Over the past 20 years, terrorist attacks have become more common, and groups such as the Islamic State and al Qaeda have become global enemies. These occurrences raise the question: What is the best way to fight? Exploring how foreign aid builds alliances with a look at recent history may have the answer.
Less than 80 years ago, Germany, Italy and Japan declared war on the U.S. as a part of WWII. In response, the U.S.temporarily ended diplomatic relations with these nations. When the war ended, much of Europe was destroyed, and the continent faced wide-spread famine. In these conditions, the U.S. gave extensive foreign aid to these and other nations, helping to rebuild their communities, economies and daily lives. Today, these three countries are some of our closest allies, giving evidence that foreign aid helps forge alliances.
The U.S. government feared that the Soviet Union could take advantage of Europe’s frailty and institute communism throughout the continent. In response, the new secretary of state, George Marshall, constructed the European Recovery Program, commonly called the Marshall Plan.
The Marshall plan appropriated $13 billion to 16 European nations. This was aimed at providing food to prevent famine as well as sending other basic necessities and supplies to begin rebuilding. These shipments allowed Europe to reestablish its economy and fueled the coal and steel industries that are so important today. This investment also made a path for the eventual creation of the North Atlantic Trade Organization (NATO).
Below are three examples of benefits when foreign aid builds alliances.
1. Germany is one of our leading trade partners
As of today, Germany no longer receives U.S. foreign aid and has the largest European economy. Not only do both the U.S. and Germany remain in NATO, but the countries work together to expand global trade. Germany is also a large supplier of goods for the U.S. They exported $125 billion worth of goods, while the U.S. exported $50 billion to Germany.
Beyond economic ties, Germany also works with the U.S. at the U.N. Germany has been integral to fighting the Islamic State and al Qaeda and to maintaining peace in Africa and the Balkans.
2. Italy helps the U.S. agenda on human rights, democracy and disease control
Italy is now a prosperous nation that no longer requires foreign aid.
Italy is a member of the U.N., the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, G8, G20 and many other international organizations. In these roles, Italy works with the U.S. to cultivate democracy throughout the world and reduce conflict and terrorism. Italy also helps the U.S. in human rights, drug trafficking, human trafficking and fighting epidemics such as ebola. Rebuilding Italy after WWII helped create this strong alliance and gave the U.S. a powerful partner when negotiating complex international issues.
3. Japan partners with the U.S. to research innovative technology
The U.S. occupied Japan as a part of the treaty of surrender following WWII. This involved restructuring Japan’s political, social and economic systems. The country was demilitarized as the U.S. promised to protect it from any future conflict.
The beginning of the occupation focused on political and social reforms. Meanwhile, the Japanese economy began to collapse. At this point, the U.S. focused on rebuilding the economy through taxes restructured to reduce inflation. The Korean War soon began, and at the suggestion of occupying forces, the U.N. used Japan as its primary supplier during the war. As a result, Japan’s economy developed back into a healthy, sustainable one.
Japan remains a successful democracy and still has a robust economy. Japan no longer receives foreign aid and now offers aid to other developing nations. Moreover, they echo the voice of the U.S. agenda in East Asia. Japan supports political and military efforts of the U.S. in North Korea.
Japan also works with the U.S. in researching medicine and space travel. Together the two countries form the U.S.-Japan Science and Technology Agreement. For 25 years they have worked on advancing computer and energy technologies.
Less than 80 years ago these three countries were so devastated that their civilizations could have collapsed entirely. They are now world leaders along with the U.S. When foreign aid builds alliances, it creates strong countries and resilient partnerships. Foreign aid is able to turn our most sincere enemies into our friends.
– Mary Katherine Crowley
Photo: Flickr
Albert Einstein: The Refugee
As the author of the theory of special and general relativity, his name stands synonymous with the word “genius.” Changing fundamental ideas about the physical relationship between space, time, and gravitation, Albert Einstein radicalized how humans think about the building blocks of the physical world we live in. His theory of relativity was confirmed in 1919 from further research into solar eclipses. His popularization by the press gained him a quick rise to fame and in 1921, Einstein would receive the Nobel Prize for his related work.
Being himself a German Jew, Einstein cultivated an outspoken political personality and was well known for his pacifist ideals. His work, paired with his political persona triggered negative attention from extreme right-wing groups.
Anti-Semites were determined to publicize his discoveries as “un-German”. The rise of the Nazi party made it more and more difficult for Einstein to work in Germany, so in 1932 when offered a position at Princeton University, he accepted, retaining dual U.S. and Swiss citizenship.
