Guatemala, the Central American home to 16 million citizens, has a rich history and culture; but it is also no stranger to hunger, poverty and violence. Considered amongst the lowest of American countries in term of human development, Guatemala’s Mayan history, the abundance of coffee beans and lush landscape is diminished by decades of dictatorial rule, civil war and lack of development.
The need to expound upon humanitarian aid to Guatemala is paramount to ensure the country continues to see development improvements. Here are a few aid efforts that are seeing success in Guatemala:
Contraception
Contraception in Guatemala is expensive and often carries severe side effects. As a result, many Guatemalans have little to no access to any form of birth control. The World Health Organization has no applicable data concerning contraception prevalence, which makes it difficult to gauge the efforts to distribute modes of birth control. However, this is not stopping organizations from providing that necessity.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s goal to provide contraception has found its place in Guatemala. Working with organizations such as the Pan-American Social Marketing Organization, the Gates Foundation is educating women about their options regarding birth control and investing funds to ensure high-quality and affordable contraception is available.
Indigenous Population
Due to decades of violence, Guatemala’s indigenous Mayan population has been forced to live in rural areas of their country. In these locations, living conditions are harsh and poor; in fact, over 90 percent of indigenous Guatemalans live in extreme poverty.
To combat this, CHOICE Humanitarian is providing aid to Guatemala’s indigenous population through a number of programs. Due to the lack of infrastructure in these areas, CHOICE is creating programs to provide access to basic needs, including fresh water, healthcare and education.
Amongst the CHOICE initiatives to provide humanitarian aid to Guatemala are major projects such as the construction of schools and a hospital. Over 100,000 indigenous people have been positively impacted as a direct result of CHOICE Humanitarian’s work to serve rural areas.
Education
Guatemala’s educational system is rife with inequality. While nearly every child begins primary school, middle school enrollment rates often fall in most areas to just 40 percent. For those that remain, less than half meet national standards for math and reading; and for the Guatemalan children that don’t continue their education, they rarely have the technical and vocational skills to find a job.
This alarming window into Guatemala’s educational system is challenged by organizations such as USAID. Primarily by supporting Guatemala’s Ministry of Education, national standards are stronger than ever and new training programs are resulting in the hire of better teachers. To bridge the language barrier between Spanish and the many Mayan dialects, USAID and the Ministry of Education have expanded bilingual programs and hired more diverse educators. To combat the 30 percent of sixth graders that achieve national reading standards, it expanded its National Reading Program to reach two million more children.
Humanitarian aid to Guatemala has definitely produced success stories such as access to contraception, quality education and outreach programs to Guatemala’s much-neglected Mayan population to name just a few; however, there is still much more to be done. The country is currently in the middle of a healthcare crisis that is claiming countless lives.
Poverty and hunger are rampant in this nation, and the globe must lead the way to ensuring that Guatemala’s development endeavors remain on track.
– Eric Paulsen
Photo: Flickr
Providing Foreign Aid in 2018
In September 2017, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved $51 billion for foreign aid, the State Department and other related programs for 2018. This bill will also provide more than $6 billion for humanitarian assistance.
The issue of providing foreign aid has received bipartisan support in Congress, with both Democrats and Republicans going against President Trump’s proposed cuts to foreign assistance programs. The $6 billion approval for humanitarian assistance is approximately $1 billion more than the president requested.
The U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is one of President Trump’s main voices of support. Tillerson believes that the budget is “historically high” and that it has grown to provide foreign aid and respond to conflicts abroad.
President Trump’s proposed 30 percent budget cut to USAID, the State Department, U.N. contributions and programs like Power Africa and the Peace Corps has also received criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina voiced his support of providing aid by saying, “Now is the time to double down on diplomacy and development.”
Furthermore, the bill proposed by the Senate Appropriations Committee will resume its $10 million funding for the U.N. Environment Programme, counteracting President Trump’s proposal to end it.
