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Vaccines and Bacterial Infections in South Africa

Bacterial Infections in South AfricaTetanus has been almost completely eradicated from public life in South Africa and many other countries since the early 2000s. Although a tetanus vaccine has existed since the ’70s, infant mortality and overall cases were still high. The transition to administering two vaccines paved the way for fewer than one case per 1,000 people and a tenfold drop in the infant mortality rate.

Bacterial Infections in South Africa

Newborns are the most vulnerable group, especially regarding exposure to bacterial infections such as tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. Children are better protected when mothers receive a Tdap vaccine during the final two trimesters of pregnancy. The vaccine protects against all three illnesses. Because of the mother and child’s symbiotic relationship, the vaccine immunizes the mother and also benefits the child via the placenta.

Every year, young children, especially infants aged 0 to 1, have the highest infection rate of all three illnesses. In 2025, there were 614 reported cases of whooping cough in South Africa, with more than half occurring in children under 5 years of age. For all other age groups combined, there were fewer than 1,000 total cases during that period.

Symptoms

Tetanus symptoms include muscle spasms, muscle and jaw tightness and fever. Diphtheria causes fever, sore throat and nasal discharge. In addition to a harsh cough that starts about one to two weeks into the illness, whooping cough also causes vomiting and sneezing. It poses a long recovery time of a few weeks or more likely a few months, for infants.

Infants with these infections naturally have a much higher mortality rate. Their much narrower airways are ill-equipped to handle such severe respiratory infections. Fortunately, South African hospitals are stocked with high-end medical equipment such as ventilators to aid recovery. Tetanus is the deadliest of the three infections because almost all infants who get it will die without proper treatment. Even with such treatment, the number still exceeds 50%.

Widespread Support

Although tetanus infection rates have remained consistently low since 2002, diphtheria and whooping cough have fluctuated over the years. Widespread vaccination has consistently helped curb the infections. In addition to making the DTaP and Tdap vaccines widely available and affordable, the National Department of Health helps fund campaigns to mobilize larger groups to get vaccinated.

People did not stay up to date on their vaccines in 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdowns. There were supply shortages from the pandemic, but the lack of vaccinations continued for months even after supplies became available. During that time, community members stepped in with their own campaign to remind individuals to protect their health.

While the main purpose of these campaigns was to promote the COVID-19 vaccine, citizens were also encouraged to receive other vaccines like DTaP and Tdap. People involved in the campaign set up information tables, hung vaccine banners, drove around town with signs and went door-to-door to promote vaccination.

The Path Forward

There are still 11 different countries with high rates of tetanus infections, primarily due to a lack of adequate health care resources. Although South Africa is not one of these countries, immunization rates may be much lower and infection rates higher than reported because it is more difficult to track data accurately for developing countries. However, community and government support continue to improve access to the vaccine and help keep bacterial infections low in South Africa.

– Logan Hessek

Logan is based in Northglenn, CO, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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AGOA is Building a Global Middle Class Via Fashion

AGOAFor many years, critics treated globalization as a race to the bottom. Brands chased cheaper labor while workers struggled to move beyond the poverty line. However, in recent years, a different model has emerged in some sectors of the apparel industry. When governments pair trade access with local production rules, fashion can help create stable jobs, stronger communities and something much more durable: a middle class. This model works best when countries build local manufacturing ecosystems that keep more value at home. Ethical fashion succeeds when it connects consumer demand to long-term local investment rather than short-term outsourcing.

Peru: Luxury Cotton in a Local Industry

Peru offers one of the strongest examples. The country built a premium textile sector around Pima cotton, a high-end fiber cultivated for thousands of years and tied closely to Indigenous agricultural traditions. Peruvian Pima cotton requires roughly 50% less water than conventional cotton because of its drought tolerance, making it both economically and environmentally valuable.

The apparel brand Nation LTD shows how this ecosystem works in practice. After starting production in Los Angeles, the company moved much of its manufacturing to Peru to access a vertically integrated supply chain that tracks production from cotton cultivation to finished garment production. Around 80% of Nation LTD’s clothing now comes from Peru through a “seed-to-garment” system in which cotton is grown, spun into yarn, knitted into fabric, cut and sewn locally, primarily around Lima.

That local concentration matters. Strong middle classes rarely emerge from fragmented subcontracting systems. They grow through industries that create layers of stable employment: agriculture, logistics, factory management, quality control, transportation and technical apparel manufacturing. Peru’s vertically integrated apparel model keeps more production inside the country while reducing transportation emissions and strengthening long-term industrial capacity.

The point extends beyond sustainability branding. High-value exports encourage investment in skills, product quality and long-term partnerships that create more economic opportunity. This model shows how ethical fashion can support local production instead of rewarding short-term supply chains.

East Africa: Apparel and AGOA

East Africa shows a different version of the same idea. Beginning in the early 2010s, global brands increasingly explored sourcing from Kenya and Ethiopia as buyers searched for alternatives to China and Bangladesh. McKinsey research found rising buyer interest in East African sourcing, particularly in Ethiopia and Kenya, supported in part by preferential U.S. trade access through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Ethiopia attracted buyers with lower labor costs while Kenya developed larger and more efficient factories through foreign direct investment and export-processing zones that expanded local apparel manufacturing.

The broader social impact matters just as much as exports. Most apparel-related jobs in sub-Saharan Africa go to women, who often direct income toward family health care and education. McKinsey also found that African firms average 25% female representation on corporate boards, above the global average of 17%.

In other words, apparel manufacturing creates one of the clearest pathways into formal employment for women, especially in economies where middle-management pipelines remain weak. Those jobs have helped families move toward a more stable middle class for years.

