The small mountainous nation of Lesotho, landlocked by its neighbor South Africa, is home to two million people. According to UNICEF, of these, more than 40 percent live below the international poverty line.
Lesotho is also home to the second highest adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world, leaving more than 150,000 children orphaned and under-prepared or unable to enter school.
In the rural districts of Lesotho, where three-fourths of the population resides, residents depend primarily on herding livestock and cultivating agriculture to support their families.
Unfortunately, food shortages aren’t uncommon in the region, and according to Lesotho’s Ministry of Social Development, during times of shock and hardship, children are often pulled from school, put to work in the fields and have less access to health care.
With the additional strain placed on relatives taking in children that have been orphaned or sent away by their families during hardships, the risk of worsening food insecurity often becomes a reality.
In 2009, the European Union joined forces with Lesotho’s government to create a program in support of orphaned and vulnerable children.
Simply titled, the Child Grants Programme (CGP), the project is designed to give cash grants to improve the nutrition, health care and education of vulnerable children.
Since its introduction, CGP has made a noticeable impact on the overall well-being of those who participate in the program. After receiving the grants, families are more able and likely to invest in the children in their care.
According to the most recent data from 2014, CGP is responsible for an increase in birth registrations by 37 percent, a 15 percent decrease in childhood death under the age of five and an increase in school enrollment of boys by 6 percent.
As a nation where nearly 23 percent of children ages 5-14 work, and where boys, in particular, are more likely to leave school in order to work, an increase in boys’ enrollment in school is a critical indicator in the program’s success.
Since March 2014, CGP has been extended to nearly 20,000 families throughout the nation. The Ministry of Social Development reported that CGP has not only benefit the direct recipients of the grants but also their communities.
“The CGP had a significant impact in strengthening the informal sharing arrangements in the community,” The Ministry reported, “particularly around food.”
The program, originally funded by donations in partnership with the European Commission and UNICEF-Lesotho, is now fully-funded and operated by the Lesotho’s government. Due to its success and positive results in the 10 districts in which it is currently operating, the government is considering offering CGP as a nationwide program.
Lesotho hopes that the program will begin to stimulate the economies of the beneficiaries by having an influx of cash to spend within their communities at local businesses as they purchase goods and services.
Although it is too soon to know if CGP will greatly change or transform Lesotho’s economy, the program has already benefited and elevated the lives of approximately 65,000 children.
– Claire Colby
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Kingdom of Lesotho, The Guardian, UN, UNICEF
Photo: worldglobetrotters
Sustainable Bolivia Lends a Helpful Hand
There’s an estimated 10,500,000 people living in Bolivia. Fifty-three percent of them live in poverty. Bolivia has a lower gross national than its other South American counterparts due to issues with sustainability. Located in Cochabamba, Bolivia, Sustainable Bolivia works with 36 local organizations to improve environmental and economic sustainability.
Its primary goal is to secure human and financial capital for organizations in Bolivia to thrive and give back to the surrounding community.
Sustainable Bolivia also allows students and professionals to volunteer, intern and learn Spanish or Quechua, a commonly spoken indigenous language in the Americas. All proceeds earned from Sustainable Bolivia’s language schools go toward projects benefiting the community.
Sustainable Bolivia’s extensive volunteer and internship program allows people from around the world to travel to Bolivia and participate in community enhancement projects. Its mini-grant program provides funding to volunteers and interns — usually an average of $75 per month — to fund projects or purchase necessities for their chosen organizations.
Another major program started by Sustainable Bolivia is its scholarship program. Qualified Bolivians, who would otherwise not be able to earn an education, may receive the necessary funds to attend university based on financial need and academic achievements.
Some of the local organizations Sustainable Bolivia works with comprise of Alerta Verde, which works to increase environmental conservation, Bolivia Digna, an education-based organization using education to help children and youths in underserved communities and Mano a Mano, which builds schools and health clinics in marginalized communities.
