The for-profit arm ME to WE, an innovative social enterprise, partially funds Free the Children, a well-known international charity re-branded as WE last year. With WE, ME to WE works to end global poverty in a variety of ways.
Brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger started WE more than a decade ago, when Craig was only 12 years old. Their goal was to give people with fewer opportunities and resources the chance to better their lives. That goal is still carried out in the daily workings of the corporation, which donates half of its net profits to WE while reinvesting the other half to grow the enterprise.
WE focuses on five pillars that are important to the advancement of underdeveloped communities: education, water, health, food and opportunity.
In cooperation with the WE Charity, ME to WE works to end global poverty in these three main ways:
1. Volunteering
ME to WE offers volunteer trips to a variety of countries where communities exist in dire need of assistance. They currently serve Kenya, India, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Haiti, Sierra Leone and rural China.
The WE Charity offers “holistic, sustainable development work” for the volunteers to participate in to help the community.
ME to WE recognizes the importance of volunteer work and how far a single act of kindness can stretch. Its trip website says that after participating in the volunteer trip, “you will take home these lessons, along with an action plan to make a difference.”
Those who volunteer may build houses, install wells or plant community gardens, making a lasting impact on those in need. These projects are designed to help communities develop into sustainable societies.
2. Selling merchandise
Along with offering trips, ME to WE works to end global poverty by selling merchandise that directly benefits poverty-stricken communities.
On the ME to WE Shop web page, there is a description of how a purchase affects a community: “All ME to WE products carry the Track Your Impact promise and create sustainable change around the world in WE villages and here at home through WE school programs.”
Pacsun, a California-based retail clothing brand geared for young people, gives back by selling ME to WE merchandise in stores and online. The brand proudly announced that with any purchase of a ME to WE item, “essential resources are delivered that work to break the cycle of poverty and create real, lasting change.”
3. Educating and giving opportunities
One of the most impactful ways ME to WE works to end global poverty is by empowering communities through problem solving. The WE Charity and ME to WE Foundation “carry the power of WE globally, empowering communities to lift themselves out of poverty.”
In rural Nicaragua, for instance, a group of unemployed and impoverished women struggled to put food on the table. WE stepped in and helped the community build a school and a well. ME and WE, in the meantime, gave the women options for income-earning. The women eventually chose to learn the craft of bracelet-making. ME to WE pays them for the dedication and passion involved in making jewelry, then sells the bracelets in Europe and North America.
For years now, ME to We helps women reward themselves and feed their families. Instead of charity, these passionate females received encouragement and sustainable skills that help them care for themselves and their families. This is just a couple of the many ways ME to WE and its nonprofit arm WE empower communities to support themselves.
– Sydney Missigman
Photo: Flickr
The Global Poverty Reduction Online Knowledge-Sharing Database
During the China Poverty Reduction International Forum on May 26, 2017, the first case-sharing database for poverty reduction was launched by the Chinese government. The Global Poverty Reduction Online Knowledge-Sharing Database gathers replicable cases of poverty reduction from users in the hopes of collecting “innovative and successful approaches” toward reducing global poverty.
As part of the Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth Portal, which is an online platform with expert’s opinions, trends, and further opportunities regarding poverty reduction, the database is meant to bring worldwide users to the platform. The Global Poverty Reduction Online Knowledge-Sharing Database is available to anyone with internet access, either to read about individual cases or contribute their own experiences. To encourage participation, it has been designed to be user-friendly and provides a guide to assist users with the template for uploading cases.
The Global Poverty Reduction Online Knowledge-Sharing Database organizes cases into three different categories for easy access: market-oriented, government-led, and community-driven. Each poverty reduction case is classified into further sub-categories that relate to how poverty was reduced in that developing nation. For further ease-of-use, the database uses tree diagrams and standard templates that make the information easier to comprehend and utilize.
More than 40 global experts and research institutions contribute to the database. For instance, the project was initiated by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank and is co-managed by the China International Poverty Reduction Center and the China Internet Information Center. With this strong network of contributors, the database has the potential to connect past and current developing nations in the effort to alleviate global poverty, especially by having China as its main contributor. Once categorized as a developing country, China now has one of the most successful economies in the world and is reported as having the fastest rate of poverty reduction in history.
With worldwide contribution and utilization, the Global Poverty Reduction Online Knowledge-Sharing Database may be the key to ending global poverty.
