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The PlayPump system first gained significant attention in 2005. The concept involves devices similar to merry-go-rounds, which are installed near schools in Southern Africa. The spinning of the device powers a pump, which brings fresh water up from the ground. Excess water can be stored in an overhead tank. Furthermore, the system pays for itself in advertising. In 2006 the United States pledged $10 million to support the project.

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In 2008 there were 69 million children who were not attending school. Most of these children live in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.  Over the past two years, enrollment has increased to 89 percent.  Some of this improvement has come from conditional cash transfer programs, such as those implemented in the Philippines.  Conditional cash transfer programs allocate funds among the poorest families on a provisional basis.  Provisions usually include sending children to school and receiving routine medical check-ups.  Conditional cash transfers are seen as an effective tool for increasing school attendance and therefore improving human capital to alleviate the poverty of communities.

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It seems like everyday a new conflict arises in some foreign part of the world. When it comes to international issues, it is easy to sit back on your comfortable couch, tune into your nightly news and perhaps yell at the TV with discomfort or jump up in joy based on your political views. It is simple to pick a side. However, for those living the reality of conflict, life is not so easy. Conflict, whether it is neighborhood crime and violence, civil war, or war between two countries, is often the cause of poverty. It is the opposite of economic prosperity, or, as the World Bank likes to describe it, conflict is “development in reverse.”

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The Chad-Cameroon Petroleum Development and Pipeline Project was launched in October of 2000 by ExxonMobil with the goal of creating a 1,070 kilometer pipeline from the oilfields of southern Chad to the coastline of Cameroon.  A US$4.2 billion project, the Chad-Cameroon pipeline project was largely funded by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).  As an arm of the World Bank Group, the IFC agreed to fund the project if the governments of both Chad and Cameroon would adhere to a management plan that sought to alleviate each country’s poverty with the revenues generated from the project. 

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The TDC Team was invited to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) 2009 at the University of TX Austin. Over 1000 students, representing all fifty states and sixty countries, and 100 university presidents were in attendance. Each year participants are requested to submit a commitment to action (CTAs). This year three thousand CTAs were submitted by students, non-profit organizations, and university presidents. One thousand CTAs were accepted and their authors invited to attend. Seventy CTAs were selected to be announced over the course of the conference (a day and a half). Those announced are invited on stage where their commitment is read aloud and receive a certificate recognizing their commitment.
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