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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.


September Roundtable Recap: Highlights from the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit

september-roundtable-recap-1The first ever U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit was held in Washington, D.C. August 4-6. Themed “Investing in the Next Generation,” representatives from 49 African countries participated in the event hosted by President Barack Obama. The Summit aimed to strengthen ties between the U.S. and Africa by focusing on trade and investment in the region, as well as highlighting America’s support of Africans and the security and development of the continent.

Aze Malawo, a Seattle-based international development consultant who attended the Summit, led Global Washington’s September Executive Director Roundtable where she recapped the event and spoke about the road ahead.Malawo, originally from Zambia, focuses her work on socio-economic development and provides advisory services to numerous organizations, including the African Union Mission. Malawo was joined at the roundtable by a number of Global Washington members whose work is focused in Africa. Continue Reading

Associates in Cultural Exchange: Making the World Your Community

As its name implies, the Associates in Cultural Exchange (ACE) was founded to foster cross-cultural friendships, communication and understanding. Founded in Seattle in 1973, ACE provides language and cultural programs for students of all ages, international study tours and facilitation for other international ventures, all of which fall under this Global Washington member’s mission of “making the world your community.” Continue Reading

Dwankhozi Hope: A Comprehensive Approach to Education

We know that people need sufficient supplies of food, water and shelter for basic survival. But to increase opportunities and improve overall quality of life, the basics are often not enough. This is the fundamental idea behind Dwankhozi Hope, a Seattle-based organization and Global Washington member that works to help Zambian families better the Dwankhozi community – not only through necessities such a clean water, but through education, power and community development.

As the story goes, Charles Masala, a U.S.-based engineer who grew up in Zambia, heard about a community near his hometown that started its own school. This was 2003 and the school lacked skilled teachers, resources and government support. Masala was inspired by the dedication of the community’s people and their belief that every child has a right to an education. He wanted to do more than just support this school; he wanted to be a true partner in the development of the Dwankhozi community. Continue Reading