The African Odyssey was more than a series about food aid, more than a travelogue. It was a series of character-driven stories about contemporary Africa, told from the cab of a truck as it lumbered across Africa. The project was also an elaborate effort to merge traditional and digital newsgathering methods, employing recent developments in portable satellite technology to report every day from the most remote locations in Africa. The project required months of planning and research to be executed flawlessly. 

In addition to filing newspaper content, we maintained an active dialogue with readers in a special interactive feature on the Internet. Readers e-mailed  questions for us and the subjects of our reporting. School children followed the trek through the Newspapers in Education program. The entire series, along with the enthusiastic reader response, was formerly available on the Inquirer's web site before it underwent an unfortunate redesign. It's still available here: African Odyssey.