Blog
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 26, 2013
By Katherine Schroeder
People are beginning to understand that women and girls hold the key to eradicating poverty. Countries that support women frequently show a better rate of economic and social development, as well as other measures of societal progress, than countries that lag behind when it comes to women and girls’ rights. Consequentially, there has been an increase in “investing” in women and girls all over the world. Because of the pivotal role that women play in development as well as the depth of resources now available, it is important to have accurate recommendations and research when it comes to funding.
“Watering the Leaves and Starving the Roots” was written by Angelika Arutyunova and Cindy Clark and sponsored by the Association for Women’s Rights in Development, and paints a picture of overall inequality for women across the world. Based on a survey of over 1,100 women’s organization, the survey results and subsequent article help decode a changing social landscape to promote more efficient use of resources. Continue Reading
Posted on November 22, 2013
By Sandy Lam
So you want a career in global development. What does that mean to you? It’s an extremely competitive field, especially in Washington State, so whether you are a soon-to-be-graduate, recent graduate, or someone trying to make a change in career fields, here are five golden tips to make sure you end up in the right place for you and are getting the most out of your efforts.
1. Define your goals and interest (BE SPECIFIC) and write down what skills you can bring to the table.
When I say be specific, I mean, REALLY specific. Saying you are “interested” in said organization with nothing to follow up with, makes you look unknowledgeable and can possibly be insulting to your potential employer. Think of a specific story or experience you can share that ties your passion to their mission. Don’t go for a job you don’t care about, especially in nonprofit. It will be obvious and you will be fighting a sea of other people who will truly standout simply because of their passion alone. They’re the ones willing to put in the long extra hours without a second thought.
Continue Reading
Posted on November 21, 2013
By Heather Pitorak Menezes
“I left Burundi, but Burundi never left me,” explained Deogratias “Deo” Niyizonkiza, the founder of Village Health Works. Deo, the opening keynote speaker for the 5th Annual Global Washington Conference: Catalyzing Collective Impact, described his childhood in and his home country of Burundi. Situated south of Rwanda, west of Tanzania, and east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi is one of the poorest countries on earth. Ninety percent of the population lives in rural areas. Access to potable water is rare; much of the population relies on stagnant rain water for drinking. It is has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, yet “misery is the norm” as Burundi faced “long, dark years of civil war.” Civil war and genocide, Deo emphasized, are the result of what “chronic misery does to a human being.” He described two ways to approach the dire situation: 1) you run away or 2) think about the situation and ask yourself, ‘what can I do about it?’ Deo opted for the latter. He left Burundi, and while facing initial struggles in the United States, including homelessness, he eventually received a college education. According to Deo, “I left Burundi, but Burundi never left me.” And that’s how Village Health Works was created. Village Health Works focuses on key, interconnected elements: health, education, agriculture, and community engagement. For Deo, the idea of bringing healthcare to the community was uplifting. While, it took 12 months to be granted permission to formerly implement Village Health Works in Burundi, they worked regardless, and in arduous conditions. “We didn’t wait for electricity, water . . . [i]f we didn’t do now, then when?” Through friendships they made, they raised money for a water tank in one community. This was the first time that this community had access to clean water. Continue Reading