THECARTER CENTER

THECARTERCENTER

NEWSJULY–DECEMBER 2002

One CopenhillAtlanta, GA 30307

(404) 420-5100www.cartercenter.org

During a historic trip in May as the first former or sitting U.S. president to travel to Cuba since

1928, former President Jimmy Carter calledfor the U.S. and Cuban governments tomend relations.

President Carter, along with wifeRosalynn, Carter Center ExecutiveDirector John Hardman, and AmericasProgram Director Dr. Jennifer McCoy, went to Cuba at the invitation of CubaPresident Fidel Castro. The Carter Centermission sought new ideas on improving therelationship between Cuba and the UnitedStates, as well as a dialogue with PresidentCastro and the Cuban people.

During his visit, President Cartercalled on the United States to end what he called an “ineffective 43-year-old economic embargo” and on PresidentCastro to hold free elections, improvehuman rights, and allow greater civil liberties. President Carter made this pleaduring an unprecedented speech broadcastlive on Cuban television and radio andopen to international press.

President Carter briefed Congress andPresident Bush on the trip as part of hiseffort to find common ground within theUnited States on how to overcome theimpasse in U.S.-Cuba relations. Still, theBush administration later reaffirmed itspolitical and economic ostracism of Cuba.

“I did not come here to interfere in Cuba’s internal affairs,

but to extend a hand of friendshipto the Cuban people and to offer a vision of the future

for our two countries and for all the Americas.”

—Former President Jimmy Carter

“Every place we went Cubansexpressed their desire for better relationswith the United States,” Dr. Hardman said.

Historic Trip to Cuba SeeksImproved Relations

continued on page 4

IN THIS ISSUEUP FRONT

Historic Trip Seeks Improved Relations 1From the Executive Director . . . . . . . . .2Programs Collaborate in Sudan . . . . . . .2

PEACEVenezuela Calls on Carter . . . . . . . . . . .5Profile: Edmund J. Cain . . . . . . . . . . . .5Sierra Leone Seeks Lasting Peace . . . . .7East Timor Gains Independence . . . . . .7Center Monitors Mali Elections . . . . . .8

HEALTHConference Targets River

Blindness Eradication . . . . . . . . . . . .9Mothers Fight Guinea Worm Disease . .9Forum Unveils Suicide

Prevention Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Center Names New

Mental Health Director . . . . . . . . . .11Satcher Joins Mental Health

Task Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

NEWS BRIEFSNews Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

President and Mrs. Carter enjoyed a warm welcome from Cuban citizens during awalking tour of historic Old Havana.

Pho

to b

y A

nnem

arie

Poy

o

and vote for someone who will make mylife better.”

Other projects teach individuals a specific set of skills, such as how to increasecrop yields through proper use of fertilizersand crop rotation or how to use special fil-ters to strain from drinking water fleas thatcarry the debilitating Guinea worm disease.

In Ethiopia, an extension agentdescribed how life was renewed for farmerswho now can feed their once-starving fami-lies and, for the first time, export maize.

The Carter Center also empowers people by giving our partners credit for the advances they make when we worktogether on a project. Acknowledging theirachievements builds community pride, con-tinuing commitment, and ongoing hope.

We give people a reason to believe the future will be better. We strengthentheir technical capacity, so their spirits may soar. When you are part of the Carter

2

UP FRONT

Building hope is the ultimate goal ofthe Carter Center’s mission to wagepeace and fight disease worldwide.

We empower people to take control oftheir own problems by sharing with themthe knowledge they need to build a morepositive future.

Sometimes our efforts involve a broad-scale process, such as how to includeall major sectors of society in preparing anational development strategy. Similarly,we work with political parties and govern-ments before, during, and after elections toensure fair rules of play so the final ballotcount will reflect the voters’ true choice.

People become empowered as individuals when systems are changed. I’ll never forget the woman I met at apolling station in Mozambique, who hadwalked four kilometers to cast her first ballot. She said, “I know I can now decide about the leader of my country

Peace and Health Programs Collaborate in Sudan

Sudan, a country mired in a cycle ofviolence, poverty, and disease, hasbeen a prime focus of the Carter

Center’s joint health and peace efforts for the last decade. The Center has tried to shine a beacon of hope on one of the world’s longest internal wars, wherearmed conflict and rampant disease arecontinuing challenges.

The Center has helped re-establishdiplomatic relations between Sudan andUganda through the Nairobi PeaceAgreement negotiated by former U.S.President Jimmy Carter in 1999, encourageSudanese rebel armies to come to the nego-tiating table, return child soldiers to theirfamilies, and control debilitating diseases.

