Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 305 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

How 700 Kerala villagers waded through a dead river, cleansed it and brought it back to life in 70 days

Ramesh Babu

May 07, 2017 |

Hindustan Times |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: India, Budhanoor, Kerala

The Kuttemperoor river in Alappuzha district of Kerala, India was once treated as a source for water and food stability. After years of illegal sand mining and construction sites dumping sewage, the river was unrecognizable to those that had once known its clean shores. As water scarcity became a reality for the small village of Budhanoor, and government action seemed unlikely, a group of 700 villagers - mostly women - banded together and spent 70 days physically de-silting and revitalizing the 12-kilometer long river.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Toilets in Haiti and Circular Runways

Gemma Newby

March 28, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Haiti, Cap-Haïtien, Department of Nord

Haiti is currently battling the biggest cholera epidemic in recent history caused by lack of access to clean drinking water. Soil is an NGO which delivers dry, compost toilets to peoples’ homes - alternatives to water guzzling flushing toilets, which need infrastructure such as sewers - to help keep sewage from contaminating water sources and provide dignified, safe toilet facilities.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Volunteers With No Medical Training Are Fighting Diseases The World Ignores

Sarah Ruiz-Grossman

February 24, 2017 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mozambique

In Nampula, Mozambique, people living in remote, rural communities do not seek medical attention when they get sick because of myths that diseases are caused by spirits. So a non-profit, Malaria Consortium, is training ordinary people, to teach others about the cause and treatments of common illnesses thus motivating the villagers to seek care at health facilities.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In rural India, MIT grads aim to improve access to sanitary pads for women

Kristi Eaton

February 23, 2017 |

NBC News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Dumandih, Jharkhand

For women in rural parts of India, it is common to not be taught about the role menstruation plays due to the stigma that surrounds the topic. To bring both a better understanding and better hygienic practices to these areas, a startup has started using "locally-sourced banana fiber to create biodegradable sanitary napkins, which degrade faster if buried and don’t have to be burned" with the goal of increasing access.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Can the Humble Menstrual Cup Free Women from the Tyranny of Big Tampon?

Julissa Treviño

February 22, 2017 |

Bright Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

While the menstrual cup is one of the most efficient, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly ways women can cope with their periods, it is rarely used due to the stigma surrounding the cup. Leaders at Sustainable Cycles, a nonprofit, are working to de-stigmatize the menstrual cup and promote both personal and global health.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Sun Water Solution

Tom Colls

February 12, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Uganda, Makindye, Kampala

Professor Kevin McGuigan in Dublin has proven that simply leaving contaminated water in a plastic bottle out in the sun for several hours is effective in killing off harmful bacteria like e-coli and provide a simple solution for clean water. But his efforts to bring this simple method of solar disinfection to rural communities in Africa - where disease and death from waterborne bacteria is especially prevalent - have hit a number of sociological and cultural roadblocks.

Read More
Go to Original Story
After Flint, are schools being more vigilant about tainted water?

Stacy Teicher Khadaroo

January 06, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Flint, Michigan

For most states in the U.S. water testing is voluntary which fails to ensure healthy drinking water. The Flint, Mich., water crisis is leading a number of states to test their school facilities for lead in the water and post the results online.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Cloud Catchers In Peru

Sahar Zand

January 01, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Peru, Villa Lordes, Lima Metropolitan Area

Abel Cruz "catches" clouds on his fog net farm to help provide free water for his community in a slum on the outskirts of Lima, where access to water is very limited and costly. While this solution may never compete with large scale and traditional technologies, many argue there is enormous potential for this simple concept in certain, rural areas of the world.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Nepal, 'appalling' river runs cleaner in wake of unusual partnership

Atul Bhattarai

December 18, 2016 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nepal, Kathmandu

For years, campaigns to clean Nepal's polluted Bagmati River resulted in failure. Now with police and government backing, the organization Safai Abhiyaan is in its third year, attracting hundreds of volunteers who are willing to brave the polluted waters to collect trash. The program's unique approach to organizing community volunteers has been a success, but the problem will not subside until greater perceptions about litter and water pollution are tackled.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Mobile Restrooms Offer Solution for Lower Polk's Homeless Community

Libby Leyden

December 09, 2016 |

KQED |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

With the homeless population in San Francisco in crisis, the lack of a safe clean place for the homeless to relieve themselves has caused concerns over sanitation in the Tenderloin neighborhood. Now the city offers a mobile City Resource Relief Center, a van that offers not only a toilet but also clothes, hygiene kits, food, and coffee. The project has documented many uses of the bathroom each night.

Read More
Go to Original Story