Recently in the Solomon Islands the immense destructive forces of the 6 February 2013 8.0 magnitude earthquake and pursuant 3m tsunami left thousands of people without homes and brought down the health care system.

The Solomon Islands consist of 1,000 islands off the South Pacific and are home to 550,000 people. The destructive power of the February earthquake left thousands vulnerable to diseases due to the broken health care system. 5500 residents required temporary living shelters. These shelters are often plagued by poor sanitation due to lack of resources and cramped living quarters. Poor sanitation leads to a plethora of preventable diseases—most of which associated with diarrhea.

Taking a queue from the early warning systems set up to warn of impending natural disaster, the World Health Organization worked with the Ministry of Health of the Solomon Islands to set up an early warning system to identify outbreaks, unusual outbreak patterns, and the number of people affected. This is a critical step towards disaster recovery and decreasing the vulnerability of those affected.

Developing the surveillance system presented logistical challenges of connecting vulnerable people to health clinics. Five clinics were set up around Santa Cruz, the main island that was affected. The head nurses, “doubled as boat captains,” connected patients to clinics. Traveling from surveillance sites to the clinics is risky. Poor weather, no lights on the boats, dangerous landing sites and navigational skill are all impediments to the surveillance system. For Solomon Islanders, these risks are necessarily overcome because full coverage is absolutely necessary for the system to work.

The WHO works with the clinics to make sure all the information necessary to identifying and preventing large-scale outbreaks is included in an accessible way. The successful system, now fully functional, has collected data, identified risky areas, and has quickly responded to problems.

The WHO initiative in the Solomon Islands is not unique and neither is their geography. There are 52 developing island nations in the world. These nations carry a disproportionate risk imposed by earthquakes and tsunamis and break down of health systems. Early warning health systems are a part of a larger global strategy to minimize post-natural disaster vulnerability. The WHO works with governments to create a Global Risk and Response system. The main activities include working with governments to set up early warning systems and develop laboratory capacities to handle large amounts of biological material—all of which requires bio-security to keep potential diseases from escaping. Training for and building response strategy plans is also a main function of the WHO’s Global Alert and Response (GAR) system. Seasonally, the GAR supports governments in climate related disease preparedness and creates standardized approaches to climate related diseases such as influenza and malaria.

- Katherine Zobre

Sources: Wikipedia, WHO , WHO
Photo: Global Bhasin

The post Early Warning Systems are Not Just for Earthquakes appeared first on The Borgen Project.

Foreign aid organizations are often thought of as those that provide supplies of food, water, and medicine to those around the world who need it. The HALO Trust, however, was set up to improve the process of relief as well as defend civilians. The HALO Trust was formed in March 1988 in order to provide assistance to those in areas of war (Pakistan and the Horn of Africa) that were scattered with anti-personnel landmines.

Since 1988, the HALO staff in Afghanistan has grown to over 3,600, and has cleared over 700,000 mines from fields and stockpiles. HALO’s programs have reached many other countries as well such as Cambodia, Mozambique, Chechnya, Georgia, and more recently Sri Lanka and Colombia. As the “world’s oldest and largest humanitarian landmine clearance organization”, HALO is leading the way in making war zones safe for civilians and for transport of goods and services through trade. Their policy of “Road Threat Reduction” has since cleared 5,196 km of anti-tank mines off of roads in Angola.

HALO Trust also supports links between their usual mine clearance and development initiatives. Because these mines make it more difficult for development actors to visit and aid them, they are especially in need of help rebuilding their villages. First, however, mines need to be cleared in order to have safe ways to raise livestock and prevent killing or maiming of civilians. Their policy is to link development to demining, rather than demining to development.

While demining is their major effort, they also train their promoted staff as paramedics in order to make comprehensive medical knowledge a part of every team. Their funds are allocated to certain teams for a certain period of time as well as being spent on equipment and other expenses. Each donor ends up knowing exactly what they funded in terms of mines destroyed, amount of land cleared, and number of people that have benefited. Administration salaries are paid with an extra administration charge given to institutional donors.

Overall, the organization is a great help to those living in war zones, and continues to clear mines and work across the world to ensure the safety of civilians.

- Sarah Rybak

Sources: HALO Trust
Photo: Telegraph

The post The HALO Trust appeared first on The Borgen Project.

It is not all smooth sailing for DHL in Africa. There are still the issues of navigating through many countries without clearly marked street signs and the prevalent corruption. Allen responds that DHL has been in Africa for 25-30 years. The logistics of getting around in a place without street signs has been worked out: DHL flies their planes into Legos, for example, then uses smaller DHL carriers to get to regional destinations. As for the corruption, DHL is not a government watch-dog. They are in business to do business. Allen states that most officials see DHL as a positive force and corruption is stronger in perception than in reality. Their role is not to question or change the strict customs regulations, but to interface on behalf of their customers and the regulations to make the transactions as smooth as possible. The goal of DHL is to build the best architecture to make it easy to do business.

