Feb 7, 2012 | FAWE, Female Empowerment, Poverty Reduction
Kravis Prize winners share many things in common, including an exemplary record of effective programs that drive socioeconomic development around the world. In fact, 2008 Kravis Prize winner Forum for African Women Educationists (FAWE) officially launched a $2.5 million program with children’s development organization Plan Liberia in Monrovia, Liberia last week! The five-year program, which will be implemented in the Montserrado, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Lofa counties, “seeks to empower over 40,000 girls and young women with education and other basic skills.” In addition, the program will protect girls from gender-based violence and increase access to post-primary education. You can also check out our page to find out more about... read more
Feb 2, 2012 | Female Empowerment, Landesa, Poverty Reduction, Roy Prosterman
Did you know that 42 percent of children under the age of five in India suffer from malnutrition? Thankfully, international development organizations are working to eradicate this problem by implementing health programs and other community development initiatives. One area that might be overlooked, however, is how women’s rights contribute to reaching this goal. The Guardian’s Poverty Matters blog published an article by Renee Giovarelli, executive director of the Landesa Center for Women’s Land Rights, who discusses how female empowerment affects child malnutrition: “There is growing evidence that the reason for India’s malnourished children is not just empty pockets – it is, specifically, women’s empty pockets. Women in India have a lower status and therefore less control over resources, both land and money, and consequently do not have the leverage to ensure that their children’s needs are met.” Giovarelli also outlines how Landesa and the national and state governments of India are tackling this issue: “Across India, national and some state governments are recognising this and are working to put a powerful asset – land – into the hands of women. … Just last year officials in Odisha state opened the first Women’s Land Rights Facilitations Centre. And officials in West Bengal state have begun adding the names of women to all the land titles they distribute in their micro-plot poverty alleviation programme. Officials in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and West Bengal are working to ensure that more women find their names on the title documents to the land they till.” “Land rights for women can help ease India’s child malnutrition crisis” [Poverty Matters, January 20, 2012] To learn more... read more
Jan 26, 2012 | BRAC, Escuela Nueva, FAWE, Fazle Abed, Landesa, Pratham, Roy Prosterman
The Global Journal just released their January/February 2012 issue, which for the first time ranked the top 100 best nongovernmental organizations in the world. We’re delighted to announce that FIVE Kravis Prize winners were ranked among the top 50 NGOs! BRAC even made it into the top five and has a nice feature on the website, which also mentions 2007 Kravis Prize winner Sir Fazle Abed. “Established by former Shell Oil executive Sir Fazle Hasan Abed in 1972 soon after the independence of Bangladesh, BRAC was part of an influential wave of organizations – alongside the Grameen Bank and ASA – that went on to revolutionize development strategies not only in their home countries, but across the world. Unlike its counterparts, however, which focused on refining and expanding their pioneering micro-credit and micro-finance models, BRAC also added a range of social programs to the mix and has continued to diversify and leverage its unique ability to achieve economies of scale over time.” Check out what else they had to say about BRAC here and the other Kravis Prize winners that are part of this year’s list, including Escuela Nueva (Founder Vicky Colbert, 2011), Pratham (2010), FAWE (2008) and Landesa (Founder Roy Prosterman,... read more
Jan 20, 2012 | Education, Pratham
2010 Kravis Prize winner Pratham, the largest non-governmental organization in the world, works to provide quality education to underprivileged children in India. But that’s not all! The organization is also a reliable research source and released their seventh Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) this week, which was cited by the Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development. India’s National University of Educational Planning and Administration also released a comprehensive report this week that echoes the findings of Pratham’s ASER. The report has sparked discussion in media outlets about what can be done to improve the educational system in rural India. The Times of India published several articles about the study, pointing out important statistics. The Hindu and other Indian news outlets also discussed the results of the report. Here are some highlights from the study: • The dropout of female students in the age group of 11 to 14 years is currently 9.5 percent in the state of Jaipur. This was 20 percent in 2006. • The rate of enrollment in private schools has gone up from 19.15 percent to 26.6 percent since 2006. • The number of class III students able to solve subtraction problems fell from 36.6 percent in 2010 to 29.9 percent in 2011. “Rural India going to private schools: Report” [The Times of India, January 18, 2012] “Sharp decline in dropout of girl students” [The Times of India, January 18, 2012] “Enrollment of marginalized primary students on the wane” [The Times of India, January 18, 2012] “Alarming decline in reading and mathematical skills in 6-14 age group, says ASER” [The Hindu, January 18, 2012] “Failing... read more
Jan 12, 2012 | Education, Landesa, Roy Prosterman, Tim Hanstad
2006 Kravis Prize winner Roy Prosterman’s organization, Landesa, which helps the world’s poor secure land rights, has come a long way since its inception in 1981. Today, their work spans all across the globe, including Odisha, India, and impacts development in a variety of ways. For example, did you know that the lack of land titles could affect one’s access to educational opportunities? In an article published in the Huffington Post, Landesa President and CEO Tim Hanstad explains that owning land titles is crucial to improving school enrollment rates in developing countries: “So, what can be done to make sure that all children get that chance? Part of the answer lies in the land. In the [Indian] state of Odisha, at least 40 percent of rural families, many of whom are tribal, lack legal rights to the land on which they depend. Often they’ve been farming this land for generations but without legal title. Without this documentation, they often cannot access the free tuition and related services and subsidies to which they are entitled.” Thankfully, Landesa has partnered with the Odisha government to help families gain their land patta, or land title document, which has helped many children receive the free admission or stipends that the Indian government provides to certain tribes. During a visit, Hanstad made some observations on how the land titles have impacted the society: “As I saw in Odisha, land rights not only yield productive farmers. They also nurture students who grow to become engineers, doctors, executives, parents, elected officials, scientists and productive members of society in countless other ways. That ‘second harvest’ has an... read more
