Kyrgyzstan is a lower-middle-income country in Central Asia, surrounded by Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It is known for its stunning natural beauty and nomadic traditions. After being controlled by a rotating series of tribes and clans, the country finally gained sovereignty in 1991 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Since its inception, the nation-state of Kyrgyzstan has made economic progress. However, there have been serious obstacles during the transition. So, why is Kyrgyzstan poor?
Poverty in Kyrgyzstan
According to the World Factbook, it is home to approximately 6.2 million people, with only three million or nearly half, in the labor force. Additionally, 33.3% of the total population lived below the national poverty line in 2021, making Kyrgyzstan the second poorest nation in Central Asia after Tajikistan. There is also a significant wealth disparity between the urban and rural populations, with 70% of the country’s poor living in rural areas.
Causes of Poverty in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan’s economy heavily depends on farming, which accounts for 20% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Furthermore, 40% of the workforce is employed in agriculture and more than 50% of the farming output comes from household plots where many individuals participate in subsistence farming. However, due to the slow modernization of its agricultural sector, food insecurity persists in rural Kyrgyzstan.
According to research, 16% of the “poorest quintile of households in Kyrgyzstan” do not have enough food. This inadequate food intake can lead to acute energy deficiency (AED) and reduced physical activity. As a result, the most impoverished people in Kyrgyzstan lack the energy to work and earn income, making it challenging for them to break the cycle of poverty.
Secondly, Kyrgyzstan is only able to export cotton and tobacco as it has few natural resources that the rest of the world wants. While the country has untapped coal deposits and a major gold mine, little has been done to take advantage of these resources. Another factor that causes poverty in Kyrgyzstan is its severe lack of access to proper banking and financial services. There has been little competition between large commercial banks and the country has continued to rely on imperfect Soviet methods for accounting and banking.
Furthermore, the Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010 led to the discovery of high-level corruption in the banking sector. In fact, more than $170 million or 10% of the country’s assets, was stolen by the former president’s son. Due to these serious issues with the banking infrastructure, many people, particularly those in rural Kyrgyzstan, do not have access to banking services, preventing investment and economic growth. There is also a lack of services crucial to aiding entrepreneurs, such as credit risk assessments and bank loans.
USAID in Kyrgyzstan
To address food insecurity, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented the Farmer-to-Farmer initiative in 2018. The initiative aims to boost Kyrgyzstan’s economy by providing technical assistance to its agriculture sector. The program brought 79 agricultural specialists from the United States (U.S.) to assist the country’s “farmers, agribusinesses, agricultural education and advisory services” improve their services and make more profit, thereby breaking free from the cycle of poverty. The program, which ran until September 2023, reached 4,320 people, including both men and women, with 85% of them being trained.
Final Remark
Like several other landlocked developing nations, Kyrgyzstan faces challenges, such as a high poverty rate and food insecurity. Organizations like USAID, which are working to eliminate food insecurity in the country, can improve the lives of Kyrgyzstan’s most vulnerable citizens.
– Akhil Reddy
Photo: Flickr
Updated: June 01, 2024
How Military Conflict and Climate Change Intersect in Mali
A military coup has worsened Mali’s national security, amplifying the impact climate change has had on the country and its people. Conflict erupted in northern Mali in 2012. The violence of the proceeding five years has since destroyed the nation’s land, diminishing the abilities local farmers have to grow vegetation.
Since 2012, Mali has witnessed a wave of poor harvests, pushing a food crisis upon the country. Hostile physical and environmental circumstances have forced about 475,000 people from their homes to neighboring countries, and those who remain in Mali face food shortages and security threats. With 25 percent of families moderately to severely food insecure, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO) estimates that 270,000 people face starvation.
Two thirds of Mali is a desert or semi-desert that experiences long yearly periods of drought. Furthermore, the Sahara Desert is expanding southward at a rate of 48 km per year. Climate change has significantly decreased the amount of rainfall, dropping by 30 percent since 1998. Consequently, Mali is also suffering from water scarcity. Only three-fifths of Malians have access to safe drinking water and only about one-third have proper sanitation.
