As Venezuela’s street crime rates rose throughout the Chávez presidency — and as they have continued to do so under President Maduro — its citizens began to fall prey to disease. The spread of common diseases in Venezuela such as hepatitis A and B, typhoid, malaria, rabies and yellow fever echo the rise of corruption in the nation. These diseases are the new normal alongside Venezuela’s crumbling economy.
Over the years, these diseases have waxed and waned in Venezuela. As new vaccinations came out, smaller outbreaks would occur.
Under the Chávez regime — February 2, 1999 to March 5, 2013 — Venezuela suffered a degrading economic collapse. As a result, President Maduro’s administration inherited the damage alongside the leadership.
Venezuela is home to one of the largest oil reserves in the world, and its primary source of export revenue is oil. During Chávez’s presidency, his goal was to use oil revenues to finance a social revolution that would benefit low-income families in Venezuela.
Nevertheless, the country’s corrupt leaders shifted the oil revenue into their personal coffers rather than investing in the poor. Economic chaos rules today’s Venezuela, and a product of this 10-year disarray is the world’s highest rate of inflation. Citizens must line up every morning to obtain such basic goods as rice, beans, cooking oil, toilet paper and toothpaste. These lines mark the streets of Caracas and are known to be the focus of international media.
As of late, the flow of imports has all but stopped. The government, struggling with corruption, cannot pay for imports due to their extreme debt. Venezuela imported everything but oil; now, the country lacks everyday products, including medicines and vaccinations. Consequently, common diseases in Venezuela have returned.
According to the New York Times, the prevalence of malaria in the country is at its highest level in 75 years. Venezuela’s child mortality rate is increasing, presenting a physical manifestation of the nation’s lack of resources.
Diseases once thought to be eliminated (and entirely preventable), such as malaria and diphtheria, are reappearing at alarming rates. These rises in prevalence particularly threaten the health of mothers and newborns during delivery and post-natal care.
There are individuals willing to make a difference in the fight against common diseases in Venezuela. Humanitarian activist Lilian Tintori, for example, has dedicated her life to a revolt against the Chávez regime. She wants to establish a humanitarian channel between the world’s nations and Venezuela to help deliver food, medicine and other necessary products.
Unfortunately, President Nicolas Maduro refuses to address the issue of scarcity and the preventable tropical diseases making a comeback in Venezuela. More emphasis needs to be placed on the government’s assistance in reducing the harm done by the most common diseases in Venezuela.
– Francis Hurtado
Photo: Flickr
The Top 10 Political Podcasts and Why You Should Give Them a Listen
Everyone gets his or her news somewhere, but some sources are more reputable than others. Currently, six corporations control 90 percent of the media. On some of these stations, such as CNN or Fox News, owned by Time Warner and NewsCorp, respectively, there is little to no variety in the political ideologies promoted. However, political podcasts are usually smaller entities that aim to stay independent and provide multiple perspectives. I am an avid listener of several political podcasts and use them for my news. Here are my top 10 political podcasts.
Coming in at the top of the list is Carlson’s interesting take on cable news’ relentless portrayal of all news as “BREAKING NEWS.” With terrorist attacks, issues of race, war and more, My History Can Beat Up Your Politics shows that most, if not all, issues are rooted in history. The podcast claims the makers “smash and bash the politics of today with a healthy dose of history.”
The presidential election of 2016 was so polarizing, so different and so unprecedented that many podcasts were dedicated to it entirely, and this is one of them. The United States of Anxiety makes it its duty to provide perspective in a time full of shouting, negativity and closed minds. The podcast brought voices from all sides of every debate, from politicians to people on the streets. While the podcast ended with the close of the presidential election, listening to it now provides a retrospective look into the election to figure out what happened and why.
This is simple, soft and relatively unbiased podcast on the current goings-on in politics by one of the most well-respected publications there is. Politico’s Nerdcast is hosted by individuals who would sit up on a Friday night and dissect political polls. They are heavily invested in politics and geek out about it just for you.
