July 30 is recognized as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. Globally, an estimated 27 million people are victims of trafficking. While exact figures vary, reports show that trafficking rates in Latin America (44%) are higher than in regions like Asia and Europe.
Trafficking takes many forms, including forced labor, forced marriage, sexual exploitation and child exploitation. No region in the world is immune to trafficking. However, Mexico and other parts of Latin America face increasingly high and rising rates.
In response to this growing crisis, international collaboration is gaining momentum. Project Turquesa, a joint initiative by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL, brings together 16 countries to coordinate prosecuting human traffickers. New investigations are continuously launched until the projects end in September 2025. This combined effort has led to more than 200 criminal arrests, spanning dozens of countries and continents.
Alongside Turquesa, other key organizations are dedicating themselves to ending this inhumane crisis. Notably, six of the leading forces in the fight against trafficking are women-led. Here’s who they are:
CATW-Latin America and the Caribbean
Regional Director, Teresa Ulloa Ziáurriz, leads the Latin America and the Caribbean branch of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) organization, focusing on raising awareness and advocating for victims of trafficking. Besides her leading efforts at CATW-LAC, she is Mexico’s first female lawyer to defend women’s rights in court.
CATW-LAC not only focuses on advocacy but also on supporting surviving victims. This promotes expert leadership as victims who share their stories encourage awareness. In 2024, a survivors’ network addressed the Organization of American States General Assembly. This attendance advocates for perpetrator accountability.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Ghada Waly serves as the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and as the Executive Director of UNODC. Since taking office, projects and reports represent a steady increase in awareness of trafficking in Latin America. Programs such as GLO.Act Women’s Network, MENTHOR, TRACK4TIP, STARSOM and others have been led by the UNODC.
The UNODC not only leads its projects but also collaborates with other organizations that share the goal of ending human trafficking. In 2024, the International Academy on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling was launched as a joint effort between the University for Peace, INTERPOL and other partners. Following its success, plans are underway to expand the academy.
The Marcela Loaiza Foundation
Founded by Marcela Loaiza, this powerful foundation supports trafficking survivors and offers them a platform to share their stories. Established in 2011, the Marcela Loaiza Foundation is a philanthropic organization that has partnered with UNODC and other key leaders in the fight against human trafficking.
“I am a survivor who is passionate about making significant changes to provide services to ALL people who have been hurt by this modern-day slavery now called trafficking in persons,” stated Loaiza. The organization spreads awareness and allows law enforcement to study the tactics and ploys traffickers use. One notable project, Breaking the Silence, was led by Loaiza’s foundation to unite international forces and survivors on the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Covenant House International
Carolyn Barker-Villena is Senior Vice President of Covenant House International’s Latin America division. The organization has a broad mission, supporting victims of human trafficking and other inhumane conditions. According to its 2024 impact report, Covenant House programs assisted more than 50,000 youth worldwide.
In Latin America, human trafficking data reveal that one in every two individuals at Covenant House has experienced trafficking. The organization offers long-term support through a strategic three-step model focused on prevention, intervention and restoration.
Together Women Rise
Co-founders Barbara Collins and Marsha Wallace launched this global movement to create an equal platform for women affected by injustice. Together Women Rise has contributed millions of dollars to support more than five million women worldwide for more than two decades. The organization provides active grants and strategic support to combat violence against women.
Through its Transformation Partnerships, Together Women Rise connects sister and brother organizations to address issues ranging from human trafficking in Latin America to economic equality in Asia. Some partnerships receive between $35,000 and $100,000 annually. One example is The Fuller Project, a newsroom reporting on gender inequality. Together Women Rise offers flexible funding focused on intervention strategies and driving systemic change.
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Amy Pope is the first female Director-General of IOM. For more than 70 years, IOM has focused on those who are in vulnerable, inhumane crises. As a leading organization in counter-trafficking, it has impacted more than 100,000 victims worldwide.
Regional Director María Moita leads IOM’s Latin America and the Caribbean office, where targeted counter-trafficking strategies are actively implemented. IOM collaborates with key regional partners, including the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), to strengthen prevention efforts and respond to trafficking operations. These joint initiatives continue to grow, leading to multiple plans and programs that contribute to the ongoing decline in trafficking across Latin America.
