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10 Facts About Nicaraguan Refugees


Nicaragua is a Central American nation with a population of more than six million people. While Latin America is not the center of the current refugee crisis, there is a long history of asylum seekers in the region. Here are 10 facts about Nicaraguan refugees.

  1. Many who decide to flee one of Latin America’s many countries attempt to head north to the United States. However, most Nicaraguans who leave their home country head south instead because visas are often cheaper, there’s more work and the pay is good.
  2. The United States has a long history of involvement in the politics of Central and Latin America. Nicaragua is no exception. Because of civil war and a U.S. trade embargo in the 1980s, many Nicaraguans sought refuge at that time.
  3. In 1983, more than 2,400 Nicaraguans were in refugee camps in Costa Rica, and around 1,750 more followed in 1984.
  4. In addition, more than 100,000 undocumented Nicaraguan refugees were likely to have crossed the border into Costa Rica in the 1980s because of the military draft, economic reasons or other dangers.
  5. Today, not many Nicaraguan migrants live in the U.S. compared to migrants of other Central American nationalities. The majority of Nicaraguans in the United States live in Miami and northern California.
  6. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, and almost half the population lives on less than two dollars a day. However, Nicaragua has a low rate of crime and violence, two large factors in migration.
  7. According to the Huffington Post, polls indicate that more than half of Nicaraguans would prefer to migrate.
  8. Costa Rica is the place to go for Nicaraguan refugees. Costa Rica is close, has no language barrier and the education system is good.
  9. Many Nicaraguans who flee to Costa Rica face discrimination, exclusion and tough legal processes once they arrive.
  10. Nicaraguan refugees make up most of Costa Rica’s immigrants–around 75 percent of Costa Rica’s immigrants are Nicaraguan.

The refugee crisis is not limited to any one region in the world. These 10 facts about Nicaraguan refugees illustrate the need to think about the refugee crisis on a global scale.

– Shannon Elder

Photo: Flickr

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Organizations Fighting Poverty in Developing Countries


Thanks to multilateral partnerships between nonprofit organizations, intergovernmental organizations and governments around the world, extreme poverty has gone down by 50 percent since 1990. Here is a list of influential organizations that are working to better the lives of the world’s poor. This list is not exhaustive, and is merely a sample of some of the exemplary organizations doing work in problem areas such as global health, water, sanitation, food, housing and education.

Oxfam

Oxfam is currently fighting poverty in developing countries by taking on issues of inequality, discrimination and unequal access to resources. It provides assistance during humanitarian crises. Also, it is very involved in educating the world’s poor about human rights and civic engagement to change the root causes of poverty at the political level.

United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

Founded on the belief that all people should have a chance to live with dignity, opportunity and safety. The UNDP helps countries develop policies that lead to sustainable development, democratic governance, peace building, climate and disaster resilience. The UNDP is a giant agency that delegates country-specific activities and programs through its Resident Coordinator System (RCS) that has offices in 130 countries. The organization’s highest goal is to implement the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries of operation.

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF fights for children’s rights and welfare by strengthening legislation and social services. Initiatives include early childhood development, nutrition, immunization, WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), children with disabilities and education.

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)

UNOCHA is responsible for coordinating humanitarian relief efforts during natural disasters and conflict. In addition, UNOCHA raises awareness and encourages involvement among U.N. member states of humanitarian crises.

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (U.N. DESA)

The U.N. DESA creates and analyzes data pertaining to the economic and social aspects of sustainable development. U.N. member states draw from these when creating U.N. resolutions as well as drafting local policy plans in their home countries. The U.N. DESA’s in-depth policy analysis has helped to resolve many of the world’s most pressing socioeconomic issues.

The Borgen Project

The Borgen Project is an influential U.S. nonprofit fighting poverty in developing countries through civic engagement and education. The organization believes that developed countries have a moral obligation to help the world’s poor. The organization advocates on Capitol Hill for poverty reduction legislation, increasing the international affairs budget and making poverty reduction a primary focus of U.S. foreign policy.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)

USAID facilitates development abroad by allocating the U.S. international aid budget towards projects that increase agricultural productivity, lower child mortality rates and deadly diseases, provide humanitarian assistance during natural disasters and prolonged conflict and promote democracy, economic growth, environmental resilience and women’s empowerment.

Overseas Development Institute (ODI)

ODI is an independent think tank that researches a myriad of topics from climate and energy to poverty and inequality. The Institute’s goal is to facilitate international development by providing policy advice, consultancy services and training programs to fight poverty.

Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is a phenomenal non-government organization that is fighting poverty in developing countries by providing lifesaving humanitarian aid. This aid is primarily focused on elevating world hunger, increasing world health and responding to emergencies and natural disasters.

The Hunger Project

The Hunger Project recognizes that poverty is sexist. Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate population are female and 60 percent of HIV/AIDS cases today affect women. The Hunger Project believes that empowering women is essential to ending world hunger and poverty. It fights for clean drinking water, nutrition and sanitation as well as economic growth.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)

The BMGF has been instrumental in saving the lives of 122 million children since 1990 largely through its efforts to increase access to health care and vaccinations, which have all but eradicated polio and halved rates of malaria and tuberculosis around the world.

World Bank Group

The World Bank Group funds development projects around the world through traditional loans, interest-free credits and grants. The World Bank Group also produces some of the world’s leading research and publications concerning development policies and programs. It offers policy advice, analysis and technical assistance to developing countries throughout the project application process as well.

The Earth Institute

The Earth Institute, directed by Jeffrey Sachs, is part of New York University. The institute is comprised of two dozen research facilities in the fields of Earth and climate science, public health, economics, law, business and public policy all focused on the future sustainability of our planet. It applies its research to developing policies and solutions to the world’s problems, especially sustainable development and the alleviation of poverty.

Red Cross

The Red Cross in an international NGO that provides urgent assistance to those affected by disaster through vaccination campaigns, disaster preparedness, reconnecting families separated by conflict and natural disasters.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB)

EWB is fighting poverty in developing countries by providing real-world engineering solutions to tough problems all over the world. Whether that be through increasing access to clean drinking water in rural communities or building roads and dams, EWB is committed to community-driven development by working alongside community members throughout the project.

There are thousands of other organizations that are also working to do their part on local to international scales. They are all working to end poverty and increase standards of living in developing countries.

– Josh Ward

Photo: Flickr

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5 Things You Should Know About Water Quality in Botswana

5 Things You Should Know About Water Quality in Botswana
The small southern African country of Botswana is known to hold one of the world’s highest economic growth rates since achieving independence in 1966. The nation of 2.2 million people has transformed from its initial impoverished state to a middle-income country through diamond mining, tourism and common farming practices.

Due to the downturn in the global diamond market, however, the economy experienced a low point following the 2008 global recession, with widespread water and power shortages. In just this past year, water quality in Botswana has demanded significant attention as the nation entered its fourth year of drought, posing serious threats to the agriculture sector. Here are five things you should know about water quality in Botswana.

  1. A 2012 water sector policy brief conducted by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) stated that Botswana’s water sources consist primarily of underground water and surface water (rivers, pans and dams), all of which are shared with neighboring countries. Collecting enough water for households and communities has posed several challenges in response to access and exerts additional pressure on Botswana’s water resources.
  2. Worsening climatic conditions only emphasize the depth of droughts and the crisis of water quality in Botswana. These factors force individuals to turn to the government to build infrastructure, find adequate solutions and join different South African pipeline schemes, though they will be costly. While the country has water in dams in the north, that water cannot be moved down to the south.
  3. In March 2017, The World Bank approved a $145.5 million loan to the Republic of Botswana for the Emergency Water Security and Efficiency Project, which will help Botswana cope with increased water stress arising from the drought crisis, and aid in the sustainable development of the country, given current climate change projections. Hundreds of thousands of people will benefit from this plan to restore existing water supply systems and improve the sustainability of water resources in Botswana.
  4. According to the CIA World Factbook, drinking water sources have improved for 96.2 percent of the total population, leaving 3.8 percent of the total population with unimproved sources.
  5. Sanitation facility access has reportedly improved for 63.4 percent of the total population and remains unimproved for 36.6 percent of the total population.

The issue of drought and water quality in Botswana leaves the country in a position where its people must adapt to water scarcity. Fortunately, with the introduction of environmental projects and recognition of the problem, efficient methods of restoring the economy of Botswana and its industries will soon take effect.

