I first heard about Hagar International over a year ago while reading the book “Not for Sale,” about human trafficking. Human trafficking is a tough issue to combat, especially since the solutions aren’t exactly clear, and require investment in long-term assistance and systemic change. But Hagar International has a really innovative and effective model, and…
Today I’d like to highlight a wonderful organization, HEAL Africa, which provides holistic care to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As some of you may know, the DRC has been called the “worst humanitarian disaster since WWII” since about 5 million people have died since 1998. Despite the unstability of the country and…
Here’s the second installment of Feature Friday this week: Beyond Good Intentions. Beyond Good Intentions is a wonderful ten-part film series investigating the effectiveness of international aid. According to the website: The Beyond Good Intentions film series follows the round-the-world journey of first-time filmmaker, Tori Hogan, as she investigates how international aid can be more…
I haven’t done Feature Friday in quite a while, unfortunately, since I have been so busy this summer. So today I decided to double the effort and feature two great initiatives. Here’s the first one….and check my next blog post for #2! Better World Books Better World Books (BWB) is in my eyes – the…
Today I want to feature United Prosperity, a truly innovative organization that takes the concept of microfinance to the next level. Most microfinance institutions (MFIs) simply provide small loans to poor entrepreneurs who want to pull themselves out of poverty through their small businesses. However, this approach does not strengthen the local banking system or…
This Friday I wanted to highlight an amazing project which recently won the 2009 Echoing Green Fellowship. Accountability Counsel is an organization aiming to partner with communities harmed by international finance and development projects in order to hold international institutions and corporations accountable, and develop new accountability systems where none exist. Communities around the world…
This week, I’m really excited to feature SAWA Global, because I’m convinced their work is extremely important and yet not recognized enough. I strongly believe that we have to empower grassroots leaders and allow them to tell their stories. Most of the biggest names of organizations, nonprofits and social entrepreneurs we hear of are Western-based:…
Today I want to feature an amazing organization in Sierra Leone, called Timap for Justice. Timap for Justice is an innovative organization aiming to provide basic access to justice to the people of Sierra Leone. Timap for Justice formed to address the shortage of lawyers in the country, and employs and trains community-based paralegals instead…
For my first “Feature Friday,” I’ve decided to highlight kiwanja.net for the truly innovative and exciting work they are doing. kiwanja.net helps pioneer new applications of mobile technology to push forward positive social and environmental change in the developing world. kiwanja.net helps “empower local, national, and international non-profit organisations to make better use of information…
Yesterday, I ran across this article: “How to Write about Africa.” It’s a great eye-opening article, which uses sarcasm to point out the most common stereotypes of Africa and how so much of the media about Africa is framed without a true understanding of the continent. But as I started reading it, I began feeling…