Summer 2011.pdf - Syracuse University Magazine

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MAlI 20 Syracuse University Magazine & NEAR FAR syracuse university and the near east foundation form a strategic alliance that is shaping the future of social and economic development abroad By ChRIStINE yACkEl In the hIgh AtlAs MountAIns of southern Morocco, gIrls who once spent their days out in the bush gathering firewood now regularly attend school, thanks to new cook stoves that reduce the amount of fuel needed each day. In the shantytowns of Casablanca, young men now face a brighter future because they are learning how to effectively communicate their needs to local officials. And in the West Bank, where conflict has dominated daily life for decades, Palestinian olive growers and Israeli olive oil producers may soon have an opportunity to build peace through cooperation by creating innovative collective businesses. None of these advances would be possible without the work of the Near East Foundation (NEF), an international aid organization that conducts a variety of economic and social development projects in Africa and the Middle East. “As peace talks are falling apart—stagnating at best—we have Palestinian and Israeli communities ready to strengthen their economic activities and build relationships of trust and mutual interdependence,” says Charles Benjamin, president of the Near East Foundation. “By maintaining intimate relationships with communities over time, we’re able to do a kind of work not many organizations can do.” For nearly a century, the Near East Foundation has transcended national and religious barriers to help some of the most vulnerable populations of the region achieve more productive lives. Now based at Syracuse University, NEF often succeeds where others fail because it is a non-governmental organization (NGO) with a local face. In a part of the world where so many people are reluctant to work with outsiders—particularly Americans—100 percent of NEF’s development professionals are from the region. “In the international development field, we know of so many instances when NGOs from the West go into these countries with good intentions and really screw things up because they don’t have the cultural sensitivities needed,” says Professor Mehrzad Boroujerdi, director of Syracuse University’s Middle Eastern Studies Program and an NEF board member. “Development work needs context and networking, and NEF has earned the trust and respect of the local communities because they know it doesn’t have a political or religious agenda.” MIssIon of Mercy Near East Relief, as NEF was known originally, was created in 1915 to help rescue an estimated 1.5 million Armenian refugees after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire Photos courtesy of Near East Foundation
Morocco “ By maintaining intimate relationships with communities over time, we’re able to do a kind of work not many organizations can do.” ChARlES BENjAMIN President of the Near East Foundation Summer 2011 21
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Page 17 and 18: uth Sullivan | dietary delightS Whe
Page 19 and 20: Farhana Sultana | World oF Water Fo
Page 21: tom Kennedy | digital Storytelling
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Page 37 and 38: Urban-dwellers and those who want t
Page 39 and 40: SU students take a stroll through F
Page 41 and 42: Sculpture professor Marion Wilson,
Page 43 and 44: trustee david B. falk ’72 and rho
Page 45 and 46: the falks talk with graduating spor
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Page 49 and 50: David Patterson ’68 (A&S) is exec
Page 51 and 52: pRIzeD JOuRNAlISm » two Alumni hon
Page 53 and 54: Robert sacha ’79 (A&S/neW), owner
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