How Trade Policy Creates Opportunity

The U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement uses a “yarn-forward” rule for apparel. To qualify for tariff-free access to the U.S. market, companies must complete key production stages, such as spinning yarn, knitting fabric and sewing garments, within the trade region. The rule discourages companies from importing cheap textiles from overseas suppliers and finishing garments only locally. Instead, it rewards complete supply chains that sustain manufacturing jobs across multiple sectors. This kind of trade policy helps countries build industries rather than depend on temporary aid.

AGOA follows a similar logic. The program gives eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. market for more than 6,000 products, including apparel, which helps attract foreign direct investment from manufacturers eager to benefit from tariff exemptions.

No industry can eliminate poverty on its own. However, smart trade policy like AGOA, paired with ethical fashion, can help create stable jobs, stronger local industries and more opportunities for people to build better lives.

– Camila Correch

Camila is based in Orangeville, Ontario, Canada and focuses on Good News, Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

11 Movies About Poverty

Movies About Global PovertyFilm critic Roger Ebert described cinema as a machine that generates empathy. Whatever their backgrounds, people can be moved by movies about poverty, starvation and inequality. Movies about poverty reach audiences worldwide and allow them to identify with and empathize with the struggles others face. 

Stories can break through barriers that facts and statistics alone cannot. They can empower people to understand the issues facing this world not only in terms of the devastation caused but also in terms of the individual hopes, dreams and fears of those most affected.

Below are 10 recent and prescient movies about poverty and humanitarian crises across the world.

War Witch (2012)

A Canadian production written and directed by Kim Nguyen, “War Witch” tells its story from the perspective of Komona (Rachel Mwanza), a teenage girl in sub-Saharan Africa who is abducted by a rebel army and forced to become a child soldier. When she miraculously survives an attack, the rebel leader accuses her of witchcraft. Shot primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the film was widely praised for its stark depiction of the main character’s nightmarish circumstances. 

Dheepan (2015)

Winner of the Palme d’Or, “Dheepan” is a film about three Tamil refugees fleeing the civil war in Sri Lanka and finding asylum in France. It draws largely on the experiences of Antonythasan Jesuthasan, a former Sri Lankan militant who plays the main character. The film recounts the struggles of a man still reeling from past traumas and discovering that, even in France, he is not safe from violence or economic hardship. 

The Breadwinner (2017)

While films about poverty typically target an adult audience, “The Breadwinner” is a children’s film. Based on the novel by Deborah Ellis, the Oscar-nominated animation tells the story of 11-year-old Parvana, who lives in Kabul under the shadow of the War on Terror. When her father is unjustly arrested, Parvana finds that she must cut her hair short and dress as a boy in order to provide for her family. Afghan activist Mina Sharifi, director of Sisters 4 Sisters, praised the film for its authentic depiction of life in Afghanistan. 

Capernaum (2018)

This Lebanese film, directed by Nadine Labaki, features a 12-year-old protagonist, Zain Al Rafeea, who grew up in the slums of Beirut and later relocated to Norway as a refugee. His character is a young boy serving a five-year sentence in prison who takes his parents to court, suing them for neglect. The Cannes Jury Prize winner almost feels like a documentary because of the realistic way it depicts the challenges of growing up in impoverished parts of Syria.

Roma (2018)

A semi-autobiographical film by Alfonso Cuarón, this Oscar-winning picture is set in the Mexico City of his childhood. It tells the story of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), the poor Mixteca housekeeper of an upper-class household. A film that looks into the past with the modern day in mind, it explores social inequalities rooted in class and ethnicity. It uses the visual language of epic cinema to bring greater depth to an ordinary, indigent life.

Shoplifters (2018)

Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda is well known for making socially conscious films about poverty and hardship and “Shoplifters” is one of his strongest efforts. It centers on a destitute family that relies on shoplifting to get by, a practice that binds a small group of poor, vulnerable people into an unlikely family. The story was inspired by real-life reports of increases in shoplifting following the Japanese recession, particularly among pensioners. 

For Sama (2019)

This documentary, filmed and narrated by Waad Al-Kateab, offers perhaps the most visceral depiction of war and the poverty it creates in recent cinema. It recounts five years of her life in Aleppo, where she and her husband, a doctor, chose to remain with their newborn daughter, Sama, during the Syrian Civil War. The international attention received by the Oscar-nominated film led to the founding of Action for Sama, a charity devoted to human rights and supporting victims of the Syrian Revolution. 

Parasite (2019)

Class conflict and economic disparity are at the heart of Bong Joon Ho’s Best Picture winner, a dark tale of a low-income family that infiltrates a wealthy household. The twists and turns that follow arise from the trappings of unemployment and poverty, as the poorer characters discover, to their dismay, that the ascent and uplift they strive for will forever remain beyond their reach.

The White Tiger (2021)

Based on the Booker Prize-winning novel by Aravind Adiga, “The White Tiger” is a film that aims squarely at the caste system in India and the poverty it perpetuates. The movie tells the story of the lowborn Balram (Adarsh Gourav) and his desperate effort to escape the poverty he was born into and conditioned to remain in. Through Balram, the film offers insight into the psychological effects of poverty as a system that programs its subjects to think of themselves as inferior. 

A Hero (2021)

Directed by acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, the hero of this tale is Rahim (Amir Jadidi), who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he performs an altruistic deed that wins him praise but then lands him in further trouble when complications arise. In a world of poverty, Farhadi’s film poses the question of whether a good deed can truly go unpunished for someone who does not have the luxury of pure, uncompromised intent.

