The issues of malnutrition and hunger in Comoros have posed problems for the population since the country gained independence in 1975. Since then, the country has faced political instability. According to BBC News, more than 20 attempted coups have occurred on the islands of Comoros, adding to the effect of hunger and poverty on the island. Today, the government is trying to help the population improve on these fronts.
In 2013, the Global Hunger Index reported that Comoros was one of nineteen countries that had alarming levels of hunger. In fact, close to half of the population of children living in Comoros suffers from severe malnutrition.
This is completely unacceptable – thankfully, the government of Comoros has taken strides to improve the state of hunger in Comoros.
Educational Efforts to Combat Hunger
UNICEF reports that, “Lack of knowledge is one of the most important reasons for malnutrition in Comoros,” meaning that it is necessary for the population to learn how they can prevent hunger by choosing the right foods and gaining access to a larger food source, if possible.
In fact, UNICEF’s program, titled Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI), serves to improve health systems and community practices in countries that need the most help in learning about how to combat hunger.
According to UNICEF, IMCI also works on improving the life expectancy of young children in Comoros by proving vaccination, a knowledge of better nutrition, and practices to protect from malaria. The program wants to help communities learn how to prevent hunger in Comoros (and other countries) so that the ratio of children who die from malnutrition can decrease.
As of now, one out of every four children suffers from malnutrition.
The soil is reportedly fertile, and a number of people are surviving and making a living off their land. Therefore, the presence of food doesn’t seem to be a problem, but the education about which foods and what amount of food are necessary for a child’s survival is pertinent to ending hunger in Comoros.
Alongside malnutrition, children often contract preventable diseases as a result of unsafe water and poor sanitation, such as diarrhea. This is another factor that must be addressed in order to improve the state of hunger in Comoros.
According to UNICEF, nearly 25 percent of children under five years of age are underweight as a result of hunger in Comoros. There is hope for a healthier future as the country and helpful organizations like UNICEF are seeking to improve the country’ state.
With increased education about how the population can improve on these fronts, Comoros will be able to report an increased survival rate and healthier children in the years to come.
– Jacqueline Nicole Artz
Photo: Flickr
Combating Hunger in Comoros
The issues of malnutrition and hunger in Comoros have posed problems for the population since the country gained independence in 1975. Since then, the country has faced political instability. According to BBC News, more than 20 attempted coups have occurred on the islands of Comoros, adding to the effect of hunger and poverty on the island. Today, the government is trying to help the population improve on these fronts.
In 2013, the Global Hunger Index reported that Comoros was one of nineteen countries that had alarming levels of hunger. In fact, close to half of the population of children living in Comoros suffers from severe malnutrition.
This is completely unacceptable – thankfully, the government of Comoros has taken strides to improve the state of hunger in Comoros.
Educational Efforts to Combat Hunger
UNICEF reports that, “Lack of knowledge is one of the most important reasons for malnutrition in Comoros,” meaning that it is necessary for the population to learn how they can prevent hunger by choosing the right foods and gaining access to a larger food source, if possible.
In fact, UNICEF’s program, titled Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI), serves to improve health systems and community practices in countries that need the most help in learning about how to combat hunger.
According to UNICEF, IMCI also works on improving the life expectancy of young children in Comoros by proving vaccination, a knowledge of better nutrition, and practices to protect from malaria. The program wants to help communities learn how to prevent hunger in Comoros (and other countries) so that the ratio of children who die from malnutrition can decrease.
As of now, one out of every four children suffers from malnutrition.
The soil is reportedly fertile, and a number of people are surviving and making a living off their land. Therefore, the presence of food doesn’t seem to be a problem, but the education about which foods and what amount of food are necessary for a child’s survival is pertinent to ending hunger in Comoros.
Alongside malnutrition, children often contract preventable diseases as a result of unsafe water and poor sanitation, such as diarrhea. This is another factor that must be addressed in order to improve the state of hunger in Comoros.