“Frankly, I consider the President’s budget request to be dead on its arrival here in the U.S. Senate,” said Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware. “The aid we provide to countries around the world directly advances U.S. national interests by fostering a safer and more stable world, opening markets to U.S. businesses and promoting American values.”
In addition to being a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Appropriations Subcommittee, Senator Coons serves as a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus of Effective Foreign Assistance alongside Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Representative Adam Smith (D-WA) and Representative Ted Yoho (R-FL).
Zimbabwe is one of many countries that relies on the United States providing foreign aid. The $150 million in aid provided by the U.S. yearly is used to help with hunger and climate change programs. With a population of 2.1 million people, the foreign aid provided to Zimbabwe has resulted in the creation of the ENSURE program. ENSURE has helped six districts dealing with famine and has provided proper irrigation systems for over 220 hectares serving 4,200 farmers.
With bipartisan support, the United States plans to continue providing foreign aid into 2018. Members of Congress agree that providing foreign aid is vital to both the United States and the world.
– Blake Chambers
Photo: Flickr
The Continued Success of Humanitarian Aid to Guatemala
Guatemala, the Central American home to 16 million citizens, has a rich history and culture; but it is also no stranger to hunger, poverty and violence. Considered amongst the lowest of American countries in term of human development, Guatemala’s Mayan history, the abundance of coffee beans and lush landscape is diminished by decades of dictatorial rule, civil war and lack of development.
The need to expound upon humanitarian aid to Guatemala is paramount to ensure the country continues to see development improvements. Here are a few aid efforts that are seeing success in Guatemala:
Contraception
Contraception in Guatemala is expensive and often carries severe side effects. As a result, many Guatemalans have little to no access to any form of birth control. The World Health Organization has no applicable data concerning contraception prevalence, which makes it difficult to gauge the efforts to distribute modes of birth control. However, this is not stopping organizations from providing that necessity.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s goal to provide contraception has found its place in Guatemala. Working with organizations such as the Pan-American Social Marketing Organization, the Gates Foundation is educating women about their options regarding birth control and investing funds to ensure high-quality and affordable contraception is available.
Indigenous Population
Due to decades of violence, Guatemala’s indigenous Mayan population has been forced to live in rural areas of their country. In these locations, living conditions are harsh and poor; in fact, over 90 percent of indigenous Guatemalans live in extreme poverty.
To combat this, CHOICE Humanitarian is providing aid to Guatemala’s indigenous population through a number of programs. Due to the lack of infrastructure in these areas, CHOICE is creating programs to provide access to basic needs, including fresh water, healthcare and education.
Amongst the CHOICE initiatives to provide humanitarian aid to Guatemala are major projects such as the construction of schools and a hospital. Over 100,000 indigenous people have been positively impacted as a direct result of CHOICE Humanitarian’s work to serve rural areas.
Education
Guatemala’s educational system is rife with inequality. While nearly every child begins primary school, middle school enrollment rates often fall in most areas to just 40 percent. For those that remain, less than half meet national standards for math and reading; and for the Guatemalan children that don’t continue their education, they rarely have the technical and vocational skills to find a job.
This alarming window into Guatemala’s educational system is challenged by organizations such as USAID. Primarily by supporting Guatemala’s Ministry of Education, national standards are stronger than ever and new training programs are resulting in the hire of better teachers. To bridge the language barrier between Spanish and the many Mayan dialects, USAID and the Ministry of Education have expanded bilingual programs and hired more diverse educators. To combat the 30 percent of sixth graders that achieve national reading standards, it expanded its National Reading Program to reach two million more children.
Humanitarian aid to Guatemala has definitely produced success stories such as access to contraception, quality education and outreach programs to Guatemala’s much-neglected Mayan population to name just a few; however, there is still much more to be done. The country is currently in the middle of a healthcare crisis that is claiming countless lives.
Poverty and hunger are rampant in this nation, and the globe must lead the way to ensuring that Guatemala’s development endeavors remain on track.