In addition to these projects and partnerships, Sustainable Bolivia also features multiple residency programs, a film project and an organic garden. The aims of the residency programs are to improve the local art scene by celebrating culture in Bolivia and to provide dedicated artists with a studio to work in.
The film project documents the efforts created by Sustainable Bolivia and its partner organizations to promote fundraising and raise awareness for pressing issues in Cochabamba. Lastly, the organic garden serves the purpose of promoting environmental sustainability and cultivating and consuming food in a healthier way.
Sustainable Bolivia has improved the lives of many since its inception. In testimonials from Sustainable Bolivia volunteers and interns and Bolivians directly impacted by the project, Sustainable Bolivia has been described as a “wonderful volunteer community” and a “great resource” for the local Bolivian community of Cochabamba.
– Julia Hettiger
Sources: Sustainable Bolivia, Idealist,, Matador Network
Photo: World Vision
The Sovereign Military Order of Malta Aids Poor and Sick
Since its beginning, the Order of Malta has been committed with aiding the poor and suffering. Today, it operates in more than 120 countries, providing medical and social care, disaster relief, emergency services and assistance for elderly, children and refugees. For more than 900 years, it has cared for people of all religions and beliefs.
“There are 13,500 members world-wide, plus 80,000 trained volunteers and 25,000 medical and para-medical personnel, working in a large number of hospitals, hospices, homes for the elderly and a variety of other aid activities,” says Marchesino Daniel de Petrie Testaferrata, elected president of the Maltese Association of the Order of Malta.
The Order of Malta has diplomatic relations with numerous countries, which allows it to better assist others, such as helping the sick in areas that some organizations may have trouble accessing.
The Order of Malta has provided disaster relief assistance in The Philippines and Haiti. In Africa, it focuses on care for HIV patients; treatment for tuberculosis, malaria and leprosy; and clean water supplies for others. It also cares for refugees and orphaned children in Asia and the Middle East.
In addition, the Order of Malta has aided in Europe and North America. After Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S., the Order of Malta provided shelter while working on reconstruction projects.
Malteser International, the Order of Malta’s relief agency, reports that, in 2014, its aim was to spread medical supplies to regions affected by Ebola. This year, it is educating others in hopes of minimizing the disease.
For more information on the Order of Malta, visit its website.
– Kelsey Parrotte
Sources: Independent, The Order of Malta, Saint Peter’s List, Photo: Flickr
$13 Million for Anti-Poverty Startup
LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman is leading a group of investors in an initial funding round of $13 million for anti-poverty startup Segovia Technology Co., a company that develops software aimed at helping governments and organizations fight global poverty, according to Bloomberg.
The firm’s products are tailored to making humanitarian aid more efficient. “Social programs, especially cash transfer programs, are critical to the fight against extreme poverty,” said Hoffman in a statement. “But currently they don’t have access to the kind of enterprise software that modern businesses need to function effectively.”
Segovia seeks to end that problem by providing governments, NGOs, and other aid organizations with a modern arsenal of tools.
Hoffman and other investors expressed that the multitrillion-dollar humanitarian industry suffers inefficiencies from inadequate and outdated technologies.
Harvard economists, Michael Faye and Paul Niehaus, founded Segovia after seeing a need through their academic and charitable work. The two started the nonprofit, GiveDirectly, which showed that providing cash grants directly to the world’s poor is more cost effective than sending goods or in-kind assistance.
Segovia has been hired by Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee, and GiveDirectly for projects in countries throughout Africa. “We have not brought our best technology to the bottom billions,” said Faye, Segovia’s CEO. “We think we have a unique opportunity to change that.”
– Joe Kitaj
Sources: Bloomberg, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Photo: savethechildren
A Brighter Future for Orphans in Lesotho
The small mountainous nation of Lesotho, landlocked by its neighbor South Africa, is home to two million people. According to UNICEF, of these, more than 40 percent live below the international poverty line.
Lesotho is also home to the second highest adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the world, leaving more than 150,000 children orphaned and under-prepared or unable to enter school.
