Ciudad de los Niños is a civil organization serving the community of Tijuana, Mexico. It offers a home for children from unsafe families, as well as childcare, psychological and educational programs. From a guiding value of co-responsibility, the nonprofit shares a commitment with society and families to protect, care for and support children experiencing social disadvantages. These disadvantages include financial hardship, mental health issues, disabilities and not having safe or reliable parental care.
The Borgen Project spoke with Marta Beltrán, director of Ciudad de los Niños; Maryel Nieves, head of communications; Gladys, coordinator of CAI Albergue Infantil; and Cinthia Saavedra, coordinator of Unidad de Servicios Especializados, to gain further insight into the organization’s work.
CAI Albergue Infantil (Children’s Shelter)
The Albergue Infantil is a shelter home for children who have experienced abuse or abandonment from their caregivers. The children’s cases are evaluated by the state. In this process, the children are moved to shelter homes like the Albergue Infantil offered by Ciudad de los Niños. There is no specific time frame for the length of cases, so children can spend anywhere from a few months to several years at the home.
Coordinator Gladys works directly with these children. She focuses on creating a family-like atmosphere and wants the children to have a loving and dignified childhood. She ensures that all fundamental emotional needs are met, guided by love.
Unidad de Servicios especializados (Unit of Specialized Services)
The Unidad de Servicios Especializados is Ciudad de los Niños’ psychological unit. Here, the nonprofit offers therapy to children and parents for mental health, trauma and disabilities.
Typically, the children are between 3 to 17 and a half years old. For kids with disabilities, the unit offers speech therapy, teaches sign language and provides hearing aids. For parents, they work with therapists outside the organization to connect them. Psychiatric services are included at the unit for patients who may need medication.
Prices are adjusted and decided after an assessment of family income. This allows low-income families to access needed psychological services. Equity is practiced, as the price is set using context and understanding of differing situations.
Initially, patients can have a hard time, as the therapists challenge them and help them confront difficult emotions. However, as treatment progresses, patients begin to feel proud of themselves for their successes. Similarly, the workers often have to figure out solutions, but feel very fulfilled seeing their patients’ progress.
Estancia Infantil (Day Care)
Ciudad de los Niños offers a daycare for working parents. To qualify for the program, both parents must be employed. However, the organization makes exceptions. If a parent is continuing their education, they may still qualify, since they cannot be with their child during class. Also, in consideration of summer vacation, children who are alone at home due to their parents’ working hours are accepted into the daycare.
The daycare promotes equity, as low-income families can receive scholarships. Furthermore, the requirement helps ensure that working families have better access to childcare, as there is less competition from families with a stay-at-home parent.
Programa Educativo (Educational Program)
The children at Ciudad de los Niños attend public school and are further supplemented through educational programs at the organization. The organization connects with the schools to understand what each child needs to improve. They also focus on the students’ homework. Additionally, Ciudad de los Niños offers its own curriculum on art, plastic art and ecology.
The education program goes beyond its unit. It is present in all the aforementioned units, most notably at the Unidad de Servicios Especializados. In the case of mental disabilities, the unit implements pedagogy to provide effective aid to patients with neurodivergence.
All of the units work together. A child in the Albergue Infantil may go to therapy at the Unidad de Servicios Especializados and participate in the Programa Educativo after school for a concept they may not have understood at school.
Volunteers
Ciudad de los Niños welcomes volunteers across its programs, including at the Estancia Infantil, which supports young children. Volunteers assist with caregiving, play-based learning and basic needs such as organizing supplies. In the past, volunteers have donated school supplies and toys through independent fundraising efforts. The organization fosters a welcoming environment for volunteers, often including them in group activities and highlighting their contributions on social media.
Looking Ahead
Ciudad de los Niños offers direct aid to the community of children and even parents in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. At the Albergue Infantil, children are given a second chance at a childhood filled with love, respect and integrity that they did not receive in their original homes. At the Unidad de Servicios Especializados, children with mental disabilities or traumatic upbringings can seek healing and peace through the help of psychologists and therapists. Likewise, at the Estancia Infantil, hardworking parents receive child care support. This allows for social mobility, as parents can grow their careers or have two incomes instead of one. Finally, in the educational program, children receive further instruction in subjects like arts and ecology and receive help with their homework. Parents and children experiencing financial challenges, mental health concerns, disabilities and unsafe homes can find help at Ciudad de los Niños.
