Sandwiched between France and Germany, the small nation of Luxembourg is home to nearly 600,000 citizens. Health for the Luxembourgish people is mostly moderate, straying from the norms of Europe very little. However, common diseases in Luxembourg still take their toll on the population, and are more than attention-worthy.
A World Health Organization (WHO) report from 2004 begins by asserting that boys and girls born in Luxembourg can expect to live as long as any other child in Europe. In other words, the life-expectancy averages are very close. The report also notes that Luxembourg’s first-year-of-life mortality rate is among the lowest in Europe.
Common diseases in Luxembourg, as of the 2004 report, include noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease.
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, cerebrovascular disease refers to diseases in which part of the brain is affected by irregular blood flow (“cerebro” meaning “of the large part of the brain” and “vascular” meaning “of the arteries and veins”).
Of these diseases, ischemic stroke is the most common, and occurs when a blockage prevents blood flow to the brain. Victims of this type of attack can usually expect to feel dizzy or nauseated, can feel confused, have abnormal speech, loss of vision, and even experience unusually severe headaches.
Women in particular struggle the most with cerebrovascular diseases in Luxembourg; in fact, women “die from this cause twice as often between 25 and 64 years as women in [the rest of Europe].”
Contributors to cerebrovascular disease include unpreventable circumstances, like age, as well as things that can at least be somewhat controlled, like high blood pressure and smoking. One-third of Luxembourg men and one-fourth of women smoke, one of the highest rates in Europe.
However, cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in Luxembourg.
The American Heart Association states that the most common effect of cardiovascular disease is a heart attack. This occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to part of the heart. If this obstruction blocks blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle which the artery connects to will begin to die.
Other types of cardiovascular disease include arrhythmia (irregular rhythm of the heart) and heart failure (when the heart cannot pump enough blood).
The current numbers show signs of improvement against the common diseases in Luxembourg. As of 2015, more than ten years later, health has improved in the small European nation. Life expectancy has jumped up to 80 in men and 84 in women, an increase of a few years each.
Cerebrovascular disease has also fallen off, dropping below Alzheimer’s disease, seeing a 25.4 percent decrease between 2005 and 2015. Ischemic heart disease has also seen an improvement, dropping by 22.5 percent in the same time frame.
– Stephen Praytor
Photo: Google
Ghana Code Club Helps Educate Students After School
As the world grows increasingly connected and technological, the tide of calls for people to work in the technology industry grows every day. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70 percent of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs created in 2015 were in computer science – almost seven million of them.
With this in mind, it is easy to understand the push for more students to learn coding and other computer science-related skills. Even the U.N. Secretary General has called for “greater investments in computer science.” Investments in these occupations also present a great opportunity for developing countries to move forward technologically and socioeconomically.
One organization in Ghana helps increase the number of students interested in computer science and teaches children coding. In 2016, the Ghana Code Club began in order to teach children in Accra computer programming skills. Because the school curriculum in Ghana does not include technology, this club addresses the learning gap through after-school programming. Ernestina Appiah, the club’s current CEO, founded Ghana Code Club and also organizes the activity at multiple schools.
After working as a secretary in IT, Ernestina Appiah realized how valuable basic coding skills could be. Then, she learned how to design a few of her own websites. Soon after, she founded the organization as a project in partnership with the iSpace Foundation. Now the Ghana Code Club serves students between the ages of eight and 17 in different areas of Ghana after school.
Students who participate in the after school program gain valuable skills they can use in any career path. From building and designing websites with HTML to game creation using Scratch, students who participate in the after school activity can explore all of their interests. Girls, especially, have the opportunity to gain a foothold into the world of technology.
Programs run by trained volunteers and ICT teachers operate in 13 schools across the country. IT professionals train volunteers and primary school teachers who have no prior coding experience. Teachers and volunteers then team up to teach participants. Young children who participate get an early introduction into the world of computers, while older children learn Python, HTML and CSS. All students have the opportunity to learn and work with Scratch.
