In 2015, 18 percent of Rwandan females didn’t go to school or work because they couldn’t purchase sanity menstrual products.
Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) recycles trunk fiber from banana farmers to be cut, carded, washed, fluffed and solar dried for menstrual pads. The company supplies farmers with the necessary equipment and training services for production. They offer health and hygiene education to the community through schools.
SHE believes it’s a personal injustice that menstrual hygiene is seen as a luxury item. In Rwanda each year, the country has roughly a gross domestic product (GDP) loss of $115 million for women needing to take sick leave due to their periods. The company is fighting for the removal of value-added taxes on menstrual pads.
“We’re creating a blueprint to franchise globally. It’s a sustainable system that can be rolled out anywhere. We think it’s straight up common sense,” SHE outlined on the company’s website.
Most U.S. food stamp programs do not define sanitary menstrual products as an essential item. In India, people believe menstruation makes women impure. Most of the time females who are on their period are banished from completing their household obligations such as cooking, or even from inhabiting their homes at all.
In the largest slum, Mukuru, in Nairobi, Kenya, a study found that girls 10 to 19 years old were having sex with older men to gain access to sanitary menstrual products, according to Dignity Period.
In Burkina Faso, 83 percent of girls don’t have a sanitary menstrual changing area, and more than half of schools in the poorest countries lack private toilets, according to UNICEF.
Diana Sierra, a founder of Be Girl Inc., created a pair of underwear with a menstrual, mesh pocket that females can fill with any type of recyclable materials, such as cotton, grass or fabric, depending on the materials readily available in their geographic location.
After Sierra finished a master’s program in sustainability management at Columbia University, she traveled to Uganda for her internship. While conducting research on a coffee farm and cultural arts, she was working on the side to create a prototype for the most effective sanitary pad.
“So I said okay I’m going to hack this material with what I have handy. I took an umbrella for the layer on the bottom, I took like a mosquito net and cut it in pieces and stick it all together and created a kind of a universal pocket, a mix-proof pocket for a certain material,” said Sierra.
Sierra took her product to a school and the children found it successful, but they didn’t like the color black because they found it boring. In Tanzania and Malawi, the stigma associated with menstruation is more than a negative connotation. It is considered a curse.
“When we were asking them, they were talking about how they can’t touch an animal because the animal would just drop dead, and they cannot touch a baby because the baby can die. They cannot go through the crops because the crops will die,” said Sierra.
Sierra realized that she spent years working for global companies, designing for about 10 percent of the population with their extra TVs and face steamers, but she wondered about the other 90 percent of the world who feel that they aren’t deserving of a sanitary product.
Be Girl was launched in the U.S. to fiercely distinguish between and within genders. Sierra is mining a conversation of equality worldwide. It’s a product not exclusive to any socioeconomic status. She wants women to educate themselves about their options and teach others in every country so that generations that follow will spread the knowledge.
“They have the same value as a human being, but they’re completely overlooked. So that was the very first thing that I said I have to go and see this for myself and experience firsthand what it is that a designer can do for this type of scenarios,” said Sierra.
– Rachel Williams
Photo: Flickr
Basa Pilipinas: Childhood Literacy in the Philippines
The United States Agency for International Development and the Philippines Department of Education collaborated over the last three years to improve childhood literacy in the Philippines through a program called Basa Pilipinas, or “Read Philippines.” Basa Pilipinas aims to enhance reading skills in English, Filipino and other mother tongues for one million children in grades one through three. Begun in January 2013, the $39.7 million program is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 31 of this year.
On Oct. 26, 2016, Trey Hicks of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee visited several Cebu elementary schools to reiterate a commitment to childhood literacy in the Philippines. Hicks led reading activities for the children and was joined by USAID Office of Education Chief Brian Levey, who remarked: “Education…set[s children] on a path towards making informed and healthy decisions and taking advantage of limitless economic opportunities.” As Basa Pilipinas draws toward a conclusion, its effects on children and education will continue to evince themselves.