Io Capitano (2023)

An Italian production inspired by migrant journeys from Africa to Europe, “Io Capitano” follows a pair of Senegalese cousins across the Sahara Desert as they seek a better life. Director Matteo Garrone conceptualizes their venture as a sort of odyssey, a quest that is as much spiritual as it is physical. The film is a vivid illustration of the enduring humanity of those who embark on such impossibly difficult voyages to escape a life in which they can see no future.

Final Remarks

Each of these films offers a window into a world and way of life that no one would wish upon themselves. Movies about poverty confront audiences with uncomfortable realities about the world as it exists today and, at their best, can inspire connection and empathy that can then be turned into action.

– Aled Warren

Aled is based in London, UK and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels

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Women in Latin American Politics and The Fight Against Poverty

How Women in Latin American Politics Are Changing the Fight Against Poverty Like most of the world, Latin America has historically been governed almost exclusively by men. However, a shift has begun in recent years. Women in Latin American politics are no longer an anomaly — they are increasingly a defining feature of the region’s political landscape. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Latin America and the Caribbean’s 30.4% share of women cabinet ministers is the second highest in the world, after Europe. Women hold 36.8% of Latin American legislative seats, well above the global average of 26.7%. The evidence demonstrates that this shift in political representation is having real consequences for poverty reduction and social development.

A Region Rewriting Its Political History

The story of women in Latin American politics is one of steady, hard-won progress. The first woman to be directly elected president in the region was Nicaragua’s Violeta Barrios de Chamorro in 1990. Since then, 14 women have served as heads of state across Latin America. Chile’s Michelle Bachelet served two full terms and became one of the region’s most recognized leaders. Honduras’ Xiomara Castro took office in 2022 as the country’s first female president and first left-wing leader in over a decade. In October 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in as Mexico’s 66th president, becoming the first woman to hold the office in the country’s history.

Sheinbaum’s victory was not a narrow one. She won with nearly 60% of the vote, the largest margin of any candidate since the end of one-party rule in 2000. A climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, she entered office with her party holding a supermajority in the legislature’s lower house. At her inauguration, she declared: “Now is the time of transformation, now is the time of women.”

What Women in Power Mean for Poverty and Social Spending

The rise of women in Latin American politics has measurable implications for how governments spend and who they spend it on. According to the World Bank’s Gender Strategy 2024-2030, women’s leadership improves outcomes in a variety of development priorities, including community services, food security and children’s health and education. Research from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has also shown that more women in leadership positively correlates with better social outcomes and more inclusive economic growth.

The data from the region supports this. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the region’s poverty rate hit its lowest recorded level in 2024, at 25.5%, a decline of more than 7 percentage points since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Extreme poverty also fell, affecting 9.8% of the population. ECLAC attributes much of the 2024 improvement to outcomes in Mexico, where social spending programs lifted 9.5 million people out of poverty over six years.

A peer-reviewed study published in Health Affairs found that increases in women’s political representation in Brazil were directly associated with reductions in child mortality, driven by greater investment in health care and social services. The research concluded that female politicians tend to place a higher priority on the provision of public goods, including health and education, a pattern increasingly visible across the region.

Mexico’s Sheinbaum

Claudia Sheinbaum represents a distinct kind of political leader in Latin America. She rose through academic and scientific institutions before entering politics and shared a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for her work on the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. As mayor of Mexico City, she expanded the city’s COVID-19 testing capacity and promoted public-private partnerships for renewable energy.

As president, Sheinbaum has committed to hiring 20,000 government doctors and nurses, opening more welfare offices and expanding access to public health care for senior citizens. She has also committed to raising the minimum wage to 2.5 times the basic needs threshold. However, she inherits a significant budget deficit and an economy growing at just 1.5%, meaning her ability to fund these commitments will depend heavily on attracting foreign investment and expanding the private sector.

Honduras’ Castro

Xiomara Castro’s presidency in Honduras offered another example of women in Latin American politics driving change in difficult conditions. Castro served from 2022 to 2026 as Honduras’ first female president and the country’s first left-wing leader in more than a decade, in a country consistently ranked among the most dangerous in the world and one of the poorest in the region. Her administration focused on social investment, anti-corruption efforts and expanding access to health care and education in rural areas, the communities most affected by poverty. According to U.N. Women, nine countries in Latin America adopted laws to stop violence against women in politics in the 2024-2025 period, a development that Castro actively supported at the regional level.

Challenges That Remain

Despite the progress, important obstacles persist. Of the 14 women who have served as heads of state in Latin America, only five have completed their full terms, reflecting structural barriers to women’s political success that remain deeply embedded. Many female leaders have faced impeachment, military coups or forced removals from office in circumstances that male leaders in similar positions did not. In October 2025, Peru’s Dina Boluarte became the latest female head of state to be removed from office, leaving only Sheinbaum as a democratically elected woman president in the region.

At the legislative level, while Latin America outperforms the global average, gaps remain. Women are still primarily assigned to head ministries of health, social affairs and gender equality rather than portfolios carrying more political and economic weight such as finance, defense or foreign affairs. According to the IPU, women hold just 22.9% of cabinet minister positions globally as of 2025, down from 23.3% the previous year.

Looking Ahead

The rise of women in Latin American politics is not simply a story about representation but a story about outcomes. As the evidence from Brazil, Mexico, Honduras and the broader region makes clear, women in political leadership tend to prioritize investments in health, education and social protection that have the most direct impact on poverty reduction. Latin America’s poverty rate reached its lowest level on record in 2024, and the growing presence of women in government is part of the explanation. Researchers and international organizations point to the need to build on this momentum, not only by increasing women’s representation in elected office but by ensuring the institutional conditions that allow them to govern effectively.

