TACOMA, Washington – Costa Rica is widely known for its incredible biodiversity, lush landscapes and iconic wildlife. During the past several decades, Costa Rica has become a global leader in environmental sustainability. The country has shown steady economic growth. In fact, according to The World Bank, Costa Rica has one of the lowest poverty rates in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, despite healthy growth rates, Costa Rica has not been able to significantly reduce its poverty rate for the last twenty years. Parque La Libertad, located in the Costa Rican province of San Jose, aims to break the cycle…
Author: Staff Reports
CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina — When William Kamkwamba was 14 years old, he read a book in his local Malawian library about wind power. Unable to afford school fees, Kamkwamba used the book as his guide. He used scrap metal and junk to eventually build a wind turbine to power his house. His business grew, and soon, his turbines could power the whole village. Today, Kamkwamba is internationally known, serving as a reminder that sometimes all it takes to escape poverty is the right reading material. Today, organizations such as Books For Africa send millions of books to developing countries,…
MACUNGIE, Pennsylvania — The Gambia, commonly referred to as Gambia, has struggled for over a decade with crop failures and famine caused by erosion, unpredictable flooding, drought and other climate variables. For Gambia, poverty and agricultural failure are deeply linked because of agriculture’s key role in the economy. A 2020 report by the International Trade Administration (ITA) indicates that the agricultural sector employs 75% of the Gambian workforce. For these people and their families, an unfavorable harvest means no income and no food supply. Life in Gambia The World Bank estimates that in 2020, 9.6% of Gambians were living below the…
TACOMA, Washington — About 2.2 million people in Mali live with a disability. In lower-income countries like Mali, a main struggle the disabled community faces is education. Roughly 19 million children with disabilities do not attend school. Those that do receive the opportunity to attend school still face many obstacles. Current educational systems do not provide those with disabilities the proper resources to ensure that they don’t get left behind. The continuous struggle for equal education for children with disabilities, especially visual disabilities, needs to be addressed. In Mali, only around 500 students with severe visual impairments are currently attending…
ST PAUL, Minnesota — Luxembourg is a small nation sandwiched between Belgium, France and Germany. It is famous for being a rich and safe place where workers find excellent wages and start-up companies receive the tools they need to prosper. Since the decline of the steel manufacturing industry, the country (formally known as the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) became best known for its booming economy and profitable investments. However, many overlook one of the most significant—and most interesting—parts of its economy: investment in foreign development. This article looks into Luxembourg’s world-leading foreign aid. It explores, the nation’s exemplary focus on…
PLANO, Texas — COVID-19 has presented unprecedented challenges that have disrupted daily routines and schedules. The disarrangement of the academic school year has been extremely difficult to overcome for developing countries. Globally, one in six children does not attend school. Children in developed countries often have access to technology to facilitate online school lessons; however, children in low-income countries continue to fall further behind on the learning curve. According to the World Bank, pandemic-related “school closures risk pushing an additional 72 million primary school-aged children into learning poverty.” Children in learning poverty lack the ability to read and comprehend simple…
NEW YORK, New York — The H.R 402: CROOK Act was introduced in the House on January 21, 2021, and ordered to be reported by voice vote on April 21. This act would work to promote international efforts in combating corruption and kleptocracy through several innovations, such as the creation of an anti-corruption action fund. The “Anti Corruption Action Fund” would be part of the United States Treasury. It would strengthen foreign states in preventing public corruption and assist foreign states in developing rule of law-based structures. This would include an accountable police force as well as judicial and prosecutorial…
TACOMA, Washington — Global migration is a complex issue. Refugees seek asylum in the United States because they face horrific conditions in their home countries. However, they can also experience harrowing ordeals while as they undergo the U.S. immigration process. Lara Nochomovitz is an immigration lawyer in Louisiana with a large client base of asylum seekers. She has successfully earned her clients’ release from detention centers and helped them win asylum. The Borgen Project spoke with Nochomovitz about why people seek asylum in the U.S. and what obstacles they may face as they go through the immigration process. Furthermore, Nochomovitz…
The total number of deaths related to COVID-19 has surpassed more than 25,000 people this year, more than doubling since the start of 2021. “When the COVID-19 pandemic started in the spring of 2020, the Czech Republic was able to handle it very well thanks to its good public healthcare system and epidemiology control.” Dr. Ivana Vancurova, a professor of Biological Sciences at St. John’s University in New York explained in an interview with The Borgen Project. Early last year, the Czech Republic was initially praised for its swift response to the pandemic. However, since the start of the virus,…
EDMONDS, Washington — Ethnic Kurdish populations have resided in regions of Asia Minor and the Middle East for centuries. Various nations have forcibly drawn lines through their native territories as time has passed. After the First World War, the establishment of Turkish borders limited the possibly of a formal and cohesive Kurdish state. In modern times, there are an estimated 30 million ethnic Kurds worldwide. This makes the Kurdish people “one of the largest groups of people without […] a nation state” or land of their own. A large portion of the total Kurdish population resides in Turkey where Kurds…