– Andrea Roji
Andrea is based in San Diego, CA, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Ciudad de los Niños
WhatsApp Tutors in Lebanon Are Educating Refugee Children
The Problem in Lebanon
Education is highly dependent on the infrastructure it lies on. Proper facilities, strong internet and a safe region determine the quality of education. However, in Lebanon, many children, especially those affected by the recent conflict, are facing a lack of access due to overcrowding, cost and legal barriers.
The lack of a strong digital infrastructure primarily explains this, underscoring the importance of education facilities. Regarding Lebanon’s education sector, the system has faced multiple issues, from the refugee influx to a significant port explosion and the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, public education opportunities began to dwindle as the infrastructure started to collapse. This is where WhatsApp tutors in Lebanon began to change the picture.
WhatsApp Tutors in Lebanon Comes to the Rescue
When the state cannot provide education, WhatsApp tutors in Lebanon rise to the challenge by creating virtual classrooms. On WhatsApp, peer tutors share voice notes containing lessons on various subjects, including math and science.
In the absence of physical classrooms, teachers and tutors use WhatsApp to distribute assignments and collect submissions. A nonprofit called Jusoor has started providing $25 grants to refugee families to help them afford phones and data packages, enabling their participation in virtual education.
To save data and prevent potential outages, educators conducted lessons through chat and audio, which created a community where students began to support other students. To save data and avoid potential outages, educators delivered lessons through chat and audio, fostering a community where students began supporting one another.
The biggest life-saver for many families was that WhatsApp only requires a smartphone. Many other online platforms require a computer or other expensive hardware. WhatsApp allowed tutors in Lebanon to reach more students simply through mobile access.
The Digital Future
Research has found that conducting education through online platforms such as WhatsApp is not as effective as the physical classroom. However, in Lebanon, it is important to understand that WhatsApp and other similar platforms are the only opportunities many kids have.
Learning does not require a building or sophisticated technology. In areas devastated by war and conflict, such as Lebanon, tutors are creating makeshift classrooms using only mobile phones, chat messages and voice notes.
Despite limited resources and unstable conditions, they built a space where education continues, proving that determination and creativity can overcome even the harshest barriers to learning.
– Kallen Zhou
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
From Voice to Value: Data of TracFM Produces Change in Uganda
The nonprofit’s key innovation is not the radio show itself. It has software that transforms thousands of scattered opinions from SMS messages into clear, structured data, offering policymakers undeniable evidence of citizens’ needs.
By systematically collecting and analyzing this citizen-generated data, TracFM is amplifying voices to reduce poverty in a way that is measurable, targeted and impossible to ignore. This data-driven approach is creating a new, more responsive relationship between the Ugandan people and their leaders.
Quantifying Invisibility: Data on Identity
One of the most profound barriers to escaping poverty is invisibility. This lack of legal recognition has tangible consequences, barring individuals from enrolling in school, accessing government health programs or even securing a formal job. Recognizing this, TracFM’s VOICES Campaign tackled the issue by engaging citizens on the importance of civil registration.
The campaign did more than talk; its polls generated quantifiable data, revealing concrete problems like limited knowledge about civil registration and its benefits. This data produces change at a subregional level, allowing local governments to deploy registration units with greater precision, shifting the issue from a collection of anecdotes to an evidence-based policy challenge.
This new civil registration data will undoubtedly support African leaders and the World Bank Group in their goal of ensuring every citizen has a digital identity by 2030. They believe proper identification enables “financial inclusion, improved governance and the empowerment of women and girls.” It also unlocks a wide range of additional benefits.
From Identity to an Individual’s Rights
Another campaign of TracFM targets the complex issue of governance and human rights. Without a clear understanding of their fundamental rights, citizens may be afraid to speak up or assemble. TracFM’s Human Rights Awareness campaign, known as the Sauti Stream, directly confronted this by educating people on their rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.
The data from the SMS polls created a vital feedback loop, essentially a report on the state of civic literacy, “with 64% of respondents either unaware of their rights or lacking access to information.” Additional data from the reports offer educators and civil society groups insight into which rights are least understood, helping them to tailor their outreach programs accordingly.
This process is a grassroots application of the principles championed by the United Nations Development Program’s (UNDP) “Human Rights-Based Approach to Development.” The approach argues that development is most effective when people are empowered agents of change. The data of TracFM produces change by providing the concrete evidence needed for that empowerment to translate into responsive public engagement, ensuring resources for civic education can be directed where they are needed most.
