The following year, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, founded the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The nonprofit organization works to promote democracy and improve health and human rights around the world. They have helped people in more than 80 countries—people whom the center describes as being “the poor and often forgotten.”
Representatives of the Carter Center have been invited to observe more than 100 elections in 39 countries throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The center does not represent the United States government and its representatives travel only to places where they have been invited and are welcomed by all political parties. They travel to countries where elections are being held under troubled or dangerous conditions. These countries are often emerging from civil wars or armed conflicts and are transitioning to democracies.
Teams of between four and 15 representatives, called LTOs (long-term observers), are deployed for up to six months before elections are to take place. According to Avery Davis-Roberts, associate director of the democracy program, “We try to have a lot of diversity on our LTO teams. We try to make sure that the teams are gender-balanced and that they are not made up just of people from the region and neighboring countries but also from other parts of the world.”
LTOs set up in-country field offices and travel to towns and villages to meet citizens and political representatives. Travel is often difficult due to poor roads. In countries such as Nepal, it is not unusual for LTOs to trek on foot for days to reach a village. At times, they have limited access to running water and electricity.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2020-Ausgabe von Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der September 2020-Ausgabe von Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Animal Central
From golden frogs to big cats to colorful birds, the national animals of Central America represent the geography and cultures of the region. For a quick sampling of creatures plain and beautiful, common and rare, read on.
31 Countries Biosphere
The Trifinio Fraternidad Biosphere Reserve is located at a spot where El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras converge. A biosphere is the layer of planet Earth where life exists.
THE LEGEND OF THE QUETZAL BIRD
A Mayan Tale retold by Pat Betteley illustrated by Amanda Shepherd
Semana Santa GUATEMALA'S HOLY WEEK
What if Easter preparations meant dyeing sand, collecting pine needles, and staying up all night to work on an art project that you knew would be ruined the very next day? Well, welcome to Guatemala’s Semana Santa, or Holy Week.
ME OH-MAYA!
The Maya are groups of people who live in parts of Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Their ancestors created a great society. At its peak, from 600-900 C.E., the Maya civilization was more advanced than its neighbors in the Americas.
Playing Games Honduras-style
Would you play the same games in Honduras that you do in the United States? You might. Children in Honduras enjoy many of the same games North Americans do. They go fishing and shoot baskets. They play sandlot baseball—called bate (BAH tay). They fly kites and ride bikes. Their parents may go horseback riding or play golf or tennis.
LIVING A LONG LIFE IN THE Blue Zone
Most people would like to live as long a life as possible. No one really knows why some people live longer than others, but did you know that where you live can play a big part in how many years you’ll be alive? If you live in a Blue Zone, chances are that you will live much longer than people in other parts of the world.
ATTENTION WORLD: Belize Saves Their Coral Reef
Sea turtles float in clear waters, colorful corals hug the ocean floor, and aquatic animals glide among the mangrove roots. Welcome to the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, the second-largest coral reef in the world (Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is number one). Several years ago, this reef was in crisis, heading toward destruction. But the people of Belize fought back to save their reef’s health.
The Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a 51-mile long canal that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
This is Central America!
It’s time to visit Central America. But first, it helps to know exactly where Central America is. Despite its name, it is the southernmost part of North America, which can seem a little confusing. It makes up most of the isthmus dividing the Pacific Ocean from the Caribbean Sea. An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two larger landmasses and has water on both sides.