Two million people have died in fighting or through war-related famine in a 20-year civil war often described simplis-tically as a struggle for liberation by black

From the Executive Director

Center family, you are part of an effort not only to strengthen nations’ social and political processes but also to changethe lives of individuals, the real key to permanent progress.

John Hardman, M.D.

been dislocated, left homeless, or forcedinto exile. The Carter Center is one of few international organizations doinghealth work in areas controlled by both thegovernment of Sudan and opposition forces.

Sudan represents the last great hurdleto eradicating Guinea worm disease andcontrolling blinding trachoma and riverblindness. According to Dr. DonaldHopkins, associate executive director of the Center’s health programs, Sudan is themost highly endemic country for Guineaworm disease, which has been reduced bymore than 98 percent worldwide.

“We find it’s very difficult to implement most of the health activitieswhere peace does not exist,” said Dr.Jeremiah Ngondi, the Center’s trachomadata manager for Sudan. “Looking at allthe organizations working in southernSudan, The Carter Center is the most

Alex Little trains participants in conflictresolution skills at the Sudan Release andRehabilitation Agency headquarters inRumbek, South Sudan.

Christians in the south from Arab Muslimsin the north. Another four million have

Pho

to b

y B

en H

offm

an

Pho

to b

y Ju

lie B

enz

3

UP FRONT

aggressive on health and peace issues. The work the Center is doing is quiteindispensable because we try to provide an ‘extended package’ in both peace andhealth initiatives.”

The interdependence of health andpeace efforts is clear in the Center’s treat-ment of Guinea worm. In 1995, PresidentCarter negotiated a six-month “Guineaworm cease-fire” in southern Sudan, allow-ing health workers to travel to the regionand treat the most severe cases. Last June,the Center helped distribute almost eightmillion personal pipe filters throughoutSudan, one for every man, woman, andchild at risk for Guinea worm disease. Thepipe filters allow for nomadic and displacedpeoples to filter drinking water whereverthey go.

The Carter Center Trachoma ControlProgram and its partners in the Vision2020 project are working in Sudan andother developing countries, where 90 percent of the world’s blind live. Trachomais the world’s leading cause of preventableblindness.

Vision 2020 held a meeting inKhartoum in February on how to target the major causes of preventable blindnessand coordinate future plans to:

• Increase awareness of blindness as amajor public health issue

• Control the major causes of blindness

• Train ophthalmologists to provide appropriate eye care, and

• Create an infrastructure tomanage the problem.

In addition, the InternationalTrachoma Initiative, a collaboration of organizationsworking to control the disease worldwide and amember of Vision 2020, has earmarked even moreZithromax® pills for treat-ment in Sudan. The CarterCenter helps the SudanTrachoma Control Programto acquire the drug donationfor distribution in infectedcommunities.

Meanwhile, the Center’sConflict Resolution Programhas made great strides inimplementing the NairobiAgreement, which calls for Sudan and Uganda torenounce the use of force,disarm terrorist groups, cease support to rebel groups,and return prisoners of warand child abductees to their families.

The countries have resumed diplomatic relations, each posting anambassador in the other’s capital. Sudanhas stopped its support of the Lord’sResistance Army, a northern Ugandan

rebel force that has terrorized that area’s Acholi community. Sudanalso recently allowedUgandan soldiers to fightthe LRA inside southernSudan, a gesture of increasing cooperation.

Since January, programstaff have trained Sudanesegovernment leaders andtheir adversaries in southernSudan in negotiating skillsand mediation techniques.President Carter, after opening an internationalGuinea worm meeting in

Khartoum and meeting with governmentleaders, went to southern Sudan in Marchto open one of the workshops and meetwith rebel leaders to assess the currentpeace process.

Over the past 20 years, two million Sudanese people have

died in fighting or through war-related famine. Another four

million have been dislocated, lefthomeless, or forced into exile.

“Sudan, for all its disease, war, andfamine, showcases why The Carter Centerhas been successful as an internationalorganization—its health and peace programs work collaboratively to address a country’s needs,” said Dr. Ben Hoffman,director of the Center’s Conflict Resolution Program.

Conflict Resolution Program Director Ben Hoffman discusses training goals with Sudan Peoples LiberationMovement official Kuol Manyang.

Kelly Callahan, Carter Center resident technical adviser in Nairobi, educated people in communities insouthern Sudan in the proper use of pipe filters that can help prevent Guinea worm disease.

