· February, 2012

Stories about Development from February, 2012

Chile: The Role of Public Libraries in Post-Earthquake Reconstruction

  29 February 2012

Several Chilean bloggers are sharing their thoughts on the second anniversary of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Chile on February 27, 2010. Enzo Abbagliati [es] looks at how public libraries can help people “rebuild their lives.” He argues that restoring or building people's deep bond with reading is “probably the...

Chile: Aysén Region and the Call for Decentralization

  24 February 2012

Protests, road blocks, and clashes between protesters and police continue as citizens of Chile's Aysén region demand change. For many, the conflict in Aysén boils down to one problem affecting the whole country: centralism. Chilean bloggers weigh in on the issue.

Haiti: Students in Sheds

  23 February 2012

Haiti Grassroots Watch explores the issues surrounding the non-reconstruction of the state university in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake.

Chile: Twitter Users Share Images of Aysén Protests

  23 February 2012

A social movement that demands better quality of life and lower costs has gained strength in the Aysén region in the Chilean Patagonia. The people of Aysén are uploading their photos to Twitter to show the marches, blockades and confrontations that have occurred in recent days.

Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho”, One Month Later

  22 February 2012

Blogger Giambatista Brito recalls [pt] the one month anniversary of the “Massacre of Pinheirinho“. On the morning of Sunday, January 22, 2012, thousands of families where expelled from their homes with violence by the military police, in the city of são José dos Campos, state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Morocco: “Stop French Made TGV Rail Project”

  22 February 2012

StopTGV.com is a web campaign launched by a number of Moroccan NGOs. It calls for the cancellation of the controversial French-made Tangier-Casablanca TGV rail link due to start operating by December 2015 and which is worth an estimated 20 billion dirhams (US$2.4 billion). The campaign calls on the authorities to...

Sri Lanka: Promoting Reconciliation and Hope to Young People

  20 February 2012

Reconciliation is a much discussed buzzword across Sri Lanka. While there has been much talk about how to do it, a group called Sri Lanka Unites is actually doing something. They are uniting the youth of all ethnic and religious groups across Sri Lanka and promoting hope and reconciliation to them.

Egypt: Among Bulaq's Ruins in an Unfinished Revolution

  20 February 2012

Bulaq Abu el-Ela is one of Cairo’s main informal neighbourhoods, threatened with demolition and its inhabitants resettled into apartment blocks in the middle of the desert. Italian film-makers Davide Morandini and Fabio Lucchini, made a documentary entitled "Bulaq: Among the ruins of an unfinished revolution" about Bulaq, its inhabitants, their issues and suffering from forced evictions.

Malaysia: Petition Against Sarawak Dams

  20 February 2012

An online petition urges the Malaysian government to review its plan to build twelve “highly destructive” hydroelectric dams in Sarawak that will displace tens of thousands of people and flood large tracts of tropical rainforest.

Egypt: Architecture without Architects

  20 February 2012

In this short video, Omnia Khalil reflects on the massive change society underwent on social and political aspects during the last three decades in architecture, urban developments and art. Full research is available online at Waly Center Journal issue 2. (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Africa: Weaving the African Dream Through Social Innovations

  19 February 2012

Gamel identifies social innovations that weave the African dream: “Tech in Education: This project is the main motivation behind today’s post. Tech in Education is a 48hr gathering of ideas, people and digital tools aimed at creating novel web and mobile solutions to improve learning amongst primary and secondary school...

Chile: Aysen Region Social Movement Gains Strength

  18 February 2012

Last year, the Aysen Region was on the national spotlight due to the controversial dam project Hydroaysén. Today people are once again paying attention to this region in the Chilean Patagonia after locals held a series of protests calling for better quality of life and lower living costs.

Guinea: The Indifference Towards Women with Disabilities

  16 February 2012

Boubacar Sanso Barry wrote for the site Yanous [fr]: “Example of the indifference and the negligence in Guinea towards disability issues: It is almost impossible to find an organization that is capable or likely to concern itself with the lives of disabled people, or that would think to tackle those...

Rwanda: Sharp Poverty Reduction

  15 February 2012

Edward Ojulu wrote on The Rwanda Focus blog: “…. over the last five years, more than one million more Rwandans gained access to adequate food, safe drinking wa­ter, good health and education services among others.”

Martinique: All together around Creole

  15 February 2012

The Creole language in the Caribbean and the cooperation between islands were recently discussed during the Creole-speaking Regions Days, as explained in this post on Tous Créoles [Fr Cr/Fr]. One of the most debated issues was a visa waiving program between the French Caribbean islands and the rest of the...

Antigua, Guadeloupe: From the Common Past

  14 February 2012

For the past decade, the tight historical and geographical bonds between the West Indian islands of Antigua and Guadeloupe have been analyzed by historians. A recent conference entitled “Antigua: From the Amerindians to an Independant Nation” [Fr] was organized in Guadeloupe by the group Yo Té Pou Nou Sé. Bloggers...