Operating at the classroom level, Basa Pilipinas expands access to reading materials. Roughly 8 million copies of teaching and learning materials, including teacher’s guides and textbooks in both English and local dialects, were distributed throughout the Philippines in the last three years.
Likewise, Basa works to improve reading delivery systems. The program assists the Philippines Department of Education in setting valid early grade reading standards and regulating teacher training in the school systems. Providing hands-on professional development to teachers ensures newly established reading standards are met. Modifications such as these at the systemic level establish achievable literacy goals for students and teachers alike.
Teacher training in literacy instruction is perhaps most crucial to the goals set forth through Basa Pilipinas. Almost 13,000 teachers received training on effective reading instruction, and nearly 3,500 Department of Education supervisors and school heads strategized teacher training support and Learning Action Cells facilitation. LACs are a “group-based intervention for improving teaching practice.” Through these programs “colleagues study content and pedagogies together, plan lessons collaboratively, and conduct action research as a group.” LACs are sustainable, low-cost ways to afford ongoing teacher development.
Basa Pilipinas has directly benefitted more than 1.6 million students, and 2 million more have been indirectly influenced. Evaluations of Basa Pilipinas in 2015 revealed the increased fluency of students by an additional nine words per minute as well as a 23 percent advancement in reading comprehension. And because most of the education reforms Basa imposed were on the systemic and teacher-training level, these dramatic improvements should only be the beginning of the progress in childhood literacy in the Philippines.
– Robin Lee
Photo: Flickr
Renewable Energy in China for a Cleaner Environment
Environmentally-friendly sources of renewable energy have been championed for years not only for their benefits to the environment but also in terms of long-term cost-effectiveness and population health. China is particularly known for its commitment to clean energy, which is evidenced by its vast usage of solar energy and hydropower fueled resources.
Despite its usage of clean energy, China is heavily reliant on coal-powered activities. Recently, an analysis published by The Guardian outlined the effect of building “coal power plants in China” — the plants contribute to environmental pollution and exacerbate poverty. The unexpected effect of coal power plants is primarily explained by their inability to reach individuals in remote, rural areas and the fact that poor households often have insufficient access to electricity.
It is worth noting that despite increasing amounts of clean energy in China, the country has very high carbon dioxide emission rates. Significant carbon dioxide emissions can accelerate the effect of global warming. Global warming has undesirable effects on global poverty by increasing the frequency of radical weather changes, which can have a disproportionate effect on poorly built homes and farming prospects. A report by the World Bank suggests that an additional 100 million people can be afflicted by poverty by the year 2030, mainly as a consequence of climate change.
Rising carbon dioxide emissions have also been linked with numerous health risks. Carbon dioxide released from coal combustion can increase the risk of premature deaths due to air pollution. Through increased formation of ozone in the atmosphere, individuals are predisposed to conditions such as emphysema and cardiovascular disease, which can severely impair their quality of life.
In areas that are distant from mainstream sources of electricity, it is more pragmatic to build independent sources of renewable energy. Another important feature that characterizes developing countries is high unemployment rates and these can be addressed to some extent by the establishment of local renewable energy providers. Recently, it was estimated that approximately 8.1 million individuals globally are employed by the renewable energy industry.
With the multitude of benefits that renewable energy offers, what makes it so difficult for China to transition to a society that is completely reliant on clean energy? With coal comprising approximately 70 percent of China’s energy reserves, it is logistically difficult for the country to completely switch to renewable energy as this would cause a dramatic rise in unemployment. The costs of building new hydropower plants, solar powered systems and wind turbines also need to be factored.
In summary, the benefits of renewable energy sources outweigh the drawbacks by a significant margin. The objective to increase clean energy in China can be fulfilled by financial planning of involved costs, a thorough cost-benefit analysis of renewable energy and greater investment in sources of energy that facilitate a reduction in harmful carbon emissions.
