According to the World Bank, between 1991 and 2012 Ghana’s poverty rate was cut in half, from 52.6 percent to 21.4 percent. Progress in poverty reduction has vastly improved since then. A new workshop called the Economic Inclusion and Poverty Eradication Project (EIPEP) has a more ambitious goal: to eliminate poverty in Ghana.
Launched recently by the Institute of Applied Science and Technology at the University of Ghana in collaboration with Bulaiza PLC, EIPEP is a workshop that is also a part of the open-source Ghana Economic Well-Being Project.
EIPEP aims to bring together investors, academics and the public to promote economic development in Ghana by adopting practical solutions and innovative technologies. Furthermore, it seeks to influence decision-makers at the governmental level to chart the course of poverty-elimination, and not just poverty-reduction, programs.
Emmanuel Kwaku Asiedu, CEO of Gratis Foundation presided over the opening ceremony of the workshop, which counted small-scale farmers, business people, researchers, investors, academia, traditional leaders and state ministers in attendance.
Ghana is not a country deficient in resources or incapable of food security; in fact, its natural resources consist of land filled with nutrients that are then extracted by crops. Unfortunately, technological limitations and a lack of funding make it a challenge to eradicate poverty in Ghana.
Underscoring this reality, Asiedu urged Ghanaians to utilize indigenous technology for agriculture, remarking that “[t]he poverty gap in Ghana is a technological gap.”
Studies have shown that the state of Ghana’s agriculture is largely characterized by low productivity, low farm incomes and the usage of inefficient production techniques. Public attitude is an effective component in eradicating poverty in Ghana. A poverty alleviation strategy, therefore, must take into account attitudinal changes.
Daniel Mckorley, executive chairman of McDan Group of Companies, noted that “poverty is a security problem” and that practical education along with services is necessary for combating poverty and promoting the country’s economic development.
People with disabilities in Ghana constitute a great proportion of the poor. Estimates of disabled people range from 15 to 20 percent of the total population. Of the disabled, about 70 percent live in rural areas where they are not only isolated from opportunities, information and resources but also face widespread discrimination.
Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection Gifty Twum-Ampofo urged the adoption of technological equipment to assist disabled people in the country and eradicate poverty in Ghana. Similarly, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Sadique, the Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, admitted that development in Ghana had been discriminatory and pledged to develop a “fair, equitable and all-inclusive society.”
The Ghanaian government has been actively working to wean the country off the mindset of dependence, charity, aid and handouts.
Noskim Atidigah, general manager of Federated Co-operative Multi-Purpose Society Ltd., envisioned the establishment of a co-operative bank that should be locally controlled. “Ghana requires a new financial paradigm to free itself from the shackles of the so-called developing countries syndrome,” he noted.
The director of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Professor George Nkansah, summed up the shared responsibility of the business leaders as well as the government. “We cannot leave poverty eradication to the government alone. All of us specifically the business community must be at the forefront, with the government rather behind giving us the push,” he said.
Ghana has shown steady and robust growth in the past two decades. With the establishment of EIPEP, Ghanaians are headed towards a commendable model of self-reliance and sustainable development. If these stated plans and commitments are put into action in a collaborative approach, the government and the private sector will be well on their way to eradicate poverty in Ghana and realize all Ghanaians’ full potential.
– Mohammed Khalid
Photo: Flickr
Elimination U.S. Special Envoys Impacts Diplomacy
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, outlined his elimination of U.S. special envoys to reorganize and expand upon other positions. Many of these special envoy positions that are being eliminated are integral to global health initiatives. They include the U.S. Special Representative for International Labor Affairs and the U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change. Further, senior representative and special coordinator positions for impoverished areas including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, South Sudan, Burma and Syria are being eliminated.
Tillerson’s plan prioritizes other special envoy positions that reflect the current administration’s focus on topics including business and the War on Terror, and the reorganization plans to place a heavier emphasis on positions within the commercial and business affairs and anti-Islamic State military coalition.
