Five Facts About Poverty in Micronesia

Poverty in Micronesia
Poverty in Micronesia? The lush beauty of the tropical island group known as Micronesia implies a paradise of plenty, yet the Federated States of Micronesia remains a nation burdened by poverty. Here are five facts about poverty in Micronesia:

  1. Nearly one in five people live on less than $2 a day. Though the Federated States of Micronesia is comprised of an impressive 607 separate islands across its four major states of Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae, the population totals approximately 100,000. As of 2013, over 17 percent of the population lived on just $1.90 a day, well below the poverty line.
  2. Malnutrition is a major contributing factor. A lack of variety in available foods results in hunger, especially among children, and impedes the opportunity for citizens to rise above poverty in Micronesia. Many families rely on a local diet full of processed meats, canned fish, and carbohydrate-heavy produce such as breadfruit and yams, resulting in malnutrition. According to the World Health Organization, more than 20 percent of pregnant women are anemic in the broader Pacific Island region where Micronesia lies. Sadly, 29 of every 1,000 babies born in Micronesia currently do not survive past their first year.
  3. The global definition of poverty may not apply. Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielagaoi went on public record in September 2016 criticizing the United Nations’ current formula to measure poverty across the globe. This criticism stems from his consideration of the practical realities of life in the Pacific, in which it is common for young adults to have many children. He went so far as to say the existing figure of poverty, which is defined by an individual earning less than $400 per week, was “very stupid.” In response, the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Group has appointed a dedicated committee to create a more appropriate replacement.
  4. A manufactured scarcity of resources is a leading cause. A drought in early 2016 caused the Asian Development Bank to lower the GDP projection for the Federated States of Micronesia to a mere two percent. Meanwhile, a broader problem of persistent societal disruption contributes to this slowing of growth. Initially examined in a 2004 study known as the Jenrok Report, life in the Pacific was described as a myriad of deficiencies. Overcrowding, contaminated ground wells and a lack of many home connections to a central water system cause sickness and contributed to poverty. Yet the Pacific governments consistently fail to spend all funds provided by other countries in foreign aid. This false scarcity shows that substantial improvement must be done at the administrative and infrastructural levels to provide for the people of Micronesia.
  5. Work is being done to improve it. The Salvation Army has worked tirelessly for more than two decades in the states of Pohnpei and Chuuk to reduce poverty, providing direct aid by supplying food and establishing social and spiritual development services. Another nonprofit organization, the USEAO, is headquartered in Seattle and was founded in 2013. They are similarly dedicated to improving the lives of citizens in Micronesia by contributing direct aid and concentrating on solving the problem of infant malnutrition.

Thanks in part to the efforts of organizations such as the Salvation Army and the USEAO, poverty-relief in Micronesia is improving. The Asian Development Bank GDP projection for the coming year is higher than 2016, and efforts to increase tourism in the Federated States of Micronesia show promise for a future where poverty is a thing of the past.

– Dan Krajewski

Photo: Flickr

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Four Things to Know About the Yellow Fever Outbreak in Brazil


Yellow fever is a potentially fatal disease that is transmitted by mosquitoes. Though the disease can be treated, Brazil has experienced a number of deaths that have caused people to label the yellow fever outbreak that began in December of 2016 a state of emergency. Here are some important things to know about the yellow fever outbreak in Brazil:

What is yellow fever?

Yellow fever is a virus transmitted by infected mosquitoes. It is rare and usually includes mild symptoms, such as fever, muscle and back pain, headaches, shivers, loss of appetite and nausea or vomiting. Most people can recover after being monitored in a hospital and treated with fluids and rest. However, 15 percent of victims can develop into a second stage with more severe symptoms, such as high fever, jaundice, bleeding and organ failure. Almost 20-50 percent of those patients die.

How many people has the virus infected?

According to the Pan American Health Organization, there have been at least 320 confirmed cases and at least 220 deaths. There are more cases undergoing investigation. While the number might not seem drastic compared to the overall population, the World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that this is the worst case of a yellow fever outbreak since 2000.

What caused the outbreak?

A Mosquito species called “Aedes aegypti,” which is the same mosquito that caused the Zika outbreak in Brazil between 2015-16, has been spreading to monkeys in the jungles, which then passed on to humans. According to zoologists, the virus has killed 600 monkeys in the Atlantic rain forest region, and rare primate species are facing a threat to their survival rate.

Since the start of the yellow fever outbreak, around 64 cities in Brazil have called for a state of emergency, including the state of Minas Gerais. The Ministry of Health assisted the state with investigations, vector control and coordination of health services. There have also been house immunization campaigns in rural areas.

