From well-known conflicts in Syria to less commonly discussed issues in Afghanistan and South Sudan, the global refugee crisis seems to be getting worse every day. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) records that an average of 28,300 people are forced from their homes every day.
Overall, 65.6 million people have been forced from their homes, 22.5 million of which are refugees, and over half of these refugees are younger than 18. Only 189,300 of these 22.5 million people have been resettled. These figures may feel overwhelming and disheartening, but this situation is not hopeless. As the refugee crisis gains more and more attention, many people find themselves asking a similar question: How can I help refugees?
Though it is a complicated issue, there are many ways that individuals can help and make a difference in the lives of refugees.
Donate
Donating money—as well as time and skills—is an effective, simple way to help. There are various good charities and organizations to look into when considering donations. A few include The White Helmets, UNICEF, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Kiva.org and the International Rescue Committee. Each of these organizations addresses a different facet of the refugee crisis, and they can always use financial support.
If donating money is not a financial possibility, consider donating time or individual skills. Refugee resettlement offices function across the globe, and these offices can usually use a new volunteer or intern. Another way to offer personal skills is to work as an English tutor to help refugees learn English. This can help increase refugees’ chances of employment, and it will also facilitate their adjustment to a new country. Those who have proficient legal knowledge can offer assistance with legal documents and provide other legal services. These are just a few of the ways to give time and skills to aid refugees’ transitions.
Be Welcoming and Kind
You may be asking, “But how can I help refugees if I cannot provide skills or money?” Simply be kind and welcoming. Violence or natural disasters have forced refugees from their homes, and many of them report feeling lonely and isolated when they move to another country. If you have refugees in your neighborhood, make them feel welcome by introducing yourself or even getting them a housewarming gift. Host a dinner party or barbecue and make them feel part of the neighborhood. Introduce your new neighbors to people in the community so that they can begin to develop their own place within the existing social structure. It’s difficult being the new person, and kindness can go a long way.
Support Them
You can also go out of your way to support refugees and their businesses. If possible, employ them and make them an active part of your company. If you are not in the position to hire people, patronize businesses that do employee refugees. Better yet, patronize refugee-run establishments. This supports their livelihood and increases their financial stability.
Educate Yourself
At first, this may seem like a strange response to the question, “How can I help refugees?” However, knowing the complexities of the refugee crisis can help one better address the struggles that refugees are enduring. Instead of spreading what friends or family say, do your own research. Learn about the different causes of displacement. Refugees can help dispel ignorant, and possibly harmful myths, about the crisis. Once people know more about refugees, they are able to better educate others as well.
Don’t Stay Silent
No one is entirely sure who once said that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Regardless of whoever first said it, the meaning remains true. In times of crisis and peace alike, it is important for people to take action and speak out. Make calls and send emails to congressional representatives and senators urging them to support refugees. Additionally, speak up if you witness an act of ignorance or hatred. Finally, use social media to spread your newfound knowledge, share refugee stories and struggles and gather support for others to speak out. Even just talking about these issues among friends and family makes a difference. Be an ally and an advocate, and make it known that refugees are not alone.
“How can I help refugees?” At first, this question can feel impossible, but individual actions do make a difference. Though these five methods above may seem small, what you do to help others makes a meaningful and lasting impact.
– Rachael Lind
Photo: Flickr
Water Quality in Azerbaijan
Energy-rich Azerbaijan has recently begun to provide its citizens with reliable access to gas and electricity. However, the government is lagging on one key front: potable water. A large percentage, if not a majority, of Azerbaijan’s 8.2 million citizens lacks easy access to drinkable water. Water quality in Azerbaijan is thus a major issue.
Several factors have transformed Azerbaijan into a country where there is dynamic progress in all regions. Successful implementation of public programs and further improvement of infrastructure have all had a positive impact. Incoming modern enterprises have also been a boon to Azerbaijan’s economy. Unfortunately, these improvements come at the expense of environmental sustainability and water quality.
