Toilets and drones: 2 innovative approaches to tackling poverty

The path to ending poverty is strewn with familiar obstacles: poor sanitation, gender inequality, lack of financial access. You’ve heard of them all. But solutions often come from the most unexpected things.

Take toilets and drones, for example.

In India, poor sanitation causes 1 out of 10 deaths a year. The solution? Encouraging every home to have a toilet, and educating citizens on the importance of proper sanitation. The Indian government has launched an unusual campaign called No Toilet, No Bride. The campaign encourages the growing trend that grooms offer toilets as a part of a dowry. Having a safe and sanitary place to relieve oneself leads to a cleaner environment, improving the quality of water and helping people enjoy better overall health. People in good health are better able to work and study, which means a greater chance at keeping up at school and ultimately achieving financial prosperity. #ItsNotOnly a toilet, it’s a path to better health.

Following the Balkan conflicts in Kosovo, women have been rebuilding their communities by selling products and opening cooperatives on their land. However, without land titles to land, traditionally held by men, women fall short of benefiting from their work. Settling title disputes used to take months or years because of the logistical difficulties of mapping property. But a new program utilizing drones to survey land, means that disputes can be a resolved in much less time—in days. A faster turnaround means that women stand a chance at gaining financial independence, and lifts up the local economy. In Kosovo, drones mean that gender equality is in reach. #ItsNotOnly a drone, it’s a path to financial freedom.

These innovative approaches are just a tiny fraction of the ways that people, communities, and governments are addressing everyday struggles. Our new campaign #ItsNotOnly shines a light on a growing list of novel solutions to development challenges. Check out a few examples below, and explore the whole collection. Because in 2016, ingenuity creates opportunity.

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