Cambodia

Mobile phones are one of the ways ADB says will increase microfinance availability among the poor. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cimmyt/8048414699/">CIMMYT (flickr)</a>.

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Financial Inclusion

MFIs should offer more than just microfinance, study finds

Despite the surging popularity of microfinance in the last several decades, access among the poor in Asia and the Pacific remains low. A new report says technology and livelihood programs will put it in the hands of more people.

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Need answers? The Question Box helps people Google can't reach

Video courtesy Question Box.

The use of technology in humanitarian aid planning is on the rise. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/22015699@N00/343384475/">Esther Gibbons (Flicker)</a>

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Technology against poverty: Three inspiring new successes

2011 is over, but the impact technology had on humanitarian aid planning last year could be just beginning to emerge.

Humanitarian issues demand immediate solutions. In 2011, a lot of solutions to crises placed heavy emphasis on technology. Here are three notable examples:

57 million women give birth each year without the help of a trained professional. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/7203470@N03/2366525625/">hugrakka(Flicker)</a>

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Birth kits: An immediate solution to lowering maternal deaths

Bringing one life into the world shouldn't mean sacrificing another. While the developing world scrambles to secure funding for midwifery services, there's a cheap, short-term solution: birth kits.

Critics say developed countries have broken promises for international aid. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/5491899695/">UK Department for International Development (flickr)</a>

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As international aid patterns shift, microfinance picks up the slack

With cause for concern about the future of international aid amid the financial crisis faced by rich countries, some developing nations find microfinance playing an increasing role in fueling local growth.

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The Tricky Business of Feeding Oneself on a Dollar a Day

Over one billion people live on less than one dollar a day, according to the U.N. But what can you actually buy with a dollar?

The Mekong River. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tashandsmoked/1357553641/">tashandsmoked(flickr)</a>

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Mekong Dams Cause a Stir

Before it reaches the sea, the Mekong River travels more than 2,500 miles through Tibet, China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is estimated that more than 60 million people depend on the river in some way.