– Chloe Bonnefil

Chloe is based in Miami, FL and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Street Vendors Drive Microenterprise Poverty Reduction

Microenterprise Poverty ReductionMicroenterprise poverty reduction is rarely discussed in the streets of Chennai, but it is happening there every day. More than 10 million street vendors operate across India, quietly sustaining one of the world’s largest informal economies. This sector accounts for 4.2% of total urban employment and contributes an estimated 63% of the country’s GDP, according to India’s Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation.

In Chennai, the kulfiwallas — ice cream cart vendors earning less than $5 a day — are demonstrating what sustainable microenterprise poverty reduction actually looks like without a single development program behind them. Some of these families are now in their third generation of street vending, having weathered financial crises, urban redevelopment drives and increasingly brutal summer heat. That kind of multigenerational survival does not happen by accident.

Built Without Banks

In Chennai’s older neighborhoods, street vendors have built financial support systems largely outside formal banking structures. Among the most common are informal lending groups known as chit funds, in which members regularly contribute small amounts and take turns receiving a larger pooled payout. For many vendors, these funds serve as a crucial financial lifeline. 

A kulfi vendor facing cart repairs or a slowdown during the monsoon season can access much-needed capital without navigating interest charges, paperwork or credit requirements. The system relies on long-standing relationships and mutual accountability, with trust acting as the foundation of transactions that have supported local businesses for generations. Members are typically neighbors, relatives or vendors who operate along the same trade routes, creating networks built on familiarity and trust. 

Within these groups, failing to repay a contribution carries consequences that extend beyond finances, potentially damaging relationships and reputations within the community. That social pressure has helped sustain the system for decades, encouraging high repayment rates and accountability. In many cases, the arrangement achieves outcomes that formal microfinance institutions frequently struggle to match.

For context, India’s formal microfinance sector, which serves more than 50 million clients and holds a gross loan portfolio exceeding $5 billion, still faces rising delinquency rates, with 90-plus days past due increasing in recent periods. Informal finance, meanwhile, still accounts for 31% of rural loans in India, demonstrating how deeply communities continue to rely on trust-based systems rather than formal alternatives. Chit funds remain one of the most effective grassroots microenterprise poverty-reduction tools precisely because they carry no such institutional overhead. 

Routes as Inheritance

In Chennai’s street-vending world, a trade route is not just a path; it is an asset. Families pass down specific streets, market corners and residential lanes the way other families pass down land. Customers along these routes expect the same vendor or their son or their grandson.

This inherited geography gives third-generation vendors a head start that no microenterprise poverty-reduction program can replicate. Their customers already trust them. Their competitors already know not to encroach. The route itself is a form of capital, entirely invisible to any balance sheet but utterly real in its economic effect. 

Research on street vending across Indian cities documents how these vendors build “ad hoc alternatives” and create “informal institutions” that sustain livelihoods despite the total absence of legal frameworks or institutional support.

Loyalty as Credit

The third pillar of the kulfiwalla economy is supplier relationships built over decades. Long-standing vendors receive informal credit from kulfi manufacturers — product now, payment later — a system unthinkable for a newcomer but routine for a family known to a supplier for 30 years. In lean months, this acts as a lifeline. In good months, it frees up cash for other needs.

No contract enforces this. Reputation does. The vendor who has never defaulted in 20 years is a better credit risk than any algorithm can calculate — and a more powerful argument for community-based microenterprise poverty reduction than most academic papers manage. Formal microfinance institutions acknowledge this gap implicitly: a 2025 microfinance sector report found that more than 90% of MFI borrowers are women and that institutional lending still struggles to penetrate the trust networks informal communities have already built.

What Policymakers Are Missing

India’s street vendors remain legally precarious. The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, was intended to change this. However, more than a decade later, implementation remains partial in most cities, with many vendors still subject to eviction orders and police harassment rather than the law’s protections. Urban redevelopment regularly displaces them without compensation, as documented in multiple Indian cities, including Bhuj, where post-earthquake redevelopment displaced large numbers of vendors with no adequate alternatives provided.

Rising heat is compounding the threat. A 2025 WIEGO policy brief, drawing on surveys of nearly 500 street vendors in Delhi, found that extreme temperatures are already measurably affecting vendors’ health, incomes and working hours — losses that fall hardest on those with the fewest formal protections. A November 2025 report by The Bridgespan Group estimated that India needs approximately $52 billion annually to address urban climate adaptation needs across the informal sector.

According to the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, India’s street vendors contribute 50% of the country’s savings. The sophistication of the economic infrastructure they have quietly constructed — the chit funds, the inherited routes and the decades-long supplier credit lines — is rarely cited. Before policymakers design the next microenterprise poverty-reduction intervention, they might first ask what the kulfiwalla already knows.

– Parthivee Mukherji

Parthivee is based in Edinburgh, UK and focuses on Celebs and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Rwanda’s F1 Ambitions: A Race To Transform Africa

Rwanda's F1Rwanda, a landlocked nation in East Africa, is making a high-speed push onto the global stage and Formula 1 (F1) may be its most powerful vehicle yet. Rwanda’s F1 ambitions and economic growth have become central talking points in development circles as the sport turns its attention back to Africa for the first time in more than three decades. Rwanda positions itself not only as a host of the race but also as a model for how developing nations can use global sporting events to accelerate economic transformation.

