10 little beginnings

The children of the developing world need help catching up. Here are some little beginnings and great aspirations.

By Kaelyn Forde Eckenrode
Correspondent

A young entrepreneur hard at work in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Photo: Peter Winter
Salvadoran children in one of the country's poor barrios. Photo: Kaelyn Forde Eckenrode

Start a business
Microfinance is a Nobel Prize winning concept that puts start-up capital in the hands of developing world entrepreneurs (especially women). Microcredit from NGOs like the Grameen Foundation promotes sustainable development and lets people jump into artisanry, agricultural and service industries.

Give the gift of water buffalo
Sustainable development begins in the backyard. Heifer International lets you give a developing community livestock that they can use for years to come. Much better than a gift card!

Forgive debt
The Jubilee Movement asks, "Must we starve our children to pay our debt?" Many developing countries owe the developed world, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund billions that could be better spent on social welfare and infrastructure. Drop the debt!

Log on
The One Laptop Per Child Project connects children in the developing world using $100 prototypes, hand cranks for power, a diesel engine and satellite connectivity. A wired way to make sure no child is left behind.

Shop around
Bono and Bobby Shriver launched (Product) RED to produce a league of "better looking Samaritans." High fashion brands, electronics and American Express are all in on the campaign to save African families from the terrifying AIDS epidemic.

Teach
Sometimes it just takes boots on the ground. The Peace Corps has been around for almost half a century, sending volunteers around the world to teach, build and be the change.

Search the Good way
Donate money to your favorite charity every time you search the web. Powered by Yahoo!, Good Search lets you pick the cause and click toward the cure.

Feed them
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) provides nutrition and immunizations to millions of children worldwide, including in begin with little ones project countries, El Salvador and Cambodia.

Visit
Responsible tourism boosts developing countries in myriad ways. Aside from supporting small businesses, international tourism encourages safer streets, friendlier authorities and greater confidence. Eco-tourism encourages developing countries to preserve their natural resources economically.

Trickle Up
By giving developing world families earning power, Trickle Up frees them from dependency on traditional aid. Helping those who help themselves is never a bad idea.

Kaelyn Forde Eckenrode is a junior Broadcast Journalism and International Relations double major at the University of Southern California. Her studies are focused on television reporting and the international political economy of Latin America. She has traveled to 13 countries, 7 of them in the developing world. She will graduate in May 2009.