– Tanvi Ambulkar
Photo: Flickr
A Sad Goodbye to Bhumibol Adulyadej, Longest Ruling Monarch
In Bangkok, Thailand, the reign of the world’s longest-serving monarch has come to an end. On Thursday, Oct. 13, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand was pronounced dead at age 88. The cause of his death was associated with medical complications from a recent surgical procedure. The king reigned over the country for 70 years as it passed through the Cold War, conflict near Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and several military coups.
For decades, King Bhumibol Adulyadej acted as a liaison between the country’s political rivals. He was known as the glue that held the country together. The king represented a symbol of national unity and was greatly revered by the people of Thailand. His portraits can be seen throughout the country in buildings, schools and along highways. His death may have the potential to cause political instability in the country.
Maha Vajiralongkorn, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit’s only son, is the next in line to the Thai throne. He was named crown prince in 1972 by his father at age 20. Many are skeptical about the country’s future because of the crown prince’s reputation for being a playboy and for lacking financial restraint.
Many of Vajiralongkorn’s escapades have been hidden from Thai society because of the country’s stringent lèse-majesté laws. The laws have helped protect Bhumibol and his family from defamation due to the prince’s exploits. Stories about Vajiralongkorn are a gossip mainstay nationwide, and he is loathed by many of his future subjects, including the elite circles expected to crown him and then help him rule. Many believe this apprehension prompted the military to stage a coup in 2014 to gain a strong hold on the government.
Many anticipated that the king would appoint his widely cherished daughter, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, as heritor. Thailand, however, has never had a ruling queen because the laws of succession specify male heirs.
Although the king’s passing is devastating for Thailand, the people of Thailand hope that his successor will uphold his father’s fairness and courage.
– Needum Lekia
Photo: Flickr
Four Ways Capitalism Has Helped Alleviate Poverty
Merriam-Webster defines capitalism as “a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government.”
Today, in much of academia, capitalism is portrayed as an inherently corrupt system; the exploitative sweatshops and lack of child labor laws are constantly in the limelight.
Yet in the last 30 years, as capitalism flourished and globalization opened up its gates, 1 billion people have been taken out of poverty. Many remain unaware of and fail to account for global improvements in health, education and living standards.
Capitalism has lessened the severity of poverty over time. Yet there is no hiding the fact that 1.2 billion people currently live in extreme poverty. Many of these capitalist problems stem from too much government regulation. However, we are continuing to gradually alleviate poverty. The report, by Oxford University’s poverty and human development initiative, predicts that “countries among the most impoverished in the world could see acute poverty eradicated within 20 years if they continue at present rates.”
– Marcelo Guadiana
Photo: Flickr
Low-Income Communities Deserve Sanitary Menstrual Products
In 2015, 18 percent of Rwandan females didn’t go to school or work because they couldn’t purchase sanity menstrual products.
Sustainable Health Enterprises (SHE) recycles trunk fiber from banana farmers to be cut, carded, washed, fluffed and solar dried for menstrual pads. The company supplies farmers with the necessary equipment and training services for production. They offer health and hygiene education to the community through schools.
SHE believes it’s a personal injustice that menstrual hygiene is seen as a luxury item. In Rwanda each year, the country has roughly a gross domestic product (GDP) loss of $115 million for women needing to take sick leave due to their periods. The company is fighting for the removal of value-added taxes on menstrual pads.
“We’re creating a blueprint to franchise globally. It’s a sustainable system that can be rolled out anywhere. We think it’s straight up common sense,” SHE outlined on the company’s website.
Most U.S. food stamp programs do not define sanitary menstrual products as an essential item. In India, people believe menstruation makes women impure. Most of the time females who are on their period are banished from completing their household obligations such as cooking, or even from inhabiting their homes at all.
In the largest slum, Mukuru, in Nairobi, Kenya, a study found that girls 10 to 19 years old were having sex with older men to gain access to sanitary menstrual products, according to Dignity Period.
In Burkina Faso, 83 percent of girls don’t have a sanitary menstrual changing area, and more than half of schools in the poorest countries lack private toilets, according to UNICEF.
