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Mckenzie Howell

Feature Writer | 23 

Policy Analysis | Features | Essays

BORGEN •

Bayanihan: Community Pantries in the Philippines

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Approximately one-tenth of the global population suffered undernourishment in 2020. Starting in early April 2021, the Philippines faced further food insecurity under extended lockdowns. In the absence of adequate government support, average citizens — from farmers to health care workers — came together to fight hunger and embody bayanihan, or “collecting community effort,” by setting up community pantries in the Philippines.

Dr. Jamie Dasmariñas of the Council for Health and
BORGEN •

Distance Learning in Africa Goes the Distance

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — The pandemic saw a rapid shift toward distance learning as schools shut down across the globe. Unfortunately, hundreds of millions lacked ready access to remote education resources, whether online or over the airwaves. Distance learning in Africa became a priority throughout the pandemic. Now, many have to learn to adapt to live with the pandemic to survive. As a result, remote education has become part of a broader conversation about African development.

Bearing in mind curr
BORGEN •

Project HOPE: Help is on the Horizon During COVID-19

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — Project HOPE is a global health nonprofit that “has responded to nearly every major disaster since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.” Bearing this in mind, it is almost a given that Project HOPE is also an active force in the global fight against COVID-19. In an interview with The Borgen Project, Project HOPE CEO Rabih Torbay discusses Project HOPE’s humanitarian response to COVID-19 and the importance of working with local communities to address any health crisis.

Project HOPE
The Borgen Project •

Experimenting With Impact Bonds Continues

More than 10 years into the Impact Bond experiment, pandemic conditions have tested the financial tool’s effectiveness and sustainability. In the course of these trials, the market managed to expand and produce new case studies. It is no longer just the developed world experimenting with impact bonds.

Impact Bonds (also known as Social Impact Bonds, Development Impact Bonds or Pay-for-Success Projects) are a relatively recent financing tool for implementing public works, introduced in 2010 in t
BORGEN •

The Reclaiming of Indigenous Education in Canada

PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — The First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities comprise the Indigenous peoples of what many call present-day Canada. These communities have faced centuries of Western colonialism, which wielded education as a one of its main weapons of domination. This pattern persisted into living memory and continues to negatively impact individuals and their greater communities. Today, reclaiming Indigenous education in Canada is seen as a pivotal step in preserving and recovering what was
The Borgen Project •

A4AI: UN Joins the Alliance for Affordable Internet

As social distancing measures and lockdowns isolated people, the internet helped keep communities connected and functioning. Households ordered groceries online, adults telecommuted to work and students attended school via distance learning. The internet asserted itself as a necessary utility. However, affordable internet access is far from universal. The United Nations has partnered with the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) to address this by increasing affordable internet access in deve
The Borgen Project •

Educational Inequality in South Korea

Despite 70 years of impressive economic and educational development in South Korea, low-income households are struggling to close the achievement gap resulting from the income gap. Past educational inequality in South Korea persists today as low-income adults invest disproportionately in hopes their children will achieve academic and economic success.

In 2018, the Organization Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published a working report on child poverty in South Korea. One positive f
Capstone Project •

Closing Gaps in US Childhood Vaccination Coverage

The elimination of Non-Medical Exemptions (NMEs) to school vaccination requirements is quickly emerging as a popular solution to suboptimal vaccination coverage rates in developed countries. In 2017, Italy eliminated NMEs nationwide in response to outbreaks of VPDs. In the United States, following an outbreak of measles in 2015, California made a similar move at the state-level. In 2019, the state of New York followed suit. This policy will leverage access to education in order to promote higher vaccination rates among school-aged children.