– Mikaela Frigillana

Photo: Flickr

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4 Ways Poverty Impacts the Hepatitis Epidemic


Hepatitis has become a global epidemic. Such viral infections can cause cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. Nine percent of the global population, or 550 million people, are infected and one million die from the disease every year. Most of these deaths are in lower-income countries. Hepatitis infections have definitive links with poverty beyond death rates; poverty is an identified risk factor for the disease. Here are four ways poverty impacts the hepatitis epidemic:

  1. Poverty Impedes Diagnosis
    Many people are unaware they have hepatitis. Indeed, 90 percent of people with hepatitis C are not diagnosed. Undiagnosed people may not take precautions in preventing transmission.Many diagnostic tests are expensive, putting them out of reach for lower-income countries. For example, the liver biopsy test is not only expensive, but it requires trained histopathologists to analyze the tissue sample. In Africa, medical professionals who are experts in liver diseases are generally not common. This includes those who would analyze the histology sample.Furthermore, lower-income countries don’t typically have high-quality laboratories that can test for hepatitis. The centers that do exist are usually found in urban areas, neglecting those in rural locations.
  2. Poverty Reduces Access to Treatment
    Lower-income countries have limited access to hepatitis treatment. Forty-one percent of the population lives in places without public hepatitis funding. One treatment, known as PEG-INF/RBV, can cost EUR 25,000 for full course therapy in Europe. This figure does not consider any of the follow-up care or further tests.There are also tests which guide the treatment of hepatitis. They identify the strain and how much virus is in a person. They’re expensive and as such not always routine.
  3. Patents Make Drugs More Expensive Than They Need to Be
    Drugs are protected as intellectual property by patents. These protection laws prevent other companies from creating comparable, generic drugs at lower prices for twenty years after invention. The intention is to encourage research and development by drug companies. In reality, when only one company makes a drug the company has free range with pricing and often sets a high price tag. These patents make some hepatitis drugs too expensive for patients in lower-income countries.
  4. Reuse of Syringes is Common in Lower-Income Countries
    Syringes can be contaminated with hepatitis. When they are reused without sterilization, they can pass along the infection. One reason that dirty syringes are reused is because of poorly trained healthcare workers. Also, lack of funding forces medical professionals to reuse syringes. If this practice continues, so will the epidemic.The good news is that there are treatments and cures for hepatitis. There is a complete cure for the hepatitis C strain and preventative vaccines for hepatitis A, B and E. The World Health Organization (WHO) is optimistic in defeating the hepatitis epidemic. They have prioritized its eradication and are creating guidelines to help countries with this process.

Previously, the WHO prioritized fighting a global epidemic during the HIV outbreak. HIV therapy once cost $10,000 per patient, per year. That is now down to $100. Today 10 million people receive treatment, in contrast to the mere 20,000 who were once treated in developing nations.

Hopefully, with focus and funding, the future of hepatitis can follow the pattern set by the HIV outbreak, and poverty’s impact can be eliminated.

– Mary Katherine Crowley

Photo: Flickr

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Education in Grenada

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The National Fadama Development Project in Nigeria


In 1996, the World Bank described poverty in Nigeria as “widespread and severe.” Low per capita income, high unemployment, low industrial utilization capacity and high birth rates are some of the challenges the country is facing despite its vast resources. Low productivity in agriculture is another cause of the widespread poverty in Nigeria.

The National Fadama Development Project (NFDP) has been incorporated by the government to address the challenge of poverty in Nigeria. The project was started in 1990 and is now in its third phase. It is a $450 million project and is being implemented in 36 states and Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory. Phase I and Phase II of the project helped to raise the incomes of rural farmers by 63 percent.

Fadama is the Hausa name for irrigable, low-lying plains underlain by “shallow” aquifers found along major river systems. The Fadama concept is an old tradition in Hausa, where flooded land is used for growing a variety of crops and small-scale irrigation.

This land is suitable for irrigation, fishing and providing feed and water for livestock.
The objective of The NFDP III is to increase the incomes of the farmers, reduce rural poverty, increase food security and contribute to the development of the Millennium Development Goals. Six minimum components of The NFDP III are:

  1. Local governance and communication
  2. Small-scale community owned infrastructure
  3. Advisory service and input support development
  4. Support to the Agricultural Development Programs
  5. Asset acquisition for individual Fadama Users Groups
  6. Project management, monitoring and evaluation

The NFDP is driven by the community. Local community members oversee the design and implementation of the project. This leads to empowerment, skill and capacity building, and has led to improving livelihoods and income generation. The local communities have created more than 2000 development plans. Construction of wells, storage facilities and other initiatives have developed the farm infrastructure, and the farmers have acquired 8,000 pieces of equipment.

This project has supported large and diverse residence of transient wildlife, including herbivores, carnivores and migratory birds. In the Ondo state, 50,000 households have benefited from the project. Veterinary clinics, roads, small bridges and 174 kilometers of rural roads have been constructed. The NFDP III is expected to reach about 317,000 direct beneficiary households and 1.4 million indirect beneficiary households.

