our most popular programming was a twice-weekly, radio soap opera series
called Our Neighbors, Ourselves. Started in 1996, this was our first-ever soap (it led
to similar programming in nine other countries). The series, written by a
Burundian playwright, told the story of a Hutu family and a Tutsi family that,
during 616 episodes, succeeded in peacefully resolving their disputes. Burundi is
a small media market, where polling showed the series was heard by 87 percent of
the population. Indeed, the impact reached the point where our fictional charac-
ters became part of national folklore, and we were, in effect, defining Burundian
archetypes. Roger Conrad, an official with USAID, described the impact of the
soap opera and the other programs thus: “You have introduced the vocabulary of
peace and reconciliation to the national conversation at all levels, where previ-
ously only words of hate and mistrust were heard.”

Burundi: Women’s Peace Center

Another highly effective part of our multipronged strategy in Burundi was our
Women’s Peace Center. Also established in 1996, the center sought to mobilize
women as peacemakers. It worked with thousands of women’s associations in
202 The New Humanitarians

organizing, training, and facilitating interethnic dialogue, providing information

about women’s rights, and helping resettle internally displaced people. In sum, it
was a venue for societal healing. Please consider this story:

Léonie Barakomeza and Yvonne Ryakiye were born in the locality but did not know
each other. In 1993 fighting broke out, and their community was destroyed. Léonie
and her fellow Tutsis fled to one side of the river; Yvonne and the Hutus went to the
other. In 1996 the two met through Search for Common Ground’s Women’s Peace
Center and began working together. Unlike most of their neighbors, they were will-
ing to cross the river that separated them. Accused of treason to their group, they
persisted. Other women followed their example, and links grew. These women cre-
ated a women’s association and urged people to return home. Despite meager
means, they pooled resources and built forty brick houses for both Tutsi and Hutu
families. Their efforts were recognized, when, along with eight other Burundian
women, they were nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.

Burundi: Youth
Young militia members, paid a few dollars a day by military and political lead-
ers, carried out most of the actual violence in Burundi. In 1999 we started an ini-
tiative to provide alternatives for these youths. It was originally known as the
Working with Killers project, and it began when an Italian TV crew asked to use
Studio Ijambo to interview two cousins, a Hutu rebel and a Tutsi gang member.
They had been enemies for years. Contrary to expectations, the two agreed to stop
fighting and team up with a local youth group, Jamaa (Unity). With our support,
they began to build an ethnically mixed youth movement called Gardons Contact
(Let’s Stay in Touch).
It was not easy. One of the first events we sponsored was a workshop for
thirty ethnically mixed youth who gathered on a Saturday afternoon. Partici-
pants talked, played cards, and made music. As the evening wore on, no one
wanted go to sleep. The adults finally declared that it was time for bed. There
was silence. We learned a lesson about holding workshops for violent enemies:
no one feels safe sleeping. Finally, assurances from the adults, plus fatigue, won
out, and they went to bed. In the morning, having survived the night, the Hutu
and Tutsi youth looked at each other with fresh eyes. They began to talk more
deeply, and they discovered the common ground: both felt exploited by politi-
cal leaders.
This group became the core of our youth activities. We provided funding, a
platform, food, and process suggestions. They organized ethnically mixed soccer
tournaments, and they began to tell their stories through comic books, which they
wrote and illustrated. They related the horrors they had seen—for example,
watching victims die horrible deaths. The comic books were so compelling that
the Burundian Ministry of Education added them to the curriculum material for
the country’s schools.
Search for Common Ground 203

Burundi: Domestic Shuttle Diplomacy

From the beginning, we realized that conflict resolution in Burundi would
benefit greatly from continuing mediation and facilitation. In 1995 we brought in
Jan van Eck, a former South African ANC member of parliament, to promote dia-
logue and help solve problems among leaders of conflicting parties outside of the
official peace talks. He worked directly for us for two years, and independently for
another ten. During this whole period, Jan spent about half his time in Burundi.
He became a widely trusted intermediary, who was in contact with virtually every
party to the conflict, including rebel groups with whom almost no one else was
talking, and he facilitated many agreements—small and large.

Burundi: Culture
Violent conflict is not an intellectual exercise, and in Burundi, as elsewhere,
we want to reach people on the emotional level. Therefore, we make wide use
of popular culture. And in Burundi, this meant drumming and dancing. We
organized national competitions and held giant festivals in Bujumbura. Studio
Ijambo employed a full-time disk jockey, and we produced music for peace
radio programs. We even enlisted Jamaican reggae star Ziggy Marley, who has
a huge following in Burundi, to record public service announcements (PSAs).

Continued Expansion
By 1997 we had also established field offices in Ukraine and Angola, and we
were ready for a new opening. It came when Jan Pronk, then the Dutch minis-
ter of development cooperation, requested that we launch a Liberian radio stu-
dio similar to Studio Ijambo in Burundi. And he sweetened the suggestion by
offering start-up funding. This offer posed a dilemma for us. We had taken, as
an article of faith, that the availability of funding would not be allowed to drive
our programming. Given the Dutch offer, we had long discussions, and we
came to see that our organizational integrity does not depend on where we
work or on whose idea it is to get started. We realized that to produce pro-
gramming with messages of peace—in Liberia or anywhere else—is totally
consistent with our vision.
So, we accepted the Dutch grant and established Talking Drum Studio in
Liberia. This, in turn, led to more expansion, which occurred because several
of our Liberian staff members turned out to be refugees from the war in neigh-
boring Sierra Leone, and they urged us to establish a second radio studio in
Freetown. That seemed like a good idea, and we were able to secure funding
from donors who were impressed with the work we were doing in Liberia. In
addition, we recognized that West African conflicts do not respect national
borders, and we saw the importance of acting regionally. Next, from Sierra
Leone, we expanded into Côte d’Ivoire and then into Guinea. This chain of
204 The New Humanitarians

events, in fact, illustrates our methodology for building the organization: we

reacted to an opportunity, learned from experience, and discovered—or stum-
bled upon—a new insight. As will be discussed below, this is how we function
as social entrepreneurs.

Middle East
In the Middle East, unlike in West Africa, we started in 1991 with a regional
approach. But after the violent second Palestinian intifada broke out in 2000, we
saw we needed to make some major changes. As the bloodshed spread, neither
Arabs nor Israelis were particularly interested in meeting and embarking on joint
action programs. We went into a period of intense reflection, and we realized that
we needed more bilateral programs, aimed at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This
seemed particularly true after 9/11 when we got a sense—deep in our guts—that
the Palestinian-Israeli struggle was at the heart of what was tearing up the earth.
The two of us made a life-changing decision: We decided to move to Jerusalem for
two years to do whatever we could to heal the conflict. We became co-directors of
Search’s Middle East program. We found a house just seventy yards from the
Green Line that split the city, and we opened our office on the other side. In per-
sonal terms, we were able to create the balance that is so important when working
in a divided society.
And, we were balancing a lot. In addition to running the Jerusalem office, we
were still president and executive vice president of the whole organization. At
first, we shuttled between Jerusalem and Washington, D.C., where we spent a
week every six weeks, but we could not sustain the pace—nor did we want to
be away so often from Jerusalem. In Washington, we had a strong leader,
Shamil Idriss, who had started with us as an intern, become head of our
Burundi project, and at twenty-seven moved up to be our chief operating offi-
cer. Our overloaded work schedules, but not Susan’s health, were helped by a
seven-hour-time difference, which allowed us to work a full day in Jerusalem,
and then spend much of the evening on the phone and in email connection
with Washington.
We rebuilt the Jerusalem program to meet the changed reality. Producing
media seemed to represent one of the few activities where we felt we could make
a difference. So we did the following:

• CGNews. We built up the Common Ground News Service, which every week
offers a selection of solution-oriented, bridge-building articles to newspapers
and websites around the world and to more than 20,000 individual sub-
scribers. We negotiated rights to reproduce articles from leading publications,
and we commissioned original articles from a network of prominent contrib-
utors. In 2005 we added a second weekly edition that publishes articles to
improve understanding between the Islamic world and the West. Our news
service now appears in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, English, French, Hebrew, and
Search for Common Ground 205

Urdu. Altogether, more than 6,500 of our articles have been reprinted in such
places as Al Hayat (London), Ha’aretz (Tel Aviv), Christian Science Monitor
(Boston), Al Quds (Jerusalem), Washington Post/Newsweek Online, Jakarta
Post, Frontier Post (Peshawar), Kuwait Times, Jordan Times, Arab News
(Jeddah), and Al-Jazeera.com (Doha). (For a free subscription, please click on
www.cgnews.org.)
• Nonviolence. Like many people, we felt that if only the Palestinians would
practice Gandhian nonviolence, their conflict with Israel would be much
more likely to be resolved. So, we commissioned polls among both Israelis
and Palestinians—and released them to considerable publicity—showing
that clear majorities of both peoples favored a nonviolent approach but
believed that the other side would react with deadly force. We also arranged
for the independent Palestinian TV network, called Ma’an and consisting of
nine local TV stations, to broadcast a subtitled version of the PBS docu-
mentary series, A Force More Powerful. Our aim was to demonstrate the suc-
cess of nonviolence in places such as India, South Africa, and the American
civil rights movement. Also with Ma’an, we co-produced talk shows in
which Palestinians discussed the documentaries. The Ma’an Network was
then operating on such a shoestring that the price for an hour-long talk
show was less than $1,000.
• The Ma’an Network. Ma’an soon became a major partner. This group of local
Palestinian TV stations was run by an extraordinary entrepreneur, Raed
Othman, who kept pushing us to expand the relationship. We wound up
co-producing many additional discussion shows, two soap opera series of
thirty episodes, and a regular TV news magazine. Also, we collaborated in
developing local news shows, originating at member stations. And we intro-
duced Raed to international funders, including the Dutch government, which
funded him in setting up the Ma’an News Service, which has grown into
Palestine’s most-visited website.
• Television Documentary. John conceived, wrote, and produced a four-part
TV documentary series portraying what an eventual Palestinian-Israeli
peace settlement could look like. The core idea was to examine, in an even-
handed way, the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians and to show
that negotiated settlements are possible. Called Shape of the Future, it aired
in 2005 and was the first-ever program broadcast simultaneously on Israeli,
Palestinian, and Arab satellite TV. Former President Jimmy Carter described
it thus:

This series examines the fears and aspirations of Israelis and Palestinians in an
even-handed way. It shows how a negotiated agreement could address those fears
and aspirations, and do so without threatening the national existence of either
side. Israel and Egypt were able to accomplish this task at Camp David more than
25 years ago and this series supports the belief that Israelis and Palestinians can
do the same.3
206 The New Humanitarians

Figure 11.2 John and Susan on location in the Negev desert during the filming of
Shape of the Future, which aired simultaneously on Israeli and Palestinian TV. Courtesy of
the Search for Common Ground Archive.

COMMON GROUND PRODUCTIONS

Shape of the Future was one of many TV and radio series produced by Common
Ground Productions (CGP), the media production division of Search for Common
Ground. CGP was John’s vision. From the beginning, he realized that if we were
going to be successful in changing how the world deals with conflict, we would need
to reach tens of millions of people through media. He was inspired in two different
ways: First, in 1979, ABC-TV had turned his book, The Search for the “Manchurian
Candidate,” into a documentary. John noticed that about 8 million viewers had
watched it—which was about 7,970,000 more than had read it. Second, he was
struck by a remark attributed to the late New Yorker writer A. J. Liebling, who said,
“Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.”
In 1986 John rather grandly declared that, in addition to being head of Search
for Common Ground, he was also president of CGP. To prove it, he had cards
made. Since printers do not normally ask for verification that an organization
actually exists, CGP was born. Within two years, we produced a ten-part Search for
Common Ground series, hosted by NPR’s Scott Simon, which aired on over 100
U.S. public television stations. Additional TV series followed in Russia, Sri Lanka,
Angola, and South Africa (which led to John meeting Susan).
Search for Common Ground 207

Nevertheless, in many of the places we worked, particularly in Africa, television

was seen by only a very small part of the population. Radio is the principal means
of communication, so we made a retro move into radio—in Burundi, Angola,
Liberia, Sierra Leone, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Guinea (as well as in Indonesia,
Ukraine, Palestine, and Nepal). In all, we have produced thousands of hours of TV
drama, radio soap opera, documentaries, call-in shows, and music videos. Here
are some more of our greatest hits:

• Macedonia: Nashe Maalo (Our Neighborhood). This is a forty-one-part

dramatic TV series for children, produced in association with Sesame
Workshop. It aired from 1999 to 2003, and reruns continue. It was viewed
by 91 percent of Macedonian youth, and it spun off a number one music
video, a puppet theater, a website, and a teacher’s guide for the classroom.
The plot features a talking apartment house in which live Macedonian,
Albanian, Turkish, and Roma families, and it promotes themes of intereth-
nic tolerance.
• Cyprus: Gimme6. This eight-part series tells the stories of a Greek Cypriot boy
who spends a summer at soccer camp in London, and of a Turkish Cypriot girl
who plays the violin in a youth orchestra. It has been broadcast to both the
Greek and Turkish sides of Cyprus.
• Africa: Search for Common Ground. This documentary series was co-produced
with Ubuntu TV & Film for the South African Broadcasting Corporation and
other African stations. It shows African conflicts actually being resolved.
Viewers see village elders mediating a land dispute and a domestic violence
workshop that successfully deals with spousal abuse. A review in the Johannesburg
Sunday Times by Zakes Mda called it “the most inspiring piece of television I
have seen in a long time.”
• Sierra Leone: Insai Di Saloon (Inside the Salon). Produced in 2007, this ten-
episode TV series uses a sitcom format to encourage voter turnout and to
address issues facing women and disaffected young men.
• Nigeria: The Station. This is a fifty-two-part TV drama about a fictional,
multiethnic, multireligious team of reporters and producers that works for
a Lagos TV news station. Broadcast started in 2006 on Nigeria’s two princi-
pal national networks and continues until 2009. It was preceded by a
fifteen-part reality series, The Academy, about the selection and training of
the Station’s cast.
• United States–Egypt: The Bridge. Aired in 2007 on the Hallmark Network, this
is the pilot for a future series featuring exchanges between people in the United
States and the Islamic world. The first program follows two Americans and
two Egyptians—cowboys and talk show hosts—as they experience the chal-
lenges of day-to-day life in the other culture. Although reality TV usually
emphasizes differences and weaknesses, The Bridge focuses on what the par-
ticipants have in common.
208 The New Humanitarians

Figure 11.3 SFCG’s Nigerian TV soap opera is championed by former President Bill Clinton.
Courtesy of the Search for Common Ground Archive.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
We have broken new ground in terms of combining media production with
conflict resolution, just as we have done seminal work in developing societal con-
flict transformation. We have built Search with a can-do approach and a knack for
finding innovative solutions. From the beginning, we have launched new
projects—starting, literally, from zero. In recent years, a term has come into vogue
that is now used to describe people like us: we are called social entrepreneurs. Just
as a Molière character declared that he had not realized he had been speaking
prose his whole life, in our early years, we did not have this term to describe our-
selves. But in 2006, we were both named Skoll Fellows in Social Entrepreneurship,
so we now have a plaque on the wall certifying our profession.
We have developed our own principles of social entrepreneurship, and they
shape our work. Here they are:
1. Start from vision. Our vision is to transform the way the world deals with
conflict—away from adversarial, win-lose approaches to non-adversarial,
win-win solutions. Everything we do must be consistent—or at least not
inconsistent—with our vision.
2. Be an applied visionary. In order to change the world, it is necessary to break
down complicated projects into finite pieces—and to make things happen. We
strive to be incrementally transformational.
Search for Common Ground 209

3. Be prepared to deal with high levels of complexity. When you intervene in

complex systems, such as international conflicts, you can be sure that there
will be unexpected results.
4. “On s’engage; et puis on voit.” As Napoleon said, you become engaged, and
then you see new possibilities. In our work, this translates into recognizing you
cannot plan in advance the various steps to be followed or the results to be
achieved.
5. Practice aikido. In the Japanese martial art of aikido, when you are attacked,
you do not try to reverse your assailant’s energy flow by 180 degrees, as you
would in boxing. You accept the attacker’s energy, blend with it, and divert it
by 10 or 20 degrees in order to make you both safe. In our work, this means
accepting a conflict as it is—while transforming it one step at a time.
6. Make “yes-able” propositions. As Roger Fisher and Bill Ury wrote in their
landmark book Getting to Yes, everything works much better when people say
“yes” to your proposals, which need to be both in their interest and in yours.
7. Enroll credible supporters. Social entrepreneurs, who usually operate on the
cutting edge, are often seen as marginal—or even crazy. Having prominent
supporters can be very helpful.
8. Apply fingerspitzengefühl. This is a German word meaning to have an intu-
itive sense of knowing—at the tip of your finger. Either you have it or you
do not.
9. Demonstrate chutzpah. Chutzpah is a Yiddish word for nerve or effrontery.
Or, as author Leo Rosten wrote, it is the quality “in a man who, having killed
his mother and father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is
an orphan.”4 In our view, a social entrepreneur needs this characteristic—
without being overly pushy or culturally inappropriate.
10. Develop good metaphors and models. Most people will not shift their atti-
tudes and behaviors if they do not have a good idea of where they are headed.
Metaphors and models—compelling stories—are crucial to the reframing
process.
11. Have a high tolerance for ambiguity. If you are uncomfortable with not
knowing where you are going and cannot deal well with the unexpected, you
probably will not be a successful social entrepreneur.
12. Find trimtab points. On ships and airplanes, the trimtab, a tiny rudder at the
leverage point, can turn the craft with a minimum of effort. Similarly, social
entrepreneurs should find the places where their initiatives will have a large
impact from a comparatively small input.
13. Be persistent. We cite the example of a child’s toy truck that advances until it
hits a piece of furniture, backs off, and then finds another path forward.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: THE UNITED STATES AND IRAN

In 1996 we made a long-term commitment to improving Iranian-American
relations, and we have stayed engaged ever since. (Start from vision.) We began
by organizing a series of confidential meetings in Europe between high-level,
210 The New Humanitarians

former U.S. and Iranian officials. (Be an applied visionary.) Susan facilitated, and
she quickly succeeded in enabling the group to work together on the shared prob-
lem of how to have a better relationship—instead of facing each other as adver-
saries. After five such meetings, participants agreed on a blueprint for bringing the
two countries back together. Unfortunately, neither group was successful in get-
ting this new policy adopted when they went home. (Be prepared to deal with a
high level of complexity.)
Then, an Iranian participant made an exciting proposal. (“On s’engage et puis
on voit.”) He suggested that one way to break the deadlock might be for
Americans to return openly to Tehran where they had not publicly appeared in
almost twenty years. He stated that any Americans who appeared in Iran would be
the criticized, but those who would be the least criticized would be wrestlers. Why
wrestlers? Because in Iranian folklore, wrestlers are the great mythic heroes, and
wrestling is still the most popular sport with the masses.
It was a plausible, culturally appropriate way of not directly confronting the
conflict but finding a way around. (Practice aikido.) When we returned to
Washington, we arranged an introduction to USA Wrestling, America’s national
wrestling federation. It turned out that American wrestlers had recently been
invited to Iran for a tournament, but for reasons that had to do with security and
political difficulties, we were told that they probably would not be going. We
helped convince USA Wrestling that it would be safe and desirable for them to
participate. We proposed that we would look after the politics, while they would
take care of the wrestling. (Make yes-able propositions.) We got an unofficial
green light from the Clinton administration, and we set up a meeting between
Iran’s ambassador to the UN and USA Wrestling. (Enroll credible supporters.) In
addition, we arranged with the Swiss government, which represents U.S. interests
in Iran, to welcome the wrestlers. We even were able to give the private cell phone
number of the Swiss ambassador in Tehran to USA Wrestling and said they could
call him in case of trouble. (Demonstrate chutzpah.)
We were clearly in the right place at the right time. (Apply fingerspitzengefühl.)
While we were making preparations, Iranian president Khatemi gave an interview
to CNN, calling for a “dialogue of civilizations.”
In February 1998, John and the U.S. national wrestling team flew to Tehran. It
was an electrifying experience. The American wrestlers marched into the arena,
proudly—but without chauvinism—carrying the American flag. The media
beamed the scene around the world and contrasted it with the last time the
American flag had appeared in Tehran, during the hostage crisis, when it had been
burned on a daily basis. We had created a vivid new global image. (Develop good
metaphors and models.)
When we returned home, President Clinton invited the wrestlers and John to
the Oval Office. The U.S. government wanted to send a positive signal to Iran, so
our visit was filmed and then transmitted to Iran by satellite. (Find the trimtab
points.) We had a vision that “wrestling diplomacy” would end in a breakthrough
in relations, but for various reasons involving national egos and not paying
Search for Common Ground 211

enough attention to the needs of the other, the new day never dawned. It had been
a heady ride, but we were not about to give up.
However, we faced an operational dilemma. What had once been a highly con-
fidential project to improve U.S.-Iranian relations had been spotlighted in the
world’s media. So, we made a virtue out of necessity, and adopted a two-track
strategy. (Have a high tolerance of ambiguity.) We decided both to sponsor pub-
lic exchanges and to hold back-channel meetings. In fact, we came to see that the
exchanges would provide cover for the meetings, and soon we were involved in
Iranian-American film summits, film showings in both countries, visits of astro-
nauts, and exchanges among environmentalists, academics, and doctors. As a pro-
fessor at Tehran University put it, “What [Search for Common Ground] has been
doing has had a profound effect on the psyche of both the [Iranian] public and
the elite. . . . No other activities have had such an effect.”
In sum, we provide an active channel for dialogue and communication
between the United States and Iran, and we use our connections to seek peaceful
solutions and implement projects on the ground. And we are operating by what
we call the Woody Allen principle: namely, “80 percent of success is showing up.”
With Iran, we have been showing up since 1996. On one level, our efforts might
be seen to have failed, since Iranian-U.S. relations have sunk very low. Still, we are
not deterred because we are committed for the long haul, and we believe we have
accomplished a great deal. In fact, we know it is extremely important that we
maintain contact, particularly at times when governments are barely talking. With
most official channels closed, we remain well positioned to play a facilitating role
toward better relations. To get an idea of the impact we can have, here is what a
former Iranian ambassador to the UN said in 2005 about our role in looking for
constructive solutions in the nuclear domain:

I believe you saved our negotiations. Your ideas kept the negotiations going. . . . If
there is any outcome of the negotiations that is to the satisfaction of both sides, it
will be a derivative of the discussions of this group—with conditions that will make
it possible for both sides to accept.

If nothing else, we are relentless—with Iran and everywhere we work.

(Be persistent.)

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Search for Common Ground
Founders and Executive Directors: John Marks and Susan Collin Marks
Mission/Description: To transform the way the world deals with conflict: away
from adversarial approaches, toward cooperative solutions. Although the
world is overly polarized and violence is much too prevalent, those associated
with Search remain essentially optimistic. Their view is that, on the whole,
212 The New Humanitarians

history is moving in positive directions. Although some of the conflicts cur-

rently being dealt with may seem intractable, there are successful examples of
cooperative conflict resolution that can be looked to for inspiration—such as
in South Africa, where an unjust system was transformed through negotiations
and an inclusive peace process.
Website: http://www.sfcg.org
Address: 1601 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 200
Washington, DC 20009 USA
Phone: (202) 265-4300
Fax: (202) 232-6718
E-mail: scmarks@sfcg.org or jmarks@sfcg.org

NOTES
1. New York: W.W. Norton, 1991, p. 15.
2. Quoted in John Gardner, On Leadership (New York: Free Press, 1989).
3. E-mail from Matthew Hodes of the Carter Center, April 8, 2005.
4. The Joys of Yiddish, p. 94 (1971).
 12

The Project on Justice in

Times of Transition
Tim Phillips

HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The end of the cold war and the collapse of communism throughout Central
and Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union at the end of the twentieth century rep-
resented a fundamental change in global politics that was revolutionary in its
importance, ushering in a wave of newly independent states eager to hold free and
fair elections, establish the rule of law, modernize their economies, and join forces
with the West.
Western governments and nonprofit organizations rushed in to assist these
new states on a range of critical issues, including the design of new constitutions
and democratic institutions, the creation of market economies, and the establish-
ment of independent media and other institutions of civil society. All of these
efforts were much needed, forward-looking in nature, and designed to facilitate
the transition to democracy and to help prepare these states for membership in
the larger international community. Yet in the euphoric early days of the transi-
tion from communism to democracy, something fundamental was missing: a seri-
ous public debate about the recent past.
The totalitarian regimes of the communist Eastern Bloc viewed the state as the
ultimate source of power and legitimacy, and they sought to control almost every
aspect of their citizens’ daily life. This highly toxic environment lasted for decades
and permeated the institutions, everyday life, and mindsets of citizens, who
fought a daily battle for survival and basic dignity under communism. After
decades of repression, how could the new democracies of Europe transition into
fully democratic states unless a new concept of citizenship and new habits of mind
were formed among their citizens? Suspicion of everyone and every action was
rampant under communism, and this attitude would not disappear overnight,
particularly because communism collapsed quickly in Central and Eastern Europe

213
214 The New Humanitarians

rather than declining over a longer period of time, which could have allowed these
issues to be addressed in a less politicized and more tolerant manner.
Dictatorships, particularly those of the all-intrusive, totalitarian form, often
force their subjects into situations that people in free countries would never
understand. Adam Michnik, one of Poland’s most eminent intellectuals, who was
a leading dissident under communism, has pointed out that ordinary people were
coerced into some degree of collaboration with the communist regime in order to
lead normal lives and simply care for their families. Yet every interaction with the
state was an insult to an individual’s dignity and honor. If you wanted to acquire
a passport to visit a sick relative in the United States, for example, the passport
authorities would tell you that they would give you the proper document as long
as you would agree to spy on the people you met with and anyone else the state
deemed important. At that point, according to Michnik, the average citizen is
forced to make a fundamental decision: do I say yes and thus compromise my
integrity and become a collaborator; say no and sign away my job, my apartment,
and my children’s education; or lie to the authorities and agree to spy but only
provide false or useless information? If you choose to live by your principles and
refuse to collaborate, you put everything at risk and become known as an enemy
of the state. In Michnik’s view, ordinary people should have the right not to be
heroes.
Democracies seek to provide the maximum freedom to their citizens, and the
legitimacy of the democratic state depends on the free will of the people. How
could trust in the state, an essential building block for democratic nations, be
developed in former communist countries where the bonds of trust with the state
were nonexistent or at best limited? How could trust be developed when intelli-
gence services were spying on everyone and forcing neighbors, co-workers, and
even family members to spy on each other?
It was in response to this complex and painful legacy that the Project on Justice
in Times of Transition was born. Founded in 1992, the Project initially was
designed to assist the new leaders of Central and Eastern Europe and the former
Soviet Union in confronting their nations’ poisonous history of communist
repression, to help them identify and address the difficult and complex issues of
human rights violations, to explore ways to deal with former collaborators and
state security files—and to do so in a way that respected the rule of law and con-
tributed to the building of tolerant and sustainable democratic societies.
In the first few years of its work, the Project primarily focused on the urgent
needs of the post-communist countries in Europe, but it soon broadened its
efforts to include countries moving from violent conflict to peace. Since its incep-
tion, the Project has organized more than fifty major initiatives around the world
using its pioneering methodology of shared experience, which is based on two
fundamental principles: that people can learn from the experiences of others, and
that people can change. By bringing leaders from one country to share their expe-
riences in addressing the aftermath of conflict or repression with their counter-
parts in another country grappling with similar challenges, the Project has helped
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 215

build trust between once-bitter enemies in what were seemingly intractable con-
flicts, and our methodology has been replicated in hundreds of settings around
the world.
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition has earned a global reputation for
its groundbreaking work in transitional justice—a field it is credited with
launching—and in conflict resolution, and for its significant contributions to
peace, reconciliation, and the rule of law in South Africa, Northern Ireland,
Central America, the Balkans, and the former communist states of Europe.

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE PROJECT

The idea that led to the creation of the Project on Justice in Times of Transi-
tion originated in May 1991 when I attended a two-week seminar at the Salzburg
Seminar, an American educational institution in Salzburg, Austria, that brings
together emerging leaders from countries around the world to discuss important
policy and cultural issues. I had been awarded a fellowship to take part in a pro-
gram on the environment and sustainable development that included participants
from more than twenty countries. Among them were many former dissidents
from the emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe who now held
leadership positions in their countries, including posts as government ministers,
parliamentarians, and heads of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
I was invited to participate in the program because of recent work I had done
in the United States on climate change and sustainable development. In 1989, as I
started to become aware of the growing threat of climate change and its impact on
the planet, I conceived, organized, and raised funds for a program at the John F.
Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University to educate the media
(specifically general assignment reporters who knew little about scientific or envi-
ronmental issues) about the increasing danger global warming posed. This pro-
gram, “Understanding Global Warming: A Seminar for Journalists,” which
featured some of the most prominent scientists, policymakers, and scholars
addressing the issues, was the first program of its kind tailored to the general
media in the United States, and it introduced dozens of reporters to the issues of
climate change. The seminar also showed me that you can make a difference on
an emerging global issue if you bring together first-rate and relevant people, let
them talk to and learn from each other, and challenge them to move beyond con-
sensus thinking. Moreover, the success of this seminar, as well as my earlier work
in Central America (described below), demonstrates that a totally unknown per-
son with a well-thought-out idea, substance, tenacity, and goodwill can make a
meaningful impact in the world.
During my stay in Salzburg, I spent considerable time talking to the other par-
ticipants, particularly the representatives from the former communist bloc, some
of whom were about my age (I was thirty-one). Although I was extremely inter-
ested in the environmental and development issues being discussed in our semi-
nar, the questions that most intrigued me lay outside the formal seminar agenda.
216 The New Humanitarians

I wondered how those newly independent countries would confront the compli-
cated legacies of the often brutal communist dictatorships. What would they do
with officials of the former communist regimes? Some of them were guilty of
human rights abuses, but most were merely dutiful party members—yet it was
their support that had helped keep the communists in power for decades. I also
wondered how the citizens of those new democracies would confront the legacy
of human rights violations, collaboration, and the poisonous problem of state
security files. In short, how would the countries of Central and Eastern Europe
come to terms with their communist past? I found these issues deeply fascinating
and important.
During coffee breaks, over steins of beer at the nightly sessions in the Bierstube,
and on long morning and evening walks through the cobbled streets of Salzburg
and around the beautiful lake on whose shore stands Schloss Leopoldskron, the
home of the Salzburg Seminar, I had a chance to discuss these issues with the
Central and Eastern European participants. Everyone I spoke with stressed that
dealing with the communist past was essential for them as individuals, and that
the transition to democracy would not succeed if their countries did not find ways
to address these difficult issues. Several of them pointed out that in the year and a
half that had passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, the initial
euphoria that had greeted the collapse of communism was starting to wane, and
the hard work of building new, democratic societies was growing more difficult
each day. They feared that the communist past would emerge in an ugly, vindic-
tive way, and that it was essential to confront its legacies quickly before they could
be manipulated for political gain or retribution.
As I thought about these challenges facing the post-communist states, I realized
that there was an opportunity for me and others to contribute, in some small way,
to help the leaders of these fragile new democracies address these critical issues. My
recent experience in Central America had introduced me to some of the same issues
in another context, and provided me with valuable insight into the experiences and
mindsets of individuals living under dictatorship and civil conflict.
Between 1987 and 1989, I independently organized two fact-finding trips to
Central America for prominent figures from the U.S. media, senior congressional
staff, and individuals of public renown whose opinion counted within American
political and policy circles. At the time, the United States was embroiled in con-
tentious foreign policy debates over Central America and the Reagan administra-
tion’s actions in the region, and I thought it would be useful to enable some
influential Americans to see for themselves what everyday life was like in conflict-
torn El Salvador, Sandinista-controlled Nicaragua, and democratic Costa Rica.
The idea behind the trips was simple: to introduce U.S. opinion leaders to the real-
ities of Central America unfiltered through the press, the divisive debates in
Washington, or secondhand information, and to allow them to draw their own
conclusions about the conflicts in the region. All I asked of them was to write a
column, opinion editorial, or a memorandum about their impressions of the trip
upon their return home.
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 217

These delegations included such luminaries as John Kenneth Galbraith;

authors Doris Kearns Goodwin, Richard Goodwin, and James Carroll; journalists
Howard Simons, Hendrik Hertzberg, and Christopher Hitchens; and senior edi-
tors from the Los Angeles Times, the New Republic, the Atlantic Monthly, Vanity
Fair, and other influential publications. I introduced them to government leaders
in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, as well as representatives of the guerilla
movements, including the Contras (as the anti-Sandinista guerilla movement was
called), plus labor leaders, human rights activists, and democratic opposition
groups. We spent considerable time talking with the key political actors in the
region, from Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega and hard-line Minister of
the Interior Tomas Borge on the left, to Salvadoran President Alfredo Cristiani on
the right, and two of the most courageous leaders whose politics fell more to the
center in the highly polarized environment of Central America of the 1980s,
Violeta Chamorro and Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. In 1987 Violeta
Chamorro was two years away from defeating Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua’s first
truly democratic election since the Sandinista revolution, and Oscar Arias was
courageously defying the Reagan administration by pursuing a regional peace
process rather than one dictated by Washington. Although very different in style
and personality, both these leaders believed deeply in the value of negotiation,
democratic processes, and the step-by-step process of building trust and working
with all sides to develop a “home-grown” process of peace. For these efforts, Oscar
Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987, and Violeta Chamorro was
elected president of Nicaragua in 1989 and led a peaceful transition to democracy.
We also spent time in both urban barrios and the countryside. The participants
were struck by the extreme poverty, polarization, and numbing levels of violence
in both El Salvador and Nicaragua, where tens of thousands had been killed and
several million displaced in both countries. This reality contrasted sharply to
peaceful, democratic Costa Rica: although it shared the same history, language,
and culture, and occupied a very small geographic region, Costa Rica was
markedly different from its neighbors. Although the delegation members debated
at length the causes of these differences, what they saw with their own eyes had a
powerful impact on them all. Many wrote influential articles upon their return to
United States and continued to write about Central America in the years ahead.
For my own part, witnessing firsthand in Central America the difficulty of
moving from dictatorship to democracy prepared me intellectually and practi-
cally to think about the challenges facing the emerging democracies of Central
and Eastern Europe, and to question how their citizens and new leaders who had
lived under communism would rebuild their societies.