While his theories were still widely taught, he was ultimately accused of treason in 1933 by the Nazi Third Reich; winning the party a partial victory when Einstein’s name could no longer be mentioned in academic circles. Although Einstein was not in Germany at the time, Nazi fanatics still had his property seized and his books were among those burned on the famous May 10, 1933, as a symbol of purging an “un-German” spirit.
He fled to the United States on October 17th of that year, using his fame and financial resources to work vigorously with his wife to obtain U.S. visas for other German Jew refugees. Einstein had haunting mixed feelings about his life in Princeton:
Among many notable others, the legacy of Albert Einstein’s refugee status resulted in the founding of the German Academic Refugee Initiative Fund (DAFI), an organization whose primary objective is to promote self-reliance of refugees through providing professional qualifications for future employment. In addition, DAFI contributes to the development of critical human resources that may be needed in the potential restoration of refugees’ home countries. DAFI also offers a scholarship project; an effective instrument used to attain and maintain self-reliance of refugees when used in the right context. The funds given from the scholarship must be used to aid in the academic studies of eligible refugee recipients.
Thus, Albert Einstein left us not only with mind-blowing new theories in physics, but a key organization telling us that education paves the road out of socioeconomic poverty.
– Kali Faulwetter
Sources: Azer, UNHCR, Jewish Virtual Library, PPU, OFADEC
Photo: Native Pakistan
Cardiovascular Dominating Top Diseases in Latvia
The country of Latvia in Eastern Europe borders the Baltic Sea and Russia. The population of Latvia is just fewer than two million people, which is very small relative to most countries around the world. The life expectancy in Latvia is 74 years, which is above the global average of 71 years. The annual mortality rate is 754 per 100,000. Though it is small, the top diseases in Latvia mirror global trends.
When traveling to Latvia, it is recommended by the CDC to have all routine vaccinations up to date, as well as hepatitis A. There is the possibility of contaminated food and water in Latvia.
The top two diseases in Latvia are both cardiac-related, much like most of the world. The heart diseases are the only two on the list of the top diseases in Latvia that have stayed in their spot for the last 20 years. The numbers have been decreasing for both ischemic heart disease and stroke. In third place, cardiomyopathy is also heart-related and has been rising since last counted when it was in the ninth position.
An interesting development in Latvia over the last 20 years has been the rise of HIV/AIDS. It was not near the top in 1990 in position 83, but it has jumped to the sixth since then. This has encouraged a discussion of prevention and education efforts. Educating the public on the dangers and how to be safe can prevent cases and resulting fatalities.
The risk factors of many of the top diseases in Latvia include dietary choices, high blood pressure, smoking and alcohol use and physical inactivity.
– Brendin Axtman
Photo: Flickr
4 Girls’ Education Organizations That You Should Know About
The plight of many uneducated women in developing countries is a woeful one. Many face poverty, female genital mutilation and early marriage. Access to education opens doors for women, empowering them to provide for themselves and their families and enabling them to participate in politics and the working world. Below are four girls’ education organizations working actively to improve women’s lives.
4 Girls’ Education Organizations That You Should Know About
While there remains room for gender equality in schools to improve, these girls’ education organizations have made significant strides in creating access and increasing the quality of schooling for girls, an achievement that serves to develop the world as a whole.
– Madeline Forwerck
Photo: Flickr
Wealth in Dubai: Generous Strides in the Global Poverty Effort
People believe that wealth in Dubai stems from its oil industry. However, it only accounts for about 7 percent of its total revenue. The big bucks are in Dubai’s real estate. Reports show that most of the state’s $82.11 billion in revenue come from its investment in real estate, airlines, and sea ports.
Dubai has shown that its population has no plans to hold onto its wealth. The city has made tremendous strides toward the eradication of global poverty and plans to continue to do so until it is eliminated. Forty-six years after the foundation of the UAE, international aid provided by its government and non-governmental organizations has been estimated at $15.23 billion. This international support using wealth in Dubai makes it one of the world’s largest contributors to foreign aid.
“Foreign aid and assistance are one of the basic pillars of our foreign policy. For we believe that there is no true benefit for us from the wealth that we have unless it does not also reach those in need, wherever they may be, and regardless of their nationality or beliefs,” founder and former president of the UAE Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan said.
The majority of Dubai’s foreign aid goes to programs that focus on the assistance of the poor, healthcare, energy generation, transport and storage. In recent years, the state has put an emphasis on the pursuit of solar energy.
