Think Creative - Issue 1

Think Creative by Creative Associates International

CREATIVE SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Letter from Leland Kruvant President & CEO Creative Associates International

Founder & Board Chairperson Charito Kruvant President & CEO Leland Kruvant Chief Operating Officer Pablo Maldonado Chief Financial Officer Oswaldo Holguin Senior Vice President Thomas Wheelock Senior Vice President Earl Gast VP, External Relations Jessica Kruvant VP, Global Operations Mario Vilela VP, Business Development Sharon Cooley Senior Director, Communications Michael J. Zamba Communications Manager Marta S. Maldonado Strategic Content Manager Jillian Slutzker Art Direction Amanda Smallwood Writers Natalie Lovenburg Evelyn Rupert Copy Editor Jennifer Brookland Front End Developer Luis Aguilar Contributing Photographers EDITORIAL STAFF

Welcome to Think Creative , our newmagazine that connects you to our people and projects around the world. Youmay ask yourself: When every- thing is digital, why start amaga- zine?We love print because we read it differently; we see images and illustrations vividly, andwhenwe share themwe do sowith a greater sense of connectedness. We have these tactile products with us even when our technology turns off. Through Think Creative —inaugu- rated as part of our 40th anni- versary celebration—youwill be transported to fascinating projects around the globe, learn about devel- opment innovations andmeet our talented staff.

onUSAID’s behalf. Think Creative is organized into distinct sections ranging fromnews updates called “Dispatches” to “Creative Life.” In this last section, youwill meet Jackie Ogega, who was raised in a small village among the Kisii people in Southwestern Kenya. Jackie poured her energy into education, earned a Ph.D., be- came a gender champion and today is a keymember of Creative’s staff. Thank you for setting down your digital device and reading Think Creative . Please share it! I look forward to doing the same. Sincerely,

In this first issue, our cover story called “How toHeal” takes you to Nigeria’s northeastern state of Bor- no, the epicenter of BokoHaram’s destruction. This terrorist group has raided communities, targeted schools and forcedmore than 2.5 million people to flee their homes. Those displaced by the violence find themselves in far-off locations with few resources and little hope. School-aged children are partic- ularly traumatized. Fortunately, USAID’s EducationCrisis Response project is engaging officials and communities to enroll school-aged displaced children into non-formal learning programs, which include Social Emotional Learning to help themovercome trauma. We are honored to implement the project

20 Feature Stories

20 p. Success in family strength

20 // Success in family strength: Program steers minority youth away from violence 22 // A place in the classroom: Deaf and hard of hearing youth pave the way to accessible education

25 Creative Life A mission-driven community

Sara Barger Skip Brown Erick Gibson Jim Huylebroek David Snyder

26 // Staff Spotlight: Jackie Ogega: A champion for gender equality 27 // • Culture Corner: Tunisian Arabic • Staff Photo Submissions • Did you know? Nicaragua’s boat commuters 28 // On Board! Six distinguished experts join Creative’s Global Advisory Board 29 // • Q&A: What makes you the most proud? • Staff nationalities represented at HQ • Creative Events 30 // Walk this Way: A day in the life of Rene Urrutia

Think Creative is published three times a year by Creative Associates International, a global development organization dedicated to supporting people around the world to realize the positive change they seek. The content is produced by Creative and does not represent the policies or positions of its clients, partners or host governments. Reproduction of any or all of Think Creative is prohibited without prior written permission. Copyright ©2017.

Meet Jackie! 26 p.

For more information about Think Creative , please email us at ThinkCreative@CreativeDC.com

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of the El Salvador Crime & Violence Prevention Project

Photos by Skip Brown (top & bottom); Gustavo Ochoa (center)

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