Once known around the world as the finish line of the famous Paris-Dakar Rally, the small West African country of Senegal stands out in from its neighbors. Unlike many of other West African countries like Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, Senegal has never experienced any notable conflicts or civil war in the last century.
This distinction has helped to garner the country a deserved reputation for high political stability in an often war-torn continent. However, Senegal also lacks the natural resources of many of its African peers and consequentially ranks as one of the poorest nations on earth. According to UNICEF, 22 percent of its population lives on less than a dollar per day.
For the youth of Senegal and for girls in particular, this has hindered the effectiveness of Senegal’s education system. However, the country has experienced a significant improvement in recent years. In 2009, 92.5 percent of Senegalese children attended primary school. This represents a dramatic improvement from 82 percent in 2005 and only 54 percent in 1994.
Yet, this overall progress belies a residual and significant flaw in education in Senegal; in the long run, girls are far more likely than boys to drop out and to receive less education. At a casual glance, however, it might not seem this way. In 2012, primary school enrollment was actually higher for girls than it was for boys at 74 percent and 72 percent respectively.
While the data for primary school enrollment suggests gender parity, this is not actually the case. As the children progress through their schooling, girls experience noticeably lower rates of attendance. This first becomes apparent upon the transition to secondary school. In contrast to 62 percent of their male peers, 57 percent of girls begin secondary school.
The disparity only widens as their education continues. Secondary school enrollment for boys was 34 percent for boys and 27 percent for girls. Ultimately, one can see the results of gender inequality in Senegal’s adult literacy rate; 62 percent of males and only 39 percent of females were literate. For every 10 literate men in Senegal, only 6 women have attained literacy.
These severe and disparate dropout rates reflect the economic challenges that affect poorer families in Senegal. Children frequently must quit their schooling in order to provide more money for their families by working.
This burden falls harder on girls. Often families will marry off daughters at a young age to lessen their economic burden or they will employ them around the house conducting domestic duties. Many will expect to do domestic work for the rest of their lives. This career choice puts girls and women at greater risk of sexual abuse and financial exploitation.
For families of higher economic standing, education in Senegal is less of an issue and more of an expectation. Girls from wealthier households have twice the attendance rate in primary school.
In the city of Dakar, one of the economic pillars of the Senegalese economy, private schools are becoming even more common. In fact, most schools in Dakar are private rather than public. This has created an even greater educational disparity for those without the money to pay for education.
The wealth and gender inequality in secondary education also carries over to higher education.
UNESCO reported that an increasing amount of private institutions has hindered accessibility for many college students. Additionally, more men were enrolled than women as college students. According to the World Bank, for every 10 male college students, there were only 6 female students.
With the help of foreign aid from USAID and The World Bank, Senegal is attempting to develop and expand its education system. Already, funds from USAID have greatly improved education in the nation.
In total, it has allowed for 500,000 children to enroll in school of which 300,000 were girls. USAID has also helped to expand the educational infrastructure of Senegal through the construction of over 100 middle schools. It has donated more than 3 million textbooks and provided 20,000 schoolchildren with internet access.
The World Bank initiated an ongoing project called “Tertiary Education Governance and Financing for Results Project for Senegal” which is aimed at “[enhancing] the efficiency and quality of the higher education system” in Senegal. While the project is not expected to end until 2016, it has already posted impressive results. It found that 88 percent of academic programs fit quality standards in June 2015 with the target set at 90 percent in September 2016.
To lessen gender inequality, UNESCO and the Senegalese government have teamed up to initiate the “Girls and Women’s Literacy in Senegal” program. It aims to provide 40,000 women and girls with high-quality education and more professional opportunities.
More still needs to be done, and with only 750,000 dollars of funding, this initiative cannot single-handedly solve the issue of inequality in Senegal’s education system. With the help of more foreign aid, Senegal can expect further progress.
– Andrew Logan
Sources: The Guardian, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UNESCO 1, UNICEF, UNESCO 2, USAID, The World Bank
Photo: Open Equal Free
The Zero Hunger Challenge Revisited
This belief launched the Zero Hunger Challenge in 2012, a program that challenged individuals and organizations to recognize and assist the 800 million hungry people around the world.
