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Keeping the Water Flowing in Rural Villages

Tina Rosenberg

December 08, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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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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Health Care for a Changing Work Force

David Bornstein

December 01, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

America’s system of health care is based on an old industrial-era model, without taking into account a decentralized, mobile, independent workforce that remains largely unprotected without health and unemployment insurance. The Freelancers Insurance Company, based in New York State, offers competitive premiums by having their executives receive salaries at low wages. The model keeps costs under control, which in turn makes health care more accessible to independent workers.

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In Famine, Vouchers Can Be Tickets to Survival

Tina Rosenberg

October 27, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Somalia

World Concern, a Seattle-based Christian humanitarian group, provides people around the world with vouchers they can use in select markets, rather than the traditional emergency food aid of rice and other grains. In Dhobley, Somalia, the solution of vouchers quickens the process of receiving the food and contributes to the local economy.

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Beyond Refugee Camps, a Better Way

Tina Rosenberg

September 06, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Dadaab, Garissa

Refugee camps save lives in emergencies – but often refugees languish there for decades. Two columns on programs that allow refugees to live normally in cities, with an ATM card taking the place of a camp.

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Making Low-Interest Auto Loans Work

Lisa Margonelli

August 16, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

When you don’t live in a city, if you don’t have a car, you don’t have a job. But car payments can eat up a salary quickly - a New England program offers low-cost car loans to people who need them most.

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On the Road, and Out of the Red

Lisa Margonelli

August 11, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Keene, New Hampshire

More Than Wheels, a New Hampshire-based non-profit offers an economically stable solution to the high cost of owning a car. The program offers low-cost car loans that go toward the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles.

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Salvaging Medical Cast-Offs to Save Lives

Tina Rosenberg

August 04, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Benin, Cotonou, Littoral

Many organizations are building distribution systems to get surplus items in one place to those who need them in another. For example, an organization in Brooklyn collects the surplus medical equipment from United States hospitals and ships it to hospitals in poor countries.

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Sharing Patents to Wipe Out AIDS

Tina Rosenberg

July 21, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Mateo, California

Once-a-day generic AIDS drugs for poor countries are hard to make because each ingredient is patented by a different pharmaceutical company. The Patent Pool provides a way for companies to donate their intellectual property safely.

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Instead of Student Loans, Investing in Futures

David Bornstein

May 30, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Colombia

For millions of students who could succeed in college, the limiting factor is money. Is it possible to finance higher education the way we finance start-up companies? A company called Lumni uses “human capital contracts” to offer loans for students contingent upon 14 percent of the student's salary for 118 months after graduation. There are risks to this approach and not a lot of years or data available to be sure of its efficacy, but results are promising already—with a default rate under 3 percent.

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The Path From Charity to Profit

Tina Rosenberg

May 26, 2011 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Indonesia, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta

In Jakarta’s slums, families can’t buy their children nutritious food. So Mercy Corps started a for-profit chain of food carts selling healthy kids’ meals. A second column highlights the challenges NGOs face when they try to start for-profit businesses.

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