The document provides an autobiographical summary of the author's childhood experiences growing up in Savannah, Georgia and Statesboro, Georgia in the 1950s and 1960s. It describes being born into a Catholic family in Savannah before the era of integration and air conditioning. It discusses experiences like playing in the streets, encountering fog spraying trucks, and realizing that his feet were darker than those of black children. When the author was 8, his family moved to Statesboro where he faced isolation as a Catholic minority. The author found escape and joy in reading books and exploring the forests. The document provides insights into the author's parents and upbringing amid the racial divisions and inequalities of the segregated South.
This document provides a biography of Blanche Rebecca Bingham in 3 paragraphs. It describes her childhood growing up in Ogden, Utah and her love of dancing. It discusses her first marriage and divorce, and her subsequent marriage to Simeon Wilbert Cragun with whom she had 3 more children. It outlines the hardships she endured homesteading in Idaho, including living in primitive conditions, drought, financial struggles, and the loss of her daughter to typhoid. It continues to describe her later life struggles during the Great Depression after her second husband's death, but finding happiness and security in her third marriage to Kent Smith.
Sarah Rebecca Guthrie Bingham was a mother of 9 children who lived in Utah in the late 1800s. She was an excellent homemaker who preserved large quantities of homegrown food to last through the long winters. She was skilled at sewing, cooking, gardening and caring for her family. Sarah struggled with poor health for most of her life but was devoted to making her home a happy place for her family. She passed away at age 53 from cancer, leaving her children when they still needed her care and guidance.
With the booklet Touching the Right Chord (written for children between 6-10 years old but most adults like it a lot as well), we want to show the special bond between a little girl and her Spanish grandparents. We would like to contribute to a positive perception of people with dementia.
The books shows that a child can keep a good relationship with a family member who is demented. Next to that it shows that old people, also the ones who are not originally Dutch, play an active role in our society.
This book has been made possible by the support of LIZE, policy adviser of the central government on Southern European communities. We hope this book will help to create more knowledge about dementia, more understanding for the people who have the disease, and more support for the partners, children, friends and relatives who take care of them.
The net result of this book goes to the work of Alzheimer Nederland, a national organization which provides information for people with Alzheimer and their family and friends. The booklet is written by Yvonne Witter (Aedes-Actiz Knowlegde Center of Housing and Care) and illustrated by Yon Prüst.
The English translation is only digital available. Hard copies are written in Dutch.
More information:
http://www.kcwz.nl/dossiers/wonen_zorg/de_juiste_snaar_een_kinderboekje_over_dementie
http://www.plusticket.nl/PTBestelTicket01.aspx?EN=SEMINAR
The document promotes a Christmas event at a restaurant, providing details of the traditional Christmas menu including starters of tomato soup, smoked salmon, and seafood salad and main courses of stuffed turkey and roast beef, with desserts of Christmas pudding and brownie. It notes the event time of 1pm on December 25th and location near Wembley Stadium. The document also lists some special evening events like live music, dancing, and a lottery.
Aprender a aprender es una de las competencias básicas imprescindible en todo el recorrer de la vida, pero esencialmente cuando se es un niño, razón por la cual el docente de primaria debe explotar todas las habilidades del niño a través de diversas metodologías y procesos motrices desarrollando seres críticos, analíticos, capaces de reconocer sus errores y buscar soluciones.
Hello decorah "fall is coming swiftly"Val Heike
This document is a collection of journal entries and notes from various dates in 2016 discussing a variety of topics. It mentions a half-sister Diana who is accused of elder abuse and controlling their mother's living situation. It also discusses history lessons watched on PBS about electricity usage and the oil industry. Green Bay Packers games and a visit to a fire station are briefly noted.
A story of a young man living in a time period which sees the start of the new born Australia, but faces some challenges in the way.
Told through first person and narration
The document introduces several new children in the Havar family: triplets Emery, Emmett, and Edward. Emery and Emmett struggle for attention while Edward is everyone's favorite. Donna shows signs of being smarter than her sister Carrie, much to Carrie's frustration. The family continues gaining new skills and aspirations as normal chaos ensues.
This document provides a biography of Blanche Rebecca Bingham in 3 paragraphs. It describes her childhood growing up in Ogden, Utah and her love of dancing. It discusses her first marriage and divorce, and her subsequent marriage to Simeon Wilbert Cragun with whom she had 3 more children. It outlines the hardships she endured homesteading in Idaho, including living in primitive conditions, drought, financial struggles, and the loss of her daughter to typhoid. It continues to describe her later life struggles during the Great Depression after her second husband's death, but finding happiness and security in her third marriage to Kent Smith.
Sarah Rebecca Guthrie Bingham was a mother of 9 children who lived in Utah in the late 1800s. She was an excellent homemaker who preserved large quantities of homegrown food to last through the long winters. She was skilled at sewing, cooking, gardening and caring for her family. Sarah struggled with poor health for most of her life but was devoted to making her home a happy place for her family. She passed away at age 53 from cancer, leaving her children when they still needed her care and guidance.
With the booklet Touching the Right Chord (written for children between 6-10 years old but most adults like it a lot as well), we want to show the special bond between a little girl and her Spanish grandparents. We would like to contribute to a positive perception of people with dementia.
The books shows that a child can keep a good relationship with a family member who is demented. Next to that it shows that old people, also the ones who are not originally Dutch, play an active role in our society.
This book has been made possible by the support of LIZE, policy adviser of the central government on Southern European communities. We hope this book will help to create more knowledge about dementia, more understanding for the people who have the disease, and more support for the partners, children, friends and relatives who take care of them.
The net result of this book goes to the work of Alzheimer Nederland, a national organization which provides information for people with Alzheimer and their family and friends. The booklet is written by Yvonne Witter (Aedes-Actiz Knowlegde Center of Housing and Care) and illustrated by Yon Prüst.
The English translation is only digital available. Hard copies are written in Dutch.
More information:
http://www.kcwz.nl/dossiers/wonen_zorg/de_juiste_snaar_een_kinderboekje_over_dementie
http://www.plusticket.nl/PTBestelTicket01.aspx?EN=SEMINAR
The document promotes a Christmas event at a restaurant, providing details of the traditional Christmas menu including starters of tomato soup, smoked salmon, and seafood salad and main courses of stuffed turkey and roast beef, with desserts of Christmas pudding and brownie. It notes the event time of 1pm on December 25th and location near Wembley Stadium. The document also lists some special evening events like live music, dancing, and a lottery.
Aprender a aprender es una de las competencias básicas imprescindible en todo el recorrer de la vida, pero esencialmente cuando se es un niño, razón por la cual el docente de primaria debe explotar todas las habilidades del niño a través de diversas metodologías y procesos motrices desarrollando seres críticos, analíticos, capaces de reconocer sus errores y buscar soluciones.
Hello decorah "fall is coming swiftly"Val Heike
This document is a collection of journal entries and notes from various dates in 2016 discussing a variety of topics. It mentions a half-sister Diana who is accused of elder abuse and controlling their mother's living situation. It also discusses history lessons watched on PBS about electricity usage and the oil industry. Green Bay Packers games and a visit to a fire station are briefly noted.
A story of a young man living in a time period which sees the start of the new born Australia, but faces some challenges in the way.
Told through first person and narration
The document introduces several new children in the Havar family: triplets Emery, Emmett, and Edward. Emery and Emmett struggle for attention while Edward is everyone's favorite. Donna shows signs of being smarter than her sister Carrie, much to Carrie's frustration. The family continues gaining new skills and aspirations as normal chaos ensues.
Fred and Chloe's family is growing, as Chloe gives birth to their first child Abe. Abe grows into a happy toddler alongside their new dog Tucker. As Abe and later his brother Al grow, they learn skills and have adventures in the family's backyard. Both boys go off to university, while their parents Fred and Chloe enter elderhood. Their dog Tucker sadly passes away. The story teases future adventures for the boys at university and the rest of the Familiar family.
SOREN C. SORENSEN and LlLLIE MATILDA ANDERSON
PETER CHRISTIAN SORENSEN and ANE K. CHRISTIANSEN
JOHN AUGUST ANDERSON and MARI ANE NIELSEN
By S. Calvin Sorensen
The document summarizes the autobiography "Ugly" by Constance Briscoe. It provides details about the author, plot, and themes of the book. Constance Briscoe experienced severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse throughout her childhood at the hands of her mother. Despite facing immense hardship and cruelty, she was determined to succeed and eventually became a judge, inspiring many with her story of resilience. The book provides a heartbreaking account of her abusive upbringing and struggle to overcome her circumstances.
The document describes the planning and first day of a group's hike along the West Highland Way trail in Scotland. Four friends decide to hike the 105-mile trail over five days in April. They spend weeks preparing gear and do practice hikes. On the first morning, they drive to the trailheads, take photos, and begin the day's 23-mile hike. After some walking and breaks, they continue on towards their first night's destination in Cashel.
This document provides a biography of Gustave Edward Berg (1884-1968) compiled from family sources. It summarizes his Norwegian heritage, childhood in Logan, Utah where he lost a sister and had his father leave on a mission. As a young man, he apprenticed, was active in the church, and married Agnes Andersen in 1907. They had seven children and lived in several homes in Salt Lake City and Holladay, Utah. After Agnes' death in 1935, Gustave remarried and moved to Omaha, Nebraska where he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad and had two more children before settling in Bellevue, Nebraska.
The family goes to Spazz-tastic Sham's hair salon. Wilford gets a haircut while Earline gets a makeover to resemble her namesake from the author's past. Though the new style lacks freckles, it gives Earline a refreshed look. Meanwhile, Loki continues recovering from food poisoning acquired by drinking one of Wilford's lemonades.
The document provides an introduction to a multi-chapter story. It then summarizes the wedding and early life of Poppy and Chase Estela, including the birth of their children Alexia, Nathan, and Abigail. Poppy notices a change in Alexia's behavior after her first day of school. The twins' first birthday is approaching.
This document provides an excerpt from a fictional legacy story set during the American Civil War era. It describes celebrations for twins' birthdays taking place amidst the war. It also includes scenes of three cousins in the Union army preparing for an upcoming battle, and Patrick Bradford scouting for the Confederate army. The story hints at the possibility that the cousins and Patrick may meet in battle the next day.
Martin tells his three eldest children that only one of them can inherit the family home and responsibilities as heir. Willow and Anya both decline, not wanting the commitment of children or a husband required of the heir. This leaves the decision to the three youngest - Rupert, Fred and Will. However, when they try to enroll in college, they are told their grades are too low and need to improve their school performance first before applying to the university.
This summary provides an overview of the key events in the Philippine family from Week 6:
1) Asko has his birthday and grows into a teenager. He makes many new friends at high school and goes on his first date with Julie Diem.
2) Serena and Nelly both age up into young adults on their birthday. Serena begins dating Honey Sugar and has her first kiss.