In the rural districts of Lesotho, where three-fourths of the population resides, residents depend primarily on herding livestock and cultivating agriculture to support their families.
Unfortunately, food shortages aren’t uncommon in the region, and according to Lesotho’s Ministry of Social Development, during times of shock and hardship, children are often pulled from school, put to work in the fields and have less access to health care.
With the additional strain placed on relatives taking in children that have been orphaned or sent away by their families during hardships, the risk of worsening food insecurity often becomes a reality.
In 2009, the European Union joined forces with Lesotho’s government to create a program in support of orphaned and vulnerable children.
Simply titled, the Child Grants Programme (CGP), the project is designed to give cash grants to improve the nutrition, health care and education of vulnerable children.
Since its introduction, CGP has made a noticeable impact on the overall well-being of those who participate in the program. After receiving the grants, families are more able and likely to invest in the children in their care.
According to the most recent data from 2014, CGP is responsible for an increase in birth registrations by 37 percent, a 15 percent decrease in childhood death under the age of five and an increase in school enrollment of boys by 6 percent.
As a nation where nearly 23 percent of children ages 5-14 work, and where boys, in particular, are more likely to leave school in order to work, an increase in boys’ enrollment in school is a critical indicator in the program’s success.
Since March 2014, CGP has been extended to nearly 20,000 families throughout the nation. The Ministry of Social Development reported that CGP has not only benefit the direct recipients of the grants but also their communities.
“The CGP had a significant impact in strengthening the informal sharing arrangements in the community,” The Ministry reported, “particularly around food.”
The program, originally funded by donations in partnership with the European Commission and UNICEF-Lesotho, is now fully-funded and operated by the Lesotho’s government. Due to its success and positive results in the 10 districts in which it is currently operating, the government is considering offering CGP as a nationwide program.
Lesotho hopes that the program will begin to stimulate the economies of the beneficiaries by having an influx of cash to spend within their communities at local businesses as they purchase goods and services.
Although it is too soon to know if CGP will greatly change or transform Lesotho’s economy, the program has already benefited and elevated the lives of approximately 65,000 children.
– Claire Colby
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Kingdom of Lesotho, The Guardian, UN, UNICEF
Photo: worldglobetrotters
Malaria Infection Rate Drops 50 Percent Since 2000
In 2000, the UN released the Millennium Development Goal to “halt by 2015 and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria.” Reflecting back on the start of the twenty-first century, a recent study conducted at Oxford University has revealed an impressive decline in the rate of malaria infection across endemic Africa.
Using data gathered from approximately 30,000 malaria field surveys taken from sites across sub-Saharan Africa, researchers at Oxford University’s Department of Zoology investigated trends in infection by Plasmodium falciparum, the most deadly malarial parasite.
What they found was the overall rate of malaria infection in the affected regions of Africa has declined by 40 percent since 2000. This translates into roughly 700 million cases of malaria prevented over 15 years.
The study also compared several methods of intervention implemented, along with which of these methods had the most substantial effect. Of these solutions, research indicates that insecticide-treated bednets accounts for 68 percent of the total prevention.
Other tactics included Artemisin-based combination therapy, an efficacious anti-malarial drug, and indoor residual spraying, or the application of insecticide to the inside of homes.
Another report jointly released by UNICEF and WHO confirmed that malaria death rates have declined by 60 percent since 2000. Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, praised these preventative disease measures when she said, “Global malaria control is one of the great public health success stories of the past 15 years.”
These studies prove the effectiveness simple solutions can have in saving thousands of lives globally, as access to nets and the spraying of dwellings alone have significantly contributed to the process of eliminating an ancient disease. They also provide important evidence on how to proceed with future control planning.
While these findings indicate a confident direction in the prevention and eradication of global disease, there is still enormous progress to be made. 438,000 people have died by malaria since the beginning of 2015, of which most were children living in the poorest regions of the world.
