It is pretty hard to miss Rosie Perez these days, considering the fact that the outspoken actress currently serves as a regular on ABC talk program “The View.” Yet, prior to daytime work, when she was stealing eyes with impeccable dance moves with Spike Lee in the renowned classic “Do the Right Thing,” the Puerto Rican entertainer frequently made a cherishing landmark in HIV/AIDS activism.
Like so many in the late 1980s, Rosie Perez was unaware of the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Her knowledge of the crisis would soon be redefined after noting personal acquaintances contracting the disease and the “[once-undivided] sexual lives” within New York City “slowly but surely” separating.
As early as 1991, Perez ventured as an AIDS activist, when she first lectured in local inner-New York City high schools about alarming statistics concerning the treacherous sexual disease and educated youths on safe-sex protection.
It would not be until mid-April 1993, following her feature in the theatrical “Untamed Heart,” that Perez would move more into the philanthropic scene by taking part in events like a 5-hour fundraiser AIDS Dance-a-thon, where proceeds would benefit several AIDS foundations, especially AIDS Project Los Angeles. Perez would go on to become a recurring donor for the event years to come, including a high-profiled 2004 feature with fellow philanthropist Lil’ Kim.
By 1995, Ms. Perez used her star power to educate national audiences of the AIDS epidemic through various media outlets, from radio guest spots on Hot 97 to televised co-hosting slots on ABC’s “In a New Light: Sex Unplugged.” The latter would prove essential with praise boasting from “POZ” magazine, of which the publication cited Perez’s contribution as the “most effective sex-ed […] ever aired by [prime time] commercial grids.”
But what would soon be even more significant came in May 1996 when the Latina megastar delivered an outspoken speech during the charitable event Central AIDS Walk. Throughout her oration, Perez achingly recollected a close friend dying of AIDS and went on to urge New York politicians to increase attention of the crisis.
With Perez’s address attracting headlines like “The New York Daily News,” the annual AIDS Walk would accumulate a staggering $5 million for the nonprofit Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC).
Three years following the success, Perez created even more buzz with her bold statement to “MTV,” in which the Nuyorican star denounced pop stars like Britney Spears for not using their “star power” as an advantage to voice greater awareness of the AIDS crisis, instead “wast[ing]” it upon meaningless nonsense.
As Rosie Perez’s philanthropic routines continued to grant her access within the multimedia stream, Perez’s estranged mother, Lydia, contacted “The New York Daily News” in July 2000, alleging that her daughter was not “returning her phone calls,” in the wake of her decreasing health caused by AIDS. The ignored phone call allegation was immediately shot down when Perez and her publicist confirmed that financial assistance offered to Lydia was accepted, yet strangely, assistance from Perez’s philanthropic allies was declined.
Despite her mother’s proposed claims, Rosie Perez attended the bedside of dying Lydia shortly before her passing.
From the aftermath of her mother’s death to a backfire of her April 2006 protest outside the United Nations building, the vibrant “In Loving Color” choreographer never steered away from her activism, instead, embarking further in enhancing her charitable causes.
A December 1, 2006 visual showcased such, where Rosie Perez served as a director and feature in the Spanish PSA “Join the Fight,” an advert aimed at the Latino community that disclosed a statistically increased rate of AIDS within men, specifically closeted gays who “hide” due to difficulty of acceptance. Six days following the televised release, Perez elaborated further on the growing matter during the annual Voices of Color Lecture at Hamilton College.
The tireless efforts yielded by Perez may have been at once “minimally news-covered,” but the AIDS activist would earn her dues beyond unpredictable measures.
Immense recognition occurred when President Barack Obama appointed Perez to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). On February 1, 2010, Perez was officially sworn into office, securing her title to transmit information and tips to the president, alongside providing input for the National HIV/AIDS strategy.
Since her astounding honorific title, the hard-working Perez has never stopped raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, regardless of recent-age medical treatment and a showering of accolades (among them an annual Cielo Latino Award named after her). Utilizing her power on “The View” as the perfect platform to remind audiences of the dangers triggered by AIDS, Rosie Perez is among the brave working to put an end to an epidemic that holds 33 million global lives infected and that adds a new victim every 9.5 minutes within American grounds.
