Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country by both population (roughly 210 million) and geographical area (3,287,597 square miles). It is also the world’s eighth largest economy and previously hosted the 2016 Olympics. Despite these feats, Brazil struggles to recover from the worst recession in its country’s history. While Brazil is not poor, the level of people in poverty there is well above the norm for a middle-income country. Here are three answers to the question, “Why is Brazil poor?”
1. Inequality of Land Distribution
According to USAID, inequality of land distribution is a major factor contributing to poverty levels in Brazil. Brazil’s poor have inadequate access to desirable land, and NPR reported in 2015 that one percent of the population controls 50 percent of all the land in Brazil.
This means that 2 million people (out of a total population of 210 million) control half of the country’s entire square footage. The other 99 percent have little access to land ownership, making it difficult to improve their economic status. Brazil is one of the most unequal places in the world when it comes to land distribution.
2. Education
Claudia Gostin, the education secretary for the city of Rio de Janeiro, told the Global Post that Brazil has educational apartheid taking place in its country. Apartheid is a system that separates people on the basis of color, ethnicity or class. Brazilian schools are separated by class and one could also argue race.
According to the Global Post, class divisions in Brazil are ingrained around the age of five. Depending on their economic class, Brazilian children are either sent to rundown public schools that prepare them for mediocrity or they are sent to high quality private institutions that prepare them for upper echelon roles in society. Lower class Brazilians are taught by second rate teachers in under resourced buildings with shorter school days than their peers. These factors lead to several drop outs and graduates who are unprepared to compete for high tech jobs in the white-collar work force.
In addition, Brazilians who identify as black or brown and compose more than 50 percent of the population have income levels that are half of whites. This keeps Brazil’s black and brown population in poverty and at the end of Brazil’s social totem pole.
3. Corruption
According to the World Factbook, Brazil’s economy has been affected by several corruption scandals involving private companies and government officials. Penalties against the companies involved — some of the largest in Brazil — limited their business opportunities, producing a ripple effect on associated businesses and contractors.
In addition, investment in these companies also declined due to scandals. This is in turn has had a negative effect on the country’s poor population because companies involved in the scandals cut jobs. For example, Corporate Compliance Insights states that oil company Pertrobras was the country’s largest company and investor making up 10 percent of Brazil’s economy, but after a corruption scandal within the company, Brazil lost 27 billion (at least 1 percent) in GDP in 2015. The company also reduced its workforce by 34 percent, and fewer jobs equals less opportunities for Brazil’s poor to improve their circumstances.
So, why is Brazil poor? A history of inequality that runs deep in the country propels the cycle of poverty for Brazil’s poor. Race, class, education, land and government are all sources of power that dictate where wealth remains in Brazil.
Hope remains for Brazil’s poor despite its past. Poverty has been nearly wiped out for the elderly due to well-funded pensions. What is more, state funded programs such as Bolsa Familia have lifted tens of millions out of poverty and now, more than half of Brazil’s population is considered middle class.
Expanding opportunities for education, access to land and less corruption in government will pave the way for a more equitable Brazilian society.
– Jeanine Thomas
Photo: Flickr
Problems of Human Rights in the Bahamas
One blemish on this nation’s record is its substandard record on human rights, particularly in the areas of immigrants and prison and detention center conditions.
The 2015 United States Department of State’s report on human rights in the Bahamas concluded that several different types of human rights problems do in fact exist.
The report states that poor treatment of irregular migrants exacerbated by issues in processing them is an issue needing attention. Haitian immigrants to the region, for example, have been detained by Bahamian authorities and kept in custody until proper arrangements were made for them to exit the country or legally stay.
The Bahamian and Haitian governments have taken measures to alleviate the problem, but their solution has brought its own problems with it. The Bahamian government required that non-Bahamian citizens must carry legal documents with them beginning in the fall of 2014. However, outcry poured in from certain international organizations that enforcement of this law was applied unfairly to those of Haitian descent, along with several other complaints. Perhaps the most disturbing accusation of the abuse of human rights in the Bahamas came in the form of reports claiming that “immigration officials physically abused persons as they were being detained and that officials solicited and accepted bribes to avoid detention or secure release,” according to the State Department’s report.
