Carter Center Feature Articles Archive: 2008

Dec. 27, 2008
Ghana Voter Committed to Peaceful Election Process; Encourages Peers to Vote
As the sun rose on Ghana's second election day in two weeks, Alice Appoh had already stood in line for hours to wait for voting to begin, her two-year-old child sound asleep on her back.

Dec. 22, 2008
Harvard Article Spotlights the Carter Center's Work in Rural Liberia
At the invitation of  President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, The Carter Center is helping Liberia rebuild  its legal infrastructure, which is a prerequisite for lasting peace and democratic progress. We work in partnership with leaders at the highest levels of government, as well as those in the most remote areas of Liberia, and act as a communication bridge between these groups.

Dec. 9, 2008
Little Progress, Many Holes in Kids' Mental Health System
Published CNN.com, Dec. 9, 2008.
As mental health advocates, policy makers, practitioners, educators and researchers gathered at the Carter Center to discuss the progress in addressing American children's mental health needs, a drama of sorts was reaching its conclusion halfway across the country.

Dec. 9, 2008
Carter Center Delegation Observes Ghana's Peaceful, Historic Elections
More than 50 Carter Center observers witnessed Ghana's Dec. 7 elections, the results of which will determine the country's next president and parliament.

Nov. 4, 2008
Carter Center Hosts Chinese Delegation to Witness U.S. Elections in San Francisco, Washington, D.C.
A Chinese delegation hosted by The Carter Center is studying today's U.S. election in the San Francisco and Washington, D.C., areas to learn more about election procedures and reduce misperceptions by the Chinese of the American democratic system.

Nov. 1, 2008
Congo Women Confide Painful Reality to Fellow
In a refugee camp in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, journalist Jimmie Briggs listens via translator to a young woman describe being raped by soldiers. Briggs, an unlikely confidant as both a man and an American, is so devastated by her account he cannot continue taking notes. He begins to weep and offers to end the interview. The woman, "Madeline," refuses.

Oct. 8, 2008
Ambitious Goal to End Blindness-Inducing Disease
Conventional wisdom says trachoma — the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide — can only be treated, not eliminated. But Teshome Gebre, The Carter Center's point man for trachoma control in Ethiopia, hopes to defy that wisdom. He is convinced that trachoma's blinding and debilitating effects can be stopped before the end of the next decade, the targeted goal for global trachoma elimination.

Sept. 1, 2008
Killing the Worm
Published in GOOD Magazine, Issue 012, pages 106-115.
Disease eradication hasn't had a success since smallpox in 1979. Now, Guinea worm disease—in which a three-foot long worm burrows through its victim's body—is holding out in just a few African countries. The quest to wipe it out is slow and controversial, but the finish line is in sight.

Aug. 23, 2008
Financial Times Feature:  The Worm That Turned Back
Published in the Financial Times, Aug. 23, 2008, Weekend Edition, pages 15-18.
When Makoy Samuel Yibi Logora was growing up in a village in southern Sudan, no one there knew what caused Guinea worm. But they certainly understood its effects. The skin swells and becomes infected as a thin white parasitic worm takes several weeks to emerge slowly, agonisingly, through a huge blister.

Aug. 7, 2008
Carter Center Works to Improve Bilateral Relationship Between Colombia and Ecuador
The Carter Center is working to improve the bilateral relationship between Colombia and Ecuador through a dialogue process between key citizens of both countries, which it organized in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program.

Aug. 7, 2008
New Video:  "The Carter Center in Latin America" Highlights Promotion of Meaningful Democracy
The Carter Center works toward the collective protection and promotion of meaningful democracy in the Western Hemisphere.  The Center strives to enhance the quality of democracy and its ability to improve the lives of individuals in three areas:

Aug. 1, 2008
Ecuador's Border with Colombia (slideshow)
The Carter Center conducted a conflict-related development analysis in two towns along the Ecuador northern border. The analysis focuses on development in the border zone, including access to justice and human rights, citizen security, and youth and social inclusion, and will serve as input for the creation of public policies for development in the northern border zone by Ecuador's government.