– Emma Rowan
Emma is based in Boston, MA, USA and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project..
Photo: Unsplash
Gender Equality in Brazil
Poverty and Gender Equality in Brazil
Oxfam reported that in Brazil, inequality is decreasing and to reach the United Kingdom’s (U.K.) current level of income equality, it could take 75 years. Furthermore, the lack of fiscal space to increase social spending and the reduced growth in the service sectors mean poverty reduction is likely to be much slower over the next few years.
In Rio, around 23% to 24% of the population lives in favelas and there are more residents in favelas in the city than all others in Brazil. The term favela often refers to slums, where people living in favelas are more at risk of poverty and health problems due to gangs that control these territories. Women are often most at risk in the favelas, which face high levels of violence and offer limited access to resources for women. However, there are women leaders in the favelas who are activists, symbolizing the daily struggles of the people who face limitations to their access to rights.
G20 Rio declaration
Officially known as the G20 Rio de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration is the summit held at the end of 2024, detailing what promises and key priorities the leaders are committing to in the new year. It is often praised for its duty to sustainability, climate action and gender equality.
Women in poverty in Rio may see the positive impacts of some of the decisions made at this summit, as the Rio Declaration confirmed the G20’s commitment to gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. One of these key commitments is the condemnation of gender-based violence, which may improve the lives of women living in favelas that are most at risk of violence.
Other notable commitments are the support of gender equality in Brazil with the promotion of equal pay, leadership opportunities and career development for women. A significant change and move forward is the summit’s pledge to reduce the gender wage gap from 2025 and bridge the gender digital divide by 2030. Indeed, this pledge will help move women out of poverty by providing them with better and equal pay.
Lucia Xavier
Lucia Xavier is an activist who founded the anti-racist nongovernmental organization (NGO), Criola, in Rio de Janeiro and is a Brazilian social worker. Furthermore, Xavier founded NGO Criola in 1992, which acts in the defense and promotion of Black women, young women and girls. Xavier’s work across Brazil as an activist focuses on advocating for black women and girls from poor backgrounds who face violence, which she identifies as the biggest threat to women’s rights in Brazil.
For Xavier, Black women’s representation is a key issue and she believes their leadership is vital for an equal future. Xavier has said that “Black women [are] powerful political actors, capable of transforming society and reshaping the norms.”
Women Ministers in BRICS
BRICS is a group of five countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — that serves as a political and diplomatic coordination forum for nations in the Global South. BRICS Brazil April 2025, held a meeting of women ministers that reinforced the essential role of female participation in shaping a new global governance.
Gender equality policies took center stage at this BRICS meeting, which focused on women’s development and entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, climate action, sustainable development and digital governance – misogyny and misinformation. Each of these areas looked at where women need help in Brazil and possible solutions. When discussing women’s development, the focus was on promoting initiatives and investments aimed at ensuring women’s equal participation in economic and social development. Recognizing technology-based violence against women and ensuring countries commit to promoting women’s equal participation in climate action are key concerns. This is critical because women and girls account for 80% of those displaced by natural disasters and the changing climate.
– Alice Haston
Photo: Flickr
Outbreak of Foot-And-Mouth Disease in South Africa
Foot-And-Mouth Disease in South Africa
Foot-and-mouth disease is a contagious viral infection that mainly affects hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and goats. It causes fever, painful blisters in the mouth and feet and can lead to severe weight loss and reduced milk production. The virus spreads rapidly through direct contact or contaminated materials.
Due to the outbreak, there has been a pause in production, which has caused price shocks. Authorities have also placed export bans, which have impacted the financial stability of already struggling livelihoods within the beef sector. Karan Beef is in decline, causing a huge economic disruption that is affecting producers and consumers in a country already experiencing financial hardship.
Foot-and-mouth disease is impacting South African livestock, driving up domestic meat prices for consumers and food businesses. This inflation hits low-income households hardest, as they spend a significant portion of their income on groceries. In response, industry stakeholders are urging the government to declare a formal state of disaster to access emergency financial support.
