Economic Opportunities

By Karen Densky, Volunteer, English for Specific Purposes Advisor, Uniterra Program What can be accomplished in three weeks? That’s a question I asked myself when I accepted the Leave for Change assignment in Vietnam. My goal was to improve the quality of English language teaching at Saigon Hospitality and Tourism College (STHC), in order to…

The industrious sounds of construction echo throughout Accra. The Greater Accra Region is home to more than four million people, and that number is rising. Newcomers are pouring into the city every day, many of whom are searching for better opportunities. As a result, residential construction is booming. There is no shortage of work, 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…

When you think back to what you thought you could be when you were growing up, the chances are that ‘mobile app developer’ was not an option you considered. The employment landscape has changed so much over the years. And it will only keep on changing, fast. Entrepreneurs play a big part in determining the…

In July of 2017, 21 youth leaders from Canada and Bolivia gathered in La Paz, Bolivia, for the 2017 International Seminar on sustainable community tourism. An extraordinary human adventure Living up to its reputation, the 2017 International Seminar was an incredibly enriching experience. It provided youth with an opportunity to connect with their peers from…

Ayodele Sampson had managed to make it 40 years without ever having to speak in public. It was understandable, then, for the Guyanese farmer to feel very nervous as she stood behind the podium and looked out at a sea of unfamiliar faces, mostly government and private sector agriculture officials. She quickly spotted the WUSC…

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…