Education is often widely viewed as one of the fundamental pillars used to eradicate global poverty. According to Global Citizen, “61 million school-age children are not in school today,” and many trends show that education is perhaps the strongest tool to reduce extremism and bring world peace. Fortunately, the United States Agency for International Development has made tremendous progress in the realm of education.
Utilizing less than one percent of the total federal budget, “literacy rates are up 33 percent worldwide in the last 25 years, and primary school enrollment has tripled in that period.” In order to tackle global poverty, there must be a collective effort from grassroots movements to provide the necessary resources that foster opportunities for those in need. Some governments have made tremendous improvements in this regard, providing sustainable initiatives towards reducing poverty through education.
Chad
In Chad, the Global Partnership for Education responded in a timely fashion by providing nearly $7 million to the Ministry of Education in 2016 as a response to the 2016 conflict. This grant was not only allocated towards assisting the humanitarian relief crisis at the time, but was also used to provide education for refugees and displaced returnees.
According to the United Nations Education Index, Chad ranks 184th in the world in terms of its educational levels; nearly one in five children lived in poverty in 2015. In Hong Kong, a recent study came out affirming that “children who grow up in low-income households tend to have less access to opportunities and therefore are more likely to remain poor in adulthood.”
Many parents are strong proponents of education as they would like to invest in their children’s future, especially if they come from a predominantly poor household. The kinds of benefits procured from education help youths to break out of the poverty cycle and potentially become primary contributors to their country’s economy.
Additionally, income level persists when a child is enrolled in formal education. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have reduced poverty through initiatives in education such as developing workshops and extended learning opportunities.
Ghana
A headmistress at a recent school conference in Ghana recently lauded the value of education in society, claiming it “is the only means through which one could bridge the poverty and knowledge gaps in society.” Mrs. Elizabeth Ama Asare also stressed the importance of education towards economic empowerment, asserting that without it, “you cannot dine with the rich” or “reason with the professors.”
Her remarks were made in light of the commencement of the Government’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, one of the many significant initiatives towards reducing poverty through education.
In Ghana, World Vision International (WVI) has played an integral role in improving the lives of children and levels of education in 10 basic schools in Kpikira. The WVI’s efforts include educating the youth on maintaining general hygiene, and fighting to end the practice of child-marriage that’s embedded in many communities.
According to the article, “ending child-marriage could help the district achieve at least eight of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, including health, education, and poverty.”
Israel
Additionally, the Haredi community in Israel is beginning to more strongly promote education. Characterized by traditional Jewish Law, the Haredi are marrying less and focusing more on their higher education. As seen in 2017, the number of Haredi enrolled in higher education spiked from 1,000 to 10,800. The Haredi community constitutes 16 percent of Israel’s population, and is set to increase monumentally to 40 percent by 2065.
If governments, international organizations and charities actively come together, then bridging the poverty gap can become an achievable task. Those living in destitute areas can benefit through the creation of institutions that enhance learning perspectives and opportunities. Such robust initiatives in reducing poverty through education are vital in paving the way for those who learn in a classroom environment to pursue a better life.
– Alexandre Dumouza
Photo: Flickr
The Current Realities of Living Conditions in Afghanistan
Everyday Existence
In Afghanistan, not all people live in perpetual fear of attacks, though these incidences do occur. Every day major cities bustle with thousands of shop owners opening their doors and cart-pushers taking to the streets. Few can afford leisure activities, but they do exist. In the capital of Kabul, there are zoos, amusement parks, cricket, football, and buzkashi matches (a traditional sport in which men on horses fight over a goat).
Threat of Attack
However, living conditions in Afghanistan can be harsh. According to a CIA World Factbook, an Afghan’s life expectancy is a meager 44 years. The wars in Afghanistan have been fairly constant since the seventies, and since 1979, more than a million Afghans have been killed and 3 million maimed in internal conflict.
On Thursday, January 18, a bomb went off at a protest in Kabul claiming the lives of 11 people and wounding 25 others. ISIL took credit for the attack, and in recent months, Kabul has been targeted by both Taliban forces as the groups vie for power within the country.