A Look at Land Ownership
Armed with an identity and knowledge of their rights, citizens can tackle core economic issues like land. Insecure land rights are a primary driver of poverty and conflict, particularly for women and farmers. TracFM’s Land Rights in Uganda campaign addressed this by polling citizens on their knowledge of land laws and their experiences with local land management.
These polls developed data that highlighted where legal literacy was lowest and where citizens felt most powerless. Surprisingly, only 18% of respondents said they had registered their land, stating that the process is “too expensive or complicated.” About 68% of respondents believed that their registration would only benefit the elite and they were not misled in their assumptions.
Given their reduced access to legal counsel and information, the average citizen is vulnerable to land fraud and corruption. Such issues point toward a clear need for greater transparency and more responsible collection of information. The concept of citizen-generated data to improve economic stability is at the forefront of global development. The World Bank’s 2021 report, “Data for Better Lives,” details how such data can help design more effective public services, including land registration programs that secure property rights for people experiencing poverty. This data-driven model also aligns with global trends in governance.
Conclusion
Ultimately, TracFM’s power lies in its process: it captures the human voice, translates it into the language of data and presents it as clear evidence. It proves that data produces change and that citizen-driven information is most effective when voices are not just heard, but counted and given weight.
– Levi Ravnsborg
Photo: Flickr
Recognizing Women’s Unpaid Labor: A Growing Global Priority
According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), these duties keep 708 million women out of the labor market. Recognizing, valuing and supporting women’s unpaid labor by integrating care duties into policy and infrastructure creates greater access to women’s education, employment and leisure.
The Impact of Women’s Unpaid Labor
The effects of unpaid care work are especially pronounced for women in impoverished areas. In low-income countries, women in rural areas spend up to 14 hours daily on unpaid domestic duties. Among women aged 25 to 54, 379 million cite care responsibilities as why they are not part of the workforce. Those with lower levels of education and those living in rural areas face some of the highest barriers to economic participation.
This makes including care and investment in support systems critical to reducing poverty and advancing gender equality. However, countries worldwide are beginning to acknowledge the value of unpaid care work and taking steps to redistribute domestic responsibilities across public and private sectors.
Making Care Visible: Mexico
Increasing the visibility of women’s unpaid labor through empirical evidence is essential to recognizing its importance. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), unpaid domestic work accounts for 26.3% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP). To help bring this issue to the forefront, U.N. Women has played a key role in generating and promoting access to data on care work. The economic value of women’s unpaid labor is now visible through tools like Supported Time Surveys and Satellite Account.
In partnership with institutions like El Colegio de Mexico and the National Institute for Women, U.N. Women launched the Care Map, a tool more than 21,000 people used to access information on care services. Its support for local governments also led to evidence-based strategies for establishing care districts, which can now be adopted in other states. Building on these national efforts, U.N. Women Mexico joined the Government of Mexico to create the Global Alliance for Care. The platform has more than 300 members, placing care at the center of public policy.
Creating a quality care system in Mexico is important in recognizing the value of unpaid domestic duties. Barriers preventing women’s economic participation can be overcome by reducing the burden of unpaid labor and treating care as essential infrastructure.
Addressing Time Poverty: Peru
Women in Peru average nearly 40 hours a week on commitments to unpaid labor, which accounts for 52% of their total work time. The physical and emotional burden of care work leaves many women in Peru time-poor, limiting their educational opportunities, political participation and professional advancement. Findings from the 2023-2024 Young Lives Surveys reveal that women and girls are less likely to be employed than their male counterparts, spending more daily hours on unpaid care work.
However, Peru has taken significant measures to lessen the demanding domestic duties placed on women. The Transforming Care Economies project, led by U.N. Women and funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development, has advanced opportunities for caregivers. Since its launch in 2023, more than 350 caregivers have enhanced their basic and personal care skills, improving the quality of support given to those in need.
Alongside this, 70 public officials have received training in care policies and 16 civil society organizations are actively supporting local care facilities. These achievements lay the groundwork for securing the right to quality care and improving caregivers’ lives locally, paving the way for broader institutional recognition and support. By addressing time poverty through improved care systems, Peru actively supports women’s empowerment and greater access to education, employment and participation in public life.
Transforming Women’s Work: Kenya
Oxfam’s 2019 Household Care Survey shows that women in Kenya spend an estimated five hours daily on care work, while men spend just one. The COVID-19 pandemic deepened this disparity, pushing many women out of paid employment as they took on increased caregiving responsibilities due to school closures, the shift to remote learning and the shutdown of child care services.