The ongoing quarantine cuts off farmers’ income, often their sole livelihood, while livestock losses push many deeper into poverty. In South African culture, cattle are not only a source of income but also serve as collateral, dowries and emergency assets. This crisis is delivering a severe blow to the meat industry and threatening multiple social and economic stability layers.
Vaccination Program
On June 19, 2025, Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen announced the arrival of the first batch of 900,000 foot-and-mouth disease vaccines from Botswana to help stabilize the livestock sector and restore trade flows. A few days later, on June 23, he visited one of Karan Beef’s facilities to launch the feedlot-level vaccination drive. Authorities hope the campaign will contain the outbreak, protect livestock and prevent further economic fallout.
The Future
As foot-and-mouth disease affects South African livestock, the government plans to build long-term local vaccine production in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council. The Department of Agriculture is also working closely with industry stakeholders to coordinate rapid response strategies, strengthen surveillance systems and improve outbreak control measures.
Meanwhile, health agencies are actively importing and distributing these vaccines to the most affected areas. If everything goes according to plan, Karan Beef production should soon be back on track.
– Emily Herlehy
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
IVI and GAVI: The Future of Vaccination in Developing Countries
The Work of GAVI and IVI
Organizations such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) are doing life-changing work, especially in developing countries.
Since Gavi’s establishment in 2000, it has aided in vaccinating more than 1.1 billion children in 78 countries; this is one-eighth of the globe’s entire population. These immunizations have, subsequently, averted more than 18.8 million future deaths, decreasing the global mortality rate drastically. Gavi particularly focuses on “zero-dose” children who have not received a single dose of their base-level vaccines and ensures that they are the first to be immunized.
The IVI, established in 1997, devoted itself exclusively to protecting vulnerable citizens of developing countries, who are situationally less capable of receiving necessary vaccinations. The remoteness of these nations creates barriers to immunization, including the lack of concrete infrastructure, weather conditions and political turbulence, among other factors. Currently, IVI operates under a treaty signed by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and 35 countries on several different continents. It is cementing local partnerships in developing countries, which lead to the issuance of immunization technologies in these nations.
Key Players
Conclusion
By 2030, scientists are aiming to reach a neonatal mortality rate of at least 12 deaths per 1,000 live births, as compared to 17 deaths per 1,000 in 2024. With the increasing development and roll-out of advanced immunization technology in developing countries, this process should be faster than it has been in previous years. Deaths claimed by vaccine-preventable infectious diseases are on the decline. Thanks to numerous brilliant innovators, these numbers will keep decreasing.
– Sarina Maloy
Photo: Unsplash
Accessible Health Care for Indigenous People in Paraguay
Poverty Leads to Sickness
TB is a disease that is highly concentrated among Indigenous communities, who face a greater risk of contracting it due to ongoing displacement and exclusion from health care and other essential services. These issues are further worsened by food insecurity, inadequate housing and limited access to health care. More than a quarter of Paraguay’s population falls under the national poverty line, which puts people at a greater risk of TB, as well as many other infectious and non-communicable diseases.
Expanding Access to Health Care
In 2023, Paraguay’s Ministry of Health launched a partnership with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and World Health Organization (WHO) to improve access to health care for Indigenous communities. PAHO and WHO made progress through their initiative, Expanding Access to and Quality of Primary Health Care and Integrated Health Services in the XIV Health Region, aimed at enhancing health services and increasing access for Indigenous People in Paraguay.
An outpatient care day event was held to encourage dialogue between health care providers and Indigenous People in Paraguay about the range of available health services through “outreach activities”. The program has also incorporated safeguards and adaptations for certain ancestral practices, such as “horizontal birthing”, to provide more culturally appropriate care. Home births remain the most common among pregnant women, typically with a midwife rather than in a hospital, which raises health concerns and increases the risk of infection.
Technological Innovations
The PAHO/WHO initiative helped to support a “geospatial analysis” device, used to “monitor and manage health services”. This tool has been installed and used in more than 900 Family Health facilities in rural areas of Paraguay. It has improved “service management” by recognizing areas with poor access to health services and locations of at-risk populations. It combines geographical data with “health-service planning,” which in turn helps to distribute resources more effectively.
