"Imagine this: in a village far away, a new well is built. Women no longer have to walk 12 miles each day for water. When villagers see clean water pouring forth, they now think, 'America'! Yes, we can give the U.S. a new image in developing countries so it's no longer guns and war, but clean drinking water, or health care, or transportation."

The opportunity to see foreign aid in a new way, and believe it can happen even during a global economic recession, was a common theme throughout the program. Participants reflected the upbeat spirit as they talked with representatives at the adjoining Action Fair. Informational tables offered volunteer opportunities from twenty organizations - from microfinance - to the Peace Corps.

"We have a chance now with the new administration", said David Beckmann, "to make a difference in how we administer foreign aid. There are currently at least 60 different offices in government offering aid. Sometimes one office doesn't know what the other does, even in the same village. We need one agency that is focused on poverty reduction and local needs."

"Giving people access rather than a handout is the key", said Mercy Karanja, the daughter of a Kenyan coffee farmer. "Structural poverty is what we have when farmers who've grown coffee all their lives cannot afford to sell coffee anymore. The global price changes, so all of a sudden the farmer is out of business. They become the poor peasants who subsidize the rich consumer. We have to give them new opportunities and access to information, transportation, and resources - from seeds to finances."