When analyzing progress created from global trade, employment opportunities and local equality, the world witnesses how to help people in Cabo Verde.
Tourism and Trade
With only 10 percent of land in Cabo Verde suitable for agriculture, it is essential for Cabo Verdeans to get support from outside sources. Thus, the fight to help people in Cabo Verde relies heavily on foreign support, trade and tourism.
As of May 2017, the Cabo Verde government has made efforts to create a trade, business and transport hub. Without witnessing the benefits that tourism created, the effort to increase trade would not exist. The poverty rate dropped from 37 percent in 2003 to 27 percent in 2008, largely because of Cabo Verde’s tourism sector.
To support Cabo Verde in its rise above poverty, the World Bank Group (WBG) committed funds for analytical work that enables accountable and strategic goals for reducing poverty. These activities would provide Cabo Verdeans with easier access to food and help ensure economic growth through trade and tourism.
Employment
The increase in tourism and trade helps develop more jobs for the locals. With low agricultural opportunities, Cabo Verdeans struggle to find employment: however, trade brings in consumer goods, allowing Cabo Verdeans to seek employment.
The new Cabo Verde government leaders, put in place after the 2016 election, are addressing the country’s macroeconomic challenges, with hopes of securing 45,000 jobs by 2021. To do so, the government teamed up with the United Nations and agreed to sign an annual work plan, aiming to reduce poverty and promote the new democratic government in Cabo Verde.
Equality
Reducing poverty and addressing how to help people in Cabo Verde means providing all Cabo Verdean adults the chance to be employed. Simply creating more job opportunities is not enough if the female population is not permitted to support their families and their country’s economy.
In 2015, Cabo Verde joined Step It Up for Gender Equality, meant to empower women and fight gender-based violence. The Government of Cabo Verde fights to implement the Gender-Based Violence Law and to provide women with equal roles within the country.
Cabo Verdeans have seen improvements in regards to female health because there was a decrease in the maternal mortality rate from 0.036 percent in 2006 to 0.026 percent in 2011. Hopefully with the new outlook on gender equality, those numbers will drop even further.
Cabo Verdeans are benefiting gradually from the World Bank Group granting Cabo Verde $78 million in 2017, the aid of the United Nation’s work plan and from the empowerment gained from Step It Up for Gender Equality. The progress in global trade, employment opportunities, and gender equality all contribute to the efforts of helping people in Cabo Verde alleviate poverty.
– Brianna White
Photo: Flickr
Causes of Poverty in Montserrat
The small Caribbean island of Montserrat is primarily known for one of its most striking features, the Soufrière Hills volcano. In 1995, the island was devastated by a series of eruptions from this volcano, destroying nearly two-thirds of the island and almost completely covering the capital city in ash and boulders. Even though the eruption occurred more than two decades ago, the BBC still describes the island as “striving to rebuild” after the eruptions. As a British territory, Montserrat is still receiving aid from the British government in the aftermath. Even today, many of the causes of poverty in Montserrat can be traced back to the eruptions.
The destruction on the island left large portions of the southern region uninhabitable. Large amounts of physical assets and sources of income were also destroyed. Many families and communities were fragmented by the destruction. Nearly two-thirds of the population left the island. Those who chose to stay on the island but had to relocate struggled more than others with economic recovery. The economy itself has struggled to return to its pre-eruption levels.
There are other causes of poverty in Montserrat not directly associated with the eruptions. A major study of poverty in Montserrat released in 2012 found numerous causes of poverty. Adults who had only a primary level education were more likely to fall into poverty than others. Children under the age of 15 had the highest poverty level of any demographic. Larger households were more likely to fall into poverty than smaller ones. Additional causes related to different human rights issues on the island, including family breakdowns, domestic violence, unplanned pregnancies and drug and alcohol use.
Fortunately, the effects of poverty seem to be decreasing in Montserrat. While the 2012 report recorded poverty levels at 36 percent of the population, this number was defined by a poverty line much higher than the “severe” poverty line. Only 3 percent of the population, or around 160 people, fell into extreme poverty, earning less than $5 US per day. Since the study, poverty levels have fallen to the point where resources such as the CIA World Factbook report the poverty rate as negligible. British aid has been used to rebuild and expand infrastructure on the island. The population on the island has continued to recover over the last two decades. The government has also shown dedication to solving human rights issues. All of these steps show a continuing focus to address the causes of poverty in Montserrat.
