Most of us know our birth dates, where we are sleeping tonight and who are parents are. But for street children of Thailand, those three pieces of information are unlikely to be known.
The United Nations estimated that there is a population of 150 million street children worldwide. Due to Thailand’s growing population and economic issues, a large percentage of the street children reside in Thailand.
Street children in Thailand range from 1.5 to 18-years-old; all living on the street for various reasons. A study by The Nation found that although children are on the street for different reasons, the majority of them are because of family problems.
The economic crisis that hit Southeast Asia in the ’90s sent many families into a panic and scramble for money and resources. Though some street children are living with their families, a good portion of them is separated from their families.
World Street Children News published an article in which they interviewed a 14-year-old boy that was selling cigarettes and candy on the streets while living behind a school. When asked why he was living in such a harsh environment, he revealed that his family needed the money and living on the streets was cheaper.
Children just like this boy crowd the streets in Thailand, as well as other impoverished cities around the world. Begging to clean your shoes or car, sell you any item they can, or simply for money has become the only option for many children.
Unlike the 14-year-old World Street Children News interviewed, it is common that street children were dropped off at doorsteps as a baby and soon either ran away or were kicked out of the establishment. These children have no birth date, no family and no security.
Making matters worse, a majority of children dropped off to live on the street or in an orphanage are not registered at birth. Their lack of government records makes them, as UNICEF calls them, “invisible.”
With hundreds of undocumented children, the government easily overlooks the problems in its streets. Without any type of help or recognition, street children often fall into bad habits or are pulled into dangerous industries.
Drugs, theft and sex trafficking are three of the most prominent issues street children either join in on or are forced into. Drugs and theft are two options that many children turn to because of their situation. Often times older children teach younger ones how to properly steal in order to survive and introduce them to the drugs.
Sex trafficking, however, can be introduced into children’s lives in a variety of ways. Some, desperate for work and a way to live, turn to prostitution. By offering themselves up to the sex industry, they are commonly pushed further into it through sex offenders and traffickers.
A growing issue in Thailand among the sex industry is child pornography. Thailand currently has no laws restricting child pornography, and as a rapidly expanding genre, Thai films are frequently being shipped to countries with stricter laws. As this disturbing fad continues, more and more children are being pulled from the streets of Thailand to be used in pornographic films.
Since the economic crisis of the ’90s, Thailand has yet to return to a level of stability that they once had. By aiding the street children of the nation, Thailand could achieve the economic growth they once experienced.
Children growing up and becoming active in the Thai community would decrease the continual rate of malnourished and impoverished people in Thailand. Putting people back to work could help restart the economy and, in turn, decrease the future number of children living on the street.
Organizations like Kaya Children International, Family For Every Child, and Childlife are working to get children off of the street and into homes and schools where they can survive and prosper.
Providing the essentials to these children will allow them to grow, rather than struggle, and improve their nation and the world.
– Katherine Wyant
Sources: The Star, Street Children News, Wayback Machine, Kaya Children International, Kaya For Every Child, Childlife,
Photo: Chiangrai Times
Victoria Beckham Participates in Save the Children Clothing Sale
Victoria Beckham, singer and wife of soccer player, David Beckham, participated in the ‘Fashion Saves Lives’ Sale, which gave one-hundred percent of its profit to the program Save the Children.
In 1919, Eglantyne Jebb and Dorothy Buxton started a fund for Save the Children, which would assist children in areas of conflict. Today, the organization acts in 120 countries, providing basic care for children, such as education, health care, protection, food and water. The ultimate goal of the organization is to end child deaths from preventable diseases by 2030.
Recently, Victoria Beckham donated 25 of her daughter’s outfits to the cause. Three-year-old Harper’s donated clothes consisted of iconic brands such as Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, Charlotte Olympia, Chloe, Roksanda Ilincic, and Marc Jacobs.
Hours before the sale began, bargain shoppers lined up outside of a London shop hoping to be the first to purchase one of the toddler’s outfits.