Groundwater pollution from oil spillage and leakage from pipeline and storage tanks results in petroleum, heavy metals and possibly radiation contamination spoiling the water in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, runoff from heavy usage of fertilizers and pesticides, as well as factory waste dumped into rivers, has heavily polluted the water. Finally, the salinity of the water table due to sea water intrusion, rusted water pipes and obsolete and broken equipment in water treatment plants has further reduced the water quality.
Azerbaijan has the reputation of being an environmental disaster zone. Many scientists consider Absheron Peninsula, where 50 percent of Azerbaijanis live, to be the most ecologically devastated area in the world due to severe air, water and soil pollution. Decades of pollution have created medical concerns. Poor water quality in Azerbaijan can facilitate the transmission of bacterial diseases such as cholera and hepatitis. Additionally, traces of heavy metals in the water lead to health complications such as cancer.
The country’s government is motivated and has made efforts to improve the environmental situation in the country. Ten years ago, the centralized water supply system in Baku, the capital, covered only 1.56 million people. Now, 2.366 million people have access. The volume of water usage has also increased. In the last ten years, the volume of water supplied from various sources in Baku and the Absheron Peninsula increased by 23 percent, the U.N. reports. As a result of various projects between 2011 and 2013, 600,000 more people have gained access to an uninterrupted water supply.
The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources also installs modular sewage treatment plants in villages along rivers. More than 200 villages see the benefits of these projects. In the future, it might be possible to acquire drinking water from the Caspian Sea.
Despite these obstacles, Baku’s new water pipeline and the government’s interest in expanding regional water purification facilities suggest that there is a desire to bring about positive change with the water quality in Azerbaijan.
– Yana Emets
Photo: Flickr
UNDP Nursing Schools in Afghanistan Graduate Female Nurses
Two hundred female nursing students recently graduated from six nursing schools in Afghanistan. Now, the students will return to their communities to offer medical assistance in areas most in need.
The women participated in a two-year medical training program including accommodations, three meals a day, transportation and a living allowance. Their days included both time in class and practical work in city hospitals, where the women learned how to perform basic surgery, how to advise pregnant women regarding basic care and nutrition, studied the treatments for various ailments and filled prescriptions.
After completing two years of study, the women work in their village clinics; some reside 100 kilometers or more away from the school. If they perform well, they receive a diploma.
The UNDP, in partnership with the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, set up six nursing schools in Afghanistan. The Global Fund provided a grant for approximately $8 million, allocated to strengthening the health system in Afghanistan through training nurses and improving access to medical care in the community.
Primarily, these nurses provide medical care to two populations desperately in need: people in rural areas and women. However, healthcare professionals from outside a specific area will often avoid rural villages out of fear for their safety.
Women, in particular, lack the ability to receive quality healthcare due to certain cultural norms: women are often not permitted to be treated by a male doctor, and female healthcare workers are few in number. According to WHO, 40 percent of health care facilities in Afghanistan do not have any women on staff.
Women also lack both privacy and the ability to make choices about their treatment. Additionally, healthcare workers often have limited knowledge of women’s health issues. As a result, in 2015 the infant mortality rate in Afghanistan at 45 percent and the maternal mortality ratio of 1,291 per 100,000 live births are among the highest in the world.
Thankfully, having trained female nurses increases the potential to address many of these issues. However, these women must face unique obstacles; it is not customary for women to live or study away from home. In a country in which, according to 2015 USAID statistics, only 8.6 percent of women received a degree in secondary or higher education, and only 14.8 percent of women are literate, these women set a very powerful precedent.
– Emilia Otte
Photo: Flickr
How Can I Help Refugees?
From well-known conflicts in Syria to less commonly discussed issues in Afghanistan and South Sudan, the global refugee crisis seems to be getting worse every day. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) records that an average of 28,300 people are forced from their homes every day.