– Erik Beck
Photo: Flickr
How to Help People in Palau
Palau has a rich cultural heritage that relies on the relationship between its people and the sea. Some inhabitants still practice traditional ceremonies, and it is still considered a matrilineal society. It was once considered customary for men to learn about water currents and the behaviors of fish to be caught. In honor of the connection of the Palau people with the ocean, the government of Palau designated 193,000 square miles of coast as a fully protected marine reserve. Despite the efforts to preserve the wildlife and traditions of Palau, overfishing, poaching, weather and tourism threaten the longevity of its livelihood. There are a few different ways of how to help people in Palau maintain their ecosystems and lifestyle.
Support conservation efforts
In addition to the marine reserve, Palau has agreed to the Micronesia Challenge, a region-wide initiative to balance the use of natural resources and conservation. Even with these efforts, the island still suffers from damage to coral reefs from tourist interaction as well as decreased fish populations resulting from tourist seafood consumption. The Nature Conservancy is one organization that has already donated $1 million to the Micronesia Challenge endowment benefitting the island. Decreasing commercial fishing and promoting local traditions are among the ways to conserve the heritage and environment of Palau.
Volunteer and support USAID and disaster relief organizations.
As an island nation in the South Pacific, Palau’s ecosystem is threatened by typhoons, drought, pollution and rising sea levels. A power plant fire in 2011 resulted in the declaration of a state of emergency with electricity rationing that affected schools, hospitals and sanitation. In March 2016, Palau became the most recent nation to declare an El Niño-related state of emergency. Because of record-setting low total rainfall and declining level of freshwater access, citizens were placed on a water rationing schedule. USAID has recently worked to increase disaster readiness and risk reduction programs for communities in Palau.
Conservation of culture and environment combined with disaster readiness and prevention are simple answers to the question of how to help people in Palau.
– Rebekah Korn
Photo: Flickr
How to Help People in Cabo Verde: To Persevere
Tourism and Trade
With only 10 percent of land in Cabo Verde suitable for agriculture, it is essential for Cabo Verdeans to get support from outside sources. Thus, the fight to help people in Cabo Verde relies heavily on foreign support, trade and tourism.
As of May 2017, the Cabo Verde government has made efforts to create a trade, business and transport hub. Without witnessing the benefits that tourism created, the effort to increase trade would not exist. The poverty rate dropped from 37 percent in 2003 to 27 percent in 2008, largely because of Cabo Verde’s tourism sector.
To support Cabo Verde in its rise above poverty, the World Bank Group (WBG) committed funds for analytical work that enables accountable and strategic goals for reducing poverty. These activities would provide Cabo Verdeans with easier access to food and help ensure economic growth through trade and tourism.
Employment
The increase in tourism and trade helps develop more jobs for the locals. With low agricultural opportunities, Cabo Verdeans struggle to find employment: however, trade brings in consumer goods, allowing Cabo Verdeans to seek employment.
The new Cabo Verde government leaders, put in place after the 2016 election, are addressing the country’s macroeconomic challenges, with hopes of securing 45,000 jobs by 2021. To do so, the government teamed up with the United Nations and agreed to sign an annual work plan, aiming to reduce poverty and promote the new democratic government in Cabo Verde.
Equality
Reducing poverty and addressing how to help people in Cabo Verde means providing all Cabo Verdean adults the chance to be employed. Simply creating more job opportunities is not enough if the female population is not permitted to support their families and their country’s economy.
In 2015, Cabo Verde joined Step It Up for Gender Equality, meant to empower women and fight gender-based violence. The Government of Cabo Verde fights to implement the Gender-Based Violence Law and to provide women with equal roles within the country.
Cabo Verdeans have seen improvements in regards to female health because there was a decrease in the maternal mortality rate from 0.036 percent in 2006 to 0.026 percent in 2011. Hopefully with the new outlook on gender equality, those numbers will drop even further.
Cabo Verdeans are benefiting gradually from the World Bank Group granting Cabo Verde $78 million in 2017, the aid of the United Nation’s work plan and from the empowerment gained from Step It Up for Gender Equality. The progress in global trade, employment opportunities, and gender equality all contribute to the efforts of helping people in Cabo Verde alleviate poverty.
– Brianna White
Photo: Flickr
Improving Education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Still, however, the gender disparities in the rate of education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are profound. Where 78.1 percent of the male population is literate, the female population lingers at a staggeringly low 50 percent. Nonetheless, women such as Melissa Kasoke of the Congo have been raising their voice in support of sustained efforts for women’s education. It seems, too, that the world is listening to their demands. In spite of the gender disparity that exists within the educational system in the nation, external organizations such as UNICEF have begun funding efforts to deconstruct barriers to women’s education and provide equal opportunities for them within the Congo.