American foreign policy is important to The Borgen Project. We need to know all about it, we need to follow it and we fight for the improvement of it. For those who want to follow something that focuses entirely on foreign policy, Crooked Media’s Pod Save The World is just for you. It’s an honest and brash commentary on and analysis of everything foreign policy.
A frustrated, critical, cynical, sharp man is Dan Carlin, and his podcast follows suit. If you find yourself annoyed by the mass media relays, Carlin’s Common Sense may be an oddly pleasant choice for you. A self-anointed “Martian” to politics, Carlin’s independent viewpoint is never lacking. He is unabashedly honest.
If you want professionals who have been living politics their whole life to tell you what is going on, Slate’s Political Gabfest is where you need to look. With legendary names like David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson, the podcast has its resumé ready to go.
At fourth on my top 10 political podcasts list, KCRW’s Left, Right, and Center is what I always look for: biased but fair commentary and analysis. As the podcast name suggests, it has three hosts, all self-proclaimed to be in one area of the political spectrum, and they tackle the week’s events. It’s arguably one of the best podcasts to listen to if you want reasonable perspectives from any side.
While I’m all for perspectives, sometimes I need simple, unbiased reporting. NPR Political is just that. The shows can even be around 10 minutes of just reports from the week. If you’re stuck in traffic and need a quick update, this show is for you.
At second on my top 10 political podcasts and started by four people who have more than enough experience in the White House, Crooked Media’s Pod Save America is all for biased opinions. It feels like a real conversation you would be having with your own friends, except these people are more knowledgeable. Pod Save America promises “a no-bullshit conversation about politics.”
Democracy Now! is number 1 on my top 10 political podcasts for the sheer reason that it is what I believe corporate mass media should be. Democracy Now! is an unbiased news show that is quick, reports the news of the day, brings pundits who provide their own commentary or debate against other pundits and brings focus to grassroots organizations. From focusing on the Occupy movement to covering events overseas, Democracy Now! never misses a beat. However, the most incredible thing about the podcast is that it is run entirely on viewer donations. It owes no allegiance to any corporation or ideology. The makers are completely unsullied by money, so they can report the truth and only the truth.
– James Hardison
Photo: Flickr
Girl Love: Lilly Singh’s Campaign for Girl’s Education
Girl Love began as a social media campaign by YouTube creator Lilly Singh in December 2015. Singh, along with other successful women like Grace Helbig and Lindsey Sterling, encouraged young girls to spread love, instead of hate, by complimenting other girls rather than insulting them.
Singh’s original video received more than one million views. Within a month of being uploaded, all the profits made from the video were donated to the Malala Fund, an organization which supports education for young women. After a successful first campaign, Singh aimed to do more for women’s issues and decided to take Girl Love further by starting her own fundraising campaign for girls’ education.
Singh partnered with WE charity, part of the ME to WE organization, a for-profit social enterprise that empowers people to work together to change the world. The WE charity donates 90 percent of its earnings to developing villages to help grow them into sustainable communities. For the Girl Love campaign, ME to WE created the Rafiki bracelet, outsourcing the labor for the creation of the bracelets to Kenya, and now sells the bracelets on the ME to WE online store.
Singh has been most invested in this project, saying how the Rafiki bracelets represent “not only being passionate about Girl Love but doing something about it.”
Today, the Girl Love campaign is empowering women to go to school and helping to build sustainable communities. 14,000 women in Kenya have jobs hand-crafting the Rafiki bracelets. These women use this income to get an education or to send their daughters to school and to afford necessities such as clothes and food.
When Singh visited Kenya and met some of the working women that make the bracelets, she was inspired by the impact that she had created. She spoke of how many people imagine that the problem is too big to fix, but how “when you come here and see the school and you see the mamas making these bracelets, and you hear them say, ‘my daughter goes to school because I’m making theses bracelets,’ then you know the problem is actually not too big to fix if you just start to fix it.”
