Introducing myself and my journal: Women on the Verge

About Me:
My current passion is working with a group of Sudanese refugees known as the Lost Girls of Sudan. I am collaborating with award winning filmmaker Deborah Fryer, writer Leah Bassoff and a group of 3 Sudanese undergraduates--Inne, Nakwa, and Atilio to gather oral histories about important stories about the Lost Girls' flight from civil war in Sudan.

I also have worked as a Fulbright researcher in Tanzania on conservation and human rights issues with Maasai communities in the Serengeti region and in Kenya as a project director for Operation Crossroads Africa. I first became passionate about global equity, Africa and women as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya. When I was accepted to the Peace Corps in 1987, my father stopped talking to me and refused to acknowledge that I was going to Kenya which seemed far off and scary to him because of the U.S. media's negative focus on AIDS/ poverty and unrest. It was painful, but I persevered and teaching in Miranda near Kisumu Kenya changed the course of my life. This summer is my 20 year Peace Corps reunion.

My Passions:
global equity, women's empowerment, collaborative research and creative work

My Challenges:
Being so passionate that I get overcommitted; staying focused, grounded and balancing my work life with my commitment to my 2 young sons Charlie (7) and Simon (3)

My Vision for the Future:
Hope and Positive Change

My Areas of Expertise:
ethnographic research, grant writing, outreach, Africa