Kenya turmoil’s impact felt across region
(January 4th, 2008)
The turmoil in Kenya has subsided but it is still sending economic ripples across East Africa. Correspondent Gretchen Wilson is monitoring the situation. She spoke with host Bob Moon.
Tags » small business
Pig donations bring home the bacon
(December 24th, 2007)
In some parts of Lesotho, annual income is $100 a year. But a $195 donation can buy a family an income-generating piglet that can boost that income substantially. Gretchen Wilson reports.
Zimbabwe’s shelves are bare
(October 24th, 2007)
It’s almost impossible to find staples like bread or rice in Zimbabwe. With inflation officially at 6,000%, supermarkets have stopped stocking shelves. And that’s forcing people to travel hundreds of miles and across the border to buy groceries. Gretchen Wilson reports.
Kicking off South Africa’s economy
(September 14th, 2007)
Today marks the 1,000-day countdown to the next World Cup in South Africa. With millions of fans making the event a probable boon for the country, it’s been celebrating by spending billions to prepare. Gretchen Wilson has more.
Inflation guts Zimbabwe’s economy
(September 12th, 2007)
Zimbabwe suffers from an inflation rate the government pegs at 7,000 percent. But it’s maybe two or three times that in actual practice. Reporter Gretchen Wilson helps us understand what that really means.
Seeking bright ideas for Africa
(September 10th, 2007)
The World Bank is offering grants to those who can come up with low-cost alternative light sources for Africa, which spends billions of dollars a year on unsafe non-electrical lighting. Gretchen Wilson has more.
‘Oh, so I was in an abusive relationship’
(August 27th, 2007)
A South African group has added a twist to its mircofinancing practice by providing additional training to its entrepreneurs — which is allowing some women to say “no” to their husbands for the first time. Gretchen Wilson reports.
Now Africa turns to microsaving
(August 9th, 2007)
Women make up 80 percent of Africa’s subsistence farmers and food traders, but most have nowhere to save what little money they earn. One group has an idea to help change that: an African women’s bank. Gretchen Wilson has details.
Lending a shared interest to South Africa
(August 8th, 2007)
The subprime mortgage meltdown is making it harder for nearly everyone to get loans, which makes a particular group of Massachusetts lenders all the more unusual. Gretchen Wilson reports.
Darfur’s Camel Traders
(August 5th, 2007)
One profession that has managed to avoid much of the bloodshed in war-torn Sudan is camel trading. Camel traders spend much of the year traveling from one part of Sudan to another — along ancient migration routes traveled by their ancestors for centuries. They pass through the calmer areas of the Darfur region where violence [...]
