One of the hardest parts of instituting public health policies that will benefit the poor is knowing beforehand whether or not they will work. After all, donors don’t want to waste money on ineffective programs, and those in the developing world don’t want to be troubled by policies that don’t positively impact their lives.
What if there was a way to determine the effectiveness of a policy before executing it? The answer might just be a technique called randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
RCTs are economics techniques that have been around since the 1960s, used to test the effectiveness of different social programs and economic policies.
The premise is simple enough: institute a scaled-down version of your policy over a random area, and compare it to another randomly assigned control group that does not benefit from the policy. While not a novel idea, randomized controlled trials only gained notoriety relatively recently in 1997 in Mexico.
In the midst of an economic crisis, Mexican President Zedillo tasked economist Santiago Levy with devising a strategy to alleviate the burden on the poor. Traditionally, the Mexican government had subsidized the cost of food or basic services like electricity.
Instead, Levy introduced a system of cash incentives to families who met requirements such as ensuring school attendance and visiting health clinics. Because the program rolled out in stages, Levy was able to collect data on regions who had the program, and those who hadn’t yet implemented it, providing him with control groups.
The program, called PROGRESA, was highly successful, with visitation to health clinics 60 percent higher for impacted populations versus control groups. Levy was also able to measure improved health outcomes for children, with a rate of illness decreasing by 23 percent, and an 18 percent reduction in anemia.
His experiment began an era of testing and collecting data on social programs where previously policy-makers could only guess at their effectiveness.
Since then, RCTs have been used to test the effectiveness of a wide range of policies. They have become a favorite tool of development professionals but have perhaps seen the most use for public health programs. In 2000, there were only about 10 public health studies published using RCTs as the primary method of analysis, while by 2012 there were over 200.
Ann Mei Chang, executive director of the Global Development Lab for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), commented that RCTs are “front and center on a lot of people’s agenda.”
Explaining why RCTs have become so important to aid donors, she asks, “where do we get the biggest bang for our buck?” RCTs are designed precisely to answer that question.
In Haryana, India, RCTs are being used to test the effectiveness of an incentive-based health program. 70 local health clinics were authorized to distribute sugar and cooking oil to families whose children start and finish a round of immunizations.
The goal is to determine whether or not incentives can increase immunization rates in the poorest districts. If incentives are proven to work through the randomized controlled trials, the government can begin to scale up the program to cover the entire state, if necessary.
However, not everyone wants to board the RCT train. Critics of the technique say that focusing on small metrics of success, such as whether or not incentives in-kind work to improve public health outcomes, detracts from the larger macroeconomic picture.
For example, while the results of the Haryana study seem to indicate that incentives improve vaccination rates, variables such as availability of medical personnel and supplies, geographic disease burdens, and income inequality would tend to confound the results.
Supposedly the fact that the trials are randomly assigned would control for these variables, but macroeconomists tend to disagree, preferring “Big Push” solutions to development issues.
As Princeton economist Angus Deaton puts it, “development is ultimately about politics,” meaning that the RCTs can only evaluate individual programs, rather than wider trends such as corruption, trade, infrastructure, etc.
RCTs aren’t the only evaluative technique for public health programs; randomization isn’t always desirable or necessary, and in a health crisis, preliminary testing takes too much time.
However, RCTs do represent a valuable tool for developing countries and aid donors alike to measure the efficacy of incentive-based programs and health policies. When it comes to public health, every dollar counts, and knowing policies work before scaling them up ensures that aid resources are used as effectively as possible.
– Derek Marion
Sources: Nature, The Economist
Photo: Wikimedia
Voluntourism Q&A
Voluntourism (volunteer tourism) is a growing travel trend. It involves trading a typical vacation for an experience volunteering in orphanages and communities in poorer regions of the world. It is an opportunity for others to assist women, men and children in need.
Who participates in voluntourism?
Typically, privileged Americans and Europeans are participants in voluntourism. Most volunteers are women between the ages of 20-25. In some cases, colleges and universities offer volunteer travel courses that replace “fun and sun” spring break trips.
When did voluntourism begin?
Voluntourism began in the 1960s when the Peace Corps was founded. Since then, the number of those volunteering as a form of vacation have steadily increased. Each year, about 1.2 million volunteers participate in voluntourism.
What are the positives associated with voluntourism?
Traveling volunteers have the ability to engage others with important world issues. For example, after helping in Ghana, a person can return to the U.S. equipped with knowledge and stories that engage advocates. By speaking about their experience, they interest others in the cause. By doing this, more people can strive to make a difference in the lives of others. In addition, they are deepening their understanding of humanity, which contributes to a desire to create a better world for all.
