The Foreign Service Journal, March 2016

52 MARCH 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL elderly. We have conferred awards on ambassadors and entry- level officers, specialists and nurses, employees and spouses, American and local employees. These grants have helped both our applicants and, more importantly, the groups with which they work. One of our 2015 grants funded an embassy group in Abuja, composed of both Americans and Nigerians, that provides English lessons to chil- dren and adults who have left their homes due to persecution and poverty, as well as to those who have fled Boko Haram’s destruction. Their lack of English relegates them to very menial jobs, if any, so the grant funds simple items: tables to sit at and books about topics relevant to the students’ lives. FSO Althea Cawley-Murphee sums up her experience with the trust like this: “Teaching English classes was one of the most K irby started the thinking that ultimately led to the creation of the J. Kirby Simon Foreign Service Trust. During his last holiday at home in late 1994, Kirby, who had taught English as a second language in Spain after graduating from college, told us about the pro bono English-language class he was offer- ing employees of the American Institute in Taiwan. One day he casually mentioned that the students might find a tape recorder helpful. At the next session, each of his six students brought one. Kirby had been surprised and delighted by the response, because, as he explained, tape recorders made language teaching both easier and more effective. He pointed out, however, that Taiwan was a devel- oped country. In other parts of the world even simple gadgets, no matter how worthwhile, would be out of reach. Although we didn’t know it at the time, that con- versation was the spark for the idea that small dona- tions could make a difference. We had hoped that a memorial to Kirby would have an international dimension. He loved foreign languages and travel, and almost any engagement with the wider world. But without the resources of a large foundation, what could we do? A dear friend, Herbert Hansell (who would serve on ON THE INSPIRATION FOR THE TRUST the board until his death in May 2015), offered to help us explore the problem. Herb, who had served as legal adviser to the State Department, was then a senior part- ner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Jones Day, which has a distinguished international practice. Herb and his wife Jeanne invited us to dinner with some of their close friends—all retired ambassadors and their spouses—to discuss the great need for help in so many areas abroad, and the endless pitfalls for the inexperienced and igno- rant in the effort to give such help. The takeaway from their very candid views was clear: corruption in many of the neediest countries was hard for “do-gooders” to avoid. The pitfalls and possibilities for missteps were as likely as a pessimistic imagination would suggest. But Herb’s guests also spoke with admiration of the volunteer activities performed by many at post. Those people spoke the language of the country and knew the turf. Obviously, they didn’t give their time to causes unless they believed in them. They might not be able to cure river blindness or malaria, but they could improve the local school, clinic, women’s shelter, orphanage or playground. That became our answer, as well. Help to the helpers! —John and Claire Simon important parts of my experience in Abuja. Serving at a high- threat post can be difficult, and our time away from the office can be rather monotonous. Getting off compound and working with people far outside the social classes I typically interacted with at work made a huge difference in giving my experience in Abuja a strong sense of purpose.” Dana Cunliffe, an assistant community liaison officer, explains how volunteering with the same group affected her: “English teaching has allowed me to interact with and learn from Nigerians who have experienced great suffering. This experience has expanded my view of the world, and I am not the same person I was before I began teaching.” We made another grant in 2015 to Quito Cares, a highly regarded community action group that was founded in 2008 by