- Katherine Zobre

Source: CNN
Photo: Mwebantu

The post DHL in Africa appeared first on The Borgen Project.

The International Trade Center housed within the UTSA (University of Texas at San Antonio) institute of Economic Development is partnering with USAID to train small businesses in Tunisia.  UTSA will take their Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Counselor and Director Certificate Training program to Tunisia.  The goal of the training is to help Tunisia establish SBDCs to train and support small business owners and entrepreneurs. Many of these are women and young adults with little hope of a sustainable future.

UTSA’s training program is just one component of a larger initiative focused on strengthening Tunisia’s economic development. The initiative is funded and led by USAID.  UTSA and USAID will provide the SBDC training in Tunisia as well as stay involved to provide technical support to owners and employees of small and medium-sized enterprises.  The program will work to provide a competitive  advantage to these small business owners and work to improve  their lifestyles.

North Africa’s smallest country, Tunisia, is working to rebuild its democracy after the 2011 revolution. It is bordered by Algeria, Libya, and the Mediterranean Sea. Tunisia is ready to promote economic growth and trade opportunities with a special focus on small and medium businesses.

The International Trade Center at UTSA has grown to be one of the largest trade assistance organizations in Texas. They have been  working with countries in Central and South America.  The trade center helps companies increase their global competiveness through technical trade consulting, market research, and innovative training. Follow them on Twitter (@TexasTrade) or find them on Facebook (facebook.com/texastrade).

- Amanda Kloeppel
Source: UTSA

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Recent articles have been calling attention to the success of China in reducing the number of her citizens living in extreme poverty, a line demarcated at earnings of less than $1.50 a day. Today, 680 million fewer Chinese live below the extreme poverty line than did thirty years ago. This drastic reduction is largely attributed to the massive urbanization China has undergone since the 80’s, with millions of impoverished rural Chinese moving to cities to seek out jobs, mainly in manufacturing. And while these workers may now still live in poverty, they at least now are above the extreme poverty line.

So what then is going wrong with China’s neighbor across the Himalayas? India today has nearly the same number of impoverished citizens as it did thirty years ago, 400 million. And while that may be a drop in percentage, as India’s population has boomed, it doesn’t exactly represent a giant leap forward.

China and India have paralleled each other for some time with regards to population, but that reflection is at an end, with China’s population now trending downwards, while India’s continues to rise. So is India poised to become the next China and take over manufacturing duties for the world? It is true that there’s a shift occurring in China. The labor force is shrinking while wages increase, and as the country continues to increase its global economic presence many manufacturing jobs in China will soon be moving elsewhere. Cumbersome bureaucracy, however, and a lack of suitable firms and factories, may prevent India from competing for these 85 million manufacturing jobs. Other Southeast Asian countries already have the infrastructure in place and are absorbing some of the demand for cheap manufactured goods as China’s economy shifts. India is in danger of missing out or being bypassed as this opportunity presents itself.

The size of India’s workforce is poised to surpass that of China within the next few years. The question that lingers though is whether these millions will have somewhere to turn. India could well experience the next boom and emulate the growth of China, but the necessary reforms have been slow in coming.

The opportunity is there, but it’s anyone’s guess whether ‘Made in China’ will become ‘Made in India’ anytime soon.

- David Wilson

Sources: The Economist
Photo: IBT

The post India: Unseized Opportunity appeared first on The Borgen Project.

The World Trade Organization gets all the hype. But there is another WTO: the World Tourism Organization. This is the UN body that is committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through travel and tourism. This is an industry with a large number of people, money, and resources. However, unlike fuels, chemicals, and automotive parts, world tourism and poverty are naturally linked—each tourist, as a cultural ambassador, has an opportunity to make a tangible difference. There is every reason to believe that travel and tourism can and should be playing an important role in the MDGs.

The UNWTO explicitly focuses on four social objectives: climate change, Millennium Development Goals, economic growth, and poverty reduction. The UNWTO and the World Bank track these objectives along with tourism trends. Notable trends include:

• In 2012, 60 million American citizens traveled abroad
• International travelers totaled 1.035 billion people in 2012.
• 238% growth in international tourist arrivals since 1990.
• Tourism is the 4th largest global industry, after “fuels, chemicals, and automotive parts”
• Tourism occupies the top 1st or 2nd export sector for many nations
• 25% GNP is from tourism for many small island nations

Perhaps the UNWTO deserves a little more attention.

