Bangladesh's Chance to Get It Right

The dangers of the crabbing industry were well known long before the show "Deadliest Catch" made them famous. But deaths on the job decreased dramatically thanks to an awareness campaign spearheaded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of Alaska, paired with better involvement from the Coast Guard. Their efforts lead to dramatic decreases in fatalities in just a few years. Can this model be replicated in the oil and gas industry?

Cities throughout Connecticut have long struggled to enact a successful response to the statewide lead-poisoning problem, but the city of Bridgeport stands out as a model for how to get results by taking proactive action. Unlike other cities where investigations aren't triggered unless a child tests positive for lead poisoning, officials in Bridgeport focus on regularly conducting building inspections and utilizing Connecticut’s Uniform Relocation Assistance Act.

Concerned about the high numbers of suicides in the state, Utah's local government introduced a three-pronged approach to preventing further suicides that hinged on targeting gun owners and Second Amendment activists. Although there has been some push back along the way, suicide rates have decreased since the state shifted their approach from awareness-only to one that is "data-driven and aims to involve community members from gun store owners to high school sports coaches."

Chicago has thousands of miles of lead pipes supplying water to homes and business, and they all need to be replaced because of the risk of contaminating drinking water. Although this task is difficult, three other cities in the nation have projects underway that are providing a model for Chicago to consider.

Combining the skills of medical emergency responders, crisis intervention specialists and social workers has had success in lowering the number of 911 calls for a fire department in Greeley, Colorado. Dubbed Squad 1, this goal of this unit is to triage the number of emergency calls coming in in order to allocate and extend resources where they are most needed.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus is treating its patients both inside the hospital and in their community by helping to fund the construction of affordable housing and a workforce initiative that is creating jobs. Through these actions, the hospital recognizes that to properly care for their patients they need to not only address their personal health but also the social determinants of heath.

Coding positions can provide a stable job with a middle class salary, however—due to a lack of opportunities, the cost of education, and the culture at tech companies—women and especially women of color have a difficult time obtaining these jobs. A series of initiatives are addressing this issue, providing comprehensive training, job placement, and affordable ways to pay for education.

YouthBuild El Salvador is a program, partly funded by the United States, that teaches participants leadership and marketable skills, with an underlying emphasis on empathy, responsibility, and conflict resolution. In a country wrought with violence and gang activity, the hope is to give participants another option. At the end of their time in the program, participants are more likely to find employment – something that is hard to come by in the country.

In Mozambique, people with disabilities face a series of barriers to success and independence, ranging from education to the workplace. In partnership with Young Africa, the international organization Light for the World is working to give people with disabilities the training and resources they need to make a living.

Pennsylvania's attorney general may sound more like a defense attorney as he lays out plans to focus more resources on helping people returning from incarceration integrate into society. But Josh Shapiro insists his approach is pragmatic and he helped launch a statewide re-entry council that coordinates efforts among 21 local coalitions and also brings in services providers and state agencies. The effort is using a comprehensive approach to address crime, including addiction treatment, housing and education.