3) Clarence buys land on the beach and turns it into a family park business with a pond, flowers, and greenery. The whole family helps run the new business.
Adelle and Avri go on a honeymoon to Takemizu Village that is plagued with mishaps. They return home and Adelle becomes pregnant. Avri is unfaithful and Adelle kicks him out. She gives birth to twins and realizes she has feelings for her best friend Alon. They get married and Adelle is happy with her new family.
This document provides an overview of Chapter 1 of the "A Fishy Dualacy" legacy story. It introduces the founder, Axolotl Salt, and their family which includes wife Mary and daughter Azure. The family lives in a small crowded house as they adjust to having a new baby. Ax works while Mary cares for Azure with some help from Aunt Lupe. The chapter also touches on Azure's first birthday, her beginning school, and the expansion of the family home.
This speech was given to celebrate the 70th birthday of the speaker's father. It summarizes fond memories of their childhood and teenage years, including playing catch, watching wrestling matches, and enjoying video games together. The speaker expresses gratitude to his father for always being there for him during difficult times and providing a sense of security. He wishes his father a happy birthday and many more years of good health and happiness.
Keika gives birth to another child, a daughter named Firekeeper. Ceridwen grows up and works to max her charisma skill to pursue a career in entertainment. Buri hopes to one day open a toy making business to disguise her real ambition of becoming a criminal mastermind. Keika's house is further renovated with money from a genie, including adding a second floor with more beds. The family enjoys eating together at their new dining room table.
1) Lupe, a newlywed, adopts two dogs Frolic and Wiley and gets a job as a dishwasher. She gets pregnant on her wedding night with Jay.
2) In winter, Frolic gives birth to puppies while Lupe gives birth to twin boys Comet and Weather.
3) The puppies and twins grow into toddlers as winter ends. The chapter focuses on Lupe and Jay settling into family life.
Sara is the heiress for generation six of the Davis legacy in the Sims. She pledges the Greek house that the founder Luna started and declares a major in art. She goes on dates with a dormmate named Douglas and they fall in love. Sara proposes to Douglas and they get married. She graduates from college after writing several term papers and maxing out her skills.
This summary provides context and key details from the document in 3 sentences:
The document is a chapter summary that describes Eliza Bradford meeting her brother Patrick's friend Horace Alcott, and their immediate attraction and budding romance. It also briefly touches on Patrick leaving for university and Carolina giving birth to twins Anne and Diana. Horace invites the Bradford family to dinner, where they learn he freed his family's slaves and brought one north with him.
This chapter provides context for the Bradford family legacy story and introduces some plot developments. It warns readers about upcoming themes around the American Civil War. The family is still grieving the loss of Chris Bradford. Patrick celebrates a birthday. Elias struggles with the loss of his mother. Concerns are raised about the growing political tensions between the northern and southern states around the issue of slavery.
1) Azure celebrates her birthday and wishes for more garden plots to grow tomatoes. She works hard and enrolls in university early.
2) Comet and Weather hang out at the park but are called home to help prepare for the twins' birthday party. Comet starts dating Tristen.
3) The dogs are aging but Lupe finds a potential mate for Leylic. Life is easier now that the kids are older, though Koi struggles in school. Comet and Weather help their younger siblings and join Azure at college in the winter.
Strawberry graduates from university and moves back in with her parents, Onyx and Keika, at the Love Shack. She continues her pattern of casual relationships, getting pregnant by her long-term sort-of boyfriend Gavin. Her first child, a boy named Oli, is born. Life is quiet with most of the family moved out, though Onyx works on his novel and Keika parties. Strawberry will have two more babies by random fathers to complete the legacy challenge.
Fred and Chloe's family is growing, as Chloe gives birth to their first child Abe. Abe grows into a happy toddler alongside their new dog Tucker. As Abe and later his brother Al grow, they learn skills and have adventures in the family's backyard. Both boys go off to university, while their parents Fred and Chloe enter elderhood. Their dog Tucker sadly passes away. The story teases future adventures for the boys at university and the rest of the Familiar family.
SOREN C. SORENSEN and LlLLIE MATILDA ANDERSON
PETER CHRISTIAN SORENSEN and ANE K. CHRISTIANSEN
JOHN AUGUST ANDERSON and MARI ANE NIELSEN
By S. Calvin Sorensen
The document summarizes the autobiography "Ugly" by Constance Briscoe. It provides details about the author, plot, and themes of the book. Constance Briscoe experienced severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse throughout her childhood at the hands of her mother. Despite facing immense hardship and cruelty, she was determined to succeed and eventually became a judge, inspiring many with her story of resilience. The book provides a heartbreaking account of her abusive upbringing and struggle to overcome her circumstances.
The document describes the planning and first day of a group's hike along the West Highland Way trail in Scotland. Four friends decide to hike the 105-mile trail over five days in April. They spend weeks preparing gear and do practice hikes. On the first morning, they drive to the trailheads, take photos, and begin the day's 23-mile hike. After some walking and breaks, they continue on towards their first night's destination in Cashel.
This document provides a biography of Gustave Edward Berg (1884-1968) compiled from family sources. It summarizes his Norwegian heritage, childhood in Logan, Utah where he lost a sister and had his father leave on a mission. As a young man, he apprenticed, was active in the church, and married Agnes Andersen in 1907. They had seven children and lived in several homes in Salt Lake City and Holladay, Utah. After Agnes' death in 1935, Gustave remarried and moved to Omaha, Nebraska where he worked for the Union Pacific Railroad and had two more children before settling in Bellevue, Nebraska.
The family goes to Spazz-tastic Sham's hair salon. Wilford gets a haircut while Earline gets a makeover to resemble her namesake from the author's past. Though the new style lacks freckles, it gives Earline a refreshed look. Meanwhile, Loki continues recovering from food poisoning acquired by drinking one of Wilford's lemonades.
The document provides an introduction to a multi-chapter story. It then summarizes the wedding and early life of Poppy and Chase Estela, including the birth of their children Alexia, Nathan, and Abigail. Poppy notices a change in Alexia's behavior after her first day of school. The twins' first birthday is approaching.
This document provides an excerpt from a fictional legacy story set during the American Civil War era. It describes celebrations for twins' birthdays taking place amidst the war. It also includes scenes of three cousins in the Union army preparing for an upcoming battle, and Patrick Bradford scouting for the Confederate army. The story hints at the possibility that the cousins and Patrick may meet in battle the next day.
Martin tells his three eldest children that only one of them can inherit the family home and responsibilities as heir. Willow and Anya both decline, not wanting the commitment of children or a husband required of the heir. This leaves the decision to the three youngest - Rupert, Fred and Will. However, when they try to enroll in college, they are told their grades are too low and need to improve their school performance first before applying to the university.
This summary provides an overview of the key events in the Philippine family from Week 6:
1) Asko has his birthday and grows into a teenager. He makes many new friends at high school and goes on his first date with Julie Diem.
2) Serena and Nelly both age up into young adults on their birthday. Serena begins dating Honey Sugar and has her first kiss.
3) Clarence buys land on the beach and turns it into a family park business with a pond, flowers, and greenery. The whole family helps run the new business.
Adelle and Avri go on a honeymoon to Takemizu Village that is plagued with mishaps. They return home and Adelle becomes pregnant. Avri is unfaithful and Adelle kicks him out. She gives birth to twins and realizes she has feelings for her best friend Alon. They get married and Adelle is happy with her new family.
This document provides an overview of Chapter 1 of the "A Fishy Dualacy" legacy story. It introduces the founder, Axolotl Salt, and their family which includes wife Mary and daughter Azure. The family lives in a small crowded house as they adjust to having a new baby. Ax works while Mary cares for Azure with some help from Aunt Lupe. The chapter also touches on Azure's first birthday, her beginning school, and the expansion of the family home.
This speech was given to celebrate the 70th birthday of the speaker's father. It summarizes fond memories of their childhood and teenage years, including playing catch, watching wrestling matches, and enjoying video games together. The speaker expresses gratitude to his father for always being there for him during difficult times and providing a sense of security. He wishes his father a happy birthday and many more years of good health and happiness.
Keika gives birth to another child, a daughter named Firekeeper. Ceridwen grows up and works to max her charisma skill to pursue a career in entertainment. Buri hopes to one day open a toy making business to disguise her real ambition of becoming a criminal mastermind. Keika's house is further renovated with money from a genie, including adding a second floor with more beds. The family enjoys eating together at their new dining room table.
1) Lupe, a newlywed, adopts two dogs Frolic and Wiley and gets a job as a dishwasher. She gets pregnant on her wedding night with Jay.
2) In winter, Frolic gives birth to puppies while Lupe gives birth to twin boys Comet and Weather.
3) The puppies and twins grow into toddlers as winter ends. The chapter focuses on Lupe and Jay settling into family life.
Sara is the heiress for generation six of the Davis legacy in the Sims. She pledges the Greek house that the founder Luna started and declares a major in art. She goes on dates with a dormmate named Douglas and they fall in love. Sara proposes to Douglas and they get married. She graduates from college after writing several term papers and maxing out her skills.
This summary provides context and key details from the document in 3 sentences:
The document is a chapter summary that describes Eliza Bradford meeting her brother Patrick's friend Horace Alcott, and their immediate attraction and budding romance. It also briefly touches on Patrick leaving for university and Carolina giving birth to twins Anne and Diana. Horace invites the Bradford family to dinner, where they learn he freed his family's slaves and brought one north with him.
This chapter provides context for the Bradford family legacy story and introduces some plot developments. It warns readers about upcoming themes around the American Civil War. The family is still grieving the loss of Chris Bradford. Patrick celebrates a birthday. Elias struggles with the loss of his mother. Concerns are raised about the growing political tensions between the northern and southern states around the issue of slavery.
1) Azure celebrates her birthday and wishes for more garden plots to grow tomatoes. She works hard and enrolls in university early.
2) Comet and Weather hang out at the park but are called home to help prepare for the twins' birthday party. Comet starts dating Tristen.
3) The dogs are aging but Lupe finds a potential mate for Leylic. Life is easier now that the kids are older, though Koi struggles in school. Comet and Weather help their younger siblings and join Azure at college in the winter.
Strawberry graduates from university and moves back in with her parents, Onyx and Keika, at the Love Shack. She continues her pattern of casual relationships, getting pregnant by her long-term sort-of boyfriend Gavin. Her first child, a boy named Oli, is born. Life is quiet with most of the family moved out, though Onyx works on his novel and Keika parties. Strawberry will have two more babies by random fathers to complete the legacy challenge.
La clase observada trató sobre los viajes de exploración de Cristóbal Colón en América y la conquista de México. El maestro utilizó principalmente el libro de texto como recurso y narró la información de forma entretenida para mantener la atención de los estudiantes. Aunque los estudiantes participaron individualmente, tres no pudieron trabajar debido a necesidades educativas especiales que no fueron atendidas. La interacción entre maestro y estudiantes fue respetuosa aunque la clase se apresuró al final y quedó inconclus
El documento detalla el número de trabajadores en cada sección de una central hidroeléctrica, incluyendo dos edificios, cuatro salas de generadores, una sección de transformación y un camino de acceso. También incluye una leyenda de posibles riesgos en cada sección.
