Solutions Journalism Network

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Babban Gona is an agriculture company that helps smallholder farmers in Nigeria produce bigger yields and increase their incomes. The company offers training, fertilizer, herbicides, and seeds in exchange for some of the farmer’s harvest. When the produce sells, the farmers get some of the profit and a bonus if it sells for more than expected.

Federal tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act and added incentives from the state of Colorado and its municipalities is drawing in clean energy companies, creating new jobs, and helping the state meet its decarbonization goals.

The Omaha City Council’s Master Plan’s Environment Element report of proposed strategies and goals related to climate action was left largely forgotten and ignored for two decades. Experts say the city’s new plan should be more actionable, a real commitment, and have a dedicated staff.

Across the United States, Friends of the Children is matching kindergartners with professional, paid mentors they will meet with for a few hours every week until they graduate high school. The nonprofit has been successfully breaking the cycle of generational poverty in over 30 cities since 1993.

Building Ukraine Together (BUT) gathers volunteers across the country to help rebuild homes, cultural centers and repair public facilities that were damaged or destroyed as a result of the war with Russia. With a team of more than 6,000 volunteers from several walks of life, BUT has repaired or created comfortable, safe living conditions for more than 5,000 people impacted by the war.

Houston’s The Way Home collective is made up of 100 nonprofits with different approaches to combatting homelessness. Case managers enter information about people experiencing homelessness in the city into a database that shows all of the programs each person is eligible for and which nonprofits have space available.

The best way to grow generational wealth in the United States is by owning a home, so the Portland-based collective Taking Ownership is fighting the effects of gentrification in Black neighborhoods by helping homeowners do necessary home improvement work. Volunteers and licensed contractors do the work, and the projects are funded with donations from mostly White and wealthy donors.

The Rural Utah Project is working to connect rural, off-the-grid residents in Navajo Mountain with fundamental services like mail, emergency medical care and voter access that they were often denied due to lacking a formally recognized address. Google’s Plus Code tool is allowing simple 10-digit codes to be generated anywhere in the world and instantly located on Google Maps. The codes can easily be looked up and doubles as a formal address in most cases.

New bills passed by the state governments in Washington and Massachusetts are starting to make the states’ tax systems more equitable by increasing taxes on the wealthiest residents.

Thanks to a government-funded electrification project, Modhera is the first solar-powered village in India, and as a result, nearly all of the residents pay nothing for electricity. Instead, they earn money from selling unused power back to the grid.

Cool roofs — or roofs that are bright white, reflect sunlight, and radiate heat instead of absorbing it — can help keep indoor temperatures lower and reduce the urban heat island effect.

San Francisco's Black Early Childhood Educator pilot program covers tuition and provides stipends for Black students, as well as support from a case manager and necessary supplies such as laptops. Since the program launched two years ago, 62 participants have received their associate teaching permits from the City College of San Francisco.

The Advocacy for Human Value Foundation works to protect vulnerable communities — like women and children — in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps due to the Boko Haram crises. The Foundation has addressed fundamental community needs by increasing access to water and hygiene facilities, healthcare services, educational opportunities, safety practices and has even partnered with entrepreneurs to empower women with profitable skills and small grants to help make them more independent.

To combat unemployment, the Girls2Women Initiative runs 6- to 12-week training programs for girls and women in underserved communities in Nigeria. During this time they learn skills they can use to find a job or start their own business in industries like graphic design, decor, and tailoring.

The Center for Neighborhood Technology’s RainReady program is creating flood mitigation projects most suitable for Illinois communities in need by ensuring community members have input. The program designs nature-based solutions, like widening creeks and installing rain gardens, based on demographics and flood data. And community committees are involved throughout.

Siragugal Bricks is a community-owned brick kiln operated by rescued bonded laborers, aiming to rehabilitate and empower them to explore business endeavors and find more sustainable, safer sources of income. Since April 2022, 100 families have worked for Siragugal and local government organizations have helped obtain funding and supplies to facilitate Siragugal’s operations, such as power supplies, a work shed and a borehole for water.

The ADAMÂ Bakery trains and employs refugees in Uganda to make bread. This way they can earn a living while also feeding unaccompanied minors in the refugee settlements.

Belmont Charter School offers a year-round program that includes camp-style activities, work-study programs, job training, and classroom learning in small groups during the summer. Teachers still receive several weeks off before summer programming starts, and students say the summer options help them build real-world skills and explore topics that aren’t always covered during the regular school year.

Beyond Rising provides internship opportunities to undocumented high school students who are often ineligible for public programs such as New York City’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Participants receive a $2,500 stipend for the five-week internship and also have access to mentorship, skills training, resume preparation, and field trips tailored to their interests.

In what is being called the most historic tentative agreement for workers in the company’s history, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters came to an agreement with UPS over contract negotiations. This agreement is serving as evidence of the efficacy of unions and how they can work to achieve better working conditions, benefits and increased wages.

“Grow your own” programs, like Reach University’s, are working to address teacher shortages, particularly in rural areas, by recruiting school employees who don’t have college or education degrees and giving them a chance to earn an undergraduate degree in education at just $75 a month. Participants take courses online and take 15 hours out of their work week to spend time observing and training in classrooms. So far 84% of all parishes across the state have signed up to take Reach trainees, which could put a significant dent in the statewide teacher vacancy issue.

The Red Cloud smart city project is greatly improving local residents’ quality of life and leading to reduced crime rates in the city. The project installed new LED streetlights with AI-enabled overhead cameras, Wi-Fi access in homes that didn’t have access previously, as well as air quality monitoring devices. Since the new improvements were made, morale in the city has significantly improved and there are plans in place to scale the program and improve neighboring cities, as well.

Due to a state-wide housing shortage, the Friends Center for Children in New Haven, Connecticut, purchased and refurbished housing units for its teachers and their families to live in for free. This bonus to teachers' salaries helps attract and retain employees, a difficult task in the industry.

In response to managing the homeless crisis, several Safe Rest Villages have emerged throughout the city. These are small, individual units on city-owned land, separate from nearby neighborhoods. There are currently seven active Safe Rest Villages in the city and they have created 350 transitional housing opportunities for the local homeless population.

Cool roofs — or roofs that are bright white, reflect sunlight, and radiate heat instead of absorbing it — can help keep indoor temperatures lower and reduce the urban heat island effect.