· October, 2006

Stories about Development from October, 2006

Honduras, Uganda: Kiva Microfinancing

  31 October 2006

Global Voices readers are surely dedicated to staying informed about the rest of the world. But the Internet can also enable us to make positive change. “La Gringa” describes how Kiva lets internet users invest in microcrediting loans around the world. Just two days after writing about Honduran loan applicants...

Haiti: Circles of Change

  31 October 2006

A recently posted YouTube video (in kwéyol with English subtitles) introduces a programme in Haiti called Circles of Change, which seeks to empower individuals by developing their sense of personal responsibility and their ability to “teach themselves”. “Can hungry people think,” asks one of the participants. “Can poor people exercise...

Africa: China-Africa connection

  31 October 2006

The Sub-Saharan Africa Roundtable on China-African connection:”No wonder when you consider that trade between China and Africa amounted to $38 billion in 2005, according to the World Bank. What upsets westerners is how China’s investments ignore human rights.”

Bermuda: Dr. Brown's opportunity

  30 October 2006

Valentine Michael Smith leaves aside satire for a moment and considers the opportunity that lies before Bermuda's newly elected Premier, Dr. Ewart Brown.

Belize: Dangriga Town

  30 October 2006

Nyasha Lang reports on a visit to Dangriga Town, Belize, where she visits a radio station run by a Garifuna perfomer and learns how easy it is to fall into the habit of wearing several hats.

Brunei: New GDP Figure

  30 October 2006

The guest blogger at Brunei Resources explains why the new GDP figure for Brunei is both a good news as well as bad news.

Ethiopia: clash over trademark

  30 October 2006

Ethan discusses the clash between the Ethiopian government and Starbucks over trademark, “Last year, the Ethiopian government filed trademark applications to protect the names “Sidaro”, “Harar” and “Yirgacheffe” – the hope was to prevent unscrupulous coffee dealers from buying inexpensive beans from other countries and selling them as “Sidaro”, whether...

Voices from Zimbabwe

  30 October 2006

Following recent reports chronicling the decline in Zimbabwe's HIV/AIDS prevalence, the spotlight has now been turned on to the effect anti-AIDS campaigns have wrought on traditional Zimbabwean morals and values: Zimbabwe's lead in condom use and condom sale worldwide has produced mixed reactions, with some sections of society welcoming the...

Zimbabwe: church releases national vision document

  30 October 2006

The Bearded Man posts latest news from Zimbabwe, “A church-authored national vision document could be the start of efforts to end Zimbabwe’s fast deteriorating crisis but analysts say it fell short of directly putting the blame on President Robert Mugabe’s government and questioned the veteran leader’s commitment to implementing its...

Africa: PayPal expansion into Africa

  27 October 2006

Oluniyi David Ajao writes about PayPal expansion into Africa, “Hitherto, South Africa had been the only African country supported by Paypal. The popular online financial institution has now extended its services to Botswana, Cape Verde, Namibia, Togo and Tunisia, on the African continent. In all the six countries however, users...

Uganda: Anti-Corruption Week

  27 October 2006

I Have Left Copenhagen for Uganda writes about the Anti-Corruption Week in Uganda, “The theme for this year’s Anti-Corruption Week (ACW) is “Tackling Corruption in Universal Primary Education (UPE)”. The Anti-Corruption Week 2006 will take place between the 30th October and 5th November.”

Dominica: Independence

  26 October 2006

On the occasion of Dominica's independence, Kenny Green affirms the strength of the island's culture while sounding a warning: “Dominica has some major questions to ask itself about independence. Most of our income was from a protected relationship with Europe which we scream to regain, brokered by England. Our current...

Indonesia: Rise of Democracy

  26 October 2006

Adam's Gecko in Bangkok looks at the rise of democracy and de-centralisation of power in Indonesia. The blogger has interesting perspectives from a trip to Indonesia in 1992, just after a pro-democracy movement in Thailand.

Bosnia & Herzegovina: Exploring the Pyramid

  26 October 2006

“Bosnian Pyramid? – Visocica Hill” – by sjareb It's been over a year since the whole Bosnian pyramid media fuss started. Still, many talk about the possible discovery of Europe’s first step pyramid complex. The event is significant for Bosnia & Herzegovina's recovery, as it brings positive media attention and...