• The United States’ PEPFAR program, which has provided over $100 billion in funding to fight AIDS in Africa has saved 25 million lives in the last two decades. The Washington Post.
• In India, almost 79 million households have been provided with access to a tap water connection since August 2019. Financial Express.
• In 2006, India’s maternal mortality rate was 254 deaths per 100,000 live births, one of the highest in the world. By 2020, ASHAs (accredited social health activists) had helped slash the maternal mortality rate by over 60%, to 96 per 100,000 live births. MIT Technology Review.
• In the Philippines, pregnancy amongst women aged 15 to 19 declined from 8.6% in 2017 to 5.4% in 2022. Asia News Network.
• Madagascar to expand access to social protection for extremely poor households. In total, at least 3 million people, or 13% of extremely poor households, will benefit from the project. The World Bank.
• The number of mothers in the United States who smoke cigarettes during their pregnancy has declined by 36% in the last five years. US News.
• A recent Gallup poll found 80% of Americans believe crime has risen. That’s the highest opinion in three decades. However, according to FBI and Justice Department statistics, the violent crime rate today is about half of what it was 30 years ago. CBS Austin.
• It’s the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act which has saved at least 227 species from extinction and helped 110 species to recover including American alligators, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and humpback whales. E Magazine.
• A bold initiative to regrow 73 million trees in the Brazilian Amazon has delivered almost 20% of its target despite the pandemic and an increase in fires. Conservation.
• Now is the best time in history to love and be loved. The Progress Network.
• Renewables will be world’s top electricity source within three years, IEA data reveals. Carbon Brief.
• More people are living to be 100. Changing America.

For more good news, check out The Progress Network, and Future Crunch.