In a nation of 56 million, South Africa possesses the world’s fourth highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, with 18.9 percent of adults living with HIV/AIDS. It is consistently a leading cause of death in South Africa; in 2016, there were 110,00 deaths due to HIV/AIDS.
Managing terminal illnesses such as AIDS can often necessitate hospice or palliative care. The World Health Organization estimates that 40 million people each year need palliative care and only 14 percent actually receive it. From March 2006 to April 2007, 78 percent of South African hospice patients were HIV/AIDS patients.
Hospice care in South Africa remains “severely neglected,” as it is usually not state-sponsored, nor is there adequate higher education, training or personnel devoted to it. Hospice care in South Africa tends to rely on private funds.
In South Africa’s Western Cape Province, Knysna Sedgefield Hospice has provided palliative care to patients and emotional support for family members of patients since 1986. Providing palliative care and daycare for patients and bereavement care for their families rests on the shoulders of volunteers and is supported by donations.
Where children of patients may receive play therapy sessions, Knysna Sedgefield Hospice benefits from a rather noteworthy type of foreign aid: music and cultural appreciation from 14,000 km away.
In Chicago, Northwestern Medicine Hospice DeKalb’s music therapy program convenes percussion ensembles in its annual Transformation Through Rhythm concert, in which half of the proceeds are donated to Knysna Sedgefield Hospice. The other half is allocated to Northwestern Medicine Hospice’s music therapy program.
The event also hosts the sale of handmade African beaded jewelry, and 100 percent of that revenue goes to Knysna Sedgefield Hospice. In past years, Transformation Through Rhythm has delivered 67 boxes of food and raised R11,417 ($949) for hospice care in South Africa.
Northwestern Medicine Hospice DeKalb is the sister hospice of Knysna Sedgefield Hospice. Since spring 2004, Northwestern Medicine Hospice DeKalb has participated in the Twinning Initiative, part of the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA). FHSSA is an organization founded in 1999 to furnish resources and technical support for hospice organizations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Though Knysna Sedgefield Hospice does not explicitly endorse music therapy as a service, it is a common practice in general hospice care. Music therapy in hospice care tends to come in the form of singing, the playing of an instrument such as a guitar or piano, or playing a favorite song of two loved ones to promote relaxation and non-verbal connections.
The Borgen Project caught up with Jen Conley, licensed music therapist at Northwestern Medicine Hospice DeKalb, to learn more about her work in hospice care. “Hospice care is a particularly vulnerable time,” she says. As she “plays quiet, gentle harp music” she can “elicit emotion from the most stoic person. I can have someone completely nonverbal squeeze a hand or tear up. There may be some settings I do one song. The next 40 minutes are spent talking, grieving and sharing memories.”
On the transactional benefits of music therapy, Conley says, “If someone can say ‘thank you,’ ‘I remember,’ or ‘I love you,’ that can help with the bereavement process.”
Board certified neurological music therapist Angela Stephenson says, “Being a part of someone’s end of life process is a remarkable experience in that it becomes your job to be the presence that the patient needs. Sometimes, that looks like validating their anger and sadness, other times it looks like providing them with encouragement and spiritual support.”
Regarding the effectiveness of Transformation Through Rhythm, Conley says, “I believe this concert has resulted in other people volunteering.”
This year’s event, the seventh annual Transformation Through Rhythm concert, featured ensembles from the DeKalb High School Percussion Ensemble, the Harambee African Percussion Ensemble and the Northern Illinois Percussion Studio. Be it through a fundraising vehicle or direct cathartic care, the sound of music supports hospice care in South Africa.
– Thomas Benjamin
Photo: Flickr
20,000 Women March for Women’s Rights in Belize City
The 20,000 Strong Rally
The 20,000 Strong march began in 2014, boasting the slogan “Imagine a Belize Without Women.” Women were encouraged to take the day off from work in order to demonstrate how Belize is dependent on its women. Attendees were asked to wear orange clothes to show support for the UNITE Campaign, a U.N. campaign focused on ending violence against women around the globe.
