SEATTLE, Washington — Feed the Future’s Innovation Lab for Small-Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) is a five-year project to improve use of scarce water supplies in Ethiopia, Ghana and Tanzania. The project focuses on the infrastructural, economic and societal constraints on water use in addition to those imposed by the natural environment. The program hopes to not only reduce poverty and improve nutrition, but also have a socially-equalizing impact. Like the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Ethiopia, the project is about transforming the lives of smallholder farmers. A large part of implementing small-scale irrigation opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa is technology provision.…
Author: Robin Lee
Robin Lee
Robin lives in Chattanooga, TN. Her academic interests include English and creative writing. When not writing for The Borgen Project, Robin loves to read and write, and hopes to travel the world someday, preferably by backpacking.
ALGIERS, Algeria — Without bold corrective action, mass displacement is not a crisis that will solve itself. Such is the case for Sahrawi refugees in Algeria, for whom statelessness has been a way of life for forty years. This protracted situation serves to demonstrate the resilience of these natives of the Saharan Desert and their determination to achieve independence. The Sahrawi people have been displaced and living in refugee camps in Algeria since 1975. That year, the Spanish withdrew from their then-colony in Western Sahara, which sparked a territory dispute between Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). The native Sahrawis…
MAFRAQ, Jordan — Since 2011, Syrian refugees have sought sanctuary wherever they can find it. In Jordan, home is a three-square-mile piece of desert called Zaatari. The largest Syrian refugee camp in the world, Zaatari houses about 80,000 people, half of whom are children. Zaatari is the fourth-largest city in Jordan. Although it is a temporary home, the protracted stay of such a large number of people in the Zaatari refugee camp presents economic, infrastructural and educational challenges. Strangely, addressing these issues renders life in the camp somehow normal. The semi-permanent city just north of Jordan’s capital, Amman, requires a functioning…
THIMPHU, Bhutan — A place unlike any other, Bhutan is an ancient kingdom nestled in the Himalayas that was first settled at least 1,400 years ago. Bhutanese culture bases itself in Himalayan Buddhism, and spirituality is interwoven with all aspects of life. Deeply-ingrained religiosity is evident even in the Bhutanese government, which prioritizes Gross National Happiness above Gross National Product. Political emphasis on the happiness of the people defers economic growth to equitable development, which can be best sustained through education. Education in Bhutan was monastic until the 1950’s; literacy and education were confined to the study of Buddhism. Monastic education in Bhutan still…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Millennium Compacts for Regional Economic Integration (M-CORE) Act was introduced in May 2015 and to date has not yet passed in the House or Senate. If successful, the M-CORE Act will amend the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, expanding the accessibility of U.S. foreign aid. The Millennium Challenge Act, which passed in 2004 with strong bipartisan support, established the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). The MCC is a government organization that operates within the executive branch, aiming to “reduce global poverty through the promotion of sustainable economic growth.” A highly-competitive selection process of countries eligible for aid…
CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee — Great strides have been made in education in Nepal since the country’s monarchy was abolished in 2008. Students begin their education with five years of primary school. Unfortunately, pre-primary school, or Early Childhood Care and Education, is only sparsely available. Following primary school, students must pass an examination and earn a School Leaving Certificate (SLC) in order to advance to secondary schooling. The SLC is sometimes referred to as the “iron gate” through which few students pass. In 2013, merely 41 percent of the 548,000 students who took the test passed, and most who did were privately educated. As Nepal strives to…
LUSAKA, Zambia — The Zambian school system is fourfold: Pre-primary, Primary, High School or Secondary School and university or vocational higher education. Children attend pre-school between the age of three and six before beginning Basic Education, or Primary Education which is divided into three parts: grades one through four constitutes lower basic, grades five through seven from middle basic, and upper basic comprises grades eight and nine. Following Primary School, students may go on to high school if they successfully pass their Primary exit examinations. However, most students do not proceed beyond Primary School. Many, in fact, do not even…
PANAMA CITY, Panama — Education in Panama has been called one of “the worst in the world” for years, yet little reform has been implemented. While many Latin American countries struggle to achieve high education standards, Panama uniquely pairs a booming economy with its inadequate education system. Although Panama houses the busiest ports in Latin America and approximately four percent of global trade passes through the Panama Canal, a shortage of skilled workers caused by an insufficient education system could well undermine Panama’s economic future. About 87 percent of students are enrolled in public education in Panama. Six years of…