Mozambique entrepreneurs have created the award-winning social enterprise Mozambikes builds low-cost bicycles to improve the livelihoods of thousands of people in Mozambique. Affordable and efficient bicycle transportation can greatly impact the pace of development in a country with 54 percent of citizens living below the poverty line, especially in rural areas.
In addition to bringing economic opportunities, Mozambikes is committed to improving the lives of 50,000 Mozambicans by 2018. The company and affiliated non-profit Mozambikes Social Development intends to reach this goal through the sale and donation of affordable branded bicycles.
Mozambikes’ unique branding strategy has created three avenues of distribution. The first allows customers to brand and purchase bicycles for their own business needs, such as employee incentive programs. Other customers choose to brand bicycles sold to low-income markets.
Branding customers allow Mozambikes to sell the bicycles at a subsidized rate. For advertisers, it is an opportunity to tap into remote rural markets. Bicycles can also be donated through Mozambikes Social Development for about $100.
These bicycles are purchased at cost from Mozambikes and donated to those who still cannot afford a bicycle. Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Lauren Thomas said in an article published on The Guardian, “A bicycle may seem like such a small item to many, but it is quite literally life-changing in rural Africa.” 
The bicycles are specifically designed for use on the bumpy roads in Mozambique with large luggage racks for transporting goods. The design also accommodates traditional skirts with a diagonal crossbar. Local technicians assemble the bicycles and after-market maintenance has created a demand for more bicycle technicians.
In comparison with regional competitors, Mozambikes’ product is better quality and more affordable. The company hopes to improve the bicycle industry of Mozambique through these innovations.
Bicycles can have a significant impact in low-income communities and aid development. In Mozambique, two-thirds of people walk more than an hour to the closest health center. Bicycles provide increased access to education, health care and are a clean energy solution.
In five years, Mozambikes has sold or donated over 7,000 bicycles and plans to increase that number to 125,000 by 2020. In rural Africa, a bicycle is generally considered a household items aiding not only individuals but also entire families.
It is estimated that 70 percent of Mozambicans rely on income from what they can produce, largely through subsistence farming. Transportation is essential in this informal economy. Fetching water, maintaining crops and getting products to market are all made easier with access to bicycles.
As a Mozambique business, Mozambikes employs about 12 workers and pay salaries above minimum wage. The company also strives to empower women, provide training for bike technicians, and educate cyclists about safety.
Mozambikes hopes to benefit a million Mozambicans through low-cost, efficient transportation. Each bicycle improves another Mozambican’s livelihood.
Thomas affirms the company’s long-term vision: “Some people come and go, but we are really committed to making this an ongoing, sustainable business, and there is still so much more we can do.”
– Cara Kuhlman
Sources: The Guardian, How We Made It In Africa, Mail & Guardian, Mozambikes, Mozambikes YouTube Channel
Photo: Wikimedia, Flickr
Do You Know Enough About Antibiotic Resistance?
Antibiotic resistance poses one of the greatest threats to global health and so-called “superbug” infections continue to grow. The latest World Health Organization (WHO) survey shows widespread confusion surrounding antibiotic resistance in developing countries.
The WHO reveals that those most affected by and at risk for antibiotic-resistant infections are confused about them. This poses a challenge to the treatment and eradication of antibiotic-resistant infections, which are propagating all over the world.
“Antibiotic resistance is occurring everywhere in the world, compromising the treatment of infectious diseases and undermining many other advances in health and medicine,” says the WHO.
According to the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, bacteria become resistant either by a genetic mutation or by acquiring resistance from another bacterium.
The survey, carried out in September and October 2015, covered 12 countries including Barbados, China, Egypt and India. The statistics cover the countries’ use of antibiotics and knowledge of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance.
The results were below expectations. Although respondents acknowledged that antibiotic resistance is a threat to them and their families, they did not fully understand how it affects them or what they can do to protect themselves.
According to the findings, “64 percent of respondents believe antibiotics can be used to treat colds and flu, despite the fact that antibiotics have no impact on viruses.”
Almost one-third of respondents believe they should stop taking antibiotics when they feel better, rather than for the full course of the prescription, which is also incorrect.
This uncertainty is occurring at a time when the threat of antibiotic resistance is reaching a peak. Deaths caused by antibiotic-resistant infections, known as “superbugs,” are growing faster than we are able to respond to them. The death rate for patients with infections caused by common but resistant bacteria treated in hospitals can be about twice that of patients with infections caused by the same non-resistant bacteria, says the WHO.