Electricity, Food and Water
Living conditions in Afghanistan need improvement. As it stands, only six percent of people have electricity and as a result must depend on alternative heat sources during the cold winter. Within an hour of the new year, Turkmenistan shut off electricity completely to Northern Afghanistan after authorities in Kabul rejected a demand for a 100 percent price increase.
Food and water are also challenges for many of the displaced people living in Afghanistan. In 2017, nearly half a million people fled their homes due to conflict, with 31 of 34 provinces recording forced displacement. For the displaced, food can be incredibly difficult to come by, as opportunities for employment are few and far between.
Unemployment is rampant, and even those that find work in construction, car repair, restaurants or offices have a hard time providing for themselves. In fact, most salaries are too meager to provide for large immediate families.
The city of Kabul’s population swells with an influx of people from the war-stricken, impoverished countryside. Traffic within the nation’s capital gives Los Angeles a run for its money, and security is everywhere. These physical occurrences are reminders that the threat of attack resides amidst normalcy in the current realities of those living in Afghanistan.
– Sam Bramlett
Photo: Flickr
Becoming a Reality: Women’s Empowerment in St. Lucia
Women’s empowerment is a quickly-growing movement around the world, especially in developing countries. St. Lucia, an Eastern Caribbean island, is one of many developing nations taking huge steps toward equality among all its residents.
Women in Equality Empowerment Program
In 2014, women’s empowerment in St. Lucia received a large financial boost when the Saint Lucia National Commission for UNESCO presented a $26,000 check to fund the Women in Equality Empowerment Program (WEEP). The program, run by the National Skills Development Center (NSDC), aimed to make professional training and job placement more accessible to women in St. Lucia. The program ran from 2015 to 2016 and successfully trained and placed 27 students into new jobs.
National Skills Development Center
The NSDC has continued to make strides in women’s empowerment in St. Lucia. Currently, the NSDC runs the Construction for Women Project, the goal of which is to train women for work in the construction field and to desensitize the St. Lucian society to the idea of women working in non-traditional fields.
Sacred Sports Foundation
Empowering young women is the focus of the Sacred Sports Foundation (SSF), a foundation that focuses on helping girls and women lead healthy lifestyles and socialize with each other. In 2012, the SSF asked that the Florida Association for Volunteer Action in the Caribbean and the Americas (FAVACA) assist them in training SSF employees for a new program focused on teaching girls aged 13 to 17 about health and life skills. The program promoted social inclusion, health education, HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention and mentoring in leadership.
Raise Your Voice St. Lucia
Possibly the most important organization pushing for women’s empowerment in St. Lucia is Raise Your Voice St. Lucia (RYVSLU). The organization’s goal is to teach women and children about their legal rights and provide support to those suffering through domestic violence, rape and other human rights violations.
In November and December 2017, RYVSLU ran the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence program in which panels, community meetings, and public marches were arranged to educate and empower women. The program was funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI) and pushed for an end to violence against women.
These efforts are changing the current dialogue of women’s empowerment in St. Lucia, and hopefully serve as positive omens for the island nation’s future.
– Anna Sheps
Photo: Flickr
Reducing Poverty Through Education: A Look at 3 Major Initiatives
Education is often widely viewed as one of the fundamental pillars used to eradicate global poverty. According to Global Citizen, “61 million school-age children are not in school today,” and many trends show that education is perhaps the strongest tool to reduce extremism and bring world peace. Fortunately, the United States Agency for International Development has made tremendous progress in the realm of education.
Utilizing less than one percent of the total federal budget, “literacy rates are up 33 percent worldwide in the last 25 years, and primary school enrollment has tripled in that period.” In order to tackle global poverty, there must be a collective effort from grassroots movements to provide the necessary resources that foster opportunities for those in need. Some governments have made tremendous improvements in this regard, providing sustainable initiatives towards reducing poverty through education.