Only five minutes into the sale on June 18, one of the 25 outfits was purchased. The prices per outfit ranged from approximately 393 to 786 U.S. dollars.
One of Harper’s designer dresses was even placed on an online eBay auction, which ran from June 18-28.
At the auction, Victoria Beckham said, “As a mother, I passionately believe that all children, wherever they live, have the right to a happy, healthy life.”
Fifteen other celebrities, including fellow Spice Girl, Melanie C and actor, Stanley Tucci, donated clothing to the 10 day sale.
Victoria Beckham and the other celebrities who participated are advocates for Save the Children and they all campaign for world leaders to protect and save children worldwide.
Declaring that anyone can make a difference, Victoria Beckham says, “Everyone out there can do their part by purchasing or donating, ensuring children all around the world have the opportunity of a brighter future.”
– Kelsey Parrotte
Sources: Express, Save the Children 1, Save the Children 2
Photo: Mirror
International Advocacy Organizations
A simple Google search provides a basic definition of an advocacy organization: “an ‘advocacy group’ is an organized collection of people who seek to influence political decisions and policy, without seeking election to public office.” Apply this to an organization working on a global scale and voila, an international advocacy organization.
However, things get sticky when the distinction is made between an international advocacy organization and other global nongovernment organizations (NGOs). But, there is a difference between an advocacy organization and a charity or other global NGO. For example, The Borgen Project is strictly an international advocacy organization. It advocates for the world’s poor.
However, another popular NGO named UNICEF is different. It provides aid, as well as a bit of advocacy as well. This is the difference. International advocacy organizations usually focus more on advocacy and not providing physical aid to those in poverty.
ONE Campaign is a perfect example of an international advocacy organization. ONE advocates for the world’s poor, with a particular focus on those in Africa. Their mission fits the definition of an advocacy organization perfectly: “we raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency so governments are accountable to their citizens.”
ONE does not focus on raising the funds to build hospitals and schools. Instead, ONE does its work by educating and mobilizing thousands of volunteers who advocate and campaign to keep programs related to key issues regarding poverty funded by governments.
Global Citizen is another international advocacy organization, with a focus on advocacy and campaigning instead of direct aid. Global Citizen focuses on a broader group of issues and global challenges including health, education, water, sanitation and food security. Just like the ONE Campaign, Global Citizen mobilizes volunteers to campaign for awareness of these issues.
What do international advocacy organizations do to ensure efficiency and impact? The World Health Organization (WHO) suggest seven points to make sure that advocacy efforts are effective:
Global advocacy organizations are generally effective at what they do. In 2014, Global Citizen along with 18 partners successfully saw the passage of the Water for the World Act in the United States and $639 million secured for the provision of quality education to kids in impoverished countries. The ONE Campaign has a long list of successful accomplishments, including seeing the United Kingdom become the first country to meet the 0.7% as a share of national income international aid target set 43 years ago, as well as successful advocacy for the African Growth and Opportunities Act which mutually improved trade ties between the United States and Africa.
These are only a few of the many successes of Global Citizen and the ONE campaign, and only a minute number when the multitude of other international advocacy organizations around the world are taken into account. Global advocacy organizations are key to fighting poverty and with more successes, they will continue to improve the lives of millions around the world.
– Greg Baker
Sources: ONE 1, ONE 2 Global Citizen, WHO
Photo: Unicef
The Effect of Conservative Danish Politics on Foreign Aid
However, in the most recent elections, the D.P.P. came in second place with 21.1% of the votes, only 5.2% less than the number of votes received by the leading Social Democrats. According to preliminary results published by the DR.DK, Denmark’s national broadcaster, the center-right bloc that includes the D.P.P now holds a majority of 90 seats in Parliament, which, for the first time, has elevated the D.P.P. into the centerfold of Danish politics. The results of this election come on the heels of growing unrest within Denmark over issues related to immigration and the security of the Danish welfare state. Denmark, a socialist and uber-liberal country which was voted “happiest country in the world” last year, is one of the highest-functioning welfare state programs in the world. The thanks is owed to the Danish citizens paying the highest income taxes in the world, at 60.2%.