How can we curb this outbreak?

Brazil can still survive this yellow fever outbreak in the same way it handled the Zika outbreak. Brazil’s Health Ministry ordered 11.5 million doses of the yellow fever vaccine, yet a shortage remains. While the vaccines can be effective, they are not routinely offered in major urban cities. However, millions of people have already been vaccinated, so there is hope the disease will not spread much outside of the country or into parts of the United States. The World Health Organization recommended that travelers be vaccinated for yellow fever.

While there are major concerns about the recent yellow fever outbreak in Brazil, if the Ministry of Health can make sure nearly everyone is vaccinated, perhaps the disease can be put under control.

– Emma Majewski

Photo: Flickr

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10 Facts About Education in Bahrain

Education in Bahrain
The island country of Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is known primarily for its small size and successful finance industry. However, Bahrain also has a progressive and highly valued education system. Here at 10 facts about education in Bahrain:

  1. Bahrain’s public school system was founded in 1932 and is the oldest in the Arabian Peninsula. The average person in Bahrain will receive 6.1 years of education.
  2. While Bahrain has a number of private schools, public education in Bahrain is free until secondary school for both boys and girls. Education is also compulsory for kids aged 6-14.
  3. The majority of the country, 95.7 percent, is literate. Bahrain also has the highest female literacy rate, 93.5 percent, in the Arabian Peninsula.
  4. Bahrain does not spend much on education relative to other countries. Approximately 2.6 percent of the country’s GDP goes toward education costs, meaning Bahrain ranks 153 out of 173 countries on education spending.
  5. Prior to the 20th century, Quranic schools, which were dedicated primarily to Qur’an studies, were the only type of school in Bahrain.
  6. Education in Bahrain is changing in order to better prepare students for careers. The country is splitting secondary education into two tracks, unified and vocational. The unified track is aimed more at university preparation while the vocational track is meant to prepare students for technical careers directly after finishing school.
  7. In Bahrain, girls are educated at roughly the same rate as boys. Approximately 97 percent of girls and 98 percent of boys are enrolled in primary school, while 91 percent of girls and 87 percent of boys attend secondary school.
  8. Approximately 25.2 percent of Bahrainis will go on to post-secondary education. Of these students, the majority are women, as Bahrain has one of the highest university gender parity indexes at 2.52.
  9. Despite women receiving roughly equal education to men in Bahrain, the number of women in the workforce is low. Only 32 percent of women aged 15 and above are in the workforce, compared to 85 percent of men. This is significantly lower than the rest of the world, as globally 52 percent of women are active in the workforce.
  10. Many Bahraini students participate in exchange programs, such as the U.S. government’s Student Leaders Program, a summer program where Bahraini university students study at U.S. universities.

Despite Bahrain’s small size, high literacy rates, mandatory schooling and a push for higher education reveal how education in Bahrain is continuing to strengthen and grow.

– Alexi Worley

Photo: Flickr

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10 Facts About Zambia Refugees

Zambia Refugees
Zambia has been welcoming refugees for more than 50 years and is currently hosting over 54,000 refugees. The majority come from Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. Here are 10 facts about Zambia refugees:

    1.  Many Angolan refugees have been living, working, and raising families in Zambia for over 40 years. Historically, the Zambian government has tried to repatriate refugees to their country of origin, but those that have lived in Zambia for a long period of time have little desire to leave.
    2.  In 2014 the Zambian Government, UNHCR and the U.N. Refugee Agency launched a three-year local integration strategy. The Strategic Framework for the Local Integration of Former Refugees in Zambia is to benefit people who want to remain in Zambia.
    3. The Strategic Framework for the Local Integration of Former Refugees in Zambia provides refugees with long-term residence permits, country-of-origin identity documents, and passports. Residents will live in one of two settlements — Meheba in North-Western and Mayukwayukwa — chosen for this purpose. They will have access to education, health services, and demarcated land.
    4. In 2016, The World Bank approved a $20 million International Development Association credit to help implement the local integration program.
    5. A study conducted by the Institute of Economic and Social Research reveals that refugees contribute to Zambia’s economy by farming, running small businesses and employing Zambians.
    6. Refugees each bring their own set of skills to Zambia, including how to run a small business, rice and cassava farming, and making clay roofing tiles.
    7. Over 24,000 refugees will be given residency permits. Also, they may apply for citizenship after living in Zambia for five or 10 years (the length of time varies depending on if the displaced person was born in Zambia or in a country outside Zambia).
    8. The Strategic Framework for the Local Integration of Former Refugees in Zambia will provide families with five hectares of land, homes, and farming inputs and tools.
    9.  Refugee rights are protected by the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Among those rights is the right to freedom of movement and residence in whichever country they choose to live, as long as they abide by the laws in that country.
    10. Beginning in 2015, UNHCR will provide cash-based assistance to refugees instead of food. UNHCR will also help governments to provide access to social services.