Health Care Education
Public health training courses held by the Ministry of Public Health, with support from PAHO/WHO, helped improve health care workers’ response to epidemic outbreaks such as TB. The training enabled workers to recognize symptoms quickly, respond appropriately and treat cases effectively, helping to control the spread of these diseases. As a result, preventive actions for various illnesses have greatly improved.
Progress in Motion
The partnership between PAHO/WHO and Paraguay’s Ministry of Health has greatly improved not only the presence of health care and made it more accessible, but also visibility for the indigenous communities. Additionally, it has allowed the Indigenous People in Paraguay to become aware of the facilities that have become accessible to them. Overall, the health system is becoming increasingly supported and reinforced by these improvements and continues to get better each day.
– Bowie Aldrich
Photo: Flickr
Water Filtration in Cambodia: Transforming Lives
This lack does not just affect hydration — it directly impacts health, education, income and gender equality. In the face of this ongoing crisis, a new generation of community-centered programs are offering long-term solutions for water filtration in Cambodia that do more than deliver clean water — they are empowering rural Cambodians with jobs and dignity.
Safe Water, One Kiosk at a Time
At the heart of this transformation is Teuk Saat 1001. Since 2007, it has pioneered a simple yet powerful model: train local entrepreneurs in Cambodia to operate water kiosks that produce and distribute UV-filtered water at affordable prices. These kiosks, now numbering more than 300 across underserved rural areas, operate like social enterprises. In 2024 alone, they have provided clean water to more than 1.15 million beneficiaries.
Teuk Saat’s model links sustainable water access with livelihood creation, especially in areas where formal job opportunities are scarce. Instead of relying on external infrastructure, the community itself becomes the driver of its own progress, ensuring long-term maintenance, low-cost supply and local accountability. In addition, the kiosks help reduce the use of charcoal and wood to boil water, contributing to broader environmental goals.
Ceramic Filters and Women’s Empowerment
Another key player in the revolution of water filtration in Cambodia is Hydrologic Social Enterprise, a local business that came from the nonprofit International Development Enterprises (iDE). Hydrologic designs and distributes the Super Tunsai, a ceramic water filter capable of removing 99.99% of bacteria and producing up to 30 liters of clean water per day.
This seemingly small change has huge implications. For many Cambodian women and girls, fetching and boiling water traditionally requires time-consuming labor, exposes them to harmful smoke, and puts them at risk when gathering wood in isolated areas. Hydrologic filters eliminate these dangers while also cutting household expenses on wood fuel and medical treatment.
By selling more than 450,000 filters, Hydrologic has benefited more than 2 million Cambodians, avoided over 1.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions, and directly reached primarily female clients, around 85% of its user base. As a female- and locally-led social enterprise, Hydrologic demonstrates how access to clean water is also a path toward economic participation and gender equity.
Linking Health, Jobs and the SDGs
Programs like Teuk Saat 1001 and Hydrologic do not just address a humanitarian gap — they also contribute directly to SDG6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). By equipping rural communities to manage water distribution systems, these programs bridge the gap between short-term aid and long-term resilience.
Moreover, the reduction in waterborne illnesses, especially among children under five, has ripple effects: improved school attendance, reduced health care costs and stronger local economies.
The Path Forward
In 2025, Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation, along with the French Development Agency and the EU, announced plans to inject €275 million into Cambodia’s water infrastructure by 2027. As these national and international funds scale up, partnering with proven grassroots models like Teuk Saat 1001 and Hydrologic will be crucial to ensure that solutions remain community-driven, sustainable and inclusive.
As Cambodia works toward universal access to safe drinking water, the country’s rural social enterprises are proving that innovation does not always mean high-tech; it can mean training a neighbor, trusting a village and filtering change one household at a time.
– Kai Xian Lim
Photo: Flickr
Kenya’s School Meal Programs: Fighting Hunger
Malnutrition
Making up 36% of the population, Kenya’s children/adolescents face a dual nutritional crisis that accounts for undernutrition and obesity. The “Double burden” is the cause of several children’s physical growth, academic performance, cognitive skills and overall health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to focus on developing food systems in school’s that actively promote health and sustain ability specifically in school environments where children “spend most of their time in school, about 75% of the year, where they consume more than half of their daily meals,” African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) reports.