What are the criticisms of voluntourism?
The biggest criticism of voluntourism is that it is a form of narcissism that allows travelers to make themselves the superheroes, the ones who “do good” for people who are impoverished. This idea can be seen when people post photos of themselves with children (that they do not know) or with people who they are helping. By posting these photos, volunteers are showcasing suffering and glorifying themselves.
For those who plan to participate in voluntourism, how can they truly have a positive experience?
The people who participate in voluntourism are by no means malicious. The problem comes when travelers are beefing up their resumes or adding a million pictures to Facebook. Voluntourism is not about self-fulfillment. For more meaningful work, leave IPhones at home or take pictures with the people you actually know. At the end of the trip, the experience isn’t really about making travelers feel good, but about donating time to help those who need it most.
– Kelsey Parrotte
Sources: The Guardian, Huffington Post 1, Huffington Post 2, NPR, Pacific Standard Magazine, Responsible Travel Report
Photo: Flickr
United Way of Windsor Focuses on Education to Fight Poverty
There is an almost universal understanding that a lack of education is almost always a ticket to poverty. From rural India to modern Japan, when children miss out on quality education, it sets them on a difficult path to poverty.
But the United Way of Windsor-Essex in Ontario, Canada is putting their foot down, and starting up a program to make sure low-income students get started off on the right foot. Twenty kids from underprivileged backgrounds are being placed in an immersive program set to get them off through school and off the poverty track.
Each of the youths, who start high school this month, have signed five-year agreements that commit them to finishing high school and keeping their grades up.
In return for doing well in school, the students receive special mentoring, after-school tutoring and counseling options, and perhaps most uniquely – $1,000 will be set aside each year towards each student’s post-secondary education.
A recent report by United Way found that roughly a quarter of county residents under 17 lived in low-income families, and more than half of those in single-parent households are living in poverty.
The report further found that family income has a strong effect on the “child’s cognitive, behavioral, and physical outcomes, as well a lesser relationship on social development.” Children from lower-income families, according to the report, are at a significant disadvantage compared to their higher-income peers.
Poverty places many challenges on young adults, including increased mental strain, the risk of poor nutrition, and, of course, reduced educational opportunities. According to Lorraine Goddard, CEO of the local United Way, many of the students in the pilot program come from “working poor” families in which the head of household is often struggling with multiple jobs to make ends meet.
“You become discouraged, you can be ostracized — kids give up,” said Goddard. The personal and financial support, which comes from individual donors, “builds a sense of hope in these kids,” said Goddard.
Participation in the On Track to Success program offers participating students a reprieve from some of the stresses of living in a low-income home, giving them more time and energy to devote to their education.
Even just completing high school generally allows individuals to earn an average of $10,000 more than someone without a diploma. Completing college earns an average of nearly $17,000 more than just a high school diploma.
By helping these students succeed now in high school and starting them with the funds to attend college, the United Way is putting these students on the path out of poverty.
– Gina Lehner
Sources: Windsor Star, We are United
Photo: tucsoncitizen
Accelerating Public Health Goals Using RCTs
One of the hardest parts of instituting public health policies that will benefit the poor is knowing beforehand whether or not they will work. After all, donors don’t want to waste money on ineffective programs, and those in the developing world don’t want to be troubled by policies that don’t positively impact their lives.
What if there was a way to determine the effectiveness of a policy before executing it? The answer might just be a technique called randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
RCTs are economics techniques that have been around since the 1960s, used to test the effectiveness of different social programs and economic policies.
The premise is simple enough: institute a scaled-down version of your policy over a random area, and compare it to another randomly assigned control group that does not benefit from the policy. While not a novel idea, randomized controlled trials only gained notoriety relatively recently in 1997 in Mexico.
In the midst of an economic crisis, Mexican President Zedillo tasked economist Santiago Levy with devising a strategy to alleviate the burden on the poor. Traditionally, the Mexican government had subsidized the cost of food or basic services like electricity.
Instead, Levy introduced a system of cash incentives to families who met requirements such as ensuring school attendance and visiting health clinics. Because the program rolled out in stages, Levy was able to collect data on regions who had the program, and those who hadn’t yet implemented it, providing him with control groups.
The program, called PROGRESA, was highly successful, with visitation to health clinics 60 percent higher for impacted populations versus control groups. Levy was also able to measure improved health outcomes for children, with a rate of illness decreasing by 23 percent, and an 18 percent reduction in anemia.
