Foreign Service Makes Impact That Lasts A Lifetime for Backbay Native
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SKOPJE, Macedonia—Equipped with a business degree
from Northeastern University and commitment to service, Dick
Goldman set out from his Backbay neighborhood in 1969 to
join the Peace Corps in Liberia. His newly-acquired business
skills and zest for adventure proved valuable in working
with budding agricultural cooperatives in a remote part of
West Africa. Three years as a witness to the desperate struggle
for survival made a life-long impact.
Goldman’s volunteer assignment determined a career
path in foreign service that has led him and his family to
the far reaches of four continents over the past three decades
with the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Since mid-2002, Goldman has been in the Balkans, serving
as USAID Mission Director in Macedonia.
“In this small, interdependent world, it is in our
interest to work with countries like Macedonia, to help them
become more democratic and prosperous,” Goldman explains. “Our
efforts have focused on moving toward a free, market-based
economy and helping the Macedonians to develop democratic
institutions: to vote; to have political parties—basically,
to have more choice.”
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| Dick Goldman at the Embassy in Skopje |
One of many programs Goldman oversees is the Community Self-Help
Initiative (CSHI). CSHI is a collaborative project that works
with communities to improve local living conditions. It has
brought people together to achieve common goals and overcome
the strife caused by the ethnic conflict of 2001. CSHI communities
participate in the entire process, from planning to contributing
labor to sharing in costs, which are partially underwritten
with much-needed funds provided by the American people through
USAID.
Making a reliable, clean water source a reality for many
towns and villages throughout Macedonia has been a key CSHI
accomplishment. Here, as in developing nations across much
of the world, inexpensive, clean tap water is inaccessible
to large portions of the population.
“There is absolutely nothing like clean water to improve
quality of life, health and hygiene in a community,” says
Goldman.
Renovations of outdated utilities have provided individual
households with dedicated connections to the public water
lines and ensured a reliable, adequate water supply for bathing,
dishwashing, and laundering clothing. In the village of Lesani,
water quality was improved by filtering and by replacing
the existing asbestos pipes with PVC materials to reduce
potential health risks.
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| Goldman with children at an orphanage in Skopje, Macedonia |
CSHI projects have also included the creation of training
centers for computer, business and English-language skills;
agricultural capacity-building initiatives, such as tractor-hire
programs to replace horse-drawn plows for potato growers;
and, the development of a volunteer program to provide psychosocial
support and counseling for displaced persons, families and
substance users.
In Kumanovo, a flashpoint for ethnic tensions near the Serbian
border, CSHI collaborated with the local parent council and
school officials on an extensive grounds rehabilitation project
at the Vuk Karadijik/Naim Frasheri, a mixed ethnic elementary
school complex serving Albanian and Macedonian children.
The project provided an opportunity for people to reach across
ethnic lines and build partnerships to realize a shared dream:
a better environment for their children.
“USAID really builds bridges to connect neighbors,
communities and nations and allow them to cross from a difficult
past to a brighter future,” Goldman reflects. “A
genuine appreciation for American support is reflected in
the friendly smiles that greet us here. It is wonderful to
be part of a program that makes such a meaningful and immediate
impact on so many people.”
* * * *
A veteran of foreign service, Dick Goldman began his career
with a three-year tour in the Peace Corps following his graduation
from Northeastern University in 1969. In 1975, Goldman received
a Master’s degree from Cornell in Agricultural Economics.
Since 1975, Goldman has served in eight countries across
four continents with USAID. The spirit of service is a family
trait: Goldman’s spouse, Heather, is also a career
Foreign Service Officer with USAID, son Sam is a Peace Corps
volunteer in Benin, and daughter Tanya will be attending
Harvard Law School, focusing on international law.
The US Agency for International Development has provided
economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than
40 years.
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