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Contributor Guidelines
Submitting guest blogs is open to Global Washington’s members of the Atlas level and above. We value a diversity of opinions on a broad range of subjects of interest to the global health and development community.
Blog article submissions should be 500-1500 words. Photos, graphs, videos, and other art that supports the main themes are strongly encouraged.
You may not be the best writer, and that’s okay. We can help you shape and edit your contribution. The most important thing is that it furthers an important conversation in your field, and that it is relatively jargon-free. Anyone without a background in global development should still be able to engage with your ideas.
If you include statistics or reference current research, please hyperlink your sources in the text, wherever possible.
Have an idea of what you’d like to write about? Let’s continue the conversation! Email comms@globalWA.org and put “Blog Idea” in the subject line.
Posted on November 8, 2013
Send money or dedicate a few days of volunteer work? Which is more effective in fighting extreme poverty?
By Mark Olmstead
ONE posed these questions on their website, and then asked for feedback. Opinions were varied with most people believing that, because volunteerism is here to stay, there needs to be an efficient model to help get the most out of volunteers’ short time abroad.
“There are well-intentioned organizations that offer trips to Africa that include mountain-climbing, wildlife safaris, even trips to see volcanoes, paired with a few days spent passing out rice packets to those in need,” said Joe Mason from ONE. It seems that volunteers are often more like tourists, seeing exotic places rather than working hard to end poverty. To make volunteer trips more effective and efficient, organizations should cut down on leisure time and place volunteers directly in communities that need help. Continue Reading
Posted on November 5, 2013
By Murline Gelin
Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects millions of people each year. This type of violence is perpetrated by a current or former partner or spouse. It includes violence that is physical, psychological, or sexual in nature. Women are more likely to experience IPV and to be negatively impacted by it than men. About one-third of women will experience IPV in their lifetime.
There are many costs associated with intimate partner violence. It is responsible for loss of productivity, loss of earning potential, and increased reliance on medical services. Marital violence puts children at a higher risk for emotional and behavioral problems. IPV accounts for billions of dollars in direct medical and mental health care costs each year. Continue Reading
Posted on October 31, 2013
By Katherine Schroeder
“I feel reassured about having this baby,” said Nepalese woman Lalita in her fourth month of pregnancy. Several years ago, you would be hard pressed to find an expectant mother who felt this way.
For years, Nepal has been plagued with poor economic and living conditions. This is reflected in its high rate of maternal and infant mortality. On average, Nepalese women give birth to six children over their reproductive years, and complications are extremely common. Over the past four years, however, Devex reports that Nepal has taken several steps to reduce these risks, motivated primarily by the Millennial Development Goals set by the World Bank. Continue Reading