FIRST STEPS
Toward the end of the two-week program in Salzburg, I approached the
deputy director of the Salzburg Seminar, Tim Ryback, with my thoughts on these
issues, with the idea that the seminar might organize a special program to help
218 The New Humanitarians

new leaders from the former communist states figure out how best to confront
the legacy of their past. My experience in Central America and my conversations
with the Central and Eastern European participants in Salzburg convinced me
that this idea was sound. Tim, who wrote about German history and politics for
the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books and had authored an impor-
tant book in the late 1980s about dissidents living under communism in Eastern
Europe, was immediately interested, enthusiastic, and supportive of my idea. He
helped me develop a memorandum outlining a proposed three-day conference
that would bring together leaders of the former communist states with their
counterparts from other countries that had successfully navigated the difficult
transition from dictatorship to democracy. Tim’s colleagues at the seminar also
responded positively to my idea; they suggested that I take the lead on the pro-
posal and contact two key individuals in the United States who were playing a
leadership role in helping consolidate the democratic transitions in the Central
and Eastern Europe: Wendy Luers and George Soros. I had never heard of either
of these people (this was before George Soros became famous outside the busi-
ness world for his financial skills and his philanthropy), but soon I was working
closely with both their organizations, and Wendy and I would co-found the
Project on Justice in Times of Transition.
In 1991 Wendy Luers headed the Charter 77 Foundation–New York, a non-
profit organization dedicated to strengthening democracy and civil society in
Czechoslovakia (the foundation is now known as the Foundation for a Civil
Society). Wendy had established the foundation at the request of Václav Havel, the
former dissident and playwright who was the first president of independent
Czechoslovakia, just a few months after the Velvet Revolution toppled the com-
munist regime in November 1989. The organization was named after the Charter
77 movement in Czechoslovakia that Havel and other dissidents had initiated in
1977 to challenge the communist system. Wendy had gotten to know Havel and
many other Czech and Slovak dissidents who had played a key role in Czechoslo-
vakia’s democratic revolution when she lived in Prague in the mid-1980s while her
husband, William Luers, served as U.S. ambassador. Wendy played an important
role in that period by reaching out to the dissidents and publicizing their cause to
influential audiences in the United States and Western Europe. As ambassador, her
husband was constrained from such contacts, but Wendy had no formal restric-
tions, and she skillfully developed relationships with the dissidents, supporting
them in several key ways, including introducing them to American writers and
artists such as Arthur Miller, John Updike, and William and Rose Styron, who
championed their cause in the United States, and connecting them with human
rights and pro-democracy advocates in the West.
In my first meeting with Wendy in September 1991, she immediately recog-
nized the value in the idea of bringing together the new leaders of the post-
communist states with former leaders of democratic transitions in South America
and Western Europe, and she proposed that we work together to make the con-
ference happen. In the 1970s, Wendy had worked on human rights issues in Latin
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 219

America for Amnesty International and was intimately acquainted with the legacy
of human rights abuses, deeply intrusive domestic intelligence services, political
imprisonment, and disappearances that were the horrible consequences of the
military dictatorships in the region. She understood that life in Nazi Germany; in
Spain under the authoritarian Franco regime; and under the military dictator-
ships in Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, while differing in the particulars, shared
many of the same characteristics of life under communism. Wendy and I both
strongly believed that the new leaders of Eastern Europe, who had suffered under
communism, could learn from the experience of others who had grappled
successfully with the complicated and emotionally wrenching transition from dic-
tatorship to democracy, gaining insights they could adapt to their own democratic
transitions.
Wendy’s rich experience in Latin America, coupled with her firsthand knowl-
edge of life under Czechoslovakia’s communist dictatorship, made her an ideal
partner for this initiative, and I was delighted that she wanted to work with me.
Moreover, by some marvelous coincidence, that very evening she and her hus-
band, Bill, who was then president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York, would be hosting Václav Havel on his first visit to the United States as pres-
ident of the newly independent and democratic Czechoslovakia. Wendy asked me
if she could show my memorandum to President Havel, and of course I said yes.
I could hardly believe my good luck. The next morning she called me to say that
President Havel enthusiastically endorsed the idea of the meeting. Havel said it
would address a vital set of issues, and he agreed to participate in the meeting in
some way.
On the same day I met Wendy Luers, I also met the Hungarian-born financier
George Soros. George Soros has become a legend for his support of pro-democracy
movements in Eastern Europe and around the world, spending billions of his own
money to support dissidents, human rights activists, and others seeking to create
democratic, open societies. In 1991 Soros was ramping up his support for the dem-
ocratic transition in the former communist states of Eastern Europe as well as in
the Soviet Union, which was then teetering on the brink of collapse. (In addition
to setting up a network of his own foundations throughout the former Soviet bloc,
Soros provided crucial seed funding to the Charter 77 Foundation–New York.)
Soros immediately liked my conference proposal and agreed to fund the travel
expenses for all the participants from Central and Eastern Europe and from the
Soviet Union. His network of foundations throughout the region played an impor-
tant supporting role in identifying key individuals to participate in the initial con-
ference, and also provided significant support for the work of the Project on Justice
in Times of Transition in its first few years.
With President Havel’s backing and George Soros’s promise of financial support,
I began to work closely with Wendy Luers and her two program officers, Mary
Albon and Eric Nonacs, to build a team to organize the conference and seek addi-
tional funding for the event. Wendy invited two eminent American legal minds to
join us, Lloyd Cutler and Herman Schwartz. Lloyd Cutler, who had served as White
220 The New Humanitarians

House counsel to President Jimmy Carter (and later to President Bill Clinton) and
was a founding partner of one of the most distinguished law firms in the United
States, Wilmer Cutler Pickering, presided over the Washington legal and political
establishment, and his involvement with the conference added another layer of
legitimacy and gravitas to our effort. Herman Schwartz was a distinguished profes-
sor of constitutional law at Washington College of Law at American University and
a long-time advocate for human rights, civil rights, and civil liberties in the United
States and around the world. Both Herman and Lloyd were deeply involved in a pro-
gram launched by Wendy’s foundation to help draft the new constitution of post-
communist Czechoslovakia, and Herman later served as an advisor on
constitutional and human rights reform to governments throughout Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union. Together, we quickly put together an informal
advisory committee that included a number of distinguished individuals with
expertise on the issues, including Jeri Laber, Alice Henkin, Diane Orentlicher,
Lawrence Weschler, Alan Ryan, Tina Rosenberg, Jose Zalaquett, Jürgen Habermas,
Ralf Dahrendorf, and Timothy Garton Ash, among others, who advised us on the
conference agenda. (Most also participated in the initial conference in Salzburg.) By
December 1991, we were off and running. A scant three months later, we convened
the Salzburg Conference on Justice in Times of Transition.

THE SALZBURG CONFERENCE ON JUSTICE IN TIMES OF TRANSITION

We did not quite know what to expect from the Salzburg conference, which
took place in March 1992. After all, it was an experiment. Our untested approach,
which was grounded in nothing more than a firm belief in the power of shared
human experience that transcends national boundaries, was greeted with skepti-
cism by some of the funders we asked for support1 and initially was only reluc-
tantly accepted by many of the individuals we invited to participate. Although
Wendy and I and the rest of our core team shared the conviction that the new
leaders of the post-communist states could learn from the experiences of their
counterparts in Latin America and elsewhere whose countries had already weath-
ered difficult democratic transitions, would the Eastern Europeans in fact hear
what those individuals had to say?
We envisioned the Salzburg conference as an opportunity to help the new lead-
ers of post-communist Europe figure out how to address the painful legacy of
their past, which threatened to undermine the democratization process, by intro-
ducing them to the transition experiences of other countries in all their legal,
political, and moral dimensions—and as told by political leaders and other indi-
viduals who had been directly involved in those transitions. We anticipated that
individuals who had suffered under repressive regimes would understand each
other, and while there were very real differences between various countries and
their respective national histories, we believed that dictatorships share many of
the same characteristics, and that humans fundamentally react to them in the
same ways.
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 221

To that end, we invited to the Salzburg conference key leaders from the post-
communist states of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (the USSR had
formally disbanded in December 1991), who were now actively engaged in
addressing the tragic human legacies of communism in their roles as government
officials, journalists for newly independent media, and leaders of the emerging
nongovernmental sector. They formed a veritable “who’s who” of leaders of the
anti-communist dissident movements throughout the region, including such
prominent figures as Adam Michnik, Wiktor Osiatynski, and Kostek Gebert from
Poland; Jan Urban, Martin Butora, and Karel Schwarzenberg from Czechoslovakia;
Sergei Kovalev and Arseny Roginsky from Russia; Miklos Vasarhelyi and Josef
Szajer from Hungary; as well as others from the Baltic states, Ukraine, Bulgaria,
Romania, former Yugoslavia, and recently reunified Germany. From outside the
region we invited leaders of post-dictatorship democratic transitions from
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, El Salvador, and Spain. Among these eminent individ-
uals in attendance were Raul Alfonsín, the Argentine president who led the dem-
ocratic transition after the fall of the military dictatorship; Rafael Michelini, a
leading member of the Uruguayan Senate, whose father had been assassinated by
the Argentine military on orders of the Uruguayan military when he was a lead-
ing candidate for president of his country; and Jami Malamud Goti, President
Alfonsín’s human rights advisor who prosecuted the Argentine military following
the collapse of the dictatorship. Other participants included prominent human
rights advocates, intellectuals, constitutional scholars, criminal law experts, gov-
ernment officials, and foundation representatives from Western Europe and the
United States. Also in attendance were an observer from South Africa, which was
then in the process of negotiating a transition from apartheid and minority rule
to democracy for all its citizens, and an observer from El Salvador who was
engaged in the final peace negotiations that led to the signing of the 1992
Chapultepec Accords that ended twenty years of brutal conflict.
The overarching goals of the Salzburg conference were to identify and address
the key legal, political, and moral issues confronting the post-communist states,
including assessing and developing standards for dealing with officials of the former
regimes and former collaborators, considering what to do with the millions of state
security files of the communist regimes now in government hands, and exploring
the deeper, more difficult personal issues of how victims of dictatorship manage the
transition to democracy in a psychologically healthy and tolerant manner that
respects the rule of law and instills habits of a democratic culture. In each of the
conference’s sessions, Latin Americans, Western Europeans, and Americans
described how other countries had dealt with the particular issue under discussion,
attempted to identify the key components of the issue, and reviewed the democratic
legal principles guiding action on the issue. Respondents from Eastern Europe and
the former Soviet Union posed questions and suggested possible options for their
own countries, which spurred general discussion and debate.
The first day at Salzburg did not seem to bode particularly well for our shared
experience approach. The participants from Latin America and Western Europe
222 The New Humanitarians

described the horrors of life under dictatorship and the suffering their countries
had endured on so many levels. The participants from the former communist
countries countered with their own stories of life under a repressive regime, and
the brutality and constant indignities they had lived through. Everyone believed
that their country’s experience was unique, that no one else had suffered as they
had suffered, and that their pain was the greatest; as a result, the participants
were talking past each other. The message being sent on that first day, from all
sides, was that the experiences of the various countries represented were so fun-
damentally different from each other that they could not learn from each other.
The disparities were variously ascribed to different legal systems, different eco-
nomic traditions, and different cultures and social systems. For example, some
maintained that the capitalist traditions of Latin America were so different from
communism that it would be impossible to find commonalities.
Yet by the second day of the conference, something had changed. Maybe credit
should go to the rounds of drinks and informal conversation in the Bierstube the
night before, but on the second day, the participants were more comfortable with
each other, and they started to listen to each other rather than lecture. Looking
around the conference room, they saw the pained expressions on each others’
faces as they shared their stories, and they realized that they had more in common
than they had first imagined. They began to find common ground on the issues,
and while there were still some heated disagreements, these were now conducted
as debates rather than arguments. And then, together, the participants started pro-
posing solutions to the challenges facing the post-communist countries, solutions
that were inspired by what other countries had done in the past. Some specific
recommendations emerged, such as the creation of national truth and reconcilia-
tion commissions modeled on those of Argentina and Chile, as well as guidelines
based on democratic principles to govern the disqualification and prosecution of
ex-communist officials and collaborators with the former regime, and guidance
on handling state security files of the communist intelligence services. At a more
philosophical level, the group agreed that in any transition to democracy, the rule
of law should take precedence over political justice, but the victims of the previ-
ous regime must not be brushed aside or forgotten. The poisonous legacies of the
past must not be swept under the rug, but must be openly confronted and defused
by the new government and by society at large.
Afterwards, many of the participants told me how personally transformative the
Salzburg Conference on Justice in Times of Transition had been for them. The
Eastern Europeans found new perspectives and new ways of thinking, and they left
feeling hopeful that they could find solutions to their countries’ most complicated
challenges, now that they knew other countries had succeeded in doing so in the
past. They took inspiration from those examples, and were keen to share what they
had learned with their colleagues at home. And in the years to come, many partic-
ipants in the Salzburg conference (and in subsequent Project initiatives) were eager
to share their countries’ experiences with other countries, such as South Africa,
Nicaragua, and Northern Ireland, as they faced their own complex transitions.
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 223

The desire of many of our participants to share their profound experience of

transformation with leaders in other countries struggling with change has turned
out to be one of the most valuable outcomes of our work over the years, one that
has enabled the Project to build an extraordinary network of current and former
leaders who have participated in peace processes, managed negotiations, struggled
with ceasefires and breakdowns in talks, sought to build trust and accountability,
and promoted reconciliation. Many of these individuals have told me that they feel
a moral obligation to share their experience. Some of our early speakers, such as
Roelf Meyer, one of the key players in the negotiations ending apartheid in South
Africa, and Joaquín Villalobos, the former senior commander of the FMLN guerilla
movement in El Salvador, have told me that they wished they had had access to lead-
ers who had gone through a similar process when they were struggling with transi-
tion in their own countries. Achieving fundamental change, whether at the deeply
personal or national political level, is a profoundly difficult and painful process that
can take years to happen, if at all. One of the dynamics seen in societies long divided
by conflict or political repression is that any hint of change, compromise, or accom-
modation with your “enemy” is seen as a betrayal of your own community, of your
family, ancestors, and neighbors. Decades of violence and polarization harden
attitudes, creating a political and psychological environment that makes it difficult
for leaders as well as ordinary people to consider changing their views or “talking
peace” with their sworn enemies. I recall one of our participants describing elements
of our work as analogous to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Often the leaders
of peace negotiations or a national transition process whom we bring together in
our audiences do not recognize that they have a problem, while the experienced
speakers we bring in from outside instinctively understand, empathize, and want to
support these leaders as they struggle to navigate the difficult but necessary
processes of personal and national transformation.
The Salzburg conference has been cited in numerous books and scholarly
articles for its leading role in identifying and addressing issues of transitional
justice in post-communist Europe, and for introducing the concept of transitional
justice to the global agenda. The Salzburg conference also introduced the method-
ology of shared experience, which the Project on Justice in Times of Transition
has used successfully in every meeting, conference, and workshop it has organized
since its founding in 1992. This methodology, discussed in further detail below, is
the foundation of the Project’s success as a catalyst for proactively addressing
transitional justice issues in countries undertaking the difficult transformation
from repression to democracy and from conflict to peace.

LAUNCHING THE PROJECT ON JUSTICE IN TIMES OF TRANSITION

One of the most important recommendations to emerge from the Salzburg
conference was that we should continue to work on these issues and develop
follow-up programs on specific themes discussed in the meeting. When we met
with President Havel at Prague Castle after the Salzburg conference, he also urged
224 The New Humanitarians

us to focus attention on these critical issues. As a result, Wendy Luers and I wasted
no time in institutionalizing the work of the Salzburg conference by establishing
the Project on Justice in Times of Transition as a separate but affiliated program
based within the Charter 77 Foundation–New York that would seek independent
funding for its work and programming. Wendy, Lloyd Cutler, Herman Schwartz,
and I quickly formed a steering committee to guide the work of the Project,
appointed Mary Albon as director and Eric Nonacs as program officer, and started
planning conferences and workshops that responded to several urgent requests
from Salzburg participants from the former communist bloc, Central America,
and South Africa. We also started to build an international advisory board that
eventually included such distinguished individuals as Nelson Mandela, Václav
Havel, Arpad Göncz, Mikhail Gorbachev, Oscar Arias, and Jose Zalaquett, among
others. We later expanded the advisory board to include representatives from
countries we worked in or with over the subsequent years.

METHODOLOGY AND FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

One of the Project on Justice in Times of Transition’s most significant contri-
butions is the development of the “shared experience” methodology that was first
used in Salzburg. The methodology stemmed from the simple insight that I had,
which was shared by Wendy Luers and the other organizers, that on a biological,
emotional, and psychological level, humans have many of the same response
mechanisms to the formative experiences of their lives. The one human instinct
we all share is survival, and the repression and violence of dictatorships and civil
conflict pose great challenges to the basic survival instinct of an individual—and
of a nation. Although it is true that every country has its own unique national
experience and history, how people respond to the terrifying, humiliating, and
dehumanizing experience of life under dictatorship or during civil war is funda-
mentally the same around the world. What we understood intuitively, and
humbly, was that people in these situations struggle as individuals on a deeply
personal and psychological level with the burdens of violence, fear, and repres-
sion. But we also understood that it was possible to move beyond these terrible
experiences, and learning about the experiences of others who had done so could
help speed the process of both internal and societal change.
This belief that individuals can learn from the experience of others guided the
design of the Salzburg conference, and all of the Project’s subsequent efforts have
been grounded in this methodology of shared experience. Our approach is simple
and practical. First, we recognize that in most countries where we work, particu-
larly those transitioning from dictatorship or longstanding conflict, individuals
develop a very insular view of their own reality: they believe no one else has suf-
fered the way they have suffered; that no one else can understand the horrible
experiences they have endured; and that differences in culture, history, language,
and geography are too great to allow for any cross-cultural learning. They tend to
be reluctant to listen to or respect the views of outsiders. Individuals who have
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 225

suffered have remarkable defenses against further hurt and pain. They develop a
“deafness” to others as a self-defense mechanism that can be difficult to penetrate.
This inward-looking perspective often stems in part from the vertically divided
social structure of many countries where there is little or no interaction across
class, ethnic, religious, or political allegiances. It also arises in countries where
bonds of trust have been destroyed by years (or even decades) of violence and
repression, leaving people unprepared to respect or value the views or experience
of others. This tendency is not confined within national borders and extends to
“others” from the outside.
Understanding and respecting this reality allows us to structure our programs
in a way that carefully yet powerfully shows people who are not psychologically
prepared to listen to outsiders that “others” have something valuable to offer. We
do this by identifying and selecting widely respected, compassionate, and articu-
late leaders from other countries to serve as panelists and speakers in our pro-
grams. But even before we line up speakers, we work with local partners and
confer with all sides in our target country so that we can identify the important
issues that need to be addressed and make sure all local perspectives are repre-
sented; select the countries with the most relevant experience to feature; and
structure our agendas so that there is plenty of time for listening and sharing in
both formal and informal settings. We team up with local partner organizations
that are highly respected, can bring all sides to the table, and have a nuanced
understanding of the local issues and challenges. The Project ensures that the
forum is a neutral environment where all sides are welcome and their views will
be listened to.
Often, simple curiosity about what the former president of another country or
a famous negotiator from South Africa or the Middle East has to say brings our
target audience “into the room.” We prepare our international speakers to focus
their remarks in a way that enables them to quickly connect to the local audience
and breaks down the perceived differences between them. The international lead-
ers we bring to our meetings understand the reluctance that local leaders have
toward outsiders, whom they perceive as coming in to tell them what to do.
Having once been in that situation themselves when they were struggling with
similar national challenges, our speakers understand this dynamic, and they seek
to connect with their audience in a personal way that allows participants to see the
similarities between their experiences, and to begin to entertain new perspectives
on their own problems. Our speakers often share deeply personal experiences
with our audiences, such as how they felt the first time they sat down across the
negotiating table from their sworn enemies, or the moment that prompted them
to realize that violence was not helping their cause but only hurting people. Often
the “volume” or “intensity” of the speakers’ own past suffering cuts through the
inability of audience members to listen; hearing the powerful story of another’s
suffering is a sad, but necessary element to a breakthrough in perception and pos-
sibility. In essence, what our participants discover is that “if he or she can move
beyond such pain and anger, then I can as well.”
226 The New Humanitarians

One powerful example of this kind of personal transformation is that of the late
David Ervine, who was once a member of a Protestant loyalist paramilitary organi-
zation in Northern Ireland and who spent nearly a decade in prison for terrorist
activities. Yet when David emerged from prison, he became one of the leading loyal-
ist political voices calling for peace and negotiations to end more than thirty years of
civil war. In 2006, shortly before his untimely death from a heart attack, David shared
his life story with senior leaders of the ELN guerilla movement in Colombia in a Pro-
ject initiative designed to reengage the ELN in peace talks and initiate a ceasefire
agreement with the Colombian government. David told the Colombians that he had
joined the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) when he was seventeen years
old on the day he learned that another Protestant boy, of the same age and same last
name, had been killed by a bomb planted by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).
Stunned and traumatized by the event, which took on added resonance for him
because of the victim’s similar name and age, David joined the UVF because he was
convinced that the only defense against such random violence was a good offense,
and he believed he could no longer stand by but must defend his community, his
identity, and his way of life, all of which he saw as under threat. He told the Colom-
bian guerillas that in the beginning, he believed he was killing “others” to live, but
gradually, as the violence and dehumanizing impact of the conflict took over, he real-
ized he was living to kill. David pointed out that all liberation and paramilitary
groups develop their own mythology and justification for the acts of violence and
terrorism they commit, but that mythology imprisons them in a mindset that can be
extraordinarily difficult to transcend. His audience was transfixed by his story. These
powerful insights he shared connected David to the ELN commanders in a mean-
ingful way at a deeply personal level, and they immediately recognized a similar
dynamic in their own situation. As a result, they were willing to listen to his advice
about what to consider as the ELN negotiated a ceasefire with the Colombian gov-
ernment and what sort of transformations to prepare for—both personally and as a
guerilla movement transforming itself into a legitimate political party.
We have witnessed this same phenomenon, a shared personal story resonating
in a very powerful way, among leaders in Kosovo, Sri Lanka, Guatemala, and other
countries seeking to end longstanding conflicts.
Other examples include the moment at a 1995 Project conference in Belfast
when the South Africans Roelf Meyer, the ruling National Party’s chief negotiator
with the African National Congress (ANC), and Dullah Omar, a member of the
ANC’s negotiating team who became minister of justice under President Nelson
Mandela, recounted to an audience of hundreds of Northern Ireland political,
community, and paramilitary leaders how they and their fellow negotiators ended
the decades-long apartheid regime and achieved a peaceful transfer of power from
the small white minority to a government led by South Africa’s black majority.
Omar and Meyer described how the negotiators slowly developed trust in each
other, how each side dealt with breakdowns in the peace process, and how they
addressed the legacy of violence; they also described the critical leadership role of
both F. W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in promoting national reconciliation.
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 227

Both Omar and Meyer emphasized that a peace process takes time, and that there
will be complications and breakdowns, but the two sides have to remain commit-
ted and stick with the negotiations, finding ways to move forward when talks bog
down. Afterward, several of the Northern Ireland leaders in attendance, including
Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness of Sinn Fein, Jeffrey Donaldson of the Ulster
Unionist Party (UUP), and John Hume, leader of the Social Democratic Labor
Party (SDLP), told me that listening to the story of the South African transition
as recounted by two senior negotiators from opposing sides who had managed to
work together to bring an end to apartheid peacefully made them realize that
peace could come to Northern Ireland, too, gave them the confidence that they
could take similar steps, and strengthened their resolve to initiate peace talks.
Another important moment occurred in London in 1995 during a Project con-
ference for leaders of the three ethnic communities in Bosnia (Muslim, Serb, and
Croat) following the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords. The meeting was
designed to foster reconciliation among the three communities by highlighting
the examples of reconciliation in El Salvador, Northern Ireland, the Middle East,
and Central and Eastern Europe. The opening session of the conference fell flat:
the Bosnians were not tuned into the presentations by the outside speakers and
were instead venting about their own conflict and suffering, emphasizing that no
one could appreciate or understand the trauma they just passed through. As
already mentioned, this is a common initial reaction at many Project events, but
we were concerned that we might not be able to get the Bosnians to really listen
to what the international speakers had to say. But then the moderator for the
panel on reconciliation in El Salvador, James LeMoyne, who had served as New
York Times bureau chief for El Salvador during the worst of the conflict, took a
dramatic new tack in introducing the Salvadoran panelists. First he introduced
Ricardo Castaneda, the former Salvadoran ambassador to the United Nations and
a key figure in the peace negotiations, by describing how on one occasion when he
had gone to the ambassador’s home in San Salvador to attend a dinner for foreign
diplomats, he had come across the bodies of several campesino labor leaders who
had been tortured, eviscerated, and dumped in front of the ambassador’s house to
intimidate him away from the peace talks. The killers of the campesinos were not
from the guerilla movement but rather from the right-wing death squads, who
were hostile to the peace process. After hearing this introduction, the Bosnians
stopped talking with each other and started to listen to James. He then introduced
Joaquín Villalobos, former senior commander of the FMLN guerilla movement in
El Salvador and one of the most brilliant, brutal, and visionary guerilla leaders in
Latin American history, who ultimately abandoned violence in favor of partici-
pating in a negotiated political process and led the FMLN toward peace. James
told the disturbing story of how Joaquín’s girlfriend, who was also a guerilla
fighter, had been captured by the Salvadoran army, tortured, and dismembered
into more than seventy pieces, which were left in a bag for Joaquín to find. As
horrendous as these introductions were, they cut through the “differences”
between El Salvador and Bosnia, commanding the attention of the Bosnians, who
228 The New Humanitarians

thereafter listened intently to the story of how the two sides reached peace in El
Salvador, working together to build trust and foster national reconciliation in the
aftermath of a brutally violent civil war.
It is not uncommon to see one-time bitter enemies sitting side by side on Project
panels, including historic figures such as the former communist leader of Poland
General Wojciech Jaruzelski, who imposed martial law, and the former dissident
and Solidarity activist Adam Michnik, or Joaquín Villalobos and former Salvadoran
president Alfredo Cristiani. The impact of such juxtapositions is powerful, especially
since these former enemies are there to jointly tell the story of their country’s path
to peace and democracy. The possibility of learning from the experience of others is
critical to the Project’s approach, but there is a second principle that underpins our
methodology of shared experience: that people can change. One of the most
valuable contributions of our work is the recognition that even in deeply divided
societies, people can change and move from a world view that is zero sum to one in
which compromise is not a sign of weakness or humiliation, but in fact is a sign of
courage and strength that leads to shared benefit and success.
For people in our audiences, such examples are so profound and so startling
that they often lead to paradigm shifts in their own thinking, not only showing
them that change is possible, but emboldening them to take the first steps toward
compromise. Once it was unimaginable that certain conflicts could be ended, so
to hear from the people who have achieved the unimaginable is one of the most
powerful tools we have for showing leaders of countries emerging from conflict
that they, too, can bring positive change to their homelands. Our international
speakers demonstrate by their own example that although change requires lead-
ership—and courage—everyone has the capacity to exercise such leadership, and
indeed, it is the duty of leaders in societies riven by conflict or repression to strive
for change that can bring about peace, stability, and national reconciliation. The
first step is accepting the necessity of change: recognizing that a willingness to
compromise is not a sign of weakness and humiliation but a sign of strength, and
that it can result in a win-win solution.
As a result of the success of our approach and the powerful experience of the
leaders we work with, many have been invited to advise on peace processes else-
where. For example, Roelf Meyer has remained engaged in Northern Ireland and
became involved in the Basque region in Spain, Sri Lanka, and Kosovo. David
Ervine was involved in Bosnia and Colombia. Joaquín Villalobos was involved in
Sri Lanka, Bosnia, and the Middle East. Monica McWilliams, leader of the Women’s
Coalition in Northern Ireland, and Naomi Chazan, former deputy speaker of the
Israeli Knesset, have met with leaders in Palestine, Bosnia, and Guatemala.

THE PROJECT’S MOST SIGNIFICANT PROGRAMS

Since its founding in 1992, the Project on Justice in Times of Transition has
organized more than fifty programs around the world to assist countries in tran-
sition. Some of these programs have entered the history books for the impact they
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 229

had in helping nations address their recent past, such as in Central and Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union, or in South Africa after apartheid. Other
programs sought to help nations move from violent civil conflict to peace by giv-
ing leaders the confidence and the tools to start a peace process—by introducing
them to the experiences of other countries that had succeeded in ending seem-
ingly intractable conflicts and building more tolerant societies. The following
examples, in addition to the historic Salzburg conference on Justice in Times of
Transition, represent some of the Project’s most influential and historic programs.

Reconciliation in Times of Transition (El Salvador 1993)

The Project convened the first public forum in El Salvador following the sign-
ing of the 1992 peace accords to bring together all the key players in the conflict
along with leaders of civil society to focus on consolidating peace and eradicating
social division, confrontation, and political violence. The conference was widely
covered in the Salvadoran media and is credited with helping demonstrate that
reconciliation was possible after more than a decade of war.

Dealing with the Past (South Africa 1994)

The Project helped organize the first major conference in South Africa that
focused the country’s new leadership on strategies for dealing with the legacy of
the past, building democracy, and fostering national reconciliation after
apartheid. This conference introduced the concept of the truth commission pio-
neered by Argentina and Chile into the South African debate, which ultimately led
to the creation of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Reflections on Transition (Nicaragua 1994)

The Project convened the first major public forum in Nicaragua following the
collapse of the Sandinista government in 1989 to focus on national reconciliation,
civil-military relations, property restitution, and economic reform. The final
panel of the conference provided the first opportunity in Nicaraguan history for
leaders of the major political parties and government institutions to come
together without recrimination to discuss their visions of the nation’s future.

Reconciliation and Community: The Future of Peace in

Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland 1995)
The Project organized the first event in Northern Ireland’s history to bring
together the senior leaders of all the political parties, paramilitary groups, civil
society, and the Irish and British governments to discuss the possibility of peace.
Senior negotiators from South Africa, El Salvador, Colombia, Poland, and the
Middle East shared their experiences in ending long-standing conflicts and
230 The New Humanitarians

dictatorships. Northern Ireland’s political leaders from all sides view this confer-
ence as one of the first moments in which they could envision peace.

Executive Leadership Training Programs for Northern Ireland Political

and Community Leaders (United States 1996–2003)
The Project organized five week-long executive training workshops that
brought together senior political and community leaders from Northern Ireland,
the Republic of Ireland, and Great Britain to develop leadership skills and gain a
broader perspective on their own role and the role of other parties in shaping the
transition in Northern Ireland. Participants considered obstacles to the peace
process, and explored ways to facilitate trust between the communities and to cre-
ate institutions of joint governance that would institutionalize a new process of
coexistence and governance.

Conference on Missing Persons for Family Members in the

Former Yugoslavia (Hungary 1997)
This event brought together for the first time individuals from the Muslim,
Croat, and Serb communities in Bosnia who had lost family members in the con-
flict to discuss strategies for finding their loved ones with representatives from
Guatemala, South Africa, Kurdistan, and Chile.

Local Actors in Peacebuilding, Reconstruction, and the

Establishment of the Rule of Law (five meetings in
locations around the world, 2002–2003)
For this series of meetings, the Project brought together local leaders from
Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Balkans with senior United Nations officials
to discuss and develop recommendations to improve rule of law programs in UN
peacekeeping operations. These meetings provided senior UN policymakers in
New York with the first comprehensive opportunity to meet with practitioners
and leaders from the countries in which the UN carries out peace operations to
review the impact of their rule of law initiatives. Our initiative resulted in a series
of recommendations that helped prioritize legal reform as a critical part of future
peace operations, and these recommendations have been adopted in subsequent
UN peacekeeping operations.

Session for the Ulster Democratic Unionist Party (United States 2004)
The Project held a closed-door working session for senior members of the
Democratic Unionist Party designed to help them consider ways to engage in dia-
logue with Sinn Fein and restart all-party talks to renew momentum toward a final
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 231

agreement among all Northern Ireland’s political parties and the restoration of
local rule.