Rwanda’s $1.2 Billion F1 Bid

The Rwandan government has officially bid to host Africa’s first F1 Grand Prix since the 1993 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami. The centerpiece of the initiative is a $1.2 billion state-of-the-art circuit planned near the new Bugesera International Airport, about 40 kilometers from the capital, Kigali. Construction is expected to begin in 2026, with the inaugural race targeted for 2027 or 2028. 

Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, confirmed that the country remains in active talks with F1 leadership, pointing to the nation’s growing track record of hosting major international events. “We have demonstrated the capacity to host major sporting events,” Nduhungirehe told Semafor Africa.

The Economic Case for a Grand Prix

The link between F1 and Rwanda’s economic growth and long-term poverty reduction is grounded in concrete data. According to Further Africa, each F1 Grand Prix injects more than $100 million into a host country’s economy. Television broadcasts reach more than 400 million viewers worldwide and generate significant sponsorship and hospitality revenue.

Rwanda’s broader economy is already on a strong upward trajectory. The World Bank reported that Rwanda’s real GDP grew by 8.9% in 2024, surpassing the previous year’s rate of 8.2%, driven by robust private consumption, significant investment and strong performance in the services and industry sectors. That growth also produced tangible results for workers, with more than half a million new jobs created year over year. 

Sports Tourism Already Delivering Results

Rwanda has not waited for F1 to begin building its sports economy. The country signed sponsorship deals with Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Atlético de Madrid as part of its “Visit Rwanda” tourism campaign. This strategy helped drive a 36% increase in tourism revenue to $636 million in 2023.

In 2025, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) reported tourism revenues rising to $685 million, supported by 1.49 million visitor arrivals, a 9% year-over-year increase. That year also saw Rwanda host the UCI Road World Championships, a historic first for Africa, alongside Season 5 of the Basketball Africa League at the BK Arena in Kigali and the 73rd FIFA Congress. Rwanda’s travel and tourism sector contributed a record $1.5 billion to the national economy in 2024, representing 9.8% of GDP.

Building the Infrastructure of Growth

Rwanda’s sports ambitions are matched by targeted infrastructure investment. The Ministry of Sports has set a target of generating approximately $20.4 million (Rwf 30 billion) from sports tourism by 2029, a dramatic increase from the roughly $681,000 (Rwf 1 billion) projected for the 2024/25 fiscal year. Plans also include the construction of 540 sports facilities nationwide by 2028/29, with priority given to schools and public spaces to broaden access to athletics and associated economic opportunities.

Job creation is a direct priority. Experts forecast steady growth in sports tourism jobs, with positions increasing from 2,625 in 2024/25 to 3,190 by 2028/29. This growth across hotels, event planning and sports support services will create clear employment opportunities for young Rwandans.

A Blueprint Beyond the Track

Rwanda’s sports-led growth model aligns with its broader Vision 2050 agenda, which prioritizes economic diversification, job creation and sustainable development. The RDB reported $2.62 billion in registered investments across 799 projects in 2025, which are expected to generate more than 38,000 jobs in real estate, manufacturing and tourism. Analysts tracking the relationship between F1 and Rwanda’s economic growth say the motorsport bid reflects a broader pattern of using high-visibility events to attract foreign investment and build lasting infrastructure.

Local drivers Eric Gakwaya and Queen Kalimpinya have expressed optimism that Rwanda’s motorsport ambitions will also catalyze the development of local talent. It will inspire a new generation to pursue careers in competitive racing and the industries that support it.

If Rwanda secures the Grand Prix, it will restore Africa’s presence on the F1 calendar. It will also demonstrate how strategic investment in major sporting events can drive poverty reduction, infrastructure development and long-term economic growth across the continent.

– Nay Mohamad 

Nay is based in Milan, Italy and focuses on Business and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Disaster Relief in Jamaica Acts Fast Following Hurricane Melissa

Disaster Relief in JamaicaHurricane Melissa impacted several countries across the Caribbean, including Jamaica. Melissa first made contact with New Hope, Jamaica, off its west coast on October 28, 2025, and caused mass devastation and destruction across the island. By that time, Melissa had become a Category 5 storm, which is the most severe and dangerous designation for hurricanes on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The National Hurricane Center (NHC( approximates the winds of Category 5 storms to reach 157 mph or higher and cause the following catastrophic damage:

“A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months,” NHC stated.

Response

The U.S. promptly responded to the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa; President Trump authorized the Department of State to send immediate disaster relief in Jamaica to support the country’s most impacted communities. Secretary Rubio deployed urban search-and-rescue squads from a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team within hours of Melissa’s ending.

Other foreign-aid relief efforts include the State Department and U.N. joint deliveries of essential supplies, including food and water, medical and hygiene supplies and temporary shelters. The Government of Jamaica has also established a dedicated relief fund for the devastation.

Economy

In 2024, Jamaica’s economy had made significant strides towards improvement; the rate of public debt decreased from 140% in 2012 to 64.9% in 2024. However, the impacts of Hurricane Melissa in 2025 and those of Hurricane Beryl in 2024 destabilized this progress. In anticipation of Hurricane Melissa making contact with the island, Jamaica put several measures in place to soften the economic disruption it would bring about. These pre-crisis measures include widespread macroeconomic management, disciplined fiscal policy ratification, and multi-layer disaster risk financing.

Relief Efforts

In the fall of 2025, disaster relief in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa became a focus of many non-profits. Red Lightning, a disaster aid NGO, delivered generators and Starlink units to reinstate communication across the island and internationally.

Groups like All Hands & Hearts, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Salvation Army mobilized to conduct evacuations, prepared for cleanup and recovery efforts, and supported local readiness through providing supplies to about 60,000 impacted households across Jamaica.

