Since late 2013, South Sudan, the world’s youngest sovereign state, has been enduring a civil war. Conflict along ethnic lines has forced a quarter of the population to relocate. In addition, the violence adversely and disproportionately affects South Sudanese women. While problems persist on unprecedented levels, several government organizations and NGOs have been working to provide aid to the women of South Sudan.
4 Issues South Sudanese Women Face Every Day
1. Women and girls are forced into the sex trade to survive.
South Sudanese women as young as 12 or 14 have been surviving as prostitutes. Many work in the Gumbo, a run-down area near the capital city of Juba. Many of these women are HIV-positive. However, they earn less than one dollar per client.
Doing something about it: Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC)
CCC provides a safe place for South Sudanese children in the hope that they can achieve stability. Founder Cathy Groenendijk and a team of social workers, psychologists and nurses run a children’s shelter in Juba. CCC acts as a refuge for dozens of children, particularly girls. Partnered with organizations like the European Union (EU) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), CCC accommodates 40 children at once and pays the tuition fees for 600 children to attend school, keeping girls out of the sex trade.
2. Survivors of sexual assault have no access to mental health resources.
In a 2016 United Nations (UN) independent commission report, 70 percent of South Sudanese women in Juba suffered some form of sexual assault by the end of 2013. Additionally, the same report found that survivors had barely any resources to help their physical or mental recovery from the assault.
Doing something about it: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a nonprofit that provides aid to those fleeing conflict or natural disaster. The IRC recently set up 13 centers focused solely on assisting survivors of gender-based violence. The centers provide the women a place to meet regularly to discuss their trauma. Lilian Dawa, a South Sudanese refugee herself, runs one such centers in Uganda. Dawa says that the women greatly value the centers where they also learn skills like how to make a kitchen stove from clay.
3. Starving families force girls into marriage, ending their education.
Data from 2016 found that 52 percent of South Sudanese girls married by the age of 18. Many families are marrying their daughters off in return for a dowry of cows, a source of money and food. As a result, this effectively ends the daughter’s education.
Doing something about it: Plan International wants to provide an incentive for families to keep their girls in school. They also offer free school meals and food packages for families who decide to keep their daughters in the education system.
4. South Sudanese women are not receiving justice.
The 2016 UN Commission report on the South Sudanese civil war stated that sexual violence reached “epic proportions.” Many South Sudanese women don’t report their sexual assault due to fears of being outcasted by their families. That, and the fact that few rapists receive consequences for their actions.
Doing something about it: U.S. Department of State
Per a June 2016 executive order, the State Department is held accountable to the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. As part of the strategic plan, the U.S. government must “institutionalize a gender-responsive approach” to its policy toward regions of conflict, include women in the peace process, find ways to hold perpetrators of sexual assault accountable, invest in women to prevent conflict and provide access to relief.
The women of South Sudan undoubtedly face horrific circumstances in the ongoing conflict. Nevertheless, numerous organizations, including the ones mentioned here, remain committed to finding solutions so that the next generation of South Sudanese women doesn’t grow up under the same circumstances.
– Sean Newhouse
Photo: Flickr
The Most Common Diseases in Malawi
With a population of around 17 million, the small African state of Malawi has substantially high rates of diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and diarrheal diseases. AIDS has consistently been prevalent in Malawi, with 27 percent of the population currently either infected with HIV or diagnosed with AIDS.
The people of Malawi have not lost hope to these common diseases in Malawi, as numbers are declining and life-saving treatments are becoming readily accessible. AIDS has historically been a disease that not many come back from, but with innovative antiretroviral treatments (ART) the virus (HIV) has become manageable.
In 2011, about 67 percent of all children and adults diagnosed with AIDS or infected with HIV in Malawi were receiving ART. The World Health Organization (WHO) helped with the foundation of 716 clinics in the country. As of December 2015, these clinics were administering the treatment to over 870,000 people.
In addition to AIDS, malaria has an association with the entire continent of Africa. An estimated 3.3 million inhabitants living in Malawi have contracted malaria. This statistic is astonishing considering the population in Malawi is only around 17 million. Due to its extreme prevalence, doctors and health care professionals are always searching to find solutions to this problem.
