As the United States heads into its 2017 fiscal year, it plans to spend $4 billion less on foreign aid than it planned in 2016. Cuts like these may reflect growing fears that foreign aid is at best ineffective, or at worst detrimental. But when the money is funneled into smart investments — as is happening […]
On May 6, 2016, Kenya announced plans for the closure of Dadaab refugee camp by Nov. 30 this year. This closure of the largest refugee camp in the world could cause a number of problems for the refugees forced to leave. The vast majority of the refugee population in Dadaab is Somalian. Forcing Somalians to […]
The World Health Organization has identified nine out of the top 10 most obese nations as being located in the Pacific. Within these nine nations, rates of obesity range from 35 percent all the way up to 50 percent. Obesity measurements are calculated by looking at an individual’s BMI, or body mass index. Pacific islanders […]
A recent Warwick Medical School study revealed that households within a community are affected by similar health factors. This effect has been aptly termed the neighborhood effect and has important health implications. Urban communities in developing countries often concentrate households as a result of high population density and low space availability. Close contact increases the likelihood of outbreaks […]
When it comes to the state of refugees and displaced people worldwide, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stands ready to protect the rights of those forced to leave their homes. Since the commission’s start in 1950, the UNHCR budget has grown from $300,000 in its first year to around […]
On Saturday, Sep. 25, 2016, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Pakistan for the first time. This address occurred in the wake of the Uri attacks, in which four terrorists snuck into an army camp and killed 18 soldiers. Modi confronted Pakistan on the attacks, saying, “We are ready to fight you if you have […]
Education remains an unreachable right for millions of children around the globe. Currently, upward of 72 million children in the primary education age (five to 12 years) are not in school and 759 million adults are illiterate. There are a plethora of reasons why such a large number of children in lower income countries do […]
The United States Agency for International Development and the Philippines Department of Education collaborated over the last three years to improve childhood literacy in the Philippines through a program called Basa Pilipinas, or “Read Philippines.” Basa Pilipinas aims to enhance reading skills in English, Filipino and other mother tongues for one million children in grades […]
Environmentally-friendly sources of renewable energy have been championed for years not only for their benefits to the environment but also in terms of long-term cost-effectiveness and population health. China is particularly known for its commitment to clean energy, which is evidenced by its vast usage of solar energy and hydropower fueled resources. Despite its usage of […]
In Bangkok, Thailand, the reign of the world’s longest-serving monarch has come to an end. On Thursday, Oct. 13, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand was pronounced dead at age 88. The cause of his death was associated with medical complications from a recent surgical procedure. The king reigned over the country for 70 years as […]
