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Uganda is accusing schools backed by Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates of “teaching pornography”
For much of the past year, Bridge International Academies has faced tough criticism of its operations and business model in Africa. With its scripted teaching plans, Bridge offers standardized education in developing countries through its chain of low-cost private schools. But critics contend that the startup, which is backed by investors including Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and the World Bank, hired cheap teachers and ran its schools amid poor sanitary conditions.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Paid, But Not Paying Off: Why G2P Payments Are Not Yet Driving Financial Inclusion
In 2012, the government of South Africa started making government to person (G2P) payments directly into bank accounts. While that move made the payments more efficient, it's been less effective in ensuring that recipients reap the benefits of being financially included. Turns out, very few, if any, of these recipients use their new bank account for anything other than withdrawing their cash.
- Categories
- Technology
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Indian government asks Paytm, Oxigen wallet to digitize rural cash
The government has dialled Paytm and Oxigen Wallet to help digitise cash transactions in rural India. The rural development ministry wants to rope in digital wallet firms to make the Rs 40,000 crore turnover of women’s self-help groups (SHGs) cashless and broaden financial inclusion.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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India’s Most Remote Villages Are Getting Better Healthcare With This Cloud-Based Solution
In India, public health care is free, yet years of under-investment in public health means that facilities are also grossly understaffed and under-equipped. The country also has a massive resource gap of over 4 million health workers and, to compound problems, nearly 60% of existing health workers practice in urban areas.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
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The Race for a Zika Vaccine
The Zika virus thrives in tropical climates. But it is also growing in this cold-weather city — up a flight of stairs, past a flier for lunchtime yoga and behind a locked door. That is where scientists working in a lab for Takeda, the Japanese drug company, inspect and test vials of the virus.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- North America
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South Florida Hospital System Breaks Into $30B Telemedicine Market
Spanish-language telemedicine provider Mediconecta will team up with Miami Children’s Health System to spur growth in the digital health industry.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
- Region
- North America
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Bill Gates keen to partner India on e-health, e-payment through his Foundation
Bill Gates, co-founder of American technology giant Microsoft is keen to partner with the Indian government for technology driven social projects such as e-health, e-agriculture and e-payment. Gates, who met union minister for communications and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad in the capital on Thursday has also also evinced interest in partnering with start-ups that can provide these services to the bottom of the pyramid.
- Categories
- Health Care, Technology
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Digital Tools for Impact and Scale to Reduce Extreme Poverty
Ana Pantelic writes that Fundación Capital is using tablet-based applications and e-learning platforms to change the way that families living in extreme poverty – and the program mentors who work with them – access information and build local capacity. By integrating digital solutions into its work, the organization has improved and standardized the quality of training, and as a result, scaled national responses to eliminating poverty.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
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