Over the course of two decades, Matt Damon has built quite the resume, with acting achievements and accolades that aspiring actors can only dream of receiving. Damon entered the Hollywood spotlight after his break through film “Good Will Hunting,” which he starred in and co-wrote with close friend Ben Affleck, eventually winning the Oscar for best writing in 1998. Following his historic debut, Damon has gone on to star in highly-praised films such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Departed” and the Bourne trilogy.
Damon has since devoted his time to provide underdeveloped countries in Africa, Latin America and South Asia with access to clean water through his foundation, Water.org.
According to Water.org, 663 million people lack access to safe drinking water, 2.4 billion lack access to improved sanitation, and one million are killed by tainted water or other poor sanitation-related diseases each year. One in three people lacks access to a toilet, and every 90 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease–including diarrhea, the third leading cause of death among children.
Damon decided he could no longer ignore the suffering of millions of people on a daily basis, considering that lack of sanitary water is preventable. Damon addressed his discontent with the ongoing water crisis to CNN, saying, “You know, imagine if we cure cancer tomorrow and in 100 years, three-and-a-half million people a year are still dying of it. I mean it’s just unconscionable.”
Using his celebrity platform, Damon created a nonprofit that provides affordable access to safe water and proper lavatory facilities through microfinance loans. Damon and White met at the Clinton Global Initiative and discovered that both had similar organizations that focused on clean and safe water (Damon with H20 Africa Foundation, and White with Water Partners).
Damon and White agreed to merge their charities, and in 2009, Water.org was born. Water.org has since provided more than six million people with access to safe and sanitary water while implementing programs in 14 different countries across the globe, including Ethiopia, Cambodia and Brazil.
One of the main goals of Water.org is to give women and children a life where they do not have to work hours on end to obtain water. Water.org suggests that women suffer the most from the water crisis, due to the fact that women and children spend close to six hours a day collecting water. By providing access to clean water, Matt Damon’s Water.org believes women can use the extra time saved to pursue work and school.
One of the countries most impacted by the efforts of Matt Damon’s Water.org has been Ethiopia, where 43 million people don’t have access to safe water and 71 million lack access to improved sanitation. Through the contributions made by Water.org, 149,000 Ethiopians have been reached with improved water, sanitation and hygiene. As recently as 2015, Water.org launched WaterCredit programs, which the organization expects to bring 40,000 people access to safe water over five years.
Matt Damon’s Water.org has not slowed down its efforts. In the beginning of 2017, Water.org partnered with Stella Artois to further their pursuit of clean and sanitized water. If you buy a pint or bottle in various bars in the U.K and the U.S., Artois will personally fund a month of clean water for someone in the developing world.
Damon told CBS, “We’re going to try reach over the next four years 3.5 million more people with clean water solutions through Stella.” Through programs such as WaterCredits and the partnership with Stella Artois, Matt Damon and Water.org will keep fighting to provide accessible clean and sanitized water for all.
– Patrick Greeley
Photo: Flickr
Matt Damon’s Water.org Leads the Fight Against the Global Water Crisis
Over the course of two decades, Matt Damon has built quite the resume, with acting achievements and accolades that aspiring actors can only dream of receiving. Damon entered the Hollywood spotlight after his break through film “Good Will Hunting,” which he starred in and co-wrote with close friend Ben Affleck, eventually winning the Oscar for best writing in 1998. Following his historic debut, Damon has gone on to star in highly-praised films such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Departed” and the Bourne trilogy.
Damon has since devoted his time to provide underdeveloped countries in Africa, Latin America and South Asia with access to clean water through his foundation, Water.org.
According to Water.org, 663 million people lack access to safe drinking water, 2.4 billion lack access to improved sanitation, and one million are killed by tainted water or other poor sanitation-related diseases each year. One in three people lacks access to a toilet, and every 90 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease–including diarrhea, the third leading cause of death among children.
Damon decided he could no longer ignore the suffering of millions of people on a daily basis, considering that lack of sanitary water is preventable. Damon addressed his discontent with the ongoing water crisis to CNN, saying, “You know, imagine if we cure cancer tomorrow and in 100 years, three-and-a-half million people a year are still dying of it. I mean it’s just unconscionable.”
Using his celebrity platform, Damon created a nonprofit that provides affordable access to safe water and proper lavatory facilities through microfinance loans. Damon and White met at the Clinton Global Initiative and discovered that both had similar organizations that focused on clean and safe water (Damon with H20 Africa Foundation, and White with Water Partners).
