Venezuela’s economic, political and social status has become increasingly restless over the years. While instability can be traced back to government policies of the early 2000s, such as price and foreign currency controls, the economic crisis had dramatically escalated since Nicolas Maduro became president in 2013. An annual inflation rate as high as 1.3 million percent and a shortage of food and medical supplies has brought the country to the brink of famine. Indeed, 90 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty, up from 48 percent in 2014.
In Search of Safety
As a result, four million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014 in search of stability. While some migrants have gone to the United States and Spain, the vast majority have decided to leave for other Latin American countries such as Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil. Colombia has seen the greatest influx of Venezuelans. In August 2019, 1 million migrants were reported. Now that President Maduro has been reelected, analysts expect that this figure will only keep rising.
Since 2015, 24,000 children of Venezuelan migrants have been born on Colombian territory. However, amid the country’s many crises, Venezuelan consular services are unable to register the foreign-born children for citizenship. Many of these refugee children are born stateless, which is a major human rights issue. Without proper documentation confirming a child’s nationality, they lack access to government programs to protect their well-being, such as healthcare, immunization and education, essential to socio-economic mobility. Moreover, undocumented populations are unable to vote and are not politically represented in the countries where they reside. This issue is becoming increasingly urgent; some medical centers like the Erasmo Meoz Hospital in Cucuta, Columbia receive more Venezuelan parents than Colombian parents.
Protecting Migrant Children
In response to the growing concern of a new and vulnerable generation lacking vital social services, Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez moved to protect their rights. He announced in a press conference that all children of Venezuelan migrants born in Colombia after August 2015 will be granted citizenship. In his speech, Duque made it clear that this was a crucial measure to protecting the “defenseless” and that doing so upholds the country’s constitution.
Speaking about refugee children, the president asserted that, “today, proudly, we tell them they’re Colombians.” This is excellent news for the parents of these children, who fled Venezuela largely to provide their families with better opportunities. Regarding the decision’s impact on her daughter’s life, migrant parent Mariela Martiarena was very enthusiastic. “This is the best for her. She needs everything, like health care. She needs it for her future.”
If not for the new proposal, babies like Isabella would be born completely stateless. Before the 2015 law, she would only have acquired Colombian nationality if at least one of her parents was Colombian, or if one of her parents were legally domiciled by the time of her birth. This makes up a minuscule amount of the refugee population.
Applause From the International Community
While the decision is temporary and only in place until August 2021, it’s an important start in addressing human rights and mitigating poverty in the Venezuelan diaspora. The United Nations has lauded Colombia’s measure as a step toward ensuring fundamental rights and safer migration. Specifically, The UN Refugee Agency, part of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR), has announced that they will financially assist Colombia in implementing the acts.
Providing children with citizenship can prevent them from experiencing a lifetime of discrimination, which often follows statelessness. Moreover, because the children of Venezuelan migrants are now citizens, these parents can more easily immigrate legally into Colombia and earn nationality.
Some see this new legislation as a way to return the favor for Venezuelans who aided Colombian refugees during Colombia’s struggles of the 1980s and 1990s. Felipe Muñoz, who helps manage the Venezuelan border, approves of President Duque’s proposal for this reason. “Let’s remember that decades ago it was they who received us Colombians in their country when the situation was inverse and it was us fleeing difficult local conditions.” Colombia’s decision to provide the children of Venezuelan migrants with Colombian nationality is an important symbol of empathy and cooperation in the global strive for human rights.
– Breana Stanski
Photo: Flickr
Health of Rohingya Muslims: An Update
Beginning in August 2017 and continuing to the present day, an estimated 24,000 members of the Rohingya Muslim ethnoreligious group have been murdered by Myanmar militia forces for cleansing purposes. Members of Myanmar’s army and police forces have raped around 18,000 girls and women. A total of approximately 225,000 homes have burned down or undergone vandalism since the beginning of this crackdown on the Muslim minority group of Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Since then, an influx of Rohingya Muslims has entered the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh in attempts to escape the inhumane living circumstances of the Rakhine State. By February 2018, around 688,000 Rohingyas had entered Bangladesh. They joined close to 212,000 Rohingyas that settled in Bangladesh before the exodus that began six months prior. One area of concern is the health of Rohingya Muslims.