Ready to Govern: Developing a Strategy for Kosovo’s

First 100 Days (United States 2007)
Senior Kosovar political leaders and members of civil society from both the
Albanian and Serb communities came together with senior officials from the
United States, the European Union, and countries that previously had negotiated
a transition to nationhood and independence to develop a strategic plan for the
realization of independence and the creation of a new, unified nation as spelled
out in the Ahtisaari Plan.

Negotiating from Conflict to Peace (Colombia 2007)

The Project convened two workshops with senior Colombian government offi-
cials and ELN guerilla leaders to consider other countries’ experiences with the
transformation of paramilitary organizations into peaceful political leadership,
and with cease-fire and disarmament verification and management. These meet-
ings, which took place at a pivotal moment in the Colombian peace process,
helped lend confidence to the ELN leadership that a successful transition to legit-
imate democratic practices was possible, and resulted in the Colombian Senate
and civil society becoming more proactively involved in the negotiations between
the ELN and the government.

HOW THE PROJECT DESIGNS PROGRAMS

The Project approaches each program opportunity with a set of simple and
clear questions that help guide our work. We ask questions such as the following:

• Can we be helpful to the country and region involved? Will our efforts add
value to the transition or negotiation process, and can we make a positive con-
tribution to peace or reconciliation by our efforts?
• Can our work fill a useful niche that no other institution or organization has
already filled?
• Who has invited us in to play a role, and are they respected, legitimate, and sin-
cere in their efforts?
• Will our efforts be supported by the national government, international
organizations, or respected parties who will work with us and guide our efforts
locally?
• Can we secure adequate funding? Will our funders be perceived as nonparti-
san by all sides?
• What type of follow-up programming can we envision? Can we ensure that
our initial event will not be a one-off program but something that leads to
232 The New Humanitarians

follow-up activities, such as workshops and consultations, which will con-

tinue to engage key players in the transition and keep the process moving
forward?
• How do we measure success in our efforts? What criteria can we use to gauge
impact and progress?

Local partners are essential to the ultimate success of our work because they
know the local political terrain, they have a nuanced understanding of the issues,
they have relationships with key local actors, and they can carry on activities on
the ground after or in between Project meetings, workshops, and conferences. We
carefully vet any organization we work with to make sure that it is respected by
all parties to a conflict, and that it does not have an agenda that favors one side
or the other.
We also ask if our shared experience methodology will be useful to the transi-
tion process and whether we will have access to key decision makers at various lev-
els within critical target audiences. If we satisfy ourselves that we can provide real
value and not duplicate the efforts of other organizations (unless complimentary
programming is requested and helpful), then we undertake more in-depth
research on the country and the issues to be addressed. Once we have completed
the initial evaluation and believe we can play a useful role, we then develop an
agenda with a brief set of issues to address, and identify the appropriate and most
relevant examples from other countries to share. We then invite individuals to
participate whom we consider to have the most relevant personal experience,
insights, and ability to connect with the target audience. We also strive to keep our
programs flexible so they can respond to evolving dynamics within a meeting or
a larger shift in the political environment in the country where we are engaged.
An example of how we design our programs can be seen in Kosovo, where we
are collaborating with several local and international partners to support the
Kosovar leadership as it prepares for independence and the building of a new sov-
ereign state. There are a number of daunting and complex issues to consider when
building a state from scratch, from the design and establishment of new institu-
tions of government, the drafting of a national constitution, and the design of
state symbols, to the selection and training of government officials at all levels of
government, from the municipal to the national level. The Kosovar leadership also
needs to prepare for an international donor conference; organize its foreign min-
istry; establish relations with key international institutions such as the United
Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank; and open embassies and
diplomatic offices around the world. For all of these needs, both practical and
substantive, there are leaders from countries that have gone through similar
processes who can offer valuable insight, guidance, and support. For example,
Ashraf Ghani, who was minister of the economy and a senior political advisor
under President Karzai in the post-Taliban government of Afghanistan, led the
process to design a new, representative government in Afghanistan (the Loya
Jirga) that included all elements of Afghan society and is credited with uniting the
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 233

country under the new government. Minister Ghani also organized and led the
Afghan government delegation to the international donor conference in Bonn,
Germany, which resulted in billions of dollars of much-needed international
financial, technical, and infrastructure support for the new Afghan government.
In both cases, Minister Ghani had direct, relevant, and insightful experience as
well as concrete recommendations to share with the Kosovar leaders, which they
respected and incorporated into their own nation-building work.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS
In conjunction with the Project on Justice in Times of Transition’s fifteenth
anniversary in 2007, the Project leadership launched a strategic review of our pro-
grams and focus areas, taking stock of our achievements and contributions to the
fields of conflict resolution and transitional justice, and considering areas of focus
in the coming years. Under the direction of Ina Breuer, the Project’s outstanding
executive director, we will continue to work in Kosovo and Colombia, but we also
intend to broaden our efforts beyond engagements in specific countries to address
issues confronting the field of conflict resolution as a whole. Specifically, we are
developing programs to consider the challenges to conflict transformation, to
look at the lessons learned from durable peace, and to ask why some peace
processes are fragile and why some conflicts remain intractable. We also plan to
look further at the challenges to personal and societal transformation and the role
of forgiveness in confronting past abuses and promoting reconciliation. We are
designing a program with input from other leading conflict resolution experts to
measure the impact of traditional conflict resolution practices and to evaluate
whether the conflict resolution community needs to revise, improve, or rethink
their toolbox of approaches.
We are also developing an initiative in partnership with the University of
Amsterdam to look at the rise of extremist violence in Western Europe, partic-
ularly from second- and third-generation Muslim immigrants, and to under-
stand how issues of cultural identity, marginalization, and political events
outside Western Europe influence local immigrant populations. The goal of
this initiative is to draw lessons from other societies that have addressed immi-
gration and cultural, religious, and ethnic identities successfully in a tolerant
and inclusive way. Building on our prior work in Central America, we are
developing a program for young leaders representing all perspectives from
throughout the region to discuss issues of civic engagement and civic respon-
sibility. Half the population of Central America is younger than thirty years of
age, and increasing crime, faltering educational systems, a lack of economic
opportunities, and a growing class divide are making them more apathetic
toward the political process, disengaged from their communities, and skeptical
about their own ability to make a positive impact. The Project will convene
young Central American leaders with their peers from other parts of the world,
and with senior leaders from the region who will serve as mentors, to learn
234 The New Humanitarians

about successful examples of civic engagement and consider ways to enable

greater political and social participation throughout Central America.
In 2006 the Project formed a strategic partnership with the Institute for Global
Leadership at Tufts University to jointly develop programming in areas of mutual
interest. Dozens of Tufts undergraduate and graduate students have worked
closely with Project staff and with participants in many of our initiatives, and they
have made significant contributions to our work. In addition, the Project recently
formed a strategic partnership with the Center for International Conflict Resolu-
tion at Columbia University to jointly develop programs and conduct research on
conflict resolution and reconciliation initiatives, such as our recent programs for
the government and ELN guerilla movement in Colombia. From 1999 through
2004, the Project was based at Harvard University as an interfaculty initiative affil-
iated with Harvard Law School, the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and
the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Our relationship with Harvard
provided significant opportunities for the Project to expand its research capabili-
ties, engage world-class scholars and researchers in our work, and produce several
case studies related to leadership and negotiations based on the experience of
leaders with whom we worked closely in Northern Ireland and South Africa.
The Project will continue to respond proactively to opportunities to make a
positive impact in countries struggling with change and to use the methodology
of shared experience in all our work. Based on our experience over the past fifteen
years, we know that individuals can learn from the experience of others, and that
fundamental change, while difficult, is both possible and essential to bringing
about peace and reconciliation. The Project has also begun to research and ana-
lyze the impact of our shared experience approach, as well as other conflict reso-
lution methodologies, with the aim of developing clear and practical guidelines
for employing our methodology so that others can use it effectively in their efforts
to promote peace and reconciliation, as well as in other areas.

ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE NGO LEADERS

If there are lessons I have learned about starting up and running an effective
NGO from my fifteen years of experience in helping build the Project on Justice
in Times of Transition, I would suggest the following:

• An individual or a group of individuals with a great idea, a can-do attitude,

and a practical approach can have a meaningful impact on important local,
national, and international issues.
• It is very important to reach out and collaborate with others in your field, to
learn from their experience, and to seek ways to improve your work and your
understanding of the issues. Try to find partners who can complement your
skills and strengths, who can work with you in a productive and collaborative
manner, and who can mobilize a set of relationships and networks that can
contribute to your project’s success. Collectively, there is more wisdom among
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 235

a group of people or organizations working toward the same goal than exists
in one person or organization.
• It helps to understand that while others may be hesitant to support or be
cynical about your ideas, often it is simply because they are stuck in an old
point of view and find it hard to “think out of the box.” For example, I often
encountered leaders who told me that there is nothing they could learn from
the experience of others, yet I knew instinctively, and eventually through expe-
rience, that they could. By being creative and confident but also humble, my
colleagues and I usually managed to persuade them to participate in one of our
programs, which let them see for themselves that individuals can indeed learn
from others, and that achieving peace is possible.
• It is essential to approach your work from a collaborative point of view rather
than a competitive one. Far too often, nonprofit groups (as well as other
organizations) view others in their field as competitors rather than potential
partners, so they do not reach out to each other or try to work together when
it makes sense, and they end up duplicating efforts, and wasting time and
resources. Most people choose to work in the nonprofit sector because they
want to make a contribution to improving the world, not to make a profit or
eliminate the competition, and it is important not to lose sight of this larger
goal. Taking a collaborative and mutually supportive approach is essential and
ethically important.
• Never take the position that you have all the answers or insist that people
should listen to you and your organization. As an American citizen, I have
found that in any international context, it was very important to be humble
and to acknowledge that I did not come from a country that had experienced
a brutal civil war within living memory, or one that had been ruled by a repres-
sive dictatorship that fostered division and distrust. The Project’s role, as a
U.S.-based organization, is to serve as a neutral facilitator of dialogue and
shared experience, and not to take a proscriptive approach. But this lesson
holds true in any forum—no one wants to be lectured to about what they
should or should not do.
• If there is one final lesson I have learned from my work with the Project on
Justice in Times of Transition, it is that transformative change, while difficult
to achieve, is possible. There are no better examples than South Africa, where
negotiations brought a peaceful end to apartheid, and Northern Ireland, where
a seemingly intractable civil war was ended through the joint efforts of all
parties to the conflict. In both cases, once-bitter enemies are now partners
in the political process, working toward the common good. Yet this lesson, that
transformative change is possible, is not confined to societies in transition.
There are countless challenges of all sorts at the local, national, and global level
that need urgent attention, but efforts to address them are often hindered by a
self-defeating sense that change is impossible. Your challenge is to imagine the
unimaginable, to find creative solutions to problems that seem immune to
resolution—and prove that they are not.
236 The New Humanitarians

PROJECT ON JUSTICE IN TIMES OF TRANSITION

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
José Maria Argueta, Guatemala
Oscar Arias, Costa Rica
Paul Arthur, Northern Ireland
Hanan Ashrawi, Palestinian National Authority
George Biddle, United States
Kurt Biedenkopf, Germany
Thomas S. Blanton, United States
Alex Boraine, South Africa
Martin Butora, Slovak Republic
Naomi Chazan, Israel
Roger Errera, France
Jose Maria Figueres, Costa Rica
Richard Goldstone, South Africa
Leonel Gomez, El Salvador
Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia
Václav Havel, Czech Republic
Maurice Hayes, Northern Ireland
Stephen Heintz, United States
Branka Kaselj, Croatia
James LeMoyne, United States
Nelson Mandela, South Africa
Roelf Meyer, South Africa
Adam Michnik, Poland
Shimon Peres, Israel
Tanja Petovar, Sweden
Dimitrina Petrová, Bulgaria
John Podesta, United States
Jon Snow, Great Britain
Dick Spring, Republic of Ireland
Rose Styron, United States
Lawrence Weschler, United States
José Zalaquett, Chile

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Project on Justice in Times of Transition
Founders and executive directors: Wendy Luers and Timothy Phillips
Mission/Description: The Project on Justice in Times of Transition brings
together individuals from a broad spectrum of countries to share experiences
in ending conflict, building civil society, and fostering peaceful coexistence. It
The Project on Justice in Times of Transition 237

currently operates in affiliation with the Foundation for a Civil Society in New
York and the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University. Since its cre-
ation in 1992 by co-chairs Wendy Luers and Timothy Phillips, the Project has
conducted over 50 programs for a variety of leaders throughout the world and
has utilized its methodology to assist them in addressing such difficult issues
as the demobilization of combatants, the status of security files, police reform,
developing effective negotiating skills, political demonstrations, and preserv-
ing or constructing the tenets of democracy in a heterogeneous society.
Through its innovative programming, the Project has exposed a broad cross-
section of communities in transition to comparable situations elsewhere, and
has contributed to the broadening of international public discourse on transi-
tional processes.
In recent years the Project has conducted programs that have helped practi-
tioners and political leaders strategize solutions in a variety of countries and
regions, including Afghanistan, Colombia, East Timor, Guatemala, Kosovo,
Northern Ireland, Palestine and Peru.
Address: 96 Packard Avenue
Medford, MA 02155 USA
Telephone: (917) 340 5443
Fax: (617) 627-3940
E-mail: pjtt@fcsny.org
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 13

Exodus World Service

Heidi Moll Schoedel

Finding friends in America is like finding medicine in a refugee camp.

Almost impossible.
—Refugee from Burma

I can find a couch on a street corner. But how can I replace the friends and
family members we’ve left behind?
—Refugee from Bosnia

Nearly 13 million refugees and asylum seekers worldwide suffered the heart-
wrenching loss of friends, family members, and the familiar places of home in
1988, the same year we launched Exodus World Service. My two co-founders and
I had little to offer in response to such immense anguish. We boasted no connec-
tions to world leaders. Our empty bank accounts provided no funds to purchase
food, shelter, or medical care. In fact, we could barely claim an office. We worked
from an unfinished basement holding three desks, one donated computer, and a
phone line. Pooled retirement savings funded our first few months of operations.
Despite our meager resources, we shared a bold dream. We believed that we
could bring hope and healing to refugees around the world by mobilizing local
churches to offer hospitality to strangers.
Twenty years later, the statistics remain overwhelming. In fact, the number of
refugees and asylum seekers has grown to more than 14 million worldwide. Given
this situation, I understand the temptation to conclude that ordinary people can
make no real difference; to believe that helping refugees necessitates massive
resources, power, and influence; and to look solely to governments and world lead-
ers for solutions. But instead of despair, I feel hope. I have grown to deeply appre-
ciate the wisdom of our early vision. Granted, Exodus’s impact is miniscule when

239
240 The New Humanitarians

measured against the enormity of the refugee crisis. But the impact is palpable and
life changing when measured by the lives of individual refugees and volunteers.
I have learned from refugees that their deepest wounds are not physical, but
emotional. Refugees battle more than hunger, cold, and disease. They must also
conquer fear, loneliness, and despair. Exodus brings healing through a deceptively
simple strategy: we inspire and equip volunteers to invite refugees in—into their
homes, into their lives, into their communities.
Warm and loving hospitality provides more than practical and material help. It
provides connection, belonging, and hope for the future. And it is not just refugees
who benefit. Volunteers also find their lives changed by these connections: their
worlds enlarge, and they grow in new and unexpected ways. Such was the experi-
ence of Mohammed, a refugee from Somalia, and Pat, an Exodus volunteer.

As a Somali Bantu, Mohammed’s life had always been difficult. The Somali Bantu
were once slaves and occupied the lowest rung of Somali society. But when civil war
broke out, life became intolerable. The Bantu became targets for murder, rape, and
theft. To save their lives, Mohammed and his family fled to a refugee camp in a
neighboring country.
Life there was not much better. The refugee camp was crowded and dangerous.
Survival was all that mattered. And while they waited year after year for someplace safe
to start over, Mohammed’s sight slipped way, and he became blind. Finally, they
received the long-awaited news that the United States had granted them refugee status.
Pat and fellow members from his church were there to welcome Mohammed’s
family on the day they arrived in Chicago. The church’s refugee ministry began quite
simply with two people who said yes to Exodus World Service’s invitation to wel-
come refugee families. At that time, they had no idea where the journey would lead.
Church volunteers provided Mohammed’s family with a Welcome to America! Pack
containing all the items needed for the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. The volun-
teers put sheets on beds, hung towels in the bathroom, filled kitchen cupboards with
pots and pans, and turned an empty apartment into a home. Their genuine hospitality
brought comfort to a family weary from jet lag and frightened by the confusion of a new
language and culture.
Pat returned regularly to visit Mohammed and his family. He helped them prac-
tice English, introduced them to their new community, and answered questions
about life in the United States. One day while out for a drive, Mohammed confided
in Pat his biggest fear. Mohammed explained to Pat that he trusted him. He said that
even though he was Muslim and Pat was Christian, he could see that Pat was a man
of prayer. And therefore he was coming to Pat for help. He was terrified he would be
unable to survive as a blind man in the United States. What could be done?
Pat had no idea how to respond. He was simply a volunteer who had said yes. He
was not a doctor. He knew nothing about the social service system or benefits for
blind people. What could he do? Taking a deep breath, Pat responded that he did not
know how he could help, but he would pray.
When Pat returned home, he called a friend from church who knew a friend,
and this led to a consultation with an eye doctor. That eye exam revealed the pos-
sibility of a surgical repair in one eye. Pat talked to more people, and each one
offered what they could. Before long, the doctor had donated his fees, a hospital
Exodus World Service 241

had donated services, an anesthesiologist had stepped forward, and the operation
was arranged.
Pat was there when the bandages were removed. He witnessed the miracle when
Mohammed looked into the eyes of his wife and children for the first time in years.
He shared Mohammed’s first look at his new homeland. He watched Mohammed
skip down the sidewalk because he could travel without holding someone’s hand.
The lives of Pat and Mohammed will never be the same because a small, ordinary
church offered hospitality to refugees.

A VISION FOR A NEW ORGANIZATION

The vision for Exodus can be traced back to a small church in Evanston,
Illinois. Two of the Exodus co-founders, Dennis Ripley and George Wadsworth,
attended the church and served on a committee that welcomed some of the first
Vietnamese “boat people” to arrive in the United States. The church developed
such a strong commitment to welcoming refugees that they brought Dennis on
staff to mobilize neighboring congregations. Eventually, hundreds of refugees
were helped through their efforts.
In the late 1970s, the U.S. Department of State began contracting with private
voluntary organizations to assist in the resettlement of refugees. Initially, the
government expected this to be a short-term, emergency program to resettle the
hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Vietnam. But the basic resettlement
structure implemented at that time continues to this day.
Dennis accepted an offer to coordinate the Chicago-area efforts of one of the
fledgling refugee resettlement organizations. He brought George on staff to assist
him, and eventually I also joined the staff of this organization. Together, we accu-
mulated a combined total of more than twenty-five years of resettlement agency
experience at the local, state, and national level.
Through the refugee resettlement system, federal and state governments contract
with nonprofit organizations to provide specific resettlement services to newly
arriving refugees. The goal of the system is to help refugees become economically
self-sufficient in the shortest time possible. The role of the resettlement agencies is
to provide refugees with linguistically and culturally appropriate services. Services
funded by the government are those deemed helpful to developing self-sufficiency,
such as English language classes and employment services. Funding formulas are
based on the number of refugees served, but refugee arrival rates are uneven and
unpredictable, and agencies often receive little notice before families arrive. All of
these factors contribute to a system that is fragile and crisis oriented.
In the late 1980s, the level of volunteer involvement started dropping, and
resettlement agency staff began to complain about “compassion fatigue.”
According to prevailing wisdom, the private sector was burned-out after assisting
a steady flow of Vietnamese and Indochinese refugees. Fewer churches were
stepping up to sponsor newly arriving refugee families. So instead of relying on
volunteers to “sponsor” refugee families, many resettlement agencies began shift-
ing to staff-based models for service delivery.
242 The New Humanitarians

Professional resettlement agency staff offered invaluable support to help

refugees adjust to a new life. They provided expertise in everything from English
language instruction for nonliterate students to job placement strategies. But
professional staff could not address refugees’ deep need for relationship and con-
nection. Their caseloads were too large and their responsibilities too numerous to
allow them to build personal friendships with the refugees they served.
It was in this context of a crisis-driven system with decreasing volunteer
involvement and overworked staff that the vision for Exodus’s ministry began to
take shape. Those early years in church-based refugee ministry had planted an
enduring appreciation for the life-changing impact of one-on-one relationships
forged between refugees and local community members. It was becoming appar-
ent that the existing refugee resettlement system was ill-equipped to nurture this
type of grassroots, volunteer involvement. Perhaps, we mused, a new model was
needed to fully engage the local church—a model not tied to the crisis-driven
fluctuations of the refugee resettlement program, a model committed to nurtur-
ing and equipping volunteers for long-term involvement.

THE EARLY YEARS

Our first step in launching a new organization was to seek the counsel of a
diverse group of advisors. We outlined our dreams and visions in a concise
prospectus and shared that information in personal meetings with key mentors.
We requested honest and thoughtful critique. Did we make a compelling case for
the formation of a new organization? Were there any important factors or infor-
mation that we failed to take into account?
Our next step was to gather a group of mentors together for a full-day evalua-
tion session. The ultimate question addressed in that session was whether to pro-
ceed with the creation of a new organization. At the end of many hours of
vigorous conversation, a vote was taken. Our mentors unanimously supported the
new venture, and most of those present agreed to serve as members of the orga-
nization’s first board of directors.
We then announced our plans to the agency where we were currently
employed. It was a difficult departure. Our intention to form a new organization
left some colleagues feeling betrayed. Why, they wondered, could we not imple-
ment our vision within the framework of the existing organization? What were
our motives? Would a new organization compete with and undercut the work of
the existing organization? Over time, we have built a solid partnership with the
agency we left. We have been able to demonstrate our desire to complement,
rather than compete, with their continued ministry. But this healing took time.
We pooled the retirement funds we received upon leaving that agency to pro-
vide seed money for this new venture. We used those funds to purchase basic
office equipment and supplies, and to cover initial salary expenses. An attorney
donated his time to draft our bylaws and file for our nonprofit status as a
501(c)(3) organization. A graphic artist donated his skills to design our logo
Exodus World Service 243

and letterhead. After opening a post office box and establishing a phone line
(312-REFUGEE), we were in business.
Our first major challenge was securing ongoing operational funds. Working
with our governing board members, we compiled lists of friends and family
members, and mailed all of them an invitation to join us in this new venture. We
met one-on-one with potential supporters, outlining our vision and passion. We
also contacted key foundations willing to fund start-up efforts and prepared
detailed proposals requesting their support to help launch this new initiative.
Eventually, a combination of individual gifts, church donations, and a start-up
grant from the Pew Charitable Trust funded our first year of operations. This
private-sector funding mix of individuals, churches, and foundations continues to
sustain the organization today.
Once initial funding was secured, we turned our attention to fleshing out our
service model. Volunteers used phone books, church directories, and other tools
to help us compile a database of 3,000 churches in the greater Chicagoland area.
We began contacting those churches and conducting initial market research. What
did they know about the refugees living in their community? Were they currently
involved in refugee ministry? Why or why not? What questions did they have?
What fears did they share?
We sought advice from experts in the areas of marketing and church ministry.
At the time of our launch, baby boomers were changing the face of church lead-
ership. Our consultants advised us that new ministry models were needed,
because baby boomers shared very different expectations and priorities from the
generation of leaders that preceded them. We needed to develop service projects
that were concrete and specific. We needed to offer projects that were time limited.
And most importantly, we needed to clearly articulate the impact a volunteer
would make through his or her involvement.
We also consulted with front-line staff from the Chicago-area refugee resettlement
agencies. We acknowledged their frustration with the current level of volunteer
response from local churches. But we also challenged them to expand their models
for volunteer involvement. At that time, sponsorship was the only option offered to
most churches and volunteers. Sponsorship involved a significant investment of time
and resources. It required a three-month initial commitment, thousands of dollars,
and hundreds of hours of volunteer time. What if sponsorship is simply too expen-
sive for a local church, we asked? Our research strongly indicated the need for other,
less-intense ways through which churches and community volunteers could get
involved and still make a meaningful impact.
Using the feedback and advice we received from all of these diverse sources, we
developed the Welcome to America! Pack. The welcome pack meets a core need for
the refugees and the refugee resettlement organizations. It provides all the household
supplies needed to set up the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen of a refugee family’s
first apartment and includes a first month’s supply of food staples. Collecting and
delivering a welcome pack is much easier than sponsoring a refugee. It requires only
six weeks from start to finish and costs only $500 if everything in the welcome pack
244 The New Humanitarians

is purchased new. The cost is even lower if the welcome pack includes used items in
excellent condition.
We designed the Welcome to America! Pack to appeal to a wide range of church
groups. And we incorporated program design elements that would appeal to a
baby boomer audience: the project is time limited with a defined beginning and
end point, it offers a direct connection to a specific refugee family, and the impact
of the project is easily measured and defined.
However, our goals for the project extended beyond simply collecting and
delivering the Welcome to America! Pack. We envisioned the welcome pack as a
first step into deeper and longer-term involvement in refugee ministry. An impor-
tant component of our project design was the requirement that volunteers per-
sonally deliver the welcome pack to an arriving refugee family. This personal
delivery adds administrative complexity. It requires juggling last-minute refugee
arrival information with volunteer schedules and resettlement agency timeframes.
From a resettlement agency perspective, it would be simpler to have the volunteers
deliver the welcome pack to their office before a family arrives. But delivering the
welcome pack directly to the refugee family creates a personal connection for the
volunteers. It elevates the project from merely transferring stuff into an opportu-
nity to welcome strangers. It provides a starting point for ongoing friendship and
connection.

Exodus World Service volunteers delivered a Welcome to America! Pack to a refugee

family from Sudan. The volunteers brought along their six-year-old son, who con-
nected immediately with the nine year old in the refugee family. The two boys
laughed together, played soccer in the apartment, and wrote down their names for
one other. When it was time to leave, they carefully shook hands.
On the drive home later that evening, the volunteers were very moved when their
son reported that his new refugee friend had generously given him one of the only
things he had brought with him to his new home—the bag of peanuts from the air-
plane. “It really puts things in perspective,” they told us later, “when a little boy who
has nothing is willing to give something away.”

Our market research revealed that welcoming refugees from different cultures
and language groups pushed churches and volunteers outside their normal com-
fort zones. Volunteers were not comfortable interacting with refugees and did not
feel equipped to help meet their needs. They were also afraid that refugee ministry
was “too big.” The only model most volunteers were familiar with was the tradi-
tional sponsorship model. And many volunteers referenced negative past experi-
ences with refugee sponsorships in which the experience felt overwhelming,
seemed unsuccessful, or otherwise ended badly. It was therefore very important
for us to offer strong training and support. We wanted volunteers to feel safe say-
ing yes.
We developed the Welcome to America! Pack resource manual to equip volun-
teers. It includes step-by-step instructions for organizing and completing the
project. It contains a variety of tools to make the project user-friendly, such as a
Exodus World Service 245

sample bulletin announcement, a reproducible sign-up sheet, and a list of com-

mon questions and answers. It clearly spells out what volunteers are expected to
do, how Exodus will help, when the project starts and stops, how much it will cost,
and what the impact will be.
Armed with a project and support materials, we began marketing the Welcome
to America! Pack to our database of 3,000 churches. Initially, we sent letters invit-
ing churches to collect a welcome pack. Over time, those letters developed into
specially designed advertising mailers promoting the project to specific target
audiences. We experimented with target groups within churches, and found
women’s ministries and youth programs to be most responsive. The mailers use
attention-getting and sometimes humorous themes, and address the needs and
concerns of our target audience. For example, a mailing to women’s ministries
mentions the common problem of too much stuff and encourages women to
“clean out their closets and make a difference for refugees.” A mailer to youth
groups picks up on the popularity of the Survivor reality show and challenges
youth groups to help a refugee family survive in the United States.
The mailers offer a cost-effective strategy to narrow our target market down
from 3,000 churches to a much smaller group of churches interested in learning
more about refugee ministry. We invest more time and resources in this select
group by making personal follow-up calls and offering free training and support
materials. From this smaller group, we identify those volunteers ready to commit
to collecting a welcome pack.
At the same time we built relationships with interested local churches, we also
strengthened our relationships with local resettlement agencies. The Welcome to
America! Pack model represented a new strategy for engaging volunteers. Resettle-
ment agency staff had some investment in the new model because we consulted
them during the development phase. But we needed to work out a wide variety of
details related to how we would be notified of arriving refugee families, how we
would ensure that we did not duplicate resettlement agency efforts, how we would
guarantee the volunteers received accurate and timely information, and so on. We
approached these resettlement agency relationships with the same commitment to
strong customer service and support that we applied to our volunteers. By under-
standing and meeting the organizational needs of the resettlement agencies and
serving them well, we built strong working partnerships and began to receive more
and more referrals of new refugee families.
During these early years, we also implemented a variety of other initiatives to
try to increase local church involvement in refugee ministry. We co-hosted a con-
ference with Wheaton College and the Slavic Gospel Association focused on
Soviet Christian refugees, a new group of refugees that began arriving in the
United States shortly after we launched our organization. We hosted a speaking
tour with Boris Perchatkin, one of the first Soviet Christian refugees to arrive in
the United States. We partnered with David and Karen Mains and the Chapel of
the Air ministries to feature refugee ministry as part of their 50 Day Spiritual
Adventure. We convinced the Chicago area refugee resettlement organizations to
246 The New Humanitarians

work together to promote refugee ministry to local churches by hosting a joint

Refugee Sunday campaign. We organized resettlement agency staff and local
church volunteers in a Chicago 500 Campaign, designed to invite every church in
Chicago to welcome one of the approximately 500 refugees arriving in the
Chicagoland area annually at that time.
All of these initiatives deepened our understanding of how to effectively engage
volunteers. They shaped our language and further defined our brand. They
expanded awareness of and credibility for our organization. They deepened our
relationships with the resettlement agencies and other partner organizations. But
although everything we tried left its mark on our current organization, the
Welcome to America! Pack has had the most enduring impact and remains one of
our flagship programs.
Volunteers who experienced their first encounter with a refugee family during
our initial year of operation still maintain friendships with the refugees they
welcomed. Churches have built permanent Welcome to America! Pack collection
closets and now collect as many as six to twelve Welcome to America! Packs every
year. And relationships formed through Welcome to America! Pack deliveries con-
tinue to bless the lives of those involved. I regularly hear stories of wedding cele-
brations, cross-country travel, holiday feasts, and other events that keep these
volunteer/refugee friendships warm and strong.
James and Ellen fled Liberia because of violence and persecution. They were mar-
ried in a simple ceremony in the refugee camp during long years spent waiting for a
safe place to call home. Although not the celebration Ellen dreamed of, this was the
only wedding that could be arranged.
When they finally arrived in the United States, James and Ellen struggled to start
a new life in a strange land. Fortunately, they were not alone. Exodus World Service
volunteers made a commitment to welcome and serve them. The volunteers helped
with many practical needs, and over time became close friends.
One day, gazing at the wedding picture of one of the volunteers, Ellen casually
mentioned her unfulfilled desire for a “real” wedding. That off-hand comment
inspired a flurry of activity. What an opportunity to bless this special couple who
had survived so much! Working together, the volunteers ordered a wedding cake,
purchased wedding attire at a resale shop, contacted a pastor, and invited their high
school children to perform live music.
Just a few weeks later, James and Ellen said “I do” surrounded by their new
friends in a beautiful backyard ceremony. Ellen wore the pearl necklace and white
shoes first worn by her American friend at her wedding many years ago. Now Ellen
has her own wedding picture hanging on the wall, which reminds her of special
friends who helped make a dream come true.

