By Ryan Heath Burgess In Panama, over a third of indigenous people are illiterate and school retention rates in indigenous areas known as comarcas are half the national average. The Government of Panama, with IDB support, is trying to change that by improving primary and secondary school infrastructure, training teachers, and providing learning materials. Even under the … [Read more...] about Better Schools and Teaching in Remote Indigenous Areas in Panama
Bolivia Expands Employment Services Program
By Manuel Enrique Urquidi Finding a job and entering the labor market is never easy — information about vacancies may be hard to find, the job seeker’s skills may not exactly match what a company needs, and employers may be reluctant to hire someone they don’t know personally. To help job seekers overcome such barriers, Bolivia began to expand and enhance coverage of its … [Read more...] about Bolivia Expands Employment Services Program
Combating Tropical Diseases with Early Detection and Treatment
By Ignez Tristão In the shantytown of Alto do Carroceiro in Recife, Brazil’s fifth largest city, 10-year old Emily Eduarda Belo de Oliveira dreams of one day becoming a teacher, even as she helps her mom take care of four other siblings in their one-bedroom, windowless home. And being poor is not Emily’s only hurdle: she also has leprosy, a disease that, if left untreated, … [Read more...] about Combating Tropical Diseases with Early Detection and Treatment
Student Loans Targeted to the Poor
By Agustín Zamora Mariclere Alvarez was halfway towards a communications degree at a private university in Mexico when her parents told her they could not pay for her education anymore because of financial difficulties. Alvarez would have dropped out had it not been for FINAE, a Mexican financial institution that provides college loans to low-income students. “I felt … [Read more...] about Student Loans Targeted to the Poor
Sustainable Energy for Argentina’s Norte Grande
By Alberto Levy Since mid-2000, Argentina has undertaken a historic and comprehensive strategy to promote sustainable development in the Norte Grande region, one of the poorest areas in the country. The centerpiece of the strategy is to provide prompt, good-quality, and low-cost sustainable energy that can improve the competitiveness of businesses and spur new economic … [Read more...] about Sustainable Energy for Argentina’s Norte Grande