Chad
In Chad, the Global Partnership for Education responded in a timely fashion by providing nearly $7 million to the Ministry of Education in 2016 as a response to the 2016 conflict. This grant was not only allocated towards assisting the humanitarian relief crisis at the time, but was also used to provide education for refugees and displaced returnees.
According to the United Nations Education Index, Chad ranks 184th in the world in terms of its educational levels; nearly one in five children lived in poverty in 2015. In Hong Kong, a recent study came out affirming that “children who grow up in low-income households tend to have less access to opportunities and therefore are more likely to remain poor in adulthood.”
Many parents are strong proponents of education as they would like to invest in their children’s future, especially if they come from a predominantly poor household. The kinds of benefits procured from education help youths to break out of the poverty cycle and potentially become primary contributors to their country’s economy.
Additionally, income level persists when a child is enrolled in formal education. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have reduced poverty through initiatives in education such as developing workshops and extended learning opportunities.
Ghana
A headmistress at a recent school conference in Ghana recently lauded the value of education in society, claiming it “is the only means through which one could bridge the poverty and knowledge gaps in society.” Mrs. Elizabeth Ama Asare also stressed the importance of education towards economic empowerment, asserting that without it, “you cannot dine with the rich” or “reason with the professors.”
Her remarks were made in light of the commencement of the Government’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, one of the many significant initiatives towards reducing poverty through education.
In Ghana, World Vision International (WVI) has played an integral role in improving the lives of children and levels of education in 10 basic schools in Kpikira. The WVI’s efforts include educating the youth on maintaining general hygiene, and fighting to end the practice of child-marriage that’s embedded in many communities.
According to the article, “ending child-marriage could help the district achieve at least eight of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, including health, education, and poverty.”
Israel
Additionally, the Haredi community in Israel is beginning to more strongly promote education. Characterized by traditional Jewish Law, the Haredi are marrying less and focusing more on their higher education. As seen in 2017, the number of Haredi enrolled in higher education spiked from 1,000 to 10,800. The Haredi community constitutes 16 percent of Israel’s population, and is set to increase monumentally to 40 percent by 2065.
If governments, international organizations and charities actively come together, then bridging the poverty gap can become an achievable task. Those living in destitute areas can benefit through the creation of institutions that enhance learning perspectives and opportunities. Such robust initiatives in reducing poverty through education are vital in paving the way for those who learn in a classroom environment to pursue a better life.
– Alexandre Dumouza
Photo: Flickr
The Growth of Infrastructure in Botswana
Diamond mining is one of Botswana’s most important assets, as diamonds make up more than 60 percent of the country’s exports and around 25 percent of its GDP. The opening of Jwaneng, the world’s richest diamond mine, launched Botswana from being one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the richest countries in Africa. Currently, Jwaneng alone produces around 2,100 kilograms of diamonds a year. The wealth generated from diamond mining has contributed significantly to an increase in the standard of living in the country and services and infrastructure in Botswana have vastly improved as well.
Botswana’s roads are maintained by the local and central government. 2015 statistics from the Botswana Transport and Infrastructure Statistics Report stated that the total road network equaled 30,275.64 kilometers, with bitumen and gravel roads comprising the majority of the roads at 33 and 35 percent respectively. Travel by road constitutes the majority of travel in Botswana, accounting for 93 percent of passenger transportation. In addition, Botswana has 971 kilometers of railroad laid out and 12 airports with paved runways. Together, they comprise about 7 percent of passenger transportation.
Telecommunication infrastructure in Botswana is also vastly developed thanks to its location. Botswana is located directly north of South Africa, which has allowed the country to follow and access South Africa’s telecommunication infrastructure. Botswana has one of the highest rates of cell phone use on the continent and landline services are provided by the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation. Although slow Internet speeds still remains a problem, Internet usage is increasing, with an estimated 15 percent of the population having access to the Internet, according to the Global Information Technology Report.
In terms of power infrastructure in Botswana, the country produces coal for electricity and oil is imported into the country. Recently, the country has taken a large interest in renewable energy sources and has completed a comprehensive strategy that will attract investors in the wind, solar and biomass renewable energy industries.