The Danish welfare state was created in 1933 following the Social Reform Act, which sought to redirect Denmark’s attention inwards following the loss of the last remnants of the former Danish Empire, which once included Southern Sweden, Northern Germany, Iceland and Norway (and continues to include Greenland and the Faroe Islands). A “Denmark for the people” mentality was adopted, which subsequently iterated outwards into a Scandinavian-socialist ethos which has traditionally regarded foreign aid as an obvious centerpiece of Danish foreign policy. Providing welfare services “from the cradle to the grave” for citizens at home, such as free childcare, education through university and healthcare, and providing international aid to citizens abroad was regarded as two sides of the Danish-socialist-mentality coin.
The recent elections reflect the ways in which some Danes have begun to adjust their thinking about the welfare state and its relationship to those outside the “Danish family.” Similar to the recent wave of anti-immigrant parties which have popped up throughout Europe, such as the Finns Party in Finland, the Progress Party in Norway, the Sweden Democrats in Sweden and UKIP in the United Kingdom, the D.P.P. frames itself as the voice of “Old Danes” who regard the growing influx of immigrants within Denmark as a threat to the Danish welfare state and the Danish way of life.
The presence of immigrants in Denmark, who make up around nine percent of the population country-wide, in conjunction with the recent surge of 14,000 mostly Muslim asylum seekers and the Copenhagen shootings of February 14 by the 22-year-old son of Palestinian immigrants, has produced a backlash of growing nationalist sentiment in Denmark. As a result, supporters of the D.P.P. have begun to implicitly redefine how “Denmark for the people” is understood. A motto that traditionally went unchallenged, given the historically monocultural and monoethnic nature of the Danish population, is now being reformulated by the D.P.P. to function more as “Denmark for the Danes;” as the D.P.P. has proposed slashing welfare entitlements for newly arrived immigrants and refugees into the country.
Increasing exclusivity regarding Danish welfare state benefits is being matched in Parliament by talk among the D.P.P and the Liberal Party that Denmark should cut back on foreign aid in order to channel more money into welfare entitlements for native Danish citizens, especially the elderly. In 1970, the world’s richest developed countries agreed to give point seven percent of their Gross National Income (GNI) annually to international development aid.
Historically, Denmark, along with Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, has been one of the few developed countries to actually commit to reaching this target. Proposals or talks of cutting foreign aid thus represent a dramatic break from Denmark’s historically extraordinary commitment to reaching the point seven percent goal. A survey conducted for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also found that right-wing political opinion about foreign aid is being matched in public opinion, as support among Danes for foreign aid has fallen by 15% in the last five years. The recent shift to the right in Denmark now leaves Sweden as the only country in Scandinavia in which the center-left continues to hold the majority of political power. The Swedish equivalent to the D.P.P. – the Swedish Democrats – also continue to be regarded as political pariahs in mainstream Swedish society.
Despite Denmark’s sudden swing to the conservative anti-immigrant right, the country currently continues not only to meet but to exceed the annual point seven percent foreign development aid target.
– Ana Powell
Sources: BBC, CNN Money DR, The Guardian New York Times 1, New York Times 2 OECD
Photo: Dagens
Sierra Leone’s Ban on Visibly Pregnant Girls Attending School
The ban is in effect because visibly pregnant girls supposedly set a bad example for their classmates. Sierra Leone’s minister of education, Minkailu Bah, argued that “innocent girls” could be influenced by those who are pregnant and pregnancy rates could increase.
Bah’s statement is far from the truth. Having pregnant classmates would most likely cause a drop in pregnancy rates. NPR explains that teen pregnancies in the United States dropped almost 6 percent from watching the MTV show, 16 and Pregnant. Girls who see their classmates pregnant would be less likely to become pregnant themselves.
