December 2015
As part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign (Nov. 25 - Dec. 10), Winrock highlighted programs that bring attention to this year’s theme, “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All!" Read more in the blog series.
U.S. Ambassador Derek J. Mitchell recently visited the Mandalay Coffee Group Processing Facility in Myanmar, speaking with local growers and their families. With assistance from Winrock, through the USAID-funded Value Chains for Rural Development project, these growers are able to get their coffee beans into markets throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.
The USAID Supporting Forests and Biodiversity Project recently provided funds to install 200 boundary demarcation poles in three community forests in Kampong Thom province in Cambodia. The poles will act as a first line of defense against land encroachment and illegal logging by informing trespassers that the land is owned and managed by a forest community.
Winrock volunteer, Maria Alfaro, recently completed a Farmer-to-Farmer assignment in Nigeria and blogged about her experience working with smallholder farmers. Thank you, Maria!
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Winrock Celebrates Paris Agreement at COP21
 With great enthusiasm, Winrock International greets the adoption of this month's Paris Agreement, a 195-nation agreement to move the world toward a low-carbon global economy. Winrock has long recognized that climate change was not only a global threat, but a global reality, and that the world’s most vulnerable populations would sustain the deepest impact.
Winrock staff spoke at a number of events — hosting sessions on the importance of forest degradation, as well as low emission development and land use and shared their work and views on topics such as REDD+ and INDCs, standard setting, reference levels, and private sector finance in REDD+. Read more from Winrock’s Ken Andrasko (read blog post) and Robert O'Sullivan (read blog post), who provided a bird's-eye view of the proceedings.
Picture a Brighter Future for South Sudan's Children
 The war in South Sudan may have ended, but schoolchildren there now face a battle on another front — access to safe education. In fact, see what happened when we asked students to draw pictures of what life is like in the world’s newest nation. It's not a pretty picture. Winrock’s USAID-funded Room to Learn project is working to help educate more than 800,000 at-risk children. You, too, can help the youth of South Sudan picture a brighter future with a contribution through GlobalGiving. Thank you!
Winrock in Elite Company for Public-Private Partnerships in Asia
 Winrock International was one of four finalists for a prominent award this month recognizing outstanding public-private partnerships in the Asia Pacific region.
In Bangladesh, Winrock implements the USAID-funded Climate Resilient Ecosystems and Livelihoods project, which works with the poorest of the poor, especially women, to connect them with market opportunities in the private sector. Women, in particular, face significant challenges because they have access to very few few resources and, due to social constraints, limited opportunities to work outside the home. Producing handicrafts has traditionally been one of the few opportunities for women, but limited demand and inadequate access to high-quality materials hampered opportunities to successfully sell their products.
Through a partnership with Hathay Bunano-Pebblechild, women artisans are trained to produce high-quality soft toys for children — toys that can be exported to markets where these products are in high demand. Read More.
Ranking: Fayetteville, Ark., Among Best Places to Found a Startup
 Fayetteville, Ark., was one of the best cities in America to found a startup in 2015, according to a ranking released this month.
Tech startup DataFox had the popular college town No. 3 on their list of 15 cities outside of New York City or Silicon Valley. Winrock International, through the Innovate Arkansas program, has hosted a mentorship-driven accelerator program, The ARK Challenge, three times for technology startups in Fayetteville.
"We are extremely proud of the DataFox ranking of Fayetteville as an area highly supportive of startup companies," said Tom Dalton, director of Innovate Arkansas. "The ranking is reflective of the strong support of the State of Arkansas in putting entrepreneurial development forward as key component of job and wealth creation in this state. The University of Arkansas, along with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, Arkansas Science & Technology Authority and Arkansas Development Finance Authority are to be congratulated for their sustained efforts with new startups."
The ARK Challenge was made possible by funding from Winrock, Gravity Ventures, Fund for Arkansas’ Future, Arkansas Development Finance Authority, and many other startup investment groups. Read more and see the ranking. |