There are some reports that infrastructure in Botswana is declining, as just within the past five years the quality of infrastructure has severely fallen, alongside other African countries such as Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. However, funding is now being increasingly provided by China, which is playing a huge role in financing infrastructure in resource-rich African nations such as Botswana. The country can use these investments to build on its good infrastructure foundations and continue to improve the quality of life for its citizens.
– Miho Kitamura
Photo: Flickr
An Island’s Biggest Advocate: EU Provides Humanitarian Aid to St. Lucia
The European Union (EU) currently stands as the largest supporter of humanitarian aid to St. Lucia. In 1979, the same year as St. Lucia’s independence, a formal relationship between the two entities was established. The 11th European Development Fund (EDF) National Indicative Programme articulates the programming framework that will facilitate St. Lucia-EU co-operation from 2014 to 2020. The EDF’s involvement with St. Lucia focuses on employment generation via private sector development.
The EU’s Humanitarian Aid Department, ECHO, was present when St. Lucia needed aid most. After Hurricane Tomas in 2010, ECHO responded with emergency and post-emergency aid to assist with restoring the island. In July 2011, the U.S. stepped in and St. Lucia received $17 million from the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) to build it’s natural climate resilience to gain inclusion from the Caribbean Regional Program. Vulnerable, under-developed countries are normally given top priority by the CIF’s Strategic Climate Fund, and this trend has come to include this small island of St. Lucia.
In January 2014 after a Christmas Eve storm, Britain gave St. Lucia 1 million Eastern Caribbean dollars for vital emergency humanitarian aid support to help with mass amounts of fatalities and wreckage. In March, India donated $500,000 of humanitarian aid to St. Lucia to help with the damage left behind from the Christmas Eve rains. These efforts totaled about $100 million dollars — a significant amount of aid for the recovering island nation.
Later that year, St. Lucia was one of the 10 Eastern Caribbean islands to receive a portion of the €80 million in development co-operation aid. In 2016, the main focus of the EU in St. Lucia was the construction of a new hospital, for which they contributed €37 million.
The goal of EU co-operation is to enhance the quality of life of the people in the beneficiary countries through “targeted and sustainable programmes.” St. Lucia is one of the fortunate countries to be a part of the EU agenda and to really benefit from their efforts. Humanitarian aid to St. Lucia may not be given by many, but it’s at least consistent by one.
– Tara Jackson
Photo: Flickr
The Levels of Progress of Women’s Empowerment in Vanuatu
In the beautiful country of Vanuatu, a South Pacific Ocean nation made up of roughly 80 islands, there is a strong fight for women’s empowerment.
Gender Equality Measures
Vanuatu falls under the umbrella of the UN Women’s Fiji Multi-Country Office (MCO) based in Suva, that covers 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICT). PICTs work with governments and civil society organizations, and the MCO works to progress gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Pacific through the four key programs:
Violence Against Women
No sexual harassment legislation is in place in Vanuatu, and failure to comply with the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW, exists. There is also an unequal minimum age for marriage – 18 years for males and 16 years for females with parental consent.
Violence against women must be addressed in order to bring women’s empowerment in Vanuatu. According to UN Women, 3 in 5 women that have been in a relationship have experienced physical or sexual violence. Women are often treated as property, and they deal with a culture of sexual abuse fostered through adolescence by male family members. Most women are accustomed to these roles and accept that it is normal for men to beat them if they are not obedient.
Economically Empowering Females
In regard to women’s economic empowerment, over half of women who make an income and live with a man earn about the same or more than their husband or partner; however, less than one in five has savings in the bank, and few women own any major assets on their own. In fact, more than 1 in 5 women had their earnings taken away by their husband or partner, who also has the ability to disrupt, or forbid, their female’s work.
The impacts of climate change also directly impact women’s empowerment in Vanuatu. Rising sea levels and changes in air and water temperature affect women’s traditional economic, agricultural and fishing duties. Natural disasters also increase women’s vulnerability to violence and deprivation. Humanitarian intervention is crucial for the improvement of this aspect of women’s empowerment in Vanuatu.