Diana Sierra, a founder of Be Girl Inc., created a pair of underwear with a menstrual, mesh pocket that females can fill with any type of recyclable materials, such as cotton, grass or fabric, depending on the materials readily available in their geographic location.
After Sierra finished a master’s program in sustainability management at Columbia University, she traveled to Uganda for her internship. While conducting research on a coffee farm and cultural arts, she was working on the side to create a prototype for the most effective sanitary pad.
“So I said okay I’m going to hack this material with what I have handy. I took an umbrella for the layer on the bottom, I took like a mosquito net and cut it in pieces and stick it all together and created a kind of a universal pocket, a mix-proof pocket for a certain material,” said Sierra.
Sierra took her product to a school and the children found it successful, but they didn’t like the color black because they found it boring. In Tanzania and Malawi, the stigma associated with menstruation is more than a negative connotation. It is considered a curse.
“When we were asking them, they were talking about how they can’t touch an animal because the animal would just drop dead, and they cannot touch a baby because the baby can die. They cannot go through the crops because the crops will die,” said Sierra.
Sierra realized that she spent years working for global companies, designing for about 10 percent of the population with their extra TVs and face steamers, but she wondered about the other 90 percent of the world who feel that they aren’t deserving of a sanitary product.
Be Girl was launched in the U.S. to fiercely distinguish between and within genders. Sierra is mining a conversation of equality worldwide. It’s a product not exclusive to any socioeconomic status. She wants women to educate themselves about their options and teach others in every country so that generations that follow will spread the knowledge.
“They have the same value as a human being, but they’re completely overlooked. So that was the very first thing that I said I have to go and see this for myself and experience firsthand what it is that a designer can do for this type of scenarios,” said Sierra.
– Rachel Williams
Photo: Flickr
U.S. Business and Emerging Markets Partner for Mutual Benefits
It was 3:00 a.m. Seamus DuBois had been living in his computer-cramped office for the past few months. He was tired of writing software programs. As he sipped his coffee, he realized how long it had been since he had taken breaks to pursue his passions outside of work.
“It’s time for me to branch out and do something new,” DuBois said.
Having grown up on a farm, he had always been interested in agriculture. In the next few weeks, he conducted rigorous research to explore his options working in the agricultural industry. Through his research, DuBois realized the challenges facing the global food industry. He felt that it was unfair that industrialized countries could benefit so much from developing country products, and yet the populations in those countries were stuck in vicious cycles of poverty.
With this in mind, DuBois contacted the Emerging Markets Development Advisers Program (EMDAP) and began devising a business plan that would benefit local populations and their environment by creating a product he could sell in the U.S. Eventually, EMDAP located him in Madagascar, where he helped local villagers develop a profitable, sustainable business plan to export commercial dry mango to developed countries. This was the beginning of a new venture between the U.S. business community and emerging markets.
The EMDAP provides consulting opportunities for U.S. graduate students to assist local organizations in USAID-funded countries.
For instance, from 2005 to 2006 EMDAP Adviser Robert Haynie, a Georgetown graduate, worked with the Business Development Center in Amman, Jordan. His case examined the security challenges facing the Marriott hotels in Jordan where terrorist bombing gradually became prevalent. The plan Haynie devised highlighted the company’s worldwide approach to security management. Marriott leadership immediately acknowledged the practical contribution of the case and incorporated it into its worldwide security strategies, significantly boosting its managerial capacities.
Since its founding, the EMDAP has provided support to over 200 businesses and organizations in 50 USAID-assisted countries.
The U.S. business community and emerging markets have recognized the potential value of EMDAP advisers to their success in the global marketplace. While local entrepreneurs in developing countries strengthen their business skills and management practices, more internationally competent U.S. business executives are able to assist American companies in capitalizing on trade and investment opportunities in emerging markets.
