Restoring Haiti's ecology Depleted croplands yield little but poverty for rural Haitians. But farmers can learn to conserve soil while growing food for their families and produce for sale. Web version | Print version
	A critical time to curb HIV in Ukraine Europe's worst HIV epidemic is spreading beyond prostitutes and drug addicts into the general population. Public education can help turn back the virus. Web version | Print version
	Building rural entrepreneurs in Haiti Poor village women have the talent and drive to make crafts for sale. Given business loans and marketing know-how, they can reach overseas markets and raise their families' incomes.
	The fight against modern slavery I scripted and produced this audio podcast featuring interviews with five heroes in the fight against modern-day slavery. Photo: Kay Chernush for the U.S. State Department. Listen
	Joining forces against AIDS in Malawi African churches are in the forefront of the struggle against AIDS in their communities. By coordinating their services, churches can cut costly overlap and deliver more effective help.
	West African children catch up in school Children in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso often must drop out of school to help their families. But at special schools, older children can catch up to a fourth- or fifth-grade level in just eight months.

Africa

Loans help Beninese gain income In one of the world's poorest and most crowded nations, few Beninese have access to loans that could help them improve their living conditions. This project will provide business training and loans to rural women, enabling them to start or expand income-generating activities.

Helping Beninese prevent HIV and increase income Poverty and a lack of HIV education make Beninese women vulnerable to infection; some are exposed to the virus through traditional practices such as polygamy, while others must turn to prostitution for survival income. This project combines HIV prevention education with loans and training to help women start and grow small businesses.

Legal aid for women in Botswana Violence and other abuses are even more destructive when victims such as poor women and marginalized people have little or no access to legal remedies. Ditshwanelo advocates for human rights and provides legal aid to vulnerable people.

Low-cost loans and training help Burundians raise income Struggling to rebuild after a decade of war, low-income Burundians lack access to capital for starting and expanding income-generating activities. This project will provide affordable loans and business training in Musaga, a war-ravaged district in the capital of Bujumbura.

Loans and training help raise Ethiopian women from poverty In rural Ethiopian regions stricken by drought and food shortages, women who farm to feed families struggle with a lack of access to affordable credit and skills training. WSO creates self-help groups that provide members with small loans, training and support.

Ethiopians learn to avoid HIV HIV continues its steady spread through rural Ethiopia, but effective prevention education can counter the virus while prevalence is still relatively low. This program trains youth, community leaders and community members to avoid infection and to teach others to do likewise.

Kenyans learn to preserve the environment and grow income Though poor Kenyans rely on nature for much of their sustenance, they often lack knowledge to protect the natural environment. This project provides education on natural resources, training in environmentally friendly livelihoods and scholarships for poor children, funded in part by increased tourist revenue at Kenya's natural attractions.

AIDS prevention and care in Kenya HIV/AIDS continues to spread in Kenya's rural Busia district, where efforts by government and nongovernmental organizations to prevent HIV/AIDS and support the infected are meager. This project enables volunteers to educate people on the disease, to care for the infected and to support orphans.

Saving Rwandan lives through health education Civil war left Rwanda's health system in desperate need of trained staff and adequate facilities to cope with preventable diseases - particularly in the Bugesera district of Rwanda's East province, which suffered heavily in 1994's genocide. This project will provide training, medicine, equipment and prevention education to reduce widespread diseases.

Bugesera water, sanitation and health project More than 200,000 people in Rwanda's Bugesera district lack access to clean water, rendering them vulnerable to dysentery, malaria and other easily preventable diseases. This project will provide water through long-lasting facilities such as wells, protected springs, rainwater catchments and water tanks, and improve community hygiene by providing latrines and health education.

Farming women in Zambia get help growing their businesses Zambia's widespread poverty is especially burdensome for women, who are traditionally restricted from receiving credit or gaining education that could help them increase family incomes. This project provides loans and business training to help women grow highly marketable sunflowers.

Asia

Protecting Cambodian youth against the risks of migration Children of poor rural families who migrate to Cambodia's capital of Phnom Penh often fall prey to trafficking and sexual or labor exploitation. Mith Samlanh identifies youth at risk of migration, educates youth and communities on preventing trafficking and provides shelter, education, healthcare and income-generating opportunities.

Improving private education for poor Indian communities Low-quality public schools leave needy Indian youth without a sound primary education, unlikely to benefit from jobs created by the nation's economic growth. This project provides scholarships and funding improvements at private schools serving poor communities.

Rescuing Indian child laborers Poverty makes families in India's Bihar state vulnerable to traffickers, who take children and put them to work in carpet looms and at other punishing jobs. DDWS works with local authorities to rescue bonded child laborers, nurture them physically and emotionally, provide vocational training, return them to their home villages and then counter the poverty and lack of education that breed trafficking.

Tribal Indian women learn to grow and market vegetables Tribal families in central India's Mandla district raise crops for their own subsistence, but traditional farming methods produce only half the food they need - forcing men and sometimes whole families to migrate during the six-month dry season to find work. This project will train women in modern farming and business practices, enabling them to start and manage small businesses and raise family incomes and standards of living.

Mindanao affordable housing project Displaced by armed insurgents or economic instability, thousands of Filipino families become squatters living in shanties, often along the banks of polluted urban rivers. This project will train Filipino families to help build safe and healthy new communities, using their labor as "sweat equity" to help pay for houses they will own.

Poor Filipino farmers get help developing family businesses Despite robust market demand, many poor Filipino farmers lack the business know-how, resources and contacts to produce and sell crops at prices that will lift them out of poverty. This project will organize additional farmers into existing agricultural cooperatives, teach business skills and connect producers with new customers.

Eastern Europe

Countering trafficking in Kosovo In response to brutal ethnic conflict, thousands of international troops and aid workers flooded the Kosovo district of Serbia - helping bring Kosovo under U.N. administration, but also fueling demand for prostitution and human trafficking in this poverty-stricken area.

Macedonian minority youth learn to avoid trafficking Severe poverty makes children of Macedonia's Roma (Gypsy) minority especially vulnerable to trafficking. This project teaches Roma youth to protect themselves - critical knowledge they will share with peers and family members.

Business loans and training for poor Moldovan entrepreneurs In Europe's poorest country, Moldova, farmers and entrepreneurs Iack capital and skills to start successful new businesses or expand existing ones. This project provides loan funds and training to needy people in rural and urban areas.

Latin America

Strengthening microfinance support for Ecuadorians With little or no access to capital to grow small businesses, fishers and entrepreneurs in impoverished communities of Ecuador's coastal Guayas province struggle to meet their families' health, educational and household needs; often, their only alternative is to borrow from moneylenders at exorbitant interest rates. This project will strengthen and expand the work of one of the few microfinance institutions serving these communities, by providing loan capital while building its effectiveness through training and technical assistance.

Ecuadorian farmers and entrepreneurs gain access to credit The Ecuadorian communities of Colimes and Empalme have a growing need for access to credit for farmers and entrepreneurs - particularly poverty-stricken Colimes, where a new bridge will open access to urban markets for crops. This project will strengthen and expand the work of a local microfinance cooperative by providing loan capital while building its effectiveness through training and technical assistance.

Countering child servitude among poor Haitian families Desperately poor Haitian families often send their children to live and work as servants in the homes of the more affluent, where too often children are exploited, abused and deprived of education. Limye Lavi works with a network of partners to protect children in servitude, teach communities and officials about the risks of this practice and create alternatives for poor families.

Microloans and training help Haitian entrepreneurs Haiti's once-fertile Limbé Valley is the focus of programs to restore agricultural productivity, but such efforts will take years to bring widespread benefits to poor rural Haitians. In the interim, this project will strengthen entrepreneurial women who are the backbone of Haiti's economy.

Reducing family violence in Honduras Domestic violence, particularly against women, is a widespread yet largely unaddressed problem in Honduras. ADP will expand the country's only shelter for women and children at risk of violence, providing them with legal, health and emotional support, as well as seed funds to start businesses.

Training poor Honduran farmers People in Honduras' poorest regions lack the skills and financial support to make their farms more productive and raise their standards of living. CIDICCO teaches them how to improve their income andvhow to live a better family life.

Helping poor Mexican families improve income and health People in Mexico's poorest places need not only skills and opportunities to earn income, but help improving hygiene, family relationships and the communities they live in. IMIFAP's program equips women to staff and manage small businesses and teaches good health practices, with effects that strengthen families and communities.