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Forever 21 Gives Back with Charity Partnerships

Forever 21 gives back to those in need, having carried products over the years in aid of a number of organizations. Purchases from the popular retailer have contributed to the donation of $11.5 million worth of merchandise throughout 2016 to global charities such as Soles4Souls, On Your Feet and the Feed Project.

Soles4Souls is a nonprofit that collects and distributes shoes and clothing to disadvantaged communities in 127 countries around the world and throughout the U.S. As a part of its partnership with Forever 21, Soles4Souls has donated more than 800,000 units of clothing. Initially founded as a disaster relief organization, Soles4Souls provided footwear to those affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

In many developing nations where walking is the primary mode of transportation, millions of people lack proper footwear to get around, and as a result, are exposed to unsanitary conditions that can lead to disease. These conditions contribute to the ongoing cycle of poverty, and the vision of Soles4Souls is to eradicate extreme poverty by 2030, and its efforts to provide a new pair of shoes to each child in need help work toward that goal.

Forever 21 gives back through its collaboration with the On Your Feet Family Resource Center, which provides assistance to low-income or homeless families and individuals, shelters, missions, board and care facilities and other organizations. Forever 21 has provided nearly 700,000 units worth of clothing donations, which have reached victims of natural disasters in Nepal, Chile, Bohol and Haiti.

FEED was founded by Lauren Bush in 2007 and has transformed into a movement fighting against hunger in a tangible way. FEED creates handcrafted products, such as bags, pouches and bracelets, using eco-friendly materials and fair labor. Giving these products raises aid that is ultimately delivered in the form of school meals, micronutrients, mother-child nutrition, Vitamin A and emergency relief. Together, Forever 21 and FEED have provided more than 71,000 meals.

While designing and keeping up with the latest trends for consumers, it is also evident that Forever 21 gives back to vulnerable communities. By establishing alliances with such charitable organizations, great numbers of people in underprivileged areas have received the assistance needed to ease their poverty and hunger and move toward prosperity.

– Mikaela Frigillana

Photo: Flickr

What Are the Business Restrictions on Presidents?

Restrictions on Presidents?

On January 20, Donald Trump stepped into the world’s most powerful position — the President of the United States.

Even after his inauguration, his transition into the presidency has been met with a series of controversies, one of which is a public call for business restrictions on presidents. Outside politics, Trump remains a real estate and business mogul. The dealings of his business are not merely centralized in America, they reach into nations such as Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Indonesia. Prior to his presidency, no one voiced alarm to this sprawling empire. Now, it is a hot topic and, for many, a deep concern.

Why is there such a concern?

The answer is twofold. Business ties could introduce both domestic and international conflicts of interest for the president. Domestically, real estate businesses flourish under money given from the banking industry. There is a frequent “mutual interest” in lax credit and lax regulation, which seemingly opposes Trump’s intention to void the 2010 Dodd-Frank reforms.

Internationally, the Washington Post has reported that foreign diplomats are setting their sights on Trump’s new Pennsylvania Avenue hotel in order to attain the president’s favor. Later down the road, business entanglements could sway the president’s mind one direction or another in regards to economic and foreign dealings.

Isn’t there a law that restricts this?

Technically, yes and no. Business restrictions on presidents are looser than one would think. The conflicts of interest laws apply to Congress but exempt the president and vice president. Regardless, presidents dating back to Jimmy Carter through to Obama have taken all precautions by separating themselves from their businesses. All have used blind trusts, in which a business is sold and an unknown, unrelated trustee reinvests the procured finances into assets the president is unaware of. In these cases, business restrictions on presidents have been self-imposed.

Will Trump use the blind trust?

Legally, he isn’t bound to use it. Trump currently plans to transition management of the Trump Organization to his sons and has already placed all investments and assets into a trust. Along with this, he and his daughter Ivanka have resigned from all positions within the Trump Organization.

Trump has also agreed that there will be no new deals between his business and foreign countries, and all domestic deals will undergo a strict and thorough vetting process. And while profit and loss information will still be available to Trump, it will only be for the company as a whole with no specifics.

Is this enough?

No president has carried a multimillion-dollar business portfolio into the Oval Office before, which makes it more difficult for Trump to use a blind trust. However, while there are no constitutional business restrictions on presidents, any corruption of power, such as bribery or accepting foreign gifts, could lead to legal prosecution. All in all, only time will tell.

