Global malnutrition rates “remain alarming” in 2017, according to research done by UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Fourteen million children in Africa are too thin for their height, and 4.1 million of these children are said to be in critical condition. Fifty-nine million are “stunted” or failing to grow both physically and cognitively due to acute malnutrition. In 2016, one-third of the world’s stunted children under the age of five lived in Africa.
Progress is being made to find innovative and cost-effective ways to get starving and stunted children the nutrition they need. Ready-to-use therapeutic foods such as pastes and pills providing protein, vitamins, minerals and fat are given to individuals suffering from severe acute malnutrition. The nonprofit VALID Nutrition fights malnutrition in Africa as the first organization to develop, manufacture and distribute such foods exclusively on the continent.
Funded by the Global Innovation Fund, VALID Nutrition received a grant of over $155,000 to test a new supplement in Malawi. The new high-nutritional food is made of local ingredients to reduce the cost of manufacturing.
According to VALID Nutrition, the nonprofit “sources ingredients for its products from indigenous smallholder farmers and local suppliers. This brings major advantages in terms of food security for farmers and, critically, a developmental multiplier effect to local economies— a sustainable approach in the broadest sense.”
Currently, two-thirds of all ingredients for ready-to-use therapeutic foods are sourced from developed countries, whereas only one-third is sourced from crops in developing countries, according to VALID Nutrition.
In Malawi, the nonprofit built a factory in the capital city of Kanengo, which in 2016 produced 8.5 million units of ready-to-use therapeutic foods. This food then treated 80,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. VALID Nutrition fights malnutrition in Africa on a large scale, which continues spread to other countries.
In 2016, VALID Nutrition launched a new ready-to-use therapeutic food supplement in Malawi with the aid of Dr. Peter Kumpalume, MP and Minister for Health, Malawi.
“VALID Nutrition’s Social Enterprise model, whereby they source and manufacture locally, is one we very much admire,” stated Kumpalume in a press release. “Not only does it contribute to economic development and avoid the need to import, but thanks to the innovative approach, the company has also got the potential for export.”
VALID Nutrition’s business model pushes for further engagement in the private sector, engaging other non-governmental organizations. Since established, the VALID Nutrition factory in Malawi has produced 40 million units of ready-to-use therapeutic foods which treated 400,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. VALID Nutrition fights malnutrition in Africa by utilizing local resources that go directly to those in need.
– Riley Bunch
Photo: Google
Hunger in Turkmenistan
The Central Asian country of Turkmenistan, once a vital stop on the renowned silk roads, has made significant progress over the years in regards to alleviating hunger. The dictatorship has achieved this by having an abundance of natural resources, a high education rate, and political alliances with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Considering that Turkmenistan is the fifth-largest gas reserve in the world, the country has been endowed with plenty of natural resources, making rapid economic growth inevitable. In 2016 alone, the GDP rose by 6.2 percent. The influx of capital from exports allows for the country to be more liberal in their spending to assuage problems such as hunger, malnutrition and lack of education.
The improving economic condition coincides with the improvement in Turkmenistan’s hunger problem, as the undernourishment rate is merely 2.5 percent. An increase in agricultural production due to economic growth was the vital factor in bringing the malnutrition percentage down. Furthermore, Turkmenistan now falls into the moderate category with a score of only 12.3 on the Global Hunger Index – 4.8 points less than in 2008. This places Turkmenistan not far behind countries such as the United States and Canada.
Hunger in Turkmenistan is further combated through an active enforcement of education. With almost a 100 percent literacy rate, residents of Turkmenistan have a wider array of career choices, leading to more opportunities to increase their income. Access to additional income per capita allows for families to purchase more food, which leads to lower malnutrition rates.
The United Nations have duly noted the progress that Turkmenistan has made in regards to hunger. Not only has it attained the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of hungry individuals, but also it has succeeded in being one of the noteworthy countries to reach the World Food Summit’s goal of reducing the absolute number of undernourished people by one-half.
