The Foreign Service Journal, January 2004

were working with the 5,000 chil- dren in the program and saw them learning along with their parents and older siblings, it was a moving expe- rience. Children suffering from malnutrition, many dressed in rags, were learning their letters and num- bers, much to the delight of their parents. They were the most power- ful argument we could have made for the success of the project. Nor is that the only way projects make a difference. My wife Anne, who was deputy chief of party and largely in charge of the outreach component, had to leave the country after almost three years because she contracted tropical sprue. (When she finally got medical attention in the States, she was so anemic and malnourished that she was given almost two dozen blood transfu- sions.) The day she was leaving, a campesino walked seven miles to our office carrying a sack of grapefruits. He said he heard she was leaving the project and hoped she wouldn’t because his children were learning so much. Could she please stay? He said that if she ate two grapefruits every day, it would cure her health problems. He would bring them to her every week. Then he left. International development is about many issues. But ultimately, isn’t it about people like that man and his family? J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 63 To build an institution, you need to train people intensively in all phases of the work. AN INVITATION FOR SUMMER FICTION O nce again the FSJ is seeking works of fiction of up to 3,000 words for its annual summer fiction issue. Story lines or characters involving the Foreign Service are preferred, but not required. The top stories, selected by the Journal ’s Editorial Board, will be published in the July/August issue; some of them will also be simultaneously posted on the Journal ’s Web site. The writer of each story will receive an honorarium of $250, payable upon publication. All stories must be previously unpublished. Submissions should be unsigned and accompanied by a cover sheet with author’s name, address, telephone number(s) and e-mail address. Deadline is April 1. No fooling. Please also note the following: • Authors are limited to two entries. • Entries will only be accepted by e-mail (preferably in the form of Word or Word Perfect attachments and with the text copied into the body of the message). Please send submissions (or questions) to Mikkela Thompson, Journal Business Manager, at Thompsonm@afsa.org.