Since my friend left for Niger in late January, I haven’t exactly been worried about her safety, despite an escalation of violence by a local rebel group and reported kidnappings on the border of Niger and Mali. Mostly, I’ve been concerned about her health. As I’ve mentioned before, Niger remains one of the poorest countries in the world, and water

As most of the country knows by now

Last week, my friend Laurel left her job and home in Washington, D.C., for Niger. When she arrives, she’ll face a stark contrast from DC life. While Americans continue to lose jobs and both sides of the political fence over here wrestle with how large a role the government will play in orchestrating our collective recovery, Niger remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Unlike the United States, it has minimal government services to develop its resources

My son’s birth was wondrous, awesome and terrifying. Because of a complication, my wife had to undergo an emergency cesarean section. I remember the moment when nurses wheeled her into an operating room and instructed me to take off my shoes, put on some scrubs and wait. “We’ll come and get you,” one of them said, “when we’re ready to begin.”

I stood for a moment, paralyzed by fear, unable even to begin untying my shoes. Would the baby be OK? Did the doctors know what they were doing? And my wife