The Global Water Crisis: A Reference Handbook by Newton David;

Author:Newton, David; [David E. Newton]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 4471700
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Jimmy Carter (1924–)

An important feature of many WASH programs involves the reduction or elimination of so-called neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The term refers to a group of communicable diseases that occur primarily in tropical and subtropical countries among an estimated 1 billion people. They include conditions such as Chagas disease, dengue fever, guinea-worm disease (dracunculiasis), yaws (endemic treponematoses), leishmaniasis, leprosy (Hansen disease), river blindness (onchocerciasis), and schistosomiasis. In the late 1980s, the Carter Center, in Atlanta, Georgia, took on the task of eliminating one of these diseases, guinea-worm disease. At the time, the disease affected an estimated 3.5 million people worldwide, and little research had been done on the prevention or treatment of the condition. Thirty years later, in 2015, experts estimated that only 126 cases of guinea-worm disease remained in the world. It was on its way to being only the second communicable disease (after smallpox) to be completely eradicated from the Earth. Credit for accomplishment of this impressive feat goes primarily to the Carter Center and its founder, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. Carter decided in the late 1980s to make guinea-worm disease a target of his organization’s efforts after visiting Africa and seeing firsthand the devastation caused by the disease. For his efforts in this area, Carter was named one of the “Heroes of Water” by Impeller magazine in 2012.

James Earl Carter Jr. (generally known as “Jimmy”) was born in Plains, Georgia, on October 1, 1924. His mother was Bessie Lillian Gordy Carter, a registered nurse, and his father was James Earl Carter Sr., a farmer and a businessman who ran a general store. In 1928, the Carters moved from Plains to the nearby town of Archery, a community consisting largely of African Americans. Although James Carter Sr. still believed in segregation of the races, he allowed his son to befriend his neighbors regardless of their skin color. Young Jimmy became an entrepreneur at a young age when he began growing peanuts on an acre of land that his father had given him. He conducted his business while attending Plains High School, from which he graduated in 1941.

After graduation, Carter matriculated at Georgia Southwestern College in nearby Americus. He regarded his time at Southwestern primarily as preparation for his real ambition, obtaining an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Thus, he focused on the courses at Southwestern that would allow him to qualify for the Naval Academy and not necessarily for graduation from Southwestern. Finally, in 1943, Carter obtained his appointment to the Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1946. After receiving his commission, Carter was assigned to the battleship USS Wyoming, in Norfolk, Virginia. A month after receiving his assignment, he was married to Rosalynn Smith, with whom he was eventually to have four children, John, James III (Chip), Donnell, and Amy.

In 1948, Carter was accepted at the submarine officer training school at New London, Connecticut, setting the path he had decided to follow in the navy. After assignments in Honolulu and

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