In recent years, such external efforts have proven conducive to improving the overarching schema of education in the Congo. As of 2015, over 20 million textbooks had been distributed to classrooms throughout the country. The completion rate at the primary school level now stands at approximately 70 percent, as opposed to the 2002 rate of only 29 percent. Teaching strategies have been implemented, which encourage gender equality, discovery-based-learning and instructive materials.
In fact, the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently received a $100 million grant to help improve their education system. This grant seeks to improve the quality of primary education, strengthen sector management and promote greater accountability at the local level. Ultimately, this should help to improve the education system for both men and women throughout the nation, particularly in communities where low-income students have experienced a dearth of resources in the past.
The structure of the education system in the Congo overall parallels that of the U.S., to some extent. The first six years of education are encapsulated in primary school, the second four years are spent in middle school and the final three years are spent in lycee, which is similar to high school in the U.S. Finally, students have the opportunity to attend college or university in the tertiary portion of their educational pursuits.
Overall, education in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to strive toward improvement and success. However, the nation is still in need of assistance. It is therefore incumbent for foreign countries, such as the U.S., to continue to provide aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in order to ensure universal educational opportunities for students of all ages, genders nd socioeconomic class backgrounds.
-Emily Chazen
Photo: Flickr
Holy See Poverty Rate Virtually Non-Existent
The Holy See is supported by a multitude of sources, including investments, real estate income and donations from Catholic individuals, as well as dioceses and institutions. Even though it is the smallest nation in the world in both size and population, the Holy See’s GDP per capita is an estimated $21,198, which makes Vatican City the 18th wealthiest nation in the world per capita.
The population of this small independent state is very small, which contributes to the Holy See poverty rate being non-existent. In July 2001, the estimated population in Vatican City was 890, and it generally sees a growth rate of about 1.15 percent. Most of the residents of the state are related to the Church in some way, supplemented by elderly officers and servants for the Church. Most of the jobs within the Vatican itself include secretarial, domestic, trade and service jobs. The working week is fairly reasonable, although some keep longer hours, such as the Secretariat of State.
Workers that reside within Vatican City also enjoy numerous religious holidays, and Italians that work in Vatican City are exempt from having to join the military. Defense is provided by Italy, known as the Swiss Guard, who performs ceremonial and limited security duties. The members of the Swiss Guard tend to make a relatively low salary, but they are usually younger men with private incomes.
Fortunately, it would appear that the Holy See poverty rate is unlikely to increase in the near future.
– Sara Venusti
Photo: Flickr
Why Are Palestinian Territories Poor?
The Palestinian territory poverty rate is said to be 25 percent of the total population, with an unemployment rate of 27 percent. After the recession in 2014, the World Bank reported in 2015 that the region was becoming poorer for the third consecutive year. Currently, there are three main causes of poverty in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The long-standing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories has created political instability and has been a cause of economic turmoil in the region. One example of this is the Gaza Blockade that Israel instated in the 1990s and intensified in 2007. This blockade severely reduced the mobility of Palestinians in the area and their ability to find work. The trickle-down effect of the blockade (as well as other results of the conflict) is that aid is less accessible for the impoverished in the community.
A secondary, but major, cause of poverty is an increasing unemployment rate, which also stems from the political and economic instability. The May 2017 issue of This Week in Palestine reports that over 400,000 people are unemployed in the two regions of the territory. Most of the unemployed are youths, many of whom are recent graduates. The Palestinian Ministry of Labor is unable to effectively create jobs to solve this unemployment crisis affecting the population.
Issues with infrastructure can be crippling. BBC reported in 2014 that issues with electricity and other infrastructure perpetuate the struggles those in the territories face and can lead to further hardships. A survey from the ADBI Institute, “The Impacts of Infrastructure on Development: A Selective Survey,” stated that “development economists have considered physical infrastructure to be a precondition for industrialization and economic development…” Therefore, with inconsistent electricity comes unreliable healthcare and water supply. The BBC report outlines this by stating “[electricity power cuts] will disturb electricity for the whole population of Gaza; almost two million people will suffer.”
The solution to the question at hand, “why are Palestinian territories poor?”, is not a simple one, nor is it one without political complications. However, the chief of the United Nations, António Guterres, believes that the solution to these causes of poverty in the Palestinian territories lies with the United Nations resolution 1860, which refers to the Security Council resolution from 2009 which called for an immediate end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas and lifting of blockades for food, fuel and medicines. He also believes that immediate and increased humanitarian aid can help uplift and stabilize the region, which in turn gives the people opportunities to create and fill jobs, especially reconstruction-based jobs. The solutions posed by the United Nations could eradicate these causes and alleviate poverty in the Palestinean territories.