In addition, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) and the World Central Kitchen (WCK) donated thousands of meals to Jamaican evacuees, first responders, and other impacted communities across the Caribbean.

The Future

Jamaica’s economy is still at risk of suffering long-term effects from Hurricane Melissa. The country’s main industries are tourism and agriculture. The widespread catastrophic damage that Melissa caused put these industries at risk; Jamaica is reliant on the steady stream of tourists and its ability to farm and export produce.

The aftermath of Melissa severely threatened both of these industries. More specifically, the storm killed 32 people and negatively impacted an estimated 1.5 million of the country’s 2.8 million total population. Despite the degree of destruction caused by the storm and the economic precarity left in its wake, the rapid disaster relief in Jamaica is a testament to the networks of support that came together following the strongest Atlantic hurricane to ever strike the island. These relief efforts bode well for Jamaica’s ability to swiftly recover and heal following Melissa’s devastating impact.

– Natalie Naylor

Natalie is based in New York, NY, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Zipline’s Drones and the Future of Health Care in Africa

Zipline’s DronesIn rural Rwanda, a child with severe malaria was transferred through multiple facilities, reaching Kabgayi District Hospital in critical condition after delays that can take hours due to long travel distances. The hospital urgently requested O+ pediatric blood from Kigali, a journey that would normally take about three hours by road in life-threatening cases.

Instead, one of Zipline’s drones arrived within minutes, dropping chilled blood by parachute at the hospital. Doctors began transfusion immediately, and the child stabilized, showing how rapid delivery replaces long transport delays and reduces the time between emergency need and treatment. It reflects a shift in rural healthcare, where distance once shaped outcomes, but fast delivery now bridges the gap between crisis and care.

Barriers to Health Care Access in Africa

Across much of Sub-Saharan Africa, poverty, distance and weak infrastructure constrain healthcare access, with nearly 40% of people living in extreme poverty. In countries such as Rwanda, only about 25% of roads are paved, and heavy rains can isolate entire regions, disrupting ambulances, blood transport and emergency response when time is critical for survival.

These conditions are especially dangerous in emergencies like maternal hemorrhage, severe malaria, traumatic injuries and newborn complications, where rural clinics can diagnose patients but lack essential supplies such as blood, oxygen, vaccines, antibiotics or specialists, forcing transfers that can take hours—sometimes up to five hours for emergency blood delivery.

Healthcare worker shortages, underfunded systems and fragile supply chains further strain the situation, leaving many rural facilities staffed by only a few nurses. WHO recommended doctor-to-population ratios remain difficult to meet, while solutions like Zipline’s drone delivery system aim to reduce these delays by rapidly delivering critical medical supplies to remote facilities. 

Zipline’s Emergency Healthcare Access

Zipline is an autonomous drone delivery company providing on-demand access to critical healthcare supplies. It launched its first national-scale network in Rwanda in 2016, growing from 21 hospitals to about 450 facilities and reaching most of the population. Its mission is to ensure fast, reliable medical delivery regardless of terrain, traffic or weather.

Initially, it focused on delivering blood products to hospitals facing urgent shortages in Rwanda, then expanded to vaccines, cancer medications, insulin, infusion therapies and other essential medicines across thousands of facilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it also supported vaccine distribution to underserved communities, improving access and delivery speed.

 Its electric fixed-wing drones fly up to 300 kilometers on a single charge at about 70 mph. Healthcare workers place orders via phone, text, WhatsApp or online, pack supplies into “Zips” at distribution centers, then send them through autonomous aircraft using GPS/GNSS and RTK centimeter-level positioning. Zipline’s drones drop deliveries by parachute into precise zones, with real-time tracking and rapid drone reuse through midair recovery.

Zipline’s Transformational Impact

Founded in 2016 in Rwanda, Zipline has evolved from a single distribution center serving 21 hospitals into one of the world’s largest autonomous medical delivery networks. It now operates across Rwanda, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya and other African countries, fully integrated into national healthcare systems and running routine, large-scale medical logistics operations.

Zipline’s drones system has completed more than 2 million commercial deliveries and flown more than 135 million autonomous miles across multiple countries. In 2023 alone in Rwanda, it delivered 28,754 units of blood, with an average delivery time of 42 minutes from order placement to arrival, demonstrating consistent rapid-response logistics at national scale.

Evidence from health-system studies shows major performance gains: delivery times for critical supplies such as blood, vaccines and emergency medicines are reduced by more than 50%, often arriving in 30 to 45 minutes instead of hours or days. Associated research reports up to a 51% reduction in maternal mortality in Rwanda and 56% in Ghana, around 60% fewer stockouts of essential medicines and vaccines and up to a 37-percentage-point increase in immunization coverage in serviced regions.

Zipline reports impacting more than 458,000 lives by improving emergency access to essential medical supplies, emphasizing that aircraft technology accounts for only about 15% of system complexity, with the core advantage being scalable logistics infrastructure.

In November 2025, Zipline announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of State to expand across Africa, backed by up to $150 million in U.S. funding and up to $400 million in African government utilization fees, scaling from 5,000 to 15,000 health facilities and potentially reaching about 130 million additional people.

Zipline’s Future Impact on African Healthcare

Zipline’s future in African health care focuses on scaling networks powered by Zipline’s drones to serve hundreds of millions of people. Leadership projects reaching up to 130 million globally through centralized hubs integrated into national health systems, enabling rapid delivery of blood, vaccines, medicines and emergency supplies, especially in remote and low-infrastructure regions.

