Asia Pacific

Building a community library amid learning poverty in the Philippines

Education, Grassroots Voices /

by Dominic Gutoman In the heart of an urban poor community in the Bagong Silang, Caloocan, Philippines, children huddle on tarpaulin sheets serving as their makeshift chairs. They squeeze themselves into the narrow alleyways between houses. The tiny space has not only sheltered them, but became their sanctuary of learning, a resisting community against the

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A New Era of Nature-Positive Investment: How Singapore’s Banks Drive Biodiversity Innovation

Climate and Environment, Impact Investment /

Singapore, known as the ‘Garden City,’ is advancing towards the goal of becoming a ‘City in Nature’ through its evolving national strategy. In the context of high urbanization, how can the balance between urban development and biodiversity conservation be achieved? Singapore has provided its own answer. From a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a

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We live in an archipelago. Why can’t Filipinos swim?

Changemaker's Advice, Education, In-depth Issues /

In a country composed of 7,641 islands and one of the world’s longest coastlines, a bizarre phenomenon stands out—around half of Filipinos can’t swim without assistance. This puzzling contradiction raises questions about how residents of an archipelagic nation could be so disconnected from the waters that surround them.  Why is it that so many people

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The woman building Mindanao’s green energy future

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, Tech & Innovation, Uncategorized /

Philline van der Wolk-Donggay calls Mindanao home, where over 1 million people have no access to electricity. Mindanao has the lowest number of electrified households among the Philippines’ three island groups. As the co-founder of Greenergy Solar PH, Philline builds resilient energy systems to make “distributed, decentralized, and democratized electricity” a reality. When Philline and

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The shift from a petroleum career to plant-based living

Changemaker's Advice, Climate and Environment, Uncategorized /

After nearly a decade in the Philippines’ oil and gas industry, Ana Santos found herself in an unexpected place: she became a UX designer and vegan content creator. Her story reveals a different path to impact—one that begins with lifestyle choices and ripples outward to influence others. The Petroleum Pipeline Ana didn’t envision a future

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Explainer: Why is there a trillion dollar funding gap in sustainability?

Impact Investment, Uncategorized /

Even as nations set sustainability targets and consumers take a stand with their wallets, Asia faces a trillion dollar funding gap in its pursuit of sustainable development. The region needs to invest US$1.5 trillion every year or about 4% of its GDP from now until 2030 to meet its SDG targets, according to UN ESCAP.

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Informal waste worker toils surrounded by plastic waste

How to Formalize a Hidden Workforce of Waste Workers

In-depth Issues, Uncategorized /

Sachets, food waste, and crumpled paper fester and mix inside a residential trash bag in Vietnam. A middle-aged woman rummages through the trash. She wears a long-sleeved, patterned garment and a cone-shaped hat traditionally referred to as a nón lá. Before, waste workers didn’t take sachets because it had no trade value. It’s only until

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Promoting Sustainable Development and Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region

News Article /

South-South cooperation can help solve ‘complex development context’  © FAO /  Giuseppe Carotenuto Cooperation between the South and the South is essential to address the complex development issues that developing nations face. To address problems like climate change, food security, and economic instability, cooperation between these countries is crucial, according to Dima al-Khatib, Director of the

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a collage of PYDRRM

Pangasinan Youth Lead the Charge in Disaster Risk Reduction

Grassroots Voices /

by Dominic Gutoman It was the onslaught of Typhoon Pepeng (international name: Parma) in October 2009 that radicalized Kevin Conrad Ibasco, a youth leader and the founder of the Pangasinan Youth for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PYDRRM), about the necessity of community engagement and participation in times of disaster and structural disparity. “I was

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small-scale fisheries floating on a boat

The Untapped Potential of Small-Scale Fisheries in Asia

Climate and Environment, Grassroots Voices, In-depth Issues, Uncategorized /

At the break of dawn, millions of boats dot the coastlines of Asia, their occupants ready to set out for the day’s catch. These are not big commercial vessels nor industrial fishing fleets, but the backbone of a hidden subsector that feeds nations and supports countless livelihoods.  Small-scale fisheries contribute 40% or 37 million tons

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