Letter from the President
Dear All,
One of the perks of being at the Carey Institute for Global Good is that we get to meet the most wonderful people from near and far, doing the most vital and inspiring work. In just the last few days, I’ve met a Pulitzer-nominated reporter who is investigating pregnancy-related deaths and near deaths—the United States has the highest maternal mortality rates of any developed nation and it’s the only one where those rates are rising—and I’ve met a doctor who is using mobile technology to reduce pregnancy-related deaths in Haiti, where the maternal mortality rate is 26 times that of the U.S. His team has reduced maternal mortality rates 16-fold locally since the inception of their program. This global issue of maternal mortality highlights the importance of both our Nonfiction and Education programs— The Logan Nonfiction Program in uncovering and highlighting the issue, and our Center for Learning in Practice in supporting the training and capacity building of the frontline workers addressing these issues. We also know that rural areas correlate to higher rates of maternal and infant mortality, which is why our Sustainable Communities program and rural economic opportunity is important. Everything connects.
In March, we hosted the Journalists Under Threat convening. I was delighted to join in a dialogue with some of the best organizations from around the world that support journalists who put their lives at risk to report on some of the most critical issues of the day. Maison des Journalistes were kind enough to return the favor, inviting me to visit them in Paris, where I met several journalists in exile taking refuge there. These journalists have sacrificed everything to report the stories that matter. In most cases, they flee their home country under threat of death, are unable to return to their homes and have to leave their families and loved ones behind. Their stories are a tragic, under-reported consequence of their own reporting. Their bravery, passion and humor despite their dire situations inspires our work and reminds us why the Logan Nonfiction Program is so important.
On that same trip, I attended UNESCO’s flagship Mobile Learning Week conference, a global gathering of governments, ICT (Information and Communication Technology) organizations and education stakeholders committed to ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. One of this year’s key themes was “Leveraging Technology to Support Education for Refugees.” These key findings of UNESCO’s research confirm the criticality of Carey’s Refugee Educator Academy: there is a great need for teachers of refugees across all levels of education; mobile micro-content can facilitate support and help teachers improve their practice; there is a scarcity of instructional resources; quality control for open educational resources is lacking; and there is an unmet demand for content in languages other than English. Furthermore, the capture and analysis of data is essential, as is documentation and certification for refugee educators. That our Refugee Educator Academy addresses all of these concerns is remarkable and a credit to our team.
Closer to home, our Sustainable Communities program continues to support local rural economic development and linking rural-urban supply chains, all the while having fun concocting new brewing recipes for local products. A strong rural economy is beneficial not only financially, but socially, as the community ties become stronger through local business relationships. A thriving economy gives the community emotional security and improves the physical well-being of the community. Everything connects. . .
Cheers,
Gareth