To understand the relationship between international law and global poverty, it is important to first acknowledge which laws are relevant. Among others, these include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides the right to life; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which provides the right to social protection, an adequate standard of living and access to food, health and education; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to an education.
Philip Alston, the former Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, states that poverty is a political choice that countries make. There is a clear relationship between poverty and failure to fulfill basic human rights. Some indicators of poverty that are relevant to international rights laws and standards include primary school enrollment, nutritional indicators, life expectancy and disease.
Is a Rights-Based Approach Better?
The World Bank indexes poverty rates across countries using the International Poverty Line (IPL). A wide range of institutions use the IPL — including the U.N. — and is based on an absolute line that is well below the national poverty line of some countries. According to Alston, this leads to less than optimal progress and a false perspective of the state of global poverty.
Low-income individuals can rise above the IPL that the World Bank established yet continue to face barriers in accessing basic human rights, which suggests a need for an alternative approach to addressing poverty. David Woodward, a British economist, developed one such alternative, which he claims resolves the problems inherent to the World Bank’s measurement and the wider way in which poverty is addressed. His alternative, termed the Rights-Based Poverty Line (RBPL), recognizes the relationship between income, poverty, and economic and social rights, which are enshrined in international law.
A rights-based approach to poverty eradication garners support across a wide range of international organizations. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights directly references poverty as the gravest impediment to the fulfillment of human rights globally. The Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Development Programme establishes that a rights-based approach can result in a higher degree of effectiveness due to the legal obligations for states to ensure those rights. The United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural organization maintains that poverty eradication will only occur when poverty receives acknowledgment as a violation of human rights.
Leveraging International Law to Eradicate Poverty
COVID-19 represents a serious challenge to the eradication of global poverty; however, it may also provide an opportunity for utilizing a rights-based approach. Estimates determine that the global population of people who will fall into poverty will increase by 8% as a result of the economic shocks that the pandemic brought on. Other figures estimate an additional 70 million people could fall into extreme poverty due to the impact of COVID-19.
COVID-19 has lifted the veil shrouding the vast social inequalities present in the world. The poorest margins of society that the pandemic most heavily impacted, in terms of both vulnerabilities to the virus and economic consequences. This is the result of socioeconomic inequalities and discrimination faced by those living in poverty. One example is a lack of adequate housing, which leads to a higher risk of contracting the virus because of either cramped living spaces or a lack of adequate water and sanitation.
Given the links between international law and poverty, a rights-based approach may be a suitable option for the global COVID-19 response. Most countries’ current COVID-19 responses fail to adequately protect the rights of those living in poverty. Discriminatory social protection policies are widespread, in direct violation of international rights standards. For instance, food assistance in Uganda is only reaching an estimated 17% of the population living in poverty, thanks to exclusionary policies mandating that assistance goes to specified urban areas. Meanwhile, a recently proposed emergency stimulus bill completely circumvents the 80% of Nigerian workers who are employed in the informal sector, providing support only for those in the formal sector.
The Human Rights Watch provides recommendations for overcoming these shortcomings through the implementation of a rights-based approach. At the government level, there is a need to ensure social protection, access to adequate living and health, among other rights. In terms of international assistance, there is a need to uphold human rights standards through the allocation of funds in favor of socioeconomic programs, minimum basic incomes, adequate housing protections and fiscal policies relating to poverty and inequality.
In Conclusion
Current U.S. policy regarding foreign assistance relating to the COVID-19 response does not detail a rights-based approach. However, USAID’s Feed the Future has adapted its programs to the pandemic, supporting the right to food and alleviating hunger. A number of international organizations and experts suggest that a rights-based approach will be the most effective means of integrating international law and global poverty to protect lives around the world, especially in the face of COVID-19.