Advances in automation and aircraft performance drive expansion. New drones cut launch time from about 10 minutes to roughly 1 minute and increase capacity from around 50 to up to 500 flights per hub per day. Each hub aims to serve populations of up to 10 million, significantly expanding delivery reach beyond emergency use cases into routine healthcare logistics, diagnostic transport and disaster-response operations, while reducing medical stock-outs and improving healthcare access across Africa.

– Malak Kamel

Malak is based in Amman, Jordan and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Housing Programs in Serbia: A Step Towards Social Inclusion

Housing Programs in SerbiaSerbia’s recent headlines have reflected deep political and social tensions. Since the deadly railway station collapse in Novi Sad on Nov. 1, 2024, which killed 16 people, mass protests have spread across the country. Demonstrators have accused President Aleksandar Vučić’s government of entrenched corruption and authoritarianism while demanding greater transparency and democratic reform.

At the same time, Serbia continues negotiations with the European Union (EU) and benefits from major EU-funded development programs targeting poverty reduction, infrastructure and social cohesion.

This political context places Serbia at an important turning point: while public distrust toward institutions grows, EU-backed social programs continue to reshape living conditions for some of the country’s most vulnerable communities.

Poverty and Ethnic Discrimination in Serbia

Serbia remains the largest economy and the most populous state in the Western Balkans, with approximately 6.6 million inhabitants in 2026. Over the past decade, Serbia has experienced notable economic growth and increasing foreign investment. However, this growth has not benefited all parts of society equally.

Around 20% of the Serbian population remains at risk of poverty, particularly in the southern and western regions of the country. Economic inequality, unemployment, weak infrastructure and limited access to public services continue to affect vulnerable populations disproportionately.

Among the communities facing the greatest structural discrimination are the Roma people. Roma communities in Serbia frequently encounter barriers in employment, education, health care and housing. Many Roma families continue to live in informal settlements with poor infrastructure, limited sanitation and insecure housing conditions, which further reinforces cycles of poverty and exclusion.

The EU SHAI Program: Housing as Social Inclusion

In response to these challenges, the EU launched the Social Housing and Active Inclusion Program (EU SHAI), one of Serbia’s largest social inclusion initiatives. Between 2019 and 2025, the EU invested €27 million into the program, while the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) implemented it alongside Serbian national and local authorities.

Rather than focusing solely on housing construction, EU SHAI combined accommodation with employment support, education, health care access and social services.

The program targeted Roma communities, women escaping domestic violence, people with disabilities, young people leaving state care systems and families living in extreme poverty. It adapted its approach to local needs by constructing new apartments, purchasing rural homes, renovating existing properties and upgrading infrastructure in informal settlements. Projects took place across 19 Serbian municipalities, including Čačak, Loznica, Šabac, Raška and Svilajnac.

The program produced measurable results:

  • 127 families moved into newly built housing units
  • 14 new family homes were constructed
  • 56 village houses were purchased
  • 92 homes were renovated
  • More than 350 vulnerable families received permanent housing support

Overall, the program supported more than 1,200 people.

Some municipalities achieved especially visible results. Svilajnac and Raška emerged as examples of how long-term coordination between local governments, international organizations and social services can create sustainable improvements for vulnerable communities. In this sense, EU SHAI functioned not only as a humanitarian program but also as a governance and development initiative.

Housing Programs in Serbia for Roma Communities

Serbia has also developed targeted housing initiatives specifically for Roma communities. Through the Let’s Build a Home Together project, the Serbian government, with EU financial support, has provided housing solutions for up to 170 Roma families previously living in unsafe, informal settlements.

Families can choose between apartments, village houses or the reconstruction of existing homes. Authorities designed the program with direct participation from Roma beneficiaries in order to protect housing rights and adapt solutions to each family’s needs. The initiative also places strong emphasis on women’s equal housing rights and property security.

Social Housing for Refugees and Displaced People

Following the conflicts that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Serbia participated in the Regional Housing Program (RHP), a joint initiative involving Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. The program aimed to support refugees and internally displaced persons affected by the Yugoslav wars.

Alongside the RHP, Serbia developed the Social Housing in Supportive Environment (SHSE) program, which has operated since 2002 with support from international donors, the Serbian government, the EU and organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The SHSE program provides long-term housing and social protection for vulnerable groups, particularly refugees and internally displaced persons. Since 2002, the program has built 430 apartments across 22 Serbian municipalities, housing approximately 1,100 vulnerable residents. Unlike traditional institutional shelters, SHSE promotes decentralized and community-based housing solutions that integrate beneficiaries into local communities while supporting their access to health care, employment and social services.

Programs Fostering Active Inclusion

What distinguishes the housing programs in Serbia from traditional housing policies is their emphasis on active inclusion. Programs such as EU SHAI recognize that stable housing alone cannot sustainably reduce poverty if families remain excluded from employment, education and health care systems. As a result, these programs combine housing assistance with social and economic support measures tailored to the specific needs of each family.

The initiatives also actively involve the communities they support in the decision-making process, allowing beneficiaries to participate in shaping their own housing solutions and future living conditions rather than remaining passive recipients of aid.

This integrated approach proved especially important for Roma communities, who often face overlapping forms of exclusion. By combining stable housing with education and employment opportunities, these programs aim to break intergenerational cycles of poverty rather than simply manage their consequences.

Serbia, the EU and the Politics of Social Development

The housing programs in Serbia highlight the complex relationship between Serbia and the European Union. While political tensions surrounding democracy, corruption and media freedom continue to complicate Serbia’s accession process, EU-funded social programs remain deeply embedded in the country’s development strategy.