According to UNICEF, an African child dies every 30 seconds as a result of malaria. To combat the situation, UNICEF has partnered with the government of Malawi and various other international organizations. One way they have found a solution is through subsidizing mosquito nets. At one hospital, purchasing mosquito nets only costs a mere 20 cents.
Although children across the continent are being killed by this deadly disease every few seconds, it is pregnant mothers who are the most concerning. In their case, both the mother and baby can contract the disease. Thankfully the fix is easy, requiring pregnant mothers to take anti-malaria pills only twice during their pregnancy. This medicine fights various side effects of malaria in both the mother and the baby.
Fighting common diseases in Malawi cannot be done solely by taking medications and receiving vaccines. Diarrheal deaths are among the most common disease deaths in Malawi. However, a healthy lifestyle is essential to fighting this epidemic. Nutritious food and an unpolluted environment are necessary for lowering the number of people affected by diarrheal deaths. Around 10 million people in Malawi still do not have access to purified water, which exacerbates the problem of diarrheal disease-induced mortality.
These common diseases in Malawi are manageable in various ways. With the help of organizations such as the WHO and numerous nonprofits, Malawi has hope for the future in eradicating these diseases. Services such as subsidizing mosquito nets and offering ART across Malawi have already made substantial improvements in the lives of millions.
– Sophie Casimes
Photo: Flickr
Working to Eradicate Hunger in Kazakhstan
Since the turn of the millennium, Kazakhstan has made tremendous strides in reducing hunger and is now classified as a low-priority nation according to the 2016 Global Hunger Index (GHI). The GHI ranks countries based on a 100-point scale, taking into account the proportion of the population undernourished, and malnutrition among children and adults. According to the GHI, hunger in Kazakhstan is decreasing, having gone from a moderate level in 2008 with a score of 10.7, to a score of 7.8 in 2016.
In the heart of the central Asian region, Kazakhstan is the economic giant of the area. With a population of 18 million, it generates 60 percent of the region’s GDP. Its sustained economic growth in the last 20 years has helped lift millions out of extreme poverty, and in turn decreased starvation and malnutrition rates.
In addition to its economic growth, reducing hunger in Kazakhstan has been a concentrated effort in the last decade in the country. In 2007, as a partner of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) program, Kazakhstan aimed to cut the proportion of people who have no access to balanced nutrition in half. This goal focused on solving nutrition deficiencies in children and women of reproductive age, including “hidden hunger,” defined as a lack of vitamins such as zinc and iron in the diet. Tackling malnutrition and famine in Kazakhstan continues to be one of the country’s top goals.
Since taking on this goal in 2007, Kazakhstan has reduced the percentage of the population that is undernourished from 3.5 percent to 2.5 percent. It has also decreased the prevalence of stunted growth in children less than five years old from 18 percent to 13 percent. A comprehensive government program which strives to provide balanced nutrition for children under five to prevent malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies is the primary method of the reduction of hunger in the region. These measures may also be a contributing factor to why mortality rates under five continue to drop in Kazakhstan, reaching as low as 1.4 percent in 2016.
Hunger in Kazakhstan remains a problem due to the persistence of rural poverty, even though the country has seen significant progress in its fight against hunger. Rural poverty’s continued presence is due to a lack of development in farming areas in Kazakhstan, where across the country children account for 34.5 percent of those in poverty. Kazakhstan’s MDG initiatives aim to bring these numbers down and combat both poverty and hunger at once.
Kazakhstan is just one example of the many countries that continue to rise out of poverty and improve health and living conditions. In areas such as Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, continuing the efforts to stifle hunger and malnutrition is vital to achieving the GHI’s goal of zero hunger by 2030.
– Nicholas Dugan
Photo: Flickr
4 Issues South Sudanese Women Face Every Day
Since late 2013, South Sudan, the world’s youngest sovereign state, has been enduring a civil war. Conflict along ethnic lines has forced a quarter of the population to relocate. In addition, the violence adversely and disproportionately affects South Sudanese women. While problems persist on unprecedented levels, several government organizations and NGOs have been working to provide aid to the women of South Sudan.