Damon and White agreed to merge their charities, and in 2009, Water.org was born. Water.org has since provided more than six million people with access to safe and sanitary water while implementing programs in 14 different countries across the globe, including Ethiopia, Cambodia and Brazil.
One of the main goals of Water.org is to give women and children a life where they do not have to work hours on end to obtain water. Water.org suggests that women suffer the most from the water crisis, due to the fact that women and children spend close to six hours a day collecting water. By providing access to clean water, Matt Damon’s Water.org believes women can use the extra time saved to pursue work and school.
One of the countries most impacted by the efforts of Matt Damon’s Water.org has been Ethiopia, where 43 million people don’t have access to safe water and 71 million lack access to improved sanitation. Through the contributions made by Water.org, 149,000 Ethiopians have been reached with improved water, sanitation and hygiene. As recently as 2015, Water.org launched WaterCredit programs, which the organization expects to bring 40,000 people access to safe water over five years.
Matt Damon’s Water.org has not slowed down its efforts. In the beginning of 2017, Water.org partnered with Stella Artois to further their pursuit of clean and sanitized water. If you buy a pint or bottle in various bars in the U.K and the U.S., Artois will personally fund a month of clean water for someone in the developing world.
Damon told CBS, “We’re going to try reach over the next four years 3.5 million more people with clean water solutions through Stella.” Through programs such as WaterCredits and the partnership with Stella Artois, Matt Damon and Water.org will keep fighting to provide accessible clean and sanitized water for all.
– Patrick Greeley
Photo: Flickr
Treating the Roots of Hunger in Spain
2008 may seem like a distant memory to many, but to those still suffering the repercussions of Spain’s recession of the same year, the time has crawled by. Despite economic growth, poverty and hunger in Spain continue to affect millions.
Spain’s recession saw devastation throughout the city streets. Mothers with their children and young adults who had just begun to learn the feeling of job security, rummaged through discarded bins of leftover produce: their next meal. At local wholesale fruit and vegetable markets, produce that had rolled off trucks was spotted and hastily collected by hungry onlookers. Those not willing to scavenge in the streets turned to food pantries.
Food pantries and soup kitchens saw a 33 percent increase in visitors, all of whom had never required previous nutritional aid. Families met with the new and unexpected inability to provide for themselves felt deeply ashamed for seeking such help. Some families would even visit pantries in neighboring towns to avoid meeting anyone they knew. That was in 2012, already four years deep into the recession. Economic recovery was slow, and there was little progress toward ending hunger in Spain.
The city of Girona retaliated with a disheartening response. Instead of solving the issue of hunger, the city decided only to solve the issue of public scavenging. The city padlocked all of its supermarket trash bins. The locks were deemed a “public health precaution.” However, no such precautions were taken to aid those who had been forced to scavenge in the first place.
Miraculously, between 2015 and 2016, certain individuals set out to tackle hunger in Spain by way of repurposing food waste.
In the Basque town of Galdakao, Alvaro Saiz created Solidarity Fridge. It’s exactly what it sounds like: based on cooperation and mutual support, this fridge sits on a sidewalk in a small fenced in area. Individuals, restaurants and stores can bring their perfectly good leftovers to the fridge. Then, those in the area who are unemployed or tight on cash can take what they need.
Saiz said the idea for Solidarity Fridge started with the 2008 economic crisis. The pictures of people searching dumpsters for food got him thinking about how much food is wasted daily.
Mireia Barba went right to the source with another method to combat hunger in Spain. Barba is the founder of Espigoladors, meaning “gleaners,” an organization that takes to the fields of Catalan post-harvest. It may come as a surprise to most regular grocery shoppers, but farmers discard massive amounts of unwanted crops considered unmarketable. Espigoladors coordinates with farmers to harvest their unwanted crops and deliver them to food banks.
Like Solidarity Fridge, Espigoladors emerged out of necessity in the aftermath of the recession. Europe wastes an appalling 88 million tons of food each year, which translates to about $168 billion. In addition to feeding the hungry and improving diets, gleaning can also reduce pressure on land use and provide work for the socially excluded. The Espigoladors initiative seemed a logical solution in a country suffering from economic strain and hunger.
