IRD Voices Blog » Africa

Giving a Community Clean Water for Pocket Change

Mar 19 Posted by IRD HQ

In 2008, Zimbabwe adopted the U.S. currency. However, denominations lower than $1.00 are virtually non-existent in the country. This situation results in daily negotiations at check-outs and cashiers as shops offer products like sweets, stationary or pain medication as change to round up to the nearest dollar. Although the transition to U.S.-based currency has created ec... more

Filed Under: Building Infrastructure, Health & Hygiene, Water, Africa, Zimbabwe

Join IRD in Celebrating World Water Day on March 22

Mar 18 Posted by IRD HQ

This week the UN and individuals around the world will celebrate World Water Day. For 20 years, events on March 22 have focused attention on the importance of freshwater and improving the sustainable management of freshwater resources. IRD understands that access to clean water is essential to human life and is at the core of any development work. And while a... more

Filed Under: Building Infrastructure, Health & Hygiene, Water, Africa, Ethiopia, Somalia

In Her Own Words: Melissa Price on Miracles

Mar 1 Posted by IRD HQ

A seventeenth-century French philosopher observed that “out of difficulties grow miracles.” That idea smacked me in the face on my first trip to Africa for the Africa Higher Education Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2008. Reminders of the country’s 1994 genocide were still plentiful: abandoned checkpoints, buildings riddled with bullet holes, makeshift memorials, and hesi... more

Filed Under: Civil Society, Economic Growth, Relief to Development, Women & Gender, Youth, Africa, Sudan, Middle East & North Africa, West Bank

In Her Own Words: Jo Anne Yeager Sallah on Developing Women Entrepreneurs in West Africa

Feb 8 Posted by IRD HQ

My dad instilled in me a sense of adventure and an interest in different cultures. With this foundation, I majored in international relations at the College of William and Mary. After taking a course in international development, I knew this was the career for me. I signed up for the Peace Corps and was assigned to Senegal as a rural development volunteer. Livi... more

Filed Under: Food & Agriculture, Capacity Building, Economic Growth, Nutrition, Value Chains, Women & Gender, Africa, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, The Gambia

Ligaya Diaz: IRD Programs Empower Women to Help Individuals & Families

Feb 1 Posted by IRD HQ

Ligaya Diaz, a Filipina, began working with IRD Cambodia as a food technologist in March 2005 on a USDA Food for Progress Project. When asked why she joined IRD, Ligaya said “I have always wanted to join a development organization, because my parents worked in grassroots organizations in the Philippines. IRD gave me the chance to apply my skills in a food production proj... more

Filed Under: Civil Society, Food & Agriculture, Health & Hygiene, Capacity Building, Economic Growth, Education, Jobs, Nutrition, Partnerships, Women & Gender, Youth, Africa, Liberia