Thankfully, the MCO’s four programs seek to address these issues, and bring significant change to the levels and regions of women’s empowerment in Vanuatu.
– Julia Lee
Photo: Flickr
5 Development Projects in Bhutan Introduced in 2017
Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a small country that sits on the Himalayas’ eastern edge in south Asia. The nation is considered one of the world’s least developed countries, and agriculture is at least 80 percent of Bhutan’s economy. Bhutan has made significant strides in development in recent years, and has been able to maintain solid growth and economic stability.
In 2017, The World Bank approved and funded five development projects in Bhutan. These projects are an effort to further the economic growth of the country.
1. Bhutan BLSS Economic Census
BLSS stands for Bhutan Living Standard Survey and was reintroduced in February 2017. It is a household survey that is taken by the National Statistics Bureau. The survey was previously conducted in 2003, 2007 and 2012. After its introduction in February, the survey was again taken in March 2017. The survey provides many critical indicators, such as the national poverty line and National Accounts statistics.
2. Preparation of Strategic Program for Climate Resilience
The Preparation of Strategic Program for Climate Resilience was introduced in February 2017 and will be completed by September 2019. This long-term plan is meant to help Bhutan improve national climate resilience. The project will build on ongoing activities in Bhutan to incorporate climate resilience in development planning. Bhutan then plans to use the project to help create a climate-resilient investment plan for the country.
3. Food Security and Agriculture Productivity Project
The Food Security and Agriculture Productivity Project was introduced in April 2017 and will be completed by December 2022. The project’s goal is to combat Bhutan’s reliance on food imports and to increase local agriculture. Since Bhutan is mainly an agriculture country, this increase will also help lower unemployment and reduce poverty.
4. Bhutan Youth Employment and Rural Entrepreneurship Project
The Bhutan Youth Employment and Rural Entrepreneurship Project was introduced in May 2017 and as of yet, has no closing date. The project’s goal is to increase employment opportunities in Bhutan, specifically for youth; many of the opportunities created are in agriculture. With more job opportunities, the Bhutanese economy will continue to improve as a result of this project.
5. Strengthening Public Financial Management Project
The Strengthening Public Financial Management Project was introduced in September 2017 and will conclude in January 2021. The project’s goal is to help the Bhutanese manage their budget and public funds more efficiently. This will help the development and strengthening of public services and governance.
With the approval of these five development projects in Bhutan, The World Bank has loaned the Royal Government of Bhutan over 15 million U.S. dollars. The World Bank has worked closely with Bhutan since 1998 when Bhutan’s first project was approved.
The goal of these five development projects in Bhutan is to increase employment opportunities, decrease national poverty and strengthen Bhutan’s economy. Though it is still too early to see any significant changes since these five development projects in Bhutan were implemented, these efforts have laid a satisfying groundwork for the Bhutanese to build on.
– Courtney Wallace
Photo: Flickr
Fostering Sustainable Agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sustainable agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina is of utmost importance since the nation’s independence from Yugoslavia in 1992. Is status as a war-torn region ended after signing a peace treaty in December 1995, which enabled the formation of a complex state with two entities and one state district.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is comprised of hilly mountainous regions as well as fertile low-lands that are suitable for agriculture. It is one of the highest-ranking bio-diverse regions of Europe, as the region is comprised of various animal species and plants. This diversity helps make sustainable agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina achievable.
Agriculture is the backbone of the region’s rural sector and functions as an important aspect of the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Agriculture constitutes about 20 percent of the total employment though, according to a study in 2017, post-war conditions and complex socio-economic structure has negatively impacted its development.
Land Resources and Best Practices in Agriculture
Total surface area suitable for cultivation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is about 1.6 million hectares. The land is segregated into three parts:
Bosnia and Herzegovina has seen a trend of sustainable farming since the foundation of Bosnian Environmental Technologies Association (BETA) in 2000. BETA initiated the concept of organic farming in the regional label, and with the support of other international agencies, the association enhanced the promotion of organic agriculture practices among farmers.