Started by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the challenge strives to achieve five outcomes: zero stunted children less than two years, 100% access to adequate food all year round, making all food systems sustainable, a 100% increase in smallholder productivity and income, and zero loss or waste of food.
Ki-moon believes that combining these five elements will create a world with no hunger. The Zero Hunger Challenge encourages participation from a wide range of people and organizations.
Now three years after Ki-moon launched his Zero Hunger Challenge, countries around the world are declaring their own “end hunger” plans.
In May 2015, the United Nations assisted the government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic in launching the National Zero Hunger Challenge, which joined with other countries to eliminate hunger and malnutrition while also increasing food resources. Also in May, the Royal Government of Cambodia started a National Zero Hunger Challenge to end hunger in their country by 2025.
As more countries join the National Zero Hunger Challenge, the goal to end hunger becomes more and more realistic. The United Nations estimates that ending world hunger will require investments in rural and urban areas so that poorer people can have access to food and can improve their lives.
Recently, the Zero Hunger Challenge has gained more support from church organizations.
The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, a global network of church organizations, asks all uninvolved individuals and churches to join the initiative.
Dr. Manoj Jurian, World Council of Churches coordinator, said, “No one should be hungry, especially in a world that already produces more than enough food to feed everyone. We can build sustainable and waste-free food systems that nourish and support all people and empower the smallholder and family farms that produce that vast majority of the world’s food.”
Dr. Jurian also notes that as religious people, churches are committed to ensuring that no person is hungry. The Bible contains many stories about hunger, the most notable being Matthew 1:25, in which Jesus tells his followers, “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.” In these lines, caring individuals aid someone in need of food and water; like so, Dr. Jurian claims it is part of religious duty to help those in need.
With active participants around the world, world hunger can end in our lifetime. To join the challenge, visit: www.un.org/en/zerohunger/.
– Kelsey Parrotte
Sources: AllAfrica, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, United Nations
Photo: United Nations
Asian Investment Bank to Complement Anti-Poverty Efforts
As of April 2015, nearly every Asian country and most major non-regional countries joined the AIIB except for the United States, Japan and Canada. Instituted as a response to the Chinese government’s frustration with slow-paced development and a perceived lack of input in global institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the bank will invest in infrastructural development like roads and communication networks that generally precede economic growth. Those investments will come in the form of project loans to countries across Asia, which will commence once the AIIB begins operations at the end of the year.
“With the rights environment, labour and procurement standards, the AIIB and the New Development Bank, established by [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa], have the potential to become great new forces in the economic development of poor countries and emerging markets,” said World Bank President Jim Yong Kim in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
The AIIB’s declared goal is to use its anticipated $100 billion to focus on improving regional infrastructure, upgrading industrial output and increasing the competitiveness of regional supply chains. Much of the effort in establishing the AIIB came from China, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, India, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, which have vastly increased their influence in the humanitarian and global development sectors over the last five years. Those countries’ $1.2 billion of investment in the multilateral aid system in 2013 marked a 51% increase from 2009 levels.
A number of economists have endorsed the AIIB as wielding massive anti-poverty potential, including Columbia Professor of Economics and former World Bank Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz.
“China itself is a testament to the extent to which infrastructure investment can contribute to development,” he wrote in an article for The Guardian in April. “Last month, I visited formerly remote areas of the country that are now prosperous as a result of the connectivity–and thus the freer flow of people, goods, and ideas–that such investments have delivered.”
Sound infrastructure is a crucial prerequisite for communities in the early stages of economic development and can deliver greater access to education and health services, water and sanitation, and increased opportunities for employment and trade. Indeed, in a 2003 study of the relationship between infrastructure and poverty reduction, the Asian Development Bank reported a positive correlation between the extent of provincial road development and associated wages. According to the study, conducted in Indonesia over a five-year period, a 1 percent increase in road investment was associated with a 0.3 percent drop in poverty incidence.
Despite the increasingly complex multilateral aid system and persistent drivers of poverty such as climate change, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund are prepared to work with the AIIB to continue to increase the extent and efficacy of global development projects.
“I will do everything in my power to find innovative ways to work with these banks,” Kim added. “The decisions we make this year, and the alliances we form in the years ahead, will help determine whether we have a chance to reach our goal of ending extreme poverty in just 15 years.”
