NetAid's Global Action Awards

I had the pleasure of attending NetAid’s Global Action Awards Dinner last night. This year’s event honored five extraordinary young people who have launched their own development and poverty-reducing programs: Katie Reed, Annalise Blum, Katharine Kendrick, Rob Stephens, and Mihiri Tillakaratne. CGD President Nancy Birdsall was one of the judges for this year’s awards. Because she was unable to attend, I thought it would be a great chance to witness some of the energy that NetAid has been building among young people interested in issues of global poverty. The ceremony featured performances by Benin-born singer Angelique Kidjo and Zimbabwean vocalist Thomas Mapfumo in the striking setting of Frederick Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.NetAid is a partner in distributing CGD’s Rich World / Poor World briefs in an effort to educate young people about development. I left the event thinking that every person there would probably tell all the high-school age people they know to get involved and apply for next year’s awards. NetAid received more than 500 applications from around the country for this year’s awards.