– Eric Paulsen
Photo: Flickr
Education in Hong Kong: Problems and Solutions
Similar to the British system, education in Hong Kong consists of a 9-year compulsory education for students aged six to 15. Before enrolling in university, most students complete 12 years of study at public or government-aided schools, which are generally free to attend. However, there also exists a private international school system that is in high demand in Hong Kong: the schools are highly competitive to enroll in and boast very high tuition and schooling fees.
The education system in Hong Kong ranks high, though there are a few evident problems. Experts claim that quite a few schools overly stress “reciting” material, which requires students to memorize information verbatim. Further, the “spoon-fed” teaching style does not allow for lively student debates or the promotion of critical thinking. There is a worry that the mechanical reciting and negative acceptance of learning materials will restrain potential creativity and imagination among students. Other major problems of the current education system include low enrolment rates in local universities as well as social and psychological problems among students due to high stress.
There are advantages of getting an education in Hong Kong: one is that the use of English is more popularized in Hong Kong, as compared to mainland China. However, with respect to the education itself, there is no major difference between schools in Hong Kong and mainland China.
The system of education in Hong Kong makes it quite difficult for local students in Hong Kong to connect with Chinese culture and mainland China. In addition, many teachers in Hong Kong are greatly influenced by Western education; thus, they are more likely to recognize the issues of freedom, democracy and human rights as opposed to strengthening their identities with the mainland region. At the moment, both primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong are encouraged by the central government of China to set up curriculums that include Chinese teaching and bilingual learning.
There have been 3,714 cultural exchange programs with nearly 60,000 participants from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macao from 2006 to 2010. Both the scale and quality of cultural exchange has grown in the past decade. The exchange programs that have been included in the education in Hong Kong encourage closing the culture gap between students of these regions.
As mentioned earlier, pressures of higher education in Hong Kong have led to increased stress among students. This is fuelled by a prevailing ideology among the Hong Kong society that nothing is achieved without attending university. More than 80,000 high school graduates compete for one of the 15,000 government-subsidized first-year university spots each year.
Greater efforts must be made to address the stress faced by students within the system of education in Hong Kong. At the moment, the Hong Kong Children and Youth Services helps those who have a tendency of violence. Its staff provides services in addition to speaking gently, listening to the youth and helping them process their thoughts with patience and empathy. The Hong Kong Youth and Children Education Center opened in 2013, offering self-sponsored services and free testing for kids of families in need. It facilitates would be capable of helping them recollect self-esteem, increase resilience and coping skills.
Education in Hong Kong is moving towards an advanced global education system while also placing efforts on fusing the cultures between mainland China and itself. Reasonable solutions and measures depend not only on efforts by the government, schools and society, but also relies on the interactions between teachers, students and their families.
– Xin Gao
Photo: Flickr
Women’s Empowerment in Guinea
The first category, productive resources, includes anything which deals with the economy and job market. In 2015, only 66 percent of women participated in the labor force, which is low compared to the 78 percent of men who participated. A study by the FGE found that one of the main reasons that women did not work was because they were already dedicating 82 hours a week to housework, childcare and fetching wood and water.
As a response, the FGE developed a training program to teach 300 women from Guinea’s Tristão Islands how to plant, grow, harvest and sell goods made from the moringa plant using solar polytunnel dryers. The moringa is a nutrient-rich tree that can grow in tropical climates and can easily be made into a powder, tea, paste or a sauce. Between 2013 and 2016, 25,000 moringa trees were planted and greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 40 tonnes through the use of new solar technology to dry them.
Institutional relations and interpersonal relations are closely related when it comes to FGE’s solution to help women’s empowerment in Guinea. These relations deal with the government, representation and identification in the local community. It is reported that only 48 percent of women in Guinea feel satisfied with their representation in the community. One of the reasons for this low number is that only 32 percent of women possess proper identification, which means that the majority of women cannot vote or take part in mainland institutions.
