Information and stories on development news.

Rwanda’s Female Entrepreneurs Make Progress

Rwandas_female_entrepreneurs
The U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) has made it possible for women to have their own businesses, which has led to a chain reaction of employment and economic opportunity. USADF works with small holder farmers, youth, women and girls and recovering communities to empower them and assist them in programs to become part of Africa’s growth.

Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana are sisters and went to USADF as experienced artisans needing to grow their business. After getting orders from Macy’s and other U.S. buyers, these women knew that they couldn’t fulfill these orders alone. With USADF, the sisters were able to build their business up and in the process of that, change the lives of five thousand women within their community.

Another example of women exercising their power is from Eastern Burkina Faso, where a woman named Madame Henriette saw an opportunity just by sitting in the shade one day. Shea trees produce fruit that are high in antioxidants and moisturizers, but collecting the shea would be very labor intensive and difficult for one woman. So in 1998, Henriette started the Association Ragussi, where she used the help of local women to help her collect the shea and turn it into something that would bring them profits.

USADF helped Henriette with Association Ragussi to where it is, growing on a large scale, and they brought in simple training while also improving the work environment for the women. Association Ragussi continued its growth when it got a contract with L’Occitane of France, which uses shea in their toiletries sold all over the world. Following this, Henriette started producing her own line of cosmetics that primarily sells in Ouagadougo, the capital of Burkina Faso. In the three years that Ragussi has been an association, it has doubled its revenues, thanks to the 1,259 members that helped it along the way.

Rwanda and Burkina Faso are showing impactful changes for women who empower the community with opportunities to grow. Thanks to these local opportunities and the USADF, the women and everyone involved in helping them are able to pay school fees, save money and build assets for the future.

– Brooke Smith

Sources: ONE, ADF
Photo: Flickr

Tajikistan’s Innovative Buildings

Tajikistan
On January 2, 2010, a devastating earthquake hit the mountainous country of Tajikistan. Seven thousand people were affected by this natural disaster. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that 20 villages in the Vanj district in the eastern Gorno-Badakhshan region were badly damaged. Estimates suggest that more than 140 houses were destroyed and 950 were left partially damaged.

Urgent Need for a Change

Nancy Snauwaert, a humanitarian coordination officer in the office of the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Vanj reported that, “There is an urgent need for the total reconstruction of houses. Technical guidance is crucial as over 1,000 houses have been damaged and are in need of becoming earthquake resistant.”

Currently, buildings are being constructed using concrete reinforced with steel rebar. Unfortunately, 50 percent of the country lives on less than $2 a day and rebar is financially out of the reach for many of the families residing in this earthquake-prone area.

Sustainable Housing Technology

Starting in 2008 Habitat for Humanity Tajikistan and the Tajik Institute of Seismology began to research alternate means of creating an inexpensive and sustainable house-reinforcing technology. The design created won them the FedEx Award for Innovations in Disaster Preparedness in 2013.

The design has been coined as “Sinj-technology.” Mulberry trees are cut down seasonally to harvest silk cocoons. The twigs of the tree have no other purpose and are free to use. Researchers tied mulberry branches into grids. These grids are then attached to a structural wood frame in mud walls. The grid is plastered with a mix of mud, straw and wool. This design effectively makes the walls able to resist lateral forces.

Preliminary Tests have proven that mulberry grids provide tensile strength equivalent to 80 percent of that of steel rebar. The first earthquake to test this new technology occurred in December of 2008 when the Rasht district was shaken by a 5.8 earthquake. Eighty homes in this region had been previously reinforced with Sinj-technology.

2009 Earthquake and its Effects

The next earthquake occurred in January 2009 when a 6.0 earthquake was felt in the Kumsangir district. Over one hundred homes were reinforced with Sinj-technology. A post-disaster survey found that none of the reinforced houses were damaged.

Another large advantage to this technology is that homes do not need to be rebuilt with the mulberry grids. The structures can be added to existing structures, saving homeowners as much as five times the expense of new construction. It is also 30 percent cheaper to use these materials than the standard techniques used in other seismically unstable regions.

Since receiving the FedEx Innovation Award, Habitat for Humanity Tajikistan has reinvested the money into proof of concept in an effort to create a new business strategy for Sinj-technology. Their intention is to pair this technology with local training of masons and construction workers. This would also effectively provide opportunities for affordable financing of home retrofits through microloans.