4 Issues South Sudanese Women Face Every Day
1. Women and girls are forced into the sex trade to survive.
South Sudanese women as young as 12 or 14 have been surviving as prostitutes. Many work in the Gumbo, a run-down area near the capital city of Juba. Many of these women are HIV-positive. However, they earn less than one dollar per client.
Doing something about it: Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC)
CCC provides a safe place for South Sudanese children in the hope that they can achieve stability. Founder Cathy Groenendijk and a team of social workers, psychologists and nurses run a children’s shelter in Juba. CCC acts as a refuge for dozens of children, particularly girls. Partnered with organizations like the European Union (EU) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), CCC accommodates 40 children at once and pays the tuition fees for 600 children to attend school, keeping girls out of the sex trade.
2. Survivors of sexual assault have no access to mental health resources.
In a 2016 United Nations (UN) independent commission report, 70 percent of South Sudanese women in Juba suffered some form of sexual assault by the end of 2013. Additionally, the same report found that survivors had barely any resources to help their physical or mental recovery from the assault.
Doing something about it: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a nonprofit that provides aid to those fleeing conflict or natural disaster. The IRC recently set up 13 centers focused solely on assisting survivors of gender-based violence. The centers provide the women a place to meet regularly to discuss their trauma. Lilian Dawa, a South Sudanese refugee herself, runs one such centers in Uganda. Dawa says that the women greatly value the centers where they also learn skills like how to make a kitchen stove from clay.
3. Starving families force girls into marriage, ending their education.
Data from 2016 found that 52 percent of South Sudanese girls married by the age of 18. Many families are marrying their daughters off in return for a dowry of cows, a source of money and food. As a result, this effectively ends the daughter’s education.
Doing something about it: Plan International wants to provide an incentive for families to keep their girls in school. They also offer free school meals and food packages for families who decide to keep their daughters in the education system.
4. South Sudanese women are not receiving justice.
The 2016 UN Commission report on the South Sudanese civil war stated that sexual violence reached “epic proportions.” Many South Sudanese women don’t report their sexual assault due to fears of being outcasted by their families. That, and the fact that few rapists receive consequences for their actions.
Doing something about it: U.S. Department of State
Per a June 2016 executive order, the State Department is held accountable to the U.S. National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security. As part of the strategic plan, the U.S. government must “institutionalize a gender-responsive approach” to its policy toward regions of conflict, include women in the peace process, find ways to hold perpetrators of sexual assault accountable, invest in women to prevent conflict and provide access to relief.
The women of South Sudan undoubtedly face horrific circumstances in the ongoing conflict. Nevertheless, numerous organizations, including the ones mentioned here, remain committed to finding solutions so that the next generation of South Sudanese women doesn’t grow up under the same circumstances.
– Sean Newhouse
Photo: Flickr
The Most Common Diseases in Ghana and Their Prevention
Ghana is a relatively small country located in western Africa, with a population of about 28 million people. Of these 28 million people, tens of thousands die every year from common diseases in Ghana. In recent years, Ghana has made improvements in its national health, such as the reduction of infant mortality. While the health of its people continues to improve, there are still many serious illnesses that affect the people of Ghana. Here are some of the most common diseases in Ghana:
Lower-Respiratory Infections
The leading cause of death in the country in 2012, lower-respiratory infections affected more than 22,000 people in Ghana. Lower respiratory infections are not uniform in how they affect people, but these infections are normally diagnosed as acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis, influenza and pneumonia. These infections are now being linked to the quality of air both indoors and outdoors in Ghana. Air pollution, as a result of a number of deaths due to lower-respiratory infections, is now considered one of the leading causes of death in Ghana.
Malaria
Malaria is a disease of the blood which is transmitted through mosquitos. In Ghana, malaria affects thousands of people every year. In 2012, over 17,000 people in Ghana died from malaria. While malaria is a disease that can be prevented, many people in Ghana do not have access to preventative drugs. In April of this year, The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Ghana, along with Malawi and Kenya, will participate in a WHO-developed program that will provide the world’s first malaria vaccine beginning in 2018.
HIV/AIDS
As of 2015, about 270,000 people in Ghana were living with HIV/AIDS. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a disease that can lead to the development of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency virus). This disease attacks the body’s immune system, killing cells that help the body fight off infections. While there is no cure for the disease, it can be managed with different types of medical care. Despite the care available, many people in Ghana do not have access to these treatments. As a result, HIV/AIDS was the cause of death for over 13,000 people in Ghana and the orphanage about 160,000 children.