To make matters even worse, the places where these people are being held is substandard. Prison and detention centers did not meet international standards, and overcrowding is a major issue at the government’s only prison.
This data suggests that human rights in the Bahamas are not as well protected as they need to be. In the future, more work must be done by the local and international communities to ensure the better enforcement of human rights in the Bahamas.
– Adam Braunstein
Photo: Google
The Overall Low Cost of Living in Colombia
The low prices can be seen across the country in everyday expenses. Real estate ranges from as high as $1,250 a month in a major city to $350 in a small town. The same goes for buying property in Colombia. Land can sell anywhere from $1 million to about $250,000. Additionally, residents spend an average of $75 on utilities such as water, electricity and gas.
Although on average, expenses are generally higher in Bogota, boasting a price index of 88 out of 100, most places in Colombia boast cheap everyday prices for residents. Additionally, compared to major cities in the U.S., the cost of living in Colombia is generally 50 percent cheaper.
Low costs on everyday items are essential for native Colombians, as 27.8 percent of the population lived below the poverty line in 2015. Colombia also faces a 9.2 percent unemployment rate, both of which are caused by the social imbalances and unequal distribution of government programs.
However, with poverty steadily declining, Colombian citizens are able to enjoy more services, such as health care. Health care in Colombia is substantially cheaper than in developed countries like the United States. In fact, Colombian health care is reported to having procedure costs between 50 and 90 percent less than in the United States.
In addition, Colombia is a leading coal exporter, ranking as the world’s fourth largest coal exporter. The country also leads as the second largest coffee and cut flower exporter and is Latin America’s fourth largest oil producer.
The country’s GDP growth averaged 4.7 percent each year in the last decade. While Colombia has seen a recent rise in food and energy prices and an inflation spike, the country is still experiencing a 1.9 percent industrial production growth rate while boasting a $688 billion GDP in 2016.
Additionally, as the peso continues to drop due to the overproduction of oil, in 2016, one U.S. dollar could give residents up to 3,288 pesos, a 25 percent increase from the year prior.
With an increase in certain industries, such as coal and oil, and with the coupling of cheap healthcare and a low cost of living in Colombia, along with improved infrastructure, Colombia is quickly transforming from a country burdened with a high rate of poverty to a rising low cost country with all the amenities of a much more expensive country.
– Amira Wynn
Photo: Pixabay
Common Diseases in Oman Caused By Fat Intake
The extent of these problems was exposed by NCSI in their report conducted in 2016. The report noted that 25 percent of all hospital deaths were caused by unhealthy lifestyles choices and stress.
Another of the most common diseases in Oman is cancer. Although lower than most other Gulf States, it is responsible for around 13 percent of hospital deaths in the country. Stomach, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia are the highest-occurring in males while breast, cervical and thyroid are the highest-occurring in females.
Amro Hassan, an Interventional Consultant Cardiologist at Muscat Private Hospital, speculated on the cause of these increases in an article by the Times of Oman: “Because stress can release hormones in the body, this may cause effects on coronary arteries. The heart may also cause high blood pressure and this is a reason why controlling stress levels is very important.”
Sathish Veluswamy, Surgeon at Burjeel Hospital, believes this stress is due to competition. “We all want to get ahead of everybody else and this takes a toll on our bodies,” he stated. “Life is a lot more stressful now than it previously was, because there are a lot more demands on us these days.”
These demands include those that come with the increase in interconnectedness that comes with technology. This interconnectedness creates a work-life imbalance. On top of this, smoking and poor eating habits can lead to further problems.
Although fatty foods and American cuisine still seem to be popular in Oman, there has been a shift in the food industry toward healthier choices. This shift is called “multi-cuisine” which is becoming increasingly popular. With the introduction of these options, citizens are starting to take steps in the right direction to combat the common diseases in Oman.
– Sydney Roeder
Photo: Flickr
Common Diseases in Grenada
Ischemic Heart Disease
A condition characterized by constricted heart arteries, causing reduced blood flow to the heart, ischemic heart disease can ultimately result in untimely heart attack. Also known as coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease was assessed to be the most fatal of the common diseases in Grenada in 2005. By 2015, it was still the most fatal, but the prevalence of deaths by the disease had actually decreased by 5.9 percent.
