Stories about Development from November, 2010
Nigeria: Now a “Middle Income” Country
Solomonsydelle reports that Nigeria has joined Brazil, South Africa, and 100 other countries in a category the World Bank refers to as “Middle Income.” She expresses her gratification that the nation has left the label “low income” behind, but wonders, “does this classification really mean anything?”
Africa: Glasses for Africa
afroklectic blogs about ‘Glasses for Africa” initiative: “Nyt Syn collected optical frames from more than 70, 000 people across Denmark. With 6 optometrists (opticians) and a nurse, they travelled to areas in Gambia and Senegal to perform eye tests and fit people with much needed glasses.”
Africa: The Africa They Never Show You
The Africa They Never show You is a Face Book group with over 210,000 members. It goes by this description – ”You’ve seen the images on tv about africa: the huts, the famine, disease, wars and suffering but they never show you that Africa is beautiful, has happy people and...
Ghana: Ghana's “Luck”: The Oil/Gas Co-Efficient
As Ghana is set production of oil next month, Ghanaian blogger Jemila is highly skeptical about its potential for growing Ghana's economy: “Until now, I've kept pretty mum about the issue, but given that the first production of oil is set to start next month – in a couple of...
Chile: Blog Focusing on Santiago's History and Culture Wins BiblioRedes Contest
Biblioredes announced the winners of the contest [es] “The Best Content of our Local Culture in the Bicentennial,” where more than 652 blogs, web pages, videos and photo galleries participated. Urbatorivm [es], a blog about “urban and cultural history of the city of Santiago, Chile,” won first place.
Sierra Leone: CIVICUS supports government accountability
CIVICUS to support government accountability in Sierra Leone: “In Sierra Leone, a country that receives 70% of its money in overseas aid, civil society organisations are big business. Weak regulation and limited collaboration between CSOs have shaped a civil society sector marred by poor governance, minimal transparency and cases of...
Africa: Announcing a new knowledge resource for Africa
Oluniyi announces the launch of a new knowledge resource for Africa: “Today 25th November 2010 marks another milestone in the quest for putting African information online. A new website has launched. It is aptly named Africa Portal, and aims to be an authoritative knowledge resource for Africa”.
Laos and the Convention on Cluster Munitions
The first meeting of state parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions which gathered 101 countries as well as numerous NGOs was held early this month in Laos, which is incidentally "the most bombed country" in the world. GV author Gael Brassac summarizes the keys issues discussed during the convention
China’s wetland crisis
China Dialogue has a collection of photos taken by Sean Gallagher showing the decline of China’s wetland crisis and its impact.
Kenya: Kibera Film School
Kibera Film School in Nairobi Kenya is a space where trainees learn all aspects of filmmaking from script, acting, casting, camera, production, editing, and distribution. Professionals from the Kenyan film and TV industry work as instructors in the KIBERA FILM SCHOOL. Kibera is a slum in Nairobi.
Ecuador: “Clean Quito” Campaign Fights Chewing Gum
Have you ever thought about how much it costs a municipality to remove chewing gum stuck to the pavement? Thousands of dollars in street cleaning are spent to fight this habit of discarding chewing gum on the ground. In Quito, the municipal government and several schools began a campaign that seeks to remove gum from the ground and make the capital cleaner.
Tanzania: NGO 2.0: Reflections on the year of blogging
Daraja is a Tanzanian NGO, which aims to make local institutions more responsive to the needs rural communities in Tanzania. The mission of Daraja is to empower communities and local institutions, and build their capacity to work effectively together to reduce poverty in Tanzania. After blogging for one year, Ben Taylor, the Executive Director of Daraja, decided to reflect and share with the world the lessons they have learned.
Paraguay: “The Unwanted” of Ciudad del Este
Journalist and blogger Andrés Colmán Gutiérrez wrote on his blog Ñangapiry News [es] about a group of about 170 indigenous people that live on the streets of Ciudad del Este, “fleeing poverty and oblivion in their old scorched lands.” Andrés reports that last Thursday more than 500 people protested to...
Mexico: How Can Mexico Help Migrants?
Gancho writes: “Amnesty [International] says that 20,000 immigrants per year are kidnapped in Mexico. With all the other security problems in Mexico, it's going to be hard to make threats to poor Hondurans and Guatemalans a major focus without periodic massacres, but Mexico can do a lot to alleviate this...
Africa: The 7th Pan-African Reading for All Conference
FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS [Deadline Dec 31, 2010] for THE 7TH PAN-AFRICAN READING FOR ALL CONFERENCE, Gaborone, Botswana 11th – 14th July 2011.
Afghanistan: Believed to go in the right direction
Nick Fielding reviews the Asia Foundation's survey of 6,000 Afghans, noting that 47 per cent of them believed that the country was moving in the right direction – up from 38 per cent in 2008 and 42 per cent in 2009.
Slovakia: Netizens Discuss Chinese Highway Construction Offer
The Slovak minister of transport is reluctant to let the Chinese companies, which offer extremely low prices, enter Slovakia's highway construction market. Tibor Blazko reviews the Slovak netizens' reactions.
Brazil: Eradicating the Indigenous Guarani Kaiowa
Guarani still represent one of the most numerous indigenous people in Brazil, though they are profoundly affected by the loss of almost all their land in the last century. In the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Guarani Kaiowa, one of three groups descended from the original, are the target of constant attacks and victims of an alarming rash of suicides.
Zambia: A Coalition for Windfall Tax
Zambian Economist update on the call for government to reintroduce the windfall tax in Zambia: “As the momentum gathers, with many pushing for this to be an electoral issue, we shall keep this post regularly updated.”
Sudan: Forum on Rural ICT connectivity in Southern Sudan
The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), in conjunction with the government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), will be organising a two-day international forum on rural ICT connectivity from 23rd to 24th November 2010 in the GoSS city of Juba, Brenda reports.
Nepal: Flaws In Human Development Report?
Blogdai claims that there are flaws in the recent Human Development Report published by the UN, which shows fake progress in Nepal.