With half of the world’s population still at risk of contracting malaria, the journey is not quite over. In just 15 years, the percentage of children under the age of five sleeping beneath a bug net reached 68 percent from an initial 2 percent.
Imagine what could be done in the next 15 years with the effective implementation of preventative measures. With the solution already available, it would seem that the proper way to celebrate progress is to continue more heavily than ever before in efforts to end malaria.
– Kayla Lucia
Sources: Nature, University of Oxford, IFLScience
Photo: Wikimedia
Micro Hydro Power Proves Life-Changing for Nepal
How exactly is energy gleaned from a micro hydro plant? Practical Action, a company which uses technology to challenge poverty in developing countries, describes it as, “the small-scale harnessing of energy from falling water, such as steep mountain rivers.”
The company goes on to explain that “Using this renewable, indigenous, non-polluting resource, micro-hydro plants can generate power for homes, hospitals, schools and workshops.”
Ultimately, it is by using power from these water sources, that micro-hydros are able to generate energy, therefore producing electricity, and ultimately giving many Nepalese access to “reliable and clean energy through community managed micro-hydro plants,” states an article by the World Bank.
In fact, it is through the Nepal Micro Hydro Promotion project, that the Nepal Government (with help from the World Bank) has already built 400 micro run-of-the-river hydropower plants between 2007-2014.
The power that is harnessed by each micro hydro plant is quite astounding. Even the smallest micro hydro plant at 7 watts is able to provide electricity for 100 households, while the largest plant can serve around 940 households.
Additional revenue is created through a micro hydro project which issues carbon credits by displacing diesel fuel with renewable energy. Afterwards, any credits received can be sold and profits will help fund operations and maintenance of the existing hydros.
The first ever carbon credits alone reduced 66,345 tons of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent of taking 14,000 vehicles off the road for a year, states a World Bank infographic.
With the establishment of micro hydros, 625,000 more people now have access to electricity and the potential for this renewable energy stands tall: with reliable electricity children can finish their homework into the evening, businesses and schools can remain open later and even more importantly, paths can be illuminated ensuring a safer means of traveling once night falls.
Micro hydro power plants are not just helping people—they are providing a green environment for future generations.
“Another benefit is improved health and household finances. People are spending less money on kerosene, diesel and batteries – and breathe in less smoke from oil lamps and diesel generators. And the environment benefits from reduced chemical pollution from dry cell batteries,” states the World Bank.
Ultimately, micro hydros encompass four community benefits: financial security, the stimulation of jobs, the creation of a safe environment through lighting and finally, the establishment of a healthy environment by choosing renewable energy over non-renewable sources.
Even with as many as 130 plants out of commission due to the recent earthquakes Nepal has experienced in April and May, the government recognizes their irreplaceable value and plans to rebuild all of the micro-hydros which have been damaged—74 are already now fully or partially operating.
– Nikki Schaffer
Sources: Practical Action, World Bank
Photo: Flickr
d.light Solar Energy
An estimated 1.3 billion people live without access to electricity globally. In the 21st century, access to electricity is almost as important as food and water; it is undoubtedly a lifeline for the economic and financial health of any nation.
Inaccessibility to electricity hinders economic growth, as well as impacts the standard of life in regions without electricity, crippling the human capital as well.
The link between access to electricity and poverty has long been established. Modern technology is, more often than not, dependent on electricity.
From successful farming and production of sufficient food to education resources and the creation of industry, electricity is the prerequisite for numerous facets of life. The United Nation’s Millennium Goals also identify the importance of electricity in eradicating global poverty.
Despite the significance of electricity in today’s world, many developing countries struggle to find solutions to the problem of accessibility of electricity. To address the problems of electricity shortage, we have to ask what the reason for this shortage is.
The primary cause of the unavailability of electricity in most regions is the lack of technology to produce electricity or the lack of resources used for its production, such as coal, gas and water dams.
Solar energy is currently being touted as the cure-all to the energy woes of the world. Solar energy is a renewable source of energy and is also ecologically sustainable.