The National Women’s Commission planned the event and executed it with the help of several other government departments. Speakers came to empower the women in attendance and encourage conversations about solutions for gender-based violence and women’s rights in Belize.
Initiatives like the 20,000 Strong march are critical for ending violence against women in Belize. The country has historically been a dangerous place for women to live. Abuse, rape and trafficking are real threats to women and children in Belize. While the 20,000 Strong march has always had special significance for women’s rights in Belize, the 2018 march could not have come at a more appropriate time.
Coming Together for Justice
On March 1, Belizeans awoke to the news that a 17-month old had been violently raped by her stepfather. She died on March 4, and Belize took to the streets on March 5 to call for justice. Belizeans gathered outside the courthouse in Belize City during the stepfather’s trial, demanding that justice be served and action be taken to protect children from heinous abuse.
The horrifying events of the month added fuel to the flame of the 20,000. On March 16, thousands of children joined the marchers, adding their voices to the conversation about women’s rights and violence against women. The coast guard, the Belize Defense force, the police and the First Lady of Belize joined the march, a crucial demonstration of the government’s support of women’s rights in Belize. Along with hosting speakers, some of whom are in high school, the event also supported Belizean small businesses operated by women.
The State of Women’s Rights in Belize
Women’s rights have been a point of concern for Belize. While rape is illegal, the justice system rarely convicts rapists, typically because the accuser cannot testify for fear of physical retaliation. Domestic violence records contain similar patterns. Belize has laws designed to combat sexual harassment, but they are not incredibly effective in practice. Employers are also mandated to pay men and women the same, but the pay gap and unemployment gap remains substantial. Furthermore, female representation in the government is low, with only 3 percent of Parliament members being women.
Female empowerment initiatives speak strongly to the direction Belize is headed. These women (and men!) are coming together and brainstorming ways to inspire change. With the support of the government, legislation is sure to follow that will improve conditions for women. The high attendance from schoolchildren also provides substantial hope for the future. More than 50 percent of Belizeans are under the age of 25, so they will set the direction for the country in the next few decades. With empowered women and children, Belize can look forward to better equality in the future.
– Julia McCartney
Photo: Flickr
How the US Benefits from Foreign Aid to Romania
The projected amount of aid that will be allocated to Romania from the United States’ budget for foreign assistance is $1.5 million in 2019. The breakdown of how this money will be utilized shows that the majority of it is being earmarked for military aid to troops in nearby regions, according to foreignassistance.gov. Information shared on this site further clarifies the importance of U.S. government aid to Romania and specifies which organizations and departments receive funds, such as the Peace Corps. The information provided shows how funds are used; however, the connection between the purposes of the funding and how the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Romania is not quite clear without examining the issues from a broader perspective.
Romania is considered to a be a key partner in NATO and allows the U.S. access to military facilities both for training purposes and for closer proximity to nearby regions to the south and east of Romania that are experiencing instability. Currently, Romania is “hosting deployment of the U.S. ballistic missile defense capabilities under the European Phased Adaptive Approach”, which is what constitutes the United States’ contribution to NATO’s ballistic missile defense. Romania is also promulgating stability and greater cooperation among its neighbors by working on improvements in areas of defense, law enforcement, energy, economic development, environment and democratic values in this particularly sensitive area of eastern Europe.
The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Romania in part because Romania has played a major role in aiding U.S. forces to weaken the Russian threat to American soil and elsewhere in Europe. Planned assistance will therefore be partially devoted to Romanian military modernization efforts, which also serves to strengthen its relationship with the U.S. and other nearby countries. Furthermore, Romania has a prior history of providing aid when needed to Afghanistan, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The country’s willingness to do so is evidence of its standing as a peaceful, forward-thinking ally and worthy member of NATO.