His experiment began an era of testing and collecting data on social programs where previously policy-makers could only guess at their effectiveness.
Since then, RCTs have been used to test the effectiveness of a wide range of policies. They have become a favorite tool of development professionals but have perhaps seen the most use for public health programs. In 2000, there were only about 10 public health studies published using RCTs as the primary method of analysis, while by 2012 there were over 200.
Ann Mei Chang, executive director of the Global Development Lab for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), commented that RCTs are “front and center on a lot of people’s agenda.”
Explaining why RCTs have become so important to aid donors, she asks, “where do we get the biggest bang for our buck?” RCTs are designed precisely to answer that question.
In Haryana, India, RCTs are being used to test the effectiveness of an incentive-based health program. 70 local health clinics were authorized to distribute sugar and cooking oil to families whose children start and finish a round of immunizations.
The goal is to determine whether or not incentives can increase immunization rates in the poorest districts. If incentives are proven to work through the randomized controlled trials, the government can begin to scale up the program to cover the entire state, if necessary.
However, not everyone wants to board the RCT train. Critics of the technique say that focusing on small metrics of success, such as whether or not incentives in-kind work to improve public health outcomes, detracts from the larger macroeconomic picture.
For example, while the results of the Haryana study seem to indicate that incentives improve vaccination rates, variables such as availability of medical personnel and supplies, geographic disease burdens, and income inequality would tend to confound the results.
Supposedly the fact that the trials are randomly assigned would control for these variables, but macroeconomists tend to disagree, preferring “Big Push” solutions to development issues.
As Princeton economist Angus Deaton puts it, “development is ultimately about politics,” meaning that the RCTs can only evaluate individual programs, rather than wider trends such as corruption, trade, infrastructure, etc.
RCTs aren’t the only evaluative technique for public health programs; randomization isn’t always desirable or necessary, and in a health crisis, preliminary testing takes too much time.
However, RCTs do represent a valuable tool for developing countries and aid donors alike to measure the efficacy of incentive-based programs and health policies. When it comes to public health, every dollar counts, and knowing policies work before scaling them up ensures that aid resources are used as effectively as possible.
– Derek Marion
Sources: Nature, The Economist
Photo: Wikimedia
Partners in Food Solutions
One of the most common topics that arise when discussing world hunger and food insecurity is that there are actually more than enough resources to feed all of the people of the world.
The problem isn’t that there is not enough food for everyone, but rather that there is not an efficient way of distributing it. Or, oftentimes, on-location farms do not have the resources to grow enough food for the people in the area who need it.
Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) is a nonprofit organization that works to connect big food companies (such as General Mills, Cargill, Royal DSM and Bühler) with smaller food processors in the developing world to reduce food insecurity.
These large, experienced companies are able to provide small and growing businesses (SGBs) with information on how to increase productivity, improve quality and create all-around safer and more nutrient-rich food for surrounding populations.
In addition, PFS and its partners also help African food companies to develop business and finance skills and make areas such as distribution and packaging as efficient as possible. By supplying technological resources and training, there can be a consistent and reliable sharing of knowledge to help companies keep growing.
Jeff Dykstra, the CEO of PFS, says that “food insecurity in Africa has been often addressed in a reactionary way, and the opportunity that’s there now is to address it in a proactive way.”
At its heart, the organization just wants to create a more efficient and valuable food chain. One of its strengths is that it recognizes the importance of partnerships.
PFS is funded by corporations and private donors and also supported by a devoted base of volunteers. USAID TechnoServe is a PFS partner involved with implementing programs and strategies on the ground in Africa. So, while PFS manages volunteers and designs programs, Technoserve implements the relationships with SGBs.
By working with TechnoServe, PFS is able to evaluate which food companies are the most in need of help and look to be the most successful. The partnership has grown to assist over 700 SGBs in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia.
Almost 829,000 local farm holders were impacted through projects that are designed to bring expertise to small African food companies. Kykstra said that the money is generating a return into local economies at double the rate of taxpayer investment.
These partnerships are valuable and effective in the fight against global food insecurity. As President Obama himself said on a July 28 visit to the Faffa Food Share Company in Ethiopia, “Having strong corporate partners alongside local businesses can really make a big difference.”
Faffa Food Share is a client of PFS, and also the primary supplier of food for children over 6 months old in the country.
Although the chain of technologies, innovations and partnerships involved in the PFS organization is complicated, the core idea is simple.