– Gabriella Paez
Photo: Flickr
International Day of the Girl: Focusing on Education
Specifically, girls’ education is a large issue in developing countries because a large number of girls do not have access to education in areas of low socioeconomic status. According to the Malala Fund, more than 130 million girls around the world have not received a proper education. If girls do not have access to education, then it is seemingly impossible for them to achieve career opportunities and increased health outcomes. Furthermore, it is not extremely difficult to help girls’ education around the world.
There are many organizations that are dedicated to helping girls in developing countries access the sort of education that is vital in order to take the first steps towards gender equality. Here is a list of just a few organizations that may be used in order to help girls’ education around the world.
1. Save the Children
Save the Children is an organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged children around the world overcome many difficult obstacles, and now, Save the Children has launched the #ShesWorthMore campaign. Save the Children states, “discrimination against girls starts at birth,” which is an important concept to comprehend in order to truly help girls’ education. Gender roles affect girls throughout their entire lives, and gender often determines whether or not one has access to education; for example, according to Save the Children, girls are approximately three times more likely than boys to not have access to education. The #ShesWorthMore campaign allows people to donate, start a fundraiser or sponsor a child.
2. Malala Fund
The Malala Fund is another example of an exceptional organization that is dedicated to advancing girls’ education around the world. This organization is unique because it was founded in the name of Malala Yousafzai. Malala is a young Pakistani woman who was attacked while she was famously defending girls’ education against the Taliban. Malala’s story has influenced many organizations to take action in order to increase access to education for girls in areas plagued by war and conflict. The Malala Fund encourages people to donate or start their own fundraiser to raise money for this cause.
3. Let Girls Learn
In 2015, former First Lady of the U.S., Michelle Obama, created Let Girls Learn – a U.S. government agency that helps girls around the world obtain access to proper education. The Let Girls Learn initiative further addresses the countless barriers that block the path for girls to obtain education in developing countries such as child marriage, violence, war and conflict. Volunteers with the Peace Corps can work on various projects in developing countries which allow girls to access proper education. Furthermore, people may donate to the Let Girls Learn initiative and raise awareness on various social media platforms using the hashtag #LetGirlsLearn.
All in all, there are many organizations that are available for people to donate to, fundraise for or volunteer with. Save the Children, the Malala Fund, and Let Girls Learn are just a few organizations that people may support on International Day of the Girl. However, girls’ education deserves prolonged support in order to close disparity gaps in education and gender equality around the world.
– Emily Santora
Photo: Flickr
FarmDrive Helps Unbanked Farmers in Kenya
There are 50 million smallholder farmers in Kenya, but less than 10 percent of this population has their economic needs fulfilled by traditional lenders. The agricultural sector makes up 32 percent of Africa’s GDP and employs 65 percent of its population, but less than 1 percent of bank lending goes to agriculture. Worldwide, there is an estimated $450 billion agricultural lending gap.
African smallholder farmers face barriers to traditional lending because they are labeled high-risk borrowers by financial institutions. Traditional banks use credit scores and bank statements to determine a loan applicant’s riskiness. However, the average farmer in Africa cultivates fewer than five acres of land and owns no collateral or financial records.
Limited credit availability leaves this population unable to improve their farming practices. Without access to capital, these farmers must forgo yield-increasing technology like fertilizer or irrigation systems.
FarmDrive combats this lack of financial visibility by calculating alternative credit scores for Kenyan smallholder farmers. The startup requires users to input their expenses, revenue and yield via SMS and creates a platform for farmers to record business activity. FarmDrive then uses a complex algorithm to combine individual financial information with additional factors like the climate in the farmer’s region. These outside inputs both verify farmer’s self-reported information and provide context for these records. For example, farmers living within arid zones will likely have smaller crop yields.
By accruing farmer data, FarmDrive eliminates some of the risk for banks. FarmDrive has partnered with African financial firms who accept their alternative credit scores and determine appropriate loans for smallholder farmers. Lending institutions thus consider both the self-reported financial history of farmers as well as exogenous variables that will affect their crop yields.
To gain access to remote farmers, FarmDrive depends on aid organizations, like USAID, and private firms that operate in the agricultural industry. FarmDrive is expanding its data collection through new partnerships with Planet, a satellite company, and The Impact Lab, a data analytics group, to potentially incorporate climate information gathered via satellite imagery into its algorithm.
Though the startup operates solely in Kenya, the founders would ultimately like to serve all 450 million smallholder farmers and 500 financial institutions in Africa. By linking unbanked farmers to needed capital, FarmDrive has the potential to revitalize Africa’s agricultural industry.