While also addressing the sensitivities regarding the less stable regions surrounding Romania, the country of Romania and those who offer foreign assistance simultaneously work to diminish the threat of Syria, Russia and other potentially hostile nations by creating more partnerships through such benevolence. The end result is ideally improved conditions for Romania and surrounding countries. This is achievable through international efforts to work together to achieve stability, progress and modernization. A better quality of life naturally weakens hostility and thus serves as an intelligent defense for those who have the upper hand. Thus, the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Romania, while serving the international community at large as well.
– Bridget Rice
Photo: Flickr
How Music in America Helps Hospice Care in South Africa
Managing terminal illnesses such as AIDS can often necessitate hospice or palliative care. The World Health Organization estimates that 40 million people each year need palliative care and only 14 percent actually receive it. From March 2006 to April 2007, 78 percent of South African hospice patients were HIV/AIDS patients.
Hospice care in South Africa remains “severely neglected,” as it is usually not state-sponsored, nor is there adequate higher education, training or personnel devoted to it. Hospice care in South Africa tends to rely on private funds.
In South Africa’s Western Cape Province, Knysna Sedgefield Hospice has provided palliative care to patients and emotional support for family members of patients since 1986. Providing palliative care and daycare for patients and bereavement care for their families rests on the shoulders of volunteers and is supported by donations.
Where children of patients may receive play therapy sessions, Knysna Sedgefield Hospice benefits from a rather noteworthy type of foreign aid: music and cultural appreciation from 14,000 km away.
In Chicago, Northwestern Medicine Hospice DeKalb’s music therapy program convenes percussion ensembles in its annual Transformation Through Rhythm concert, in which half of the proceeds are donated to Knysna Sedgefield Hospice. The other half is allocated to Northwestern Medicine Hospice’s music therapy program.
The event also hosts the sale of handmade African beaded jewelry, and 100 percent of that revenue goes to Knysna Sedgefield Hospice. In past years, Transformation Through Rhythm has delivered 67 boxes of food and raised R11,417 ($949) for hospice care in South Africa.
Northwestern Medicine Hospice DeKalb is the sister hospice of Knysna Sedgefield Hospice. Since spring 2004, Northwestern Medicine Hospice DeKalb has participated in the Twinning Initiative, part of the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA). FHSSA is an organization founded in 1999 to furnish resources and technical support for hospice organizations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Though Knysna Sedgefield Hospice does not explicitly endorse music therapy as a service, it is a common practice in general hospice care. Music therapy in hospice care tends to come in the form of singing, the playing of an instrument such as a guitar or piano, or playing a favorite song of two loved ones to promote relaxation and non-verbal connections.
The Borgen Project caught up with Jen Conley, licensed music therapist at Northwestern Medicine Hospice DeKalb, to learn more about her work in hospice care. “Hospice care is a particularly vulnerable time,” she says. As she “plays quiet, gentle harp music” she can “elicit emotion from the most stoic person. I can have someone completely nonverbal squeeze a hand or tear up. There may be some settings I do one song. The next 40 minutes are spent talking, grieving and sharing memories.”
On the transactional benefits of music therapy, Conley says, “If someone can say ‘thank you,’ ‘I remember,’ or ‘I love you,’ that can help with the bereavement process.”
Board certified neurological music therapist Angela Stephenson says, “Being a part of someone’s end of life process is a remarkable experience in that it becomes your job to be the presence that the patient needs. Sometimes, that looks like validating their anger and sadness, other times it looks like providing them with encouragement and spiritual support.”
Regarding the effectiveness of Transformation Through Rhythm, Conley says, “I believe this concert has resulted in other people volunteering.”
This year’s event, the seventh annual Transformation Through Rhythm concert, featured ensembles from the DeKalb High School Percussion Ensemble, the Harambee African Percussion Ensemble and the Northern Illinois Percussion Studio. Be it through a fundraising vehicle or direct cathartic care, the sound of music supports hospice care in South Africa.
