Why Agriculture in Nigeria is Important

Agriculture in Nigeria
Agriculture is at the center of the Nigerian economy, providing the main source of livelihood for the majority of Nigerians. The farming sector of this West African country employs about 70 percent of the entire country’s labor force. Nigeria’s small farms produce 80 percent of the total food and 33 percent of this country’s land is under cultivation for this purpose. This is the leading African country in farming because it has the highest levels of productivity and profitability in this particular sector. Agriculture in Nigeria is the foundation of the economy, as keeps the people stable in what they do.

Two Reasons of Agriculture Importance

  1. Nigeria is twice the size of Zimbabwe and South Africa combined and has over 200 million people. The people of Nigeria depend on produce from the local farms for their daily meals as more than 80 percent of Nigerians buy their farm produce from the market. This country is at a huge advantage in terms of agriculture profitability because of the huge demand for farm produce.
  2. Nigeria has the benefit of having large stretches of fertile land available to cultivate. This country has one of the largest expanses of land in Africa with more than 900 thousand square kilometers and 70 percent of it is able to be cultivated to produce sustenance for the population of Nigeria. This land provides Nigeria with practically an unlimited source of farming food, providing agricultural produces and jobs for the people.

Top Two Most Profitable Types of Farming in Nigeria

  1. Nigeria is Africa’s largest rise consumer. It is mainly small-scale farmers who produce rice, sell 80 percent of their total production and only consume 20 percent of their product. This creates a huge market for the consumption of rice by way of the vast population of Nigeria, as well as the larger continent of Africa.
  2. Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world. This West African country produces cassava for 20 percent of the world, 34 percent of Africa and 46 percent of West Africa. Despite the fact that Nigeria has an enormous market for cassava, it is mostly grown for family consumption and local sale by smallholders. However, this field faces many challenges because of outdated technology and inadequate storage facilities. These challenges cause agricultural productivity to be low and postharvest losses and waste to be high.

In order to make Nigeria’s agriculture productivity more sufficient, the government and private sector need to develop ways to enhance cassava’s competitiveness in the international market and improve the efficiency of domestic rice production.

Livestock development is also an important aspect of Nigeria’s agriculture. The domestic production of livestock products is far below the national demand, which causes large imports of livestock and livestock products. The livestock sector can create new opportunities for farmers and provide more affordable and healthier diets for future generations.

Through farming and livestock development Nigeria has a stronghold on its agriculture productivity. With the help of the leaders in this West African country, livestock and farming productivity can hopefully improve enormously. Agriculture in Nigeria is so important to the economy and people’s daily lives that, despite its setbacks, it will inevitably prosper.

– Megan Maxwell
Photo: Flickr

Mental Health Care in Uganda

Mental Health Care in Uganda
In many countries around the globe, healthcare professionals have begun to fully realize the need for comprehensive mental health care along with physical care. However, in many developing countries, where access to basic needs such as clean water and vaccines can be hard to come by, mental health care is often viewed as an unnecessary addition to the already costly and (rare) healthcare systems that may be in place.

Mental Health in Uganda

Uganda is the last of the six African countries with the highest number of mental health cases reported. Of the 38 million people in Uganda, almost 5 percent experience clinical depression and almost 3 percent deal with anxiety disorders. Now, the government has taken a new look at options to address mental health care in Uganda.

The Ministry of Health has begun The Health Services Strategic Plan (HSSP), a comprehensive plan to overcome the challenges many developing countries face in providing access to good physical and mental health care. There are some crucial barriers that Uganda, and many other countries, must overcome in order to fully assist their citizens in receiving proper mental health care.

  • Distance: One-third of Uganda’s population lives over 5 kilometers from the nearest health facility, and it is not guaranteed that the nearest facility will have patients’ pharmaceutical requirements or even be equipped to treat the patient’s medical needs.
  • Communication: In the healthcare field, direct and effective communication is key to both the success of the program and the well-being of patients. In Uganda, 43 different languages and dialects are spoken, making communication for all involved—doctors, nurses, psychiatrists and patients—difficult when it comes to discussing diagnosis, treatment, medications and discharge information.
  • Funding: In developing countries, the cost is often a large factor in the country’s ability to provide healthcare to their people. Only 9.8 percent of Uganda’s GDP is spent on healthcare, and less than 1 percent of these funding is directed towards mental health care.
  • Stigmas about mental health: Mental illness has long been stigmatized by the general public around the world. The concept that people suffering from mental illness have done something to deserve or create their struggles can have a powerful effect on one’s willingness to seek the necessary treatments.