The Ghana Code Club also cycles through different schools, community centers and libraries to further expand its reach. With its dedicated CEO, team and board, it shows no signs of stopping.
By helping students gain important skills by promoting coding in Ghana, the Ghana Code Club increases the competitiveness of students entering the workforce. As the program expands, more and more children will have the opportunity to impact their communities and make a better future for themselves by learning these invaluable skills.
– Selasi Amoani
Photo: Flickr
Causes of Poverty in Central African Republic
One prevalent challenge that numerous citizens confront is poverty. According to the World Bank’s Poverty Assessment Report, nearly 70% of CAR’s population currently lives in extreme poverty. Common causes of poverty include low agricultural productivity and an insufficient health care system. Extensive humanitarian support and intervention are needed to address and eliminate these causes in order to achieve a more stable, prosperous country in the years to come.
Low Agricultural Productivity
Agriculture is crucial to the Central African Republic, with approximately 70% of the country’s working-age population dependent on farming as a source of food and income. According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, agriculture employs around 80% of rural people and generates 50% of GDP. However, limited trade and ongoing political conflicts have severely impeded agricultural productivity, decreasing farming yields and creating widespread food poverty for millions across the nation.
Despite centering itself on export trade, CAR faces high costs and delays for international exports. Lacklocked by its neighbors, it cannot rely upon ocean freight shipping and must instead depend upon land transport networks. Yet navigation conditions for such networks are subject to banditry and are in generally poor condition, which puts transport vehicles at risk and contributes to the increase of export time. These conditions leave farmers with little to no opportunities to export the crops that they produce and discourage them from pursuing commercial farming. for growth in the agricultural sector. Today, only approximately 5% of CAR’s arable land is cultivated – 750,000 hectares out of a potential 15 million. Subsistence farming and forestry instead dominate many communities and remain the backbone of the Central African Republic, despite its capabilities for economic growth.
As previously mentioned, CAR is also vulnerable to constant political turmoil, which often leads to conflict-related violence and citizen displacement. Following a rebel-led takeover of the capital in 2013, the Central African Republic government sought to rebuild and improve security, which remains fragile despite peace negotiations. According to a report by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), a decade of insecurity and political instability has displaced nearly 1.3 million within and across CAR borders as of 2023. Continued rebel insurgency activities and a small state budget contribute to sustained refugee numbers and hinder citizens from finding long-term homes or available jobs in the agriculture sector – many instead struggle to meet minimum daily food requirements for themselves and their families.
Insufficient Health Care
Food insecurity has created a sizeable demand for medical services in CAR. Limited access to health and water, sanitation and hygeine (WASH) services are representative of current health conditions in the Central African Republic, especially in rural areas. Across the country, 40% of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition, a rate higher than the 30% emergency threshold. For women 15 through 49 years of age, HIV/AIDS is the main cause of death.
Although humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF have attempted to provide emergency assistance to affected areas, efforts have frequently been interrupted by conflict. In 2021, UNICEF reported that one in five of their nutrition units and 30 of their health facilities were closed, 14 of which were attacked. Armed incursions into hospitals have subjected patients and medical staff to assault, interrogation and burglary. The threat of armed interference has impacted the distribution of health care workers and has disrupted the supply and flow of needed medication to patients. The few supplies that hospitals have been able to procure are expensive and cannot be afforded by a majority of the population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health, less than half of the country’s health care facilities are fully operational, and the ratio of doctors to people remains one of the lowest in the world.
In Conclusion
The Central African Republic is in vital need of alleviating the causes of poverty and poverty itself. Although its geographical location cannot be changed, international and local humanitarian groups must assist with funding physical infrastructure along trade routes and providing security services for hospitals and other medical facilities. Supplies of drugs and treatment must be provided to patients at a low cost across the country despite the risk of burglary to effectively combat prevalent diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. Funding is crucial for mitigating the food crisis for the displaced and those within the agricultural sector. Policy must be enacted to strengthen support for organizations struggling to fight against poverty, ensuring that they are not vulnerable to exploitation and violence. Although initiatives such as UNICEF and the US Agency for International Development continue to make coordinated efforts to resist poverty in the Central African Republic, extensive and additional humanitarian assistance is needed to make a lasting difference in the country and to grant stability to those in need.
