The United States was and still remains the single largest donor of humanitarian aid in the world. In fiscal year 2023 alone, the country accounted for 43% of all government funding donated to humanitarian causes across the world — including $43.8 billion from federal programs like USAID to help combat Read more
Before Yasha Zink became a UC Berkeley entrepreneur, she was a friend looking for answers. The summer before her freshman year, one of her closest friends had confided that she had been drugged and assaulted by two men at a party. Realizing how easily drink spiking can occur, Zink was Read more
A new member of the Graduate Group in Development Engineering, Ceferino and his team move in after disasters, working on the ground to understand how and why infrastructure fails — and how governments can build city systems that are better equipped to withstand the next one. The post Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Read more
Casillas Rios, a three-year student fellow at the Blum Center, graduated this May from the Global Poverty & Practice minor. Since high school, she’s been committed to enhancing the quality and availability of public green spaces in her community. The post How GPP Graduate Yesenia Casillas Rios Molds the Public Read more
Areas around Lake Tanganyika in Uvira, DR Congo are prone to flooding (courtesy photo) In regions upended by conflict and climate threats, how do you devise health systems and strategies for groups that don’t access formal health systems or show up in existing data? It’s a challenge that Sonia Navani, Read more
Shreya Chaudhuri — an alumna of UC Berkeley’s Global Poverty and Practice (GPP) minor — was raised in the Bay Area, but she spent her summers thousands of miles away in eastern India, on her family’s tea farms in Assam. She comes from a long line of tea farmers who Read more
The Master of Development Engineering program graduated its fourth cohort last month, expanding the ranks of professional changemakers addressing complex challenges in low-resource settings around the world Families of the 27 newly minted graduates gathered in Banatao Auditorium for an intimate commencement ceremony before moving to Blum Hall, home of Read more
When Michelle Gallaga moved to the U.S. from the Philippines with her two young kids in 2010, she didn’t know anyone in her new home. “We had to start a life and really try to navigate being an immigrant and all the hardships that come with it,” she says. “When Read more
World Water Week is an annual conference and global observance focused on addressing the world’s most pressing water-related challenges — calling on policymakers and innovators to take action on sustainable water solutions. This year’s theme is “Water for Climate Action,” which aims to address the crucial role that water plays Read more
When Longyu Gong describes life in Shanghai, China, she doesn’t just talk about the scenery but about connection, or rather, the lack thereof. “It’s a very beautiful, modern city,” Gong said. “But people aren’t interacting with their neighbors or building an identity together.” She would know — she studied urban Read more