– Deanna Wetmore
Photo: Flickr
Cash-Based Transfers: Food Assistance That Empowers
The cash-based transfer is a form of food assistance that has been supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations since the early 2010s. In contrast to in-kind food assistance, which feeds hungry individuals by way of donations of food, cash-based transfers consist of physical money, debit cards and vouchers distributed to those in need and allow people freedom in selecting their food.
Cash-based transfers are both practical and empowering. Individuals that receive aid of any kind are often viewed as passive recipients. However, the program recognizes that people that receive aid know their nutritional needs best and deserve the agency to choose their own food.
The cash-based transfer is also a more sustainable aid program when compared to in-kind food assistance. The money provided through aid goes into local economies and provides support for a future in which hungry individuals will be able to obtain food from their communities. For example, $1.29 billion USD were introduced into Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey by WFP to revitalize those economies in the wake of the Syrian conflict.
Users of cash-based transfers can redeem them in stores connected to WFP and related U.N. agencies. This allows WFP to track what is bought and informs their future decisions concerning what foods they stock in their stores and what amounts of money are appropriate for cash-based transfers. The program is sustainable in its implementation on the ground and through the feedback that it provides to WFP.
However, the cash-based transfer is not always the most effective form of food assistance. It is inappropriate in areas with severely disrupted markets or untrustworthy banks and is too dependent on the structure to function in times of crisis, such as in the event of a tsunami, during which time direct donations of food are necessary for basic survival. WFP contends that it evaluates areas in need case-by-case and determines what combination of in-kind and cash-based transfer aid is appropriate. One variation on the cash-based transfer allows access to this type of aid conditionally— for instance, if a family’s children stay in school, they receive cash-based transfers. Other cash-based transfers only allow for the purchase of specific items.
It is important to note that cash-based transfers currently comprise less than 10 percent of overall global humanitarian aid. U.S. in-kind aid programs such as the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program and Food for Progress are established and have succeeded in feeding billions of people all over the globe. However, the humanitarian nature and sustainability of cash-based transfers will likely continue to appeal to different governments as they search for long-term solutions to world hunger.
– Caroline Meyers
Photo: Flickr
Economic Turmoil Brings Back Common Diseases in Venezuela
As Venezuela’s street crime rates rose throughout the Chávez presidency — and as they have continued to do so under President Maduro — its citizens began to fall prey to disease. The spread of common diseases in Venezuela such as hepatitis A and B, typhoid, malaria, rabies and yellow fever echo the rise of corruption in the nation. These diseases are the new normal alongside Venezuela’s crumbling economy.
Over the years, these diseases have waxed and waned in Venezuela. As new vaccinations came out, smaller outbreaks would occur.
Under the Chávez regime — February 2, 1999 to March 5, 2013 — Venezuela suffered a degrading economic collapse. As a result, President Maduro’s administration inherited the damage alongside the leadership.
Venezuela is home to one of the largest oil reserves in the world, and its primary source of export revenue is oil. During Chávez’s presidency, his goal was to use oil revenues to finance a social revolution that would benefit low-income families in Venezuela.
Nevertheless, the country’s corrupt leaders shifted the oil revenue into their personal coffers rather than investing in the poor. Economic chaos rules today’s Venezuela, and a product of this 10-year disarray is the world’s highest rate of inflation. Citizens must line up every morning to obtain such basic goods as rice, beans, cooking oil, toilet paper and toothpaste. These lines mark the streets of Caracas and are known to be the focus of international media.
As of late, the flow of imports has all but stopped. The government, struggling with corruption, cannot pay for imports due to their extreme debt. Venezuela imported everything but oil; now, the country lacks everyday products, including medicines and vaccinations. Consequently, common diseases in Venezuela have returned.
According to the New York Times, the prevalence of malaria in the country is at its highest level in 75 years. Venezuela’s child mortality rate is increasing, presenting a physical manifestation of the nation’s lack of resources.
Diseases once thought to be eliminated (and entirely preventable), such as malaria and diphtheria, are reappearing at alarming rates. These rises in prevalence particularly threaten the health of mothers and newborns during delivery and post-natal care.
