Photo: Kateryna Hliznitsova/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition, we’re exploring how Moldova lowered the number of children living in institutional care from 17,000 to 700 in just two decades, the Indigenous guardians keeping oil extraction out of Ecuador’s Amazon, and the network of bereaved parents hoping to find peace where politics has failed.
Moldova, like many post-Soviet nations, inherited a system heavily reliant on institutional child care. Prior to 2000, the country had over 27,000 children living in orphanages. Today, this number has dropped to just 700, and the goal is to have none by 2027.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
For generations, the Pakayaku community in Ecuador’s Amazon has managed to keep unsustainable logging, mining and oil extraction activities out of their forests. Their guardian programme, made up of 45 women warriors, constantly patrol 99,000 acres of rainforest to detect any potential incursions.
Source: Mongabay
Almost 10,000 pharmacies are now able to offer the pill without charge, saving those in need of free emergency contraception from having to visit their GP or to get an appointment at a sexual health clinic. Some pharmacies were previously charging as much as £30 for emergency oral contraception.
Source: The Guardian
A Finnish phone company has created a handset that automatically prevents nude images from being displayed or taken. The handset comes with a suite of parental controls, including screen time limits, app blocking, location tracking and a “whitelisting” of trusted contacts.
Source: Positive News
Although it might sound counterproductive, some evidence suggests that horror stories tap into key processes of the brain that help humans deal with feelings of uncertainty. The latest results argue that these fictional tales of terror may even bring some major psychological benefits, including reducing the anxiety we feel about events out in the real world.
Source: BBC News
The unorthodox move is gaining traction as stressed-out patients look for alternatives to traditional medication to ease their mental strain. Spending time in natural areas can lower blood pressure, reduce stress hormones and boost immunity, multiple studies have found.
Source: AP News
Advances in adolescent neuroscience show that teenagers learn more in a flexible environment with hands-on projects and teamwork. In response, California has launched a scheme to redesign high school and middle school. Winners will meet, brainstorm, work through challenges and share their experiences statewide, in hopes of inspiring other districts to create alternative high school options.
Source: AP News
Across Finland, 43 daycare centres have been awarded a total of €1,000,000 to rewild yards and to increase children’s exposure to the microscopic biodiversity, such as bacteria and fungi, that lives in nature. By exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss, researchers are spotting changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeing.
Source: The Guardian
Even though their own homes have been destroyed by Israeli missile strikes, agricultural workers are sheltering Gaza’s displaced people and their families on their land, so they can avoid the insecurity of moving from camp to camp.
Source: Next City
The Parents Circle has an unpleasant requirement for membership: that your child has been killed in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Founded in 1995, it now includes 800 parents. With the credibility that comes from their own suffering, they stage “dialogue meetings” at schools and colleges in which parents from each side tell their personal stories and explain why they reject revenge.
Source: Positive News
