In today’s edition of Squirrel News, Democrats elect the first Black party leader to U.S. Congress, mobile preschools aid immigrant families and a French village helps dementia patients.
Hakeem Jeffries elected to U.S. Congress as first Black party leader
Following Nancy Pelosi’s retirement, Democrats elected Hakeem Jeffries. Previously an attorney, Hakeem will be the first Black party leader in U.S. history.
Monitoring and protection programmes have paid off in the southern African country of Zimbabwe. Black rhino numbers now exceed 600 and continue to grow.
Indigenous Papuans’ ancestral forests relinquished by the Indonesian government
Almost 40,000 hectares of land will be given to a collection of Indigenous tribes in rural Indonesia. Indigenous Papuans have pushed to protect the land from loggers and other exploitation.
Flying medical drones deliver Covid-19 tests, life-saving medication in the U.K.
Britain’s National Health Service has been flying trial delivery drones to reach island and rural areas with life-saving medication. Now medical drone programmes are reaching sub-Saharan Africa and rural Sweden.
U.S. education programme helps schools in low-income areas retain teachers
Urban Teachers Philadelphia, a four-year teacher apprenticeship programme, helps train and prepare teachers to work in low-income areas with schools suffering from labor shortages.
Mobile preschool helps immigrant families with a childcare
Around the wealthy city of Aspen, Colorado, immigrant families have no preschool in their area. So El Busesito (meaning “little bus” in Spanish) travels to five communities with four different buses, bringing preschool to the kids.
Hospitalised Japanese children utilise robots to ‘attend’ class
Long hospitalisation periods are connected to dropping out of school in Japan. Now, children who are hospital-bound can control a ‘Telerobo’ robot to virtually participate in class and chat with classmates.
Helsinki library helps city residents engage with each other
Designed by the community for over a decade, the Oodi Library features a cinema, community center and, more importantly, a free and egalitarian public space.
A French village offers dementia patients autonomy
Village Landais, in the south of France, is inhabited by people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The village is designed as a neighbourhood where its residents can interact while living with autonomy and dignity.
