Livelihoods

Deep in the foothills of Darjeeling. Photo: Mercy Corps

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Teatime chat with Tazo and Starbucks

Kenyan flower farmers are making more money thanks to a new middleman. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/worldbank/2629345354/">Photo: World Bank (flickr)</a>

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Value Chains

Your Walmart bouquet may have been grown by these Kenyan farmers

Flower growers in Kenya have plenty to sell, but no buyers. Meanwhile big-box retailers in the U.S. and UK want more flowers. New research reveals that a middleman connecting them could be profitable for both.

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.

India is subsidizing more than 100 million small-value insurance policies in an effort to help people treat health problems without falling into poverty. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nadya/4789818776/in/photostream/">Nadya Peek(flickr)</a>

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Financial Inclusion

India: Knocking the poor back on their feet with microinsurance

Hospitalization can save a life--at the cost, sometimes, of throwing it permanently off track. Two very different countries, India and the United States, recently chose a similar solution: subsidized insurance.

Mayol Dau started his own after-school business - repairing mobile phones and recharging their batteries for customers. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps

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Youth Skills

400 heads are better than one: Conference addresses linking youth to rural markets

As the global youth unemployment crisis continues to make headlines, the annual Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference makes its way to Washington, D.C.

Many of the women who will receive insurance payouts earn less than $2 a day selling small wares and staple foods. Photo: Jeremy Barnicle/Mercy Corps

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Tropical Storm Isaac triggers microinsurance payout for small business owners in Haiti

This article was republished by The Christian Science Monitor.

Young Greeks face tear gas at a protest in Athens, December 2008. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42632457@N00/3098761766/">How Will I Ever (Flickr)</a>

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UN group: Vast numbers of unemployed youth threaten global stability

The swelling ranks of unemployed youth threaten to create a lost generation that endangers the global economic system, a new report warns.

Hauling a load of jute to market may lose some luster if Bangladesh fails to cope with global trade fluctuations <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelfoleyphotography/392624379/sizes/o/in/photostream/">Flickr, Michael Foley Photography</a>

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Globalization at work: Sanctions on Iran threaten Bangladesh's cash crop

Hanging from the world trade network by a thread: developing economies are easily rocked by regional events that profoundly alter the marketplace.

<a href="http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/1105/african-farmers/flash.html">Infographic by GOOD in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. </a>

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INFOGRAPHIC: Better info, seeds, tools and storage - What any farmer needs to thrive

Falling into the "easier-said-than-done" infographic category, The Gates Foundation and GOOD do have a point: straightforward solutions can often yield high returns.

With just a few simple materials, a community can map boundaries and see how they fit within the larger city. Photo courtesy "Design With the Other 90%: CITIES"

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Portland hosts the West Coast Premier of "Design With the Other 90%: CITIES"

Of the world’s 7 billion people, 1 billion now live in urban slums.

Youth around the world want to trade in their piggy banks for the real thing. Photo: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosscrawford1/2738104237/sizes/m/in/photostream/”>rosscrawford1 (Flickr)</a>

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Youth savings: Why the new piggy bank is an actual bank

The draw of the piggy bank stretches to children of all income levels; the need for security and the promise of their dreams makes kids save.

As the world gets richer, competition for resources like water and livestock will likely increase. Photo: Erin Gray for MercyCorps

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Extreme poverty could end by 2030, but the planet might pay for it

The world’s soaring wealth will nearly wipe out poverty worldwide by 2030, according to the National Intelligence Council.

Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer in Gaza. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps.

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Q&A with Mercy Corps CEO about market innovations to poverty

Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer and NextBillion's editor Scott Anderson discuss where Mercy Corps is heading and how its past has informed its future, especially when it comes to business development.

A woman from the Konso district of Ethiopia makes shoes. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercycorps/5512259779/in/photostream">Joni Kabana for Mercy Corps(flickr)</a>

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Different strokes for different folks: Why young entrepreneurs need customized assistance

One size doesn't fit all: Facing a youth unemployment crisis, a new report offers NGOs guidance on tailoring entrepreneurship programs to the specific needs of aspiring youth business owners.