Poverty / Development33
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The 7 Billion Challenge
The rapid rise in the world’s population to 7 billion — from 6 billion a dozen years ago — poses enormous challenges. In this video, Earth Institute Director Jeffrey D. Sachs talks about the stresses our population already puts on the planet, and the mission of the institute to promote sustainable development.
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Join a Conversation About 7 Billion People
The world’s population will reach 7 billion this year, and the UN estimates continued growth, primarily in less-developed regions. What will this steep population growth mean for our environmental, economic and social systems? Join the conversation on Oct. 17.
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Business, cooperative training to boost Millennium Villages
With up to $20 million in business loans pledged by long-term Millennium Villages Project supporter George Soros, phase two of the project will focus on boosting local businesses to help communities achieve the Millennium Development Goals by the 2015 deadline, and empower them with sustainable incomes to pay for their own needs way beyond this…
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“Standing Up for Girls” – and their Right to the Education they Deserve
For many in the developing world, education isn’t taken for granted. Around 35 million girls are out of school, the World Bank says, almost half of them in sub-Saharan Africa. In support of girls’ education, MCI joined the literacy organization LitWorld and other partners, including Connect To Learn, Asia Initiatives and the Children of Kibera…
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Hybrid Climate Data for East Africa
In our latest video interview, climate scientist Tufa Dinku talks about his work on combining weather station data with satellite information to generate high-resolution data sets. These data could be used for making more accurate forecasts and can feed into other climate risk management activities, such as early-warning systems. With funding from Google.org, Dinku and…
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Community Associations and Sustainable Development in Rural Brazil
After spending two days back in the big city of Fortaleza learning about the finer points of water management in the state of Ceará, I’ve returned to the rural municipality of Milhã, ground zero for the Columbia Water Center’s project to improve water access in Brazil’s semi-arid sertão region. Our group is now just three:…
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Rwanda to Scale Up Millennium Villages Model
With a renewed sense of urgency, the government of Rwanda has committed to combating poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals by supporting new initiatives in health, agriculture, education, infrastructure and business development. The Honorable James Musoni, the Rwandan Minister of Local Government, cemented the partnership with the MDG Centre through a Memorandum of Understanding…
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Conservation of Biodiversity in Orquídeas National Park
Researchers from The New York Botanical Garden are working to document the plant life in Las Orquídeas National Park, one of the last remaining prized and unexplored rainforests that borders Columbia’s Pacific coast.
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Mobile Links Bring Progress to Millennium Villages
Members of the Broadband Commission and representatives from several East African governments visited the Mayange Millennium Village earlier this month to witness some of the success mobile technology has had in advancing health, education, infrastructure and business development in one of the poorest areas of Rwanda.

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