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The Next Wireless Revolution, in Electricity

Tina Rosenberg

September 11, 2013 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Tanzania

Phone lines in Africa and South Asia would never have gotten to the poor - but these places have leapfrogged over last-century technology and gone straight to mobile phones. Now the same thing is happening with off-grid solar power: the fastest -- perhaps the only – way to power the poor.

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When entrepreneurship is only way forward

Laura Baverman

July 21, 2013 |

USA Today |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Guatemala, Antigua

Development work is evolving beyond short-term mission trips and one-off donations into a more comprehensive, in-depth model that addresses long-term sustainability of a solution paired with empowerment of those being served. MicroConsignment is a unique branch of micro-enterprise being implemented by non-profit SolCom in Guatemala that provides individuals in rural villages the skills and resources needed to start sustainable businesses.

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New Mortgage Program Helps Cambodia's Poor Find Better Homes

Daniel Zwerdling

April 04, 2013 |

NPR |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh

An innovative program by an unusual bank allows low-income people in Cambodia to take out a 15-year fixed mortgage with little or no documentation - contradicting traditional loan assumptions and creating means for some of the country's poorest people to completely change their lives. The bank and its investors are now making a profit, and more than 700 mortgages and building loans have been provided.

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Innovative funding model allows urban poor to determine their own future

Katia Savchuk

October 08, 2012 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa, Cape Town

Though well-meaning, many poverty alleviation and development efforts treat the receivers of aid as subjects rather than capable people. Urban Poor Fund International, the first global fund to give poor people direct control over urban development spending, is having more than just a local impact.

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Can Coffee Kick-Start an Economy?

Daniel Bergner

April 06, 2012 |

The New York Times |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Kasese, Western Region

African coffee growers sell their raw beans cheaply to traders, earning very little for their work. The creator of Good African Coffee in Uganda was able to sell the first African roasted coffee internationally by selling consumers the story of the coffee.

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Prizes With an Eye Toward the Future

Tina Rosenberg

February 29, 2012 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Agencies across the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors are recruiting ideas from the public by offering prizes for solving challenges. Prize incentives have spurred innovation for centuries, but fell out of favor as the preferred method in the 1800s. Now, prize-based incentives are back, in part because of a flood of new philanthropic money, and because prizes cast a wider net to a largely more educated and tech-savvy global population.

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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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Out of Poverty, Family-Style

David Bornstein

July 14, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

A non-traditional program called the Family Independence Initiative (F.I.I.), uses a radically different approach from the traditional American social service model to empower entire families alleviate themselves from poverty. The results in multiple states thus far have been so striking, that this model of self-sufficiency may be able to have a significant impact reducing poverty nationwide.

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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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Doing More Than Praying for Rain

Tina Rosenberg

May 09, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nanyuki, Laikipia

Most insurance companies avoid insuring poor farmers because the transaction costs are too high, but a non-profit in Kenya created a sustainable way to cover them.

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