The purpose of development is to bring together people from different places with different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs to work side by side doing things together. By doing it together, our understanding of the other person's perspective improves and we develop compassion, and empathy. That is why it is called development. At CAG, we think it's great that private investment is outpacing donor spending. But we still believe the USG has a critical role to play, especially when it comes to bringing together civic, government, and private actors to solve problems. We also advocate for sending more Americans to work in the countries and communities served, including here in the US. That is especially true in places affected by violence and conflict. At CAG we know that a technical area of expertise combined with grit, good survival skills, and an open mind is all you need to be a development worker. That's why CAG members speak foreign languages, are culturally aware, read Brené Brown books, and have different political perspectives. CAG members are former military officers that have served in combat as well as returned peace corps volunteers and humanitarians. CAG members are journalists, computer hackers, lawyers, construction workers, firefighters, and gender experts. We believe that making personal connections through development work has the power to transform lives, especially our own. Join us.