– Haley Hurtt
Photo: Flickr
How Walk Free Foundation is Helping Countries with the Most Slaves
The most recent update to the Global Slavery Index estimates that, in 2016, 45.8 million people were in some form of modern day slavery in the 167 countries surveyed. Of these countries, India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan are the countries with the most slaves, holding 58 percent of the worldwide slave population. The Global Slavery Index is a program developed by the Walk Free Foundation, an organization seeking to end modern slavery with a multifaceted method.
The foundation’s strategy includes building an extensive knowledge base through research that can be used to inform action. The Global Slavery Index reports the number of people enslaved around the globe, but it also provides other important data such as the global distribution of slavery. This indicates countries with the most slaves, as well as those with the least, and specific actions governments are taking to respond to slavery within their own borders and abroad.
Walk Free Foundation believes that a combination of direct implementation, faith-based grassroots, businesses, academics, NGOs and governments all around the world is needed to eradicate modern slavery for good. By teaming up with this variety of groups and individuals, the foundation can fight at the legislative, commercial and private levels. Attacking the issue from all these angles creates a better chance for ending slavery rather than just relocating the problem.
In August 2017, Walk Free Foundation’s founder Andrew Forrest will attend the Bali Process Government and Business Forum, where CEOs and business leaders will advise government officials on how to prevent and combat modern slavery. Since the majority of modern slaves are held in the private sector working in areas such as manufacturing, construction and agriculture, Walk Free Foundation and Bali Process focus on educating businesses on how to terminate all forms of slavery from their supply chains. The forum in August aims to raise awareness of modern slavery and address ways of action. This will be crucial countries with the most slaves.
– Hannah Kaiser
Photo: Flickr
Countries That Still Have Slavery
Although modern slavery is not always easy to recognize, it continues to exist in nearly every country. In total, there are 167 countries that still have slavery and around 46 million slaves today, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index.
The U.S. Department of State defines modern slavery as “the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.”
India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan and North Korea are at the top of the list for countries that still have slavery. Here are some facts about what slavery is like in each of these countries.
The Highest Numbers: 6 Countries That Still Have Slavery
While many countries have taken steps toward banning and criminalizing slavery, there is still much to do. Countries that still have slavery are facing many problems that we all must address. “Improving the rights of 45.8 million human beings is both wise and urgent for all leaders of countries and organizations,” said Andrew Forrest, Founder and Chairman of the Walk Free Foundation. “Eradicating slavery makes sense; morally, politically, logically and economically.”
– Madeline Boeding
Photo: Flickr
Speaking About the Problems of Water Quality in Denmark
Denmark is the smallest of the Scandinavian countries and, as of 2015, holds a population of just under 5.7 million. Denmark’s the proud owner of some of the best drinking water in Europe and luckily hasn’t faced many challenges accessing clean water over the last few decades. The water quality in Denmark is quite high and matches the high price tag that consumers pay for their water.
Although the country has come a long way, Denmark hasn’t always had such clean drinking water. In the 1960s, polluted water, especially around the capital in Copenhagen, made up the majority the country’s aquatic substances.
Water prices have been historically high in Denmark. The high price of water deters unnecessary consumption, helps conserve water and led to a significant drop in water consumption over the last 20 years. In 1989, the water consumption rested at 170 liters per day on average, while in 2012 that number dropped to 114. This is mirrored and encouraged by the increase in the price of water from two euros to seven euros per cubic meter.
Denmark has a total land area of about 43,000 km. The drinking water purchased by citizens comes entirely from groundwater. The government believes that drinking water should only need minimal treatment to classify as great quality. Some of the treatments that the water goes through are filtration, pH testing and adjustments.
The majority of the water is already of high quality and often needs only a few adjustments. The groundwater in the deeper aquifers is also generally very favorable for the small amount of intervention needed.
The shallow aquifers closer to the surface are the ones that need the most purification and are the most polluted water in the country today. Recently, water suppliers have been forced to go deeper down to find cleaner water.
The water quality in Denmark is vastly superior to many other countries around the world. Consumers are getting what they are paying for with very safe and clean water.