This comes as promising news for the 70% of people living in Tajikistan’s rural communities. The materials for earthquake disaster mitigation is easily accessible since it is produced by trees. The communities are now learning the trade in order to create a more sustainable future.

– Frederick Wood II

Sources: Interaction, Habitat 1, Irin News, Habitat 2
Photo: Habitat for Humanity

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Jeffrey Sachs: Sustainable Development after MDGs

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In a presentation at the United Nations University earlier this month, Jeffrey Sachs gave updates on the Millennium Development Goals and projections for after 2015. Sachs, one of the developers of the Millennium Development Goals and Professor of Sustainable Development at Columbia University, discussed the post-2015 future of sustainable development. With the expiration of the MDGs set for 2015, attention is turning to the Millennium Villages Project and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Despite the progress of many nations agreeing to the framework of the MDGs, there is still room for improvement. In the midst of the Ebola crisis, the interdependency of the MDGs, especially focusing on maternal health, epidemic diseases and education, has emphasized a need for equal attention to the goals.

With expectations for exponential increases in global GDP and population, the need for advanced poverty relief is greater than ever. Under the new SDSN framework, set to be instituted by the United Nations after 2015, new goals will be created to target financial responsibility and climate change. In 2015, three conversations will take place in both developed and developing nations to tackle the next phase after the MDGs.

Jeffrey Sachs is seen to be among the frontrunners of the next several decades of continued development. Though the concrete plans implementing change are still yet to be solidified in the post-2015 meetings, cooperation between developed and developing nations is still going to be in the center of the plans.

In an article written in Horizons, Sachs writes, “Ours is a world of fabulous wealth and extreme poverty: billions of people enjoy longevity and good health unimaginable in previous generations, yet at least one billion people live in such abject poverty that they struggle for mere survival every day. The poorest of the poor face the daily life-and-death challenges of insufficient nutrition, lack of healthcare, unsafe shelter, and the lack of safe drinking water and sanitation.” The gap between the OCED and developing nations is growing, and Sachs is acutely aware that the growing rate of the global economy will only aggravate the poverty gap. Achieving a basic standard of living will not eliminate the poverty gap, but will ease the daily struggles of the bottom quintile.

The sustainable development framework is working to achieve a universal standard of living. Though it was intended to reach this standard by 2015, realistically, additional work under a revised viewpoint will follow in the subsequent years.

– Kristin Ronzi

Sources: UN U, UN, UNSDN, Millennium Villages, CIRSD
Photo: Flickr

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Female Farmers Aided by Simple Tools

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In order to earn a living in developing countries, many women have turned to farming. According to a recent report done by the Purchase for Progress program (P4P), women are responsible for 60 to 80 percent of food production in developing countries.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has helped these women with opportunities through its P4P program. Through this program WFP uses its purchasing power to bridge the gap for farmers who work on smaller scales. The program provides agricultural training and markets that will be reliable and profitable for their crops. Developed five years ago, P4P has since helped thousands of female farmers in 20 developing countries.

Five women have shared their personal involvement with P4P.  After the death of her husband, Chaltu Bultom Ede of Ethiopia became the head of the household. Through P4P, Ede learned basic business skills, received a loan and consequently was able to afford oxen and other necessities, like seeds and fertilizer for her farm.

Generoza Mukamazimpaka from Rwanda learned how to produce higher quality crops and through WFP she was able to sell them in competitive markets. With her money that she earned,  she bought a cow and uses its waste to make biogas, which in turn is used for cooking.

Carmelina Oloroso has also benefited from P4P. She has learned how to use effective agricultural techniques in Guatemala. Her new skills have tripled her production rate. She stores her profit in a savings account, which she recently used to buy extra land.

Koné Korotoumou, from Mali and Esinta Jickson, from Malawi have both experienced the empowerment and independence that P4P provides women.  Like Jickson put it, “We know we’re equal to the men, and that has improved our standing in the community.”

– Brooke Smith

Sources: World Food Programme, ONE, World Food Programme 2
Photo: Flickr

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IBM’s Solar Sunflower Unveiled

IIBM's Solar Sunflower
IBM has worked with Swiss company Airlight Energy to create an advanced solar electricity generator called the High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system. The prototype was officially unveiled in Zurich in September 2014.

