Solar Panels Bring Electricity to Remote Areas of Suriname

Posted by Jeremy Peterson / October 14, 2012

Jeremy Peterson of the U.S. Embassy in Paramaribo, Suriname, visits New Aurora, a village on the Upper Suriname River, to see solar panel projects funded by the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) in October 2012.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to participate in the Peace Corps Legacy Project, which documents the sustainable projects people of Suriname have carried out with the help of Peace Corps volunteers during the organization's 17 years in country.

The group I traveled with visited villages on the Upper Suriname River to see solar panel projects funded by the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA) and put into place by Peace Corps volunteers and Suriname citizens. ECPA is a flexible, voluntary framework for countries to collaborate and cooperate on clean energy and climate change issues. Peace Corps Suriname's ECPA initiative focuses on energy poverty and climate change efforts and is supported by an interagency agreement between Peace… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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“I Am Puerto Rican and American”

Posted by Vanessa Colon / October 04, 2012

Vanessa Colon, the author, jumps in front of the Statue of Liberty in New York, undated. [Photo Used by Permission]

For a quick and surefire way to rankle a Puerto Rican, ask: "But Puerto Ricans aren't Americans, are they?" Heart rates quicken. Lips tighten to a thin line. Eyebrows rise above the hairline, and fingers are waved every which way as a Puerto Rican clarifies that we are very much American.

This question and its implications have followed me throughout my life, ever since I moved from Puerto Rico to Georgia at the age of 10. Learning to adjust to a school in which I was one of two Hispanics in my 5th grade class proved challenging.

"Do you have a green card?" "Does Puerto Rico have McDonald's? Cars?"

Initially, I barely tolerated these exchanges. In my mind, the other person's ignorance demonstrated a disregard for Puerto Rican culture, and the ways it formed a legitimate part of American society. With a cold civility, I'd answer the questions… more »

Posted under: Behind the Scenes

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Jóvenes en Acción: Today’s Action Is Tomorrow’s Change

Posted by Miles Bullock / August 17, 2012

Participants of the Jóvenes en Acción program proudly present their service project at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

When it comes to finding inventive solutions to world challenges, one program brings forth a group of vibrant students that embody the optimism and drive needed to enact tomorrow's change by taking action today: Jóvenes en Acción (Youth in Action). Jóvenes en Acción is an intensive program that provides outstanding Mexican high school students with an innovative five-week exchange in the United States that develops leadership skills, fosters civic engagement, and supports students in creating service projects to implement in their communities. This year's 77 Jóvenes en Acción participants, representing 13 Mexican states from Baja California to Yucatán, prove that one of the most reliable forms of investment is the irreplaceable capital of youth. As the third group of students participating in the program, these ambitious high… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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On the Margins of AIDS2012, LGBT Activists Call for Action in the Western Hemisphere

Posted by Paula Uribe / August 01, 2012

Members from the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs pose for a photo with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists from the Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on July 23, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

The International AIDS Conference, AIDS 2012, brought more than 23,000 medical professionals, advocates, policy makers, and people living with HIV/AIDS to Washington, D.C., from July 22-27 from more than 180 countries. The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs organized a roundtable on the margins of the event with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists from the Western Hemisphere on July 23 to hear how AIDS is affecting LGBT persons in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Activists noted the stigma, discrimination, and violence their communities face on a daily basis because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. According to participants, transgender individuals are especially at risk of violence and discrimination. In most cases identification documents do not reflect their gender identity, which can make voting a difficult or even dangerous… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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English Teaching Translates Into Community Leadership in Rural Guatemala

Posted by Kathleen Guerra / July 16, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson meets with English Access Microscholarship Students in Cobán, Guatemala, in June 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

One of the amazing yet frustrating things about working on the cultural side of public diplomacy is that the results of our programs are often not apparent until after months, years, or even decades have passed. We know our exchanges work; for example, there are many examples of International Visitor Leadership Program participants, identified for their leadership potential, who have become heads of state. But as a cultural affairs officer, you often leave a country still wondering what impact your programs will have in the long term.