THE MIDDLE YEARS

From the start, we placed a high value on the importance of keeping solid
records to document the impact of our efforts. In the early years, we cobbled
together a combination of free and low-cost software to record information. More
recently, we have begun using a single, web-based program that integrates our
Exodus World Service 247

financial information, volunteer management records, and contact management

functions into one system.
Early data analysis revealed that although the Welcome to America! Pack proj-
ect effectively mobilized churches and individual volunteers into first-time volun-
teer involvement with refugees, only some of the volunteers maintained ongoing
contact with the refugee families they welcomed.
To help us better understand this program dynamic, we invited a graduate student
to analyze the Welcome to America! Pack program as part of his thesis research. His
investigation revealed that although almost all of the participating volunteers wanted
more personal connection with refugee families they welcomed, many had no idea
how to proceed. These volunteers were held back by their fears about overcoming
language and cultural barriers, their sense of inadequacy in responding to the signif-
icant needs of refugees, and their uncertainty about how to proceed. It was clear that
for this group of volunteers, additional structure and support was needed.
In response to these findings, we began designing a “friendship” program that
could foster ongoing relationships between volunteers and refugees. Once again, we
started with market research. World Relief, a national resettlement agency, provided
seed funding. We surveyed the World Relief resettlement agency staff, Exodus volun-
teers, and newly arrived refugees, and sought opinions on such issues as how fre-
quently volunteers and refugees should connect, where meetings should take place,
how much structure meetings should have, and other similar topics. We hosted focus
group sessions. And we gathered information about effective friendship-building
programs that served other populations, such as international students.
Not surprisingly, there were differences between what refugees desired from a
friendship program and what volunteers were comfortable with. Refugees
requested volunteers who would visit for one to two years. Volunteers, on the
other hand, preferred much shorter time frames. In designing what would
become our New Neighbor Program, we opted to use a three-month time frame.
Our rationale was that we would be more successful recruiting volunteers if the
time frames were short. A strong connection could develop in three months. And
we knew from experience that once a friendship blossomed, it would continue. If
such a connection did not develop naturally within a three-month time frame, it
would probably be a good idea to end the formal connection.
Another key decision made after gathering feedback was to hold meetings in
the refugee’s home, instead of in the volunteer’s home or a neutral location such
as a library. Traveling to a volunteer’s home would be too difficult for new
refugees with limited access to transportation. And a public location was too
sterile and intimidating. Meeting in the refugee’s home allowed the refugee’s chil-
dren and other family members to be present during visits. And it provided a
comfortable and flexible location. Volunteers and refugees could watch TV, cook
together, review mail or school papers, and do a variety of other things.
Our next step after making these core program decisions was to develop
program training and support materials. As with the Welcome to America! Pack
program, we placed a high value on volunteer service and support. Our strong
248 The New Humanitarians

belief, confirmed through years of operation, is that the quality of support we

provide to our volunteers has a direct correlation with the long-term impact of
our volunteers. We want our volunteers to go beyond one-time serving opportu-
nities. We want them to make welcoming refugees part of their ongoing life as
individuals or church communities. Developing this depth of commitment
requires that we nurture strong, supportive, and personal relationships with our
volunteers and equip them to serve.
The New Neighbor Handbook we produced includes information about the
refugee resettlement system, cross-cultural communication skills, ideas for meet-
ing activities, and other helpful tools. We developed promotional tools, including
a brochure. We also worked out systems and associated tools to enable coordina-
tion and partnership with the refugee resettlement agencies in identifying and
matching interested refugees.
In addition, we developed a training workshop that was and is being used to pre-
pare thousands of volunteers to build effective cross-cultural relationships and to
manage inevitable cross-cultural conflict. The workshop is experiential in design, so
that participants learn by doing and not simply by hearing. The training builds an
awareness of the participants’ own culture and an understanding of how other
cultures differ. It prepares participants for the inevitable conflicts that arise during
cross-cultural interactions, and equips them with proactive problem-solving skills.
Once these tools were in place, we began offering the New Neighbor Program
to volunteers. Participants have ranged in age from retirees in their eighties to
newborn babies accompanying their parents on weekly visits. Over time, program
variations have developed, including a New Neighbor-Citizenship Program,
which links refugees who have applied for U.S. citizenship with volunteers who
meet with them once a week to help them prepare for the required civics and his-
tory exam, and a New Neighbor-College Program, which links college students
with new refugee families.
More than 90 percent of the refugees involved in the New Neighbor Program
improve their English language skills, increase their knowledge of local resources,
and strengthen their sense of community. But the impact goes so much deeper. The
relationships formed through this program stand the test of time. New Neighbor
volunteers visit their refugee friends every week for a minimum of three months.
But almost 70 percent of the volunteers visit for much longer, often for years.

Ralph, a retiree, responded to a notice in his church bulletin advertising the New
Neighbor Program. He was matched with James, a refugee from southern Sudan.
Although it has now been several years since they were first introduced, they remain
close friends.
“Ralph helps me and teaches me how to speak English in this country so I can
get a better life,” explains James. “We talk about Sudan and life going on around
DuPage County. He never misses a day. When he says he is coming, he is coming. I
am really thankful for the things he’s done. I see him like an uncle to me.”
Their relationship has profoundly impacted Ralph, as well. “James is a wonder-
ful man, and he and I have really become friends. I’ve come to know more about the
Exodus World Service 249

Sudan and to realize what James had to go through. I certainly can say today that I
have gained more, I have received more than I ever expected when I first met James.”
These two men share a deep connection and mutual respect. But they never
would have met without the New Neighbor Program.
“When we came, we didn’t know anybody,” explains James. “You don’t see
anybody standing in the street, somebody like Ralph who can help you. It takes a
program like the New Neighbor Program.”

Additional Exodus volunteer opportunities include the School Kit Collection,

in which volunteers collect and deliver backpacks filled with school supplies for
new refugee children; the Exodus Advocacy Network, which mobilizes volunteers
to speak up on behalf of refugees to those in power; and the Expanding Your
Table Thanksgiving program, which arranges for refugee families to spend
Thanksgiving in American homes. We followed a similar process to develop each
new program. We first analyzed service gaps, then researched possible responses,
used the research results to design program components, and finally developed
training and support resources.
We also have gradually expanded our training and educational resources. With
the help of volunteers, we developed, tested, revised, and eventually published a
six-week Bible study on refugees. We adapted refugee simulation activities for use
with our volunteers. We used the donated services of a church audiovisual pro-
gram to produce DVDs. A retired volunteer helped us create and manage our web
page, where we post a variety of resource and education tools, as well as links to
other organizations. We recruited and trained volunteers who formed a Speaker’s
Bureau and now work with our staff to lead presentations and workshops for
other groups.
At least one new program we developed did not stand the test of time. The
Refugee Furniture Network(RefNet) used volunteer drivers to collect donated
furniture and deliver it to refugee families. The program successfully saved
beds, mattresses, kitchen tables, chairs, and other essential furniture items from
the landfill and put them in the hands of refugees in need. But analysis of our
program results showed that RefNet did not result in our primary goal of
building relationship connections. The furniture donors and refugee recipients
rarely met, and the volunteer drivers were too busy on their routes to make
personal connections with the refugee families. We therefore discontinued this
program.
The termination of RefNet flowed from several key decisions made by the gov-
erning board. Governing board members meet quarterly for half-day meetings.
But at the start of every fiscal year, they schedule a two-day strategic planning
retreat. In the early years, the strategic planning retreat focused on practical issues
related to starting an organization: developing a fundraising plan, creating a
brand identity, implementing policies regarding human resource issues, and the
like. But as the organization solidified and began developing a track record, the
board used the retreat to address several critical questions that arose regarding
core mission and values.
250 The New Humanitarians

One of the first critical mission questions tackled by the governing board was
to define our core customer. Exodus serves three primary customers: new refugee
families arriving in our community, volunteers recruited from local churches, and
resettlement agencies. The needs, concerns, and interests of each of these
customers are not always compatible. This can be illustrated by the Welcome to
America! Pack program. The names of newly arriving refugee families are referred
to us by the resettlement agencies. Under the terms of their federal contract, the
resettlement agencies must ensure that all new refugee families receive certain
basic household supplies. Their primary concern is that these supplies be available
when a new family arrives. Arranging volunteer deliveries causes additional work
and last-minute juggling for the resettlement agency staff. From their perspective,
the Welcome to America! Pack program would be most efficient if the supplies
were delivered to their office prior to the arrival of a refugee family. Even more
helpful would be having supplies available in storage so they could be accessed
whenever a new family arrived.
From the volunteer perspective, however, the most rewarding aspect of the
project is the opportunity to personally meet and welcome the refugee family.
Volunteers often do not fully appreciate the challenges a new family will confront
until they meet them face to face. Volunteer commitment is deepened and moti-
vation to serve increased when volunteers witness firsthand the significant impact
of their contribution. Personally delivering a Welcome to America! Pack can
provide powerful and life-changing moments. Volunteers see a barren apartment
and realize that the items they collected are the only things that fill the shelves.
Volunteers struggle to communicate across language and cultural barriers, and
begin to grasp how much a new family will need to learn to survive. Volunteers
observe the tremendous relief and gratitude expressed by a family when they are
finally safe in the United States, and they gain a new perspective on their own
blessings.
From the refugee perspective, it would be ideal if the Welcome to America!
Pack volunteers returned to visit on a regular basis. The volunteers are some of the
first people refugees meet when they arrive. The warm welcome and support the
volunteers offer eases the fear and loneliness of the refugees’ first day in the United
States. Initial bonds of trust are built with the volunteers, and the refugees expect
to see the volunteers on an ongoing basis. They are disappointed if volunteers do
not come back.
The board had to determine which of these competing interests should take
precedence as we designed and implemented programs. Their conclusion was that
our primary customer is the volunteers, with refugees a close second. To live out
our mission to mobilize volunteers, we must design programs that are attuned to
their needs and interests. Of course, we want the programs we design to be of real
assistance to refugees. We do not want programs that simply make volunteers feel
good, while providing neutral or even negative benefit to refugees. We therefore
pay close attention to the needs and interests of new refugee families. But when
there are options, such as whether or not we require Welcome to America! Pack
Exodus World Service 251

volunteers to return for additional visits or how long an initial commitment

period is asked of New Neighbor volunteers, we will be guided by the volunteer
interests. Our rationale is that if we do not meet the needs of volunteers, they will
not get involved. But if volunteers have a positive experience, they have the poten-
tial to go on to longer-term involvement, which will ultimately provide even
greater benefit to refugees.
The resettlement agencies fell to a distant third in this analysis. Our partner-
ship with the resettlement agencies provides a very effective way to identify and
connect with refugees who need help. That partnership offers an effective method
of preventing duplication of service. But the board was clear that the ultimate goal
of our partnership is to serve volunteers and refugees, not resettlement agency
staff. To the degree possible, we design programs that meet the needs of the
agencies as well, but when there is a conflict between what is best for the agency
and what is best for the volunteers and refugees, we ask the agencies to flex. In the
Welcome to America! Pack program, for example, we have insisted the agencies
take on the responsibility for helping us arrange volunteer deliveries, which they
have willingly done.
We have a complex relationship with the resettlement agencies. Initially, reset-
tlement agencies viewed Exodus as a potential threat. Our mission is unique, and
it does not fit the mold of any other refugee service organization. The resettlement
agencies were unclear about our role and saw us as competitors for scarce
resources. Working relationships were first formed at the direct staff level. We
collaborated with the caseworkers directly responsible for providing services to
refugee families. As the value of what we offered became apparent, support devel-
oped at management levels. Today, we are primarily viewed as strategic partners.
But with high turnover among resettlement agency staff, we continually need to
rebuild working relationships. We also still confront the challenges to partnership
that exist in a field with high need and competition for less than adequate
resources. Our approach to interagency cooperation is to focus on providing
strong customer service to the agencies and helping them achieve their goals. We
take a pragmatic approach and look for areas where our programs can add value.
Another key mission and vision issue addressed by the board was to define our
core product. As we began exploring new opportunities, we saw two paths for
expanding on our initial success in mobilizing volunteers. One path would be
working to increase the depth of our programs by providing opportunities for
volunteers to engage in longer-term and more intense volunteer involvement. The
other path would be working to expand the breadth of our programs by engaging
larger number of volunteers in refugee ministry with our existing programs.
To address this question, we once again looked at the lessons we had learned to
date and the experience of others. After analysis and discussion, the board reached
the conclusion that Exodus’s key niche in the refugee ministry market is engaging
new volunteers. For the majority of volunteers, the most difficult steps are the first
ones. New volunteers need to learn about refugees and their needs, develop com-
passion for refugees and a desire to help, step outside of their comfort zones, and
252 The New Humanitarians

find practical ways to serve. Exodus’s programs effectively address these issues and
get first-time volunteers involved. We are one of the only organizations specifically
focused on mobilizing new refugee ministry volunteers.
Once volunteers become engaged, the experience often takes on a momentum
of its own. The experience of welcoming and serving refugees is so life changing
and the relationships formed so meaningful that the motivation to stay involved
becomes internally driven. When volunteers reach this stage in their journey, they
begin finding their own ways to help. They no longer need time-limited, short-
term, specific, well-supported projects. They no longer need the safety net and
hand-holding that Exodus staff members provide. They become much more inde-
pendent and self-directed. At this stage, there are many organizations that offer
programs and opportunities where these volunteers can serve.
The board’s decision to focus our ministry on engaging new volunteers was not
an either/or decision. Choosing that path did not mean we would not also serve
long-term volunteers. However, our support for long-term volunteers has taken a
different form. Instead of designing structured, clearly defined service projects, we
offer long-term volunteers encouragement and support. Exodus invites these vol-
unteers to become part of a community of people who have made a long-term
commitment to welcoming and serving refugees. That community includes staff
members, board members, volunteers, and refugees. We provide these volunteers
information about refugee issues and opportunities; link them with other people
with similar interests; involve them in leadership roles where they can speak out,
train new volunteers, or help in other areas; and thank them, affirm them, and
remind them that what they do is valuable.
The governing board made another important decision regarding our core
product. The board clearly stated that Exodus is a mobilizing organization, and
not a direct service organization. Our staff members do not provide core services
directly to refugees; rather, they mobilize and equip volunteers, and it is the
volunteers that serve refugees. This issue arose in response to opportunities for
expansion of Exodus’s programs suggested by volunteers and funding organiza-
tions. For example, volunteers became aware of the acute need for affordable
housing, and suggested Exodus buy an apartment building to house new refugee
families. Other suggestions included teaching refugees to drive, finding jobs for
refugees, and starting an income generation program.
Staff time and resources are limited. No matter how efficient the organization,
there is a limit to how many people a staff member can serve directly. This is partic-
ularly true in the area of relationship building. It is impossible for staff members to
build strong friendships with every new refugee. The governing board realized that
Exodus significantly leveraged our resources and impact by focusing on volunteer
mobilization. By using staff to mobilize and equip others, we greatly increase their
impact. By investing in the deployment of long-term volunteers, we vastly increase
the level of resources and support available to serve refugee families.
As the board further clarified and defined Exodus’s mission and vision, board
members began to look for new metrics for evaluating progress toward achieving
Exodus World Service 253

our objectives. We kept detailed records from the start, and had data for such
quantifiable areas as the number of refugees served, the number of volunteers
mobilized, and the like. But the board realized we needed additional data to eval-
uate whether our programs effectively engaged new volunteers, launched volun-
teers into long-term involvement, and resulted in the formation of long-term,
mutually beneficial relationships between volunteers and refugees.
The process of developing new metrics began by identifying star volunteers,
who clearly exemplified Exodus’s mission in action. We created a list of the spe-
cific characteristics demonstrated by these volunteers. From that list of specific
traits, characteristics common to multiple volunteers were generalized, and those
characteristics most reflective of our mission were then prioritized. Ultimately,
this list was narrowed to a set of key traits that we referred to as the Seven Traits
of a Refugee Champion.
We define a Refugee Champion as an individual who shares God’s compassion-
ate love for refugees and puts that compassion into action. A Refugee Champion
demonstrates the following characteristics:

1. Service: completes service projects and may go beyond basic requirements

2. Knowledge: learns more about refugees
3. Relationship: develops friendships with refugees
4. Recruitment: involves others in serving refugees
5. Initiative: self-initiates action to serve refugees
6. Faith Motivation: is internally motivated by a commitment to welcome and
serve refugees
7. Lifestyle: makes service to refugees an ongoing part of his or her lifestyle

We next analyzed each characteristic on the list to identify what Exodus can do
to help develop that characteristic and how we can evaluate our effectiveness in
doing so. Our statistics on program involvement were helpful for assessing how
effectively we addressed the first characteristic, engaging volunteers in the com-
pletion of service projects. But we needed more creative methods for the other
characteristics. We began using a variety of other evaluation tools, including post-
project evaluation forms and surveys.
Identifying and implementing effective metrics for program evaluation is an area
we continue to refine. A volunteer with a professional background in corporate train-
ing and evaluation programs is currently working with us. Our challenges include
balancing the desire for meaningful and detailed data against the limited staff time
and resources available to collect and analyze those data, and identify meaningful
indicators. We have no problem documenting the concrete measurables—the value
of items donated, the number of hours of one-on-one language instruction, the
number of people involved—but the most meaningful impact of Exodus’s work is
harder to quantify. Exodus provides community and connection. We provide hope
and a network of support. We provide a way for refugees to be valued for the gifts
and talents they bring and the perspectives they share.
254 The New Humanitarians

Sometimes the only way we can convey this deep impact is by sharing anec-
dotal stories of refugees and volunteers we have served, such as the following:

Abu served as a police officer in Iraq. But when he spoke out against unjust policies,
he was tortured and threatened with death. He escaped to Syria, hoping to find
safety. Instead, he was beaten and left in jail with his arms handcuffed in front of him
for more than a year. After his release, he fled again to Lebanon. While in Lebanon,
Abu received word that he could resettle as a refugee in the United States. For the
first time in years, he had hope. But his friends warned him to be careful. They were
afraid he would face additional beatings and persecution in the United States
because he was a Muslim. Shortly after Abu arrived in the Chicagoland area, Exodus
World Service volunteers came to his apartment, bringing a home-cooked meal,
food, and household items. Abu was very frightened. “What do they want from us?”
he whispered anxiously to his wife. “We have no money in our pockets to give them.”
It soon became apparent they wanted nothing in return. Abu was amazed. “They did
not care whether I was Muslim or Christian. They did not care that I did not look
like them and could not speak their language. Our guests were here to share with us.
These things were gifts.”
Beatrice knows sadness. Born and raised in Rwanda, she survived the horrific
genocide that ravaged her homeland. Beatrice and her two young children managed
to escape alive, but her husband did not. Devastated by his murder, Beatrice and her
children found the following years to be filled with continued trauma and suffering.
Many times the challenges overwhelmed Beatrice, but somehow she found enough
strength to keep going alone. Beatrice and her children finally found a safe place to
rebuild in the Chicagoland area. High school students from a church service group
warmly welcomed them and filled their new apartment with box after box of house-
hold supplies and food staples. Beatrice watched them work with tears streaming
down her face. Later, after sharing laughter and pizza, she stood to make a speech.
Through a translator she told the story of her suffering. She ended by saying, “Today,
for the first time I have forgotten my sadness.”
George recently wrote a thanksgiving e-mail to the Exodus staff. “I sit here this
morning having just finished my quiet time thinking of the strange circumstances
that connected me to Exodus. Without a doubt, the few minutes I spent in an empty
apartment seven or eight years ago with nine Bosnians was one of the most signifi-
cant moments in my life. I can never forget that time or for that matter almost any
encounter I’ve had with refugees. You have no idea how the opportunity that your
leadership has provided has shaped my thoughts, values, and most importantly my
faith. I’m more grateful than you’ll ever know.”

THE PRESENT
Today Exodus remains small, with two full-time and five part-time employees
and an annual budget of approximately $300,000. But increasingly, our impact
reaches beyond the Chicagoland area and into other communities across the
United States and around the world.
This trend began with invitations to speak at national conferences. Several of
the national resettlement agencies invited us to lead workshops at their annual
Exodus World Service 255

conferences to share what we were learning about mobilizing local volunteers. As

people from other areas of the country learned about our work, we began receiv-
ing invitations to speak at events hosted by other groups, such as national church
denominations. This led to calls from individual churches or organizations asking
for advice and resources to help them in their local community.
We freely offered whatever help we could. This included phone and e-mail
consultation, sharing of our program manuals and educational tools, and even
traveling to local communities to train staff and volunteers. For example, a church
group in the Missouri area secured local grant funding that enabled me to visit
them several times to provide intensive training and support to local leaders. A
resettlement agency in Michigan sent staff to our office to watch us in action and
then invited me to their office to lead a staff training.
These requests caused the board to address new areas of mission clarification.
First, was our mission specific to the Chicagoland area? Board members quickly
agreed that our mission had no geographic limitations. Our goal is to mobilize
volunteers to serve refugees wherever they are located in the world.
The second issue that arose was more complex: how much control did we want
to maintain over the use of our program models and materials? Addressing this
issue required the board to evaluate a variety of different aspects of our ministry.
These included our desire for excellence in all areas of our work, our brand iden-
tification, our limited financial resources, our fundraising capacity, and our orga-
nizational structure. The board’s position on this issue developed gradually over
the course of several years.
Once again, we looked at both our own experience and the lessons learned by
other local nonprofit organizations with national impact. We identified a variety
of possible responses, including opening local affiliate offices, franchising our pro-
grams, or networking with other individuals and organizations.
Opening local affiliate offices offered the greatest degree of control. In this
model, we would recruit and hire local staff, train local staff to use our service
models, and directly supervise their implementation. But a local affiliate model
also placed the greatest demands on our organizational structure and fundraising
capabilities. The board therefore ruled this option out.
Franchising would maintain control by licensing the use of such programs as
the Welcome to America! Pack and the New Neighbor Program. In the licensing
agreement, we could specify usage guidelines and quality-control parameters. But
franchising assumed that a one-size-fits-all approach was best. And we were learn-
ing through our work with other groups that although our general principles were
very transferable, specific local dynamics varied considerably. These local vari-
ables included which resettlement agencies (if any) operated in the local commu-
nity, how many new refugees were resettled in the local community, what
resources were available to the church or group interested in helping, and so on.
Ultimately, the board decided to use a networking approach. They determined
that mobilizing more volunteers for refugee ministry was Exodus’s top priority.
They were more concerned about effectively leveraging what we learned in the
256 The New Humanitarians

Chicagoland area than in maintaining control or assuming credit for what we

helped accomplish in other communities.
Our impact outside the Chicagoland area has taken a variety of forms. A few
examples:

• Groups from across the United States and around the world have ordered
copies of our six-week Bible study, Entertaining Angels. One national mission
organization now lists the study as required reading for some short-term
volunteers, a network of churches in Sri Lanka has distributed copies to local
churches, and a ministry in Austria is working on a German translation so
that the study can be used with local churches.
• Exodus continues to receive invitations to lead training workshops. Recently,
we have provided training for mission personnel of two different national
denominations.
• A variation of our New Neighbor program is being implemented in England.
The group implementing the program used information about our track
record in the Chicagoland area to secure a special grant to test new resettle-
ment models.
• A church in South Africa is exploring the development of a Welcome to Cape
Town program to mobilize other local churches.

Another way in which Exodus has engaged on a global level is through the Refugee
Highway Partnership (RHP). The RHP grew out of an international conference
hosted by the World Evangelical Alliance and several other organizations that
brought together almost 200 people from around the world representing different
church-based refugee ministry programs. Attendees expressed a strong desire for a
structure that would allow continued post-conference connection and collaboration.
Exodus was one of a small number of organizations invited by the conference
organizers to help implement an ongoing structure. What evolved is a global part-
nership of refugee ministry organizations and churches that Exodus currently
chairs. The RHP has a loose organizational structure, with no budget or staff.
What unites the participating organizations are shared core values about the
importance of mobilizing local churches to welcome and serve refugees.
The mission of the RHP is to increase the involvement of churches around the
world in welcoming and serving refugees. Working together, the RHP has launched
a web page, produced training and educational materials, hosted roundtable dis-
cussions and conferences, and launched a Global Day of Prayer for Refugees.
Yet another way in which we are reaching outside the Chicagoland area is by
taking teams of local volunteers to serve refugees in other locations. Less than
0.5 percent of the world’s refugees resettle in the United States. In fact, last year
the United States welcomed only 53,725 refugees. The vast majority of the
world’s refugees languish in other countries around the world. International
ministry teams provide a way for our volunteers to address some of the needs
outside our own country.
Exodus World Service 257

Our first team spent two weeks serving refugees at a processing center in
Austria. We recently took another group of volunteers to Uganda at the request of
local Ugandan churches struggling to respond to the immense needs of refugees
and displaced persons. Our initial experience indicates these international trips
expand volunteers’ understanding of the refugee experience and inspire deep
commitment to continued involvement. But we are still experimenting with how
to incorporate such trips into our ongoing programs.
I anticipate that the next few years will bring further refinement of Exodus’s
national and international contributions. At present, we are reactive and not
proactive in this area. We respond when groups request assistance. But we have no
structured way to make groups aware of the resources we have available. Our
national and international efforts are also limited by my personal time and energy.
The lessons we have learned in almost twenty years of ministry are stored in my
head, but our desire is to capture that information in a more durable and repro-
ducible form. We are currently exploring how we can use our web page and dis-
tance learning technology to share what we have learned with others. We are also
discussing the development of a resource manual for groups in other locations,
similar to the user-friendly handbooks developed for the Welcome to America!
Pack and New Neighbor Program.
Another new area of ministry development is community organizing. Through
funding from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, we recently
launched the Refugee Bridge Group. This young community organization cur-
rently includes more than 100 refugee members representing a wide variety of dif-
ferent nationalities. They are gaining a growing voice in policy decisions affecting
refugees in DuPage County, Illinois. Local school districts, the county health
department, and local social service organizations are beginning to turn to these
refugee leaders for input and advice. We look forward to seeing the long-term
impact the Refugee Bridge Group will have in the local community, and discover-
ing how our community organizing efforts can grow and develop in the future.

FUNDRAISING
Exodus uses every available resource to implement our programs. We involve
volunteers not just to provide services to refugees, but to help with everything
from editing our newsletter to managing our web page. We look for in-kind con-
tributions and have gladly received donated computer equipment, printing
services, office supplies, and other resources. But despite our creative use of
resources and our efforts to keep expenses to bare-bones levels, we still need fund-
ing to pay staff, rent office space, print materials, and provide telephone service,
among other needs.
This fundraising challenge has been constant throughout our history. Every year
we receive enough money to continue our programs, but rarely is anything left to
spare. Contributions are used as soon as we receive them to serve refugees, and we
must continually raise more. For me, one of the most challenging aspects of
258 The New Humanitarians

managing a small nonprofit organization has been learning to live peacefully with
this constant financial stress.
Defining ourselves as a mobilizing organization has forced us to carefully and
strategically find ways to effectively communicate the impact of what we do. It has
also caused us to rely on individuals, churches, and private foundations as our
primary sources of funding. Almost all the federal and state funding available for
refugee services is targeted toward agencies providing direct services to refugees.
A direct service model is also more familiar to foundations and corporate funders.
Currently, more than 97 percent of our funding comes from private-sector
sources. Although it is challenging to raise these funds, private-sector funding ulti-
mately provides us with greater stability and flexibility. We are not dependent on a
few, large government grants, and therefore do not suffer the significant fluctuation
in funding that resettlement agencies experience when arrival rates are inconsistent.
We host two major fundraising events each year, a Celebration of Hope dinner
held each year in the spring, and a Run/Walk for Refugees held each year in the
fall. In addition, we communicate with our donors through a monthly e-mail
newsletter and through periodic appeal letters.
Our fundraising model is relational, and we try to provide the same level of
service and support to our donors that we provide to our program volunteers.
(In fact many of our donors are also program volunteers.) Our desire is not just
to raise money, but to raise long-term friends for our ministry.

CORE VALUES
What started almost twenty years ago as a small group of three co-founders has
become a grassroots community of thousands. Steadily, one by one, we have been
joined by people who share our desire to welcome and serve refugees. Together, a
community of ordinary people is making an extraordinary difference.
Exodus’s most valuable contribution has been its role as a catalyst. By bringing
volunteers and refugees together, Exodus activates life-changing connections.
Exodus releases the potential for positive impact and mutual benefit that volun-
teers and refugees offer to one another.
The Exodus family is very diverse. We range in age from little Anna, who
began volunteering with her parents when she was just four months old, to Terry,
who recently celebrated her ninetieth birthday. Retirees, youth groups, college
students, families, singles, small groups, and school classes have all been involved
in our ministry.
The Exodus family includes members of tiny Christ United Methodist Church,
a twenty-five-person church that has welcomed multiple refugee families, and
members of Willow Creek Community Church, one of the largest churches in the
United States, with 20,000 worshippers on any given Sunday morning. We come
from a wide range of denominational backgrounds, including mainline and
evangelical, Catholic and Protestant; we live in urban, suburban, and rural
neighborhoods; and we represent many different ethnic communities.
Exodus World Service 259

We also bring different gifts. Some of us help refugees learn English or study
for the citizenship exam, some of us collect household items and food staples to
turn apartments into homes, some of us donate money, and some of us speak up
to those in power.
What unites us is our shared commitment to the transformative power of com-
munity and hospitality. We take to heart the commands to “welcome the stranger”
and “love our neighbors as ourselves,” and we put those into action. We know
firsthand the life changes that can happen when people open their homes and
their lives to refugees.
Exodus provides a practical, hands-on approach to what can seem like insolu-
ble problems. We take issues that seem too big to grasp and provide a doable way
to respond.
Exodus’s ministry is both simple and profound. It is simple because it involves
sharing with people in the everyday moments of their daily lives. Refugees and
volunteers cook meals and try new foods, they read the mail and sort out the
important notices from the junk mail, and they talk about practical issues such as
how to get an emissions test, where to buy the best groceries, and how to pay taxes.
But Exodus’s ministry is also profound because the relationships that form in
those everyday moments transcend the distinctions of refugee and volunteer. The
authenticity of friendships that reach across cultures and life experiences, the
commitment to stand together through the ups and downs of life, the willingness
to learn and grow from one another—these are powerful. These relationships
transform lives.

INFLUENCERS
I have been most influenced by leaders outside the traditional refugee ministry
and social service fields. Leaders and research in the following disciplines have
shaped the development of our programs, particularly our understanding of how
to effectively mobilize volunteers:

• Communication and marketing. We use research and data from the for-profit
sector about how to inspire, motivate, and move people to action. This also
includes analysis of the unique characteristics of generational cohorts such as
the baby boomers and the “millennials.”
• Change management. This includes the book Diffusion of Innovations, Everett
Rogers’s classic work that summarizes years of research about how new ideas
spread; the work of John Kotter on leading and managing change; and Odyssey
of the Mind, a program that develops creative problem-solving skills.
• Adult education. This field includes information and resources about teach-
ing through experiential learning and the importance of connecting new
information to existing frameworks. More recent developments in this field
applicable to Exodus include distance learning models and educational
strategies using web-based technologies.
260 The New Humanitarians

Another incredible influence and source of continued inspiration have been the
refugees we have welcomed. Refugees demonstrate courage, creativity, resiliency,
and adaptability. They have offered fresh perspective and new insight, and helped
us bring clarity and focus to our mission and vision.

PRINCIPLES TO SHARE
The Exodus journey is unique. Each nonprofit must define its own mission and
vision and chart its own path forward. But here are some principles we have
learned that may be helpful for other organizations.

• Laser in on your mission. Invest the time to distill your mission down to its core
essence. Wrestle with words until you can find ways to communicate your
mission in simple, powerful language. Then discipline yourself to regularly
measure your programs and activities against your mission. A strong, clearly
defined mission is one of your most powerful tools. It provides the metrics you
need to gauge your effectiveness. It offers marketing language to help others
understand the importance of your work. And it protects you from the dis-
tractions and temptations to wander off target that will come from funding
opportunities, staff and volunteer personalities, and donor preferences.
• Stretch your thinking. Critically assess those things that are crucial to your mis-
sion, be they methods or values or partners. Then refuse to hold tightly to
everything else. Be willing to test boundaries, imagine new possibilities, and
try doing things in new ways. This does not mean that you should not learn
from the lessons of those who have gone before you or not trust in the value of
your own experience. But it does require that you be willing to listen actively
when new staff members, volunteers, or those you serve dare to ask the “what if”
or “why” questions.
• Walk the tightrope. One of the greatest challenges in running a nonprofit is
living in the space between your vision of what could be done and the reality
of what can be done. Of course, there is always a risk of complacency. It is
possible to become so inured to a problem or issue that you simply accept it as
inevitable and stop trying. But a much greater risk for visionaries is the oppo-
site extreme. The very passion that drives you to create a new organization can
also cause disillusionment and burn out. Your vision should always be larger
than what currently exists. A bold vision keeps an organization alert and for-
ward focused. But the very definition of a bold vision means that you are not
there yet. The present reality is not good enough. There is more to be done. If
this dissatisfaction with what is overshadows the dream of what could be, it
will drain away your energy, momentum, and enjoyment. Remember, you are
on a journey. What is most important is not where you are today, but the
progress you are making toward your vision for the future.
• Look for leverage. Visionaries launch new organizations because existing
organizations are not doing the job. You have probably identified gaps, or even
Exodus World Service 261

gaping holes, in existing services. But resist the temptation to assume that you
are the only one willing or able to respond to an unmet need. Try to identify
not only what is not happening, but also what is being done well. Explore cre-
ative ways to leverage your vision and contribution by partnering with groups
that can strengthen, deepen, or expand what you do. Be sure to keep your eyes
open for nontraditional partners in unrelated fields that may be able to offer
skills or expertise applicable to your mission.
• Keep telling your story. For your organization to succeed, you will need not only to
cast a vision, but also to get others to follow. It is not enough that you are per-
sonally devoted to your cause. You need to instill the same passion, commitment,
and willingness to act in others. Of course, the process of mobilizing others begins
with a clearly articulated mission and vision. But once that is in place, storytelling
can be one of your most effective tools. Talk about the lives that are changed
because of what you do. Translate your cause into individual people and faces.
Make your vision personal. Facts and statistics and research are all important, but
ultimately people get involved when they feel connected to other people.