According to UNICEF, nearly 25 percent of children under five years of age are underweight as a result of hunger in Comoros. There is hope for a healthier future as the country and helpful organizations like UNICEF are seeking to improve the country’ state.
With increased education about how the population can improve on these fronts, Comoros will be able to report an increased survival rate and healthier children in the years to come.
– Jacqueline Nicole Artz
Photo: Flickr
UN Helps Battle Food Insecurity in South Sudan
A recent report from the U.N. indicates 5.5 million South Sudanese people are facing food insecurity. Approximately 100,000 of those are in immediate danger of starving.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is stepping up to address the crisis. It is fast-tracking plans to deliver more than 150,000 fishing kits, consisting of lines, hooks and nets, to those in need.
A Multi-Faceted Problem
Nearly 95 percent of South Sudan’s population depends on farming, fishing or herding to meet their needs. Unfortunately, a drought plunged multiple parts of the country, already torn by a civil war that started in 2013, into famine and food insecurity.
The conflict forced approximately 2.4 million people to move from their homes. It has also prevented many farmers from harvesting their crops. Some were able to shelter in neighboring countries, but other families were not so lucky. Driven into the bush, those unable to flee the country resorted to eating weeds and water lily roots.
To complicate matters even more, poor roads are disrupting some routes in South Sudan and negatively affecting critical supply lines. Coupled with an 800 percent hyperinflation rate, the supply chain issues are making it impossible for many to purchase food.
Life-Saving Equipment
FAO representative Serge Tissot knows the virtues of the simple hooks, lines and nets in mitigating food insecurity. “Fishery equipment is the best tool for them to catch something to eat quickly,” he said.
Terekeka state, near South Sudan’s capital city of Juba, shows promise for the hungry people. The region lies close to the Nile and includes five lakes that are home to Nile Perch, Tilapia, Catfish and Mudfish.
Terekeka Fishing Cooperative Chairman, Clement Sebit, reports that previously distributed fishing kits are have already been put to good use in the stocked waters. “We have had more people come to this area seeking safety…they are now fishing together with the other fisher folk.”
The fishing kits are part of the Emergency Livelihood Response Program, which receives its funding through the Common Humanitarian Fund Norway, UKAID and USAID.
– Gisele Dunn
Photo: Flickr
Top 20 Poverty Facts
Poverty can be found citywide, statewide, nationally and globally. Poverty can develop in the smallest or most unexpected locations — familiar places, not simply distant third world countries separated from the cozy upper-middle-class Western lifestyle. This is a global issue that must be dealt with by the international community. Some efforts are being made to that effect, but not enough. Here are 20 poverty facts:
Top 20 Global Poverty Facts
Even though the efforts and statistics appear bleak, progress is making headway. These 20 poverty facts demonstrate a push in the right direction that the world’s poor need.
– Karyn Adams
Photo: Flickr
Obesity, Malnutrition and Hunger in Dominica
With a GDP of nearly $5.2 million and a population of 72,680 people, the Commonwealth of Dominica is considered an upper-middle-income country, according to the World Bank.
While the average citizen does not regularly face hunger in Dominica, many still face malnutrition through the introduction of the Western diet. Approximately 55 percent of all foods consumed in Dominica are imported, which contributes to a calorically dense, yet nutritionally weak diet and increases in diet-related non-communicable diseases like obesity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and local clinicians alike have identified obesity to be a persistent issue for the island country, with clinical data estimating 24.8 percent of adolescents to be overweight and 9.1 percent obese in 2016. The WHO has enlisted a series of nutritional initiatives and campaigns to reduce obesity through nutrition counseling and promotion of unprocessed foods.
Dominica is also especially susceptible to natural disasters due to its location in the Caribbean. Hurricanes and tropical storms can severely stunt the island nation’s food production, as seen in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Erika in 2015. The Agriculture Minister at the time, Johnson Drigo, reported over $200 million in damages to Dominica’s agricultural sector months after the tropical storm had passed.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has contributed much to the literature surrounding nutrition security in Dominica, as well as measures to improve it. The FAO and the government of Dominica have agreed to collaborate over the 2016 to 2019 timeframe in three primary categories: food and nutrition security, agricultural health and food safety; risk management, building resilience to climate change; and sustainable rural agricultural development.