– Brenna Yowell

Photo: Flickr

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Economic Development: Reducing Poverty in Mauritius

Poverty in MauritiusOff the coast of Madagascar lies the island nation of Mauritius, teeming with pristine beaches, lush forests and ethnic diversity. Poverty in Mauritius has been reduced to just eight percent of the population since the country has flourished economically after winning independence from the United Kingdom in 1968.

Mauritius is an upper middle-income country with sugar, tourism, textiles and financial services mainly driving the economy. Many international entities, especially those interested in doing business with India, South Africa and China, are attracted to Mauritius.

While most Mauritians were employed in the agriculture or fishing industries at the time of independence, these industries now make up less than 10 percent of the labor force. The majority of Mauritians are now employed in construction and industry or restaurants and hotels. Other services also make up a large part of the labor force.

Mauritius has benefited greatly from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) passed by U.S. Congress in 2000. The AGOA allows duty-free exports to the U.S. market. Mauritius has increased exports to the U.S. by 40 percent from 2000-2014.

Like other developing nations, income inequality increased in Mauritius during the rapid industrialization. However, the government has established social welfare programs to eradicate poverty in Mauritius. This includes food stamps, social services, micro-financing to small businesses, female empowerment in the labor market and the ZEP program that seeks to raise primary school exam scores in underperforming schools. The government of Mauritius also provides Social Security for those over 60, free primary and secondary education and free healthcare.

Creoles of African descent are especially vulnerable to poverty in Mauritius. Mauritian creoles are descendants of slaves brought from Africa to Mauritius in the 18th and 19th centuries. Creoles have the weakest sense of identity out of all the Mauritian ethnic groups, as plantation owners intentionally mixed slaves from various ethnic groups together to eliminate any family ties, shared languages or any other forms of social organization.

Studies show that poverty occurs more often in households with a large number of dependent children, female-headed households, single-parent households and single person households.

In 2015 the government began developing the Marshall Plan to eradicate poverty in Mauritius. The plan will focus on:

  • Social protection
  • Housing
  • Social inclusion and community development
  • Access to education
  • Employment for sustainable livelihood, especially for vulnerable groups
  • Youth economic empowerment
  • Access to electricity, sanitation, water, transportation, and ICT (information, communications and technology) services
  • Environmental protection

– Cassie Lipp

Photo: Flickr

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Education in Mali

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The United Nations Seeks Greater Aid for Afghanistan

In recent days, the United Nations has sought greater aid for Afghanistan’s most vulnerable population.

Those who qualify for humanitarian assistance in 2017 number at least 9.3 million—13 percent higher than last year and almost a third of its population. As Afghani people are displaced daily by the fighting between the Taliban and military groups, and thousands of refugees return from Pakistan and Iran, the government struggles to provide routine necessities for its people. A record of 8,397 civilians lost their lives due to the fighting in the first nine months of 2016, while another half a million people were displaced by last November. And so far, this trend is predicted to only grow.

But this wasn’t always the case. In fact, in 2014, it was believed that Afghanistan’s GDP would grow around 12 percent per year. This was prior to the international military force withdrawing from the country before it realized how fully Afghanistan’s economics depended on the foreign troops. Since 2002, foreign troops filled 800 bases, brought in hundreds of millions of dollars into their economy, and thus stood as Afghanistan’s single largest source of revenue. Their departure, then, was devastating. Annual GDP growth is now around one percent.

Afghan analyst Helena Malikyar wrote on the matter, “Projects attached to international aid – one of the largest sources of employment in the past decade – have for the most part shut down or placed in hibernation.”

The U.N.’s aid for Afghanistan, should it be received, will number 500 million dollars and will be given to the country’s 5.7 million most vulnerable population. Afghanistan currently carries malnutrition rates of about 15 percent in over a quarter of its provinces. Of the total 1.8 million people this affects, 1.3 million are children under the age of 5. Of the 9.3 million people in need of general aid, more than half are children. Not only facing malnutrition, the U.N. has reported abuse and exploitation, specifically through “forced marriage, sexual abuse and harmful child labor”.

While the U.N.’s aid for Afghanistan will assist a select group, it still will not be enough to end their plight. Until the Taliban’s insurgency ends and the economy is able to stand on its own, Afghanistan’s crisis must be watched carefully and tended to fervently.

