The first two photos come from Denise Lee, an incoming MPA in Development Practice student.

These photos were both taken on December 31, 2008 atop Ololokwe mountain, a sacred mountain to the Samburu people in North Eastern Kenya. This is an area where natural resources are being depleted at ever-increasing rates threatening the natural environment and the survival of wildlife in the region.  At the same time pastoralist communities are struggling as their economic development continues to be hindered by ethnic rivalries and insecurity.  The obstacles are tremendous, but I felt hopeful when learning about innovative new programs including the Northern Rangelands Trust which seeks to address both challenges by facilitating community-led conservation initiatives that improve human livelihoods, biodiversity conservation and rangeland management.

In the first photo our local Samburu guide, John, looks south towards Mount Kenya.  John is employed by a community owned and managed safari operation that offers trips up the mountain with local, experienced guides allowing visitors to experience the high altitude mist forest and panoramic vistas.

This photo shows three young Samburu Moran boys that we met with their cattle in the background.  It was striking to see tradition colliding with modernity particularly in the form of the automatic weapons they carried.  Samburu Moran boys moving from boyhood into manhood go up into Ololokwe for months at a time to live off the ground and prove their manhood.  The area is rife with conflict due to the Somalies and the Boran impinging on Samburu grazing ground.

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The next two photos come from Karina Nagin, an incoming MPA student.

First Photo:  Taken at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  The tour guide had just finished explaining to our group how important it was to be respectful and not climb on any of the ruins, we then turned a corner to see this group giggling and laughing while scaling the walls for a group picture.  They were having so much fun I had to snap a pic.

Second Photo: Taken in a small town outside Bangalore, India.  In 2008 I was working in Bangalore and was invited to a weekend function in my colleague’s village.  During the all day ceremony two sisters pulled me away to go play in the neighboring sunflower field. It was one of the highlights of my stay.

The first three images come from Jeff Berger, an incoming MIA student.

All three images were taken at the Marcavalle juvenile detention center in Cusco, Peru. Many of the boys there had committed serious crimes, yet the center operated like a strict summer camp rather than a prison. The youth are gradually prepared for reintegration into society through a special education system and hierarchical, merit-based programs.

Image #1 – Morning roll call.

Image #2 – Me and a few of the boys at a holiday celebration.

Image #3 – Two of the boys learning the art of the “field goal.” It took me days to find what may have been the only store in Cusco selling footballs.

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The next two photos were submitted by Bonita Treinen, an incoming MPA-DP student.

This first picture was taken in Lanzhou, China where I lived 2002-2003. I am drawn to signs of community in dense urban environments, and these guys embody that.

This second picture was taken in Thailand, where I lived 1998-2001. There’s nothing special about this picture, except that magic things happen every time I visit this little bay. Last time I was there a school of dolphins came up to play near me while I was out swimming alone.

The first three photos today were taken by Oritse Justin Uku, an incoming MIA student.

Farah Province, Afghanistan:  This is a picture of my HMMWV pulling security during a joint humanitarian assistance mission with the Afghan and Italian armies. It took us about 3 hours to get to the village cross-country. The Taliban fled just prior to our arrival. We ended up being out there all day because an IED was found and had to be dealt with.

Salzburg, Austria:  This photo was taken during the summer of 2007. I was on a tour with a class from business school that took us through Italy, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. I always enjoy visiting Austria. The people are friendly and it’s nice to speak in German again.

Great Wall of China:  I took this photo in the fall of 2002. A group of officers from my unit in South Korea took a long weekend trip to Beijing, China.

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The next two photos were submitted by Ingrid Nanne, an incoming MPA-DP student.

This is a picture of the teacher to teacher in-service I was interpreting for this summer. I volunteer with Helps International in Guatemala, the organization has an education program in a school they founded in the department of Quiché (a majority indigenous, rural area of the country). The part of the program I was involved with was helping translate between American teachers who were giving the in-service on teaching techniques to the Guatemalan teachers. The picture shows a group of the Guatemalan teachers and the school’s principal during the in-service.

This picture was taken outside of the school at recess, during a break in the in-service. Many people in the town of Santa Avelina where the school is, dislike having thier picture taken. This is because of numerous and different cultural and personal reasons, but the students at the school have gotten used to them and enjoy being photographed. In this image I asked the boys if it was ok that I took a picture of them, and almost all of them ran off giggling except for that boy who posed. The rest of the boys soon ran back and wanted their picture taken as well.

The first two photos today come from incoming MIA student Jessica Garrels.

Mai Lafiya in the Dakoro region of  Niger In my first year as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Niger–and before I could really talk to anyone–I decided to stay busy by trying to farm.  Unfortunately, when harvest time came, I realized I was not a very good subsistence farmer (millet, peanuts, hibiscus petals and leaves, beans).

MyHarvest – Mai Lafiya in the Dakoro region of Niger.

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The next three photos were submitted by Clarissa Baldin, an incoming MIA student.

Where the photo was taken: Gravataí, metropolitan region of Porto Alegre – capital of the province of Rio Grande do SUl, Brazil. Although this is not a “great shot”, it´s something I´d like to share with you because I was very touched. These people are part of a NGO called Corpo Voluntário de Resgate e Socorro. They work from Friday evening until Monday morning every weekend, when they remain in alert state 24h, in groups of at least 6 people per shift, helping on emergencies in the region, rescuing and providing emergency care for mainly car crash victims in the area of Gravataí. They are trained and skilled, theirs services are free of cost and not only the community but also the police and/or ambulances call them when unable to rescue the victims. Constantly struggling for resources to keep theirs work ongoing, they have already assisted over a thousand victims.

Where the photo was taken: São Miguel das Missões, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. This picture was taken on 26 December 2008, at the archeological site of São Miguel, during my roadtrip from south Brazil to Chile. The ruins are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Brazil. This is one os the remains of Jesuit missions built by the Guaranis and Jesuits during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Where the photo was taken: Andes, Chile. This picture was taken on 31st December 2008, also during my roadtrip. After 5h queuing to cross the border between Argentina and Chile, we were surprised by this marvellous landscape hidden by the mountains.

The first two photos today were submitted by Libby Abbott, an incoming MIA student who is also pursuing a dual degree with Public Health.

Barisal Division, Bangladesh:  From a young age girls join women in the daily tasks of washing clothes and cooking vessels and collecting water from the local pukurs, or ponds.

Banaras, Uttar Pradesh, India:  At dawn on the morning of Deep Depavali, the steps of Assi Ghat in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi (or Banaras), India are busy with offerings of flowers, candles, and water from the Ganga.

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The following photo was submitted by incoming MIA student, Olivia Barata Cavalcanti.

Ayeniah, Ghana:  It was the first day of school at the orphanage where I was volunteering and the kids were very excited about it!