Carter Center Feature Articles Archive: 2009

Dec. 21, 2009
Guinea Worm Disease:  Nigeria's Last Case
Once the most endemic country for Guinea worm disease in the world, Nigeria declares victory in its 20-year war. In Ezza Nkwubor village in southeastern Nigeria, 58-year-old Grace Otubo sits on a wooden bench and touches her right heel, recalling where a Guinea worm painfully emerged in November 2009.

Dec. 8, 2009
Meet Alba Lucia Morales: Health Educator Fills Critical Role in Final Push Toward Onchocerciasis Elimination
For Alba Lucia Morales Castro, health education adviser with the Onchocerciasis Elimination Program for the Americas (OEPA)--the Carter Center-sponsored river blindness elimination organization in Latin America--the joy of working in the field is its own reward.

Dec. 8, 2009
Meet Jordan Bracho:  Venezuelan Journalist Calls Center's Training 'Instrument of Democratization'
For Jordan Bracho, editor-in-chief at Telesur TV in Venezuela, attending The Carter Center "Journalism Beyond Print" workshop in August 2009 led to an immediate improvement in his work and allowed him to develop relationships with colleagues that he wouldn't have otherwise been able to in Venezuela's current media environment.

Dec. 2, 2009
Dispatch From Bolivia:  The Carter Center Blogs From The 2009 Presidential and Legislative Elections
Join the Carter Center's Deborah Hakes, assistant director of public information, on the ground in Bolivia, as she blogs daily through Dec. 7 about the presidential and legislative elections, their importance for the Latin American country, and the Carter Center's role in the process.  She joins the Carter Center election observation delegation led by Americas Program Director Jennifer McCoy.

Nov. 9, 2009
Update: Carter Center Assists Ecuador-Colombia Agreement
Ecuadorian Chancellor Fander Falconí met with his Colombian counterpart Jaime Bermúdez in Cotacachi, Ecuador, on Nov. 3, 2009, in a meeting facilitated by Dr. Jennifer McCoy of The Carter Center and José Miguel Insulza of the Organization of the American States (OAS).

Oct. 21, 2009
Ecuador and Colombia: We Can Achieve Much Together
South American neighbors Ecuador and Colombia have a contentious recent history because of strains along their shared border, but seeing the other's point of view has become easier for key citizens participating in the Carter Center's dialogue process between both countries.

Oct. 12, 2009
Carter Center Assists Ecuador-Colombia Agreement
Ecuador and Colombia recently announced that they will begin steps to establish diplomatic relations at the charge d'affairs level by the end of October.
 
Oct. 8, 2009
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Carter Center Delegation Tour Hispaniola to Support Elimination of Malaria and Lymphatic Filariasis from Caribbean
Efforts to eliminate malaria and lymphatic filariasis from the Caribbean island of Hispaniola were underscored Oct. 7-8 during a visit by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and a Carter Center delegation.
 
Oct. 5, 2009
Carter Center-Sponsored Web Site Redesigned to Engage China's Youth
After seven years online, the Carter Center sponsored-Web site www.chinaelections.org is one of the most visible platforms in China for the dissemination of democratic awareness and civic culture. The site, which receives a robust 65,000 visits per day, was recently redesigned to attract younger people and to expand its focus on global elections.

Oct. 1, 2009
Liberian Woman Uses Legal Service to Stop Abuse
For 30 years, Henrietta Gayflor* endured ongoing physical abuse from her partner. After he assaulted her in her front yard one day, Gayflor decided to take action.

Oct. 1, 2009
Jennifer McCoy: Latin America Is Her Classroom
They say that those who can't do, teach. But apparently no one told Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the Carter Center's Americas Program. She's been teaching and doing for more than two decades.

Oct. 1 , 2009
Microscope a Powerful Tool in Malaria Fight
Microscopist Marino Castillo pricks the finger of five-year-old girl Silvana Mayor and draws blood onto a glass slide. The girl's shirt is bright yellow, but her face is weary. Her mother says the girl has had a fever for several days, and the mother is worried that she has malaria.