The organization’s goal is to help small farms bring their crops to local marketplaces, making them sustainable contributors to their economies, cutting back on unnecessary food transportation expenses and helping entire countries to become self-sufficient when it comes to food.
All of this can be done by sharing knowledge and resources already available to the first world. Stephen Tanda, the managing board member of Royal DSM, calls PFS “the missing link in connecting the need to address malnutrition on the ground and working with companies in Africa to make these safe and high-quality nutritious foods that benefit the local population.”
Partners in Food Solutions is a great example of a lot of moving parts, of all different sizes and spheres of influence, working together to make a better world.
– Emily Dieckman
Sources: General Mills, Partners in Food Solutions, YouTube 1, YouTube 2
Photo: Flickr
Novak Djokovic Takes on New Role at UNICEF
Novak Djokovic, the number one men’s tennis player in the world, has added a new honor to his list of accomplishments: United Nations Children’s Fund Celebrity Goodwill Ambassador.
Djokovic championed children’s rights for years before his appointment in late August. He previously served as UNICEF’s Serbia Ambassador, and his own organization, the Novak Djokovic Foundation, works to improve children’s lives in Serbia by cooperating with Serbian schools, local organizations and non-governmental organizations.
The Foundation “has focused its activities towards the improvement of conditions in which children in Serbia get education, grow up and play.”
Djokovic’s foundation and UNICEF work to uphold the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. These rights include the ability to have access to services such as education. Djokovic joined UNICEF in 2011 as the Serbian Ambassador and has since visited Serbian schools with UNICEF.
“The early years of life are crucial. When well nurtured and cared for in their earliest years, children are more likely to survive, to grow in a healthy way, to have fewer illnesses, to develop thinking, language, emotional and social skills and become productive and successful citizens of society,” he said about his commitment to children’s causes.
Djokovic joins a list of Goodwill Ambassadors famous for sports, film, theater and more. He and David Beckham are among the most notable athletes currently serving as Goodwill Ambassadors. With their fame, these ambassadors help to bring children’s issues to the forefront of public consciousness, and Djokovic has already shown his dedication to improving children’s lives.
– Rachelle Kredentser
Sources: UN, ESPN, UNICEF 1, UNICEF 2
Photo: UN
How a New Program Could Reconnect the Supply Chain
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), out of the close to the 1 million health centers in the developing world 40 percent of them are stocked out of essential supplies or medications.
In some countries, people walk three days to reach the nearest health clinic only to learn that they are out of stock of their medication. At the same time, health workers admit that they have life saving medications gathering dust and expiring on their shelves because their patients do not need them.
Reliefwatch is a platform for heath care organizations in the developing world to track the supplies in clinics and pharmacies. All clinics need to partake in Reliefwatch is a basic cellphone, which most clinic workers already own. The program involves no new hardware or installations and because all it requires is workers to punch in their inventory numbers into the cellphone, the training process is fast and simple.
Reliefwatch’s method is simple. An automatic call is sent to participating clinics whose staff enter their supply and medication inventories when prompted (Reliefwatch uses multilingual support systems). All the collected data is stored in their cloud system making it available in real-time anywhere in the world.
The information collected through Reliefwatch allows suppliers and NGOs to more accurately distribute medical supplies and medications. So instead of blindly shipping out supplies to clinics every three weeks, suppliers can effectively re-stock clinics based on their needs.
Daniel Yu, the founder of Reliefwatch, says his nonprofit has reduced stock-outs to 10 percent of current levels. Suppliers are more aware of which clinics need which drugs and facilities that have excess items can give them to clinics in need of them.
Reconnecting the supply-chain has a powerful effect. Suppliers can feel confident that their provisions are reaching places that need them, clinics and health care workers can adequately serve their patients and patients can depend on their medication being available when they need it.
– Brittney Dimond
Sources: Next City, Relief Watch
Photo: Flickr
Kenyan Student Wins Student of the Year
In 2014 George Benson Lyimo was just a student trying to earn his Business Technology and Education Council (BTEC) degree in business. Now in 2015 he is BTEC’s ‘Outstanding International Student of the Year.’
In 2012 Lyimo left his home in Tanzania to go to Braeside High School in Nairobi, Kenya. Braeside—a school which uses the British system of education—provides a safe place for eager students all over Africa to pursue their goals. Whereas many African youth are deterred by violence and warfare from going to school—Braeside provides a bus system to safely transport students to and from campus.
At Braeside Lyimo flew under the radar. One teacher recalls him being—“quite a shy character.” Nevertheless his potential shone in and out of the classroom.