Treating Trauma for Women

Poverty and mental illness often augment each other in a negative cycle. In Uganda, and in many other countries where poverty is prevalent, women and girls have a greater risk of mental illness. In Uganda, 80 percent of women who have received care for trauma-related issues have reported experiencing sexual assault. The negative consequences to one’s mental health associated with such a traumatic incident often keep people at low levels economically, socially and mentally.

The cycle of abuse towards women along with expectations of marriage and childbearing in at a young age and the minimal educational opportunities available perpetuate the ongoing cycle of poverty as a whole. In 2012, The Uganda Ministry of Health and World Health Organization (WHO) became partners in solving the growing issue of insufficient access to treatment options for mental health care in Uganda, specifically for children, women and those living in poverty.

Focus on Children and Adolescents

One component of Uganda’s new work on mental health care is Child and Adolescent Mental Health training, or CAMH. By providing access to mental health care for children and adolescents, Uganda can promote well-being from a young age, thereby de-stigmatizing the act of seeking and receiving care and support as needed. Therefore, training more professional is integral to the success of the new mental health policies.

In order to complete this mission, the training will tackle the issues preventing access to mental health care for all in Uganda through 5 main objectives: increasing knowledge surrounding mental health care, improving availability of mental, neurological and substance abuse care, increasing research, monitoring and evaluation of mental health concerns, contributions to the development of legislation, and increasing collaboration in providing mental health care to children and adolescents.

Treating Depression With HIV/AIDS

In 2016, a program was initiated in Uganda, developed Dr. Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu, that focused on mental health care in relation to HIV/AIDs. Nearly one-third of HIV/AIDs patients experience depression. While the number of facilities and healthcare professionals trained to deal with HIV/AIDs has increased, access to mental health care has remained minimal.

The new program has introduced ‘group support psychotherapy,’ targeting the management of depressive symptoms occurring in those with HIV/AIDS. It is believed that 70 percent of patients will recover substantially from depression through the group therapy, thereby positively influencing self-esteem, feelings of social support, and general functioning levels. By alleviating patient’s depression through mental health care in tandem with physical care needed, it is predicted that 20 percent of patients will experience less poverty due to higher productivity rates.

The country of Uganda began drafting legislation targeted at towards these and more mental health issues in its new Mental Health Policy, which will review and revise the 1964 Mental Health Act. The aim is to provide structure and safety for those struggling with emotional, neurological or substance abuse problems as well as create preventative measures involving communities and regional, rather than national, healthcare centers and professionals.  

Through Uganda’s new efforts and policies, there is now hope that those suffering from mental health issues in the country will be able to seek the help they need. By working to provide the training, facilities and education against stigmas necessary to enact real change in the community, Uganda will be able to alleviate some of the mental health issues being faced, which will, in turn, help alleviate poverty.

– Anna Lally

Photo: Flickr

Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Rwanda

Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Rwanda
Nicknamed the “Land of a Thousand Hills” for its many green and grassy hills, Rwanda is a landlocked, East African country with a population of 12.5 million people.

Rwanda is well-known for genocide in 1994 that killed as many as 800,000 people in the course of three months. Eventually, this tragic event caused extreme poverty and forced the country to start over from scratch since 70 percent of the population decreased. Although this was and is still a major setback for the country, these top 10 facts about living conditions in Rwanda will give you an idea of the hardships and improvements Rwanda faces daily.

Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Rwanda

  1. Rwanda is one of the most rural countries in the entire world. According to Land Links, 75 percent of Rwanda’s land is agricultural. This explains why the majority of the people live in houses that are surrounded by banana groves and large areas of land.
  2. Clearly, the agricultural sector is significant in Rwanda; thus, agriculture accounts for 80 percent of employment. Agriculture work is divided between the men and women; men do the heavy field work and care for the livestock while the women take care of the day-to-day farming activities such as planting and weeding. This goes for housework as well; men do the construction and heavy work while the women’s responsibilities are to maintain the household and raise the children.
  3. The food staples in Rwanda include bananas, beans, white and sweet potatoes, cassava and corn, which are all grown in the surrounding fields. Only those who can afford to buy meat will eat it.
  4. Although Rwanda has made a significant improvement in the number of people living below the poverty line, there is still a lot of room for progress. Specifically, The World Economic Forum states that in 2005, 57 percent of people lived below the general poverty line; however, that amount reduced to 45 percent in 2010. Regardless, 63 percent of the population still live in extreme poverty, living on less than $1.25 a day
  5. Living conditions in Rwanda vary tremendously depending on social class and location. Wealthy Rwandans may live in brick houses with full access to living essentials and necessities such as electricity, running water, plumbing and phone service. On the other hand, poorer people living in the rural areas live in small houses with mud walls and little to no access to many living essentials and necessities.
  6. In Rwanda, 25 percent of the population lack access to safe drinking water, and 26 percent of the population lack access to proper sanitation facilities. In order for families to have water, women and girls, the primary water carriers of the family, have to retrieve water from the local streams, which put them at risk for waterborne diseases. UNICEF has been working with the government in Rwanda to improve access to water and sanitation as well as improve hygiene in order to reduce disease and deaths related to water and sanitation.
  7. Unfortunately, 90 percent of Rwandans are at risk for malaria, a potentially fatal disease caused by infected mosquitoes. Malaria is the primary cause of death in Rwanda. In 2006, malaria caused 41 percent of hospital deaths, of which 42 percent of were children under the age of five.
  8. Most Rwandans buy their clothes from used clothing stores; however, some wealthy Rwandans can afford to buy new clothing made in Rwanda. The typical dressing style is typically semi-formal or business wear. Women usually wear long dresses and skirts that go past the knee with a nice fitted shirt and sandals while men wear dress pants with a dress shirt and tie. A lot of clothing in Rwanda consists of bright colors and patterns. Dressing down or casual can be considered disrespectful in Rwanda.
  9. Access to education in Rwanda is better than in most countries in Africa. The government provides everyone in Rwanda with free education for nine years; six years in primary school and three years in secondary school; however, after nine years, schooling comes with fees. Despite free education for nine years, InterNations reported that most children do not finish the required schooling and spend an average of only 3.3 years in school. Part of this is due to the fees for uniforms and supplies that still come with “free” education.
  10. Fortunately, besides free access to education, Rwanda also provides universal healthcare and operates one of the highest-quality health systems in Africa. Addressing the topic of health in Rwanda has resulted in major accomplishments such as reducing the mortality rate for children from 182 per 1,000 children to 52. Furthermore, due to access to vaccinations and improved healthcare, the life expectancy rate has doubled in the last 20 years.

These top 10 facts about living conditions in Rwanda highlight that the country has still managed to achieve success through its healthcare and educational system, proving that change requires more humanitarian aid and government contribution. Although there is still a good deal of work to be done to alleviate poverty in Rwanda, the country has come a long way to overcome the shadows of its past. 

– Kristen Uedoi
Photo: Unsplash

One Organization is Ending Clubfoot in Developing Countries

How One Organization is Ending Clubfoot in Developing Countries
Around the world, children are being born with congenital anomalies such as clubfoot every day, and many children in developed countries will receive simple treatments. However, in the developing world, children often have to live with an untreated clubfoot that will present intense challenges throughout their lives such as discrimination, neglect, poverty and even abuse. A company called MiracleFeet is changing the lives of children with clubfoot and offering cost-effective treatments to end clubfoot in developing countries.

What is Clubfoot?

Clubfoot is a deformity that affects 100,000 babies a year and is one of the most common birth defects globally. It is easily identifiable in infants and causes one or both feet to twist inward, which eventually causes the child to walk on his or her ankles. This occurs in fetuses who have abnormal developments in their tendons, bones and muscles, specifically in their legs and Achilles tendons.

In poorer countries, a shocking 80 percent of clubfoot cases are untreated, resulting in lifelong disabilities. It is unknown what causes clubfoot, but genetic problems may be one factor. This birth defect has been recorded throughout history and has most commonly occurred if a parent had a clubfoot. It is also more common in boys.

If an infant in a developed country is suspected of having clubfoot, it can be identified using an ultrasound. Generally, this condition had been treated by surgeries that greatly diminish the quality of life for these patients, especially in the developing world where victims have little access to proper treatment.

The Ponseti Method and MiracleFeet

The Ponseti Method is a great alternative to painful clubfoot surgeries that decrease the patient’s quality of life. This method has a 95 percent success rate, is low-cost and fairly simple. Instead of performing surgery, the child’s foot is manually aligned into its proper place using a variety of casts. In some cases, the procedure is successful within 20 days.

Treatment is supposed to start within a week of the infant’s birth when tendons are more elastic and correction for clubfoot is easiest. However, this method has also been used on older kids with some reporting that people can be successfully treated up to age 16.

