News
Saving Lives, Saving Livelihoods
December 19, 2017
When Eric Viala was a student in engineering school, heavy rains triggered a landslide that buried a campground in an Alpine valley near his home in Annecy, France. “It happened during the night and killed 23 people,” Viala said. The experience left its mark on Viala, who went on to become the director of Winrock’s […]
Honoring Champions for Change
December 13, 2017
On December 5, Winrock International President and CEO Rodney Ferguson joined a diverse group of volunteers, private sector experts, USAID leaders, members of Congress and other organizations to celebrate International Volunteer Day on Capitol Hill. At its Volunteer of the Year Award Celebration, Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA) honored six exceptional volunteers and six […]
A Conference, an Exhibit, a Plan
December 13, 2017
More than 330 participants attended a two-day conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on the National Plan of Action for Combating Human Trafficking. Organized by the government of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Trafficking in Persons Program (BC-TIP), implemented by Winrock International, the conference featured remarks by USAID Mission Director Janina Jaruzelski as well as the secretary of Bangladesh’s […]
Life Lessons
December 4, 2017
“Before, I did not know what my children were learning in school. Now, I can guide them,” says Tamanna Khatun, the mother of five sons who lives in Khulna, Bangladesh. “I wanted to learn how to write my name; that’s why I enrolled in this class,” says her classmate, Parveen Begum. Tamanna and Parveen didn’t […]
SWP to Continue Wilson Center Series with “The Challenge of Too Much Water”
November 29, 2017
From Hurricane Harvey to Typhoon Damrey, this season’s extreme weather events have made it clear that too much water can be as deadly as too little. Flooded streets, destroyed villages, unsafe water: as these and other impacts of extreme weather increase, how can we help already vulnerable communities prepare for the next wave? And how […]
Winning Innovations
November 27, 2017
A low-cost aquaponics operation in Nepal. A mobile app that helps farmers work together to share equipment and manage their incomes. These are just two of the new ideas pitched at the Tech4Farmers Asia Challenge 2.0 in Bangkok this fall. The event, organized by USAID and Winrock International, brought together some of South and Southeast […]
“We Are Still In”
November 16, 2017
Speaking at USAID’s Global Innovation Week in late September, Winrock President and CEO Rodney Ferguson pledged to continue meeting the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. Winrock International maintains that pledge every day with projects that safeguard critical ecosystems and strengthen natural resource management. Winrock has also been present at the 23rd annual Conference of […]
Keeping Heads Above Water
November 8, 2017
Arriving in Katmandu days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall, I watched footage of the storm’s torrential rains batter southern Texas and saw heartbreaking images of families trapped on rooftops surrounded by toxic stormwater. Here in Nepal, more than 13,000 kilometers (8,077 miles) away from Houston, the worst monsoon season in years is also inundating villages […]
Hydraulic Despots and the Origins of Water Planning
November 8, 2017
To understand modern water management, it helps to go back thousands of years, to the Hydraulic Empires of Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China and Mesoamerica. These early advanced civilizations grew out of the need to divert water for human use and to harness the power of flowing water. The more control the ruling elites took over […]
Taking a Big Picture Look at Water Security
November 7, 2017
As the world faces drought, floods, water pollution and other risks, countries often respond by building infrastructure — anything from community pumps to large-scale dams. But while these infrastructure solutions provide short-term benefits, they often fail to deliver long-term water security. The Sustainable Water Partnership (SWP) offers robust, big picture solutions to water problems — ones […]