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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.


We Celebrate our Health-focused Members on World Health Day, 7 April 2022

World Health Day graphic

World Health Day is celebrated each year on April 7th, the day the World Health Organization (WHO) was founded in 1948. The celebration aims to raise awareness on a specific health issue judged important for the World Health Organization. This year’s issue is Our planet, Our health and WHO will focus global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy. Continue Reading

Sahar: Finding Innovative ways to Educate Girls in Afghanistan, Despite the Risks

By Meetra Alokozay, Executive Director, Sahar

Gawhar Khatoon High School outside view

Gawhar Khatoon High School, Mazar-e-Sharif. Photo: Sahar.

Education is pivotal in promoting gender equality, and Sahar is committed to preventing and combating gender discrimination by supporting girls’ and women’s education in Afghanistan. Education is a fundamental human right; however, it is well known that since the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan, education has once again been taken away from millions of Afghan girls. Currently, formal education is banned for girls above 6th grade in Afghanistan. As an organization expanding access to girls’ Education in Afghanistan for 20 years, we at Sahar are deeply saddened and enraged by the decision. We use strategies to redirect our rage and sadness towards strengthening our efforts of providing girls’ access to quality education. Continue Reading

The Long Road to Recovery (and to the SDGs) Begins with Mine Action

By Carlie Stowe, Project Manager, PeaceTrees Vietnam

PeaceTrees Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician

PeaceTrees Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician, Phan Thị Ngọc, working to clear land of explosive ordnance in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the indiscriminate use of deadly weapons of war, including cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war (ERW), is showcasing, in real-time, the devastation that war brings to a country and the terrible reality of the use of explosive ordnance. Across the globe, ERW threaten people’s lives and livelihoods every day. In 2020, 7,073 casualties due to landmines and other ERW were recorded across 56 states (and other non-state territories). In addition to the physical threat they pose to people’s lives, the presence of explosive ordnance blocks access to critical resources like clean water and farmland, and hinders social and economic development opportunities, further perpetuating poverty rooted in the impact of war. Continue Reading