In southern Libya, young people and women face significant barriers to employment. Geographic isolation, limited access to investment and years of political instability have made it difficult for many communities to build sustainable livelihoods. In response, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported Innovation Sahara, an entrepreneurship program designed to help people in southern Libya turn business ideas into income-generating projects.
Innovation Sahara focuses on communities in Libya’s southern region, where economic opportunities are often more limited than in larger coastal cities such as Tripoli and Benghazi. The program offers practical business training, including budgeting, marketing and business planning. According to UNDP, more than 110 participants took part in the initiative, including 53 women-led ventures. Of these participants, 60 startups received grants to help launch their businesses, including 23 women-led startups.
Entrepreneurs in Southern Libya
Entrepreneurship can offer an alternative path to employment in areas where formal jobs are scarce. Rather than relying only on public-sector work or outside investment, small businesses allow communities to respond to their own local needs. A successful startup can support one household by generating income. Over time, it can also provide useful services, create products and open new employment opportunities for others in the community. Innovation Sahara in southern Libya is particularly significant for women, as they often face additional barriers due to limited access to finance, fewer professional networks and social expectations that restrict participation in public economic life. By including women-led ventures in training and grant opportunities, the program supports women’s economic participation and helps challenge the idea that entrepreneurship is only accessible to men or to people in major cities.
Libya’s economy has generally depended heavily on oil and public-sector employment. Oil wealth has shaped the country’s economy. However, it has not always produced stable opportunities for young people, especially outside urban centers. Supporting small businesses can help diversify local economies and reduce dependence on a narrow range of income sources. In southern Libya, entrepreneurs are often far from major markets. This distance can make it harder to access investors, customers and business-support services.
The Importance of Skill Development
The project also demonstrates the importance of combining financial support with skills development. Grants alone may not be enough to help a business survive. Entrepreneurs also need to understand how to manage costs, reach customers and adapt their ideas to real market conditions. By offering training in budgeting, marketing and business planning, Innovation Sahara gives participants tools that can continue to benefit them after the initial grant period ends.
However, the long-term impact of the program will depend on whether these startups can survive and grow. Many early-stage businesses struggle after initial funding runs out. Entrepreneurs may still need mentoring, access to larger markets, legal support and continued financing. Infrastructure challenges, political instability and weak private-sector institutions also limit business growth.
From Training to Employment
One example is Hamed Mohamed from Gurda Al-Shati, who used support from Innovation Sahara to develop Akakus Restaurant. Hamed identified a clear local need: his community had few food-delivery options, leaving residents underserved. With the help of the program, he expanded the restaurant and hired 14 people, including chefs, cleaners and delivery riders. His story shows how a small business can respond to everyday community needs while also creating stable employment. In an area where formal job opportunities are limited, Akakus Restaurant demonstrates how entrepreneurship can strengthen local economies from within.
Another example from Gurda Al-Shati is Rahma El Farjani, an architect who previously worked from home. Before joining Innovation Sahara, her limited visibility made it difficult to reach clients and earn a stable income. Through the program’s training and grant support, she established Dalilak for Architectural Services, described by UNDP as the first architectural firm in the region. Her work expands professional services in southern Libya and challenges the idea that innovation belongs only in major urban centers.
Both Hamed and Rahma’s stories show how targeted support can help entrepreneurs turn local challenges into businesses that improve livelihoods and community development.
The program’s focus on youth and women makes it particularly relevant to poverty reduction. When young people are unable to find work, they may face financial insecurity, migration pressures or exclusion from community decision-making. When women lack access to income, households and communities lose an important source of economic potential.
Looking Ahead
Innovation Sahara in southern Libya shows how targeted entrepreneurship programs can help marginalized regions participate in economic recovery. By providing training, grants and visibility to entrepreneurs in southern Libya, the initiative supports people who are often excluded from national economic opportunities. Its success will depend on long-term follow-up, continued investment and the ability of new businesses to create lasting employment. Still, the program offers a hopeful example of how locally driven innovation can improve livelihoods in communities facing poverty, instability and limited opportunity.
– Nina Novillo Astrada
Nina is based in London, UK and focuses on Business and Good News for The Borgen Project.
Photo: Flickr
GCC Humanitarian Aid: Gulf Nations Become Top 5 Global Donors
Member states have consistently ranked among the world’s top five donors for several years. Although regional giving was historically informal and discrete, the Gulf’s young generation of leaders now takes control of the countries’ philanthropic activities with a different approach. Rather than focusing on the symptoms of poverty, they prioritize systematic aid that addresses the root causes. The following initiatives highlight how this shift creates lasting advancements in developing nations.