Overall, 65.6 million people have been forced from their homes, 22.5 million of which are refugees, and over half of these refugees are younger than 18. Only 189,300 of these 22.5 million people have been resettled. These figures may feel overwhelming and disheartening, but this situation is not hopeless. As the refugee crisis gains more and more attention, many people find themselves asking a similar question: How can I help refugees?
Though it is a complicated issue, there are many ways that individuals can help and make a difference in the lives of refugees.
Donate
Donating money—as well as time and skills—is an effective, simple way to help. There are various good charities and organizations to look into when considering donations. A few include The White Helmets, UNICEF, Save the Children, Doctors Without Borders, Kiva.org and the International Rescue Committee. Each of these organizations addresses a different facet of the refugee crisis, and they can always use financial support.
If donating money is not a financial possibility, consider donating time or individual skills. Refugee resettlement offices function across the globe, and these offices can usually use a new volunteer or intern. Another way to offer personal skills is to work as an English tutor to help refugees learn English. This can help increase refugees’ chances of employment, and it will also facilitate their adjustment to a new country. Those who have proficient legal knowledge can offer assistance with legal documents and provide other legal services. These are just a few of the ways to give time and skills to aid refugees’ transitions.
Be Welcoming and Kind
You may be asking, “But how can I help refugees if I cannot provide skills or money?” Simply be kind and welcoming. Violence or natural disasters have forced refugees from their homes, and many of them report feeling lonely and isolated when they move to another country. If you have refugees in your neighborhood, make them feel welcome by introducing yourself or even getting them a housewarming gift. Host a dinner party or barbecue and make them feel part of the neighborhood. Introduce your new neighbors to people in the community so that they can begin to develop their own place within the existing social structure. It’s difficult being the new person, and kindness can go a long way.
Support Them
You can also go out of your way to support refugees and their businesses. If possible, employ them and make them an active part of your company. If you are not in the position to hire people, patronize businesses that do employee refugees. Better yet, patronize refugee-run establishments. This supports their livelihood and increases their financial stability.
Educate Yourself
At first, this may seem like a strange response to the question, “How can I help refugees?” However, knowing the complexities of the refugee crisis can help one better address the struggles that refugees are enduring. Instead of spreading what friends or family say, do your own research. Learn about the different causes of displacement. Refugees can help dispel ignorant, and possibly harmful myths, about the crisis. Once people know more about refugees, they are able to better educate others as well.
Don’t Stay Silent
No one is entirely sure who once said that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Regardless of whoever first said it, the meaning remains true. In times of crisis and peace alike, it is important for people to take action and speak out. Make calls and send emails to congressional representatives and senators urging them to support refugees. Additionally, speak up if you witness an act of ignorance or hatred. Finally, use social media to spread your newfound knowledge, share refugee stories and struggles and gather support for others to speak out. Even just talking about these issues among friends and family makes a difference. Be an ally and an advocate, and make it known that refugees are not alone.
“How can I help refugees?” At first, this question can feel impossible, but individual actions do make a difference. Though these five methods above may seem small, what you do to help others makes a meaningful and lasting impact.
– Rachael Lind
Photo: Flickr
Celebrity Dads Support UNICEF’s Super Dads Initiative
In honor of Father’s Day, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) celebrated the role that fathers play in a child’s early life, especially fathers raising their children in extreme poverty or armed conflict, with its Super Dads initiative. From June 6 to June 18, UNICEF’s social media spotlighted super dads who ranged from notable celebrities to refugees.
UNICEF encouraged its more than six million Twitter followers and nearly two million Instagram followers to learn more about the important role that fathers play in the first thousand days of a child’s life and to share moments that showed why their dads are super dads.
Idro, a South Sudanese refugee, is one such super dad who tries to improve the quality of life for his family. Idro and his family are currently living in Uganda’s Bidi Bidi refugee settlement, which is the world’s largest. He spoke about playing games with his daughter, saying, “She must feel that I love her. If I can’t fulfill for my family, I am not happy.”
