Now in its fifth year, the Blog provides a stimulating yet supportive online space in which to discuss current events and trends in International Development. Through it, we hope to engage young people in global issues and promote global citizenship. See below for our latest posts. We hope you enjoy exploring The DiA Blog.
Reintegrating Yazidi women and girls back into the community
By Asha Kaushal In the centre of Lalish, Iraq, home to the holiest temple in the Yazidi faith, is a small pool of water...
The true cost of fresh cut flowers, and what we can do to shop more sustainably
By Shefali Shah In the lead up to Mother’s Day, UK consumers spent more than £1billion on fresh cut flowers in 2019. The scale...
Rainwater harvesting in southeast Madagascar
Nestled beneath lush, coastal mountains in the commune of Mahatalaky, southeast Madagascar, lies Belavonky; a cluster of wooden houses lying in the dappled shade...
Democratic progress during a global decline
By Hannah Hills According to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Report, 2018 was the 13th year in a row showing an overall decline...
Can blockchain transform foreign aid?
By Jesse Hope The UK’s foreign aid budget continues to improve millions of people’s lives around the world. Over the past year funding has...
Fidel Castro: Then, Now, and Forever?
By Brittany Regner Most of the baby boomer generation In the United States has a soured view of Cuba. They recall moments like the...
The Development Agenda and Indigenous People
By Richa Kapoor In 2016, UN updated their Millennium Development Goals into Sustainable Development Goals, in an attempt to create a more holistic picture...
The secret garden: greening refugee camps
By Myriam Fayad Food and nutrition security are about the right for everybody to access nutritious, affordable and sufficient food. Even though undernutrition globally...
Tax for Good: The impact of non-transparent outflows on Africa’s Economic Development
By Dr Sarah Tzinieris Last month, major changes to Nigeria’s taxation system came into force. Dating back to 2012, the Income Tax (Transfer Pricing)...
Women in the time of a Refugee Crisis
By Myriam Fayad When I enter her tent, Najwa is bent over her old sewing machine, her feet dangle on the pedal, giving rhythm...
The Role of NGOs and their Effectiveness
By Sabina Gordon With 65.8 million of the world’s population now being classed as refugees, it is evident that we are living in an...
Back to school: new year, same problems – Challenges for Syrian refugee students in Lebanon
By Myriam Fayad As the situation in Syria has deteriorated, the number of Syrians seeking refuge in neighbouring countries, such as Jordan, Turkey and...
Why I Am Glad I Did Not Give Up on International Volunteering
I have spent over half my life involved with international volunteering in some way. During that time I have experienced just about all the...
Hate Taxes? Imagine Living in Puerto Rico
Aside from explaining the depth of the crisis in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria, it became apparent that Americans of the mainland United States needed...
Inclusive Growth – What are we all actually on about?
Over the past few years, the term ‘Inclusive Growth’ has become quite the buzz. It challenges the idea that inequality across the board has...
The Dark Side to the Battery Revolution
As the World Economic Forum states; the next energy revolution is upon us. With solar energy continuing to decrease in cost and predictions that...
The Forgotten Victims of Gender-Based Violence
The Rohingya Crisis continues to make headlines, as more and more evidence of shocking human rights violations comes to light. Gender-based violence has been...
Foreign Aid FAQs – #10 “Aid money is spent on the wrong things”
There is a widespread belief that overseas aid money is either handed over to corrupt dictators and never reaches the people it is supposed...
Foreign Aid FAQs – #9 “They’re poor because they’re lazy”
A common attitude nowadays is that people are rich because they work hard and deserve to be wealthy, whereas people are poor because they...
Foreign Aid FAQs – #8 “Why has nothing been achieved?”
The fight to eradicate global poverty has been going on for decades. Yet despite all the money that has been donated and all the...