The water shortage has weakened Mali’s agricultural activities, taking an immense toll on its citizens. Agriculture employs 90 percent of the country’s rural population and 70 per cent of Mali’s entire labor force. Cotton, gold and livestock make up 80 to 90 percent of total export earnings.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been working on generating food security, particularly between harvests. The organization built a total of 3,966 environmental assets such as ponds, dams, and canals to help alleviate Mali’s lack of water. Technical and economic assistance have been provided for local farmers, broadening Mali’s market and strengthening the agricultural sector. WFP has also begun providing nutrition support for pregnant women, nursing mothers, underweight children and children under five suffering from chronic and moderate-to-acute malnutrition. Further assistance from organizations like WFP is necessary to lift Mali‘s people from the harsh grips of military conflict and climate change.
– Tiffany Santos
Photo: Google
Banning TBAs: A Double-Edged Sword
In parts of the world where midwives and doctors are few and far between, traditional birth attendants (TBAs) play a critical though often controversial role in maternal healthcare. Though untrained, they function as medical leaders in their communities, sometimes delivering more babies than midwives. But as health experts reassess the functionality of untrained workers in the modern healthcare model, TBAs are at risk of being banned from assisting with births completely. Some African countries, such as Zambia and Sierra Leone, have already banned TBAs, although not without backlash. These bans have raised a very important and highly disputed question: are TBAs important or detrimental to the reduction of maternal mortality rates throughout the developing world?
TBAs, also known as traditional or community midwives, help pregnant mothers through delivery and the pre- and post-birth periods in areas where viable healthcare facilities are scarce or unreachable. They are typically older women who hold respect in their communities and often have children of their own. Unlike midwives and obstetricians, TBAs lack formal medical training and instead learn about the birthing process through oral tradition and delivery experience.
TBAs today work with mothers and their infants all over the world and are deeply rooted in the birthing cultures of many communities. TBAs are especially in demand in poor rural areas, where as few as 20 percent of births may be serviced by a skilled health worker. Much of their appeal comes from their accessibility, since TBAs offer their services at relatively low costs. TBAs are usually easier to reach than formal health professionals since they work within their communities, whereas bad roads, long distances and lack of transportation can deter women from seeking hospitalization. Women are especially unlikely to attempt the journey to a hospital if the care offered there is inadequate.
Some countries have attempted to make it easier for women to reach hospitals and receive inexpensive or free care, yet many women still seek out TBAs. This can most likely be attributed to the fear that is associated with clinics and hospitals, since many women are wary of facilities outside their communities, especially when surgery is involved. While there can be much trepidation and distrust surrounding doctors and hospitals, TBAs are well established and liked within their communities.
Mbarikit Eno of Nigeria was among the scores of pregnant women who feared hospitals when she was deciding where to deliver. “Two of my friends died in hospital during childbirth and I don’t want to die too,” Eno told the Global Health Next Generation Network in 2016. “Besides, those midwives in the hospital are very harsh; they shout at you and scold you as if you don’t know anything. They never use kind words on the woman despite the pain she experiences during labour. I know the traditional birth attendant that will deliver me. She is from within my community, she has delivered several women and they are all alive.”
Because there are both benefits and drawbacks to TBA-based care, health experts are divided on TBAs’ place in the modern healthcare model. TBA advocates claim that banning TBAs hurts mothers in disadvantaged communities, since TBAs are sometimes the only health workers available in these areas. This negative effect was demonstrated by a 2007 TBA ban in Malawi, which actually caused Malawi’s maternal mortality rate to rise. The country has since reversed the ban.
Experts also propose training and monitoring TBAs to ensure safe birthing practices. Organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have taken steps in this direction by increasing regulations on TBAs in recent years to integrate them into the modern healthcare model. These groups have implemented programs to improve TBA education and forge stronger links between health professionals and TBAs, among other measures.
On the other hand, many researchers argue that TBAs should be eliminated from today’s health system completely. Proponents of the TBA ban claim that TBAs are “untrainable” and too set in their ways to adapt to new healthcare methods. They also warn that TBAs cannot address the main causes of maternal death, such as eclampsia and hemorrhage, and that their often-characteristic illiteracy makes it difficult to keep records.