Access to quality child care reduces the burden of unpaid care work on women. Yet, services remain expensive for low-income families and are often limited to urban areas. This lack of access forces many mothers out of the workforce, especially in rural communities.
Kidogo, a Kenyan nonprofit founded in 2014, works to expand affordable, high-quality child care in low-income areas. Supporting working mothers in informal settlements improves their chances of securing better employment. Kenya’s largest child care provider, Kidogo, serves more than 9,500 children aged less than 5, consistently exceeding development milestones and performing well in primary school. The organization has also influenced key policy reforms, including the Nairobi City County Child Care Facilities Act (2017) and the County Early Childhood Education Bill (2018).
By recognizing and addressing the unequal distribution of care, Kenya can promote professional and personal growth for women.
Looking Ahead
Valuing and supporting unpaid care work is key to reducing poverty and advancing gender equality. Creating access to quality care systems allows women to gain time and opportunities for education, work and leadership. Investing in care as essential infrastructure empowers women, strengthens communities and builds a more just and inclusive economy.
– Beatrice Punt
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Food Insecurity in Honduras: The CELAC 2030 Plan
As 43 million people—approximately 7% of the population—are still malnourished in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, CELAC emphasizes the right to food as a priority. Accordingly, the CELAC 2030 plan encourages governments to implement national policies that legally recognize the right to food as a human right. The plan is to further drive policies that allow sustainable food growth, access to adequate nutrition and support for local family farming.
In March 2025, 26 countries met in Honduras to assess progress on the CELAC 2030 plan and launch the Food Security and Nutrition Platform to strengthen commitment. With the support of the FAO, World Food Programme and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the platform is expected to hold states accountable more effectively. With these continuous efforts, food insecurity has decreased over the past two years despite challenges from extreme weather. In line with this global movement and the CELAC 2023 plan framework, Honduras, one of the poorest countries on the continent, has also taken notable steps.
Efforts to Combat Food Insecurity in Honduras
With the national poverty rate at 64% and more than half of the population living in extreme poverty, 1.5 million people in Honduras suffer from food insecurity. Frequent climate shocks such as drought, flood and hurricane have also contributed to Honduras experiencing the highest increase in food insecurity in the LAC region over the past decade.
Another contributing factor is the structure of the agricultural sector. Only a small number of large-scale farmers grow competitive crops that dominate exports, while most farms are small-scale, producing primarily for personal consumption. As an example, 95% of coffee farms in Honduras practise family farming, with many struggling to access broader markets to earn sustainable incomes. In response, the Honduran Minister of Agriculture held the first CELAC coffee summit in 2024. This helped small-scale farmers gain access to bigger markets as it improved the local economy and expanded market opportunities. Honduras has also invested in agricultural research and technology to increase productivity and encourage sustainable farming.
Supporting Organizations
The World Food Programme (WFP) has supported these efforts by training smallholder farmers on how to access bigger markets and promoting local and sustainable food businesses. Additionally, it has assisted in disaster risk management, providing resources to prevent and respond to extreme weather. According to the WFP’s latest annual report, this support has directly benefited 1.4 million people and an additional 2.2 million people indirectly.
The Parliamentary Front Against Hunger has also played a role in addressing food insecurity. It has been involved in meetings regarding the CELAC 2030 plan, where it promoted stronger legislation and monitoring mechanisms and ways to improve resource allocation. Specifically in Honduras, its regional Parliamentary Front Against Hunger has supported various legislation to legally recognize and protect the right to food.
Looking Ahead
The CELAC 2030 Plan has set a clear roadmap to combat hunger and improve nutrition across the LAC region. This framework has also helped address food insecurity in Honduras through efforts such as supporting smallholder farmers, improving responses to climate-related challenges and introducing right-to-food legislation. While challenges remain, coordinated regional efforts like CELAC and the ongoing efforts of the Honduran government can potentially drive progress toward a more food-secure future.
– Lucy Cho
Photo: Unsplash
Modernizing Agriculture in Kenya: Technology and Tools
While Kenya remains heavily reliant on its farmland, the population is growing rapidly. It is predicted to hit 81 million by 2039. The increasing population has caused farmers to relocate to make room for new residents. As a result, many farmers have moved to less ideal farmland, facing various climate challenges.