– Katherine Parks
Photo: Flickr
Common Diseases in Kiribati
The Ministry of Health in Kiribati provides free hospital services and public health and nursing services on the island and tries to focus on disease prevention and education. Yet, the persistence of urban poverty, climate change and poor water quality have led to a nearly constant influx of disease on the island.
Diarrheal Disease
Diarrheal outbreaks are common diseases in Kiribati for a few reasons. One of the most prevalent sources of diarrhea is dirty water. One in 20 infants dies before their first birthday in Kiribati from drinking unclean water. Some other causes of diarrheal disease are poor food handling and public defecation due to overcrowding.
Malnutrition
There are three different types of malnutrition: wasting (low weight for height), stunting (low height for age) and underweight (low weight for age). The most common type of malnutrition in Kiribati is stunting. Malnutrition not only reduces quality of life but also contributes greatly to infant mortality, weak immune systems and mortality in general.
Dengue Fever and Chikungunya Virus
Two other common diseases in Kiribati are dengue fever and chikungunya, both of which are viruses transmitted through the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. In 2015, it was reported that more than 12,000 people have been infected with mosquito-borne illnesses.
Ciguatera Poisoning
Ciguatera poisoning comes from consuming reef fish that have been contaminated by ciguatoxins, or marine biotoxins that cause food intoxication. The toxins can cause a wide range of neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular symptoms. According to research, the toxins mainly develop in shallow waters that contain seaweed, sediments and dead coral. Thus, it is possible that low sea levels and surface water temperatures are contributing to the poisoning.
Lifestyle Disease
Some of the most common diseases in Kiribati are those that stem from certain lifestyle habits or behaviors. Diseases of this kind include HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and diabetes. The prevalence of HIV and STIs are due to a lack of sexual education. Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are most often associated with physical inactivity and poor eating habits. Tobacco use also contributes to respiratory disease and cancers.
Kiribati is working with the World Health Organization (WHO) on a national development plan for the 2016-2019 period that includes operational plans for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. Immediate goals include reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases, improving maternal and child health, preventing the spread of communicable diseases and strengthening health service delivery.
Awareness and prevention of communicable disease will be key to implementing this plan. With the intervention of WHO, Kiribati has made strides in providing cost-effective, quality health services and preventing disease.
– Madeline Boeding
Photo: Flickr
Inequality: Causes of Poverty in Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a country located in Europe that is landlocked between Switzerland and Austria. It is a relatively wealthy country, containing one of the highest measures of GDP per capita in the world, a low inflation rate and the benefits of a monetary and economic union with Switzerland. It therefore has one of the highest standards of living across the globe, although it comes with the trade-off of an extremely high cost of living.
Much of the country’s wealth can be attributed to its status as a tax haven, though it has taken steps in recent years to regulate and rid itself of this image and to reposition itself as a legitimate financial center. Despite the country’s economic successes, there is still poverty to be found here.
The causes of poverty in Liechtenstein become evident when analyzing the immigration policies put in place by the country’s government. In 2013, many media outlets in Europe began to report that the growing immigrant population was composed of many low-income families. This is mainly due to the increased share of the population that are immigrants, with the incomes earned by these immigrants being lower than those of the native population. This has caused the overall income growth of Liechtenstein to be subjected to downward pressure in recent years.
The unemployment rate of immigrants in Liechtenstein is approximately twice as large as it is for national citizens that have lived in Liechtenstein for their entire lives. In terms of how this applies in practice, one in two unemployed persons living in Liechtenstein is an immigrant. Despite these concerns, compared to other European countries, Liechtenstein remains in a prosperous position and the unemployment rate in general is at a very low level. As of 2012, the average unemployment rate faced by the country was 2.4 percent, with the unemployment for national citizens being 1.7 percent, compared to immigrants, who had an unemployment rate of 3.5 percent.
This is the result of a restrictive immigration policy based on bilateral agreements and clear economic considerations, combined with the insatiable job demand of Liechtenstein’s economy. One of the essential guidelines for immigrants is that there is a requirement for the person immigrating to have the ability to support one’s own cost of living when applying for residence. This means that the onset of poverty usually occurs sometime after having immigrated, with the main reasons for poverty ultimately being unemployment, illnesses, death of an employed family member and excessive indebtedness.
A relevant quote by economist John Kenneth Galbraith rings true with poverty in Liechtenstein, in which he writes, “people are poverty-stricken when their income, even if adequate for survival, falls markedly behind that of the community.” This is one of the main causes of poverty in Liechtenstein and it illustrates an area that can be improved upon, leading to a greater equality of wealth between national citizens and immigrants and less poverty overall.
– Drew Fox
Photo: Flickr