– Leah Bordlee
Photo: Pixabay
Gender Violence and Domestic Abuse in Afghanistan
The Facts about Gender Violence in Afghanistan
Eighty-seven percent of women have experienced one form of gender violence in Afghanistan, and 62% have experienced all 3 forms: psychological, physical and sexual. Impoverished victims are more likely to remain silent because they lack the ability to speak to a healthcare professional. Plus, they are less likely to be taken seriously. Long-term physical abuse can lead to burns, disabilities, internal bleeding and gastrointestinal disorders, among other physical and mental health problems. Sexual violence also often leads to STDs and unwanted pregnancies.
An often overlooked form of gender violence in Afghanistan is child marriage, which is extremely prevalent despite the multiple laws in place to prevent it. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that one in five girls will be forced into a union by age 18, with 5% forced to marry by age 15. The biggest concern for forced child marriages is the chance of a high-risk pregnancy, which often puts the victim’s life at risk and hinders any possibility of growth or education. Child marriage is born of poverty because impoverished families will marry their daughters off in exchange for money, or the chance of the girls marrying someone financially stable enough to provide for them. This practice dehumanizes young girls and effectively denies them human rights.
Working Against Domestic Abuse
The World Health Organization, in a new healthcare protocol for gender-based violence, defines 22 forms of abuse and sets the standards of care for healthcare professionals. The report emphasizes the seriousness of gender-based violence. However, the lack of healthcare workers in Afghanistan limits its ability to respond to this problem. Healthcare professionals are the first witness for most victims, which means that they are extremely important in making sure that the victim doesn’t go home to an unsafe situation. Witnesses are also valuable to the prosecution of the offender.
The UNFPA has trained more than 2,500 new recruits in how to spot signs of violence and respond with sensitivity to victims in Afghanistan. Along with these recruits, the UNFPA trained 875 judges and 850 healthcare staff. The UNFPA has multiple Family Protection Centers with hundreds of trained counselors, whom they dispatch to hospitals and centers for emergency care. These new centers, which allow women and girls to make discreet reports, saw over 1,400 disclosures of violence in just one year after their foundation. This is a big step forward, since Afghanistan’s government did not formally make violence against women illegal until 2009.
The Future of Girls in Afghanistan
Violence against women in Afghanistan not only common but expected. In the current environment, it is up to the country’s health ministry and the public to take women seriously and give young girls a chance to thrive. However, solutions to domestic violence don’t just have to focus on the health care and justice systems. For example, by funding STEM and political programs for young girls, the Girls LEAD Act would give girls a chance to climb out of poverty and craft a future where violence does not belong. In addition to the work being done by the UNFPA and the WHO, this act shows the potential for international action to help reduce gender violence in Afghanistan.
– Raven Heyne
Photo: Pixabay
How Sesame Workshop is Helping Syrian Refugees in Poverty
The Syrian Refugee Crisis
Many Syrians have been forced to relocate in order to escape violence and the indiscriminate bombings of roads, schools and hospitals at home. The U.N. estimates that more than 6 million Syrians are displaced outside of Syria, while another 6 million have fled to other parts of the country. In the Northwest region of Idlib, nearly 900,000 Syrians have fled since December 2019.
Although many Syrian refugees have fled to overflowing refugee camps for temporary relocation and safety, others flee to unstable urban settings instead in the hopes of permanent relocation. As many as 70% of Syrian refugees are living in severe poverty.
This humanitarian crisis was recently worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Syrian refugees’ need for food, medicine and access to clean water has increased. Delays in importing necessities has reduced refugees’ access to these essential items.
The Sesame Workshop: Helping Syrian Children
Of all humanitarian aid for the Syrian refugee crisis, only 2% goes to education. An even smaller chunk goes to support early childhood education. Considering that nearly half of all Syrian refugees are children, this aid is essential.
In 2017, the MacArthur Foundation provided the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Sesame Workshop with a $100 million grant to fund a childhood education program for Syrian refugees. The IRC is an international NGO that has been providing humanitarian resources in Syria since the conflict first began. Sesame Workshop, the creators of the Sesame Street educational program for children around the world, partnered with the IRC to create “Ahlan Simsim,” meaning “Welcome Sesame” in Arabic.