MiracleFeet was founded by parents whose children suffered from clubfoot. This nonprofit is using The Ponseti Method to transform the lives of children born with clubfoot in developing countries all over the world. Its belief that healthy children add social, cultural and economic growth to their communities has fueled the organization’s desire to end this curable disability.

MiracleFeet partners with local healthcare services in developing nations to provide low-cost treatment and support for families affected by this deformity. They also provide innovative braces for children suffering from clubfoot to wear at night after receiving treatment.

They are determined to improve the health of these children who are living with a curable disability. MiracleFeet has already been successful in 25 countries, helping over 31,000 children at an average cost of $250 a child. Its current goal is to help 50,000 children by 2019.

MiracleFeet’s Work in Nepal

MiracleFeet has helped many nations throughout Africa, Central and South America and Asia. Nepal is one country that has been touched by this organization. In 2004, Nepal had one clinic that practiced The Ponseti Method, The Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children (HRDC). This is still the leading provider of The Ponseti Method, having treated 3,721 children in its first ten years.

In June 2014, MiracleFeet opened The Lahan Clubfoot Clinic, one of their four clinics in Nepal. The Lahan Clinic is a joint operation between HRDC and MiracleFeet and was able to help almost 40 children within two months of opening. Now, MiracleFeet has helped 1,016 children in Nepal and is determined to keep working in the country.

MiracleFeet is not alone in its fight to combat clubfoot. It is also part of The Global Clubfoot Initiative (GCI) established in June 2017. The GCI envisions a world where no child suffers from clubfoot. Their Run Free 2030 program has a goal of providing at least 70 percent of children with clubfoot in developing countries access to treatment. They are working to provide education about clubfoot and support of The Ponseti Method all around the world.

With organizations like MiracleFeet and The Global Clubfoot Initiative providing greater access to treatment for children with clubfoot, it is possible to envision a world free of this disability in the future.

– Alexandra Eppenauer

Photo: Flickr

Tourism Industry in Azerbaijan Has Potential to Alleviate Poverty

Tourism Industry in Azerbaijan Has Potential to Alleviate Poverty
Oil has long been Azerbaijan’s main export commodity. However, a recent switch to an independent economy inspired the birth of a new market- tourism. Along with the increase in country’s GDP and increase in jobs, the tourism industry in Azerbaijan has the potential to alleviate poverty, especially for the 5.9 percent of the population that still lives on less than $1.25 a day.

Azerbaijan and United Nations

In February 2018, United Nations Sustainable Development report detailed the potential that the private business sector in Azerbaijan has to alleviate poverty. If used in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, tourism as a mean for poverty alleviation could produce great results.

The United Nations Development Programme partnered with the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Azerbaijan to reiterate the potential the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could have on Azerbaijan’s poverty reduction.

The U.N. SDG’s aim to create 380 million jobs in food, agriculture, urban mobility, energy, health and well-being globally by 2030 by partnering with local and private sector businesses. A commitment of the U.N. to support the government, private sector and civil society in Azerbaijan is a step in the right direction that could link the developing tourism industry with poverty reduction.

American Chamber of Commerce Executive Natavan Mammadova also spoke of the importance of small and medium businesses in Azerbaijan in regards to aligning the county’s economic growth with poverty reduction, which is the number one goal of the SDG’s.

Tourism potential

Tourism is a great opportunity for developing countries as they are rich in culture and have beautiful landscapes.  Being on the Caspian Sea shoreline, Azerbaijan’s breathtaking landscapes, hiking and skiing trails in the Caucasus mountains and developing modern art scene make the country a perfect candidate for the tourism market.

Five percent of the world’s GDP comes from tourism and 235 million jobs are created by tourism (one in 12 jobs worldwide) every year. When focused on the potential to alleviate poverty, tourism provides jobs and sustainable incomes to local people through small community-based businesses. According to the U.N. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in some developing countries, notably small island states, tourism can account for over 25% of GDP.

In Azerbaijan, the success of the developing tourism industry has a potential to provide jobs to those in need. The continued success of the tourism market is being supported by the State Tourism and Agency Board that was created in May 2018. Among other things, this organization has partnered with the UNWTO to enter the 1st annual Tourism Startup Competition in 2018. Events like this will continue to develop new markets, create jobs and help people out of poverty.

Markets indirectly related to tourism like agriculture and transportation can also expect an increase with the tourism development. This is good news, as 54.9 percent of the total land area in Azerbaijan is used for agriculture.