For many vulnerable families, these projects produce tangible improvements in everyday life regardless of broader geopolitical debates. They provide stable housing, access to employment, educational opportunities and greater social protection in communities that have often remained excluded for decades.

Looking Ahead

At a time when poverty, displacement and housing insecurity continue to affect millions across Europe, Serbia’s social housing programs demonstrate how targeted international cooperation can generate measurable social impact even amid ongoing political tensions. By combining housing with active inclusion policies, the housing programs in Serbia offer a model for poverty reduction that focuses not only on shelter but also on long-term social integration.

– Inès Maudire

Inès Maudire is based in Paris, France and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Updates on SDG 1 in Singapore 

SDG 1 in SingaporeThough Singapore boasts one of the highest GDPs per capita globally, government disbursements of $600 SGD in relief aid to millions of Singaporeans reveal the persistence of a lesser-seen reality: affluence does not immunize wealthy societies against poverty. The latest updates on SDG 1 in Singapore show that the PAP’s poverty reduction efforts have evolved beyond simple cash handouts to include community-led food security programs and wage policy adjustments, pointing to the country’s changing approach to poverty alleviation.

Poverty in Singapore

Singapore does not publish an official poverty line, making the full scale of hardship difficult to measure, but tracking updates on SDG 1 in Singapore requires understanding who poverty actually affects. A 2024 UN Food and Agriculture Organization report estimated that 7.7% of Singapore’s population experienced moderate to severe food insecurity as of 2022, a rate that has tripled since 2014. The Singapore Hunger Report found that 10% of households experienced food insecurity in the past year, with 79% citing financial constraints. Poverty concentrates among elderly residents in public rental flats, low-wage workers, and households with dependents, who face compounding health challenges and a disproportionately higher inflation burden than wealthier households.

Singapore’s Multi-Pronged Approach to Poverty Reduction

The Singapore government has adopted a strategy combining direct financial support with grassroots food security initiatives, recognizing the persistence of relative poverty among seniors, low-wage workers and households with dependents.

The Ministry of Finance announced in December 2025 that approximately 3 million adult Singaporeans received Assurance Package cash payments ranging from $100 SGD to $600 SGD. Eligibility depends on assessable income and property ownership. Citizens earning up to $39,000 with no more than one property received the maximum payout.

In February 2026, Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong unveiled additional cost-of-living measures under Budget 2026. All Singaporean households will receive a one-time cost-of-living special payment of $500 SGD in CDC vouchers in January 2027 to help with daily living costs such as groceries and gas. Additionally, a one-time cost-of-living special payment ranging from $200 SGD to $400 SGD will go to adult citizens earning up to $100,000 SGD who own no more than one property. Yet, Wong emphasized that 95% of the budget goes to long-term structural plans, with only 5% for one-time assistance, prioritizing sustainable wage growth as the truly durable solution to poverty.

Effective 2027, the local qualifying salary for companies employing foreign workers will also rise to $1,800 SGD from $1,600 SGD to prevent wage suppression by supporting decent work, a framework the United Nations links directly to poverty reduction under SDG 1.

Community Gardens Address Food Security

A more obscure but rapidly growing solution to poverty reduction involves edible gardens that feed vulnerable populations while building social connection, known as the Healthy Harvest Initiative. Launched in October 2025 through a partnership between Prudential Singapore and the SG Eco Fund under the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, the initiative aims to collect 6,000 kilograms of food waste for composting and distribute 3,000 kilograms of fresh vegetables to the community. Two wheelchair-accessible edible gardens totaling 235 square meters in Telok Blangah and West Coast Park make it easier for seniors and persons with disabilities to volunteer and grow fresh produce. For low-income residents who receive the harvested produce, the gardens provide reliable access to nutritious food. For the volunteers, the gardens offer purpose and social contact, addressing the social isolation that often accompanies poverty in older adults.

Six months later, Naval Base Primary School launched a refreshed Wellness Garden with solar-powered hydroponics as part of Go Green SG 2026. Harvested produce flows to community fridges through a network of volunteers, while simultaneously providing hands-on educational experience to Singaporean children.

Small Initiatives Gain Traction for Future Impact

Three smaller-scale programs have received little national attention but are now building momentum. First, the Singapore Food Agency replaced its widely publicized 30 by 30 goal in November 2025 with more targeted production targets. Local farms now aim to meet 20% of fiber needs by 2035 and supply approximately one-third of protein needs by the same year. While this shift received criticism from some environmental groups, it allows local farmers to focus on crops that directly benefit low-income households.

Second, Singapore’s Platform Workers Act, which came into force in January 2025, created a distinct legal category for gig economy workers — including delivery riders and private-hire drivers — who are neither traditional employees nor self-employed. The Act mandates gradual increases in CPF contributions for platform workers over five years, improving their housing and retirement security. The government has also introduced the Platform Workers CPF Transition Support scheme to offset increased contribution costs for lower-income workers during the transition period.

Third, community fridge networks have formalized under the SG Cares framework. Fourteen community fridges now operate across Singapore, restocked regularly by volunteers and local businesses. Unlike government food rations, community fridges allow residents to choose what they need without paperwork or stigma, serving vulnerable groups across the island.

These three initiatives reflect the broader updates on SDG 1 in Singapore, focusing on poverty reduction at the neighborhood level, where poverty often hides behind the PAP’s robust subsidized housing (HDB) program, and treat it not as a failure of individual effort but as a gap in systems necessitating a humane design for repair.

– Estelle Anais Aubry

Estelle is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash