The Republic of Belarus is an Eastern European nation that boasts a free and universal education system, required for ages 6-14. Belarusian youth attend primary school from ages 6-9 and secondary school from 10-14, most remaining an additional 1.4 years until graduation. In Belarus, education is as accessible to girls as it is to boys.
Gender Discrimination in Society
Despite its accessibility, girls’ education in Belarus does not guarantee that girls will have the same opportunities as boys in adulthood. In 2016, the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Belarus reported that women earned only 76.2 percent of the salary of men. In addition, many of the nation’s most profitable professions, namely in manufacturing, experience horizontal segregation with a majority of leadership positions being held by men regardless of female employees’ qualifications. This encourages high-skilled women to enter into low-wage public service jobs like education and health care, which are occupied almost exclusively by women.
The Anti-Discrimination Centre (ADC) and the Office for European Expertise and Communications (OEEC) attribute gender discrimination in Belarus to traditional, patriarchal notions that are ubiquitous throughout Belarusian society. These notions portray childbirth and motherhood as women’s greatest value and devalue the importance of their professional success.
The media, aspects of the compulsory education system, politicians and other government officials all contribute to the perpetuation of gender stereotypes. In a 2014 analysis, the OEEC describes the media in Belarus as “gender non-sensitive” and lacks an understanding of ideas concerning gender issues that they put out into their society. The ADC echoed these concerns in its 2016 report, pointing out that media outlets often refuse to acknowledge misbehavior when criticized for producing gender-biased content.
Gender Discrimination in Education
Belarusian schools, private and public, are at the will of the state and considered political bodies. The Education Code of the Republic of Belarus requires instruction in “the role and purpose of men and women in contemporary society.” Boys and girls attend separate classes to teach them their respective roles in society, reinforcing stereotypes rather than promoting individual development. Girls are instructed in matters of homemaking and boys are taught activities such as woodworking and carpentry.
In 2009, Deputy Education Minister Tatsiana Kavalyova highlighted the importance of ideology in schools, calling it “the backbone” of Belarusian education. According to Kavalyova, every educational institution in the country has an ideology department. As of 2009, the government has continued banning teachers and democratic activists in opposition to the government.
Government agencies have failed to enforce anti-discrimination legislation despite having signed the United Nations Millennium Declaration, among other U.N. documents that commit the country to working toward gender equality. As of 2012, 68 percent of government officials and politicians in control of these policies are men.
The OEEC found in 2014 that 86.6 percent of the general public viewed women’s lack of representation in politics as either the natural order of things or as a necessary consequence of their primary roles as wives and mothers. Some men in government have publicly expressed the same sentiment, claiming that “gender equality is perverting society,” that women are “apolitical by nature” or that they should “sit at home and make borscht, not roam around squares.” Yet, in the face of these challenges, there is promise that more progress will be made.
Hope for Girls’ Education in Belarus
The data that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has published paints girls’ education in Belarus in a favorable light. In the organization’s most recent statistics, Belarusian girls have consistently, if only slightly, come to surpass Belarusian boys in academia:
- In 2015 and 2016, Belarusian girls had higher net enrollment rates in primary and secondary education. Rates for both girls and boys have steadily climbed from the low to high nineties since 2008, and the difference between boys and girls is less than one percentage point.
- The 2015 transition rate from primary to secondary education was 0.34 percent higher for girls at 98.25 percent.
- As of 2009, girls 15-24 years old have a 99.85 percent literacy rate, compared to the boys’ rate of 99.8 percent.
- In 2016, 6,747 girls and 7,654 boys were out of school. Although these numbers fluctuate, there have been more boys out of school each year since 2010.
- According to ADC’s 2016 report, 56.1 percent of women, compared to 43.9 percent of men, had a higher education.
With girls’ education in Belarus set firmly in place, NGOs have been able to focus on gaining gender equality in other ways. These organizations are able to focus their efforts on both preventing domestic violence and human trafficking and helping victims. Their work has also led to the National Scientific Research Institute of Labor’s development of a concept of gender equality and a gender assessment of current legislation by the National Center of Legislation and Legal Research.
One such NGO is Gender Perspectives, established in 2010. Gender Perspectives offers social, psychological and legal help to victims of domestic violence in Belarus, either directly or by referring them to other organizations and institutions. The organization created a hotline for victims in 2012, which responded to over four thousand calls in 2012 and 2013 and provided 117 with direct assistance.
In 2012, 54 women were selected for the National Assembly in 2012, which consists of 174 total delegates. Although they comprise only 32 percent and their admission was a result of a quota, women’s presence in the government offers hope that the state, with the help of NGOs, will establish gender equality that reaches beyond the sphere of education.
– Ashley Wagner
Photo: Flickr
History of Ebola in Mali
History of Ebola in Mali began in October 2014 when Aminata Gueye Tamboura tried to protect her (non-biological) granddaughters from the Ebola outbreak in Guinea. They traveled back to her home in Mali by taxis, buses and public transportation, while one of the girls, Fanta Condé, had symptoms of fever and nosebleeds. The two-year-old was brought to the Fousseyni Daou Hospital and was diagnosed with Ebola on October 23. One day later, she passed away.
The Spread of Ebola in Mali
Condé’s diagnosis was especially alarming because of the amount of people she could have made contact with throughout their journey to Mali. Once notified, WHO tracked down and quarantined 108 people who may have been exposed to Condé. Notably, no one in that group showed symptoms throughout the 21-day quarantine and were released in November.
On October 27, a few days following Condé’s death, another Ebola victim passed away. The imam had travelled to Mali from Guinea in search of a treatment for kidney failure he had for about one month. While doctors did not diagnose him, kidney failure is associated with late-stage Ebola. Soon after his visit to the Pasteur Clinic in Bamako, a nurse became sick and died, raising concerns about Ebola. On November 11, the nurse’s diagnosis of Ebola was confirmed. The hospital and areas that the imam and nurse had visited were quarantined, allowing health authorities to learn that a doctor at the clinic had Ebola as well.
Preventing the Spread of Ebola in Mali
In response to these outbreaks, emergency teams made from organizations such as WHO, Medecins Sans Frontieres, the United Nations and others were deployed in Mali. Certain groups already had a presence in Mali due to its shared borders with countries with Ebola outbreaks, allowing them to immediately take action. The history of Ebola in Mali was dramatically shorter than in neighboring African countries, largely because of the efforts of these organizations.
WHO, for example, was able to test blood samples in hours, hastening the process of diagnosis. They trained over 900 health workers to appropriately handle the outbreak. Preventative measures were taken as well; WHO provided hand washing facilities and temperature checks at hospital entry points.
In accordance with the tradition of diatiguiya, Mali did choose to keep its borders open. It continued to practice hospitality with its neighbors, despite the challenging circumstances at the time. Health checks were put in place, however, as preventative measures.
By January 6, 2015, the CDC had removed travel warnings in Mali, deeming it safe. On January 8, Mali was officially declared Ebola-free. The last Ebola patient tested negative on December 6, 2014, and no cases of ebola have come about since. The history of Ebola in Mali lasted a short few months because Mali effectively contained the virus wherever it appeared. In other West African countries, people were reluctant to believe in the Ebola virus and did not adhere to the recommended precautions, but Malians were more cooperative. The joint effort of citizens and aid groups ultimately lead to the successful containment of the Ebola virus in Mali.
– Massarath Fatima
Photo: Flickr
Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Yemen
As uprisings in Yemen continue to intensify, over 22 million people (75 percent of the population) are in need of humanitarian assistance, making Yemen’s population the highest number of people in need compared to the rest of the world.
In addition, Yemen’s economy has declined since the GDP per capita decreased 61 percent and 1.25 million civil servants are not receiving their salaries. In recent years, basic food prices have increased by 98 percent and unemployment rates are as high as 50 percent. Since 2017, the population living below the poverty line in Yemen has increased by 30 percent, putting it at 79 percent.
Ahmed Shwaa, a 59-year-old farmer displaced by the war, said: “We were living in a peaceful area and we were eating what we planted. We do not care about politics, we are not men of war, all that matters is to live in peace. But now, we cannot provide food for our family and we cannot live in peace.” For the citizens of Yemen, each day continues to be a struggle for survival.
Top 10 Facts About Living Conditions in Yemen
Despite the top 10 facts about living conditions in Yemen, various humanitarian aid organizations are determined to improve such conditions. Hope remains that these conditions will improve so that Yemenis no longer have to struggle for survival.
– Diane Adame
Photo: Flickr
Top 10 Facts About Hunger in Nicaragua
Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Central America and has the lowest GDP per capita. The country’s economy has grown in recent years, but 40 percent of the population remains in poverty. As a result, hunger in Nicaragua is a major problem. Here are the top 10 facts about hunger in Nicaragua.
Top 10 Facts About Hunger in Nicaragua
Fight Against Hunger
These top 10 facts about hunger in Nicaragua underscore the need for more sustainable agricultural practices. Thankfully, organizations like the WFP are active and can join the fight against hunger.
– Amelia Merchant
Photo: Flickr
A Brief History of Ebola in Sierra Leone
The history of Ebola in Sierra Leone can be traced back to December of 2014. The illness started out slow and unsuspecting as it crept across the land until really solidifying its grasp in May and June. From then on, the cases of Ebola continued to increase at an exponential rate.
The First Case and Subsequent Infection
The first case was that of an eighteen-month-old boy from a small village in Guinea. He was thought to have been infected by bats in the region. Soon after, other reports of Ebola-like symptoms became rapidly apparent. In March alone, there had been a reported 49 cases and 29 deaths.
One of the next infected was a house guest to the family of the index patient. She traveled home to Sierra Leone from Guinea unknowingly carrying the Ebola virus with her. She died shortly after her return due to the disease; however, her death was not investigated or reported until two other members of her family died.
The epidemic really began to flourish after the death of an infected traditional healer. The healer would treat Ebola patients across the border in Guinea but was a resident of Sierra Leone.
She eventually succumbed to the disease and a funeral service was held on her behalf; this is where the spread in Sierra Leone really increased. Thirteen women, all of whom attended the funeral, contracted the disease and eventually died as well.
A Death-Giving Funeral
Investigation processions commenced proceeding the funeral induced infections and it was found that 365 Ebola-related deaths started from that very funeral. It was also recognized that there were two strands of the virus present amongst the infected from the funeral.
In knowing the two variations of Ebola, researchers were able to retrospectively look for and trace the disease in blood samples. This made the containment of Ebola in Sierra Leone and respective infected regions much easier.
By the summer of 2014, the major town of Kailahun and its neighboring city Kenema were declared to be in a state of emergency. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other affiliated aid agencies provided and concentrated their response teams in the area.
The Ebola Epidemic
Unfortunately, the unsatisfactory public health infrastructure, the impoverished living conditions and the lack of preparedness aided the rapid spreading of the disease. By halfway through July, the aid teams from the World Health Organization buried over 50 bodies in the span of just 12 days in Kailahun alone.
Approximately two years after the first Ebola case was discovered, there were 28,600 cases and a resulting 11,325 deaths reported. The epidemic finally came to an exhausted end when Sierra Leone declared itself officially Ebola-free in March 2016.
Constant Vigilance
Unfortunately, the history of Ebola in Sierra Leone has continued in 2018 as the virus reared its ugly head again in May. The vigilance in regards to Ebola in Sierra Leone improved tremendously over the years since the first epidemic but it is still quite difficult to contain and extinguish.
Countless families and civilians still face the mental effects of the calamity from both the initial epidemic and the most recent devastation.
– Samantha Harward
Photo: Flickr
Top 10 Facts About Hunger in Guatemala
Top 10 Facts About Hunger in Guatemala
While hunger persists in Guatemala today, there is hope that increased awareness of the top 10 facts about hunger, combined with efforts from multiple governments and organizations, will lead to significant results in the years to come.