– Thomas Benjamin
Photo: Flickr
Understanding How the U.S. Benefits from Foreign Aid to Djibouti
Home to roughly 875,000 people, as well as a significant U.S., German, Japanese, French and most recently Chinese military presence, Djibouti has a decidedly disproportionate amount of foreign military within its borders. The U.S. pays $60 million each year to Djibouti for the rights to maintain its only permanent sub-Saharan military base.
But, U.S. foreign aid coming into the country is equally important in Djibouti for the majority of citizens looking for work. Although U.S. investment in the country pales in contrast to that of new entrants into the region such as China, the actual workforce of Djibouti is benefiting from the more nuanced and domestically-oriented U.S. foreign aid.
New ventures in the construction of ports, pipelines, international airports and railways have somewhat failed to raise the standard of living and stimulate employment. Accounting for 70 percent of GDP, the new port projects have only added a few thousand jobs. According to the U.N., despite recent Chinese soft loans toward these various infrastructure projects, the unemployment rate in Djibouti still stands at 60 percent.
This high level of unemployment is partly due to a lack of qualified candidates in many sectors of the economy. Workers looking for jobs simply do not have the necessary skills required to fill many of the possible vacancies.
Through the Workforce Development Project (WDP), the United States Agency for International Development and Djibouti are working together to reduce unemployment and create a more modern labor force. Investments of nearly $25 million over five years (2016-2021) are aimed at increasing competitiveness by tailoring the workforce to the needs of a modern economy.
The WDP emphasizes creating stronger connections between worker training programs and employers. Specifically, through more meaningful ties between vocational education centers and businesses, the future workforce will be better suited for the demands of firms and will likely have greater hiring potential.
Although not as flashy as the new Doraleh Port or the new electrified railroad connecting Djibouti City and Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, the WDP will create thousands of new consumers to U.S. exports. This is especially promising since the soaring unemployment rate allows for ample economic improvements should this transformation of the workforce take place. USAID, centered on workforce assimilation, is therefore fostering job growth that will be more sustainable than temporary employment based on glitzy infrastructure projects.
Another way in which the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Djibouti is by promoting ongoing access to the substantial trade flows emanating from regional neighbors. A prime example of this is Ethiopia. Much of Ethiopia’s exports—including coffee, vegetables and cosmetics—are routed through Djibouti on their way to the U.S. Meanwhile, as of 2016, 90 percent of all Ethiopian imports were brought via ports in Djibouti.
U.S. foreign aid indirectly contributes to these regional trade routes of East Africa by creating a more prosperous and modernized workforce in Djibouti. A thriving, educated and healthy Djibouti society will undoubtedly increase the opportunities for cross-border trade.
One byproduct of this increasingly interconnected region around Djibouti would be more timely and reliable shipment of goods and lower associated transportation costs. As in Ethiopia, the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Djibouti are amplified when stability across the wider East African region is maintained.
On this last issue, there is little doubt that the military presence plays a prominent role. However, U.S. programs aiming to reduce unemployment such as the WDP, by indirectly promoting a more sustainable domestic environment in Djibouti, also contribute to regional stability. Garnering less attention than the massive infrastructure spending, transforming the country one worker at a time will lead to continued U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Djibouti
– Nathan Ghelli
Photo: Flickr
Seven Important Facts to Know About the Poverty Crisis in Syria
Seven Facts About the Poverty Crisis in Syria
Since the Syrian Civil War in 2011, around half a million people have been killed. President Bashar al-Assad and government forces are carrying out chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin gas, in an attack against civilians. Right now, some of the worst violence is intensifying each day in Eastern Ghouta, located just 10 kilometers east of the capital Damascus. More than 600 residents are believed to have been killed and at least 2,000 injured since President Assad’s forces launched an air and ground invasion on February 18.
Civilians of the Eastern Ghouta area have limited or no access to food, medicine or sanitary supplies. Access to adequate health care is severely restricted for an estimated 350,000 civilians trapped in the area as well. Eastern Ghouta now has just one doctor per 3,600 people; 75 percent of Syria’s doctors and medical personnel have fled the country
Since the civil war began, more than six million people have fled their homes but have not crossed Syria’s borders to find safety. Approximately 6,550 Syrians are displaced each day and live in camps, informal settlements or abandoned buildings along the Turkish border in Northern Syria.