Pho

to b

y A

lex

Littl

e

Pho

to b

y T

he C

arte

r C

ente

r

4

Excerpts from President Carter’s uncensored live broadcast to the Cubanpeople from the University of Havana:

Iwant the people of the United Statesand Cuba to share more than a love

of baseball and wonderful music. I wantus to be friends and to respect eachother. … … Because the United Statesis the most powerful nation, we shouldtake the first step.

First, my hope is that the Congresswill soon act to permit unrestricted travel between the United States andCuba, establish open trading relation-ships, and repeal the embargo. … … Second, I hope that Cuba and the United States can resolve the 40-year-old property disputes with somecreativity. … … Third, … many Cubansin South Florida remain angry over theirdeparture and their divided families. Weneed to define a future so they can serveas a bridge of reconciliation betweenCuba and the United States. …

Democracy is a framework that permits a people to accommodatechanging times and correct past mistakes. … … Cuba has adopted asocialist government in which one political party dominates and people are not permitted to organize any oppo-sition movements. Your constitutionrecognizes freedom of speech and association, but other laws deny thesefreedoms to those who disagree with the government.

It is gratifying to note that Articles63 and 88 of your constitution allow citizens to petition the NationalAssembly to permit a referendum tochange laws if 10,000 or more citizenssign it. … … When Cubans exercisethis freedom to change laws peacefullyby a direct vote, the world will see thatCubans, and not foreigners, will decidethe future of this country.

For the full text of President Carter’sspeech, click on “Activities by Country” at www.cartercenter.org.

“They would like to see more Americanstraveling to Cuba and exchanging ideas.”

During the trip, the Cuban govern-ment gave the Center mission carte blancheaccess to people and places. The missionmet with religious leaders and human

rights activists—people not usually granted a public forum for their opinions—including organizers of the Varela Project, agrassroots petition drive seeking a nationalreferendum to guarantee freedom of speechand assembly and free elections. PresidentCarter also met with Vladimiro Roca, whohad just been released two months earlyfrom a five-year prison term for publishingdocuments criticizing the Cuban govern-ment, and with Cuban journalists seekinggreater freedom of the press.

The mission also toured a biotechfacility, a medical school, an AIDS sanitarium, a school for disabled children,and an agricultural production cooperative,where free enterprise thrives: Private farmers sell their produce alongside state-owned stalls in farmers’ markets in the cities.

In full discussions with the Cuban government, President Carter noted

Cuba, cont.continued from cover page

President Carter and Americas Program Director Jennifer McCoy met with humanrights leaders in Cuba to hear their concerns and to discuss a petition movement calledthe Varela Project, calling for a referendum on freedom of expression, amnesty for political prisoners, and a chance for citizens to own small businesses.

President Carter and President Castroheld a series of formal and informal discussions.

UP FRONT

progress from its economic reforms anduniversal medical care afforded Cuban citizens but also presented his concerns on human rights issues.

“We hope Cubans will continue thisdebate among themselves, as it is Cubanswho must decide for themselves the futuredirection of their country,” Dr. McCoy said.

Pho

to b

y A

nnem

arie

Poy

o

Pho

to b

y A

nnem

arie

Poy

o

continued on page 6

5

PEACE

PROFILE: EDMUND J. CAIN

Shaping Nations’ VisionsMeans Looking Beyondthe Past

During his 30-year career at theUnited Nations, Ed Cain experi-enced some of the most devastating

humanitarian crises in modern history—the events which led to Afghanistan’sdescent into chaos and despair, the flight of Kurds from northern Iraq into south-eastern Turkey during the Gulf Crisis, thesuffering of a collapsed Somali society, and the haunting aftermath of the massivegenocide in Rwanda. Cain sees the rootcauses of all these man-made disasters inthe failure of these societies to developpolitically, economically, and socially.

Through it all, he retained the viewthat it is possible to avoid such human suffering and threats to world peace, abelief that attracted him to internationalservice and, little more than a year ago,

In an effort to help resolve Venezuela’spolitical crisis following the ouster andthen reinstallation of the president

in April, former U.S. President JimmyCarter met with the government and majoropposition groups in Caracas in July.

Although the opposition was not yet ready to engage in direct talks withVenezuela President Hugo Chavez, commitments were obtained from the government to address certain concernsabout press freedom, refrain from counter-marches during opposition demonstrationsin July, continue dialogue with business and financial leaders over controversialdecree-laws, recognize the newly reformedlabor confederation, respect decisions ofother branches of government, and work

Venezuela Calls on Carter to Initiate Dialogueharmoniously to designate new members for the national elections commission. Inaddition, the government agreed to revampthe dialogue process and seek support fromthe United Nations Development Program,Organization of American States, and TheCarter Center.

