Global Development
In an increasingly globalized world, international development efforts aim to improve living conditions, equity, and human rights around the world. Our global development section tracks this globalization and reports on specific equitable and sustainable development initiatives.
This Philippine island is reconstructing itself by turning volcano ash into bricks
Last week, the island of Luzon in the Philippines was startled by an eruption of the Taal Volcano - one of the most active in the region - displacing thousands of people and blanketing neighboring towns and villages with thick layers of erupted ash and mud. Following the disaster, the ash-covered Read More...
2019 was the best year so far for humanity
If you’re feeling low about the state of the world, consider this: In the long arc of human history, 2019 has been the best year ever. As Nicholas Kristof from The New York Times highlights, since modern humans emerged about 200,000 years ago, 2019 was probably the year in which children were Read More...
This chatbot helps refugees navigate the legal path to resettlement
For a Syrian refugee in Lebanon who is trying to navigate the legal path to resettlement, it can be difficult to find answers—and overstretched humanitarian organizations can take as long as three months to respond to an email when the demand for help is highest. A new chatbot called Mona, Read More...
Little Rock, Arkansas is giving its homeless people a chance to earn a buck
In Little Rock, Arkansas vagrants are given the chance to work their way out of poverty through an initiative that pays them to pick up litter. Dubbed Bridge to Work, the program has been paying vagrants $9.25 an hour – two bucks more than the federal minimum wage – for keeping the city’s Read More...
From desert to oasis: how community-driven grocery stores can reduce food insecurity
Low incomes can make accessing healthy food a challenge. But what if the closest grocery store with nutritious options is more than a mile from your home? This is the daily reality for the 6.2% of Americans who live in food deserts: areas where residents do not have the purchasing power to support Read More...
This city in India offers free meals in exchange for plastic waste
It’s no brainer that plastic waste is harmful to the environment. A lot of people and organizations around the world are doing their bit in tackling the issue, however, a lot more needs to be done. In a rather brilliant manner to help save the environment, India just launched its very first Read More...
A crowdfunding campaign has raised money to buy an abandoned castle in France
Here’s another reason to love crowdfunding: Thousands of internet users have banded together to collectively buy an abandoned castle in France. Each internet user paid at least 50 euros to raise the 500,000 euros needed to buy it with the hopes of getting it restored. The castle dates back to the Read More...
We can use the same formula for inner peace and world peace, says the Dalai Lama
In a recent speech, the Dalai Lama illustrated how the idea of world peace depends on inner peace—you can’t solve global issues without first attending to your own emotional life. To a lot of people, even self-mastery might seem like a herculean effort; never mind getting rid of war and poverty Read More...