“It stands to reason that decisions must be made with an eye to the future and not just with a mind for the present,” said former Finnish obstetrician and gynecologist Kelsey A. Harrison in an article for the British Medical Journal. “Traditional birth attendants have no place in this future.”
As modern medicine progresses and new medical technologies enter the mainstream, health experts will need to further re-evaluate the role of more traditional workers in today’s healthcare model. While the best course of action currently remains unclear, banning TBAs and other unskilled workers is only a temporary fix for the low utilization of hospitals and clinics in developing areas. Until the underlying causes that send women to TBAs in the first place are addressed, women around the world will continue to turn to TBAs instead of trained health professionals.
– Sabine Poux
Photo: Flickr
Why Is Mongolia Poor?
Between one third and one half of Mongolia’s population currently lives in poverty. Since the nation ended their Soviet-style communist regime in 1990, many impoverished Mongolians have been wondering why the advantages of capitalism have not yet reached them. After nearly three decades of reform, why is Mongolia poor?
Since the turn of the 21st century, Mongolia has fostered great development. Income and school enrollment have risen, while sanitary concerns and maternal and child mortality have declined. However, the nation’s success has not been equal in all areas and has not had the desired impact on alleviating poverty.
Why is Mongolia Poor? Investments and Inequality
While economic growth is necessary for human development, human development is not necessary for economic growth. Between 2009 and 2013, Mongolia’s GDP rapidly increased by $8 billion – primarily a result of foreign investment in the country’s natural resources. Despite this flow of capital, there has not been a satisfactory increase in more and better job opportunities; thus, impoverished families are not able to lift themselves out of poverty and share in the new wealth.
Not only are not enough jobs being created, but most lower-class Mongolians are unqualified or under-educated for the advantageous jobs that are present. Furthermore, adequate job opportunities are not present where poor Mongolians live, so they must resort to low-productivity work that only provides enough income to sustain their livelihoods rather than improve them. In turn, the nation’s wealthy get richer while the impoverished remain poor.
Since 2013, Mongolia’s economic growth has slowed, with its GDP dropping over $1 billion in three years. The economic slowdown, while not drastic, raises concern for the country’s most vulnerable and how the downturn will affect them, considering the previous upturn was not doing much to help them.
To answer and address the question of why Mongolia is poor, the nation must focus on equal and quality access to jobs and education. Fortunately, Mongolia has the tools to succeed and is currently implementing strategies such as the National Plan of Action for Decent Work and the National Employment Promotion Programme. Investing in education will also be crucial for increasing the population’s employability and potential for the generations to come.
Mongolia’s rapid development is worth celebrating, but to ensure the nation’s long term success the country must work toward closing the gap between the rich and the poor and evenly dispersing their development. Only when the entire population has the capability to succeed will Mongolia reach its full economic potential.
– Catherine Fredette
Photo: Flickr
Human Rights in Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a small, prosperous country in western Europe. Since the beginning of the 21st century, Luxembourg has made great strides in continuing to achieve and secure basic human rights in Luxembourg for their citizens.
As of 2017, the government of Luxembourg has met the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking. According to the U.S. State Department, “These achievements included increasing the number of prosecutions and convictions, finalizing and adopting a written national referral mechanism, enhancing the number of dedicated personnel to anti-trafficking positions” and others.
There were reported occasional cases of discrimination throughout the country over the last decade, specifically discrimination with respect to employment on the basis of race, color, political opinion, sex, gender, disability and other categories. Luxembourg law requires quotas for hiring diverse types of employees. It also mandates equal pay for equal work.
In September 2014, in reaction to reporting that employers paid women 8.6 percent less on average than men for the same work, the Ministry of Equal Opportunities began an awareness campaign using newspapers, online advertisements and posters in order to end the unequal treatment of women in the workplace.
