Stories

Sanja Knezevic presented her business plan with confidence. She argued that the addition of a conference facility to a new tourist complex in the rural, southern Serbian village of Latkovac would increase off-season occupancy nearly 300 percent. The young entrepreneur explained how additional revenue would finance other planned projects for Ethno Village, a small tourist enterprise she founded and owns. She aims to draw people from across the region attracted by its art, theater, music, and environmental programs. If Sanja could acquire additional funding for her plan, five employees could count on year-round employment. More workers might also be hired.

A wide-ranging project aimed at improving Haiti’s natural resource management and the lives of hillside farmers marked its close last month with a number of major successes—including higher incomes for farmers and the formation of a regional forum to carry on improving farm production while protecting natural resources. The five-year project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), focused on six major components in two watersheds—and pivoted midstream to support relief efforts in the wake of Haiti’s January 2010 earthquake.

One of DAI’s most wide-reaching economic growth projects marked its close this fall with a remarkable tally of results that speak to the success of an approach based on unleashing the technical knowhow and market linkages already latent in the Cambodian economy. The project—which aimed to improve Cambodia’s business friendliness and economic vitality—touched the lives of 1.3 million people in its four-year second phase alone.

On March 16, 2005, an unprecedented event took place in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia: a fashion show. The Spring-Summer ’05 Prêt-à-Porter show—an industry-wide collaboration among Armenian designers, apparel manufacturers, and trade companies—showcased the industry’s work to increase interest in, and awareness of, Armenian-made clothing.

Burundi was plagued from 1994 until 2005 by a brutal civil war that devastated the country’s one major farming export—coffee.

Since Gaza’s borders were blocked in 2007, most of its 1.5 million residents have been forced to live without simple food items such as ketchup, canned tuna, or chocolate snacks. Previously known for fresh seafood, abundant spices, and overall culinary wealth, Gaza has seen many products disappear from its stores’ shelves.

One could understand if many Iraqis had lost hope. They had been through hell, for years bearing the brunt of political oppression, a devastating invasion, brutal war and insurgency, and vicious sectarian violence. Why would they subscribe to rosy visions of democracy and freedom?