It is amazing what simple neighborly compassion can do in a time of need. It will take hard work and continuing innovation to improve hunger in Spain. Solidarity Fridge helped local businesses recognize the corners they were cutting by throwing out leftovers, and Espigoladors returned to the source of the hunger crisis. The bottom line is this: Spain won’t get to the root of the problem without getting a little soil on its hands.
– Sophie Nunnally
Photo: Flickr
Most Common Diseases in Ireland are Non-Communicable
With a population of 4.773 million, Ireland is an island country located west of Great Britain. Like in many other developed countries, noncommunicable diseases top the list of leading causes of death and disability. Discussed below are the common diseases in Ireland and their implications.
4 Most Common Diseases in Ireland
Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases
Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country, and, in 2012, it was associated with eight percent of all fatalities. Heart attacks, strokes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) together make up another 16 percent of all fatalities. Eighty percent of these deaths, however, are preventable with increased awareness and prevention efforts. The Irish Heart Foundation recommends that citizens stop smoking, improve eating habits, including consuming more fruits and vegetables, increase exercise to at least 30 minutes five times per week and attend regular physical check-ups for blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Cancer
Thirty percent of all deaths in Ireland are associated with cancer, the second most common killer in the country. There are over 9,000 deaths per year in Ireland that stem from cancer. The most common cancers are lung, breast, colon, prostate and skin. Lung cancer alone is the third leading cause of death, and, in 2012, was responsible for the deaths of 1,801 people, six percent of all fatalities. Breast cancer and colon cancer combined cause another four percent of total fatalities. The Irish Cancer Society wants people to be aware that four out of ten cancers can be prevented through better lifestyle choices such as not smoking, eating healthier, monitoring weight, watching alcohol intake and exercising.
Mental Health Disorders
Self-harm is another leading cause of death in the country. Depression, which is often connected to suicide, is a common mental health disorder in Ireland. It is estimated that at least one in five people will suffer from depression in their lifetime. Ireland is fourth in the world for suicide rates of young men ages 18 to 24, which may, in part, be due to the recent recession. Awareness and response are key to fighting depression and suicide rates in the country. There are many depression and mental health organizations in Ireland such as The Samaritans and Aware.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Every year, about 4,000 new cases of dementia are identified in Ireland. There are about 47,744 people in Ireland living with dementia, 30,359 of which are women and 17,385 of which are men. This number is expected to drastically increase over the next few decades due to population aging. A big problem is the lack of awareness and knowledge about the diseases as well as the stigma surrounding them. For example, people often believe that memory loss is a natural part of aging, although this may not be true. Better awareness and recognition of these diseases in Ireland can increase the support available for patients. To help ensure proper representation, in 2013, the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland established the Irish Dementia Working Group to guarantee involvement with dementia patients and their families and to influence necessary public policy.
Because the majority of common diseases in Ireland are noncommunicable, awareness and education are key factors to help to best represent current patients and to help prevent future diagnosis. Making better and healthier lifestyle choices are especially important to help prevent and fight these diseases.
– Francesca Montalto
Photo: Flickr
Six Facts About Poverty in Haiti
Top 6 Facts on Poverty in Haiti
These facts about poverty in Haiti may raise curiosity around the following question: how can people help fight poverty in Haiti? For those who are looking to help, there are several effective charities helping to bring relief to Haitians, including Konbit Mizik, Madre, The Lambi Fund of Haiti and many others.
– Noel Mcdavid
Photo: Flickr
Common Diseases in Serbia
Serbia’s 56 percent mortality rate in 2007 is attributed to cardiovascular disease, making it the number one cause of death. High cholesterol, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity are some of the main factors contributing to the prevalence of the illness. With focused lifestyle changes, the better part of this percentage can be decreased to create a healthier nation. Transitioning into eating organic foods and increasing physical activity are two changes that could help tremendously.
A close second when ranking the common diseases in Serbia is chronic respiratory disease. With a 61.7 percent tobacco exposure rate, this does not come as a surprise. On average, 33.6 percent of the Serbian adult population smokes, thus adding to the likelihood of developing a respiratory-related illness. Nevertheless, this rate has dropped by 6.9 percent over a period of six years, highlighting a significant positive shift.
Waterborne diseases also contribute to a noticeable percentage of diseases in Serbia. The Serbian government has joined forces with the United Nations, and has been implementing other programs to help eradicate this disease. They set water quality targets in 2013 and focuses on small water resources.
Some of the sustainable development goals they have implemented are: SDG 3.3 to combat waterborne disease, SDG 3.9 to decrease the number of deaths and illnesses due to contamination and SDG 6.1 to provide universal access to clean water.