Although Turkmenistan has made notable progress when it comes to hunger, they still are not perfect. Affluent people often have a monopoly over the natural resource industry, and therefore don’t leave quite enough for the ordinary person. Honing in on this problem could make further strides to improve hunger in Turkmenistan.
– Tanvi Wattal
Photo: Flickr
Ongoing Violations of Human Rights in Burundi
As 21,000 Burundians fled to Rwanda in 2015 due to the Imbonerakure, many believe that the presence of this youth wing serves a source of intimidation and violence to quell the opposition to President Pierre Nkurunziza’s controversial third term.
While a two-term limit exists in Burundi’s national constitution, the ruling party claimed that Nkurunziza’s first term failed to count since he was originally elected by parliament, causing an upheaval of opposition that still prevails today.
Since the election, Imbonerakure members continue to rape, torture and kill Burundi citizens. Investigators have revealed that the targets of the youth party are most often women whom they believe to have ties to anti-government supporters, including the wives and daughters of opposition members.
The United Nations’ mission in Burundi described the group as “one of the major threats to peace in Burundi and to the credibility of the 2015 elections as they are responsible for most politically motivated violence against the opposition.” Recent action on the part of the youth wing has shown their threats to have only become worse.
On April 1, 200 members of Burundi’s ruling party youth league marched through the center of Ntega, chanting, “Impregnate the opposition, so they give birth to Imbonerakure. There are lots of girls. Impregnate them, Imbonerakure!”
While this song serves as the reality for many of Burundi’s people, one man decided to file a complaint with the police after two policemen raped his wife. As a result, this man was beaten by Imbonerakure members and told by the police that he was “staining the image of the security forces.”
As the youth league continues to violate human rights in Burundi, the people live in fear, as they are afraid to speak out knowing that President Pierre Nkurunziza’s government makes no effort to prosecute or provide consequences for the Imbonerakure’s crimes.
While the Imbonerakure continue to impose themselves as a threat to the nation, is clear that human rights in Burundi will not be maintained until government officials take action to address these heinous acts of brutality.
– Kendra Richardson
Photo: Flickr
Common Diseases in Mozambique
Similar to other poverty-stricken countries around the globe, Mozambique lacks the technological and medicinal resources to provide adequate healthcare to its people. The most common diseases in Mozambique could be alleviated with access to proper nutrition, vaccinations, pharmaceutical drugs or health education.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), some of the most prominent diseases in Mozambique include hepatitis A, malaria, typhoid, cholera, hepatitis B, rabies and yellow fever.
The climate of Mozambique contributes to the proliferation of these diseases. The warm, tropical environment is ideal for disease-spreading insects such as mosquitoes, ticks and fleas. Although insect bites are little more than annoyances for vaccinated, medicated tourists, they can be far more dangerous for the general population of Mozambique. Without the resources to prevent or treat diseases spread through bug bites, the people of Mozambique are constantly at risk of being infected with serious ailments.
In addition to insects, the lack of sanitary regulations encourages the spread of disease in Mozambique. The lack of regulation foods sold by local street vendors leads to the distribution of uncooked or otherwise uncleanly food, which can spread diseases such as diarrhea or even cholera. Furthermore, the CDC advises travelers to only drink bottled water as a result of a significant amount of untreated water.
The most common diseases in Mozambique are not unusual, considering that the country suffers from significant levels of poverty. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that diseases spread by parasitic insects or unsanitary conditions, such as malaria and diarrhea, are common in low-income countries. Furthermore, the WHO asserts that these types of diseases can be avoided or treated with access to proper sanitary standards, health education and medicine.
Mozambique, as well as other low-income countries around the world, disproportionately suffer from rudimentary diseases that can be fought with adequate technology and medicine. Although this revelation speaks volumes about the punishing conditions of poverty, it also shows that most of the common diseases in Mozambique can be mitigated significantly with reasonable global anti-poverty measures.
