The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $40 million concessional loan to support Nepal’s efforts to accelerate digital transformation and expand access to high-impact digital services for citizens and businesses. The funding will help modernize public service delivery, improve efficiency, and support the country’s broader economic development goals through stronger digital infrastructure. The Nepal… [Read More]
AfDB Approves $20M Facility to Support SMEs in Mozambique
The African Development Bank Group has approved a $20 million Trade Finance Transaction Guarantee facility for Banco Comercial e de Investimentos S.A. (BCI), Mozambique’s leading commercial bank. The initiative aims to expand access to trade finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which often face difficulties securing financial support for import and export activities. The… [Read More]
£5.8m Grant Boost to Support Child Poverty Prevention
Seven community-based projects across Scotland will receive a total of £5.8 million in funding to strengthen whole family support and help tackle child poverty. The funding aims to expand services that support families, enhance early child development, and scale up initiatives designed to reduce poverty at the community level. The funding announcement was made by… [Read More]
Disability Benefits Access Shrinks Amid Government Cuts
Millions of Americans depend on Social Security disability benefits to meet their basic needs, but recent changes to the federal benefits system have made the process increasingly difficult. A new report highlights that policy shifts introduced in 2025 by the second Trump administration and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), including staffing reductions and administrative… [Read More]
$1.75M MiSTEM Initiative Boosts STEM Learning Across State
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s MiSTEM Network has launched the expanded $1.75 million Playbook Mini Grant program, awarding $800,000 to 17 public education agencies across Michigan. This initiative supports the growth of Place-, Project- and Problem-based (3P) STEM learning, giving students greater access to hands-on educational experiences designed to prepare them for… [Read More]
Fugro Joins Efforts to Protect Pacific Communities from Rising Seas
Fugro has been awarded a contract by The Pacific Community (SPC) to collect and analyze high-resolution coastal data across vulnerable outer islands in Tonga and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. This initiative, supported by the Green Climate Fund and the governments of Australia and New Zealand, aims to enhance climate resilience in the Pacific by… [Read More]
Strengthening Global Health Security: Africa CDC Meets ECDC
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have formalized their collaboration by signing their first Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen health security across Africa and Europe. The agreement was signed in Addis Ababa by H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of… [Read More]
Impact on Women and Girls Amid Israel’s Gaza Offensive
Over the past 29 months, Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza have had devastating, multilayered effects on Palestinian women and girls, pushing them to the brink of survival. Amnesty International reports that deliberate restrictions on food, medicine, medical equipment, shelter, and humanitarian aid, combined with mass displacement and repeated bombardments, have led to extreme physical and… [Read More]
Three Abortion Rights Defenders Share Inspiring Stories of Hope
Across the world, progress on gender equality, including access to abortion, is being rolled back, but activists continue to fight to protect these hard-won rights. During the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, three human rights defenders from Burkina Faso, Poland, and the United States shared their strategies, experiences, and hopes… [Read More]
Côte d’Ivoire: Pregnant Women Detained Amid 2025 Crackdown
Five months after a crackdown on opposition protests in Côte d’Ivoire, hundreds of people arrested in October 2025 remain detained, including pregnant women, many of whom had no involvement in the demonstrations. Some detainees have been convicted in unfair trials without access to legal representation, while others remain in pretrial detention, according to Amnesty International…. [Read More]
Mozambique, AfDB and UNDP Launch Cabo Delgado Recovery Initiative
The Government of Mozambique, in partnership with the African Development Bank Group and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has launched the Resilient Investment for Socio‑Economic Empowerment, Peace and Security (RISE‑PS) Project to restore livelihoods, boost economic growth, and strengthen peace in northern Mozambique. The initiative focuses on the districts of Palma and Ancuabe in… [Read More]
Why Cartoons Are Essential Tools in Humanitarian Messaging
Humanitarian communication faces a persistent challenge: conveying complex ideas to audiences who are often busy, overwhelmed, or distracted. Traditional tools—photography and abstract diagrams—can communicate emotion or systems, but they frequently fail to leave a lasting impression or fully capture the underlying dynamics, power structures, and contradictions inherent in humanitarian work. Clarity is not just about… [Read More]