– Zach VeShancey
Sources: The Guardian 1, The Guardian 2, The Guardian 3, ADB
Photo: Flickr
Poverty and Engagement in Arts, Culture and Leisure
The first object of research was measuring how much poverty impacts people’s participation in sports. It found that adults who lived under the poverty line played fewer sports for far less time. These findings replicated those in similar studies in Canada and Australia. The lack of involvement in sports is believed to increase health risks such as obesity that are already present in lower income groups.
Some people blamed the lack of sports facilities provided in their neighborhoods. Financial and logistical barriers are a constraint. Sports equipment and transportation to and from facilities may cost extra money that the family cannot afford to spend. Moreover, parents who work more than one job find it difficult to take the time out to supervise their children, especially if their neighborhood is perceived as unsafe.
Another reason for poorer people’s reluctance to take part in sports is that they are simply not interested in them, as a study in Ireland concluded. Research in Australia demonstrated that even with ease of access to facilities and training, lower income children and adults were still less likely to play sports than their middle and upper income counterparts.
The second objective of the research was to determine how poverty impacts people’s engagement with arts, libraries and museums. Unsurprisingly, people living under the poverty line were less likely to be interested in or involved in their community’s culture. Even libraries, which are free and open to the public, see lower levels of engagement from poorer people. Children living in poverty are more likely to use the computer or TV for entertainment.
In addition to the obvious barriers of transportation costs and time constraints (for adults), poorer people frequently voiced the view that arts were for “other people and not for them.” They reported feeling out of place and uninterested. In their daily lives, art was perceived as being completely irrelevant.
To fight the main barriers to engagement in sports and culture — a dearth of facilities, extra costs and a lack of interest — the literature review recommends a few solutions: community-based solutions, personal and trusting relationships between mentors and participants, and lower costs.
– Radhika Singh
Sources: UK Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, Art Council of Wales
Photo: PxHere
Malala Fund Aims to Secure Free Education for Children
Goal 4 of the proposed SDGs is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all.” By 2030, the U.N. hopes to ensure that primary and secondary education is free and easily accessible, as well as more equal for boys and girls.
Malala spoke at the Oslo education summit in July, urging leaders to invest in SDG 4 in order to reduce gender disparities and the negative outcomes of non-enrolled children. If the world can meet the goal by 2030, and every girl attends primary and secondary education, child marriage rates would decrease 64 percent and under 5-year-old child deaths would decrease 49 percent.
“In fact, and unfortunately, $39 billion is spent on [the] military in only eight days,” she said.
There are many challenges to providing universally free primary and secondary education, even if the $39 billion annual investment goal is reached. Many families send their children to the labor force because they live in extreme poverty, conflict plagues the ability to send children to school, and other countries lack infrastructure and resources to provide effective education.
Currently, the cost of 12 years of free education is $340 billion per year, which means lower-income countries need to invest 20 percent of their budget to education. Right now, the average budget spent on education is 15 percent.
In May 2015, more than 100 countries promised to provide free education to their children by signing the Incheon Declaration in Korea. The agreement will coincide with the SDGs to reach this goal by 2030.
Enrollment in primary education reached 90 percent by 2010, an increase from 82 percent in 1999, but 61 million children remained unenrolled in school. 31 million primary-aged school children dropped out worldwide and 32 million more repeated a grade. The Millennium Development Goals and the World Food Program provided support for the increase but more educational investments are needed to make a significant impact.
The Malala Fund pushes for the empowerment of education for girls. About two-thirds of the women in the world are illiterate. Also, education helps reduce population growth. For example, educated women in Mali have three children on average compared to the average of seven for uneducated women.
Despite the progress made through the MDGs, there are significant gaps between countries and regions.
“Conflicts remain the biggest threat to human development, with fragile and conflict-affected countries typically experiencing the highest poverty rates,” the U.N. said in a statement.
– Donald Gering
Sources: Do Something, Huffington Post, IB Times, Malala Fund, UN 1, UN 2, Yahoo News
Photo: Flickr
Risk of Waterborne Disease Climbs in Syria
The July power outages in Aleppo are symptomatic of a Syrian public infrastructure in steady decline. Since 2011, Syrian public water systems and health initiatives have been deteriorating through negligence and damage due to the combat efforts of the civil war.
