22 January 1998

Generator Top Wish... from Storm-hit Guam / Electrical Projects Foster Peace

Dear GENI Friend,

Last month the newspaper headline read: Generator top wish of visitor from storm-hit Guam. Mary Ann Borja Cabrera is shopping for an offbeat item this Christmas. The Guamanian is looking for a generator that will keep her home in Guam supplied with electricity during the several months of power outages expected after Typhoon Paka devastated her home last week.

We need it for the refrigerator, lights and essentials, the 50 year old said. People are so desperate for them they are stealing each other's generators.

In another story that is related in their desires, South African President Nelson Mandela was summarizing his legacy in office. He stated with pride that hundreds of thousands of citizens now have running water and electricity for the very first time.   The person succeeding Mandela is Thabo Mbeki, who I met two years ago at the State of the World Forum. By his comments to me, you can expect these positive developments in South Africa to continue.

It is almost impossible for you and I to relate to these two situations on our planet. With the flip of a switch, the magic of electricity brings us a wealth of resources and abilities. We go camping to get away from it all -- while 2 billion fellow human beings have no access to a simple electric light. Their days are about survival, with countless hours spent collecting firewood and carrying water. Our job is to alter this condition.

In another example of electrical projects fostering peace, retired NATO Lt. Commander George Joulwan stated that sharing common facilities in Bosnia promotes peace. Thanks Geoff Grimes!

Thank you so much for your support. Your contributions help us to meet and write these policy-makers who advance this strategy around the world. It's clearly making a difference in South Africa and Bosnia right now.

In partnership for the planet,

Peter Meisen
President

p.s. We have summarized The GENI Initiative into 6 Questions towards Peace and Sustainable Development. Please copy & share this with your colleagues to help explain our work.

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