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
Education in Grenada
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:
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
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:
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
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
Child Poverty in Turkey
Despite having one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, Turkey needs to address its poverty problems. Recent data shows that child poverty in Turkey is spinning out of control, especially among rural populations. Located where Western Asia meets Southeast Europe, Turkey has a population of over 80 million people, with about 30 percent of the population under the age of 18. Many of these children lack basic necessities, such as education and medical care.
According to a recent report, two out of every three children are affected by child poverty in Turkey. This data is based on the European Union standards of living, which evaluates the material deprivation of the average household. The report explains that when making international comparisons, child poverty in Turkey is extremely severe and persistent. UNICEF builds on this by stating that as poverty continues to grow out of control, more Turkish children are threatened by the poverty threshold.
Rural populations are significantly further behind compared to the urban population in terms of education and wages. In rural areas, many schools lack teachers, which forces schools to accommodate as many as 100 students per classroom. These large classrooms lead to poor educational outcomes. Additionally, thousands of young girls in Turkey are out of school or denied education. This lack of education leads to poor wages and job opportunities, with some families resorting to child labor or child marriage in order to make ends meet.
Children are often times denied proper healthcare. According to UNICEF, immunization rates for childhood diseases are in need of improvement, especially in rural areas. There is also roughly 2,000 children with HIV/AIDS, with UNICEF believing the numbers are likely higher.
Steps are being made to address child poverty in Turkey. The Turkish government has made ongoing efforts to improve medical care for children, educational opportunities for girls and prenatal care for mothers. Additionally, UNICEF has partnered with Procter & Gamble and has helped educate 250,000 mothers about better parenting.
Experts state that it is absolutely crucial that Turkey addresses these impoverished living conditions since child poverty is one of the root causes of poverty in adulthood. One expert named Didem Gürses writes that “in order to break the generational cycle, poverty reduction must begin in childhood.”
Child poverty in Turkey must be addressed if Turkey wishes to end poverty and have a successful future.
– Morgan Leahy
Photo: Flickr
Humanitarian Assistance in Venezuela: Efforts of US Leaders
Over the past few years, Venezuelan citizens have suffered at the hands of oppressive government leaders, leading to an overall failing economy. Necessities such as food and medicine have become hard to obtain for lower and middle-class citizens. As a result, there has been a growing need for humanitarian assistance in Venezuela.
According to findings by the International Monetary Fund, Venezuela’s inflation rate reached an alarming 720 percent in 2016. This substantial rise in inflation subsequently led to an even higher rate of poverty among citizens, and an even greater need for humanitarian assistance in Venezuela.
Recent statistics from the National Survey of Living Conditions showed that the average number of Venezuelans who reported eating two or fewer meals per day increased from 11.3 percent in 2015 to 32.5 percent in 2016. Likewise, the average population reported an average increase in weight loss by more than 15 pounds due to the inability to afford adequate meals each day.
In response to this prevalent issue, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently initiated a bill known as the “Venezuelan Humanitarian Assistance and Defense of Governance Act of 2017.” As its title suggests, one of the main goals of this bill is to provide humanitarian assistance in Venezuela. Within the bill, U.S. leaders cited that Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro “rejected repeated requests from the Venezuelan National Assembly and civil society organizations to bring humanitarian aid into the country.” The bill also aims to protect the citizens’ human rights and the concept of democracy.
A total of $10 million has been set aside for the U.S. Committee on Appropriations to effectively carry out measures proposed in the humanitarian assistance bill. Some of these measures include providing a way to ensure that food, medicine and nutritional supplements are transported and distributed to citizens in need. Funds will further be used to improve “transparency and accountability” within Venezuelan government institutions.
– Lael Pierce
Photo: Flickr
Lifestyle Contributes to Top Diseases in Georgia
Located in the sub-Caucasus region, Georgia is home to about four million people. Just like many countries in its region, certain diseases are prominent in Georgia. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) works close with the Georgian government in order to tackle the top diseases in Georgia. Alongside Georgia’s National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC), the CDC focuses on detecting and responding to major disease outbreaks in Georgia, such as measles and rubella. However, the fatal diseases are the ones that are less likely to be detected in day-to-day life. Here is a list of top diseases in Georgia.
Top Diseases in Georgia
Many of these top diseases in Georgia can often be treated through preventable care or healthier lifestyles.
– Morgan Leahy
Photo: Flickr
Three Organizations Working for Global Women’s Rights
The pursuit of global women’s rights and equality still has a long way to go. Millions of women across the world have their own unique problems and needs. Here are three organizations working for global women’s rights across the world.
Three Organizations Working for Global Women’s Rights
Through a variety of goals and tactics, these three organizations working for global women’s rights are bringing change to the communities they serve around the world.
– Shannon Elder
Photo: Flickr
Two Examples of Leading Global Feminists
There are many different women in the world facing many different issues. Even within the same country, women will face different struggles among one another. Feminism must represent and hold space for every woman.
Postcolonial feminism acknowledges the role of colonization and globalization. The Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy describes the theory as insisting “that it is impossible to understand local practices in developing countries without acknowledging the ways in which these practices have been shaped by their economic and historical contexts, particularly their connection to Western colonialism and imperialism.”
With that in mind, here are two leading global feminists you should know about.
Malala Yousafzai
Yousafzai, the winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize at 17 years old, is an activist advocating for the rights of young women to receive an education. Growing up in Pakistan in the midst of the war with the Taliban, Yousafzai stood up to them as they took away her right to education. She was displaced within the country, and when she had the opportunity to return, she campaigned once again for her education rights. On her way home from school one day, the Taliban stopped her bus and shot her. She was later airlifted to England. Upon recovery, Yousafzai spoke at the U.N., published a book, and has won multiple awards. She founded the Malala Fund, an organization empowering girls through education.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Originally from Nigeria, Adichie is extremely well known for her writing. She moved to the U.S. to attend college and has since published many pieces. Adichie has also won a variety of awards placing her on the The New York Times Ten Best Books of the Year for her novel Americanah. Her writing explores the intersections of race and identity — the need for a fairer world. She also gave a TED talk titled, “We Should All Be Feminists”, which can be found in a print version.
These two leading global feminists are making huge strides in the international women’s movement for equality.
– Shannon Elder
Photo: Flickr