With this drop in facilities has come a spike in waterborne disease, especially in children. In 2013, rates of hepatitis A increased by 219 percent in only five months. A similar increase in typhoid was also noted in the same time period.
2015 has shown little improvement. In the first half of this year alone, Syria registered 105,886 cases of acute diarrhea, many of them in young children. The WHO estimates that this figure will only increase as the arid summer months force more Syrians to turn to contaminated water sources in lieu of dwindling reservoirs.
“We are anticipating a number of public health risks from water-borne diseases, specifically hepatitis, typhoid, cholera and dysentery. Given the scale of population movement both inside Syria and across borders, together with deteriorating environmental health conditions, outbreaks are inevitable,” said Dr. Jaouad Mahjour, the WHO director of the Department for Communicable Diseases.
Before the Arab Spring, Syrian water consumption ranked high for the Middle East, with a per capita consumption of 300 cubic meters, yet this still fell disastrously short of the global water scarcity mark of 1,000 cubic meters per capita. This figure has only decreased as Syria’s civil war shifts into a “water war” in which rebel groups have seized control of some of Syria’s most important water (and water-generated power) sources.
This was the case at Lake Assad in 2014, a reservoir that was used to supply drinking water to five million Syrians. When the Islamist State Group seized control of the Euphrates Dam in al-Tabqa, which uses water levels and current to generate electricity, the rate of water flow from the Euphrates into reservoirs like Lake Assad (where the water can be filtered) was nearly halved. While the Syrian government had previously abandoned the power generating capacity of the dam to ensure consistent water levels at the reservoir, the Islamic State group disregarded this caution and began to operate the damn at unprecedented levels.
“[Lake Assad] is pumping out more than it is receiving,” said Syrian engineer Waleed Zayat to Al-Jazeera. “This is because the electricity generators are working 24 hours a day…normally we should not use more than four or five hours per day. But for the last month and a half they have been using eight at full.”
It is estimated that 15 million Syrians depend on these standing water infrastructures, which are being rapidly depleted by imprudent usage. When water pumping in Deir-ez-sour, a province on the Iraqi border, dropped by 90 percent, many were forcibly turned to the Euphrates river itself to keep from death by dehydration.
Instead, they choose to risk death by bacterial infection. This river now serves a dual purpose as a raw sewage dumping center, and only accessible source of water for the residents of Deir-ez-sour.
The public health risks to drinking water contaminated with untreated sewage are astronomical and often result in the contraction of a number of bacterial and infections including dysentery and typhoid, both of which can come from drinking water contaminated with raw sewage.
With thousands of Syrians crossing borders everyday to escape this, it will not be long before these diseases are no longer a Syrian public health problem, but a regional concern for the Middle East. Cases of measles, tuberculosis and cutaneous leishmaniasis have already been reported ton Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.
In the face of a budding global health crisis, Dr. Major of WHO is calling for vast restructuring of water systems, filtering efforts and disease detection and prevention techniques. “The situation will deteriorate if prevention and control efforts are not scaled up soon,” warned Dr. Major.
– Emma Betuel
Sources: Reliefweb, BBC, Al Jazeera, UNICEF, Irin News
Photo: BBC
South Sudanese Refugees Warmly Welcomed by Uganda
Refugees who travel to Uganda for asylum are met with an abundance of economic and social opportunities upon their arrival. Unlike many other nations currently experiencing heightened influxes of refugees due to the persistence of several regional conflicts, Uganda does not place newly arrived migrants into refugee camps operated by the UN and other foreign aid organizations.
Instead, refugees who successfully escape their conflict-ravaged homelands for the peace and security of Uganda are presented with the opportunity to move into permanent settlements where they are provided with their own plot of land. Additionally, various UN agencies provide access to food, water, and home construction resources for newly arrived refugees. Localized primary schools and health clinics are commonly accessible in these areas of Uganda, and are responsible for providing valuable resources to newly settled migrant populations.