Rebuilding Education in Yemen
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), based in Saudi Arabia, has delivered more than $13.3 billion in GCC humanitarian aid to 170 countries since 1996. One of its most impactful efforts focuses on schooling in Yemen through a long-standing partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Together, they rehabilitated 12 schools across the Aden, Lahj and Ta’iz governorates. This work is critical because the conflict in Yemen has destroyed nearly 2,800 schools, leaving 4.5 million children without access to education.
This project created a safe learning environment for more than 18,000 students and teachers across the three governorates. By prioritizing critical infrastructure, KSrelief and IOM provided the students with necessities such as clean water and hygiene services. Workers also installed solar energy systems to ensure uninterrupted learning in areas with electricity shortages. This focused aid builds on previous efforts that improved access for more than 17,500 students in the region.
Food Aid and Technology
In the UAE, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) serves as an umbrella organization for over 30 initiatives. Established in 2015, MBRGI concentrates its work in sectors including health care, food security and education. The organization recently contributed 43 million AED to the World Food Programme (WFP) to support direct food aid for more than one million people affected by the crisis in Gaza. Since 2021, MBRGI has contributed a total of 230 million AED in humanitarian aid through its partnership with WFP. Through these projects, the organization provides life-saving food assistance and supports sustainable projects that address global hunger.
The region also uses technology to modernize relief efforts. The UAE recently partnered with the WFP to accelerate a digital school initiative in Southern Africa. This program has already successfully enrolled 60,000 students across eight countries. Meanwhile, the UAE-based Kalimat Foundation’s Ara Initiative provides GCC humanitarian aid by making Arabic literary content accessible to children with visual impairments. The program helps publishers with the technology to create interactive features including built-in bookmarks and navigation tools.
Healing Trauma Through Drama Therapy
Kuwait has also taken a lead in specialized humanitarian efforts through the Intisar Foundation. Princess Intisar Al Sabah founded the organization in 2017 to support Arab women affected by war and trauma. By using drama therapy to alleviate trauma, the foundation aims to heal one million Arab women by 2050.
From solar-powered classrooms in Yemen to Arab women healing through drama therapy, GCC humanitarian aid is reaching people across the region in effective ways. The combined efforts of these nations show a clear commitment to peace through development. By adopting strategic and collaborative models, member states ensure that aid helps communities thrive long-term. As these nations continue to expand their global reach, their solution-driven approach positions them as a leading partner in the fight against poverty.
– Nikki Rasoulian
Photo: Unsplash
How DREAMS for Refugees Provides Long-term Solutions
Immediate versus Long-Term Aid
While refugee camps are excellent for providing immediate assistance for refugees suffering from extreme poverty, they do not provide lasting support. People rely on the camps for support and lack the ability to permanently lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
Refugee camps were designed to be temporary shelters, but the people who reside in them require something permanent.
The Solution
In their joint project entitled “DREAMS for Refugees,” DREAMS for Refugees Uganda offers sustainable solutions, empowering communities through innovative programs and reducing dependency on aid. are working to install permanent solutions in refugee communities. Beginning in the Ugandan Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, they are combining two well-researched tactics.
Village Enterprise employs a poverty graduation program. This approach uses provision, coaching and structural changes to benefit poor communities. Assets are provided, and teaching allows people to use those assets in productive ways.
This program is combined with Mercy Corps’ market system development program, which allows the refugee community to thrive financially. Together, these two strategies have the potential to create thriving communities.
Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement and Beyond
The Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement was created in Uganda in 2016. After the implementation of DREAMS, the first businesses opened in the fall of 2022.
In 2023, DREAMS for Refugees expanded to Ethiopia. It is estimated that it will reach 200,000 refugees.
The project received Fast Company’s 2023 World Changing Ideas Award and was the 2021 winner of the Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award for Refugees.
Village Enterprise and Mercy Corps intended DREAMS to be an evidence-led approach to fighting poverty. To determine the effectiveness of the program, IDinsight is conducting a trial to assess its results.
Why the DREAMS Model Matters
The DREAMS program represents the shift from offering basic necessities to refugees to improving lives and setting people up for success. Not only does this program help the individual, but the evolution of small businesses will strengthen the economies of these settlements as a whole.