– Alexandra Eppenauer and Cole Zickwolff
Photo: Flickr
Updated: October 17, 2024
10 Eye-Opening Facts About Hunger in Nigeria
10 Eye-Opening Facts About Hunger in Nigeria
Fighting Food Insecurity
Levels of hunger in Nigeria are alarming, but the work of organizations like AAF and ICRC have been able to begin the fight against food insecurity. Without the aid of humanitarian workers, a higher number of lives would be lost each year to malnourishment and hunger.
– Amelia Merchant
Photo: Flickr
Girls’ Education in Belarus: Equal Education is not Equal Opportunity
Gender Discrimination in Society
Despite its accessibility, girls’ education in Belarus does not guarantee that girls will have the same opportunities as boys in adulthood. In 2016, the National Statistics Committee of the Republic of Belarus reported that women earned only 76.2 percent of the salary of men. In addition, many of the nation’s most profitable professions, namely in manufacturing, experience horizontal segregation with a majority of leadership positions being held by men regardless of female employees’ qualifications. This encourages high-skilled women to enter into low-wage public service jobs like education and health care, which are occupied almost exclusively by women.
The Anti-Discrimination Centre (ADC) and the Office for European Expertise and Communications (OEEC) attribute gender discrimination in Belarus to traditional, patriarchal notions that are ubiquitous throughout Belarusian society. These notions portray childbirth and motherhood as women’s greatest value and devalue the importance of their professional success.
The media, aspects of the compulsory education system, politicians and other government officials all contribute to the perpetuation of gender stereotypes. In a 2014 analysis, the OEEC describes the media in Belarus as “gender non-sensitive” and lacks an understanding of ideas concerning gender issues that they put out into their society. The ADC echoed these concerns in its 2016 report, pointing out that media outlets often refuse to acknowledge misbehavior when criticized for producing gender-biased content.
Gender Discrimination in Education
Belarusian schools, private and public, are at the will of the state and considered political bodies. The Education Code of the Republic of Belarus requires instruction in “the role and purpose of men and women in contemporary society.” Boys and girls attend separate classes to teach them their respective roles in society, reinforcing stereotypes rather than promoting individual development. Girls are instructed in matters of homemaking and boys are taught activities such as woodworking and carpentry.
In 2009, Deputy Education Minister Tatsiana Kavalyova highlighted the importance of ideology in schools, calling it “the backbone” of Belarusian education. According to Kavalyova, every educational institution in the country has an ideology department. As of 2009, the government has continued banning teachers and democratic activists in opposition to the government.
Government agencies have failed to enforce anti-discrimination legislation despite having signed the United Nations Millennium Declaration, among other U.N. documents that commit the country to working toward gender equality. As of 2012, 68 percent of government officials and politicians in control of these policies are men.
The OEEC found in 2014 that 86.6 percent of the general public viewed women’s lack of representation in politics as either the natural order of things or as a necessary consequence of their primary roles as wives and mothers. Some men in government have publicly expressed the same sentiment, claiming that “gender equality is perverting society,” that women are “apolitical by nature” or that they should “sit at home and make borscht, not roam around squares.” Yet, in the face of these challenges, there is promise that more progress will be made.
Hope for Girls’ Education in Belarus
The data that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has published paints girls’ education in Belarus in a favorable light. In the organization’s most recent statistics, Belarusian girls have consistently, if only slightly, come to surpass Belarusian boys in academia:
With girls’ education in Belarus set firmly in place, NGOs have been able to focus on gaining gender equality in other ways. These organizations are able to focus their efforts on both preventing domestic violence and human trafficking and helping victims. Their work has also led to the National Scientific Research Institute of Labor’s development of a concept of gender equality and a gender assessment of current legislation by the National Center of Legislation and Legal Research.
One such NGO is Gender Perspectives, established in 2010. Gender Perspectives offers social, psychological and legal help to victims of domestic violence in Belarus, either directly or by referring them to other organizations and institutions. The organization created a hotline for victims in 2012, which responded to over four thousand calls in 2012 and 2013 and provided 117 with direct assistance.