The document discusses several color palettes created for a magazine. While some palettes may be too bold for the magazine's style, the author feels contrasting a bright color with darker tones works well to highlight elements. Palette number 6 is deemed too feminine for the target unisex audience. The favorite palettes are numbers 1, 3 and 5 as they incorporate gender-neutral black and white along with a bright accent color suitable for the indie magazine genre.
Matthew 6:1-18 discusses three acts of righteousness - giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. For each act, Jesus warns against practicing them for public recognition and praise. He instructs his followers to carry out such acts privately and sincerely for God alone. The passage also includes the well-known Lord's Prayer as a model for how his disciples should pray to their Father in heaven.
O documento discute o uso de computadores na educação, argumentando que computadores e programas educacionais de qualidade, juntamente com professores capacitados, podem melhorar o aprendizado de alunos. Também reconhece que atualmente muitos professores não têm formação adequada para integrar tecnologia de forma efetiva.
El documento proporciona instrucciones para compartir un archivo en Google Drive. Explica que los usuarios deben hacer clic en "compartir", luego en "Avanzada" para cambiar los permisos a "Si: cualquier usuario con el enlace" y seleccionar "Puede editar". Finalmente, los usuarios hacen clic en "Guardar" para copiar y enviar el enlace compartido a otros.
This document provides descriptions of different music genres and how they are typically represented in music videos. It discusses common elements of rock, pop, indie, techno, pop rock, hip hop, R&B, house, disco, punk rock, jazz, country and rap music videos such as narrative/performance focus, lighting, costumes, instrumentation and more. Each genre section includes an example music video.
This document contains memories from multiple members of the Nardella family. It includes:
1) Grandma's memories of working on her family's farm in Italy as a child and selling goods from the farm as an adult.
2) Uncle Gabe's memories of taking accordion lessons as a child and playing in local bands to earn money to buy a house.
3) Aunt Grace's memories of seeing Frank Sinatra perform as a teenager and disliking the dish "Pasta Fagiole."
4) Excerpts from letters Uncle Pete wrote in 1967 while on a road trip with his band, describing meeting Sonny and Cher and climbing a mountain.
Granny Grace was born on Christmas Eve in 1909 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. She had two younger sisters and came from a musical family, learning to play guitar, organ and piano from a young age. She went to Radford College and became a school teacher, working for 32 years in Virginia. Known for her talents in music, sewing, and leadership skills, she enjoyed family reunions and had a full life focused on her faith, family and teaching career until her death at almost 100 years old.
Autobiography Of My Family
My Family : My Crazy Family
Essay on My Family History
A Story Of My Family
My Family : A Short Story
My Family Memories
My Family Story
My Family Short Story
Essay about My Family Heritage
My Familys Immigration
My Family Research Paper
My Family Essay
Essay on My Familys Ancestry
The Story Of My Family
Everything You Wanted To Know About Lauralauraleeg
Laura is a nursing major returning to school after 33 years. She was born in Oregon but her family moved to Arizona in 1962, changing schools frequently. Her hobbies include family history research and genealogy. Her goals are to graduate with her nursing degree, get a job she loves, spend time with family including her elderly parents and young granddaughter, and volunteer with her community's emergency response system.
This document provides background on the author's grandfather Bill Powell. It summarizes Bill's family history and upbringing. Both of Bill's parents died when he was young. His mother and her siblings remained very close as they grew up. Bill's parents married young and had three sons, though two died in childhood from illness and accidents due to lack of medical care. Bill's family lived in poverty and struggled financially for many years before eventually paying off their farm through growing tobacco.
This document contains profiles of three students - Jessica Scheidler, Emily Silverberg, and Carlie Schmidt. It describes their backgrounds including ethnicity, where they grew up, family histories, and families. It also discusses some of their family traditions and activities. For two of the students, coming to college provided their first significant experiences with diversity.
The document introduces a third year high school student named Gichele Ann who enjoys spending time with her pets, watching TV, eating junk food, and cooking. She describes having her heart broken by love in the past. Gichele has many friends from school and college and treasures them, despite sometimes being "pasaway". She dreams of becoming a successful engineer to make her family proud.
The document describes the author's childhood and relationship with their mother. It details how their mother was very involved in raising the author as a single parent after divorcing their father. As the author grew older, they struggled with independence and acting out, causing conflicts with their caring but anxious mother. However, their bond strengthened again once the author learned to manage their emotions in college.
PPT on grade 5 Identifying point of view..pptxArchanaM96
The narrator of the passage is Yia-Yia's grandchild. We know this because the passage refers to "my Yia-Yia" and describes events like Yia-Yia dancing with her babies and grandchildren, which includes the narrator.
My grandparents lived in the small town of Vistahermosa in Salamanca, Spain where they spent their childhood. They enjoyed playing outdoor games together like throwing stones into boxes and chasing each other, and said school focused more on play than studying compared to today. My grandmother came from a family of 8 children who got along well, while my grandfather had 2 siblings in his family where they did not fight often. My grandparents later had 3 children of their own, though one passed away at a young age.
The document summarizes key aspects of Sara's identity. She identifies most strongly with her role as a mother to her son, which she sees as the most important part of her identity. She draws on her experiences growing up in a culturally diverse family and predominantly Hispanic school district to relate to her students. The document provides an overview of Sara's family and background growing up in Port Hueneme, California as well as her educational experiences that led her to become a teacher.
The document discusses the key aspects of the author's identity, including being a 43-year-old female who recently gave birth after a difficult journey and now sees motherhood as central to who she is. She grew up in a culturally diverse family and neighborhood, allowing her to relate well to her students who come from similar backgrounds. Her passions are writing, gardening, and spending time with her son.
This document provides an overview of the author's family history and upbringing. It discusses her ancestors on both her mother and father's side who were farmers, ranchers, and pioneers. It then describes her parents meeting and marriage, her birth and childhood in Colorado and New Mexico, and her father joining the LDS church when she was eight years old. The summary focuses on the key events and people discussed.
This document provides an overview of the author's family history and upbringing. It discusses her ancestors on both her mother and father's side who were farmers, ranchers, and pioneers. It then describes her parents meeting and marriage, her birth and childhood in Colorado and New Mexico, and her father joining the LDS church when she was eight years old. The summary focuses on the key events and people discussed.
The author takes a graduation trip to Europe with her father and sister, culminating in a visit to Schruns, Austria where her father lived as a child in the 1940s after fleeing Hungary. Upon arriving in Schruns, the family searches for but is unable to find the shop where her father lived over 60 years ago. However, they feel a sense of peace in being there together and discovering the past. The trip allows the author to better understand and appreciate her Hungarian heritage and bond with her father.
Helen Cooper grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and had a happy childhood, winning baking competitions and being involved in Girl Scouts. She dated in high school and college, where she tutored other students. After graduating, she worked in an office where she met her husband Harry. They married but struggled with infertility until Helen secretly visited a sperm bank to conceive their daughter Karen. Helen enjoyed being a homemaker and doted on Karen, but was murdered by Karen as a zombie in the play Night of the Living Dead.
Helen Cooper grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and had a happy childhood, winning baking competitions and selling many Girl Scout cookies. She dated in high school and college, where she tutored other students. After graduating, she worked an office job where she met her husband Harry. They married and had a daughter, Karen, though Helen conceived Karen through a sperm bank without telling Harry he was infertile. Helen was a devoted homemaker and doted on Karen until she was murdered by Karen in the play.
My family originated from various places in Mexico and immigrated to the United States through different generations pursuing better opportunities. My great grandparents on my mother's side were the first to immigrate, with my great grandfather arriving in Los Angeles in 1906 and my great grandmother joining him after a difficult journey. They married and had children, including my grandmother, though faced hardship during the Great Depression and were deported. My parents were born in Juarez, Mexico but my father immigrated to California in the 1980s to work and provide for our family, bringing my mother and brothers later.
My Forty Years of Lessons in Improving Populations' Health in Developing Countries
1. Where I am Coming From
I was bornin Savannah,Georgia,before integration andairconditioning. Myfamilywasamongthe
1% of Georgianswhoare Catholic. I wasthe fourth, middle childof afamilyof sevenchildren. Both
my parentssufferedthe lossof theirfathersduringtheirchildhood,sogrew upduringthe
Depressionunderlessthanthe bestcircumstances.
As a pre-school childinSavannah,Istayedhome withmymother. Mothercleanedhouse and
washedmostof the day,itseemed. She wasraisedbya womanwhowas a frustratedVaudeville
performerwhomarriedaJewishdepartmentstore ownerinAugusta,Georgia, andhadfive children,
all girls. Possiblybefore anddefinitelyafterherhusbanddied,myGrandmotherSylvesterusedher
daughterstoredresssome of her frustrationsasa performer. She taughtthemtosing,dance,and
act from earlyintheirlives. She wrote playsandmusicalsforthem, made costumesandstage sets,
and arrangedwithvacationhotelsinAugustaforherfamilytoprovide entertainmenttoNortherners
whohad traveledtoAugustatoescape the winter. Evidently,the Sylvestersperformedfrequently.
Otherstrange experiencesfromSavannahwere runningformonthsonthe tar-pavedstreetand
encounteringthe fog-sprayingtrucks. Duringthe warmermonths,all Iwore were small,cotton
shorts. My brothers,neighbors,andIwouldplaygamesonthe pavedstreets,clearingoff whena
vehicle came. One of mymemorieswaslookingatthe solesof myfeetwhile bathingas a young
child. I couldnotunderstandwhymysoleswere black. IfurtherreflectedthatBlackshadpaler
solesandI had blacksoles. Howsurprising! Anothermemorywasridingmybike withothersinthe
evening. Truckscame throughwithlarge tankson the back, sprayingoutwhitishfogs. We kids
founditveryfunto see howclose we couldget to the trucks,ridinginthe fog. It neveroccurredto
us that the trucks were spraying DDTfog thatkilledmosquitoesandthatwasstoredinthe bonesof
otherlivingcreatures. The driversneversaidanythingandnosignswere displayedonthe trucks.
WhenI was eightyearsold,myfamilymovedtoStatesboro,Georgia. There were noCatholic
schools,the Catholicpopulationinthe small townbeinglessthan1%, so I was enrolledinapublic
school. The teacherswere all committedandseemedgood. Ithankthemfor my basicliteracyand
numeracy. Afterschool,Iwasalmostneverinvited tootherstudents’houses,nevertobirthday
parties,andnevertoany sort of outing. It seemednatural tome. It neveroccurredto me that most
studentswere eitherBaptistsorMethodistsandmostactivitieswerechurch-centered.
