What Makes Us Human?

The Story of a Shared Dream

Me, Im a gangster. The police know me. Until recently, my job was to rob banks and to rape girls. Now, I realise that my life is more important than that! This is Kasure talking. He lives in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. What caused this change? When Jean-Louis Lamboray and 11 people from all continents launched the Constellation in 2004, they took the prism of our shared humanity to challenge the status quo. They dreamed of a world where communities would take charge of their own lives and connect for sharing and support. They would not teach nor preach but appreciate community strengths. They would not evaluate communities, but communities would assess themselves and learn from their actions. At the outset, Jean-Louis and his friends could only count on their own strengths to inch towards their dream. Now they celebrate a positive epidemic as in more than sixty countries thousands of communities mobilise their own strengths to address their concerns, shape their dream and act to fulfil it. Told with the simplicity of troubadours and of African storytellers this story of stories invites you to reflect and to trust in your own strengths as you join others to address collective challenges. And this is only the beginning of the journey Jean-Louis Lamboray is one of the worlds most impressive public health doctors. Lamborays ideas are original and brilliant, and theyve worked in practice. Richard Preston, contributor to The New Yorker, currently working on a successor book to The Hot Zone. At the Ministry of Health of Senegal, we try very hard to stimulate community ownership of health issues. Jean-Louiss book will help us take further action. Awa-Marie Coll-Seck, Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Senegal.