CONCLUSION
Gilbert Tuhabonye is a refugee and a survivor of the Burundi genocide. His
book, This Voice in My Heart, describes the horrific experience of being burned
alive in a building filled with his high school classmates. He was the only one to
survive. Through his deep faith, he has been able to find new hope and forgive-
ness. He is now living in Texas and training marathon runners.
Gilbert ends his book by sharing a saying he learned as a young boy in
Burundi: “It is easy to light a fire and difficult to extinguish it.”
“I understand that much better now than I did then,” he states in his conclu-
sion. “Though some would rather have seen me destroyed by flames, no one can
extinguish the fire inside of me. The light God has placed there still burns brightly.
Each day I try to honor this great gift of life with some gesture of gratitude.”1
If you are excited by a vision—if you dream of making a positive difference in
the world—then start creating sparks. Gather people around you who can add
their flame to yours. Light a fire that cannot be extinguished. We need more peo-
ple who see a need and respond. We need more people to say yes. So take a leap of
faith and get involved.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: Exodus World Service
Founder and Executive Director: Heidi Moll Schoedel, National Director
Mission/Description: Exodus World Service transforms the lives of refugees
and of volunteers. Exodus educates local churches about refugee ministry,
connects volunteers in relationship with refugee families through practical
262 The New Humanitarians

service projects, and equips leaders to speak up on behalf of refugees. The end
result is that wounded hearts are healed, loneliness is replaced with compan-
ionship, and fear is transformed into hope. Exodus’s service recruits local
volunteers, equips them with information and training, and then links them
directly with refugee families newly arrived in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Exodus also provides training and tools for front-line staff of other refugee
service agencies. In addition, Exodus has developed several innovative
programs for use by volunteers in their work with refugees.
Website: www.e-w-s.org
Address: 109 Fairfield Way, #101
Bloomingdale, IL 60108 USA
Phone: 630-307-1400 x107
Fax: 630-307-1430
E-mail: heidi.schoedel@e-w-s.org

NOTE
1. Gilbert Tuhabonye with Gary Brozek, This Voice in My Heart: A Genocide Survivor’s
Story of Escape, Faith and Forgiveness (New York: HarperCollins, 2006). p. 260.
 14

A Successful Institution
in a Struggling System:
The Story of the International
Institute for Sustainable
Development and Sustainable
Development in Canada
Lillian Hayward

It is easy to assume quickly that “sustainable development” deals mainly, or even

exclusively, with environmental matters. But the very concept was designed to
encompass much more than the pursuit of clean air and clean water. Sustainable
development and its champions strive for—and celebrate—the critical union
among environmental health, economic progress, and well-being for all people.
Although the specifics of the International Institute for Sustainable Development
(IISD)’s research and objectives have changed over the years, the human dimension
has always been at the core of IISD’s reason for being. The Canadian-based Inter-
national Institute for Sustainable Development, begun in 1990 in the wake of the
Brundtland Commission, continues to pursue ideas and projects that will improve
the lives of all people.
For example, IISD studies and promotes policy tools designed to reduce green-
house gas emissions and ways in which economies and communities can benefit
in a carbon-constrained future. But IISD is also on the leading edge of under-
standing adaptation to climate change. Recognizing that impacts of climate
change are already upon us, IISD keeps a sharp policy focus on how small-island
states, Arctic communities, drought-ravaged populations, and other vulnerable
people can understand and take action to adapt their livelihoods to the impacts of
climate change.
IISD’s work in trade is predicated on the belief that international trade can be
a force for achieving sustainable development, that properly crafted and effec-
tively implemented international trade policies can play a key role in achieving
environmental benefits while advancing developed and developing country
economies. The work also includes a focus on international investment treaties as
tools for achieving sustainable development and improving the economic
prospects of people in developing countries. A key element of this work lies in

263
264 The New Humanitarians

helping officials from the developing world negotiate treaties that are consistent
with the basic tenets of sustainable development.
The institute is also engaged in the vigorous study of natural resource man-
agement issues in its home province of Manitoba and elsewhere, with a particular
focus on prairie agriculture and water availability and quality. Through its work
with indicators, measurement, and assessment, IISD is actively involved in identi-
fying quality of life indicators at a community level and using these to inform
actions in the community.
As this chapter describes, IISD was an early adopter of electronic communica-
tions tools and, to this day, continues to keep international negotiations transpar-
ent through its far-reaching coverage of major meetings and conferences. And the
institute is now looking at the exciting, evolving policy field of Internet governance
and how the future of a secure, accessible Internet is an essential part of the infra-
structure for the advancement of sustainable development.
To achieve its broad aims and to remain nimble and adaptable, IISD taps into
top research talent around the world, partners with like-minded organizations,
and seeks relationships with community leaders and decision makers in business,
government, and civil society. In its people-centered view, IISD believes that we
are all partners in the pursuit of a better world and a meaningful, prosperous, sus-
tainable future.

INTRODUCTION
The year 2007 marks the twentieth anniversary of one of the most pivotal
reports in the history of environmental policy. This report, titled Our Common
Future, was developed as a global agenda for change and was released in 1987 into
a world hungry for guidance and action on environmental issues.
One of the strengths of Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland
Report, named after Gro Harlem Brundtland, chair of the UN commission that
produced the report, was that it presented the world with a fundamentally differ-
ent way of looking at the environment. It defined sustainable development (SD)
as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”1 Unlike previous environ-
mental paradigms, Our Common Future provided an integration of economic
development and the environment, two notions that had been seen as mutually
exclusive because of groups such as the Club of Rome, which in its Limits to
Growth study appealed for conservationism in the face of rapidly diminishing
resources. This linkage between the environment and the economy was very pop-
ular, particularly in political circles, and gained endorsement in principle from the
G-7 leaders at the Toronto Summit in 1988. This definition of SD became more
popular during the preparations for, and culmination of, the Earth Summit held
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.2
Our Common Future provided a number of recommendations which, along
with the highly popular definition of SD, led to visible institutional changes in
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 265

Canada. For instance, it is possible to identify direct linkages between the Brundt-
land Commission’s recommendations and the establishment of one particularly
successful Canadian organization, the International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD).
In the twenty years since the release of the Brundtland Report, this institution
has had the opportunity to grow, mature, and come into its own. Today, IISD is
internationally recognized for its work. This chapter will examine the IISD in six
sections. The first will look at the genesis of the institution through an identifica-
tion of the drivers that led to its creation, including a combination of public inter-
est, political landscape, and institutional structure that are at the foundations of
the institute. Second, the major eras of IISD will be detailed, beginning with how
the institute has developed and changed over time from its early days as a
relatively unknown player on the international field to being a world-renowned
institution. Third, the internal and external barriers and challenges that have faced
the organization will be addressed. Section four will then provide an account of
the opportunities and breakthroughs that have helped shape the growth of the
institute, including key meetings, major turning points, and the creation of strate-
gic opportunities. The fifth section examines organizational issues and how fun-
damental institutional aspects like finances, personnel, and location have shaped
the orientation and growth of IISD. The final section will provide an examination
of the road ahead for IISD and sustainable development in Canada. It will assess
the success of IISD and comment on its meaning for Canada’s engagement with
sustainable development in an institutional sense.
This chapter concludes that, although IISD is a very successful institution, it is
a single institution and is not representative of how SD has fared in Canada in a
general sense. This juxtaposition of a successful organization within a struggling
system provides a demonstration of the capacity of Canadian organizations when
they are able to harness expertise and innovative thinking. IISD’s experience is
important because it has remained a strong and relevant organization in spite of
potentially catastrophic organizational crises, risky endeavors, and tumultuous
times for the government of Canada. This is a testament to IISD’s strong and ded-
icated leadership, which has been tested on many occasions only to emerge even
stronger and more determined. Thus, while little has been done to significantly
change the way we do things in the twenty years since the Brundtland Commis-
sion first offered its recommendations, IISD is an illustration of the real potential
of Canadian sustainable development institutions.

GENESIS: IDENTIFICATION OF DRIVERS

In the late 1980s, public interest in the environment was running very high.
This was a time of great environmental awareness both in Canada and around the
world. Awareness was raised by highly publicized environmental catastrophes in
the mid-1980s such as the chemical leak in Bhopal, India; the severe drought in
Ethiopia; the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Soviet Union; and the discovery of a
266 The New Humanitarians

hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, all of which occurred between 1984 and
1986. “These were accompanied by later, somewhat more national and continen-
tal issues, such as the PCB fire at St. Basile-le-Grand; the huge tire fire in
Hagarsville, Ontario; and, last but not least, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.”3
With all these events occurring within a short period of time, environmental
awareness in Canada reached a fever pitch.
It was in the midst of this atmosphere that the Brundtland Commission sent
twenty-two men and women from its task force to Canada for a series of eleven
high-profile meetings in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova
Scotia. During these meetings, the commission listened to a wide variety of ideas
and opinions from a range of individuals, including environment ministers, abo-
riginal leaders, industry leaders, environmental stakeholders, and students.4
Even before Our Common Future was brought forth, the message of the com-
mission was already quite clear. It described the observable environmental trends
as “appalling,” and equated the slow and insidious process of environmental
degradation to the spread of cancer.5 So in 1986, the combination of public inter-
est, heightened by the commission’s extensive Canadian tour and the impending
release of the commission’s recommendations, caused governments in Canada to
take action. The Canadian Council of Resource and Environment Ministers,
which was the committee made up of federal and provincial ministers of envi-
ronment, established the National Task Force on Environment and Economy
(NTFEE) “to initiate dialogue on environment-economy integration among
Canada’s environment ministers, senior executive officers from Canadian indus-
try, and representatives from environmental organizations and the academic
community.”6
The NTFEE supported the main conclusions of the Brundtland Commission
in principle and set out to address them in the Canadian context. The final report
of the task force made a series of recommendations that reflected the relevance of
the Brundtland Commission to Canada. It was from the report’s significant inter-
national component that the idea for the creation of an international institute for
sustainable development first emerged.
The creation of the institute was solidified when, in 1988, Brian Mulroney
addressed the United Nations General Assembly debate on the Brundtland
Report. The Prime Minister’s Office was looking for a concrete announceable to
include in his speech to his international counterparts. Given the immense public
appetite for environmental action and the opportunity to address an international
forum, it was a perfect time for Mulroney to announce the establishment of an
institution with a focus on international environmental issues. The result was the
announcement on September 29, 1988, by the prime minister to the United
Nations General Assembly of the establishment of “a centre which will promote
internationally the concept of environmentally sustainable development. This
centre will be located in Winnipeg and will work closely with the United Nations
Environment Programme and other like-minded international institutions and
organizations.”7
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 267

Two years later, in March 1990, the Globe 90 Conference was held in Vancouver.
At that time, it was one of the largest environmental conferences ever held, with
over 2,000 delegates attending and more than 600 exhibitors from 50 countries.8
Gro Harlem Brundtland delivered a keynote address during the week-long confer-
ence, stressing that “the [global environmental] crisis is a more real threat to the
world than nuclear war, but unless the gap between rich and poor nations is
bridged, it will continue to grow.”9
Globe 90 provided the perfect backdrop for the signing of the funding agree-
ment for IISD by Gary Filmon, premier of the Province of Manitoba, where the
institute would be headquartered, and federal environment minister Lucien
Bouchard. The agreement provided the new institution with $25 million over
five years, funded by the government of Manitoba, and the government of
Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and
Environment Canada.10

Politics
The political landscape at the time of the IISD’s creation was one in which
environmental issues had gained significant momentum. However, environmen-
tal issues were not an immediate or natural fit for the Progressive Conservative
government. The environment did not figure prominently into the government’s
neoconservative agenda, which focused primarily on economic issues such as
reducing the role of the state in the economy and promoting free trade.11 The
Brundtland Commission’s definition of sustainable development provided the
kind of connection between the environment and the economy that made envi-
ronmental issues more popular with the Conservatives.
But even with the linkages made between the environment and the economy
through sustainable development, the federal government was generally anxious
about the recommendations that would come out of the Brundtland report. Public
expectations were high, and in order to preempt the advice that would come out, or
Our Common Future, the NTFEE was assembled in 1986, following the Brundtland
Commission’s visit, in order to assess the relevance of the commission’s work for
Canada.12
The environment figured prominently in the 1988 election campaign, during
which Mulroney promised to deliver a strategy for the environment. Once the
government was re-elected, the 1989 Speech from the Throne emphasized its
commitment to the environment through the recognition of environmental
issues, strong support for the recommendations of the Brundtland Commission,
and the announcement of a new environmental agenda.13
Major changes at the Department of Environment reflected this new agenda. The
environment portfolio experienced a rapid increase in importance thanks to the
creation of the cabinet Committee on the Environment. The minister of environ-
ment was also added to the roster of key cabinet committees, including the power-
ful cabinet Committee on Priorities and Planning. The result was positive from the
268 The New Humanitarians

perspective of environmental issues. Not only was the department more powerful,
but this was also the first time since its creation that the department enjoyed the
unequivocal support of the prime minister. However, this additional power came at
a price because of concerns around the cabinet table about departmental auton-
omy14 in the face of an increasingly influential Department of Environment. There
was also anxiety surrounding the financial burden created by this department tak-
ing on large and ambitious projects during a time of fiscal restraint. This included
Canada’s Green Plan for a Healthy Environment, a CDN$3 billion15 environmental
master plan that required government-wide participation.
It was in the midst of this political turmoil that IISD was created. However,
because of the fact that it was designed as an independent institution, a character-
istic that will be discussed in the next section, it was insulated from the internal
strife that characterized the government of Canada during this period.

Institutional Structure
IISD is a private, not-for-profit organization that was created under the
Canada Corporations Act, Part II: Corporations Without Share Capital. The insti-
tution’s incorporation letters were signed by Jim MacNeill, the former secretary
general of the World Commission on Environment and Development and the pri-
mary author of Our Common Future; by the late J. C. Gibson, a member of the
faculty of agriculture at the University of Manitoba; and by Lloyd McGinnis, a
professional engineer who was awarded the prestigious Gold Medal Award as
Canada’s Outstanding Engineer in 1986.16
The structure of the organization was a popular model,17 somewhat similar to
other institutions such as the International Development Research Centre, the Inter-
national Centre for Ocean Development, and the Economic Council of Canada.18
These government-owned “crown corporations” were characterized by funding
arrangements in which the government would provide the funding they needed to
define their core businesses and establish relationships with stakeholders.19
It is likely that the decision to make IISD a private, nonprofit organization
was taken because both federal and provincial governments were involved in its
creation, making a crown corporation impossible.20 The institution was devel-
oped as a kind of hybrid, receiving funding both from the government of
Canada through CIDA and Environment Canada as well as the government of
Manitoba.
The establishment of the institution as an independent organization has been
lauded as an “inspired decision”21 for a number of reasons. First, it has enabled
IISD to take risks that would have been prohibitive for government and to produce
reports that would have been difficult to create in a bureaucratic environment.
Second, the government has allowed the institution to appoint its own board
members without intervention, allowing IISD to establish a highly skilled and
engaged board of directors, one that has been described as one of the best boards
of any like institution.22 Finally, it has given IISD the freedom to determine its
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 269

funding structure, giving it a great amount of flexibility to decide the ways in

which its funds will be used.
Even though it is an independent institution, IISD maintains close relation-
ships with its funders. It has entrenched this relationship in the organization’s
bylaws, which grant observer status to the president of CIDA, the deputy minister
of Environment Canada, the chief civil servant of Manitoba, and that province’s
deputy minister of the environment, allowing them to participate in board meet-
ings. IISD has found that the benefit of having major donors participate in this
way is that they are able to gain an understanding of what the institution is doing
and identify ways in which they are able to collaborate.23
Although Canadian-based, IISD’s relevance as an international organization is
exemplified by the composition of its board of directors. Roughly half the mem-
bers of the board come from outside of Canada, which has led to a variety of indi-
viduals from around the world contributing to the work of the institution. This
means that international perspectives are always a consideration for the board of
directors, an undeniably important characteristic for an organization striving for
a voice in international fora.

MAJOR ERAS
During the first two years of its existence, IISD was relatively inactive from an
external perspective, but internally the groundwork was being laid. The early days
of IISD were spent debating the key internal elements of the organization such as
the mission, the structure, and the programs. The founding chair, Lloyd McGin-
nis, recalls:

In those early days we spent as much time telling people what we were not going to
do as we did outlining our plans. Responding to a question on television in the
spring of 1990 in Vancouver, I stated that no, we were not going to spend our fund-
ing on bricks and mortar, and no we would not be employing lab coats. As the inter-
view pressure mounted, I somehow blurted out that the Canadian challenge was to
convert a concept into practice—and we were on our way.24

In 1991 “IISD’s mandate as refined by the Board of Directors, had become

clearly focused on two main areas of activity: policy research and communica-
tions.”25 By this time, research themes had also been identified and included the
integration of environment and economics in decision making, institutions for
sustainable development, and reforming public policies. Possibly the most impor-
tant topic undertaken by IISD was that of trade and sustainable development
within the area of public policy research. David Runnalls, who had been offered
the job of president of IISD, instead joined the institute as a consultant to estab-
lish a program on trade and sustainable development. This area of research faced
a considerable amount of skepticism when it was first introduced,26 but it turned
out to be a very timely decision: environmental issues began to be a topic for dis-
cussion in major trade agreements such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and
270 The New Humanitarians

Trade (GATT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The
result was that IISD was at the forefront of research on trade and environment
linkages, and had developed expertise that allowed it to address the issues faced by
both the GATT and NAFTA. Since this decision to focus on trade and sustainable
development, this area has consistently been one of IISD’s largest programs.
Communications have always been important for IISD, as highlighted by its
first mandate, and have always played an important role in its activities. One key
way the institution has changed since its inception is through its use of the Inter-
net. As early as 1991, the organization was examining how it could become more
connected through information networks. The annual report from that year
details communications objectives involving the “exploration of international
computer networking relationships.”27 In 1994 IISD launched the organization’s
website, IISDnet, a fully electronic database “allowing fast and focused computer
access to the Institute’s information clearinghouse.”28 This early adoption of
Internet technology likely made IISD the first nongovernmental organization
(NGO) to have this kind of Internet presence, giving it a wide-open field in which
to establish itself.
The continued growth of the Internet and electronic communications has
helped IISD solidify its place as a world leader in sustainable development and as
an important source of information on environmental issues. The early uptake of
this new technology turned out to be one of the most important decisions made
by that early board, and has led to IISD’s prominence on the Internet and as a
leader in electronic accessibility. By making information accessible to everyone
and establishing an early presence on the Internet, IISD was able to position itself
as a leader in information dissemination at a time when most organizations were
still relying on traditional methods for getting their data out to their audiences.
The website is not the only way that IISD has found a way to expand and
improve its commitment to communications. Launched in 1992 at the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED)—also known
as the Earth Summit—in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin
(ENB) continues to be one of IISD’s most successful products. It was released daily
at the conference under the name Earth Summit Bulletin, and consisted of a con-
cise and comprehensive summary of the negotiations that was distributed to con-
ference delegates. The distribution of this report on the state of the negotiations
at the Earth Summit reached 10,000 copies,29 both printed and via electronic bul-
letin boards, and highlighted the need for this kind of service. After the Earth
Summit, IISD offered the ENB an institutional home, and since then, the service
has continued to grow. It is now created and distributed at major conferences all
over the world.
A third era in IISD’s history is possibly the most substantial in terms of defin-
ing how the organization was run. In 1995 the government of Canada, headed by
Prime Minister Jean Chretien, conducted a review of its funding to programs.
IISD faced a “monumental slash” of its core funding30 as Environment Canada’s
funding to the organization was reduced by 91 percent between 1996 and 1998,
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 271

$3,500,000.00

$3,000,000.00
Environment Canada
CIDA

$2,500,000.00 Province of Manitoba

Amount of Funding

$2,000,000.00

$1,500,000.00

$1,000,000.00

$500,000.00

$0.00
19 91

19 94

19 95

19 96
19 92

19 93

19 97

19 98

19 99

20 00

20 03
20 01

20 02

20 04

20 05

6
/0
/

/
/

/
/

/
90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

00

01

02

03

04

05
19

Year
Figure 14.1 IISD core funding, 1990–2006. Courtesy of Lillian Hayward, based on
IISD annual report data.

representing an overall decrease in total core funding of approximately 45 percent

during that two-year period (see Figure 14.1).
This funding cut led to a fundamental shift in the way that the institution did
business. Jim MacNeill, who was the chair of IISD during this era, had been advo-
cating for the need to diversify funding. This funding cut gave the organization
the incentive it needed to change from a spending culture to a revenue culture.31
And with that,

a major effort [began] to expand the sources and levels of the Institute’s funding.
This funding transition mark[ed] a significant change in institutional culture for
IISD, with a very successful staff effort to find support for programs. Today, IISD’s
annual budget is double the level of 1995 expenditures, even though the level of core
funding has dropped.32

This change in funding sources has shaped the institution in many ways
because by shifting to a revenue culture, the program directors became fundrais-
ers. This has made them responsible for listening to their audiences, shopping
their proposals around, and raising the funds required to support their projects.
This fundamental shift in the orientation of the organization enabled IISD to
become a significantly more entrepreneurial organization. The result is that today,
the institute does not spend much time responding to requests for proposals from
272 The New Humanitarians

governments and other agencies. Instead, it develops its own research ideas and
works to engage funders and partners to support the work.33 This system helps to
ensure that the ideas produced by the institute are new and fresh. It also has the
added benefit that any products that it produces will be taken up by an audience
that has already committed to it.
With the addition of William Glanville as vice president and COO to its staff in
1998, IISD could begin to examine institutional development and begin to estab-
lish a more coherent approach to program planning.34 The result was a new strate-
gic plan that was presented to the board of directors in 1999.35 This new plan had
to reflect the new realities of the organization, which included substantial growth
of its revenues from about $5 million in 1993 to almost $10 million in 2000,36 as
well as the growth of the institute itself, which had expanded from its single office
headquartered in Winnipeg to include offices in Calgary, New York, and Ottawa.37
The plan helped define IISD’s vision— “Better living for all—sustainably”38—
and its mission—“To champion innovation, enabling societies to live
sustainably”39—both of which are still used to define the institute. An internal
strategic review by the board of directors and staff led to a reorganization of IISD
away from a rigid program structure and toward a more dynamic configuration
in order to “capture the energy of the entire staff to encourage creativity, innova-
tive thinking and interdisciplinary research.”40 This was done by redefining pro-
grams as “strategic objectives” and allowing employees to move between these
objectives according to where their expertise was needed.41
The next major era for the organization will likely come when its current pres-
ident, David Runnalls, retires from IISD in 2010. He is the longest-serving presi-
dent in IISD’s seventeen-year history, having been at the helm of the organization
since 1998. A change in this kind of long-standing leadership could mean a sig-
nificant change for IISD, however, the ways in which this change might manifest
itself could be quite varied depending on who comes into this position.

BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES

IISD’s early life was marked by a “series of birthing and budgetary crises and a
couple of near-death experiences.”42 These were significant obstacles that the
organization had to overcome, and in many cases, these have helped shape the
organization into what it is today. The barriers and challenges that IISD faced dur-
ing its development have been broken down into four separate “crises”: its chal-
lenging birth, the termination of similar organizations, and two separate and
severe funding cuts. In addition, some barriers and challenges have presented
themselves as more sustained issues, including the tension between its national
and international commitments, the rise and fall in the popularity of environ-
mental issues, and the challenge of remaining relevant. Each of these experiences
has had a hand in shaping IISD into its current form.
The first crisis encountered by IISD was whether or not it would happen at all.
Prime Minister Mulroney announced the creation of an international institution
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 273

for sustainable development in a speech to the UN General Assembly in 1988;

however, not much happened following that announcement. There was intergov-
ernmental wrangling between the government of Canada and the government of
Manitoba, and to further complicate the situation, there was significant tension
between the leaders of these governments.43 The opportunity to have IISD as an
announceable for the Mulroney government at the Globe 90 Conference in
Vancouver likely played a large role in getting the proper elements in place to
solidify the funding agreement and establish the organization.
The second crisis for IISD came only a few years into its life when the Mulroney
government terminated several of the institutions that had been created around
the same institutional model as IISD “as part of a wider policy of expenditure
reduction.”44 For instance, the Economic Council of Canada and the International
Centre for Ocean Development both found themselves on the chopping block,45
signaling that the government was no longer interested in supporting organiza-
tions that were established according to this model. There were concerns that IISD
could see its end in another round of similar cuts; however, the loyalty and sup-
port of the Province of Manitoba and the fact that it was created by Mulroney
himself, likely helped secure its survival.
The third crisis came as a result of “the June 1993 (Prime Minister) Kim
Campbell reorganization, in which [the Department of Environment (DOE)]
suffered significant losses to its mandate, personnel, and budget.”46 This decline
in the capacity of the department impacted IISD as the DOE clawed back some
of its funding. Although this was by no means a fatal blow for IISD, there was
a real concern within the organization that it would set a precedent, resulting
in Manitoba pulling back its funding, too.47 Fortunately, this situation never
materialized.
The fourth crisis presented itself as the Liberal Government Program Review
exercise in which IISD suffered a severe cut to its core funding. There were a num-
ber of things that saved the organization from what could have been a total col-
lapse. In addition to the continued support of Manitoba, the institute was
fortunate to find itself located in the same city as the riding of Lloyd Axworthy, a
prominent minister in the Liberal government, who recognized the importance of
the organization to his constituents in Winnipeg. In spite of the cuts, the institute
emerged from this crisis as a more entrepreneurial organization, enhancing its
ability to respond to its audience’s needs and putting it in a better position to
respond to the international community’s interests.
Each of these crises presented a challenge for the newly formed institution and
could have meant the end of IISD before it even reached its fifth anniversary.
However, instead of destroying IISD, they actually made a contribution to shap-
ing the organization into what it has become today. “Each of these crises inspired
the Board, management and staff to new heights of leadership and determination,
and from each the Institute emerged stronger and more vigorous than ever.”48
This is a testament to the strength of the institution and a demonstration of the
ability it has to overcome even the most potentially fatal blows.
274 The New Humanitarians

Few crises of the magnitude of those that occurred in the first five years of the
institute’s existence have presented themselves in recent years, but the organiza-
tion continues to face ongoing challenges of another nature. From the very begin-
ning, the institution has had to perform a balancing act between the interests of
all of its stakeholders. These stakeholders are multiple and varied, from those in
its home province of Manitoba, to those at the national level, to those all over the
world. Angela Cropper, IISD board member and international vice chair, explains:

Finding the right balance between attending to the needs of the home country and
addressing the needs of the rest of the world, in keeping with the institute’s vision
and mission, is a recurring dilemma around the Board table. I have often been found
in the posture of holding the institute’s feet to this fire. But perhaps this is the role
of its International Vice-Chair! And recent recognition that IISD is the most highly
ranked and researched sustainable development policy outfit, globally speaking, is a
good indicator that it might be successful in managing this dilemma.49

In spite of its success, overcoming this challenge is a constant balancing act that
the institute must face on a continuing basis.
In addition to the internal challenges the organization has faced, there have also
been a number of external barriers, including the rise and fall of interest in envi-
ronmental issues within the Canadian population. The Brundtland Commission’s
definition of sustainable development was widely accepted and captured the interest
of governments, industry, and individuals; however, as the concept of SD permeated
through the population, it came to mean everything to everyone, which caused peo-
ple to question whether it meant anything at all. Also, while environmental issues
were “top of mind” in opinion polls in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they quickly
dropped off of the Canadian population’s radar during the recession of 1992–9350
and in the wake of highly publicized political events such as the failures of both the
Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords, which dealt with Canada’s constitution
and very character. This combination of a concept that is difficult to define and a
diversion of public interest away from environmental issues created a barrier for the
work that IISD was undertaking and presented a major communications challenge.
In addition to overcoming barriers to communication, IISD has had to find ways
to become relevant to the audiences that it most wanted to reach. Developing brand
recognition, gaining trust, and firmly establishing itself as a reliable source of SD
information took a significant amount of work. Remaining relevant continues to be
a challenge for IISD, but it is supported by the solid foundation that has emerged as
a consequence of the obstacles and crises that marked its early years.

OPPORTUNITIES AND BREAKTHROUGHS

Barriers and challenges have shaped the structure of IISD, but it is the oppor-
tunities that have made the most significant contribution to IISD becoming a
world-renowned institution. These opportunities and breakthroughs include the
Rio Earth Summit, the adoption of innovative communications tools, and, the
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 275

pursuit of new programming areas. By seeking out opportunities that have the
most potential to have an impact, IISD has positioned itself for success. This is not
to say that these have been without risk, but it is within some of the risks that the
institute has been able to reap substantial rewards.
One of the major and arguably most obvious breakthroughs in IISD’s history
was its involvement in the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Rio was a significant event,
attracting heads of state and NGOs from around the world. Not only was it a glob-
ally significant event, it was in many ways IISD’s debut on the international stage.
The institute could not help but become involved when one of its own board
members, Maurice Strong, an individual who also played a significant role in the
Brundtland Commission, was named the conference’s secretary general. In addi-
tion to the role that Strong played in the summit, IISD “made commitments of
both human and financial resources to certain projects contributing to the
UNCED preparatory process,”51 and used the event as an opportunity to widely
release its first major report: Business Strategy for Sustainable Development: Lead-
ership and Accountability for the ‘90s. Following the summit, Lloyd McGinnis,
chair of IISD’s board of directors, noted:
Our presence was felt in several ways: the contributions of Nicholas Sonntag, our
Communications and Partnerships Director, who worked directly with Maurice
Strong; the daily publication of the Earth Summit Bulletin; the participation of
several Board members and our President with the Canadian UNCED delegation;
co-sponsorship for several events at the Global Forum and a display booth there;
and financial support for developing country nationals to attend specific events.52

The publication of the Earth Summit Bulletin was a major breakthrough for
this kind of large-scale meeting. Its daily release at the summit allowed people to
become genuinely involved in the meetings and enabled everyone, including gov-
ernments with small delegations, to keep up to date on outcomes of key negotia-
tions, something that had previously been the domain of wealthy countries with
large delegations. This meant that communications improved between parties as
a result of the publication’s use as a common knowledge base.
IISD supported the Bulletin at the Earth Summit and saw the extensive bene-
fits that came from it. The Institute offered the Earth Summit Bulletin, renamed
the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, an institutional home, and it has been part of the
organization ever since, providing a vital service for UN conferences and sum-
mits. “More than fourteen years later, IISD Reporting Services has produced thou-
sands of reports from hundreds of negotiations covering dozens of major
multilateral environmental agreements.”53
After taking up the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, the challenge then became find-
ing a fast, efficient, and effective way to distribute the documents as well as other
IISD publications. The launch of the World Wide Web held major potential for
this kind of widespread distribution, and IISD became one of the first 1,000 users
of web-based technology.54 This technology has helped IISD’s information to
reach a wide range of users ever since.
276 The New Humanitarians

IISD program areas also demonstrate where the institution has embraced oppor-
tunities. Every five years, the organization does an external and an internal scan in
which it determines what issues are presenting themselves as environmental chal-
lenges and what it is possible for the institute to do about these within its capacity.
Intentionally, IISD has tried to stay away from opportunities in crowded fields, pre-
ferring instead to look for opportunities in areas where it would be possible to create
new perspectives.55 This has led to its important work in fields such as trade and sus-
tainable development, which has resulted in expertise that has become well respected
by international trade organizations and institutions such as NAFTA.
IISD has experienced a number of breakthroughs since its creation, many the
result of opportunities it has created for itself. These have been attributed to a
strong board of directors and senior staff, who have been able to identify which
opportunities to take and which risks are worthwhile. This has enabled IISD to
take advantage of major meetings, new communications products, and program
opportunities that foster relationships and establish credibility.

ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES
Finances
When the original funding agreement was signed at the Globe 90 Conference
in Vancouver by Lucien Bouchard and Gary Filmon, it was a five-year, $25 million
deal in which Environment Canada would contribute $3 million, the Canadian
International Development Agency would contribute $1 million, and the govern-
ment of Manitoba would contribute $1 million annually for five years. This was
guaranteed core funding, which was meant to help IISD get started building the
organization as well as establishing and maintaining relationships.
The problem with this kind of funding model however, is that because all of
the organization’s most important and immediate costs are covered, there is no
incentive to think innovatively or seek out audiences for the work that was being
done. Cuts by Environment Canada and the subsequent program review exercise
resulted in serious and significant funding reductions for the organization. Rather
than allowing these changes to weaken the institute, IISD adopted a new structure
in order to expand the sources and level of its funding.56 So, in spite of the fact that
Environment Canada cut its core funding levels to IISD from a high of $3 million
to a low of $200,000 a year, the institute’s overall funding has actually almost
tripled, from about $5 million in 1993 to approximately $14 million today. The
majority of this increase has come in the form of designated grant funding, the
funding that IISD seeks out itself to fund its programs. Designated grants fund-
ing started outpacing core funding in 1998 and has maintained levels well above
core funding ever since (see Figure 14.2).
Recently, IISD has made another shift in its funding model. While still receiv-
ing operating grants and designated grants, it has started introducing what it calls
“framework agreements,” in which donors commit to providing funding for both
core operations and programs over multiple years. The benefit of this new kind of
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 277

$10,000,000.00

Designated Grants
$9,000,000.00
Operating Grants

$8,000,000.00

$7,000,000.00
Amount of Funding

$6,000,000.00

$5,000,000.00

$4,000,000.00

$3,000,000.00

$2,000,000.00

$1,000,000.00

$0.00

5
5

7
/9

/9

/9

/9

/9

/0

/0

/0

/0

/0

/0

/0

/0
94

95

96

97

98

99

00

01

02

03

04

05

06
19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

20

20

20 Year
Figure 14.2 IISD designated grants and operating grants, 1994–2007. Courtesy of
Lillian Hayward, based on IISD annual report data.

funding is that it is another way of diversifying funding arrangements and guar-

antees funding for a specific period of time. By having organizations enter into
these kinds of agreements, it also helps IISD form closer strategic alliances and
partnerships with its donors.57
It is funding that also demonstrates the positive reputation that IISD has in the
international community. Since 2002, IISD has consistently had more designated
grants coming from governments outside of Canada than inside (see Figure 14.3).
This reflects the value that is placed on its work by governments around the world.
In terms of specific country contributions, Canada remains a top donor, with the
government of Canada contributing approximately $1.54 million in designated
grants in the 2006–07 fiscal year. However, the government of Switzerland is not
far behind, contributing a total of approximately $1.33 million in designated
funding in that same period.