With results as pronounced as these, the WHO has started a new campaign to increase global awareness and improve understanding of the problem of antibiotic resistance.
– Ashley Tressel
Sources: WHO 1, WHO 2, WHO 3, TUFTS
Photo: Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance
Charitable Christmas Gift Giving Guide 2015
Compassion International is a Christian organization dedicated to helping children who are living in poverty. Below are some charitable Christmas gift options from the organization’s “Gift Catalog” that allows people to give to families living in poverty.
1. HIV/AIDS Care. A $25 donation can go a long way to providing much needed medical care to those suffering from HIV/AIDs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), HIV/AIDS was responsible for an estimated 1.1 million deaths in 2013 and children are the most susceptible.
Compassion International estimates that 1,000 children are infected with HIV every day. Medical breakthroughs have helped curb the global killer, but the disease continues to rage on. This charitable Christmas gift donation would help…
2. Water Wells. According to Water.org, 663 million people do not have access to potable water, one in every ten people. A $34 donation can help provide clean and safe access to water for those that need it by allowing them to have:
3. Goats or Other Animals. What many people may think of as pets, people in developing countries think of as a life source. Having a goat, cow or chicken can mean milk, eggs, wool or food for people living in developing countries. A $100 donation for livestock would help those living in poverty to:
4. Mosquito Nets. According to WHO, 438,000 deaths were linked to malaria in 2015. Most of those were deaths of children under the age of five. However, nearly half of the world’s population, 3.2 million people, are at risk for the disease. An $18 charitable Christmas gift donation for a malaria net would help in the following ways:
5. Food for a Baby and a Mother. Malnutrition is something that is all too real for families living in developing countries. According to The Hunger Project, 98 percent of the world’s undernourished people inhabit developing nations.
It is also estimated that 795 million people in the world do not have enough to eat. Of those 795 million, 214 million live in Africa and 525.6 million live in Asia according to The Hunger Project. A $15 monthly donation can help mothers and children receive the nutrition they need to retain their strength. It can also:
The suggestions provided are only a handful of options. There are, of course, many other charitable options that can help people in need. For other charitable Christmas gift giving ideas, visit Compassion International.
– Alyson Atondo
Sources: WHO 1, Water.org, THP, WHO 2, WHO 3, Compassion 1, Compassion 2
Photo: Flickr, Pixabay
Compassion International Brings Experience
Compassion International, a Christian ministry organization, is highlighting the reality of global poverty through an interactive event hosted in the United States.
The exhibits are free to the public and seek to display true stories of children living in challenged developing countries such as Kenya, Uganda and the Dominican Republic. Through this forum, the organization gives visitors the opportunity to step into the lives of people living in developing countries without getting on a plane.
Visitors are guided through exhibits laid out over 2,000 square feet. Throughout the tour, people have the opportunity to experience the lives of three children who are sponsored by Compassion International. Each of the children featured narrates their own story.
“The tour took us through his life in the streets and eventually to the point where he became involved with Compassion International,” Joseph Hughes, who resonated with the story of Rueben, a child from the Dominican Republic, said. “It was a moving experience. I’ll admit, when Reuben finally became stable, had food and access to an education, I teared up a little.”
According to UNICEF, 1.9 million children are living in poverty today. The interactive tour started when Compassion International teamed up with local churches to provide child development programs and assist children living in poverty.
James Hays, a pastor who helps lead the event, said he wanted to give others the opportunity to experience life in different regions of the world that are impacted by global poverty.
“We thought it would be something not only our church would benefit from, but the community could as well,” he said.
Overall, the response from visitors has been positive. Jillian Kissell, a participant of one event in Searcy, Arkansas described the event as “enlightening”.
“I think it’s important to see how others are living and what their daily lives look like,” she said. “I like experiences that will get me out of my comfort zone and learn something new.”
Hays said this is the first time Compassion International has put on the event. According to information found on Compassion International’s website, the tour will visit 35 cities this year.
– Alyson Atondo
Sources: UNICEF, Harding, Access Atlanta, TCPalm, The Connection
Photo: Flickr
10 Ways to Prevent Global Health Crises
The Independent Panel on the Global Response to Ebola recently made recommendations to prevent future global health crises based on the outcomes of the West African Ebola outbreak last year.
The outbreak killed over 11,000 people in 2014, including health workers. Experts blame the slow response, lack of leadership and lack of proper training for a large number of deaths caused by Ebola.
The panel’s report was published online by The Lancet, a medical journal. Here are their recommendations:
Photo: Pixabay
The proposed changes to responding to global health crises were categorized into five themes: preventing disease outbreaks, responding to outbreaks, monitoring and sharing data, garnering knowledge and technology through research and, lastly, global coordination to prevent and respond to outbreaks.