“It remains my hope that theVenezuelan government and oppositiongroups will pursue constructive talks to settle immediate pressing differences andthen set in place a long-term process thatwill include all sectors of society in healingthe nation’s wounds,” said President Carter.

President Carter and Carter Centerpeace programs staff met with a wide rangeof actors in the crisis, including PresidentChavez, Vice President Jose Vicente

drew him to The CarterCenter as director of itsGlobal DevelopmentInitiative.

The Initiative is the perfect instrument for someone driven by idealism,tempered by pragmatism.The program attempts to get countries to look beyondobstacles and differences that prevented them fromdeveloping to envision asociety where all strive towork together peacefully to plan and implement common goals.

Rangel, cabinet ministers, news media executives, Catholic bishops, oppositionpolitical parties, civil society leaders, theConfederation of Venezuelan Workers, government political parties, the umbrellabusiness organization Fedecámaras,National Assembly leaders, the inter-national diplomatic corps, the OAS, and UNDP.

“Venezuela’s problems are complex and divisions within the country are deep.Our goal is to initiate a long-term processthat will lead to inclusive governance andultimately strengthen the deep tradition of democracy in Venezuela,” said Dr.Jennifer McCoy, director of the Center’sAmericas Program.

6

PEACE

KEY PIECE IN PEACEMAKING

“We’re probably the Center’s least understood program,” Cain contends.“Development is such an amorphous andmultifaceted challenge. It is not easy toexplain or see successes in sound bytes orsnapshots. Sustainable development is along-term process requiring sound policyplanning that includes all sectors of societyand effective implementation, which usually involves some form of capacity-building and facilitation to succeed. Whileresolving conflicts and ensuring free and

Following the Carter Center’sDevelopment Cooperation Forum at which leaders said the world is

not on target for cutting global povertyin half by 2015, former U.S. PresidentJimmy Carter traveled to the U.N. conference on economic developmentin March, where he called for urgentaction on several fronts.

At the conference in Monterrey,Mexico, President Carter and EdmundCain, director of the Center’s GlobalDevelopment Initiative, discussed withfinance and development ministers from some 60 countries how to achieveglobal human security by increasingdevelopment assistance and its effec-tiveness. They also urged fairer tradeconditions for poor countries, increaseddebt relief and investment, and goodgovernance in developing countries.

“A more just and fair world benefitsall,” President Carter said. “Reducingpoverty is in the national interest of allcountries. Poverty weakens democracyand its institutions. We cannot havegenuine human security for all untilpoverty and human suffering are moreeffectively addressed.”

The Monterrey conference cappedthe Global Development Initiative’stwo-day forum at which World BankPresident James Wolfensohn, UnitedNations Development ProgrammeAdministrator Mark Malloch Brown,the presidents of three developing countries, and other leaders from civilsociety and the private sector called on wealthy countries to commit morefinancial resources to combat poverty.

“The Carter Center’s forum calledattention to the urgent need to movebeyond rhetoric and put into action theresources necessary for a serious assaulton poverty,” Cain said. “The Monterreyconference not only tested the politicalwill of wealthy countries to help theirpoorer neighbors but also challengeddeveloping countries to commit tosound policies that would attractincreased resources.”

The target to cut poverty is one of seven Millennium DevelopmentGoals unanimously endorsed by theSeptember 2000 U.N. MillenniumGeneral Assembly in New York. Othertargets include decreasing by half the1.2 billion people living on less than $1 a day and ensuring all children areenrolled in primary school by 2015.

fair elections are important to achievingpeace, sound country-owned developmentstrategies are fundamental to preserving it.As President Carter once said, ‘Peace is nota piecemeal proposition.’ It takes all thework of our Center to achieve peace.”

Of course, that work also requiresresources and resourcefulness like thatdemonstrated by a DevelopmentCooperation Forum at The Carter Centerin February, which helped stir response inthe international donor community to theplight of the developing world. The forumbrought together leaders of internationaldevelopment organizations and countrieswhere the Initiative is actively involved.

“We timed our forum to precede the

Monterrey conference, with the hope ofinfluencing issues we felt needed to beaddressed there,” Cain says.