Sierra Leone is one of the most dangerous places for expectant mothers, with high rates of maternal and child mortality. One-third of pregnant women in Sierra Leone are teenagers. The teenage pregnancy rates and incidences of maternal and child mortality were decreasing before Ebola, but have increased once again. Incidences of sexual violence rose during the Ebola epidemic, and girls, especially those who had lost a relative to Ebola, traded sex for supplies to help them survive.
The ban on educating pregnant girls is also detrimental because many girls see pregnancy as a turning point and are encouraged to work even harder to get an education because they know that they will have to support themselves as well as their children. The fact that girls who are inspired to get an education are not allowed to access it is extremely worrisome. If Sierra Leone lifts its ban, it will give these girls an opportunity to support themselves.
The ban also fails to acknowledge girls who are pregnant as a result of rape. Seventeen-year-old Isatu Gbanky was a student in Sierra Leone but was not allowed to return to school after it reopened because she was pregnant. Isatu said, “I was raped by a fellow student. He forced me to have sex while I was fetching water for my family. I hope the government makes an exception for girls like me.”
Isatu’s story is unfortunately not unique, but the government has yet to lift the ban on pregnancy for either rape victims or those who became pregnant through consensual sex. However, there is hope that the ban will end soon. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Irish Aid and the Department for International Development are working with Sierra Leone, and may be able to come to an agreement over a temporary solution which would involve pregnant girls getting a formal education outside the classroom. Since teenage pregnancy rates in Sierra Leone are so high, if this agreement is reached, it will be extremely significant for education levels throughout the country.
Pregnant girls attending school does not cause higher pregnancy rates. If Sierra Leone wants to lower its rate of teenage pregnancies, it needs to focus on making school cheaper and more accessible, rather than banning pregnant girls who want to attend. Girls who know that they can gain an education and have a future are less likely to get pregnant and more likely to focus on their schooling.
– Ashrita Rau
Sources: The Guardian, NPR, VOA, NY Times
Photo: The Huffington Post
Controversial Hepatitis C Drug Patent Rejected by China
A prodrug is a precursor of a drug. It is inactive or partially inactive until it is metabolically converted within the body. The Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge, a group of lawyers and scientists based in New York, opposed the patent application on the grounds that the drug is not a new invention; it is “old science” derived from a line of antiretroviral drugs. I-MAK and Natco Pharma Ltd. did the same in India when Gilead’s hepatitis C drug patent request was turned down in January. I-MAK also legally challenged Gilead’s patents or patent applications in Argentina, Brazil, Russia and Ukraine. Such challenges are hoped to enable the production of a much less expensive generic version of Solvadi.
Gilead, a California-based firm, has been criticized for its pricing of Solvadi at $1,000 a pill in the United States. The 12-week course of treatment costs $84,000, a prohibitive cost for rich and poor alike. Adding to the cost, Solvadi must also be used in combination with at least one other antiviral drug. Since December 2013, when sofosbuvir was first approved in the United States, Gilead was sufficiently pressured to lower the price, agreeing to do so in 2014 for 91 developing countries.
Hepatitis C is found around the world but is most prevalent in developing countries, especially Central and East Asia and North Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that as many as 150 million people are infected with chronic hepatitis C. The influential organization recently added Sovaldi to its list of essential medicines and pressed for lower prices.
Solvaldi/sofosbuvir offers a far better treatment plan than drugs currently in use: a 12- to 24-week course of once-daily pills with few minor side effects and a superior rate of cure. The currently used drug, interferon, is administered by injection several times a week for at least six months with a number of major side effects, and most patients suffer a relapse requiring more treatment.
