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On September 14, Nicole's friend Richard Allen Greene will run the Parks 13 Mile Half Marathon in Bethesda, Maryland, in memory of Nicole. Richard invites you to make a donation to support the Child Soldiers Initiative, of which Nicole was project coordinator. Stopping the use of child soldiers as weapons of war was of enormous importance to Nicole. Your contribution will directly support the Child Soldiers Initiative (www.childssoldierinitiative.org). Thank you.

August 13, 2008

On behalf of everyone at Search for Common Ground, I want to express our profound sadness over the death of Nicole Dial in Afghanistan. Nicole was one of four International Rescue Committee (IRC) aid workers, who was killed when their car was ambushed on Wednesday.

Nicole recently left SFCG to work for the IRC in Afghanistan. In recent communications, she reported that she was very happy there; was enjoying her work; liked and respected the people whom she met and with whom she worked, and was happy to be in a position where she could help others.

Nicole first came to SFCG as a Search-USA Programme intern in November 2003, and she eventually became the Project Coordinator for the Child Soldiers Initiative (CSI) in February 2006. Nicole flourished in that role, ably and graciously coordinating a consortium of organisations and individuals, and organising a high level simulation activity in Ghana.

Having successfully completed the first critical phases of the CSI project, Nicole left Washington to become the SFCG Indonesia Programme Coordinator, assisting our incoming Country Director. She worked in Jakarta until May, when she went to Afghanistan to work as IRC’s Children & Youth Protection and Development Coordinator.

Upon learning the tragic news, SFCG staff in Washington quickly gathered to share our grief and our stories. We warmly recalled Nicole’s sense of humor, her vitality, her contagious laughter, her ability to remain cool under stress, and her personal vision of wanting to make a difference in the world. We were somewhat comforted knowing that she was where she wanted to be and doing what she wanted to do.

Our hearts are heavy as we send our love to Nicole’s family, from the entire family at Search for Common Ground.

A memorial service for Nicole will be held in Washington within the next weeks. Details will be posted on our website.

Sandra Melone
Executive Vice President
Search for Common Ground