Active Citizens

The Relentless Struggles of India’s Seawall Mammas

By Manipadma Jena
The sun is high in the noon sky—humidity unrelenting at 95 percent in this Indian sea-coast village. The monsoon has been deficient; rice paddies are yellowing on the edges from the salty surf misting in on them. Waves now break barely 200 metres from the farms and homes.

Back to Nature to Avoid Water Collapse in the Capital of Chile

By Orlando Milesi
A return to nature is the main solution being promoted by communities and municipalities to avoid the water shortage that threatens to leave Santiago, the capital of Chile, home to more than 40 percent of the 19.5 million inhabitants of this South American country, without water.

Community Solutions Combat Water Shortages in Peru’s Highlands

By Mariela Jara
The lack of water is so severe in Peru's highlands that farming families are forced to sell their livestock because they cannot feed them. "There is no grass or fodder to feed them," says Fermina Quispe, a Quechua farmer from a rural community located at 4,200 meters above sea level.

How to Defend the Environment and Survive in the Attempt, as a Woman in Mexico

By Emilio Godoy
The defense of the right to water led Gema Pacheco to become involved in environmental struggles in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, an area threatened by drought, land degradation, megaprojects, mining and deforestation.

Bringing the Piratininga Lagoon Back to Life in Brazil

By Mario Osava
Houses with balconies facing the street or the surrounding hills, when they are not hidden behind high walls, reflect a neighborhood where people live on the shore of a lagoon but reject the landscape it offers.

Silent Struggles: Unraveling Korea’s Startling Elderly Suicide Surge

By Hyunsung (Julie) Lee
Growing up in a culture that values respect for elders, I was acutely aware of the importance of caring for our aging population. However, my journey to understanding the gravity of this issue truly began with a personal anecdote. I watched my grandmother, a pillar of strength throughout my childhood, gradually withdraw from the vibrant world in which she once thrived. The cheerful twinkle in her eyes began to dim, replaced by an eerie sense of isolation.

The Frogs Are Drying Up! Let’s Explore What We Can Do!

By Karuta Yamamoto, Seiji Takano, Shun Shikii, Sota Yoshihara and Takeru Konno
Have you ever seen a dried frog? We have, and it’s making us rethink our impact on the environment. Frogs are incredibly sensitive to dry conditions, and they are facing the threat of extinction due to global warming. Amphibians, like frogs, make up a significant portion of endangered species, with 41 percent vulnerable compared to only 25 percent for mammals like polar bears.

The Issue Preventing Female Students in Thailand from Flourishing: No, It’s Not Just the Poverty You’re Thinking Of

By Hyolim (Kelly) Lee and Eunseol (Rachel) Cho
Four acrylic panels stood like soldiers around the perimeter of my body, bolted upright by the men who installed them, light proudly bouncing off the inherent gloss on those walls as I sat on the toilet.

Ecuadorians Vote to Preserve Yasuní National Park, but Implementation Is the Problem

By Carolina Loza
The decision reached by Ecuadorians to put an end to oil production in Yasuní National Park, in a popular referendum in August, was a triumph for civil society and a global milestone in environmental democracy. But when it comes to implementation, the result is less promising.

Are Many Children in Japan Going Hungry? How Can We Help?

By Momoko Harada, Rei Sato and Shunki Sometaya
Picture this: It’s the scorching days of summer, and kids are flocking to the nearby mall, eager to bask in the cool air and hang out with friends. But among the laughter and chatter, one girl stands alone in the food court.

Innovative Family Farm in Cuba Uses Mix of Clean Energies

By Luis Brizuela
Combining technologies and innovations to take advantage of solar, wind, hydro and biomass potential has made the Finca del Medio farm an example in Cuba in the use of clean energies, which are the basis of its agroecological and environmental sanitation practices.

Iran: One Year on, What’s Changed?

By Inés M. Pousadela
It’s a year since a photo of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini – bruised and in a coma she would never recover from after being arrested by the morality police for her supposedly improperly worn hijab – went viral, sending people onto the streets.

Multilingual #AfghanGirlsVoices Campaign to Return Millions Back to School

By Joyce Chimbi
A Taliban edict is rolling back time in Afghanistan after access to education for all Afghan girls over the age of 12 was indefinitely suspended on September 18, 2021. Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls are forbidden from attending school beyond the primary level, leaving more than 1.1 million girls and young women without access to formal education.

Treated Wastewater Is a Growing Source of Irrigation in Chile’s Arid North

By Orlando Milesi
The reuse of treated wastewater in vulnerable rural areas of Chile's arid north is emerging as a new resource for the inhabitants of this long, narrow South American country.

Youth Rally for Peace Through Climate Justice at the UN

By Abigail Van Neely
“What do we want? Climate justice! When do we want it? Now!” youth chanted in an unusually lively conference at the United Nations Headquarters.

El Salvador Is Making Little Effort to Eradicate Illiteracy

By Edgardo Ayala
El Salvador's efforts to improve the educational level in the country seem to be falling short, with rundown schools, especially in rural areas, and little progress in overcoming illiteracy.

Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor Lacks Water

By Emilio Godoy
Due to insufficient pressure water does not make it up to Elliot Escobar's house in the Mexican municipality of Matías Romero, where he lives on the second floor, so he pipes it up with a hose from his sister's home, located on the first floor of the house shared by the two families.

Social Activists Demand Real Equality for Chilean Women

By Orlando Milesi
Women social activists recognize that gender equality is gaining ground in Chile, but maintain that there is still a long way to go to turn into reality the promises to "level the playing field" between women and men, while they highlight the importance of addressing the issue of care work.

International Youth Day 2023


 

Today, the world is embarking on a green transition. A shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is critical.

“No” to Sex Education Fuels Early Pregnancies in Central America

By Edgardo Ayala
Pregnancies among girls and adolescents continue unabated in Central America, where legislation to prevent them, when it exists, is a dead letter, and governments are influenced by conservative sectors opposed to sex education in schools.

Vulnerable Women Suffer the Worst Face of Discrimination in Argentina

By Daniel Gutman
Remi Cáceres experienced gender-based violence firsthand. She struggled, got out and today helps other women in Argentina to find an escape valve. But because she is in a wheelchair and is a foreign national, she says the process was even more painful and arduous: "Being a migrant with a disability, it's two or three times harder. You have to empower yourself and it's very difficult."
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