On a more controversial note, Luxembourg legalized euthanasia in 2009, making it the third country in Europe to legalize euthanasia. The law on palliative care, advance instructions and end-of-life accompaniment “applied to anyone in a hopeless medical situation as a result of an accident or serious illness.” Many human rights advocacy groups, such as the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Global Outreach, have spoken out against the practice.
The Human Rights Council will be reviewing human rights in Luxembourg early next year to determine whether they are fulfilling their human rights commitments. But it is safe to say that with a stable government and human rights laws that are routinely enforced, human rights will continue to be respected in Luxembourg.
– Melanie Snyder
Photo: Flickr
AIDS in Africa No Longer Leading Cause of Death
Africa has had a long history with AIDS and has struggled to find solutions to keep AIDS-related deaths low. However, in the past few years AIDS rates in Africa have decreased, and it is no longer the leading cause of death.
This achievement is mostly due to better diagnosis and treatment, along with more information and better education on the condition. Additionally, other preventive strategies, such as self-testing, have become more prevalent. In fact, 40 countries have already added HIV/AIDS self-testing to their national policies, with 48 more developing similar policies, almost double the amount in 2015.
With these strategies being implemented, the number of HIV/AIDS-related deaths in Africa have decreased by 24 percent over the last five years. In 2015, there were a reported 5.2 million deaths caused by group 1 conditions, which includes AIDS, with AIDS reportedly causing approximately 760,000 deaths in 2015, a decrease from 1 million in 2010 and 1.5 million in 2005.
With AIDS no longer the leading cause of death, lower respiratory tract infections have taken the lead. Yet AIDS is not the only disease that has decreased; malaria has also seen a decrease in deaths, reporting a drop of 60 percent in the last 15 years, accounting for about 6 million people saved from the disease.
With expanded education regarding AIDS prevention, treatment, and self-testing, Africa is on its way to fulfilling the U.N.’s goal of eradicating AIDS on the continent by 2030. Additionally, with funding from donor countries and supplying clinics with the proper drugs, AIDS in Africa will continue to see a drop in deaths over the next few years, meaning the continent can focus on other leading causes of death.
– Amira Wynn
Photo: Flickr
The Relationship Between Jobs and Poverty
The proportion of the world’s population living in extreme poverty has decreased significantly since 2012, with 767 million people, or 10.7 percent of the population, now living below the international poverty line, which is $1.90 per person per day. Despite the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, the world poverty rate has steadily declined over the past decade. To have any hope of escaping poverty, income from stable work is essential.
According to Annette Dixon, World Bank South Asia Region Vice President, jobs are necessary to push people out of poverty. A flourishing private sector can help with job creation, while investments in education, healthcare and social protection can ensure that people are credentialed appropriately for those jobs. Investing in women’s education is also imperative if countries are to pull themselves out of poverty. In fact, a woman’s earning potential increases by 20 percent with every year of schooling she receives.
A recent study conducted by the World Bank on factors affecting poverty found a strong correlation between better jobs and poverty reduction. The study, which was conducted in Cambodia, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, found that a steady income was the largest contributor to poverty reduction. With the exception of the Philippines, incomes from jobs explained 40 percent of the observable reduction in poverty. On the other hand, in Timor-Leste, the loss of labor income between 2001 and 2007, during a period of civil conflicts, explained almost all of the increase in poverty.
The type of labor income plays an important role when discussing better jobs and poverty reduction initiatives. While work in agriculture was a major driver of poverty reduction in the 1980s and 1990s, more recently this has been replaced by wage incomes. Wage incomes explain 50 percent of poverty reduction in countries like Vietnam, the Philippines and Cambodia. In this respect, a flourishing private sector and employment-related training can help bridge the gap between skilled labor and targeted jobs.
The bottom line is that ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity hinge on creating better labor market conditions for the poor. In other words, steady income through better jobs and poverty reduction go hand in hand. Job creation, higher productivity and growth in real wages at the bottom of the distribution are the main mechanisms to achieve sustained poverty reduction.
