Humanitarian Aid

Some of the thousands stuck at the Salloum border between Libya and Egypt. The situation on the Tunisian border is much worse. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

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Libya's Border Crisis

This has been reposted from the Mercy Corps blog.

A government deeply in debt is limited in it ability to implement public programs that would benefit the young and old by providing services such as education and health care. Photo: Matthew DeGalan/Mercy Corps

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Debt Cancellation: A New Era for the DRC?

Recently, international creditors forgave almost $20 billion in foreign debt amassed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The debt was mostly ac

Children scavenge for valuables in a garbage dump in Haiti less than one year before the devastating earthquake shook the Caribbean island. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/un_photo/4687808301/in/photos">United Nations Photo (flickr)</a>

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Big Ideas in the Fight Against Global Poverty

Developed countries have been trying to help people in poor developing countries reach a higher standard of living for quite some time now.

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Basic Technology Boosts Incomes in Zimbabwe

This has been reposted from the Mercy Corps blog.

A U.S. soldier in Afghanistan gathers a soil sample as part of his work on an army agricultural development project. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/4174406216/">The U.S. Army (Flickr)</a>

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War and Development: Do They Mix?

The U.S. army’s “surge” in Afghanistan marked a new focus on development in addition to an increase in the number of combat troops. Development has not typically been part of the military’s purview.

Rajan taught his father how to write his name and is now teaching his mother and older sister to do the same. Photo: Leah Hazard/Mercy Corps

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Ninety-eight. That's the number of kids in Rajan Tiru's class. He's in class nine — the equivalent of ninth grade in the U.S. Next year he'll be in class 10 and will need to pass a big exam so he can continue his studies.

Pakistan, known for its textiles, would like the freedom to sell these wares in foreign countries, not just in local shops. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/benny_lin/4564466986/in/photostream/">Benny Lin (flickr)</a>

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To Aid or Trade?

After environmental disasters, nations often rush to pledge relief aid. But how well-meaning are these donations?

A representative from Brazil (right) signs an agreement with the World Bank detailing Brazil's contribution to reconstruction efforts in Haiti. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/4599782922/">World Bank Photo Collection (flickr)</a>

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Brazil Ramps Up Humanitarian Aid

Fiscal austerity may be forcing some countries to cut spending on foreign aid, but this isn’t the case everywhere.

Could Yemen be reaching a tipping point? Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahron/148333784/">Ahron de Leeuw (flickr)</a>

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Will Development Aid Change Yemen's Future?

Once called “Arabia Felix” or “happy arabia” by the Romans, today Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East.

Cash transfers let people choose what they want to spend money on, like these buffalo. Other purchases could be anything from farm machinery to food. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/futura/3087912082/">andrew chang (flickr)</a>

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The Next Big Thing in Foreign Aid

When people donate to charity, they don’t usually expect their money to go straight into the pocket of a needy person half a world away.

Haitians load bags of food donated by the United States onto a truck for distribution to earthquake victims in Port-au-Prince after the January earthquake. Photo: Jenny Vaughan/Mercy Corps

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Earthquake Shocks Haitian Rice Market

In Haiti, rice is king. It’s consumed at every meal and forms an important source of income for many people — wholesalers, street vendors, and farmers. But the January earthquake has left the rice market in shambles.