Canada’s new child benefit has lifted almost 300,000 children out of poverty
New Statistics Canada figures show 278,000 fewer children living below the poverty line in 2017, the first full year of the benefit, compared to 2015.
Poverty alleviation
This archive tracks real progress in reducing poverty worldwide — from policy wins and cash transfer programs to community-led economic initiatives. Coverage spans local breakthroughs and global trends, grounded in data and the lived experiences of people moving out of poverty.
Extreme poverty in Pakistan declines from 28% to 4% in 15 years
The extreme poverty (or below $1.9 per day poverty line) in Pakistan has gone down from 28.6 percent of total population in 2001 to 3.9 percent in 2015, Asian Development Bank said in a report.
Offshore wind boom is transforming U.K.’s coastal town economy
Growth in the U.K. offshore wind industry is transforming the U.K.’s coastal towns from empty ports to bustling industry with thousands of skilled job opportunities.
University of Texas promises full scholarships to low-income students
The UT Board of Regents voted to establish a $160 million endowment to offer full scholarships to in-state students with family incomes under $65K by 2020.
New Zealand ‘wellbeing’ budget focuses resources on vulnerable populations
New Zealand’s Labour coalition government has unveiled its “world-first” well-being budget which offers billions for mental health services, child poverty, and family violence.
Atlanta to create United States’s largest food forest for public
The move would result in the city’s first food forest and the largest of its kind in the country.
Child and teen deaths worldwide fall by 50% from 1990 to 2017
New research in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that deaths among children and adolescents fell from 13.77 million in 1990 to 6.64 million in 2017.
Indian state of Sikkim is launching the largest basic income experiment in history
Sikkim will provide cash payments to each of its 610,000 citizens — the largest basic income experiment in history.
Mars Inc. to spend $1 billion over ten years to combat deforestation, child labor, and poverty in its cocoa supply chain
Under the new sustainability scheme – which will cost the company $1 billion over 10 years – all the cocoa it buys will be responsibly sourced by 2025, the parent company of M&Ms, Snickers, and Twix said.
New York’s Solar For All program will award no-cost community solar to 10,000 low-income residents
In a bid to reduce the energy costs for low income New York households, while also helping to increase access to renewable energy for both renters and homeowners alike, the state is enabling no-cost community solar for up to 10,000 residents.