Whether the newly developing tourism industry in Azerbaijan is providing additional income or is supporting small businesses, the jobs this market is developing have the potential to alleviate poverty and help those who are struggling. Continued commitment to growing the tourism market will increase the number of people being helped out of poverty.

– Hope Kelly

Photo: Flickr

5 Facts About Cancer in Serbia

5 Facts About Cancer in Serbia

The Serbian people are resilient. Tumultuous Serbian centuries have seen empires rise and fall. in the past three decades alone, Serbs have weathered political upheaval and civil war, all topped off by a two and a half month long airstrike. But today, they face an unprecedented problem: cancer. In the text below is the list of five key facts about cancer in Serbia.

5 Facts About Cancer in Serbia

  1. Serbia has the highest cancer mortality rate in Europe. Systematic reporting of the incidence and mortality caused by cancer in Serbia did not begin until the 1990s. The first nationwide, population-based study done from 1999 to 2009 showed that cancer mortality in Serbia was steadily increasing. However, as of 2009, the mortality rate caused by cancer in Serbia has been decreasing by approximately 0.9 percent annually. Regardless, Serbia still has the highest cancer mortality rate in Europe and the fourth highest rate in the world.
  2. Some blame uranium for this problem. The President of the Serbian Society for the Fight against Cancer, Slobodan Cikaric, claims that NATO’s airstrikes on Serbia in 1999 are responsible for the high mortality rates since 15 tons of depleted uranium were dropped on Serbia. Studies have shown that depleted uranium is a carcinogen: when ingested, it interrupts the normal cell growth process and can lead to malignant tumors. In response to this allegation, NATO referenced the UN Environment Program report. The report released in 2001 holds that health risks from uranium are negligible.
  3. Cancer risk factors are prevalent in Serbian society. When it comes to pinpointing cancer risk factors in Serbia, the lack of adequate health care is only the tip of the iceberg. There are few comprehensive cancer detection initiatives, and delayed diagnosis is often associated with a higher likelihood of mortality. An underfunded health care system means that the appropriate technology to treat certain cancers is often unavailable. There are many other variables to consider. Drinking and smoking are common, and daily physical activity is not. Nearly half of all Serbian men smoke, however, the Government of Serbia has made strides in tobacco control, from issuing television advertising bans to enforcing smoke-free zones at schools.
  4. The crisis differs by groups. Mortality from major cancers is higher in men. Lung cancer is the most common cancer in Serbian men, while breast cancer is the most common cancer in Serbian women. In fact, as of 2008, the breast cancer incidence and mortality rate in Serbian women was the highest in Europe. The incidence of cervical cancer is also alarmingly high: one and a half women die from cervical cancer every day in Serbia.
  5. Serbs are taking strides to improve health care outcomes. Marija Ratkovic, a Belgrade journalist, has been open about her fight against cervical cancer. Through a VICE documentary, she spreads awareness for the disease and shows women that they are not alone. With her platform as a popular news columnist, Ratkovic encourages women to be vaccinated and regularly screened. In 2016, the vaccine to protect from HPV, the virus that often leads to cervical cancer, became available in Serbia. In 2014, the World Bank secured $40 million for the Second Serbia Health Project, an evidence-based initiative designed to make the Serbian health care system more efficient. It reduced the cost of drugs and allowed public hospitals to purchase more equipment. In 2014 alone, it reduced the total cost of drugs throughout Serbia by €25 million.

Ultimately, to alleviate the crisis of cancer diseases in Serbia, the focus must be on addressing the multitude of risk factors and improving the productivity of the health care system. The Serbian government, with the help of focused foreign aid initiatives, has the power to save lives.

– Ivana Bozic
Photo: Flickr

Top 10 Facts About Poverty in the Maldives

Top 10 Facts about Poverty in Maldives

The South Asian island nation of the Maldives is famous worldwide for its pristine beaches, which attract more than one million tourists a year. While the Maldives may be famous for its luxurious accommodations, the country still struggles with poverty and diversified economic development. Below are the top 10 facts about poverty in the Maldives.

