Economic Opportunities

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 story of Sondas Bashiri Each day, Sondas Bashiri looks forward to attending the Vocational Training Corporation (VTC) in her hometown of Irbid, Jordan. Here, she is enrolled in the Medical Office Assistant (MOA) program. Upon graduating from the program, she wants to work in medical administration. Prior to enrolling in this program, Sondas worked…

Tourism is an important economic driver in Vietnam, one that currently employs close to two million workers and contributes 10% to national GDP. With the right skill set, workers in the tourism sector have the potential to earn wages that are double the national average. Unfortunately, the vast majority of young graduates are underqualified and…

Although Mongolia is the second largest cashmere producer in the world, after China, the Mongolian fibre sector is facing challenges in growth — one of the key constraints being the dramatic decrease of newcomers to the workforce in recent years.  In 2015, 65 percent of the fibre sector workforce was under the age of 35 — some…

From July 2019 to September 2019, World University Service of Canada (WUSC) was contracted by Mastercard Foundation to conduct research into bridging initiatives and programs that support displaced youth, including refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), in sub-Saharan Africa to access higher education and employment upon graduation. This mapping study, A Bridge to the Future:…

A multi-national partnership for sustainable gender inclusivity in Mongolia By: Émilie MacIsaac, volunteer Gender and Youth Inclusion Advisor for the Uniterra Program The education sector in Mongolia is largely influenced by gender bias and stereotypes. Men are thought to be more capable of making a living regardless of education and thus receive much less support…

Optimizing Development Impact in the Global South The innovations of social entrepreneurs can create new, cost-effective pathways toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Canada and around the world. The overall aim of social enterprises is to apply business methods to solve social problems, including poverty, unemployment, social exclusion, climate change, food insecurity, gender-based…

No matter which social or economic indicators are used to rank the world’s poorest countries, Malawi consistently rises to the top. The development prospects for this small, landlocked country in southeastern Africa are uncertain; its challenges on the economic front – among others – significant; and its record for women’s rights, disastrous. Despite this, Driana…

A new paper on creating and implementing gender-inclusive policies within the transportation sector from WUSC’s women’s economic empowerment initiative in Jordan. By: Emilie MacIsaac, Program Officer, WUSC As Jordanians make their way to work, the voice of famous singer Fairuz can be heard ringing through the opening store fronts and rolled-down car windows. Long, intertwined lines…

  By Nadia Lampkin, Volunteer Research and Policy Analyst, Uniterra program 58% and 45%. These are the staggering rates of anemia in children under 5 and women between the ages of 15 and 49 in Tanzania, respectively. The irony is that Tanzania’s agricultural production is both prolific and extremely diverse. But 15-40% of crops are…