Development & Education
America Abroad
May 17, 2016
Inspired by the nonviolent activism of iconic social reformist Mahatma Gandhi, the activists from a group called 5th Pillar are addressing the problem of corrupt officials, one bribe at a time. The key? An innovative tool called the Zero Rupee note. This blatantly false, oversized purple bill, complete with Gandhi's portrait, is handed to any officials who ask for a bribe in order to shame them into changing their behavior.
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Development & Education
How do we raise a global nation?
The Takeaway
June 03, 2015
Updated
America's classrooms are becoming more diverse — fast. What are the best ways to help immigrant kids learn?
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Development & Education
TOMS Shoes rethinks its 'buy one, give one' model of helping the needy
PRI's The World
October 08, 2013
TOMS Shoes was one of the first to pioneer the "guilt-free" consumption model. When you buy a pair of TOMS shoes, the California-based company will give a pair to a child in need. Aid watchers criticized this "band-aid" effort to fight poverty. Now TOMS is changing its style a bit.
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Development & Education
How to help Nepal: 10 vetted charities doing relief work following the earthquakes
PRI's The World
April 25, 2015
Updated
Tuesday's 7.3 ''aftershock'' in Nepal has raised the death toll in the series of quakes that began on April 25 in the Himalayan nation. Here are vetted charities you can donate to if you want to help.
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Development & Education
This Ethiopian village has gained wealth, but has bred hostility
PRI's The World
December 12, 2013
In the impoverished countryside of Ethiopia, the village of Awra Amba stands out. This bustling community has grown wealthier than its neighbors by questioning tenets of local culture.
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Development & Education
As the Ebola crisis rages, West African villagers are warned away from fruit bats
PRI's The World
August 13, 2014
Scientists are warning West African villagers to stop hunting bush meat and to stay away from fruit bats as they circle in a possible animal source for the latest Ebola outbreak. The Ebola virus lives in fruit bats, scientists believe, and is threatening communities who are already facing the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.
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Development & Education
Let's talk: How can technology change the lives of people in poverty?
PRI's The World
April 08, 2014
Modern technology has tremendous power to improve lives in the developing world. Why does it often fail to do so? Take part in a discussion with professionals working in the field.
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Development & Education
Impoverished kids love the soccer ball that powers a lamp — until it breaks
PRI's The World
April 08, 2014
The Soccket is a soccer ball with a twist — a generator inside that turns kicks into power that can run a small lamp. Its American inventors and celebrity backers say it provides hours of light so poor children in homes without electricity can study at night. But this bright idea has run into some technical problems.
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Development & Education
What does the US citizenship exam actually test?
PRI's The World
October 15, 2013
The US citizenship has an amazingly high pass rate — but it also has a number of critics. They argue the questions, frankly, are bad. And the test doesn't encourage immigrants to become better citizens, but rather to memorize facts they can write on the test.
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Development & Education
Help! I can't communicate with my Mandarin-speaking grandpa
The World in Words
September 30, 2015
Yowei Shaw was born in the United States and speaks virtually no Mandarin. Her grandfather is from Taiwan and speaks virtually no English. Kid talk was fine when Yowei was a kid. But now she's grown up, she's determined to have proper conversations with Yeye— before it's too late.
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Development & Education
Lazy days of summer? Not for these students gunning for a make-or-break exam
PRI's The World
August 11, 2015
In New York City, like in other parts of the US, some students spend their break digging into algebra equations, hoping to ace a test that will get them into a top public high school. But some question whether a single test unfairly leaves some students out.