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Grit and the gridiron rescue a town

Carmen K. Sisson

October 17, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Refugio, Texas

Refugio, Texas was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, leaving behind damaged houses, schools and businesses and people who can not afford to rebuild their lives. However, this town has used its community and found strength in their love of football and their support of one another to keep moving forward.

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Meet the women combing through Puerto Rico, searching for veterans in need

Jasmine Garsd Andrea Crossan

October 12, 2017 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Puerto Rico

One group of women roams shelters searching for Puerto Rican vets after Hurricane Maria, where there are “around 75,000 US Army veterans living.” “This is Americans helping Americans. These veterans were stationed in the US, went to war with the US. I think that’s the thing that people forget.”

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Abandoned at Burning Man, bicycles now head for Houston and the Caribbean

Jessica Lussenhop

September 25, 2017 |

BBC |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Black Rock City, Nevada

Many argue that the Burning Man festival has become an exclusive and wasteful indulgence for the wealthy - an opinion that was exacerbated this year when thousands of perfectly good bicycles were left among the debris in the desert. But a few enterprising individuals and organizations saw an opportunity to aid the victims of hurricanes Irma and Maria by rescuing, fixing, and transporting the abandoned bikes to communities where many people had lost all other forms of transportation, stifling their recovery efforts. Now hope is being restored for some, two wheels at a time.

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Innovative but dull: disaster insurance is starting to pay off

Stefan Dercon

September 11, 2017 |

The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico

When disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, strike the recovery can be very expensive. Insurance has been found to be key in order to quickly get funds to help relief efforts.

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Inside the Organization Helping Immigrant Communities Survive Hurricane Harvey

Francie Diep

September 01, 2017 |

Pacific Standard |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Houston, Texas

Ethnically-specific disaster relief services are especially prudent in the city of Houston where more than one in five residents report speaking English less than "very well." An organization called Boat People SOS (formed in the 1980s to aid Vietnam War refugees coming by boat) is providing critical support to the Vietnamese population in the city, directing them to shelters, hospitals, food, and even FEMA funds later on. This article talks about the role the nonprofit played in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

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Rats are the world's best land mine hunters

Danika Fears

May 30, 2017 |

New York Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Cambodia, Phnom Penh

In countries like Cambodia, Angola, and Mozambique, rats are saving lives by detecting untriggered land mines. An international nonprofit, Apopo, provides funding a training and works with local organizations to operate at the local level. The rats are light enough that they don’t trigger the explosives and can cover up to 2,000 square feet in just 20 minutes – something that would take a human up to four days to complete.

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How do you solve half a century of bloodshed in Colombia?

Lucy Lamble Kary Stewart

April 27, 2017 |

The Guardian |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Colombia

Local civil society groups are at the forefront of rebuilding Colombia. With decades of armed conflict officially ended, efforts to support a lasting peace focus on inequality and land issues and work to advance sustainable rural development.

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Entrepreneurs help rebuild Nepal amid quake recovery delays

Deepak Adhikari

November 02, 2016 |

Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) International |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Nepal, Kathmandu

After an earthquake hit Nepal, the government and NGOs struggled to respond fast enough, so local entrepreneurs stepped up to respond in efficient, creative ways. A Nepalese architect designed homes that would withstand future earthquakes. An engineer made a solar light that could help year-round.

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Earthbags Are Harnessing Soil to House the Nepalese

Temma Ehrenfeld

September 20, 2016 |

Garden Collage |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nepal, Kathmandu

In an effort to rebuild after Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake, Earthbags have become a growing method of sustainable, affordable construction. These bags are carefully filled with soil, and stacked on one another to build structures like homes and schools. Across the country, officials, local residents, and non-profits like Good Earth Nepal have embraced the method in a grassroots push to rebuild the country for and by themselves.

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The City That Unpoisoned Its Pipes

Anna Clark

August 08, 2016 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lansing, Michigan

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, has left the city in dire straits without funds or political will to replace its lead pipes. Less than fifty-miles away, the city of Lansing has managed to replace almost all of its pipes, even during the Great Recession. Between Flint and Lansing, divergent approaches to management of utilities, funds, and citizen health provide extraordinary lessons about what worked and what caused the failures.

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