About "Charting Change"

A monthly blog about innovative projects in the developing world presented by Canadian Geographic and Canada’s International Development Research Centre

Researchers with the Akiba Mashinani Trust examine a map of Nairobi's Mukuru slum. In August 2017, activists succeeded in having the settlement designated as a special planning area, the first step in a process that could help transform the slum and the lives of its 300,000 residents.

Researchers with the Akiba Mashinani Trust examine a map of Nairobi's Mukuru slum. In August 2017, activists succeeded in having the settlement designated as a special planning area, the first step in a process that could help transform the slum and the lives of its 300,000 residents. (Photo: Akiba Mashinani Trust)

(Photo: Akiba Mashinani Trust)
Mukuru rising
How a new designation could transform the Nairobi slum and help end the “poverty penalty” its residents face
Jemimah Njuki, a food-security expert with IDRC

Jemimah Njuki, a food-security expert with IDRC, believes that greater involvement for African women in food-security and agriculture research can benefit the whole continent.

Improving Africa’s food-security, one woman at a time
Food-security expert Jemimah Njuki explains why women are poised to take a leading role in Africa’s agriculture industry
Women study at L’École Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti. The school is one of the partners of the AYITIC program, which is helping train Haitian women to take part in the digital economy.

Women study at L’École Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haiti. The school is one of the partners of the AYITIC program, which is helping train Haitian women to take part in the digital economy. (Photo: Jairo Abud)

Photo: Jairo Abud
From disaster, a new digital economy for Haiti
In the wake of the devastating 2010 earthquake, online opportunities are arising that could help resurrect the Caribbean nation
Sefiya Heliso harvests chickpeas in southern Ethiopia. Heliso is participating in a project that is encouraging people to grow and eat pulses such as chickpeas to help improve food security in the country

Sefiya Heliso harvests chickpeas in southern Ethiopia. Heliso is participating in a project that is encouraging people to grow and eat pulses such as chickpeas to help improve food security in the country. (Photo: IDRC/Petterik Wiggers)

Photo: IDRC/Petterik Wiggers
Pulse power
In Ethiopia, protein-rich crops of pulses such as chickpeas are no longer playing second fiddle to maize and wheat, a shift that’s transforming lives
A woman weaves Jamdani fabric in Bangladesh. The fabric, which UNESCO has recognized as an item that represents the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, is one of many handicrafts on the Artisan Hub website

A woman weaves Jamdani fabric in Bangladesh. The fabric, which UNESCO has recognized as an item that represents the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, is one of many handicrafts on the Artisan Hub website. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Photo: Shutterstock
Giving artisans access
How Artisan Hub is helping connect traditional craftspeople in developing countries to new and potentially lucrative foreign markets
Photo: Bruno Charbit

A computer displays a picture of the brain of someone undergoing a magnetic resonance imaging scan at the neuroimaging unit of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Researchers at the center are collaborating with colleagues in Canada and India on brain research. (Photo: Bruno Charbit)

Photo: Bruno Charbit
Tuning into how the brain learns
Researchers in Canada, Israel and India believe music can offer clues about the ability of the brain to transfer learning
Photo: Madelaine Artavia Sotela

Madelaine Artavia Sotela at a construction site in Costa Rica. Artavia Sotela started her own construction company in 2002 and has since watched it grow, thanks in part to the WEConnect International program. (Photo: Madelaine Artavia Sotela)

Photo: Madelaine Artavia Sotela
Constructive connections in Costa Rica
How the WEConnect International program helped Madelaine Artavia Sotela grow her construction company
Photo: Fernando Moraes/Rede Abrolhos

Members of Adalto Bianchini’s research team pick through samples pulled from the Atlantic Ocean to determine the environmental damage wrought by the 2015 Samarco mine disaster. Bianchini’s research is helping Brazil rewrite its rules on water quality. (Photo: Fernando Moraes/Rede Abrolhos)

Photo: Fernando Moraes/Rede Abrolhos
The man revamping Brazil's approach to water quality
How Adalto Bianchini's research is helping the largest country in South America rewrite its rules on one of its most precious resources
Photo: Dr. Tejendra Chapagain, University of Guelph

Nepalese women use a handheld sheller to remove kernels from corn cobs. The shellers are just one of the simple, low-cost tools included in Sustainable Agriculture Kits (SAKs), which are helping improve the lives of Nepal's terrace farmers. (Photo: Dr. Tejendra Chapagain, University of Guelph)

Photo: Dr. Tejendra Chapagain, University of Guelph
The simple agricultural kit improving life for Nepal’s terrace farmers
Life as a farmer on the terraced plots of land in Central Nepal isn’t easy, but the introduction of new agricultural practices and a few cheap, simple tools could be a boon for the men and women who work the region’s soil  

Researchers in El Salvador are investigating how to make riding the country’s notorious public transit buses a safer experience. (Photo: Óscar Gómez, Communications Executive (FUSADES)

Photo: Óscar Gómez, Communications Executive (FUSADES)
Rethinking El Salvador’s public transit trouble
Riding a public bus in the Central American country can be a treacherous and even deadly experience. But a local think tank is using its newfound ability to conduct detailed on-the-ground research to help transform a system relied upon by millions.
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