Although it is by no means the most energy-efficient in terms of the ratio of available energy to harvested energy, solar power is abundant in developing countries and can be harnessed for generating electricity.
Recently, the development and provision of solar-powered devices to low-income countries have gained momentum. Programs like Solar Electric Light Fund and Solar Sisters work to empower the populations living in extreme poverty through the provision of electricity and related resources.
d.light is also one such initiative. Its goal is to provide electricity to people in developing countries. According to its estimates based on its customers’ feedback, d.light has helped more than 50 million people worldwide with its program.
d.light was initially developed as the brainchild of Sam Goldman, who saw the dangers of kerosene usage for lamps in East Africa. He partnered with Ned Tozun to find d.light in 2006, which operates principally in East Africa and India.
d.light manufactures solar lamps and solar chargers, which are compact, mobile, safe and incur no recurring costs. Its products are also designed to be efficient, yet inexpensive and long-lasting. d.light’s solar lamp, S2 — at $8 apiece — has the distinction of being the world’s most affordable, high-quality solar light.
The impact of these solar lights is not only financial but environmentally significant as well. Approximately 4 million tons of carbon dioxide production usage have been offset to date.
The solar lamps have cumulatively saved $275 million for families who previously spent 10 to 15 percent of their earnings on kerosene. The program has also created job opportunities by creating a local market for importing and selling d.light’s products.
d.light has sold more than 10 million solar lamps to date. Its goal is to reach 100 million people by 2020. With a dedication to providing affordable, efficient and safe electricity to millions of people in developing countries, d.light is set to realize its objectives and improve millions of lives.
– Atifah Safi
Sources: D.light, Acumen, World Energy Outlook, Global Envision
Photo: Pixabay
Improving Nutrition Boosts IQs in Developing World
To say poverty is a complex issue is an understatement. The conditions that lead to and perpetuate poverty occur across levels, making it different for individuals, organizations and governments to address. Targeting initiatives toward healthy individual development is imperative to reduce poverty in the long-term.
Poverty, at its core, is a stressor. An inability to gain access to proper nutrition, quality medical care and education greatly affect the well-being of individuals and families.
For children, the effects of extreme poverty are magnified, which has implications for brain development, psychological well-being and ability to handle conflict. Iodine deficiency, which is common in developing countries, can lead to neural tube defects during pregnancy, especially if the fetus is female.
Iodine deficiency is the most common preventable cause of mental retardation in children; the CDC estimates that 18 million children worldwide are born disabled as a result of the deficiency. Currently, two billion people are at risk for iodine deficiency.
Iodine, in addition to other micronutrients, is critical for healthy brain development and functioning. Initiatives to address micronutrient deficiency work to not only reduce world hunger but also ensure that children can have healthy brain development.
Ensuring healthy brain development is not just preventing deficiencies, it gives children increased potential to develop abstract thinking skills. As noted by James Flynn, a psychologist who researches global patterns of IQ scores, intelligence increases as societies modernize.
Through modernization, individuals are more likely to have access to education, have more cognitively demanding work and utilize logic more often in their daily lives. In turn, critical thinking becomes more necessary and there is a need for individuals to have strong working memory and abstract thinking skills.
Flynn has also documented the “Flynn Effect”: as societies develop, the average IQ score increases. This is happening rapidly in developing countries; Kenya, for example, has seen an eleven point increase in IQ scores over a fourteen-year period. In contrast, the U.S. has seen an eighteen point increase over a 55-year period.
While it is difficult to untangle all of the factors contributing to developing countries’ increasing IQ scores, access to education and better nutrition are most likely strong influences on this gain. These countries are developing and modernizing simultaneously, which accelerates the increase in intelligence scores.
Flynn also argues that, in developed countries, the trend towards smaller families have exposed children to more adult speech, which further improves a child’s intelligence. Perhaps it is arguable, too, that as impoverished communities gain access to medical care and family planning and the birth rate reduces, these children reap similar benefits.
