From the Executive Director

We are pleased to share this new edition of CIRED Connect. In this edition, we focus on how COVID-19 is impacting CIRED’s projects and activities around the world and how we are responding. The pandemic is having profound and devastating impacts on our partners and our project staff. Yet, amid the turmoil and uncertainty, they are dedicated to meeting the immense needs of the people and communities they serve.

We can’t know with any certainty when the suffering and losses caused by COVID-19 will abate. What we do know, however, is that in the end, we will prevail as individuals, communities, and nations. In a time to come, as distant and unknowable as it is, we will have built a better and safer world for future generations. As Buckminster Fuller (architect, inventor, and futurist) said, “We are called to be the architects of the future, not its victims.”

To all of our staff and faculty, our partners and colleagues, our friends and families, we salute you for your endeavors during this hard and challenging time. Be well and safe.

Warm regards,

Van Crowder
Executive Director, Center for International Research, Education, and Development (CIRED)
Professor, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education (ALCE)