The FGE worked with Partenariat-Recherches-Environnement-Médias (PREM), a grantee organization in Guinea to establish cooperatives, which are small communities of 10-40 women and/or men. These optional groups help to organize economic efforts and help members learn from each other and save money as a collective.
As a member of a cooperative, you are also granted proper identification from PREM so you are able to participate in voting and other institutions. This means that women and men are helping to better women’s representation, but also granting them communities so that they have people in similar situations to lean on for support.
The FGE also maintains efforts to provide more personal resources to the women of Guinea. While many of the women of Guinea are beginning to enter the market of selling products, they are aware that there is more knowledge to be attained in order to be successful. Ninety-five percent of women have expressed a wish to have more knowledge when it comes to reading and writing; this knowledge is necessary to properly market and distribute their new moringa products.
Similar programs include the Business Coalition for Women, which is a group of businesses that work to improve gender equality and fight violence against women, as well as USAID’s Implementation Plan that invests in gender equality initiatives. These programs, along with the United Nations, are working hard to establish a system that increases women’s empowerment in Guinea, and these efforts continue to provide positive results.
– Scott Kesselring
Photo: Flickr
10 Important and Little-Known Facts About the Greek Genocide
Less than 100 years ago, millions of innocent Greeks were killed or deported in what is known as the Greek Genocide. In the Asia Minor region of Turkey, the Ottoman Empire felt it was being threatened by the indigenous Greek people. As a result, the Empire enacted a systematic genocide to rid the nation-state of the Greek contaminants. During the nine-year genocidal period, the Turks and the Ottoman government set out to exterminate the Christian Greek population that resided in the Ottoman Empire. These are ten facts about the Greek Genocide that set the pace for the future of the Ottoman Empire.
Nine long years and 3.5 million lost souls later, the Ottoman Empire had officially ended its bloody crusade. Though its efforts to continue the massacres were passed on to the next leadership, the Empire was unable to strongly execute its plans. Many poor decisions led to the collapse of the five-century Ottoman rule, and while the Empire will not be remembered fondly, the lives of those lost in the Greek Genocide will be.
– Brianna Summ
Photo: Flickr
The Success of Humanitarian Aid to Georgia
The country of Georgia is conveniently tucked between the Black Sea and the Caucasus mountain range separating Europe and Asia. For centuries, Georgia’s strategic location has made it a focal point for competition among the Kingdom of Persia, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire and then again by their modern counterparts. In the 18th century Georgia fell under the control of the Russian Empire and then fell again to the Soviet Union. Modern-day Georgia gained its independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, conflict broke out due to the instability in Georgia. In 1992, a civil war began and Russia sent peacekeepers to the Abkhazia region of Georgia; it has kept a presence there to this day. Following tensions in 2008, the five-day Russo-Georgian war was waged between Georgian rebels, Georgia and Russia. The end resulted in Russia occupying both territories, which are internationally recognized as Georgian territory.
After the end of the war, many western nations reached out to provide humanitarian aid to Georgia. At the time, U.S. President George W. Bush saw an opportunity to both provide humanitarian aid to Georgia and seek a new ally in the region. The U.S. assisted over 275,000 internally displaced persons and refugees from the war, most notably in the city of Gori, where 56,000 people had fled to from South Ossetia.
Over the next several months, international aid organizations and the United Nations also helped to aid internally displaced people, whether through medical aid or through family reunification programs. Due to the humanitarian aid provided by the international community, Georgia was able to mitigate the disastrous damage to its economy.
Perhaps one of the most important things saved in Georgia was its democracy. Almost unique among ex-soviet states, Georgia has been able to sustain a democracy with peaceful government transitions of power between government leaders and political parties.
This stable government has allowed Georgia to fight corruption and slowly grow its economy. Although it has yet to return to its pre-war level and unemployment remains high, the government has signed a trade agreement with the European Union and seeks to negotiate a trade deal with China. Georgia is seeking other international agreements to bolster its economy and its security. Georgia is seeking membership to both the European Union and NATO.
