When I was young I used to think that anything that was written in a book MUST be true? After all, books have publishers, and there are all sorts of people who are paid to check everything right? Of course not – there is no single magical arbitrator who decides whether the content of a particular book is “true”. Luckily I have had some amazing teachers during my life, especially at university, who helped me to develop critical thinking skills which have in turn allowed me...

I’d like to chop the onions I looked down at Themba’s* determined face and panicked. The first thought that came to my mind was But how? You see Themba was around 12 years old at the time and he had only one arm – the other hand been amputated around his elbow after he sustained serious burns to his entire body in a fire. As the words articulated silently in my mind I immediately felt ashamed at my reaction I felt the sensation of my cheeks turning red and I pretend...

A couple of months ago, we mentioned that the Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) Aspire Awards had partnered up with UNICEF to give young people like you the opportunity to change their communities by providing three youth-led projects with grants to support the implementation of innovative initiatives. We want to congratulate EVERYONE who took part in this competition – it is so inspiring to see so much talent and creativity being put to good use. Now, the votes have been tallied an...

...and share your views on Sanitation & Drinking Water, Productivity, Governance, Vulnerability and Quality. You have up to the 14 of July to make a difference!! About the Stockholm Statement: In September 2013, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 68) will meet to discuss the progress on the Millennium Development Goals and a roadmap towards a new development agenda. The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) believes that this event presents a critical opportunity to champion...

This is a repost of a news story posted on the website of the Food and Agriculture Organization: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/177728/icode/ 12 June 2013, Rome - Thirty-eight countries have met internationally-established targets in the fight against hunger, chalking up successes ahead of a deadline set for 2015, FAO confirmed today. “These countries are leading the way to a better future. They are proof that with strong political will, coordination and co...

Serve: to contribute or conduce. This may be double-dipping, but it has been a minute since my last posting… As I continued to work on my Americorps application for next year I kept putting off the ‘Motivational Statement’ section. It posed the question, “Why do you want to serve?” I’ve been asked this question in a multitude of ways, and I struggled to find my voice. How could I spice up the generic, mundane, bland answers I usually give? Because it’s what my parents taught me. Be...

Bangladesh is a small country with an area of 147570 square km and a population of 161 million. It has the highest density of population . And the causes behind such devastating problem are illiteracy, early marriage, excess of birth rate over death rate, climatic conditions, lack of resources, lack of family planning and many such reasons. Some problems associated with overpopulation are shortage of food, inadequate fresh water, illegal immigration, crowding, traffic, unemployment...

I'm new here and I really love the description of this site. We all have that voice. It may not be loud and powerful like yours or like those who are above us but we still have that one voice and I think it is just right for us to be heard and I think even if our voice is just small, it can still influence many. It's just so sad that no matter how loud and powerful our voice, few just listen. If I post my concerns here in this website, what its going to do with the article? The...

RECORDS FOR LIFE: A Design Contest That Can Save Lives The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has launched a contest to redesign the child health record. The Gates Foundation is seeking creative individuals or teams to re-examine the current child health record and design new ways to accurately track vaccine doses, increase ease of interpretation and use, and incite behavior change to make the record a valued asset for health professionals and families alike. To encourage...