Beingtreatedasan outsider,Ieitherbaby-satformyyoungerbrothersorplayedinthe forests,
streams,ponds,andswampsaroundus. Caringfor mybrothersgave me a sense of purpose. The
forests,swamps,andstreamsgave me an experience of delight. Icouldwanderinthe woodsfor
hours,swingontreesacross streams,andplaywithMother Nature. I neverfeltlonely.
2. AnotherthingthatI didwas read. Mother and Dad had the Harvard JuniorClassics,thathe inherited
fromhis Mother. Mother wouldbuybooksthatshe thoughtwouldbe goodfor us fromsalesmen
whocame to the house. She boughtbooksof fairytalesanda Catholicseriesof livesof the saints.
WhenI had time,Iwouldcuddle upwiththese booksandreadforhours,until I had readthemall.
In the fifth orsixthgrade,my brothertookme to the town librarytoget a librarycard and showed
me hisfavorite books,like “SwissFamilyRobinson”andothers. Iread themall. As a consequence,I
developedbothaminimal vocabularyandasense of grammar,allowingme todo well inmyEnglish
and historyclassesthroughoutschool.
My fatherwasa story-teller,likemanyGeorgians. He toldstoriesof hisyouth,tellingmanyof the
storiesmanytimes. Iheardof hisyouth,mymother’syouth,andsome aboutmy birth.
My father’smotherwasa German-AmericanLutheran,maybe asecond-generationAmerican,who
boughta house on Main StreetinAugustawhenherhusbanddied. She boughtatwo-storyhouse,
one floorto rent,one floorto raise herfourchildrenandto cookmealsfor herboarders. She wasan
inveterate,accomplishedcook. She made whippedcreamtoppingsforcakesandpastries,
blackberryjamand wine,anddelicioushigh-cholesterol meals. She alsowasanaccomplished
seamstresswhomade herchildren’sclothesfromscrapsandre-designedoldclothes. Myfather’s
fatherdiedwhenmyfatherwasfouryearsold. My fathertoldme many timesthathismothercame
to him,a fouryear-old,uponhisfather’sdeath,heldhimbyhislapels,andtoldhim, “Albert,now
youare the man of the family.” My fathertookcare of hisfamilieseversince.
Dad was lessracistthanmany Southerners. Onthe one hand,he toldme how he dove intothe
SavannahRiverandsaveda youngBlack youthwhenhe wasa boy. On the other,he complained
aboutMartin Luther Kingleadingmarchesinthe Sixties. Once,whenIwasabout20, he toldme not
to bringa Black womanhome to marry because he wouldhave todis-ownme. Unfortunately,none
everseemedattractedtome and I hadno ideahow to meetandwoo anyone.
As a youngchildandthroughoutmy elementaryandhighschool years,Icame to believethatBlacks
were beingcheatedbythe system,butIneverhadany insighthow todo anythingaboutit. My first
experience waswithone of ourmaidsinSavannah. As a preschooler,once Iaccompaniedherto
downtownSavannah. Justthe twoof us traveled,she leading. We caughtthe trolley. We goton
and proceededtothe rear,to the onlyseatsBlackswere allowedtositin. What inthe worldwas
this,I thoughtto myself.
Althoughwe were notwell off,we hadpart-timemaidsmuchof the time while Iwasgrowingoff. I
wouldworkwiththem,observe them, converse withthem, andlearnfromthem. Ithoughtone,Ms.
BettyJeanKing,was particularlyintelligentandinsightful. Iwas amazedbythe systemsshe usedto
3. cleanoff the table and cleanthe house. Ilovedtalkingwithherandlisteningtoher. I wentwith
Mother to drive herhome aftershe helpedusandsaw where she livedwithheryoungchildrenand
husband. Afterintegration,BettyJeanwentbacktoschool and got a nursingdegree. Ibelieve she
was killedinademonstrationabout1980. I was shocked.
In Statesboro,myfamilylivedonone side of the railroadtracks. A Blackcommunity,“Whitesville,”
was onthe otherside. Ourside hadstreetlights,large houses,pavedroads,electricity,streetlights,
water,and sewer. Whitesvillehomesweresmall totiny,moderatelyattractivetodilapidated,
sometimesheatedbywoodburningstoves,onunpavedroads,presumablywithoutsewersystems.
No busesranfrom townto Whitesville. Once,while drivinghome,Isaw an elderlyBlackwoman
carryingher groceries,walkinghome inarainstorm. I stopped,pickedherup,anddrove herto her
house. Itlookedlike itwasabout8 feetwide by12 feetlong. Ithad neveroccurredto me we had
builta systemthatforcedBlacksintosuch livingconditions. Whatweighedmostonme wasthat I
neverfiguredouthowtosupportthemintheirstrugglesforequal treatment.
Dad didjoinMotherin workingforinter-racial understandingandharmonyinStatesboro,wherewe
livedfromthe time Iwas eightyearsoldon. At the same time,he ran a businessthatapparently
hiredBlacksonlyforunskilledlaborpositionsandpaidthemthe minimumwage.
As a consequence,Motherknew manysongsandwasan accomplishedsingerusedtobeinginthe
limelight. Whilevacuumingthe livingroom, she wouldputonthe musicof GilbertandSullivan’s
“Three Little MaidsfromSchool are We” and otheroperasandsingalong while vacuuming. I
rememberlyingdownbythe vacuum,enjoyingitswarmexhaust, andlisteningtoMothersing.
Althoughwe were poorformuchof my childhoodandlivedina1100 square foot house,bothmy
parentshad college educations. DadgraduatedfromGeorgiaTech as an electrical engineerand
servedinthe army as an officer. MotherattendedGeorgiaWomen’s College forayearafter
graduatingfrom AugustaJuniorCollege. Motherhadbeenvaledictorianof herhighschool and
juniorcollege. She alsosaidshe had beenthe bestLatinstudentinGeorgia. She had a prodigious
short-termrecall memory. Isaythat because Ineverheardof her studyingbefore she completed
herundergraduate andgraduate degreesinherfifties. Inhighschool andcollege,she reputedly
attendedclassandplayedtennisordatedafterschool,neverstudying. Dad’ssister,Catherine,a
veryhard-workingstudent,complainedtoDadaboutMother beatingheron examsdespite her
havingbeenonthe tenniscourtsplayingorout withDad ona date at all hours.
Dad, on the otherhand,toldus childrenstoriesabouthisfocusingongivinghisteachersworkthat
wouldbe scored70, nomore andno less. The moral of hisstorieswasthat he had beentoldthat70
was passing,sohe thoughthe shouldnotgive more thannecessary. He said if he figuredhe had
4. made 70 on a test,he wouldstopworkingonitand turn itin. He also continually workedjobsafter
school fromthe time he was five yearsold,buthisworkethicinschool was differentfromthaton
the job. Ineducation,he saidhisconclusionwasthathe shouldgive nomore than necessary. At
work,he toldus that we had to give ouremployersmore thantheyexpected.
Possiblyasa consequence of bothMother’sandDad’sstoriesabouttheireducationandtheir
experiences,Ineverstudiedoutsideclassnorbroughta bookhome fromschool until the ninth
grade. I did well inschool because Ipaid attentionandquicklylearnedwhatwastaught,butInever
learnedanydiscipline until the ninthgrade. Inthe ninthgrade,however,IenrolledinSt.John
VianneyMinorSeminaryinSavannah,Georgia,tobeginstudiestobecome aCatholicpriest. All of
my teacherswere priests. Ilivedindormitoriesatthe seminary. Iwassurprisedbya few things.
We hadto go to studyhall in the eveningsafterclasses. Inthe firstfew weeks,afterfinishingmy
assignments,Ipulledoutanovel toread. One of the priestsreprimandedme,explainingthatIwas
supposedto study until studyhall endedat9:30 PM. What a concept! Anothersurprise wasthat
once,I passedmyalgebrahomeworkforwardwhenthe priestrequestedit. The seminarianinfront
of me erasedmyname and filled inhis. Iwasshocked! Anothersurprise wasthat one of the
studentsbroughttrapsfromhome and trappedopossums,raccoons,andfishinthe Savannah
marshlandsaroundthe seminary. Trappinghadneveroccurredtome. The seminarywasa pleasant
environmentunlike anyIhadeverimagined.
The seminarygave me a totallynewperspective onschool. Studentswere supposedtobringlessons
home fromschool,study,andprepare forthe nextday. Teacherswere supposedtoteach. Students
were supposedtobe quietandpayattentioninclass. AfterbeingastudentinStatesboro,who
wouldhave imaginedsuchasituation?
Afterone yearat the seminary,one of myolderbrotherswhohadalreadybeenaseminarianforfive
yearsand wasstill inthe seminary,toldme thatI shouldlive inthe normal populationanumberof
yearsbefore becomingaseminarian,soIdroppedoutafterthe ninthgrade and returnedto
StatesboroHighSchool andlivingathome. Unfortunately,Ididnotlose the habitsandattitudesI
had learnedatthe seminary. Forinstance,whenmytenthgrade Latinteacher didnot begin
teachingLatinuntil the thirdweekof school,Iaskedherwhenwe wouldstartto studyand learn
Latin. Whenshe toldme that Latinwas a deadlanguage that wasno longerwritten,spoken,orread
and that,therefore,all we woulddowaslearntwentyEnglishwordswithLatinrootsperweek,Iwas
astonished. Since she wasnotgoingtoteach mostof the time andwouldjusttell storiesthatshe
had notresearched,Igot out booksfromothersubjectstostudywhile she regaledusabouther
beliefsabouteducation inChina. She stoppedme fromstudyingandmovedme tothe frontof class
where she couldkeepaneye onme and make sure I onlypaidattentiontoher. I complainedtomy
Fatherthat the teacherwas abusingherpositionandnotcomplyingwithherresponsibility. He told
me she was the teacherand therefore Ihadto show herrespectregardlessof whatshe did. That did
not sitwell.
5. An Englishliteratureteacherinthe eleventhgrade wassomewhatmore committedtoperforming
herduties. However,when she sawaword,maybe “Alhambra,”andpronounceditwithfour
syllables,Iaskedherif that were the correctpronunciation. She askedif Ihadlookeditup,to which
I replied,“No,”havingbeentoldinthe seminarynevertopointoutwhenmyteacherswere wrong. I
lookedupthe word’spronunciation,putupmyhandagain,and thistime informedherwhatthe
pronunciationwas. She wasindignant.
An Americanhistoryteachermade assertionsaboutthe VietnamWar,Sherman,andother
information,welcoming ourdiscussion. Ithoughthisassertionsfrequentlywere preposterousand
contestedthem. Iwasusuallyappalledbyhislogic.