The success of humanitarian aid to Georgia may seem more dramatic than in other countries, but it is a prime example of how aid, over time, can improve the stability of a country.
– Nick DeMarco
Photo: Flickr
Improving Women’s Empowerment in Zimbabwe
The United Nations established 17 goals under its initiative known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A major tenet of the SDGs is to promote gender equality. In Zimbabwe, the U.N. has consolidated its efforts to promote women’s and girls’ empowerment through the establishment and implementation of laws, policies and frameworks.
While a push for greater women’s empowerment in Zimbabwe has been codified into law, the practice is oftentimes overshadowed by the actions of traditional society. Despite setbacks such as gender-based violence and limited financial opportunities, a couple of key steps in women’s empowerment have been made in Zimbabwe.
Supporting Women in Leadership
According to the U.N., women’s representation in politics and decision-making positions in Zimbabwe is still below those benchmarked in the SDGs. The UNDP, in collaboration with U.N. Women, held the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the Women Parliamentary Caucus in support of a High-Level Political Dialogue regarding the upcoming 2018 elections.
Promoting Financial Independence
In 2012, the first Zimbabwe Market Fair was held in its second-largest city, Bulawayo. This two-day fair focused on empowering women and youth and equipped the 134 participants with “pre- and post-market fair training aimed at enhancing their capacity to exhibit and interact with customers.” This targeted instruction not only benefited women but caused a ripple effect on families, communities and the country as a whole.
There is still progress to be made in regards to women’s empowerment in Zimbabwe, but continued efforts through programs and dialogue are paving the way to a more gender-equal future.
– Belén Loza
Photo: Flickr
Expanding Credit Access in Comoros
Improving access to finance is one way to boost economic activity and lift people out of poverty. Looking at recent changes in credit access in Comoros offers clues as to where the country’s economy is headed.
Business Reforms in Comoros
Over the past few years, the government of Comoros has instituted several reforms that make doing business easier. These reforms have made it easier to start a business by reducing the minimum capital requirement. In turn, this has made resolving insolvency easier for small companies and made trading across borders easier with an automated customs data management system.
The International Finance Corporation reports that these reforms have reduced the number of procedures and days needed to start a business. Comoros has also improved its investment potential by offering political risk insurance to foreign investors, which may mitigate fears over Comoros’ recent decades of instability.
Credit Access in Comoros: Looking Ahead
At the 21st session of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts, in November 2017, participants adopted the final report of best practices and research results for catalyzing growth in East Africa. It clears a path for more cooperation between the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and member states, like Comoros.
Topics emphasized included investment in infrastructure and renewable energy, as well as the need to improve credit access in Comoros, which will support the private sector. The goal is to make Comoros an emerging country by the year 2030, if not sooner.
The Takeaway on Financing in Comoros
Comoros is finally beginning to establish political calm after decades of political strife and coups, initially ushered in by its vote for independence from France in 1974. Time will tell whether peace lasts, but, if it does, business activity and good credit in Comoros will likely continue to grow.
With a better business environment, Comoros will have the funds to address poverty factors like hunger and malnutrition, and, hopefully, it will continue to make gains in the U.N.’s Human Development Index.
– Chuck Hasenauer
Photo: Flickr
Five Development Projects in El Salvador
Here are five development projects in El Salvador designed to help in all facets from economic to social.
El Salvador Competitive Project
The International Capital Market Association (ICMA) is giving specialized help to districts in El Salvador as a feature of a five-year venture with the essential target of increasing the competitiveness of key economic sectors. The venture is financed by the U.S. Organization for International Development (USAID) and expands on lessons gained from improvements in previous activities.
The project will enhance the national and subnational business conditions to support private-segment speculation, development and business extension to encourage financial development and employment creation.