– Marie Helene Ngom
Sources: STAT, The Lancet, BBC
Photo: World Affairs
Mozambique Entrepreneurs Change Lives with Bikes
Mozambique entrepreneurs have created the award-winning social enterprise Mozambikes builds low-cost bicycles to improve the livelihoods of thousands of people in Mozambique. Affordable and efficient bicycle transportation can greatly impact the pace of development in a country with 54 percent of citizens living below the poverty line, especially in rural areas.
In addition to bringing economic opportunities, Mozambikes is committed to improving the lives of 50,000 Mozambicans by 2018. The company and affiliated non-profit Mozambikes Social Development intends to reach this goal through the sale and donation of affordable branded bicycles.
Mozambikes’ unique branding strategy has created three avenues of distribution. The first allows customers to brand and purchase bicycles for their own business needs, such as employee incentive programs. Other customers choose to brand bicycles sold to low-income markets.
Branding customers allow Mozambikes to sell the bicycles at a subsidized rate. For advertisers, it is an opportunity to tap into remote rural markets. Bicycles can also be donated through Mozambikes Social Development for about $100.
These bicycles are purchased at cost from Mozambikes and donated to those who still cannot afford a bicycle. Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Lauren Thomas said in an article published on The Guardian, “A bicycle may seem like such a small item to many, but it is quite literally life-changing in rural Africa.”
The bicycles are specifically designed for use on the bumpy roads in Mozambique with large luggage racks for transporting goods. The design also accommodates traditional skirts with a diagonal crossbar. Local technicians assemble the bicycles and after-market maintenance has created a demand for more bicycle technicians.
In comparison with regional competitors, Mozambikes’ product is better quality and more affordable. The company hopes to improve the bicycle industry of Mozambique through these innovations.
Bicycles can have a significant impact in low-income communities and aid development. In Mozambique, two-thirds of people walk more than an hour to the closest health center. Bicycles provide increased access to education, health care and are a clean energy solution.
In five years, Mozambikes has sold or donated over 7,000 bicycles and plans to increase that number to 125,000 by 2020. In rural Africa, a bicycle is generally considered a household items aiding not only individuals but also entire families.
It is estimated that 70 percent of Mozambicans rely on income from what they can produce, largely through subsistence farming. Transportation is essential in this informal economy. Fetching water, maintaining crops and getting products to market are all made easier with access to bicycles.
As a Mozambique business, Mozambikes employs about 12 workers and pay salaries above minimum wage. The company also strives to empower women, provide training for bike technicians, and educate cyclists about safety.
Mozambikes hopes to benefit a million Mozambicans through low-cost, efficient transportation. Each bicycle improves another Mozambican’s livelihood.
Thomas affirms the company’s long-term vision: “Some people come and go, but we are really committed to making this an ongoing, sustainable business, and there is still so much more we can do.”
– Cara Kuhlman
Sources: The Guardian, How We Made It In Africa, Mail & Guardian, Mozambikes, Mozambikes YouTube Channel
Photo: Wikimedia, Flickr
House Passes Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act
The Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act has passed a full vote in the House of Representatives – a move that was welcomed by aid advocacy organizations including The Borgen Project.
In a statement released after the vote, the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) commended Representatives Ted Poe (R-TX) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA) for sponsoring the bill and thanked house leadership for moving swiftly to bring it to the floor. “At a time when the U.S. is facing an unprecedented number of humanitarian and development challenges around the globe, efforts to ensure our foreign assistance is being spent effectively, like this legislation, must be prioritized,” MFAN said.
The legislation, which received bipartisan support, would strengthen the government’s commitment to maximizing aid transparency and effectiveness in a few ways. It would require the President to develop uniform interagency guidelines for measurable goals and performance metrics. And, it would ensure that U.S. foreign aid agencies use these guidelines to consistently monitor and evaluate their programs and provide comprehensive aid data to the public. By doing so, legislators hope to better track and allocate scarce aid resources.
Despite public perception, less than one percent of the federal budget is allocated for foreign aid – around $54 billion compared to over $600 billion in military spending. This money funds 110 missions undertaken by USAID in over 100 developing countries including health and education initiatives, security and peacekeeping missions, economic development and disaster relief.
At a time when Congress is seeking across-the-board spending reductions, the FY2016 budget includes $6 billion less in foreign assistance than last year. It is, therefore, vital that development agencies use every dollar as efficiently as possible.