By the endof the 11th
grade,it wasapparentto my parentsthat I wasextremelyfrustratedwithhigh
school educationasit wasdone inmy highschool inStatesboro. Iwas recommendedtothe
Governor’sHonorsProgrambut didnot getin. WoodwardAcademymailedall studentswhowere
not acceptedaninvitationtoa paidalternate experience afterthe 11th
grade. I attended,enjoyed
my teachers,andwasinvitedtobecome apayingstudentmysenioryear. My Fathersaidwe didnot
have the money. One of my teachers,CleoHudson,offeredforme tolive withherfamily,the school
offeredasmall scholarship,andmyFatheragreedforme to attend.
My aspirationsgrewwiththisexperience of abetterqualityof education. IappliedtoHarvard,
Notre Dame,Vanderbilt,the Universityof Georgia,andthe AirForce Academy(atmy brother’s
suggestion),andwasacceptedtoall exceptHarvard.
WhenI showedmyacceptancestoDad, he saidthat if I wenttoany place otherthan the AirForce
Academy(whichwasfree),Iwouldhave toborrow moneyandpaymy way. He couldnot helpme. I
decidedtogo to the AirForce Academy,havingnoideawhatI was signingupfor.
In June,1967, I caught a commercial flighttoColoradoSpringsthroughDenver. A buspickedme up
and tookme to a local hotel forthe firstnight. The nextday,an Air Force Academybuscame to the
hotel andpickedupme and the other new cadets,deliveringusabout15 milesawaytoa very
impressivelookingcampuswithsoaringchurchsteeplesonthe highplainwithaback-dropof the
Rocky Mountains. We were ledintoa large auditoriumandgivenanhourlongspeechonwhat to
expect,under-scoringthatwe shouldsuspendjudgmentforthe firstyear. Itook the speaker
seriouslyandsuspendedjudgment,planningtodraw conclusionsthe nextyear.
6. We were ledoutof the auditoriumandtoldto forma longline. The line ledthroughthe Academy
store,where we receiveduniforms,shoes,boots,athleticclothes,belts,ties,andcoats,all of which
were loadedinbigduffle bagswe carried. Itwentthroughthe barbershopwhere we were given
haircutsby havingthe electricshearspressedhardagainstourscalpsandrun overeveryinchof our
hairlines. While carryingourbags,we were approachedbymedical corpsmenwithvaccine power
injectorsandgivenshotsinourarms. We continuedinline withblooddrippingdownourarms.
Finally,we were dividedoff andtakentoour summersquadronsandassignedroomswithfour
cadetsper room,twinbunkbeds,anda wash standin the room.
Thenthe seriousbasictrainingbegan. We receivedsome atthe Academydorms. We receivedmore
infieldtentsawayfromthe Academyitself. There were obstacle courses,marchinginranks,
runninginranks carryingM-1 rifles,climbingropes,crawlingthroughmudandunderbarbedwire
constructions,andexercisesinthe fields. A minorproblemoccurredinthatour headshadbeen
shaven, the airwas dry,the sun wasbright,the altitude washighandthe atmosphere thin,andwe
spenta lotof time inthe fieldwithnohatson our heads. Many of my classmatesgotburned,
blisteredscalps. Afterafewdaysof that, we were all issuedbaseballcapsthatwe wore from then
on.
Some of the thingsthatsurprisedme follow. One wasthatwe were toldthat we were the peace
keepersof the worldandwe didthat by beingthe fastest,mostdevastating,most horrible killing
force in the world. Equatingpeace withtrainingtokill wasatroublingconcepttome. It made no
sense. Anotherthingwasthatwe ran inranks, information,andwere toldtoneverbreakstepor
formation,sowhenone of mysmallerroommateshyperventilatedwhilerunningandpassedout,
anotherof my roommates(afootball player) whowasthe otherguy’sbestfriendtrampledhimsoas
not to breakranks. I was shocked. Again,anotherof myclassmatesfrequentlycouldnotmake the
full distance of ourruns andwoulddropout of formation. The upperclassmenwhowere ourdrill
masterswouldthengangup on himandyell at him, make himdouncomfortable exercises,and
require himtoshowup foradditional torture. Whenhe (orany of us) was askedwhyhe failed,the
onlyresponse thatwasallowedwas“Noexcuse,Sir!” A few weekslater,whenhe learnedhow togo
to the Academymedical clinic,itwasfoundthathe had a legfracture. Thistrainingmethodology
seemeddysfunctional,butI hadbeentoldtoreserve myjudgment. Anotherillogical conceptIwas
introducedtowasthat the Academytookus, amongthe betterstudentsandathletesfrommany
schoolsall overAmerica,andproclaimedthatitintendedto“breakusall down”and then“rebuild
us” to the Academy’sstandards. Icouldunderstandwhythe Academywouldbreakdown
dysfunctional practicesandconcepts,butitmade no sense todestroygoodones,butI had beentold
to reserve judgment. Later,we receivedorientationsfromanofficerwhohadbeena prisonerof
war inthe KoreanWar. He toldus thathe had beensubjectedtobrain-washingandhow brain-
washingworked: itinvolvedbreakingdownthe prisonersthenbuildingthembackupin Communist
values. The parallelismbetween whatthe Academydidandwhatthe NorthKoreansdidshocked
me,but I wasreservingjudgment.
7. Thenthere wasthe experience of marchinginrankstothe impressive Academychapel everySunday
and listeningtoourchaplainstell uswhatto do inservice of God. I alsowentto eveningstudy
groupswiththe chaplains. Once,a chaplainrespondedtomy positedquandarysupposingIwere
stationedinAnchorage andMartinLuther Kingcame throughand was preachingacrossthe streetat
the Baptistchurch at the same and onlyhourthat the CatholicSundayservice was. Ifurther
supposedthatthe Catholicpriestgave dead,uninspiringsermonsandsaidthe Mass in the speed-
readingmannersome priestsused. Iaskedif itwouldnotincura mortal sinto skipMass and listen
to the more inspiring,provocative ReverendKing. The chaplainrespondedinhorrorthatI evidently
“didnot have the giftof faith.” That setme to wonderinghow desirable the giftof faithwas,
especiallyforofficersinthe military.
The Academydida fewotherdysfunctional thingsincludinghavingcross-countryrunners (Iwas
one),afterrunning18 miles,havingtoimmediatelychange clothesandmarchin formationtothe
dininghall andeatunderoppressive conditions,sittingatattentionandbeingdrilledwhile
supposedlyeating,restrictedtothree chewsbeforeswallowing,beforeourbloodhadbeenable to
returnfrom ourlegsto supplyourintestines. Asaconsequence,Icontinuallylostweight,dropping
from166 to 132 pounds. Iaskedmyself,whatare theythinking? Additionally,we hadoursleep
restrictedto7 hoursper night, regardlessof how muchexercisewe did. Whatwere theythinking? I
reservedjudgment.
As a Junior,Iwas toldto impose onnewcadetsthe methodsthatI had beensubjectedto. That
troubledme. Addingthe ideaof achievingpeace throughtraininginviolence andbreakingdown
newcadetsregardlessof the desirabilityof theirpractices,apparentlyusingthe methodsof brain-
washing,troubledme more. Istartedgettingjaundicedinmyfeelingsaboutthe Academyandits
practicesand becomingextremely sarcasticwhenaskedanyevaluativequestionaboutwhatwe
cadetsdidor what our nationwasdoinginVietnam. Itwas time tosubmitmyrequesttoresign,
whichI didearlyinthe secondsemesterof myJunioryear.
I was givenamedical disabilityretirementfromthe Academy. Ihad expectedtobe forcedtobe an
airmanfor three years. I had forgottenthatwhenIshatteredmyankle duringmysophomore year
and the orthopedicsurgeonhadbarelybeenable tosave itthathe had mentionedthathe could
bothkeepme inthe Academyorget me out if I wanted. The Academysentme to himformy first
medical examinationandsuddenlyIwaswithdrawnwithoutfurthermilitaryobligations.
What surprisedme afterthatwere twothings: one,I suddenlywasphysicallyverystrongandhad
virtuallynofearof anything;two,Ihad no commitmenttostudyanymore. Thatwas problematic
whenI transferredtothe Universityof Georgiaandenrolledinitshardestcourses,overloading.
8. I came to believe andconclude manythingsfromthese developmental experiences,thingsthatI
tookto Guatemalaas a Peace Corps Volunteer. One wasthatthere were abusive elementstothe
Americansystem,elementsthatI,forthe most part, wasnot subjectedto. Anotherwasthat we
were supposedtostudyhardand workhard, and,if we did,we wouldbe handsomelyrewarded.
Anotherwasthat learningandlivingcame easily. Fromthe Church,I hadlearnedthatwe were
supposedtobe decentandcaring and thinkof the goodof others. From myfamily,Ihad learned
that we wouldlove andsupportone anothernomatterwhat. Fromwhere I grew up,I had learned
that the environmentwasenjoyable,pleasant,consoling,andbeautiful. Frommyexperience with
the Americansystem,Ihadlearneditwas basicallybenevolenttowardthe majorityof the
populationandthatthere wasa sense of laws,fairness,anddecency. These Leibnizianideas and
Pollyannaishthinking,despite contradictoryrealitiesandexperiences, were those IhadwhenI
joinedthe Peace Corpstoworkin Guatemala. How well wouldtheyserve me?
9. Surprises in Guatemala
I was inmy 9 foot high,10 by 16 foot roomnextto the tienda(small store) one nightinMarch1974,
listeningtothe GuatemalanPresidential electionreturnoverVoice of Americaonmy short-wave
radio. At 8 PM, the firstreturnscame in. The hand-selectedsuccessorsof President/General Arana,
Kjell andMario(General Kjell),werenotwinning! Thiswasunheardof andunexpected. Shocking
for sucha controlledgovernment. RiosMontt(Colonel) waswinning! Astonishing.
9 PM: Rios Montt increasedhislead.
10 PM: Montt’sleadcontinued!
11 PM: All national mediawere shutdown. Newspaperswereclosed. TV stationswere closed.
Radiostationswere closed. Whatwasthisall about?
Midnight: everythingremainedclosed. Noannouncements.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 AM: Nonews. Noannouncements. The national mediawere all closed.
8 AM: The newswasback on! Astoundingly,KjellandMariohad wonthe electionbyanexceedingly
small margin. Can youbelieveit?!
No,not really. Thiswasa differentslantonpoliticsandpublicrelationsthanIhad everseen,more
thinlyveiled,more blatant. Itrockedme.
Guatemalawasfull of shocksto my Americansense of propriety. The rulingclass,predominantly
Generals,usuallytrainedinthe FortBenning,Columbus,GA School of the Americas,apparently
couldcare less.
For instance, anothershocktomy perceptionoccurred one nightasI ate my dinnerof corn tortillas
and blackbeans,same as the thousandsinmyvillage andmostof eightmillionGuatemalansand
hundredsof millionsof Central andSouthAmericansandAfricans, Ilistenedtothe US Secretaryof
Agriculture,Earl Butz,talkoverthe Voice of America(VOA). SecretaryButzexplainedthatthe
10. decline of cornproductionthatyearhad nothingto dowiththe worldfoodsupply. Cornwas justa
livestockfeed. Itookanotherbite of my corn tortillaand “chewed”thatover.