In his statement, Tillerson noted that his choice of elimination of U.S. special envoys was based on whether or not the positions have “accomplished or outlived their original purpose.” In response, Column Lynch, diplomatic reporter to Foreign Policy, stated that Tillerson’s plan, “downplay[s] African peacemaking and outreach to the Muslim world.”
Special envoys are important positions to fill for the U.S. government to reach out and help global communities because the presence of U.S. representatives in underdeveloped countries contributes to development and growth. Lynch fears that many of the positions being eliminated by Tillerson are considered unimportant to the current administration.
However, special envoys exist to represent the U.S. government on issues like climate change, food insecurity and water resources around the world, which are issues that are critical and impact global health. The removal of special envoys in positions that aid such issues in underdeveloped countries impacts U.S. foreign relations in several different ways.
Namely, according to Ngaire Woods, Global Economic Governance professor at the University of Oxford, the health of a country is directly correlated to the functioning of its government. Thus, a lack of special envoys and foreign assistance in underdeveloped countries, which may ultimately have negative impacts on health outcomes, has the potential to intensify political instability in such countries. Political instability is a large predictor as to whether or not a country poses a national security threat to the U.S.
On the other hand, many additional positions will remain intact by the current administration, and some will be expanded upon. The special envoy for the Office of Global Food Security will be moved to the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Tillerson stated, “I believe that the department will be able to better execute its mission by integrating certain envoys and special representative offices within the regional and functional bureaus,” and so, many positions will receive better funding and direction under specific entities that are reflective of each position’s respective values.
– Emily Santora
Photo: Flickr
Hope: Decreasing Child Mortality Rates in India
India has successfully reduced child mortality rates by 62 percent since 1990, according to a recent study published in the medical journal The Lancet. These results indicate that India has a high probability of meeting Sustainable Development Goal 3.2, aimed at decreasing global child mortality rates.
The Registrar General of India conducted the Million Death Study in 1.3 million homes to obtain these results. The study looked at 52,252 deaths in neonates and 42,057 deaths at 1-59 months. The child mortality rate fell from 125 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 47 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2015.
These statistics are an accomplishment for India. In the 1990s, child mortality rates in India were the highest in the world. Significant malnutrition in the country exacerbated the problem, as many expectant mothers did not have access to proper nutrition. Similarly, nearly half of all the under-five deaths resulted from malnutrition. Other common causes include prematurity, pneumonia, diarrhea, sepsis, malaria and complications during delivery.
Beginning in 1997, the Indian government implemented several initiatives to address this crisis. One important project is the National Health Mission. The organization emphasizes improved health facilities and quality healthcare providers. It also has installed National Rehabilitation Centers and the Universal Immunisation Programme to combat malnutrition and life-threatening diseases in children.
One problematic aspect of Indian child mortality rates currently is the disparity in rates between the poorest and richest communities. Currently, in India, children from the poorest regions are three times more likely to die before age five than those from high-income communities.
One reason for this difference is that many international programs focus on children in more privileged areas. However, the organization Save the Children is working to improve healthcare and raise awareness to combat high child mortality rates in the most remote parts of India.
All of these organizations and initiatives have succeeded in reducing Indian child mortality rates. The Lancet study concluded that if India maintains its current trajectory of under-five mortality rate decline, it will be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 3.2 standard by 2030.
Once a country stricken by devastatingly high child mortality rates, now, India has drastically improved conditions, saving millions of lives. With Indians child mortality rates so much lower, there is hope that the country can make significant health advances in other important areas as well.
– Lauren McBride
Photo: Flickr
How Mobile Technology Can Help Reduce Food Insecurity
Millions of people around the world continue to face extreme hunger with little to no chance of receiving help to alleviate the situation. Resolving food insecurity in vulnerable populations requires vast amounts of information: How many need help? Where do they live? What is causing the food insecurity? Mobile technology may be the solution.