“Foreign assistance plays an important role in advancing American national security interests in the world, creating new markets for American businesses and helping improve the lives of millions of people living in poverty. However, we must also always demand the highest standards of transparency and accountability to ensure that our foreign assistance efforts are making the most meaningful impact possible in the communities we assist,” said Tim Nelson, Congressional Relations Manager at The Borgen Project.
A companion version of the bill sponsored by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in November and must now pass a full vote before being sent to the President for signing.
– Ron Minard
Sources: The Borgen Project, Congress.gov, MFAN
Photo: Flickr
UNDP Broadens Youth Career Opportunities
In Guatemala, young people are more likely to join a gang than to graduate upper secondary school. According to UNICEF, only 54.2 percent of youth ages 10-19 are enrolled in upper secondary schools.
On the other hand, a World Bank report states there are an estimated 14,000 young gang members. The report goes on to explain that “youth unemployment is associated with a higher probability of youth engaging in risky behavior, including crime and violence. Youth inactivity rates are often much higher than youth unemployment rates.”
To counteract this trend of violence, several organizations are working with youth to help them stay focused on educational opportunities. In fact, USAID found that “Long-term, sustainable development and improved equity in Guatemala will only be possible if [the] education of children and youth continues to improve.”
One of the most successful programs to date has been the United Nations Developing Programme’s (UNDP) Munijoven project. The Municipality of Guatemala City, with the support and funding of the UNDP and the Italian Government, leads the project.
In total, it is estimated that by April 10, 323 youth had taken part in the project’s training opportunities. “The Munijoven project aims to create academic opportunities for those underprivileged youth and to help them into employment,” UNDP said.
With programs focused on English, IT, tourism, gardening, arts, cooking and customer service training, the project hopes to provide job opportunities that these youth would not have under normal circumstances.
“With UNDP’s support, an employment strategy is currently being developed within the city’s youth policy, to create better economic, training, health and recreational opportunities through public-private partnerships,” UNDP said.
Businesses like Pizza Hut, local banks, furniture retailers and bakeries have joined the initiative. These businesses are vital to the project’s goals.
In fact, Ana Gabriela De León, UNDP’s Programme Officer for Poverty Reduction and Social Investment, stated, “Business participation is a key part of this process, since the main goal at the end of the training is to integrate young people into the labor market [as soon as] they have successfully completed the Munijoven programme.”
An estimated 60 percent of the participants, or 6,000 young people, were able to sign employment contracts at the end of the project.
– Katherine Martin
Sources: UNICEF, World Bank, USAID, IZA, UNDP
Photo: Flickr
Sharing Child Poverty Facts with #FightUnfair Campaign
In light of Universal Children’s Day on Nov. 20, UNICEF launched its #FightUnfair Twitter campaign to promote children’s right to a safe, educated and healthy life.
“Children make up almost half of the world’s poor, nearly 250 million children live in conflict-torn countries and over 200,000 have risked their lives this year seeking refuge in Europe,” said Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director.
The details of life for poor children remain obscure to many and UNICEF has designed a quick and simple way to share child poverty facts. Supporters of the #FightUnfair campaign can click on the Facebook or the Twitter button below the fact they wish to share. In less than ten seconds, the information is available for the world to see.
Celebrities such as Orlando Bloom, Shakira, Ricky Martin and Liam Neeson have joined the campaign, each promoting a different child poverty fact.
“Behind every single number is a child, a boy or a girl much like mine or yours, or our nieces or nephews, or the kids we ourselves once were, who carry exactly the same need–and right–to feel loved, protected and respected,” Ricky Martin told Huffington Post.
Martin has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and avid opposer of child trafficking since 2003.
Fighting unfairness requires more than tweeting facts, which is why UNICEF invited participants to share ideas about ending child poverty. Negative facts tweak consciences, but achievable solutions inspire action.
In addition to the Twitter campaign, UNICEF revealed how to have an informed and persuasive discussion about child rights. Tips include knowing the difference between equality and equity, researching key facts, referencing real stories of real children and refraining from creating an “us” and “them” barrier.
Addressing the needs of children will foster future generations of educated citizens who can break the cycles of poverty.
– Sarah Prellwitz
Sources: Do Something, Global Citizen, Huffington Post, UN Brussels, UNICEF 1, UNICEF 2 Photo: Wikipedia
Girl Up Campaign Volunteers: Addressing Global Poverty
Sydney Faler and Molly Foulkes of Dundee-Crown High School in Illinois started the Girl Up Dundee student club at their school with the hope of helping girls in need across the globe.