With risk of contamination in rural areas, these programs have mainly centered around those regions. Holistically, Serbia has made tremendous advancements when it comes to the health and safety of its residents. This sturdy base will help ensure that these improvements are maintained.
– Tanvi Wattal
Photo: Google
Human Rights in Swaziland
In 2016, specific cases of infringement of human rights in Swaziland included restrictions on freedom of assembly. The police took advantage of the Urban Act, which requires protesters to report any plans of a public protest two weeks prior to the event, and cracked down on it by attacking protesters. For example, in February the Swazi police arrested two leaders of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), Mcolisi Ngcamphalala and Mbongwa Dlamini, who were participating in protests.
On September 22, 2016, the Human Rights Watch released a statement that criticized the Swazi government for not implementing the recommendations it accepted during its last Universal Periodic Review (URP) in 2011. These recommendations – which were aimed at ensuring progress in human rights reform in the country – comprised: elimination of all restrictions on fundamental civil and political rights, allowing political freedom through fair and transparent democratic elections and decriminalization of same-sex relations. Despite the apparent absence of democracy in Swaziland, the king has recently carried out a deceptive campaign to convince his citizens that their country is a democratic kingdom.
The future of human rights in Swaziland is unclear. However, the recent performance by the country’s High Court is notable. In September 2016, the court declared the Suppression of Terrorism Act, which had been used by the government to ban opposition to King Mswati’s rule, as unconstitutional. If similar political decisions are made in the future, it would mean more progress for human rights in Swaziland.
– Minh Joo Yi
Photo: Google
Preventing Common Diseases in Mali
The most common diseases in Mali are ones that are frequently encountered across Sub-Saharan Africa. Combined with the debilitating effects of the country’s civil conflict, these diseases have had devastating consequences on Mali’s population. Efforts to combat these diseases, however, have been long underway – often in concert with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and neighboring countries.
Malaria
As with many African nations, malaria has been a scourge on Mali, and it remains the most prominent cause of death for children under five. Northern Mali is particularly severely affected. Due to the Malian Civil War, which began in 2012, NGOs have severely limited access to Northern Mali and medicine often struggles to reach those desperately in need of it.
Treatment that makes a breakthrough, however, has been wide-ranging and effective. The World Health Organization has reported on the use of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC), which is now being administered three days per month in particularly hard-hit areas, during the most vulnerable period for young children to develop the disease.
HIV/Aids
As with malaria, Mali’s civil conflict has spurred the spread of diseases; among them is HIV/Aids. Militias displacing the northern population have significantly expanded the population of Southern Mali, where the capital, Bamako, has exploded in size. This increase in population has created fertile conditions for the spread of HIV/Aids. In 2015, an estimated 1.25 percent of adult Malians lived with the disease.
Treatment is restricted by the severe social stigma that surrounds HIV/Aids. Most Malians who are infected are isolated from their communities and many attempt to hide their condition. As a result, treatment has remained mostly focused on mother-to-child transmissions. UNICEF has been at the forefront of ensuring mothers are offered a free voluntary test, with those found needing treatment receiving antiretroviral drugs.
Polio
Despite the political and cultural hurdles, there is a remarkable success story of disease prevention in the country’s recent history: the near-eradication of Polio, once one of the most common diseases in Mali.
In a strange twist of fate, the infrastructure put in place to protect Mali from Ebola at the height of the 2014 outbreak proved essential to taking on Polio. In 2017, Mali is now acting in concert with other African nations in attempting to eradicate the disease, which once proliferated across the continent. A 190,000 vaccinator-strong drive has the capability of immunizing more than 116 million children, among them Malians.
The experiences of dealing with these common diseases in Mali reveal both the pitfalls and breakthroughs that come with attempting to prevent their spread. In some cases, domestic conflict and social mores can inhibit efforts to address the problem. In others, as with Polio, transnational cooperation, and perhaps a little luck, can help bring a once-common disease to the point of near-eradication.
– Jonathan Riddick
Photo: Flickr
Cotton: One of the Major Causes of Poverty in Uzbekistan
“White gold,” also known as cotton, currently accounts for a whopping 60 percent of Uzbekistan’s export earnings. This resulted from the actions of the Soviet government during the 1940s. Because cotton is a highly water intensive crop, the Soviet Union built canals to divert water from the Aral Sea to Uzbekistan’s cotton fields. Now, the Aral Sea has shrunk to 15 percent of its original volume and former ports around the Aral Sea rest as ghost towns. The loss of these ports has been another cause of poverty in Uzbekistan.