Cerebrovascular Disease
Cerebrovascular disease refers to any disorder affecting blood flow to the brain. Such disorders often result in aneurysms, carotid stenosis, intracranial stenosis, vertebral stenosis, stroke and vascular malformations. In 2015, cerebrovascular disease was the second most fatal common disease in Grenada, and had been for the past decade. However, the disease had fortunately decreased in prevalence by 4.4 percent within those 10 years.
Diabetes
A disease that occurs when blood glucose is too high, diabetes can cause a myriad of other health problems, and can even lead to death. In Grenada, diabetes was the third most common cause of death, consistently from 2005 to 2015. Unfortunately, in contrast to the reduction in prevalence of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease, diabetes became 4.5 percent more common within the decade.
In October of 2015, the government of Grenada stated that the “Grenada Diabetes Association and the Ministry of Health continue to strengthen their relationship as both entities collaborate to promote good health and wellness among the population.” In regards to heart disease, the Grenada Heart Project studies “the clinical, biological, and psychosocial determinants of the cardiovascular health in Grenada in order to develop and implement a nationwide cardiovascular health promotion program.” Clearly, the nation is dedicated to domestically addressing the most common diseases in Grenada, and hopefully this dedication will lead to more progress.
– Shannon Golden
Photo: Flickr
Mitigation of the Most Common Diseases in Jordan
For about the last 20 years the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been working and collecting data in Jordan. According to the CDC’s website, Ischemic Heart Disease is the number one cause of death, accounting for 18 percent of total deaths in the nation. Ischemic Heart Disease is a specific type of heart disease in which there is an insufficient supply of blood to the heart.
Despite the fact that Ischemic Heart Disease is one of the most common diseases in Jordan, significant progress has been made towards decreasing total deaths. In fact, the annual mortality rate per 100,000 people from this disease has decreased by over 40 percent since 1990.
One way that the effects of the common diseases in Jordan can be mitigated is through the reduction of tobacco use. According to The Tobacco Atlas, over 1 million Jordanians use tobacco each day. The results of this behavior are quite consequential. In fact, each year more than 2,000 people in Jordan die from tobacco-caused diseases.
When traveling to Jordan, the CDC recommends receiving vaccinations for Hepatitis B and Typhoid. Both of these diseases can be contracted by consuming contaminated food or water.
Fortunately, there are actions that travelers to the region and locals can take to reduce the risk of contracting Typhoid Fever. Frequent washing of one’s hands, practicing proper body hygiene and drinking purified water are a few of the steps recommended by the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers (IAMAT).
Progress has certainly been made in regard to combating some of the more common diseases in Jordan, but nonetheless, there are still harmful diseases in Jordan that must be confronted.
– Adam Braunstein
Photo: Flickr
Water Quality in Comoros
Karthala is one of the most active volcanoes on the island and has contributed significantly to the water pollution. Volcanic eruptions have allowed for the introduction of pollutants into the water supply, which has caused the water quality in Comoros to decline in years past. Karthala’s most recent eruptions – two in the past year and a half – have left the island covered in volcanic ash, which has polluted the water supply many in the country rely on.
Despite the extent of the pollution, the water quality in Comoros appears to be improving recently due to numerous programs introduced by the government. As a short-term solution, UNICEF has shipped millions of liters of drinking water into the nation until a more long term solution can be enacted. This action has brought fresh water to more than 150,000 people.
The government of Comoros has continued to work alongside UNICEF to create more long-term solutions to this issue. Together with UNICEF, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office has given $1.3 million to go toward cleaning more than 1,500 reservoirs. This is hugely beneficial, as many citizens use these reservoirs as their primary source of their drinking water.
Overall, the water quality in Comoros has suffered from the volcanic activity in the country; however, the continued efforts by both UNICEF and the government has had a significant effect on improving this issue. This work and its continuation should allow the citizens of Comoros to continue to have a fresh source of water.
– Nick Beauchamp
Photo: Flickr
The Top Three Answers to the Question: Why is Brazil Poor?
Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country by both population (roughly 210 million) and geographical area (3,287,597 square miles). It is also the world’s eighth largest economy and previously hosted the 2016 Olympics. Despite these feats, Brazil struggles to recover from the worst recession in its country’s history. While Brazil is not poor, the level of people in poverty there is well above the norm for a middle-income country. Here are three answers to the question, “Why is Brazil poor?”