This long-term approach is especially helpful in a period of reduced foreign aid by wealthy countries, as it repurposes money to create lasting success as opposed to short-term survival.
Looking Ahead
As the number of refugees living in extreme poverty increases and the amount of foreign aid dwindles, investing in long-term solutions becomes more important than ever. The future of foreign aid is uncertain, so actions to change it must be taken now. Assisting with establishing independence rather than creating dependency on consistent aid is not only more financially viable, but it protects the dignity of refugees. If DREAMS continues to be successful, it could serve as a model for communities experiencing extreme poverty around the world.
– Julia Cholerton
Photo: Unsplash
How edX is Breaking Educational Inequality in India
PARAKH 2024 data exposes widening learning gaps between “Others” and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students. The language score gap grows from five points in Grade 3 to 13 points in Grade 9. ST students average just 47 in language compared to 60 and 32 in mathematics compared to 40. These gaps solidify early and compound over time.
How Inequality Becomes Earnings Inequality
The urban-rural divide is the primary driver, with a rural education Gini of 0.448 compared to urban 0.292. This split alone accounts for 30.1% of total educational inequality in India. Unequal resources sustain this gap: rural schools battle crumbling infrastructure and teacher absenteeism. Digital exposure can add 4.5 years of schooling but remains out of reach for many. Education quality scales tightly with household wealth, while large family sizes reduce attainment. This traps most workers in low-productivity agriculture or informal services, a cycle that perpetuates low earnings across generations.
The six states with the highest educational inequality are also India’s poorest. NITI Aayog’s National Multidimensional Poverty Index 2023 reveals that Bihar has more than 33% multidimensional poverty. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh consistently rank near the bottom in per-capita income. In these regions, educational exclusion directly dictates economic survival. A rural child in these states faces cumulative disadvantage: poor foundational skills lead to low-skill labor. This locks families into subsistence-level incomes, passing poverty from one generation to the next. Early disadvantage compounds with caste and gender exclusions — college-level inequality remains frozen and Dalit business ownership remains negligible. Without intervention, education inequality transforms into entrenched poverty.
Educational Inequality in India
Traditional education fails due to stark rural-urban disparities: only 18.47% of rural schools have internet compared to 47.29% urban. Just 44.9% have computers compared to 68.7% urban. Only 38% of rural households have a secondary school within one kilometer. Consequently, 60% of undergraduates now choose online education based on affordability, but traditional institutions struggle to adapt. The system relies on rote memorization — 75% of what students learn is through repetition — failing to build critical thinking. ASER 2024 found 75% of Class 3 students cannot read Grade 2 text. One-size-fits-all pacing ignores individual differences, leaving about 40% of students disengaged or behind. Overcrowded classrooms (30:1 ratios) make interactive learning impossible. The half-life of skills has dropped from 26 years to just two to five years today, but semester-based systems cannot pivot. Though 98% of universities offer online classes, most use outdated pedagogy. The adaptive learning market is projected at $5.3 billion by 2025, signaling a deep misalignment with how people learn and work today.
edX: World-Class Education, Anywhere, for Less
Founded in 2012 by Harvard and MIT professors, edX offers individual courses, professional certificates and accredited degrees from more than 50 partner institutions. It remains governed by Harvard and MIT. Learners can audit courses at no cost to explore new areas risk-free, or pay for the verified track (starting at about $50) to earn official certificates recognized by employers worldwide. edX is not replacing schools but bypassing structural bottlenecks. It offers structured, university-level content that is affordable, globally relevant in technology and business and accessible via smartphones.
edX reaches 73 million learners globally, with more than 730,000 in India (11% of the total). Participation is growing rapidly in non-metro cities like Bareilly and Vijayawada. Through Emeritus partnerships with top Indian universities and Access Partnerships offering free and low-cost tech skills to marginalized communities — including women and rural youth — the platform directly tackles poverty. Career services are tied to labor market analytics, ensuring skills align with actual hiring demands. The financial impact is tangible: globally, 43% of certificate earners achieve new jobs, pay raises or promotions. Success stories — like Moses launching a cybersecurity career through free tuition and Colleen landing a full-time role post-graduation — demonstrate the model’s effectiveness.
In India, strategic partnerships scale this impact dramatically. With the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE), more than 590,000 students in Andhra Pradesh — one of the six high-inequality states — completed more than 318,000 credit-bearing courses in artificial intelligence (AI) and data science. For graduates, these credentials directly translate into entry-level IT roles offering salaries three to four times higher than agricultural wages. This pulls entire households out of poverty. With the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT), programs from MIT and Berkeley meet the National Association of Software and Service Companies’ (NASSCOM) reskilling needs. Through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), vocational training reaches more than 10 million learners across the country.