Personnel
The first board of directors was appointed by the government of Canada, but
after that, the government has had no part to play in appointments to IISD’s
278 The New Humanitarians

$8,000,000.00
Canada
Governments of Other Nations
$7,000,000.00
United Nations Agencies
International Organizations
$6,000,000.00 Philanthropic Foundations
Private Sector and Other

$5,000,000.00
Amount

$4,000,000.00

$3,000,000.00

$2,000,000.00

$1,000,000.00

$0.00
8

0
5

7
/9

/9

/9

/9

/9

/0

/0

/0

/0

/0

/0

/0

/0
94

95

96

97

98

99

00

01

02

03

04

05

06
19

19

19

19

19

19

20

20

20

20

20

20

20
Year
Figure 14.3 IISD designated grants, 1994–2007. Courtesy of Lillian Hayward, based on
IISD annual report data.

board or staff. To have this institution run independently of government has been
described as an “inspired decision,”58 and has resulted in the freedom of IISD to
appoint its own board members, leading to a board of directors that some have
ventured to claim is the best board of any like institute, largely for this reason.59
Institute staffing has evolved into a very flexible and adaptable system. When
it was first established, IISD was housed solely in Winnipeg. However, the insti-
tute has since established offices in New York, Ottawa, and Geneva. In addition
to these four physical offices, which house permanent staff, IISD has also estab-
lished what are known as “associate” positions. This model was initially intro-
duced in order to attract highly qualified individuals in a crowded international
marketplace, recognizing that it may be impossible to have these individuals as
full-time staff. IISD has developed an open-ended but formalized contracting
procedure to accommodate these individuals.60 This is an innovative staffing tool
that provides the flexibility of time and location to its associates while maintain-
ing certain bureaucratic elements that are necessary for this kind of employment
arrangement. The result is that IISD has been able to expand its workforce
beyond its regular employee base and attract the expertise of subject experts
from all over the world.
Having access to this kind of capacity is extremely important for an institu-
tion that is continuously striving to keep itself relevant. It enables IISD to reach
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 279

beyond its organizational boundaries and form additional networks through

these individuals, who are located all around the world. This structure helps
create a nimble and adaptable institution that is able to thrive in a competitive
international environment.

Location
An interesting feature of IISD is the fact that it is based in Winnipeg, Manitoba,
as opposed to the nation’s capital in Ottawa or another larger city. To understand
one of the key reasons that Winnipeg was selected as the home of this organiza-
tion, it is necessary to look back to some of the events that occurred surrounding
the Canadian aerospace industry in the mid-1980s.61 At that time, the government
of Canada was offering a $1.4 billion contract for maintenance of CF-18 fighter
jets; Bristol Aerospace Limited of Winnipeg was the top choice following bidding
and review of proposals by the Department of National Defence. However, the
company was passed over in favor of Montreal-based Canadair, stirring up
considerable anger and frustration in Western Canada. In response to the
announcement, Winnipeg member of parliament Lloyd Axworthy, then a mem-
ber of the opposition, stated: “It’s a clear message to Western Canadians that we
should be hewers of wood and drawers of water. . . . We’re not capable of
undertaking major activities in technology development. It’s an unfair and tragic
message—one that has to be fought against.”62
Shortly after, when the government of Canada’s intent to create an international
institute for sustainable development came to light, the Province of Manitoba was
quick to express its interest. An initial proposal that the institute be located in
Winnipeg63 was followed by intensive lobbying of Environment Canada and the
Prime Minister’s Office by the government of Manitoba.64 The lobbying exercise was
successful and led to the subsequent funding agreement that created IISD.
Some have criticized IISD for its location, claiming that its growth is inhibited
because it is so far away from the major urban and economic centers of Vancouver,
Toronto, and Montreal, as well as from Canada’s center of government in Ottawa.65
However, like many of the challenges that IISD has faced in the past, the institution
has turned this into an opportunity and touts what it refers to as “the Winnipeg
Advantage” because “it was felt that being in Winnipeg afforded IISD greater access
to local decision makers and allowed its messages to be heard locally and provin-
cially, not drowned out by the background noise of national headlines in larger
centres.”66 Being in Winnipeg also has conferred a number of additional benefits,
including creating incentives for enhanced communication and securing the sup-
port of the city of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba, things that would not
have come as easily in large urban centers.
Winnipeg is not a major urban center, and it is not likely the first place people
consider when selecting potential locations for a world-class institution; however,
it has had a large part to play in building and shaping this organization. “Being
located in Winnipeg offered an advantage . . . because it forced IISD to develop in
a way that allowed it to connect to and exert influence on the outside world.”67
280 The New Humanitarians

This ability, and necessity, to make connections and build networks contributes to
the strength of the organization.

THE ROAD AHEAD

IISD has been a very successful institution. As of March 31, 2007, it had more
than seventy donor organizations, including federal departments and provincial
governments in Canada, governments of other nations, United Nations agencies,
international organizations, philanthropic foundations, and private-sector insti-
tutions. Although much support has come to the organization in the form of
grants, it has also come in the form of accolades. In 2004 IISD was declared the
Most Effective SD Research Organization in a GlobeScan survey. The survey asked
“experts who have either had a direct role in SD research organizations, had deal-
ings with them, or studied them . . . to name a maximum of four specific SD
research organizations that they consider to be particularly effective.”68 IISD was
ranked by experts to be more effective than other well known SD institutions such
as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the World Resources
Institute, and the United Nations. Although comparing these institutions against
one another is difficult because of their vastly different mandates and activities, it
speaks volumes about the effectiveness of IISD, a small organization in the midst
of these large establishments.
In many ways, IISD has exceeded expectations by becoming a world leader in
SD information and ideas. However, this does not mean that it can become com-
placent. If the organization is to remain successful, it must continue to build on
its strengths69 while maintaining the flexibility and entrepreneurial spirit that it
has been so successful at applying to its work.
In spite of the successes of IISD as a sustainable development institution in
Canada, the organization is an exception rather than a rule. Sustainable develop-
ment as an idea is alive and well in Canada; however, as an agenda for action and
change, SD has not made much progress. In a report released in 2005 titled It’s
Time to Walk the Talk, the Standing Committee on Energy, Environment, and
Natural Resources noted that governments and corporations in Canada talk a lot
about sustainable development but hesitate to take any real, meaningful action on
this concept.70 This means that while the notion of sustainable development has
permeated throughout Canadian government and industry, it is still just lip serv-
ice, failing to constitute real, concrete action for the majority of these institutions.
This has not gone without notice, and Canada has faced criticism from
inside and outside of the country. For instance, the Conference Board of
Canada has described Canada as a “middle-of-the-road” performer, lagging
behind top OECD countries in a number of environmental indicators such as
greenhouse gas emissions and hazardous waste production.71 The Pembina
Institute has criticized Canada’s attempts to integrate SD principles into legis-
lation, calling them “limited and almost entirely symbolic.”72 Both the World
Economic Forum and the OECD have also been critical pointing out that in
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 281

Canada, very little progress has been made in advancing the principles of sus-
tainable development.73
Canada used to be a world leader on the international environmental stage, but
its reputation has been steadily slipping within and outside the country because of
its failure to actually integrate SD into policy and day-to-day operations, and
because its overall engagement with SD has been underwhelming. The country has
created a world-class institution that is producing relevant information on SD; nev-
ertheless, aside from IISD’s work, there has been a serious lack of science/policy
engagement.74 In spite of having strong institutions within the country such as IISD,
it seems that there has been very little movement on environmental issues and very
little uptake of sustainable development. This comes in the face of the dire warnings
issued by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment75 in 2005, the shocking predictions
of the Stern Report76 in 2006, and the seemingly daily reports of natural disasters
and evidence of accelerating climate change. There is a serious lack of urgency in
what Canada has done to date, with actions more akin to fiddling at the edges of the
issues rather than striving for real and significant solutions.
We can be very proud of the work IISD has done in spite of this environment,
and we can hold it up as evidence that an institution that suffered so many “near
death experiences” has the potential to become larger and more successful than
anyone could have anticipated. But one institution is not enough. SD needs to
become part of the policy paradigm in all institutions, and it is only then that we
will begin to see the implementation of a real agenda for change.

ORGANIZATIONAL SNAPSHOT
Organization: International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Founding Board of Directors: Lloyd McGinnis (chair), Peter M. Kilburn (president
and CEO), Dian Cohen, Dr. J.C. Gilson, Prof. José Goldemberg, Dr. Arthur
J. Hanson, Dr. C. S. Holling, Dr. Pierre Marc Johnson, Hon. Gloria Knight, Dr. Jim
MacNeill, Dr. Shimwaayi Muntemba, H. E. Mohamed Sahnoun, Dr. Emil Salim,
Dr. David W. Strangway, Lynn Zwicky
Chair, Board of Directors: Daniel Gagnier
President and CEO: David Runnalls
Mission/Description: Founded in 1990, the International Institute for Sustain-
able Development contributes to sustainable development by advancing pol-
icy recommendations on international trade and investment, economic policy,
climate change, measurement and assessment, and natural resources man-
agement. Through the Internet, we report on international negotiations and
share knowledge gained through collaborative projects with global partners,
resulting in more rigorous research, capacity building in developing countries,
and better dialogue between North and South.
IISD’s vision is better living for all—sustainably; its mission is to champion inno-
vation, enabling societies to live sustainably. IISD is registered as a charitable
282 The New Humanitarians

organization in Canada and has 501(c)(3) status in the United States. IISD
receives core operating support from the Government of Canada, provided
through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Interna-
tional Development Research Centre (IDRC), and Environment Canada; and
from the Province of Manitoba. The institute receives project funding from
numerous governments inside and outside Canada, United Nations agencies,
foundations, and the private sector.
Website: http://www.iisd.org
Address: International Institute for Sustainable Development
Head Office
161 Portage Avenue East, 6th Floor
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
R3B 0Y4
Phone: +1 204 958-7700
Fax: +1 204 958-7710
E-mail: info@iisd.ca

NOTES
1. World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future,(New
York: Oxford University Press, 1987), p. 8.
2. Bruce Doern and Thomas Conway, The Greening of Canada: Federal Institutions and
Decisions, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1994), p. 5.
3. Bruce Doern and Thomas Conway, The Greening of Canada: Federal Institutions and
Decisions, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1994), p. 14.
4. Michael Keating, “Global Task Force Comes to Canada,” Globe and Mail, May 20,
1986, A19.
5. Michael Keating, “Global Task Force Comes to Canada,” Globe and Mail, May 20,
1986, A19.
6. National Task Force on Environment and Economy, Report of the National Task Force
on Environment and Economy, (1987), p. 1.
7. Canada. External Affairs Canada. Address by the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney,
Prime Minister of Canada, before the UN General Assembly. (Ottawa: External Affairs
Canada, Sept. 29, 1988), p. 8.
8. Craig McInnes, “Environment Conference Weighs Solutions,” Globe and Mail, Mar. 20
1990, A5.
9. Craig McInnes, “Environment Conference Weighs Solutions,” Globe and Mail, Mar 20,
1990, A5.
10. International Institute for Sustainable Development, “IISD Timeline,” Aug. 7, 2007,
http://www.iisd.org/about/timeline.asp.
11. Glen Toner, “The Green Plan: From Great Expectations to Eco-backtracking to . . .
Revitalization?” In How Ottawa Spends 1994–95: Ideas and Innovation, ed. Susan
Phillips (Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1994), p. 233.
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 283

12. Robert J. P. Gale, “Canada’s Green Plan,” A Study of the Development of a National Envi-
ronmental Plan (1997), p. 101; Mar. 1, 2007: http://www.ies.unsw.edu.au/about/staff/
robertsFiles/greenplan.pdf.
13. Canada. Parliament. Speech from the Throne, 34th Parl, 2nd sess, vol. 131 (Ottawa:
Parliament, 1989) p. 81; Oct. 21, 2007: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Documents/
ThroneSpeech/34-02-e.pdf.
14. Robert J. P. Gale, “Canada’s Green Plan,” A Study of the Development of a National Envi-
ronmental Plan (1997), pp. 112–113; Mar. 1, 2007: http://www.ies.unsw.edu.au/about/
staff/robertsFiles/greenplan.pdf.
15. All dollar figures in this chapter are in Canadian currency.
16. International Institute for Sustainable Development, “Founding Chair: Lloyd McGinnis,”
Aug. 3, 2007: http://www.iisd.org/about/staffbio.aspx?id=387.
17. Robert Slater, personal interview, Sept. 21, 2007.
18. Arthur Hanson, personal interview, Nov. 9, 2007.
19. Robert Slater, personal interview, Sept. 21, 2007.
20. David Runnalls, personal interview, July 24, 2007.
21. Jim MacNeill, personal interview, Oct. 26, 2007.
22. Jim MacNeill, personal interview, Oct. 26, 2007.
23. David Runnalls, personal interview, July 24, 2007.
24. IISD, Sustaining Excellence for 15 Years. 2004–2005 Annual Report, (Winnipeg: IISD,
2005), p. 11.
25. IISD, Annual Report 1991–1992, (Winnipeg: IISD, 1992), p. 8.
26. International Institute for Sustainable Development, “IISD Timeline,” Aug. 7, 2007:
http://www.iisd.org/about/timeline.asp.
27. IISD, Annual Report 1991–1992 (Winnipeg: IISD, 1992), p. 12.
28. IISD, Annual Report 1994–1995 (Winnipeg: IISD, 1995), p. 11.
29. International Institute for Sustainable Development, “IISD Timeline,” Aug. 7, 2007:
http://www.iisd.org/about/timeline.asp.
30. Jim MacNeill, personal interview, Oct. 26, 2007.
31. Jim MacNeill, personal interview, Oct. 26, 2007.
32. International Institute for Sustainable Development, “IISD Timeline,” Aug. 7, 2007:
http://www.iisd.org/about/timeline.asp.
33. David Runnalls, personal communication, Feb. 12, 2007.
34. William Glanville, personal interview, Nov. 15, 2007.
35. IISD, Annual Report 1998–1999 (Winnipeg: IISD, 1999), p. 2.
36. IISD, Annual Report 1999–2000 (Winnipeg: IISD, 2000), p. 3.
37. IISD, Annual Report 1998–1999 (Winnipeg: IISD, 1999), p. 2.
38. IISD, Annual Report 1998–1999 (Winnipeg: IISD, 1999), p. 5.
39. IISD, Annual Report 1998–1999 (Winnipeg: IISD, 1999), p. 5.
40. IISD, Annual Report 1999–2000 (Winnipeg: IISD, 2000), p. 4.
41. William Glanville, personal interview, Nov. 15, 2007.
42. Jim MacNeill, “Chair’s Message” Annual Report 1998–1999 (Winnipeg: IISD,
1999), p. 3.
43. Arthur Hanson, personal interview, Nov. 9, 2007.
44. Canadian International Development Agency, “CIDA’s Strategy for Ocean Manage-
ment and Development: The Lessons of ICOD,” Nov. 11, 2007: http://www.
acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/acdicida.nsf/En/NAT-329142438-QRX.
45. Arthur Hanson, personal interview, Nov. 9, 2007.
284 The New Humanitarians

46. Glen Toner, “Environment Canada’s Continuing Roller Coaster Ride.” In How Ottawa
Spends 1996–97: Life Under the Knife, ed. Gene Swimmer. (Ottawa: Carleton University
Press, 1996), p. 99.
47. Arthur Hanson, personal interview, Nov. 9, 2007.
48. Jim MacNeil, “Chair’s Message,” Annual Report, 1998–1999 (Winnipeg: IISD), p. 3
49. Angela Cropper, “Anniversary Reflections,” Annual Report 2004–2005 (Winnipeg: IISD,
2005), p. 10.
50. Glen Toner, “Environment Canada’s Continuing Roller Coaster Ride.” In How Ottawa
Spends 1996–97: Life Under the Knife, ed. Gene Swimmer (Ottawa: Carleton University
Press, 1996), p. 101.
51. IISD, Annual Report 1991–1992 (Winnipeg: IISD, 1992), p. 13.
52. Lloyd McGinnis, “Chairman’s Report,” Annual Report 1992–1993 (Winnipeg: IISD,
1993), p. 2.
53. International Institute for Sustainable Development, “Products,” IISD Linkages, Oct 15,
2007: http://www.iisd.ca/about/about.htm#history.
54. Arthur Hanson, personal interview, Nov. 9, 2007.
55. Arthur Hanson, personal interview, Nov. 9, 2007.
56. IISD, Annual Report 1994–1995 (Winnipeg: IISD, 1995), p. 2.
57. William Glanville, personal interview, Nov. 15, 2007.
58. Jim MacNeill, personal interview, Oct. 26, 2007.
59. Jim MacNeill, personal interview, Oct. 26, 2007.
60. David Runnalls, personal interview, July 24, 2007.
61. Robert Slater, personal interview, Sept. 21, 2007.
62. Christopher Waddell, “Canadair gets $1.4-billion job Jet repair contract stirs bitter-
ness,” Globe and Mail, Nov. 1, 1986, A1.
63. Gary Filmon, “Anniversary Reflections,” Annual Report 2004–2005 (Winnipeg: IISD,
2005), pp. 11–12.
64. Gary Filmon, “Anniversary Reflections,” Annual Report 2004–2005 (Winnipeg: IISD,
2005), p. 11.
65. Arthur Hanson, personal interview, Nov. 9, 2007.
66. William Glanville, The Winnipeg Advantage: An Example of Organizational Adaptation
and Innovation (Feb. 2005), p.1.
67. William Glanville, The Winnipeg Advantage: An Example of Organizational Adaptation
and Innovation (Feb. 2005), p. 5.
68. GlobeScan, The GlobeScan Survey of Sustainability Experts (Toronto: GlobeScan, Jan,
2005), p. 14; Nov. 5, 2007: http://surveys.globescan.com/sdroleaders/sose04-2_resorg.pdf.
69. Jim MacNeill, personal interview, Oct. 26, 2007.
70. Canada. Parliament. Senate. Standing Senate Committee on Energy, Environment and
Natural Resources, Sustainable Development: It’s Time to Walk the Talk, 2nd interim
report (Ottawa: June 2005), p. 1.
71. Conference Board of Canada, Performance and Potential 2004–2005: How Can Canada
Prosper in Tomorrow’s World? (Ottawa: Conference Board of Canada, 2004), p. 40.
72. Pembina Institute as cited in Glen Toner and Carey Frey, “Governance for Sustainable
Development: Next Stage Institutional and Policy Innovations,” in How Ottawa Spends
2004–2005, ed. Bruce Doern (Montreal: McGill-Queen University Press, 2005), p. 201.
73. Canada. Parliament. Senate. Standing Senate Committee on Energy, Environment and
Natural Resources, Sustainable Development: It’s Time to Walk the Talk, 2nd interim
report (Ottawa: June 2005), p. 3.
A Successful Institution in a Struggling System 285

74. Alan Nymark, “Looking Back: How have we done in Canada?” in Facing Forward–Looking
Back: Charting sustainable development in Canada 1987–2007–2027, Oct. 18, 2007.
75. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005, Mar. 7,
2008: http://www.millenniumassessment.org.
76. United Kingdom. HM Treasury. Stern Review on The Economics of Climate Change
(London: Oct. 2006): http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_
review_economics_climate_change/sternreview_index.cfm.
This page intentionally left blank
 Afterword
Keith Ferrazzi

If you take the ingredients of social entrepreneurship, venture philanthropy, and

social networking, liberally mix with individuals who hold a passion for making a
true difference in various aspects of people’s lives throughout the world, and then
take a sample of some of the best, the result you have is The New Humanitarians.
Chris Stout has served as a uniting thread to connect these organizations in this
three-volume set. While these organizations are all different in their approaches
and goals, they share a common aspect of their work: innovation. Indeed, they are
the new humanitarians. They are born from the power of the individual taking
action in a novel way, and then using the power of their relationships to effect
impactful change. After all, giving back is a huge part of a life well led.
In the spirit of Three Cups of Tea, Chris’s adventuresome life has taken him to
a variety of exotic and often not-so-safe locales, and the work he has done in these
venues has resulted not only in his Center for Global Initiatives, but also The New
Humanitarians. He has done well with many of the aspects I wrote about in Never
Eat Alone but applied them in the milieu of humanitarian work. He and I share a
kinship, as Chris was a reviewer for the ABE Awards that I founded, a fellow
Baldrige Award reviewer, and a fellow “TEDizen” during the Richard Saul
Wurman era; was elected as a Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic
Forum; and served as faculty with me in Davos. So it is no surprise that Chris has
the brainpower as well as the horsepower to have accomplished this wonderful
compilation of wunderkinder.
Chris is able to contribute to Davos talks and UN presentations, but he is much
more at home working in the field and with his students. He is known for bring-
ing people together in cross-disciplinary projects worldwide—in healthcare,
medical education, human rights, poverty, conflict, policy, sustainable develop-
ment, diplomacy, and terrorism. As the American Psychological Association said

287
288 Afterword

about him and his work: “He is a rare individual who takes risks, stimulates new
ideas, and enlarges possibilities in areas of great need but few resources. He is able
to masterfully navigate between the domains of policy development while also
rolling up his sleeves to provide in-the-trenches care. His drive and vigor are dis-
guised by his quick humor and ever-present kindness. He is provocative in his
ideas and evocative in spirit. His creative solutions and inclusiveness cross con-
ceptual boundaries as well as physical borders.” The New Humanitarians serves a
testament to this praise.
Simply put, these organizations are amazing. The people behind the organizations
are amazing. Their stories are amazing. And as a result, this book is amazing.
 Series Afterword

THE NEW HUMANITARIANS

I am honored to include Professor Chris Stout’s three-volume set—The New
Humanitarians—in my book series. These volumes are like rare diamonds
shining with visionary perspectives for the fields of human rights, health, and
education advocacy; charitable and philanthropic organizations; and legal rights
and remedies.
The New Humanitarians volumes are of great value to informed citizens, vol-
unteers, and professionals because of their originality, down-to-earth approach,
reader-friendly format, and comprehensive scope. Many of the specially written
book chapters include the latest factual information on ways in which the new
leaders, advocates, and foundations have been instrumental in meeting the criti-
cal medical and human service needs of millions of people in underdeveloped and
war-torn countries.
Professor Chris Stout has developed a pathfinding set here. A gifted and pro-
lific psychologist who planned and edited these comprehensive volumes, Stout
has developed an original concept couched in these three remarkable books. I pre-
dict that the New Humanitarians will rapidly become a classic, and will be
extremely useful reading for all informed citizens and professionals in the impor-
tant years ahead.
Albert R. Roberts, DSW, PhD
Series Editor, Social and Psychological Issues: Challenges and Solutions
Professor of Social Work and Criminal Justice
School of Arts and Sciences
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

289
This page intentionally left blank
 About the Editor and Contributors

Chris E. Stout is a licensed clinical psychologist and founding director of the

Center for Global Initiatives. He also is a clinical full professor in the College of
Medicine, Department of Psychiatry; a fellow in the School of Public Health
Leadership Institute; and a core faculty member at the International Center on
Responses to Catastrophes at the University of Illinois–Chicago. He also holds an
academic appointment in the Northwestern University Feinberg Medical School
and was visiting professor in the Department of Health Systems Management at
Rush University. He served as a nongovernmental organization special represen-
tative to the United Nations for the American Psychological Association, was
appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Leaders of Tomorrow, and was
an invited faculty at their annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He was invited
by the Club de Madrid and Safe-Democracy to serve on the Madrid-11 Countering
Terrorism Task Force.

Dr. Stout is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, past-president of

the Illinois Psychological Association, and is a distinguished practitioner in the
National Academies of Practice. He has published thirty books, and his works
have been translated into eight languages. He was noted as being “one of the most
frequently cited psychologists in the scientific literature” in a study by Hartwick
College. He is the 2004 winner of the American Psychological Association’s Inter-
national Humanitarian Award and the 2006 recipient of the Illinois Psychological
Association’s Humanitarian Award.

Teresa Barttrum attended Ball State University for her undergraduate studies. She
earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and photojournalism. She worked at the
Herald Bulletin in Anderson, Indiana, and at the Star Press as a staff photographer
for five years before moving back to the field of psychology. She then worked at

291
292 About the Editor and Contributors

the Youth Opportunity Center, a juvenile residential treatment facility, as a front-

line supervisor in the Treatment of Adolescents in Secure Care (TASC) Unit of
this organization. While employed at this organization, she helped develop and
facilitate a therapeutic horseback riding program, served as a therapeutic crisis
intervention instructor, and completed multiple in-service trainings. She cur-
rently attends the Adler School of Professional Psychology while pursuing her
doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She completed her community service
practicum at the Center for Global Initiatives while working on the book project
The New Humanitarians: Innovations, Inspirations, and Blueprints for Visionaries.

Stephanie Benjamin grew up on Long Island, New York, always dreaming of

being a doctor and an artist. She earned her bachelor’s degree in art history and
studio art from Tulane University in New Orleans and continued her education in
Northwestern University’s post-baccalaureate pre-medical school program.
Currently, she is at the Adler School of Professional Psychology working on a mas-
ter’s degree in counseling psychology and art therapy. Through her internship at
The Center for Global Initiatives she worked to help ameliorate inequalities in
global healthcare by writing for The New Humanitarians as well as doing grant
research and writing for other worldwide projects. After completing her clinical
internship at Rush University Medical Center, she will be attending medical
school in order to become a physician and continue working to improve health-
care around the world.

Gillian Caldwell is a film maker and attorney with experience in the areas of
international human rights, civil rights, intellectual property, contracts, and fam-
ily law. She is the executive director of Witness (www.witness.org), which uses
video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights vio-
lations, empowering people to transform personal stories of abuse into powerful
tools for justice, public engagement, and policy change. She has led Witness’s
rapid expansion since 1998 and was formerly co-director of the Global Survival
Network (GSN), where she coordinated a two-year, undercover investigation into
the trafficking of women. She is a recipient of numerous awards for her work at
GSN and Witness, including the Echoing Green Fellowship, the Skoll Award for
Social Entrepreneurship, the Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership
Award, the Schwab Foundation Award for Social Entrepreneurship, the Knight-
Ridder Tech Laureate Award from the Tech Museum, and a Special Partner recog-
nition by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public. Gillian received a BA from Harvard
University and a JD from Georgetown University. She speaks Spanish.

Mel Duncan serves as the executive director of Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP).

Modeled on the Gandhian concept of Shanti Sena, Nonviolent Peaceforce is com-
posed of trained civilians from around the world. In partnership with local
groups, NP applies proven and effective strategies to protect human rights in areas
of violent conflict and helps create space for local peacemakers to carry out their
About the Editor and Contributors 293

work. NP has civilian peacekeepers working in Sri Lanka, Guatemala, and the
Mindanao region of the Philippines. Project development is going on for
Colombia and Uganda. Duncan has over thirty years of organizing and advocat-
ing nonviolently for peace, justice, and the environment. In 1997 he received the
prestigious Community Leaders Fellowship from the Archibald Bush Foundation,
which allowed him to spend one and one-half years studying the connections
between peace, justice, and spirituality. He is a graduate of Macalester College, St.
Paul, MI, where he was awarded their Distinguished Citizen award this year. He
also has a master’s degree from the University of Creation Spirituality/New
College, San Francisco. He and his wife, Georgia, have eight children and live in
St. Paul, Minnesota.

Keith Ferrazzi is one of the rare individuals to discover the essential formula for
making his way to the top through a powerful, balanced combination of market-
ing acumen and networking savvy. Both Forbes and Inc. magazines have designated
him one of the world’s most “connected” individuals. Now, as founder and CEO of
Ferrazzi Greenlight, he provides market leaders with advanced strategic consulting
and training services to increase company sales and enhance personal careers.
Ferrazzi earned a BA degree from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard
Business School.

Mari Fitzduff is a Northern Ireland–born activist, educator, writer, and academic.

She is currently professor and director of the MA Conflict and Coexistence Program
at Brandeis University. She helped set up the first courses in conflict resolution at
both universities in Northern Ireland. The field was so new that people “turning up
for mediation thought they were turning up for meditation.” She authored a train-
ing book in 1988, which had particular application in the conflict in Northern Ire-
land, called Community Conflict Skills. It has since been translated into Indonesian,
Serbo-Croatian, and other languages spoken in countries rife with ethnic strife. It
gives over fifty ways of looking at issues of justice, political choices, and bridge
building. She was active in the Community Relations Council, which was funded by
both British and European funds, but was independent “so we could make choices
about what we wanted to fund and decisions, etc. I went through the usual processes
and became the first chief executive of that.”

Malachi Garff is from Bethel, Connecticut, and worked with Amnesty Interna-
tional as an intern in fall 2007. She is a student at Tulane University in New
Orleans, and will major in international development and anthropology with a
minor in French. At school, she is involved with various philanthropic groups
working on a number of causes, including Darfur, breast cancer, and Tibetan
refugees. She has studied and lived in Paris, and spent one summer living in an
orphanage in Kikatiti, Tanzania, where she taught elementary school English.
After college, she hopes to pursue a career working for the International Cam-
paign for Tibet (ICT) and agricultural development in rural areas.
294 About the Editor and Contributors

Lillian Hayward is a recent graduate from Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario,

where she completed her MA in public administration (MAPA) with a concen-
tration in innovation, science, and environment. She has done extensive study in
the areas of sustainable development and environmental issues, particularly as
they relate to public policy development and implementation. Her success in this
policy field is highlighted by her receiving the 2007 Delphi Group Graduate
Scholarship in Environment and Sustainable Development Public Policy and
Entrepreneurship. In addition to her academics, she was also the project manager
for the creation of the Carleton School of Public Policy and Administration’s
graduate journal ISEMA: Perspectives on Innovation, Science and Environment.
This peer-reviewed journal highlights the best work the MAPA program has to
offer in the field of innovation, science, and environmental policy research. The
journal is now in its third edition. Prior to attending Carleton, she studied at
McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where she earned her BA with honors in
philosophy and a minor in cell and molecular biology.

Daniel Lubetzky is chairman of PeaceWorks Holdings LLC, a business corpora-

tion pursuing both peace and profit through joint ventures among neighbors
striving to coexist in conflict regions (with ventures in the Mideast and
Southeast Asia, and a sales network reaching 10,000 customers in the United
States). He is also founder of the PeaceWorks Foundation’s OneVoice
Movement, empowering ordinary Israeli and Palestinian citizens to wrest the
agenda for conflict resolution away from violent extremists. Born and raised in
Mexico City, Lubetzky received his BA in economics and international relations,
magna cum laude, from Trinity University, and his JD from Stanford Law
School. Fluent in Spanish, English, Hebrew, and French, Lubetzky has lectured
at several universities, as well as at the World Economic Forum, the World Bank,
and the United Nations. He was selected twice by the World Economic Forum
as one of 100 Global Leaders for Tomorrow (GLT) in 1997 and again in 2007.
He is the recipient of several awards, including the World Association of NGOs
Peace Security and Reconciliation Award.

John Marks is president and founder of Search for Common Ground, a nonprofit
conflict resolution organization with offices in seventeen countries. He is a best-
selling, award-winning author. He also founded and heads Common Ground
Productions. He wrote and produced The Shape of the Future, a four-part TV doc-
umentary series that was simulcast on Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab satellite TV,
and he was the executive producer of the Nashe Maalo TV series (Macedonia);
Africa: Search for Common Ground (South Africa); The Station dramatic series
(Nigeria and Egypt); and numerous other TV programs and series. Along with his
wife, Susan Collin Marks, he is a Skoll Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. He was
formerly a U.S. Foreign Service officer and executive assistant to the late U.S.
Senator Clifford Case. A graduate of Cornell University, he was a fellow at
Harvard’s Institute of Politics and a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School.
About the Editor and Contributors 295

Susan Collin Marks is vice president of Search for Common Ground. She is South
African and served as a peacemaker during South Africa’s transition from
apartheid to democracy; see her book, Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution dur-
ing South Africa’s Transition to Democracy (2000). Honors include a 1994–95 Jen-
nings Randolph Peace Fellowship at the United States Institute for Peace, the
Institute for Noetic Science’s Creative Altruism award in 2005, and a Skoll Fel-
lowship for Social Entrepreneurship in 2006. She speaks, teaches, coaches, men-
tors, writes, facilitates, and supports peacemakers, peace processes, and conflict
resolution programs internationally.

Mehmet Oz received a 1982, undergraduate degree from Harvard and a 1986 joint
MD and MBA from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the
Wharton Business School. He is vice-chair of surgery and professor of cardiac
surgery, Columbia University; founder and director, Complementary Medicine
Program, New York Presbyterian Medical Center; currently, director, Cardiovascular
Institute, New York Presbyterian Hospital. Research interests include heart
replacement surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and health care policy.
He is a member of the American Board of Thoracic Surgery; American Board of
Surgery; American Association of Thoracic Surgeons; Society of Thoracic
Surgeons; American College of Surgeons; International Society for Heart and
Lung Transplantation; American College of Cardiology; and the American Soci-
ety for Artificial Internal Organs. He is the author of more than 350 publications.

