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World Bank warns of ‘learning crisis’ in global education
“This learning crisis is a moral and economic crisis,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said. “When delivered well, education promises young people employment, better earnings, good health, and a life without poverty. For communities, education spurs innovation, strengthens institutions, and fosters social cohesion. But these benefits depend on learning, and schooling without learning is a wasted opportunity."
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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Ghana Launches Free High School Education
Ghana introduced free compulsory education at the primary and junior high school levels in 1995 as required by the constitution, but implementation took time. It wasn't until 2014 that the World Bank said Ghana had achieved near-universal access at the primary level.
- Categories
- Education
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Ag Stigma Be Damned: Flipping the Script for Young People, Farming and Investment
Smallholder farmers are getting older – the average age of a coffee farmer is 60 – and fewer and fewer young people are replacing them. This problem isn’t new. But it’s becoming more and more urgent. Will McAneny at Root Capital writes about several agricultural businesses that are flipping the script by asking: What if opportunity flourished on the farm?
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Investing
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Chilean startup ComparaOnline raises $14 million for its financial education tools for Latin America
The company, now backed by private equity firm Bamboo Capital Partners and the International Finance Corp., the investment arm of the World Bank Group, pitches financial educational tools to consumers in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia.
- Region
- Latin America
- Tags
- fintech, venture capital
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No Internet? No Problem: Turning a Feature Phone Into a Digital Library Can Transform Lives
The cycle of poverty in developing countries is real and often riddled with misinformation. That's why the 3-2-1 Service on simple feature phones – which functions like a search engine without the internet – is so important. And people are willing to pay for it. This not only changes how users engage with their phone but also how international development agencies can engage with users to improve livelihoods.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise, Technology, Telecommunications
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Press Release: IFC, Convergence Join to Support Blended Finance for Health and Education Investment
Convergence and IFC will together fund the platform design, including product offering, with potential for raising as much as USD 500 million for investment and advisory support.
- Region
- North America
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How mindful investing can guarantee a better education
By changing the way their pension and endowment funds are invested, universities could pass on the financial benefits to students, while contributing to positive outcomes for society. Africa, which could reap significant rewards from such an approach, is lagging behind many other
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment, Investing
- Tags
- impact investing
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Empowering the Period: How Erasing the Menstruation Taboo Can Fight Extreme Poverty
Educated girls have smaller families and raise healthier and better-educated children. But a lack of supplies, toilets and privacy, compounded by fear and shame in an atmosphere that stigmatizes menstruation, prevent many impoverished girls from attending school once they reach puberty. There are some signs of positive change, however, with a growing number of organizations talking about “empowering the period.”
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, WASH
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