– Lucy Voegeli, Moon Jung Kim
Photo: Flickr
Updated: March 19, 2024
Reducing the Threat of Diseases in Suriname
Suriname is a small country on the north coast of South America with a population of nearly 600,000. The country has improved much of its health standards in recent years when it comes to treatable diseases in Suriname.
As the country has grown economically and life expectancy has increased, the threat of diseases such as cardiovascular disease typhoid fever and malaria has been reduced. While the country has made progress, certain diseases in Suriname remain a threat in the form of outbreaks.
Suriname’s most recent disease outbreak was a yellow fever outbreak, the country’s first since 1972. This came as a surprise due to Suriname’s comprehensive vaccination programs, which have required yellow fever vaccines for all children starting at one year old since 2014. In response to the outbreak, the Suriname government enhanced vaccination activity to increase coverage and upgraded entomologic and epidemiologic surveillance by strengthening laboratory capacity.
Vaccination improvements have been one of the main factors reducing the threat of treatable diseases in Suriname in recent years. Today, national immunization coverage up is to 86 percent. Certain high-risk diseases such as Hepatitis B and C have been controlled thanks to the widespread childhood immunization programs.
Suriname also dealt with the outbreak of the Zika virus at the end of 2015, after four initial cases appeared, making them one of the earliest countries hit by the outbreak. Suriname implemented a health emergency risk communication plan to help spread awareness about the disease and contained it successfully. Today, government detection programs and strategies are utilized to reduce the threat of mosquitos, including the widespread use of treated netting.
Malaria treatment is another area which Suriname has seen significant improvement in the last decade. Confirmed malaria cases per 1,000 individuals have decreased drastically since 2005, dropping from 120 cases per 1000 to as few as 20 by 2014. Malaria deaths have also decreased as medical treatment and health infrastructure have improved.
Other diseases in Suriname that have been flagged by the government as recent threats are dengue fever and chikungunya fever. Over 2000 cases of dengue fever have been reported in the last 12 years, though none of them have been fatal. Chikungunya fever, another mosquito-borne illness, broke out in Suriname in 2014 with 17 cases, prompting the CDC to launch preventative efforts to raise awareness against the disease.
While several diseases in Suriname such as yellow fever present a threat to the country’s population, improved healthcare and immunization in the last decades have improved life expectancy in the country. Suriname‘s quality vaccination programs have reduced childhood deaths and will help the country when the next outbreak strikes.
– Nicholas Dugan
Why the Malaysia Poverty Rate is So Low
According to one of the most recent reports by the World Bank, Malaysia has had an inclusive economic growth rate of about 7 percent annually for the past 25 years. Since this growth has been inclusive, Malaysia has been successful at nearly eradicating poverty in the country. This makes the Malaysia poverty rate comparatively low—less than 1 percent of Malaysians live in extreme poverty.
How is it that the Malaysia poverty rate can be so low?
The answer to that question is multifaceted.
Diversifying the Economy
Firstly, it has to do with the economy. In the 1970s, the industry in Malaysia shifted from being based in the production of raw natural materials to a more diversified economy. Malaysia started to export electronic appliances and parts, palm oil and natural gas.
This diversified economy in turn called for a more diversified and specialized labor force. In 2015 alone, Malaysia witnessed a labor force growth of 1.8 percent and a labor participation rate of 67.9 percent—up about 0.3 percent from 2014. Decreases in unemployment rate have followed economic growth. As of June 2017, the unemployment rate is at 3.2 percent. Comparatively, the U.S. currently has an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent.
Helping the Right Population
The second reason why the Malaysia poverty rate is low is because of the population that has benefited the most from the recent economic growth. The Malaysian government has shifted its focus to address the households in the lowest 40 percent. These “bottom 40” households saw a growth of 11.4 percent from 2009 to 2014. That is compared to the 7.9 percent growth of the total population of Malaysia.