Despite his humility Lyimo has accomplished much to be proud of. Self-taught in the language of computers—Lyimo launched his own website called Texeer which is now a worldwide social networking platform. He also volunteers in Braeside’s IT department even though he has no formal training and was able to provide internet for the student body when the school’s connectivity failed.
In July 2015 Lyimo was formally recognized for his accomplishments at the fifth annual BTEC Awards. The ceremony took place in London in front of an audience that included teachers, employers and even Members of Parliament.
The BTEC Awards acknowledge students, teachers and apprentices for outstanding performance in their particular vocational field. Recipients are nominated by their teachers and colleagues. This year BTEC received more than 800 nominations.
The judges picked Lyimo because of his passion and devotion to education and helping others. “Winning this award means a lot to me.” He says. “Firstly it kind of builds up my confidence and my belief system that I can build something great that other people can use in their daily life. I want to give back to the world. I want to make the world a better place.”
In addition to all of his technological hobbies Lyimo organizes annual charity events which raise funds to send Kenyan children to school. This is especially significant in Kenya where enrollment rates are extremely low.
Enrollment for boys and girls in secondary school in Kenya is 51 and 48 percent respectively—but attendance drops down to 39 and 41 percent. Compare this to the U.S. where enrollment among boys and girls in secondary school is 88 and 90 percent respectively. It is also important to take into account when comparing these numbers that unlike the U.S.—education is universally free in Kenya.
This is why young students like Lyimo are truly making the world a better place. Not only does he help other children achieve their dreams by providing access to education but perhaps more importantly by being a role model for those who need motivation in the face of adversity.
Lyimo graduated Braeside with triple star distinction—the highest accolade in the BTEC degree program. Like past recipients of BTEC ‘Outstanding Student’ Awards Lyimo will continue on his career path pursuing an advanced degree in Business and Computing at Huddersfield University in England.
– Celestina Radogno
Sources: Braeside School, BTEC 1, BTEC 2, Standard Digital News, UNICEF 1, UNICEF 2
Photo: Flickr
Richest Man in Africa Combats Poverty Through Agriculture
Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian billionaire, is nominated as Africa’s richest man on the FORBES World’s Billionaires list. He takes advantage of the advanced natural condition in Nigeria, such as plenty of agricultural land to develop the economy of commercial agriculture in Nigeria.
Aliko Dangote created the Dangote Group, a conglomerate mainly offering agricultural products, such as cement, sugar, salt and flour. Commercial agriculture has become one of the most important branches of Africa’s economy.
In recent years, Dangote keep investing in the land in Africa to expand his agricultural business and to create profits in Nigeria.
“I can remember that when I was in primary school, I would go and buy cartons of sweets (sugar boxes) and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so interested in business, even at that time,” said Dangote.
From 1997 to 2015, Dangote developed the Dangote Group from a small trading firm into a multi-trillion Naira conglomerate with international operations located in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo.
Agricultural commodities are the main products in the Dangote Group. It has covered food processing, cement manufacturing and freight. Moreover, it dominates the sugar market in Nigeria and becomes the major supplier to domestic soft drink companies, breweries and confectioners.
In addition, Dangote Group also owns salt factories and flour mills; it imports rice, fish, pasta, cement and fertilizer and exports cotton, cashew nuts, cocoa, sesame seed and ginger to several countries.
With the current achievement, Dangote is still expanding his Agricultural business in Africa lands. Recently, Dangote invested $500 million in cement plants in Ethiopia and is building other plants in Kenya, Niger and Congo.
Moreover, Dangote intends to invest in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. The majority of people in Malawi earn less than $1 per day. Foreign donors and Tobacco exports constitute the main national income. Before this investment, he has built a South African cement manufacturer, Sephaku Cement, and a cement plant in Zambia.
“His visit to Malawi will inspire both private and public sectors on how he has succeeded in his businesses”, said Joseph Mwanamvekha, Malawi’s Minister of Industry and Trade.
Facing the success of an agricultural business, Dangote said that, “Let me tell you this and I want to really emphasize it … nothing is going to help Nigeria like Nigerians bringing back their money. If you give me $5 billion today, I will invest everything here in Nigeria. Let us put our heads together and work.”
As the richest man in Africa, Dangote combats poverty in Nigeria by developing the economy of commercial agriculture.
– Shengyu Wang
Sources: Forbes, Forbes 2
Photo: Google Images
Colombian Farmers Expand Their Markets
Whoever uttered the phrase “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” wasn’t kidding. In today’s times, connections are key, and for Colombians trying to make a living in farm-based agriculture, the size of your market makes a significant impact on your income.