 

– Mary Barringer

Photo: Flickr

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20 Global Poverty Facts


Living in poverty is a reality that many across the world face every single day. Here are 20 global poverty facts to help better understand these realities.

  1. According to the U.N., there are around 836 million people living in extreme poverty worldwide.
  2. There are many people around the world living on the cusp of becoming impoverished.
  3. Millions of people live on just slightly over $1.25 each day.
  4. One in five people living throughout developing areas of the world lives on less than $1.25 a day. Those who are facing this reality mainly live in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
  5. Poverty reduction has been focused on areas of Asia, with China having the most progress.
  6. Half of those who live in extreme poverty are in sub-Saharan Africa. This number is increasing.
  7. Out of all the undernourished people throughout the world, 98 percent are those living in developing countries.
  8. A majority of the poor around the globe live in rural areas. They are often employed in agriculture and have an inadequate education.
  9. Every day about 22,000 children die because of conditions due to poverty.
  10. Lack of resources, economic systems, hunger and conflict are some of the causes of poverty in different countries.
  11. Poverty is the leading cause of hunger.
  12. A growing world population makes it harder for every person to have access to an adequate standard of living.
  13. Climate change and natural disasters play a current and future role in poverty issues worldwide.
  14. Poverty increases the threat of violence and exploitation towards children.
  15. Poverty is not an issue that only affects developing nations. In the world’s richest countries, one out of four children is living in poverty.
  16. Social protection only reaches a third of the poorest people.
  17. Despite the work that still needs to be done, there has been progress in the reduction of world poverty. One billion fewer people are in extreme poverty compared to two decades ago.
  18. One of the goals the U.N. has set is to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030.
  19. Through all of the visions set by the U.N., they seek to “leave no one behind.”
  20. On a global scale, anyone who makes more than $34,000 annually is among the richest one percent in the world.

These 20 global poverty facts help to better understand the global situation facing us today. While there has been progress in global poverty reduction, many challenges still lie ahead.

– Shannon Elder

Photo: Flickr

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Education in Uruguay: Ending Gender Bias in the Classroom


Supporting the education of women and girls around the globe is often a key component in efforts to end extreme global poverty. Statistics show that educated women marry later. This results in fewer child marriages and reduces fertility and infant mortality rates. Educated women are also more likely to go to work. When a woman receives regular pay, she can give back to her community, and when the working population in a community doubles due to female education, the cycle of poverty ends. This is why the World Bank Group (WBG) is focusing on ending the gender disparity in education in Uruguay.

Educating girls and women is WBG’s main goal in their fight to eradicate poverty. In Uruguay, women and girls face gender-based violence that discourages them from attending school. Gender bias and stereotyping is a long-standing issue in Uruguay that extends beyond the classroom. Recently the government in Uruguay has prioritized addressing the gender bias. They teamed up with WBG to implement the Improving the Quality of Initial and Primary Education in Uruguay Project to end gender-based violence and discrimination in schools.

The project is a part of the $2.5 billion investment in global education that WBG President Jim Yong Kim announced at the Let Girls Learn event in April 2016. Improve the Quality of Initial and Primary Education in Uruguay is a $40 million project that will implement teacher training to make educators aware of the gender disparity and equip them with the knowledge and tools to address it. The training will focus on social norms regarding masculinity versus femininity. In the process, WBG will direct a study of gender equality that will inform the Gender Equality Action Plan from 2017-2020.

In addition to addressing gender inequality, the project will also improve access to quality early childhood education. WBG plans to utilize the teacher training component of the project to focus on emotional and social development in primary schools. Their hope is to create a sustainable, gender-equal education system by implementing these practices from the beginning of a child’s schooling.

In April 2016, WBG President Jim Yong Kim said, “empowering and educating adolescent girls is one of the best ways to stop poverty from being passed from generation to generation and can be transformational for entire societies.” The Improve the Quality of Initial and Primary Education in Uruguay plans to do just that.

– Rachel Cooper

Photo: Flickr

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Water Quality in Canada


The drinking water in Canada is generally of excellent quality. The risks to the drinking water supply are minimal. However, the minerals, silt, vegetation, fertilizers and agricultural run-off in the water may pose some health risks.