For instance, the Dishi Na County initiative from the Nairobi city county “targeting public primary schools and early childhood education centres in its jurisdiction” establishes centralized kitchens that prepare meals in bulk and distribute them to public schools and early childhood centers at highly subsidized rates. By reducing costs associated with decentralized infrastructure, the program aims to enhance nutrition, enrollment, and academic performance
The Evolution of It All
The National School Feeding Council (NSFC) managed the first ever school meal program in Kenya in 1966 whose purpose was to provide a supplement to mid-day meals to the children. Then in 1971, the government expanded the program to more marginalized groups that amplified enrollment of public primary schools holistically including “Samburu County increased by 31%, Wajir 71%, Isiolo 23%, Marsabit 20%, and Tana River County by 26%,” Kenya Insitute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA) reports.
In 1980, the government collaborated with the WFP for a five-year feeding initiative for rural communities to improve the education system, like attendance, performance, and retention. Between 1980 and 1989, there was a lot of success where hunger and malnourishment decreased and “enrollment increased by 56% among primary school children” in this time, KIPPRA reports. Due to this, the program extended into 1998 to 2003 and again from 2004 to 2007 under WFP Emergency operations.
The Transition to Home-Grown School Meals Program
The WFP’s school meals initiative in Kenya has played a vital role in combating hunger, malnutrition and school dropout rates, particularly in vulnerable and food-insecure regions. Initially launched in the early 1980s, the program provided cooked meals directly to schools, with a focus on arid and semi-arid areas (ASALs) where food scarcity was most severe. Over time, the initiative evolved into a more sustainable model. In 2009, the Kenyan government introduced the Home-Grown School Meals Programme (HGSMP), which shifted from food aid to a system where schools receive government funds to procure food from local farmers. This change not only enhanced the cultural relevance and freshness of meals but also empowered rural farmers and stimulated local economies.
Beyond just feeding students, the program has created ripple effects throughout communities. Women’s groups and youth cooperatives have been engaged as suppliers, school cooks and food processors, generating income and skills development opportunities.
In some counties, centralized kitchens like those in Nairobi’s Dishi Na County initiative, while separate from the national HGSMP, mirror the WFP’s goals of cost-effective, large-scale meal production and efficient delivery.
Additionally, since its inception in 2009, Kenya’s HGSMP Program has expanded significantly, growing from serving 200,000 children to nearly 1 million by 2016, WFP reports.
The Impact
Kenya’s school meal programs, rooted in decades of collaboration between the government, the WFP and local communities, demonstrate how targeted interventions can transform both education and nutrition outcomes. By addressing the dual burden of malnutrition and food insecurity, initiatives like the Home-Grown School Meals Programme and Dishi Na County not only keep children in classrooms but also improve their overall health, academic performance and prospects.
As these programs continue to expand, their integrated approaches, such as linking food systems, education, and community empowerment, offer a powerful example for sustainable development in Kenya and beyond.
– LaRaymee Lee
Photo: Flickr
The Gavi Board’s New Plan for Improving Global Health
The Impact of Gavi
In the last 25 years, Gavi has reduced child mortality by half. This has been made possible by providing children with access to life-saving vaccines, which is especially important for underserved countries. For instance, regions in West Africa still experience deadly outbreaks of diseases like meningitis, a disease which is extremely rare in the U.S. Developing nations are unable to afford the same vaccination access as countries like the U.S. or the U.K. Gavi aims to help finance this and allow children to be saved from preventable diseases.
Gavi has also helped many countries become financially independent. Nineteen countries that Gavi once supported have now become faithful donors. Not only has the organization provided vaccines for millions, but it has also helped whole countries escape poverty.
The Trump Administration’s Foreign Aid Review
Historically, the U.S. government has been one of Gavi’s largest donors, making up 13% of its total funding. However, this has all changed after the Trump administration’s foreign aid review earlier this year. The administration has announced that its Fiscal Year 2026 budget will not provide funding for Gavi.
