"To trace" means to redraw a picture. The verb "to trace" means to copy a picture through an overlay on an existing picture. The original picture is not lost but transformed. This is the kind of change in which Trace hopes to participate. When tracing a picture, care is taken to respect the original lines while the new picture is created. Similarly, as the foundation draws up program guidelines, we use care to conserve and build upon the valuable assets of local communities. While new technologies and methods are important elements of development, we do not see ourselves as bringing in utterly foreign ideas or pre-determined answers. Rather, with appreciation for local practices, we work towards improvements that make sense within context.

The "trace" is where worlds meet. In the field of mathematics, the trace is where planes intersect. To put it another way, it is where worlds come together. Trace Foundation works in many different worlds: New York City, where our head office is located, Tibetan farming and herding communities, urban centers throughout China and various locations worldwide where we support trainings and conferences. Each of these worlds has its own language, both linguistically and culturally, and is continually changing.

A "trace" is a path. "A trace" can mean a path created by people and animals in new terrain; "tracing" can mean to create such a path. The foundation learns from the existing paths in a landscape created by culture, human ingenuity and nature. Our work entails tracing new paths through international cooperation. We do not wish to duplicate what is already in place- including the efforts of government or social service organizations- but to complement these efforts and to work where there is continuing need. Often this takes us into rural communities where humans and animals frequently walk together, giving this definition of trace additional resonance.

A "trace" is an imprint. Like footprints along a path, a "trace" is an imprint or a mark. It can have the quality of being faint, as a sign or a vestige. Trace Foundation strives to make a positive contribution in peoples lives, and in this way to make a difference. It is not necessary for our activities to leave physical structures or monuments behind. The trace we leave is in the support we give to the people and institutions who are at the heart of long-term social development.

Andrea Soros Colombel