Carter Center facts for kids
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| Founded | April 6, 1982 |
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| Founders | Jimmy Carter Rosalynn Carter |
| Type | Not-for-profit, non-governmental organization (IRS exemption status): 501(c)(3) |
| Focus | Human rights, Conflict resolution, Election monitoring, Public health, Eradication of infectious diseases, Mental health |
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Area served
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Global (75 countries since 1982) |
| Method | Popular education, Access to information, Aid distribution |
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Key people
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Employees
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175; field office staff in more than a dozen countries |
| Partnered with Emory University | |
The Carter Center is a special organization that helps people around the world. It is a non-government and non-profit group. This means it works independently and doesn't aim to make money.
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter started the center in 1982. They teamed up with Emory University to create it. The center is in Atlanta, Georgia, next to the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum.
The main goal of The Carter Center is to make the world a better place. They work to protect human rights and reduce suffering. They have projects in many countries, helping with things like fair elections and health.
In 2002, Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize. He received this award for his efforts through The Carter Center. His work focused on finding peaceful solutions, promoting democracy, and helping with economic and social development.
Contents
A Look Back: The Carter Center's History
The Carter Center officially opened in 1986. William Foege was its first executive director.
In the 1990s, the center received large donations. These funds helped them fight diseases like Guinea worm and prevent blindness.
In 1994, the center started a program called "Not Even One." This program aimed to prevent child deaths caused by firearms.
Rosalynn Carter also hosted a special forum in 1995. It focused on mental health in Georgia.
How The Carter Center is Run
A group called the Board of Trustees guides the center. They make sure the organization meets its goals.
In 2015, Jason Carter, the grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, became the Chair of this board.
Another group, the Board of Councilors, also supports the center. These are leaders from different communities.
Paige Alexander became the CEO of The Carter Center in June 2020. She leads the daily operations.
The center also works with other important groups. These include councils of leaders who offer advice.
Helping Achieve Peace Around the World
The Carter Center has many programs to promote peace. They work to solve conflicts and support fair governments.
Watching Elections to Ensure Fairness
The Carter Center sends teams to observe elections. They have watched over 115 elections in 40 countries since 1989. These observers help make sure elections are fair and honest.
Their teams check election laws and how people register to vote. They also look at how campaigns are run. Having impartial observers helps prevent cheating. It also makes voters feel safe to cast their ballots.
The center only sends observers when invited by the country. Their observers do not interfere with the election. They also do not represent the U.S. government.
The Carter Center helped create rules for international election observers. They also work on ways to observe elections that use new electronic voting systems.
In 2020, The Carter Center observed parts of the U.S. election process. This was the first time they did so in the United States. They helped build trust in the election results.
Building Stronger Democracies
Beyond elections, The Carter Center helps countries build strong democracies. They want governments to respect laws and human rights. They also promote open and clear government decisions.
For example, they support leaders in Ethiopia who discuss important issues. In the Palestinian Territories, they monitor democratic progress.
In Latin America, they help with programs that give people access to information. They also work to make political campaigns fairer.
The center shares ideas and best practices for democratic governance. This helps countries that are becoming more democratic.
Protecting Human Rights for Everyone
The Carter Center believes everyone deserves basic human rights. These include political rights like freedom and self-governance. They also include social rights like health care, food, and economic chances.
The center actively supports human rights defenders globally. They hold an annual forum with President Carter to discuss human rights.
President and Mrs. Carter often speak with world leaders. They raise concerns about human rights and help victims.
The center also supports the United Nations Human Rights Council. They are against the death penalty and want it ended in the U.S.
Helping Solve Conflicts Peacefully
The Carter Center helps groups in conflict find peaceful solutions. They act as a trusted helper for talks and agreements.
Here are some examples of their work:
- In 1994, President Carter's trip to North Korea helped with nuclear issues.
- They helped Israeli and Palestinian negotiators create a peace plan in 2002-2003.
- They helped negotiate a peace agreement between Sudan and Uganda in 1999.
- In 1994, President Carter's mission to Haiti helped prevent an invasion.
- President Carter visited Cuba in 2002 to improve relations with the U.S.
- They helped arrange a cease-fire in Sudan in 1995. This allowed aid groups to treat diseases.
- They held meetings in Egypt and Tunisia in 1995-1996 to address violence in Africa.
- In 2008, they helped Colombia and Ecuador restore diplomatic relations.