Currently, despite the UNWTO’s efforts, the link between tourism spending and income to the poor is weak. As such, the UNWTO engages national and local governments alongside NGOs and the private sector to change hiring practices, strengthen benefits to the poor, and create pro-poor tourism activities. Examples include training programs for locals in Ebogo, Cameroon, developing ecotourism products in Guatemala, and promoting Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal.

- Katherine Zobre

Sources: Office of Travel & Tourism Industries, International Tourism to Grow in 2013, UNWTO Tourism Highlights, Tourism and Poverty Alleviation
Photo: Nat Geo

The post The Other WTO: World Tourism and Poverty appeared first on The Borgen Project.

Last Wednesday, British prime minister David Cameron announced a few recommendations for ending global poverty by 2030. Improving life for the more than one billion people that live on less than $1.25 a day would include provision of drinking water, electricity, health care, and schools.

Cameron reported that ending global poverty “can and should be one of the great achievements of our time. It is doable”. As a co-chair of the high-level panel that will recommend the best ways to combat global poverty, the British prime minister hopes to improve the U. N. Millennium Development Goals that expire in 2015. These goals included ensuring accessibility to elementary school education, stopping HIV/AIDS, increasing access to clean water and sanitation, as well as reduction of maternal and child mortality through healthcare.

These goals, however, Cameron says, didn’t place enough emphasis on the effects of conflict and violence. Building strong institutions and enforcing law were overlooked in the Millennium Development Goals, and the panel hopes to remedy this by promoting “good governance and private enterprise, investment, and entrepreneurship.” The main focus for ending global poverty is economic growth in the private sector.

Cameron also highlights corruption and how tackling it as well as holding governments accountable are “the golden thread of development.” These reforms in conjunction with those such as food and water provisions, healthcare, and education accessibility could allow a swift eradication of global poverty by the year 2030.

- Sarah Rybak

Source: Montreal Gazette
Photo: Guardian

The post British Panel Plans to End Global Poverty by 2030 appeared first on The Borgen Project.

The city of Seattle has teamed up with the Seattle International Foundation (SIF) to launch the Seattle Ambassador program, a campaign intended to educate residents about how their community is making some pretty amazing strides in the global fight against poverty, and inspire even more locals to pitch in.

Seattle is a leader in international development efforts; over 300 local organizations are working in 144 developing countries. The Borgen Project has been headquartered in Seattle since 2003, and we are honored to be part of a community that cares so much about the rest of the world.

We have more than a few neighbors who are doing incredible things; Literacy Bridge develops and distributes Talking Books, so that illiteracy doesn’t prevent education. Ayni Education International began building schools for girls in rural Afghanistan after 9/11, in an effort to counteract growing prejudice on both sides. One By One fights to end Fistula, which is directly related to maternal mortality during child birth.

Residents who sign up for the Seattle Ambassador program will receive updates on the efforts of these organizations and others, and also learn ways that they can help. As a bonus, registering for the program automatically enters you for a chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Africa, Asia, or Latin America, too see up close how your home is improving the world.

The first winner will be announced in June, so visit www.seattleambassador.com or text SEATTLE to 80088 to register. If you don’t live in Seattle, contact your government representatives about following Seattle’s lead. Just imagine what ten, twenty, fifty cities like Seattle could accomplish.

- Dana Johnson

Sources: Seattle Ambassador Seattle Globalist
Photo: Global Journal

The post Following Seattle’s Lead in International Development appeared first on The Borgen Project.

PLANWEL is an NGO in Pakistan that is short for Planning Professionals for Social Welfare Works. It was founded in 1990 by a group of local technology and business experts for the purpose of promoting basic computer literacy, information sharing, health care, e-government, e-commerce, and e-learning through telecentres, or what they call community access points. Telecentres are public places which provide access to Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) which help promote development for populations who otherwise would not have such access.

In the past 20 years or so, PlanWel has collaborated with several foreign entities such as Utah State University, Kansas State University, American Distance Learning Consortium, International Telecommunication Union, USAID, and World View Foundation – Malaysia. To date, PlanWel has contributed to the formation of over 400 telecentres all over Pakistan. PlanWel’s mission statement is, “Bringing Technology to the People, Building Technology Based Communities, and Technology for the People and Run by the People”. PlanWel is one of the many examples of telecentre programs that are working to improve lives by providing access to ICTs.

Generally, telecentres are located in rural areas of the developing world. According to the Telecentre.org Foundation , there are over 87,513 telecentres in over 53 countries. In this interview, the PlanWel CEO, Shahab Afroz Khan, talks about how to build a telecentre.

What do the telecentres look like?