– Jefferson Varner IV
Sources: NY Daily News 1, POZ, Kismet Films, White House, Hamilton College, blackfilm.com, MTV, ‘Latin American’ Rhythm Magazine Spokesman, PR NewsWire, Los Angeles Times, NY Daily News 2
Photo: Inquisitr
Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee
Outreach has reached 11 other nations making BRAC the leading anti-poverty advocate and activist in the world. BRAC has given 150 million people an opportunity to improve. Abed has lead BRAC for 43 years, starting in 1972 when the committee focused on helping Bangladesh recover from war with Pakistan. It now has a large staff of about 110 thousand people in the countries of Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Philippines, Sir Lanka, Liberia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Haiti.
Many success stories stem from BRAC, such as the increase in the rate of immunized Bangladeshi children from 2 percent in 1986, to 70 percent in 1990. BRAC gives those in poverty microfinance, health, education, agriculture and livestock services.
The committee gave $1.5 billion small loans to those in need with $100 to $150 per person. The organization nurtures the eight percent of Bangladesh’s poorest in two-year programs created to lift them out of poverty and receive loans. BRAC uses grants, monthly salaries and health services benefiting families, as they are educated about budgeting in and out of the country. Their methods such as this have assisted 180 thousand people out of poverty.
According to statistics last year, Bangladesh is a leader amongst least developed countries (LDC) fighting for gender equality. The amount of women in parliament has increased, rising from only 10 percent in 1991, to 20 percent in 2011.
The key to success in Bangladesh has been women’s labor in agricultural and exporting positions. There were two million women working in ready-made garment (RMG) factories, which is the top export sector, reeling in a profit of $2 billion a year.
The life expectancy of women increased from 54.3 years in the 1980s, to 69.3 years in 2010. Secondary school enrollment for girls has increased, rising from 1.1 million in 1991, to 3.9 million in 2005. Today, girls are less likely to be married at a young age and fertility rates have fallen. An increase in nutritional intake and higher incomes are another result of benefiting women.
Bangladesh is ranked 100 out of 128 when it comes to gender equality. There is still some work to be done, and Abed knows this. He received the Trust Women 2014 Hero award for promoting women’s rights, becoming the first man to receive this award.
Abed was selected among 160 nominations from 45 countries. The award is given to an innovator whose activity has aided women to learn and sustain their rights. After receiving the World Food Prize in 2015, Abed upholds his goal in helping women when he stated in an article by Environmental News Service, “the real heroes in our story are the poor themselves and, in particular, women struggling with poverty.”
A work in progress within BRAC is teaching mothers in Bangladesh how to make oral rehydration fluid in order to fight diarrohoeal deaths. BRAC is particularly proud of halving the number of child mortality since the 1980s. The organization has been working on training midwives in order to reduce mortality rates of both mother and child.
BRAC’s microfinance has been especially empowering women. Microfinance is essential in rural and social development. Of the borrowers in Bangladesh, 92 percent are women and 90 percent live in a rural area.
Bangladesh has increased gender equality in two particular educational levels. Youth literacy and secondary schooling has improved greatly with higher girl to boy ratios. The country has reduced the gender gap faster than the global average and hopes are high to reserve one third of Bangladesh’s parliament for women by 2020.
However, women will continue have challenges to come. The employment rate of women in 2010 was 58 percent, which is ranked 30 percent lower than men. Women are also still unable to own land, and lack necessary tools to perform productively on the agricultural scale. They also face early and forced marriage, maternal deaths, abandonment, and hold a small amount of job opportunities.
Even so, BRAC has successfully impacted the country and Africa. Its microfinance and two-year nurturing programs have generated success. The fertility rate and child survival has improved in Bangladesh and it’s still reaching to further help women. Results for women’s equality in Bangladesh are expanding beyond borders as people leave poverty with the support of BRAC.