The show will reach Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon to provide the refugees in Syria and the surrounding countries with quality education. This new version of Sesame Street is provided in both Arabic and Kurdish.
“Ahlan Simsim” has three main characters. Basma is a six-year-old purple muppet with two pigtails. She loves to sing and dance and is best friends with Jad. Jad is also six years old and is a yellow muppet who just moved into the neighborhood. Finally, Ma’zooza is a funny and hungry baby goat who follows both Basma and Jad on their adventures.
These new characters start with the basics: they teach young refugees about fundamental skills, such as emotions and the alphabet. They help their young audience gain educational skills and understand the world around them in a nurturing way. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the IRC and Sesame Workshop are still providing technological learning opportunities, resources for local implementation and preschool spaces for safe learning and playing. They also continue to advocate for these essential education programs.
Moving Forward
The Syrian refugee population is considered to be the most displaced population in the world. At this point, there are many Syrian children who were born into the conflict and do not know a life without it. The IRC and Sesame Workshop are working to ensure that these children have a stable future in which their lives can be defined by new opportunities.
– Camryn Anthony
Photo: Flickr
The Clean Technology Hub Pioneers Renewable Energy Solutions in Africa
The Clean Technology Hub is a center for innovative energy technologies based in Abuja, Nigeria. On top of conducting research and development for new renewable energy solutions in Africa — the Clean Technology Hub also acts as a start-up incubator for entrepreneurs committed to clean energy and as a consultant for businesses aiming to become more energy-efficient.
The Energy-Poverty Gap In Africa
Through advancing the field of clean energy solutions, the Clean Technology Hub hopes to bolster sustainable economic growth across Africa. More than 600 million people in Africa are currently living in energy-poverty and the continent’s population only continues to grow. As the world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, the need for energy access in Africa also continues to grow.
The core issue is not simply access to electricity but more specifically, access to reliable and uninterrupted electricity. Several million Nigerians only have access to an average of four hours of electricity per day. According to Clean Technology Hub, 93 million people in Nigeria do not have access to electricity at all. Rural areas of Nigeria face an exacerbated problem as over 60% of communities in these locations do not have access to energy. Of course, this issue is not unique to Nigeria. The Clean Technology Hub hopes to accelerate energy access across the entire continent through renewable and sustainable methods.
The Intersection of Renewable Energy & Technological Development
One of the Clean Technology Hub’s projects, Tech Meets Renewable Energy, intends to address the problem of renewable energy solutions in Africa. This initiative aims to bring energy access to remote areas in Africa through a collaborative effort between sustainable energy and technology. Clean energy providers need technological solutions to monitor consumption and develop transparent payment methods in order to make renewable energy as accessible as possible.
As a part of the Tech Meets Renewable Energy project, the Clean Technology Hub created a program to support entrepreneurs with innovative ideas on how to further develop the renewable energy supply chain. The issue of the energy supply chain can seriously hinder energy access in hard-to-access locations. This is only one of many ways that the Clean Technology Hub has created a space for innovators in the industry who are committed to advancing clean energy solutions.
Gender and Energy Access
Ifeoma N. Malo, the co-founder and CEO of the Clean Technology Hub, is a young Nigerian woman who is pioneering the world of renewable energy solutions in Africa. She believes that energy-poverty is an issue that affects almost every sector in Africa. In an interview with ESI Africa, she discussed the kidnapping of 265 young girls in 2014, who were taken from their schools in Chibok during a study period. She explains that part of “the reason they were kidnapped with ease and in such high numbers is that they did not have electricity,” making it impossible for anyone to get help.
Thus, gender-based development is an important aspect of Clean Technology Hub’s work. Malo believes that female-founded and led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are crucial to the future of renewable energy solutions in Africa. The Clean Technology Hub has a number of programs that empower African women and provide their businesses with cost-efficient, clean energy solutions. Over time, the MSME project has not only accelerated the adoption of renewable energy but sustained thousands of women-owned small businesses.