For instance, the FAO aids Dominica’s National School Feeding Program in connecting school lunch programs to local farms and improving nutrition education among students. The FAO also recognizes that domestic agriculture and fisheries production contributes significant food culture and nutrition value for the population.
When it comes to natural disaster relief, the FAO invests in the short-term, emergency recovery efforts of small farmers and supports long-term, emergency relief planning and agriculture disaster risk management.
While hunger in Dominica may not be the most pertinent issue in the country’s food security, the key to minimizing hunger, obesity and malnutrition alike may lie in improving sustainable nutrition development and in preserving and protecting local agriculture in light of natural disasters.
– Casie Wilson
Photo: Flickr
The Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act
The Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act was reintroduced to the Senate last week, by U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL). The bill moved swiftly through the House of Representatives earlier this year.
Programs created under the READ Act will have four basic goals:
The President also has three specific duties under the READ Act:
The bill also establishes the new position of Senior Coordinator of U.S. International Basic Education Assistance within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This position is responsible for coordinating U.S. government resources to promote basic education at an international level.
The act requires USAID to develop a strategy to promote basic education in developing countries. The agency’s current strategy is based on the idea that education is important for human development, economic growth, and democracy. The U.S. has foreign assistance programs in more than 100 countries throughout the world, which are primarily designed to further U.S. foreign policy interests by “expanding free markets, combating extremism, ensuring stable democracies, and addressing the root causes of poverty, while simultaneously fostering global goodwill.”
Chairman Ed Royce of the House Foreign Affairs Committee gave remarks noting this strategy on the House floor in support of the bill prior to the vote. He stated that education drives economic development, security and stability. He acknowledged that there is a humanitarian crisis due to the high number of children not in school, and called for the READ Act to be passed to mitigate this.
As stated by Royce, millions of children around the globe are out of school. Many of these children are in war-torn countries and are at a much higher risk of being targeted for abuse or terrorist recruitment. Approximately four million children in Syria are not in school, and many others are straining the education systems of neighboring countries as refugees. The READ Act focuses attention on countries like Syria that are most in need of U.S. support and resources.
The Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act was introduced in the House of Representatives on Jan. 23, 2017, by Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY-17) and passed the very next day. Passing the READ Act through the Senate is crucial for providing developing countries the tools they need to increase access to basic education.
– Lindsay Harris
Photo: Flickr
The Thanapara Swallows Development Society
In the village of Thanapara in Bangladesh, the Thanapara Swallows Development Society is creating fair-trade products in an effort to better develop social and economic situations for the poor. In 1973, the society was founded as part of the Swedish organization The Swallows. It has been a fully operational and independent non-profit since 1999.
The Society oversees many empowering projects spanning different areas such as agriculture, education, fair-trade production, health care, human rights, micro-credits, training and sanitation. The goals of these projects are to improve self-sufficiency for people in the area.
Their handicraft program has been around since the Society began, and was globally recognized as a guaranteed fair-trade organization in the Star Business Report in February of 2016. The elements of fair-trade encompass, “creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers, transparency and accountability, no child labor, women’s economic empowerment, and freedom of association.”
The program uses local materials and employs around 250 people, both women and men. They have 168 permanent producers with additional temporary producers, totaling nearly 200. Processes of the handicraft program include dying, embroidery, sewing, weaving, and designing. All of the fabric is 100 percent organic cotton. Some of the products the Society creates for sale include fabrics, bedding, pillows, wall hanging, scarves, bags, and clothing. Creations produced by the Thanapara Swallows Development Society can be purchased at their showroom in the village but also through companies abroad.
The garments are predominately exported and sold in Japan and many countries across Europe. The Society has many well-known customers including People Tree, a U.K. “fair-trade pioneer” within the fashion industry featured in the 2015 documentary film True Cost, which shows the commonly unseen aspects of the fashion industry on people and environments around the world.