Forum participants pointed to disturbing trends in efforts to achieve theMillennium Development Goals endorsedby U.N. member nations two years ago.Those goals call for the number ofextremely impoverished people—the 1.2 billion who live on less than $1 a day—to be reduced by half by 2015, and foradequate education, health care, and environmental preservation worldwide.

SETTING A NEW COURSE

“We are nowhere near where we should bein moving toward these goals,” Cain says.“The world’s most powerful countries havebeen talking about these issues, at the G-8Summit and the Davos Economic Forum,but they are not doing enough to generatethe resources and support actions necessaryto achieve these goals and, thereby, beginto reduce human suffering meaningfully.”

When President Bush announcedplans to boost significantly the U.S. foreignaid budget days before the Monterrey con-ference, Cain saw it as a step in the rightdirection and attributes the decision in part to a recognition that the currentresults-oriented, businesslike approach to achieving targeted development goals is now worth investing in and that growingeconomic disparities in today’s world contribute to global insecurity.

“The Global Development Initiative is working with four countries—Albania,Guyana, Mali, and Mozambique—to trynew ways to create a sound socio-economicenvironment necessary for sustainabledevelopment,” Cain says. “There is no one template that fits all. Each countryputs its own imprint on the strategy,depending on its unique situation.

“We believe that as people see resultsfrom their plans, ethnic tension and equityissues will dissipate, and donor countrieswill see that aid really can create oppor-tunity and hope.”

Cain, cont.continued from page 5

Olayinka Creighton-Randall, director of the Campaign for Good Governance in Sierra

Leone, had some reasons to feel satisfiedwith her nation’s May 14 presidential andparliamentary elections. The incumbentpresident, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, drivenout of the country briefly by rebels lessthan five years ago, won re-election by alarge majority who believed that a vote

7

PEACE

for Kabbah was a vote for more peacefultimes. The Carter Center and other inter-national observers hailed the Sierra Leonepeople for their commitment to democracy.

The Campaign for Good Governancein Sierra Leone published the only summary of all the party platforms dis-tributed nationwide after the Campaignpressed the parties to articulate their views.These brochures will help voters hold their

elected officials accountable for somethingbeyond vague promises. The organizationalso monitored controversial voter registration.

Beyond the importance of the elections,Randall sees a “Herculean” effort ahead inbringing true democracy and sustainablepeace to her severely challenged land.

“If the issues that led to our wars arenot addressed, such as corruption andhuman rights abuses, then peace here isvery precarious,” she said.

Leaders of past uprisings headed twoparties on the ballot. One party is accusedof killing thousands, severing the arms

Sierra Leone CompletesElection, Seeks Lasting Peace

The island nation of East Timorcelebrated its independence fromIndonesia on May 20, 2002, the

culmination of a three-year, CarterCenter-supported process.

“The Carter Center was proud toassist the people of East Timor as theyworked toward independence,” saidRachel Fowler, senior program associatein the Democracy Program. “Especiallyconsidering the conflict-ridden history of the region, the country’s leaders andits citizens are to be congratulated on apeaceful transition.”

Carter Center involvement in East Timor began in 1999 when theCenter monitored a referendum vote for independence, which was marred byexcessive violence in the weeks after theballoting. The Center reported publiclyon links between the Indonesian militaryand pro-integration militia in East Timor, who intimidated and harassedpro-independence supporters prior to the referendum. Subsequent steps towardindependence, including the August2001 election of a Constituent Assembly,the drafting of a constitution, and theApril 2002 election of “Xanana” Gusmãoas president, were peaceful. In its state-ment following the presidential election,

the Center declared successful ballotingthat clearly met international standardsfor freeness and fairness.

“While the new country has begunto create the institutions of democracy,the challenge remains to strengthen

government functions and build avibrant civil society,” said Fowler. “It is the responsibility of Timorese civilsociety and the elected government, with the full support of the internationalcommunity, to work toward that end.”

East Timor First New Nation of the Century

Alexandre “Xanana” Gusmão delivers his acceptance speech after the results ofEast Timor’s presidential election were announced, with 82 percent of the votein his favor.

Pho

to b

y Je

ffrey

Map

ende

re

continued on page 8

8

PEACE

In April and May 2002, the presiden-tial elections in the West African

nation of Mali went to two rounds, with Amadou Toumani Touré emergingvictorious amid allegations of vote-rigging, public protests, recounts, and legal wranglings. Carter Centerobservers present for the entire processwitnessed some disturbing irregularities.