Challenges Facing Kenya’s Agriculture Sector
Most regions within Kenya are arid, with 80% of the country’s climate ranging between arid and semi-arid. The nation has been experiencing intense droughts followed by torrential rain for nearly a decade. This has caused a strain on many rural farming communities, as 95% of their crops rely on rainfall for adequate production. In March 2025, an estimated 2.2 million Kenyans experienced food insecurity, while more recent predictions in June 2025 approximate the number to be closer to 2.8 million.
Due to the rising population and food insecurity rates, integrating technology tools and new scientific developments for agriculture in Kenya can be key to ensuring an adequate food supply. This could benefit those in Kenya and other countries plagued by food insecurity. Agricultural technology in Kenya involves a wide array of approaches, ranging from digital services to climate-smart farming techniques advanced by science. These tools address many common agricultural concerns in Kenya, including climate-related struggles, product yields and overall knowledge of farmland and crops.
Digital Services and Platforms
In partnership with the World Bank, Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture implemented the Kenya Climate-Smart Agriculture Project and the National Agriculture & Rural Inclusive Growth Project. These gave Kenyan farmers access to various online support services in hopes of increasing production and profit. In addition, the collaboration led to the development of the Big Data Platform and the Kenya Agricultural Observatory Platform (KAOP). The Ministry also introduced the One Million Farmer Platform, which fostered collaboration between 24 AgTech startups and 27 county governments, connecting 1.1 million farmers.
The platforms have been vital in sharing high-resolution geospatial data with farmers and employees within the agriculture sector. These tools work by assessing specific coordinates to a location and delivering information about the geography, which has helped optimize land usage. The online services also provide advice to farmers tailored to their specific needs, such as seed and fertilizer suggestions. In addition to geographic data, the KAOP is notable for its weather forecast accuracy. The platform uses satellite-based information and shares weather advisories and patterns with the public via online messaging. This has allowed farmers to better prepare their farmland for inconstant weather events like heavy rain.
A popular app in Kenya tailored to smallholder farmers is iCow. The service works by utilizing SMS to better inform farmers on how to care for livestock, for example, providing information on disease management. In addition to SMS, iCow provides search engines to help farmers find experts nearby and also shares an online database full of information ranging from crops and soils to climate instability. Currently, 1.6 million individuals in Kenya utilize iCow and the service has sent more than 110 million messages to farmers.
Climate-Smart Farming
The joint effort between scientists at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT introduced a new bean for farmers in Kenya. Nyota beans are genetically modified to thrive in droughts and grow within shorter periods. Farmers who have grown Nyota beans have reported increased crop yields and profits. In Kenya, the bean consumption rate outweighs the bean production rate by 155,000 metric tons. However, the Nyota bean could decrease the deficit in the coming years.
New developments have allowed scientists to detect nutrient, water and carbon levels throughout Kenya to determine the most efficient technique for planting and growing crops in a certain area. They also observe the best soil and watering techniques in regions with frequent drought and water scarcity. Scientists share the information with farmers through hundreds of “farmer field schools” administered by KALRO. The farmers who used the farming techniques reported a crop yield increase of 20% and a 20% decrease in fertilizer use.
Conclusion
With shifting climate patterns and a growing population facing food insecurity, Kenya’s agricultural sector faces mounting pressure. In response, integrating modern technologies has become a significant step forward. From digital platforms that deliver localized weather forecasts and farming guidance to climate-smart innovations, modern technologies are addressing many of the top concerns of individuals living in Kenya. The success of these initiatives emphasizes the growing potential of agriculture technology and sustained investment and collaboration are crucial to expanding these accomplishments.
– Grace Johnson
Photo: Freepik
Ciudad de los Niños: A Non-Profit’s Impact on Tijuana’s Children
The Borgen Project spoke with Marta Beltrán, director of Ciudad de los Niños; Maryel Nieves, head of communications; Gladys, coordinator of CAI Albergue Infantil; and Cinthia Saavedra, coordinator of Unidad de Servicios Especializados, to gain further insight into the organization’s work.
CAI Albergue Infantil (Children’s Shelter)
The Albergue Infantil is a shelter home for children who have experienced abuse or abandonment from their caregivers. The children’s cases are evaluated by the state. In this process, the children are moved to shelter homes like the Albergue Infantil offered by Ciudad de los Niños. There is no specific time frame for the length of cases, so children can spend anywhere from a few months to several years at the home.
Coordinator Gladys works directly with these children. She focuses on creating a family-like atmosphere and wants the children to have a loving and dignified childhood. She ensures that all fundamental emotional needs are met, guided by love.