  1. Maldives’s economy has grown rapidly since it emphasized infrastructural development, offering many citizens hope for improved living standards. In 1980, the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was merely $42.46 million. As of 2022, it has risen to an estimated GDP of $6.2 billion, ranking it one of the highest in the world.
  2. Although GDP has certainly increased in recent years, the rate of economic growth in the Maldives has fluctuated. In the beginning years of rapid development, the Maldives experienced as much as a 9% decrease in GDP due to political instability, global economic decline and a lack of a diversified economy.
  3. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), in 2019, the service industry accounted for an estimated 72.6% of the Maldives’ GDP, while industry and agriculture comprise 19.1% and 8.3% of the GDP, respectively. Although the service industry contributes the most money to the Maldives’ economy, more than 25% of the country’s population work in agriculture and industry.
  4. The Maldives’ unemployment rate, at 4.2%, is low and job opportunities exist for the vast majority of the country’s population. Due to increased economic development in the service industry, the unemployment rate in the Maldives is projected to decrease continuously.
  5. Poverty rates in the Maldives have also steadily dropped as the economy of the country grows. In 2002, almost 23% of the population lived below the poverty line (defined as having anywhere between $1.90 and $3.10 a day). This number dropped to 5.4% in 2019, but poverty and hunger remain an issue in the Maldives. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), approximately 17% of children in the Maldives are underweight.
  6. Life expectancy in the Maldives has significantly increased due to rapid infrastructure and economic growth. In 1960, the average lifespan in the country was about 37 years, which rose to 79 years in 2019.
  7. The Maldives’ adult literacy rate has increased to 98%. The literacy rate for young adults aged 15 to 24 is even higher, at 99%. Male and female literacy rates are relatively equal, at 100% and 99%, respectively.
  8. Nearly half of Maldivians (42% of the total population) live in urban conditions. Urbanization in the country is a result of a migration shift, as several Maldivians have shifted their place of residence, most to urban areas. This is most likely due to better work opportunities in the developed service industry.
  9. Issues with population density have arisen in the capital city of Malé, where about a third of the population resides.
  10. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been partnering with the Maldives’ people and government for more than 20 years. The organization aims to strengthen democratic governance and public financial management in the Maldives. Between 2019 and 2023, USAID donated approximately $36 million to the Maldives, highlighting its commitment to supporting development initiatives in the region.

The Maldives has transformed its economy over the last few decades to become a luxury tourism hotspot. A drastic increase in the service industry, along with the small, albeit present, agricultural industry, has allowed the country to improve its standard of living. Although the economy has rapidly grown, poverty for some people in the Maldives remains a reality. With a more diversified economy and population density issue resolved on the island nation, poverty will continue to decrease in the Maldives.

– Matthew Cline

Photo: Flickr
Updated: May 27, 2024

You Go Girl: Top 5 Nonprofits that Empower Women

Nonprofits that Empower Women
All over the world and throughout history women have not been given the same opportunities as men, whether in business, education or healthcare. These strict gender norms can be difficult to overcome anywhere, but it’s especially difficult to overcome in an impoverished country. There are nonprofits all over the world helping to empower women to be successful in their communities — here are five nonprofits that empower women. 

Share and Care Foundation

The Share and Care foundation is concentrated in rural India. The goal of the foundation is to create equality, specifically gender equality, healthcare and education. The organization helps to empower women in rural India through teaching different life skills and helping these women overcome gender norms present in their country.

Some of the opportunities available for women through this foundation are:

  • Vocational training
  • Financial management skills
  • Self-defense lessons
  • Confidence training
  • Safe space for women that have escaped red light districts.

The foundation also has a class on gender equality open to both young boys and girls to help re-educate the youth on a woman’s role in society.

This foundation has been very successful in helping to empower women throughout rural India. The Share and Care Foundation has taught women business skills in subjects like fashion design or computer training, shown women they can be self-employed and contribute to India’s economy and helped many women regain the confidence they need to succeed.

School Girls Unite

This goal of School Girls Unite is to overcome prejudice throughout the world and provide girls with an education and leadership skills. The organization believes no one should be denied the freedom of an education, especially based on their gender. This foundation works specifically in the country of Mali, where only 50 percent of girls completed elementary school.

School Girls Unite has provided many young girls an education in Mali that they otherwise would not have received. The group provides full scholarships to ten girls a year; the cost of attending school for one year is only $75. This cost is broken down into $35 for tuition, $20 for books and supplies and $20 for tutoring and mentoring.

The efforts of School Girls Unite have helped ten girls complete ninth grade, which is very rare in rural Mali; in addition, three students are continuing in their education without scholarships and two girls have received an associate’s degree. This nonprofit has been helping to empower women and changing lives for almost 15 years.    

Women for Women International

Women for Women International was started in 1993 and has provided aid to over 478,000 women since. These women harken from eight different countries that have been impacted by war or conflict. This foundation is helping to empower women by supplying them with support, tools and life skills to help them become economically self-sufficient.

