Stories about Development from July, 2010
Kazakhstan: Bloggers see China’s “weaponless invasion”
Posts about China-related topics are quite frequent in the Kazakh language blogs. Here are some of them, the most recent ones.
Nepal: Empowering The Youth
Sabingnawali at Nepali Blogger highlights Goreto, Nepal's nationwide youth empowerment project, which was initiated by a 19 year old Nepali youth.
Jordan: Has Technology Killed Our Romanticism?
Computers and technology play an important role in our everyday lives. One blogger from Jordan remembers the romanticism of getting a letter in the mail and declares on her blog: "I hate electronics."
Vietnam: Power and water woes
SaigonNezumi is hoping that the monsoon rains would arrive soon to ease the power and water shortages in Vietnam. He notes that many buildings in Hanoi and Saigon now have gas powered generators.
Chile: How to Fight Poverty
A recent Casen survey revealed an increase of 1.4% in poverty in Chile; that means that “just over 355 thousand people reached the poverty line for the first time in 2009,” as explained by The Pulse. In response to the survey, the bloggers from de la República [es] uploaded a...
Guatemala: Foundation Talita Kumi Helping Women in Rural Communities
Cobán Galería Fotográfica posts [es] images and information about a foundation called Talita Kumi. The blogger highlights how the foundation teaches young women technical skills they will later use to help in the development of their community.
Lebanon: Saving the Planet and Sustainability
In this post, Ghassan Karam argues that “the biggest threat to human civilization and biodiversity as we know it is the human species itself” since the increase in the population of the Earth is resulting in an inevitable ecological degradation. He also mentions that Lebanon ranks as the 129th most...
USA and Congo: Nicholas Kristof and Western coverage of Africa
Bunmi joins the debate over New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof's admission that he tends to focus on the ‘white foreigner as savior, black African as victim’ story in his Africa coverage. “I wonder if a story about some crisis in America would hold any interest for, let's say, Congolese...
Senegal: Protests Against Frequent Power Outages
Public demonstrations were organized last week in Senegal to protest against load shedding by Senelec (the national electricity company). Rignese who works for Seneweb.com has posted the following videos: the first from Mbour where the mobilization started [fr] and later in Dakar [fr].
Kazakhstan: Kazakh blogs on national issues
Lately I have often seen posts about national problems in Kazakh language blogs. I am going to review some of them. Ainash Esali in a post titled “The government should have only one flag” [KAZ] says: “An article with the title “Let’s not call for a bad omen by multiplying...
China: Buy BP assets? Could do!
Britain's new foreign secretary William Hague is in Beijing today, and Chinese online media are reporting the goal of his trip is to sell China on BP assets from the company's South American holdings. Comments on the news suggest netizens are eager to help begin negotiating the terms of the deal.
Tanzania: Goodbye Tanzania!
A post from an American student who was working a film project about clean water in Tanzania: “Check out the UNC team’s Students of the World blog for reflections from each team member about what Tanzania and its people taught us.”
Niger: The Silent Famine
The underreported food crisis in Sahel is taking worrisome proportions as about 2.5 millions of people in Niger are currently affected by food shortage. Bloggers in Niger reflect on yet another food crisis after the one in 2005.
India: Development With Sports
Think Change India highlights the Dream A Dream project in India which is using team sports like football to create a fun filled learning environment for children.
China: Expat views of the Shanghai Expo
The Shanghai World Expo is already two months in to its half-year residency. Bloggers have been active in trying to decipher the purpose of the extravaganza, as well as keep track of the lightning-speed developments few corners of Shanghai have been able to avoid in preparing for the event. The...
Guinea Bissau: “Kilimanjaro” of Waste
Aly Silva sarcastically announces the Kilimanjaro from Bissau, referring to what he believes to be the biggest pile of garbage in Africa, where even crocodiles can be found. The so-called mountain has been growing along a road in the capital of the Guinea Bissau – a country that doesn't have...
Nepal: Help Build A School
Nepali Blogger tells how you can help build a school in Nepal by simply voting in Facebook.
Diaspora and Development in the Francophone World
The diaspora of the developing countries worldwide is often mentioned as a potential driving factor for poverty reduction and the francophone region is no exception. Still, the suggested policies involving the diaspora are not without challenges and require more avenues for discussion between all development actors
Sierra Leone: Sex and STD Awareness through Video
In Sierra Leone, Vickie Remoe hosts and produces a magazine style show that covers a variety of topics: from undiscovered musical geniuses, to a day in the life of different tradespeople, sports and in a recent installment, Sex and STD education among college students.
Cape Verde: Behind the Concept of National Branding
Bloggers from Cape Verde have been discussing the originality of the logo which resulted from a national tourism branding competition: some say it lacks quality, others question its link with the national identity. In response, designer Rafael Fernandes created a blog to explain the concept.
Barbados: economic crisis?
Barbados Underground posts an analysis of a recent speech by former prime minister Owen Arthur, on the current economic situation in the Caribbean. “In the midst of this economic disaster where are our leaders, where are the voices speaking to this unprecedented crisis, educating our people to its consequences?”