1. Inequality of Land Distribution
According to USAID, inequality of land distribution is a major factor contributing to poverty levels in Brazil. Brazil’s poor have inadequate access to desirable land, and NPR reported in 2015 that one percent of the population controls 50 percent of all the land in Brazil.
This means that 2 million people (out of a total population of 210 million) control half of the country’s entire square footage. The other 99 percent have little access to land ownership, making it difficult to improve their economic status. Brazil is one of the most unequal places in the world when it comes to land distribution.
2. Education
Claudia Gostin, the education secretary for the city of Rio de Janeiro, told the Global Post that Brazil has educational apartheid taking place in its country. Apartheid is a system that separates people on the basis of color, ethnicity or class. Brazilian schools are separated by class and one could also argue race.
According to the Global Post, class divisions in Brazil are ingrained around the age of five. Depending on their economic class, Brazilian children are either sent to rundown public schools that prepare them for mediocrity or they are sent to high quality private institutions that prepare them for upper echelon roles in society. Lower class Brazilians are taught by second rate teachers in under resourced buildings with shorter school days than their peers. These factors lead to several drop outs and graduates who are unprepared to compete for high tech jobs in the white-collar work force.
In addition, Brazilians who identify as black or brown and compose more than 50 percent of the population have income levels that are half of whites. This keeps Brazil’s black and brown population in poverty and at the end of Brazil’s social totem pole.
3. Corruption
According to the World Factbook, Brazil’s economy has been affected by several corruption scandals involving private companies and government officials. Penalties against the companies involved — some of the largest in Brazil — limited their business opportunities, producing a ripple effect on associated businesses and contractors.
In addition, investment in these companies also declined due to scandals. This is in turn has had a negative effect on the country’s poor population because companies involved in the scandals cut jobs. For example, Corporate Compliance Insights states that oil company Pertrobras was the country’s largest company and investor making up 10 percent of Brazil’s economy, but after a corruption scandal within the company, Brazil lost 27 billion (at least 1 percent) in GDP in 2015. The company also reduced its workforce by 34 percent, and fewer jobs equals less opportunities for Brazil’s poor to improve their circumstances.
So, why is Brazil poor? A history of inequality that runs deep in the country propels the cycle of poverty for Brazil’s poor. Race, class, education, land and government are all sources of power that dictate where wealth remains in Brazil.
Hope remains for Brazil’s poor despite its past. Poverty has been nearly wiped out for the elderly due to well-funded pensions. What is more, state funded programs such as Bolsa Familia have lifted tens of millions out of poverty and now, more than half of Brazil’s population is considered middle class.
Expanding opportunities for education, access to land and less corruption in government will pave the way for a more equitable Brazilian society.
– Jeanine Thomas
Photo: Flickr
The Current State of Human Rights in Denmark
Denmark is one of the 192 Member States of the United Nations and uses that position to advance its protection of human rights. For example, Denmark has pushed for treaties that support the abolition of torture as well as augmenting the rights of people with disabilities.
Within its own borders, steps are taken to protect human rights as well. Free speech and a free press are two of the many human rights in Denmark protected by the nation’s constitution. According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 report, Denmark’s government did not limit either of these practices.
The report also demonstrated that Denmark does not violate the integrity of its people. Prison and detention centers keep with international standards, fair trials are granted and each individual’s privacy is respected.
One area in which Denmark’s reputation regarding human rights is less widely praised is when it comes to the nation’s treatment of refugees. According to The Washington Post, many European nations have experienced an influx of immigrants over the past decade. Some of the actions taken by Denmark’s government include slashing benefits to refugees, allowing police to confiscate refugees’ valuables and taking steps to make it increasingly difficult for refugees to reunite with their families.
As the laws in Denmark have changed, so too have the have peoples’ sentiments. Ideas regarding refugees that in the past would have been considered outlandish have infiltrated more mainstream ideology. Denmark has received much criticism for this. In fact, Human Rights First, “an independent advocacy and action organization that challenges America to live up to its ideals” stated that this is a violation of refugees’ human rights.
The evidence suggests that Denmark is more successful at protecting the human rights of its own people than of others.