Gavi has provided catastrophic estimates that outline what the lack of U.S. funding could mean for the world. Its statistics show that more than 1.2 million children will lose their lives because they will not have access to vaccinations. This is because the help that Gavi provides is only made possible through the support of other countries and organizations. These changes in funding are what inspired the Gavi Board’s new plan for improving global health.
Support From the UK
Like the U.S., the U.K. has been a long supporter of Gavi. However, while the U.S. is withdrawing its support, the U.K. is pledging more than $1.5 billion to Gavi. This will provide vaccination access to millions of children over the next five years.
The U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy was quoted as saying: “Our ongoing partnership with Gavi will give millions of children a better start, save lives and protect us all from the spread of deadly diseases.” This pledge will also have a positive impact on the U.K. Working with health organizations across the globe provides jobs for thousands of people within the U.K.
Additionally, by funding Gavi, there is better security for U.K. citizens. Funding research and vaccine development reduces the likelihood of deadly diseases reaching the U.K. This guarantees less stress on U.K. health workers and hospitals.
The Future of Gavi (2026-2030)
The Gavi Board’s new plan for improving global health has factored in its limited financial resources. Due to the Trump administration, as well as other donors who have withdrawn their support, Gavi is now operating with $3 billion less than it anticipated for the next five-year period. As a result of these budget cuts, Gavi will be giving less support to immunization programs. Yet, the organization is continuing to ask for more funding from potential donors, so hopefully, this can change in the future.
Despite the financial challenges Gavi is currently facing, the board has announced the creation of a Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) maternal vaccine program. The details of this program aren’t yet released. However, the organization has stated that it will work to eradicate one of the key causes of pneumonia in children aged less than 5. The board is also now starting its funding for the development of an Mpox emergency vaccine stockpile.
In the case of an emergency outbreak, vaccines would be provided quickly to the areas affected. This is an essential step in working to end the current Mpox epidemic in Africa. Gavi is now working to provide children across the globe with access to vaccines through its first health system strategy. This strategy will create unique programs for a variety of countries with a simpler funding process. Primary health care will be a large focus of this operation.
New funding policies have been implemented as part of the Gavi Board’s latest plan for improving global health. The board has requested that countries participating in its vaccination programs make greater financial contributions. Additionally, an amended Health Systems and Immunization Strengthening (HSIS) policy will be introduced in 2026. This policy will help countries finance their vaccine programs effectively.
Conclusion
Overall, the Gavi Board’s new plan for improving global health overcomes the obstacles the Trump administration has put in place. Gavi is still managing to introduce lifesaving programs despite its limited resources. The organization is also hopeful that if other donors decide to re-commit to being sponsors, it will achieve even greater success in protecting the globe against deadly diseases.
– Katie Gray
Photo: Flickr
Bidipads: Menstrual Products in Uganda Refugee Settlement
Refugee Settlements in Uganda
Uganda is home to the largest number of refugees within East Africa, serving as a place for safe settlement for more than 1.2 million asylum seekers. The country of origin for many of these refugees is South Sudan or the Democratic Republic of Congo, both of which have faced instances of extreme instability in recent years.
Established in 2016. Bidibi is a settlement within the Yumbe district to address the influx of South Sudanese refugees. In less than a year, this settlement became home to a quarter million refugees, reaching its maximum capacity and making it one of the largest refugee settlements in the world.
Bidipads
Within Bidibi, several groups have come together to establish an initiative to improve menstrual hygiene within the community. The initiative does this by employing women within the settlement to manufacture hygiene products ranging from reusable pads to soap. The bidipads project is formatted in a cooperative structure with 30 women from the settlement and 30 women from the host community participating at a time, according to the Global Compact on Refugees.
This employment opportunity allows for increased economic empowerment for the participating women, something desperately needed after the relocation that these refugees have faced. As one of the women in the cooperative remarked, “I am very happy to be part of the training. The skills I have acquired here will improve my life and ensure that I am always self-employed. For me, this is my biggest joy because as a refugee, we are always dependent, and I am tired of this dependency,” Global Compact on Refugees reports.
