MR. ROBERT C. HEDLUND

Mr. Robert C. Hedlund graduated from the Colorado School of Mines in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering.

After graduation, he pursued a career in the mining industry, and served as the General Manager of the Schwartzwalder Mine and the Elder Creek Project.

In 1992, Mr. Hedlund moved his family to Uzbekistan. Faced with the poverty of rural areas in that country, he formed a small humanitarian aid and development non-profit organization, Joint Development Associates International, Inc. (JDA).

JDA is made up of national Uzbek and Afghan staff and expatriate volunteers. They began their work by bringing clean water to rural areas and ministering to the needs of leprosy patients. It has expanded into areas of micro enterprise development, poultry growing opportunities, health education, water development and computer training.

In the past year, Mr. Hedlund has been involved in rebuilding communities in northern Afghanistan, initially providing food, clothing and shelter for returning refugees. The program has moved from relief work into rehabilitation programs, building new schools and, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, building new homes for thousands of families who have returned from refugee camps.