Oct 26, 2011 | Landesa, Roy Prosterman, Sustainable Development, Tim Hanstad
As China’s economy develops, so does its landscape. But, according to Bloomberg, not always with the consent of Chinese farmers or landowners. Bloomberg reported that in China, “city governments rely on land sales for much of their revenue” and that the country is “increasingly seeking to cash in on real estate prices that have risen 140 percent since 1998 by appropriating land and flipping it to developers for huge profits.” The Wall Street Journal recently published an op-ed by Landesa President and CEO Tim Hanstad, who also discussed the lack of property rights for Chinese farmers. Hanstad cited significant findings from Landesa’s nationwide survey, which he said shed light on how rural reforms can help maintain “continued growth and social harmony” in China. “Only about half of all villages have given farmers legal documentation of their land rights. Local authorities are charged by the central government with issuing such documents, but often lack the political will or funding to do so. Lack of this kind of documentation is a significant economic hurdle. Landesa’s survey found that farmers with legal land contracts are 76% more likely to make long-term, productivity-enhancing investments such as greenhouses, orchards, irrigation and terracing. By fully implementing current laws and protecting farmers’ land rights, China’s government could effectively increase farmers’ land values (for agricultural use only) by roughly $750 billion, according to Landesa’s estimates.” Gao Yu, China director of Landesa, also sounded off on Chinese land development, noting that “the seizures frequently lead to local officials violating farmers’ rights that the national government has sought to improve since 1998 when it gave them 30-year tenure over... read more
Oct 19, 2011 | BRAC, Poverty Reduction, Sustainable Development
The Huffington Post published an article by BRAC USA President and CEO Susan Davis, who discussed this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners: Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee and Yemen’s Tawakul Karman. To Davis, the newest Nobel laureates highlight the importance of female empowerment. “For BRAC, the organization I am privileged to be a part of, these leaders symbolize everything we stand for: The empowerment of women clears the path to peace and prosperity.” Davis recalled that Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf urged BRAC to bring its strategies to Liberia in 2007. BRAC responded and has been working to create sustainable development in Liberia and many other countries. “Founded in 1972, BRAC is on a drive to apply solutions created in its native Bangladesh to defeating poverty in Africa. We do this by removing the causes of poverty and hunger at the root with a comprehensive approach geared toward individual empowerment. This includes providing millions of micro-entrepreneurs with better opportunities via micro-loans, improving access to markets, and building institutions to provide better health care and education.” In just 39 years, BRAC has expanded all over the world – and now you can trace its influence to a Nobel Peace Prize winner. “Women Like Sirleaf and Gbowee Clear Africa’s Path to Prosperity” [Huffington Post, October 7,... read more
Oct 12, 2011 | Education, Pratham
Pratham, the 2010 Kravis Prize winner, is world-renowned for its programs that tackle the major issues in India’s education system. In the Huffington Post, blogger and author C.M. Rubin discussed the potential parallels between the state of education in the United States and India, including the educational readiness of children from poor and low-income families. Dr. Madhav Chavan, Pratham CEO and co-Founder, shared his thoughts with Rubin on what India and the U.S. might learn from each other’s education systems: “On the face of it, the two systems are at least a century apart and may have nothing to learn from each other. Indian educators would need to look at how the US schools evolved over the last two centuries, and the US counterparts may want to look at how similar the root causes of poor learning are in schools where children of the poor go. I have been thinking lately that the basic model of the school is fast becoming outdated in the modern times … Perhaps both sets of educators should sit down and ask what kind of schools are needed for this century and if they can be systematically developed over the next twenty years.” Chavan also shared some of his insight on Pratham’s solutions to problems facing education in India: “In India, our first objective in many cases is teaching the child basic skills such as reading and writing. Our annual education survey also checks children’s competence in these basic skills and also their school attendance … Looking at the indicators and outcomes is the first step. Based on those results that I have explained... read more
Oct 5, 2011 | AIL, Community Development, Education, Sakena Yacoobi
We’re honored to be able to help nonprofit leaders all over the world, such as Sakeena Yacoobi, make a difference. In Forbes’ “Dr. Sakena Yacoobi: A Case Study in Leadership, Courage, and Conviction,” it is clear that others recognize the inspiring mission of Yacoobi’s Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) too. Forbes interviews Yacoobi on the conception of AIL, what the organization does and how it has transformed. The core philosophy behind AIL, she says is to “involv[e] people, listen to them, honor and respect who they are, trust will grow and, working together, individuals and communities can be transformed to be peaceful, happy, fair, just and prosperous.” With this philosophy in hand, AIL continues to shape community development in Afghanistan in so many different ways! “Listening to the community members, we offer what they ask for. Over the years, that has meant that we are offering many different kinds of services. We offer schools for children; educational learning centers for women and children which offer many types of classes including literacy, tailoring, beauty shop management, carpet weaving, calligraphy, miniature painting, computer, English , Arabic and many more subjects; health services and health education in our clinics; and training in such topics as pedagogy, leadership, human rights, gender issues, management, women’s health and many other specific health topics, peace, self-immolation and... read more
Sep 29, 2011 | Award Ceremony, Education, Escuela Nueva, Kravis Prize, Vicky Colbert
We’re thrilled to share with you this great video that shows Vicky Colbert receiving the 2011 Kravis Prize in Leadership earlier this year. In her acceptance speech at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Vicky talks about Escuela Nueva and its impact on the lives of children through innovative education techniques. During his remarks at the award ceremony, Henry Kravis said he most respects and appreciates Vicky’s ability to “lead with innovation.” We also thoroughly enjoyed the interview with Vicky conducted by Henry and Marie-Josee Kravis, who established the Prize in 2006. During their conversation, Mrs. Kravis pointed out that education models such as Escuela Nueva rely on networks of parents, teachers and communities, and that these networks provide “hope that societies will move in the direction” of educating their children in a way that focuses on innovation. Vicky is a truly inspiring leader who sees the mission of Escuela Nueva in a broad context: “We want to learn how to build citizenship through education. We are working to establish affordable schools of excellent quality, where children, teachers, parents and the community are empowered to learn to learn and contribute to a culture of peace and economic development.” Enjoy the video below and let us know how Vicky and her work with Escuela Nueva inspires... read more