Community Education
Along with the production of menstrual and hygiene products, this initiative also seeks to educate and reduce stigma around menstruation within the refugee community. It seeks to do this in both home and school environments, hoping to encourage a change in perspective around menstruation on a large scale. When developing this initiative, members of the cooperative hosted a workshop to brainstorm how physical products can contribute to stigma reduction in the community. Considerations around religious and cultural backgrounds are part of the design of the products, including color and cleaning instructions. In doing this, the initiative takes a necessary hygiene product and transforms it into a tool for women and girls that is free from awkwardness and shame.
The Future
Working within the Bidibi community, organizations like HEKS/EPER and YUGNET have come together to help the refugee women of Uganda on several fronts. Through the Bidipads initiative, women receive employment and empowerment within their wage-earning status, while receiving necessary hygiene products and educational programming to address cultural stigmas around menstruation.
– Gwyneth Connor
Photo: Flickr
Women-Led Groups Fighting To End Trafficking in Latin America
Trafficking takes many forms, including forced labor, forced marriage, sexual exploitation and child exploitation. No region in the world is immune to trafficking. However, Mexico and other parts of Latin America face increasingly high and rising rates.
In response to this growing crisis, international collaboration is gaining momentum. Project Turquesa, a joint initiative by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL, brings together 16 countries to coordinate prosecuting human traffickers. New investigations are continuously launched until the projects end in September 2025. This combined effort has led to more than 200 criminal arrests, spanning dozens of countries and continents.
Alongside Turquesa, other key organizations are dedicating themselves to ending this inhumane crisis. Notably, six of the leading forces in the fight against trafficking are women-led. Here’s who they are:
CATW-Latin America and the Caribbean
Regional Director, Teresa Ulloa Ziáurriz, leads the Latin America and the Caribbean branch of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) organization, focusing on raising awareness and advocating for victims of trafficking. Besides her leading efforts at CATW-LAC, she is Mexico’s first female lawyer to defend women’s rights in court.
CATW-LAC not only focuses on advocacy but also on supporting surviving victims. This promotes expert leadership as victims who share their stories encourage awareness. In 2024, a survivors’ network addressed the Organization of American States General Assembly. This attendance advocates for perpetrator accountability.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Ghada Waly serves as the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna and as the Executive Director of UNODC. Since taking office, projects and reports represent a steady increase in awareness of trafficking in Latin America. Programs such as GLO.Act Women’s Network, MENTHOR, TRACK4TIP, STARSOM and others have been led by the UNODC.
The UNODC not only leads its projects but also collaborates with other organizations that share the goal of ending human trafficking. In 2024, the International Academy on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling was launched as a joint effort between the University for Peace, INTERPOL and other partners. Following its success, plans are underway to expand the academy.
The Marcela Loaiza Foundation
Founded by Marcela Loaiza, this powerful foundation supports trafficking survivors and offers them a platform to share their stories. Established in 2011, the Marcela Loaiza Foundation is a philanthropic organization that has partnered with UNODC and other key leaders in the fight against human trafficking.
“I am a survivor who is passionate about making significant changes to provide services to ALL people who have been hurt by this modern-day slavery now called trafficking in persons,” stated Loaiza. The organization spreads awareness and allows law enforcement to study the tactics and ploys traffickers use. One notable project, Breaking the Silence, was led by Loaiza’s foundation to unite international forces and survivors on the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Covenant House International
Carolyn Barker-Villena is Senior Vice President of Covenant House International’s Latin America division. The organization has a broad mission, supporting victims of human trafficking and other inhumane conditions. According to its 2024 impact report, Covenant House programs assisted more than 50,000 youth worldwide.
In Latin America, human trafficking data reveal that one in every two individuals at Covenant House has experienced trafficking. The organization offers long-term support through a strategic three-step model focused on prevention, intervention and restoration.
Together Women Rise
Co-founders Barbara Collins and Marsha Wallace launched this global movement to create an equal platform for women affected by injustice. Together Women Rise has contributed millions of dollars to support more than five million women worldwide for more than two decades. The organization provides active grants and strategic support to combat violence against women.
Through its Transformation Partnerships, Together Women Rise connects sister and brother organizations to address issues ranging from human trafficking in Latin America to economic equality in Asia. Some partnerships receive between $35,000 and $100,000 annually. One example is The Fuller Project, a newsroom reporting on gender inequality. Together Women Rise offers flexible funding focused on intervention strategies and driving systemic change.