Looking Ahead
The future that the Clean Technology Hub envisions is the expansion and proliferation of renewable energy solutions in Africa, alongside sustainable economic growth and development. Although there is still a long way to go in closing the energy-poverty gap in Africa, the Clean Technology Hub’s important work has greatly accelerated the adoption of clean, renewable energy solutions in Africa.
– Leina Gabra
Photo: Flickr
3 Factors Affecting Healthcare in Montenegro
Montenegro rests on the Balkan coast, bordering four Southeastern European countries: Bosnia, Albania, Serbia and Croatia. Though small, with a population of 622,359, Montenegro caught the attention of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The UNDP critiqued the country’s high employment rate and its “lack of citizen participation in social processes.” To “combat poverty and social exclusion,” the UNDP suggested Montenegro’s government “effective[ly] and adequate[ly] target health, employment and social services.” In 2019, the conversation shifted toward healthcare in Montenegro and potential reform.
3 Factors Affecting Healthcare in Montenegro
While these statistics appear pessimistic at first glance, Montenegro’s government strives to amend its healthcare system. The Ministry of Health took its citizens’ considerations to heart by holding a discussion panel in 2019. Alongside the Association of Professional Journalists in Montenegro, the Challenges of Public Consumption: How Much Does Health Cost discussion panel sought to reform the country’s health financing.
To maintain their human resources, the Ministry of Health will provide better training for doctors and specialists. This will increase the number of medical professionals in hospitals and hopefully improve sanitation practices. While the UNDP awaits the results of these decisions, it is clear that healthcare in Montenegro is taking a step in the right direction.
– Kyler Juarez
Photo: Pixabay
Sustainable Development in the Philippines and the FPSDC
The Federation of Peoples Sustainable Development Cooperative (FPSDC) is a group of 154 cooperatives and civil society organizations in the Philippines — focused on improving the lives of marginalized people. They provide financial support, technical training and partnership opportunities to local business enterprises to promote self-reliant, sustainable and peaceful communities.
Origins of the FPSDC
The FPSDC grew out of the Partnership for Development Assistance in the Philippines Incorporated (PDAP) and its Central Loan Fund (CLF). Filipino and Canadian NGOs established the PDAP in 1986 to aid local organizations in the development of autonomous communities of marginalized peoples in the Philippines. The CLF facilitated financial assistance relationships among PDAP member organizations. In 1998, 21 PDAP NGOs and cooperatives expanded the CLF to create the FPSDC.
The 4Ps
The FPSDC names “People, Planet, Prosperity and Peace” as the canons of sustainable development in the Philippines. Their efforts focus on providing local businesses fair market access and sustainable growth opportunities to promote local prosperity and instigate social change — which in turn, engenders peaceful communities and inter-community relationships. The FPSDC gives member organizations the tools to develop self-reliant economic and social support within marginalized communities in the Philippines.
FPSDC Services & Digital Presence
FPSDC offers five unique services. The cooperative housing service promotes sustainable development in the Philippines through the construction of affordable and environmentally-conscious homes, in food-secure communities. The product distribution and marketing service helps local businesses enter competitive markets and encourages their commitment to environmental and social consciousness. The federation places particular emphasis on expanding opportunities for farms like Farms and Cottages, which the FPSDC helped to introduce to 457 supermarkets in Manila.
The socialized credit service offers a variety of loans to help businesses committed to job creation and sustainable development in the Philippines generate and reinvest money. The investment facility service manages organizations’ investments in marginalized communities. Their main goal is to help optimize wealth generation for both the financiers and the communities. Finally, the institution-building service helps FPSDC organizations expand their institutions and their influence in marginalized Filipino communities.
In conjunction with the RedRoot Artists Cooperative and the Cooperative Development Authority, the FPSDC created a website to disseminate products made by cooperatives in the Philippines. E-cooptrade.coop, for example, markets primarily locally produced and organic products. The website also promotes local social organizations.