Myron Panchuk completed his BS degree in psychology and philosophy at Loy-

ola University–Chicago in 1976. In 1982 he was ordained to the priesthood for the
Chicago Diocese of Ukrainian Catholics and has actively served this community
for over twenty years. His professional work includes designing and facilitating
retreats and conferences for clergy and laity, professional development, conflict
resolution, and social advocacy. He is a co-founder and member of Starving For
Color, a humanitarian organization that provides baby formula for orphans in
Ukraine. Myron is currently a counseling graduate student at the Adler School of
Professional Psychology and is engaged in a community service practicum with
Dr. Chris Stout at the Center for Global Initiatives. He intends to continue his
studies and pursue a doctorate in depth psychology.

Tim Phillips is the founding co-chair of the Project on Justice in Times of Transi-
tion and a co-founder and member of the External Advisory Committee of the
Club of Madrid. Mr. Phillips has served as a consultant to nongovernmental and
governmental organizations in the United States and abroad on democratization,
conflict resolution, and transitional justice initiatives. Mr. Phillips is also a member
of the Board of Directors and Advisors of the Foundation for a Civil Society, the
University of the Middle East, the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts
University, and the Coexistence Initiative at Brandeis University. He has served as
an advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka in the design and implementation of its
296 About the Editor and Contributors

peace process and has worked closely with leaders in several countries on conflict
resolution and reconciliation initiatives. In 1997, Mr. Phillips and the Project on
Justice in Times of Transition were profiled in the PBS documentary series The
Visionaries, which aired on television in the United States and Canada.

Orlando Rodriguez, a native New Yorker, is a student at Columbia University

majoring in political science and human rights. He is a member of the Amnesty
International chapter at Columbia University and has been developing a strong
foundation as a human rights activist. On his debate team, he has argued for
peacekeeping operations to be mandated within the Guantánamo Bay prison
cells. He hopes to pursue a career in public interest law after graduating.

Patrick Savaiano is currently enrolled in the doctoral (PsyD) program at the

Adler School of Professional Psychology (ASPP) in Chicago, IL. He graduated
from the University of Notre Dame in 2004 with a BA in history and Spanish, and
has since worked in marketing, real estate, and music. In the summer of 2003,
Patrick had the rewarding experience of traveling to Costa Rica by himself to work
with Habitat for Humanity. Although he still plays guitar in two bands, in 2006 he
decided to shift his “day job” away from business and into the profession of
psychology. In fall 2007, as part of ASPP’s Community Service Practicum, he
worked under Dr. Chris E. Stout at the Center for Global Initiatives (CGI). He
became an integral member of a team of students and professionals that ulti-
mately put together a book project titled The New Humanitarians: Innovations,
Inspirations, and Blueprints for Visionaries. Savaiano hopes to use the experience
he has gained at ASPP and CGI to fuel his desire to help the less fortunate and
underserved populations throughout the world.

Heidi Moll Schoedel is national director of Exodus World Service, a nonprofit

organization she co-founded in 1988. Exodus World Service builds connections
between volunteers and refugees in the greater Chicagoland area, and develops
training and resource materials for leaders around the world. Her first involve-
ment with refugees was managing a local refugee resettlement program, which
provided community orientation, job training, English language classes, and
other services to newly arriving refugees. In response to the Immigration Reform
and Control Act of 1986, she mobilized a national network for World Relief that
successfully legalized 14,000 undocumented individuals. She also chaired the
national working group of nonprofit legalization programs. She currently serves
as chairperson of the Refugee Highway Partnership, a global network of refugee
ministry organizations she helped launch. She lives in the Chicagoland area with
her husband and four children.

Trevor Thomas joined the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in October 2007 as
deputy communications director. Prior to HRC, he worked for Michigan gover-
nor Jennifer M. Granholm, serving in her executive office. There he directed rapid
About the Editor and Contributors 297

response and surrogate communications for the governor’s cabinet and top
advisors, including for the first gentleman. Thomas joined the governor’s team in
early 2006, serving on her successful re-election campaign. He was responsible for
opposition research, confirming the accuracy of campaign advertisements and
messaging, and executing rapid response. The Washington Post named the cam-
paign as one of the “10 Best” in the 2006 election cycle.

A journalist by trade, Thomas worked as an assignment editor and news producer

at West Michigan’s NBC affiliate, WOOD-TV. In this role, he helped cover state
and national stories, including the 2004 presidential election, the 2002 state
gubernatorial election, and the attacks on September 11, 2001. He also previously
served as a producer/reporter at WGVU, the NPR/PBS affiliate.

In July 2004, Thomas served as a guest essayist for the Grand Rapids Press, speak-
ing out against an anti–gay marriage amendment on the Michigan ballot.
Following publication, he served on a number of GLBT panels at Grand Valley
State University, Western Michigan University, Aquinas College, and at the 2004
National Academic Advising Association’s national conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Thomas’s work also includes a three-year tenure on the board of directors for the
Network of Western Michigan, a nonprofit that aids the local gay, lesbian, bisex-
ual, and transgender community. He holds a BS in broadcast journalism from
Grand Valley State University. While in college, he served two years as chair of
education for Grand Valley’s gay-straight alliance, a position he created. He is also
credited with starting a gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender speakers’ program
aimed at educating students on sexual orientation and gender identity. Thomas
currently serves as an alumni advisor for the newly created GLBT campus center.

Rhianna Tyson is a program officer for the Global Security Institute. Before com-
ing to GSI, Rhianna was the project manager of the Reaching Critical Will project
of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, United Nations
Office, where she coordinated civil society efforts at disarmament fora of the
United Nations. Her writings have been published in Disarmament Forum, the
quarterly publication of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
(UNIDIR); the IAEA Bulletin, the flagship publication of the International
Atomic Energy Agency; and others. Previously, she was an intern with the Arms
Control Association in Washington, D.C., and with the Society for International
Development in Rome. She holds an MS with distinction in global politics from
the London School of Economics, and a BA in gender and international relations
from Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts.

From the time she was twenty-one, Barbara J. Wien has worked in U.S. inner cities
and war zones around the world to end human rights abuses, violence, and war. She
published her first book on war and peace at the age of twenty-four, which sold over
298 About the Editor and Contributors

10,000 copies and went into a seventh edition. When she was twenty-seven, she led
an international delegation of 300 labor union presidents to El Salvador to stop the
killing of priests, school teachers, and trade union activists by U.S.-backed death
squads. More recently, she worked with religious leaders in northern Uganda and
southern Sudan at the invitation of the United Nations to gain the release of over
5,000 child soldiers kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army. In April 2002, the U.S.
Embassy in Delhi, along with Hindu and Muslim women’ s organizations, invited
her to India to work with them to stop communal rioting and violence in Gujarat
and the northeast region (Bangladesh border). She has also worked for justice and
peace in Gaza and the West Bank with Israelis and Palestinian human rights leaders.

Wien is co-director of Peace Brigades International (PBI)-USA, a nonprofit organ-

ization made up of hundreds of unarmed volunteers from over forty countries. For
twenty-five years, PBI has been sending teams of human rights observers into areas
of conflict at the request of local groups to stop massacres and torture. PBI escorts
and protects human rights activists being targeted for assassination by security
forces, death squads, paramilitaries, and other repressive agents. The brigades
accompany some of the most “at risk” and marginalized members of society, some-
times twenty-four hours a day. PBI is well known for escorting forensic specialists
during the exhumation of bodies at clandestine grave sites, collecting testimony on
human rights violations, visiting the offices of threatened labor leaders, acting as
international observers at marches or demonstrations, and accompanying lawyers
and witnesses to present evidence in court or to the United Nations. PBI operates
in the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Nepal, and
Indonesia (and formerly in Haiti, Sri Lanka, and the Balkans).

Wien has worked to establish over 200 university degree programs in the study of
peace and social justice. She has taught courses on alternatives to war and violence
at Catholic University, Georgetown, and Columbia. She serves on the boards of
several foundations and international peace education groups.

In 2002–3, she worked with the playwright Eve Ensler, author of the Vagina
Monologues, to end violence against women through Eve’s V-Day Foundation.
Wien organized celebrity delegations to Afghanistan, India, Palestine, and other
conflict areas to shine the spotlight on the needs of the women. By awarding over
$7 million in royalties from Eve Ensler’s plays, Wien was able to work with grass-
roots women’s coalitions in more than fifteen countries to end honor killings,
bride burnings, female genital mutilation, rape, incest, and war.

For five years, she worked at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), an organization
created and funded by the U.S. Congress. There, she trained U.S. police officers
serving as UN peacekeepers in East Timor, the Balkans, and Haiti; humanitarian
workers delivering food and medical supplies to war-torn areas; diplomats
negotiating peace agreements; and refugee officials working to avert crises in the
About the Editor and Contributors 299

camps. She enhanced USIP training methods to be more highly interactive,

authentic, and skills-based. Her programs received high ratings from participants.

Wien is the author of numerous articles and several books. She holds a BA in
international relations from American University’s School for International
Service, and completed graduate work at City University of New York in compar-
ative world history and economics. She also earned a teaching certificate from
Columbia University Teachers College in peace education.

James Wood is an assistant to the executive office at Amnesty International-USA.

He received his BA from Fordham University, and shortly after, he moved to the
Thai-Burmese border, where he worked and lived for two years. He spent his time
there working with a nongovernment organization that works to prevent human
trafficking as an English teacher, grants administrator, running coach, and project
coordinator. His work has consistently been geared toward human rights and
international development, but he is most passionate about the conflicts in Burma
and the plight of stateless persons.

Mark Zissman earned his BA in psychology from Northern Illinois University in

2007. He is currently pursuing both his MA in counseling psychology and his
PsyD in clinical psychology at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. As a
graduate assistant at the Center for Global Initiatives, he is assisting with the
development of Project Niños, an endeavor focused on helping noncriminal yet
imprisoned children in Bolivia. With aspirations to become a child and adolescent
clinical psychologist, he plans to continue his efforts to help create meaningful
change in the lives of the world’s youth.
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 Index

Note: A page number followed by an f or t indicates that the reference is to a figure or

table respectively.

16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, AJEDI-Ka/PES, 7

143 Aki, Yukio, 101
1994 genocide in Rwanda, 199 Alabama Youth Justice Coalition and
SPLC, 147
Abbas, Mahmoud (President), 80–81 Alami, Mowaffaq, 85
ABC Nightline program, 201 Albon, Mary, 219
Abstinence-only program for GBLT youth All Children—All Families, 166
concept of, 170 Al-Qasabah Theater, Ramallah, 80
debate on, 170–171 Amnesty International (AI), xxviii
HRC’s opposition to, 170 abuses of human rights, fighting
Institute of Medicine’s comment on, against, 51
171 AIUSA leaders and, 53
Abu Ghraib prison, 5 birth of, 51
Academy, The, Nigeria, 207 Campaign to Save Darfur, 55–56
Action-learning training programs, 39 communications of, 54
Adelman, Marcy, 162 events, 55
African National Congress (ANC), 226 expansion of, 52
Agenda with Joe Solmonese, The, 161, 172, membership pool of, 60
173 mission of, 51
AI. See Amnesty International (AI) objectives of, 52, 60
AIUSA. See Amnesty International USA organizational snapshot of, 62
(AIUSA) product of the times, 52–53
AIUSA actions Amnesty International Campaign to Save
Program to Abolish the Death Penalty, Darfur, 55–56
58–59 Amnesty International USA (AIUSA)
Stopping torture, 56–58 abolishing death penalty, 58
SVAW campaign, 59–60 actions of (see AIUSA actions)

301
302
Amnesty International USA (AIUSA)
(continued)
Campaign to Save Darfur, 55–56
Cox, Larry, contributions of, 61–62
Denounce Torture campaign, 57
events, 55
FAPP of, 61
Goering, Curt, contributions of, 53
Human Rights Education program,
54–56
human rights needs, fulfilling, 53
prisoners of conscience, release of, 60
regional offices, role of, 54
Rubenstein, Joshua, contributions of,
53
strategy development of, 54
ANC. See African National Congress
(ANC)
“Appeal for Amnesty, 1961,” 51
April 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, 138
Arafat, Yasser, 193
Arias, Oscar, 217
Aronstein, David, 162
Article VI Forum, MPI
disarmament and nonproliferation,
strengthening, 184
mission of, 184
policies, advancement of, 184–185
Aryan Nations compound in Idaho, 143
Association of Vietnamese Fishermen v.
Knights of the KKK, 142
August 6, 1945, U.S. nuclear attack, 177
Austin v. James, 145
B-52s, 8
Bachman, Eric, 101
Balderman, Adi, 80, 86
Banning the Bomb, 186
Bay, Galveston, 142
BBC
alignment with Protestant/unionist
community, 24
introducing occasional programs in
Irish language, 35
Beck v. Alabama, lawsuit, 141
Behind the Seams: Maquilas and
Development in Nicaragua (WFP),
133
Belfast Agreement (1998), 39
Index
Benenson, Peter
and his idea for Amnesty
International, 51, 54
“The Forgotten Prisoners,” 52
Ben-Zvi, Oriella, 85–86
Bergstrom, Laureate Sune, 179
Berhanu v. Metzger, 142, 154, 155
Bernal, Gael Garcia, 8
Big Ivan/RDS-220, 178
Bipartisan Security Group (BSG), 182,
183, 186
Black separatists, 148
Bloomfield, Ken, 21
Bond, Julian, 138, 155
Borge, Tomas, 217
Bouchard, Lucien, 276
Bought & Sold: An Investigative
Documentary about the
International Trade in Women
(WITNESS), 2
Bound by Promises (WITNESS), 7
Boyle, Kevin, 41
Bradley v. Haley (2000), 145
“Brown lung.” See Byssinosis
Bridge, The, United States and Egypt, 207
Brinkley, Christie, 185
Broken Levees, Broken Promises: New
Orleans’ Migrant Workers in Their
Own Words, 148
Brown v. Board of Education, 149
Brown v. Invisible Empire of the KKK, 142
Brown, Gordon, 185
Browne, Jackson, 8
Brundtland Commission, 266
Brundtland Report. See Our Common
Future (Brundtland Report)
Brundtland, Gro Harlem, 264
BSG. See Bipartisan Security Group (BSG)
Building Successful Partnerships (WEA), 28
Bujumbura, Burundi, 199, 200, 203
Burundi, Search field office
Domestic Shuttle Diplomacy, 203
drumming festival at, 200f
first program at, 199–200
Gardons Contact movement, 202
Ould-Abdullah, Ahmedou,
contributions of, 199
Studio Ijambo at, 200–201
Women’s Peace Center at, 201–202
Index 303