July 25, 2008
Sadia Revisited:  A Young Girl's Triumph  Over Guinea Worm Disease
During 2007, Sadia Mesuna, 6, spent two months at a Guinea worm containment center in Ghana after an outbreak of the disease in her hometown of Savelugu, in the Northern Region.  She was in agony as three Guinea worms emerged from her feet.

July 1, 2008
Sudanese Girl Sees Bright Future After Surgery for Trichiasis
Due to an extremely high level of advanced-stage trachoma (trichiasis) in Ayod County, Sudan, an eye clinic in Ayod town was set up to help the county health department further the trachoma control activities of Jonglei state's ministry of health. The clinic building was donated by the Economic Housing Group, and construction support was provided from Terrain Services Limited. In late 2007, local nurses were trained to perform trichiasis surgery, supervised by Sidney Katala, an internationally known trichiasis surgeon. One patient, Nyakier Mabor Gai, spoke to Carter Center staff about her life before and after trichiasis surgery.

June 23, 2008
Guinea Worm Cases Drop to Fewer Than 10,000
The countdown to complete elimination of Guinea worm disease is ticking closer to zero. Ethiopia, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Togo now have joined the list of countries reporting an end to transmission of the disease. The Carter Center leads the international coalition fighting the disease.

June 5, 2008
Strong Friendship Sustains Children Weakened by Disease
In the community of Nasarawa North in Nigeria, friends 13-year-old Aminu Farouk, 12-year-old Dauda Usman, and 11-year-old Salihu Abdullahi share a deep secret. Each suffers from urinary schistosomiasis, a silent and destructive parasitic infection.

May 2, 2008
Palestinians in Gaza Ask Jimmy Carter:  Former U.S. President Answers Videotaped Questions
At the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, nongovernmental representatives from the human rights community and nongovernmental organizations gathered to hear President Carter's April 21, 2008 Jerusalem press conference and send him their questions via video.

May 1, 2008
Websites Create Stage for Political Debate in China
Web sites sponsored by The Carter Center have become an important portal for political reform in China, engaging their audiences with news articles translated into both Chinese and English and offering a platform to debate current affairs in a traditionally closed society.

May 1, 2008
Paul Emerson: Fly Expert Tackles Trachoma in Africa
Growing up in England, Dr. Paul Emerson dreamed of becoming a scientist and an educator, the kind of individual who would have both the technical knowledge and practical skills to show people how to better their lives. That dream led him first to teach in England and Africa, then to become a medical entomologist, and now to The Carter Center, which he joined three years ago as director of the Trachoma Control Program. "My specialty is the humble house fly and the diseases it transmits," he said. One of the worst of these is trachoma, a bacterial infection of the eyes.

May 1, 2008
Free From Guinea Worm Disease, Girl Tends to Family, Chores
A little more than a year ago, 10-year-old Hubeida Iddirisu faced long days of pain as three Guinea worms began to emerge from blisters on her body. Every day for two weeks, a volunteer came to her home in Savelugu town, Ghana, to extract the worms slowly by rolling them on pieces of gauze, a little each day. As is the case with most Guinea worm disease victims, Iddirisu was unable to handle her household tasks while the worms were emerging. Her family relies on her income from selling charcoal.

May 1, 2008
The Carter Center Embraces Next Quarter-Century
In practice, waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope are not easy tasks. Yet our mission at The Carter Center is to embrace these difficult responsibilities, accepting failure as a possible outcome. In our first 25 years, the Center showed that no matter how insurmountable challenges to global peace or health may seem, there is hope they can be overcome.

May 1, 2008
In the News:  Interviews with Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter
Archived video, links to transcripts, of President Carter's recent media interviews.

April 21, 2008
Nepal Elections Mark New Political Beginning
Carter Center election observers witnessed a historic vote in Nepal on April 10 creating a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution for the country that will likely abolish the 240-year-old monarchy.

