Reporters on the Job

• Grannies Chase Away the Blues: Correspondent Danna Harman was feeling sorry for herself the day she went to a party for South African grandmothers caring for AIDS orphans (see story). But what she saw "totally cured me of feeling blue," she says.

"They were so kind to one another, so appreciative of the small kindness that Ingrid Moloi was showing them . They took so much pleasure in their little party and sang so sweetly that I almost cried. I actually called a friend and let him hear their voices on the phone," says Danna.

"I stayed with them for eight hours, far longer than I really needed for this story. But I went home afterward filled with inspiration that is still sort of buzzing around me."

How to help? Readers who want to may send a check or wire money to:

The Grannies Project

Nedbank at Killarney Mall

P.O. Box 1570

Houghton, Johannesburg 2041

SOUTH AFRICA

Please include the Nedbank Branch Code: 191605, Bank VAT REG NO: 4320 116074, and account No. 1911 103210

• Meeting Benazir: Correspondent Huma Yusef was an 8-year-old schoolgirl in 1988, when Benazir Bhutto became Pakistan's first female prime minister. She and her friends idolized Ms. Bhutto (see story), dressing like her and mimicking her accent. Her influence grew all the more when she made a visit to Huma's private school in Karachi, Pakistan, two years later. "She came to an athletic [track] meet. She spoke to the whole school. She told jokes and told us that we could all achieve what she had," says Huma. "I remember that she told us the hardest part was juggling home and career. But she said that we were bright, young girls and we'd manage. At the time, she had a 1-year-old child and was expecting. It was a mind-blowing experience."

– David Clark Scott

World editor