FPSDC Co-op Ville
The FPSDC continues to build a cooperative housing development in Barangay Mambuaya Cagayan de Oro City as a resettlement community for victims of Typhoon Sendong. A massive typhoon struck the Philippines in 2011 from December 16 to 18 — killing more than 1,200 people and leaving more than 60,000 homeless. The FPSDC Co-op Ville houses 130 families on 2.5 hectares of land in addition to a multipurpose hall, courtyard, health center and education center. The federation is now building a bed and breakfast in the village to serve as a self-reliant business opportunity for the community.
Empowering Communities to Prosper
The FPSDC organizes, connects and offers financial and marketing support to enterprises committed to the sustainable development of marginalized communities, in the Philippines. The opportunities provided by the federation put power in the hands of the people it serves. These opportunities then foster independent, prosperous and sustainable communities among the most disadvantaged people in the Philippines.
– Avery Saklad
Photo: Flickr
5 Facts About Healthcare in The Gambia
The Gambia is a growing country with high income inequality and high poverty rates. The poverty rate in rural communities is 70%, while in urban communities it is only 32%. These high poverty rates negatively impact access to healthcare, making healthcare in The Gambia a significant concern. Without access, many people in The Gambia face communicable diseases without the ability to receive proper treatment. This lack of access to healthcare and the impact of communicable diseases have been exacerbated by the recent outbreak of COVID-19. However, organizations are stepping in to help The Gambia improve its healthcare system. Here are five facts about healthcare in The Gambia during COVID-19.
5 Facts About Healthcare in The Gambia During COVID-19
COVID-19 has exacerbated existing problems with healthcare in The Gambia by making those in poverty, or who have just escaped it, more vulnerable. As a result, many organizations have stepped in to help The Gambia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving forward, these organizations as well as the government must continue to make improving healthcare a priority.
– Melody Kazel
Photo: Flickr
How Soccer is Fighting World Hunger
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. As one of the most accessible games to play and watch, billions of people enjoy soccer. However, few are familiar with the impacts of soccer off the field. The sport has accepted an integral role in ending world hunger through its clubs, players and governing bodies. Many casual soccer fans are familiar with Marcus Rashford’s role in restoring over £120 million worth of food aid to underprivileged English citizens, a feat that is nothing short of remarkable. However, one cannot merely relegate soccer’s impact to the developed world: soccer is fighting world hunger, especially in developing nations.
Governing Bodies
Many larger soccer groups have committed to combating world hunger. One prominent example is the Professional Football Against Hunger campaign, which the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) co-founded and signed. The EPFL represents 27 member leagues constituting over 900 soccer clubs across Europe. This campaign reached millions of fans, generating record-breaking donations to food-aid projects. In addition, the organization created a recurring event named Match Day Against Hunger, in which over 300 clubs played in matches dedicated to raising awareness for world hunger. This awareness campaign helped put world hunger at the forefront of the soccer community’s mind, in addition to encouraging action from individuals and clubs alike.
Clubs
Soccer clubs themselves also play a massive role in fighting child and family hunger. Much like how soccer clubs in England support their regional communities, soccer clubs in developing nations also assist local populations. One gleaming example is the Everton Uganda Football Academy. This facility has committed itself to aiding the communities from which it recruits players, most recently donating food and medical supplies to 50 families. Fortunately, Everton is not an anomaly: many clubs in underdeveloped countries provide food assistance, particularly to the families of their budding players. The club cannot expect players’ and prospects’ best performance if they do not have adequate nourishment; thus, there is an incentive to provide for them. Many of the world’s best current soccer players – including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Gabriel Jesus – were food-insecure during their childhoods. Soccer programs provide not only food to young players, but also an opportunity to follow their dreams and prosper.
