Think Creative - Issue 3

4 | Think Creative | Summer 2018 updates from around our world Dispatches In this Issue When Creative sent me to Erbil, Iraq, to document its parliamentary elections and the USAID-funded Iraq Governance Performance and Accountability Elections Support program,* I was expecting the unexpected, knowing well that as in any election, tensions can rise and the security situation can turn suddenly. But on Election Day, it was the positive things that most surprised me. Internally displaced families living in makeshift housing turned out at polling stations to cast their ballots, many far from home. Voters brought their children along, and poll workers gave them honorary electoral stains on their fingers. I was looking for a way to capture some of these stories, and when I saw this boy on tiptoes peeking at his mother’s voting paper, I knew I had an interesting shot. That moment for me was testimony to a significantly improved security environment in Iraq and a glimpse at the potential of today’s children to become engaged citizens in the future. Iraq Elections Support By Jim Huylebroek, Photographer 07 Dispatches Updates from around our world 09 // • CVE Insights from Moroccan Leaders • Field Notes 10 // “Yoga-preneurship” in Afghanistan 11 // Honduras: Reducing youth risk with family counseling 12 // In Focus: Afghan Children Read 14 Cover Package Transforming Towns Together Inside the collective strategy to prevent violence in El Salvador When citizens, elected officials, law enforcement and others join together, even the most crime-affected neighborhoods can be- come resilient, thriving communities. Get to know the residents of one Salvadoran town proving that collective action can transform spaces, people and attitudes. ON THE COVER: Youth in El Salvador are finding new opportunity and hope as communities gain resiliency. Photograph by Erick Gibson for Think Creative . *The project is implemented by DAI with Creative Associates International. Photos by JimHuylebroek (top, center); Erick Gibson (bottom) “Yoga-preneurship” 10 p. Transforming Towns Together 14 p. snap shot