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Liviane Urquiza's blog

Internet and Citizen Participation: Moroccan Youths Reinvent Their Democracy

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Also available in: Français

This week, I had the opportunity to discuss the rise of citizen participation in Morocco with Tarik Nesh-Nash. If the name means nothing to you, it’s time to discover the man behind it!

Tarik Nesh-NashTarik is 34 years old. He’s a computer engineer and is acutely aware of politics in his country. Youth, skills, and an understanding of the issues: Combine ingredients, mix well, and finish off with a generous dash of inventiveness. What you have is a young social innovator ready to revolutionize the role of citizens in his country.

Early 2011. The first buds of the Arab spring are about to bloom. The Moroccan people take to the streets to denounce social injustice, unemployment, and corruption and call for a genuine constitutional monarchy. In March, King Mohamed VI announces the launch of constitutional reforms. Several days later, Tarik launches Reforme.ma, a participatory platform he co-founded with another young computer engineer, Mehdi Slaoui Andaloussi. The platform will enable thousands of Moroccans to contribute to drafting the new constitution.

Health

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Also available in: Français | Español

Fiche thématique Youthink!

Definition: Physical, mental, and social well-being.

Good health is an important foundation for economic growth and a thriving society. In the developing world, poor health produces a vicious cycle: the same conditions that create poverty put health at increased risk. Hazardous conditions include unsafe and unclean environments, inadequate nutrition, and lack of access to medical care. Societies emerging from conflict often have a population at increased risk of mental health problems. Individuals in any crisis situation are at increased risk of mental health problems. Read the issue brief »
 

Brussels: Diving into the Heart of Development Policies

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Available in Español, Français

I just returned from Brussels where I met five very determined individuals. Whether an entrepreneur, a doctoral student, a ministerial chief of staff, or the head of a community organization in the slums of Nairobi, these five young people have one common goal: to fight for a more just future. And to achieve this goal, they have chosen to use both their talent and their determination to intensify the pace of social progress in their country.

Benedetta Mwongeli Kyengo (Kenya), Bruce Dube (South Africa), Crystal Fiallo (Dominican Republic), and María de los Ángeles Lasa and Alexis Estevez (Argentina) were guests of the World Bank at the Brussels Forum.

Click on the slideshow below for their portraits

The schedule for the trip was packed. No sooner had they been introduced than they had to set off for their first major meeting...  

HappyLife and Social Games: Solidarity goes viral!

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Available in Español, Français

Stéphane Buthaud - HappyLifeLast week, I was fortunate enough to have a discussion with Stéphane Buthaud, the founder of HumanoGames, which is a video game company whose mission is to “change lives.” Mission accomplished.

Thanks to the game HappyLife, launched just one year ago, Facebook users can provide financial backing for the projects of small entrepreneurs all over the world.

This is how it works:  Each player creates his or her own micro-business in the virtual world of HappyLife and re-invests the profits to help an entrepreneur get started in business in real life.

“A Project for Solidarity on a Global Scale”

Nothing in Stéphane’s background pre-ordained him to become a creator of games for the Web.  After engineering studies and a Masters degree in International Business, he gained solid experience working for a number of NGOs on micro-finance projects; first in Bosnia, then Rwanda, China, Argentina, etc.  Until the day he decided to found his own social enterprise.

What made him decide to create a game on Facebook? “It was the best possible way to foster solidarity and rally a community without borders around a common objective.  I wanted to develop a solidarity project with a global reach, to help people who come up with projects, but who lack the means to get started,” Stéphane explains.  

Really? A game on Facebook that could help in the fight against poverty…?

Millions Of Invisible Children Are Deprived Of Their Rights

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YouThink! Enregistrement des naissances
A mother holding her baby. Nigeria. Photo: Arne Hoel / World Bank.

Have you ever met an invisible child? No? Are you sure…?

When a child’s birth is not recorded in the official local or national registry, it means that he officially does not exist. Millions of children throughout the world are victims of this situation and grow up without an identity.

What 4 Friends Learned in Tanzania About Getting Involved in a Community

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YouThink! - Engage-toi ! Tirer les enseignements de l'engagement des jeunes en Tanzanie
An IFOP Survey (fr) published in 2010 reveals that in France, 30% of young people aged 15 to 24 do volunteer work. This is a good average when compared to the rest of Europe. But why be satisfied with 30% when all young French people have the wherewithal to contribute to the cause of their choice? What good is it for youth to be full of energy and bursting with ideas if others cannot benefit from it?

Heloise, Radia, Lea, and Julliette are students at Sciences Po Paris who looked for ways to encourage young people to get involved. How could they help others understand that everyone has an important part to play? That even if they are young, even if they do not yet have the right to vote, they still can make a difference?

And that’s how they came up with the idea to go on a trip.

Eau et pauvreté : quel est le lien ?

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De tous les éléments naturels, l'eau est celui qui nous est le plus vital. Sans eau, le corps humain ne peut ni se développer, ni survivre. Mais on ne fait pas que la boire. L'eau est devenue indispensable pour presque tout ce que nous faisons au quotidien. Non seulement pour la cuisine, le nettoyage et l'hygiène, mais aussi pour l'agriculture, pour la production d'énergie hydorélectrique et pour le maintien des écosystèmes indispensables à l'environnement. Sans compter que l'eau est aussi indispensable aux êtres humains qu'elle l'est à toutes les espèces végétales et animales.

Can the weight of newborns allow us to predict a country's future?

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As part of the Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics in Paris, I was fortunate to attend a presentation by Professor Janet Currie, from Columbia University, on the effects of early life health on adult health, education and earnings. Professor Currie said the size and weight of newborns were indicators of a country’s development, just like average wages or the proportion of children enrolled in school.