Jun 30
Currently, the Eastern part of Africa is experiencing one of the worst droughts on record. More than ten million people are affected in countries such as Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. With increasing food prices, dry land, failing crops and dying livestock, many Africans in these countries simply don’t have access to food. Malnutrition …
Jun 30
President Hu Jintao’s pledge to continue investing heavily into Sudan raises a few cautionary flags In my post on Sudan’s wildlife, I briefly mentioned how countries that rely on Sudan’s oil reserves will continue to be among the country’s strongest supporters. I cited China as a key example of this, seeing as how 2/3rds of …
Jun 29
Yesterday was an anxiously awaited day for all of those who are in the fight to end modern day slavery. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, formally announced the release of the highly anticipated Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 2011 report. The annual report consists of victim narratives, governmental responsibilities, progress made, and recommendations for improvement. Additionally, …
Jun 28
Leer la versión en Español Next Thursday the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-the international organization that oversees the global financial system- will have to elect a new Managing Director (MD), after Dominique Strauss Kahn’s (former MD) resignation. The two candidates for the position are France’s economy and finance minister Christine Lagarde and Mexico’s central bank director, …
Jun 28
News on our involvement in Libya has taken a backseat recently after all the drama with Congressman Weiner and President Obama’s announcement about the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, but the conflict has been raging on despite the lack of US news media interest. It’s been raging on here in the states, too; specifically, the …
Jun 22
The University of Oregon and the Global Oregon Initiative recently announced an interesting—and controversial—partnership: a partnership with the government of Gabon. This one-of-a-kind cooperative agreement has a noble purpose: to establish joint research centers in Eugene and Libreville in order to study sustainability, economic development, and natural resource management. However, the union is problematic because of …
Jun 22
The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community has experienced discrimination, threat, and violence around the globe. Violations of human rights are heavily affecting LGBT individuals in many regions of the world, forcing them to flee persecution and seek refuge in other nations—one being the United States. The resettlement network in the U.S. has limited …
Jun 21
The opium industry in Afghanistan is booming! But will it remain this way? The poppy plant, from which opium is derived, has been a staple crop of Afghan farmers for many years now. And for good reason, for poppy is relatively easy to take care of and fetches a lot of money. However, only 10% …
Jun 20
Last week, I wrote about how nonprofits should work together to make sustainable change. Rather than organizations focusing on specific issues individually, I think that establishing a type of “nonprofit team” to address multiple aspects of a complex problem could really make a huge impact. Theoretically, I really think this could work – but there …
Jun 20
On May 31st USAID announced a partnership with IBM and CDC Development Solutions, an NGO that focuses on international corporate volunteerism (ICV), which USAID believes will make ICV more effective and sustainable. The partnership spawned a new agency: The Center of Excellence for International Corporate Volunteerism (CEICV), which will be funded by USAID, IBM, and …
