Field Diary: Assessing Matching Grants in Nepal (PACT)
Read moreTo learn about Athena’s independent assessment for PACT Nepal on matching grants for small holder farmers, click here. Nepal: The Agricultural Context Agriculture is a key driver of Nepal’s economy, contributing nearly 33% to the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP)1. It also makes up almost half the country’s exports2. More than 60% of the working population in Nepal is...
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J&K will have skill road map by June 2018: Dir JKSSDM
Read moreIn order to devise the skill policy and skill roadmap for the state, a consultative meeting on “Skill Gap Analysis and Skill Road Map for J&K” was held by State Skill Development Mission (JKSSDM) in collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) here today.
Dispatch – December 2017
Read moreAs our work continues to develop into new service offerings and localities, our team has expanded to meet this demand. In addition to a new board to ensure stronger governance and greater accountability, Athena has onboarded many new team members across levels.
Violence Against Women: The Cyclical Connection with Unpaid Labor
Read moreViolence against women is a symptom of a much larger problem. A symptom produced by a whirlpool of competing issues that revolve around the status and dignity of women. A primary factor behind women’s lower status is the belief that their contribution is less than a man’s. Many women have come to believe that their unpaid domestic work is...
Where There Are No Sewers: The Toilet Cleaners of Lucknow
Read moreOn this World Toilet Day, let’s turn the spotlight behind the scenes of the sanitation chain, on those who clean out latrines where there are no sewers to carry away the waste. November 19 is World Toilet Day. Enormous progress has been made in the global effort to provide safe and affordable toilets for the world’s poorest citizens since...
Ending Open Defecation in Rural India: Re-thinking our ‘Subsidy Policy’ and ‘Swacchagrahi Strategy’
Read moreWorld Toilet Day presents us with the opportunity to analyse issues surrounding both toilet access and usage, particularly open defecation. India’s Swacch Bharat Mission (SBM) – Grameen (The Clean India Campaign) seeks to make rural India open defecation free. There is enough evidence that supports the importance of these levers in influencing household demand. A recent trial by Mushfiq...
World Toilet Day: From the Field
Read moreWorld Toilet Day is a reminder for development actors of the Sustainable Development Goal’s 2030 target. Namely, to ensure everyone has access to a safely-managed household toilet. From construction, to usage and financing, there are a variety of issues surrounding toilets. Athena has several projects in this area – such as our 3ie project on toilet construction and usage...
Urban Planning and Development: The Indian Challenge
Read moreAlthough it took 40 years for Urban India to grow to 230 million, it will take only half of this time to grow the next 250 million, presenting a major challenge for the country’s urban planning.