“The Third National Fadama Development Project Additional Financing is a unique opportunity to demonstrate how the World Bank Group can support Nigeria to drive its Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA),” said Adetunji Oredipe, task team leader for the project. “It is therefore not surprising to see the high level of commitment and political support availed the project by the federal government.”

Through these joint efforts by the NFDP III and the Nigerian government, it is hopeful that the country’s poverty-related issues will improve.

– Aishwarya Bansal

Photo: Flickr

Different Measures of Poverty in the Maldives


Poverty in the Maldives is improving. The country has grown into a middle-income country over the past 40 years. Its population has steadily increased, sitting now at nearly 410,000 people. Life expectancy at birth has also increased steadily and consistently in the Southern-Asian group of islands in the Indian Ocean over the past five decades. The Maldives life expectancy at birth was just 37 in 1960. It currently stands at more than 76 years of age.

Economically, the former British Protectorate and current climate change champion has bettered itself largely in the past decade. The country’s Gross National Income (GNI), or the sum of the value added by all resident producers, was less than $3,500 per capita in 2003. That number climbed gradually, topping out at $4,000 in 2007.

GNI per capita in the Maldives skyrocketed over the next 10 years, bounding up to $4,880 in 2008, $5,030 in 2009 and nearly $7,000 by 2015.

In reference to a more widely understood, accepted and analyzed statistic, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), poverty in the Maldives has rebounded since the turn of the century.

Annual GDP growth percentage figures fell off the cliff from 2004 to 2005, dropping more than 21 percentage points, from 12.5 percent growth to shrinking by 8.7 percent.

However, GPD growth was up 28.3 percent the following year, to 19.6 percent annual GDP growth in 2006. Since that time, growth in GDP has leveled out and remained consistent, around 3.5 percent today.

In 2009, it was estimated by the World Bank that 15.7 percent of the population lived in poverty in the Maldives. Severe poverty was 7.3 percent, measured as the proportion of those living on less than $1.90 a day.

Today more than 98 percent drink clean water, and 97.9 percent have access to improved sanitation facilities. Poverty in the Maldives is not entirely reflected in its GDP either as it currently sits at $3.4 billion and growing.

According to the CIA’s World Fact Book, poverty in the Maldives may not be improving, as the collection of Southern-Asian islands in the Indian Ocean continues to spend, dropping its gross national savings eight percent in two years (2014-2016).

Poverty in Maldives — if measured by unemployment numbers — presents a problem in that more than 11.5 percent of its 392,960 people are without work.

While some facts and figures project an improving economy, poverty in the Maldives remains an issue as the country spends more than its revenue and works to combat climate change. The region has witnessed fiscal expansion and domestic growth, yet may feel after effects of an unbalanced trade ratio in coming years.

– Shaun Savarese

Photo: Flickr

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An Optimistic Update on Hunger in Oman

Significant progress has been made on the issue of hunger in Oman. With a score of 9.9 in the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Oman is considered to be one of the fastest-improving countries in food security and has been recognized worldwide for its sustainable strategies in establishing accessible food systems. Much of Oman’s success today has been attributed to crucial investments in industries such as agriculture, water resources and food storage, which have collectively served to increase food production and availability throughout the nation. As such, below are five recent developments in Oman that encapsulate the holistic approach it has taken to achieve food security and resilience, positioning the country as a new but well-qualified leader in regional food security.  

