The management of the conference was very efficient. We lost no time; every minute counted, so we could enjoy receiving all of the knowledge and information all of the time. I admire the conference's management.

And the first thing for me, to learn about this kind of meeting, about how the board meeting and representatives of CARE from all over the world coming together, this was most impressive. It gave me the change to understand the feeling of CARE employees from all over the world. This is good for the board, and I also learned.

Every year, we have a board meeting at the CI Secretariat and then in one other part of the world. But this time, we were able to learn from all spots, all over the world. Like a shopping center, we could choose from all things we were interested in and get to know those people. I want to hear everything.

CARE USA and the other CI organizations can be proud to support this conference. In terms of cost benefit, this conference was excellent.  

Many interesting things have been happening at this conference. For example, I find the "I Am Powerful" campaign very interesting. With a few small changes, it could be used in Burundi for fundraising purposes. I would like to visit a website where I could learn more about this campaign and see how it has been used.

 Another example is partnerships - how can partnerships between the north and the south hold accountable our governments and authorities. This was quite interesting for me, since one of our missions at African Public Radio is to try to hold our authorities accountable and to make people understand that our governments have got to be accountable.

I think that now, because of CARE's international presence, local NGOs benefit from CARE's presence, in terms of capacity building, and even in terms of a type of protection and endorsement of credibility at the local level. It is very difficult for local NGOs to get funds from the West, unless it happens through an international NGO. You can have a great project and you can present it, but you must be credible and you've got to be with an international NGO. 

We can learn skills through CARE, because CARE regularly holds workshops on financial and program management. Local NGOs become aware of some structures and situations through international NGO's who have been working with grassroots organizations.

When I was following the presentation about "I Am Powerful", I noticed that CARE has changed many things. CARE has already changed many things. From my point of view, the way that CARE is working is already good, they way they adapt, etc.

When you focus your work on women, it is a marketing technique that can work for radio and local NGOs in Burundi. "Je suis forte." The fact that it focuses on the grassroots community - this is great.

In regards to this morning's session, about how the World Bank brought about transparency with the government in Nigeria, I think that it's all great in theory, but how do we do these sorts of things with other governments?

I think the most inspiring talk today was by Ramesh Singh of ActionAid, because he talked about the new definition of poverty. We have expanded the narrative on poverty and how we definite it. It is no longer just about the haves and have nots; it's also about power and politics. He also talked about what is exciting in this context - social movements and citizen participation.

The World Bank presentation was very inspiring because people in these institutions are really backing our work. It is worthwhile to work closely with them. Due to our far-reaching global network, we are in a good position to spread messages all over the world. We have the politicians in our countries and in the civil societies. I think it is important to find people like Dr. Okongo-Iweala who are partnering with us and who are compassionate.

One thing that came out for me this morning, and very strongly, was that I was very inspired by the courage of the people at the community level.  I wish that CARE could become as courageous as these people. That would be a very big step.

I really enjoyed the last speaker this morning - Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of the World Bank. What she was able to accomplish in Nigeria, by having the revenues published with the government, increased transparency and allowed local governments and communites to demand the servieces that they knew their local governments were receiving. It was amazing.

I found the contrast between the individual stories we heard, and the macro view from ActionAid and the World Bank, very interesting. Particularly the notion of the poor demonstrating that they want help, that they're demanding help, and that with a little intervention, the change they can effect on their own. This has to occur from the bottom, for the macro to make a difference.

I think that one of the key messages is how we will link the local to macro, and how best to do this. This challenges how CARE does its work. CARE focuses on local capacity, but without linking it, we will not reach the impact that we need.

My parents were these crazy back-to-the earth people in the '70s. They bought a 100 acres of land that included a 200 year farmhouse with no electricity, no running water and no plumbing. We moved there when I was four. I remember using the outhouse and being scared of the spiders.

Our house was located one mile up the dirt road; the road was so muddy we had to walk in the mud. My father was a history professor and a Maoist, so I had a little red book as a child. He believed that "physical labor frees the mind", so he had me do things like move a compost pile from one area of the yard to another, to prevent me from becoming too illectual.

My mother sewed all of my clothes. I was reading books on the holocaust at the age of 4. '70s people thought their kids would change the world - that they would make social activists out of their kids. And so my parents did. It's like if you parents are doctor. Roots aired on television when I was in the 4^th grade; it made me so upset, I didn't go to school for a week!

My daughter is two and I'd like for her to grow up in an international environment, to be a child of the world. But I'm not raising her the same way that I was raised!