Manmohan Singh, India's prime minister, speaking during India's 66th independence day, admitted that the government has not done enough on skill building for India's youth and announced the setting up of a national skill development agency (NSDA). Read more.
Bangladeshi garment factories have become synonymous with deathbeds, as evidenced by the frequent accidents, fires, and building collapses in recent years. The recent building collapse in Savar caused the deaths of thousands of workers. As a consequence, foreign investors are withdrawing their investments from the garments sector, which accounts for 80 percent of the country's export earnings. It is surprising that despite the overwhelming importance of this sector, law enforcement in this sector is depressingly weak. Read more or join the discussion.
Nairobi is not the city it was five years ago. The capital of Kenya is transforming its skyline: high-rises are mushrooming up and away from the Central Business District in a quest to find unoccupied space and expand. Accompanying this vertical climb is the ongoing construction of a network of roads and bypasses, aimed to make Nairobi a more fluid and modern city. Some of the key roads that are now nearing completion have been under construction for years. This has opened up an opportunity for street vendors to create informal markets and stalls from which to provide the workforce with food and refreshments. Read more or join the discussion.
Labour laws exist to protect employees from exploitation by their employers. Unfortunately, many companies and factories in Lagos do not adhere to these laws, leading to overworked, underpaid workers who perform in hostile, unhealthy, and dangerous work environments. In one recent case in Lagos, an employee lost his life while on duty in a Chinese-owned nylon manufacturing company with over 500 factory employees. This incident set off a series of worker protests against labour violations and unjust employment conduct. Read more or join the discussion.
The Bangladesh garment factory collapse reminded us of the humanity behind our every day fashion. The substandard conditions are common to stitchers in Bangalore as well. Even before the tragedy in Dhaka, Bangalore played host to a people's tribunal, "Living Wages for Garment Workers," to hear the voices behind the brands speak on issues related to living wages and decent working conditions as a human right. It was the "first-ever attempt" to bring together workers from all major apparel hubs from across India. Read more or join the discussion.
Since the 1950s, Brazil has been taking important steps to ensure the basic protection of all its workers. The most relevant advances include the approval of a series of laws and regulations that ensure formal workers a minimum wage, and a number of benefits, including unemployment benefits, maternity leave, access to a pension fund, and paid time off, and sometimes transportation and meal subsidies. Read more or join the discussion.
Brasil vem avançando a partir de 1950 na expansão da proteção básica para todos seus trabalhadores. Entre os avanços mais importantes estão à aprovação de um conjunto de leis e normas para garantir um salario mínimo para todos os trabalhadores formais, além de outros benefícios, como o seguro de desemprego, beneficio de maternidade, aceso a um fundo de popança, feiras remuneradas e bolsas de transporte e alimentação. Leia mais o discutir.
Shaila Satpute and her husband have been running a footwear shop in Mumbai for the last 15 years. Their $130 monthly profit goes to taking care of household expenses and the family's future — educating their three children, providing them with opportunities Shaila and her husband were unable to access. The Satputes' always had aspirations to grow their small business, but were unable to save enough to invest in more stock. That all changed when Shaila took a small loan from Mumbai-based microfinance organization, Swadhaar FinServe. Now on her third loan cycle, Shaila's monthly profit has doubled. Read more or join the discussion.
Microfinance has proven to be one of the most effective, targeted tools to promote pro-poor economic growth. Inclusive growth is one of post-revolutionary Egypt's goals, and microfinance is indeed effective in creating growth that focuses on increasing social justice, closing the income gap, and creating new job opportunities. There are over 400 micro-finance institutions (MFIs) currently operate in Egypt, positioning microfinance services as key tools for impacting the poor. Read more or join the discussion.
For many entrepreneurs around the globe, starting a new business is a great challenge. Launching a new business is even harder for micro-entrepreneurs from low-income communities: they generally lack access to credit because they have no guarantors. When they do manage to get credit, the interest rate is often much higher than usual, limiting the possibilities to launch a business and to live off it. Read more or join the discussion.