Unidad de Servicios especializados (Unit of Specialized Services)
The Unidad de Servicios Especializados is Ciudad de los Niños’ psychological unit. Here, the nonprofit offers therapy to children and parents for mental health, trauma and disabilities.
Typically, the children are between 3 to 17 and a half years old. For kids with disabilities, the unit offers speech therapy, teaches sign language and provides hearing aids. For parents, they work with therapists outside the organization to connect them. Psychiatric services are included at the unit for patients who may need medication.
Prices are adjusted and decided after an assessment of family income. This allows low-income families to access needed psychological services. Equity is practiced, as the price is set using context and understanding of differing situations.
Initially, patients can have a hard time, as the therapists challenge them and help them confront difficult emotions. However, as treatment progresses, patients begin to feel proud of themselves for their successes. Similarly, the workers often have to figure out solutions, but feel very fulfilled seeing their patients’ progress.
Estancia Infantil (Day Care)
Ciudad de los Niños offers a daycare for working parents. To qualify for the program, both parents must be employed. However, the organization makes exceptions. If a parent is continuing their education, they may still qualify, since they cannot be with their child during class. Also, in consideration of summer vacation, children who are alone at home due to their parents’ working hours are accepted into the daycare.
The daycare promotes equity, as low-income families can receive scholarships. Furthermore, the requirement helps ensure that working families have better access to childcare, as there is less competition from families with a stay-at-home parent.
Programa Educativo (Educational Program)
The children at Ciudad de los Niños attend public school and are further supplemented through educational programs at the organization. The organization connects with the schools to understand what each child needs to improve. They also focus on the students’ homework. Additionally, Ciudad de los Niños offers its own curriculum on art, plastic art and ecology.
The education program goes beyond its unit. It is present in all the aforementioned units, most notably at the Unidad de Servicios Especializados. In the case of mental disabilities, the unit implements pedagogy to provide effective aid to patients with neurodivergence.
All of the units work together. A child in the Albergue Infantil may go to therapy at the Unidad de Servicios Especializados and participate in the Programa Educativo after school for a concept they may not have understood at school.
Volunteers
Ciudad de los Niños welcomes volunteers across its programs, including at the Estancia Infantil, which supports young children. Volunteers assist with caregiving, play-based learning and basic needs such as organizing supplies. In the past, volunteers have donated school supplies and toys through independent fundraising efforts. The organization fosters a welcoming environment for volunteers, often including them in group activities and highlighting their contributions on social media.
Looking Ahead
Ciudad de los Niños offers direct aid to the community of children and even parents in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. At the Albergue Infantil, children are given a second chance at a childhood filled with love, respect and integrity that they did not receive in their original homes. At the Unidad de Servicios Especializados, children with mental disabilities or traumatic upbringings can seek healing and peace through the help of psychologists and therapists. Likewise, at the Estancia Infantil, hardworking parents receive child care support. This allows for social mobility, as parents can grow their careers or have two incomes instead of one. Finally, in the educational program, children receive further instruction in subjects like arts and ecology and receive help with their homework. Parents and children experiencing financial challenges, mental health concerns, disabilities and unsafe homes can find help at Ciudad de los Niños.
– Andrea Roji
Photo: Ciudad de los Niños
Positive Developments at Zamzam Camp in Sudan
Zamzam began as a temporary shelter for those fleeing conflict, violence and devastation. Since then, Zamzam has grown into an expansive settlement, hosting 120,000 people, including 54,000 families. Here are six facts about positive developments at Zamzam camp for IDPs in Sudan, despite its current instability.
Education for Children
According to the European Union External Action (EUAA), almost 30 schools within the camp contribute to educating 25,000 enrolled children. Many children in this camp have never been outside due to the conflict, making these schools incredibly important for their development and education.
Support for Children
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has supported children within Zamzam, successfully creating Child-Friendly Spaces (CFS). These safe places aim to help in dealing with the stream of traumatized children and teenagers arriving at this refugee camp. According to UNICEF, an average day in CFS entails taking their minds off the horrors going on throughout the country by working with psycho-social support workers.
Community-Led Initiatives
Despite the conflict and siege, the community has come together to assist in positive developments at Zamzam by helping supply the refugees with food and water. The United Nations (U.N.) has interviewed young people in Sudan who have come together to tackle the famine-stricken conditions in Zamzam. The organization explains that many people go there to volunteer in community kitchens to provide food to the various shelters around the camp.
