The AJWS community has a lot to say about what's happening in the world. Read our insights about the struggle for justice and human rights around the globe — and meet the activists on the frontlines of the fight to build a better world.
Since the earthquake, the international community has rallied around Haiti with aid, relief and reconstruction operations, not to mention plenty of good will. But some of this good will has proven to be misguided, especially as it relates to food aid. Emerging reports are verifying what civil society groups have been saying for years: the …
On Friday evening, I zipped down to Brooklyn and joined a bunch of friends and colleagues to observe Global Hunger Shabbat, AJWS’s day of solidarity, education, reflection and activism to raise awareness about global hunger. When I arrived, our host was fretting about whether there’d be enough food for her guests—an ironic concern to voice …
An interesting article in the New York Times this week discusses the positive changes in Sauri, Kenya—one of the first of the Millennium Villages created by economist Jeffrey Sachs. In a nutshell, Millennium Villages offer an innovative model for helping rural African communities lift themselves out of extreme poverty through community-based projects related to health, …
I recently attended an event promoting Eric Holt-Giménez’s new book (co-authored by Raj Patel), Food Rebellions: Crisis and the Hunger for Justice. Eric is the executive director of Food First and a powerful advocate for transforming our broken food system. His presentation unpacked the causes of hunger worldwide and promoted a reinvestment in local food …
Never heard of it? Me neither. But for farmers in Assam, India, it’s become a life-saving—and crop-saving—phenomenon. Developed by crossing and refining local rice strains, flood-resistant rice varieties have undergone five years of testing and are intended to boost yields and ensure harvests despite worsening flood problems in the region. Pretty cool, right? According to …