Aug. 17, 2009
Carter Center-Trained Mediator Helps Bolivian Families, Individuals Resolve Conflicts
A family of four waits outside Rita Jimenez Huancollo's wood-paneled office at the Integrated Justice Center (CIJ) in La Paz, Bolivia, husband and wife with eyes cast down, he folding and unfolding papers and she glancing sideways every so often to quietly encourage their children to sit patiently.

Aug. 17, 2009
Young Patient Exhibits Bravery Beyond His Years in Unusual Guinea Worm Case
Five-year-old Lotepi Lokusi's mother was worried.  Although she knew it was common for a Guinea worm to emerge from a foot or an ankle, she had never seen one migrate to the face. Clearly visible just under his skin--from one jaw line to the other--a Guinea worm was winding its way higher each day, toward her little boy's scalp.

Aug. 13, 2009
Attaining a Culture of Peace in Bolivia
In Bolivia, political disputes often escalate to the brink of conflict. One of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, Bolivia's ethnic and cultural diversity, as well as struggles over natural resources, fuel strong social and economic tensions.
 
July 21, 2009
Human Rights House Provides Safe Space for Activists, Supports Citizens in Democratic Republic of the Congo
The initial vision for the Carter Center's Human Rights House was to provide both a space and forum for human rights activists in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, building on the momentum of the 2006 elections.
 
June 29,  2009
East Jerusalem Family Forced to Demolish Part of Own Home, Center Expert Cites Abuse of Permit System
From the roof of his family's home in East Jerusalem within the walls of the Old City, Raed Sa'id points to the golden Dome of The Rock, which is glowing in the late-afternoon sun.
 
June 25, 2009
Farmer Sows Seeds of Change in his Ghana Community
In the small agricultural community of Bondo, Ghana, Kojo Osonyame finds it difficult to suppress his smile as he walks through the fields of his fertile farm. Acre after acre bursts forth with healthy crops creating a colorful maze of peppers, eggplants, okra, cassava, and plantains.

June 25,  2009
Voter Encouraged by Carter Center Presence During Lebanon Elections, Hopeful About Country's Political Future
Lama Naja represents hope for Lebanon's political future. A politically independent young person in a country full of strong political passions and fierce party loyalties, she instead voted on June 7 for the people she thought may keep their campaign promises.

June 24, 2009
Nigerien Soap Provides Income, Helps Prevent Blindness
It is nearly evening in the desert village of Adorihi in southern Niger, and 36-year-old Aisha Oumarou crouches over her cooking fire carefully mixing oil into a pot on coals. Although the mixture smells faintly of peanuts, the hot dough that Oumarou extracts from the pot and rolls between her hands is not destined to be the evening's meal, but balls of soap.

July 21, 2009
Profile: Valerie Harden, Deputy Field Director, Carter Center Kinshasa Field Office
When she began work as a job counselor almost 10 years ago in Atlanta with refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Valerie Harden never imagined she would one day play a role in the restoration of their war-torn country.

June 17, 2009
Election Day in Lebanon:  Carter Center Observers Monitor Polling Sites
A multinational Carter Center delegation observed Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary elections, monitoring polling sites throughout the country's 25 qadas (districts). Led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Yemini Prime Minister Abdulkareem Al-Eryani, the 60 member delegation included elected officials, electoral and human rights experts, regional specialists, and political and civic leaders from more than 20 countries in North America, Africa, Europe, South America, Asia, and the Middle East.
 
June 17, 2009
Carter Center Successfully Distributes Nine Million Doses of Antibiotics During Ethiopia MALTRA Weeks
With a population of approximately 17 million, the Amhara Region of Ethiopia is one of the most severely affected trachoma-endemic areas in the world. There are currently more than 15 million people at risk of infection and approximately 470,000 people visually impaired as a result of trichiasis, the blinding form of the disease. In addition, the region is susceptible to seasonal malaria epidemics, putting the majority of the population at risk for the potentially fatal disease.
 
June 3, 2009
The 2009 Lebanon Parliamentary Elections: Deborah Hakes Blogs from Lebanon
Join the Carter Center's Deborah Hakes, in Lebanon with the multinational Carter Center delegation, as she blogs daily about the sights and sounds "on the ground" and the importance of these elections for the country and region.
 
