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Fighting Depression, One Village at a Time

Tina Rosenberg

July 18, 2012 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Uganda

Different programs in various nations are training ordinary people and creating community groups to effectively satisfy the mental health needs of their communities. In many of these regions, "treatment gaps" – where there are little to no mental health treatment plans or resources – exist, but this new informal infrastructure helps to fill that.

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Amidst Drought and Famine, Niger Leads West Africa in Addressing Crisis

Fred de Sam Lazaro

July 12, 2012 |

PBS NewsHour |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Niger, Madarounfa, Maradi

Officials in Niger are addressing chronic severe droughts causing food shortages and leading to a widespread threat of starvation. They provide aid to malnourished children and resources for a crop planting technique called 're-greening,' which aims to reforest agricultural regions, restore soil quality and, in turn, increase food supply.

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Innovation for the People, by the People

David Bornstein

February 22, 2012 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

In a vast country like the United States in a world of lightning-fast change, it no longer makes sense to presume that governments possess, or even understand, the best ways to address pressing needs and promote “the happiness of the people.” The White House strategy of offering prizes to the public for their solutions to critical problems is working.

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Keeping the Water Flowing in Rural Villages

Tina Rosenberg

December 08, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh

In Tanzania, mapping of water points showed that nationally, less than half the existing rural water points were working—of water points that were less than two years old, a quarter had already stopped functioning. British charity WaterAid sets up workshops in poor countries like Tanzania and India to train mechanics in order to have a local fix for these problems. The mechanic position offers employment opportunities for women, fixes pumps for an average of 100 rupees (roughly $2.00), and repaired more than 1,100 pumps in the first 14 months.

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Outsourcing Is Not (Always) Evil

David Bornstein

December 08, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The United States can outsource certain kinds of "microwork," such as accurately digitizing large swaths of information, to developing countries without taking jobs from Americans ― if it’s done carefully, and ethically, as some organizations are working to do. As the author Robert Wright has argued, we no longer live in a zero-sum world, where one person’s, or one country’s gain, must be another’s loss.

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At a Big Church, a Small Group Health Solution

Tina Rosenberg

November 10, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

The best way to lose weight is to join a small group. This article looks at the case study of Saddleback Church in southern California that mixed faith and peer support to help congregates lose weight, including the pastor. Surveys found that 72% of participants lost weight as a result of the program.

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Treating the Cause, Not the Illness

David Bornstein

July 28, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

The United States now has a variety of federally-supported nutrition programs, but the health care system remains disconnected from the social determinants of health. Many doctors simply lack the resources to provide the comprehensive care proven to have greater impact on health than strictly medical treatment. A group called Health Leads is training young volunteers to treat the social factors, like poor nutrition and housing needs.

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Keeping Artificial Limbs Low-Cost, and High-Quality

Tina Rosenberg

June 28, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Honduras

A prosthetist from Texas visiting Jaipur Limb workshops in Honduras saw problems with their low-cost prosthetics - the issue wasn't the design of the leg, but the technicians at the Honduras workshops were people completely new to prosthetics who were given just eight weeks of training. Thanks to his research, Jaipur established a research and development unit to improve the limb.

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The Rewards of Renewal

David Bornstein

June 16, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Louis, Missouri

Poor neighborhoods in the United States lack quality play spaces for children, also known as play deserts. An organization is enabling communities across the nation to build their own playground.

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The Health Coach You Know

Tina Rosenberg

March 04, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

It's unusual for health programs to find it financially beneficial to send a home visitor regularly to help patients. But medical programs in various parts of the United States are experimenting with using peer groups to help people stick to their treatment plans, and it is working.

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