When violent, ideological groups like the Islamic State establish a foothold, they strengthen their position with a narrative that the government has failed to deliver on its social contract with the Muslim population, particularly with youth. They exploit this “say-do” gap — the disconnect between what governments say about creating an inclusive identity and equal…
This post originally appeared on the Frontline Health Workers Coalition’s blog. Teenager Durah stretches under a lamp with a book, absorbing every word and figure. Inspired by her aunt, she wants to become a nurse. She is the future health workforce. She is who the world needs tomorrow. Durah wants flexibility, occupational safety, and career opportunities.…
Aleze looked down the hill near the food distribution center as he ran the red dirt through his hands, again and again. It was wet and soft, and left a red residue on his hands as he let it fall slowly onto the stained ground. His father’s French faded to the background and the screeching sound of…
The critical importance of early experiences to a person’s life is well established. Early childhood (birth to age 8) is an amazing time of growth and learning when young children are developing the skills to roll over, crawl, walk, talk, synthesize information, think critically, and much, much more. During this time brains are developing more…
In many parts of the world, massive deforestation seems to outpace reforestation and forest restoration efforts. In tropical countries with significant forest resources, like Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and Indonesia, illegal logging usually involves large swaths of forest being cut down rapidly to feed the growing worldwide demand for timber. However, in a country…
A few basic facts: there were 1.2 billion youth aged 15 to 24 years globally in 2015, accounting for one out of every six people worldwide. By 2030, the target date for achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the number of youth is projected to grow by 7 percent, to nearly 1.3 billion. Given…
Imagine you are in a neighborhood. In this neighborhood, there is a corner where young people gather every night to drink. We would call them “at-risk youth.” These are young guys who have dropped out of school, and the local priest decides that he is worried about them. The priest forms a basketball team that…
Imagine you are chronically late to work. If your goal is to get to work on time, you may have identified multiple reasons for being late. If you only consider one of these reasons and don’t identify root causes, which are simply other reasons for your lateness, you will continue to be late. One reason…
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is “press for progress,” a very important topic given the times we are living in. I am proud to be celebrating this day along with all of our staff worldwide as it highlights the importance of focusing on gender equality and gender integration in our work and…
The word of the day is “innovation.” Ask anyone to define it, though, and you won’t get one answer. Innovation can be new technology, processes, models, ideas — but it can also be tools that we’ve had on our belt for several years, applied in new places. Innovation can be learning and adapting. It can…
Although we now have the technology to launch an electric car into space using reusable booster rockets, and, to give a more mundane example, can communicate via video conference with people all over the globe on a daily basis, something as commonplace as childbirth is still one of the riskiest moments in a woman’s life,…
The adoption of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was a watershed moment for the world, not only because of the importance of the goals themselves, but also because of the inclusiveness of the process used to develop them. Because of that inclusiveness, the private sector is now speaking the same language as that…