Before the war, Syria had an actively strong education system, with almost 100 percent primary school enrollment and 70 percent secondary school enrollment. However, today about 1.75 million Syrian children and youth do not have access to an education. More than a third of schools in Syria have been damaged, destroyed or are being used as shelters by internally displaced people, and hundreds of thousands of teachers and professors have fled the country. Additionally, Syria is enduring the worst outbreak of child malnutrition yet, where an estimated 1.7 million children and pregnant or lactating women have been screened for acute malnutrition.
Safe drinking water and basic sanitation services are scarce due to damaged pumps and pipelines, which increases vulnerability to epidemic diseases. In some areas with the greatest refugee populations, the water supply has hit a low of 22 liters per person per day, which is less than one-tenth of what the average American uses.
Although the country does have some oil, the country is not as abundant as it used to be when oil production peaked at 677,000 barrels per day in 2002. Since the growth of the Syrian conflict in 2011 to today, barrel production has declined to about 25,000 per day. Also, the increased armed conflict has impacted Syria as an agricultural nation. The ongoing war has caused major destruction to agricultural production, resulting in more than $16 billion of lost crop and livestock production and destroyed farming resources.
As these seven facts about the poverty crisis in Syria indicate, years of conflict has destroyed the country’s economy. Syria’s economy has declined more than 70 percent since the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, and now the country has one of the world’s highest inflation rates. As of December 2017, the inflation rate in Syria was recorded at 43.2 percent and reached an all-time high of 121.29 percent in 2013. Additionally, over half the population is unemployed and 82.5 percent are living below the poverty line.
These seven facts about the poverty crisis in Syria allow for a better understanding of the harsh reality of the country’s current state. While it may be easy to become desensitized to the Syrian conflict, it is easy to help through donations or mobilization. Reputable charity organizations including UNHCR, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, the International Red Cross and Save the Children are all working to provide aid to the millions of Syrians affected by the war and poverty. Furthermore, taking action by emailing or writing to members of Congress and asking them to support aid to Syria is another way to help.
– Natalie Shaw
Photo: Flickr
How US Relations with Algeria Help Both Countries
Algeria is a strategically located and capable partner with the U.S and has strong diplomatic, law enforcement and security cooperation. U.S. bilateral foreign help to Algeria is designed to strengthen Algeria’s capacity to combat terrorism and crime. Foreign assistance supports Algeria’s ongoing fight against Da’esh, Al-Qaeda in the Islāmic Maghreb and other hostile actors in the region. U.S. relations with Algeria foster cooperation between the two countries in their commitment to fighting terrorism.
Algeria was one of the first countries to condemn the 9/11 attack on the U.S. and committed its support to the U.S. in fighting the War on Terror in the years to follow. Both countries have intensified their relationship in recent years when it comes to counterterrorism and law enforcement cooperation. U.S and Algeria conduct frequent civilian and military exchanges. Algeria has hosted multiple U.S. senior military officials and ship visits.
Algeria and the United States enjoy deep relations, as demonstrated by the frequency of visits by Algerian and American officials. The Secretary of State held a strategic dialogue with Algeria’s Foreign Minister in April 2015, and the Deputy Secretary of State visited Algeria in July 2016.
Algeria has remained relatively stable despite turmoil in neighboring countries, and it is playing a constructive role in promoting regional stability. Both countries are now focused on increasing the number of reciprocal trade missions to further develop their trade and economic relations. U.S. relations with Algeria have helped strengthen this trade connection.
American companies operating in the hydrocarbons sector have had had productive partnerships with Algerian counterparts for many decades. More recently, both countries have recognized additional opportunities and are moving into other areas of interest, including agriculture, dairy cattle, energy equipment and public works machineries. Today, 190 American companies are operating in Algeria.