Titus Jogo, Refugee Desk Officer for the Adjumani District in Northern Uganda, stated in a recent interview regarding the legal statuses of South Sudanese refugees seeking asylum, “They have all the rights that are attributed to any human being, irrespective of their status as refugees.”
The conflict within South Sudan, the newest nation in the world after its founding in 2012, was initially caused by political disputes between President Salva Kiir and his former Deputy Minister Riek Machar. The conflict is largely consistent of multiple tribal factions which include the Neur Tribe, loyal to Machar, and the Dinka group, loyal to President Kiir; both of these tribal groups have been accused by international monitoring groups of committing war crimes and human rights violations, including ethnically targeted massacres and sexual assaults.
The most recent report provided by the UNHCR estimates that over 730,000 people have fled the conflict in South Sudan to neighboring nations such as Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya. This report also estimates that an additional 1.5 million South Sudanese civilians are currently suffering from internal displacement due to the escalation in ethnic violence. Many of these displaced civilians experience frequent relocations to areas known as ‘protection-of-civilians’ sites, which are coordinated by the UN Mission in South Sudan and provide secure refugee camps for civilians who have fled their homes.
Secretary General of the UN Ban Ki-moon recently explained in a statement regarding conditions within South Sudan, “The violence that has ravaged South Sudan over the past 18 months proves that there can never be a military solution to this conflict. I therefore call on all leaders of South Sudan – particularly President Kiir and former Vice-President Riek Machar – to prove their leadership by investing in a political solution and immediately concluding a comprehensive peace agreement. At the same time, the international community must take decisive steps to help end the fighting.”
The UNHCR recently released an international appeal for increased foreign aid designated for the current mission within South Sudan, noting the mounting number of refugees traveling to neighboring countries has depleted financial resources. While the organization estimates that $99 million US is necessary to continue funding this operation, only 9% of this goal has been raised to date.
The report explained that “Current resources remain insufficient to provide vital life- saving assistance and services, particularly in the areas of health, education and livelihoods and environment. Many South Sudanese refugee children, their country’s hope for the future, face key barriers to education including overcrowding in classrooms, a lack of teachers, and a lack of recreational activities to support constructive social engagement.”
– James Miller Thornton
Sources: The Guardian, Shanghai Daily, UN
Photo: UNHCR
“Second Home” for El Salvadoran Youth
In 2011, 69 people were killed for every 100,000. The country has not experienced this amount of carnage since 1979 when it underwent a 12 year-long civil war.
With all of this violence, El Salvadoran youth cannot help but feel its effects. Gangs have power in many aspects of society, including in the government, the police and schools. Just under 50 percent of kids drop out of school before grade six. This keeps them from attaining essential skills for climbing out of poverty.
In order to give children and teens a safe place off of El Salvador’s gang-filled streets, the U.S. Agency for International Development has created 140 outreach centers in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The hope is that these safe-spaces will serve as “second homes” for thousands of kids where they can learn useful skills and make steps toward favorable futures.
These centers are all parts of the El Salvador Crime and Violence Prevention Project, which is supported by USAID, as well as the El Salvadoran government and some private sector collaborators. Salvadorian youth living in at-risk neighborhoods are able to participate in engaging programs like English classes, computer training, life skills support, tutoring sessions, job training and volunteer opportunities.
Coordinators of the centers explain that when they open up in the morning, “all the children are already knocking on the door because they enjoy the environment in the center and like to participate in the games and lessons we prepare for them.”
Rather than getting involved with the ugly parts of their communities, kids are exposed to beneficial opportunities such as community construction projects. These hands-on programs inspire teamwork, a good work ethic and valuable experience. It also promotes a positive image for kids within their neighborhoods.
The 75 centers within El Salvador are run by volunteers who coordinate activities and create important bonds with each child. Many of them are in their late teens or early 20s and understand the threats that kids coming into the centers are coping with.
“I am always going to listen to them. I am always there for my beneficiaries,” says Karla Portillo. She is a coordinator in La Unión. “This center’s doors are always open for them. They already know this is their second home. For many of them this is their first home.”
Communities in El Salvador are dealing with incredibly high homicide and immigration levels, as people choose to flee the violence and poverty, and young people are dealing with missing parents and family members. Yet even if parents are still at home, they may not be present in the lives of their children.