That's why a recent visit by Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson to Guatemala, which highlighted the specific and immediate results… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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Celebrating Our Common “Wild West” Heritage at the Calgary Stampede

Posted by Michelle Cook / July 15, 2012

Calgary Consul General Laura Lochman and husband Joe Schaefer, center, welcome American cowboys Zach Phillps, left, and Kelly Timberman, right, to Calgary, Canada, in July 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Every July for the last 100 years, Calgary, Alberta has hosted a boot-stompin', bronco-bustin', pancake-eatin', chuckwagon-racin' celebration of all things wild and western known as the Calgary Stampede. This ten-day extravaganza draws hundreds of thousands of would-be cowboys (and girls!) from around the world to experience the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.” CNN named it one of the top 10 events in the world to attend this year, but few who pass through the gates of Stampede Park are aware of the deep American roots of this legendary Canadian event.

Starting in the late 1890s, Americans from across the United States began arriving in Alberta looking for good, reliable crop and range land. They came by the thousands -- in trains, in wagons, and on horseback -- to settle here and begin new lives. In a few short years, the American population in the region… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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Attorney General Holder Celebrates Caribbean-American Heritage Month

Posted by Stephanie Robinson / July 06, 2012

Attorney General Eric Holder commemorates Caribbean American Heritage Month at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Wednesday, June 27, was the day we had been imagining for weeks. The Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) selected this day to commemorate Caribbean-American Heritage Month, and we were honored that Attorney General Holder had agreed to participate. We put in a lot of work to design an event that would be both substantive and cultural. Caribbean food, music, and colorful artwork would set the scene for a celebration of the multi-layered connections between the Caribbean and the United States -- connections of family, trade, education, and so much more.

When June 27 finally rolled around and Attorney General Holder walked through the doors of the Department of State, we were ready just in time. I had barely finished helping carry six steel drums and escorting the youth ensemble… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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Youth Ambassadors: Agents of Change in the Western Hemisphere

Posted by Roberta Jacobson / June 16, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson holds a discussion with Youth Ambassadors from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., June 8, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to introduce Secretary Clinton as she, Assistant Secretary Ann Stock, and I welcomed a group of 21 Youth Ambassadors to the State Department from the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The conversation I had with these amazing high school leaders from non-elite backgrounds reminded me of why I'm optimistic about our hemisphere -- and why I love my job!

These young people will spend three weeks in Washington, D.C., San Antonio, Texas, and Marquette, Michigan, staying with host families, attending workshops on leadership and service, and taking part in community service projects and cultural activities with American teenagers. It was clear from the start of our conversation why they were… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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Journey to TechCamp Lima

Posted by Sean Boda / May 18, 2012

Technologists and representatives of NGOs pose for a group photo at the end of the second day of TechCamp Lima. [U.S. Embassy Lima/ Public Domain]

I stepped onto South American soil for the first time to participate in TechCamp Lima, the tenth such TechCamp. TechCamps are the pillar of Secretary Clinton's Civil Society 2.0 initiative and organized and run by the Secretary's Innovation team and the Office of eDiplomacy in close collaboration with local embassies.

Perched cliff-side, bustling Lima crouches over the Pacific teeming with a third of Peru's population. An incredibly diverse country, Peruvians point out its three major regions: coast, sierra, and jungle, each with starkly contrasting histories and culture. The NGOs participating in TechCamp Lima work in many sectors. However, they share the broader goal of bridging Peru's differences… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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Global Recovery: A View From the Americas

Posted by Roberta Jacobson / May 09, 2012

Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson delivers remarks at the 42nd Conference on the Americas at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., May 8, 2012. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Economic recovery, at home, in Europe, across the globe, seems to be on everyone's minds these days. In the United States, the engine to power our economic recovery is fueled by human and physical resources right here in our own hemisphere. No one knows this better than the Council of the Americas. Since its founding in 1965, the Council's approximately 200 members account for a large percentage of U.S. investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. Their investment is linked by a shared belief that free markets and private enterprise, coupled with strong democratic governance, offer the most effective means to achieve regional economic growth and prosperity.

Yesterday, when we addressed the Council at their annual conference,… more »

Posted under: Western Hemisphere

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