Africa/Europe
“I’ve been working on a community banking project. My hope is to start one to two community banks before I leave, giving the community access to small loans and a secure place to save money. I’ve learned that the proper way to approach development work is to partner with grassroots organizations that are not only connected to the community, but are a part of the community. The people here are giving me much more than I could ever give them. It is so inspiring to see the local staff work day in and day out—among such hate and discrimination—caring for HIV-positive orphans and elders, many of whom are left to die alone by their families and closest friends.”
- Jordan Van Rijn ‘08, A Wind of Hope in the Arid Isilo, Kenya
"AccountAbility is a think tank devoted to corporate responsibility. My job is to share my China expertise with the rest of the team, use my language skills, and help devise the organization's China strategy. My first week, a colleague and I ran 300 copies of our most recent report, The State of Responsible Competitiveness 2007, to the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in Geneva. I never imagined this would be my ticket to a gala banquet with Ban Ki-Moon. My second week, we got an assignment to write an article for Fortune China about that report's findings. This mild London summer has been nice, too!”
- Joshua Wickerham ’08, AccountAbility, London, England