Even after leaving the region where they experienced persecution, the quality of health of Rohingya Muslims has not been ideal. This is due to the frequency in which they travel into Bangladesh, as well as the large groups they move within.
Health Concerns for Refugees
One major, ongoing concern for the health of Rohingya Muslims is the fact that they have limited access to preventative health care services. These services become necessary when a mass group of individuals resides in a singular location, like a refugee camp, for an extended period. According to an Intersector Coordination group situation report, rape survivors among Rohingya Muslims have not received adequate clinical treatment for harms and diseases they may now carry.
There is also a lack of preventative and diagnostic services for blood-borne diseases like HIV and tuberculosis. The World Health Organization found in 2017 that, though both Bangladesh and Myanmar had comparatively low rates of HIV cases, Rakhine state in 2015 had an exceptionally large number in comparison to the rest of Myanmar. This, paired with the fact that Myanmar armed forces raped a large number of women and girls, illustrates a need for more thorough diagnostic procedures for blood-borne and sexually transmitted diseases.
Around 42,000 pregnant women and 72,000 lactating mothers require quality care assistance, as of October 22, 2018. Around 3,000 of those women had entered health facilities to receive treatment for their symptoms of malnourishment.
Medical Advancements and Humanitarian Aid
While refugees have limited access to health care, medical advancements have occurred to address as many of these refugees’ needs as possible. The World Health Organization reported on March 18, 2019, that a new software known as Go.Data will now allow for more efficient investigations into disease outbreaks, “including field data collection, contact tracing and visualization of disease chains of transmission.” On February 28, 2018, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre donated $2 million to the Sadar District Hospital in Cox’s Bazar. This will help strengthen the medical facility in the region of Bangladesh that includes a dense population of Rohingya refugees.
One more great stride in improving the health of the Rohingya Muslims: In the year following the August 2017 mass migration, 155 new health posts emerged, supplying for around 7,700 individuals per location. This could not have been possible without the partnership of the Bangladesh government, the World Health Organization and other groups supporting the rights of the Rohingya.
Continued support for and increased awareness of the persisting struggles of the Rohingya Muslims will do incredible things in ensuring improvement to their quality of life.
– Fatemeh-Zahra Yarali
Photo: Flickr
7 Facts About Life Expectancy in Cabo Verde
Located off the coast of Western Africa, the Republic of Cabo Verde is a chain of 10 islands with a population of more than 500,000 people. A former Portuguese colony, Cabo Verde’s economy was heavily based on the Atlantic slave trade. Post independence, the country and its citizens remain impacted by the effects of poverty, including a life expectancy lower than that of many other nations. Here are seven facts about life expectancy in Cabo Verde.
7 Facts About Life Expectancy in Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde’s economic history has led to difficulties in health care and sanitation, but in recent decades the nation has made impressive improvements, which has led to an increase in life expectancy in Cabo Verde. Many citizens of the country still live in poverty, but these seven facts about life expectancy in Cabo Verde show how nongovernmental organizations and the Cabo Verdean government are working to help people manage their health.
– Meredith Charney
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Colombia Welcomes Venezuelan Migrant Children
Venezuela’s economic, political and social status has become increasingly restless over the years. While instability can be traced back to government policies of the early 2000s, such as price and foreign currency controls, the economic crisis had dramatically escalated since Nicolas Maduro became president in 2013. An annual inflation rate as high as 1.3 million percent and a shortage of food and medical supplies has brought the country to the brink of famine. Indeed, 90 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty, up from 48 percent in 2014.
In Search of Safety
As a result, four million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014 in search of stability. While some migrants have gone to the United States and Spain, the vast majority have decided to leave for other Latin American countries such as Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil. Colombia has seen the greatest influx of Venezuelans. In August 2019, 1 million migrants were reported. Now that President Maduro has been reelected, analysts expect that this figure will only keep rising.