– Katie Groe
Sources: The Daily Star, IRIN, Harvard University SAI, The Guardian, Environment News Service
Photo: IPS News
Schools in Nairobi are Getting Free Internet
That’s why it’s great news that over 2,000 schools in Nairobi will be getting free internet.
This innovative solution comes from a project called WazED, through a partnership of telecommunications company Wananchi Group, the Kenya Education Network and the County Government of Nairobi.
WazED will put a total of 2,715 schools across Nairobi county online.
The program is a natural step for the nation Wananchi Group non-executive chairman Richard Bell calls, “the fastest growing ICT hub in the region.” Kenya has continued to be one of the most innovative nations in terms of helping people with technology, with services ranging from mobile finance platform mPesa to mobile education projects such as Eneza Education.
WazED is connected to Kenya’s “Vision 2030” goals, which seek to build a more politically just, economically thriving, and socially equitable Kenya by 2030. The Vision 2030 goals recognize the importance of all sectors of life in their achievement and particularly embraces technology as an important means of social change. And because of the educational potential that improving internet access in schools brings, this makes sense.
Connecting people to the internet is one of the most effective ways of empowering them. Online, not only can one find the most extensive collection of data and news imaginable, but an incredibly wide spectrum of ideas are also present. Connecting Kenyan schools to the internet is an incredibly important step in empowering the next generation and fighting against digital resource inequality.
– Andrew Michaels
Sources: CIO, IT Web Africa, allAfrica, IT News Africa, Kenya Vision 2030
Photo: CIO
Pope Francis Links Environmental Degradation to Poverty
One focal point of the Pope’s speech regarded Ecuador’s rich natural resources being the target of impending oil drilling. According to CBS, “Containing both the Galapagos Islands and Amazon rainforest, Ecuador has more biodiversity than any other country on earth. At the same time, it is heavily reliant on revenues from its oil reserves.” The South American nation boasts a rich oil reserve underneath its historically pure environmental ecosystems. The Pope strongly advocated for Ecuadorians to protect their oil reserves and to come together to preserve their natural resources.
Pope Francis’ message to Ecuador made impressions throughout the world, especially with Catholic investors. Since the Pope began publicly condemning environmental degradation, investors from all over began pulling out of fossil fuels and reinvesting their finances into more environmentally conscience resources. The driving force behind this change in investment comes at the Pope’s urging to think long-term. Pope Francis compelled not just Ecuador, but the rest of the plant to “consider the long-term consequences of harvesting the planet’s natural resources over its immediate payoff.” A strong message by the Pope for every one, of all beliefs, to think about the wellbeing of our planet.
While the Pope made his address at a Catholic mass with religion at its core, his words must resonate outside of a particular faith. His urgency to think long-term is critical in preventing the spread of poverty. More deforestation, mining, and oil drilling would displace millions more each year, leaving them homeless and their lives in ruins. Pope Francis makes a strong case for re-evaluating the way we approach our planet’s resources; it is up to us to listen and follow through.
– Diego Catala
Sources: Ring Of Fire Radio, CBS News
Photo: Huffington Post
Recent Trends in Global Public Health Funding
While aid for global public health programs skyrocketed just after the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were announced 15 years ago, aid has stalled in the past few years, according to a recent report by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
The MDGs, a set of eight anti-poverty goals with broad international backing, expire this year. Because of them, there have been significant reductions in child mortality and broad treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the developing world. However, donors must realize that continued funding is necessary to sustain the progress already achieved and make further improvements in public health internationally.
The report from the IHME found that there was an incredible surge in funding after the MDGs were announced, jumping from 5.4% prior to 2000 up to 11.4%. In the past 15 years, this growth in funding amounted to a total of around $228 billion invested in health-related causes. However, that growth has essentially stalled and, in some cases, reversed—from 2013 to 2014, total spending on health even decreased by 1.6%.
This trend can probably be attributed to waning enthusiasm for health-related aid once the initial excitement of the MDGs died down and their 2015 deadline draws to a close. Additionally, it could be a symptom of more cash-strapped governments seeking to trim their budgets after the 2008 global financial crisis.