In 2012, 54 women were selected for the National Assembly in 2012, which consists of 174 total delegates. Although they comprise only 32 percent and their admission was a result of a quota, women’s presence in the government offers hope that the state, with the help of NGOs, will establish gender equality that reaches beyond the sphere of education.
– Ashley Wagner
Photo: Flickr
Top 10 Facts About Poverty in the United Arab Emirates
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), skyscrapers, luxury vehicles, high-end shops and fast-food chains line the streets. The country appears to be wealthy and in many ways, it is. However, poverty in the UAE paints a picture of exclusion from the comfort, luxury and beauty that attract so many tourists to the nation.
These facts about poverty in the UAE reveal several systematic issues within the country. The improvements made to workers’ rights in the UAE cannot overshadow the immense amount of work that has to be done to provide an avenue of escape for impoverished migrant workers. The abuse of migrant labor, on which the UAE largely depends, is perhaps the biggest problem it must tackle to address the overarching issue of poverty.
– Julius Long
Photo: Flickr
Updated: May 30, 2024
How the US Benefits from Foreign Aid to St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Drug Trafficking in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ high unemployment and low health insurance rates are primarily consequences of its economic downturn during the global recession of 2008 (St. Vincent had a 0.6 percent decline in GDP) and its subsequent sluggish recovery. In combination with this, the country has experienced difficult agricultural seasons over the years, particularly due to hurricanes, that have resulted in fluctuating yields with a -3 percent growth in 2015 up to a record 14.5 percent in 2016 then down to 1.7 percent GDP growth in 2017.
This is how drug trafficking gained more ground within St. Vincent’s borders. Faced with uncertain incomes year to year, an increasing number of desperate islanders have sought work growing marijuana, participating in the narcotics trade from Venezuela or both. So much so, that The U.S. State Department’s 2018 International Narcotics Reports claims that “St. Vincent continues to be a primary source for cannabis in the Eastern Caribbean.” Faced with no income or health care, illicit trafficking has become a necessary means for survival.
The drug trade has become a serious foreign policy issue for The United States along its southern border. Drugs, such as cocaine and marijuana, not only enter The U.S. through Mexican land routes but now increasingly so through Caribbean countries like St. Vincent. Drug traffickers rely on yachts, “go-fast” boats, fishing vessels and cargo ships for transporting illicit drugs up The Caribbean to The U.S. or Europe.
US Foreign Aid in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The U.S. Department of State and The U.S. Agency for International Development have both implemented foreign aid projects meant to improve conditions in St. Vincent while simultaneously strengthening U.S. security. This is one example of how The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has embraced a youth-centered strategy that employs the use of programs such as the Skills and Knowledge for Youth Project (SKYE), The Community, Family and Youth Resilience Program (CFYR) and the Liberty Lodge Boys Training Center. All of these U.S. sponsored programs provide funding and training for youth to get an and education and to find employment while also receiving healthcare benefits.
In particular, SKYE provides 2,000 youth in The Caribbean with counseling, employment skills training and rehabilitation services. Similarly, CYFR intends to seek out evidence-based solutions to local issues through community involvement, greater access to employment and a reformed law enforcement system. The Liberty Lodge Boys Training Center, funded and supported by USAID, has recently been re-established in order to ensure that young men will have access to education and employment and be able to provide for their families.
While these programs and initiatives are fairly young, they do have the potential to have a significant impact on the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. All utilize local resources with the goal of strengthening local authorities and leaders to become self-sustaining.
Another way that The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to St. Vincent and the Grenadines is through a more secure Caribbean. The U.S. Department of State has teamed up with The Department of Defense to build and maintain a stronger government and create more security in The Caribbean. This joint venture between The U.S. and The Caribbean nations is known as The Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). The CBSI demonstrates an overlap between U.S. humanitarian and U.S. security policies.
Since 2010, The U.S. has committed $437 million in funding to the CBSI with three significant goals in mind.
