On August 18, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences discovered the cause of the particularly deadly 2010 polio outbreak in Congo: a mutated strain that is resistant to vaccination. Of the 445 infected, almost half of them succumbed to the virus. The outbreak’s high death rate of 47 percent was originally […]
Around the world, acid attacks affect the futures of around 1,500 people every year. The majority of these crimes take place in India, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Uganda. The attacks are mostly used as punishments or revenge for slights against the perpetrator. Some women are attacked because of their beauty, particularly if their beauty […]
In the northern Chinese province of Inner Mongolia, a recent conference was held by the Inner Mongolia Women’s Federation in the provincial capital. The topic of conversation was the role of women in the family and maintaining harmonious ties. With the discussion taking place at a psychology center, psychologists provided an open dialogue about household […]
The Horn of Africa is considered to be one of the poorest regions in the world. The United Nations recently estimated that nearly 16 million people in this area are in urgent need of food and other assistance. The American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa (ARAHA) is an organization working to alleviate suffering […]
In the African savannah, the baobab tree is a symbol of life, a sign of positivity in a dry landscape where very little other life can survive. The baobab tree is also a place where people come to share knowledge, discuss their thoughts and learn from one another; it is the meeting point for people from […]
Global plastic waste has turned cities in China from natural wonders into chasms of poverty and sickness. In 2010, author and Shanghai correspondent Adam Minter went undercover to explore the inner workings of the plastic business in China, and he discovered the frightening realities of recycling plastic scraps. Minter visited Wen’an, a Chinese city that has […]
Last month, the creators of #GirlWithABook, a project advocating for girl’s education, had the opportunity to meet Malala Yousafzai, their inspiration. #GirlWithABook, the hashtag coined by college students Olivia Curl and Lena Shareef, has caught the attention of leaders and advocates worldwide. Students at American University in Washington, D.C., Curl and Shareef shared the world’s reaction […]
According to the World Bank, renewable and efficient energy are key to overcoming global poverty. Researchers have recently found that carbon-based materials can offer some of the most effective sources of renewable solar energy. The first source is an all-carbon solar cell developed by researchers at Stanford University. As the name suggests, the cell uses carbon […]
In a report released by ONE, an anti-poverty organization, it is estimated that corruption causes 3.6 million unnecessary deaths and costs poor countries $1 trillion each year. Using three different methodologies to calculate the cost of corruption, all three measures indicated that the loss was either $1 trillion or $2 trillion. In what is called […]
Ninety percent of the Helping Hand for Relief and Development’s (HHRD) funds are spent on the programs and services it delivers. HHRD is a nonprofit based out of Detroit, Michigan and prides itself on being known as a group of “Muslims for Humanity.” The organization responds to emergencies and disasters all over the world with […]
