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Using satellite photos to help distribute cash

Hannah Gelbart

March 16, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Togo

Togo distributed money to people in need, including informal sector workers, by identifying them using machine learning. Algorithms search satellite photos for clues of poverty, using measures like building density, and individuals within those areas are found using mobile phone data as a proxy of their wealth. Media campaigns also encourage people to apply for assistance. Once eligibility is confirmed, the first of five monthly payments is instantly sent to their phone and can be collected at local pick-up points. People without mobile phones can use an inexpensive SIM card in a borrowed phone.

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The human right that benefits nature

Katarina Zimmer

March 16, 2021 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica

A court in Costa Rica decided that a local municipality was illegally polluting a stream and this ruling set the stage for the country to ensure that a clean and healthy environment is a human right. They ingrained this right in their constitution joining about 110 other countries that have constitutionally recognized it. Although the law is not perfect, it has allowed courts to rule that killing endangered green sea turtles is unconstitutional, for example. Costa Rica’s success with this legal pathway could be used in other countries seeking to adopt the right to a healthy environment.

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How Jersey City Middle Schoolers Stopped a Flood

Phil Roberts

March 12, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Jersey City, New Jersey

In a science class in a local New Jersey school, students came up with a green solution to a storm water management and flooding problem in their parking lot when it rained. With help from the Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program out of Rutgers University and funding from city agencies, they were able to build planters and install concrete to absorb the runoff. The project galvanized the community, encouraging the school to expand their STEM curriculum.

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Home Game

Leah Cantor

March 10, 2021 |

Santa Fe Reporter |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Santa Fe, New Mexico

A variety of approaches are helping ease housing instability in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Built for Zero program helps different entities coordinate homeless services through a comprehensive database that strives to capture everyone experiencing homelessness at any given time. An affordable-housing complex known as Siler Yard was also created through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund for artists to live and work in. Additionally, Public Land Trusts have also created a considerable amount of affordable housing in Santa Fe.

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Don't call it summer school: Battling the COVID slide in math, science, reading with summer programs

Trisha Powell Crain

March 10, 2021 |

AL.com (Alabama Media Group) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Alabama

Summer Adventures in Learning (SAIL) provides funding for summer programs that mix academic learning and fun enrichment activities. The “COVID slide,” where students fell behind in math, science, and reading, had a greater impact on children of color and those in low-income families, who are the majority of students in SAIL-funded programs. High-quality academics, taught by certified teachers, are paired with fun activities and personal enrichment provided by community partners. Students in SAIL's virtual 2020 summer programs showed average learning gains of 2.3 months in reading and 1.6 months in math.

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'Vaccine Altruists' Are Finding Appointments for Strangers

Anna Almendrala

March 10, 2021 |

Kaiser Health News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Grassroots volunteer groups are helping people across the country make COVID-19 vaccine appointments. Get Out the Shot: Los Angeles has 100 vetted volunteers who have booked 300 appointments through the group’s system and thousands more on their own. Residents leave a message or fill out a Google form with their information and a volunteer picks up their case, books an appointment, and calls them to confirm. These volunteer organizations fill important assistance gaps in local government services that are stretched thin. Some groups focus on getting appointments for people from underserved communities.

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How Jordan's decision to integrate Syrian refugees is paying off

Josh Vardey Chloe Domat Sophie Guignon Sylvain LePetit

March 09, 2021 |

France 24 |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Jordan

Based on pressure from international aid organizations, the kingdom of Jordan now offers permits for refugees to work in agriculture, construction, hospitality and other industries. As a result, the large Syrian refugee community has better integrated into society and can help support their families. NGOs help refugees with the administrative paperwork and also facilitate access t0 vocational training and the equipment people need to get started in the jobs. In return, aid organizations have invested over $8 million in infrastructure and education projects.

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The magic greenhouse

Julie Ball

March 09, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Somalia

A greenhouse that is cooled by seawater and the wind is allowing farmers in Somaliland to grow crops like tomatoes and vegetables despite extreme heat. By creating an environment that is higher in humidity and cooler in temperature, plants don’t need to drink as much water — almost 10 times less water because of the cooling system. There are challenges to scaling the response, but these greenhouses offer farmers the potential to increase their revenue in Africa.

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This high school reopened two months ago, with no COVID-19 outbreaks. Here's how

Anita Chabria Brian van der Brug

March 08, 2021 |

Los Angeles Times |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

Jesuit High School in Northern California has remained open in full for two months without encountering a single outbreak of Covid-19 amongst school attendants. While it hasn't been inexpensive, the parochial school routinely conducts districtwide on-site rapid coronavirus tests and attributes this protocol to the overall success.

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How scientists scrambled to stop Donald Trump's EPA from wiping out climate data

Justine Calma

March 08, 2021 |

The Verge |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

The Environmental Data and Governance Initiative, with the help of scientists, academics, and other volunteers, preserved EPA data and information that the Trump administration sought to erase. They held “guerrilla archiving” events to identify and save data, manually backing it up when necessary. They made data more accessible by creating congressional district “report cards” showing where environmental law violations occurred. To preserve institutional knowledge, they published interviews with 60 federal scientists who left the agency. In total, over 200 TB of data was archived in less than a year.

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