While overall funding for health went down between 2013 and 2014, a few national donors did manage to increase their contributions, including the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. Nongovernmental organizations also modestly increased their funding, including UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the African Development Bank.
Even modest changes in health aid funding would have a disproportionate impact on certain populations who have differing disease burdens. For example, 84% of funding for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS comes from the United States. A small percentage decrease in funding for HIV/AIDS relief from the United States would have a much greater negative impact than a small percentage decrease from a smaller donor.
The IHME report, by describing flows of global health financing, reveals the need not only to maintain or increase aid but to diversify it also. Katie Leach-Kemon, a co-author of the study, said of HIV/AIDS funding that “diversifying the portfolio of financing sources for this area is crucial for safeguarding the progress made in combating the HIV epidemic.” Vulnerable populations would have access to more consistent aid if funding sources were spread more evenly across a wider variety of donors. That way, if funding trends continue to fluctuate, as they do in the report, those who typically rely on robust health aid programs, such as Ethiopia, Haiti and Kenya, will not find themselves cut off.
Health funding studies like the IHME report serve as excellent roadmaps that describe successes in global public health programs and reveal their shortcomings as well. Clearly, international initiatives with broad support, such as the MDGs, serve to jump start health aid. On the other hand, in the past five years, the incidence of tuberculosis was as high as 13% in some areas, HIV/AIDS as high as 20% and under-5 child mortality as high as 18%. Health aid has made huge strides in the past 15 years, but in order to continue reducing the global disease burden and improve the lives of people all over the world, funding has to be maintained.
– Derek Marion
Sources: Humanosphere, NPR, IHME, World Bank
Photo: Flickr
Rosie Perez Sets Her “View” on HIV/AIDS Activism
It is pretty hard to miss Rosie Perez these days, considering the fact that the outspoken actress currently serves as a regular on ABC talk program “The View.” Yet, prior to daytime work, when she was stealing eyes with impeccable dance moves with Spike Lee in the renowned classic “Do the Right Thing,” the Puerto Rican entertainer frequently made a cherishing landmark in HIV/AIDS activism.
Like so many in the late 1980s, Rosie Perez was unaware of the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Her knowledge of the crisis would soon be redefined after noting personal acquaintances contracting the disease and the “[once-undivided] sexual lives” within New York City “slowly but surely” separating.
As early as 1991, Perez ventured as an AIDS activist, when she first lectured in local inner-New York City high schools about alarming statistics concerning the treacherous sexual disease and educated youths on safe-sex protection.
It would not be until mid-April 1993, following her feature in the theatrical “Untamed Heart,” that Perez would move more into the philanthropic scene by taking part in events like a 5-hour fundraiser AIDS Dance-a-thon, where proceeds would benefit several AIDS foundations, especially AIDS Project Los Angeles. Perez would go on to become a recurring donor for the event years to come, including a high-profiled 2004 feature with fellow philanthropist Lil’ Kim.
By 1995, Ms. Perez used her star power to educate national audiences of the AIDS epidemic through various media outlets, from radio guest spots on Hot 97 to televised co-hosting slots on ABC’s “In a New Light: Sex Unplugged.” The latter would prove essential with praise boasting from “POZ” magazine, of which the publication cited Perez’s contribution as the “most effective sex-ed […] ever aired by [prime time] commercial grids.”
But what would soon be even more significant came in May 1996 when the Latina megastar delivered an outspoken speech during the charitable event Central AIDS Walk. Throughout her oration, Perez achingly recollected a close friend dying of AIDS and went on to urge New York politicians to increase attention of the crisis.
With Perez’s address attracting headlines like “The New York Daily News,” the annual AIDS Walk would accumulate a staggering $5 million for the nonprofit Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC).
Three years following the success, Perez created even more buzz with her bold statement to “MTV,” in which the Nuyorican star denounced pop stars like Britney Spears for not using their “star power” as an advantage to voice greater awareness of the AIDS crisis, instead “wast[ing]” it upon meaningless nonsense.