However, because of the focus on the lower income households, many people in the middle class have been left out. According to an article by Malaymail Online, some have even fallen into what is considered poverty. Much of this is due to the high inflation rates per year versus the lack in increase in household income.
In the past, the rising incomes and low cost of living allowed the middle class to thrive in Malaysia. However, as of 2012, inflation started to increase. Thankfully, in the past year the inflation has dropped from around 5 percent to 3 percent.
The future goal of Malaysia as a nation is to reach high income status by 2020. With an economic growth of 7 percent annually for the past 25 years and the Malaysia poverty rate at an all-time low, this number seems realistic and attainable.
– Sydney Roeder
Photo: Flickr
AGOA and MCA Strengthened
The House Foreign Affairs Committee, including Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Karen Bass (D-CA), joined forces to introduce legislation that will improve economic trade in Africa utilizing the Africa Growth and Opportunity and Millennium Challenge Acts.
The original African Growth and Opportunity Act (or AGOA) is a U.S. Trade Act enacted in May 2000. AGOA enhances access to the U.S. market for qualifying Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. In order to qualify for AGOA, countries have to be working to improve their rule of law, human rights and respect for labor standards. Although the act originally covered an eight-year time period until 2008, due to various amendments signed by both former Presidents George W. Bush and Obama, AGOA has been extended to 2025. The new amendments will update and strengthen the original act.
The amendments to AGOA will make information more readily available over the Internet to users in both Africa and the U.S. while encouraging policies that promote economic trade with Africa. They also provide technical assistance that allows participating countries of AGOA to utilize it to its full capacity.
The second part of this legislation will improve economic trade in Africa through updating the Millennium Challenge Act (or MCA). The MCA was passed in 2003 with the main purpose of providing global economic development through assisting in programs that will eliminate poverty while supporting good governance and economic freedom. These programs are run through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), which partners with countries directly in programs that encourage economic growth.
The new amendments to the legislation will allow the MCC to work with more flexibility in their mission to increase regional trade, collaboration, and economic integrity. To accomplish this, the amendments to MCA will allow two projects, or “compacts,” per country simultaneously. In the previous legislation, there was only one allowed—making it particularly competitive. Additionally, MCC’s private-sector board members can extend their term for two years, providing stability. Lastly, the reporting requirements of MCC will be strengthened in order to ensure greater transparency.
Upon the introduction of these amendments to both AGOA and MCA, Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, Rep. Smith and Rep. Bass said in the press release by the Foreign Affairs Committee: “Moving developing countries away from aid and toward trade helps African companies, especially women. But it also benefits U.S. farmers, manufacturers and small businesses by providing new markets for their goods. So today we are introducing a bill to modernize AGOA and MCA—key laws in the effort to encourage African economic independence and promote U.S.-Africa trade. With Africa’s consumer spending expected to reach one trillion dollars, now is the time to accelerate this important trade relationship.”
The introduction of these amendments is a step in the right direction for economic trade in Africa. As so many other countries have invested in the economic growth of Sub-Saharan Africa, the US appears to be moving in that direction as well with the updates of AGOA and MCA.
– Sydney Roeder
Photo: Flickr
Causes of Poverty in Seychelles
Although only around one percent of citizens in Seychelles live in extreme poverty, the country hopes to assist those living in that condition and eventually bring them out of poverty. Here are some of the causes of poverty in Seychelles and how the government is responding to it.
One of the causes of poverty in Seychelles is its dependence on tourism. When the global economy is struggling, tourism is a luxury that many people give up. When tourism declines, this severely affects the majority of Seychelles’ economy. Beyond that, Seychelles is uncomfortable with raising the cost of tourism to make the country more competitive with other tourist destinations; the country strongly values their reputation as an inexpensive place to visit.