Dubai’s leaders say that sustainability and clean energy are priorities for any long-term resolution to issues created by poverty. They say that further investment in solar energy will lead to its use in emergency operations, schools, refugee camps and other aid processes of this kind.
– Emily Trosclair
Photo: Flickr
Exploring How Foreign Aid Builds Alliances
Over the past 20 years, terrorist attacks have become more common, and groups such as the Islamic State and al Qaeda have become global enemies. These occurrences raise the question: What is the best way to fight? Exploring how foreign aid builds alliances with a look at recent history may have the answer.
Less than 80 years ago, Germany, Italy and Japan declared war on the U.S. as a part of WWII. In response, the U.S.temporarily ended diplomatic relations with these nations. When the war ended, much of Europe was destroyed, and the continent faced wide-spread famine. In these conditions, the U.S. gave extensive foreign aid to these and other nations, helping to rebuild their communities, economies and daily lives. Today, these three countries are some of our closest allies, giving evidence that foreign aid helps forge alliances.
The U.S. government feared that the Soviet Union could take advantage of Europe’s frailty and institute communism throughout the continent. In response, the new secretary of state, George Marshall, constructed the European Recovery Program, commonly called the Marshall Plan.
The Marshall plan appropriated $13 billion to 16 European nations. This was aimed at providing food to prevent famine as well as sending other basic necessities and supplies to begin rebuilding. These shipments allowed Europe to reestablish its economy and fueled the coal and steel industries that are so important today. This investment also made a path for the eventual creation of the North Atlantic Trade Organization (NATO).
Below are three examples of benefits when foreign aid builds alliances.
1. Germany is one of our leading trade partners
As of today, Germany no longer receives U.S. foreign aid and has the largest European economy. Not only do both the U.S. and Germany remain in NATO, but the countries work together to expand global trade. Germany is also a large supplier of goods for the U.S. They exported $125 billion worth of goods, while the U.S. exported $50 billion to Germany.
Beyond economic ties, Germany also works with the U.S. at the U.N. Germany has been integral to fighting the Islamic State and al Qaeda and to maintaining peace in Africa and the Balkans.
2. Italy helps the U.S. agenda on human rights, democracy and disease control
Italy is now a prosperous nation that no longer requires foreign aid.
Italy is a member of the U.N., the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, G8, G20 and many other international organizations. In these roles, Italy works with the U.S. to cultivate democracy throughout the world and reduce conflict and terrorism. Italy also helps the U.S. in human rights, drug trafficking, human trafficking and fighting epidemics such as ebola. Rebuilding Italy after WWII helped create this strong alliance and gave the U.S. a powerful partner when negotiating complex international issues.
3. Japan partners with the U.S. to research innovative technology
The U.S. occupied Japan as a part of the treaty of surrender following WWII. This involved restructuring Japan’s political, social and economic systems. The country was demilitarized as the U.S. promised to protect it from any future conflict.
The beginning of the occupation focused on political and social reforms. Meanwhile, the Japanese economy began to collapse. At this point, the U.S. focused on rebuilding the economy through taxes restructured to reduce inflation. The Korean War soon began, and at the suggestion of occupying forces, the U.N. used Japan as its primary supplier during the war. As a result, Japan’s economy developed back into a healthy, sustainable one.
Japan remains a successful democracy and still has a robust economy. Japan no longer receives foreign aid and now offers aid to other developing nations. Moreover, they echo the voice of the U.S. agenda in East Asia. Japan supports political and military efforts of the U.S. in North Korea.
Japan also works with the U.S. in researching medicine and space travel. Together the two countries form the U.S.-Japan Science and Technology Agreement. For 25 years they have worked on advancing computer and energy technologies.
Less than 80 years ago these three countries were so devastated that their civilizations could have collapsed entirely. They are now world leaders along with the U.S. When foreign aid builds alliances, it creates strong countries and resilient partnerships. Foreign aid is able to turn our most sincere enemies into our friends.
– Mary Katherine Crowley
Photo: Flickr
Major Diseases in Burkina Faso: Improvements Left to be Made
The major diseases in Burkina Faso are also some of the largest killers in the world. They are incredibly dangerous, common throughout the country, and may be separated into categories as follows: food or waterborne diseases; vector-borne diseases; water contact diseases; aerosolized dust or soil contact diseases; respiratory disease and animal contact diseases. Below are the most common diseases in Burkina Faso.
