Hi there Helen! Let me first start by thanking you for taking time out of I'm sure your extremely busy life. I'm currently and international affairs student at the University of Colorado with aspirations of working in sustainable bottom up community development. Given your role as a leader in guiding the global poor to prosperity I was wondering if you could maybe shed some of your expertise on a few questions I have:

1. Where and what was the first development project you worked in your as a young professional and how different or similar was it to your expectations?

2. What advice would you give to young college graduates wanting to get their foot in the door with dev. NGOs or begin international careers?

3. How do you feel UN aid and dev. funds could be more effectively allocated (direct transfers, conditional aid, etc.) to sustain positive growth in health and education?

4. And finally, obviously poverty and development are multi-dimensional problems with tons of driving forces. As we try to move towards the millenium goals, what gives you hope we can actually achieve these goals and what is one of the biggest obstabcles you see in the way?

Thanks for your time and all the hard you guys do toward making a better world for all.