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  • Making Microcredit Charities Better

    June 17, 2017 |

    Barron's |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Ghana, Pokuase

    Microfinance was widely lauded for decades as a surefire and promising way to break the cycle of poverty and uplift the economies of the developing world, especially when targeted for women. But hard data has shown that, on its own, micro-loans don't serve to create sustainable change without a comprehensive approach, and that there are many other factors - such as education and healthcare - to consider when leveraging these tools.

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  • The woman who wants you to rent used baby clothes

    June 03, 2017 |

    BBC |

    Broadcast TV News |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: Denmark, Copenhagen

    Movies, books, apartments: these are all things we commonly rent. One Danish couple is adding baby clothes to the list to reduce waste.

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  • Oklahoma City-Based International Development NGO Focuses On Women

    May 23, 2017 |

    WMOT |

    Radio |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: India, Madhubani, Bihar

    In many rural villages in Northern India and Nepal, long-standing cultural norms have relegated women to subordinate positions in marriage and minimal educational opportunities, stifling the social, agricultural and economic development of entire communities. But with the NGO World Neighbors' work to increase female literacy and help initiate locally-controlled savings and credit groups, these areas' female residents have become a more empowered component of local development and progressive change.

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  • How to Trick People Into Saving Money

    May 01, 2017 |

    The Atlantic |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Salem, Illinois

    A large number of Americans are "unbanked or underbanked"—meaning they are not tied to traditional financial institutions to manage their money—which makes saving difficult. Walmart has managed to serve this population with a debit card program called MoneyCard that provides financial incentives to users to regularly put aside money into a "vault." This approach effectively takes into account behavioral economics in terms of how humans approach short- versus long-term rewards. Launching in August 2016, the program's membership had grown more than 130% and savings increased by 38% by December 2016.

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  • Public banking goes to pot

    April 19, 2017 |

    High Country News |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Sebastopol, California

    California looks to the Bank of North Dakota as a model to launch a public bank for the cannabis industry. While the Bank of North Dakota is the only public bank in the country thus far, California's cannabis industry hopes to mirror this public financing method to reduce marijuana-related violence and theft throughout the state.

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  • The world's greenest island

    April 16, 2017 |

    The Christian Science Monitor |

    Multi-Media |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Denmark, Samso

    Samsø, a small island in Denmark, has done what no other city has reached; energy independence. People on the island use a combination of wind, solar, and biomass, energy. How is such a large feat accomplished? Local leaders say it wasn’t because of technological breakthrough, but through collective action.

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  • Northern Lights: Large-Scale Solar Power Is Spreading Across the U.S.

    March 23, 2017 |

    Yale Environment 360 |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Once largely confined to the desert Southwest, solar power is making its way across the United States. Due to decreasing prices in installations, coupled with government incentives and increasing knowledge of energy harvesting capabilities, solar has recently found its way into places such as Idaho, Maine, Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, and Nebraska - with places like Georgia and Florida are looking to expand. Despite the pushback from the newest presidential administration, even cynics of the solar power movement are declaring it the most viable option.

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  • The future will be battery-powered

    February 21, 2017 |

    Grist |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    There is an ongoing competition to improve batteries as a method of energy storage that is environmentally conscious. Intense research on batteries is ongoing, including the development of the "saltwater battery', in order to improve their reliability, storage abilities and safety.

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  • Can the Graduation Approach Help to End Extreme Poverty?

    February 07, 2017 |

    Yale Insights |

    Multi-Media |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Bangladesh, Dhaka

    BRAC, the largest NGO in the world and one of the leaders in microfinance as an approach to combating poverty, discovered that despite its successes, microcredit did not always reach what are called the Ultra-Poor in effective, sustainable ways. So they formed partnerships and launched a new, comprehensive initiative that involves consumption support, technical and financial literacy training, and asset management to create a pathway to prosperity called the "graduation approach."

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  • In Kansas City, a lesson in transforming closed schools

    January 24, 2017 |

    Chicago Reporter |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

    When public schools close, what can communities do with the buildings? Kansas City hired an urban planner to help repurpose school buildings to better engage the community and enabled non-profits a chance to purchase the old properties. This school reuse excelled from increasing the transparency of the decision-making process and “creative financing.”

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