“During the first round of the elections, there were widespread prob-lems with the distribution of electionmaterials, including ballot papers, aswell as reports of vote-buying and theillegal circulation of proxy votes. Theseirregularities were serious constraints onthe successful conduct of the elections.We were even more concerned with thetabulation process at the national leveland our inability to observe all aspects of this process,” said Senior DemocracyProgram Associate David Pottie.

The first round balloting on April 28

showed Touré (known popularly as“ATT”) and ruling party candidateSoumaila Cisse as the top two vote-getters, but neither got the outrightmajority needed to avoid a runoff.Moreover, several of the other 21 presidential candidates claimed thatrampant fraud and mismanagementshould have invalidated the first round.Although more than half a million voteswere discarded due to irregularities inthe count, Mali’s Constitutional Courtdecided the results were valid and therunoff would occur on May 12.

Turnout for that vote was far lessthan the 2.2 million who cast votes inthe first round. Still, tabulating therunoff votes was a lengthy and question-able process. “The conduct of the elections during the second round wasmuch improved, and the tabulationprocess was less complicated with onlytwo candidates,” Pottie said.

Center Monitors Mali Electionsand legs of thousands more, and usingthousands of children as soldiers.

“The people’s biggest fear was thatthese new party leaders would claim the election fraudulent and revert to past violent tactics,” Randall said.“International observers from The Carter Center and other organizationsadded credibility to the election results.But The Carter Center is unique in that itlooks beyond an election to help determinewhat needs to be done to build democracyand lasting peace.”

Because neighboring Liberia’s leader-ship supported the insurgency in SierraLeone, increased instability in Liberia alsoconcerns Randall, particularly any influx of refugees from Liberia and cross-borderraids on Sierra Leone diamond mines tofinance war machines. The Carter Center’s22-member observer team included sixleaders of nongovernmental religious andhuman rights organizations in Liberia. Inmeetings facilitated by The Carter Center,they and two team members from Guineaworked with representatives of sister organizations in Sierra Leone to coordinate peace efforts.

“The Carter Center looks beyondan election to help determine

what needs to be done to builddemocracy and lasting peace.”

—Olayinka Creighton-Randall,Campaign for Good Governancein Sierra Leone

“The violent conflicts that have devastated these countries in the pastdecade are intricately related to eachother,” said Ashley Barr, who organized theCenter’s election mission. “Communityleaders in all three nations have begun tointerweave their efforts to enhance thelikelihood of sustainable peace and respectfor human rights in the region.”

With a U.N. peacekeeping official looking on, an election official displays a ballot sopolitical party agents can confirm it is being counted for the correct candidate.

Pho

to b

y A

shle

y B

arr

Sierra Leone, cont.continued from page 7

Meeting at The Carter Center,more than 60 experts at January’sConference on the Eradicability

of Onchocerciasis concluded that riverblindness in the Americas can be elimi-nated with current knowledge and tools.

Their view reinforces findings of theCenter’s International Task Force forDisease Eradication, which independentlyevaluated results from efforts against riverblindness in the six endemic countries anddetermined that eradication of this diseaseis possible in the region.

Eradication is defined as “interrupting transmission of the disease agent to the extentthat the disease cannot recur

even after specific control measures are ended.”

The conference was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation andorganized by the Center and the WorldHealth Organization. Donald Hopkins,M.D., Carter Center associate executivedirector for health programs, co-chaired the

meeting withMaria Neira,M.D., of theWorld HealthOrganization.Attendees heardexperts report onstrategies againstriver blindnessexecuted over the last 25 yearsin medicine,research, andsocial science.One emphasiswas on mass

distribution of the safe and effective oralmedication ivermectin or Mectizan®,donated by Merck & Co. for as long asnecessary to bring about global control of river blindness.

“Onchocerciasis in the Americasstrikes the poorest of the poor,” said Dr. Mauricio Sauerbrey, director,

9

HEALTH

Onchocerciasis Elimination Program of the Americas, headquartered in GuatemalaCity. “The people who can benefit fromthe Merck donation live in small villagesin remote rural areas. Delivery of the drugis difficult and hard to sustain. That is whyit is so important to eradicate the condi-tion completely: so it will never return.”

The Center works in partnership withthe Pan American Health Organization,the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention, the Lions Clubs, and the ministries of health of the six affectedLatin America countries —Mexico,Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador,and Brazil—to eradicate river blindnessfrom the Americas. In 2001, the programprogressed toward its goal of providingsemiannual treatment to at least 85 percentof those in need.