One super dad highlighted on the UNICEF Instagram account was Abraham, a father also living in Uganda. He said that when his newborn is distressed, he rocks him, sings to him and gives him kisses. When his baby boy, Angolere, becomes happy, it makes Abraham happy too.
Celebrity dads also promoted UNICEF’s Super Dads initiative. David Beckham, English soccer star and father of three, talked about the dads he’s met through his work with UNICEF “who…will do anything to give [their children] the support and love they need even when faced with huge challenges.”
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and tennis champion Novak Djokovic, whose foundation supports early childhood education, said that he is participating in the campaign because it encourages fathers to be “the Super Dads their kids desperately need.”
The Super Dads initiative is part of #EarlyMomentsMatter, a UNICEF campaign that educates the public about the importance of a child’s early years emphasizing that a child needs love, play, protection, and nutrition for healthy development. They are especially important in critical situations, and parents are the key individuals who provide these for their children.
UNICEF’s Chief of Early Childhood Development, Pia Britto, noted that good parenting can act as a buffer for youth living in highly stressful situations. This aids in childhood development in spite of poor living conditions.
The goal of #EarlyMomentsMatter is also to encourage the private and public spheres to work together to take down barriers so that parents can have more of those important and special moments with their newborns. The campaign stresses that a father’s role in early cognitive development is not only significant for the child’s present but also for the child’s future development, happiness and welfare.
– Sean Newhouse
Photo: Flickr
Water Quality in Cameroon Improving Slowly But Surely
With 663 million individuals who lack access to clean water, it is apparent that the condition of water in many places around the world is very poor. Cameroon, a country located in Central Africa, is one of those places. However, water quality in Cameroon has improved in the last decade.
In both rural and urban areas, people suffer because of the poor water quality in Cameroon. In more rural areas, people walk great distances just to reach rivers. They do not only use rivers to gather water to drink but to bathe as well. These rivers are often contaminated with feces and a plethora of pathogens, making the water unsafe for both drinking and hygienic purposes.
In the capital city of Yaoundé, only 35 percent of the water needed for survival is distributed through pipes. That percentage is simply not enough to provide for an entire city. Individuals are then forced to travel to and navigate rural areas and search for rivers to collect water. Some of the people that live in cities possess a filter that can purify the water that they collect, but not everyone is that fortunate.
Drinking unsanitary water leads to diarrheal diseases, such as cholera. The World Health Organization reports that there are at least 1.3 million cholera cases yearly in Cameroon.
Although the poor water quality in Cameroon is a severe issue, efforts are being made to improve it. Individuals like Franck Eben Onambele, a Cameroon native, are making a difference. Onambele is a Cornell University alumnus and founder of the program One Summer, One Well, which focuses on building wells in Cameroon to provide potable water.
Besides Onambele’s work, there are also plans to use the Sanaga River for pipe-borne water. Utilizing the Sanaga River could nearly double the clean water supply for the people of Yaoundé.
Some efforts being made to better Cameroon’s water quality have proven to be successful. From the start to the end of the Millennium Development Goals, access to better water sources in the country increased by a total of 19 percent. While there has been an improvement in the water quality in Cameroon, much work is necessary for the future.
– Raven A. Rentas
Photo: Flickr
7 Organizations Helping People in Guatemala
Out of a population of 16.3 million, 59 percent of Guatemalans live in poverty, and 23 percent live in extreme poverty. However, efforts are being made to improve living conditions for the country’s people. Here are some organizations that are setting examples of how to help people in Guatemala.
7 Organizations Helping People in Guatemala
With these organizations and their efforts, Guatemalans could live better lives in the near future. Additionally, programs dedicated to education and learning facilities will make many job opportunities available to the country’s youth. As these organizations continue their work, they show others how to help people in Guatemala.
– Rhondjé Singh Tanwar
Photo: Flickr
Top Diseases in the Marshall Islands
For tourists, the top diseases in the Marshall Islands are Zika virus and typhoid. However, far more diseases inhibit and threaten the lives of those who live on the islands year-round.
