This post originally appeared on IntraHealth International’s blog VITAL. A police officer sees a drunk man searching for something under a streetlight and asks, “What have you lost?” “My keys,” the drunk man says, and they both look under the streetlight together. After a few minutes, the officer asks if he is sure he lost…
Today, the economic, medical, and governance systems of many of the countries where international development professionals work are more comparable to those in the United States than many people realize. Increasingly, these countries demonstrate the characteristics we know lead to healthy, independent lifestyles for their citizens, even as they accept aid. Unfortunately, these countries are…
With nearly 150,000 hectares of vineyards, the small nation of Moldova has one of the largest densities of vineyards in the world. Here, the wine industry is a cultural touchstone with a history stretching back thousands of years. It forms the backbone of the rural economy, providing income for more than 250,000 people and more…
Late one night about a year ago, I got the call no health care worker ever wants to receive. The man left a heart-stopping message with my midwifery practice’s answering service saying that our patient — his previously healthy wife — and their unborn child had just abruptly passed away at another Washington, D.C.-area hospital.…
Youth in developing countries around the world frequently feel disenfranchised and disempowered when it comes to making a difference in their communities, regions, and nations. As a result, civic participation among youth — whether at the community or national level — may be limited, and young people are often unaware of their fundamental civil rights…
As Category 4 Hurricane Florence barreled toward the Southeast of the United States last week, preliminary damage estimates indicated 758,000 homes across three states could be impacted. Reconstruction costs were estimated at $170.2 billion. Despite the dire forecast and its associated challenges, however, the United States is one of the countries most prepared to respond…
Getting the global economy on track to reap a demographic dividend, create prosperity, protect the planet, and eliminate extreme poverty will be difficult unless governments, international donors, businesses, and practitioners work together to harness the economic aspirations of youth. A recent study by the International Labour Organization shows that 13.6 percent of youth, or more…
Across the world, 13.6 percent of youth are unemployed and almost 20 percent, or 260 million, are out of school. For those who manage to find a job, a staggering 17.1 percent still live below the extreme poverty threshold. The truth is that there are still too many young people who lack the education, skills,…
This post originally appeared on Agrilinks. A sustained focus on resilience in the past decade has led to broad acceptance of it as a major programmatic priority for programs designed to strengthen the ability of vulnerable households to withstand myriad shocks and stresses. Resilience measurement concepts and methods have improved dramatically together with resilience theory and practice,…
Safe and reliable access to water is a fundamental prerequisite for development. Despite gains made in improving water management and increasing access to water around the world, service providers continue to confront technical and financial resource deficits. International donors are increasingly highlighting the investment gap for infrastructure and services as a key impediment to achieving…
As winter took its bite over the southern hemisphere, residents of Cape Town, South Africa, looked anxiously towards their rainy season. Cape Town, which entered a severe drought in 2017, urgently required consistent and above-average rainfall to avoid the looming threat of “Day Zero” returning in 2019 — the day when city authorities could potentially…
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multilateral initiative launched in 2011 which supports countries in consulting with local civil society to develop national action plans which focus on commitments to reforms that strengthen governance by promoting transparency, empowering citizens, and fighting corruption. The annual OGP Summit in Tbilisi, Georgia, which took place on July…