Over 10 million people have been refugees for more than five years, and the average length of exile is almost 20 years. This means that refugees are not being reintegrated but are becoming trapped in a cycle that does not allow them to return to their native countries or make a home in a new one. A new study from Oxford University and the Humanitarian Innovation Project (HIP) has analyzed existing approaches for assisting refugees. They came up with recommendations for a new way of thinking about refugees and their needs.
Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera is one of an estimated 500,000 homosexual individuals in Uganda who is marginalized and persecuted for their sexual orientation on a daily basis. This injustice is what inspired her to create Bombastic, a new magazine that gives a voice to Uganda’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) community.
Every minute around the world, a woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth, and 70% of these deaths occur in developing countries. Uganda has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with less than 40% of expectant mothers gaining access to prenatal care.
Across Kenya, Uganda and Malawi, a small blue plastic box is helping millions to have longer, healthier and more productive lives. The simple yet ingenious innovation is a water purifying chlorine dispenser that is installed next to communal water sources. Dispensers for Safe Water is providing access to clean and safe water to over 2.6 million people, with dispensers at 10,000 water points.
Slum tours are criticized for exploiting the poor, but AFFCAD, a Ugandan NGO started by four friends from the Bwaise slum, are using a tour to raise awareness and fund their community development projects. For US$20 you can visit the area, meet the residents and see the work that AFFCAD is funding to improve education, sanitation and fight poverty.
Australian professor, James Dale, has developed a genetically-modified ‘super banana’ reportedly capable of providing ten times the vitamin A potential of an average banana. The controversial super banana is targeted at Uganda where blindness, bodily infections and fatalities often result from widespread vitamin A deficiency.
Teachers and textbooks are not easily mobilized to crisis-affected and remote rural areas. The Mobi-Case is a portable, suitcase-sized digital classroom containing a projector, speaker, laptop, scanner and free educational content. It provides many of the tools needed to enable education service delivery in hard-to-reach regions anytime, anywhere.
Over-dependence on wood for fuel is one of the leading causes of deforestation and desertification across Africa. Over 4 million hectares of forest are depleted each year, which is double the global average. According to the FAO, roughly 575 million people (between 75 – 80% of Africans) rely on wood fuel for household light and cooking. Aside from the rapid …
In recent years, there has been an increase in public-private partnerships in development, particularly in facilitating access to markets for subsistence farmers and business enterprises. Micro-finance initiatives often seek to inject cash into local economies by financing small businesses in developing countries. These ventures can be successful in gradually increasing market access for the rural poor. A step up from …