Winter Issue 2011
EGYPT: Modern Teaching Practices Spur 15-Year Old to New Beginnings
Safaa is 15 years old and lives in the small village of Abou Harb, 50Km north of Menia. Dropping out of school at 10 years old, she had received little education, and was intimidated by teacher attitudes. “I believe the school environment was the main reason I dropped out. Mainly, I didn’t feel that I was learning anything. Teachers preferred [...]
AFGHANISTAN: Beekeeping Brings Livelihoods to Women in Bamiyan Province
Located in central Afghanistan, residents of Bamiyan Province largely rely on agriculture and animal husbandry to earn a living. It is, however, a meager living as most families have limited land and few animals. Outside of farming, there are few economic opportunities in the province and many households live in dire poverty. “My family [...]
UGANDA: USAID’s Ten Year Investment in Education Yields Results
In 1908, Winston Churchill called Uganda “the Pearl of Africa” for its majestic scenery and mountains bounded by twelve lakes, including the renowned Lake Victoria. Despite its physical beauty, Uganda’s history has been marred by ethnic conflict and the misrule of the infamous tyrant Idi Amin. More recently, Yoweri Museveni, who was sworn [...]
A sixth grader’s views on Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea”
Special to this issue of Creative magazine (Cm), a Washington, D.C. area sixth grader, Fabiana Maldonado, provides her views on Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea, One Man’s Journey to Change the World, One Child at a Time” (The Young Readers' Edition). In our fast-paced and harried world, Fabiana’s candid assessment of Mortenson’s [...]
AFGHANISTAN: ASGP Staff Member Featured on Afghan TV Show “THE MASK”
A young Afghan woman is seated before a panel in a Kabul television studio. As the studio lights dim, a blue and white mask is slipped on the young woman, she is visibly shaken as she prepares to tell her story to television viewers countrywide. The mask is blue on one side representing the color of the burqa worn by many Afghan women, while [...]
Creative Wins USAID Cooperative Agreement for Tanzania 21st Century Basic Education Program
The Government of Tanzania’s vision for integrating technology into its schools presents considerable challenges to meet. Few primary schools in Tanzania have computers, Internet access, landline telephones and most lack electricity. However, Creative has repeatedly demonstrated that its approach to improving learning outcomes through technology [...]
Central America: USAID Youth Alliance-supported Organization Wins Major Foundation Grant
A Guatemalan organization, Alianza Joven, was selected for a $300,000 “Helping Those Who Help” grant by the prestigious Guatemala-based Gutierrez Foundation. Alianza Joven’s proposal stood out from among hundreds of submissions received by the foundation. To qualify, Alianza Joven had to be formally incorporated, provide its financial [...]
WEST BANK: Local Organizations Strengthen Effectiveness, Promising Tangible Community Services
It’s a workday afternoon in Nablus City, seemingly like any other. Yet, at the Yalu Society for Development Studies office, representatives of eleven community-based organizations are developing their strategic and executive plans under the watchful eye of Shahnaz Jubran, technical team member of the Community Leadership Empowerment Program [...]
TAJIKISTAN: U.S. Government Helps Tajik Teachers Learn New Skills
On January 12, 2011 the American Ambassador, Ken Gross, traveled to Vakhsh District to meet with education officials and teachers taking part in a training session supported by the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Quality Learning Project (USAID/QLP). This month, more than 500 primary, secondary math and [...]
EGYPT: Dreams of a Village Preparatory School Realized Through TILO/DCGEP Intervention
During a visit to Cairo in June 2009, President Obama told the Egyptian public, “I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality. And it is no coincidence that countries where women are well-educated are far more likely to be prosperous.” For the community of Ali Said Village, in the Nasser District of Beni Suef, some [...]
AFGHANISTAN: Roads and Culverts Building Blocks to Stability
Late last summer, the local town districts in two Afghan villages found answers to longstanding problems facing their communities. USAID’s Community Building Stabilization Grants (CBSG) provided technical and financial support to build culverts and roads. The wood culverts of Orya Khil village west of Sorobi district in Kabul Province were [...]
AFGHANISTAN: Raising Women’s Voices through Media
Overlooking what remains of the once breathtaking Buddhas of Bamiyan province in central Afghanistan, ten young women stand in a semi-circle around a camera and tripod, holding microphones and a light reflecting screen. The professional thrill experienced by journalists worldwide is palpable among these novices. Poised but energized, the young [...]