Looking Ahead
The economics are striking: a subsidized course costing about ₹2,000 can yield a ₹25,000 monthly salary increment. A learner in Bareilly can now access the same MIT curriculum as a student in Mumbai, effectively flattening the geographic playing field. With 68,000 boot camp graduates, more than 40,000 employment referrals and 2.4 million career touchpoints, edX is systematically working to dismantle the barriers that convert education gaps into generational poverty. By transforming education into distributed, market-aligned infrastructure, edX ensures that where a child is born need not dictate their economic destiny.
– Malak Kamel
Photo: Flickr
Updates on SDG 5 in Haiti
In Haiti, the achievement of SDG 5 and other development goals has been hindered by decades of political instability, social unrest and natural disasters. Some of the main barriers to women’s equality in Haiti include widespread sexual violence and limited access to economic opportunities.
SDG 5 Indicators in Haiti
Despite progress in some areas, the Sustainable Development Report asserts that major challenges remain for Haiti’s achievement of SDG 5. This assessment is based largely on the following indicators:
Seven male members made up the Transitional Presidential Council, which originated in 2024 to reestablish democracy amidst the ongoing power vacuum and rise of armed gangs.
Haiti’s Current State: Displacement and Sexual Violence
Since the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, armed gangs have gained control more than 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince and major roads throughout the country. As of October 2025, gang violence had forcibly displaced 1.4 million people.
In this climate of violence and instability, women and girls are especially vulnerable. In makeshift camps, a lack of security puts women at risk of sexual violence. Armed gangs often use rape as a tactic of fear or coercion. Of the 5,857 reported cases of sexual assault in 2024, 64% were attributed to armed gangs and 61% of victims were internally displaced persons.
Survivors of sexual violence lack support and legal recourse, as systems for addressing sexual abuse in the camps are lacking or nonexistent. U.N. programs currently in place aim to train police officers to prevent sexual violence.
Moving Forward: UN Efforts and Haitian-Led Organizations
The United Nations currently has a number of programs in place to make progress towards SDG 5 in Haiti. Current UN Programmatic Interventions aim to address sexual and gender-based violence in Haiti, protect and empower displaced women, and enable women’s political participation.
Several Haitian-based organizations, many of them women-led, are working to address these issues on the ground.
Nègès Mawon, a female-founded organization, has been working since 2015 to provide support to survivors of sexual violence, including medical care, legal support, economic assistance and psychological services. The organization’s safe houses provide a refuge for women escaping domestic and gang violence. In reference to the ongoing state of violence and instability in Haiti, co-founder Pascale Solages stated, “Women and girls are the first victims of this crisis.” In 2024, Nègès Mawon provided support to 1,800 women and girls.
Another Haitian-based feminist organization is Marijàn, which originated in 2020 to promote gender equality and defend the rights of women and girls in Haiti. The organization’s program on gender-based violence provides psychological, legal and medical support to survivors. Marijàn uses education programs, community mobilization and political advocacy to further its mission of justice and dignity for women and girls in Haiti.
Although many challenges remain and Haiti is not on track to achieve SDG 5 by 2030, the efforts of United Nations agencies and Haitian-based NGOs have the potential to address the current humanitarian crisis in Haiti and its disproportionate effects on women.
– India Kaz
Photo: Unsplash
Multidimensional Disability and Poverty in Tonga
Poverty in Tonga
In Tonga, 75% of the population lives in Tongatapu, but the four other island groups, Vava’u, Ha’apai, Eua and Ongo Niua, face much higher levels of multidimensional poverty. Multidimensional poverty evaluates poverty along the lines of monetary poverty, education and basic infrastructure services. A 2018 report showed that, among adult poverty, there is a 25% difference between Tongatapu urban and the other islands. In children, there is a 19% difference.
Children in Tonga are also more likely to be in poverty. As of 2026, about a quarter of children in Tonga live in multidimensional poverty. Most of these children are in rural communities. More specifically, about 25.3% of children in Tonga don’t have sufficient access to nutrition, healthcare, education, clean water and adequate housing.
‘Eua has the highest childhood poverty with 48.9%, followed by Ha’Apai with 40.8% and Ongo Niea with 35%. Due to the size of the islands, reduced coastlines and violent storms impact them even more, causing their resources to be depleted and therefore their economy to suffer.