– Brendin Axtman
Photo: Flickr
Photo: Flickr
How Namibia’s Fiscal Policies Reduce Nationwide Poverty
Gaining independence from South Africa in 1990, Namibia is a young country struggling with an issue that plagues many other surrounding nations: poverty. With half of its federal budget spent on social programs, the government of Namibia is actively fighting against the unfair distribution of wealth.
To combat the poverty rate, Namibia introduced many programs to benefit the poor. These programs include pensions, supplemental security income, foster care grants and revenue tax cuts for the poor instead of taxing the wealthier citizens. But the question remains: in the 27 years since its independence, what’s the outcome of Namibia’s fiscal policies?
Vision 2030, taken on in 2004, is Namibia’s guiding development strategy. The main grounds of Vision 2030 fights to end poverty in the country including, but not limited to, the fields of health and development.
In June 2017, the World Bank published a report that gives insight into the long term effects of these efforts. One statistic indicates that poverty fell at a staggering rate of 59 percent in 1992 to 15 percent in 2010. The country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at a rate of about six percent between 2010 to 2014. The implementation of new programs, such as Vision 2030 and government subsidies, attribute to this decline in poverty.
The report notes that human development has improved greatly due to increasing the citizens’ subsidies. The developments include a rural water subsidy and two housing subsidies; the Build Together Program and the National Housing Enterprise. The rural water subsidy reaches the poorest citizens in dire need of water. The housing subsidies are only available up to urban areas.
The progressive income taxes, subsidies and government investment in social programs gave Namibia’s fiscal policies the kick start it needed to begin the long-term journey out of poverty. Though these policies have undoubtedly reduced poverty, the economy must create more jobs for the 34 percent of unemployed citizens.
This can be done by investing more in activities that provide unskilled workers a place to harness their potential in the workplace and in their lives as a whole.
– Vicente Vera
Photo: Flickr
10 Important Facts One Should Know About Famines
According to the United Nations, the world is undergoing the biggest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II. Currently, South Sudan resides in the middle of a massive famine that affects 10,000 people. Forty percent of the people in South Sudan struggle with food, agriculture and nutrition assistance. Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen declared famine warnings, and malnutrition puts 1.4 million children at risk of death in Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen. Furthermore, seven million people risk starvation in Nigeria.
The following are 10 facts about famine and its consequences.
Famines and hunger are not inevitable and are often human-made. Thus, they can be human-solved. Action must be taken to improve the rights of millions of children and families around the world.
– Aishwarya Bansal
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Refugees in Tanzania
Since attaining its independence in 1961, Tanzania has historically been a steady and nonviolent nation. However, Tanzania’s stability has led it to become a sanctuary for refugees fleeing neighboring conflict-ridden countries. Despite the challenge of hosting so many refugees, Tanzania’s borders remain open and welcoming. Here are 10 facts about refugees in Tanzania:
These 10 facts about refugees in Tanzania demonstrate the importance of aid and unity among borders. The dedication Tanzania has to help its neighbors is remarkable, and its effort to ensure that no individual is left behind is clear. Even as the camps begin to overflow, Tanzania continues to strive to give every refugee a fair chance.
– Kelly Hayes
Photo: Flickr
Innovative Social Enterprise: ME to WE Works to End Global Poverty
The for-profit arm ME to WE, an innovative social enterprise, partially funds Free the Children, a well-known international charity re-branded as WE last year. With WE, ME to WE works to end global poverty in a variety of ways.
Brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger started WE more than a decade ago, when Craig was only 12 years old. Their goal was to give people with fewer opportunities and resources the chance to better their lives. That goal is still carried out in the daily workings of the corporation, which donates half of its net profits to WE while reinvesting the other half to grow the enterprise.
WE focuses on five pillars that are important to the advancement of underdeveloped communities: education, water, health, food and opportunity.
In cooperation with the WE Charity, ME to WE works to end global poverty in these three main ways:
1. Volunteering
ME to WE offers volunteer trips to a variety of countries where communities exist in dire need of assistance. They currently serve Kenya, India, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Haiti, Sierra Leone and rural China.
The WE Charity offers “holistic, sustainable development work” for the volunteers to participate in to help the community.
ME to WE recognizes the importance of volunteer work and how far a single act of kindness can stretch. Its trip website says that after participating in the volunteer trip, “you will take home these lessons, along with an action plan to make a difference.”
Those who volunteer may build houses, install wells or plant community gardens, making a lasting impact on those in need. These projects are designed to help communities develop into sustainable societies.
