Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Turning Haiti's Plastic Trash into Cash

    Eight million metric tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year, including in Haiti where it litters the beaches and causes sanitation issues. A social entrepreneur from Executives Without Borders partnered with Haiti Recycling to streamline processes, increase efficiency, and sustainably monetize the collecting and recycling of plastic waste through a new organization, Ramase Lajan. When oil prices tanked and the recycling centers struggled to maintain a profit, social enterprise Thread stepped in to take up the plastic, turning it into fabric to make socially responsible goods for sale.

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  • Getting Help in Emergencies in Super-Quick Time

    Jason Friesen, an American paramedic who had served in Haiti after the earthquake, realized that many poor communities in the Caribbean were lacking the equivalent of the United States’ 911 emergency medical services, and were facing increased death tolls as a consequence. But in noting these communities’ possession [and use] of mobile phones, Friesen realized he could help such communities set up emergency response systems through the use of volunteers and a simple text message exchange. Now, his organization—Trek Medics—simplifies and democratizes the emergency dispatch system, and, as a result, saves numerous lives in rural communities.

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  • The War On Fake News

    In order to mitigate the impact of fake news crafted and spread for political purposes, social media sites and independent organizations are developing media literacy tools. These range from changes to social media algorithm, flagging posts with disputed content, and having staff investigate a flagged article’s claims.

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  • Cloud Catchers In Peru

    Abel Cruz "catches" clouds on his fog net farm to help provide free water for his community in a slum on the outskirts of Lima, where access to water is very limited and costly. While this solution may never compete with large scale and traditional technologies, many argue there is enormous potential for this simple concept in certain, rural areas of the world.

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  • 'Bribing' Mums To Feed Their Kids

    One in three children in Peru are stunted by a lack of nutritious foods in their diet. In 2005, the government gave cash hand-outs to poor mothers, but only on the condition that they had regular health check-ups and their children went to school. By 2014 the number of children growing up too small had halved.

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  • Cash Cards For Syrian Refugees

    In a creative twist, Syrian refugees are being given cash cards to spend as they wish rather than being given food boxes or in-kind donations. Agencies and refugees themselves say that it gives them dignity and choice, which are important in the survival process. It was also much more efficient and cheaper to distribute money than buying food. This podcast cites a study done to prove its efficacy, talks to a couple refugee families, and notes that results could vary from country to country.

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