Through buying fair-trade items, consumers have the ability to fight global poverty through their regular purchases. Efforts, such as those of The Thanapara Swallows Development Society, allow consumers to gain the power to improve the lives of others.
– Shannon Elder
Photo: Flickr
The Mwelu Foundation
The Mwelu Foundation is a photography and film production trust based in Nairobi, Kenya, working to help children in the city’s slums realize their creative talents. Founded in 2007 by local photojournalist Julius Mwelu, the organization serves around 80 Kenyan children with help from local volunteers.
Mwelu has two separate programs, one for children up to 17 years old and another for young adults between 18 and 25 years old. Both programs serve to nurture talent by “providing children with a voice and promoting education,” in hopes of breaking the cycles of poverty and violence that are typically present in the area.
Initially, the foundation focused on photography, then added film after much success. The team has produced ten professional photographers and has played a role in seven documentaries and five short films.
The foundation’s School Outreach Project has partnered with four local schools to provide weekly training in photography. When schools are closed, trainers host week-long workshops that focus on changing central themes. By the end of the week, they produce either photography or a film. In addition to film and photography, journalism and creative writing are also artistic focuses.
In 2012, the trust created a community library. The library consists of two spaces that can each fit around 30 students, serving both primary and high school-aged kids. The library allows a space for study, homework help, and access to books.
The project has an additional focus on building life skills, particularly for girls, promoting them to be active in their classes. This is very important, as it allows them to have similar opportunities as their male counterparts. The foundation has a group specifically for girls, Mwelu Divas, which creates projects that document life in the slums. Girls involved in the program say it helps them detour from traditional destructive paths that many women in the area find themselves in, such as early pregnancies and dropping out of school.
The Mwelu Foundation has received support from many groups including Africalia Belgium, Wings of Support, and Canon. While the slum of Mathare is often seen as a hopeless place, The Mwelu Foundation is invoking hope and opportunity through art.
– Shannon Elder
Photo: Flickr
Achieving the SDGs: UN Secretary-General Calls for System Overhaul
In her first official statement as newly appointed U.N. Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed called for a new approach to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She gave her speech to the U.N. Economic and Social Council’s operational activities segment, which met from Feb. 28 to March 2, 2017. Topics of this year’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting included: increasing integration, coordination, accountability, and transparency in the U.N. development system to garner trust and rebuild confidence in the U.N. development system’s ability to actualize the SDGs.
The organization must adapt to the needs of the international community and not the other way around. In Amina Mohammed’s address to the council, she stated, “achieving the SDGs will require all countries to rethink systems, approaches, redefine traditional planning, delivery and monitoring.”
Amina Mohammed has an impressive track record fighting for the environment as the former Minister of the Environment of Nigeria, Founder of the Center for Development Policy Solutions and a professor for the Masters in Development Practice program at Columbia University’s world-renowned Earth Institute. Mohammed’s commitment to the SDGs can be seen throughout her professional career. In her address, she said that “achieving the SDGs is not an option, but an imperative for a safe and secure future of prosperity, opportunity and human rights for all.” The SDGs are an investment to prevent crises from forming out of global challenges like poverty, climate change, environment and hunger. The SDGs will make the world a safer, more inclusive and peaceful world.
Mohammed believes that achieving the SDGs will require the U.N. to “reinvent itself by taking a bolder approach.” While the U.N. is actively engaged in efforts to achieve the SDGs, some future strategies still need to be dreamed up. We have come a long way from the creation of the Millennium Development Goals in 2000 to the SDGs in 2015, to the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, policy and finance framework for the SDGs in 2015, to the Inter-agency Task Force, which analyzes the progress being made towards the SDGs in 2016. Only time will tell what developments come in the future.
– Josh Ward
Photo: Flickr
Rural Bangladeshi Ambulances: Upgrade from Solar Technology
Inexpensive health care in rural Bangladesh is within reach due to solar technology. Researchers from Bangladesh’s BRAC University collaborated with Beevatech, a vehicle manufacturer, to create an ambulance that runs entirely on solar power. The three-wheeled ambulance, financed by the World Bank and seed funds from the U.S. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is on track for a launch within the year.
