Region: Puerto Rico

Topics: AgricultureEntrepreneurshipEnvironmentJobsMoney

Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico nearly three years ago – and highlighted its dependence on imported food. The spread of the new coronavirus could lead to similar food shortages. Green-thumb residents are trying to fix the imbalance by growing and marketing local produce.

Region: Sri Lanka

Topics: ClimateEarthEntrepreneurshipNature

Tailors and banana farmers are boosting their incomes and promoting environmental sustainability through unique initiatives that reuse trash.

Region: Democratic Republic of Congo

Topics: AgricultureEarthEntrepreneurship

A booming population in Kirumba, DRC has made the preferred feed for small livestock very scarce. Farmers have come to rely on local entrepreneurs, who saw the need and now walk long distances to procure the coveted grasses to sell at market.

Region: Zimbabwe

Topics: EconomyEntrepreneurshipMigrationMoney

With inflation tightening its grip on Zimbabwe, people are hungry for ways to get groceries from abroad, but many traditional methods are expensive and inconvenient. But new technology might offer some relief.

Region: Sri Lanka

Topics: EntrepreneurshipInnovation

The country’s women, faced with the threat of sexual assault, often avoid taking long-distance buses alone. A local entrepreneur devised a way to assuage their fears.

Region: India

Topics: AccessEntrepreneurshipHealthInnovationReproductive Rights

In many parts of India, women still struggle against the taboo of their periods and often don’t have the hygiene products they need. Now, female entrepreneurs are taking matters into their own hands and producing the products themselves.

Region: Zimbabwe

Topics: BusinessCorruptionEntrepreneurshipPolitics

Furniture workers make up a large portion of Zimbabwe’s informal economy. But in this particular manufacturing complex, their livelihoods are in danger from constant fires that the authorities can’t address.

Region: Democratic Republic of Congo

Topics: BusinessEntrepreneurship

Refrigerated beverages and recharged cellphones are among the benefits of a local businessman’s efforts to bring electricity to Komanda. But breakdowns are common, many can’t afford the use of generators, and residents criticize the national government for failing to provide an infrastructure plan for the region.

Region: Sri Lanka

Topics: Entrepreneurship

Traditionally, women in Sri Lanka do not fish for a living. But in Jaffna, where many men died, were wounded or went missing during the civil war, Rasathurai Sarojathevi is teaching a group of 20 women to earn their livings from fishing. Even when the rains don’t cooperate, local women are taking the lead in earning for their families.

Region: Argentina

Topics: BusinessEntrepreneurship

Argentina’s youth-unemployment rate is above average for the region, and many students graduate only to find a market unsuited to their skills and qualifications. But some young Argentines are taking matters into their own hands: When they can’t find a job, they create one.