Players
Many of the world’s best professional soccer athletes have had humble beginnings. As a result, some of the most dynamic advocacy for hunger relief has originated from the players themselves. One example of an avid advocate for fighting world hunger is Kaká, a former AC Milan and Real Madrid star. Kaká became the youngest United Nations World Food Programme Ambassador at age 22, serving as the main endorser and contributor to the Fill the Cup campaign that ultimately fed over 20 million undernourished schoolchildren in nearly 80 developing countries. Kaká’s influence not only garnered millions of dollars to save the lives of millions but also encouraged many children to remain in school.
Colleges
In the United States, college soccer programs have also answered the call to fight against world hunger. While university soccer teams are largely underfunded – and thus unable to make large donations to charity – they are often extremely committed to issues surrounding world hunger. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s men’s and women’s soccer programs, for instance, sent an incredible 285,000 meals to Nicaragua to aid underprivileged families and youth. While monetary funds are hard to come by for many college athletics programs, the University of North Carolina powerfully demonstrates how these programs can donate time and money to do what they can in aiding others.
As the most popular sport in the world, soccer has nearly infinite influence. Especially for a massive issue like global poverty where it is difficult to recognize the pockets of solutions that some are implementing, it is essential to acknowledge how soccer is fighting world hunger. Fighting world hunger is not a task for food-aid specific groups alone, and soccer programs worldwide are helping to lead the charge.
– Keagan James
Photo: Piqsels
International Law and Global Poverty During COVID-19
To understand the relationship between international law and global poverty, it is important to first acknowledge which laws are relevant. Among others, these include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which provides the right to life; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which provides the right to social protection, an adequate standard of living and access to food, health and education; and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognizes the right to an adequate standard of living and the right to an education.
Philip Alston, the former Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, states that poverty is a political choice that countries make. There is a clear relationship between poverty and failure to fulfill basic human rights. Some indicators of poverty that are relevant to international rights laws and standards include primary school enrollment, nutritional indicators, life expectancy and disease.
Is a Rights-Based Approach Better?
The World Bank indexes poverty rates across countries using the International Poverty Line (IPL). A wide range of institutions use the IPL — including the U.N. — and is based on an absolute line that is well below the national poverty line of some countries. According to Alston, this leads to less than optimal progress and a false perspective of the state of global poverty.
Low-income individuals can rise above the IPL that the World Bank established yet continue to face barriers in accessing basic human rights, which suggests a need for an alternative approach to addressing poverty. David Woodward, a British economist, developed one such alternative, which he claims resolves the problems inherent to the World Bank’s measurement and the wider way in which poverty is addressed. His alternative, termed the Rights-Based Poverty Line (RBPL), recognizes the relationship between income, poverty, and economic and social rights, which are enshrined in international law.
A rights-based approach to poverty eradication garners support across a wide range of international organizations. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights directly references poverty as the gravest impediment to the fulfillment of human rights globally. The Human Rights Watch and the United Nations Development Programme establishes that a rights-based approach can result in a higher degree of effectiveness due to the legal obligations for states to ensure those rights. The United Nations Economic, Social and Cultural organization maintains that poverty eradication will only occur when poverty receives acknowledgment as a violation of human rights.
Leveraging International Law to Eradicate Poverty
COVID-19 represents a serious challenge to the eradication of global poverty; however, it may also provide an opportunity for utilizing a rights-based approach. Estimates determine that the global population of people who will fall into poverty will increase by 8% as a result of the economic shocks that the pandemic brought on. Other figures estimate an additional 70 million people could fall into extreme poverty due to the impact of COVID-19.
COVID-19 has lifted the veil shrouding the vast social inequalities present in the world. The poorest margins of society that the pandemic most heavily impacted, in terms of both vulnerabilities to the virus and economic consequences. This is the result of socioeconomic inequalities and discrimination faced by those living in poverty. One example is a lack of adequate housing, which leads to a higher risk of contracting the virus because of either cramped living spaces or a lack of adequate water and sanitation.