According to Doctor’s Without Borders’ Director of Policy and Analysis, Rohit Malpani, Gilead’s price should reflect the cost of research and development, but, instead, it reflects what it believes the market will bear. This is because, he adds, Gilead paid $11 billion to acquire Pharmasset, the original producer of the drug. Other countries have made agreements with Gilead for lower prices. Egypt, which has the highest prevalence of the disease, has a deal with Gilead to lower its price by 99% after rejecting Gilead’s bid for a patent. India has also been in talks with Gilead to reduce the price since 2014.
No vaccine exists to prevent hepatitis C. According to the WHO, 350,000 to 500,000 people die every year due to liver diseases resulting from hepatitis C. Without a much less expensive generic version of Solvadi, it is unlikely that this figure will change any time soon.
– Janet Quinn
Sources: BioPharmaDIVE, IRIN, Reuters 1, Reuters 2, World Health Organization,
Photo: Everyday Health
Street Children of Thailand
Most of us know our birth dates, where we are sleeping tonight and who are parents are. But for street children of Thailand, those three pieces of information are unlikely to be known.
The United Nations estimated that there is a population of 150 million street children worldwide. Due to Thailand’s growing population and economic issues, a large percentage of the street children reside in Thailand.
Street children in Thailand range from 1.5 to 18-years-old; all living on the street for various reasons. A study by The Nation found that although children are on the street for different reasons, the majority of them are because of family problems.
The economic crisis that hit Southeast Asia in the ’90s sent many families into a panic and scramble for money and resources. Though some street children are living with their families, a good portion of them is separated from their families.
World Street Children News published an article in which they interviewed a 14-year-old boy that was selling cigarettes and candy on the streets while living behind a school. When asked why he was living in such a harsh environment, he revealed that his family needed the money and living on the streets was cheaper.
Children just like this boy crowd the streets in Thailand, as well as other impoverished cities around the world. Begging to clean your shoes or car, sell you any item they can, or simply for money has become the only option for many children.
Unlike the 14-year-old World Street Children News interviewed, it is common that street children were dropped off at doorsteps as a baby and soon either ran away or were kicked out of the establishment. These children have no birth date, no family and no security.
Making matters worse, a majority of children dropped off to live on the street or in an orphanage are not registered at birth. Their lack of government records makes them, as UNICEF calls them, “invisible.”
With hundreds of undocumented children, the government easily overlooks the problems in its streets. Without any type of help or recognition, street children often fall into bad habits or are pulled into dangerous industries.
Drugs, theft and sex trafficking are three of the most prominent issues street children either join in on or are forced into. Drugs and theft are two options that many children turn to because of their situation. Often times older children teach younger ones how to properly steal in order to survive and introduce them to the drugs.
Sex trafficking, however, can be introduced into children’s lives in a variety of ways. Some, desperate for work and a way to live, turn to prostitution. By offering themselves up to the sex industry, they are commonly pushed further into it through sex offenders and traffickers.
A growing issue in Thailand among the sex industry is child pornography. Thailand currently has no laws restricting child pornography, and as a rapidly expanding genre, Thai films are frequently being shipped to countries with stricter laws. As this disturbing fad continues, more and more children are being pulled from the streets of Thailand to be used in pornographic films.
Since the economic crisis of the ’90s, Thailand has yet to return to a level of stability that they once had. By aiding the street children of the nation, Thailand could achieve the economic growth they once experienced.
Children growing up and becoming active in the Thai community would decrease the continual rate of malnourished and impoverished people in Thailand. Putting people back to work could help restart the economy and, in turn, decrease the future number of children living on the street.
Organizations like Kaya Children International, Family For Every Child, and Childlife are working to get children off of the street and into homes and schools where they can survive and prosper.
Providing the essentials to these children will allow them to grow, rather than struggle, and improve their nation and the world.