As organizations continue to implement programs fighting world hunger and reducing micronutrient deficiencies, this gain in IQ scores for developing countries is an important reminder that at its core, development work is an investment.
Investing in nutrition for individuals in poverty can bring better brain health, which leads to improved academic performance and increased resiliency, thus empowering people both now and in the future.
– Priscilla McCelvey
Sources: CDC, Vintage Books, Scientific American, UNICEF
Photo: Flickr
Internet Access: Ending Extreme Poverty
3.9 billion people around the world do not have access to the Internet, a necessity most take for granted. Since the Internet has become a crucial part of daily life and a constant source of communication, what if the entire world were connected?
Usually, most people do not realize how essential technology and the Internet have impacted society until they really think about it.
What would people do without their iPhones at their beck and call? The world of technology has completely changed how society stays connected with one another.
Since global connectivity is essential, the United Nations have agreed to connect underdeveloped countries to the world of the Internet by 2020.
Supporters of the UN’s decision include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bono and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
During the UN’s September summit, Zuckerberg discussed how Internet access is the key to ending extreme poverty. “When communities are connected, we can lift them out of poverty,” he said. “We can and must do more,” said Zuckerberg.
Currently, the lowest levels of Internet access are found in sub-Saharan Africa, where Internet access is available to less than 2 percent of the populations in Guinea, Somalia, Burundi and Eritrea.
To do more, Zuckerberg and Facebook have created a free mobile application called Free Basics, launched in May 2015.
“This is a set of basic websites and services to introduce people to the value of the internet, and that we hope to add value to their lives. These websites are very simple and data-efficient, so operators can offer these for free in an economically sustainable way. Web sites do not pay to be included, and operators don’t charge developers for the data people use their services,” said Facebook in a statement.
With access to the Internet, there are vast possibilities when it comes to ending extreme poverty and improving the lives of those living in unfavorable conditions:
Truly, the possibilities are endless.
With Internet accessibility, developing countries can finally be on the same playing field and understand the benefits of Internet access.
“We have a simple message,” Zuckerberg wrote. “By giving people access to the tools, knowledge and opportunities of the Internet, we can give a voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless.”
– Alexandra Korman
Sources: Arc, CNN, One, UN News Centre
Photo: Flickr
Textile Traditions: How the Handloom Can Fight Poverty in India
In early August of this year, Indian Prime Minister Modi launched the first National Handloom Day in Chennai, championing traditional textiles as a tool to fight poverty in India.
Last year in October, Modi called upon the film industry to highlight textile products, asking them to include at least one product in their films. According to the government, textile sales rose nearly 60 percent as a result of the added exposure.
The Indian government has also recently announced that it is establishing a policy framework to additionally promote handloom products in the e-marketplace, aiming to popularize the “India Handloom” as a brand.
Handmade textiles are still commonly used for special occasions such as weddings, but Modi says popularizing the textiles as fashion pieces could be a real boost to the Indian economy.
“People wear handloom clothes on social occasions. We need to popularize this among youth. This will give much-needed boost to the handloom sector,” Modi said of the e-commerce avenue.
A number of famous handloom products were born in India, like the Kani shawl of Kashmir and the sarees of Tamil Nadu. According to the prime minister, if the use of handloom products was raised just 5%, turnover would increase by 33%.
In total, the textile industry accounts for 27% of the foreign exchange from exports and makes up three percent of India’s total GDP. The textile sector employs around 35 million people or about 21% of total employment in India. The promotion of high quality, handmade products represents a large, relatively untapped yet significant source of income for the country.
Grassroots efforts have also sprung up to “give handlooms some love.” The hashtag #ILoveHandlooms has been started by GoCoop, India’s first online marketplace for weavers and artisans. The group invites people to share their love for handloom products on social media by posting photos of their favorite items.
– Gina Lehner
Sources: The Hindu, India Times, Business-Standard
Photo: Your Story