– Brenna Yowell

Photo: Flickr

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The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations

Preparedness InnovationsWhen the Ebola virus broke out in 2014, the world was ill-prepared to respond. In all, there were more than 15,000 confirmed cases and 11,000 deaths. Although the outbreak was concentrated in West Africa, a handful of cases reached the United States and Europe. With the rise of globalization and intercontinental travel, the next epidemic could easily become a pandemic.

To combat this danger, a multinational coalition is needed. The formation of such a group — the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) — was announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier this year.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations is backed by the governments of Norway, India, Japan and Germany. These countries are partnering with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust to invest in vaccines to prevent diseases that have the potential to cause the next great epidemic.

Given the cost-efficiency of immunization programs, the development of vaccines is an effective component of epidemic preparation. With an initial fund of $460 million, CEPI will be well worth the investment. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Lione lost approximately $1.6 billion in GDP in 2015 alone. A worldwide pandemic would be drastically more costly; the World Bank estimates a flu pandemic would cost $3 trillion globally.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations will initially focus on three viruses: MERS-CoV, Lassa and Nipah. These viruses are among the diseases identified by the World Health Organization that warrant prioritization. For each virus, CEPI hopes to develop at least two vaccines. This head start is critical, as vaccine development is a long, arduous process. On average, a vaccine takes about 10 years to reach the market, and epidemics take far less time to spread.

Although CEPI is a major step in the right direction, a more comprehensive strategy is necessary to control a potential pandemic. As shown by the Ebola outbreak, a global surveillance system is needed. In addition, vaccines cannot prevent all cases of disease; treatment development is also needed. The current members of CEPI have demonstrated admirable initiative in showing the world that everyone is a stakeholder concerning global health.

– Rebecca Yu

Photo: Flickr

Seven Surprising Stats About Poverty in Canada

Poverty in Canada

As a wealthy country with an abundance of natural resources, it may come as a shock that Canada suffers greatly from poverty. Women and children are the two major groups affected by poverty in Canada, as a result of unemployment and other barriers that stand in the way of financial stability.

Poverty in Canada Facts

    1. According to the national report “Let’s End Child Poverty for Good,” the rate of child poverty in Canada increased from 15.8% in 1989 to 19% in 2013. Campaign 2000, a nonpartisan network of 120 organizations against child and family poverty, works with the federal government on the Canada Child Benefit, which will hopefully reduce child poverty by 50% in the next few years.
    2. Child poverty rates are nearly double for indigenous children and new immigrant families, at 40%.
    3. One in seven Canadian children resides in a homeless shelter, which are environments that can lead to higher rates of mental and physical health issues.
    4. Compared to other developed countries, Canada’s poverty rate is higher than most, ranking 23 out of 34 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
    5. More than 1.5 million women live on a low income, and 21 percent of single mothers raise their children in poverty. The Canadian Women’s Foundation works to advance women’s conditions by finding ways out of poverty and helping them build a solid foundation that includes stable housing, childcare and employment skills.
    6. The child poverty rate is highest in Toronto at 27%, according to the 2014 report, “Divided City: Life in Canada’s Child Poverty Capital.” Montreal follows with 25%.
    7. Two hundred thousand people are homeless in a year, costing the Canadian economy $7 billion each year.

Poverty in Canada is a significant issue, but not one that is impossible to solve. Various organizations dedicated to addressing the problem have helped those who have experienced major setbacks return to normalcy, to the point where they can live sustainable lives and provide for their families.

– Mikaela Frigillana

Photo: Flickr

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Camions of Care for Women and Education

Women and EducationWomen are estimated to menstruate for an average of 3,000 days throughout their lifetimes. This highlights the necessity for adequate access to sanitation and health services for women’s hygiene. A project called Camions of Care, founded by 18-year-old Nadya Okamoto from Portland, has made a monumental impact on relieving incidence of disease and social exclusion among women worldwide.

Since the establishment of Camions of Care, the organization has facilitated the transmission of more than 27,000 period care packages to women globally. A 2013 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) case study of menstrual hygiene in Burkina Faso and Niger emphasized challenges such as inadequate sanitation facilities, lack of knowledge regarding periods and the cultural impact of stigma regarding menstruation. Addressing these challenges is pivotal in establishing better practices for women’s hygiene. The study also cites that empowering women through education and personal support is imperative to improving local sanitation practices.

