Our Stories

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Biomass fuel brings jobs and energy independence to Moldova

The kindergarten in the village of Ermoclia has declared its independence — energy independence, that is. Instead of struggling to keep students warm with expensive imported gas, the kindergarten now heats up with locally produced biomass fuels. It’s good for the children and the environment t more

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Afghanistan: New environmental councils spur development in provincial communities

Standing at the edge of Joe-e-Projey canal in the northern town of Char-i-Kar, Mohammad Tahir, a car mechanic, rues the fate of children who drink water from the local canal. “This canal has snuffed out many, many young lives. It is a bed of dirt and disease,” he says sadly, with moist eyes. The 70- more

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In Peru, new recycling organizations improve waste management

In the Peruvian district of Arequipa, Roque Flores Calle leaves his home in the suburbs from Monday to Friday to make a living for his family. Every morning he collects recyclable waste (plastics, bottles, cartons, cans) that local families provide. During weekends, he separates the materials for la more

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Modern conservation helps farmers prosper in Uganda’s drylands

In the Lyantonde district of Uganda, farmer David Muhoozi Kiseetula is seeing big changes in his harvest – and his life – after his farmers’ cooperative received a grant for education and instruction on new farming methods. “I used to harvest less than 100 kilos of maize from my garden. Today, I ha more

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Mongolia: Better-managed natural resources expand livelihoods

Naranbek Ristan slings his binoculars and notebook around his neck and mounts his horse with graceful ease. He is setting off on a monthly patrol of 6,000 hectares of community land to check on wildlife.   The country he will cover is harsh, magnificent and daunting. But for Ristan, most import more

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Restoring hope in the future for Prespa Lake, FYR Macedonia

“We used to do a lot of things without thinking about the effects on the environment,” says Naume Toskovski, an apple farmer in the Prespa Lakes region of Macedonia. “We didn’t know that dumping apples would pollute the water. Perhaps it’s a different story with pesticides and fertilizers— the tempt more

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Zambia: Villagers turn their backs on overfishing

Sebi Nafukwe, who never had any agricultural experience before, is busy harvesting rice for the first time in Mbete village, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Zambia. She is one of 700 women who have turned their backs on fishing from the lake after overfishing made it difficult to turn a profit. more

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New nets help fishermen in Gaza become self-reliant

By Dania Darwish The Swedish Village, a remote village of fishermen in the far south of the Gaza Strip in the occupied Palestinian territory, is home to some 95 households living under extreme poverty. Visitors to the Village – built by the Swedish Government in the 1960s – can immediately see the p more

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Unlocking energy efficiency in Kazakhstan

A student at Public School Number 9 in Astana, Kazakhstan, 14-year-old Arman said that a few years ago, the gymnasium in his 63-year-old school was so cold in winter that he and his classmates could see their breath. "We hated going to gym class," he said. The chill hurt students’ health a more

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After Philippines typhoon, clean-up brings recovery

Julius Enriquez sifts through a mountain of rubble, picking out usable wood and other materials in the grounds of what used to be Cateel Central Elementary School, in Mindanao, The Philippines. “These wood scraps can be used to rebuild the damaged school where my child used to go,” he says. The scho more