The system looks like a solar sunflower, shooting 33 feet into the air and topped off with a massive dish consisting of 36 wafer-thin aluminum mirrors and a lattice of tubes carrying coolant throughout the device. What is especially notable about the system is that not only can it produce electricity, but it can also desalinate water for sanitation and drinking purposes.

Featuring an advanced sun tracking system that angles the dish to optimize its solar capacity and an effective hot-water cooling system, the device can convert up to 80 percent of the sun’s radiation into electricity. Each chip produces up to 57 watts and each generator about 12 kilowatts of electricity, up to 20 kilowatts on a sunny day; enough energy to supply numerous homes. In comparison, typical flat panel photovoltaic solar systems, also known as solar panels, have conversion efficiency ratings of only 15 to 20 percent.

Currently approximately 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity and while 2.5 billion people have no access to proper sanitation. What is even more alarming is that the number of people who lack access to proper sanitation is estimated to increase by nine percent each year.

IBM’s solar sunflower can combat both issues by making electricity while also providing clean, drinkable water. The cooling system is particularly useful for the desalination of water. The device utilizes hot water in combination with the desalinators to boil salt water and distill the liquid into potable water. As such, an installation featuring several generators is estimated to be able to provide enough desalinated water to supply an entire town.

Areas of interest for the device include southern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Southwestern part of North America, South America, Japan and Australia. In addition, the system could be used at remote hospitals and medical facilities, and even for commercial purposes such as for hotels, holiday resorts and shopping centers.

Designed to keeps costs low, manufacturing costs will be a third of the cost for similar current solar converters and, because many of the materials will be sourced locally, the device can provide work for local communities. The device is projected to be released by 2017. IBM has announced that it will install the first two devices for free in 2016 and has asked for towns around the globe to submit their names for consideration.

– William Ying

Sources: IBM, The Guardian, Forbes, Computerworld NewScientist
Photo: Flickr

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3BL Associates: Sustaining People, Places and Profits

3BL_associates
Generations of business have been driven by one bottom line: profit. Cash at any cost, be it man or nature. Based in Bahrain, 3BL, or Triple Bottom Line, Associates has deemed this to be an unsustainable business model. 3BL advises for many to consider another business model that takes into account three bottom lines: people, place and profit.

3BL Associates refer to itself as “Bahrain’s first social impact and sustainability consultancy and think-do-tank.” It works with innovative companies that seek to grow harmoniously with the people within the MENA region. The idea of a triple bottom line was coined by academic John Elkington, who proposed “that business goals are inextricably linked to the societies and environment in which they operate, and that business practices utilized to achieve short-term economic gain but fail to consider social and environmental impacts are ultimately unsustainable.”

Established in 2010, 3BL now teaches these business principles to businesses large and small looking to “do well, do good.” They offer services such as sustainability audit and needs analysis, benchmarking and research as well as smart partnering. 3BL advocates for Corporate Social Responsibility.

Maintaining good CSR is growing a company while keeping in mind the social equity: Is it good for the people of the area or are you abusing the locals? Good CSR takes into account environmental sustainability: Does this company deplete the natural resources of the area or does it replenish them after use? This capitalization of sustainability is “an opportunity to generate social, environmental and economic prosperity, in tandem.”

3BL Associates took its business agenda to the next level when it published its own findings on Bahrain sustainability in a report entitled Bahrain Responsible Business Survey. In the survey the respondents were asked a variety of questions, in efforts to determine their perceptions of healthy CSR and what the role the government should be in keeping companies accountable.

It was found that 87 percent of respondents understood CSR to be “community engagement.” It was found that CSR tactics such as community engagement, employee wellness, transparency, corporate governance, health, gender equality and diversity were practiced already, but only in about one-third of the respondent’s organizations. The study also found that only 55 percent of respondents cared whether their organizations were working environmentally responsibly. Only 26 percent of the organizations in Bahrain currently meet these standards.

3BL Associates co-founder and managing director Leena Al Olaimy said, “CSR and sustainability have far more value than just “doing good,” and have the potential to simultaneously contribute to national socio-economic development, and to raise Bahrain’s rankings on a number of indices such as the Global Competitiveness Index.”

The report, compiled by Al Olaimy and her associates, also revealed popular sentiments when it found that 80 percent thought the government should regulate CSR practices. In addition, 95 percent felt there should be government incentives for those organizations implementing CSR, while 83 percent felt there should be some kind of government subsidy for the programs.

