Giving the Poor a Means to Work

Most of us look at the 1 billion men, women, and children in the world who live on less than a dollar a day and see poor people. Paul Polak sees 1 billion potential entrepreneurs who, if given the opportunity, would rather earn money than accept handouts. His strategy is to develop affordable tools for the world's poorest (often using microcredit) which can help them earn more money. Mr. Polak's nonprofit organization International Development Enterprises has already helped 17 million people lift themselves out of poverty. "So much money is wasted on big infrastructure projects and government-run programs," says Polak, "We need to change the way we approach development."

Source: BusinessWeek

How to Triple a Corn Harvest

Kenya's dry months of April, May and June prevent farmers from being able to plant their crops early. Only when the rain finally comes can the harvesting season begin. For farmer Agre Ranyondo, the short season would yield just 10 bags of corn, which were far from sufficient to feed his family of 8. The Millennium Villages Project intervened for him and other farmers, providing seeds better suited for the region, fertilizer, and instruction on how to use both. Because of their help, Mr. Ranyondo now collects 50 bags of corn, enough to feed his family and even some to sell for profit. The Millennium Villages Project is not cheap, but it is proving to be effective- the farm is now self sufficient, providing Mr. Ranyondo with enough earnings to purchase his own seeds and fertilizer.
Source: CS Monitor

ONE Campus Challenge

The ONE campaign, an organization committed to fighting poverty through advocacy, is starting their Power of 100 summit today. The three-day summit gathers representatives from the top 100 colleges and universities that have been spreading the word about the campaign. Currently, there are 27,000 students representing 2,458 different schools. They hold meetings addressing global poverty, promote the ONE campaign around their campus, collect signatures for petitions, and call members of Congress. Each of these different actions can be submitted to the ONE website, where they are tallied as points, and schools are ranked in order of their participation. Representatives from the top 100 schools will get the opportunity to get listen to VIP speakers, learn from the ONE staff, and even meet with members of Congress.
Source: ONE.org

On the Air: Borgen Project

Last Sunday, Clint Borgen discussed his goals for the organization in a radio interview with Gary Shipe. Listen to it here.

Who Needs Powerpoint When You've Got Insects?

Last night at TED2009 (Technology, Entertainment, and Design Conference), Bill Gates left a lasting impression on his audience with his presentation on malaria. To emphasize the importance of raising funds to create a vaccine and eradicate this disease, he released a jar of mosquitoes out into the crowd. Although these insects were not infected, malaria is usually spread by mosquito bites, affecting hundreds of millions of people mostly in Africa and Asia. The philanthropist hoped to educate his audience and raise awareness about one of the major struggles that people experience in impoverished countries.
Source: MSNBC

Child Mortality Rate Decreasing

According to UNICEF's State of the World’s Children report the child mortality rate in developing countries has decreased by 27% since 1995.

Food Supplement Reduces Malnutrition

A recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows that children who receive a supplement in addition to their meals are 60% less likely to progress to severe malnutrition. Ready-to-use food (RUF) is recommended by the UN not only as a treatment for malnutrition, but also as a prevention technique. Since RUF is relatively expensive, similar energy fortified supplements are currently being researched. Large scale distributions of such foods will help prevent severe malnutrition of hundreds of thousands of children.
Source: Doctors Without Borders

Rethinking Water Management

The demand for fresh water is getting bigger due to industrialization, population increase, climate change, and a rising demand for food. It takes about 2,000 to 5,000 liters of water to grow food for one person per day. As the demand for food grows, fresh water supply will become more and more scarce. To address this major concern, the UN recently organized the World Water Forum, a meeting of government officials from different sectors. They have been focusing on rethinking the relationship between food, water, and the environment, hoping to create and implement effective new ways to solve the issue.
Source: UN News Centre

Better Delivery Rooms in Egypt

Clean delivery rooms and properly sterilized equipment is key in proper health care, especially when it comes to childbirth. USAID has been donating money towards improving the conditions of neonatal services in public hospitals throughout Egypt. The $21 million has helped finance renovations in 51 hospitals and 182 primary health facilities. The improvements include easy-to-clean floors and wall tiles, an upgraded plumbing and sewage system, new basic life-saving equipment, and better supplies. Research data has shown that the changes have resulted in a declining rate of maternal mortality at these hospitals.
Source: USAID Telling Our Story

New Classrooms in Afghanistan

In Kabul, a recent $24 million donation from Japan will go towards building 1,000 new classrooms. 40% of school-age children in Afghanistan still do not attend school, 65% of them girls. However, the country is making progress towards its goal of getting all children in school by 2020. Last year alone, 6 million children enrolled in schools. Currently, 25 out of the 35 schools in Kabul operate in shifts, due to the lack of learning space. The addition of new classrooms will not only allow for more students, but it will also improve the quality of education and develop a healthy relationship between schools and communities.
Source: UN News Centre

Grassroots Legends of The Borgen Project

Last week Miko Russell of Seattle mobilized 70 people in 7 days to join The Borgen Project Facebook group.

$630 Million Donated Towards Polio Fight

In 1988, public health officials and volunteers across the world united together under the common goal to eradicate polio by 2000. The task has proven to be more than they expected, as the disease stubbornly affects 4 countries: Nigeria, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Recently, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary International, and British and German governments announced a donation of $630 million to keep fighting against polio, in hopes of finally ridding the world of the disease. Since the campaign started, it has seen great success: the number of cases fell by 99%. However, the original goal was not to just reduce numbers, but to completely halt the spread of polio. According to Mr. Gates, failing to provide more vaccinations would result in "a return to the days of tens of thousands of cases per year.”
Source: NY Times