Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 1301 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • An Innovative Tool to Increase Vaccine Access? The Block Party

    The Greater Lowell Health Alliance offered COVID-19 vaccines using a “block party” model where community members enjoy free food, music, activities, and even childcare, while also having access to information about vaccines in multiple languages as well as the ability to actually get vaccinated. This model reduced barriers for immigrants, refugees, and other people who don’t speak English fluently, as well as caregivers who can’t attend vaccine appointments due to their caregiving responsibilities. The relaxed environment, where loved ones can support each other, increased comfort with getting the vaccine.

    Read More

  • The social enterprise that takes on ‘Big Air' with data

    Smart Air is a social enterprise in Beijing that educates people about clean air and debunks myths about expensive air purifiers marketed by large corporations. Smart Air instead offers effective products at a more affordable price, making clean air more accessible.

    Read More

  • When Disaster Strikes

    Disaster preparedness in the form of close inter-agency coordination and communication helped Cuyahoga County, Ohio, protect its unhoused population from COVID-19 to a greater extent than Lane County, Oregon. Although Cuyahoga (Cleveland) is larger, with more resources, its effective responses still offer a model to Lane County (Eugene), where a scattered approach and homeless-camp sweeps proved counterproductive. In Cleveland, hotels were quickly enlisted to house people, reducing crowding in shelters by half and street homelessness by 30%. Its largest men's shelter ended up with a low infection rate.

    Read More

  • At Soccer Games, Markets and Churches, Students Offer New Ways to Get Vaccinated

    Faith in the Vaccine is an initiative to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among low-income areas and within ethnic communities. The group, often using student ambassadors, leverages the credibility of community leaders and influencers and identifies opportunities to bring vaccine clinics to where people are already gathering. For example, vaccine tents were available at a recent soccer game attended by over 1,000 Spanish-speaking fans. Attendees could get the one-dose COVID-19 shot, a $25 VISA debit card, and be entered to win two season passes to the 2022 season of the new Charlotte FC soccer team.

    Read More

  • The Orange Cans That Help Philly Take Out the Trash

    As a solution for the garbage littering his block, a Philadelphia resident has launched a much-needed movement to keep the streets clean. Sanitation services have been affected since the pandemic, leading to staff shortages in the face of rising residential trash collection needs. I Love Thy Hood collected signatures and raised money to buy and place bright orange trash cans throughout his neighborhood, keeping excess garbage from littering the streets.

    Read More

  • Menstrual hygiene solutions: Kaduna girls take action

    Over 200 teenage girls in northwestern Nigeria have been trained to produce reusable sanitary napkins and tampons, which they can use for personal use and sell to make extra money. In fact, they have sold over 15,000 packs of reusable menstrual hygiene products worth 3.5 million naira, both improving the lives of users and becoming a viable livelihood for communities. The kits contain three cotton-based reusable products, each of which last three to six months. The project was supported as part of the United Nations’ COVID-19 response in Nigeria.

    Read More

  • ‘Better' podcast shines light on solutions

    Taiwan responded to COVID-19 quickly, which helped keep cases low and avoid widespread shutdowns. The country had closely tracked its PPE stockpiles since the 2003 SARS outbreak, has a national health command center to coordinate responses, and uses a well-defined set of procedures to track and manage people under infectious risk or quarantine. Masks are required and provided to every citizen, inbound travelers were quickly regulated, and contact tracing and testing is widely used to prevent outbreaks. Citizens generally listen to authorities, though fines and other sanctions also encourage compliance.

    Read More

  • From killer crocodiles to clean water in rural villages

    The Water Access Rwanda project created a source of clean drinking water by establishing a network of pipelines and solar-powered pumps that help deliver purified drinking water to homes. Not only has the project provided a way for people to access clean water, but it has also provided jobs for over 60 people.

    Read More

  • Door-to-door vaccine outreach finds success in Lafayette's Latino community

    Members of Asociación Cultural Latino-Acadiana and the Rotary Club of Lafayette North went door-to-door in neighborhoods that are home to Spanish-speaking households to find people eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. After compiling a list of unvaccinated residents who wanted the shot, they coordinated with the Department of Health to organize three vaccine events. The events were held within the communities, which eased transportation burdens and the inability to take time off of work. The presence of interpreters also helped ease residents’ concerns of being able to communicate with the medical providers.

    Read More

  • In Assam, ATMs purify arsenic-laced water

    A water management committee manages Barigaon’s water ATM, which uses a nanotechnology-based ion exchange resin to remove iron and arsenic from groundwater. Residents, who swipe a pre-paid card to collect water in their own containers, pay 40 cents per 20 liters or a flat monthly fee of less than $3. Water is free for families who can’t afford the fee and delivery is arranged for those who are unable to transport water. Around 250 villagers use the ATM each day and its success inspired five additional ATMs, with plans to install 172 statewide. Fees cover maintenance and the landowner’s electricity costs.

    Read More