The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2004

8 AFSA NEWS • JULY-AUGUST 2004 Avis Bohlen Award FOR A FOREIGN SERVICE FAMILY MEMBER Helene DeJong &Dawn Sewell McKeever D awn McKeever and Helene DeJong are seen as “local heroes” in Uganda, according to their nomination for the Avis Bohlen Award. Their activities in expanding literacy and library access to underprivileged children throughout cen- tral and eastern Uganda will have an impact long after they have left post. The volunteer activities of McKeever and DeJong included coordinating volunteer support from various official and private American entities and the broader American community in Kampala. They identified underprivileged schools and commu- nities in the Kampala, Wakiso, Nakasongola, Mbale and Pallisa districts of Uganda and helped the communities establish and equip libraries. They also led workshops to train volunteer librarians. Together they coordinated the donation of over 3,000 books to 10 new libraries established with their support. Once the libraries were established, McKeever and DeJong ral- lied local students, Peace Corps Volunteers and others to help paint the buildings. Another activity for which they will long be remembered is their assistance to an alternative school for children who cannot afford fees in government schools. They also adopted a slum commu- nity on the outskirts of Kampala, and supported a local microenter- prise that fosters the economic prosperity of single mothers and widows. McKeever and DeJong met in Niger where they worked together at an orphan- age, a village community school and with the American Women’s Group of Niamey. They continued working together in Kampala to assist disadvantaged women and children; start school and community libraries; and train teachers and volunteers how to use the libraries. “We consider ourselves to be ‘aunties for Africa,’” McKeever explains. Through their many volunteer activities, McKeever and DeJong have made a positive contribu- tion to Ugandan society and tangibly improved bilateral rela- tions between the U.S. and Uganda. Helene DeJong is married to Regional Security Officer Albert DeJong, and is the mother of four daughters. She has a B.A. from American University and a teaching certificate from the FS Fast Train Program at George Mason University. She and her husband have served in New Delhi, Niamey and Washington, and will return again to Washington this summer upon completing their Kampala tour. Dawn Sewell McKeever is married to Matthew McKeever, who is serving as refugee coordinator in Kampala. She is the mother of three children and the grandmother of one. She has a B.A. from Pennsylvania State University. She and her husband have served in Kingston, Paris, Sydney, Niamey and Washington, and will head for Casablanca from Kampala in the fall. M. Juanita Guess Award FOR A COMMUNITY LIAISON OFFICER Susanne Turner A s the ambassador put it, follow- ing 9/11, “post morale was in the dumps.” Many families had left Bishkek on authorized departure orders while at the same time the embassy workload had increased tenfold due to the opening of a Coalitionmilitary base in Bishkek to support Afghanistan operations. Community Liaison Officer Susanne Turner was an indis- pensable member of Embassy Bishkek’s teamduring this difficult period and can be credited with playing the key role in pulling the embassy community together. As a member of the Emergency Action Committee, she was the “voice of reason” that reminded the others on the committee that increased security restrictions come at a cost to bothmorale and the ability to get work done. Displaying outstanding leadership, imagina- tion, initiative and tireless dedication, she worked closely with the Regional Security Office to balance security concerns with opportuni- ties to participate in activities and trips to boost morale and restore a sense of normalcy to embassy life. Both the regional and post medical officers praised Turner’s sup- port of families in crisis. She consistently offered critical support dur- ing major medical and family crises that arose at post, including trips out in the middle of the night to support community members in need or in crisis. “She inspires confidence by her discretion, non- judgmental support and personal warmth,” says the ambassador, adding that she “is the person everyone at this mission turns to for unfailing support, honest advice and a sympathetic ear.” Turner played an instrumental role on the school board, leading the board through a difficult period that includedmany school staff changes. She led the post response to a major increase in the number of dependent children at post, from four to 22 in just one year. She also played an important role in facilitating security upgrades at the school, with the coop- eration of the RSO. She organized sessions on children’s health resources, raising chil- dren overseas and first aid for parents and child-care providers in both English and Russian. Embassy Bishkek now enjoys very high morale and a strong sense of community, due in large part to Turner’s outstanding efforts. Turner was born and raised in Germany, and became a U.S. citizen in 1991. She is married to Public Affairs Officer Conrad Turner, who she met while working on the Soviet Refugee Program in Rosslyn, Va., in 1991. In addi- tion to Bishkek, they have served in Islamabad, Vienna, Moscow and Minsk. The couple has two daughters. AFSA’S 2004 EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE AWARD WINNERS Above: Helene DeJong; Right: Dawn Sewell McKeever Susanne Turner Turner (center) during a visit to Bukhara, Uzbekistan, in Oct. 2003.