El Salvador Cacao Alliance
Despite the significance of the cacao harvest in pre-provincial Mesoamerica, cacao bean harvest is practically non-existent today in El Salvador.
A $29.4 million Cacao Alliance, with $10 million provided by USAID and the Howard Buffett Establishment, seeks to help roughly 6,000 little ranchers reactivate the cacao harvest in El Salvador.
The movement hopes to support the horticulture economy and financial development in 83 districts by situating El Salvador as a net maker and exporter of cacao. The reactivation of cacao will improve the livelihoods of agriculturists and create up to 13,000 occupations within the cacao production chain.
USAID Bridges to Employment
Presently, Salvadoran youth living in regions with high crime rates have double the possibility of being unemployed than the rest of the population. Through training and effectively incorporating youth into the workforce, there is a chance to utilize the untapped potential of youth to support financial development in El Salvador.
USAID’s $42.2 million Bridges to Employment Project will enhance frameworks and organizations in order to connect at-risk youth, between the ages of 16 and 29, to employment opportunities.
USAID Higher Education for Economic Growth
USAID created the Higher Education for Economic Growth program in order to increase the education of Salvadoran youth. It plans to create partnerships between industries and academics, so students will be trained to contribute to economic and industrial growth. The program will also train faculty members to create educational programs that will implement these plans.
USAID plans to give scholarships to 1,000 Salvadoran students in priority academic programs, like STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Universities will receive support through a scholarship seed fund to develop student financial aid.
SME Development Program
Census statistics show that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) generate 99 percent of business and 36 percent of jobs in El Salvador. The SME Development Program seeks to partner with the government and the private sector to help SMEs have greater success through increased access to business services and expansion into newer markets.
Since 2012, USAID has helped fund over 9,000 SMEs in El Salvador. These SMEs have gone on to generate over $140 million in domestic sales and exports and have created 21,000 new jobs. In 2015 alone, USAID has helped provide $5.2 million in financing to 185 SMEs.
El Salvador is currently addressing the issue of poverty in all parts of its country. With the help of these five development projects, El Salvador will create growth in its economy, effectively providing opportunities for people, and bettering the country.
– Nick McGuire
Photo: Flickr
Strides Made for Women’s Empowerment in Kosovo
Following a civil war from 1998-99, Kosovo was subjected to a decade of international observance, culminating in the country’s unilateral independence in 2008. During this period of change, they instituted an egalitarian law package in 2004, which was demanded by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). These laws fulfill all European Union requirements and include laws on gender equality, inheritance law and family law.
Women’s empowerment in Kosovo is assumed to be at an all-time high: it has a female president, two female former Deputy Ministers and several other female high-level officials. In addition to this, the Assembly of Kosovo has the second-highest representation of women in the region.
In practice, women still struggle to gain access to property, social resources, personal security and cultural equality. Women’s empowerment in Kosovo has struggled, as women continue to live within the confines of a rigidly patriarchal society, a system in which men have the final say in all family matters, as well as having primary access to all social and economic resources. Many of the main structures of women’s oppression in Kosovo stem from cultural norms that link women’s social value to men.
Another problem facing women in Kosovo is domestic violence. Many women are often at the mercy of a justice system that fails to protect them. Kosovo is unique in the fact that it is cut off from key instruments of European justice due to the unresolved political situation in the country.
Despite the struggles being faced, there are many strides being made for women’s empowerment in Kosovo. The most significant of these is being made by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission in Kosovo.
The OSCE promotes women’s empowerment, gender equality and women’s rights by supporting the development and implementation of non-discriminatory legal frameworks and policies. It also focuses on women’s participation in public decision-making and gender-responsive budgeting, ensuring the interests of women and men are equally considered. Additionally, they raise awareness of the need to eliminate gender-based and domestic violence.
With the work of other initiatives that seek to impact women’s empowerment in Kosovo, the situation is constantly improving and positive strides are being made.
– Drew Fox
Photo: Flickr