Both of these factors culminate into a strong economy that nevertheless cannot sustain its growth. eTurbo News discusses how Seychelles maintains a decent gross domestic product. Unfortunately, a lack of national or international competition prevents the country from soliciting economic improvement.
The stagnant economy exacerbates other causes of poverty in Seychelles, one of which is the incredibly high cost of living. One of many reasons for this is a value-added tax on many items, which makes buying and selling those items very expensive for both the consumer and the producer.
Another of the causes of poverty in Seychelles is the lack of basic needs for the poorer citizens of the country. A study explored in Seychelles News Agency highlights how a large number of Seychellois people lack clean water, food and electricity. The survey also highlights the effects of drug abuse on poverty in Seychelles. In turn, this drug use leads to a lot of ineffective crime punishment.
Because of the causes of poverty in Seychelles, the government is developing programs to assist the poor in the country. Already, the government of Seychelles has implemented short-term intervention programs aimed at making sure families have access to water, food and all-around adequate living conditions. These programs are a fantastic first step aimed at alleviating poverty for Seychelles’ poorest citizens and hopefully they will continue to help even more people.
– Cortney Rowe
Photo: Flickr
Human Rights in Papua New Guinea: Corruption and Brutality
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a small country in Oceania, just north of Australia. While PNG has enjoyed the benefits of economic improvement due to extractive industries, more than 40 percent of its population of six million live in poverty. Across government corruption, abuse of female rights, inhumane conditions for asylum seekers, police brutality, lack of minority rights and prosecution for sexual orientation and gender identity, the state of human rights in Papua New Guinea is severely lacking.
Police abuse is rampant in PNG, and, between 2007 and 2014, a total of 1,600 complaints regarding police brutality were logged by the Internal Affairs Directorate. The government has yet to release how many of these cases resulted in judicial proceedings. Since 2014, the Anti-Corruption Directorate has held a warrant for the arrest of Prime Minister O’Neill, but in April 2016 the Supreme Court dismissed the suit. As a direct result, in June 2016, police forces shot at University of Papua New Guinea students for peacefully protesting government corruption. Over thirty people were injured.
The United Nations has not overlooked such violations of human rights in Papua New Guinea. In May 2016, the United Nations Human Rights Council released a 687-page World Report. The report was critical of PNG’s government and its authoritarian actions.
Police aggression and abuse have also reportedly been highly gendered, with PNG remaining one of the worst in the world for its rates of family and sexual violence. A study conducted by The Lancet in 2013 reported that 41 percent of people on Bougainville Island admitted to raping a non-partner. This statistic neither includes other parts of PNG nor accounts for marital rape. The normalization of these actions has prevented aggressive prosecution of perpetrators or prosecution of these men by police and judiciaries. In fact, the Human Rights Watch notes that police demand “fuel money” from victims before considering their cases any further.
The government has failed to rally legislative or judicial action against gender-based corruption and coercion, and much of it is deeply ingrained in the different cultures of PNG. Historically, violent groups of people have attacked individuals and families for alleged acts of witchcraft. The normalization of severely violating human rights in Papua New Guinea requires serious action but proves difficult because of cultural complexities.
Undoubtedly, there is no simple solution in breaking cultural and national norms. The nuanced approach towards fighting against governmental corruption and gender-based violence, among many other human rights issues, requires federal and community-level strategies.
– Sydney Nam
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Beninese Refugees
Benin is a French-speaking West African nation, home to the Vodun (Voodoo) religion, established in 1960. Benin is a country in which Beninese have fled their own country to seek asylum in other countries, while also accepting refugees from neighboring countries. Here are 10 facts about Beninese refugees:
While many Beninese people left Benin, many people have also sought out Benin to seek asylum from their own countries.
The mid-2000s brought a surge of Togolese refugees into Benin, while at the same time some Beninese sought asylum in other countries. As of 2016, the number of refugees in Benin had drastically dropped and continues to stay at a low amount. These 10 facts about Beninese refugees show how political situations affect a number of asylum seekers.
