Global Health

New USAID Director Mark Green: "I believe the purpose of foreign assistance should be ending its need to exist .... Now, I'm under no illusions. In some places, that day is quite a ways off."

5 Quotes From The Head Of USAID On His First Day On The Job

4:01pm August 09, 2017

by Courtney Columbus

"Let's get at it. We got work to do," Mark Andrew Green told his employees. Here are highlights from his remarks.

Likezo Nasilele and her husband, Chipopa Lyoni, with one of their four children in the courtyard of their home in rural Zambia. They were one of hundreds of families who received regular cash payouts as part of a government experiment.

Cash Aid Could Solve Poverty — But There's A Catch

1:55pm August 09, 2017

by Nurith Aizenman

A major study in Zambia showed the benefits of just giving poor people money with no strings attached. So why isn't the government entirely convinced?

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Denis Otieno is one of the villagers getting $22 each month from the charity GiveDirectly. He and his wife have used some of the money to buy cypress saplings. They hope to sell the trees for lumber in a few years to pay for their children's education.

How To Fix Poverty: Why Not Just Give People Money?

9:29pm August 07, 2017

by Nurith Aizenman

Forget food aid, cows and job training. An unprecedented 12-year experiment in Kenya tests the power of cash.

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Samir Hussain was attacked in 2015 by a gang of strangers, one of whom threw drain cleaner on his face.

Acid Attacks On The Rise In The U.K.

4:32pm August 06, 2017

by Joanna Kakissis

Corrosive substances are increasingly used as weapons in the U.K., especially in London, which had more than 450 attacks in 2016.

The so-called "goat plague" started out in the Ivory Coast and has spread as far as Mongolia, where goats (above) and sheep and antelopes and even camels are at risk.

Health & Safety

The War Against 'Goat Plague'

7:00am August 06, 2017

by Marc Silver

It's a pestilence that strikes goats, sheep and other small ruminants in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. It can wipe out nearly an entire herd. Now there's a vaccine campaign to wipe the virus out.

Preparing For A Nuclear Attack (Seriously)

8:11am August 05, 2017

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Robert Levin, chief health officer of Ventura Country, Calif., who has helped set up a system for educating residents fearful of a possible nuclear attack by North Korea.

Theobold Kawa, a 55-year-old pastor, stands outside of AEPL Makedonia church in Goma. He bought his suit in Uganda. "I'm dressing up like this because of the Glory of God," he says. "A servant of God shouldn't look dirty."

Health & Safety

PHOTOS: Looking Cool In Congo — Even When The Electricity Goes Out

7:00am August 05, 2017

by Sasha Ingber

"This idea of really taking pride in who you are and what you look like is the thing that keeps them going every day in a place where nothing really works," says photojournalist Shayla Harris.