USAID's chapter of Blacks In Government hosted Dorothy E. Nelms, former president of Federally Employed Women, at Agency headquarters March 24 to celebrate Women's History Month. Nelms spoke about women on the frontlines of solving environmental problems. “Women are inextricably linked to issues of environmental sustainability as mothers, as caretakers, as food producers as consumers and as nurturers,” said Nelms. She cited Ilyse Hogue, head of Rainforest Action Network's Global Finance Campaign which encourages financial institutions not to invest in environmentally damaging projects. Melinda Kramer, a co-founder of the Berkeley, Calif.-based Women's Global Green Action Network, helps train women in Africa, China, and Siberia to become grassroots environmental advocates.

At an April 6 meeting with USAID Acting Administrator Alonzo Fulgham, South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Shin Kak-soo discussed closer USAID-Korea collaboration to help developing countries. They discussed Afghanistan reconstruction efforts including vocational training, public health, millennium development goals, and climate change. The U.S. and Korean officials also expressed plans for ongoing bilateral development assistance discussions.

  
Bogotá, Colombia—Thousands of Colombians now grow flowers for export to the United States and other markets – for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day and other occasions. Recently a contract was signed between Tecnovo, an NGO that provides support to people affected by armed conflict, and Grower-2-Buyer, a Miami-based company which distributes Colombian flowers in the United States and Canada. Flowers provide legitimate income compared to narcotics crops. They link former fighters with people who have lost their homes and the disabled to produce hand-made ceramic vases for miniature roses distributed by Grower-2-Buyer.