– Isidro Rafael Santa Maria
Photo: Flickr
Poverty Rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina Affects Children Most
Despite a slight drop in the national poverty rate over the last decade, Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to be a fragile and struggling European economy. According to the World Bank, the poverty rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina stood at 17.9 percent in 2011, a 0.3 percent decrease from 2007.
Annual GDP growth has fluctuated in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the global financial crisis of 2008. Additionally, at 28 percent in 2016, the country has one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe according to the CIA’s World Factbook.
Women and children are most vulnerable to an increasing poverty rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Families that are larger (with three children or more) are also more disenfranchised than smaller families. According to UNICEF, an estimated 170,000 children in Bosnia and Herzegovina are poor.
A 2015 study conducted by UNICEF found that the majority of children (75 percent) ages five to 15 are deprived of one or more basic life necessities, such as nutrition, educational resources and housing.
Children in rural areas are even more likely to be deprived. An urban/rural divide was evident in the UNICEF study as well. Children in the countryside are more likely to be deprived in more categories and have less access to medical facilities, adequate housing and primary schools.
According to the Brookings Institution, sustainable poverty reduction, especially for deprived children, will require increased labor market participation by women. According to the World Bank, 32 percent of women are employed in the top 60 percent of wealthy families in the country.
Increasing rates of preschool attendance and creating access to early childhood education, particularly in rural areas, is also vital to ending poverty cycles faced by children in the country.
In light of its recent data, UNICEF supported the Bosnian government’s efforts to “provide conditions for children to reach their full potential and address the causes of discrimination.” The “Country Program” took place between 2010 and 2014.
Significant efforts such as this one have been made in the attempt to reduce poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically by supporting educational authorities and schools in the bid to guarantee access to a quality education and reduce the poverty rate in Bosnia and Herzegovina for children.
– Melanie Snyder
Photo: Flickr
How VALID Nutrition Fights Malnutrition in Africa
Global malnutrition rates “remain alarming” in 2017, according to research done by UNICEF, the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Fourteen million children in Africa are too thin for their height, and 4.1 million of these children are said to be in critical condition. Fifty-nine million are “stunted” or failing to grow both physically and cognitively due to acute malnutrition. In 2016, one-third of the world’s stunted children under the age of five lived in Africa.
Progress is being made to find innovative and cost-effective ways to get starving and stunted children the nutrition they need. Ready-to-use therapeutic foods such as pastes and pills providing protein, vitamins, minerals and fat are given to individuals suffering from severe acute malnutrition. The nonprofit VALID Nutrition fights malnutrition in Africa as the first organization to develop, manufacture and distribute such foods exclusively on the continent.
Funded by the Global Innovation Fund, VALID Nutrition received a grant of over $155,000 to test a new supplement in Malawi. The new high-nutritional food is made of local ingredients to reduce the cost of manufacturing.
According to VALID Nutrition, the nonprofit “sources ingredients for its products from indigenous smallholder farmers and local suppliers. This brings major advantages in terms of food security for farmers and, critically, a developmental multiplier effect to local economies— a sustainable approach in the broadest sense.”
Currently, two-thirds of all ingredients for ready-to-use therapeutic foods are sourced from developed countries, whereas only one-third is sourced from crops in developing countries, according to VALID Nutrition.
In Malawi, the nonprofit built a factory in the capital city of Kanengo, which in 2016 produced 8.5 million units of ready-to-use therapeutic foods. This food then treated 80,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. VALID Nutrition fights malnutrition in Africa on a large scale, which continues spread to other countries.
In 2016, VALID Nutrition launched a new ready-to-use therapeutic food supplement in Malawi with the aid of Dr. Peter Kumpalume, MP and Minister for Health, Malawi.