As Rosie Perez’s philanthropic routines continued to grant her access within the multimedia stream, Perez’s estranged mother, Lydia, contacted “The New York Daily News” in July 2000, alleging that her daughter was not “returning her phone calls,” in the wake of her decreasing health caused by AIDS. The ignored phone call allegation was immediately shot down when Perez and her publicist confirmed that financial assistance offered to Lydia was accepted, yet strangely, assistance from Perez’s philanthropic allies was declined.
Despite her mother’s proposed claims, Rosie Perez attended the bedside of dying Lydia shortly before her passing.
From the aftermath of her mother’s death to a backfire of her April 2006 protest outside the United Nations building, the vibrant “In Loving Color” choreographer never steered away from her activism, instead, embarking further in enhancing her charitable causes.
A December 1, 2006 visual showcased such, where Rosie Perez served as a director and feature in the Spanish PSA “Join the Fight,” an advert aimed at the Latino community that disclosed a statistically increased rate of AIDS within men, specifically closeted gays who “hide” due to difficulty of acceptance. Six days following the televised release, Perez elaborated further on the growing matter during the annual Voices of Color Lecture at Hamilton College.
The tireless efforts yielded by Perez may have been at once “minimally news-covered,” but the AIDS activist would earn her dues beyond unpredictable measures.
Immense recognition occurred when President Barack Obama appointed Perez to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). On February 1, 2010, Perez was officially sworn into office, securing her title to transmit information and tips to the president, alongside providing input for the National HIV/AIDS strategy.
Since her astounding honorific title, the hard-working Perez has never stopped raising awareness of HIV/AIDS, regardless of recent-age medical treatment and a showering of accolades (among them an annual Cielo Latino Award named after her). Utilizing her power on “The View” as the perfect platform to remind audiences of the dangers triggered by AIDS, Rosie Perez is among the brave working to put an end to an epidemic that holds 33 million global lives infected and that adds a new victim every 9.5 minutes within American grounds.
– Jefferson Varner IV
Sources: NY Daily News 1, POZ, Kismet Films, White House, Hamilton College, blackfilm.com, MTV, ‘Latin American’ Rhythm Magazine Spokesman, PR NewsWire, Los Angeles Times, NY Daily News 2
Photo: Inquisitr
Oliberté Delivers Quality Ethiopian Shoes
Although the average consumer would be willing to pay 15% more for a product to ensure it was not made in a sweatshop, doubling the salary of a sweatshop worker would only increase prices by 1.8%. It is surprising, then, that the shoe industry continues to support sweatshop conditions.
Many clothing brands have attempted to be a force for good. Footwear brand TOMS has become a major force for the “one-for-one” charitable model that has since been picked up by many brands. Nike, a brand notorious for its own labor violations, has engaged in a variety of charity products. These options are readily available, but for a brand that improves labor conditions and empowers workers in Africa, you cannot do better than Oliberté footwear.
Oliberté, which describes itself as “the world’s first Fair Trade Certified footwear manufacturing facility,” was founded by Canadian Tal Dehtiar, founder of MBAs Without Borders. Dehtiar describes his goal as not simply creating an ethical brand of African footwear, but creating a quality brand of African footwear. “We don’t want people to think of Africa as the next China. We want them to think of it as the next Italy,” he said.
With its stylish selection of shoes and footwear, along with its waterproofing “gorilla wax,” Oliberté does just that. All Oliberté shoes are made at a factory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. By working to increase employment and fair wages, along with improving working conditions at its own factory, the company supports breaking the generational cycle of poverty through social enterprise, a key point in its business plan.
Along with promoting ethical pay for workers in Ethiopia, Oliberté shoes are sourced from free-range cows, sheep and goats. This is very important for the many Ethiopians who remain economically independent on livestock.
Stylish, sturdy and ethical, Oliberté shoes are not simply a footwear brand but a new perspective on Africa. Instead of casting Africa as weak and hopeless, the brand supports empowerment that goes beyond the traditional white savior narrative of many brands working in the region. And the shoes feel great.