The 2001 Trade and Investment Framework Agreement has opened new dialogues and discussions to further enhance cooperation. The U.S. is one of Algeria’s top trading partners and one of the top trading partners in the Middle East/North African region. Funding through the Middle East Partnership has been allocated to support the work of Algeria’s developing civil society through programming. The U.S. government continues to encourage Algeria’s economic reform program, its move toward transparent economic policies and the liberalization its investment climate.
The United States and Algeria have continued to help each through cooperation in counterterrorism and trade relations. This has helped foster economic growth in both countries, and has provided each other with a committed partner to aid in fighting terrorism and bolstering the security of the two nations. U.S. relations with Algeria are a great example of how aid, cooperation and good relations can be of great benefit to any two countries entering into a partnership and have a positive effect on the world as a whole.
– Zachary Ott
Photo: Flickr
How One Nonprofit is Helping to Reduce Child Mortality Rates in Mali
Mali, a West African country with one of the highest child mortality rates in the world, has developed a health outreach program that is drastically reducing child mortality rates. Muso, a nonprofit organization, is fighting child mortality rates in Mali, where 78 percent of the population is living in some form of poverty.
Muso trains local Malians to become community health workers, who then go door-to-door in both rural and urban areas of the country to seek out sick children and provide on-site treatment. The healthcare package that the organization provides includes treatment for malnutrition, malaria and diarrhea, as well as family planning information. For only $8 per year per person, this program is able to provide healthcare services to millions of Malians across the West African nation.
Most of the community healthcare workers are women, giving the organization its namesake. In Bambara, a lingua franca and the national language of Mali, “muso” means woman. A well-known Malian proverb reads, “If you educate a woman, you educate her family, her community and her entire country.”
The program has been operating since 2005 and has already shown very promising results. Scholars from the University of Harvard, University of Southern California San Francisco and the Malian Ministry of Health conducted a repeated cross-sectional survey of the intervention from 2008 to 2011. The study found that during the time period, there was a decline in child mortality rates in Mali (child defined here as those under five years old). The study also identified that malarial and febrile illness treatment had nearly doubled during the time of the study compared to the national rates prior to intervention.
It is important to note, however, that the study was not randomized, so researchers cannot definitively conclude that the outcomes are a direct result of the program.
“The leading causes of child death are curable, but they are exquisitely time sensitive”, says Muso founder Dr. Ari Johnson. The organization seeks to remove barriers, such as fiscal constraints, to allow easy access to healthcare in Mali and eliminate preventable deaths that are rooted in poverty.
This nonprofit is reducing child mortality rates in Mali through incredible public outreach. Since the program’s inauguration, Muso has completed 3.2 million home visits with 93 percent of patients being treated within 72 hours, providing comprehensive and rapid care.
Not only is Muso providing healthcare, but it is also working with government-run health services to improve their healthcare delivery. Government-run clinics have fees and lineups that often create delays in care. Muso eliminates these barriers by bringing the care to patients and freeing up space in government-based clinics for those who cannot be treated at home. In addition, Muso provides training, staff and infrastructure to the government clinics, allowing more Malians access to healthcare.
Muso is demonstrating how one nonprofit can aid in reducing child mortality rates in Mali through a unique model of healthcare delivery and is removing barriers to access for many Malians. It will be interesting to see how the organization continues to expand and improve their work in Mali.
– Katherine Kirker
Photo: Flickr
Credit Access In Burkina Faso Is Slowly But Steadily Improving
In Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa, access to credit is very limited. Around 44 percent of the population lives on less than $1.90 a day, only 15 percent of the population has access to a checking account and a mere seven percent of the population has access to banking services.
But the scarcity of credit access in Burkina Faso is more reflective of the country’s socioeconomic structural barriers rather than a systemic lack of capital. The banking system is regulated by the Centrale des États de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO) and is comprised of 12 commercial banks and five specialized credit institutions, and as of June 2011, the majority of these banks met the new capital regional requirement of CFAF five billion.