Given the links between international law and poverty, a rights-based approach may be a suitable option for the global COVID-19 response. Most countries’ current COVID-19 responses fail to adequately protect the rights of those living in poverty. Discriminatory social protection policies are widespread, in direct violation of international rights standards. For instance, food assistance in Uganda is only reaching an estimated 17% of the population living in poverty, thanks to exclusionary policies mandating that assistance goes to specified urban areas. Meanwhile, a recently proposed emergency stimulus bill completely circumvents the 80% of Nigerian workers who are employed in the informal sector, providing support only for those in the formal sector.
The Human Rights Watch provides recommendations for overcoming these shortcomings through the implementation of a rights-based approach. At the government level, there is a need to ensure social protection, access to adequate living and health, among other rights. In terms of international assistance, there is a need to uphold human rights standards through the allocation of funds in favor of socioeconomic programs, minimum basic incomes, adequate housing protections and fiscal policies relating to poverty and inequality.
In Conclusion
Current U.S. policy regarding foreign assistance relating to the COVID-19 response does not detail a rights-based approach. However, USAID’s Feed the Future has adapted its programs to the pandemic, supporting the right to food and alleviating hunger. A number of international organizations and experts suggest that a rights-based approach will be the most effective means of integrating international law and global poverty to protect lives around the world, especially in the face of COVID-19.
– Leah Bordlee
Photo: Pixabay
Bolt Go Works on Decreasing Poverty in South Africa
Bolt, a ridesharing app formerly known as Taxify, is creating jobs for people living in poverty in South Africa. The mobile app recently created a category of rides called Bolt Go, which offers rides exclusively by hatchback cars at a 20% discount. Hatchback cars are cheaper, more fuel-efficient and have lower maintenance costs than Bolt’s usual sedans, making it a cheaper option for rideshare drivers. As a result, Bolt Go may play a role in decreasing poverty in South Africa.
Bolt Go
Bolt Go’s trips will be cheaper, but will still offer the same quality of service that users have come to depend on. Bolt Go rides will include trip protection in case of accidents. Additionally, hatchback cars will need to be in good condition, have a low starting mileage and pass a 45-point safety inspection.
The desire to allow South African drivers to earn an income, even if they cannot afford a “typical” ridesharing car, fueled Bolt’s decision to offer this new service. In addition, hatchbacks’ low price points allow Bolt to offer cheaper rides. After drivers invest in a hatchback or use an existing one, Bolt helps the drivers connect to passengers, and allows them to make money based on their own hours.
Will Ridesharing Be Successful at Decreasing Poverty in South Africa?
Poverty in South Africa is still a prevalent issue, even in a post-apartheid state. A 2015 study found that nearly 56% of the South African population is below the poverty line, living on about 992 rand ($75) a month. While poverty has been slowly declining since the end of apartheid, the numbers are still bleak: about 25% of South Africans live in extreme poverty, down only 3% since 2006.
Bolt Go is thus a solution that can help to empower impoverished people to rise above the poverty line. For many people, ridesharing can serve as a second source of income, in which drivers can work any hours they are able to. Paired with the fact that Bolt is creating opportunities for drivers to use cheaper cars, it seems likely that many living in poverty will now have access to a new source of income.
The Resistance
Some driver organizations, such as the South African E-Hailing Organization, are concerned that this program may hurt rideshare drivers in the long-run. The South African E-Hailing Organization’s biggest critique is the 20% discounted fare, which it believes will quickly become the preferred option of all riders. With these lower fares come lower paychecks for drivers, who already struggle to break even. These organizations claim that Bolt is taking advantage of the failing economy and the fact that many poor citizens are desperate for a job.
While the Bolt Go program is currently rolling out in a few select counties, it is not clear whether the program will be a success in substantially decreasing poverty in South Africa. Though some view the new service as potentially exploitative, the Bolt company has made its priorities clear. In a statement released by the company, a staff member at Bolt said that the company’s “focus is on the thousands of South African drivers who rely on Bolt to connect them with passengers and earn a steady income – and enabling them to continue to earn that income to care for their families and loved ones.”
