Since 1995, the Arkansas Mid-Delta Workforce Alliance, a non-profit initiative funded by the Foundation for the Mid-South, has been working to improve the local economy, train the local workforce and find jobs for the unemployed.

ECONOMIST: The Delta region

One major project which will improve the local economy is the rebuilding of the main highway between Kandahar and Kabul - this is Washington's showcase reconstruction project and President George Bush has promised it will be finished by the end of the year.

BBC: In the shadow of the Taleban

The aim of the two-day event, which includes seminars and an exhibition, is to demonstrate how both are using technology to improve patient outcomes while at the same time promote the local economy.

BBC: NI ministers in Brussels to share ideas

Run by local councils and funded from EU aid to improve the Welsh economy, Genesis was meant to help people struggling to join the workforce.

BBC: Underperforming Genesis back-to-work scheme wound up

Run by local councils and funded from EU aid to improve the Welsh economy, Genesis helps people struggling to join the workforce, particularly single parents.

BBC: Under-threat Genesis scheme created fewer than 800 jobs