These common diseases in Ghana still have a significant effect on the population. While these issues can be fixed or managed more easily in other countries, Ghana still struggles to keep these ailments from causing serious harm, or even death, to their people. The country continues to fight against these diseases with actions such as the distribution of the first malaria vaccine, providing a vision of progress and providing hope for the future.
– Olivia Hayes
Photo: Flickr
Rwanda’s Economic Success Story
After the 1994 Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi that killed 800,000 people, Rwanda has developed as a nation, improving its economy and decreasing its poverty rates. Rwanda Vision 2020 seeks to bolster Rwanda’s economic success by investing in a knowledge-based society.
World Economic Forum calls Rwanda “one of the fastest growing economies in Central Africa.” The country increased its GDP growth to eight percent per year between 2001 and 2014. However, more than 60 percent of the population still lives on less than $1.25 a day.
Foreign assistance continues to expand Rwanda’s economy by investing in programs such as education, youth workforce development and the coffee sector. Rwanda benefited from foreign assistance since the genocide, with 30 to 40 percent of the nation’s budget coming from aid. The Rwandan government’s initiative, Rwanda Vision 2020, focuses on long-term goals to grow from an agricultural and subsistence economy to a diversified economy less dependent on foreign aid.
Struck by economic disadvantages, including high unemployment and fluctuating prices in coffee and tea exports, Rwanda hopes to transform into a middle-income country and knowledge-based society.
Rwanda Vision 2020 promotes macroeconomic stability and wealth creation to reduce dependency on aid and develop the private sector. The initiative will expand Rwanda’s domestic resource base and increase its exports and promote diversification in non-traditional exports.
Rwanda recognizes that it must improve education and health standards to provide an efficient and productive workforce. Entrepreneurship is crucial to Rwanda’s economic success. Instigating wealth, employment and educational services in sciences and technology will create a new class of entrepreneurs.
USAID partners with the Rwanda Education Board to enhance investments in training, teaching and materials to ensure that all children learn to read within their first years of schooling.
While Rwandan youth are challenged by poverty and social instability, they increase their chances for success through USAID’s programs for basic life skills and work training, which promote education and employment. As a result, over 20,000 youth are equipped with workforce skills, and over 60 percent of these youth gained new or better employment, including self-employment. More than 40 percent of the youth choose to pursue further schooling.
With a history of poverty, Rwanda’s economic success comes from embracing present challenges and adjusting its approach. Rwanda’s changing landscape promotes socio-economic stability and harnesses a new identity as it becomes a middle-income nation and knowledge-based society.
– Sarah Dunlap
Photo: Flickr
5 Facts and Figures in the Philippines
The Philippines is a sovereign island nation in Southeast Asia . It houses a population of 102,624,209. In addition, the Philippines consists of more than 7,000 islands. The following facts and figures in the Philippines characterize the unique diversity of these islands.
5 Facts About the Philippines
Unbeknownst to much of the world, this nation contains a diverse population with evidence of great development. The poverty rate has decreased dramatically, for example. Additionally, citizens are becoming more active in their nation’s political arena. It is often easy to overlook the stories of positive progress throughout the world, and the Philippines is one such story that deserves more recognition.
Mikaela Frigillana
Photo: Flickr
8 Important Documentaries About Poverty
Streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu can be a means to unproductive and endless binge-watching. However, they can also be an instrument of political and social change. Documentary films can be some of the highest quality filmmaking out there, as well as a great tool for nonprofit organizations. Documentaries about poverty can cover almost any issue, discussing topics of hunger, health, education and more. Below are eight documentaries about poverty that are definitely worth watching.
8 Influential Documentaries about Poverty
– Ellen Ray
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Refugees in Latvia
As of right now, there are more than 65 million people in the world who have been forced to leave their homes. Humanity is facing its largest refugee crisis yet. There are many countries that are involved with this critical situation, and each responds to it in different ways. Some provide assistance to refugees and some neglect them. Here are 10 facts about refugees in Latvia to further one’s comprehension on this matter and how Latvia handles it.