Disability in Tonga
Disability and multidimensional poverty in Tonga have very close ties. Based on a survey that the Tonga Statistics Department did in 2018, 2.8% of the population have disabilities in Tonga. The U.N. and WHO estimate the percentage to be much higher at about 10%. This is likely because the 2018 survey did not account for “mild impairments.” The results were also likely unreliable due to the social stigma against disabilities in Tonga, meaning several people likely did not take the survey. The most prevalent recorded cause for disability was illness, with about 30% of survey takers, in both urban and rural areas, reporting disability from illness.
People with disabilities often face additional challenges when preparing for emergencies and disasters. While about 81% of people with disabilities understand the need to evacuate, there are still issues for people with disability-inclusive disaster preparation, evacuation support and accessible shelters. Additionally, assistive devices that many people with disabilities rely on have to be abandoned during evacuation.
Progress Being Made
Government agencies and nonprofit organizations are working to reduce multidimensional poverty and support people with disabilities and Tonga. Within the Tonga government, The National Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (N-MODA), first conducted in 2019 and available on the UNICEF website, is a report that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and UNICEF Pacific made possible, as well as preparation support from the Social Policy Research Institute. The goal of this report is to provide a benchmark for evaluating progress along Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) guidelines. The country has dedicated itself to addressing multidimensional poverty, specifically among children.
Additionally, the Pacific Disability Forum, intended to advocate for equity and inclusion for people with disabilities, has made moves to place importance on people with disabilities, calling on stakeholders to work closely with organizations of persons with disabilities such as the Tonga National Visual Impairment Association (TNVIA), the Tongan National Disability Council (TNDC), Lavame’a Ta’e’iloa Disabled People’s Association (LATA) and Naunau ‘o e ‘Alamaite Tonga Association (NATA).
Outside of this forum, there are several nonprofits working to help multidimensional poverty and disability in Tonga. One of these groups is CARE International which has been in Tonga since 2019 in order to help communities to prepare for natural disasters. CARE has several programs around the world and encourages its involved members to focus on two main takeaways, being involved in short-term in activities and being involved in the long-term shift in people’s lives. In 2025, it reached 12,762 people struggling in Tonga. With organizations like CARE International, the damaging effects of multidimensional poverty and inequalities for people with disability are reducing.
Looking Ahead
Poverty informs disability in many ways. Access to appropriate care may not be possible due to multidimensional poverty factors. Accessible infrastructure makes living with disabilities much more difficult. Multidimensional poverty in Tonga, especially among children and in rural areas, persists due to the dependency on agriculture for the majority of the population. Severe storms and reduced coastlines due to the changing climate make an agricultural-based economy fragile and, therefore, more difficult to rise out of poverty. Recognition of the problem is the first step in improving the living conditions of impoverished people and people with disabilities.
– Arden Schultz
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Universal Health Care in Mexico: A Fresh Start for Mexican Citizens
The Current Situation
Mexico, the 13th largest country in the world, with a population of more than 100 million people, is a culturally, socially and economically diverse nation. Although it earns a medium-high income, it still has suffered from inequality, poverty, economic insecurity and mental health disorders.
The current health system in Mexico is divided into three types of services:
The current health care situation in Mexico is dire. Director of the Mexican Ministry of Health, Mariana Barraza-Lloréns explains that half of Mexico’s population is uninsured and incapable of accessing health care due to financial disparity. Barraza-Lloréns also focuses on the Indigenous communities that the current health care system impacts and marginalizes. These communities have infant mortality rates that are 58% higher and a life expectancy that is five years lower than national averages. Barraza-Lloréns argues that universal health care is a need.
What To Expect
This new health care system will be carried out in several phases, beginning with initial registration for this health care system starting with Mexicans aged 85 and older. Sign-ups will continue throughout the year, organized by age group and an official identification card will be given to each citizen to grant them access to services starting January 2027. By prioritizing emergency care, continuity of treatment across institutions and access to services regardless of insurance affiliation. In this first phase this universal health care in Mexico will mainly cover emergency services, high-risk pregnancies, heart attacks, strokes and cancer diagnosis. By the end of 2027 and starting 2028, Mexico plans to roll out its next phases and extend its promise for health care for all.
Why Is Universal Health Care in Mexico Important?
