The founders of MASS ended up taking what they learned at Harvard and melded that with what they learned working with locals in Rwanda. It prompted them to develop an ethos for all their projects: design beautiful buildings, help as many local people as possible, source local materials and labor, and provide smart, natural air flow for a healthier environment.

The mission was to provide free, global care for cancer patients with the help of great architecture. Maggie understood the impact environment and design can have on someone dealing with cancer. She knew —from the point of view of both patient and family—the need for “thoughtful lighting, a view out to trees, birds and sky” and the opportunity “to relax and talk away from home cares.”  She knew how the “kitchen table” is often at the centre of people’s lives.

Louisa Jordan’s working career was mainly in care and nursing on the East and West of Scotland. She later enlisted with the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Service in December 1914, after the start of the First World War.  She joined the first Serbian unit and looked after war wounded soldiers until the outbreak of a typhus epidemic in 1915, when she took charge of a typhus ward in Serbia.  

I didn’t learn to like food until I was twelve when my dad made me try this horrible plate of green pasta, it was covered with pesto and I was cynical, but my dad insisted I try it and it was a revolution. From that point on I tried everything and learned to not just like, but love food and to appreciate all the good things I was fed at home.

The fact that today social consciousness and consideration of the other are crucial to protect not only oneself but also the life of others, and my observation that many people seem to ignore this fact and its importance, lead me to the conclusion that many people all over the world have forgotten about some of the values, rights and obligations of living together in a society.

Having just spent 3 weeks in Southeast Asia, enjoying jaw-dropping sights, mouth-watering cuisine, eye-opening historical and cultural lessons, and connecting with intriguing, kind, generous, and delightful people all over Vietnam and Cambodia, I am feeling really torn about the need to be vigilant about public health safety and the incessant focus on the fear of contracting COVID-19 and how that’s creating devastating, rippling effects in global economies, encouraging xenophobia, and making people panic worldwide. 

The idea of traveling gluten–free in Italy might seem like a nearly impossible task (carb city!) but it is actually much easier than you think. Many Italians themselves suffer from Celiacs Disease and it is more and more common to find bakeries and pizzerias offering gluten-free alternatives.