– Stefanie Podosek
Photo: Flickr
Common Diseases in Luxembourg
Sandwiched between France and Germany, the small nation of Luxembourg is home to nearly 600,000 citizens. Health for the Luxembourgish people is mostly moderate, straying from the norms of Europe very little. However, common diseases in Luxembourg still take their toll on the population, and are more than attention-worthy.
A World Health Organization (WHO) report from 2004 begins by asserting that boys and girls born in Luxembourg can expect to live as long as any other child in Europe. In other words, the life-expectancy averages are very close. The report also notes that Luxembourg’s first-year-of-life mortality rate is among the lowest in Europe.
Common diseases in Luxembourg, as of the 2004 report, include noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease.
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, cerebrovascular disease refers to diseases in which part of the brain is affected by irregular blood flow (“cerebro” meaning “of the large part of the brain” and “vascular” meaning “of the arteries and veins”).
Of these diseases, ischemic stroke is the most common, and occurs when a blockage prevents blood flow to the brain. Victims of this type of attack can usually expect to feel dizzy or nauseated, can feel confused, have abnormal speech, loss of vision, and even experience unusually severe headaches.
Women in particular struggle the most with cerebrovascular diseases in Luxembourg; in fact, women “die from this cause twice as often between 25 and 64 years as women in [the rest of Europe].”
Contributors to cerebrovascular disease include unpreventable circumstances, like age, as well as things that can at least be somewhat controlled, like high blood pressure and smoking. One-third of Luxembourg men and one-fourth of women smoke, one of the highest rates in Europe.
However, cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in Luxembourg.
The American Heart Association states that the most common effect of cardiovascular disease is a heart attack. This occurs when a blood clot blocks blood flow to part of the heart. If this obstruction blocks blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle which the artery connects to will begin to die.
Other types of cardiovascular disease include arrhythmia (irregular rhythm of the heart) and heart failure (when the heart cannot pump enough blood).
The current numbers show signs of improvement against the common diseases in Luxembourg. As of 2015, more than ten years later, health has improved in the small European nation. Life expectancy has jumped up to 80 in men and 84 in women, an increase of a few years each.
Cerebrovascular disease has also fallen off, dropping below Alzheimer’s disease, seeing a 25.4 percent decrease between 2005 and 2015. Ischemic heart disease has also seen an improvement, dropping by 22.5 percent in the same time frame.
– Stephen Praytor
Photo: Google
Tourism Holds Hope for Dominica Poverty Rate
The Dominica poverty rate has always been high, but in recent years with changes in the banana industry, the poverty rate has increased. There are very few wealthy Dominicans and there are no huge income gaps making Dominica one of the poorest countries of the Eastern Caribbean. But tourism to the country may be one solution that can decrease the poverty rate.
The area that is most affected by poverty in Dominica is the northern rural areas where agriculture is the main source of income. In these rural areas, one in every two households is poor. There is also a small urban class of people, which is made up of professionals and civil servants, who are considered middle class while the rest are working class. For the island as a whole, the unemployment rate has reached an estimated 20 percent.
This increase of unemployed people has to do with the decline of banana production. The decrease in banana production partly has to do with large agricultural businesses choosing suppliers in South American countries and getting bananas for a cheaper price. At the height of the banana industry, banana farmers in Dominica were producing 72,000 tons. That number has since dwindled to 12,000 tons of bananas being produced, with banana farmers barely able to cover costs.
With banana production so low, the Dominican government has been looking at other ways to boost the country’s economy. Tourism is being touted as a new solution since the island has beautiful views of waterfalls, rainforests, coral reefs and volcanic sites. Today, tourism contributes more than 30 percent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings while banana production only contributes 10 percent.
But Dominica has a long way to go to increase its economy and decrease the poverty rate. The government needs to protect the island’s ecosystem since that is the draw for tourists. Protection of the island’s ecosystem includes creating and supporting sustainable development and energy systems, having water quality management and deforestation prevention. With these plans set in place, the Dominica poverty rate will be able to decrease once the economy improves.
– Deanna Wetmore
Photo: Flickr