In the past, humanitarian organizations have struggled to help those in need due to untimely food assistance and frequent failures to collect valid information for addressing hunger in remote areas. The fact that most vulnerable populations live in isolated or dangerous areas with little infrastructure made data collection incredibly expensive, risky and often unfeasible.
Today, the World Food Programme (WFP), the largest humanitarian organization working to reduce food insecurity, conducts food security analyses of vulnerable populations through Vulnerability Assessment and Mapping. Through these efforts, WFP can gather usable information about the level of food insecurity in addition to important details that help divert resources to areas where they are most needed. New food security monitoring methods now allow WFP to gather real-time data to properly identify and assess the situation in distant areas that were previously inaccessible.
An effective blend of traditional methods and technological advancements help WFP’s analysts collect pertinent data. For example, face-to-face assessments provide a baseline that gives WFP the necessary information to more accurately plan food assistance efforts as well as providing the ability to further monitor the area for possible concerns. However, these assessments are time-consuming and challenging to conduct in far-off areas and those susceptible to a sudden collapse in food security. To address this, WFP often resorts to another, more efficient method.
Mobile Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (mVAM) offers the unique opportunity to continuously monitor an evolving situation. Using common mobile technology such as texting or live voice calls to collect real-time information on household incomes, potential risks, food consumption and other crucial information remain central to WFP’s efforts to develop risk management strategies. This type of monitoring also emphasizes market prices and rainfall patterns to flag potentially deteriorating situations to ensure that assistance is provided promptly if it is needed.
WFP can also use mVAM’s automated two-way communication to relay new information to people in a cost-efficient and effective manner. Another substantial benefit offered by mobile technology is the drastic reduction in expended resources. WFP will save 50 percent of the money that was previously used for data collection in addition to reducing the time for survey turnaround by 83 percent.
With the explosion of mobile phone and Internet access in developing countries, particularly those in Africa, smartphones and messaging services could serve as a vital support system for the food insecure, including refugees. WFP’s Food Bot, designed to be widely accessible, works on various platforms such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram. It can even be altered to fit onto other messaging services. To help ease costs in developing countries, people also now have access to low-data usage apps like Facebook Lite and others. mVAM was first used in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to access unsafe areas but quickly expanded to other countries.
Actionable information is one of the most critical components of humanitarian efforts, as organizations desperately need to know exactly what is happening and what people need if they wish to adequately support vulnerable areas. During the Ebola crisis, information from texts and calls helped identify the communities struggling the most without risking the safety of analysts. African farmers suffering from severe droughts were able to notify WFP of the worsening food security in their area through mVAM. While the Iraqi province of Anbar experienced violent internal conflict, continuous information about the food security and other needs of those displaced streamed in through mobile phones. There are dozens of more examples of the successes of WFP’s mobile technology platform.
The mVAM program provides WFP with a more concrete and precise understanding of the nature of food insecurity in communities around the world, equipping them with the information they need to rapidly and effectively help those in need. This type of basic technology can be utilized to aid remote areas in nearly every situation, whether it is during a drought, an infectious disease outbreak or even political conflict. As the world’s number of phone and Internet users steadily increases, other humanitarian organizations could undoubtedly utilize more robust data-collecting platforms to better deliver various forms of aid to the millions in need.
– Akhil Reddy
Photo: Flickr
The Egyptian Economy: A Positive Outlook
Since the Arab Spring rocked the Middle East in 2011, the countries fortunate enough to avoid devastating civil war were nonetheless impacted by the political turmoil in the region. Egypt was no exception.
However, even with several issues persisting in the Egyptian political and security spheres, the country looks to move forward with privatizing more sectors of its economy and has an overall positive economic outlook. The Egyptian economy, which has suffered from decades of bloated public sector employment, looks to revitalize its push for privatization in various sectors.