Supporting Village Elections in China
Since 1988, the Chinese government has allowed direct village elections. The Carter Center started a project in 1998 to help with these elections. They helped train election officials.
Since 2011, the center has focused on improving the relationship between the U.S. and China. They also promote cooperation between Africa, the U.S., and China.
Improving Health Around the World
The Carter Center has helped millions of people avoid suffering from illnesses. They focus on diseases that others often ignore.
Their health programs give people information and access to care. They also work with governments to build lasting health care systems.
In 2002, when Jimmy Carter accepted his Nobel Peace Prize, he spoke about a big challenge. He said the biggest problem is the growing gap between rich and poor people. He believes this gap causes many world problems, like hunger and disease.
Working to Eradicate Diseases
The Carter Center has led the fight to wipe out Guinea worm disease since 1986. Back then, there were about 3.5 million cases each year. By 2023, there were only 14 reported cases worldwide.
Guinea worm disease is close to being the first parasitic disease ever wiped out. It would also be the only disease eradicated without vaccines or medicines.
The center helps countries with their disease eradication programs. They provide technical help, money, and tools like water filters.
The International Task Force for Disease Eradication is based at The Carter Center. This group has identified six diseases that could potentially be wiped out. These include Guinea worm, polio, mumps, rubella, lymphatic filariasis, and cysticercosis.
Controlling and Treating Diseases
Since 1996, the center has been a leader in fighting onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness. This disease is spread by black flies.
The center works in six countries to stop river blindness. They help local health workers give out medicine and teach people about health. They also helped eliminate river blindness in Columbia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico.
The center has helped distribute over 500 million doses of Mectizan. This medicine treats and prevents river blindness.
Health workers also prevent trachoma, a bacterial infection that causes blindness. Trachoma is common where there is poor hygiene and dirty water.
The center uses the World Health Organization's SAFE strategy to fight trachoma. They help build latrines, provide surgery, give antibiotics, and teach about hygiene.
By March 2010, The Carter Center had helped build over one million latrines. These latrines help stop the spread of disease by preventing flies from breeding in human waste.
Lymphatic filariasis and malaria are mosquito-borne diseases that The Carter Center also targets. They have given out four million long-lasting insecticidal bed nets. They also set up systems to distribute medicine in Nigeria to treat these diseases.
Training Health Workers
The Carter Center believes in training local health care workers. These workers can treat people for different diseases in their villages. The goal is to help governments create programs they can keep running in the future.
Since 1997, the center has worked with Ethiopia's health and education ministries. They created a program to improve training for health care staff. This helps more people in rural Ethiopia get health care.
Boosting Food Production
Since 1986, the center has worked with the Sasakawa Africa Association. They teach small-scale farmers in 15 African countries better farming methods. These methods can double or triple their crop yields.
The program promotes using fertilizers and crop protection. It also supports environmentally friendly farming. They help farmers store grain and form associations.
Reducing Stigma Around Mental Illness
Rosalynn Carter led the center's efforts to fight the negative ideas about mental illness. The center works to raise awareness about mental health. They also push for fair mental health care and support the rights of people with mental illnesses.
In Liberia, the center trained mental health clinicians. Over 300 Liberians completed this training. Many specialize in helping children and teenagers.
The Carter Center also works to improve mental health policies in Georgia. They help make sure insurance covers mental health care equally. They also expand mental health services for young people and older adults.
Through the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, the center trains journalists. This helps them report more on mental health issues. It also helps reduce discrimination against people with mental illnesses. Over 250 journalists have participated in this program.
The center also holds an annual meeting on mental health policy. Leaders in mental health attend this event.
Awards and Recognition
Jimmy Carter received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his work with the Carter Center.
In 1999, The Carter Center received the first Delta Prize for Global Understanding. The University of Georgia gives out this award.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave the Carter Center the Gates Award for Global Health in 2006.
The center also received the Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services in 2013–14.
Annual Weekend Event
Since 1992, The Carter Center has held an annual weekend event. Part of the 2019 event was open to the media. It included a discussion on human rights. A key part of the event is an auction. This auction raised $1.6 million in 2013 and $4 million in 2018.
Funding The Carter Center
In the 2022-2023 fiscal year, The Carter Center received $380 million. This included money, promises of money, and gifts of goods or services. Most of their funding (71%) came from corporations.
See also
In Spanish: Centro Carter para niños
- Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid
