Feature

By Robin Smith Guatemala is on the brink of becoming another Columbia or Mexico, where military policing, guerrilla groups, and civilians have to battle it out for control. It is a battle without winners and where the average citizen is the one who suffers most. And I wonder, is there time for Guatemala to save itself?

By Lykke Andersen A lousy little loan, which seemed like a good idea at the time, doomed Micky to a life in extreme poverty and heavy indebtedness, while Savvy, who couldn’t get a loan, did very well. So, if you thought micro credit will help solve the problem of poverty, you might want to do a bit of math to understand the astonishing power of compound interest.

“That’s not to say that microfinance won’t help the very poor, rather that there needs to be a recognition that microfinance isn’t the only thing that can work", argues Oxford Microfinance Initiative’s President Vicente Solera Deuchar.

By Nikola Jovanovic I asked myself so many times: Isn`t it already too much? Do we really need to go to wars after all these natural disasters? Haven’t floods, earthquakes and Tsunamis taken enough lives and added enough human suffering?

Free education is a concept that is only free on paper, but the reality is, education in Uganda and Kenya is expensive. There have been cases where students had to buy a bag of cement, toilet papers and brooms for their school. And in some cases students who fail to make book donations to school have been sent away.

By Luciana Grosu Being old in Romania often equals being poor. Romania’s population is younger compared to other EU countries, nevertheless, it is aging rapidly. There are indeed elderly people who die of hunger, alone in their homes. We often hear about such cases, but there’s not much we can do about it”, admits Lisei Maria.

By Winston Mwale Leaders from 26 East and Southern African countries are meeting in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe to make final touches to an agreement that may see the formation of what could prove to be Africa's largest free trade area.The proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) is touted to improve the economic and social welfare of the citizens of the COMESA-EAC-SADC region.

By Adil Khan The Western Sahara dispute is ‘one of the world’s least reported crises’. For almost 40 years a forgotten conflict has ensued in a forgotten region. Contested by Morocco and the rebel organisation known as the Polisario Front, it is the cause of ethnic tensions, a diaspora, and a terrain contaminated with 9 million landmines. Will this conflict be allowed to continue, or will the international community intervene?

The golden age of aid seems to be in jeopardy; perhaps what is needed is a revolution in the system of aid delivery. And what better country  to look to for revolutionary inspiration than Cuba?By taking a leaf out of Cuba’s book, the focus of the Western aid system could be shifted towards sustainability.

By Cucu Wesseh Aid being tied to the purchase of goods and services to the donor country increases overall costs by 25%. Moreover, most donors channel aid through NGOs from within their own countries. This has major consequences in ensuring sustainable development in the global South.