“That is the brake on reform,” said an anonymous government official in 2010, before the Arab Spring movement. His comments were about the overreliance on public sector employment. “They have grown up with the state doing everything: ‘You educate me, give me a degree, you give me a job when I die you bury me — and I do nothing.'” While public sector employment is not altogether negative, private sector companies need to flourish if there any hopes for growth.
In 2017, the privatization of the Egyptian economy is being rebooted by the government after encountering setbacks in years prior. The political fallout of the Arab Spring and subsequent policies undertaken by the Morsi and Sisi administrations had left a bad taste in the mouths of Egyptians regarding privatization.
However, after a tragic train collision this year on a government-owned rail line, it was understood that something needed to be done. Officials began drafting new laws that would allow private companies to improve existing lines, as well as permit them to operate their stations. This will inevitably lead to the creation of jobs for Egyptians, a population that still suffers from almost 12 percent unemployment. Fortunately, this is the lowest it has been since the 2011 uprisings.
The Egyptian economy is slowly becoming a destination for foreign investment as well, even beating out South Africa for the top spot on the continent. In tandem with government reforms and an improving business climate, Egypt is attracting large sums of foreign money, most notably from Beijing.
“Currently [the European Union] is the biggest but I think China investors will grow rapidly… We’re in discussion with major players in terms of textiles and automotive. Those are two main projects we are in discussions with,” stated Trade Minister Tarek Kabil. This is in line with China’s growing presence on the continent.
Tourism is one of Egypt’s largest industries, and it has taken a severe hit since 2011. Fortunately, the country is seeing a slight uptick in tourism due to cheaper hotel deals as a result of certain currency policies. While the security situation continues to be a major factor in deterring potential tourists, this short-term low-cost trend will assist the tourism sector, which is a major pillar of the Egyptian economy.
The Egyptian economy undoubtedly suffered enormous setbacks in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. However, its position as the most populous Arab country paired with a strong economic outlook will allow Egyptians to look to the future with optimism.
– Daniel Cavins
Photo: Flickr
The Benefits of Solar Power in Rural Areas
Many Americans take the availability of electricity for granted. In rural areas around the world, however, access to electricity is sparse and expensive. The use of solar power in rural areas is a cheaper, cleaner alternative.
One significant benefit of solar power in rural areas is increased availability. Rural areas lack this resource because their countries’ electric grids stop before reaching them.
Worse, extending the electric grid costs a lot of money. For example, in the United States, it would cost $35,000 to $50,000 to extend an electricity grid for even one mile. Relying on solar power will remove this cost burden from electric companies and rural citizens.
Bringing in solar power gives those communities affected more money to spend on necessities. According to Mother Jones, the cost of nonrenewable diesel is “roughly $10 each month- money that could otherwise buy more than 20 pounds of rice.”
Solar energy is also better for health reasons. Indoor air pollution from burning non-renewable energy sources like wood and coal kills more than 4 million people a year in Tanzania alone.
Another possible benefit of introducing solar power is new economic opportunities. Mother Jones discusses how Tanzanian vendors have made a profit selling inexpensive solar-powered items due to the increased demand.
Unfortunately, solar power does not always provide enough energy to maintain electricity for long periods. Reuters explains how the few hours of electricity that small-scale solar energy provides “was not enough to boost savings, help launch new businesses, increase time spent working or studying or otherwise significantly improve people’s lives.” Another detriment to solar power in rural areas is inclement weather limiting the electricity produced by solar energy.
Regardless of these disadvantages, the advantages of solar power in rural areas illustrate that the development of better solar technology is beneficial for areas that otherwise would not be able to access electricity.
– Cortney Rowe
Photo: Flickr
How to Eradicate Poverty in Ghana Via Economic Development
According to the World Bank, between 1991 and 2012 Ghana’s poverty rate was cut in half, from 52.6 percent to 21.4 percent. Progress in poverty reduction has vastly improved since then. A new workshop called the Economic Inclusion and Poverty Eradication Project (EIPEP) has a more ambitious goal: to eliminate poverty in Ghana.