A WHO study in 2020 offered insights into Mexico’s overall health index. While life expectancy has increased from an initial 34 years in 1930 to 75 years in 2017, there has still been a significant delay with these improvements. With mortality rates in cases such as heart disease and diabetes ranging anywhere from 70-80 deaths per thousand, there is evidence to suggest lack of access to proper health services. Sheinbaum’s new health reform aims to provide care to all citizens regardless of insurance status. With 46% of its citizens under the poverty line, universal health care would provide life-changing services to many.
Countries such as Sweden, which access universal health care, offer some of the highest life expectancy rates in the world, averaging about 81 years. Sweden has seen drastic improvements in overall public health in the last several decades with these universal health reforms. With decreases in mortality, work-related injuries, and mental health, Sweden’s public access to health care has served many.
Universal health care is an object of political, economic and social discussion in many countries across the world. As seen in countries such as Sweden and many others, free public access to health care has proven to be a guarantee for life expectancy and quality of living. Time will tell how Mexico’s health reforms will positively impact the citizens of the country.
– Sadie Lopez
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Impact of USAID Cuts on an HIV-Prevention Program in Kenya
Vision
Initiated in October 2021, the project was one of many Hope Worldwide Kenya (HWWK) programs in Mukuru informal settlement in Nairobi funded by the U.S. dating back to 2003, with the aim of preventing HIV among thousands of vulnerable youth, particularly adolescent girls and young women, through a variety of care and support programs. In a documentary commissioned by PBS NewsHour in the U.S., journalists spoke to many young women who came through the program. They tell of being educated on simple but potentially life-saving interventions, such as how to use a condom, in addition to compassionate reminders that each of them has inherent value and worth.
USAID Closure
DREAMS, however, despite its proven successes, is facing an existential crisis due to the shuttering of USAID by the Trump administration in early 2025, which left staff suddenly unemployed and vital funding withdrawn, endangering not just DREAMS but thousands of humanitarian programs worldwide.
Both statistical evidence and personal accounts demonstrate the success of DREAMS’s endeavors. Almost all of the 66,000 women and girls who came through DREAMS remained HIV-free during the three-year program. Stacy Njeri, an 18-year-old woman from Mwiki, Kasarani Sub-county in Nairobi, describes how the program introduced her to a Youth Savings and Loans Association which allowed her to start her own nail salon, a decision she says “changed her life.”
With many women’s enrolment cut short due to foreign aid cuts, however, the concern now is that HIV cases among young women may begin to rise again, and that the cuts will discontinue the salutary work that the organization carries out, not only in preventing the deadly disease, but also in caring for young women and girls and equipping them with vitally important life skills and encouragement. PBS NewsHour’s documentary already reported that some women began to turn to prostitution as a means of supporting themselves following the end of DREAMS.
Future
Yet, the three-year stint of this HIV-prevention program in Kenya has shown that the methods used are highly successful and potentially far-reaching; it is only a matter of repairing the broken aid infrastructure. With the decline of USAID, it remains to be seen whether other countries will step in to fill the humanitarian void. Other wealthy nations like the U.K., France and Germany all responded to the U.S. change in policy by cutting back their own foreign aid expenditure, with the U.K. reducing its ODA (Official Development Assistance Budget) from 0.7% to 0.3% of Gross National Income in order to bolster defense spending.
It may take some time for a viable solution for DREAMS to materialize, but what the scaling back of U.S. foreign aid has shown is just what kind of valuable and quietly empowering programs in Kenya and around the world are being threatened by an increasingly volatile global humanitarian landscape.
– Tomás Quinn
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
What to Know About Food Systems in Fiji
According to the Food Systems Dashboard, Fiji is experiencing an increase in diet-related health issues, including obesity and diabetes, resulting from increased consumption of imported and processed foods. While traditional diets still feature local root crops, fruits, vegetables and seafood, imported food also plays a significant role in meeting consumer demand.
Challenges in Fiji’s Food Systems
The University of Southern Pacific reports that climate challenges, extreme weather events, natural disasters and shifting dietary habits are the leading challenges to domestic food production and nutrition. In 2023, Fiji imported $1.106 billion in crops and livestock from more than 70 countries, primarily Australia, New Zealand, China, Malaysia and Singapore.
This reliance on imported foods can leave Fiji vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and rising global food prices. According to the Food Systems Dashboard, the country also faces a dual burden of malnutrition, with 7% of the population experiencing undernourishment, while obesity and diet-related diseases continue to rise. These challenges place additional pressure on low-income families that already struggle to afford nutritious food, as 57% of the population cannot afford a healthy diet.
