Neither of my parents were the least interested in politics or international affairs, and my university studies were directed solely towards a career in the UK Forestry Commission. So I have to hold the Guardian Weekly responsible for my subsequent travels and work on four continents. From my first holiday job with Green Deserts in northern Sudan, to my current role reclaiming forests for the people whose lives most depend on them in west Africa, GW’s insight has been nothing less than essential. When living in northern Ghana, before the internet age, the editions on airmail paper kept me connected to my home country and to the world. Subsequently, in Nepal, Thailand and, until recently, Ethiopia, the Weekly provides a welcome depth that is distinctly lacking in 24-hour rolling news.
In the face of climate change and other environmental and social disasters, all of them anthropomorphic, I sometimes feel I can do little more than make the distribution of the “deck-chairs on the Titanic” more equitable. But the Guardian also provides glimmers of hope where the work of each is for the weal of us all.