Launched recently by the Institute of Applied Science and Technology at the University of Ghana in collaboration with Bulaiza PLC, EIPEP is a workshop that is also a part of the open-source Ghana Economic Well-Being Project.
EIPEP aims to bring together investors, academics and the public to promote economic development in Ghana by adopting practical solutions and innovative technologies. Furthermore, it seeks to influence decision-makers at the governmental level to chart the course of poverty-elimination, and not just poverty-reduction, programs.
Emmanuel Kwaku Asiedu, CEO of Gratis Foundation presided over the opening ceremony of the workshop, which counted small-scale farmers, business people, researchers, investors, academia, traditional leaders and state ministers in attendance.
Ghana is not a country deficient in resources or incapable of food security; in fact, its natural resources consist of land filled with nutrients that are then extracted by crops. Unfortunately, technological limitations and a lack of funding make it a challenge to eradicate poverty in Ghana.
Underscoring this reality, Asiedu urged Ghanaians to utilize indigenous technology for agriculture, remarking that “[t]he poverty gap in Ghana is a technological gap.”
Studies have shown that the state of Ghana’s agriculture is largely characterized by low productivity, low farm incomes and the usage of inefficient production techniques. Public attitude is an effective component in eradicating poverty in Ghana. A poverty alleviation strategy, therefore, must take into account attitudinal changes.
Daniel Mckorley, executive chairman of McDan Group of Companies, noted that “poverty is a security problem” and that practical education along with services is necessary for combating poverty and promoting the country’s economic development.
People with disabilities in Ghana constitute a great proportion of the poor. Estimates of disabled people range from 15 to 20 percent of the total population. Of the disabled, about 70 percent live in rural areas where they are not only isolated from opportunities, information and resources but also face widespread discrimination.
Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection Gifty Twum-Ampofo urged the adoption of technological equipment to assist disabled people in the country and eradicate poverty in Ghana. Similarly, Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Sadique, the Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, admitted that development in Ghana had been discriminatory and pledged to develop a “fair, equitable and all-inclusive society.”
The Ghanaian government has been actively working to wean the country off the mindset of dependence, charity, aid and handouts.
Noskim Atidigah, general manager of Federated Co-operative Multi-Purpose Society Ltd., envisioned the establishment of a co-operative bank that should be locally controlled. “Ghana requires a new financial paradigm to free itself from the shackles of the so-called developing countries syndrome,” he noted.
The director of the Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Professor George Nkansah, summed up the shared responsibility of the business leaders as well as the government. “We cannot leave poverty eradication to the government alone. All of us specifically the business community must be at the forefront, with the government rather behind giving us the push,” he said.
Ghana has shown steady and robust growth in the past two decades. With the establishment of EIPEP, Ghanaians are headed towards a commendable model of self-reliance and sustainable development. If these stated plans and commitments are put into action in a collaborative approach, the government and the private sector will be well on their way to eradicate poverty in Ghana and realize all Ghanaians’ full potential.
– Mohammed Khalid
Photo: Flickr
Decreasing Rural Poverty in China Via New Land Reforms
China is lifting thousands of farmers out of poverty with a new land reform policy. Farmers can now rent out their land to private companies, provided that it is still used for agriculture. This is the first time in more than 60 years that the Communist Party has enacted land reforms, effectively decreasing rural poverty in China.
In 2012, Sihong, a Chinese county of about one million people, implemented a pilot project to test the results of the new land reform policy. Then in November 2016, Beijing approved the enactment of the policy in the rest of the country.
Before the application of this policy, collective farming was one of the Communist Party’s main political devices. The land belonged to the state, and individual farmers would contract to use it without ever owning it. Now farmers can rent out their land-use rights, and sometimes they can even use the rights as collateral for loans. However, they still are prohibited from leasing the land rights to property developers and industrial enterprises, even though these would likely be more lucrative.