But credit access is generally concentrated to a few large clients, with collateral requirements and high interest rates of 10-12 percent, preventing the majority of small and medium sized borrowers from participation. Pervasive gender inequality especially exacerbates these high barriers of access for women. Women are typically confined to lower paid informal sector jobs (such as subsistence agriculture) and there is no legislation prohibiting discrimination in access to credit based on gender or marital status.
However, the recent implementation of microcredit initiatives has helped lower these barriers to credit access in Burkina Faso, especially for women in rural areas. One of these programs is part of the Victory Against Malnutrition Project (VIM) that works with 200 villages in the Sanmatenga province and is funded by USAID’s Office of Food for Peace, implemented by ACDI/VOCA, Save the Children and three local NGOs. For example, in 2015 through a partnership with the microfinance institution Caisse Populaire, VIM brought financial agents to the village of Ouintokouliga and offered education and access to financing options.
For village resident Nobila Koroga, access to this additional capital allowed her to buy more animals on her farm which, in turn, generated enough extra produce and additional income to create food security for her household, pay her children’s school fees and cover unexpected issues such as family medical visits. This is especially significant considering that Burkina Faso’s human development index ranking is one of the lowest globally and the country is especially challenged by low levels of education and healthcare.
As Koroga’s experience demonstrates, credit access is a crucial asset in socioeconomic development and empowerment. The government of Burkina Faso has recognized this and is making financial inclusion a priority, as outlined in a recent IMF report.
One of the goals of the government’s four-year National Plan For Economic And Social Development, which went into effect in 2016, is to bring broader banking service utilization rates to 35 percent by 2020. This will begin to be implemented in 2018 through the national inclusion financial strategy, which, alongside further expanding microcredit initiatives, also emphasizes mobile banking and the reduction of administrative barriers.
Additionally, on March 14, the IMF approved a three-year arrangement with Burkina Faso under its extended credit authority, totaling $157.6 million in support of these initiatives. While credit access in Burkina Faso, and banking more broadly, still has a long way to go in terms of inclusion, the success of these international collaborative microfinance initiatives and the country’s broader long-term strategy demonstrate it is embarking on a path toward success.
– Emily Bender
Photo: Flickr
Foreign Aid to Africa: The United States vs. China
President Trump’s proposed foreign aid cuts have sparked a bipartisan effort in Congress to resist them. Among the proposed budgets, foreign aid to Africa has been affected the most, expecting a 35 percent reduction. On the other side of the world, China is constantly boosting its aid package to African countries. Here is a comparison between the U.S. and China’s foreign aid to Africa over the years.
In the past decade, U.S. foreign aid has maintained at a steady level of $32 billion distributed over 200 countries. The Official Development Assistance (ODA) focuses on three regions: Asia, Europe and Africa. From 1980-2012, almost $120 billion went to sub-Saharan countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Congo.
While the overall ODA budget underwent a 17-fold increase from 1960 to 2006, aid to sub-Saharan Africa increased by almost 3,000 percent, from $211 million to $5.6 billion. The U.S. gave out $97.67 billion over 18 years in ODA to sub-Saharan Africa, with infrastructure projects (48 percent of total aid) and humanitarian aid (26 percent) being the top priorities. The health sector was given $6 billion, the agriculture sector received $4.2 billion and $3.5 billion was committed to education.
China has generated tremendous impact on the aid landscape in Africa since its rapidly increased activities. Unlike countries in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, China does not officially disclose its aid information. In a research published recently, AidData, a research lab at William & Mary, claimed China committed $350 billion to foreign aid between 2000 and 2014, running close to the U.S. total of $394.6 billion.
From $210 million in 2000 to $3 billion in 2011, Chinese investment in foreign aid to Africa experienced a dramatic increase. By 2009, China gave about RMB 250 billion of foreign aid to the world, with almost half (45.7 percent) of the total Chinese aid going to African countries.