UN Aid Convoy Security
In 2025, armed groups attacked a U.N. aid convoy, leading to the death of five humanitarian actors working for UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP). This devastating attack has increased security for all future aid convoys and the protection of humanitarian actors.
Water Relief From COOPI
An international NGO called COOPI recently delivered clean water, latrines and sanitation kits to around 9,000 people. Since the civil war broke out in 2023, this NGO has amplified its humanitarian efforts in North Darfur and Zamzam. It uses a multi-sectoral approach to provide essential human needs.
SAPA’s Integrated Emergency and Resilience Project
This project from the Sudanese American Physician Association (SAPA) has led to significant humanitarian efforts with the funding of the Schmidt Family Foundation. According to SAPA, this project has provided Zamzam IDP camp with emergency aid, such as food, health care and water relief, to more than 229,000 people.
Additionally, SAPA’s project includes the secondary phase implementation of a long-term recovery/resilience plan. This phase of the project consists of forming a youth development center. Furthermore, the SAPA team designed it to help train future generations in essential trades that will help rebuild Sudan.
In recent years, amid ongoing instability in Sudan, there have been positive developments at the Zamzam camp for IDPs in Sudan, many aimed at improving the quality of life for its residents. From increased humanitarian aid and improved water and sanitation infrastructure to educational initiatives and community-led programs, Zamzam is slowly evolving from a place of emergency shelter to one of cautious hope.
– Emma Dornan
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
How the US-China Trade War Affects Trade in Indonesia
While these developments hurt both powers, the impact of this tit-for-tat on developing countries and their ability to rely on stable trade with the U.S. and China is often overlooked. Indonesia offers a clear example of how these trade tensions ripple outward.
Indonesia as a Focal Point
Firstly, Indonesia trades with both nations. “Regarding exports, China and the U.S. are the first and third-largest trading partners for [Indonesia], respectively; regarding imports, China is its largest trading partner,” according to a study conducted by Bogor Agricultural University. Secondly, Indonesia is a prime example of how some countries won’t be able to adapt to the trade war while others will.
While some countries would benefit from the trade war due to production and manufacturing moving both outside the U.S. and China to avoid tariff rates, others, like Indonesia, would struggle to adapt to the tariff wars as they occur. This is largely because of low integration with the global value chain and the current trade structure in Indonesia, which heavily serves the Chinese and U.S. domestic markets. Using the country as a case study can show how this trade war can adversely affect developing nations.
Impact on Trade and Poverty
The tariff war between the U.S. and China has opened the door for several developing countries to fill the manufacturing gaps left behind. Countries like Thailand and Vietnam have boosted their exports due to the tariffs. At the same time, however, the trade war is indirectly dampening exports, as seen in Indonesia.
Due to its strong ties to both the Chinese and U.S. markets, Indonesia has experienced a decline in exports to both countries, with rising tariffs and broader economic fallout driving down demand. As a result, Indonesia has been more negatively affected than many other developing nations.
This decline in trade is also likely to affect Indonesia’s poverty rate. As demand continues to fall, the country may struggle to maintain downward progress on poverty. Reduced trade with developed nations like the U.S. and China could lead to job losses in labor- and export-heavy sectors such as textiles and electronics manufacturing.
Solutions
The Indonesian government is making several moves to reduce the impact of the U.S.-China trade war on the nation. One key effort is the government’s “Making Indonesia 4.0” initiative, which aims to harness advanced technologies to boost productivity and performance in the manufacturing sector.
Another potential solution is for the U.S. to sign a bilateral trade agreement with Indonesia. Indonesia has already taken steps toward this by proposing a limited trade deal with the U.S., which is expected to strengthen trade ties between the two countries. The deal aims to raise two-way goods trade from around $30 billion in 2019 to $60 billion in the next few years.
– Caelan Caukin
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Organizations Advancing Disease Prevention in Serbia
European Center for Disease Prevention and Control
Over the past few months, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has visited Serbia. It aims to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of Serbia’s handling of communicable diseases, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) or antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
AMR is a major global concern as antibiotic use continues. Within the European Union (EU) alone, 35,000 people die each year from antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The visits by ECDC experts ensure that roadmaps can be produced to follow AMR trends across the country, focusing on important sectors such as public safety, human and animal health.
The ECDC organized these visits using a “One Health” approach. The approach is a collaborative, multi-sectoral goal to achieve positive health for humans, animals and the environment, recognizing that the health of these three groups is interconnected. Using the approach, the EU hopes to increase disease prevention in Serbia and throughout Europe.