Hepatitis A
This is a form of viral hepatitis. It is transmitted by food and causes jaundice and fever. Most who die from it are children aged one to four. Although the death rate from hepatitis A is Burkina Faso is lower than any other country in Western sub-Saharan Africa, it is their most dangerous food and waterborne disease.
Hepatitis E
The deadliness of this disease in Burkina Faso is most common at age 80. At this age, hepatitis E kills 4.3 out of 100,000 people. The virus targets the liver and is most commonly transmitted through the fecal-oral route.
Typhoid Fever
This is another of many diseases in Burkina Faso commonly spread through fecal-oral routes. Those infected experience high fevers and, if left untreated, mortality rates can reach 20 percent of the infected population. The annual mortality rate for typhoid fever in Burkina Faso has decreased 5 percent since 1990. It is like hepatitis A in that it mostly kills young children aged one to four.
Malaria
Malaria affects more people in Burkina Faso than in other countries of Western sub-Saharan Africa, although the mortality rate dropped 26 percent between 1990 and 2013. That decline is significant, but the death rate from Malaria decreased 49 percent in Sierra Leone and 51 percent in Gambia over the same period.
Dengue Fever
This disease is commonly spread through mosquitoes. Dengue fever is less common than it used to be, with a 52 percent decrease since 1990. It will occasionally cause shock and hemorrhage, leading to death in 5 percent of cases. While one of the less common diseases in Burkina Faso, it is still prevalent.
This is only the beginning of the list for diseases in Burkina Faso. While the country is fighting for better and stronger health care and prevention systems for these diseases, its citizens continue to die of entirely preventable causes. Burkina Faso is on its way to saving a lot of lives with their improvements in health care system, and help from countries like the United States can only help them from here.
– Rilee Pickle
Photo: Flickr
New Feminism in Latin America
In the past few years, social justice movements have evolved all over the globe, and a rise in feminism in Latin America is no exception. Women from several countries across Central and South America have formed alliances and staged protests over issues including street harassment, the wage gap, rape and femicide.
Veronica Gago, professor of social sciences at the University of Buenos Aires, notes networks of feminist allies being forged across international borders in Latin America. In addition to organizing marches against gendered injustice in their countries, Latin American feminists work to create spaces where activists can discuss these issues.
Femicide is perhaps the central issue, with a number of countries organizing protests to increase awareness of the thousands of women who are killed by romantic partners each year.
Mujeres de la Matria Latinoamericana (MuMaLa), an influential feminist collective in Latin America, estimated that in 2013, 13 women were killed per day in Brazil. According to data from the Ministry of Health, rates at which women are killed by partners is not only high, but on the rise, and activists are paying attention to this trend.
Feminists in Argentina, where women are killed by partners at one of the highest rates in the world, have been particularly active in the past few years. In 2016, MuMaLa and another major contributor to feminism in Latin America called Ni Una Menos organized a protest following the rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl, citing hypermasculine culture as the cause of such violent acts. Women gathered and held an hour-long strike with signs reading, “If you touch one of us, we all react.”
Just last month, feminists in Argentina organized a nude flash mob in which participants marched on government buildings to protest gendered violence. The protest itself was a work of art, featuring a string quartet and percussionist who provided background music for the demonstration. One hundred and twenty women crowded beneath a banner reading “Femicide is Genocide,” cast off their clothing and fell into a pile, later returning to their feet and punctuating the protest with shrieks of rage.
Many Latin American feminists turn to art in order to express their goals, using music, poetry and graffiti to gain the attention of both the government and the public.
Feminism in Latin America manifests in a number of forms. With the continued efforts of collectives like MuMaLa and Ni Una Menos as well as individuals, rates of femicide could decline.
– Madeline Forwerck
Photo: Flickr
Girls’ Education in Tanzania Is on the Rise
In Tanzania, a sub-Saharan African country known for its national parks, diverse game and scenic wilderness, approximately two million young people were illiterate in 2011. Girls’ education in Tanzania, in particular, is an issue, as both adolescent and adult women demonstrate lower literacy rates than their male counterparts.
In 2012, literacy among women aged 15 to 24 was just 72.8 percent, while literacy among men in the same age group sat at 76.5 percent. The disparity becomes statistically significant among adults is even wider among adults: 75.5 percent of men and only 60.8 percent of women are literate.
In the country’s poorest areas, it is especially difficult for women to support themselves and their families, let alone further their education. In the northwest Tanzanian village of Kitenga, for instance, there is no running water or electricity, disease rates are high and scarce access to education, all of which are obstacles for girls who want to learn.