Guatemalarockedme manydays of my two yearsthere,from1973 to1975. I wastoldthat one
village hadobjectedtothe financial systeminwhichsmall,local storesinsistedthatthe highland,
indigenousfarmersreceive theirpurchasesoncredit. Then,shortlybeforeharvestof crops,the
storeswouldinsistre-paymentof the creditandinformthe farmersthatthe credithadbeenat 3% a
month. Whenthe farmersexplainedthattheycouldnotpay until theircropscame in,the stores
wouldsell the farmers’ debttolaborcontractorsfor coastal plantations. The laborcontractors
wouldsendopen-decked,flatbedtruckswithwoodfencesaroundthe freightbedtocollectthe
farmers. The farmers,accustomedanddressedtolive andworkat 6,000 feetaltitude ormore
where the average daytime temperature wasabout70 degreesFahrenheit,wouldbe herdedonto
the truck, crowded,andshippedtothe hot,muggycoast. There,theywouldbe putinlarge,tin
dormitoriesandforcedtoworkoff theirdebtsinthe fields. Since the plantationownershadno
responsibilityforthe healthof the workers,insecticide andfungicide planesthatsprayedthe crops
were allowedtosprayregardlessof whetherthe farmerswere inthe fieldornot. Livingconditions
were crowdedanddifferentfromthe altiplano (highplain). Farmerworkerssuffereddiarrheaand
fevers. Sometimestheydied.
A village hadcomplainedaboutthispractice tothe departmental governor. He agreedtomeet
themintheirtownsquare at a certainhouron a certainday. That day, the farmerswhoobjectedto
the practice,one similarto the US outlawedpractice of debtors’prison,assembledinthe square.
Imagine theirsurprise whentroopsclosedinfromall directionsandopenedfire onthem!
Once,I listenedtoaUS-educatedGuatemalanexplainabouthispayingtaxesinhiscommunity. He
saidhe receivedabill,sohe wentto the municipalitytopayit. Whenhe pulledouthischeckbookto
pay,he wastoldto waitand another,higher bill wasproducedtoreplace the first. Whenhe started
to pay that,the processwas againcompleted. He wasnot allowedtopayhisbill. Outside,he was
surreptitiouslyinformedthatwhatone doesispay a fixer. Whenhe wenttothe fixer,the bill was
much lower;however,the paymentwasoff the recordsandthe fixerandthe bill collectorwere able
to keeppartof the payment. Theyhadto live thiswaybecause the salariesof civil servantswasso
lowand theirpaymentsoerratic. You justhad to understand.
In case I didnot believethatstory,Iunintentionallyreceivedsomeverification. AsPeace Corps
Volunteers,we hadbeentoldthatwomenonlywore dressesandbelow the knee skirts. Theydid
not wearslacksand definitelynotblue jeans. Once mywife andI arrivedinGuatemala,we learned
that actually,inrural areas,one did wearjeans. My wife wrote tohermotherand had three old,
wornpairs of jeansmailedtoher.
11. We receivedanote thatwe had a package inCustoms. I wentwiththe receiptandmypassportto
Customs. Asa Peace CorpsVolunteer,Ihadbeentoldthatall shipmentswere dutyfree forthe first
90 days in-country.
Customswasa bigwarehouse inGuatemalaCity,the capital, withlotsof cubbyhole officesalongthe
outside walls. Iwentaroundaskingdirectionsandfinallyarrivedatthe rightoffice. Ishowedmy
receiptandmy Peace Corpsletterandaskedforthe package. I wastoldthe costwas $30. I
explainedthe agreementwiththe government. The officialre-iteratedthatIhad to pay$30. I
refusedandwentbackto the Peace Corpsoffice andwas toldthat I hadthe rightto the package
duty-free. Igot more documentationandreturned. Iwastoldthe cost was now $40. I refusedthis
outlandishpayment! Ileftandcame back the nextday. The price wentup! Leaving,Icomplainedto
a Guatemalanwhowas nota governmentemployee. He pointedtothe officesacrossthe street
fromCustomsand suggestedIgoto themand ask forhelp. I did. A neatman there tookmy receipt,
walkedtoCustoms,andcame backin a few minuteswithmypackage. He saidthe cost was $1.50.
There isa cost to doingbusinessinGuatemala!
Some of the historyIlearned while workingwiththe 20+highlandelementaryschools Ihelped for
twoyears alsosurprisedme. Thingshadnotalwaysbeenthe waytheywere inGuatemala. In1951,
JacoboArbenzhad beenelectedPresident. He decidedthat,since the majorityof the population
were farmers,theywouldprobablybe more productive if theyhadenoughlandtofarm. Ninety
percent(90%) of the farmersownednoland. So PresidentArbenz lookedatthe landinthe country,
whatwas beingused, andwhatwas notbeingfarmed. He lookedatwhat part wasarable and what
part not. He lookedat whatthe landownersdeclaredtheirlandtobe worthwhentheypaidtaxes.
JacoboArbenzproposedagrarianreformlaws,“Decree 900,” that the Congresspassed.
The newlawrequiredthatlarge landownerswhowere notusingarable landsell theirlandbackto
the governmentatthe valuestheyhaddeclaredthe landtobe worth. The largestlandownerin
Guatemala,owning42%of all landinGuatemala,wasthe UnitedStatesof AmericaUnitedFruit
Company,a companythat grewand exportedtothe USA bananas. The UnitedFruitCompany
owneda lotof land itwas notusing. Accordingto the new Guatemalanlaw,itwouldhave tosell
much of that landto the GuatemalanGovernmentforre-distributiontopoorfarmersata
ridiculouslylowprice,the price the UnitedFruitCompanyhaddeclaredtothe Governmentthe land
to be worth! Thiswas highwayrobbery! Nopoor,Third-world,developingcountrygovernment
shouldbe allowedtogetawaywithsuchtreatmentof an Americancompany! The UnitedFruit
Company complainedtoitsNewYorklaw firm, SullivanandCromwell. JohnFosterDulles,the
Secretaryof State,had beena partnerinthe law firm. AllenDulles,hisbrotherandDirectorof the
CIA,had beenaBoard memberof the UnitedFruitCompany. The CIA launched acovertcampaignto
traina “liberation”armyinNicaraguatooverthrow the governmentandsuppliedAmericanpilots,
aircraft andarmamentsto provide airsupport. The CIA coup was code named“PBSUCCESS.” When
12. the GuatemalanPresident,Arbenz,appealed tohisAmerican“allies”forsupportagainstand
invadingforce in1954, imagine hissurprise thatthe USA supportwas notveryeffective!
Orderwas re-institutedtothe “bananarepublic”of Guatemalaandthe CIA-supported andpaid coup
leader, CastilloArmas,became President. He retractedthe agrarianreform. He arresteda few
thousandopponents. He investigated70,000 Guatemalansas Communists. Many“disappeared.”
Democracywas ensured!
Sittinginmyrural village,talkingwithlocal farmers,workingwithyouthsandschool teachers,Iwas
rockedby whatI learned,heard,andobserved. Iconcludedthatmyeducationhadsome gaps init
and there were many thingsIdidnot understandaboutthe worldandhow it operated. Ibecame
depressed. Ihad no ideawhere toturn. I studiedalot more,thoughta lotmore,and re-thought
whatI “knew.”
Returningtothe USA aftertwo yearsof work and shock,I continuedmygraduate education,butI
was depressedbythingsbeyondmyunderstanding. Mywife,who hadbeenaVolunteerwithme,
apparentlydecidedshe wasfedupwithmynot fittingbackintoAmerica,soshe divorcedme. That
gave me a lotmore drive to understandthese international relations,intercultural relations,power
relationship,andinterpersonalrelations. Idefinitelydidnotfullygrasp them!
13. Grandmothers Lead
I woke witha fever.Itwastoo hotand too humidtostay home,andI was worriedaboutmy
program,so I wentto work.At noon,Iwas seatedon a bamboobenchthat alsoservedas a table,
plantedinthe ground,surroundedbyanother30 benches.Aroundthe bencheswasalow bamboo
fence,highenoughtokeeppeople fromcrossingover.Atthe cornersof the enclosure,there were
tall bamboopoles,fromwhichwassuspendedathatch roof that covered the compound.Aroundme
were seatedabout500 Khmerwomenandchildren,all malnourished,mostsick,manyfeverishlike
me,manywithdiarrhea,andotherwithinfectionsrangingfrom malariatodengue and leprosyto
tuberculosis,and,of course,manywithcolds.The mothershadbowlsfull of rice andhottoppings.
Theywere tryingto getthe youngchildrentoeat the food,butthe hundreddegree temperature and
highhumiditymade itsothe childrenhadno appetite.Manyof the childrenwere beingsickoverthe
bencheswiththeirdiarrhea,coughing,sneezing,andwheezing.Flieswere enteringthe compound,
landingonthe contamination,flyingtothe food,andotherwise botheringeveryone.
The year was1983 andI was on the Thai-Cambodianborderwithhundredsof thousandsof
refugees.
Whenthe mothersfinallygave uponfeedingtheirchildren,theywouldtake theirchildrenandtheir
bowlsof foodto the exitgate.My staff made them throw the foodawayin a bucket.We didnot
wantthemtakingthe foodhome andgivingitto theirhusbandsorotherchildren.Sittingthere,too
weakto move because of myfever,justlookingatwhatwas happening;Iaskedmyself,“Are we
makingthemhealthierorspreadingdisease?”
From the survey Ihad done a couple of monthsearlier,Iknew one insix of the childrenwere
malnourished,eithermoderatelyorseverely.Isuspectedthe programwasnotmaking thingsbetter.
It gave me pause.
I wenthome andbeganworkingona proposal tochange the program.I had done a nutritionstatus
surveywithsome questionsaboutnutritionpractices.IhadinterviewedKhmertraditional doctors
and traditional birthattendantstofindoutwhattheythoughtneededtobe done.Ihadconsulted
withthe othernutritionistsinthe area,andwe haddevelopedalistof recommendedpracticesfor
mothers.Also,Ipreviouslyhad reviewedthe bestpublichealthprogramsinthe world.Ihad been
particularlyimpressedbythe Aroles’project inJamkhed inMaharashtrastate,India.Theyhad
selectedprimaryhealthcare workersfromoldervillagewomen,trainedthemone dayeveryweek,
and supportedtheirdeliveringservicestohundredsof villages.The womenwere mature mothers
whohad raisedtheirfamilies andwere respectedby otherwomen.Thatprojecthadreducedinfant
mortalityfromover120 per thousandtolessthan60 perthousandina couple of years’time.