In addition to supporting the One Health initiative, the ECDC visited Serbia to help strengthen the surveillance of communicable diseases. On March 18, 2025, the agency released a report on its visit outlining several key recommendations:
The World Bank Group
The World Bank Group began a Noncommunicable Disease Prevention and Control Project for Serbia to aid in improving the Serbian health system. Efforts within the project include five main goals:
The World Bank Group initiated the project in December 2024. Efforts in the project are primarily focused on health facilities and construction, with a secondary focus on health and a tertiary focus on public administration. While the completion ratings and results have yet to be reported, the World Bank Group has reported “satisfactory” reviews for its management and progress in achieving the project goals.
Conclusion
The initiatives taken by groups like the ECDC and the World Bank Group are the first but the most important steps in securing a healthy future for the people in Serbia and worldwide. Suppose projects like the One Health approach improve Serbia’s prevention and control of disease. In that case, the broader application of this method can improve health systems in other developing countries.
– Matthew Perduk
Photo: Flickr
Vietnam’s Two-Child Policy Repealed: Here’s What That Means
Vietnam is in trouble. The country, in recent years, has become one of South-East Asia’s most talked about and exciting economies. The capital, Ho Chi Minh City, has become a thriving powerhouse of investment. However, demographics tell a different story. In 2015, Vietnam was declared an ‘aging’ country. Meanwhile, by 2035, it could become an ‘aged’ country. With a significant percentage of the population over 65, the momentum of the Vietnamese economy is coming to a gradual halt. When the birth rate dropped to 1.91, lower than the recommended replacement rate of 2.1, the government quickly acted and repealed Vietnam’s two-child policy.
Vietnam’s Two-Child Policy
Since 1988, the Vietnamese government has kept a rule of no more than two children per mother – this was in response to an extremely high birth rate of more than four babies in the 1980s. Given Vietnam’s struggling post-war economic state, it introduced the policy to control overpopulation. Demographics could, however, quickly stagnate the emerging Vietnamese economy in the 2030s, primarily hurting the poor the most, with rural and underdeveloped areas struggling to grow economically.
Challenges for the Elderly
Elderly Vietnamese often move from thriving cities, with developed infrastructure, to rural areas after retirement. With only two children to care for elderly relatives, many Vietnamese struggle in their old age, coupled with the lack of infrastructure in certain peripheral provinces. Younger Vietnamese workers are reluctant to move to these rural areas, with a lack of work opportunities and limited access to services. This disconnects retirees from their family, keeping young people in cities such as Hanoi.
The Vietnamese government spends a significant amount on health and social care. In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the percentage of state budgets spent on health, population and family-planning was around 30%. The rising elderly population would only continue the burden on government services, should the situation worsen. Many wonder what effect this rise will have on the existing poor in Vietnam; will the burden increase if poor families are having more babies? It is unclear that those in poverty will have more children as a result of these reforms.
Boosting Birth Rates
Vietnam already spends 5% of the state budget on health, population, and family planning. If these birth-rate boosting measures were not put in place, social programs for the elderly are expected to cost 0.4% of GDP by 2050. The long-term costs clearly outweigh the risk.
The Vietnamese government also seems to be specifically targeting population centers such as Ho Chi Minh City, for increased fertility. Compared with the overall birth rate of 1.91, Ho Chi Minh City saw levels as low as 1.39. The government, in response to this, instituted a ‘baby bonus’ – a grant of around $120 for those having two children before 35.
By encouraging wealthier areas to have more children, alongside a robust family planning safety net, Vietnam can increase its birth rate whilst taking the burden away from poorer families. This allows the long term economic development and diversification necessary for Vietnam to continue its economic growth, further providing for the poorest in the country.
Why This Was Necessary
The window of opportunity was shortening. Vietnam has been clearly moving towards a situation all too common in Asian countries with strong or developing economies. An aging population, rapidly turning into an aged one, and not enough working-age adults to combat this.
Short-term fixes have been put in place, such as a raise in the retirement age from 55 to 60 for women, and 60 to 62 for men. The Prime Minister has even made personal pleas, asking women to marry before 30 and have two children before 35. These efforts, however, are only small aspects of a larger story.
Repealing Vietnam’s two-child policy demonstrates a structural shift in the Vietnamese government’s approach to combating the aging population. This move will not only help the poor in the long-term, but future-proof the Vietnamese economy against imminent stagnation.
– Lee Stonehouse
Photo: Wikimedia Commons