3BL Associates has only been in business for four years, but has already gained the trust of its people. Khamis Al Muqla, honorary chairman of 3BL Associates, further noted, “The intersection of social and environmental issues in business has become an international topic of concern for corporations and countries alike.”

– Frederick Wood II

Sources: 3BL, AME Info, CSR Middle East
Photo: Flickr

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ONE Uncovers “Trillion Dollar Scandal”

Extreme poverty around the world has been cut in half over the last 20 years and has a possibility of being completely eradicated by the year 2030. However, the ground that is being gained toward a better tomorrow is being threatened by what some are calling the “Trillion Dollar Scandal.”

A recent report released by the ONE campaign revealed that money is being stolen from developing countries. How? That is a great question. As the report details in depth, ONE has found that through a variety of unethical means, there have been “shady deals for natural resources, the use of anonymous shell companies, money laundering and illegal tax evasion.”

ONE’s studies show that $20 trillion is being held offshore, with $3.2 trillion being withheld from poor countries. Since a trillion sounds just like a big number to most of us, how much is it, really? A stack of one trillion one dollar bills would be 67,866 miles high or about one-third of the way to the moon. Multiply that by three. The amount money that is annually being taken from our poorest countries in the world is truly staggering.

While these estimates are jarring, they do not take into account international aid that is being given to these countries. The stolen money is coming out of their own economies, making fighting poverty ten times more difficult. ONE estimates that as many as 3.6 million deaths in the world’s poorest countries could be prevented each year if this scandal is put to an end by world leaders.

Illegal manipulation of cross-border trade is the biggest source of economic loss for poor countries. If the right steps are taken to end this Trillion Dollar Scandal, ONE suggests the money should go back and be invested in health systems and education. The money stolen from these countries could educate 10 million more children a year, provide around 165 million vaccines and help put an end to preventable child deaths.

Focused on a way to end this, ONE is hoping to get the word out before the upcoming G20 leaders meeting in November. The G20 is currently highlighting economic growth as its number one objective. Clearly though, without putting a stop to the money being stolen from poor countries, economic progress will be impossible.

ONE suggests a four step plan: first, shine light on anonymous companies. Second, publish what you pay. Third, crack down on tax evasion. Fourth, publish government data. To learn more or get involved with spreading the word to the G20, visit their website.

– Brooke Smith

Sources: ONE 1, ONE 2, The Guardian
Photo: OxFam

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Bezos Family Foundation Makes Impact

Bezos Family Foundation
The Bezos Family Foundation was established by Jackie and Mike Bezos while working alongside with children and spouses that serve as the directors, and gives a whole new meaning to family tradition. This private and independent foundation has a vision of all people being prepared to achieve their full potential in life.

There are three main areas on which the foundation focuses. They are are: early learning, K-12 education and youth leadership and global engagement. Through these three areas, the hope is that it will give strengths to people in education and in life skills to every age group.

The first main area the foundation focuses on, as mentioned above, is early learning and through this the members look at science approaches to old problems and gives a new approach to basic development brain research. This research is meant to broaden the understanding of how young children learn and develop.

Through the early learning program the foundation partners with many other organizations, one of which is Acelero Learning, first partnered in 2012. The mission of Acelero Learning is to inspire a positive family and child outcomes to help close the achievement gap and build a better future for children and families.

The next main area that the foundation focuses on is K-12 education. Through this program the foundation supports teaching, school and system leadership. As well as the early learning program there are also partners with organizations that bring thoughtful innovations in K-12—with emphasis on STEM education. The vision for students goes beyond high school and the foundation aims to teach the tools needed to excel in college.

One partner through this program is 50 EGGS, INC. A partner since 2013, 50 EGGS INC. is led by award-winning documentary filmmaker Mary Mazzio. The company is dedicated to creating films that leave a positive social impact.

The last area that the foundation focuses on is youth leadership and global engagement. Supporting young and motivated leaders is the goal through this program, which seeks to do so by providing opportunities to expand awareness of global issues.

A partner for this program since 2005 is the Aspen Institute. This organization fosters values-based leadership and provides a neutral and balanced venue for discussing and acting on critical issues. Aspen Institute is a Bezos Scholars Program founding partner and the partnership stimulates youth leadership development and global awareness.