Canada has a multi-barrier approach to safe drinking water which serves as a guideline for every drinking water system and is used to maintain water quality.

The federal government plays the most important role in scientific research monitoring and leadership on the development of guidelines for water quality in Canada. Seventy-five percent of Canadians are serviced by municipal sewer systems and the remaining 25 percent by septic disposal systems. Despite the best efforts of suppliers, municipal water supplies can sometimes become contaminated and in these cases, precautionary measures such as boiling water before consumption is advised.

Municipal water waste discharges were one of the largest sources of pollution to the water quality in Canada in 2006 and generated 84 percent of the water effluents reported to the National Pollutant Release Inventory.

The water quality in Canada earns an ‘A’ grade for water quality and ranks 4th out of 17 peer OECD countries. Water quality in Canada is mostly affected by industrial effluent, agricultural runoff and municipal sewage pollution.

Sewage treatment continues to improve as more municipalities upgrade their treatment facilities and there has been an increase in the frequency and extent to which drinking water guidelines for nitrate have been exceeded in groundwater across the country.

Data collected from the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment’s water quality index reports that from 2007 to 2009, the freshwater quality was rated marginally fair at 41 percent of the water stations, good at 33 percent of the stations and excellent at 10 percent of the stations, with only 16 percent rated poor.

The quality of water in Canada is the best it has ever been and is much better today than it was 30 years ago.

– Rochelle R. Dean

Photo: Flickr

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15 Foreign Aid Statistics


The following 15 foreign aid statistics help to understand the topic of foreign assistance. Most Americans don’t know much about U.S. foreign aid. There are many misconceptions about what foreign aid is and how much of the federal budget goes to it each year. Here are 15 foreign aid statistics.

  1. The U.S. government states, “Foreign assistance is aid given by the United States to other countries to support global peace, security, and development efforts and provide humanitarian relief during times of crisis. It is a strategic, economic and moral imperative for the U.S. and vital to U.S. national security.”
  2. The first U.S. aid program was created in the aftermath of World War II.
  3. In 1961 Kennedy signed the Foreign Assistance Act which created The United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
  4. The Kaiser Family Foundation conducted a study in 2015 and found that most Americans thought the U.S. spends too much on foreign aid. Twenty-six percent was the guess for how much of the total federal budget goes towards it.
  5. Out of the total $4.15 trillion proposed budget for 2017 by Obama, $42.4 billion was set aside for foreign assistance.
  6. $25.6 billion was set for economic and development assistance. The top three countries receiving this aid are Afghanistan, Jordan and Kenya.
  7. Economic and development assistance includes many programs, the largest being Global Health Programs, Economic Support Fund, Development Assistance and Migration and Refugee Assistance.
  8. Within Global Health Programs, most of what the U.S. gives goes towards fighting HIV/AIDS.
  9. Some of the smaller programs falling under economic and development assistance include International Disaster Assistance, Food for Peace, Millennium Challenge and The Peace Corps.
  10. About $16.8 billion was budgeted for U.S. security assistance in 2017. The top three countries receiving this aid are Afghanistan, Israel and Egypt.
  11. The main programs falling under U.S. security assistance include Foreign Military Financing, Afghanistan Security Forces Fund and Coalition Support Funds.
  12. The U.S. spent more than $14 billion from the foreign aid budget on deliveries of arms sales in 2015. According to The Washington Post, “in terms of arms sales, [the United States] controls at least half of the global market.” The top three countries receiving these deliveries were Saudi Arabia, Australia and Iraq.
  13.  Less than one percent of the entire U.S. annual budget is spent on International Development and Humanitarian Assistance.
  14.  Oxfam says three changes to U.S. foreign aid would help make it more effective: “Focus first and foremost on fighting poverty. Recognize that local citizens and governments are in charge of their countries’ futures. Put more U.S. aid resources in their hands. Continue to provide more useful information about U.S. aid.”
  15. In an interview with NPR, Phyllis Pomerantz (public policy professor at Duke University) said, “On the one hand, you can say that the U.S. is the most generous because it is one of the biggest donators to foreign aid, but on the other hand, we have one of the lowest percentages of gross national income donated to foreign aid.”

These 15 foreign aid statistics help to better understand what U.S. foreign aid is, how much money goes where and what needs to be reworked as we look towards the future.

– Shannon Elder

Photo: Flickr

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Is Hunger in San Marino a Problem?

Hunger in San MarinoThe Republic of San Marino is a high-income, landlocked microstate surrounded by Italy and claims to be the world’s oldest republic. At 23.6 square miles and with a population of 35,000, it is the smallest independent state in Europe. 

