News
Reading, Writing — and Empowering
March 8, 2019
The women of Chimbalu, Chioza, Malawi, live and work side-by-side. A year and a half ago, they also began learning side-by-side. Since August 2017, they have attended literacy classes introduced by the Achieving Reduction of Child Labor in Support of Education (ARISE) program. Through the classes (which encourage a team spirit along with the literacy […]
Women Helping Women in Ghana
March 7, 2019
Named in honor of Winrock’s former president, Robert Havener, and his wife Elizabeth, the Havener Endowment Fund provides agricultural education and training for African women. The fund is piloting an internship program for recent female graduates and providing additional resources to women farmers living in cocoa communities engaged in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Mobilizing […]
“Gamechangers Laboratory” Established for Cutting-Edge Food Leaders to Accelerate New Solutions
March 6, 2019
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – March 6, 2019 – An extraordinary gift from philanthropist-entrepreneur Ryan D. “Jume” Jumonville of United Networks of America has established the “Gamechangers Laboratory,” a groundbreaking initiative from the Wallace Center at Winrock International. Through collaborations and convenings, the Gamechangers Laboratory will catalyze breakthrough ideas, strategies and innovations in community-based food systems as […]
Generation Hope’s Nanette Medved-Po speaks at Winrock
March 1, 2019
Philanthropist Nanette Medved-Po spoke at Winrock International’s Washington, D.C. office about Generation Hope, the social enterprise she founded that uses the proceeds from bottled water sales to build classrooms in the Philippines. A former actress and model, Medved-Po told Winrock CEO Rodney Ferguson that she came up with the idea for Generation Hope after serving […]
Delta Innovation Fund Selects 20 Delta Startups for Accelerator Program
February 27, 2019
Cape Girardeau, Mo. – February 27, 2019 – Twenty early-stage startups from the Mississippi Delta region have been selected for the seventh cohort of the Delta Innovation Fund (Delta I-Fund) startup accelerator. Funded by the Delta Regional Authority (DRA) and administered by Winrock International, the Delta I-Fund is a proof-of-concept startup accelerator that connects budding […]
Arkansas Woman Jumpstarts Her Business With Help of AWBC
February 26, 2019
When a large chicken processing plant in El Dorado, Arkansas, closed in 2008, roughly 1,500 employees and 160 contract growers found themselves out of work. Amid the bleak economic downturn, however, LaQuita Rainey saw an opportunity. Rainey had spent 28 years in the nursing field and operated her own business, Elder House Adult Daycare, which […]
Tuning in to Rural Communities with Radio in Zambia
February 12, 2019
Shortly after midnight on August 1, 1981, MTV broadcast its first music video, the Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star.” The choice of the song was a statement of purpose – television is ascendant, radio’s old news – in the same way the internet and social media later brashly elbowed their way into public consciousness. […]
From Myanmar to Music City
February 12, 2019
It’s wintertime in Nashville, and coffee roasters at some of the top specialty coffee shops in the U.S. are reacting to their first experience with a newcomer to the international market: beans from the Shan State of Myanmar. “It blew my mind because it’s really complex,” said Will Shurtz, roaster and green coffee buyer at […]
Bolstering WASH, Building Resilience
February 11, 2019
Clean water keeps us alive by keeping us hydrated and clean. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) projects aim to improve public health by allieviating poverty and boosting economic development. They do this by building or rehabilitating water and wastewater systems, and by promoting healthier sanitation and hygiene practices. While WASH programs continue to save lives, […]
Learning from Neighbors
February 8, 2019
Representatives of three Cambodian villages recently came away determined to improve their local sanitation after visiting a nearby community that had successfully addressed similar problems. Many of the villagers are part of a working group formed in October to address inadequate access to safe water supply and sanitation (WASH) in central Cambodia’s Stung Chinit watershed. […]