Every day, the inhabitants of these islands struggle to remain healthy due to both communicable and noncommunicable diseases.
Communicable Diseases
Neglected tropical diseases (NTD) are some of the top diseases in the Marshall Islands. They are a group of viral, parasitic and bacterial diseases that typically affect impoverished communities that lack proper sanitation.
According to the CDC, NTDs impair physical and cognitive development and can create a cycle of disease and poverty. Examples of neglected tropical diseases include dengue fever, leprosy, rabies and hookworm infection.
Other communicable diseases include Hepatitis, schistosomiasis, meningitis, and Lassa fever. These diseases are hard to control due to poor water supplies, personal hygiene issues, overcrowding and a lack of good medical facilities.
Noncommunicable Diseases
Noncommunicable diseases are the leading cause of death in the Marshall Islands. Diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and urogenital, blood and endocrine diseases often develop as a result of reduced mobility and obesity.
In 2011, Pacific health ministers declared that noncommunicable diseases were an urgent crisis in the Pacific Islands. Additionally, the Republic of the Marshall Islands Embassy asserts that the influence of Western culture has led to an increase in consumption of unhealthy food, alcohol and tobacco.
Additionally, the government has recognized the increase in heart conditions and diabetes and is working on ways to influence lifestyle changes and increase access to healthcare.
According to the World Health Organization Country Cooperation Strategy for Marshall Islands (2013-2017), “because of the unique situation of Pacific countries with their limited systems and human resource capacities, it is essential to have modest, realistic and cost effective plans.”
The Marshall Islands have already succeeded in eradicating some vaccine-preventable diseases from the country. A large-scale mass drug administration campaign eliminated lymphatic filariasis in the Marshall Islands on March 30, 2017. Consequently, there is hope for the eradication of even more disease with the necessary cooperation between the government and citizens of the Marshall Islands.
– Madeline Boeding
Photo: Flickr
What is a Multilateral Agreement?
A multilateral agreement is a commerce treaty between three or more nations. It allows for all of the countries that sign, called signatories, to be on an equal playing field. This agreement means that no signatories can give better or worse trade deals to one country than it does another.
A multilateral agreement increases trade for all the countries involved. Their companies enjoy low tariffs that make exports cheaper. Multilateral agreements also standardize commerce regulations between all businesses in all countries, so that corporations can save legal costs since they all follow the same rules in each country.
These agreements are especially beneficial to the United States, as it already has low trade barriers when it comes to importing goods from other nations. In fact, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that “U.S. goods exports to current free trade agreement partners supported more than 3 million jobs in 2015, an increase of more than 22 percent since 2009.”
However, the other countries the U.S. usually makes multilateral agreements with are countries with high trade regulations. The U.S. has a difficult time facilitating the importation and exportation of goods without multilateral agreements.
These multilateral agreements are not simple, as they have details that can sometimes take years to negotiate. The particulars of each multilateral agreement is specific to the trade and business practices of each country involved.
There is consequently a great deal of debate on the benefits and detriments of the multilateral agreement. The public often misunderstands these agreements because of this detail. As a result, each deal receives a high amount of press, controversy and protesting. Small business cannot compete with the giant multinational corporations that benefit from trade borders disappearing.
With the North American Free Trade Agreement especially, there is a 300 percent increase in a trade up to 2009. It is clear that it is worth debating the rules and regulations to ensure these agreements continue.
– Rilee Pickle
Photo: Flickr
Rihanna’s Charity Work: Fighting Poverty in Malawi
In January 2017, Rihanna visited Malawi on behalf of her foundation, the Clara Lionel Foundation. She also journeyed as a global ambassador for the Global Partnership for Education.
During her stay, Rihanna, accompanied by former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, hoped to learn more about the challenges regarding health and education in Malawi. Global Citizen uploaded a short film documenting Rihanna’s charity work. The film depicts the poverty, hunger, poor education and the lack of many basic human rights that many children face in Malawi. In addition to interacting with children, Rihanna also discussed future improvement strategies with key political leaders.
