Our Stories

Benin: New opportunities for young graduates

Faced with the difficulty of finding new employment in Cotonou, Benin’s largest city, Philippe and Ulrich, two brothers from a poor background decided to launch their own fruit juice distribution business after finishing their university studies. Nowadays, both brothers command a salary, and recruit more

Agriculture opens new doors for young Jamaicans

Kingston – Some 650 young and jobless women and men in four impoverished areas of Jamaica have received training in cultivation and food production skills to boost their job opportunities in local farming and agro-industries. Through a three-year programme started in January 2010 by the Government a more

FYR Macedonia: employment programme boosts entrepreneurs

Over 30 percent of people in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are unemployed, with almost a third of them out of a job for years, and more than 25 percent between the ages of 15 and 29. Until recently, 30 years-old Ivan Usaovski could only find part-time or seasonal jobs in Skopje, the cou more

Bringing financial services to the Pacific's poorest

Seventy-year-old Raj Dulari no longer has to travel long distances each month to collect her social welfare payment from the Nausori Post Office in Fiji. Nor does she have to wait in line, or worry that she might lose her allowance of US$32 if she does not collect it on time. Dulari, a widow who liv more

Nepal: Boosting entrepreneurship among poor rural women

Chitrakali Budhamagar began her career in 2003 collecting yarn made out of 'allo' (Himalayan nettle) and selling it in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. With the money she made selling yarn, she bought readymade garments to sell in her home village of Pyuthan, in the western part of the country. Born more

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

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

Tackling poverty through adaptation in Bangladesh

From sky to sea, Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change. Changing rainfall patterns, melting glaciers in the Himalayas, increased floods and storms, rising sea levels, all have an impact on Bangladesh, and in particular, on the poorest communities. Abdul Mazid, who lives in the flood-pro more

Farmers in Ethiopia fight drought and climate change

Throughout most of his 55 years, Mohammed Hassen and his family have suffered during recurring droughts that have ravaged his district of Kalu, South Wollo Zone, in northeastern Ethiopia. The country, once defined by rural poverty, is developing a strategy to address pockets of extreme poverty more

In the DRC, community centres help people learn to live again

In 2004, a 34-year-old widow in Congo named Maman Miriam* was raped by three armed men who slashed her genitals with a knife, leaving her with physical and emotional scars. She felt completely abandoned and unable to care for her three children. In 2010, she became one of the first people to benefit more

Fighting sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Gisèle* sits in the relative safety of a clinic for victims of sexual violence in the district of Ituri. The mother of three, whose husband was killed during recent fighting, tells a harrowing but sadly typical story about her experience in the conflict in this part of eastern DRC. “I took refuge in more

Through small businesses, Haitian women anchor economic reboot

Ninite Eltêbe, 56, is a resilient Haitian woman who lost her business after the devastating 2010 earthquake. Three years later, she is the leader of a cooperative of 25 women who raise and sell chickens locally. “I enrolled in a three-month skills development training programme on chicken rear more

In Uruguay, programme helps parents keep children healthy

Cecilia Correa smiles as she watches her daughter sleep in her arms. At times, she sings her the same songs that she herself heard as a child. Today, she is filled with pride that she is better prepared to take care of her daughter and to ensure that she grows into a healthy young woman. Such an out more

Indonesia: Fighting for Social Justice

Three years ago, Indonesian housewife Ibu Odah had little knowledge of legal affairs. Now, the mother of two is at the forefront of a legal fight against domestic violence in the remote island of Ternate, in the North Moluccas province of Indonesia. With the knowledge and expertise that she has acqu more

Classrooms promote peace in Sudan

In Mazmoom in Sennar State, things are tense. The normally quiet village in the south-east corner of Sudan has been the scene of conflict in recent months. More than 3,800 returnee Sudanese, including some 1,800 ex-fighters, are trying to establish new homes and farms in the small community. M more

In Nicaragua, programme helps youth create businesses

As a child in Nicaragua, Leyli Siles studied, ran and played hide-and-seek just like any other little girl, even though she was deaf and born into a poor family. But by adolescence she began to feel that her hearing impairment was checking her aspirations. As the years went by, Siles became desponde more

Farmers' cooperatives increase food security in Cuba

Yudiel Mojena Guerra, a young farmer from eastern Cuba, was given land from the government as part of a strategy to increase domestic food production. So he started working at a run-down dairy farm, refurbished it, and bought some livestock. But like most workers in the non-state sector, he soon fou more

In Georgia, vocational training equips youth for job market

By Sophie Tchitchinadze, a finalist in UNDP's second annual storytelling contest Last year, 19-year-old Nino Narmania learnt she needed computer skills to do her favourite job—sewing and making clothes. Intrigued and excited by the project, she enrolled in a college-level professional tailoring prog more

Legal Aid Clinics in Gaza help people get protection of the law

Asma* lived in Jabalia Camp in the Gaza Strip where she attempted to raise a family whilst trapped within a violent marriage. Aggression and attacks were part of her daily life; bruises and physical scars a recurring reminder of her predicament. Her husband often prevented Asma from seeing her more

Local governance in Rwanda

Murengerantwari Syldio is a farmer in Rwanda’s Rulindo district. Until recently, had no way of selling his crops because poor roads restricted his access to neighbouring districts. Fortunately, however, a United Nations (UN) initiative, supported in part by the United Nations Development Pro more

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