2. Selling merchandise
Along with offering trips, ME to WE works to end global poverty by selling merchandise that directly benefits poverty-stricken communities.
On the ME to WE Shop web page, there is a description of how a purchase affects a community: “All ME to WE products carry the Track Your Impact promise and create sustainable change around the world in WE villages and here at home through WE school programs.”
Pacsun, a California-based retail clothing brand geared for young people, gives back by selling ME to WE merchandise in stores and online. The brand proudly announced that with any purchase of a ME to WE item, “essential resources are delivered that work to break the cycle of poverty and create real, lasting change.”
3. Educating and giving opportunities
One of the most impactful ways ME to WE works to end global poverty is by empowering communities through problem solving. The WE Charity and ME to WE Foundation “carry the power of WE globally, empowering communities to lift themselves out of poverty.”
In rural Nicaragua, for instance, a group of unemployed and impoverished women struggled to put food on the table. WE stepped in and helped the community build a school and a well. ME and WE, in the meantime, gave the women options for income-earning. The women eventually chose to learn the craft of bracelet-making. ME to WE pays them for the dedication and passion involved in making jewelry, then sells the bracelets in Europe and North America.
For years now, ME to We helps women reward themselves and feed their families. Instead of charity, these passionate females received encouragement and sustainable skills that help them care for themselves and their families. This is just a couple of the many ways ME to WE and its nonprofit arm WE empower communities to support themselves.
– Sydney Missigman
Photo: Flickr
Timeline of the History of Foreign Aid
The evolution of modern foreign aid efforts and expectations was not an overnight process. After centuries of progress, the concept of foreign aid transformed the from a military strategy to a humanitarian mindset. Below is a timeline of the history of foreign aid.
History of Foreign Aid
18th Century: Beginning as a means to hold leverage and ensure loyalty, Frederick the Great of Prussia began providing assistance to less affluent countries. Consequently, this allowed his own people to feel confident that they had the military backing of these allies.
19th and Early 20th Centuries: The European superpowers gave large amounts of money in aid to their colonies as a strategy to improve infrastructure and increase economic efficiency.
1947: The first major act of foreign aid arrives with the Marshall Plan. Following World War II, the U.S. funded over $13 billion to assist in the reconstruction of Europe. This plan also led to the development of the World Bank, IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the United Nations.
1956: The amount of United States foreign aid continued to increase after the success of the Marshall Plan. In addition, the Cold War caused the Soviet Union to use foreign aid as a tactic to gain support at home.
1960s: Japan produced an extensive foreign aid program. Additionally, Robert McNamara became the head of the World Bank in 1968 and began promoting the idea of providing aid to developing countries in the forms of health, education and sanitation. People began discussing foreign aid as an issue of morality.
The 1980s: Due to the economic setbacks following the recession in the 1970s, foreign aid slowed down during this time period. Economies needed to be restructured and that left less money for social improvement.
The 1990s: The Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and this reestablished democratic values in many countries. Philanthropists such as Bill Gates and George Soros initiated developmental projects, drawing attention to the global need.
The Present: Since then, the World Bank has established two sets of millennium goals to end poverty, with the most recent deadline in 2030. The resources given and countries involved are the greatest in the history of foreign aid.
Although foreign aid has grown exponentially over the last century, there is still massive need that overpowers much of the world. However, organizations are working to increase the budget for foreign assistance and put an end to poverty once and for all.
– Emily Trosclair
Photo: Flickr
10 Facts About Microloans
Today’s world economy is dominated by big businesses and cut-throat hierarchies. Microlenders finance those who may be left out of the typical business model, such as underprivileged or under-qualified entrepreneurs, by giving them microloans.
There are numerous nonprofit microlenders that focus on helping aspiring businessmen and women enter the marketplace. Organizations such as Kiva, Zidisha, the Business Center for New Americans and Grameen America strive to provide clients with the loans they need in an educational and sustainable way.
Here are 10 Facts About Microloans.
Microloans are vital to the success of small business ventures around the globe, enabling businesses that would be ineligible to receive traditional loans to grow and thrive in the competitive market. These 10 facts about microloans show that anyone can be a microlender. Go to any of the previously mentioned organizations’ websites to learn more and make a difference in someone’s community today.
– Sabine Poux
Photo: Flickr