14. Usingthe informationfromall of mysurveys,mystudiesof the bestprojectsinthe world,andmy
observationsfromthe feedingcenters,Iwrote aproposal to redesignthe supplementaryfeeding
program.I proposedselectingrespected,middle-agedmothersfromthe Cambodianpopulation,
trainingthemtodelivernon-formal adulteducationsessionstothe pregnant,lactatingwomenand
mothersof youngmalnourishedchildreninthe population.Iproposedprovidingthemwithfresh
vegetables,driedfish,andsupplemental rice andoil once everyweekaftertheyreceivedtheirclass.
I proposedweighingtheirchildreneveryweekandlettingthe mothersknow whethertheirchildren
were gainingorlosingweight.Isuggestedteachingthe womeninsmall groupsof 8 to 12 women,in
quiet,pleasantenvironments.Myprogramwouldhire a non-formal adulteducationlessondesign
specialisttodevelopfun,applied,lessonsandskitstaughtprimarilywithfood,cookingpots,
pictures,andpractice sessions.We woulddothe programas a pilot forsix months amonga camp of
30,000 people.
The UnitedNationsquicklyacceptedthe proposal. Constructionof small bamboohutswithno
external walls,slantedthatchroofsandraisedbamboofloorsthatwouldallow aircirculation
throughoutwasbegunimmediately.The hutswere builtsome distance apartsothe womenwould
onlyheartheirteachers. The hutswere about12’ x 12’. Also,new distributioncentershadtobe built
for the supplementaryfood.Once againthe distributioncenterswere builtwiththatchroofsand
bamboolanesforthe womento walkthroughandreach the area where the staff wouldhandthem
weighed amountof highlynutritiousvegetableslike collardgreensandpumpkin,driedfish,rice and
otherfoodstuffs.The womenwere givenabout50% more foodthantheyneededfortheirchildren
and themselvestoallowforspillage toothermembersof the family.Whilethe womenwalked
throughthe lines,mystaff wouldweightheirchildrenandmarktheirchildren’sweightgainonthe
children'sgrowthcardsthat the motherskept.The staff wouldalsorecordthe weights forour
record.
I hiredSheila(Englishnickname) asthe lessonplanner. She hadworkedwithmywife inPhanat
Nikkhom’sEnglishasa SecondLanguage program. My wife toldme Sheilawascreative,effective,
and self-reliant. SheilaquicklymovedtoAranyaprathet,Thailand,on the Cambodianborder,
selectedCambodianartistsandtranslators,andquicklybegantodeveloplessonplansforhealthand
nutritionlessonsforthe women. Mondays,she wouldtrainthe womenshe andthe restof the staff
had selectedtobe the teachers, andthe restof the weekshe wouldcontinuetodeveloplessonsand
artworkfor the nextlessonandobserve herteachers. Sheilawasslight,self-confident,andhard
working. She progressedrapidlyintrainingthe teachersanddevelopingthe lessons.
Cathy,a Brit witha Frenchmother,supervisedthe overall supplementaryfeedingprogram. She
quicklyabsorbedthe planandorganizedherThai andCambodian-Thai staff tocarry itout. Even
thoughshe was onlya fewyearsoutof university,Cathywasself-assuredandeffectiveinher
management,orientation,anddelegationtostaff.
15. Under the twoof them,there were the KhmerGrandmothereducators,distributioncenterworkers,
and weighingstaff. Everyone quicklygotthe ideaandorganizedtocarry itout.
Soon,TuesdaythroughSaturday,three timesaday,hundredsof womenwere studyingnutritionand
healthpracticeswiththese Grandmothereducators,receivingtheircouponstopickupfood,going
throughthe linesandgettingtheirchildrenweighedandhearingwhattheirgrowthwas,pickingup
theirfoodsupplies,andgoinghome andtakingcare of theirfamilies.
Afterabouttwomonths,the UN cancelledthe pilotprogram. Theytoldme malnutritionwasless
than one ina hundred. The linesinfrontof the primarycare centershaddwindledtoverylittle.
Hospital bedoccupancyhad gone waydown. It was sillycontinuingthe programasa pilotwhenit
clearlyshouldbe the standardforall 200,000+ displacedpeople alongthe border. The pilotprogram
was changedtothe normal program.
The concept hadbeensimple. Provide the primarycare givers,children’smothers,withthe supplies
and informationtheyneededfromcredible sourceswhoknew theirworld (grandmothers),give
feedbackopportunelyonthe children’sgrowth,andthe motherswouldtake care of the
malnutritionandill healthproblems. Theydid,resoundingly.
16. When Blocked, Improvise
Soon,my organizationwasgivenresponsibilityforthe supplementaryfeedingprogramfor200,000
KhmerSerei alongthe CambodianBorder. We extendedthe same nutritionprogramtoall of them.
Then,over50,000 KhmerRouge fledthe Vietnameseandwere settledtothe southof
Aranyaprathet,Thailand. Iwas offeredadditionalvehiclesandstaff if Iwouldprovide servicesto
them,also;however,Iwastoldthat we couldnotprovide the intensive once aweekeducationfor
the KhmerRouge. We couldonlydistribute supplementaryfood.
I didnot like thisdeal. Iwasnowthe office manager,soIwentto my UN counterpartand
negotiated. Whatcouldwe do? Just distribute the food. How aboutif we builta performance
platformwitha microphone andspeakersystemandhiredlocal performerstodothe nutrition
educationbyperformingdramawhile the motherspickedupfoodforthemselvesandtheirchildren?
Well,sure,thatwouldbe fine.
These were majorrestrictions. Iwentto Cathyand askedherfor hermost competent,self-reliant,
Khmer-speakingstaff. She suggestedLa-OngTokmohandseveral of herotherThai staff. I spoke
withLa-Ong,explainingthe charge (thankfully,she isfluentinEnglish!) anddiscussinghow she
mightproceed. Soon,she andthree otherstaff were travelingdailytothe new KhmerRouge camp,
supervisingthe constructionof adistributioncenteranda drama stage,andrecruitingtraditional
Khmeractors. She gave themthe nutritionandhealthmessagesandtheybegandevelopingtheir
skits.
Soon,whenItraveledtothe camp, I foundsupplementaryfoodbeingdistributedtomotherslike in
the othercamps and actors performingdramasduringthe distribution. One thingthatwasdifferent
here,however,wasthatnotonlythe motherspaidattentiontothe dramas,but sodid the menand
the children. Life inthe campwas boringand drabexceptforwhere ourperformanceswere
occurring.
One of mystaff,TimSchaffter,a Canadianwhowentonto become a UNICEFcountry director,did
an evaluationof the learning,practice change,andnutritionstatusof the displacedpeople inthe
differentcamps. He foundno significantdifferencesbetweenthe camps. All of the populations
were significantlybetternourishedthanbefore.
In these efforts,Iwasblessedbyanenormouslycreative,self-reliantstaff whoonlyneeded
someone togetapproval andfundingfora differentmethodology. Theydidthe rest.
17. Find What Works and Promote It
One year,while workingasthe AsianAdvisorinPrimaryHealthCare andNutritionformy
organization,ItraveledtoBangladeshtofamiliarize myself withhealth projectsthere. Isaw a
number,all quite impressive. One however,taughtme lessonsIhadnotimagined.
The projectwas calledthe “Women’sHealthEducationProject”andwasfinancedbythe
Governmentof Canada. It workedwithwomenwhohadbeenhired toworkonroad maintenance
and receivedenoughfoodforthemandtheirfamilytolive asthe paymentfortheirlabor. The
womenwere indigentwomenwithoutsourcesof income orproductionwhohadbeenwidowedor
divorcedandwhohad childrentosupport. The road maintenance project,providingfoodforwork,
was a wayto keepthemalive.
An innovativestaff person,ayoungnurse,haddesignedanotherprojectforthem. She hadlooked
for healthandnutritionrelatedindigenouspracticesthatwere beneficial tofamilys’health. She
identifiedquite afewanddevelopedlessonstoteachthemto these roadworkers. The lessonswere
organizedinanintriguinglydifferentway. Theybeganbyexplainingwhatthe proposedpractice
was. Thenthe practice was demonstrated. Thenthe womenlearnedhow tocorrectlydowhatwas
beingtaught,learningthe stepsandpracticingit. Theythenwentintothe village andfound
someone whoneededthe treatmentandappliedthe treatmenttothem. Thentheywenthome and
wentabouttheirbusiness. The nextweek,before theirnextlesson,theyfoundthe personwhohad
beentreatedandfollowedupwhathadbeentreatedanddecidedhow effective the treatmentwas
and whethertheywantedtouse itinthe future. For those who did,theyreviewedthe stepsand
proceduresagain,tosolidifythe practice intheirminds.
The projectreportedan astonishing rate of learningthe informationandadoptionof the practices.
The end of course achievementof learningobjectivesamong12,000 womenwas97%. Six month
follow-uponlyindicateda5%decline inlearning.
Thisprojectbecame mynewstandardfor effectivedesignandachievablebehaviorchange.
18. Water is Life
In 1989, I transferredfromBangkok,Thailand,toLa Paz,Bolivia. Some of youmay know La Paz as
the two anda quartermile highcapitol. Ilearnedquite afew lessonsthere,especiallyaboutwater,
sanitation,andhygiene andthe importance of the firsttorural people.
In Bolivia, Iwasamazedbymany things. Regardinghealth,whatsurprisedme the mostwasthat
rural people keptsaying“Waterislife.” Once,Ihad mystaff interview hundredsof villagerstofind
whattheymost wanted,assumingwe couldworkwiththemtoobtainanything,whichof course was
not true. The toptwo responseswere water. Householdwaterandirrigationwater. Thathadnever
occurredto me.
Since then,talkingwithvillagers,Ihave foundsome whowalkedhourseachweektodraw,load,and
carry water home. One frienddidasurveyfor the Ministryof Educationto findwhyyounggirls
were withdrawnfromschool. The determiningfactorwaswhetherthe familyhadwaternearto
themor not. If theydidnot, the younggirlswere takenoutof school to carry waterto the home or
to herdthe family’slivestocktothe watersource andback. I was amazed. It neveroccurredtome
that the maindeterminanttoyoungwomenbecomingbettermothers(highlycorrelatedwith
educational level of the mother,accordingtoUNICEF) wasproximityof awatersupply.
In Bolivia,Iwasgivenawater,sanitation,hygiene,immunization,andnutritionprojecttomanage in
200 villagesinfiveRegionsof Bolivia,averylarge territorial dispersion. Ittookover24 hoursof
drivingfromLa Paz to reachthe most distantvillage. The projectwasenteringitsfourthandlast
yearof funding. Ithad achievedabout25% of itsobjectives,tothe extentwe knew. Myjobwasto
make sure the projectwas successful.
Most of the watersuppliesthe projectbuiltwere gravityflow,spring-fedwatersystemswithtanks
above the village andapipednetworkthatsuppliedeveryhousehold. The latrineswe builtwereall
odorless,eitherVIP(ventilatedimprovedpit) orpour-flush. We were committedtotrainthe
villagerstomaintaintheirwatersuppliesbyorganizingwatercommittees,havingtrainedplumbers,
and collectingwaterfees. There wasevenaninitial monetarycontributionthe villagerspaidin
additiontolaborand local materialsforthe system.
