“If you educate a man, you educate an individual. When you educate a woman, you educate a nation,” goes one African saying. Indeed, women are a rare sight in African schools, but they shouldn’t be: 90% of what a woman earns, she will reinvest in her community. But while 60% of the education population should […]
Last year, the United States Census Bureau, the federal statistical system that gathers information on the American people and economy, reevaluated a list of the country’s poorest cities. Topping the ranks was Brownsville, Texas, which passed McAllen, Texas, to become one of the most unprosperous places in the United States. Brownsville is located at Texas’s […]
Headlines covering Iraq focus on the brutal mass executions performed by the Islamic State (IRIS) or the thousands of refugees Kurdistan struggles to support. Lately, the news spotlight has shed its light on the plight of the Yezidis and their escape from the Sinjar mountains. While coverage on these issues has been extensive and thorough, […]
As part of a trend to eliminate healthcare barriers for the poor, Facebook is helping to provide free access to advantageous websites to impoverished women in Africa. Some of these websites target pregnant women and advocate and educate for better maternal health. At this point, inaccessibility to expensive data plans has been a large barrier between […]
Widespread hunger in Liberia has plagued the country partly as a result of a coup d’état in 1980. However, a combination of president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf’s poverty reduction programs, other government programs and nongovernmental initiatives has led to a reduction in hunger. In 1980, a military regime replaced the civilian government in Liberia. The people rebelled in […]
Mennonite Central Committee is a faith-based organization involved with Anabaptist churches. According to its website, the three areas of focus are relief, development and peace. Recently, its efforts have included providing shelter kits to typhoon victims in the Philippines and canned meat to Burundian refugees who have been kicked out of Tanzania. Volunteers also make […]
Since 1897, August 20 has been a particularly important date for those in the developing world. On this day, British scientist Sir Ronald Ross made the breakthrough discovery that malaria, the deadly disease that kills 600,000 to one million people each year, was not caused by “bad air,” but rather by the female anopheles mosquito. His findings […]
How much should I donate? It’s a common question. Even if you have sworn off Facebook and eschew trendy news sites, you have most likely heard about or even witnessed the Ice Bucket Challenge, a social media craze that has resulted in more than $10 million being raised for the ALS Association. The nonprofit, which devotes its […]
Nepal is ranked 157 on the World Health Organization’s 2013 Human Development Index. It is one of the toughest countries in the world to provide health care access. This is due in part to geography as Nepal is situated in the Himalayas and hosts eight of the ten tallest mountains in the world and to the inability of […]
A recent video showing ISIS extremists beheading American journalist James Foley has caused global disturbance, not only because of the brutal act but also because the executioner was speaking with a British accent. The Islamic State—deemed by several experts to be more fanatical than al-Qaeda—has been recruiting British-born militants, and it is estimated that between […]