The centers can make lasting change for the country too. Elder Monie is a community leader of one of El Salvador’s municipalities. She says, “The outreach center is a place where youth can learn and change the reality of the streets.” More children are finishing school, finding good jobs and staying off of the dangerous streets.
Mark Fierstein is an associate administrator for USAID. He says, “one of the things we most focused on is getting at the underlying factors that are promoting the illegal immigration. And that is to create jobs, to reduce poverty, and reduce crime.”
– Lillian Sickler
Sources: Creative Associates International 1, Creative Associates International 2, PBS, Youth Build, Insight Crime, CBS News, Huffington Post
Photo: USAID
Equal Education in Senegal
This distinction has helped to garner the country a deserved reputation for high political stability in an often war-torn continent. However, Senegal also lacks the natural resources of many of its African peers and consequentially ranks as one of the poorest nations on earth. According to UNICEF, 22 percent of its population lives on less than a dollar per day.
For the youth of Senegal and for girls in particular, this has hindered the effectiveness of Senegal’s education system. However, the country has experienced a significant improvement in recent years. In 2009, 92.5 percent of Senegalese children attended primary school. This represents a dramatic improvement from 82 percent in 2005 and only 54 percent in 1994.
Yet, this overall progress belies a residual and significant flaw in education in Senegal; in the long run, girls are far more likely than boys to drop out and to receive less education. At a casual glance, however, it might not seem this way. In 2012, primary school enrollment was actually higher for girls than it was for boys at 74 percent and 72 percent respectively.
While the data for primary school enrollment suggests gender parity, this is not actually the case. As the children progress through their schooling, girls experience noticeably lower rates of attendance. This first becomes apparent upon the transition to secondary school. In contrast to 62 percent of their male peers, 57 percent of girls begin secondary school.
The disparity only widens as their education continues. Secondary school enrollment for boys was 34 percent for boys and 27 percent for girls. Ultimately, one can see the results of gender inequality in Senegal’s adult literacy rate; 62 percent of males and only 39 percent of females were literate. For every 10 literate men in Senegal, only 6 women have attained literacy.
These severe and disparate dropout rates reflect the economic challenges that affect poorer families in Senegal. Children frequently must quit their schooling in order to provide more money for their families by working.
This burden falls harder on girls. Often families will marry off daughters at a young age to lessen their economic burden or they will employ them around the house conducting domestic duties. Many will expect to do domestic work for the rest of their lives. This career choice puts girls and women at greater risk of sexual abuse and financial exploitation.
For families of higher economic standing, education in Senegal is less of an issue and more of an expectation. Girls from wealthier households have twice the attendance rate in primary school.
In the city of Dakar, one of the economic pillars of the Senegalese economy, private schools are becoming even more common. In fact, most schools in Dakar are private rather than public. This has created an even greater educational disparity for those without the money to pay for education.
The wealth and gender inequality in secondary education also carries over to higher education.
UNESCO reported that an increasing amount of private institutions has hindered accessibility for many college students. Additionally, more men were enrolled than women as college students. According to the World Bank, for every 10 male college students, there were only 6 female students.
With the help of foreign aid from USAID and The World Bank, Senegal is attempting to develop and expand its education system. Already, funds from USAID have greatly improved education in the nation.
In total, it has allowed for 500,000 children to enroll in school of which 300,000 were girls. USAID has also helped to expand the educational infrastructure of Senegal through the construction of over 100 middle schools. It has donated more than 3 million textbooks and provided 20,000 schoolchildren with internet access.
The World Bank initiated an ongoing project called “Tertiary Education Governance and Financing for Results Project for Senegal” which is aimed at “[enhancing] the efficiency and quality of the higher education system” in Senegal. While the project is not expected to end until 2016, it has already posted impressive results. It found that 88 percent of academic programs fit quality standards in June 2015 with the target set at 90 percent in September 2016.
To lessen gender inequality, UNESCO and the Senegalese government have teamed up to initiate the “Girls and Women’s Literacy in Senegal” program. It aims to provide 40,000 women and girls with high-quality education and more professional opportunities.
More still needs to be done, and with only 750,000 dollars of funding, this initiative cannot single-handedly solve the issue of inequality in Senegal’s education system. With the help of more foreign aid, Senegal can expect further progress.