Driven by natural resources and its own international economic development agenda, China drew an obscured line between investment and development assistance. Angola, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan and many other countries rich in natural resources like oil, gas and minerals are on the top recipient list of Chinese foreign aid.
In terms of aid priorities, like the U.S., China committed aid to infrastructure development, but with different focuses. Between 2000 to 2013, nearly 60 percent of the total aid went to transportation ($29 billion), energy ($25 billion) and communication ($6.9 billion). After China’s arrival in Africa in early 2000, U.S. foreign aid also shifted to prioritize health and education. U.S. spending on the top three sectors for Chinese aid are only at 2.6 percent, 0.8 percent and 0.07 percent of the total ODA amount.
The emergence of China as a major player in the development of African countries did heat up the competition with the U.S., especially in terms of using foreign aid as a venue to strengthen the donor’s power among developing countries.
Chinese development assistance and other transcontinental infrastructure projects to Africa, like $900 billion to the One Belt One Road Initiative, are growing, but the Trump administration aims to slash the foreign aid budget in 2018, especially the aid to Africa, citing corruption as the main reason. The proposed cut encountered fierce opposition in Congress and was deemed simplistic and arbitrary by Senator Patrick Leahy, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s top Democrat.
On the other hand, China is seeking to establish an international development cooperation agency to coordinate its foreign aid, which “gives China an advantage over the U.S. in the approach to managing foreign aid to Africa,” said China Daily in an editorial on Secretary Rex Tillerson’s visit to China.
Congress will continue to challenge Trump’s proposed cuts and the fight against poverty in Africa will continue.
– Chaorong Wang
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Food Security in Pakistan Through Policy Change
The ultimate objective of the new Pakistani National Food Security Policy is to raise the agriculture growth rate to 4 percent per year. Though 4 percent may seem like a minuscule number, it will be no small feat for the Pakistani government to accomplish. The agriculture growth rate has been relatively low over the past decade, averaging about 2.5 percent since 2008. Increasing that number will require a lot of changes to be made.
One issue brought up in the Pakistani National Food Security Policy is the lack of modern technology in the agriculture sector. According to the report, Pakistani farmers do not have access to machinery such as rice transplanters, vegetable planters, fruit pickers and other useful tools that would allow them to run their farms more efficiently and turn larger profits. To mitigate this problem, the new policy will reduce taxes on imports of farm machinery and create incentives for farmers willing to adopt newer technologies.
Another obstacle farmers are having to face is the increasing effects of climate change. Factors like drought and extreme weather fluctuations can have devastating impacts on crops and livestock and leave farmers with nothing to produce. One of the ways the Pakistani National Food Security Policy will attempt to alleviate the effects of this crisis is by investing in biotechnology and the genetic alteration of seeds to better resist drought and temperature changes. The policy will also promote crop insurance schemes and educate the public on which crops are more likely to survive in certain areas.
In addition, the new policy recognizes that many of the resources in Pakistan are not being utilized to their fullest potential. The country’s biggest crop is wheat, which is grown on 40 percent of Pakistan’s land and makes up more than 2 percent of the GDP by itself. However, there has been a global decline in wheat prices over the last few years and the government is thinking twice about having its entire economy rely on the success of one crop. Consequently, the Pakistani National Food Security Policy aims to focus more on cultivating fruits, vegetables, livestock, poultry and fisheries in the future.
Lastly, the policy addresses how unaffordable it has become for Pakistanis to purchase nutritious food. In response to this problem, the government hopes to devote more energy to continuing and creating programs dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger on the local level. Along with the strategies mentioned above to increase profits for farmers, this should be a great help with increasing food security in Pakistan.
It goes without saying that the Pakistani National Food Security Policy is an incredibly bold vision for the country, and it will require a lot of effort on the part of both farmers and the government. However, the fact that Pakistan is actively taking steps to eradicate food insecurity is a sign of hope for its millions of hungry citizens, and such a high goal may be exactly what the country needs.
– Maddi Roy
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