May 29, 2009
Ghanaian Reggae Artist Sings Out Against Guinea Worm Disease, Educates Concert-Goers About Prevention
It is dusk in northern Ghana and communities reverberate with the local mosque's call to prayer. The setting sun has fallen beyond the concrete buildings that flank the market square, casting everyone in deep purple shadow. Thousands of people are making their way to this rural outpost, the current epicenter of the country's decades-long battle to eradicate Guinea worm disease.
 
May 28, 2009
Carter Center Deploys Election Observation Delegation to Lebanon's June 7, 2009, Parliamentary Elections
A multinational Carter Center delegation will observe Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary elections, monitoring polling sites throughout the country's 25 qadas (districts). Led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Yemini Prime Minister Abdulkareem Al-Eryani, the 50-some member delegation includes elected officials, electoral and human rights experts, regional specialists, and political and civic leaders from more than 20 countries in North America, Africa, Europe, South America, Asia, and the Middle East.
 
May 21, 2009
New York Times Spotlights Gender Violence and Rule of Law in Liberia
New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof recently traveled to Liberia to explore progress against sexual and gender violence there and the impact of the Carter Center's rule of law project.
 
May 18, 2009
Carter Center Observers in Lebanon Prepare for Upcoming Election
The Center's long-term observers are currently monitoring the pre-elections environment in Lebanon ahead of a larger delegation that will arrive closer to election day. Read the experiences of two observers.

May 1, 2009
Health Director Relishes Everyday Victories
For Craig Withers, the Carter Center's director of program support, the bumblebee is the perfect symbol of success.

April 24, 2009
Blog from Latin America: Americas Program Director Jennifer McCoy Writes From Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil
Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the Carter Center's Americas Program, is traveling with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter as a member of the Carter Center delegation to Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil from April 27 to May 4, 2009.  Read her blog entries below.
 
April 22, 2009
Long-Term Observers Share Their Experiences in Aceh, Indonesia
Long-term election observers Whitney Haring-Smith and Eunsook Jung have been deployed in Aceh since March 2009 as part of the Carter Center's mission to observe Indonesia's April 9, 2009 parliamentary elections. Aceh was devastated by the 2004 tsunami, which killed or displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

April 6, 2009
Innovative Program Fills Health Care Void in Ethiopia
Since 1997, the Ethiopia Public Health Training Initiative (EPHTI) has helped to address the nation's alarming health care void through a landmark partnership between the government of Ethiopia, seven Ethiopian universities, 21 Ethiopian hospitals, and The Carter Center. EPHTI is unique because the program helps Ethiopians determine the best way to deliver public health care to their country, rather than the one-size-fits all approach that is common in other parts of Africa.

Feb. 20, 2009
Carter Center Conducts Human Rights Training for Congolese Police Officers  
Until recently, police officers in Kimbasneke, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), investigated case files at a music bar or other public space because they didn't have office space. When it rained, they carried the papers under their shirts to preserve the files.
 
Feb. 19, 2009
CNN's "Impact Your World" Initiative Features a Q&A with Dr. Donald R. Hopkins
In this Q&A with CNN, Dr. Donald R. Hopkins, vice president of the Carter Center's Health Programs, discusses the countdown to eradication.

Jan. 28, 2009
Profile: Jerome Lawrence and The Carter Center Mental Health Program Picturing a Future of Recovery
Every painting by Atlanta artist Jerome Lawrence is like a window into his heart and open door into his mind, and with good reason. For Lawrence, art is not just a profession he's spent a lifetime studying and now masters, it also is a vital therapeutic tool he harnesses to battle schizophrenia.

Jan. 28, 2009
Out of Hope Springs Tulips: Jerome Lawrence
There are a lot of images that convey the spirit of the Carter Center's work around the world, but few are as unusual and exuberant as a painting of bright red tulips by local Atlanta artist Jerome Lawrence. The vibrant, cheerful painting titled "Tulips are People II," was featured on the Carter Center's 2008 holiday card.

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