Equipping Ghana’s Civil Society for a Safer Digital Future
In Accra, Ghana, the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) launched the second phase of its regional Digital Rights Advocacy, Activism and Security Capacity Strengthening Programme with a four-day training session for civil society organisations (CSOs). Held from 16 to 19 February 2026, the training brought together twenty participants from ten Ghanaian CSOs to build… [Read More]
Digital Inclusion Empowers Rural Women and Girls in Chile
In Chile’s rural Ñuble region, limited connectivity has historically constrained access to digital tools, yet young innovators like 15-year-old Jessika Hurtado are changing that. By learning about circuits and communication technologies, Jessika gained the confidence to develop a biotechnology project that helps cilantro crops withstand frost and drought, linking scientific knowledge with local agricultural challenges…. [Read More]
From Reform to Results: Pakistan Governance Forum 2026
Governance in Pakistan directly shapes whether reforms lead to tangible results, influencing everything from climate finance allocation to women’s access to services, market fairness, and citizen experiences of state responsiveness and justice. Recognizing this, the Pakistan Governance Forum (PGF) 2026 brought together policymakers, practitioners, and development partners to explore how Pakistan can move from ambition… [Read More]
UNESCO Launches Global Course to Protect Cultural Heritage from Trafficking
Cultural heritage represents far more than art or archaeology; it reflects the identity, history, and values of communities. When cultural property is stolen, looted, or trafficked, societies lose not only objects but also the scientific, historical, and emotional knowledge they carry. Illicit trafficking often begins with theft or illegal excavations, causing damage to the objects… [Read More]
Youth HIV Prevention Boosted by Laapeng Programs
The Laapeng Foundation, a community-based organisation in Mpumalanga’s Ehlanzeni District, is expanding its youth-focused efforts as an implementing partner of NACOSA’s My Journey programme, funded by the Global Fund. Founded in 2005, Laapeng has long worked on youth development, HIV prevention and awareness, and substance use prevention, providing young people with knowledge, services, and support… [Read More]
Supporting Women Judges: ADB and UNDP Launch Asia-Pacific Initiative
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a regional partnership to establish the Asia-Pacific Women Judges Network (APWJN), aimed at strengthening women’s leadership in the judiciary and promoting inclusive, people-centered justice systems across the region. The initiative comes at a crucial time, as women remain underrepresented in judicial… [Read More]
Ecuador Launches First Biodiversity Bond with IFC Support
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has announced its support for Ecuador’s first biodiversity bond, a pioneering issuance led by Banco Bolivariano. The bond aims to mobilize private capital toward projects that create jobs while generating measurable positive impacts on biodiversity, conservation, and ecosystem restoration across the country. Proceeds… [Read More]
IFC and Arya.ag Partner to Boost Farmer Incomes in India
IFC has announced a co-investment with technology-led agri-platform Arya.ag to strengthen India’s agricultural value chains, reduce post-harvest losses, expand access to formal finance for smallholder farmers, and scale sustainable storage and logistics across the country. Arya.ag, which serves over 800,000 farmers and 3,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across 21 states, will leverage this investment to… [Read More]
Grants Open to Support Community Disaster Recovery Initiatives
FRRR, in partnership with insurer Suncorp, is offering $600,000 in funding through the Rebuilding Futures program to support community disaster recovery and preparedness projects. The grants target medium to long-term initiatives in communities affected by disasters between January 2019 and December 2025, aiming to rebuild wellbeing, restore infrastructure, and strengthen resilience against future disaster risks…. [Read More]
Rural Communities Receive $760K+ Funding Through FRRR Grants
FRRR has awarded $763,234 in funding to 65 locally-led initiatives aimed at strengthening remote, rural, and regional communities across Australia. These grants, delivered through the Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) program, will support projects that make communities more vibrant, resilient, and sustainable places to live, work, learn, and invest. The funded initiatives are part of nearly… [Read More]
WA Youth Engagement Gets $220,000 Boost
Twenty-six community organisations and local governments in Western Australia have been awarded a share of nearly $220,000 through the 2025-26 Youth Engagement Grants program. Each recipient can receive up to $10,000 to deliver projects that align with the WA Youth Action Plan 2024-2027 – Koorlangka Bidi, focusing on building skills and capacity for young people… [Read More]
