– Hannah Daniel
Photo: Flickr
Tackling Heart Disease in Bolivia with the Nit Occlud Device
Bolivia is the second poorest country in South America, performing poorly in education, life expectancy, economic strength and overall development. Most alarmingly, it lacks sufficient medical care due to a limited supply of adequate resources. Bolivia’s unique geography advances its tremendous healthcare challenges, causing children to be 10 times more likely to be born with congenital heart defects. These conditions are nearly impossible to treat without trained cardiologists and updated facilities, two things often inaccessible to most Bolivians. Thus, addressing heart disease in Bolivia is quite challenging as a result of these factors. However, Franz Freudenthal, inventor and cardiologist, is improving medical care with a simple technique that utilizes an indigenous hobby to heal holes in hearts.
What is PDA?
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) is a common congenital heart defect, particularly prevalent in certain parts of Bolivia. The defect is caused by an opening between two major blood vessels traveling away from the heart. The opening is crucial to a baby’s circulatory system before birth, but it should close almost immediately upon exiting the womb. PDA cases, however, present holes in the heart that remain open. Although the exact cause of congenital heart defects like PDA is typically unclear, decreased oxygen levels have a direct impact on fetal heart health. Because La Paz, Bolivia sits at 3,600 meters above sea level, where the atmosphere has lower oxygen levels than most parts of the world. Therefore, Bolivia’s altitude is the likely cause of irregular blood. Also, the mother’s inability to provide appropriate oxygen levels to her child can result in severe complications.
Breathlessness and failure to thrive are the most common symptoms in mild cases, but fatigue and failure to gain weight can also occur because harmed hearts must work three times harder to pump blood than healthy hearts. Children with severe cases of PDA are at a higher risk for pulmonary hypertension, arrhythmias, infective endocarditis, anticoagulation and congestive heart failure. However, each of these symptoms can be relieved by skilled women in the Andes Mountains’ high plains.
Ingenuity to Fight Heart Disease in Bolivia
Aymara women have been knitting clothes and blankets for centuries, but with help from Franz Freudenthal, they are now knitting heart-closure devices to mend PDA. The Nit Occlud is a hi-tech medical advancement modeled after an occluder, an industrially-produced device intended to block holes in babies’ hearts. Unlike a normal occluder, the Nit Occlud’s design cannot be mass-produced due to its intricate design. Therefore, Freudenthal had to search for an alternative production plan. The perfect method, he soon found, was the wonderful weaving skills of the Aymara women.
The Nit Occlud is composed of a super-elastic metal known as nitinol, a nickel-titanium alloy capable of memorizing its own shape. After a doctor inserts the device through the body’s natural channels, it travels through blood vessels, expands to its original shape, plugs the heart’s hole and permanently restores basic cardiac functionality.
Typical treatments for PDA include surgical procedures, cardiac catheterizations, or heart transplants, but these are not available Bolivia and are not welcomed by the Aymara people. Even though the Aymara people have recently adopted Catholicism, they still believe in the power of the Andes Mountains spirits and their effects on human souls. Keeping in mind that manipulating a heart – performing open-heart surgery or a transplant – is considered desecration according to the spirits, Freudenthal created a minimally invasive innovation to respect patient beliefs and to “make sure that no child is left behind.”
Making Impact
Although congenital heart defects remain the fourth leading cause of premature deaths in Bolivia, the rate has dropped 36% since 2007. Freudenthal’s Nit Occlud has saved more than 2,500 children in nearly 60 countries after experiencing immense success in Bolivia. The country is also succeeding in its fight against poverty. The number of Bolivians living on less than $3.20 a day is projected to decrease by 35% in the next 10 years. Additionally, more children are being vaccinated and more prenatal care opportunities are becoming available to mothers. With these advancements in healthcare and poverty reduction, the economy will soon flourish and rates of heart disease in Bolivia are sure to drop .
– Natalie Clark
Photo: Flickr