The situation regarding education in Malawi requires immediate action. This documentary and Rihanna’s charity work helped bring attention to the severity of conditions in Malawi. According to a World Bank survey, one in two Malawians live in poverty, making it the country’s most pressing issue.
Currently, the fight against poverty in Malawi has experienced little progress in the past decade. Like many impoverished countries, the rural regions of Malawi are the most heavily impacted. The issue is primarily due to volatile economic conditions, natural disasters and poor performance in the agricultural sector. The World Bank has suggested that one possible solution could be investing in secondary education for women.
These issues regarding poverty and education have a particularly profound impact on young Malawian women. Rihanna’s charity work, as shown in the documentary, addresses how issues such as poor public infrastructure put young women in danger while walking to school. In addition, cultural practices such as arranged marriages deter women from pursuing education.
Rihanna’s charity work in Malawi attempts to increase global awareness of these issues while creating connections with key leaders. The Global Partnership for Education has raised funds for global education, and in past years has focused specifically on “inclusive, equitable quality education for all by 2030.” In fact, the organization hopes to raise $3.1 billion for over 870 million children in 89 countries between 2018 and 2020. Partnering with Rihanna allowed them to combine these goals with the singer’s interest in education for girls and arts education.
In years past, Rihanna has used her fame to further her charity work. As a champion for women’s rights and access to arts and education, Rihanna established the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012. The nonprofit fights to “improve the quality of life for communities globally in the areas of health, education, arts and culture.” The foundation creates scholarships, partners with various corporations, holds fundraising events and does much more in an effort to provide these areas with the resources they need.
– Julia Morrison
Photo: Flickr
GMOs Like Brazil’s New Sugarcane Feed the World’s Poor
Brazil approved a new sugarcane genetically engineered to resist the most devastating plague in the country. The major sugar exporter is the first to approve commercial use of genetically modified (GM) sugarcane. The developer CTC created the cane with the commonly-used gene Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis). This allows the sugarcane to resist the insect Diatraea saccharides, which causes an annual loss of $1.52 billion to sugar producers.
Since most agriculture-based countries are in the developing world, insect-resistant crops such as Brazil’s new sugarcane can be especially helpful to poor farmers. Brazil will be the first to start utilizing the new sugarcane, but many other genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are already at work throughout developing nations.
While they remain a controversial topic in the U.S., GMOs like Brazil’s new sugarcane help feed the world’s poor.
Scientists, like the developers at CTC, possess the ability to engineer crops that solve manifold problems in developing countries. One example is Bangladesh’s Bt Eggplant, which resists a fruit and shoots borer pest. The eggplant’s genetic resistance decreases pesticide use and required labor while increasing crop yield, crop size and farmer profits.
Bangladeshi farmer Md. Milon Mia reported that pests used to ruin up to 40 percent of his crop yield before using Bt Eggplant. The GM eggplant now helps Bangladesh’s largely rural population, as the country climbs out of its position as one of the poorest in the world.
In a “Letter to the Editor” of The New York Times, a farmer from a village in India details his similar experience with GMOs. Like the farmers in Brazil and Bangladesh, Sudhindra Kulkarni uses a GMO designed to resist pests. With this GM cotton, his yields have increased four times, his crops have been healthier and his farm has been more sustainable.
Before the transgenic crop, bollworm pests were so damaging that he thought he “would barely scrape by.” But now, GM cotton has “transformed” the lives of his family. The impoverished Indian population has been cut in half in the past two decades, and developments such as GM farming are key to this progress.
Two billion people across the globe face food insecurity. 896 million people live on less than $2 a day. But GMOs like Brazil’s new sugarcane can improve this situation through the creation of more resilient crops.
With modern technologies, scientists can engineer crops that require less labor, cost less to produce and yield more product. With continued support for these lifesaving inventions, biologists can continue to develop solutions for the developing world.
– Bret Serbin
Photo: Flickr