As of 2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a surface area of 576 hectares devoted to organic farming. This is a lower percentage compared to neighboring countries, but the number steadily increases with the certified organic farming organization of the area; thus, organic farming works helps increase the overall levels of sustainable agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The following strategies have been adapted to increase the sustainability of agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
The Bees and Improving Agricultural Growth
The beekeeping sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a component of organic farming that comprises almost 1 percent of the total agricultural production. According to a Bosnia and Herzegovina statistics agency, there are almost 350,000 bee colonies in the country which produce around 2500 – 3000 tons of honey per year.
Various strategies have been adapted post-war to increase sustainable agriculture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina has fertile land and abundance of water bodies, but political tension between its two entities and lack of central governance deeply affects the prospect of agricultural growth of the country.
– Mahua Mitra
Photo: Flickr
The US Top 10 Oldest Presidents to Take Office
The average age of the 45 U.S. presidents throughout history is 54 years and 11 months. Below are the top 10 oldest presidents to take office in United States history.
Gerald Ford – 61 years old
John Adams – 61 years, 4 months old
Andrew Jackson – 61 years,11 months old
Dwight D. Eisenhower – 62 years old
Zachary Taylor – 64 months, 3 months old
George H.W Bush – 64 years, 7 months old
James Buchanan – 65 years old
William H. Harrison – 68 years old
Ronald Reagan – 69 years old
Donald Trump – 70 years old
Youth is often associated with fresh ideas and renewed energy, but these top 10 oldest presidents have brought in their own decisive and controversial ideas. Top 10 source via : top10binary.com binary options trading.
– Jennifer Serrato
Photo: Flickr
The Growth of Sustainable Agriculture in Bangladesh
Agriculture in Bangladesh is under attack as it continues to degrade land and water resources and use harmful agro-chemicals. With continued help from other nations, the Bangladesh government is pursuing sustainable methods for its agriculture to deepen its environmental safety and increase longevity.
Like many nations in the past few decades, recent technological innovations dramatically changed the style of Bangladesh’s agriculture. Mechanization and specialized chemicals pushed the government to enact policies that maximized production. However, with these benefits came negative effects, such as soil depletion, water contamination and neglect of conditions for farm laborers. The goals of sustainable agriculture in Bangladesh are productivity, environmental stability, economic profitability and social and economic equity.
Besides issues arising from agriculture in Bangladesh, climate change poses a serious threat to the country. Founded on a delta, flooding, natural disasters, and saltwater intrusion have caused Bangladesh to lose 1.75 percent of its arable land. To combat food security issues, Bangladesh has begun projects to improve its sustainable agriculture.
The International Finance Corporation is promoting sustainable agriculture in Bangladesh through work with several private and public companies. For example, it works with the four largest private seed companies to demonstrate stress-tolerant seeds and raise awareness of their formal planting. As a result, 67,000 farmers received training for stress-tolerant seeds and 26,000 trained farmers implemented practices related to combatting climate change.
Another new form of sustainable agriculture has won global recognition in Bangladesh. In 2015, the Food and Agriculture Organization designated a farming style in Bangladesh as a “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Site.” Called the floating gardens, farmers in areas where floodwater lays for prolonged periods created systems in which they grow plants on floating organic beds of algae and other plant residue. By utilizing wetlands, the country’s farmers provide numerous ecological and economic benefits to locals.
However, farmers in poorer areas do not have ready access to sustainable farming principles or resources. That is where the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture comes in. Since 2011, it has been working to improve value for resource-poor farmers in sustainable agriculture and aims to help smaller farmers by creating access to information, quality resources and linking them to profitable markets via its business model called “Farmer’s Hubs.” Through this project, 15,000 small farmers have engaged with 30 Farmer’s Hubs to enjoy increased income at an average of 34 percent.
Through these projects and developments in sustainable agriculture, Bangladesh will continue to grow economically while protecting its environmental resources.
– Nick McGuire
Photo: Flickr