“VALID Nutrition’s Social Enterprise model, whereby they source and manufacture locally, is one we very much admire,” stated Kumpalume in a press release. “Not only does it contribute to economic development and avoid the need to import, but thanks to the innovative approach, the company has also got the potential for export.”
VALID Nutrition’s business model pushes for further engagement in the private sector, engaging other non-governmental organizations. Since established, the VALID Nutrition factory in Malawi has produced 40 million units of ready-to-use therapeutic foods which treated 400,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. VALID Nutrition fights malnutrition in Africa by utilizing local resources that go directly to those in need.
– Riley Bunch
Photo: Google
Causes of Poverty in Australia
Cassandra Goldie, chief executive of Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) called it a “national shame.” Despite 25 years of continued economic growth, the poverty rate has not budged. The percentage of people living in poverty rose from 12 percent in 2004 to 13 percent in 2014. Moreover, Australia has the second-highest rate of workers employed in insecure work – a total of 40 percent. Children are the worst-affected by poverty in Australia; 17 percent of children live below the poverty line. The percentage of children living in poverty is especially high for single-parent families. The number rose from 37 percent in 2012 to 41 percent in 2014.
What are the causes of poverty in Australia? Some activists blame the growing wage gap in the country. Australia’s wealthiest 10 percent own 45 percent of the capital in the country, and the gap is only widening. The wealth of the top 20 percent has increased by 28 percent between 2012 and 2014. Meanwhile, the bottom 20 percent have experienced a wealth increase of only three percent. The average wage increased by 50 percent between 1985 and 2010. Meanwhile, the poorest 10 percent experienced only a 14 percent wage increase.
Another reason that is suggested as a cause of poverty in Australia is the cuts to welfare payments and housing. Goldie claims that budget cuts to welfare payments directly affect the ability of the impoverished to gain employment. Public housing is also not widespread enough. There are more than 150,000 applicants waiting to find available space in public housing.
The decline of unions is also suggested as one of the causes of poverty in Australia. Unions help drive up wages and economic equality. However, lately, union membership has decreased. This means that ordinary workers get less political power.
Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, needs to focus more energy on addressing poverty. This means increasing shelter for the homeless, encouraging union membership and driving up the minimum wage. There are many causes of poverty in Australia, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be addressed in order to begin seeing improvement.
– Bruce Edwin Ayres Truax
Photo: Google
Understanding How to Run for Office in the United States
If you feel like you want to make more of an impact in the political sphere outside of advocacy and voting, you may want to consider running for office. There are around 520,000 elective offices in the United States, meaning that more than one out of every thousand people in the U.S. are an elected official.
All citizens of the U.S. have the right to run for political office. If eligible, any average citizen can play a role in the government. However, not many Americans are taking advantage of this right. In 2012, about a third of the candidates running for a state legislative positions ran unopposed.
Many people do not run because they are not sure how to do so. To begin, you can use Run For Office’s website to search for public positions available near you. After you find the right fit, the next step is to run a campaign.
Here are some tips on how to run for office in the United States:
Even if you have never held a political position, once you know how to run for office you have the power to do so. If you want to see changes made, if you want to do more for those who don’t have a voice, don’t stand around waiting – run for office.
– Hannah Kaiser
Photo: Unsplash
Human Rights Issues in Ireland
In recent years, human rights in Ireland have fallen under scrutiny.
According to an article from the Irish Times, Ireland agreed to be a part of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 1989, which is concerned with a range of human rights from employment rights to the right to food and water. Since entering this agreement, Ireland has been monitored by the UN.
Concerns arose with respect to Ireland following this agreement in 1999 and 2002, after the UN committee reviewed two reports. The country was found to be lacking in areas of anti-poverty, rights for persons with disabilities, provision of healthcare and more.
The UN committee later examined similar human rights issues in December 2014, focusing on the ill treatment of persons with disabilities in residential care, low minimum wage, failure of the State to recognize traveler ethnicity and affordable and quality water supply. It had been over a decade since the UN committee last reviewed Ireland’s economic, social and cultural rights, according to the Irish Times article.
