A rural health center in Mateliona Betafo, Madagascar, has transformed healthcare delivery with solar-powered electricity through the World Bank-supported LEAD Project. For nearly seven years, midwives like Lovatiana Rasoarinjanahary worked under unsafe, dim conditions, relying on candles or dying phone batteries. Since June 2024, the center – one of 500 electrified by LEAD – now provides safe, well-lit care, benefiting vulnerable populations. The project improves lighting, refrigeration, and sterilization, enhancing maternal and child healthcare while supporting Madagascar’s goal to double electricity access through cost-effective, off-grid solutions. Lives and communities are brighter and safer with this innovation.
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Understanding the new rurality in Latin America: how can we respond to it in the water sector?
As development practitioners, a common mistake we may fall into is devising well-
intentioned solutions based on an “outdated” understanding of the country or sectoral context.
In the previous blog, we discussed the water supply and sanitation (WSS) sector challenges which are persistently looming over rural areas in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). In this piece, we continue to sketch the “new rurality” by considering new trends and developments witnessed which are altering the rural landscape—and which may require new or revised sector reforms to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6.
eC2: BANGLADESH RURAL ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAM: FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY REVIEW
Deadline: 11-Oct-2018 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
Assignment Description: Assess financial sustainability of BREB and PBSs; develop pathways and actions plans to meet universal access target by 2021; and ensure financial sustainability of the institutions going forward.
3 Big Ideas to Achieve Sustainable Cities and Communities
Three big ideas, countless solutions
At the World Urban Forum, the World Bank will offer three big ideas that are essential for successfully implementing the New Urban Agenda:
- Financing the New Urban Agenda
- Promoting territorial development
- Enhancing urban resilience to climate change and disaster risks
The Bank will also be showcasing some of the innovative knowledge and transformative actions that have proven to help end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity in cities around the world.
eC2: Prioritization of locations for off-grid rural electrification in Tanzania
Deadline: 05-Sep-2017 at 11:59:59 PM (Eastern Time – Washington D.C.)
The project is expected to include mapping using satellite imagery, along with engagements in Tanzania to collect detailed indicators on village potentials. The selection committee will take into consideration the use of local Tanzanian consortium members or contractors in these activities. However, approaches that differ from these two points will still be considered. These datasets should be of sufficient quality to allow detailed assessment of mini-grid potential in villages, and in addition be useful to other rural energy actors and in wider development objectives. The datasets should be uploaded to OpenStreetMap and will also be made available on the platform developed in the parallel project. IFC is seeking the services of a specialist firm to develop this data; to ensure its quality and accuracy; and to upload and maintain it on OpenStreetMap and other platforms.
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Netherlands for the World Bank 
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