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"Rising to the Challenge" Program Addresses Post-9/11 Issues
Topics: Social Enterprise-Non-Governmental OrganizationsGovernment and Politics-National SecuritySociety-War"Rising to the Challenge" Program Addresses Post-9/11 Issues
It was no doubt the first time in HBS history that those who gathered for a community event at Burden Auditorium were provided with lifesaving medical supplies. As they filed throug the door, each member of the audience that arrived to participate in a panel discussion with seven leaders in the field of humanitarian relief and development was handed a packet of oral-rehydration salts.
The January 15 panel, one of a series of presentations in the School's "Rising to the Challenge" program organized by the Dean's Office and the MBA Program in response to last fall's terrorist attacks, was cosponsored by the HBS Social Enterprise and International Business and Development Clubs. In his dramatic introductory remarks, moderator Reynold Levy, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee and an HBS senior lecturer, stated, "Dehydration is the leading cause of death among refugees. Before this panel ends, nearly eight hundred children will die of dehydration caused by diarrhea." Noting that the mortality rate for Afghan children under the age of five is 25 percent, Levy informed the audience that the salt packets they were holding, which could save many lives, cost just ten cents per package.
In introducing the panelists, who represented a variety of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Levy said that "NGOs are critical sources of information and catalysts for change" and that their influence has risen significantly since the end of the Cold War. Panelist Nancy Aossey, president and CEO of International Medical Corps, was a sophomore in college when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Her primary memory from that time was of the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympic Games in Moscow. "I never thought this would become my life's work," remarked Aossey, whose organization, formed in response to the Soviet invasion, trains medical personnel around the world in order to create a sustainable health-care system. "The attacks on September 11 underscored the interconnectedness of the United States with other parts of the world and the voice we have as NGOs," she said. "I felt I had to speak out on behalf of the Afghan people."
"Communication really became the name of the game," agreed Peter Bell, president and CEO of CARE USA. "We've done more work with the media than ever before. These events provided a teachable moment regarding our role as global citizens and the importance of ending poverty."
"We know that all the might in the world won't end the war on terrorism," added Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps International, an NGO founded in 1979 that works in 25 countries to provide emergency relief and support community development and civil society initiatives. "There's a direct connection between economic and social stability. September 11 pushed NGOs into the gray area of politics." The sector needs new ideas and new talent now more than ever before, continued Keny-Guyer. "Put aside the consulting firms and investment banks for a while," he exhorted students in the audience. "We need you now!"
Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children, changed his own career path as a student. In 1962, at the time of the Cuban missile crisis, MacCormack was planning to enter the medical profession. With the United States on the brink of nuclear war, he wondered, "What use will I be as a doctor if the world is not a betterrun place?" He shifted his field of study and went on to receive a Ph.D. from Columbia University in political science. Since September 11, MacCormack said that his organization has been working harder than ever to exert influence over public policy. "We don't want aid to Afghanistan to be spent at the expense of fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa," he remarked. "These funds should be supplemental, not diverted from other important issues."
Panelists agreed that speaking out in the emotional days and weeks following September 11 was difficult. "The communications environment was treacherous," said Raymond Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. "It wasn't clear what the message should be, if we spoke out at all." Even so, heightened awareness about Afghanistan and other countries created an unprecedented opportunity for action, he noted. Recalling how the Marshall Plan "provided a grand vision for U.S. involvement in the world" after World War II, Offenheiser emphasized the need for similar foresight at a time when the United States is dangerously complacent with its place in the world.
Marc Lindenberg, dean and professor at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, observed that today's challenges are structural, ethical, and operational in nature, qualities that should engage the intellect and entrepreneurial drive of any HBS student. "Think about these problems," he urged students in the audience. "Then start your own organizations."
Julia Hanna (send e-mail
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