– Andrew Michaels
Sources: Good, Stand 4, Oliberté, Oliberté 2
Photo: Atelier Fifty Five
A Call for Youth Activism in the Philippines
In June 2015, the Senate of the Philippines made its final amendments to the Philippines Disaster Risk Reduction Act, calling on young Filipinos to mobilize during calamities and disasters. The amendments make the younger generation a key part of disaster relief and Filipino activist culture.
The Philippines are extremely vulnerable to climate change. Every year, typhoons, earthquakes and storm surges hit the islands with vigor. According to Senator Aquino, “the youth are playing a vital role in our pursuit of overall disaster resilience. They have served as a beacon of hope and catalyst of action.”
What are the kids saying about it? They’re using what they know best to bring about change: social media.
The #MoveTawiTawi movement brought together 1,500 young activists to workshop solutions on how to improve Tawi-Tawi, an island providence of the Philippines.
The youth activists discussed everything from drug and violence issues to waste management and biodiversity. They analyzed the problems, found solutions and presented them to a panel of experts. By participating in this type of workshop, the young generation of future leaders learned about problem-solving by tackling real life issues.
Activism has proved to be a key tool for the Philippines throughout history, and there is hope of seeing more activism-related legislation in the future as a result of recent youth mobilization.
Harry Roque Jr., a Filipino attorney and activist that may be running for a seat in the Philippines Senate, affirmed in The Manila Standard News his hopes to advocate for legislation that will help fight poverty.
“I want to make activism not only as a tool for the parliament of the streets, but as a main weapon in crafting legislation to fight poverty. I want to bring activism to the chambers of the Philippines Senate,” Roque Jr. writes in his opinion piece. He continues promoting youth activism for human rights, the environment, women’s rights and freedom of speech.
With activists occupying Senate seats and a population of young, motivated individuals, the Philippines could see a great deal of positive change in its future.
– Hannah Resnick
Sources: The Standard, Prevention Web, Rappler
Photo: Anakbayan Toronto
5 Interesting Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. is arguably the most influential black leader in American history. He spearheaded a nationwide effort to end legal segregation while working to enact such laws as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. His most famous speech continues to be a staple in American culture. Discussed below are five interesting facts about Martin Luther King Jr.
Top 5 Facts About Martin Luther King Jr.
These facts about Martin Luther King Jr. provide but a glimpse into the life of a man whose work is still so vital to the progress of U.S. society and democracy.
– Sunny Bhatt
Sources: Today I Found Out, Biography
Photo: WP
How Clean-Burning Gas Stoves Can Help Sudan
The country of Sudan has been struggling with violent conflicts since an ongoing genocide began in the Darfur region in 2003. Over the past twelve years, nearly 400,000 citizens were killed and another 2.5 million were displaced by the Janjaweed militia. The country has been investigated for many human rights violations, but the suffering continues today. Currently, 2.7 million citizens reside in displaced persons camps, and 4.7 million rely on humanitarian aid to survive.
Daily life in Darfur is difficult for anyone, but women face an exceptionally dangerous reality. Rape has often been used as a tool of war in this region. Militias will enter villages, kill off the men of the households, and then rape the women. Many women do not report these experiences, but even when they do, the authorities do little to help. Victims may be ostracized, especially if they become pregnant.
In Sudan, wood burning stoves are commonly used for cooking. Being in charge of collecting firewood means miles of walking alone, and women often face violence when they go to gather fuel for these stoves. They could be attacked or raped while making these walks. Even when left alone, they still suffered from wounds on their hands and feet after dragging wood for miles.
Fueling these wood stoves was extremely dangerous for women. Furthermore, the stoves presented environmental concerns. Deforestation has damaged the fertile land in Sudan, and indoor wood stoves produce toxic smoke. To tackle these issues, The Darfurian Women’s Development Network began distributing gas stoves to thousands of households in Darfur.
The organization hoped to raise awareness of the negative health and environmental impact of wood stoves, reduce pressure on the dwindling natural resources necessary to fuel them and reduce indoor air pollution and toxic smoke production. They distributed gas stoves to 15,000 households in Darfur, specifically targeting the groups who struggled most: single women, displaced citizens, manual workers and farmers. These stoves are powered exclusively by LPG gas, a clean energy source.