Economy and Economic Outlook

San Marino negotiated an association agreement with the European Union in December 2023 that awaits ratification. Once ratified, San Marino will experience free movement in the EU of goods, services, capital and people. 

San Marino’s economy is relatively diverse but experiences volatile performance due to its small size.

More than a third of its GDP is estimated to be attributed to manufacturing, unusual for a “micro-sovereign,” followed by the services and commerce sectors. Tourism is a strong sector that has increased since the pandemic, while a substantial decrease in demand from Italy slowed the economy in 2023. Ratification of the EU association agreement is expected to have an impact over the next two years, with broadened export opportunities that would facilitate increased diversity of the economy. 

San Marino and Poverty

There is no data on poverty in San Marino, but the country has been described as the eighth-richest nation in the world. It has been reported that its extensive social net provides assistance to those with incomes below that to provide a “basic standard of living.” 

San Marino and Hunger

In 2021, San Marino published a Voluntary National Review of its progress in implementing the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its report on SDG 2, Zero Hunger, addressed crops and breeding, organic farming, multifunctional agriculture and management and monitoring of the country’s agricultural and forestry heritage. Ongoing initiatives are directed toward “sustainable eating behavior,” promoted by food education in schools. These initiatives include a Working Group on Health Education in Schools and a Mind Your Health annual survey of physical activity in schools, and dietary habits. The Working Group focuses on healthy lifestyles and healthy school meals, with particular attention to obesity. 

A consortium of owner farmers, agricultural producers and professional associations has developed a certification process to assure food quality in the local product supply chain in an “identity and cultural process.” Indeed, the branded products have brought recognition to, and enhancement of, typical local products, led to the “rediscovery of culinary traditions” and culminated in the establishment of the Museum of Rural Life.

San Marino has participated in the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste designated by the United Nations and co-convened by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization and its Environment Programme. 

San Marino and Nutrition

The 2022 Global Nutrition Report includes San Marino in its country’s nutrition profiles, although there were data available on only two of the study’s 13 indicators—low birth weight and anemia. Furthermore, San Marino was reported as “on course” for the low-birth-weight target, which has been declining over the last two decades. However, there was no progress regarding the reduction of anemia among women of reproductive age or the proportion of those women affected by anemia. The country has implemented national food and noncommunicable disease policies in four of 10 suggested areas and included national policy targets for five of eleven global nutrition targets. 

A Hunger Problem?

While there undoubtedly are hungry people in San Marino, thanks to its solid economy and attention to social issues, hunger would not be a significant problem for the country.

– Staff Reports

Photo: Flickr

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Hunger in Croatia: Progress Continues


On February 22, 2017, citizens gathered at Zagreb’s Croatian National Theater in celebration. That day marked the 100th year anniversary of Friar Didak Buntic’s efforts to save children in Croatia, Herzegovina and Bosnia from the famine plaguing the last two years of World War I. Through his efforts between 1917 and 1919, an estimated 29,000 famished children were moved to more affluent areas in the North. They were greeted by organized shelters led by Buntic and other prominent citizens. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic lauded the humanitarian’s work at the anniversary celebration.

Since then, and especially in the past few years, Croatia has made significant gains when it comes to hunger. The Global Hunger Index in 2015 cited that, along with 17 other countries, Croatia had reduced the number of people with lack of access to food supplies by 50 percent. This improvement came on the heels of the damaging 2008 recession, which caused the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to report in 2014 that Croatia’s children were among the hardest hit — ranking 38th in the world as those years saw an 11.8 percent rise in impoverished children.

Regardless of recent improvement, UNICEF’s findings in 2014 caused political turmoil between Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and Mladen Levak, a member of the Croatian parliament for the Labour party. Milanovic insisted that the findings were false and tinted with populist bias. Levak offers a rebuttal, “….Yes, there is food but not for all — for some opportunities pile up while for others poverty piles up.”

This sentiment reflects the fact that poverty and hunger in Croatia mimic that of other developed countries. How one is poor, and not just the fact that one is, does matter. Poverty can be felt in different ways, especially between the 21 different counties across Croatia — all of whom experience poverty slightly differently. The difference lies between poverty depth and poverty severity — how far away households are from the poverty line versus the income inequality between the poor classes.

The 2016 Global Hunger Index for Croatia is rated as a low score of less than five. There is still work to be done, as there is in every nation globally, but hunger in Croatia has improved markedly from the damaging 2008 recession. It seems hopeful that in another 100 years the people of Croatia will be able to celebrate Friar Didak Buntic’s work once again.

– Tammy Hineline

 

 

Photo: Flickr