The DEA reported seizing 658.18 kg of cocaine and 267 metric tons of marijuana during the first 9 months of 2017 thanks to efforts to upgrade security measures in the area. Furthermore, they have seized $1.3 million in drug proceeds, which is used on programs to further support the country’s efforts to stamp down on drug trafficking. The funding provided by the CBSI has also led to the building and funding of new rehabilitation clinics throughout St. Vincent in order to help reduce drug addiction.
Here, poverty and security have become one in the same. U.S. foreign policy advocates are utilizing security policies and funding to better protect the people in The Caribbean while, at the same time, protecting those at home in The States. Moreover, creating better living conditions for the citizens of St. Vincent, especially the youth, is viewed as a necessity to securing The Caribbean from illicit trafficking within and outside the region.
The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to St. Vincent and the Grenadines precisely because of the fact that it strengthens regional security in the Americas. Initiatives, such as the CBSI and CFYR, demonstrate that foreign aid and poverty reduction are vital tools within U.S. foreign policy. St. Vincent and the Grenadines may be a tiny blip on the map, but with U.S. foreign aid, it could have a substantial impact on the Americas.
– Tanner Helem
Photo: Flickr
The Inspiring Work of Many Hands Fair Trade Shop
What is Fair Trade?
Fair trade is a concept that began around the 1980s in an effort to provide sustainable compensation and livelihoods to the producers and workers who make globally-traded products.
Essentially, consumers pay slightly more for internationally-traded products to ensure that a fair wage is paid to the producers of the products. Additionally, fair trade organizations set standards on the products produced, including environmental and human rights standards for producers and a fair trade minimum price for consumers.
What is Fair Trade’s Impact?
In 2016, there were over 1,400 fair trade certified producer organizations in over 70 countries who work to ensure fair compensation to over 1.6 million workers and producers. In fact, 23 percent of fair trade workers are women, a position that empowers them to help build their communities and work in a meaningful way.
By selling solely fair trade products, Many Hands Fair Trade Shop uses their small storefront to contribute in a large way to producers all over the world. Established in 2015, the store works to ensure they are providing “a channel for these [fair trade sponsored] artisans to sell their products, [and] offering them an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and embrace a better life.”
What is the Many Hands Fair Trade Shop?
Cindy Noel, one of the managers of the Many Hands Fair Trade Shop, spoke with The Borgen Project about the efforts of the store’s managers to ensure as much income as possible goes to the fair trade producers.
“We put everything back into buying fair trade items so we can support more fair trade artisans and farmers. We have had to purchase a few shop displays but we ask for donations of most things and really have bought very few things. We are frugal. No one takes a salary,” said Noel.
The store is so serious about putting all the profit back into fair trade they have made an agreement with the Second Baptist Church of Liberty in Missouri — the owners of their property and sponsors of the store’s mission — to pay no rent on the storefront.
The store purchases its products from a variety of companies, mainly SERRV, Papillion and Equal Exchange — all of which are members of the Fair Trade Federation or the World Fair Trade Organization.
All three of the store’s suppliers buy and sell products from fair trade producers in many different countries. SERRV purchases from producers in 24 different countries; Papillion benefits artisans in Haiti; and Equal Exchange has partnered with over 40 farmer producers over the world.
How Does Fair Trade Benefit its Producers?
Noel continued to describe the ways in which the store, and more generally fair trade, benefits its producers:
“The artisans and farmers are guaranteed an ethical wage and provided a safe place to work before we order our merchandise. Most times their children are cared for and educated in schools where their parents work. Sometimes workers who have broken free of the sex trade, or who have diseases and are shunned, work at home and provide for their families by joining a home based co-op,” Noel said.
Going Above and Beyond
Through the international network of fair trade, Many Hands Fair Trade Shop is making it possible for hundreds of fair trade producers to pursue meaningful work while earning fair and sustainable wages.
By taking no profit or salary from the shop, the managers at Many Hands are going above and beyond to see to it that every possible cent is put back into purchasing fair trade products. Through these admirable efforts, the organization will continue to support producers and workers in over 30 countries all over the world.
– Savannah Hawley
Photo: Savannah Hawley