Enter the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa (IHSA), an organization committed to improving girls’ education in Tanzania. After partnering with the Girls’ Education Collaborative (GEC), which offers financial and logistical support, they launched the Kitenga Village Project. This project aims to raise the community from poverty by establishing basic resources, and, in January, it achieved its central objective when it opened the Kitenga School for Girls to educate girls in the community.
The school opened not only to encourage literacy but also to combat female genital mutilation and early marriage, both problems more likely to be faced by adolescent Tanzanian women without an education.
Currently, enrollment at the school stands at 59 girls from a variety of backgrounds. Having won the full support of the government, the GEC and the IHSA intend to accommodate a larger student body in the future. Plans for expansion include a library and housing for 1,500 boarding students.
The Kitenga School for Girls’ central vision is to provide girls from destitute families with an exceptional range of knowledge and skills. Students will have access to career and leadership coaching, health studies and life skills training, as well as a safe and secure environment.
Though women in poverty continue to face gendered hardships, access to schools creates greater opportunities. With the innovative efforts of organizations like the GEC and the IHSA, girls’ education in Tanzania is likely to continue growing.
– Madeline Forwerck
Photo: Flickr
The Importance of Community Cooperation in Global Development
When outside aid organizations enter developing countries with the best intentions to help, it is important that these organizations partner with local businesses and individuals. Community cooperation is essential to effective and long-term global development. The alternative is short-lived relief that lasts only as long as the aid organization’s presence persists in the region.
Community cooperation, however, ensures that no vacuums are left in communities after aid is inevitably retracted. Creating self-sustaining communities is key to long term relief.
There are many organizations that have grasped hold of this idea. The following are a few examples of such:
Global Water Partnership (GWP)
Global Water Partnership is a global action network whose goal is to reach a water-secure world. The organization has over 3,000 partners in 183 countries. It focuses on educating countries and communities about water management. GWP believes that good governance concerning water management can only be accomplished with collaborative efforts.
Save the Children
Save the Children believes that education helps children to reach their full potential. Through its education programs, Save the Children has helped train teachers and parents on effective teaching practices, encouraged education practices outside of the classroom and ensured that students continue learning after crises occur.
World Vision
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to “empower people out of poverty.” Partnering with locals is the core of World Vision’s approach to global development. Local partnerships allow “programs to be more effective by benefiting from greater legitimacy, local knowledge, resources, and long-term ownership.”
Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE)
CARE is a humanitarian aid organization that works around the globe to “save lives, defeat poverty and achieves social justice.” The organization’s approach to aid often involves partnering with locals. For instance, one of its facets for gender-based violence (GBV) relief involves equipping local activists with the tools needed to provide case managers for women and children who are survivors of GBV. CARE’s economic development programs also involve local education by teaching women and families sound financial habits and by creating entrepreneurs.
The purpose of many nonprofit and aid organizations is to effectually become unneeded. A nonprofit fighting illiteracy wants everyone to eventually know how to read. Once literacy rates reach 100 percent (or 99 percent, accounting for margin of error), aid can withdraw from regions around the world.
The longevity of the impact of these organizations is dependent on their ability to prepare future generations. If the hypothetical literacy-focused nonprofit withdrew without leaving behind any local teachers then future generations would be left in a disadvantageous state.
A helping hand without explanation and aid without education is hurtful in the long term. Community cooperation is key to effective relief.
– Rebeca Ilisoi
Photo: Flickr
Ten Facts About Refugees in Ireland
The UN believes the world is experiencing the worst refugee crisis since World War II. At the end of 2015, 63.5 million refugees had been reported. That means that one out of every 113 people on the planet is a refugee. The tremendous number of people seeking refugee status is partially a result of the Syrian civil war and the long-standing war in Afghanistan. While Italy, Greece and Turkey initially received the most refugees, there are now more people coming to these shores than these countries can be expected to take in. Other European Union (EU) member nations are being asked to resettle some of these refugees. Ireland is one country that has agreed to do so. What is the refugee climate like in Ireland? Discussed below are the leading facts about refugees in Ireland.
Top 10 Facts About Refugees in Ireland
With each refugee having a unique story, 10 facts about refugees in Ireland cannot begin to sum them all up. Some have left a family in their country of origin, while others have left loved ones in new EU countries. All the same, refugees remember what their homeland was to them while resettling in places like Ireland.
– Mary Katherine Crowley
Photo: Flickr