Choice Humanitarian in partnership with Microsoft Edge, develop a browser-based literacy solution for women in Guatemala. Extreme poverty is multidimensional and measured beyond income. Some of the additional indicators reflecting acute deprivations are with respect to health, education, and standard of living. But, we know when a community focuses on literacy; the general health and standard of living naturally increase. That is why we’ve partnered with Microsoft Edge to create Accent, a browser-based, digital literacy platform that will help women in remote Guatemala gain access to their country’s economy, government, culture, and language.

In the past three months, heavy rain has caused severe flooding across South America. This flooding has caused extraordinary damage to towns and villages in Peru, where they have received over 60 inches of rain, overflowing rivers and destroying vital water, waste, and transportation infrastructure.  CHOICE Peru was established in 2010 working with 12 families. That number has now grown to well over 300 families. 

Can a rural Kenyan community of thousands of people not living in close proximity take an active role in their health and health-related development issues?

When you hear someone say, "I went to Mexico." What comes to mind? Cruise ships. A picturesque vista. Palm trees. Fruity beverages. Oh, and tropical weather. Yes, all the vacation-y things. You typically don't imagine your days south of the border to be serenaded by birds and your freezing cold nights set to the soundtrack of about 1 million dogs. 

In this particular case, they were.  

                      **PAUSE** 

Bolivia is located in the center of South America and is rich in natural beauty and culture, but it is one of the poorest countries on the planet. More than 2.5 million Bolivians do not have access to potable water services and another 5 million lack sanitation services. 

Benito Vargas has a wife and five children. What he does not have is a left foot or a right arm. 

Women are strong. Women are agents of change. Yet women in poor communities bear almost the entire responsibility for providing the basic needs for their families, yet are largely left without resources. 

Our guest blogger today is Teresa Larsen - a dental hygienist, a long time CHOICE supporter, and humanitarian. She recently returned from an expedition to Guatemala with our partner Dr. Roy Hammond with Smiles for Life. This organization trains men and women in extreme rural areas around the world in basic dental skills. In this blog, Teresa talks about her path and her personal challenge. 

There are people in this world that do crazy, unthinkable things to make the world a better place. Elijah is one of those people doing crazy things. He lives in the Silaloni area of Kenya - outside of Mombasa. Kenya is one of the countries where many people live on less than $1.90 a day. Extreme poverty is defined by the World Bank as living on an average of US $1.90 a day or less. Families in these conditions represent well over a billion people on the planet, with nearly double that amount living on less than just $2.50. But, poverty is more than a lack of income. Extreme poverty is multidimensional.  

Personal determination is a characteristic highly sought after by CHOICE Humanitarian in its recipients. Susmita Gurung, a CHOICE recipient from Nepal that displayed a high level of personal determination has a story worthy of sharing. Susmita, a 17-year-old girl from the village of Bangre, has a goal to help others by becoming an English teacher. She has faced many hard situations almost from birth but is still determined to attain her goal.