5 Updates on Hunger in Oman:

  1. In 2023, Oman’s agriculture, forestry and fishing sectors contributed approximately 2.4% to the GDP, indicating an increase of 2.3% from the previous year. These sectors have demonstrated significant promise to the country’s food production, primarily by integrating modern technologies into existing resources and practices. Notably, Oman has applied artificial intelligence and digital agriculture into its agricultural and fisheries sectors, which have expanded crop yield and water-use efficiency nationwide. Other techniques such as hydroponics, aquaponics and desalination projects have maximized agricultural resilience while minimizing water usage. As a result, these sectors reached a value of approximately $1.18 billion in the first half of 2024, and are expected to reach new heights in the coming years. 
  2. As of October 2024, Oman now has 94 fish processing and freezing factories. Within the past several years, Oman’s fisheries sector has seen remarkable progress as a byproduct of state-led efforts to strengthen the country’s hunger levels and expand value-added exports. Improvements in infrastructure, streamlined marketing systems and enhanced quality control in fish markets across the nation have provided Omanis with booming fish markets upheld by safe products ready for consumption. Companies such as Fisheries Development Oman (FDO) have drastically broadened Oman’s fish processing capacities, bypassing climate-related obstacles. FDO recently launched its first Omani tuna fishing ship and completed a shrimp farming project, and expects to continue to expand into the global seafood market following its merger with Oman Investment Authority (OIA) in late 2024.
  3. Improvements in the food storage systems are underway, and are predicted to prevent food crises and other shortages caused by emergencies successfully. A wheat silo at Sohar Port will increase capacity to 160,000 tons and new silos are being planned at Salalah Port and Muttrah, which will guarantee the availability of essential grains both locally and throughout the country. In the next few years, food hub Khazaen Economic City and agro-food company Zircon Food Industries will establish an integrated industrial complex designed to refine and package rice, sugar and spice. In addition to bolstering the production of staple foods, the state is working to secure a strategic stock of basic food commodities to ensure their availability during times of disaster – such as lentils, milk, oil and tea. These stocks will be maintained via approximately 48 warehouses across all of Oman, which will also rely on a combination of imports, local procurement and storage agreements.
  4. Oman has taken a multi-pronged approach to achieving a physically fit and well-nourished population by 2050. Regarding nutrition and health, the National Nutrition Strategy intends to raise exclusive breastfeeding to improve the nutritional and cognitive potential of children, reduce stunting and low birth weight through improvement of women’s health and nutrition, and reduce anemia and similar micronutrient deficiencies by providing nutrient-rich foods, among other initiatives. Oman has introduced organically grown vegetables and fruits into households by incorporating advanced tools for rural and urban gardens in 80% of all households. In tackling obesity, the country seeks to promote active living by establishing a standard of one hour of aerobic heart-friendly exercise, spanning from walking and jogging to bicycling and gardening.
  5. Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources intends to launch 30 new investment projects worth over $52 billion in order to strengthen food security. This initiative will build upon Food Security Lab 2024, which was launched in 2021 as a collaborative effort engaging the state, the National Programme for Investment and Export Development (Nazdar) and private sector partners to enhance Oman’s self-sufficiency in food production. These upcoming projects aim to focus on crops such as onion, garlic and potatoes as well as fish farming and water efficiency that currently demonstrate low self-sufficiency, aquaculture and water resources. By leveraging strategic planning and effective coordination, all stakeholders hope to increase local production and create job opportunities for Omanis, seeking to boost the economy long term.

Oman has made many strides in food security throughout the past decade. However, the country remains ambitious in its plans to eliminate hunger entirely, employing eco-friendly practices, sustainable resources and stakeholder engagement to whittle down on its goals. By continuing to adopt a proactive approach to food production and availability, Oman is well-prepared to take on any unanticipated food challenges and maintain a resilient food system across its borders and beyond.

– Dustin Jayroe, Moon Jung Kim

Photo: Flickr

Updated: April 1, 2025

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Water Quality in France


Known for its Tour de France, Eiffel Tower, natural wonders and great wealth, no one would ever suspect that the water quality in France is so poor.

The poor water quality might not be evident at first as most of the population enjoys clean water. In 2014, it was recorded that 98 percent of the population in France have access to clean water, a 280,000 person increase from 2012.

In the same year, 95 percent of households in France reported having a water supply that conforms to legal standards.

With such a high population enjoying clean water, where is the water quality in France considered so bad? The answer is not in modern, urban areas, but rather the forgotten rural areas where the agriculture industry reigns.

Approximately 1.5 million people, or five percent of France’s population, are drinking polluted water. Most of these people live in the rural areas of eastern or southern France in addition to the agricultural areas surrounding Paris where 20 percent or more of the population drink contaminated water. Additionally, 63 percent of homes have polluted water-accounting for around 900,000 people.

Experts noted that the cause of the contaminated water, in towns with less than 500 people, is due to the fact that these agricultural areas are exposed to high levels of pesticides and nitrates from fertilizers and livestock manure.

Additional contamination factors are said to be from natural radioactive chemicals and lime, which creates hard water residue on drinking glasses.

Although the contamination rate has fallen 35 percent since 2012, the quality gap is deafening and not much is being done for rural areas.

On the brighter side, the areas where France has improved water quality is due to the improvement of pollution control and reforming water standards. Over the past decade, France has made a huge investment in water treatment and control of the use of pesticides and chemicals that may contaminate the water. France has also improved their water quality through piped household connections, public taps, tube wells, protected dug wells, protected springs and rainwater collection.

With these new improvements to the water quality in France, the country continues to find solutions for clean and drinkable water.

– Amira Wynn

Photo: Flickr