One national goal of this reform was to increase the country’s food production through control by large commercial agriculture companies. Another important goal was to limit Chinese reliance on imports, which more than tripled in the past ten years, reaching $110.6 billion last year.
This reform allows more farmers to participate in the economy as consumers. So far, almost 30 percent of China’s 230 million rural households have rented out their land through various pilot programs. Farmers represent 300 to 400 million people with more purchasing power who could significantly bolster the economy.
Furthermore, Chinese leaders are hopeful that this change may generate business investments in agriculture, a goal they have been pursuing for years. They hope to convince Chinese investors to redirect their funds away from real estate or investments abroad and back into Chinese agriculture.
These reforms also have an important social consequence. Namely, they are decreasing rural poverty in China.
China is the fourth largest country in the world and has over 1.3 billion people. In the past twenty years, China has experienced unparalleled economic growth, resulting in a significant decrease in poverty. However, not all groups benefited from this development.
A huge disparity exists between urban and rural incomes. The average urban household’s income per capita was ￥29,831, which is the equivalent of $4,500 per year. Meanwhile, rural households have a per capita income of only ￥9,892, or $4 a day.
Around 50 to 55 percent of the Chinese population lives in rural areas, and in these areas about two-thirds of people are farmers. Some of the factors keeping rural farmers in poverty include increasingly frequent natural calamities, poor community infrastructures and services, limited access to financial services and markets, outdated farming techniques and depleted natural resources.
The land policy reform has proven itself to be an effective solution to the problem of rural poverty in China. For example, one farmer in the Shiji township went from earning ￥10,000 a year growing rice to pocketing ￥8,000 just from renting his land and making an additional ￥60,000 annually in his store.
This policy aligns with President Xi Jinping’s pledge to reduce poverty. By decreasing poverty in rural China, the land policy reform demonstrates the positive social and economic impact that opening new markets in poor regions can have.
– Lauren McBride
Photo: Flickr
How to Help People in Belarus
The meltdown of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant shook the world and showed the grim reality of the potential dangers associated with radiation. It has been over 30 years since the morning of April 26th, 1986, but even so, the effects of the nuclear meltdown can still be seen today. To help people in Belarus it is necessary to understand the impact of the radiation.
Since the accident, Belarus has seen increased levels of genetic disease and cancer in its population which can be traced back to the original incident. Over two-thirds of the radioactive fallout landed on Belarusian soil. The Belarusian Government acknowledges and tries to address these public health concerns, but due to lack of resources, they are limited in their efficacy. There is no ultimate solution to the question of how to help the people in Belarus. Nonetheless, the efforts of international organizations contribute to easing their problems.
Several charity organizations are working to improve the lives of disadvantaged Belarusians. One such charity is called Belarusian Victims of Chernobyl. Founded in the UK in 2001, this organization dedicates its efforts to providing financial and general aid to impoverished Belarusian families. Belarusian Victims of Chernobyl also focuses on improving access to medical care for sick Belarusian children, many of whom don’t have proper access to treatment.
Another charity that has improved the lives of thousands of children since the nuclear accident is the SOS Children’s Villages group, in partnership with the “Children of Chernobyl” organization. SOS Children’s Villages began working in Belarus immediately following the disaster and has since been providing treatment to children suffering from radiation-related illness.
The SOS Children’s village is a shining example of how to help people in Belarus. The level of radiation released during the accident was so high that large areas of radioactivity still exist today. According to the Chernobyl Children International fundraising group, over 1 million children still live in zones that are active with radiation.
Institutionalization of children with special needs is a huge problem in Belarus. Often, sick or disabled children are the most vulnerable to being put in a government-run care facility. Poverty is a huge issue as well, and the combination of impoverished families and disabled children has resulted in the institutionalization of many of these such children. The Belarusian Victims of Chernobyl charity offers families like this financial assistance to keep families together and ensure these children get the care they need.