In fact, many challenges exist for small-holder farmers in Colombia. Hindrances such as low productivity, distorted information about pricing and selling prospects, and limited marketing access all remain obstacles for this group of farmers who end up selling their goods at open-air markets where there is more competition.
This automatically decreases a seller’s profits, furthering a cycle that seems inescapable.
Being a small-holder farmer can prove to be a difficult existence, at times feeling closed off from the evolving international markets of the world.
Other setbacks faced by farmers include selling through intermediaries, steep transaction costs to reach distant markets, and finally, a lack of means to produce the “volume, quality, and timely delivery” which large agricultural producers are able to generate.
Ultimately, the inability to expand and grow has contributed to poverty in this rural sector.
However, significant strides have been taken for those who fall under this title. An article from the World Bank addresses the solutions underway to improve the livelihoods of these farmers.
“In an effort to support Colombia’s smallholder producers to build entrepreneurship and compete more effectively, the Rural Productive Partnerships Project has been addressing the above-mentioned challenges by establishing, strengthening, and promoting productive alliances between rural producer organizations and private agribusinesses.”
Since the Rural Productive Partnership Project’s launch in 2002, many groups have received support through a process where partnerships are formed by competitive bidding partnered with an independent evaluation procedure. Today, this program continues to flourish and build from where it started.
The World Bank describes the program’s goal as one which involves keeping “production, sales and productivity” up through “investment grants, technical assistance and business development training.”
Aside from financial assistance, this project also seeks to dispel inequality however it can by reaching people who may have been neglected within the system, such as women, indigenous people and Afro-Colombians.
Colombia’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) reports that between 2002-2014 more than 820 successful partnerships have been formed helping 55,000 households, with 72 percent of the productive partnerships continuing to work together after the conclusion of the program.
With the second phase of the program ending in June 2015, targets have been reached within the project with more than 9,900 female-headed households benefiting in the first phase, and more than 9,250 indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombian households receiving assistance.
These successes have not only helped one small sector of farmers—but have reached far-away consumers and provided support for the vulnerable who live in Colombia, ultimately endeavoring to keep both their community and the world’s economy thriving.
– Nikki Schaffer
Sources: World Bank, YouTube
Photo: Google Images
Team Africa Rising: The Opportunity For Unity
This month, five Rwandan cyclists from Team Africa Rising are set to compete in the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia. The international competition is set to take place from Sept. 19 – 27.
Team Africa Rising, formally called Team Rwanda, is comprised of professional cyclists who often serve as the world’s informal ambassadors to Rwanda and other conflict-stricken nations. Team Rwanda was founded in 2006 by American cyclist Jock Boyer in order to spread the sport of cycling and unify countries under its name.
Team Africa Rising is now comprised of over 25 of the best cyclists from Rwanda, Ethiopia and Eritrea. For these athletes, cycling can serve as a form of therapy to deal with their difficult pasts.
The team has also given African athletes the chance to compete at an international level, therefore granting them additional opportunities for sponsorship, equipment and more. One of the cyclists, Nathan Byukusenge, has qualified to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
The cyclists have captured attention from the international community, as the subjects of a documentary entitled “Rising From Ashes” and the book “Land of Second Chances.”
Cycling teams provide a common, positive cause for members of the host countries to support. Team Africa Rising’s participation in the world championship provides a collective source of pride and excitement, particularly for the citizens of Rwanda.
According to Kimberly Coats, director of logistics for Team Africa Rising, the team represents unity for the country.
“The team is made up of people from both sides [of the 1994 genocide,]” she was quoted in the Richmond Times Dispatch. “But today we’re all Rwandans and it’s really started to develop this national unity, this national pride. This team is a thing for the country to rally around.”
For the past 21 years, Rwanda has focused on healing itself from the historic genocide and growing together as one Rwandan society. One of the major struggles in developing in the wake of such a mass atrocity has been in providing the international community another way to look at the country.
“You say Rwanda, you think genocide. They want you to say Rwanda (and) think cycling,” Coats said. “It’s going to take time, but it’s definitely there. We do a lot of bike tours, a lot of people come visit the team and the team has been goodwill ambassadors to show the world that Rwanda is a safe place, that the country has reconciled and that there’s peace.”
– Arin Kerstein
Sources: The Guardian, Richmond Times Dispatch, Team Africa Rising, World Bicycle Relief
Photo: Google Images