Poverty in Fiji
Agriculture remains an important part of Fiji’s economy and a major source of employment in rural communities. According to the World Bank, poverty affects more than 45,700 households in Fiji. Approximately 24.1% of the population lives below the national poverty line, while rates rise to 36.2% among households living in rural and maritime communities, which also experience higher transportation costs and greater exposure to climate-related disasters. When floods, cyclones and other extreme weather events damage crops and infrastructure, families often experience reduced incomes and limited access to affordable food.
Strengthening local food production can help communities increase household incomes while reducing dependence on costly imported goods. Investments in agriculture, fisheries and rural infrastructure also create opportunities for economic growth in areas where poverty rates remain highest.
Government Efforts to Strengthen Food Security
In October 2025, Fiji’s government launched its Food and Nutrition Security Policy, a consolidation of food, nutrition and climate initiatives to address the challenges of food insecurity and poverty.
Government leaders developed the framework through consultations with stakeholders to create a more coordinated approach to food production, distribution and consumption while helping communities adapt to climate-related risks.
According to the United Nations Food Systems Coordination Hub, the policy supports collaboration among government agencies, researchers, farmers and development partners to improve access to nutritious food, strengthen local food production and build resilience against climate-related disruptions. By connecting agricultural development with public health objectives, policymakers expect to improve long-term food access and nutrition outcomes throughout the country.
Additionally, the International Trade Administration found Fiji’s agricultural sector to be a crucial component of its economy. Providing jobs for 83% of its rural residents, 36% of the total employed population. Despite the high financial costs and deficient access to modern equipment and technology, the government is offering tax incentives to private investors for non-sugar agriculture with a desire to provide sustainable practices, improve infrastructure and foster resident communities.
A More Resilient Food System
Food systems in Fiji play a critical role in supporting public health, economic development and food security. While the country continues to face challenges from changing weather patterns, rising food imports and nutrition-related health concerns, government agencies and local stakeholders are taking steps to strengthen domestic food production and improve access to nutritious foods. Through initiatives such as the Food and Nutrition Security Policy and continued investment in agriculture, Fiji is progressing toward a more resilient food system that can support communities and reduce vulnerability to poverty in the years ahead.
– Ashley Belling
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
How Vocational Education in Argentina Helps Reduce Poverty
Poverty in Argentina
Although there are many factors that contribute to poverty in Argentina, two factors that seem to be related to the risk of poverty are education level and employment status. Among Argentines who are aged 16 and older, 19.6% of those living below the poverty line do not have an education and 18.3% only have a primary education.
Additionally, in early 2025, Argentina reported an unemployment rate of 7.9%, the highest level recorded since 2021. This decrease in official employment corresponds with many workers transitioning to unreliable sources of income such as self-employment and casual jobs.
What Vocational Education Offers
TVET offers students skills and experience working in specific career fields such as:
TVET consists of three levels of vocational education. Secondary Technical Education combines general high school education with training in specific technical industries and teaches students about professional practices to prepare them for entering the workplace. After completing secondary education (technical or general), students can move on to Higher Technical Education, allowing them to specialize their skill set within a certain industry. Finally, Professional Training is offered to people already in the workforce so that they can improve, renew and acquire professional skills.
The Impact of Vocational Education in Argentina
After the socio-economic crisis that occurred in Argentina in the early 2000s, the government passed two laws that reestablished the importance of vocational education. In 2005, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Law (LETP as the Spanish acronym) was passed. A year later, the National Education Law (LEN as the Spanish acronym) replaced the Federal Education Law. The main goals of these laws are to:
The LETP emphasizes increased funding and improving the quality of vocational education through updates in the curriculum, infrastructure and technology used to teach students.
These changes within the TVET system are important because higher education has been shown to reduce the risk of unemployment and increase average wages. Among unemployed Argentines, only 4.1% of them have a post-secondary education compared to 7.8% who do not have a secondary education and 7.2% who do. Additionally, people with a post-secondary education tend to earn 63% more in wages compared to people with just a secondary education.
In the early 1980s, the nonprofit organization Star of Hope established a small school in the remote region of Namqom that continues to help people develop practical skills to gain employment. Subjects taught at this school have included hairdressing, bricklaying, electrical engineering and cooking and baking. Selsa Diaz, a cooking and baking instructor, stated that the school’s primary objective was that “each student should be able to have some income” upon graduation. The 36 students at this school learn how to bake and cook various dishes. After completing their course work, students receive a diploma as proof of what they accomplished. Diaz remarked on the work ethic of her students stating that “everybody makes an effort to learn everyday.”
