Nov 23, 2011 | AIL, Civil Society, Community Development, Female Empowerment, Sakena Yacoobi
Regina Starr Ridley, publishing director of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, met with 2009 Kravis Prize winner and Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) Founder Sakeena Yacoobi last month at the global poverty alleviation convention, Opportunity Collaboration, in Mexico. Yacoobi shared her thoughts with Ridley on the growing sense of empowerment among Afghani women: “Women’s lives are changing rapidly for the good. It’s changed 180 degrees. Women are going into professions of all kinds. But the women of Afghanistan still need the international community to back them up. It takes awhile—Afghanistan has been at war 30 years. Everything cannot be changed right away.” While discussing developments in Afghanistan, Yacoobi said: “Afghanistan is doing better, the villages are cleaner, people are healthier, and people know more about hygiene and reproductive health. Now we need infrastructure support, and we need to develop our civil society.” Due to Yacoobi’s keen knowledge and tireless drive, AIL has already taken steps towards developing Afghanistan’s civil society through workshops on democracy, leadership and peace. AIL’s emerging youth group, which started with 25 students, has now grown to over 200. Thanks to Yacoobi and AIL, women and youths in Afghanistan are stepping in to help shape the country’s social development. “Afghanistan: Update from Sakena Yacoobi” [The Stanford Social Innovation Review, November 8, 2011] To learn more about Sakena Yacoobi, visit our... read more
Nov 16, 2011 | Education, Pratham
Here at the Kravis Prize, we’re proud that our winners continually lead the dialogue on international development issues. In honor of Children’s Day in India this past Monday, Pratham CEO Madhav Chavan contributed an article to the Hindustan Times, discussing the future of education. Chavan commended the increasing strides towards breaking down technological and economic barriers to knowledge, but acknowledged that there is still much more to be done: “The education system tries to fit the technology to serve its dead content and dull processes that deliver a linear curriculum rather than taking advantage of the randomness of access to live knowledge that the technology facilitates. Using ICT without changing the mindset about education will not improve the system of education. The tablet alone is unlikely to cure the patient. It requires a change of lifestyle as physicians often say.” The Hindustan Times and Indian Express also published articles by Pratham members, MIT Professor Abhijit Banerjee and Accountability Initiative Director Yamini Aiyar, who discussed public versus private schools and India’s Right to Education Act. Find out more of what these leaders in education have to say: “Learning curbs” [The Hindustan Times, Abhijit Banerjee, November 13, 2011] “The tablet as a pill” [The Hindustan Times, Madhav Chavan, November 13, 2011] “The right to fix your education” [The Indian Express, Yamini Aiyar, November 14, 2011] And to find out more about Pratham, head over to our profile of the 2010 Kravis Prize... read more
Nov 11, 2011 | Education, FAWE, Female Empowerment
Here at the Kravis Prize, we are proud that our winners contribute to cutting-edge research in areas of international development. In July 2011, the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) launched a new research series for its Strengthening Gender Research to Improve Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa Initiative. The initiative, supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, “promotes girls and women’s education through the integration of gender into education policy and practice in sub-Saharan Africa.” FAWE is already a leader in research on gender equality in education. The first volume of the FAWE Research Series compiled eight studies undertaken in over 20 African countries from 2009 to 2010, targeting key issues such as: “What is the relationship between a student’s gender and academic success? What are the factors contributing to the gaps in academic attainment between girls and boys? Is there a pattern to these relationships and factors across African countries? Why are girls and women less likely to choose science, mathematics and technology subjects at secondary and tertiary education levels? What social processes within learning institutions can enhance the participation of girls and women in education? What coping strategies do women employ to ensure they succeed in their university studies? And what are their career prospects once they graduate from higher education?” FAWE put out a call for proposals for its latest research initiative on September 29. Learn more about the research series here. And to learn more about FAWE and how it’s educating women and girls across Africa, visit:... read more
Nov 3, 2011 | BRAC, Poverty Reduction
The Huffington Post published another article by BRAC USA President and CEO Susan Davis, who discussed the organization’s partnership with the MasterCard Foundation. The MasterCard Foundation is helping BRAC implement their anti-poverty solutions in Africa and has committed $45 million to help BRAC reach 4.2 million people by 2016. BRAC’s Uganda program is not only offering microfinance loans, but also professional training, medical treatment, new schools and a network of micro-franchised entrepreneurs. According to Davis, these additional services are crucial for increasing the effectiveness of microfinance based on BRAC’s experiences. BRAC is also focusing these initiatives on girls and women, which has been shown to promote “healthier families, a more flexible workforce, lower HIV rates and a more stable society.” From Uganda, Davis wrote about the results they’ve seen so far: “An estimated 1.2 million Ugandans are HIV positive, yet of the women and girls who have participated in BRAC’s programs in Uganda, 67 percent report always using a condom if and when they have sex, versus only 38 percent of a random control sample. There’s an apparent spillover effect, too: Even among those who don’t participate, 54 percent of those in villages where we’ve set up programs say they use condoms, suggesting the spread of good habits among peers. Rates of early motherhood have fallen, too, with 12.4 percent of girls in the control group having children since an initial survey in 2008, versus only 8.7 percent of our program participants.” Judging from these statistics, this partnership is just like any another reward from MasterCard: priceless! “Letter From Uganda: Given the Tools to Fight Poverty, Africa’s Women Tend... read more
Nov 2, 2011 | Award Ceremony, BRAC, Fazle Abed
Here at the Kravis Prize, we love to see our previous winners inspire the world through their leadership, which is why we were thrilled to hear that Sir Fazle Abed, the 2007 Kravis Prize winner and founder of BRAC, is the recipient of the inaugural WISE Prize for Education! On November 1, Abed was honored with a specially designed gold medal, bearing the word “education” in over 50 languages, in Doha, Qatar, by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. Abed received the medal and recognition for his commitment to education before 1,300 delegates at the opening session of the third World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE). He’s accumulating quite a collection for his trophy cabinet! To learn more about Sir Fazle Abed’s work, click here. “Bangladesh activist receives Qatar education prize” [Associated Press, November 2, 2011] “Inaugural WISE Prize for Education Goes to Bangladeshi Fazle Hasan Abed” [PR Newswire, November 1,... read more
