Development Dossier

Karaoke, Puppets and Women’s Lib: The New Literacy

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
Whether through an all-female newspaper in rural UP, activity based learning methods in Karnataka, or a karaoke approach to learning on national TV, India’s NGOs are thinking out of the box when it comes to combating illiteracy. On International Literacy Day, Mint takes a look at some of the more innovative and effective projects that are currently...

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Chronicle of Philanthropy Podcast: Using Social Media for Good

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has recorded a podcast offering tips for how non profits can use Facebook, Twitter and social media. They interview Brooke McMillan from the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Andy Ridley from Earth Hour about their social media strategies – Livestrong’s Twitter account has about 37,000 followers and their Facebook group has...

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World Water Film Festival Comes to Bangalore

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
Voices From the Waters, an international traveling film festival, starts today in Bangalore. The festival, which runs until the 7th of September and features over 300 films aims to raise awareness about various dimensions of the world’s water crisis – from social issues like migration and sanitation to environmental issues like ecological destruction...

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UN climate change report backs developing nations

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
The World Economic and Social Survey 2009, a UN report that examines the increasing demands on developing countries as threats from global warming continue to intensify, was released today. Published by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs the report, which links development to climate change, calls for a new global deal that will generate...

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Mobile Giving: Cell Phones for Philanthropy

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
Recent data from industry bodies puts the number of mobile phone users in India at 427.29 million. The country is widely seen as one of the world’s fastest growing markets for mobiles. And yet mobile giving, or the process of donating money through one’s mobile phone via text message or otherwise, has yet to take off in India. “It’s such a small percentage...

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Saving Lives: By Design

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
On Saturday, Index , a Copenhagen based non-profit that sponsors awards every second year for innovative designs that improve life, announced the winners of its 2009 awards. Mint takes a look at the designs that won across five different categories: body, home, work, play, and community, as well as the design that won the people's choice award....

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Farmers are the World’s Hungriest People

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
So says environmentalist Vandana Shiva, head of agricultural biodiversity conservation organization, the Navdanya Trust. Yesterday, the trust released a study about hunger levels in India, which reports that 25% of India’s population – over 200 million people -- do not get enough to eat. The BBC reports that the study is primarily based on data from...

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Tweeting for a Cause

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
Twestival – and no that's not a typo – this year, takes place from 10-13 September in cities around the world. If you’re wondering what a Twestival is, the name should offer up a clue: it’s a Twitter festival. People around the world connect online and then meet up offline to raise money or awareness for a cause. This isn’t the first time Twitter...

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Mashable’s 5 Tips for Non Profits Using Social Media

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
Social media news blog, Mashable , recently posted a good piece about what charities need to do to use social media effectively. In summary, here’s what the writer, Josh Catone, says: Create a dialogue: “You’ll get a much better return on your investment in social media if you take the time to actually engage your followers, friends, and constituents...

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That T-shirt you’re wearing used 2000 litres of water to make

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
For a country facing extreme water shortages right now, India’s water consumption levels are somewhat surprising. I for one was floored to discover that India’s water footprint is the highest in the world. As of data released in 2005, our country consumes a whopping 13% of the world’s water. What’s a water footprint anyway? The water footprint of a...

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A Designer’s Collapsible, Biodegradable Mug for India’s Railway Bathrooms

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
A collapsible, environmentally friendly mug meant for use in the bathrooms of Indian trains has made it to the finals of the 500,000 euro Index Award , which aims to attract entries that improve quality of life around the world. The brainchild of a Delhi based Indian designer, Paul Sandip, the mug holds over a liter of water and disintegrates an hour...

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How Psychology Can Help Fundraising

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
Current research at the Indiana University Center on Philanthropy is aimed at exploring the psychology behind charitable giving. Jen Shang, a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at the University and Adrian Sargeant, a Professor of Fundraising, believe that what they call “philanthropic psychology” is an emerging academic discipline – one that could be effective...

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India’s Water Worries: A Look at Drought Prone Marathwada

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
With the monsoon falling far short of expectations, and a quarter of the country already drought hit, India’s farmers are in for a tough time. While the impacts of a drought will be felt across the nation, certain regions will be particularly affected -- one of which is Marathwada in the state of Maharashtra. Marathwada is a notoriously drought prone...

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Conveying Need: Do Sad Images Just Work Better?

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
A study, called the Face of Need, released by the Journal of Marketing Research examines the role of facial expressions in fundraising. The study claims that sad expressions motivate donors to give more. It examines “how the expression of emotion on a victim's face affects both sympathy and giving. Building on theories of emotional contagion and...

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Talking to Avahan: Gates' India AIDS Initiative Describes $80 Million Plans

Posted by Saabira Chaudhuri at 
Last month, Bill Gates announced that he would be giving an additional $80 million to Avahan – his foundation ’s India AIDS initiative. The money came close on the heels of a scathing article by Forbes on how the project “got lost between B-school and brothel.” The article called Avahan out on a “lack of practical experience at the top,” on failed out...

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