Since 2015, 24,000 children of Venezuelan migrants have been born on Colombian territory. However, amid the country’s many crises, Venezuelan consular services are unable to register the foreign-born children for citizenship. Many of these refugee children are born stateless, which is a major human rights issue. Without proper documentation confirming a child’s nationality, they lack access to government programs to protect their well-being, such as healthcare, immunization and education, essential to socio-economic mobility. Moreover, undocumented populations are unable to vote and are not politically represented in the countries where they reside. This issue is becoming increasingly urgent; some medical centers like the Erasmo Meoz Hospital in Cucuta, Columbia receive more Venezuelan parents than Colombian parents.
Protecting Migrant Children
In response to the growing concern of a new and vulnerable generation lacking vital social services, Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez moved to protect their rights. He announced in a press conference that all children of Venezuelan migrants born in Colombia after August 2015 will be granted citizenship. In his speech, Duque made it clear that this was a crucial measure to protecting the “defenseless” and that doing so upholds the country’s constitution.
Speaking about refugee children, the president asserted that, “today, proudly, we tell them they’re Colombians.” This is excellent news for the parents of these children, who fled Venezuela largely to provide their families with better opportunities. Regarding the decision’s impact on her daughter’s life, migrant parent Mariela Martiarena was very enthusiastic. “This is the best for her. She needs everything, like health care. She needs it for her future.”
If not for the new proposal, babies like Isabella would be born completely stateless. Before the 2015 law, she would only have acquired Colombian nationality if at least one of her parents was Colombian, or if one of her parents were legally domiciled by the time of her birth. This makes up a minuscule amount of the refugee population.
Applause From the International Community
While the decision is temporary and only in place until August 2021, it’s an important start in addressing human rights and mitigating poverty in the Venezuelan diaspora. The United Nations has lauded Colombia’s measure as a step toward ensuring fundamental rights and safer migration. Specifically, The UN Refugee Agency, part of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR), has announced that they will financially assist Colombia in implementing the acts.
Providing children with citizenship can prevent them from experiencing a lifetime of discrimination, which often follows statelessness. Moreover, because the children of Venezuelan migrants are now citizens, these parents can more easily immigrate legally into Colombia and earn nationality.
Some see this new legislation as a way to return the favor for Venezuelans who aided Colombian refugees during Colombia’s struggles of the 1980s and 1990s. Felipe Muñoz, who helps manage the Venezuelan border, approves of President Duque’s proposal for this reason. “Let’s remember that decades ago it was they who received us Colombians in their country when the situation was inverse and it was us fleeing difficult local conditions.” Colombia’s decision to provide the children of Venezuelan migrants with Colombian nationality is an important symbol of empathy and cooperation in the global strive for human rights.
– Breana Stanski
Photo: Flickr
The Historical Impacts of the Marshall Plan
In 1947, Europe was still feeling World War II’s devastation. Rebuilding was not going as fast as necessary and people of every country were feeling the impacts. Economies had nearly come to a complete halt in most countries and there were up to 11 million refugees that needed to find jobs, homes and food. The United States was the only superpower in the world that could offer any assistance to the people of Europe because the war did not entirely influence its industries. The reason for the implementation of the Marshall Plan was to help people rebuild their homes and industries, as well as provide security and an economic boost to the U.S.
The Marshall Plan’s Origins
The Marshall Plan, formerly called the European Recovery Program, was an initiative proposed by the United States Secretary of State, George C. Marshall, in 1947. The plan aimed to accomplish several things. First, it was to provide aid to kickstart European countries whose economies the war destroyed. The second was to promote free trade that would not only benefit those countries but the United States as well. The third was to contain the spread of communism that was sweeping over Eastern Europe.
The Marshall plan gave aid to 15 countries; the United Kingdom, West Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Portugal and Norway. President Harry Truman signed the plan into law on April 3, 1948; it brought aid to Europe in the form of machinery, fuel, food and money.
Aid for the Netherlands
World War II hit the Netherlands hard when the German forces occupied the country from 1940-1945. The war heavily damaged its infrastructure, agriculture and housing and they were in desperate need of repair. To rebuild its infrastructure, The Marshall Plan gave half a million dollars to the cement industry to repair roads, bridges and ports. The port in Rotterdam was particularly important because the country uses it to import goods. The Plan provided more funds to build housing for 9.5 million people living in the Netherlands. Fixing the agriculture of the Netherlands required the country to modernize its practices. It spent funds on new farming equipment and the treatment and repairing of the soil destroyed by years of fighting. In total, the Netherlands received $1.127 billion to rebuild its country.