– Adam Braunstein
Photo: Flickr
Poverty Rate in Eritrea Forces Migrant Crisis
Currently, Eritreans are the third-largest group of people that are coming across the Mediterranean to Europe. The U.N. estimates that nine percent of the country has evacuated in recent years. Eritreans, however, also account for the majority of the 3,000 people who have drowned in the Mediterranean on the journey. However, the situation looks even more worrying. Policy toward Eritrean refugees is shifting. The U.K. has cut the number Eritrean refugees’ applications being accepted from 77 percent to 29 percent.
There are not many figures on the poverty rate in Eritrea. The government has repeatedly denied the U.N. and independent human rights groups access to the country. However, by GDP per capita, Eritrea is the ninth-poorest country in the world. Joblessness and lack of opportunities are prevalent. Many Eritrean youths are fleeing the country precisely because they are unable to obtain work. The government halts most imports, has stopped the World Food Programme’s free distributions to roughly a million people and has refused a $100 million development loan from the World Bank.
Many factors contribute to the current rates of poverty in Eritrea. For example, the government’s harsh military conscription pays only two dollars per day, keeps young men out of work and can be extended indefinitely. Teenagers are inducted at the Sawa military base where they get four months of training and then take an exam that determines whether they are put into active service or allowed to go back to their education. The men are forced into awful conditions; they are not even given blankets and eat low-quality food. One former conscript spoke of being forced to lie in a 131-degree sun for hours.
However, there is some hope for the country. President Isaias Afwerki has been conducting a self-reliance program, with some good results. Education and healthcare are free, the HIV rate is down to less than one percent, measles and polio have been virtually eradicated and child mortality rates have decreased by two-thirds since 1995. According to the U.N., Eritrea scores higher on health than its neighbors Ethiopia and Kenya.
However, this is not enough. The country desperately needs U.N. examination and aid. If the country would open its borders to imports and aid, especially economic aid, the poverty rate in Eritrea would drop dramatically and the country would no longer see a large portion of the population fleeing its borders.
– Bruce Edwin Ayres Truax
Get Involved: How to Help People in Libya Without Using Cash
As Charles R. Swindoll said, “The difference between something good and something great is the attention to detail.” There’s a plethora of possible ways to aid other countries around the globe, and just giving money can be a controversial and often ineffective method of reaching individuals, or the “details.”
Often times, impoverished individuals fail to receive money because donated monetary funds get lost in translation and/or siphoned to the elite; thus, essential money never makes it to the people who need it most. Also in many cases, only a fraction of the money donated to charities actually goes towards the cause because of the charity system’s filtration system.
Although effective and impactful ways to donate to causes such as those in Libya do exist — for example, “effective giving” as endorsed by Forbes, or NPR’s bypassing charities and giving directly to poor people method– here are three of the most impactful ways on how to help people in Libya without utilizing money.
1. Restoring Family Links
Conflicts in Libya separate families and friends on a regular basis. But, thankfully, organizations such as the Libyan Red Crescent and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) work to connect family and friends separated, disconnected or lost due to migration, conflict and/or political and dissident activities.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent operate predominately on a volunteer basis, so the opportunities to become involved in the Libyan Red Crescent are (almost) endless.
2. Signing Petitions
The government and legislation in Libya dictate and incite many of the issues occurring in the country today. From prisoners of war to civilian protection rights, prosecutions and the environment, there exist numerous movements and debates that could really utilize global support.
Helping aid systemic issues can influence a larger portion of the population and create more rapid change in any country, and Libya is no exception to such universal effects.
3. Donating Supplies
Programs that donate supplies directly to impoverished or war-torn areas are commendable options for those that want to help Libya with “on-the-ground” measures. Organizations such as The Red Crescent and ICRC, and Medecins Sans Frontiers provide much-needed supplies, medicines and food directly to Libyan refugees or displaced persons.
Unlike money, this method ensures that the right resources actually get to those in Libya that need it most .
The ousting of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and the subsequent breakdown of his government afterwards created different kinds of political, social and fiscal turmoil within the country. With such unrest and displacement at work in this globally influential country, the ways on how to help people in Libya are almost infinite.
Focusing on the individual is critical, but the act of giving is always preferable to no action at all.
– Allegra Upton
Photo: Flickr