Category: Lessons Learned from…

Best Practices and ideas from experienced individuals and groups working on the ground.

Looking Back on China (2): Socialism or Capitalism?

“No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat, as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat.”  It was probably the most influential quote of Deng Xiaoping, the Chief Architect of Chinese Reform and Opening, who further interpreted that “Do not restrict yourself from the difference between Socialism …

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Singapore: Immigration Dilemma in a Small Country

Will a country where there are 18,943 people in per square mile open its door for more immigrants? The Singapore government says yes. The Lee Hsien Loong administration published its latest population white paper in January, in which the government projects to increase its population to 6 million in 2030. This ambitious blueprint will be …

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Parenting a Transgender Child

What does “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child” mean to you? What I know first-hand about childhood is that mine didn’t happen in a nurturing environment, so I sought and received approval and support from the loving parents of my childhood friends.  They were, and still are, my village.  It doesn’t take an …

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Why Education for Girls is a Worthwhile Investment

“First, I think girls’ education may be the single most cost-effective kind of aid work. It’s cheap, it opens minds, it gives girls new career opportunities and ways to generate cash, it leads them to have fewer children and invest more in those children, and it tends to bring women from the shadows into the …

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Looking Back on China (1): Hello China?

“Are you a spy?” My supervising attorney asked me this when I was volunteering in the Pima County Superior Court. I told him I came here to study law, the field of which has been regarded as the realm of the elites in this society. Obviously, he could not figure out why I, a foreigner …

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Election Results Destabilizing Malaysia

During the fall, I interned for a candidate running for congress. In the end my candidate did not win and though I was sad and even furious that the opposition won, it was a done deal.There may be certain aspects of the American election process that are unclear and corrupt, we might talk with our …

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Inequality of Breast Cancer

In this world, there are those who are privileged and those who are less fortunate.  Let’s face the fact that America’s history illustrates its structure of social inequalities.  America is full of Americans who have and those who have-not.  For example, the way in which women are screened and treated for breast cancer is no …

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Born with the wrong parts: When genitalia doesn’t define gender

In nearly every picture from my childhood I am wearing ballet leotards or a tutu, mostly because I studied ballet as a child, but also because I identified with the ballerina. It was my “girl” thing, and the ballerina represented the woman I wanted to become. My brother always appears wearing a baseball cap or …

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The Homelessness Series: Andre’s Story

Social justice, good. Charity, bad. At least that’s always been my philosophy. It’s simple. Straightforward. Easy to follow. Maybe that’s the problem. This personal philosophy first developed sometime around my sophomore year in college. After participating in several break trips, and spending a lot of time reflecting on systemic social problems and injustices, I grew …

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The Homelessness Series: Back on My Feet

Anne Mahlum is a runner. Always has been. And in the early mornings of spring 2007, you could often find her running the sidewalks of Philadelphia, before heading to work for the day. On her runs, she would pass apartment buildings, businesses, and even a homeless shelter, which was just a couple blocks away. She …

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