How AI helped Togo's poorest citizens
Back in 2020, we ran a story about a humanitarian project in Togo organized by the non-profit GiveDirectly, UC Berkeley, and Togo’s Ministry of Digital Economy. Its aim: use AI to deliver humanitarian aid in the form of money to the poorest populations in the country. Now some of the results Read More...
Cash transfer to DC community creates tangible and emotional benefits
At The Optimist Daily, we love success stories about sustainable urban policies. A recent study by the Urban Institute reports that trust was critical to delivering funds to households in need and improving their mental health at the same time. THRIVE East of the River In Washington D.C.’s Read More...
How raising a tax credit for struggling families can reduce child neglect
Our children are our future, but sadly enough, child neglect is a major problem in the US. In fact, an estimated one-third of children are subject to a child protective services investigation before the age of 18. Research has found that the stress of poverty is often linked to child abuse, which 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...
Women in rural Zimbabwe weave their way out of poverty
The Lupane Women’s Centre was created ten years ago in a drought-prone area of Zimbabwe where extreme poverty and bouts of harsh hunger were the norm. Now the basket-weaving enterprise counts 3,638 members and average earnings have increased from one dollar to 50 dollars a month—a decent wage Read More...
Why China needs to support its waste pickers
Trash is an unintended consequence of China’s economic boom, urban swell and growing middle-class. Cities’ landfills are running out of space, and waste management policies have been lagging. Essentially, the whole system has been dependent upon hundreds of thousands of individuals who have Read More...
Best. Year. Ever.
They can tell you anything about 2013. That it was a miserable year because of the ongoing crisis, the NSA leaks or the violence in Syria and Egypt. More than 10 million people in the Philippines were victimized by a typhoon. Of course, they’re right: 2013 was horrible. But don’t forget all the Read More...
Capitalism to the rescue!
What’s the best way to fight poverty in the developing world? Treat people like producers and consumers, argues Bangladeshi entrepreneur Iqbal Quadir. Marco Visscher | April/May 2010 issue Iqbal Quadir has nothing against low salaries. “That’s not a bad thing,” he says calmly, though his Read More...
Who's afraid of billions of people?
Attempts to cajole, coerce and convince people to have fewer kids are wrong. Brendan O'Neill | November 2009 issue No limits should be set on population growth. i hope in my lifetime the human population on Earth will reach the tens of billions, and it won’t be a problem if it rises to Read More...
Vitamin Angels combats malnutrition with nutritional supplements
How giving every child basic nutrition may provide a starting point for tackling Africa's other challenges.. Reuben Kyama | Sept/Oct 2009 issue Touching down in Eldoret, a rural town about 185 miles (300 kilometers) from Nairobi near the Ugandan border in western Kenya, everything seemed Read More...