So far, the gas stoves have had an overwhelmingly positive impact, especially for women. They no longer need to make frequent, dangerous treks to gather firewood, leaving them less vulnerable to sexual violence and giving them peace of mind. With a decreased need for wood to burn, ecosystems can begin to recover. Smoke from wood burning stoves could cause coughing and chest infections when inhaled, but the gas stoves pose no such health threats.
The gas stoves cannot solve all the problems that Sudanese citizens currently face, but they have improved quality of life for many. The Darfurian Women’s Development Network will continue distributing these stoves in order to keep steadily working towards a brighter future for Sudan.
– Jane Harkness
Sources: The Guardian, Practical Action, Response Magazine, United Human Rights Council
Crossing Streets: Social Divides and Urbanization in Brazil
Brazil has experienced staggering urbanization in the last century with 80% of Brazilians now living in urban areas. Urbanization in Brazil unfolded so rapidly during the 20th century, that by 1950 it attained a level comparable to that of Asia and Africa in 2000. However, this rapid adjustment to urban living has left many of Brazil’s poorest behind.
A History of Urbanization in Brazil
Although a distinctly modern phenomenon, urban social inequality stems from Brazil’s past as a Portuguese colony and its economic history of slavery. Like many other South American colonies, the landed classes controlled Brazilian society and the economy during the colonial era. This aristocracy essentially wielded political power into the late 19th and 20th centuries. With the founding of the First Brazilian Republic in 1899 and until its dissolution in 1988, the right to vote revolved around literacy. By restricting the education of the poorer masses, the Brazilian aristocracy impeded the majority of the population’s political participation.
This enduring trend drastically affected urbanization patterns in Brazil throughout the 20th century. Brazil’s major metropolitan areas grew at an annual rate of 4.5% between 1940 and 1970. This rapid growth accounted for 34% of the country’s national growth. Migrant rural workers accounted for much of this growth, with 43 million Brazilians of rural origin moving to more urban areas. For these millions of rural Brazilians, the transition to urban life did not come easy.
As they attempted to settle in expanding metropolises, the rural poor once again found themselves relegated below the landed elite in a heavily stratified cityscape. While the elite occupied most of the areas with sufficient infrastructure, or nuclear cores, the rural poor resigned themselves to living on the cheaper periphery of the city, further from working opportunities. These areas, called “urban frontiers,” generally bear inadequate living conditions that lead to the growth of slums, insufficient infrastructure, gang violence and environmental issues.
The income disparity between urban frontiers and the nuclear cores of Brazilian cities is shocking. In São Paulo, the largest Brazilian city, the income differential reaches a whopping 65.4% with a 56.1% income differential average across Brazil’s major metropolises. What makes this disparity even more noteworthy is that most of the population growth in Brazilian cities occurs in these significantly poorer areas while the more gentrified areas remain stagnant.
All of this is worsened by the Brazilian housing crisis. Estimates place the housing shortage in the country at around 7 million units, mostly among those earning less than the minimum wage. Yet, Brazil actually has more than enough adequate housing to accommodate this shortage. The only problem is that this housing exists vacant in gentrified urban centers due to speculative real-estate practices. Despite this blatant disparity, real estate investment continues mainly in more wealthy areas where the population is decreasing, instead of where housing is actually needed.
As such, the urban poor are essentially forced to squat on the outskirts of the city. Haunting data from the World Bank attests to this issue. While the formal real estate market annually produces 200,000 to 300,000 properties, it estimates that around 1 million properties spring up each year. In other words, much of the new housing in Brazil is either self-construction or informal, unregulated construction.
Brazil’s urban development has become unsustainable. The neediest areas of its cities are deprived of resources that have been instead focused on stagnant and in some cases empty areas. Yet, for many, this is just the continuation of the historical status quo. As empty houses continue to rise in city centers, impoverished Brazilians will continue to suffer.
– Andrew Logan
Sources: Cities Alliance, University of California, Berkley
Photo: Beyond Intractability