NEW YORK— In September, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank Group and World Health Organization launched a new partnership to support global primary health care in low and middle-income countries. “We know that better measurement can guide smarter, more effective planning and action,” said Bill Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “It’s time to get serious about tracking and measuring primary health care performance, so that countries have the data they need to efficiently direct resources to improve the health of their citizens, especially women and children.” The new partnership, the Primary Health Care Performance…
Author: Shengyu Wang
Shengyu Wang
Shengyu is from China. She studies Economics, English literature, History of Art and Architecture at the University of Pittsburgh. Shengyu is proud to feel that her words could be powerful enough to help impoverished people.
SEATTLE, WA — Life for workers in Brazil has improved in some important areas, according to a recent report issued by the World Bank. Workers are more skilled and better paid, the report states. The minimum wage has almost doubled since 2002, a factor that has played a significant role in reducing poverty and inequality. However, the report, entitled “Sustaining Employment and Wage Gains in Brazil,” also shows labor productivity growth has been low or stagnant over the past 15 years, and real salary gains went beyond labor productivity growth. A projected contraction in the economy by 2.6 percent in the…
ABIDIAN, Ivory Coast — Prisca N’Dri Yekou works at Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité (CIE), the main power utility for the Ivory Coast. “I am the only one of three girls in my family that is working, and my father proudly tells everyone around him that this daughter works at the power utility,” she says. “I can now help my family and sisters.” N’Dri Yekou is one of over 27,000 beneficiaries of the Emergency Youth Employment and Skills Development Project (PEJEDEC), a World Bank Group-funded project launched in 2010, that improves access to temporary employment and skills development opportunities for young men…
DURBAN, South Africa — The Durban Municipal Solid Waste Project consists of a gas collection system at the Mariannhill landfill in Durban that uses some of the recovered gas to generate renewable energy. That energy is then fed to the municipal grid to replace electricity based on fossil fuels. Implemented by Durban Solid Waste (DSW),the municipal solid waste department of eThekwini Municipality and was the first of its kind registered in Africa under the Clean Development Mechanism. Before 2004, no landfills in South Africa collected or used the methane that they emitted. Today, the minimum requirements for waste disposal at…
WASHINGTON—The Great Lakes Trade Facilitation Project is working to address the daily hazards of forced bribes or harassment faced by small traders — often women — in Africa’s Great Lakes region. The project aims to clear logistical and administrative logjams at cross-border trading, reduce corruption and the harassment of traders, boost the local economy and alleviate poverty. The Great Lakes Trade Facilitation Project is an initiative launched by the World Bank and is implemented in cooperation with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). The project will benefit COMESA through implementing regulations and procedures for the treatment of…
MAZAR-E-SHARIF CITY, Afghanistan — In a region infamous for its enduring struggle with the Taliban and lack of gender equality, some Afghan women are finding a new foothold in the economy. Raqiba Barmaki, a 55-year old mother of seven is a well-known businesswoman in Balkh Province. According to a World Bank report, Barmaki has been selling Balkhi women’s handicrafts for the last four years in her shop in Rabia Balkhi marketplace in Mazar-e-Sharif city—a market dedicated to female shopkeepers. Once the only female shopkeeper in the marketplace, Barmaki now heads a business connecting 40 female craftsmen, trained by her, who…
WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to a report from the World Bank, 84 percent of households in rural Myanmar have no electricity connection, perpetuating poverty and hindering development. On 16 Sep. 2015, The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved today a $400 million interest-free credit to provide financing and technical assistance for Myanmar’s National Electrification Plan (NEP), which calls for universal electricity access by 2030. In Myanmar, over 70 percent of the people have no access to electricity, so providing towns and villages with lights is urgent for helping people out of poverty and growing the economy. With the $400…
LAGOS, Nigeria — In Africa, more and more middle-class women pay attention to their makeup and hairstyle and increase their consumption on their beauty. The expanding middle class makes Africa a promising platform for beauty markets. Thus, both entrepreneurs and multinational companies invest in the booming beauty industry in Africa. According to Forbes, among the six women who are considered as emerging female entrepreneurs in Africa, two started their businesses in the beauty industry. Being aware of the large space in the cosmetics market, Louisa Kinoshi, a makeup enthusiast, founded BeautyRevNG.com. It is an e-commerce and online community for African makeup…
SHENZHEN, China — In 2005, Mo Fan, a free painter and volunteer, started the Maitian Project, a Chinese NGO aiming to improve the educational situation for impoverished children in mountainous areas. “Maitian” means “cornfield” in Chinese. It symbolizes the hope and the harvest of improving children’s education in mountainous areas through the efforts of volunteers. In keeping with its goals, this project has been popular among the Chinese and gained much support. Since it was established on June 16, 2005 in Shenzhen, the Maitian Project has been developed into eight programs to achieve its goal. These programs include collecting donated children’s…