Think Creative - Issue 1

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Dispatches

updates from around our world

El Salvador By Erick Gibson, Photographer/Videographer

I enjoy playing my role as photographer. I never know quite what to expect, but I go in with a blank frame to fill with portraits of people’s lives. In April, I photographed the opening of a playground and basketball court, part of larger infrastructure project in Usulután, El Salvador. In the days before the event, I watched the community work together to apply the finishing touches and bring this colorful fixture to life with the common goal of giving joy to their children and improving the quality of life for neighborhood residents. The real magic happened the day of the ceremony, after the national anthem was played and just before the speeches of city officials. Five young boys, children who attended a nearby Outreach Center, charged in front of the crowd with drawn-on beards and homemade sombreros, lip-syncing a lively performance of “Ay Chabela.” The boys’ comedic mariachi performance delighted family, friends and neighbors and surprised me, snapping away behind the lens. In this moment, the photography was easy, with smiles and laughter at every turn and children sprinting off to use the freshly painted playground, even before it was officially unveiled. Thinking back on the experience, I realize the importance of cultivating a sense of community and positivity and the resulting hope that instills in people. My role as photographer was to capture that sentiment on the faces of the children and families present that day. I am happy to say that in this instance, that is exactly what the pictures reveal.

In this Issue 07 Dispatches Updates from around our world 08 // Coding in the Caribbean

How to Heal 14 p.

09 // • Mimi’s Place: Zambian preschoolers prepped for school • Unlocking the potential of Afghan women • Field Notes 10 // Journey tthrough Afghanistan: Inside Creative’s digital book tracking system, “Track and Trace” 11 // Alianza Joven: Honduras violence prevention project comes to a close, but legacy lives on 12 // In Focus: Developing Afghanistan’s workforce

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14 Cover Package

Track & Trace

How to Heal: In Boko Haram’s wake, Social Emotional Learning helps displaced children

11 p. Alianza Joven comes to a close

ON THE COVER: Photograph by Erick Gibson for Think Creative . Aisha is a beneficiary of USAID’s Education Crisis Response project in Nigeria.

Photos by Erick Gibson (top & center); David Snyder (bottom)

4 | Think Creative | Issue 1