The following year, Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, founded the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The nonprofit organization works to promote democracy and improve health and human rights around the world. They have helped people in more than 80 countries—people whom the center describes as being “the poor and often forgotten.”
Representatives of the Carter Center have been invited to observe more than 100 elections in 39 countries throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The center does not represent the United States government and its representatives travel only to places where they have been invited and are welcomed by all political parties. They travel to countries where elections are being held under troubled or dangerous conditions. These countries are often emerging from civil wars or armed conflicts and are transitioning to democracies.
Teams of between four and 15 representatives, called LTOs (long-term observers), are deployed for up to six months before elections are to take place. According to Avery Davis-Roberts, associate director of the democracy program, “We try to have a lot of diversity on our LTO teams. We try to make sure that the teams are gender-balanced and that they are not made up just of people from the region and neighboring countries but also from other parts of the world.”
LTOs set up in-country field offices and travel to towns and villages to meet citizens and political representatives. Travel is often difficult due to poor roads. In countries such as Nepal, it is not unusual for LTOs to trek on foot for days to reach a village. At times, they have limited access to running water and electricity.
This story is from the September 2020 edition of Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.
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This story is from the September 2020 edition of Faces - The Magazine of People, Places and Cultures for Kids.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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