Home to about 1.7 million people, the small West African country of Gabon is wealthy from oil exports and boasts impressive environmental diversity. An authoritarian government and family dynasty led by President Ali Bongo keeps wealth in its hands and contributes to high levels of inequality. Under the Bongo dictatorship, many legal and cultural obstacles […]
Although improvements have been made to end the use of child soldiers, it is believed that close to 300,000 child soldiers are still being recruited and forced into war across the world today. Child soldiers are children under the age of 18, some even as young as seven years of age, who are used for any […]
As with many areas populated mainly by rural people, women’s empowerment in Mozambique takes a long time to spread through scattered communities. As of July 2017, Mozambique’s population stands at around 26,573,706, a number that accounts for the millions of inhabitants who have died from the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which severely affected much of this region. The […]
The Gambia is a relatively small country in Western Africa, surrounded by Senegal. It has maintained political stability since independence in 1965. Despite this, the country still faces a multitude of issues which development projects in The Gambia seek to address. In 2017, former President Jammeh’s 21-year reign came to an end. The citizens elected […]
Over 90 percent of visually impaired people worldwide live in developing countries. Sightsavers partners with local entities to protect vision in developing countries from the Caribbean to Africa and Asia. The organization has treated over 200 million people for potentially blinding conditions. To date, Sightsavers has facilitated seven million eye operations in 30 countries to […]
One of the most vibrant economies in Southeast Asia, Malaysia consists of two regions separated by 640 miles of water. Though it is relatively peaceful, occasionally there is racial tension. To address issues of income inequality, several development projects in Malaysia are active. Less than one percent of Malaysians live in extreme poverty. However, more […]
In recent years, Tonga has taken action to bridge the gap in gender equality by improving women’s livelihoods and attempting to stop domestic violence against them, while also improving their economic power. They believe that in order to eliminate poverty in their country, women’s empowerment in Tonga needs to improve. Tonga’s government is determined to […]
Many women in the countries of Africa deal with marginalization and lack of opportunities. Tanzania is no exception. However, there have been efforts to improve this and empower women. Three unique programs aimed at improving women’s empowerment in Tanzania include USAID/Tanzania’s Gender Equality and Youth Inclusion Project, also known as Tumaini (“Hope” in Kiswahili), Let […]
Madagascar is one of the world’s most biologically diverse areas, but only 10 percent of its original rainforests are intact. These remaining pockets of vegetation are highly fragmented due to local and small-scale destruction. Conservation must be combined with sustainable agriculture in Madagascar. The Madagascar Flora and Fauna Group (MFG) has joined forces with Dr. […]
In April 2016, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) signed an agreement with NGOs to provide five new development projects in Nepal, totaling $121 million in aid. Here is an overview of those projects: Suaahara II – $63 million This five-year (2016-2021) program is “dedicated to improving the health and nutrition status of women […]