– Yvie Yao
Photo: Flickr
Separation of the Philippines
Relations between the United States and the Philippines date back to a time when the U.S. had a special interest in Southeast Asia for military strategy. Despite a rocky start, the Philippines became one of the closest allies of the U.S. after fighting side by side in World War II against Japan.
To facilitate better relations in Southeast Asia, the Obama Administration developed the “Pivot to Asia.” Shifting American foreign policy from the Middle East, without fully withdrawing, getting more involved in an area with closer ties to China.
As a result, the U.S. provided $175 million for development assistance and $50 million in foreign military financing to the Philippines in 2015. The number for military funding is set to more than double in 2016, with around $120 million intended just for the Philippines.
Despite this long partnership and recently increased support, Filipino President Duterte hints at a separation of the Philippines from the U.S. for growing stronger bonds with China. Many in the U.S. Government are deeply troubled by this news as it could radically change the relationship between the two nations.
As recently as 2011, Clinton was in Manila to verbally affirm American support of the Philippines during a dispute with China over ownership of islands in the South China Sea. Senior Diplomat Daniel Russel is set to travel to Manila for clarification on this separation of the Philippines.
President Duterte is known for erratic behavior, leading many to question whether he can follow through on these claims. With such a large portion of the Filipino population still supporting continued relations with the U.S., a divide between the government’s affairs and the will of the Filipino people could be problematic.
The reality may be that this is the beginning of a Chinese plan to remove American military presence in the region by taking the Philippines out of a partnership with the U.S, in hopes that Vietnam and Malaysian would soon follow suit.
– Aaron Walsh
Photo: Flickr
Beekeeping: The Buzz About Ending Global Poverty
Underemployment and environmental degradation are two factors that contribute to global poverty. This is true in places like Nigeria, and particularly within the Niger Delta region, where there is widespread poverty. Here, most of the working population relies on agriculture, which is becoming a more difficult field to maintain as farmers receive poor yield due to increasing environmental pollution.
But bees can help in developing nations like these. One large way to combat underemployment in developing nations is to create opportunities for workers to engage in activities that increase earnings. One such activity people can engage in to create opportunities for themselves and for their communities is beekeeping.
Beekeeping offers an effective solution for ending global poverty as it requires little money to establish. Hives and equipment can be made domestically, and bees provide themselves with food. Beekeepers are rewarded with healthier farms and with bonus honey to sell.
Fortunately, beekeepers are not the only beneficiaries of this system. With a rapid global decline in bee populations since the 1990s, bee farming provides a symbiotic opportunity for farmers as well as bees. Beekeepers make money off of the bee’s work, and also provide the bees with a place to live while maintaining the surrounding environment to make sure that the bees have plentiful food and ingredients for their hives.
Honeybees themselves are also hugely beneficial towards the environment. They help to keep plants strong and healthy through pollination. Further, when beekeepers plant trees for their bees to gather nectar from, they are simultaneously helping to prevent soil erosion and landslides.
As pollinators, honeybees help to improve the quality and quantity of fruits on nearby farms. This means that not only are the bees and beekeepers benefiting, but toilers on adjacent farms are also aided. Beekeeping also offers others in the community financial opportunities by way of making and providing beekeeping equipment.
There is a great need to raise awareness about the role of beekeeping ending global poverty. Charities like Bees Abroad in the United Kingdom have helped to prove that bees can help in developing nations. Currently, they are working to offer training and support for beekeepers in developing countries. They are currently overseeing projects in Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda, Nepal, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
– Kayla Provencher
Photo: Flickr
Educating Children with Disabilities in Laos
Currently, there are 1 billion people worldwide who live with a disability, and 80 percent of those live in a developing country. To put things into perspective, 1 in every 7 people on this earth have a disability. It has been shown that poverty and disability are intrinsically linked. Those living in poverty are at higher risk of having a physical or intellectual impairment. This is due to factors such as unsafe living conditions and insufficient access to health services.
Unfortunately, the majority of people with disabilities have difficulty participating as equals in their communities and are oftentimes excluded or shunned. The cycle of poverty and disability can only be broken if the rights and needs of people with disabilities are addressed.
