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

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  • A harvest of sunshine

    Solar powered assistive technologies boost economic gains and quality of life for rural communities in Nigeria. Rural farmers can rent solar dryers for a faster and more efficient way to dry their harvests, which can earn them greater profits. Solar refrigeration kiosks also allow farmers to sell more by extending the shelf life of foods, while solar home systems provide an affordable way for rural communities to tap into electric grids to power appliances, opening up more possibilities for work, education, and ease of daily life. Many of these products and services are run by women entrepreneurs.

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  • In remote Kenyan villages, solar startups bring light

    In a small town in Kenya called Machakos, several solar power startups are bringing light and electricity to families who previously went without. Using a pay-as-you-go mobile payment system and a single solar panel, customers receive three light bulbs, a phone charging station, and a radio. This new method is much cleaner and more affordable than the previously-used kerosene and allows people to make a livelihood for themselves even after the sun goes down.

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  • The Compass, Making it Work, Making it Work: Affordable Medical Equipment in India

    This episodes highlights two efforts that have been put in place to provide a service poor people don’t have access to. One of those is Simpa Network, which is providing affordable electricity through solar power to people in India. The other has been dubbed “Amazon for the Poor,” which borrowed Amazon’s model to deliver products to people that live in rural parts of Kenya. So far, 50,000 people have opted to order goods.

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  • This Small Town Refused to Settle for Wal-Mart When Its Last Local Grocery Store Closed

    The small town of Iola, KS, and Allen County's GROW Council offer a case study of how local communities across this prairie state have worked to solve the absence of grocery stores in many rural areas. Through local resourcefulness and organizing efforts; knowledge and financial support from the state government; and partnership with Kansas State University's Rural Grocery Initiative, towns have succeeded in bringing grocery stores, from locally-owned coops to school-based distribution hubs, back to their Main Streets.

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  • Digitally disconnected

    To address the lack of available WiFi outside of school settings, a local college in Farmington, New Mexico, offers students the ability to check out wireless hotspots for one week at a time, While the school's resources are limited and aren't able to provide for all students, the program has shed light on the need for Internet services in rural areas around the country.

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  • Hit by climate change, Assam river communities bury their pride, move into houses on stilts

    Building a house on stilts is an age old tradition created by the Mishings, a tribe in India. The practice allowed them to live close to the river, without flooding their homes. In Assam, a state in India, the Mishings are viewed as a lower caste. But, heavy rainfall and flooding is forcing some Assamese to build their own houses on stilts. Still, some Assamese resist because they don’t want to be associated with the Mishings.

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  • ‘Waste' Fuels Scientists' Efforts

    In order to hunt for the oldest fossils in Africa, scientists needed to produce alternative forms of energy to allow them to live in these desert regions. One such project is the gasifier, which turns discarded doum palm nuts into energy.

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  • Grocery cooperatives help keep small towns alive

    Anita, Iowa faced many of the same challenges as other small towns when the last local grocer closed amid competition with large chains like Costco and Walmart. But when its residents realized the value of a local "mom-and-pop" food purveyor to the town's economy, they created the Anita Grocery Cooperative and a board to oversee it. The Coop marks a testament to collective action, resilience, and sustainable, locally-sourced solutions.

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