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Amy Pope is the first female Director-General of IOM. For more than 70 years, IOM has focused on those who are in vulnerable, inhumane crises. As a leading organization in counter-trafficking, it has impacted more than 100,000 victims worldwide.
Regional Director María Moita leads IOM’s Latin America and the Caribbean office, where targeted counter-trafficking strategies are actively implemented. IOM collaborates with key regional partners, including the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM), to strengthen prevention efforts and respond to trafficking operations. These joint initiatives continue to grow, leading to multiple plans and programs that contribute to the ongoing decline in trafficking across Latin America.
– Emma Rowan
Photo: Unsplash
Fighting Climate-Driven Poverty in Mexico
Nonetheless, significant progress still needs to be made, especially in rural areas, where more than 40% of the population lives in poverty. For many of these communities, the economy is based on agriculture. In recent years, this source of income has been increasingly unstable as climate emergencies disrupt weather patterns.
Shifting Weather Patterns
In Mexico’s Yucatán state, the rainy season once began “roughly the same week every year… like clockwork,” said Dr. Ken Seligson, an anthropology professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills and an archaeologist based in Yucatán, in an interview with The Borgen Project.
With shifting weather patterns, the rainy season is much more unpredictable, affecting the livelihoods of subsistence farmers who need to optimize their schedules for planting crops. When their farms have lower yields, they are forced to pick up extra jobs, not to supplement their incomes, but to be able to put food on the table.
Climate-driven poverty in Mexico uproots routine. According to Seligson, this instability sparks desperation, forcing Mexican farmers with no choice but their last resort: “leaving their homes, going to the larger cities and seeking employment in the service industry.”
Low Water Supply
Seligson excavated an archaeological site in the hilly Puuc region in Yucatan, where groundwater only exists hundreds of feet below ground. Thus, families in Puuc address the destructive effects of the changing climate on their lives by utilizing traditional Mayan methods like harvesting rainwater in cisterns.
Even when long-awaited rain finally arrives, it’s often still not enough. In Mexico City, 2025 has seen one of the rainiest Junes in recent history. Yet the water supply remains low, severely affecting the most underserved communities and forcing the general population to conserve before taps run dry.
The infrastructure, such as pipes, is heavily damaged and leaking, preventing the supply of precious water to those who need it. Plus, the effects of sudden precipitation can be more destructive than beneficial for farmers as land now unaccustomed to rain suddenly experiences a dramatic downpour.
Organizations Staving Off Disaster in Mexico
Global nonprofit CADENA works to fight the effects of climate-driven poverty in Mexico, particularly among people in Chiapas. The organization provides humanitarian aid, but beyond that, it proactively engages with communities to train Mexicans to respond to coming disasters.
Some of CADENA’s key accomplishments:
Founded in 2007, the nonprofit Cantaro Azul ensures access to safe drinking water and sanitation in rural Mexico. In addition to its core mission, the organization has responded to several national crises, including:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cantaro Azul launched a public awareness campaign and distributed hand sanitizer to vulnerable communities. The nonprofit also installed dozens of public handwashing stations, known as Safe Water Systems, which used UV Pitcher technology to purify water on-site and promote hygiene in areas with limited infrastructure.
In the wake of Hurricane Otis and Hurricane John, UNESCO supported Mexico’s coastal communities by using its Heritage Emergency Fund to restore cultural and educational institutions. It restaffed the San Diego Fort Historical Museum, a public space for learning and celebrating local culture. By doing so, people affected by disasters can become more resilient despite the struggles they have overcome. UNESCO’s workshops also tackled sexual abuse, migrant inclusion and recovering from grief.
Final Remarks
Besides its detrimental impacts on the planet, changing climatic conditions ultimately drive human problems, especially poverty. Climate-driven poverty in Mexico only exacerbates the instability of employment opportunities while also causing water scarcity and along with that, many other issues. Climate resilience looks a little different for every community. However, each nation unites in the global fight to protect the environment and, most importantly, its people.
– Klara Jones
Photo: Wikimedia Commons