“Trust Allah, and tie up your camel.”

- hand-lettered sign at the entrance to the Fifth Squadron airbase, Skardu, Pakistan*

Though it’s not Allah we trust in and we don’t drive a camel, we couldn't agree more. The first year we lived here one of our guests stole a mini-caribeener off of our husky puppy's collar while having dinner in our home. We learned a lot that year (we lost more than the mini-caribeener). And still carry those lessons with us. Our professional lives mirror our personal lives. For the past 9 years we have strived in our work with youth, here in the Jiu Valley and throughout Romania, to develop social capital: the social networks and moral norms that promote cooperation for mutual benefit.

*From “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time” by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin.