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In Florida Tomato Fields, a Penny Buys Progress

Steven Greenhouse

April 24, 2014 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Immokalee, Florida

For decades, migrant workers in Florida have been employed under dreadful conditions, picking produce without breaks under extreme temperatures and women being sexually harassed. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has demanded that growers increase wages, mandate rest breaks, and prohibit sexual harassment. The Coalition has partnered with big food companies, notably McDonald’s, Yum Brands, and Walmart, which have pledged to buy only from growers who follow these standards.

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After the Delhi gang rape, Indian TV dramas go feminist

Ankita Rao

March 28, 2014 |

Global Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

India’s television serials are ubiquitous and wildly influential, bringing families of every background together every night. For some producers and screenwriters, that reach comes with responsibility, as they use their medium to fight rape and gendered violence.

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A Nonprofit Lender Revives the Hopes of Subprime Borrowers

Binyamin Appelbaum

February 25, 2014 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Many subprime borrowers in the United States are financially unable to buy a home themselves. An unconventional lender is trying to make it easier for low-income people to buy houses despite the tighter requirements that other lenders adopted after the mortgage bust.

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How to Build a Perfect Refugee camp

Mac McClelland

February 13, 2014 |

The New York Times |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Turkey, Kilis Merkez, Kilis

Refugee camps typically look like a prison with squalid conditions and barbed wire tops. By contrast, the Kilis refugee camp in Turkey is orderly, secure, and clean; has schools for children; has grocery stores, and is powered with electricity. The camp is not run by the United Nations, but rather it is Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency that oversees every detail and pours billions of dollars into maintaining it every year.

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Preparing for Disaster by Betting Against It

Georgia Levenson Keohane

February 12, 2014 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, necessity has bred an interesting kind of financial invention for the New York MTA: the world’s first “catastrophe” bond - a reinsurance for the insurer - designed to protect public transportation infrastructure, specifically against storm surge. These bonds privatize risk for public gain, creating a kind of tool that may protect economic development against all kinds of natural and man-made disasters around the world.

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Eastport, Maine: The Little Town That Might

James Fallows

January 31, 2014 |

The Atlantic |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Eastport, Maine

The small town of Eastport, Maine turned its economy around by tuning in to and making use of its unique geographical features, like being the eastern-most point in the country. The town has reinvigorated its port to take advantage of its close (relative to other US ports) proximity to Europe and its ability to create electricity from the power of the tides.

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Refurbished Wind Turbines to Power the Developing World at a Profit

Mary Mazzoni

January 30, 2014 |

Triple Pundit |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Emirate of Abu Dhabi

The commercially-based Wind for Prosperity initiative may have devised a solution to meet growing demands for electricity in developing economies, where fossil fuels are expensive, difficult to access, and take a toll on environmental and human health. The venture works to refurbish wind turbines from Europe and re-deploy them in the developing world, providing clean and affordable power where it’s needed most.

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The women who bear the scars of Sierra Leone's civil war

Jean Friedman-Rudovsky

November 16, 2013 |

The Telegraph |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sierra Leone, Binkolo, Bombali District

The bloody civil war that tore through Sierra Leone for over a decade was one of the most devastating and violent in Africa's modern history. Those that suffered most were usually young woman, forced into combat, displaced, repeatedly raped and beaten. It has taken years for those who lived through the conflict to reclaim a normal life. One of the most powerful tools that many women leveraged were grassroots initiatives, funded by various NGOs, that the girls designed and led themselves, funding small businesses, support groups, and community projects.

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Freelance Nation: “The Greatest Economic Transformation in Human History”?

Manoush Zomorodi

October 16, 2013 |

WNYC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The 2008 recession’s job losses spurred a development of a Do-It-Yourself economy. With the advent of Uber, Etsy, Airbnb, and others, the marketplace has become full of micro-entrepreneurs who thrive with independent web-assisted businesses.

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Escaping the Cycle of Scarcity

Tina Rosenberg

September 25, 2013 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Odisha

Poor people are less likely to make smart financial decisions; however, new research in the U.S. says this is not about intelligence but rather about a brain being overwhelmed with issues related to poverty. To combat that barrier of stress, organizations around the world are making financial decisions easier for people experiencing poverty by making borrowing easier and automating future financial planning, like 401(k) contributions.

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