There are individuals willing to make a difference in the fight against common diseases in Venezuela. Humanitarian activist Lilian Tintori, for example, has dedicated her life to a revolt against the Chávez regime. She wants to establish a humanitarian channel between the world’s nations and Venezuela to help deliver food, medicine and other necessary products.
Unfortunately, President Nicolas Maduro refuses to address the issue of scarcity and the preventable tropical diseases making a comeback in Venezuela. More emphasis needs to be placed on the government’s assistance in reducing the harm done by the most common diseases in Venezuela.
– Francis Hurtado
Photo: Flickr
Climate Refugees: Now Necessary for Island Nations to Find New Homes
The Maldivian people could soon be forced into refugee status, not by an oppressive government or violence, but by such strong climate change that in its power, will create climate refugees.
The Asian Development Bank reported that the Maldives is “hardest hit by climate change,” even though it is one of the lowest CO2 emitting nations in the world.
At this moment, less ice covers the Arctic than at any other time in history and sea levels are rising at a steady rate. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessed that the world is approaching 10-13 feet of sea level rise by the end of the century. At that kind of level, the Maldives would essentially disappear.
Sea level rise is not unforeseen. Since 1992 the world has seen an average increase of three inches in sea levels, with some areas experiencing up to nine inches. Those responsible have no excuse not to act.
Residents of the Maldive islands have started informal talks of mass migration of climate refugees to Australia, Sri Lanka and India. Additionally, the Maldives established a relocation fund to help its citizens buy land overseas as the government realized that the need to relocate will occur sooner rather than later.
The Maldives is not the only country seeking refuge in Australia. Tuvalu, located in Oceania, requested that Australia prepare for the arrival of 12,000 climate refugees from the island in the near future.
Some of Tuvalu’s people have already left the islands to seek stability elsewhere, making them climate refugees. The Maldives prepare to face this same future.
Already, many villages in the islands of Oceania have been destroyed by natural disasters, displacing communities and halting, sometimes ending, people’s lives.
Those forced to relocate are in danger of losing their national and cultural identities, and many of the Maldivian people want to stay. If those in power do nothing, many will lose their homes and be forced to relocate.
– Ayah Alkhars
Photo: Flickr
Nine Important Facts About the Highly Fatal Marburg Virus
The Marburg virus disease (MVD) is severe and highly fatal. Albeit rare, MVD is an extremely contagious disease that causes outbreaks with a large number of fatalities. The disease is known have to spread in both in Europe and Africa, affecting a large swathe of different populations. The following nine facts provide details on MVD, one of the most dangerous viruses in the world.
Although there have been no recent outbreaks of the disease, it warrants great caution, particularly in nations with underdeveloped infrastructures for health and treatment. As the statistics of the last outbreaks in Africa evince, fatality rates have proven to be extremely high. The Marburg virus is extremely dangerous and highly contagious, which gives it the potential to do irreparable damage to the population. The international community must be attentive to this disease and ready to help nations who detect the MVD within their borders.
– Alan Garcia-Ramos
Photo: Flickr
3 Organizations That Support North Korean Refugees
North Korea’s government is one of the most restrictive in the world. Unpaid labor is forced upon North Korean civilians, independent press and media are banned and the borders are guarded and monitored closely by both North Korean and Chinese guards. Human Rights Watch reports that North Korea contains prison camps holding hundreds of thousands of North Korean citizens of all ages. Conditions there include torture, sexual abuse and, for those accused of serious crimes, public execution. Discussed below are organizations that support North Korean refugees.
Liberty in North Korea
This organization helps North Koreans escape using calculated courses through China and Southeast Asia. To accomplish this, Liberty in North Korea leverages on-ground relationships and donor funding. The organization also has very systematic resettlement programs available to support North Korean refugees including translation, healthcare, integration and counseling services. Additionally, Liberty in North Korea educates, mobilizes and encourages others to support North Korean refugees via events and fundraisers. The organization has a thorough breakdown of how funds are distributed throughout the escape and resettlement process, and it claims that $3,000 will save and resettle one North Korean refugee.
