Published inWorld of Opportunity·Jul 16, 2020When community mapping meets artificial intelligenceBy Vivien Deparday, Dave Luo, Robert Soden, Nick Jones, and Grace Doherty — Disaster risk specialists have an oft-repeated phrase: There is nothing “natural” in natural disasters. That is, the hazards are natural, but disasters can be reduced or averted with planning and investment. Disaster risk starts when people — and the things they use and own — are in situations that expose…Disaster6 min readDisaster6 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·Jul 6, 2020Building Back Better — Greening dairy production in the Santa Lucia watershed of UruguayBy Flore de Préneuf — Also available in: Español In the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when hardship and uncertainty have hit many economic sectors around the world, including meat and dairy production, Uruguay’s management of a previous crisis lends hope for a sustainable recovery. Uruguay, a country of 3.5 million people, produces enough milk…Agriculture7 min readAgriculture7 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·Jun 24, 2020Building sustainable resilience for Sub-Saharan Africa’s urban eraBy Ana Campos Garcia and Ankur Nagar — If you were asked to name the fastest urbanizing region on the planet, you should answer “Sub-Saharan Africa.” Currently, the region has 31 large cities, each with over 2 million people. By 2035, the number of such cities will be 49. …Africa20 min readAfrica20 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·Jun 8, 2020Restoring reliable data capacity in fragile and conflict-affected situationsBy Ankur Nagar — Over the last decade, the number of people living in proximity to conflict, defined as within 60 kilometers of at least 25 conflict-related deaths, has nearly doubled.¹ During this period, the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide has also doubled, exceeding 74 million in 2018. …Data9 min readData9 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·May 21, 2020Investing in nature, investing in the future of BelizeBy Hannah McDonald-Moniz and Emily Olivia Bartels Bland — Natasha Gibson is a licensed scuba diver, tour guide, and more recently, coral reef conservationist. …Environment4 min readEnvironment4 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·Apr 7, 2020Five ways to catalyze sustainable statistical capacity in AfricaBy Ankur Nagar — “Data and statistics are to policymaking what instruments are to an airplane. Without them, we are flying in the dark,” the Bern Network on Financing Data for Development stated recently, describing a key challenge that needs to be met to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).¹ …Africa9 min readAfrica9 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·Mar 6, 2020Learning from the ‘El Fuego’ volcanoBy Lizardo Narvaez, Rodrigo Donoso and Ankur Nagar — How close would you like to live to an active volcano — say one that’s called El Fuego (Spanish for “The Fire”)? The answer may depend on how you perceive risk, and more importantly, time. In many parts of the world, living near an active volcano is not unusual. There…Volcano12 min readVolcano12 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·Feb 24, 2020Disrupting Latin American education for disruptive technological changeBy Humberto López — It seems that all we like to talk these days is about the implications of disruptive technology in our lives. Digitalization, robotization, and many other concepts are being added to our lexicon almost daily. …Technology4 min readTechnology4 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·Feb 18, 2020Generating solar power — and self-reliance — in the West BankBy Andrew Raven — Fifteen-year-old Abdullah Yasser was at his desk one December morning in 2018 when the power suddenly went out at his West Bank school. Blackouts are common in his hometown, Beit Hanina, a cluster of limestone buildings in the rugged hills north of Jerusalem. But this would be different. …Education5 min readEducation5 min read
Published inWorld of Opportunity·Feb 13, 2020Education for all: Making education inclusive, accessible to Uganda’s children with special needsBy Sheila Kulubya — When Tracy Nafula was born eight years ago, her family was delighted to have a beautiful, healthy baby girl with sky blue eyes. But as she grew, her parents noticed that she was having trouble hearing. “They realized the baby had a hearing impairment and all of a sudden there…Education5 min readEducation5 min read