In addition to such benefits, women also learn life, vocational, health and nutritional skills in this program. Once they are enrolled, this population is also provided with a monthly stipend to help be able to pay for things while they learn valuable life skills.

Women for Women International has changed and improved the lives of women in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovnia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Sudan.

Women’s Global Empowerment Fund

Women’s Global Empowerment was founded in 2007 and has since changed the lives of many women in Uganda. This fund has given numerous women access to microcredit loans, literacy, education in business, leadership development and health initiatives.

As of 2017, this organization provided over 10,000 microcredit loans, business training classes and other developmental programs. This program has improved the lives of many women in Uganda by empowering them through business education and skills that help women work in agriculture and markets, among other vocational sectors in Uganda.

Madre

Madre aims to help the world become a place where all individuals can enjoy human rights. They partner with local women’s groups stricken with war or disaster throughout the world.

One of the organization’s goals is to advance women’s rights by meeting the urgent needs of these communities and providing solutions. Madre combines meeting urgent needs and teaching women life and leadership skills to create long lasting change throughout the world.

Madre works with communities in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Haiti, Columbia, Kenya, Palestine, Syria and Iraq. For 35 years, this organization has improved the lives of many women by fighting to combat violence against women, building peace throughout the world, fighting to end rape as a weapon of war, battling for rights of the LGBTIQ community, and providing emergency relief to communities in need.

These nonprofits that empower women do so by providing resources and education needed to build sustainable communities. Hopefully, others will continue to follow in such inspirational footsteps. 

– Ronni Winter
Photo: Flickr

The Most Pressing Facts about Poverty in Sri Lanka

Top 10 Facts about Poverty in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is working hard to reduce poverty with its partners such as the United Nations Development Program and the World Bank. The country has faced a number of development barriers, such as a three-decade civil war, which ended in 2009, and a devastating tsunami in 2004. While sustainable development is ongoing in the country, poverty in Sri Lanka is still a significant issue. Here are the most pressing facts about poverty in Sri Lanka.

Top 10 Facts about Poverty in Sri Lanka

  1. Poverty occurs in concentrated pockets in Sri Lanka. For example, former conflict districts such as Mullaitivu and Mannar have 28.8 and 20.1 percent of their citizens living in extreme poverty respectively. Extreme poverty rates are also high in the Batticaloa district (19.4 percent) and in the Monaragala district (20.8 percent).
  2. While certain areas have very high rates of extreme poverty, most poverty in Sri Lanka occurs in affluent districts such as Kurunegala. The Kurunegala district houses 7.7 percent of the country’s poorest citizens as opposed to the combined 3.4 percent in Mullaitivu and Mannar.
  3. About 85 percent of Sri Lanka’s poor live in rural districts, which often lack quality access to education. Rural pre-schools, for example, are often private and for-profit and oftentimes inaccessible or unavailable to poor families. Even if a family can afford pre-school for their children, the schools are little more than playgroups and do not provide an adequate education.
  4. Lack of quality education leads to rampant unemployment, as seen in many rural areas across Sri Lanka. Reportedly 27.7 percent of Sri Lanka’s youth, ages 15 to 24, are not receiving an education, training for future employment or are currently employed.
  5. Nearly 45 percent of Sri Lankans live on less than $5 a day. This means that living standards in certain areas of the country are very low.
  6. There are high rates of undernourishment, stunting and malnourishment in Sri Lanka, especially in children. An overall 22.1 percent of Sri Lanka’s population is undernourished, meaning they do not have enough to eat. In fact, 17.1 percent of Sri Lankan children under the age of five are malnourished and lack access to balanced diets; 17.3 percent of children under five have stunted growth, meaning they are too short for their ages.
  7. About 4.4 percent of Sri Lankans still lack access to electricity. Lack of electricity means that this population also lacks the benefit of refrigerators, washing machines and any other type of technology. Without technology or internet access, this population does not have access to opportunities that could help lift them out of poverty.
  8. Women, rural women especially, are not very economically active. Gender roles in Sri Lanka dictate that women do the bulk of unpaid care work in their households. Women are often responsible for rearing and educating their children, caring for elderly or sick family members, cooking and collecting daily water. Many women do not have time to earn money of their own and become financially independent.
  9. Sri Lanka’s growth rate reached a 16-year low in 2017 at 3.1 percent. Such an occurrence means that the nation’s rate of economic growth is in decline.
  10. Despite environmental disasters and other factors, poverty in Sri Lanka is actually declining. From 2006 to 2016, the rate of extreme poverty declined from 15.3 percent to 4.1 percent, which is among the lowest rates of poverty in the region.