Aid for Germany
Germany split in two shortly after World War II ended. The Soviet Union controlled East Germany while the United States and its allies controlled West Germany. West Germany received $1.4 billion in Marshall Plan aid although the war heavily impacted it. The whole of Germany had an aggressive bombing campaign to destroy its cities and invading armies from the west and east devastated the country’s communities. Twelve percent of the aid to West Germany went towards housing the nearly eight million refugees that had settled there after the war. These houses were necessary with a population of 67.9 million. Coal was another industry that was in desperate need; 40 percent of funding went towards this so that Germany could fuel its industries and factories. The funds from the Marshall Plan helped the German people find homes, jobs and food.
Aid for the UK
German bombings on British industrial sites had a terrible impact on the production of British goods, particularly on its southern cities. By 1948, the United Kingdom had mostly recovered from the war, but it needed to address more. While the U.K. was able to rebuild, the country was deep in debt and was having a challenging time feeding its people and keeping its industries going. Because of its 1948 population of 50 million people and its contribution to the war effort, the U.K. received the largest sum from the Marshall Plan, $3.2 billion. These funds provided the country with financial stability and allowed it to balance out its economy. While the aid did not go towards helping the U.K.’s economy, it benefited from the food and fuel brought in and the breathing room necessary to stabilize its country.
In total, the United States spent over $13 billion in aid for the 15 countries. These countries were able to provide food, fuel, housing and stability for their people during a devastating time thanks to the Marshall Plan. The average GDP of the nations that received aid increased from their prewar levels by 35 percent, and overall industrial production rose by 40 percent. The U.S. was also a beneficiary of the economic success of the European nations engaging in trade. In the decade following the end of the Marshall Plan in 1951, the GDP of the United States had nearly doubled. The Marshall Plan shows the benefits of providing foreign aid that can help not only those receiving but those giving as well.
– Sam Bostwick
Photo: Flickr
4 Tech Investments with the Intent to Lower Poverty
Technology advances at a blinding rate with new innovations popping up every day. People can use these new technologies to make life easier, save lives, entertain the masses in new, creative ways and serve countless other purposes. In this age of technology and instant access to information, a consumer will find dozens of different companies vying for their money with thousands of different advertisements, promising new features and faster internet. If a consumer investigates further, they will find people around the world using the bleeding edge of technology to reduce poverty by increasing access to medical facilities, providing more energy to those in need, aiding struggling farmers and innovating on the use of technology in the classroom. Here are four tech investments to lower poverty.
4 Tech Investments to Lower Poverty
The use of technology to reduce poverty brings an age-old problem into the modern world. These four tech investments will not eradicate poverty overnight, but they show that the superpowers of the world are willing to give more for the benefit of the world’s poor. With easier access to medical facilities, energy, agriculture and education through technology, countries with a large poverty rate could move forward on the path to a developed, flourishing society, strengthening the global economy with their commerce and aiding other countries that require assistance.
– Charles Nettles
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Social Activism
Social activism is a purposeful action with the mission of bringing about lasting social change. Anyone with a cause that they feel passionate about can become a social activist if they work to create effective and positive change. Social activism generally refers to working to right the wrongs of unjust practices affecting humans, such as the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar or the separation of families at the United States and Mexico border by immigration officers. However, activists can work to create change with any cause, including environmental activism and animal activism. These 10 facts about social activism will provide information on the evolution of activism, as well as careers relating to social activism.
10 Facts About Social Activism
These 10 facts about social activism show the evolution of activism with the rise of modern technology and social media. The form and pace of social activism will continue evolving to keep up with changing technologies. Technology and social media have sped up the exchange of information and knowledge, which largely contributes to the basis of many worldwide social activism campaigns.
– Laura Phillips-Alvarez
Photo: Flickr
How Plastic Bank is Tackling Global Poverty
What is the Plastic Bank?
The Vancouver-based Plastic Bank, launched in 2013, is predicated around the idea of turning plastic waste into digital currency in impoverished communities. This gives plastic too much value to be simply dumped into the ocean. The organization touts the mantra, “Plastic is a resource — not waste.”
