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RIP Medical Debt helps poor Americans eliminate medical bills

Roxanne Patel Shepelavy

June 30, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

Two former debt collectors have teamed up to put their experience and expertise to use paying off medical debts for Americans below the poverty line. RIP Medical Debt is a nonprofit that buys debt in bulk at reduced rates from hospitals. Within five years, $2 billion dollars of debt have been eliminated. The nonprofit has also launched projects researching systemic issues within healthcare and how to solve them.

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Kindred care: Congolese refugee community takes care of its own, and others, during COVID-19

Sydney Kornegay

June 25, 2020 |

FreshWater Cleveland |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Congolese refugees in Cleveland, Ohio have created a security net for the most vulnerable amongst them with the formation of Congolese Community of Greater Cleveland. Prior to the pandemic, CCGC helped Congolese refugees form a general sense of community but now it provides vital translation services for health updates and helps navigate the unemployment application process in addition to cash assistance. Current government initiatives are often inaccessible for those who don't have internet access, lack computer literacy, or don't have a car to access drive-through food banks. CCGC members step in to help.

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Philanthropies tailor giving strategies to meet pandemic needs

Stephen Langel

June 25, 2020 |

Cleveland Jewish News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Ohio

Ohio philanthropies shifted to a rapid-response model of providing support for the coronavirus. A coalition of 81 philanthropies in Northeast Ohio quickly raised over $8.7 million from more than 2,200 donors and allocated over $6.6 million in grants to 120 recipients. The grants cover Covid19-related needs like PPE, food distribution, and housing. The Tri-C Foundation provided emergency funds to 560 Cuyahoga Community College students, compared to 125 students all of last year. Philanthropy support is small compared to what the government can do, so there should ideally be more public-private partnerships.

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How Germany Saved Its Workforce From Unemployment While Spending Less Per Person Than the U.S.

Alec MacGillis

June 03, 2020 |

ProPublica |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany

Germany's creative workshare approach to stemming unemployment has prevented mass layoffs, unlike rising numbers in the United States. The German government provides payroll subsidies which allow an employer to keep on its staff by cutting back hours for everyone. Unemployment funds that would usually go to those who are laid off are instead directed to employers' payrolls, preventing the inconvenience and uncertainty of layoffs and allowing workers to seamlessly return to work full time when the health crisis is under control.

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USDA Acts Fast To Help Schools Offer Families Take-Out, Grocery Money

Amanda Peacher

June 02, 2020 |

Boise State Public Radio (KBSX) |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has effectively responded to the Covid-19 crisis by quickly helping existing programs provide food aid to families. School lunch programs rapidly moved from providing hot food to children who qualify to a to-go style menu for all children under 18 and offers grocery money to families who can’t pick up food. The USDA also expanded SNAP with increased monthly allowances and options for online shopping. There have been administrative difficulties coordinating aid so quickly that has caused delays to some families getting the food they need.

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Is Germany Doing Enough to Ensure Small Businesses survive the Coronavirus crisis?

Rachel Loxton

June 02, 2020 |

The Local |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany

The German government has spent billions to keep small businesses and freelancers afloat during the pandemic. Entrepreneurs who qualified were sent funds, often within 2 business days, specifically for business-operating costs such as commercial rent. Some businesses are hoping for more support in the form of rent freezes depending on how long the lockdown continues while others lost out on funding by waiting too long. The program ran out of money but the government has announced additional aid packages.

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Could paying farmers to store carbon help the climate and save farms?

Maddie Oatman

June 01, 2020 |

Mother Jones |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Indigo Agriculture, an ag-tech startup, is looking to pay farmers to draw carbon dioxide from the air and store it in the ground, which could help mitigate the effects of climate change and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Other companies that want to offset their own emissions can purchase credits on a carbon exchange. While the market hasn’t opened yet and some experts are skeptical about how much carbon the soil will absorb, Indigo Agriculture has signed up more than 5,000 farmers representing 19.8 million acres of land.

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'Stopgap' or life saver?: Italy's scheme to help the self-employed survive the coronavirus crisis

Clare Speak

May 30, 2020 |

The Local |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Italy

The Italian government's attempt to assuage the financial fallout of the pandemic on small businesses, freelance workers, and the self-employed did not achieve the desired results despite the enormous size of the aid package: 25 billion euros. Delays, technical glitches, and language barriers for international workers have plagued the application process from the day it was launched and over half a million applications have yet to be processed. Italians also criticized the 600-euro amount which is the average rent in the country, often higher in some areas. The government has announced additional aid.

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Pakistan's solution to the locust invasion? Turn the pests into chicken feed

Rina Saeed Khan

May 28, 2020 |

Scroll.In |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Depalpur, Punjab

As locust swarms threaten crops in Pakistan, a pilot program offers farmers a way to get rid of the pests without using insecticides that harm the environment, while also earning money. Once farmers trap the locusts at night, the creatures are turned into high-protein chicken feed for animal feed mills. During the pilot project, farmers netted up to $125 for one night’s work and the community hauled an average of seven tonnes a night. While harvesting locusts works for some farming areas, it might not be as easy for farmers in desert areas who have to rely on chemical sprays offered by the government.

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Coronavirus crisis in France: The battle to save the livelihoods of the self-employed

Ingri Bergo

May 22, 2020 |

The Local |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: France

The French government has spent billions to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus lockdown in hopes that the stopgap funding will ensure a quick economic recovery once the health crisis abates. The funding has been on a national and regional level, with extra funding for those who have been rejected for bank loans and are suffering the most. Small businesses are also exempt from rent, gas, or electricity payments until the country reopens. The distribution of funding has come with its challenges as some business fall through the bureaucratic cracks.

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