For this year’s competition, CONCERN asked their writers to imagine themselves as a journalist, stationed in a developing country, writing for an internationally renowned newspaper. Their editor asked them to write a 1,000 word article on one of the following topics:

• Living on less than $2 a day in the developing world
• Imagining the future of a child born today in the developing world
• Important lessons we can learn from the developing world

Cristina Kessler, Virgin Islands, was a 3rd Place Winner in the Adult category!

http://www.concern.net/get-involved/schools/concern-writing-competition

Important lessons we can learn from the Developing World

Cristina Kessler
Virgin Islands
15434

Zooming across the Sahara desert, I watched the endless desert sands of the Sudan roll away. Suddenly unexpected lines of women carrying heavy, swaying water containers on their heads would appear. They strutted in the heat and the dust of the open desert plains, many with a baby on their back. And all of them laughing or singing. It was humbling.

These women were the living example of “Making the best of a difficult situation”. Even in the harshest of conditions, with no transportation choices or options, and endless hard work, they laughed or sang or joked their way through the day, living a true community-based existence.

Life as a rural African woman is beyond difficult. We spent 19 years in Africa, with Peace Corps and an NGO. We went to places not on roads or maps, where every day is a struggle. Where the women keep the villages going, through their hard work and dedication to family.

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