Looking Ahead
As the rates of poverty and employment have continued to rise in Argentina, the importance of learning practical skills and gaining job experience has become increasingly apparent. The TVET system seeks to empower students by giving them the knowledge, skills and confidence to obtain financial stability. By providing people with higher education and a chance to acquire skills that will benefit them in the workplace, vocational education in Argentina can also provide people with the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty.
– Lily Alexander
Photo: Flickr
Innovation Sahara Supports Entrepreneurs in Southern Libya
Innovation Sahara focuses on communities in Libya’s southern region, where economic opportunities are often more limited than in larger coastal cities such as Tripoli and Benghazi. The program offers practical business training, including budgeting, marketing and business planning. According to UNDP, more than 110 participants took part in the initiative, including 53 women-led ventures. Of these participants, 60 startups received grants to help launch their businesses, including 23 women-led startups.
Entrepreneurs in Southern Libya
Entrepreneurship can offer an alternative path to employment in areas where formal jobs are scarce. Rather than relying only on public-sector work or outside investment, small businesses allow communities to respond to their own local needs. A successful startup can support one household by generating income. Over time, it can also provide useful services, create products and open new employment opportunities for others in the community. Innovation Sahara in southern Libya is particularly significant for women, as they often face additional barriers due to limited access to finance, fewer professional networks and social expectations that restrict participation in public economic life. By including women-led ventures in training and grant opportunities, the program supports women’s economic participation and helps challenge the idea that entrepreneurship is only accessible to men or to people in major cities.
Libya’s economy has generally depended heavily on oil and public-sector employment. Oil wealth has shaped the country’s economy. However, it has not always produced stable opportunities for young people, especially outside urban centers. Supporting small businesses can help diversify local economies and reduce dependence on a narrow range of income sources. In southern Libya, entrepreneurs are often far from major markets. This distance can make it harder to access investors, customers and business-support services.
The Importance of Skill Development
The project also demonstrates the importance of combining financial support with skills development. Grants alone may not be enough to help a business survive. Entrepreneurs also need to understand how to manage costs, reach customers and adapt their ideas to real market conditions. By offering training in budgeting, marketing and business planning, Innovation Sahara gives participants tools that can continue to benefit them after the initial grant period ends.
However, the long-term impact of the program will depend on whether these startups can survive and grow. Many early-stage businesses struggle after initial funding runs out. Entrepreneurs may still need mentoring, access to larger markets, legal support and continued financing. Infrastructure challenges, political instability and weak private-sector institutions also limit business growth.
From Training to Employment
One example is Hamed Mohamed from Gurda Al-Shati, who used support from Innovation Sahara to develop Akakus Restaurant. Hamed identified a clear local need: his community had few food-delivery options, leaving residents underserved. With the help of the program, he expanded the restaurant and hired 14 people, including chefs, cleaners and delivery riders. His story shows how a small business can respond to everyday community needs while also creating stable employment. In an area where formal job opportunities are limited, Akakus Restaurant demonstrates how entrepreneurship can strengthen local economies from within.
Another example from Gurda Al-Shati is Rahma El Farjani, an architect who previously worked from home. Before joining Innovation Sahara, her limited visibility made it difficult to reach clients and earn a stable income. Through the program’s training and grant support, she established Dalilak for Architectural Services, described by UNDP as the first architectural firm in the region. Her work expands professional services in southern Libya and challenges the idea that innovation belongs only in major urban centers.
Both Hamed and Rahma’s stories show how targeted support can help entrepreneurs turn local challenges into businesses that improve livelihoods and community development.
The program’s focus on youth and women makes it particularly relevant to poverty reduction. When young people are unable to find work, they may face financial insecurity, migration pressures or exclusion from community decision-making. When women lack access to income, households and communities lose an important source of economic potential.
Looking Ahead
Innovation Sahara in southern Libya shows how targeted entrepreneurship programs can help marginalized regions participate in economic recovery. By providing training, grants and visibility to entrepreneurs in southern Libya, the initiative supports people who are often excluded from national economic opportunities. Its success will depend on long-term follow-up, continued investment and the ability of new businesses to create lasting employment. Still, the program offers a hopeful example of how locally driven innovation can improve livelihoods in communities facing poverty, instability and limited opportunity.
– Nina Novillo Astrada
Photo: Flickr