Jun 15
Putting Innovative Thinking into Action Last night I had an experience that is sure to be a memorable one—I got to see President Barack Obama speak to an intimately filled room of supporters. I must say that his speech left quite an impression on me. Sure he focused on the usual topics of increasing jobs, …
Jun 14
In a world that is run by various forms of financing and spending, countries are continuously dependent on institutions that provide for their ability to develop. And in a reality where even highly developed countries like the US, UK, and Germany are millions of dollars in debt, is it really surprising that developing countries are …
Jun 09
On Tuesday, I wrote about foreign aid into Sudan. While I did write a few lines about the security situation there, I didn’t go into much detail about it. I have a tendency to get caught up in the numbers and facts of aid. Sometimes it’s good for me to remind myself of the human …
Jun 08
This is a follow up of my last post where I discussed the Millenium Villages. In the last one I discussed the problem of sustainability (is it a good project in the long run?). Here I am going to discuss the problem of scaling up the project. I feel like the project is too ambitious …
Jun 07
Many of my posts this past month discussed the impacts and strategies of foreign aid. The more that I’ve researched projects undertaken by aid organizations, the more I’ve seen what commonly works and what doesn’t work. If we take a look at these commonalities, incorporate lessons learned from them and use them to inform current …
Jun 03
The Millennium Villages project offers a bold, innovative model for helping rural African communities lift themselves out of extreme poverty. To date, the Millennium Villages project has reached nearly 400,000 people in 79 villages. The villages are in 10 African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda), and are located …
Jun 02
Since civil war broke out almost five months ago, Libya has been all over the news. There have been both intranational and international efforts to take down Muammar Gaddafi, who has been the leader of Libya since 1969, but none have been successful. As Gaddafi attempts to maintain his rule, the international community has taken drastic …
May 31
Many of the posts I’ve written thus far have mentioned the recent uprisings and governmental overhauls taking place in the Middle East. These events are bringing incredible amounts of change to archaic systems and have the potential to completely reshape the Arab world, a source of great excitement to people living in the region. To …
May 31
When the “Arab Spring” began in mid-December, 2010, most of the news coverage was quite hopeful. North Africa would soon become democratic, which would be beneficial for the US, and life would rapidly improve for citizens who had been oppressed by dictators like Gaddafi and Mubarak. But it didn’t quite happen like that. Gaddafi still …
May 26
Who would have thought that the self-immolation of a fruit vendor in Tunisia could effect so much change within the Middle East? As the citizens of Arab states revolt, the status quo and operating procedures of many countries have been drawn into question. In the somewhat geographic center of it all, Israelis have been wondering …