A journal published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS) also attributes poor knowledge of healthy menstruation practices to decreased school attendance among girls in Uganda.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reinforces evidence that women and girls without access to satisfactory female hygiene facilities are more likely to miss school and work, and can be subject to higher rates of sexual assault. USAID also attributes improved sanitation facilities to promoting economic development, while also affording women “dignity, privacy and security.”

The non-profit organization also aids partners such as New Avenues for Youth, Central City Concern, Rose Haven, Free Hot Soup and Self Enhancement, Inc. and has impacted women across 19 states within the U.S. through foundations of “advocacy, youth leadership and service”. The Hasbro Community Action Hero Awards program has also recognized Okamoto’s homeless relief organization for exceptional commitment to advancing women’s health.

– Amber Bailey

Photo: Flickr

Kenya’s Energy Access: Speaking About Improvements

Kenya's Energy AccessIn the 12 months prior to June 2016, nearly 1.3 million Kenyan households were connected to the grid for the first time. This remarkable achievement raised Kenya’s national connectivity rate to 55 percent from a mere 27 percent in 2013.

The recent push for Kenya’s energy access is part of the government’s goal to achieve universal energy access by 2020, a project known as the Last Mile Connectivity Project.
Development experts say that electricity plays a major role in improving many facets of life. Everything from education and agricultural productivity to employment opportunities can improve. Across the African continent, nearly 600 million people, or 70 percent of the population, do not have access to electricity. By reaching its goal, Kenya would become the first African country to achieve universal access to electricity.

To reach its goal, Kenya aims to move from 55 percent to a near universal access rate of 95 percent in just four more years. Such a leap took the U.S. nearly 26 years to accomplish.

Recent feats in energy access prove that Kenya is determined to fulfill its commitment, despite the far-fetched implications of the mission. The jump from 27 percent to 55 percent took Kenya a little more than three years; in the U.S., it took about eight years to increase access by a similar amount.

The next step in Kenya’s energy access plan is to ensure that 70 percent of Kenyans have electricity by the end of this year, hopefully translating to more productivity and an expansion in the job sector. The government’s strategy involves investing heavily, which has proved extremely effective as the government has already secured over $600 million from various international donors.

Kenya’s energy access initiative also acknowledges outside constraints that are keeping people from accessing electricity. The government reduced the connection charge by over 50 percent in the past year.  Paying bills in installments is also now an available option. The adjustments in utility finances allow more citizens to realistically include paying for electricity in their budgets.

The Kenyan government’s commitment to achieving universal energy access by 2020 is looking more practical and obtainable than ever. Hopefully, the country will soon make history by achieving its intended goal.

– Mayan Derhy

Photo: Flickr

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Three Reasons to Welcome Refugees

Welcome RefugeesThe current refugee situation has been called the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. In 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that there were more than 65 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. More than half of all refugees come from three countries: Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia. For the countries to which these refugees have fled, the massive influx of displaced persons is often viewed as a burden. However, with the right policies and integration services, host countries can benefit from them. Here are three reasons to welcome refugees:

  1. Successful integration can lead to significant economic benefits. Economic growth is strongly correlated with the available workforce. Over the past decade, immigrants have constituted 47 percent and 70 percent of the workforce increase in the United States and Europe, respectively. According to a study by McKinsey Global Institute, the refugee population has the potential to increase the GDP of European countries by more than 60 billion euros annually (USD$65 billion). As productive members of their new communities, refugees would place less of a burden on social welfare programs.
  2. Successful integration decreases the risk of social conflict and radicalization. Approximately half of the 21.3 million refugees worldwide are children. Coordinated efforts should be made to incorporate these children into education systems, as education boosts their future economic prospects and decreases the risk of radicalization. Language programs for adults and children would help refugees build relationships with native speakers in their communities.
  3. It’s a moral imperative. Though this is the least tangible of the three reasons to welcome refugees, it is perhaps the most compelling. A refugee is defined as “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.” According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, refugees are entitled to access to courts, education, work, and documentation as part of their basic rights. As such, refugees are not threats– they are fellow human beings seeking life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

– Rebecca Yu

Photo: Flickr