North Korean Freedom Coalition
This organization partners with political leaders to support North Korean victims of human rights violations. It also hosts the annual North Korean Freedom Week, which raises awareness of the North Korean atrocities and gains support for the freedom of North Korean prisoners being unjustly held. This is a collaboration of several public and private members, including several different independent charities.
Helping Hands Korea (HHK)
This is a non-denominational Christian organization that provides food and basic necessities to North Koreans based on the level of support each requires. HHK also assists with the transport of refugees through Asia to safety. Although the spread of Christianity is not the primary goal of HHK, the organization provides each refugee a Bible and a message of hope.
The level of human rights violations in North Korea has not received the amount of attention it deserves, and further education is necessary to address these issues in a rational and effective way. North Korea continues to develop its weapon systems and actively test nuclear weapons and missiles, in violation of U.N. agreements. The U.S. has hinted that it is willing to use force in dealing with North Korea, but a war would cause an astronomical number of casualties, especially in South Korea. While China has increased its pressure on North Korea to denuclearize, it must take a stronger role in abolishing the inhumane treatment of North Korean citizens and support North Korean refugees.
– Emma Tennyson
Photo: Flickr
The Business of Impact Sourcing, or Socially Responsible Outsourcing
Samasource, founded in 2008, works to fight poverty by using the model also referred to as socially responsible outsourcing. Impact sourcing primarily helps the disadvantaged rather than as a means of saving capital. The model provides impoverished individuals with access to work and training.
Samasource does this by partnering with other organizations interested in increasing the social impact of their companies. Using a business model called “microwork,” Samasource breaks down a company’s large scale data projects into smaller pieces. Then, they outsource the smaller projects to people in need of work in the United States and throughout the world. These new workers are trained in computer (and other necessary) skills.
Samasource helped lift more than 36,000 people out of poverty through this revolutionary model.
But impact sourcing is not limited to Samasoucre. Digital Divide Data is a social enterprise that seeks to deliver high-quality digital content to its customers. The company relies on impact sourcing to assist disadvantaged youth from low-income families secure jobs. Digital Divide Data helped lead numerous individuals out of poverty by doing this since 2001.
ImpactHub is an online platform that seeks to connect businesses with service providers that will match them with “high potential but disadvantaged women and youth.”
Currently, about 1.8 billion people around the world cannot find work and do not have access to higher education. Africa will soon hold one of the largest workforces on the planet, but will not have enough readily available jobs to supply their needs. Impact sourcing is a viable solution to this problem. Today, more than 500,000 people are working because of impact sourcing.
Impact sourcing is a growing business model. Similar to microfinancing, it continues to garner attention and support in the business community.
– Rebeca Ilisoi
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Sima Samar and Her Impact
Sima Samar is one of the most influential people in the world, advocating for other women and minority groups. Her humanitarian pursuits have not come without serious risk to her life, and yet Sima Samar has never deterred her efforts. As quoted in the Afghanistan Foreign Policy and Government Guide, she once stated, “I’ve always been in danger, but I don’t mind. I believe that we will die one day so I said let’s take the risk and help somebody else.” Here are 10 facts about Sima Samar and her lifelong activism.
10 Facts About Sima Samar and Her Impact
While Samar paid a high price for her achievements, these 10 facts reveal her success as a humanitarian and activist. Sima Samar demonstrates the influence, change and progress one person can achieve; she is truly a woman to be celebrated.
– Catherine Fredette
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Refugees in Switzerland
In Europe, Switzerland ranks fourth in the number of refugees they accept per capita. Given their leniency, the closure of the Balkan countries’ border has led to a rapid increase of refugees in Switzerland. The sudden rise in the refugee population has led to controversy over the Asylum Act and the Foreign Nationals Act.
Top 10 Facts About Refugees in Switzerland
Improvement of immigration laws in Switzerland will mitigate legal problems with refugees. However, addressing the threat and poverty of refugee countries may also make a sizeable impact.
– Haley Hurtt
Photo: Flickr