Guatemala

Tienda owners in rural Guatemala stand proudly in front of their store, newly stocked with much-needed health products. Photo: Lindsay Murphy/Mercy Corps.

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Guatemala’s Tiendas de la Salud: Where profit and social impact meet

As an insurance holder, she knows the next big storm won't wipe out all her assets. Photo: Fabiola Coupet/Mercy Corps

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Inside microinsurance, a view from Haiti

As Tropical Storm Isaac hit Haiti in late August, all eyes were watching to see whether the country would be overwhelmed by the latest storm.

Water from the AguaClara plant in Amarateca, Guatemala, scrubbed clear by a gravity filter. Photo: <a href="https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/AGUACLARA/Home">AguaClara</a>.

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Innovation at work: A gravity-powered water purifier

A sustainable water treatment system developed by AguaClara is delivering cheap drinking water to communities in Honduras using a power source far cheaper and more abundant than electricity: gravity.

<a href="http://www.mercycorps.org/photoessay/landownershipyieldsstrongerhealthiercommunities">View the full Guatemala photo essay. By Jamie Grant for Mercy Corps.</a>

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More than an argument, land conflicts stall economic growth

As battles over land rights increase and intensify, development stalls.

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A clever nonprofit turns bikes into tiny factories

Video courtesy Maya Pedal

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

Video courtesy Question Box.

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.

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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?

Modern conflict reaches all parts of society. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

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How the "Violence Trap" Keeps Poor Countries Poor

For developing countries, war is rarely "good for business." War can destroy what few possessions and opportunities the poor have, trapping them in an endless cycle of violence and economic misery.

Glasses were one of the first products to use microconsignment, which required training on reading eye charts and providing eye care. Photo:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshsamson/3702875851/sizes/m/in/photostream/">GoRun26 (flickr)</a>

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Microconsignment: The Microfinance Alternative

Chances are you're pretty familiar with microfinance. But have you ever heard of microconsignment? Microconsignment is similar to microfinance in a lot of ways, but with a unique twist.

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