10 Facts About Refugees in Latvia
While these 10 facts about refugees in Latvia provide a better understanding of Latvia’s role in the refugee crisis, they do not represent the different roles that different countries are taking in this situation. The way Latvia treats its refugees does not depict the treatment of refugees throughout the entire world. With a multitude of organizations and people that want to help, refugees do have a global support system.
– Raven Rentas
Photo: Flickr
5 of the Most Common Diseases in Aruba
Aruba is a 70 square mile island situated in the southern Caribbean Sea. A frequent travel destination for vacationers, Aruba is known for its blue waters, white sands and diverse culture. However, aside from its beautiful beaches, Aruba is also home to many infectious diseases. Here are 5 of the most common diseases in Aruba.
5 of the Most Common Diseases in Aruba
1. Zika
Although Zika is not a prevalent disease in Aruba, there have been a few cases and “public health officials have reported that mosquitoes in Aruba are infected with Zika virus and are spreading it to people.”
Zika could potentially become one of the most common diseases in Aruba because of the island’s mosquito population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that there is no medicine or vaccine to prevent Zika, so the easiest way to avoid getting the disease is by using precautions to prevent mosquito bites.
2. Hepatitis A and E
Travelers to Aruba are encouraged to receive vaccinations for both Hepatitis A and E. These similar diseases are mostly spread through the intake of unclean food or water. Hepatitis A and E are serious diseases that “interfere with the functioning of the liver” and can be a burden to the body for up to a year.
3. Circulatory diseases
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) stated that “diseases of the circulatory system are the leading cause of death in Aruba.” Ailments such as ischemic heart disease and stroke were the top sources of mortality and relatively common diseases in Aruba.
4. Diarrhea
“Travelers’ diarrhea is the most common travel-related ailment” according to Red Planet Travel. Caused by consumption of impure food or water, diarrhea can also be associated with nausea, vomiting and fever. To prevent diarrhea, travelers and locals are advised to stay away from eating raw or unpeeled foods and unpasteurized milk or dairy.
Doctors and health professionals recommend bringing an antibiotic to cure diarrhea if it does occur while traveling.
5. Diabetes
The PAHO shared in their Aruba health report that “there is a high prevalence of diabetes in Aruba.” This disease may be common for residents of the island but is not infectious or particularly a concern for visitors.
– Sydney Missigman
Photo: Flickr
The Necessity in Decreasing the Current Ecuador Poverty Rate
Ecuador is a country of 16.14 million and counting. With a rapidly growing population that stalls above replacement level fertility, more people are being born than dying. This increasing population growth spreads the country’s already limited resources very thin, and results in widespread youth unemployment (10.9 percent among 15 to 24-year-olds) and the overcrowding of rural education and healthcare services. Such changes within the population result in a very high Ecuador poverty rate.
Although Ecuador draws its wealth from lucrative petroleum exports, the wealth distribution is largely skewed between urban and rural areas. The result of this disproportion is that close to four million Ecuadorians, or 35 percent of the population, live in poverty. Of this, one and a half million live in extreme poverty and would not meet their daily nutritional needs even if they spent their livelihood solely on food.
An additional 17 percent of the population is considered vulnerable to falling below the poverty line. Two out of three poor Ecuadorians live in rural areas with restricted access to education, land, low market integration and low employment, especially in the rural highlands of the Sierra and the Amazon region.
This income inequity disproportionally affects the country’s indigenous and mixed race populations.
To fight income inequity in rural areas and lower the poverty rate, the Ecuadorian government has implemented conditional cash transfer programs. In these programs, participants’ children are required to attend school and have regular medical checkups.
These programs improved educational engagement and health among poor children; however, more educational programs are necessary to decrease the birth rate and prevent child and teen pregnancy.
The World Bank Group developed a four-prong approach to poverty reduction in Ecuador, including creating basic nutrition and health programs, asset strengthening programs for the poor (around labor, land and housing rights), support for a strong and stable demand for labor and the financing of social programs and targeted interventions, such as subsidizing electricity and cooking gas.
The first two components of the plan require public resources, which is why activists must engage with the government in mobilizing the country’s resources in order to combat the high Ecuador poverty rate.
– Saru Duckworth
Photo: Flickr