Another prominent human rights issue in Ireland is abortion. According to a report from Human Rights in Ireland, abortion is only legal there when the mother’s life is in danger. This, the report says, makes Ireland’s policies on abortion some of the strictest in the world.
Last month, the Committee Against Torture turned toward Ireland’s lack of progress in respect to their laws on abortion. This organization has said that prior to any adjustments of its abortion laws, Ireland must explain its human rights obligations to its residents. According to Human Rights in Ireland, four other major international human rights committees have criticized the Irish framework in the past as well.
While issues of human rights in Ireland have fallen under scrutiny in recent years, global organizations are at work to improve conditions for the country’s residents.
– Leah Potter
Photo: Google
NAFTA Renegotiation Could Mean Increase for Mexican Wages
One of the main topics of renegotiation is expected to be workers’ rights. Then presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that he desired a new NAFTA for Americans in the Rust Belt – one way to do so is to close the gap between American and Mexican wages.
Signed into law in 1994 by President Bill Clinton, NAFTA lowered trading barriers between North American neighbors and opened the gates to free trade. Many businesses migrated to Mexico as a result.
Soon after, North American consumers experienced increases in their standards of living. Prices of consumer goods depressed due to businesses cutting labor costs via lower Mexican wages.
Lower prices do not paint a complete picture, though, as many blue-collar workers in the U.S. were left without jobs. At the same time, keeping Mexican wages low was in the interest of many manufacturers.
Now, over 20 years later, NAFTA will be renegotiated and the U.S. will have manufacturing on its mind. One way to entice businesses to stay in the U.S. is to impose new labor restrictions in Mexico.
The average wage in Mexico is not even a fifth that of that in the U.S. New labor restrictions could mean higher wages for the average Mexican laborer, who currently lives on $4.50 a day – sometimes less, depending on the area.
There is also the fear that the talks will lead nowhere because what the U.S. wants might not align with the interests of Mexico. Ildefonso Guajardo, a Mexican representative who will be present at the talks, has suggested that, if they are treated unfairly by the U.S., they will return the treatment.
Labor economists have said that the labor reforms that Mexico had previously agreed on during the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) should be the starting point for the U.S. This is the same partnership from which President Trump just pulled the United States.
Officials believe that NAFTA discussions should be finished by the end of the year if all goes smoothly. Labor reforms would certainly mean good news for Mexican laborers but not-so-good news for consumers who will feel the burden of higher prices.
– Thomas James Anania
Photo: Google
Evolving Human Rights in Peru
The Constitution of Peru protects human rights, claiming that humans have the right to respect, dignity, life and equality. Even so, there is still conflict over human rights in Peru.
According to Human Rights Watch, security forces in Peru have occasionally responded to protests over large development projects with gunfire, which has killed or injured protestors. There are also significant threats to freedom of expression and violence against women.
Journalists who publish pieces critical of the government can face intimidation, assault and even murder at the hands of individuals supporting or hired by the government.
Unfortunately, even a well-intentioned policy can fail to ensure the universal human rights. For example, the Peruvian Constitution promises free education to children ages six through 16. In reality, parents are faced with administrative and educational material fees that prevent less wealthy children from receiving a quality education. Students in rural areas receive lower quality education than those in urban areas. Gender and ethnicity can also factor into the quality of education that children receive.
However, there are some positive outcomes in terms of human rights in Peru. Health services are provided for free by the Peruvian government and workers are free to unionize. The Peruvian Constitution also promises a healthy environment for its citizens. Successive administrations have focused on eliminating violence against women, and political parties are now required to include a minimum of 30 percent of female candidates.
While human rights in Peru can be messy and complicated, the government is eager to put the violent history of the country firmly in the past and continue expanding human rights and ensuring those rights are upheld.
– Brock Hall
Photo: Flickr