Listings starting with C

In South Africa, early childhood education programs are poorly funded by a government already inundated with developmental mandates.  Many of the system’s teachers were taught under the apartheid regime and did not receive a quality education themselves.  Without best practice systems in place and limited opportunities for knowledge sharing, the motivation and morale of teachers within disadvantaged communities is low and leads to high absenteeism.

Upon a backdrop of domestic violence, unemployment, gang crime and an endemic black-market of illicit substances, armed conflict has been tearing Colombia apart for some decades.  Sadly, many families have been caught up in the crossfire and it is not only adults who have taken up arms.

Unimproved water sources in Myanmar compromise hygiene, sanitation and drinking water availability.  Unfiltered rivers and swamps are contaminated by human and animal waste, chemical pollutants and heavy metals which can quite often be fixed by simple low-technology solutions.

Although Zimbabwe is ranked among the best in Africa for literacy rates, premature school dropout and subsequent income insecurity are rampant.  Credit facilities have little on offer for those who lack collateral security, thereby limiting their earning potential due to lack of investment.  Some are labour constrained, whilst others are labour endowed; but almost all destitute Zimbabweans are food poor and without means to support their household.

The large number of Burundian men killed by the HIV/AIDs epidemic or conflict, has created many poor and fragile households headed by women or minors who have little income to spare.  In order for the country to rebuild and provide a future for the next generation, these widows and orphans require adequate housing, healthcare, education and vocational training.

As humanitarian crises have lifted in Sri Lanka, national development has shifted its focus toward building a strong economic core in the private sector and diversifying rural livelihoods.  Demographic transition that has accompanied the drive toward middle-income country status now poses some challenges regarding aged dependency.

Across the rugged terrain of Tajikistan there are scattered communities in great need.  Disability is stigmatized, medical facilities are overrun, the employment base is narrow and drinking water is in short supply. 

In March this year, Vanuatu tragically experienced its most extreme storm in recorded history.  Category 5 Cyclone Pam swept through the nation’s South, bringing devastation to more than 60 inhabited islands including Tanna, Santo and Port Vila.

Cyclone Winston was the strongest recorded cyclone to have ever hit the Fijian archipelago.  It caused wide scale loss of homes, infrastructure and crops as 12m high waves battered the coastline and winds gusting at 325km/hour swept the land bare.