The upgrade was sorely needed. Many rural Bangladeshi communities are unable to afford ambulance service, and people needing emergency care are forced to ride in antiquated, painfully slow, human-powered rickshaws. This solar technology will be a game-changer for outlying communities, as the new ambulances are expected to cost as little as $1,900. In contrast, traditional ambulances cost at least $30,000 in Bangladesh.
Innovation from an Unlikely Source
The project’s team leader, BRAC University professor A.K.M. Abdul Malek Azad, was inspired by a unique source — the racecar. Azad learned of a solar racecar being driven in Australia, and the idea struck. “I thought if researchers can develop a solar racing car, there is potential to develop a solar ambulance,” he explained.
Although the solar ambulance is faster than its human-powered counterpart, it can’t be mistaken for its racecar inspiration. The vehicle has a maximum speed of 9-12 mph. Still, the speed is a far cry from that of a human-powered rickshaw.
Green and Inexpensive
Azad has a big-picture approach for the ambulance. Not only are the vehicles cheap to purchase, but they are also inexpensive to run. They are equipped with a solar battery for use during nighttime hours, and there are solar panels on the roof to power it by day. The battery can recharge within three to four hours.
There are plans in the works to further improve the solar technology. Azad would like to see the installation of a solar-powered battery charging station at or near hospitals. Azad says, “This step is taken to ensure complete independence of these electrically assisted rickshaws from the national grid… by using the solar power we can reduce operational costs and save the environment.”
The Test Drive
BRAC University’s Control & Applications Research Centre (CARC) took the rough roads of rural Bangladesh into consideration when designing the ambulance. The wheels were constructed to be thicker and smaller than the wheels of traditional rickshaws. This ensures a smoother ride on even the roughest roads. They also strengthened the chassis to increase stability — an important asset for a three-wheeled vehicle.
BRAC University researchers reported that they received a positive reception from the public when testing their prototype.
Impressed by the innovative solar technology, Health Ministry Secretary Habibur Rahman Khan reported that they would consider purchasing the ambulances for rural hospitals, once available.
– Gisele Dunn
Photo: Flickr
Political Life for Women in Morocco
Political life for women in Morocco has long been suppressed because of law and a very conservative culture. Recently, aspects of the nation have changed for the better. After King Mohammed VI’s revisions in the Moroccan Family Code, women were allotted a larger voice.
In 2011, the Moroccan Arab Spring focused on women’s rights and issues. This movement promoted a new voice for women in Morocco.
The percentage of women holding parliamentary seats was only 1 percent in 2001, but since then, the progression of a quota for women’s parliamentary seats was first changed to a minimum of 12 percent in 2007 to 27 percent in 2010. Currently, 30 percent of women in Morocco are holding parliamentary seats.
In 2012, Nabila Mounib became the first woman ever to be elected to a major political party. She led the United Socialist Party, which is a secular and socialist party.
Mounib is also a professor at the University of Hassan II, in Casablanca. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mounib talked about the future of her party, “Our focus will be to push for a system where people’s rights are respected. We are also pushing for the release of political prisoners and for gender equality.”
NGO’s have heavily impacted political life for women in Morocco over the past ten years. Groups like Mouvement pour la Democratie Paritaire, which is partnered with the British Government, uses the British Arab partnership fund to advocate for women’s representation within government. The group meets with parliamentary groups within the Moroccan government.
Other groups, such as the International Republican Institution, help to give a voice to groups of women in Morocco who are often overlooked. The group sets up workshops for women candidates in rural areas.
Rural areas in Morocco are known for having low rates of unemployment, education, and literacy for women. The International Republican Institution aids political life for women in Morocco by providing women with the knowledge they need to become active in government. When they learn how to campaign, women are able to mobilize what they have learned and can teach other women, creating a bigger voice for themselves.
– Maria Rodriguez
Photo: Flickr