Jan 4th, 2009 · Two dozen boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 11 are halfway through a year-long tour, in which they'll perform more than 200 shows across the U.S. When they're done, they'll head back to some of the poorest countries in Africa — and a new life. The African Children's Choir aims to rescue poverty-stricken kids by harnessing the power of song.
Sep 3rd, 2008 · One of the towns hit hardest by Hurricane Gustav was Montegut, La. Local officials say it could take weeks to bring electricity back to the community, and some worry that residents, tired of weathering hurricanes, will leave for good.
Aug 6th, 2008 · A record drought, made worse by razing of fields and greenbelts to limit havens for insurgents, is plaguing farmers across Iraq. The drought has particularly hit hard in Diyala, a province where fighting still rages.
Jul 3rd, 2008 · Anne Hartridge and Matt George are about as "green" as it gets. They bike to work, have solar panels, dry their laundry on a line. So when they stopped watering their lawn in drought-stricken California, who would have thought they'd get fined more than $700 for letting their grass go brown.
May 9th, 2008 · The U.N. said it is halting further aid flights to cyclone-stricken Myanmar, after the country's military leadership seized supplies destined for the estimated 1.5 million people affected by the storm. "The food aid and equipment that we managed to get in has been confiscated," WFP spokesman Paul Risley said.
Apr 22nd, 2008 · Paul Polak is founder of the non-profit organization International Development enterprises, a group that helps poverty stricken communities around the world develop income-generating tools. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his work and his new book Out of Poverty.
Apr 18th, 2008 · Food riots last week in Haiti resulted in seven deaths and in the prime minister's ouster. These events grimly illustrate how the rising cost of commodities threatens to deepen instability in the hemisphere's poorest country.
Feb 21st, 2008 · President Bush spent a few hours in Liberia on Thursday, the last stop in a five-nation, six-day Africa tour. While in the city of Monrovia, the president promised to support development in Liberia, which was eviscerated during a brutal 14-year civil war.