“Onchocerciasis came to the Americaswith Africans during the slave trade, andtransmission of the disease was establishedin only a few areas of this hemisphere,” saidFrank Richards, M.D., technical director,Global 2000 River Blindness Program. “I hope we can use the momentum fromthis conference to get the resources weneed to wipe out one of the remaining vestiges of slavery.”

Conference Targets River BlindnessEradication in the Americas

In communities throughout the WestAfrican country of Benin, mothers arebeing enlisted in the war against

Guinea worm disease. Beginning in March 2001, three

women with university training wererecruited by the Guinea Worm EradicationProgram and assigned to Mono, Zou, andCollines, the country’s most endemicdepartments. These women, called socialassistants, were the first of a future networkof mothers in the most endemic communi-ties. Each mother trains others to search

Mothers Join the Fight AgainstGuinea Worm Disease

for cases of the disease, log cases in the village register, and apply occlusive bandages. They also inspect and distributewater filters, demonstrate correct use and care of filters, verify that ponds are treatedmonthly with the insecticide ABATE®, and encourage use of potable water, whereavailable. The mothers make rounds twicea month among at least 25–35 households.Women leaders in the community alsoselected other women for training.

“Involving women more directly in the

continued on page 10

10

HEALTH

eradication of Guinea worm disease hashad a positive effect,” said Ms. KellyMcElmurray, technical adviser to Benin’sGuinea Worm Eradication Program.“Women are present in the village dailyand can report cases quickly. Becausemothers are responsible for obtaining waterfor household use, they take great care to note if people with Guinea worm areentering water sources to bathe or swim.”

Mothers played a positive role in stopping transmission ofGuinea worm disease in Benin,

where only 172 cases werereported in 2001.

With support from the villagers ofTchetti, one mother rallied against a negligent village volunteer when this manrefused to report an outbreak of Guineaworm disease because he did not want tobe embarrassed. The social assistant wentto the local radio station, which routinelyaired messages about preventing the

Forum Unveils GeorgiaSuicide Prevention Plan

More than 200 experts and members of the general publicgathered at the Rosalynn Carter

Georgia Mental Health Forum at TheCarter Center in May to witness theunveiling of Georgia’s first-ever suicide prevention plan.

The unfunded plan delineates stepsindividuals, agencies, and organizations cantake to meet 10 specific goals, includingimproving awareness of the problem, links to services, and reporting. It was commissioned by the state’s Division of

Mothers in the community are an important human resource as they teach others howto eradicate Guinea worm disease.

disease, announced the outbreak, anddenounced the irresponsible behavior ofthe village volunteer. Her interventionallowed the Guinea Worm EradicationProgram to take action immediately tocontain the outbreak.

With the positive role these womenplayed to stop transmission of Guinea

worm disease in Benin in 2001, where only 172 cases were reported, hopes arehigh. A fourth social assistant was recruitedand trained. This unique network of villagewomen volunteers will play a key role instopping transmission of the disease inBenin during 2002.

Pho

to b

y M

oniq

ue P

etro

fsky

Mothers, cont.continued from page 9

Public Health and prepared by the SuicidePrevention Advocacy Network.

In Georgia alone, some 850 peopletake their own lives each year —more than die by homicide—and another17,000 need emergency hospital care forinjuries related to attempted suicides. Also according to the state, suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death—afterunintentional injury and homicides —among those 15–24 years of age.

Other statistics show suicide rates arefive times higher for males than for females

and two times higher for whites than forAfrican-Americans. And three out of foursuicide deaths in Georgia involve a firearm.

“We need to call attention to the issue, to let people know

how prevalent suicide is.”—Former First Lady

Rosalynn Carter

The forum was highlighted by thetouching personal stories of Iris Bolton,whose son Mitch committed suicide at age 20, and of businessman LarryGellerstedt III, whose professional life

was forever altered when he courageouslyconfronted his depression. Also on handwas Pulitzer Prize-winning author ArtBuchwald, whose self-deprecating humorconveyed his own experience with depres-sion and contemplation of suicide.

“For too long,suicide has beenveiled in mysteryand misunder-standing, feared

11

HEALTH

Speaking at theRosalynn CarterGeorgia MentalHealth Forum,Suicide Preventionin Georgia: Healing and Hope, humorist Art Buchwaldreminded listenersthat people comeout of depressionsand there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Former U.S. Surgeon General DavidSatcher, M.D., Ph.D., joins the CarterCenter’s Mental Health Task Force

in September.“Mrs. Carter and I share a vision

for mental health in this country that centers on parity of access to mental healthservices in our health care system and theneed to erase the stigma against mental illness,” Dr. Satcher said. “I look forward toworking with a distinguished and dedicatedgroup of professionals who share the same goals.”