At numerous locally-run Plastic Bank locations, individuals turn in plastic they have collected from within their communities. In Haiti, more than 40 recycling centers have been established and plastic collectors earn as high as $5 per day in a country where the average citizen lives on $2 a day, according to the World Bank. Since 2015, the first Plastic Bank center opened in Haiti has collected an amount of plastic equivalent to more than 100 million plastic bottles.
The plastic is weighed and assigned a value, which is then deposited into an online account that can be accessed via a smartphone application. According to Frankson, 50 percent of people in Haiti have a smartphone that can run the app and those who do not can use plastic to buy a phone. The app uses blockchain technology on IBM’s LinuxONE servers, meaning that all transactions are tracked and free of any danger involved in a cash-based system, such as robbery or forgery. At Plastic Bank stores, individuals can use their credits to buy necessities such as water, food, sustainable cooking fuel, high-efficiency stoves and even medical insurance, school tuition, solar-powered smartphone charging and Wi-Fi access.
Another innovation is the app’s banking features. Utilizing the same blockchain technology to create a secure “hyper ledger,” users can build credit over time and eventually earn low-interest loans. Before this feature, this was a very uncommon opportunity in countries like Haiti since many citizens do not qualify for bank accounts.
The Advent of Social Plastic
Once the plastic is collected at recycling centers, it is cleaned, crushed into pellets and sold as what the organization calls Social Plastic, or a form of plastic that is more socially responsible. Social Plastic is purchased by companies and multinational corporations such as German Henkel, Shell, IBM and Marks & Spencer and is used directly in the manufacturing of their goods. According to Katz, Social Plastic is a “globally recognized currency“ that “alleviates poverty and cleans the environment at the same time.”
The Future of Plastic Bank
Currently, Plastic Bank is expanding operations to over two dozen countries and developing the app further, including IBM visual recognition technology to help users identify the value of certain plastics, like a barcode scanner in a store. Plastic Bank expects to entice major corporations such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Colgate-Palmolive to join the initiative. Plastic Bank currently operates in the Philippines, Haiti and Indonesia and is projected to have 530 locations by the end of 2019.
– Adam Bentz
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Greece
The life expectancy age in Greece has been at a constant 0.22 percent increase since 2015. Out of all the countries in the world, Greece ranked at number 31 in 2019. The current average age of life expectancy is 81 years old. There are many factors that affect this average but the main one is poverty. Here are 10 facts about life expectancy in Greece and how it relates to poverty.
10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Greece
Poverty tends to have a huge impact on life expectancy in Greece. Poverty impacts socioeconomic status, health or living conditions, which all influence the longevity of each citizen. When more Greeks are falling towards the poverty line, they may find it challenging to access what is necessary to live a long, healthy life.
– Jessica Jones
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Austria
The Republic of Austria is a nation wedged within Central Europe. Many consider its water quality as one of the highest in Europe and several NGOs are working towards bringing the nation’s economic and environmental sustainability up to par with the EU. Here are 10 facts about life expectancy in Austria.
10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Austria
Through an analysis of increasing life expectancy and high health insurance coverage, these 10 facts about life expectancy in Austria demonstrate why the nation ranks high on the Better Life Index. With increased efforts to improve the economy and air quality, Austria can become a model nation for the world.
– Niyat Ogbazghi
Photo: Flickr
Top 10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Montenegro
Montenegro is a Balkan country that obtained independence from Yugoslavia on June 3, 2006. The data regarding life expectancy in Montenegro attests to its modernization and the continuing integration of the country into the global market system. With the fall of communism and the dissolution of Yugoslavia, improvements in life expectancy outcomes have accompanied the increased prevalence of ills more characteristic of developed countries. Below are the top 10 facts concerning life expectancy in Montenegro.
Top 10 Facts About Life Expectancy in Montenegro
Although centuries of isolation and scarcity have left their legacy, these facts about life expectancy in Montenegro indicate that the country continues along the path of modernization. Overall, these top 10 facts about life expectancy in Montenegro give good cause for optimism regarding the country’s future.
– Philip Daniel Glass
Photo: Flickr