– Brooke Smith

Sources: The Aspen Institute, Acelero Learning,  Bezos Family Foundation

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Bertolt Brecht and His Plays on Poverty

Bertolt brecht
“Poverty makes you sad as well as wise.” So spoke Bertolt Brecht, a playwright in the modern theater whose highly political plays are starting to make a resurgence on a global stage.

Born in Bavaria, Brecht grew to despise and write plays denouncing the middle-class in Germany following World War I. He became a Marxist at a young age and spent his life satirizing capitalism and its marginalization of certain individuals. This political position was partly responsible for the drop in popularity of Brecht’s works during the 80’s and 90’s.

However, the 2008 global financial crisis, which enlarged impoverished classes and exposed flaws in the capitalist model, has lead theaters all over the world to stage Brecht’s plays. Producers have found that audiences are particularly responsive to Brecht’s political themes in today’s economic context. Al Jazeera America reported that stagings of Brecht have not only proliferated in the United States but have also increased in the UK, Ireland, France, Canada and Iran.

According to some scholars, Brecht has lost his status as “sage and prophet of the downtrodden and exploited,” but even if this is true, his works still scrutinize the dehumanizing impact of social, political and economic forces on the individual. This impact is keenly felt by the world’s poor, who figure prominently in Brecht’s plays.

For instance, arguably Brecht’s most famous work, “The Threepenny Opera,” contains some of the playwright’s most penetrating remarks on poverty and capitalism.

One character in the work, Peachum, manufactures fake beggars. His employees meander through London, making people with money feel guilty enough to donate it. This money, essentially stolen from the real beggars, then goes to Peachum. It is a sharp critique of capitalism’s potential to abuse people in the quest for profit.

While most people find Peachum’s methods contemptible, the character’s assessment of the problems facing anyone trying to stoke sympathy in others—a charity, for example—is pellucid. Peachum remarks that a man spotting another man in need will give him tenpence the first time, fivepence the second time and turn him into the police the third.

Thus, the things that “stir [people’s] souls” and make them care about others in need lose their effect over time.

These sorts of commentaries, along with Brecht’s subjects of “inequality, squalor, exploitation and the malleability of human nature,” are still germane in discussions of the modern world. The topics may be even more important as globalization pits developed and developing countries against each other, bringing entrenched models of capitalism to poorer populations.

Make no mistake, capitalism can help to alleviate poverty, but as Brecht’s works remind audiences, it must not alienate the impoverished people who stand to benefit from it.

– Ryan Yanke

Sources: Al Jazeera America, Scribd, Book of Famous Quotes, Literature Criticism Online
Photo: SCE

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GEFI Makes Progress in India

GEFI
The five year Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) was launched in September of 2012. Its goal is to provide all people with an education. The GEFI has three main objectives: putting every child in school, improving the quality of learning and fostering global citizenship. The GEFI doesn’t do everything alone, it has a team of partners behind it to aid in the achievement of the three goals. UNDP, UNICEF, U.N. Women and World Bank are just a few of its partners.

The global community pledged to achieve universal primary education by 2015. The U.N. Country Team in India is supportive of the global initiative and this September has proven to be an important month for India.

India is focusing its joint advocacy and communications on the GEFI and has made some priorities of its own. Elementary school is a fundamental right in India and there has been a lot of focus on increasing school locations and ensuring that these schools have plenty of drinking water. The main priorities for India are universal access to education with equity, quality basic education and global citizenship education.

India plans on providing everyone access to education by focusing on equality, especially as it pertains to girls. The number of schools in India providing a separate toilet facility for girls has increased by 37 percent. This means that around 89 million girls have access to toilets; unfortunately,  seven million girls are still denied access.

The second priority for India is improving the quality of basic education. In this one priority there are four sub categories that are imperative to its achievement. Learning the basics, having a child friendly school and system, pupil to teacher ratio and teacher training are all things that are being worked on in India.

Lastly, global citizenship education is important because it will lead to a better environment for all. Currently, about 65 percent of India’s population are under the age of 35. Soon, India will become the youngest country in the world and India has deemed it important to educate its people on social responsibility. The purpose of global citizenship education is to equip each generation with values, knowledge and skills. These are all taught with a foundation meant to respect human rights, social justice, diversity, gender equality and environmental sustainability. These are all meant to empower those who are learning to be responsible and educated global citizens.

– Brooke Smith

Sources: United Nations in India, Global Education First Initiative UNESCO
Photo: Flickr