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.
Pat Garcia-Gonzalez at the annual meeting of the Nigerian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. Photo by Martin De Bruin.
Pat Garcia-Gonzalez, co-founder and CEO of The Max Foundation, has spent the last 15 years facilitating access to cancer treatment in low- and middle-income countries. In this Q&A with Global Washington, she shares the many lessons she has learned in this work, and how both cancer treatment and patients’ access to treatment globally has changed. You can also catch her talk on February 12, 2019, at The Pacific Science Center: “the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” Pat will discuss the state of global cancer treatment and The Max Foundation’s strategies for removing barriers to access.
What lessons have you learned in 15+ years working in treatment access?
The first lesson I have learned is that it is possible. It is actually possible to provide access to innovative cancer treatment for patients living in low- and middle-income countries, even when the treatment might be long-term, and in some cases, indefinite. I have also learned that for every patient we are able to rescue, we are not only saving the life of that particular individual, but we are also saving the lives of many others in their family and their communities. We even have a great impact on the availability of oncologists and hematologists by providing the means for them to successfully treat patients and inspiring medical students to want to become oncologists and hematologists.
I have also learned that nothing is simple; these problems are often complex and require great commitment from multiple partners and a great deal of patience, hand-in-hand with a “never give up” attitude.
Finally, I have learned that no matter how hard it is, it is worth it. Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: This event took place at Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA on January 24, 2019. Also check out our related video interview with World Vision’s executive advisor on fragile states, Jonathan Papoulidis.
Read Global Washington’s January Newsletter on this topic of building greater resilience in fragile states.
With only eleven years left to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, it is increasingly clear that a crucial part of the world is being left behind: fragile states.
In fragile states, where the government and civil society lack the ability to mitigate risk, the population is left vulnerable to economic, political, environmental, and social crises. Without the ability to cope, these crises can turn into national disasters.
This year, Global Washington is launching an initiative to advance the Sustainable Development Goals by catalyzing the power of its members in private and nonprofit sectors. Addressing the problems of fragility, therefore, is an essential part of that initiative. On January 24, Global Washington hosted a panel of experts to share insights into best strategies for helping states escape fragility and move toward resilience. Continue Reading
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mara will be speaking on a panel, “Her Money, Her Voice,” at Global Washington on February 7, 2019, discussing women’s economic empowerment and political engagement.
A woman in Sido, Mali, explains to the mayor why formal marriages are necessary to protect women from abandonment. This is a reality seldom explicitly spoken aloud in mixed company. In order not to alarm the men, the rationale for formal marriages is usually given in terms of access to educational and other benefits by children of formally married parents. But this woman is a poised speaker and plans to be a future politician. She speaks her mind even in front of the village elders seated behind her. (Photo courtesy of Oxfam).
What makes a woman speak out when everything about her context suggests it would be much easier to stay silent? In Mali, a country where women have historically held political and economic power, yet, where polygamy is common and women are largely subordinate to men, a woman decided to speak out. She had participated in an Oxfam program that supports the development of women’s savings groups called “Saving for Change” (SFC) and provides basic civic education. She worked with her peers to create a theatre performance for local officials to show the social impact of having poor access to water. She wrote of her experience:
“Putting that piece together made us learn to speak, and now we can’t be quiet.” Continue Reading