This fall, he also will assume the post of director of the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine.

As U.S. surgeon general and U.S.assistant secretary for health, he raised public awareness immeasurably with thefirst-ever report of a surgeon general onmental health. Dr. Satcher also has beendirector of the Centers for Disease Controland Prevention, administrator of theAgency for Toxic Substances and DiseaseRegistry, and president of Meharry MedicalCollege in Nashville, Tenn.

Chaired by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the Mental Health TaskForce identifies issues of major concern,convenes diverse constituencies, and develops initiatives to reduce stigma and discrimination against people withmental illnesses.

Satcher JoinsMental HealthTask Force

Center NamesNew MentalHealth Director

Thomas H. Bornemann, Ed.D.,M.S.W., senior adviser for mentalhealth with the World Health

Organization’s Department of MentalHealth and Substance Dependence, joinsThe Carter Center Aug. 1 as director of its Mental Health Program.

“We look forward to the leadershipThom can offer as we work to overcomestigma and the ignorance surrounding mental disorders, address public policyissues such as parity in mental health insurance coverage, and contribute to apositive shift in public sentiment towardpeople with mental illnesses,” said Dr. JohnHardman, the Center’s executive director.

Dr. Bornemann has worked extensivelywith refugee mental health and other

humanitarianassistance activi-ties. He has broadexperience inmental health policy, bothnationally andinternationally, including theapplication ofresearch findingsto practice and policy. He formerly servedat the National Institute of Mental Healthand as deputy director of the FederalCenter for Mental Health Services.

Among his varied activities, Dr. Bornemann helped develop the first Surgeon General’s Report on MentalHealth. Later, at the World HealthOrganization, he contributed to the World Health Report 2001, which focusedon mental health. He recently retired from the U.S. Public Health Service asassistant surgeon general.

rather than confronted. This refusal tothink and talk about suicide actually prevents us from preventing suicides,” said Kenneth Powell, M.D., Division ofPublic Health, Georgia Department ofHuman Resources, and a panelist for the forum.

Pho

to b

y R

ob G

aler

for peace and health worldwide, four boxes highlighting Center news, and asearch function posted on every page thatgives comprehensive results and specificdescriptions of documents in the site’sextensive archives.

Clicking on “Activities by Country”on the home page toolbar, users also canaccess an interactive map of projects bycontinent with links —either through themap or country names —to individualcountry briefings.

Newsletters, annual reports, andPresident Carter’s trip reports are online

in the “News andInformation” section,and a library of down-loadable publications,including older onesstill in demand, willsoon be on tap.

12

NEWS BRIEFS

Visitors to www.cartercenter.org will find a rocking new design and refined search features to

keep audiences informed and engaged in the Center’s mission to wage peace, fight disease, and build hope worldwide.Atlanta-based Web consultant DeepBlueDigital redesigned the site with input froma Center-wide staff committee.

“The new home page offers easier navigation to find information and puts a human face on our work,” said PublicInformation Director Deanna Congileo.

The Carter Center’s annualExecutive Briefing and PresidentialReception on June 21 drew 280

members of the Ambassadors Circle andLegacy Circle for exclusive project briefings, an informal question-and-answer session with President and Mrs. Carter, guided tours of the facility, and special exhibits.

Members traveled to the event inAtlanta from 32 states, with one partici-pant attending from Germany, and included some families with three generations of Carter Center supporters.

Center Hosts Supporters

cartercenter.org Gets Makeover

Featured there arephoto reels of theCenter’s partners

Founded in 1997, Ambassadors Circlehonors donors who make annual gifts of$1,000 or more to support the Center’sgeneral operations and programs. The1,400 members of the Ambassadors Circledonated $3 million in unrestricted funds tothe Center’s operating budget in 2001. TheLegacy Circle, which totals 225 members,provides support through estate and financial planning.

For Bernard and Anne Attal ofBrooklyn, N.Y., members of theAmbassadors Circle for three years,bringing their 10-year-old son Thomas was important. “We want him to know that not everyone in theworld has the same chance he has,” his

mother said. “We hope he will listen to the message that it is important when youreceive something, you should give some-thing in return.”

Said Thomas, “It feels like I havebrothers and sisters, and they’re beinghelped by the Center. I think it’s importantto help other children in the world who are sick.”

For more information on Ambassadors Circle,

contact Seema Shamsat 404/420-5134. Formore information onLegacy Circle, contactRhonda Schultz at

404/420-3868.