Toy Soliders

Being a soldier anywhere is hard work, but particularly in Africa. While unnamed wars still drag on, the continent is now seeing a bit of a reprieve from the last several decades of fighting seen in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Mozambique, Somalia; the list goes on. On my last trip to Congo, I was struck…

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Ni Paix Ni Guerre

Neither peace nor war. It says so much. This is how eastern Democractic Republic of Congo was described in a report that was developed on the joint assessment trip that I wrapped up last week (though I’ve stuck around DRC – in Goma now – for a couple of additional weeks). As you can see…

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Surviving Travel – Plan Z

In my crazy adventures around the globe, folks sometimes ask me how I manage. Let’s face it, what I do means landing in a place where I most often don’t know anyone, the language, the cultural nuances, the terrain, you name it. While you can do all the preparation in the world, most often this…

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Quick Impressions of Freetown

Before I head back to Liberia in the morning, I just wanted to share a few impressions of Freetown.First, I’d have to say that the city was a breath of fresh air. It is situated on hills going straight up against the water, reminiscent of San Francisco, but Africa style. There are great historical houses,…

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10 Year Peace Corps Reunion

This weekend we celebrated our group’s ten year Peace Corps reunion. We arrived in Ghana in the same training group and share a unique and fabulous bond through our experiences. Better than college, and certainly high school, the connection is somehow unexplainable. We had a full weekend of celebrations and libations and just truly enjoyed…

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Women in Afghanistan

In honor of International Women’s Day, I wanted to share my experiences with women in Afghanistan and an article, below, on the realities of women’s lives in Afghanistan. I’ve been reminded of those realities throughout my time in Kabul. Here are some examples. The young woman who gave up her scholarship for a masters degree…

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