Laos, in particular, is a country that has started taking matters into its own hands. It has traditionally been difficult for international non-government organizations to work in Laos. However, Caritas Australia has been able to partner with the Lao Disabled Persons Association (LDPA), which helps both parents and teachers in developing the skills of children with disabilities in Laos.
LDPA is the most prominent and recognized disabled people’s organizations in Laos. These organizations work directly with and serve as a representative for persons with disabilities. In addition, they aim to educate the public about disability rights.
Due to the negative connotations associated with disability, Lao “society is more likely to abandon, ostracize or even hide children with disabilities.” Families receive little or no benefits from registering children with disabilities in Laos. Families who choose to hide a disabled member from authorities affect the government’s ability to improve legislation and living conditions.
That’s where Caritas Australia comes in. The organization believes that disabilities can be both a cause and a consequence of poverty. They aim to make sure all community development programs are accessible to people with disabilities. The organization also funds initiatives specific to people with disabilities to empower them to actively participate in community development and decision-making activities.
Specifically, the LDPA aims to support around 50 children with an intellectual disability attend a volunteer-run school. In addition to that, the association runs a series of workshops for parents and teachers of children with disabilities, led by specially-trained experts.
The Lao Disabled Persons Association’s main goal is to build the capacity of families and teachers to more effectively care for, educate and influence others on behalf of children with disabilities. Along with that, Caritas and LDPA work with parents and teachers towards providing consistency in areas such as behavioral management, teaching methods and social inclusion. Because very little is know about intellectual disability in Laos, the association is working to develop opportunities for schools and families to build a network for mutual support.
In 2010 the government began implementing the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability. This program is well positioned in order to build a growing awareness of disability issues in the country. Though the program is in its early stages, children, parents and teachers involved have already shown great interest and commitment.
LDPA is the first program of its kind in Laos and is currently limited to the Vientiane Province of Laos. However, the program has the potential to expand to other provinces through its wide network of disabled people’s organizations and its connections with the government.
– Keaton McCalla
Photo: Flickr
Weather Prediction Technology in Developing Countries
By 2020, 8.5 billion people will reside in developing countries. This reality dictates food security as a critical component of agricultural planning to support this burgeoning population.
With nearly 100 countries lacking early warning systems for weather patterns, the developing world cannot protect crop yields to feed a growing world. While increased food production is an important part of the puzzle, improved food security measures are the missing link.
India’s AgriMet Department of the Indian Meteorological Department is helping to solve this problem by sharing weather prediction technology and satellite data with Bhutan and seven other developing countries including Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Moldova, Dominica, Peru, Colombia and Burkina Faso.
Within India’s system, weather advisories are sent via text and voice messages to registered farmers. Registration is free and participating farmers have reported increased income. Indian scientists also plan to assist other countries in developing their own models for weather forecasting.
This comes on the heels of a warning from the World Meteorological Organization in March 2016 on World Meteorological Day. The initiative titled, “Hotter, drier, wetter. Face the Future,” recognizes 2015 as the hottest year on record and warning that these trends will continue for the next 50 years making weather prediction technology critical in the developing world.
Droughts, flooding, cyclones and heavy rain hit developing countries harder due to lack of preparation and time to evacuate. The effects of weather events are often cumulative in poor populations, making bad situations worse each time a new event occurs.
Global partnerships in weather prediction are a cost-effective way to address weather forecasting but are difficult to manage when a weather event threatens a smaller region. Global systems can also be more difficult for small, poor countries to access due to issues such as slow internet connections.
This makes regional partnerships for weather events a logical next step in forecasting due to closer proximity and easier methods of accessing a weather warning.
The goal for Bhutan and other developing countries is the implementation of long-range weather prediction technology and use of cost-effective toolkits such as rain gauges and measuring tools for soil moisture. While India will provide training and skills in this project, countries such as Canada and Norway will assist with grant funding to set up the weather station.
– Mandy Otis
Photo: Flickr