– Jagriti Misra
Photo: Google
How to Help People in Togo Through Education
Togo is an African country that values education, even though “more than 30% of the population lives below the poverty line.” There is a need to help people in Togo receive proper education to prevent further poverty and to empower its women and youth. The different ways to help people in Togo revolve around these factors.
Accessible Education
Over the last decade, Togo has benefited from free basic education. Previously, a basic education was less accessible to children simply because their families could not afford the yearly fees. The efforts to help people in Togo ensure that families were not keeping their children out of school because of fees have continued to this day.
However, 20 percent of children still do not attend school and 30 percent must work to aid their families. Advocating for primary education to be a requirement for all Togolese children is the next step towards progress. Nonetheless, funding Togo’s schools ensures they will not be forced to charge families once again.
As for the quality of that education, it is crucial to hire adequate teachers who do not utilize child labor for the teacher’s own economic gain. Moreover, for the children’s safety and for a more effective learning environment, most buildings require extensive maintenance and infrastructure improvements. For example, many schools in Togo do not have electricity.
Efforts made by organizations partnered with Togo have seen improvement. Even with a standard class size of 80 children, non-government organizations have provided students with necessary materials and other forms of aid.
Empowerment
Providing adequate education allows Togo’s young adults to trust their own educated minds to help them make a difference in their country. This idea has already started to bear fruit, as a number of Togolese are working to foster innovation and healthful practices among their fellow citizens.
Sename Koffi Abdojinou founded WoeLab, an organization that utilizes renewable resources to create technology to help people in Togo. For example, a member named Afate Gnikou made a 3D printer out of e-waste alone.
Kokou Senamé, a youth from Togo, advocates for sexual education. He feels that youth leadership is vital and that youths should be able to educate one another about contraceptives. The voice of a peer is very impactful when it comes to topics with intense stigmas. Sexual education is extremely important in a country with about 120,000 people with HIV. Educating youths to use protection also helps prevent unwanted pregnancies.
Safe Childbirth
UN Women works to protect the life and health of pregnant women. In 2010, there were “287,000 maternal deaths…in Central African Republic, Chad, Guinea, Haiti, Mali, Niger and Togo.” Without proper healthcare and education, pregnancy puts mothers and their children at risk.
To help people in Togo, UN Women is advocating for adequate training for midwives and other health workers, ensuring a safer birthing process.
Empowering women to gain adequate knowledge regarding childbirth and child rearing is the first step towards alleviating poverty. Once Togolese mothers are properly cared for, they can advocate for their own children to value education and provide youths with the confidence to fight for change.
– Brianna White
Photo: Flickr
How Do US Ambassadors Fight Global Poverty?
On August 19, 2017, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. wrote to President Donald Trump urging him to appoint a U.S. ambassador to India.
As of August 4, President Trump has only nominated 36 of the 77 ambassador posts he is authorized to fill. In an unprecedented move, Trump has not allowed any appointed officials from the Obama administration to reapply for their positions, opting instead to fill all the positions himself. Despite this decision, Trump is nominating ambassadors slowly compared to past administrations.
Rep. Pallone was motivated to write to President Trump after the president announced that the U.S. would increase troops in Afghanistan and put pressure on India and Pakistan to do the same. Pointing out that India is one of the U.S.’s strongest allies in south Asia, Rep. Pallone claimed that the appointment of an ambassador to India is “long overdue.”
U.S. ambassadors are the president’s highest-ranking representatives assigned to a foreign nation or organization. They reside and keep offices at embassies, which are centers for U.S. diplomatic affairs located in the capital of a given country. Ambassadors are strong leaders adept at negotiation. Most importantly, they promote peace and prosperity while helping to support U.S. interests abroad.
Even when U.S. ambassadors aren’t working on issues concerning global poverty, their efforts can help reduce global poverty indirectly. The more stable the political and social climate of a given country is, the more opportunity there is for local growth in the economy, agriculture, education, health and other sectors. In turn, stable countries with a diminishing poverty rate benefit the U.S. as they become more viable markets.