April 10, 2008
International Carter Center Delegation Observes Historic Nepal Elections
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter led the Carter Center's international election observation delegation to Nepal's historic constituent assembly elections, co-led by Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, former deputy prime minister of Thailand.

March 25, 2008
Life on the Edge:  Carter Center Project Examines Development Challenges on Ecuador-Colombia Border
Buenaventura Morales has a kind face worn weary from life, and friendly eyes that hide the depression plaguing him since he fled his native Colombia after massacres to his village in 2004. His wife died along the way, and he said he feels unable to support his four children by himself; he can't find a job in this poor border region of Ecuador.

March 6, 2008
The Carter Center Malaria Program Celebrates Successes in Ethiopia
After launching its malaria program in 2006, The Carter Center moved quickly to supply a shortfall of 3 million LLINs, requested by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health to help reach Ethiopia's goal of 20 million LLINs to cover all households in malarious areas by mid-2007.

Feb. 21, 2008
Conference to Address Advancements, Challenges to Worldwide Access to Public Information Laws
Access to public information matters to the average citizen: it is a human right with the power to make a difference in both individual lives and in the life of a community.

Feb. 11, 2008
Carter Center Partners with Traditional Leader of Liberian Women
Mama Tumeh, leader of the country-wide Traditional Women for Peace — a Carter Center partner—is regarded as the spiritual leader of women throughout Liberia.  Her work is bringing a message of hope and empowerment to women who are survivors of the country's 14-year civil war, many of whom lost their husbands and other family members.  In this Q&A, Mama Tumeh reflects on the "new Liberia."

Feb. 11, 2008
Carter Center Assists Liberia's Ministry of Justice in Strengthening Rule of Law
Involved with Liberia since 1991, when invited by West African leaders during the country's first civil war to assist in the peace process, The Carter Center observed Liberia's 1997 and 2005 elections and has worked there in many other ways over the years.

Feb. 11, 2008
Q&A With Oscar Dolo, Director of the Modia Drama Club
The Modia Drama Club, based in Gbarnga, Liberia, is a Carter Center partner in the rule of law public education and awareness campaign. Members travel to Liberia's most remote villages by foot, motorcycle, and four-wheel drive, to educate entire communities—often gathered in open-air settings—through skits, music, and interactive dialogue on Liberia's new laws.

Feb. 11, 2008
Q&A With Liberia's Solicitor General Tiawan S. Gongloe
In this Q&A, Solicitor General Gongloe talks about his hope for Liberia and its people.

Feb. 11, 2008
Q&A With Liberia's Minister of Justice Philip A.Z. Banks
In this Q&A, Liberia's Minister of Justice Banks talks about strengthening Liberia's rule of law.

Feb. 4, 2008
Bed nets offer blanket of protection
This article was originally featured in the Feb. 4, 2008, issue of the Emory Report.
On a clear May morning, farmer Sahlu Wolde woke as usual at 5 a.m., but instead of heading to his fields, grabbed his walking stick and began a four-hour hike to the health clinic nearest to his lowland farm in northern Ethiopia.

Jan. 24, 2008
To Guinea Worms, Ruiz-Tiben Is Top Foe
Fifteen years ago, Dr. Ernesto Ruiz-Tiben, then in his early 50s, was contemplating retirement. He had served 27 years as a commissioned officer of the U.S. Public Health Service at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was thinking about starting a new career and traveling. He got his wish in spades: a new job and long journeys, although he's not traveling for pleasure. 

Jan. 4, 2008
Mustafa Mugwano:  Welcomed Home, an Outcast Begins to Heal
Today, a visitor to the Mbale district of eastern Uganda might see Mustafa Mugwano happily plowing his fields in the lush farming village of Bunawazi. But two years ago, he would have been found living alone in the forests bordering the village.

Jan. 4, 2008
Pitasia Gonzales:  Treatment Gives Hope for Grandchildren's Future
Pitasia Gonzales lives in rural Mexico with her daughters, in a home surrounded by coffee fields accessible only by foot. Like many of the women in her community, Gonzales was a strong and capable provider for her family, until river blindness stole her sight many years ago.

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