Looking Forward

According to the World Bank, Sri Lanka’s economic outlook remains favorable despite recent declines. The organization reports, “Growth should continue to translate into poverty reduction and improvement in living standards.”

The country still has a long road ahead recovering from civil war and facing ongoing environmental crises, but the declining trend in poverty is a good sign for Sri Lanka’s future.

– Kathryn Quelle
Photo: Unsplash

Content or Dissatisfied: 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Turkey

Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Turkey

Turkey is a country where a great deal of misinformation exists online. There have been many ups and downs in the country’s agenda lately, and gathering the top 10 facts about living conditions in Turkey is difficult due to the massive instability of continuous changes. Here are the top facts about living conditions in Turkey.

Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Turkey

  1. According to the UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI), Turkey ranks at 71. The UNDP’s HDI is an indicator of many dynamics concerning the quality of living conditions all around the world. The dynamics that HDI focus on are primarily health, education, income, gender and human security. Turkey has been increasing its HDI since 1990, but the rate of increase has declined since 2010.
  2. Fifty-one percent of the Turkish people between the ages of 15 to 64 have a paid job. The statistics of OECD states that 51 percent of the Turkish people aged between 15 to 64 have a paid job. Unfortunately, this rate of 51 percent is below the average of OECD countries by 16 percent. Another important issue is that of income inequality. Most people either experience a problem of unfair income distribution or an unjust necessity of working hours; today, the minimum wage in Turkey is approximately 1600 Turkish lira, or $260.
  3. Sixty-three percent of the people state they are satisfied with the quality of their water. Unlike most U.S. and European cities, drinking the tap water is not the preferable option in Turkey. The current government took steps in order to increase the quality of the water in the country, and their efforts have shown distinctive progress. Even though the image looks brighter compared to years ago, there is still a need for further steps in order to satisfy the living condition of water quality.
  4. Trying to understand the living conditions in Turkey by taking a look at Istanbul is often inaccurate. Cities like Istanbul, Ankara, Bursa and İzmir stand considerably higher in the quality of life index. Overall, these cities offer better living conditions to individuals than in Turkey, which can cause internal migration from time-to-time.
  5. The lack of political stability in the country affects living conditions. Over the years, the political arena of the country has witnessed the competing interest of political parties of the left and the right wing, and the country faced a deadly coup attempt in July 2016. The unstable political arena affects various dynamics that directly impact the living conditions of the Turkish people.
  6. People work for extremely long hours to earn money. According to the better life index of OECD, almost 34 percent of people in Turkey work for inordinate amounts of time in Turkey.
  7. There are only four universities that ranked in the top 500 of Times Higher Education. Education quality is a problem that affects the living conditions of people living in Turkey. There has been a lack of equal spread of quality educations in all cities of the country. In fact, one often must live in a major city to receive a qualified, world-level education. According to Times Higher Education, there are only four Turkish universities listed in the global top 500: Koç, Sabancı, Bilkent and Boğaziçi.
  8. A weak social network between communities is a problem for the living conditions. Due to its geographical location, Turkey’s demographics are often influenced by European, Asian and Middle Eastern motifs. Rather than caused by ethical problems, the lack of social networks between communities are generally caused by the modernist and conservatism favoritism of specific groups of people. Even though Turkey is not an Islamic state, the majority of its people are Muslim and the country hosts a variety of Islamic practices with groups of distinct interests. As a result, there are places and times where religious interests and characteristics of people can work as a discriminating force in the society.
  9. Taxation is a massive problem in Turkey. The tax system in Turkey is a progressive one, and citizens generally pay 15 to 35 percent tax on their employment income. The main problem of Turkey’s taxation system is that the tax rates of products in markets are sometimes more than the item being bought. Today, the tax problem is highly visible, especially on imported products.
  10. The historical and cultural environment in the country is vibrant. Overall, Turkey is still a safe and sound place to live; every city has some cultural and historical beauty to astound and fascinate its visitors and residents. Starting with Istanbul’s amazing scenery, rich architecture and cultural habitat, the country still has its own way of providing a satisfying living standard.

Fostering Satisfaction

Despite Turkey’s struggles, many of the nation’s inhabitants are satisfied with their ways of life. The nation still has far to go for complete equality of living standards, but with fiscal, social, and economic changes, the nation can continue to steadily improve its inhabitants’ lives.

– Orçun Doğmazer

Photo: Pixabay