I am Woman Hear Me Roar, and Watch Me Start a Business!

An old proverb states, “Give a woman a seed and she will grow a forest, give a woman an opportunity and she will build a future.” In Wayanad, Profugo is doing both of these things. The Entrepreneurship Training Program is giving women the tools,…

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Interview with Lukka

“The mantra for the social worker is be passionate and be with the community,” says Lukka Thurayil, Profugo’s Field Director in Wayanad, India. We had the opportunity to interview him to find out what keeps him motivated and inspired regarding community development. Hopefully it…

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From Our Hearts to Your Hands: The Story of Profugo’s Sustainable Agriculture Initiatives and the Lives They Impact

   Wayanad is a district in the north-east state of Kerala.  It’s a largely rural area, surrounded by national forests and wildlife refuges.  Though the region has gained traction as an ecotourism destination in recent years, the communities there remain largely undeveloped.  Agriculture is…

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The International Effort to Share Vaccines

Vaccines are becoming easier and easier to find in the United States, but there is a widening disparity of vaccinated citizens between the developed and developing world. While close to 50% of the United State’s population is vaccinated, some countries are hovering around 1%…

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How to Support Rebuilding and Development in Post-Pandemic Times

The COVID-19 crisis has caused an intense shift in humanitarian response. As many programs were suspended and workers were sent home/unable to be on site, the way the world faced humanitarian problems fundamentally changed. Rebuilding communities and rebuilding NGO operations has changed due to…

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5 Podcast Recommendations about International Development

1. Center for International Development – Harvard The Center for International Development (CID) at Harvard University “is a university-wide center that works to advance the understanding of development challenges and offer viable solutions to problems of global poverty”. Given the incredible reputation of the…

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Modern Monetary Theory & Developing Economies

“Free money” – a phrase that appeared in bold on the cover page of the July 25th, 2020 edition of The Economist magazine. Such a statement feels counterintuitive. The whole idea of “free money” goes against the old adage we learn as children –…

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Field Update

The beginning of the New Year marked a time of innovation for Profugo. We intentionally organized and mobilized our community members, sowing the seeds that we hope will germinate into enduring opportunities for our community members to be owners and leaders in improving their…

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Book Review: Where Am I Giving? by Kelsey Timmerman

Kelsey Timmerman is a New York Times bestselling author, a public speaker, and self-proclaimed “touron” (a traveler who is “curious and seeks out interactions with locals, but is also a bit of a moron because it’s impossible not to be when you are trying…

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