The club is a member of the U.N.’s Girl Up campaign which aims to help girls have access to education, health care, safe living conditions as well as social and economic opportunities. The U.N.’s program helps girls in Guatemala, India, Malawi, Liberia and Ethiopia, which are among the toughest places for girls to live.
In the beginning, Faler and Foulkes wanted to do something positive, but they were not sure how to make a difference. Inspired by Emma Watson’s U.N. speech on gender equality, they decided to start the club as a way to collect support and resources for girls.
Foulkes said, “It’s a way for me as a high school student, where I don’t really have that voice, to be able to impact something globally.”
Their sentiment proved to be a common one, as the club started with 35 members and has more people joining every week. In the digital age, students seem more aware of problems in the world and they wish to have a positive impact.
Foulkes said that “we’re becoming a more globalized nation and world. It’s important to realize there are so many more people out there than just our community.” With the planet becoming smaller due to everyone connecting through the internet and social media, issues that were previously unknown are now being brought to the forefront.
People everywhere are coming together to help each other, as evidenced by the growing popularity of the Girl Up student club, which is just one of 1,000 registered Girl Up clubs in the United States. The U.N.’s Girl Up club is also represented in 51 countries around the world.
So far this year, the Dundee-Crown chapter of the Girl Up student club has raised over $300 for girls in Guatemala. The funds will provide bicycles for girls in Guatemala, so they can get to school safely. With access to education, the girls will likely be healthier, more financially responsible and better qualified for good jobs.
Most Guatemalan girls in the Girl Up-supported regions only receive about three years of schooling. This lack of education means that most girls never learn to read and write. In addition, without access to education, girls are more at risk for early marriage and childbearing, thus continuing the cycle of poverty.
In order to help break the cycle, Faler and Foulkes also plan to host a gala event with local community members so they can spread their message. Foulkes said that “a lot of people don’t really understand what we’re doing.”
They believe that once they inform others, they will reach their goal of raising $500 to help more girls in need. These two high school students’ actions are having positive impacts for girls who desperately need it.
– Andrew Wildes
Sources: Daily Herald, Girl Up
Photo: Cloud Front
Combatting Malaria in Swaziland
The small country of Swaziland might be the first in southern African to eliminate malaria.
According to the National Malaria Control Programme, malaria in Swaziland has declined by 99 percent between 2000 and 2014. With only 603 confirmed cases this year, Swaziland is poised to eliminate the disease by 2016.
The Malaria Elimination Group, an independent international advisory group, convened at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to highlight the country’s achievement.
Over 60 representatives from the Ministries of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and international donors associated with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were also present.
Swaziland’s success can be attributed to multiple factors. The Malaria Elimination Group praised the country’s “strong surveillance and response system that has accounted for much of its malaria elimination success.” The group also recognized that strong political support from the country was a contributing factor as well.
The support of a 2008 grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria assisted officials in the fight against malaria in Swaziland. With financial assistance from the fund, the country began an aggressive program to help fight malaria, strengthening case management as well as placing an emphasis on surveillance and response.
In order to ensure continued success, the Malaria Elimination Group says that “cross-border measures need to be strengthened.”
“For many eliminating countries, including Swaziland, close collaboration with neighboring countries is the key to success,” said Sir Richard Feachem, chair of the Malaria Elimination Group and director of the UCSF Global Health Group.
“If malaria knows no borders, then neither should our efforts to eliminate the disease. Swaziland’s surveillance and response [will be] unparalleled in the region; however, persistent imported malaria cases from endemic neighboring countries, particularly southern Mozambique, mean that a regional approach is essential for realizing our goal of a malaria-free southern Africa,” he added.
Swaziland is taking a leadership role in order to help other southern African countries eradicate malaria. Swaziland’s Minister of Health is also the Chair of the Elimination 8 (E8) which is “an eight-country effort that aims to eliminate malaria in four southern African countries by 2020.”
The E8 was recently awarded a $17.8 million grant from the Global Fund to strengthen malaria prevention as well as “improve regional surveillance and diagnostic capabilities.”
The grant underscored the overwhelming importance of totally eliminating the disease.
Said Hon. Minister Ndlela-Simelane, “This grant further strengthens our resolve to eliminate the disease. It will allow us to overcome our cross-border challenges, which we could not address in the scope of our national programs. Now, with this grant, we will have real-time date to address mobile and migrant populations that are highest risk of malaria.”
– Alyson Atondo
Sources: Medical Xpress, UCSF, Times Live
Photo: Flickr1, Flickr2