One of the simplest ways to directly help people in Belarus is to donate funds or volunteer your time to charities like The Belarusian Victims of Chernobyl, SOS Children’s Village, and the Children of Chernobyl. Even the smallest contribution can have rippling, wide-spread effects.
– Tyler Troped
Photo: Flickr
Raising the Bar: Improving Education in Ethiopia
Education in Ethiopia has been ranked among the worst in the world for much of its history. Now, the government is looking to reverse the de-escalating state of its education system. The state of Ethiopia has recognized the importance of mathematics and science education. Thus, an emphasis is being put on the improvement of these sectors.
Seeking Education Improvements
Mathematics and science classes have been historically ineffective in Ethiopian classrooms. This is due to teacher-centered methods of teaching, which makes the students passive participants.
Recently, the Ethiopian government has taken the initiative to partner with the Japanese government to seek education system improvements. From 2011 to 2014, the Japan International Cooperation (JICA) implemented a project known as ‘Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education in Ethiopia’ (SMASEE). This project worked to improve these types of classes for grades seven and eight.
JICA successfully trained 2,300 teachers in different states throughout Ethiopia with In-Service Teacher Training (INSET). Since the three-year JICA project, the same method has been used in grades four and 10. The work being done by JICA and the Ethiopian government has already led to education system improvements, including a more student-centered classroom setting. Students now have more opportunities to be active participants in class discussions.
Encouraging Education for All
Similar to JICA, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Food Programme (WFP) has worked with the Ethiopian government to provide meals for 500,000 students. This feeding program has helped improve the quality of education students are receiving in Ethiopia. They can now more easily focus in the classroom due to improved nutrition.
The lack of education most severely impacts Ethiopian girls, so in 2002, WFP worked with the Ethiopian government to introduce the Special Girls’ Initiative. This program encourages young girls to attend school and provides them with desirable food items such as vegetable oil in exchange for attending class.
Although Ethiopia has a long way to go, the government’s work with groups like JICA and WFP has led to several education system improvements that benefit Ethiopia’s poor, young girls and other students who previously lack education opportunities.
– Kassidy Tarala
Photo: Flickr
Samarthan: Fighting Against Bonded Slavery in India
India has one of the best anti-slavery laws in the world, yet an estimated 18 million people in India live in modern slavery. This includes forced labor, sexual slavery and forced begging.
Bonded slavery in India is rampant, even though it was outlawed in 1976 by the enactment of the Bonded Labour Slavery Abolition Act. It thrives on the invisible leash of illegal financial obligations that result in a lifetime of forced labor. Whole families, including children, are forced to work for the money-lender, sometimes for generations, in an attempt to pay the debt and the exorbitant interest. Bonded slavery in India has its roots in vast inequality and extreme poverty.
Samarthan, which means “support” in Hindi, is a grassroots nonprofit organization that won the Free the Slaves Freedom Award in 2016. They fight poverty and slavery by empowering rural communities, raising awareness and providing access to essential information.
Samarthan joined hands with the BBC Media Action radio program “Majboor Kisko Bola!” (Who Are You Calling Helpless!) which aimed to help workers trapped in bonded labor by providing information about their legal rights. It is a 36-episode Hindi-language radio broadcast, each running for 30 minutes.
Samarthan spread awareness among the bonded laborers in the villages where there is no access to the internet, television or radio by using portable radios with a pen drive option. Samarthan made the effort to reach the most marginalized communities that remain isolated and uneducated, where a large number of families are under the bondage of rich farmers and money-lenders due to illegal debts.
Some of the steps taken by Samarthan include:
Samarthan has proved itself effective through its innovative approach to deal with the massive problem of bonded slavery in India. Due to the government’s failure to enforce the laws in realistic terms, the most effective solution seems to lie with passionate groups like Samarthan who are willing to support the forgotten slaves in the booming economy of India.
– Tripti Sinha
Photo: Flickr