The firstthingI didwas to organize andconduct a rapidfieldsurveyof whatpeople’sknowledge,
attitude andpracticeswere vis-à-visthe projectgoals usingasubsetof questionsfromthe Bolivian
DemographicandHealthSurvey(DHS). Imade interview formsthatusedthese testedquestionsand
answersandsentthemto my fieldstaff tocollectthe data,explainingthe samplingmethodthatI
wantedthemtouse,a systematicsample. Theyreturnedthe surveysandwe enteredandanalyzed
them. The situationlookedpretty badforbeingable toachieve ourgoals.
19. I consultedmystaff howtheythoughtwe couldachieve the goals. Theylistedalitanyof problems
and obstaclesthatpreventedthemfromgettingsuppliesandfundsfrommyoffice. ItoldthemI
wantedthemtoget the workdone,to go all out,and that I wouldmake sure the fundingand
materialsgotto them.
My jobfora yearwas to remove the bureaucracyandfuel the work. Our agreementwasclear. They
were togo all out. I was to ensure theyhadthe fundsandthe materialsIcontrolledopportunely. I
traveledtothe fieldoften,workingasacheer-leaderandproblem-solver. The staff workedlongand
hard witha lotof dedicationandcreativity.
Withina year,90% of the projectgoalshad beenmet,upfrom 25%. The donors,includingthe U.S.
AgencyforInternational Development,wereverypositiveandgave usa no-costextension. Withina
fewmore months,the projectwascompleted.
The baseline DemographicandHealthSurveyDataforBoliviaindicated that,invillageswiththe
profile of those inmyproject,33% of the under-five yearoldchildrenhaddiarrheawithinthe last
twoweeksat the start of the project. Atthe end,we measuredadiarrheal disease prevalence rate
of 7.5%, overan 80% reduction. We didnot try to measure the mortalityrate. The immunization
rate inour villageswentover80%of undertwoyear oldswithall immunizationscompletedbyone
yearof age,enoughto produce whatiscalled“herdimmunity.”
The lessonsfromthisexperience seemedtobe atleastthree. One wascollectessential datathat
letsmanagersandbeneficiariesknow whatthe statusof coverage was. The conceptisthat you
can’t improve somethingunlessyou trackit. The otherwasfor managementtofacilitate the flow of
essential suppliesandfinancestothe frontline workers,nottoblockthem. Youmightcall itstoking
the boilerratherthanstarvingit. Anotherwasto respondtofeltneedsof the people inwaysthat
meetandsurpassthe population’sexpectationsandconcomitantlymeetspotential health,time-
saving,sustainability,andaffordabilitypossibilities. Concisely,respectanyof the population’stop
prioritiespossible andjoinexternal informationandresourcestothose of the population,usingas
much of the local knowledge,practices,anddrive thatare conducive tocommongoal achievement.
20. Ecuador: Seize the Opportunities and Respond to Felt Needs
In 1991, I was transferredtoEcuador fromBolivia,travelingthroughLima. Cholerahadjustreturned
to thishemisphereforthe firsttime ina century. Talkingtoa taxi driverinLima,I was surprisedthat
he wantedinformationabouthowtopreventcholera. Essentially,he wasaskingme forbasicwater,
sanitation,hygiene,andoral rehydrationtechnologies. Isharedthe mostapplicable of the
informationandtechnologiesIknew.
In Ecuador,I was to be managerof a rural medical doctortrainingprojectthathad half a dozenstaff
inthree provinces. Shortlyaftermyarrival,the senior staff tookme tothe fieldtoobserve whatthe
projectdidand see some of itssuccesses.
From Quito,we drove toLos Riosand Bolivarprovincesandvisitedvillageswhere doctorsthe staff
workedwithwere givinghealthlecturestothe villagers. Afterthe lectures,Iaskedthe villagershow
useful the lectureswere. Theyrepliedthatthe lecturesweregreat,buttheywantedtoknow what
to do aboutcholera. I askedwhattheirbiggestconcernwas. Cholera. Whatdid theyneedto
know? How to preventandsurvive cholera. Iaskedthe questionsimpartiallyinvillage aftervillage.
The villagerswantedtoknowwhattodo about cholera,butdoctorswe workedwithwere teaching
whatto do about otherproblemsandnotcholera.
Aftera couple of daysof this,I ledmystaff througha SWOT exercise examiningourcurrent
situation. SWOTisa businesstechniqueof lookingatstrengths,weaknesses,opportunities,and
threatsto decide whattodo. Theyconcludedthatwe neededtouse ourstrengthsto redressthe
problemof cholera. Iaskedwhat theywoulddoandhow theywoulddoit. I askedwhat strengths
and opportunitieswe had. IcombinedwhattheyrecommendedwithwhatIknew andhad
concludedfromBoliviaandSoutheastAsia. IfurtheraddedwhatI knew fromRichardG. Feacham’s
recent(at thattime) reviewsof waterandsanitationforthe WorldHealthOrganization.
Arrivingbackat my office inQuito,Idesignedaprojectanda budgetforan ambitiousconceptpaper
to overcome cholerainLosRios,one of the more affectedprovinces. Forthe projectdesign,I
consideredwhatthe villagers hadsaid,whatmystaff had concludedandadvised,andwhatthe
literature indicatedwere the bestapproaches. Todevelopthe budget,Iusedax Excel spreadsheet
withthe travel,staff,andmaterialscostsIwas told. I wrote itup in a 13 page concept paper. I
requestedthatthe staff arrange a meetingwiththe USAIDhealthprogrammanagerinEcuador, Dr.
KenYamashita.
Dr. Yamashitametus. We talkeda while,gettingtoknow eachother. I toldhimwhatI had
experiencedtravelingthroughLosRios andBolivar. ThenI presentedhimthe conceptpaper. He
was shocked,asking,“Whatisthis? Anunsolicitedprojectproposal?” Ireplied,yesitwas. I
21. explainedthe need,the interventions,the goals,the budget,andthe time frame. He saidhe did
have some unspentendof the yearmoneyandhe wouldgetbackto me.
A monthlater,I receivedacall,requestingIrevise the budgettowhatUSAID/healthwouldhave left
overat the endof the fiscal year. My initial proposal hadbeentoeliminatecholera transmissionin
everyprovince myagencyserved. Idesignedbackfora $650,000 budget,reducingthe coverage
appropriatelyto30,000 families. Ire-submittedthe proposal,fleshingoutthe methodology.
Specifically,Iproposedto onlyentercommunitiesinwhicheveryfamilyinthe community
committedtosanitation,hygiene,andoral rehydrationactivities. Further,ratherthanselectingthe
communities,withinhighdisease incidence areas,Iproposedthatwe offertocollaborate withevery
communitythat1) wrote a letteraskingforour help,2) dida communitysurveyof all families,and
3) got signaturesof intentiontobuildlatrinesfromeveryheadof household. We wouldadvertise
the possibilityof receivingourcollaborationoverthe radio,then respondedtothe communitiesthat
contactedus.
USAID agreedtofundthe proposal. The agencydirectorandI got a meetingwiththe Ecuadoran
Ministerof Health,Dr. Naranjo,andwentto meethim, expectinghisapproval. Instead,Dr.Naranjo
toldus that he wantedthe projectre-designedtoprovide spottycoverage ineveryprovince of
Ecuador. My directortentativelyagreed. Iwasappalled,figuringthisapproachwoulddestroythe
effectivenessandthe manageabilityof the program. I calledthe USAIDassistantdirectorwithwhom
I had workedinBoliviaandexplainedthe situation. He metwiththe Ministerandreacheda
compromise position: we wouldworkinthree provinceswherecholerahadahighincidence and
where myagencyalreadyhadstaff and workexperience. The Ministeragreed.
My nextchallengewasthatI wasnewto Ecuador and had nocredibilitywiththe agencystaff. To
overcome this,Irequestedthe agencytrainertoworkwithourmost experiencedwater,sanitation,
and hygiene promotionstaff todevelopatrainingplanfornew staff. The task wasfor the
experiencedstaff toworkouta trainingandskillsdevelopmentplanfornew staff we hadto hire to
carry out the program. Theywere supposedtoplanhow to make new staff as competentasthey
were ina two weekintensivetrainingplan. We sentthe mostexperiencedstaff fromthe various
waterand sanitationprojectswe hadinthe countryto go intoa comfortable site inone of the
choleraoutbreakareasof Los Rios. Theircharge was to developandwrite atrainingplaninthree
weekstime. The impactandcoverage goalswere those Ihad proposedtoUSAID. The budgetwas
whatI had proposed. The trainingplanwastheirs,withone caveat: I requiredthatnew staff goto
the villagesandconsultthe villagersbythe afternoonof the firstdayof trainingandthat approaches
be modifiedonthe basisof whatthe villagerstoldthemandwanted. The staff andtrainer
developedawrittentrainingplan. The advantage of doingitthiswaywasthat it got mymost senior,
highstatusstaff investedinthe project: theywouldmake itsucceedbecause itwastheirbaby,too,
now.
22. The latrine designswe woulduse werethe WorldBank’stestedandprovenVIP(ventilatedimproved
pit) and pour-flushlatrines. Whatwe usedwoulddependonthe watertable andthe villagers’
preferences. These were odor-free,fly-freelatrines thatcouldbe usedwithprivacy. The advantage
of odor-free latrineswasthatbad-smell wasthoughtbylesseducatedpeopletocause disease. The
fly-freedesign,onthe otherhand,preventedfecal transmissionbyflies. Combinedwithhand-
washingwithsoapafterlatrine use andbefore meal preparationand/orconsumptionand
appropriate watertreatment,theseserviceswoulddecreasecholeratransmissionaswell asthe
otherdiarrheal diseasesthatregularlykilledinfantsandyoungchildren. Cholera,killingadults,
frightenedthe populationbecause theyfeltchilddeathfromdiarrheawasnormal butthe deathof
adultswasnot. Whenadultsstarteddying,somethinghadtobe done. Theywere readytoact and
act fast!
Our approach,however,wouldnotonlydecreasethe transmissionof cholerabutof the diarrheal
diseasesthatraisedthe childmortalityrate andcausedmiseryandsufferingamongmothersand
fathers.
A numberof taskshad to be completedquicklyandefficiently. One wasrecruitingandscreening
competent,motivatedstaff. Anotherwaspurchasingmaterials. Anotherwasarrangingfora
trainingsite andcompletingthe preparationfortraining. Also,we neededtokeepourcounterparts
and the villagersinformedsothatwe couldgetthe workdone fast andefficiently. Finally,we
neededtoconducta baseline surveyandhave planstoevaluate afinal against it. All the staff hadto
workfast and efficiently,preparingforthe work. Theydid.