Category: Lessons Learned from…

Best Practices and ideas from experienced individuals and groups working on the ground.

Building Back Better in Pakistan

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the opportunity and need for Haiti to redevelop sustainably after the devastating earthquake in 2010. I also discussed how construction in Bihar, India – after a flood completely washed away the area – could be a model for rebuilding homes in Haiti. Unfortunately, like Haiti and India, Pakistan …

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Sandals Steps Up?

I have never understood the appeal of Sandals Resorts.  I’ve never been to one, so I can’t say for sure that my opinion is valid, but from the commercials they run it looks like all of the resorts are pretty much the same and are all the kind of all-inclusive, never-have-to-leave-the-resort facilities which never appealed …

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Women in War and Peace

“For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” –Eleanor Roosevelt It is more dangerous in most conflict-stricken areas to be a woman than to be a soldier.  Yet, women’s experiences during times of war are often ignored …

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A Plan for Dadaab Refugee Camp, Part II

On Tuesday, my colleague Ryan wrote the first installment of a blog series he and I are working on about the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. It is the largest refugee camp in the world, built to accommodate about 90,000 people. However, due to the current drought crisis in the Horn of Africa, there are …

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A Lesson Taught by Anders Breivik

In the midst of many differing, passionate opinions on Breivik’s attack, there is one lesson that we should be able to agree on universally On July 22, two terrorist attacks shook Norway to its core. Anders Behring Breivik, the man who has admitted to carrying out both attacks, is responsible for the worst peacetime massacre …

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Understanding Buyers of Sex

Eliminating Commercial Sexual Exploitation In order to eliminate the problem of commercial sexual exploitation, we must look at the demand side of the problem.  After all, without buyers of sex, there would be no sex industry.  By understanding the who, what, where, when, and how of sex buyers, strategies can be implemented to decrease the …

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A Plan for Dadaab Refugee Camp – Foundations

The overcrowded Dadaab camp in Kenya is struggling to provide for the continual stream of starving Somali refugees Much has been written on this blog and others about the dire situation currently being faced in the Horn of Africa. The countries in this region are facing their worst drought in 60 years. A famine has …

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Horn of Africa Crisis Worsens

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how the Horn of Africa is currently experiencing one of the most severe droughts in history. For countries like Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti, the drought is forcing families to flee to overcrowded refugee camps and leaving hundreds of thousands of children homeless and malnourished. Unfortunately, conditions in …

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Nelson Mandela: Role Model for Youth

It seems that in today’s world, young people look more and more towards actors, singers, and other celebrities as their role models.  Though looking up to positive examples set by certain celebrities is not a bad thing, it is important for the youth to remember important figures like Nelson Mandela.  Just this past Monday, July …

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Life-Changing Lamps

In rural areas of Kenya, the overwhelming majority of families live without electricity. More than one third of the population depends on kerosene-powered lamps, which are not only bad for the environment, but they also negatively affect Kenyans in other ways. Toxic fumes, for example, are emitted from the burning lamps and can cause severe …

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