“In fact they are not at all fancy. In a rural setting it would be a one room to two room building with some space for housing 5-10 PCs’s at the maximum, one Printer, Scanner, Fax Machine. Internet connectivity through Fiber lines – DSL (In Pakistan we have a very well connected Fiber Optic network). For power, if it’s not on the National Grid , we have it by solar energy. One teacher would teach the students – Typically he is the Owner/ Manager, who would earn his living through this.

The only missing element – AND most important is content in local language – which we are still looking for and working on.”

What advice would you give on how to build a telecentre community?

“First of all, motivate the community and tell them what they are missing: Information about business, citizen’s information, money transactions, sharing of information, and computer literacy. Once they are convinced that there is a need to open up a telecentre, they need to try and get some type of support from important local people, such as landlord, local government representative, and the like. This is important because in many countries like in Pakistan, you must have local support.

It is also absolutely necessary to have your own building – one room of 14ft X 10ft would be sufficient. You cannot run a telecentre on rented space. Next locate some donors to give you the hardware – this is the easiest part as the donor would like his name to be advertised – which you can do with some caution.”

- Maria Caluag

Source: PLANWEL, Telecentre.org
Photo: LawaOnline

The post How to Build a Telecentre – Interview With Pakistan’s PlanWel CEO appeared first on The Borgen Project.

An idea is simply a thought or suggestion for a possible course of action. And lots of ideas are good ideas. Some of them are even great; maybe even great enough to change the world. But it’s hard for an idea to get very far on its own. To make a significant impact, an idea needs to become a movement. It needs to inspire others to rally behind it and push it forward. Movements.org has taken the guess work out of launching your idea, with a “How-To” guide to start a movement for social change.

The site breaks the process down into 8 stages, each broken down even further into step-by-step instructions. Check out www.movements.org for an in-depth guide to launching your movement, and to learn more about each of the following 8 stages:

Stage 1 – Plan and Strategize.
A cause is much easier to get behind if supporters know exactly what they would be getting themselves into. It’s also much easier to solicit funding if necessary, when you have a well defined plan. At this stage of the game, organization is key; you’ll need to keep track of your members’ names and contact information, feedback and advice from members and non-members, a timeline of significant milestones, etc.

Stage 2 – Build Awareness.
You need to understand the people you’re trying to engage. Figure out the best ways to reach them: popular social networks, classrooms, parties, bulletin boards, etc. Once you’ve decided where your target audience is most likely to hear your pitch, you can deliver an authentic story about yourself and your campaign that explains who you are, what you’re trying to accomplish, and why they should be involved. A brief video that appeals to people’s emotions can go a long way, and a catchy slogan and logo are important, because they can keep your movement in someone’s mind.

Stage 3 – Mobilize.
Encourage action through petitions, pamphlets, radio advertisements, picketing, parades, assemblies, flash mobs etc.

Stage 4 – Stay Safe.
Movement.org has a collection of articles on a variety of safety topics, from protecting your online security to surfing the web anonymously. There are even instructions on how to use the “I’m getting arrested” app for Android to notify your family or lawyer that you are being detained, should you choose to practice civil disobedience or non-cooperation tactics in your mobilization efforts.

Stage 5 – Access Blocked Information.
If you are running into a wall in your search for information, there are a number of circumvention tools to get around web censorship, and movements.org has laid them out for you. Circumvention technology finds an unlocked back-door to censored information. Disclaimer: there may be legal repercussions for accessing information censored by your government; so consider the risks carefully before engaging any filtered sites.

Stage 6 – Collaborate.
Build a coalition, or a group of individuals or organizations working towards the same goal. Keep in mind that not every coalition needs to be formal; there are benefits to working with other organizations in a less publicized way. Whichever type of coalition you choose to build, realize that trust amongst members is invaluable.

Stage 7 – Fundraise.
Money can be raised via traditional routes such as hosting events or placing donation jars in local businesses. But you can also raise funds via digital routes such as Facebook or Text-To-Donate programs.

Stage 8 – Keep Supporters Engaged.
With the amount of content on the internet, it can be difficult to keep supporters engaged over time. Posting frequent blog posts or status updates with gripping headlines that promote your campaign is imperative. Don’t ever assume that you’re finished generating interest in the campaign. It’s up to you to always keep people interested in the movement you began; just remind them why they wanted to be involved in the first place. And while you’re at it, plan and strategize for your campaign, build awareness with new potential members, mobilize, stay safe, access blocked information, collaborate, fundraise…

To make a significant impact, an idea needs to become a movement. It needs to inspire others to rally behind it and push it forward. Starting a movement can be a never-ending cycle that just keeps turning. The good news is, if it’s something you’re truly passionate about, you won’t mind at all. And if you follow the steps on movements.org to create a successful movement, you may end up changing the world.

- Dana Johnson

Sources: Movements, Aeinstein
Photo: Blyden Consulting

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