When Trump appoints ambassadors to India and the other 76 posts he has yet to fill, the ambassadors will surely reinforce the U.S.’s relationship with individual countries. However, the appointment of ambassadors is important on a global scale because it will demonstrate that the U.S. takes the well-being of diverse peoples seriously and means to thoroughly address political, economic and social disparity in different countries.
– Caroline Meyers
Photo: Flickr
How to Help People in Peru Out of Poverty
While the poverty rate in Peru has dropped over the last year, there are still people living without access to basic human necessities. There are several programs and organizations that help people in Peru by putting them in a position to live a better life.
In Peru, over 3 million people are living in poverty and over 5 million have no water resources, according to HELP International, a globally responsive organization. Over 40,000 more people have left poverty compared to last year, but the government is expecting a decrease of 3 percent this year because of floods resulting from El Niño earlier this year and a graft scandal that has halted public works.
The flooding caused by El Niño killed about a hundred people and damaged thousands of homes. Organizations in Peru like Save the Children and ADRA Peru have been working and accepting donations since then to help those affected.
Global Giving is another nonprofit organization resource that lists the specific needs of people in certain regions living in less than desirable conditions. On the Global Giving website, you can find a list of projects accepting donations for relief for the thousands that were forced to abandon their homes.
By giving help to people in Peru, you would be helping the one-third of Peru’s population that lives in poverty. This help goes a long way towards continuing the progress that Peru has made in its fight to reduce poverty.
– Jalil Perry
Photo: Flickr
Why is Kyrgyzstan Poor?
Poverty in Kyrgyzstan
According to the World Factbook, it is home to approximately 6.2 million people, with only three million or nearly half, in the labor force. Additionally, 33.3% of the total population lived below the national poverty line in 2021, making Kyrgyzstan the second poorest nation in Central Asia after Tajikistan. There is also a significant wealth disparity between the urban and rural populations, with 70% of the country’s poor living in rural areas.
Causes of Poverty in Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan’s economy heavily depends on farming, which accounts for 20% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Furthermore, 40% of the workforce is employed in agriculture and more than 50% of the farming output comes from household plots where many individuals participate in subsistence farming. However, due to the slow modernization of its agricultural sector, food insecurity persists in rural Kyrgyzstan.
According to research, 16% of the “poorest quintile of households in Kyrgyzstan” do not have enough food. This inadequate food intake can lead to acute energy deficiency (AED) and reduced physical activity. As a result, the most impoverished people in Kyrgyzstan lack the energy to work and earn income, making it challenging for them to break the cycle of poverty.
Secondly, Kyrgyzstan is only able to export cotton and tobacco as it has few natural resources that the rest of the world wants. While the country has untapped coal deposits and a major gold mine, little has been done to take advantage of these resources. Another factor that causes poverty in Kyrgyzstan is its severe lack of access to proper banking and financial services. There has been little competition between large commercial banks and the country has continued to rely on imperfect Soviet methods for accounting and banking.
Furthermore, the Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010 led to the discovery of high-level corruption in the banking sector. In fact, more than $170 million or 10% of the country’s assets, was stolen by the former president’s son. Due to these serious issues with the banking infrastructure, many people, particularly those in rural Kyrgyzstan, do not have access to banking services, preventing investment and economic growth. There is also a lack of services crucial to aiding entrepreneurs, such as credit risk assessments and bank loans.
USAID in Kyrgyzstan
To address food insecurity, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented the Farmer-to-Farmer initiative in 2018. The initiative aims to boost Kyrgyzstan’s economy by providing technical assistance to its agriculture sector. The program brought 79 agricultural specialists from the United States (U.S.) to assist the country’s “farmers, agribusinesses, agricultural education and advisory services” improve their services and make more profit, thereby breaking free from the cycle of poverty. The program, which ran until September 2023, reached 4,320 people, including both men and women, with 85% of them being trained.
Final Remark
Like several other landlocked developing nations, Kyrgyzstan faces challenges, such as a high poverty rate and food insecurity. Organizations like USAID, which are working to eliminate food insecurity in the country, can improve the lives of Kyrgyzstan’s most vulnerable citizens.
– Akhil Reddy
Photo: Flickr
Updated: June 01, 2024