This has also meant that Uzbekistan’s economy remains undiversified. As the current government of Uzbekistan retains tight controls on most facets of the economy, farmers are pressured to meet cotton quotas, and other farmers can grow little else. This has compromised the country’s food supply.
What makes matters worse is that governmental corruption drains farmers’ deserved income from yielding cotton. A U.K. charity called The Environmental Justice Foundation has stated, “the official price that farmers receive in return for their cotton represents just one third of its true value. But the real outlook is far more bleak. Farmers have reported that they don’t even receive the official procurement price.”
Therefore, the conquest for “white gold” or cotton has been one of the major causes of poverty in Uzbekistan. If dreams for a more thriving economy are to be realized, the economy must expand to include more than cotton.
– Shannon Golden
Photo: Google
Programs Alleviating the Barbados Poverty Rate
The Barbados poverty rate stands at 19 percent for individuals. This is a significant increase from the 13.9 percent poverty rate reported in 1998, and it does not bode well for an economy largely dependent on foreign tourism. Though the poverty line has shifted in the right direction, with the average income increasing from $5503 to $7860, the country acknowledges that there is much work to be done.
To combat the rising Barbados poverty rate, the ISEE Bridge Project was started. The acronym ISEE stands for the four steps the government has identified as necessary to help reduce poverty in Barbados.
The first part of the program has already been completed: identification of vulnerable populations and people living below the poverty line who desperately need help. Next comes stabilization, or addressing the most pressing needs. Following stabilization comes enablement, where necessary skills are imparted. The final step of the ISEE Bridge Program is empowerment, or providing individuals with all the support they need to succeed and excel.
The ISEE Bridge Program began in 2015, has helped 30 families so far and will expand to serve more than 250 families. This program is a small portion of the initiative that has been committed to ameliorating the Barbados poverty rate.
Other facets of the initiative will address specific groups such as retrenched workers and at-risk youth aged 16 to 30. With a high Global Development Index score and firm commitments to the future of its people, Barbados is well on its way toward increasing living standards and alleviating poverty countrywide.
– Connor S. Keowen
Photo: Google
Hunger in Martinique
On the World Food Programme’s 2011 Hunger Map, Martinique was listed as a Category 1 country, with less than five percent of its population undernourished and experiencing hunger. This puts Martinique at extremely low risk for hunger and malnutrition, on a similar level as countries like the United States.
More concerning for Martinique is the presence of a dangerous pesticide, Chlordecone – found in the soil and in plants – that has been causing inflated rates of prostate cancer in men for decades. It is estimated that 80,000 people or more in Martinique live in areas where the soil is contaminated by Chlordecone. About 13,000 of these people absorb much more than the recommended daily dose of the pesticide just by eating their own plants and produce that they’ve grown themselves.
Fisheries have also suffered from the effects of Chlordecone poisoning, as many lobsters and fish in the area contain an unsafe level of the toxin. Poor people and farmers are most affected by these rates of poisoning because of the loss of fisheries and agriculture.
For every 100,000 men in Martinique, 227 have prostate cancer – an alarming rate considering the drastically lower numbers in neighboring countries. Prostate cancer, along with breast cancer in women and cognitive malfunctioning in children, has been linked to exposure to Chlordecone.
It is estimated that it will take another 600 years to reduce the current amount of Chlordecone in the ground, so this is a problem that aid groups and foreign countries must help the people of Martinique learn to live with.
Recently, the French Overseas Minister to Martinique, Victorin Lorel, has created a $2.66 million aid package for Martinique’s fishermen to ease current and future industry loss. He has also promised a new and “ambitious plan” for fisheries in Martinique and other French islands.
The European Union has similarly allocated €520,951,695 to Martinique between 2014 and 2020. This money is intended to rebuild infrastructure, implement sustainable energy production, improve the skills of poor people in Martinique, and ultimately raise quality of life by lowering the poverty rate.
There are many other organizations involved in solving the problem of hunger in Martinique; their projects include setting up food and clothing drives to raise necessary funds. With continued efforts, it is possible that the poverty rate in Martinique will decrease, which will in turn have a positive effect on reducing hunger due to Chlordecone poisoning.
– Saru Duckworth
Photo: Pixabay