Bush, George W. (President), 170 Chazan, Naomi, 228

Business Coalition for Workplace Chretien, Jean, 270
Fairness, 169 Christian Identity adherents, 148
Business Strategy for Sustainable Christian Knights of the KKK, 143
Development: Leadership and churches, community relations group,
Accountability for the ’90s (IISD), 275 29–30
Butler, Lee, 184 Church of the Creator, 143
Butler, Richard, 143 CIA and the Cult of Intelligence, The,
Byssinosis, 144 (Mark, coauthor), 194
CIA-KGB cooperation, 192
CAFTA. See Central America Free Trade CIDA. See Canadian International
Agreement (CAFTA) Development Agency (CIDA)
Campbell, Kim, 183, 184, 273 Citizens’ Negotiations Platform, 70, 71, 79
Canada’s Green Plan for a Healthy Civil Rights Act of 1964, 138
Environment, 268 Civil Rights Memorial, 139, 149–150
Canadian International Development Clark, Daniel, 111
Agency (CIDA), 267 Cleese, John, 55
Carroll, James, 217 Clinton, Bill (President), 208f, 210
Castaneda, Ricardo, 227 “Close to Slavery” (IJP), 148
Castro, Fidel, 179 CNI. See National Independent
CCRU. See Central Community Relations Committee for the Defense of
Unit (CCRU) Prisoners, the Persecuted, Detained,
Cecilia, story of, 1 Disappeared, and Exiled (CNI)
Celebration of Hope dinner, 258 Cohen, Richard, 154
Center for Human Rights Miguel Austin Cohen, William, 166
Pro Juarez (PRODH), 117 Cold War
Central America Free Trade Agreement communism, collapse of, 213–214
(CAFTA), 128, 132, 133 Marks’ opinion on, 191
Central Community Relations Unit mutually assured destruction, doctrine
(CCRU) of, 181, 191
CTG, setting up of, 21–22 nuclear scare during, 178, 179
funding district councils in Northern redefining security post, 181
Ireland, 22 Cole, Michael, 173
Irish language’s significance, Colombia, WFP delegations to, 129
recognizing, 22 Common Ground on Terrorism, 192
legal infrastructure for integrated Common Ground Productions (CGP),
education, securing, 22 Search
mission of, 21 birth of, 206
setting up of, 21 greatest hits of, 207
TSN program, 22–23 inspiration behind, 206
Central Secretariat, 21 Search for Common Ground series, 206
Cervantes, Neyra Azucena, story of, 7 Communist regime in East bloc
CGP. See Common Ground Productions collapse of, 213–214
(CGP), Search Michnik’s views on, 214
Chain gangs in Alabama, 145 views on state’s role under, 213
Chamorro, Violeta, 217 Community Conflict Skills (Fitzduff 1988),
Chapel of the Air ministries, 245 23
Charter 77 Foundation, New York, 218, Community Group Management (WEA),
219, 224 28
304
Community Relations Council (CRC),
xxviii
action-learning training programs, 39
antisectarian activities of, 32–33
community relations groups and (see
Community relations groups)
community relations, mainstreaming
(see CRC and maintenance of
community relations)
CTG, subgroup of, 22 (see also
Cultural Traditions Group (CTG))
customized programs, 39
emergence of, 23–24
first days of, 25–26
funding and proliferation, 40–41
lessons learned by, 41–44
local area programs, 39
major approaches to training, 38
mediation skills training, 39
organizational snapshot, 44
problems faced by, 37
task of, 24–25
training change agents of, 37–40
training modules, 38–39
Community relations groups
addressing issues of differences, 26
Churches, 29–30
Counteract, 28
Interface Project, 27
North Belfast Community
Development Centre, 28–29
Peace and Reconciliation group, 27
single-identity work of, 26
Workers Education Association, 27–28
Conference for Security and Cooperation
(OSCE), Europe, 193
Conflict campaign, 82
Conflict Management (WEA), 28
Conrad, Roger, 201
Conspiracy of Hope Tour of 1986, 55
Conspiracy of Hope Tour, the Human
Rights Now! 1989 Tour, 55
Core Partner campaigns, 5
Corporate equality issues, HRC
Business Coalition for Workplace
Fairness, formation of, 169
Corporate Equality Index’s report,
168, 169
Index
Dunaway, Cammie, comment of,
168–169
workplace protections, increasing, 169
Council of Conservative Citizens, 139
Council on Foreign Relations in New
York, 181
Counteract, 28
Counter Terror with Justice, 58
Cox, Larry, 52, 61
Cranston, Alan
GSI, developing (see also Global
Security Program (GSI))
Nuclear Weapons Elimination
Initiative, launching, 181
nuclear weapons, opinion on, 177
Cranston, Kim, 181
CRC. See Community Relations Council
(CRC)
CRC and maintenance of community
relations
business, 33
institutional antisectarian work, 32–33
security forces, 30–31
sports, 31–32
CRC training
action-learning training programs, 39
customized programs, 39
four major approaches, development
of, 38
local area programs, 39
major challenges, 37–38
mediation skills training, 39
training modules, 38–39
Creative Commons license, 10
Crimson White, 152
Cristiani, Alfredo, 217, 228
Cropper, Angela, 274
CTG, cultural traditions work
affirming identity, 33–34
cultural traditional fairs, organizing,
34–35
Irish language, recognizing, 35–37
CTG. See Cultural Traditions Group
(CTG)
Cultural Heritage program, DENI, 22
Cultural Traditions Group (CTG)
CRC and, 22, 23
cultural traditions work of, 33–37
Index
setting up, 21–22
Customized programs, CRC, 39
Cutler, Lloyd, 219–220
DADT. See “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
(DADT)
Dallaire, Roméo, 178
DARCI. See Decision, Accountable,
Responsible, Consultant, Informed
(DARCI)
Dayton Peace Accords, 227
Death penalty, AIUSA’s views, 58–59
Decision, Accountable, Responsible,
Consultant, Informed (DARCI), 11
Dees, Morris Seligman, Jr., , 138, 153–154
Del Monte Fresh Produce, 148
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 7
DENI. See Department of Education for
Northern Ireland (DENI)
Denounce Torture campaign, 57
Department for Culture Arts and Leisure
(Ministry DCAL), 36
Department of Education for Northern
Ireland (DENI), 22
Department of Environment, 267–268,
273
Desai, Narayan (Shanti Sena Mandal),
110, 111
Developing Facilitation Skills (WEA), 28
Dhanapala, Jayantha, 182–183
Diaz, Jaime, 111
Diffusion of Innovations (Rogers), 259
Dijkstra, Piet (Foundation for the
Extension of Non-violent Action),
111
Diop, Omar, 101–102
Disarmament and Peace Education (DPE)
program, 183, 186
Diversity Department, HRC
HBCU Student Leadership Program,
159
National Dialogue, 160
“Do No Harm, approach, PBI,” 114
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), 165–166
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue,
Don’t Harass,” policy, 165
Donald, Beulah Mae, 143
305
Donald, Michael, 143
Dothard v. Rawlinson (1977), lawsuit, 140
DPE. See Disarmament and Peace
Education (DPE) program
DRC. See Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC)
Dual Injustice (WITNESS), 7
Dunaway, Cammie, 169
Duncan, Mel, 102
and conception of Nonviolent
Peaceforce, 91
and Hartsough, 92
suggestions by, 100
Duty to Protect, A (WITNESS), 7
Dvilo, Thomas Lubanga, 7
Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB), 270,
275
Earth Summit. See United Nations
Conference on Environment and
Development
Earth Summit Bulletin (IISD), 270, 275
Eck, Jan van, 203
ECONI. See Evangelical Conference on
Northern Ireland (ECONI)
Edman, Faith, 102
Education for Mutual Understanding
(EMU), DENI, 22
Education Reform Order (1989), DENI, 22
EJI. See Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)
ELN guerilla movement, Colombia, 226
Emergency Response Network (ERN),
107–108
Employment Non-Discrimination Act
(ENDA), 169
EMU. See Education for Mutual
Understanding (EMU), DENI
ENB. See Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB)
ENDA. See Employment Non-
Discrimination Act (ENDA)
Endean, Steve, 157–158
End the Conflict campaign and OneVoice
Movement, 82
Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), 141
Equally Speaking, 161, 173
ERN. See Emergency Response Network
(ERN)
Ervine, David, 226
306
Evangelical Conference on Northern
Ireland (ECONI), 29
Exodus Advocacy Network, 249
Exodus World Service, xxxi–xxxii
arising issues of, 255
bringing hope for refugees, 239–240
core values of, 258–259
customers of, 250
early years of, 242–246 (see also
Exodus World Service, early years)
engaging on global level, 256
family, 258
fundraising for, 257–258
healing strategy of, 240
impact of, 253, 256
influencers, 259–260
inspirational source of, 260
invitation to volunteers, 252
local affiliate offices of, 255
market research by, 244
middle years of, 246–254 (see also
Exodus World Service, middle years)
ministry of, 242, 259
network, 249
New Neighbor Program, 255 (see also
New Neighbor Program)
niche in refugee ministry, 251(see also
Refugee ministry, Exodus)
organizational snapshot, 261–262
partnerships, 245–246, 251
at present, 254–257 (see also Exodus
World Service, present)
phone and e-mail consultation, 255
principles of, 260–261
Refugee Champion characteristics and,
253
School Kit Collection and, 249
staff members of, 252
vision for, 241–242
volunteers, 240–241, 243
volunteers to Uganda, 257
Welcome to America! Pack and,
243–245 (see also Welcome to
America! Pack program)
Exodus World Service, early years
challenges faced by, 243
goals of, 244
initial funding, 243
Index
other initiatives taken by, 245–246
steps taken in launching, 242–243
Welcome to America! Pack,
developing, 243–245, 246
Exodus World Service, middle years
analyzing Welcome to America! Pack
program, 247
core customers, defining, 250–251
development of promotional tools, 248
“friendship” program between
volunteers and refugees, 247
governing board’s important
decisions, 252–253
lessons learned by, 251–252
New Neighbor Program, launch of,
248–249
program training, developing, 247–248
RefNet and, 249
Refugee Champion and, 253
resettlement agencies and, 251
stories of refugees, 254
training and educational resources,
expansion of, 249
using web-based program, 246–247
volunteer opportunities, 249
Exodus World Service, present
community organizing, 257
franchising, 255
on global level, 256
impact, 254–255, 256
mission, 255
and RHP, 256
serving refugees, 257
Facilitative Leadership (WEA), 28
Fair Employment Commission (FEC), 32
FAPP. See First Appeal Pledge Program
(FAPP)
FEC. See Fair Employment Commission
(FEC)
Feminicide, Mexico, 7
Filmon, Gary, 276
First Appeal Pledge Program (FAPP), 61
Fitzduff, Mari
conflict resolution field, discovering, 19
leaving CRC, 40
SACHR, report for, 19–21
story of, 17–18
Index
Focus for Change benefit, 8
Force More Powerful, A, 205
Forced from Home: U.S. Trade Policy and
Immigration (WFP), 130
“Forgotten Prisoners, The,”(Observer), 52
Foundation for a Civil Society. See
Charter 77 Foundation, New York
Frazer and Fitzduff report, 21
Frazer, Hugh, 20, 26
Free Aceh Movement (Gherkin Aceh
Media, GAM), 119
Freedom Riders, 143, 155
Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA),
132
Frontiero v. Richardson (1973), lawsuit,
140, 152–153
Frowick, Robert, 199
FTAA. See Free Trade Area of the
Americas (FTAA)
Furrow, Buford, 149
Gabriel, Peter, 3–4, 8
Galbraith, John Kenneth, 217
Galster, Steve, 1
Gandhi and King Season for Nonviolence
at the United Nations, 188
Gardons Contact (Let’s Stay in Touch), 202
Gathering Storm: America’s Militia Threat
(Dees), 154
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT), 269–270
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs),
133
Gewirtzman, Doni, 163
Gilmore vs. City of Montgomery, 152
Gimme6, Cyprus, 207
Glanville, William, 272
Glass, Philip, 8
GLBT youth
abstinence-only education programs
for, 170–171
comprehensive sexuality education for,
170
HRC and, 170–171
supportive of GLBT equality, 169–170
Global Security Institute (GSI), xxx–xxxi
approach of, 181–184 (see also GSI
approach)
307
dynamic program leaders of, 183–184
“energized civil society” making, 187
nuclear arms control and
disarmament, 177–178
Nuclear Weapons Elimination
Initiative and, 181
organizational snapshot, 188
recent activities of, 184–187 (see also
GSI, recent actions of)
Global Security Program, 181
Globe 90 Conference, 267
GMOs. See Genetically Modified
Organisms (GMOs)
Goering, Curt, 53
Goindi, Farrukh Sohail, 103
Golub, Leon, 1
Goodwin, Doris Kearns, 217
Goodwin, Richard, 217
Gorbachev, Mikhail, 181, 185
Graham, Thomas, 183, 185, 186
Granoff, Jonathan, 178, 185, 186–187, 188
Grey, Robert, 183
GSI approach, 181
BSG and, 182, 183, 186
DPE program and, 183, 186
MPI and, 182, 183, 184 (see also
Middle Powers Initiative (MPI))
PNND and, 182–183, 184
GSI, recent actions of
Article VI Forum of MPI, 184–185
BSG’s policy briefs/ on-the-record
input, 186
DPE’s Rome Declaration, 186
female leadership in nuclear abolition
panel, 185–186
op/ed in the Wall Street Journal,
publication of, 185
PNND Global Council, importance of,
185
Secure World Foundation and, 186
GSI. See Global Security Institute (GSI)
Guatemala Project, NP, 94–95
Guatemala Woman’s Rights Group, 95
Hadden, Tom, 41
Harris v. James, 145
Harris, Emmylou, 8
Hartsough, David, 92
308
Hassan (Prince of Johnson), 193
Hate acts, United States of America
lynchings in 2007, 137–138
recent of, 137
SPLC’s reports on, 137, 138–139
white supremacist activities, 138–139,
142
Hate on Trial: The Case against America’s
Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi (Dees),
154
Havel, Václav (President), 218, 219
Hawthorne, James, 21
HBCU. See Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCU) Student
Leadership Program
Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), 164
Henok, 142
Hertzberg, Hendrik, 217
Hiroshima, 177, 178
Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCU) Student
Leadership Program, 159
Hitchens, Christopher, 217
“hitching post,” in USA, 145
Hobbs, Marian (Aotearoa-New Zealand),
185
Holmes v. Hunt, 144–145
Hope v. Pelzer (2002), 145
House Subcommittee on National
Security, Emerging Threats, and
International Relations, 186
Howard, Donna, 102
HRC. See Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
HRC Coming Out Project, The, 160
HRCF. See Human Rights Campaign
Fund (HRCF)
HRC Family Project, The, 160
HRC Foundation, 160, 166, 168
HRC Historically Black Colleges and
Universities Outreach Program,
The, 160
HRC issues
adoption and parenting rights, 166
aging, 161–163 (see also Senior
Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE))
corporate equality, 168–169 (see also
Corporate equality issues, HRC)
Index
GLBT health issues, HIV, AIDS, 164
GLBT military, 165–166
GLBT youth, 169–171
hate crimes, 163–164
immigration, 164–165
international rights, 165
people of color, 166
religion and faith, 167
transgender issues, 167–168
HRC Religion and Faith Program, The, 160
HRC Research Center, The, 160
HRC staff
Cole, Michael, 173
Johnson, Christopher, 173–174
Luna, Brad, 174
Salkind, Susanne J., 172–173
Solmonese, Joe, 171–172
HRC Workplace Project, The, 160
Hub project, WITNESS, 12, 15
Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
diversity mission, 159–160
educational outreach, 160
equality for GLBT citizens, seeking, 157
fair-minded candidates, supporting,
159
history of, 157–158
important issues of (see HRC issues)
media outreach of, 160–161
notable accomplishments of, 158–159
organizational snapshot, 174–175
staff of, 171–174 (see also HRC staff)
Human Rights Campaign Fund (HRCF),
157
Human Rights Education program,
AIUSA
benefit events, role of, 55
development of, 46
incorporation in school programs,
54–55
Human Rights Promotion, conditions for,
6
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty
International, 5
IALANA. See International Association of
Lawyers against Nuclear Arms
(IALANA)
Index
IBM International Foundation, 69
ICC. See International Criminal Court
(ICC)
Idriss, Shamil, 204
IEC. See International Executive
Committee (IEC)
IEP. See OneVoice International
Education Program (IEP)
IFI. See International financial institution
(IFI)
IGC. See International Governance
Council (IGC)
IISD. See International Institute for
Sustainable Development (IISD)
IISD, barriers and challenges
balancing act between stakeholders,
problem of, 274
challenging birth, 272–273
DOE’s withdrawal of a part of
funding, 273
external barriers, 274
Liberal Government Program Review,
impact of, 273
termination of similar projects, 273
IISD, creation of
awareness, raising of, 265–266
Brundtland Commission, message of,
266
Globe 90 and, 267
institutional structure, 268–269
international institute for sustainable
development, emergence of, 266
politics of, 267–268
IISD, major eras
communications, focus on, 269, 270
decline of core funding, 270–272, 271f
Earth Negotiations Bulletin and, 270,
275
Internet and electronic
communications, growth of, 270
policy research, focus on, 269–270
program planning, coherent approach
to, 272
vision, defining, 272
IISD, opportunities and breakthroughs
for, 274
Rio Earth Summit, 1992, 275
309
Earth Summit Bulletin, publication of,
275
World Wide Web, using, 275
external and an internal scan, 276
IISD, organizational issues of
finances, 276–277, 277f
location, 279–280
personnel, 277–279
IJP. See Immigrant Justice Project (IJP)
IMF. See International Monetary Fund
(IMF)
Immigrant Justice Project (IJP)
creation of, 147–148
gender discrimination of immigrant
women and, 148
paper on Internet hates, 149
rights of migrant workers, protecting,
148
INES. See International Network of
Engineers and Scientists for Global
Responsibility (INES)
Insai Di Saloon (Inside the Salon), Sierra
Leone, 207
Instant Karma, 56
Intelligence Project of SPLC
creation of, 138, 148
domestic hate groups, monitoring, 148
extreme Right, information on, 148
Furrow, Buford, information on, 149
mission of, 137, 148, 149
white supremacist movement, reports
on, 138–139
Intelligence Report, 139, 148
Interface Project, 27
International Association of Lawyers
against Nuclear Arms (IALANA),
182
International Council of Peace Brigades,
118
International Criminal Court (ICC), 7
International Education Program (IEP),
76–78
International Executive Committee (IEC),
52
International Financial Institution (IFI), 133
International Governance Council (IGC),
93
310
International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD), xxxii
Brundtland Report’s
recommendations and, 264–265
challenges faced by, 272–274 (see also
IISD, barriers and challenges)
communications and, 270
core funding of, 271–271f
creation of, 265–269 (see also IISD,
creation of)
designated grants and operating
grants, 277f, 278f
establishment of, 264–265
funding model, 276–277, 277f
future, 280–281
international trade, opinion on,
263–264
involvement in 1992 Rio Earth
Summit, 275
launch of World Wide Web, 275
location of, 279
major eras of. (see IISD, major eras)
natural resource management issues,
study of, 264
offices, 279–280
opportunities and breakthroughs for,
274–276 (see also IISD, opportunities
and breakthroughs for)
organizational snapshot, 281–282
people-centered view of, 264
personnel of, 277–279
political landscape of, 267–268
program areas, 276
research and objectives of, 263
structure of, 268–269
vision of, 272
International Liaisons, 2
International Monetary Fund (IMF), 125
International Network of Engineers and
Scientists for Global Responsibility
(INES), 182
International Peace Bureau (IPB), 182
International Physicians for the
Prevention of Nuclear War
(IPPNW), 182
International Secretariat (IS), 52, 53
Invisible Empire Klan, 142
Index
IPB. See International Peace Bureau
(IPB)
IPPNW. See International Physicians for
the Prevention of Nuclear War
(IPPNW)
IRA. See Irish Republican Army (IRA)
Iranian-American relations and Search
Iranian ambassador to the UN,
comment on, 211
meetings between U.S and Iran,
arranging, 209–210
Search’s two-track strategy, 211
U.S. national wrestling team’s visit to
Tehran, 210
USA Wrestling and Iran’s ambassador
to UN, 210
Irishness, varieties of, 22
Irish Republican Army (IRA), 17
IS. See International Secretariat (IS)
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 65
Itoh, Iccoh, 177
It’s Time to Walk the Talk, 280
January, story of, 7
Jaruzelski,Wojciech, 228
“jellyfish babies,” birth of, Marshall
Islands, 179–180
“Jena 6,” noose incident in USA, 137
Jerusalem, Search’s Middle East program
Common Ground News Service,
204–205
Ma’an Network, 205
nonviolence program, 205
office, opening of, 204
TV documentary series, 205, 206f
JJPL. See Juvenile Justice Project of
Louisiana (JJPL)
Johnson, Christopher, 173–174
Jolie, Angelina, 8
Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana
(JJPL), 147
Kabbah, Tejan (President), 8
Kaelber, Terry, 161–162
Keenan v. Aryan Nations, 143, 155
Keenan, Victoria, 143
Kennedy, Robert, 144
Index
Keyes, Gene, 111
Key Results Areas (KRAs), 10–11
KGB, 192
Kidjo, Angelique, 8
“Killing Fields, The,” (of Northern
Ireland) 17
King, Martin Luther, 142, 149–150
KKK. See Ku Klux Klan (KKK)
Klansmen, SPLC’s fight against (see
SPLC’s fights against hate groups)
Klanwatch, 138, 139
Klerk, F. W. de, 226
Knights of the KKK, 138
Kol Ahad Israel. See OneVoice Israel (Kol
Ahad Israel)
Koppel, Ted, 192, 201
Kotter, John, 259
KRAs. See Key Results Areas (KRAs)
Ku Klux Klan (KKK), 106, 137
Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 8
Lawyer’s: Journey: The Morris Dees Story,
A (Dees), 153–154
League of the South, 139
Lederach, John Paul, 42
LeMoyne, James, 227–228
Lennon, John, 55–56
Let’s Stay in Touch (Gardons Contact), 202
Levin, Joseph J., Jr., 138, 152
Liberia, Search field office, 203
Liebling, A. J., 206
Lin, Maya, 139, 150
Literaturnaya Gazeta, 192
Little, Joan, 141
Liuzzo, Viola, 143
Living Openly in Your Place of Worship
guide, HRC, 167
Livni, Tzipi, 80, 81
Local area programs, CRC, 39
Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes
Prevention Act (H.R. 1592), 163
Lubetzky, Daniel, xxviii, 84–85
Luers, Wendy
Charter 77 Foundation, heading, 218
Project on Justice in Times of
Transition, co-founding, 218–219
Luna, Brad, 174
311
Macedonia Baptist Church v. Christian
Knights of the KKK, 143, 154
Macedonia Baptist Church, 143
Macedonia, Search field office, 199
Madisson, Abacca Anjain, (Marshall
Islands), 185
Magee, Raymond (Peaceworkers), 111
Mains, David, 245
Mains, Karen, 245
Mandela, Nelson (President), 226
Manivannan, Ramu, 102–103
Mansfield v. Church of the Creator, 143
Mansfield v. Pierce, 143
Mansfield, Harold, 143
Maquila system, 132–133
Marin-Bosch, Miguel, 183
Marks, John, 206f
CGP and, 206–207, 208f
Cold War, opinion on, 191
Collins, Susan, meeting, 194–195
common activity, advocating, 191
life before Search, 193–194
Search, founding, 191 (see Search for
Common Ground (Search))
Marks, Susan Collins, 206f
childhood of, 194
Search, joining, 195
Ubuntu, guiding principle of, 194
Marley, Ziggy , 203
Mashaal, Saed, 81
Masri, Ezzeldin, 85
Matthew Shepard Act (S. 1105), 163–164
Maze of Injustice report, 60
McDonough, Alexa (Canada), 185
McElroy, James, 155
McGinnis, Lloyd, 269
McGuinness, Martin, 44
McKinney v. Southern White Knights, 142
McNamara, Robert, 184
McVeigh, Timothy, 143
McWilliams, Monica, 228
Mediation skills training, CRC, 39
Menin, Mateo, 103
Metzger, John, 142
Metzger, Tom, 142
Meyer, Melvin, 152
Meyer, Roelf, 223, 226–227, 228
312
Meza, David, 7
Michnik, Adam, 214, 228
Middle Powers Initiative (MPI)
Article VI Forum of, 184
composition of, 182
“track 11⁄2 diplomacy” and, 182
Mighty Times: The Children’s March, film
(2005), 154
Mikyung, Lee (South Korea), 185
MILF. See Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF)
Military Commissions Act, 57
Military Readiness Enhancement Act
(MREA), 165
Miller, Arthur, 218
Ministry DCAL. See Department for
Culture Arts and Leisure (Ministry
DCAL)
Mississippi Youth Justice Project, SPLC,
147
Mohammed
experience of, 240–241
Pat and, 240
Welcome to America! Pack and, 240
Monnet, Jean, 196
Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955–1956,
150
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), 94
“Moros,” 94
MPI. See Middle Powers Initiative
MREA. See Military Readiness
Enhancement Act (MREA)
Mubarak, Hosni, 193
Mulroney, Brian, 266, 267, 273
“Mutually assured destruction,” (MAD),
doctrine of, 181, 191
NAFTA. See North American Free Trade
Agreement (NAFTA)
Nagasaki, 177, 178
Naor, Israel, 103
NAPF. See Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
(NAPF)
Narayan, Jayaprakash, 109
Nashe Maalo (Our Neighborhood), 207
National Alliance, 143
National Dialogue, 160
National Independent Committee for the
Defense of Prisoners, the
Index
Persecuted, Detained, Disappeared,
and Exiled (CNI), 117
Nationalists in Northern Ireland
single-identity work for, 26
war between unionists and, 17
National Task Force on Environment and
Economy (NTFEE), 266
Nation of Islam, 139
Neo-Nazi, 148
New Neighbor Handbook (Exodus World
Service)
New Neighbor Program
in England, implementation of, 256
launch of, 248
licensing of, 255
Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zone, 129
Nightline, ABC-TV, 192
Nixon v. Brewer, 140
Nonacs, Eric, 219
Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), xxix, 89
accomplishing goals, 93
analyzing success, 97
developing ventures in Columbia and
Uganda, 100
efficacy management, 97
formation of, 90
funding for, 96–97
future plans, 99–100
goals, 93
Guatemala Project of, 94–95
International Governance Council,
101–103
lessons learned by, 97–98
mission of, 91
nonviolent techniques of, 90
organizational snapshot of, 103–104
origins of, 91–92
peacekeepers of, 98f–99f
project in Philippines, 94
project in Sri Lanka, 93–94 (see also
Nonviolent Peaceforce Sri Lanka
(NPSL)
staff training and compensation,
95–96, 96f
trainees, 96f
work of, 93–35
Nonviolent Peaceforce Field Team, xxix
Nonviolent Peaceforce International
Governance Council, 101–103
Index
Nonviolent Peaceforce Sri Lanka (NPSL)
activities of, 93
result of, 94
service, 94
team of peacekeepers, 99f
North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), 127, 128, 270
North Belfast Community Development
Centre, 28–29
Northern Ireland Voluntary Trust, 20
NP. See Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP)
NPSL. See Nonviolent Peaceforce Sri
Lanka (NPSL)
NPT. See Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT)
NTFEE. See National Task Force on
Environment and Economy
(NTFEE)
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF),
182
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT),
179
Nuclear weapons
abolition of slavery and, 187
challenge of combating, 178
climate change and, 178
combating scare of, 178, 181
destructiveness of, 177
GSI’s focus on disarmament of,
177–178 (see also Global Security
Institute (GSI))
Nuclear weapon scourge
combating, 178, 181
delicate balance of fifty-year, 178–180
Nuclear Weapons Elimination Initiative
institutionalizing, 181
launch of, 181
Nusseibeh, Lucy, 103
Nyerere, Julius, 110
Nystrom, Nancy, 162
Odyssey of the Mind (Kotter), 259
Omar, Dullah, 226–227
One Million Voices to End the Conflict
campaign, 82–83
OneVoice, Gaza
contributors , 85
opening of, 76
staff in, 76
313
WAYWTD campaign in, 79–80
OneVoice International Education
Program (IEP)
funds for, 78
goal of, 77
partnerships with center for citizen
peace-building, 78
OneVoice Israel (Kol Ahad Israel), 68
chapters of, 72
contributors, 85–86
goal of, 71
leadership development strategy of, 71
leadership seminars conducted by, 72
leadership subcommittees of, 72–73
local events, emphasizing on, 73
OneVoice Palestine and, 81
at Tel Aviv University, 80
tiered reward system, instituting, 72
young leaders of, 71
OneVoice Israel, PR Committee, 73
OneVoice, Local Events Committee, 73
OneVoice Mandate, 79t
and WAYWTD campaign, 79–80
signatories for, 76
signing of 73
OneVoice Movement, xxviii–xxix
aim of, 65
basic premise of, 66–67
communications team, 73
“enlightened self-interest” focusing on,
67
foundation of, 65–66
funding for, 68–69
future of, 83–84
IEP of, 77–78 (see OneVoice
International Education Program
(IEP))
leadership development strategy of, 71
leadership seminars, 71–72
mandate of, 79–80
methodology of, 67–68
mobilizing the grassroots, 82–83
nationalistic parallel movements of, 68
One Million Voices to End the Conflict
campaign, 82–83
OneVoice Israel and OneVoice
Palestine, joint statement of, 81
organizational snapshot of, 87
parallel initiatives of, 67–68
314
OneVoice Movement (continued)
programs of (see OneVoice, programs
and initiatives)
WAYWTD campaign, 79–80
WEF event of 2007, 80–82
OneVoice Palestine (Soutuna Filastin)
attendance and recruitment at town
hall meetings, 74–75, 75t
foundation of, 68
leadership programs, evaluation of,
75–76
message of, 80
OneVoice Israel and, 81
OneVoice’s Gaza office, significance of,
76
Shahin, Nisreen, contribution of, 85
societal transformations and, 74
support system of, 82
training Youth Leaders, 75
OneVoice, programs and initiatives
Citizens’ Negotiations Platform, 70
Leadership Development Program,
70–71
negotiation and compromise,
teaching, 69–70
OneVoice Israel, 71–73 (see also
OneVoice Israel (Kol Ahad Israel)
OneVoice Palestine, 74–76 (see also
OneVoice Palestine (Soutuna
Filastin))
OneVoice’s Leadership Development
Program, 70–71
OneVoice’s Youth Leaders, 71
OneVoice’s Youth Leadership Training
programs, 85
Ortega, Daniel (President), 217
Ould-Abdullah, Ahmedou, 199–200
Our Common Future (Brundtland Report)
a global agenda for change, 264
IISD and, 265 (see also International
Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD))
recommendations made by, 264–265
strengths of, 264
sustainable development, defining, 264
Our Neighbors, Ourselves, 201
Our Social History (WEA), 28
Index
Out in Scripture (HRC), 167
Paradise v. Allen, lawsuit, 140
Parliamentarians for Nuclear
Nonproliferation and
Disarmament (PNND), 182–183,
184, 185
PASS. See “Possible Structures for the
Development and Implementation
of Policy Appraisal on Separation
and sharing (PASS)” (Hadden)
Pat, 240
Paths Through the Past (WEA), 28
Patterson, Roy, 141
PBI. See Peace Brigades International
(PBI)
PBI Colombia, 115–116
PBI founding meeting, Grindstone Island,
Canada, 110
attendees of, 110–111
comments made during, 111–112
issues discussed in, 111
PBI Guatemala, 116–117
PBI Indonesia, 118–119
PBI mandate
neutrality, 112
nonpartisanship, 113
PBI Mexico, 117–118
PBI Nepal, 118
PBI network
in Colombia, 115–116
in Indonesia, 118–119
in Mexico, 117–118
in Nepal, 118
in United States, 119–120
PBI, foundation of
founding meeting of, 110–111
founding principles of, 109–110
WPB and, 110
PBI-USA, 119–120
Peace and Reconciliation group, 27–28
Peace Brigades International (PBI), xxix
aim of, 121
breaking chain of command in human
rights attacks, 106f
deployment in Guatemala, 116–117
ERN of, 107–108
Index
evaluating methods, 113–114
first World Peace Brigade, 110
forensic anthropologists, escorting, 108
foundation of, 109–112
founding meeting of, 110–112
funding for, 115
indicators of success of, 113
mandate of, 112–113
mission of, 109
mobilizing grassroots, 107
neutrality, 112
nonviolent protective accompaniment,
105–107, 106f
operating network and projects of,
115–120
organizational snapshot of, 121
as part of global human rights
movement and, 120–121
selection of field volunteers, 114–115
services, 108
“Peace Communities,” 100
PeaceWorks Foundation (USA), xxviii, 65
contributors to, 84–87
focus of, 67–68
funding structure, building, 68–69
fundraising efforts of, 69
grassroots network, forging, 70–71
methodology and structure of, 65–70
mobilizing grassroots, 82–83
OneVoice Movement of, 65 (see also
OneVoice Movement)
Penny Doe v. Richardson (1998), 146
People Dammed, A (WFP), 126
Peres, Shimon, 80
Pew Charitable Trust, 243
Philippines Project (Mindanao), NP, 94, 98f
Phillips, Tim
developing memorandum, 217–218
Luers, Wendy, cooperation of, 218–219
Project on Justice in Times of
Transition, idea behind, 215–217
Pierce, William, 143
Pittaluga, Simonetta Costanzo, 101
PNND. See Parliamentarians for Nuclear
Nonproliferation and
Disarmament (PNND)
Political Response Network (PRN), 107
315
Portland skinheads, 142
“Possible Structures for the Development
and Implementation of Policy
Appraisal on Separation and
sharing (PASS)” (Hadden), 41
Preparing for Change (WEA), 28
Principled Negotiation (WEA), 28
“Prisoners of conscience,” 51
PRN. See Political Response Network
(PRN)
PRODH. See Center for Human Rights
Miguel Austin Pro Juarez
(PRODH)
Program to Abolish the Death Penalty,
AIUSA, 58–59
Project on Justice in Times of Transition,
important programs of, 228
conference on missing persons for
family members, Hungary 1997
El Salvador 1993, 229
executive training programs for
Northern Ireland political and
community leaders, United States
1996–2003, 230
negotiating from conflict to peace,
Colombia 2007, 231
Nicaragua 1994, 229
Northern Ireland 1995, 229–230
peacebuilding, reconstruction, and
establishment of Rule of Law
program, 230
session for Ulster Democratic Unionist
Party, 230–231
South Africa 1994, 229
strategy for Kosovo’s first hundred
days, 231
Project on Justice in Times of Transition,
xxxi
advice and recommendations for
future NGO leaders, 234–235
designing programs, 231–233
Ervine, David, contributions of, 226, 228
first steps of, 217–220
focus of, 214–215
fundamental principle of (see Project
on Justice in Times of Transition,
methodology of)
316
Project on Justice in Times of Transition
(continued)
future directions, 233–234
global reputation of, 215
historical context of, 213–215
inspiration behind, 215–217
international advisory board of, 236
launching of, 223–224
LeMoyne, James, contributions of, 227
Meyer and Omar, contributions of,
226–227
organizational snapshot, 236–237
Salzburg conference and (see Salzburg
conference on Justice in Times of
Transition)
“shared experience” methodology of, 223
(see also Project on Justice in Times of
Transition, methodology of)
significant programs of, 228–229 (see
also Project on Justice in Times of
Transition, important programs of)
Project on Justice in Times of Transition,
methodology of
approach, 224–225
forum’s neutral environment,
ensuring, 225
international speakers, role of, 225
“shared experience” methodology,
development of, 224
shared personal stories, impact of,
226–228
target audience “into the room”,
bringing, 225
Pronk, Jan, 203
Protective accompaniment, PBI
books on, 109
Colombia project and, 116
definition of, 105–106
effectiveness of, 120
Indonesia project and, 118
Mexico and, 117
working strategy of, 106–107
PSAs. See Public service announcements
(PSAs)
public service announcements (PSAs),
203
Pugh v. Locke (1976), 145
Rabin, Yitzhak, 193
Index
Radhakrishana (Gandhi Peace
Foundation), 111
Radio Telefis Eireann, 19
Rainbow Adult Community Housing, 162
Rajiv Gandhi Institute, 181
RAND Corporation, Pentagon, 192
R.C. v. Fuller (1988), 145
Reagan, Ronald, (President), 192
Reebok Human Rights Foundation, 4, 8
RefNet. See Refugee Furniture Network
(RefNet)
Refugee Bridge Group, 257
Refugee Champion, seven traits of, 253
Refugee Furniture Network (RefNet), 249
Refugee Highway Partnership (RHP), 256
Refugee ministry, Exodus
early years in church-based, 242
Exodus World Service niche in, 251
increasing local church involvement
in, 245
programs, 256
promotion for, 246
volunteers in, 251–252
Religion and Faith Program, HRC
mission of, 167
Progressive State Clergy coalitions
and, 167
resources, creating, 167
Religion Council, HRC, 167
Reno, Janet, 138
Republican National Convention (New
York), violence at, 5
Responsible Education about Life Act and
HRC, 170
RHP. See Refugee Highway Partnership
(RHP)
Rio Earth Summit, 1992, 275
Ripley, Dennis, 241
Robinson, Curtis, 148
Robinson, Karen, 54–55
Roche, Douglas, 183, 184–185, 187
Rockwood Leadership Program, 11
Rodgers, Nile and CHIC, 8
Rogers, Everett, 259
Roncken, Theo, 103
Rosenblatt, Lionel, 199
Ross, Johnny, 141
Rubenstein, Joshua, 53
Runnalls, David, 269, 272
Index
Run/Walk for Refugees, 258
Ryback, Tim, 217, 218
SACHR. See Standing Advisory
Commission on Human Rights
(SACHR)
SAGE. See Senior Advocacy for GLBT
Elders (SAGE)
Salkind, Susanne J., 172–173
Salzburg conference on Justice in Times
of Transition, 1992
first day of, 221–222
goals of, 221
impact of, 222
methodology of shared experience, 223
(see also, Project on Justice in Times
of Transition, methodology of)
outcomes of, 223
participants of, 221
post-communist Europe, helping, 221
recognition of, 223
second day’s developments at, 222
skepticism around, 220
Salzburg Seminar, Salzburg, Austria, 215
Sanchez, Diego, 168
Schafferman, Eran, 81
School Kit Collection, 249
School-to-Prison Reform Project, 146
Schwab, Klaus, 80
Schwartz, Herman, 219, 220
Scott, Michael, 110
SD. See sustainable development (SD)
Search. See Search for Common Ground
(Search)
Search field offices
Burundi, expansion to, 199–203, 200f
(see also Burundi, Search field office)
Liberia and Sierra Leone, 203–204
Macedonia, expansion to, 199
Middle East, expansion to, 204–205
Ukraine and Angola, expansion to, 203
Search for Common Ground (Search),
xxxi
CGP of, 206–207, 208f
conflict and violence, approach to,
195–196
conflict resolution field,
institutionalizing, 196–197
core principle of, 195
317
counterterrorism project, success, 192
field offices of (see Search field offices)
foundation of, 191
funding of, 191–192, 199
Iranian-American relations,
commitment to improving,
209–211
Literaturnaya Gazeta, partnership
with, 192
Middle East program of, 204–206, 206f
Middle East, venture into, 193
operating principles of, 198–199
organizational snapshot of, 211–212
reaction to world’s crisis, 195
during Reagan’s time, 192
social entrepreneurship principles of,
208–209
U.S.-Soviet Task Force on Lebanon,
193
Search for the “Manchurian Candidate,”
The, 194, 206
Search, operating principles of
immersing in local culture, 198
methodology, principle of, 198–199
parachuting, avoiding, 198
people from all sides of conflict,
employing, 198
Season for Justice, A (Dees), 153
Secret Policeman’s Ball, 55
Seeding Video Advocacy
definition of, 5
program, 11
Senior Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
challenges faced by, 161
higher rate of isolation among, 161,
163
separate retirement centers, debate on,
162
“spontaneous combustion,” increase
of, 162
welcoming retirement communities,
lack of, 161–162
Seraw, Mulugeta, 142
“Severance pay” of Search, 192
Shadow of Hate, The, 155
Shahin, Nisreen, 80, 85
Shaikh, Darya, 86
Shamy, Gil, 86
Shanti Sena, 110
318
Shape of the Future, 205–206, 206f
Shays, Christopher, 186
Shepard, Mark, 111
Sierra Leone, Search field office, 203
Sierra Leone’s Truth and Reconciliation
Commission, 1
Simon, Paul, 8
Simon, Scott, 206
Simons, Howard, 217
SJDC. See Southern Juvenile Defender
Center (SJDC)
Smith v. YMCA, lawsuit, 139–140
Solmonese, Joe, 161, 171–172
Soros, George
pro-democracy movements,
supporting, 219–220
Project on Justice in Times of
Transition and, 219–220
South Africa’s Search for Common Ground,
194, 207
Southern Juvenile Defender Center
(SJDC), 147
Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), xxx
Alabama Youth Justice Coalition,
collaboration with, 147
Confederate battle flag, bringing
down, 144–145
death penalty, opposing, 140–141
education for homeless children, 146
EJI, supporting, 141
employment discriminations,
challenging, 140
founders and staff, 152–155 (see also
SPLC founders and staff)
funding, 150
hate acts and, 137–138
history of, 138–139 (see also Southern
Poverty Law Center, history of)
IJP, creation of, 147–148
Intelligence Project of, 137, 139 (see
also Intelligence Project of SPLC)
JJPL, supporting, 147
Klansmen, battling, 141–143 (see also
SPLC’s fights against hate groups)
medical services for poor, 145
Mississippi Youth Justice Project, 147
organizational snapshot, 156
prison conditions, challenging, 145
Index
racial discriminations, challenging,
139–140
School-to-Prison Pipeline,
challenging, 146–147
School-to-Prison Reform Project of,
145
SJDC, operating, 147
tax equality, fighting for, 144
Team Defense project of, 141
ways of supporting, 150–152
worker safety, protecting, 144
Southern Poverty Law Center, history of
Civil Rights Act of 1964, 138
Civil Rights Memorial, building, 139,
149–150
Klanwatch, creation of, 138
Teaching Tolerance, launch of, 139,
149
Voting Rights Act of 1965, 138
white supremacist activities, actions
against, 138–139
Soutuna Filastin. See OneVoice Palestine
(Soutuna Filastin)
SPLC. See Southern Poverty Law Center
(SPLC)
SPLC founders and staff
Bond, Julian, 155
Cohen, Richard, 154
Dees, Morris, 153–154
Levin, Joseph J., Jr, 152–153
McElroy, James, 155
SPLC’s fight against prison conditions
chain gangs, fight against, 145
“hitching post,” opposition to, 145
uninhabitable Alabama prisons, 145
SPLC’s fights against hate groups
Aryan Nations and Butler, fighting,
143
Christian Knights of the KKK,
fighting, 143
Church of the Creator, fighting, 143
Invisible Empire Klan, fighting, 142
Klan paramilitary activity, ending, 142
Pierce, William, case of, 143
Southern White Knights, fighting, 142
United Klans of America, fighting, 143
WAR, fighting, 142
SPLC’s landmark cases
Index
Association of Vietnamese Fishermen v.
Knights of the KKK, 142
Austin v. James, 145
Berhanu v. Metzger, 142, 154, 155
Beulah Mae Donald v. UnitedKlans, 143
Bradley v. Haley (2000), 145
Brown v. Invisible Empire of the KKK,
142
Dothard v. Rawlinson (1977), 140
Frontiero v. Richardson (1973), 140
Harris v. James, 145
Holmes v. Hunt, 144–145
Hope v. Pelzer (2002), 145
Keenan v. Aryan Nations, 143, 155
Little, Joan, case of, 141
Macedonia Baptist Church v. Christian
Knights of the KKK, 143, 154
Mansfield v. Church of the Creator, 143
Mansfield v. Pierce, 143
McKinney v. Southern White Knights,
142
Nixon v. Brewer, 140
Nowak v. Foster, 144
Paradise v. Allen (1972), 140
Patterson, Roy, case of, 141
Penny Doe v. Richardson (1998), 146
Pugh v. Locke, 145
R.C. v. Fuller (1988), 145
Ross, Johnny, case of, 141
Smith v. YMCA, 139–140
Wilkins v. Lanier (1979), 144
SPLC, ten ways of supporting, 150–152
Standing Advisory Commission on
Human Rights (SACHR)
establishment of, 19
Frazer and Fitzduff ’s report for, 20
Station, The, Nigeria, 207
Stern Report, 281
Stern, Lee, 111
Stewart, John, 103
Stonewall Communities, 162
Stopping Torture, 56–58
Stop Violence Against Women (SVAW)
campaign, 59–60
Studio Ijambo, 200–201
Studio Ijambo, Burundi, 200–201, 202,
203
Styron, Rose, 218
319
Styron, William, 218
Sustainable development (SD), 264
SVAW campaign. See Stop Violence
Against Women (SVAW) campaign
Talking Drum Studio, Liberia, 203
Targeting Social Need (TSN), CCRU, 22
Teaching Tolerance, SPLC
anti-bias multimedia kits, distributing,
149
appreciation of diversity, promoting,
149
honor and awards for, 149
launch of, 139
Team Defense project, SPLC, 141
Tel Aviv
OneVoice Israel at, 71
Peoples’ Summits in, 82
Thich Nhat Hanh, 91
Third-party nonviolent intervention
(TPNI), 109
This Voice in My Heart (Tuhabonye), 261
Thomson, Murray, 111
TIDES. See Training for Transformation,
Interdependence, Diversity, Equity,
and Sustainability (TIDES)
Time for Justice, A, film, (1994), 154, 155
Towards 2010: Priorities for NPT
Consensus, 185
TPNI. See Third-party nonviolent
intervention (TPNI)
Trafficking Victims Protection Act, 2
Training for Transformation,
Interdependence, Diversity, Equity,
and Sustainability (TIDES), 40
TSN. See Targeting Social Need (TSN),
CCRU
Tuhabonye, Gilbert, 261
“Tupperware fundraising” for Search,
192
Turner Diaries, The, (Pierce), 143
Typology of Community Relations Work
(Fitzduff), 23
Tyson, Rhianna, 185–186
UA. See Urgent Action (UA)
Ulster Scots Society, 36
Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), 226
320
UNCED. See United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development
(UNCED)
“Understanding Global Warming: A
Seminar for Journalists,” program,
215
Unionist in Northern Ireland
single-identity work for, 26
war between nationalist and, 17
United Klans of America, 143
United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development
(UNCED), 270
Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
51
Updike, John, 218
Urgent Action (UA), 61
Urgent Action, Special Focus Cases, and
Individuals at Risk, 60–62
USA Country Group, 120
U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), 199–200
USAID. See U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID)
Us and Them, 28
U.S.-Soviet Task Force on Lebanon, 193
U.S. Trident missile, 179
UVF. See Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)
Valdemir, story of, 7
Varieties of Irishness, 22
Vega, Suzanne, 8
VH1 Honors, 7
Video for Change: A Guide for Advocacy
and Activism, 12
Vietnamese-Americans’ fishing
businesses, 142
Villagómez, Cuauhtémoc Romero, 103
Villalobos, Joaquín, 227–228
Visible Intent: NATO’s Responsibility to
Nuclear Disarmament, 185
Voting Rights Act of 1965, 138
Wadsworth, George, 241
Waging Peace (Radio Telefis Eireann), 19
Walker, Charles, 110, 111
Wallace, George, 144, 152
WANEP. See West Africa Network for
Peacebuilding (WANEP)
Index
WAR. See White Aryan Resistance (WAR)
Ware, Alyn, 183
WARN. See Worldwide Accelerated
Response Network (WARN)
Watching the Wind: Conflict Resolution
during South Africa’s Transition to
Democracy (Marks), 194
WAYWTD. See What Are You Willing to
Do? (WAYWTD) campaign
WEA. See Workers Education Association
(WEA)
“Weapons of Mass Destruction: Current
Nuclear Proliferation Challenges,”
186
WEF. See World Economic Forum (WEF)
event
Weiss, Cora, 185
Welcome to America! Pack program
analysis of, 247
and churches, 246–247
development of, 243
for involvement in refugee ministry,
244
marketing of, 245
model of, 245
use of, 244
volunteer service and support, 247–248
West Africa Network for Peacebuilding
(WANEP), 102
Westpoint Pepperell cotton mill, 144
WFP. See Witness for Peace (WFP)
WFP, current programs of
delegations to Colombia, 129
Mexico Program, 129–131
Nicaragua Program, 131–133
WFP in Nicaragua
Contra War in the 1980s and, 123,
124–125
life-changing delegations, facilitating,
128
Nicaragua’s Free Trade Zone, working
with, 129
Witness for Peace Nicaragua Program,
131–133
What Are You Willing to Do? (WAYWTD)
campaign, 79–80, 82
White Aryan Resistance (WAR), 142
White Patriot Party in North Carolina,
138
Index
Wilkins, Nat Thomas, 144
Willoughby, George, 111
WILPF. See Women’s International League
for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)
Wiseman, Henry, 111
WITNESS, xxvii, 15
birth of, 4
Bound by Promises video, 7
challenges faced by, 12
core partners campaigns, 5
creative approach of, 8
DARCI models, 11
developing staff of, 13–14
donation of musical performances
and, 8
Dual Injustice video, 7
Duty to Protect, A, screening and
distributing of, 7
experience of, 5
five KRAs of, 10
funding for, 9
global communication and, 11–13
history of, 3–4
HUB project, launching, 12–13
human rights framework, 6
inspiration behind, 6–7
lessons learned by, 14–15
mission of, 6
organizational snapshot, 16
portfolio of, 9
present situation of, 4
progress of, evaluating, 9–11
promotion of videos, 7–8
role of, 4–5
strategy plan of, 5–6
supporting the work of, 8–9
third prong of, 12
training, 15
undercover video, importance of, 1–3
Witness for Peace (WFP), xxix
actions taken by, 123, 134
beginning of, 124–125
challenges faced by, 134–135
in Columbia, 127–128
in Cuba, 127
foundation of, xxix
funding for, 135
future plans, 135
in Guatemala, 126
321
in Haiti, 126
in highlands of Chiapas, 126–127
joining, 135–136
maintaining nation wide base, 123
mission statement, 123–124
in Nicaragua,
operating principle of, 124
organizational snapshot, 136
programs of (see WFP, current
programs of)
staff in U.S., 134
work in United States, 128–129
Witness for Peace Mexico Program
delegations to, 130–131
focus of, 129
Witness for Peace Nicaragua Program
debt cancellation, advocating, 132–133
delegations to, 133
problems with free trade and labor,
132
WITNESS progress, evaluation of
DARCI model, implementation of, 11
detailed monitoring and evaluation
plan, 11
expansion of staff and budget, 9–10
group of management practices,
development of, 11
“open-source” approach to initiatives,
11
Performance Evaluation Dashboard
and, 10
“positive return on social investment,”
demonstration of, 10
Seeding Video Advocacy program and,
11
Witness to Truth (WITNESS), 1, 8
Women’s International League for Peace
and Freedom (WILPF), 182
Workers Education Association (WEA),
27–28
Working with Killers project, Burundi,
202
World Economic Forum (WEF) event,
80–82
World Peace Brigade (WPB), 110
World Relief, 247
Worldwide Accelerated Response Network
(WARN), 61
World Wide Web, 275
322
WPB. See World Peace Brigade (WPB)
www.rockwoodleadership.org, 11
Yeltsin (President), 179
YMCA. See Young Men’s Christian
Association (YMCA)
Index
Young Men’s Christian Association
(YMCA), 29
discriminations by, 139
SPLC’s lawsuit against, 139–140
Zapf, Uta (Germany)