Development Perspectives

How Employers and Training Centres can Navigate Together the Challenges of COVID-19 Globally, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates there are more than 64 million unemployed young people around the world, with a further 145 million youth working but living in poverty. Many sectors in many countries, including healthcare, construction, and automotive technologies, are experiencing rapid…

By Nadeesha Jayasinghe, Uniterra Volunteer, Lanka Impact Investing Network, Sri Lanka In Sri Lanka, Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises contribute to 45% of GDP. Yet, only 25% of entrepreneurs are women. Low confidence, limited access to credit, and lack of financial literacy are some of the barriers which contribute to low representation of women’s entrepreneurship. Here is the…

The Humanitarian Education Accelerator (HEA) is an innovative, multi-donor fund that invests in research to help improve our collective understanding of how pilot projects can be transformed into scalable educational initiatives for refugees and displaced communities worldwide. The HEA is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development, UNHCR, and UNICEF. Our Education Advisor, Stephanie…

By: Muneeb Khan, Education Manager, WUSC Innovations in technology are rapidly disrupting industries across sectors, from ride-hailing mobile apps, such as Uber, challenging traditional taxi services, to digital stores creating new competition for brick and mortar outlets. The education industry is no exception; it is also in a state of digital transformation. Learning apps, such as…

A guide working with Casa Relax Chuquiñapi, a community-based tourism project in the La Paz region of Bolivia, shares his experience with the participants of the 2017 International Seminar. Were you among the 1.3 billion tourists who travelled internationally this year? With the development of more advanced and affordable forms of transportation, and the expansion…

In the forests of Sri Lanka, elephants are known to deploy a unique strategy to protect their young. In the face of a threat, adult elephants will form a tight pack, herding their young into the middle for safety. It was this imagery that inspired the name for Sri Lanka’s first reality show on social…

Sri Lanka is banking on education and employment for youth Many efforts have been put toward reconstruction and development in Sri Lanka following the end of a 30-year civil war in 2009. Social inclusion, employment, career paths, and the education and training of young people have all been important areas of focus for the country’s…

Émilie MacIsaac, Volunteer with the Women’s Economic Linkages in Employment and Development (WE LEAD) program Jordanian women hold one of the highest literacy rates in the Middle East at 85.9%. Yet women face many barriers to accessing quality training and jobs in Jordan. As a result, the country has the lowest female economic participation rate…

By Doug Graham, PROPEL Project Director “Disruptive Innovation. Trigger innovation and market stimulus from the sidelines. Avoid being in the middle of a transaction.” Key words of wisdom for the implementation of a market systems approach (MSA). Over the last few years, I have heard increasing buzz about the application of MSA in development. As…

Evidence and Lessons Learned from our Programming in Kenya A recent study by UNHCR on education for refugees reports that fewer than one in four refugee adolescents are currently enrolled in secondary school. Though hard to imagine, the situation is even worse in low-income countries, where the majority of refugees live and where fewer than…