– Andrew Logan
Sources: The Guardian, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UNESCO 1, UNICEF, UNESCO 2, USAID, The World Bank
Photo: Open Equal Free
U.S. Mining Company Continues Medical Support for Ghana
The contributions will be made in $200,000 installments over a three-year period and will help to facilitate the exchange of health care knowledge, experience and contacts in countries including Ghana, Indonesia, Peru and Suriname. The partnership is the newest installment in Newmont’s efforts to improve health care infrastructure in developing countries; so far the company has channeled $1.2 million into global health care initiatives.
“Newmont is proud to continue its support for the life-saving work Project C.U.R.E. does in developing countries around the world,” said Newmont Executive Vice President for Sustainability and External Relations Elaine Dorward-King. “Our two organizations are aligned in purpose, and our partnership gives us the means to improve lives by equipping health care professionals, tools and training necessary to help people in need.”
Earlier this year, Newmont launched the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) program in Eastern Ghana in an effort to provide training to health personnel working to reduce infant mortality. The program teaches techniques for treating the effects of birth asphyxia, one of the conditions that have led to Ghana’s 12 percent infant mortality rate.
Project C.U.R.E. is the largest provider of donated medical supplies and equipment in developing countries and strives to provide the health care infrastructure and resources necessary for countries in the early stages of economic development. Support provided by the organization since 2004 includes medical supplies and training, protective gear and isolation facilities and supplies for wound care and medical examinations during Haiti’s recent cholera outbreak.
“This partnership has really been a full integration of both of our organizations,” said Project C.U.R.E. president/CEO Dr. Douglas Jackson. “The goal is to create infrastructure improvement, so that the whole system gets better. We want the employees at Newmont, the stakeholders and all the communities around the mine sites to be healthy.”
Many players in the mining industry have made conscious efforts to combat the social and environmental consequences that often result from their activities in developing countries by making economic development, environmental protection and social cohesion a part of their business models. In recent years, mining companies have integrated community support into their development contracts, which provide services including NGO support, community leadership training and mentoring and investments aimed at increasing business opportunities for local farmers.
In light of recent revelations regarding the implications of corporate activity on local communities – in Tanzania, for example, hydropower contracts have resulted in the displacement of hundreds of smallholder farmers – Newmont’s efforts are a reminder that corporations owe thanks to the communities in which they are permitted to operate. Programs such as Project C.U.R.E. enable them to contribute to the plight of rural communities and establish relationships that improve business conditions for American companies and generally improve the perceptions of American activity abroad.
– Zach VeShancey
Sources: African Business Review, Mining Global 1, Mining Global 2
Photo: Mining Global
Need to Prevent Malaria in Pregnancy
The presence of the malaria epidemic in the developing world has decreased significantly. However, for specific populations, malaria is still a life-threatening disease. There is a strong demand and need to prevent and treat malaria in pregnancy.
Malaria poses a threat to pregnant women and contributes to both maternal and infant mortality. In addition, malaria during pregnancy can result in maternal anemia and low birth weight of children. Stillbirths, miscarriages and preterm births are associated with malaria in pregnant women.
Given these facts, malaria poses a risk to communities and families, particularly when pregnant women contract the disease.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, malaria in pregnancy is associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection, but can also result from Plasmodium vivax.
Current strategies to address malaria in pregnancy include intermittent preventive treatment with sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, use of insecticide-treated nets and treatment if malaria is contracted.
Pregnant women in the developing world have had difficulty receiving necessary health care due to inefficiencies within health care systems and lack of awareness about specialized treatment.
Local staff may not have the training or resources to offer pregnant women. In addition, preventive sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and insecticide-treated nets are not widely available. There is a lack of skill and the ability to scale up the resources that are available.
Moving forward, malaria treatment for pregnant women would likely be more successful if policies and programs could work with other maternal and reproductive health programs.
Clara Menéndez, a medical researcher at ISGlobal, and her colleagues emphasize that a multidisciplinary approach will be required to fully address malaria and how it impacts the lives of pregnant women and their families.
– Iliana Lang
Sources: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, The Lancet Global Health The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Photo: 100X Development Foundation