– Katherine Wyant
Sources: The Star, Street Children News, Wayback Machine, Kaya Children International, Kaya For Every Child, Childlife,
Photo: Chiangrai Times
How Tourism Can Revamp a Country’s Image
The travel and visitation to other countries, known as tourism, not only allows for personal exploration and adventure, but it also serves as a key factor in maintaining international relations and the international economy. Here are some reasons why tourism can help redefine a country’s image:
1. Tourism campaigns can change the way foreigners perceive a country.
A prime example of this phenomenon is seen in South Africa. In South Africa’s history filled with racially-based conflict and identity challenges, the detrimental period of apartheid has become one of the nation’s most well-known historical markers. The government, largely through the tourism sector, has successfully managed to secure its newfound democratic identity as an interracially knit community of diverse peoples which is equally supportive of all races and ethnicities. Through various video and advertising campaigns, the country created a new label for itself: the rainbow nation. Since then, South Africa’s tourism sector has seen widespread growth, and the country’s efforts to unite its ethnically and culturally diverse population has led to a revamping of the entire economic sector, largely caused by tourism.
2. Tourism boosts the economy.
Tourism is widely used as a tool to ignite economic and internal progress. According to the U.S. Travel Association, the tourism industry generates over two point one trillion dollars in economic output every year. This type of large-scale spending is often the sole savior for countries buried in debt. Additionally, 15 million jobs are supported by travel expenditures (includes eight million directly in the travel industry and seven million in other industries). Think about the wide variety of employment opportunities here: airlines, tour guides, travel consultants, and many more.
3. Tourism creates domestic and foreign appreciation of culture and heritage.
When you visit another country, you gain a sense of appreciation for that country’s existing culture and heritage. Many travelers use tourism solely for this purpose: to learn and appreciate the diverse ways in which other people live their lives. This appreciation, however, goes both ways. When a country creates tourism campaigns and celebrates its own national pride and beauty in order to convince foreigners to visit, this also fosters a sense of citizens’ pride and national identity.
4. Tourism can help a country re-populate.
Tourism Excellence, a business created to help the tourism industry prosper, said, “In many areas tourism has helped to slow or halt the drift to cities, by not only making the local area and its employment opportunities more attractive to young people, but by attracting ‘sea changers and ‘tree changers’ from major population centers.” Increasing an area’s population can transform a place from being a small town to a highly-populated, desirable location to live, which has unending benefits for a country’s image.
All of these points further clarify the importance of the tourism industry to a country. Travel and tourism remain essential components of a country’s economic, cultural, and social success.
– Hanna Darroll
Sources: Tourism Excellence, U.S. Travel Association
Photo: Karibu
Oral Health Care in Poor Countries
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that “worldwide, 60-90 percent of school children and nearly 100 percent of adults have dental cavities.” Oral health care also includes, in part, gum care, mouth pain, oral infections and tooth loss.
What is even worse, is that “oral disease in children and adults is higher among poor and disadvantaged population groups” (WHO).
In parts of the world, access to dental care can be completely lacking. The American Dental Association (ADA) has given a warning for U.S. travelers: “If you are planning a trip out of the country it may be helpful to schedule a dental checkup before you leave, especially if you’ll be traveling in developing countries or remote areas without access to good dental care.”
Such a warning for U. S. citizens shows a need for better universal access to oral health professionals in developing countries. This is especially true for those living in poverty.
There are two studies in particular that highlight the connection between poverty and poor dental health. One comes from an Argentinian study that looked at parental income and education, as well as access to oral health care. The study found that there is a direct correlation between higher dental care and higher poverty indicators.
In another study, WHO reports that in Mexico, 60-70 percent of elderly people have few to no teeth. The report also finds that upwards to 90 percent of Mexicans have untreated cavities. As with the Argentinian study, the higher the poverty the worse oral care was. Their findings are similar to those in poverty all around the world.
What can be done? The situation seems dire and difficult.
One of the best ways to help fight cavities, and other noncommunicable oral diseases, is to promote proper dental care. Schools in the Philippines have made hand washing and tooth brushing part of their everyday curriculum. Dental care has been a consistent reason for children to miss school, but UNICEF has found that for the school children, “tooth-brushing can result in reductions of up to 27 per cent in absenteeism.”
The WHO Global Oral Health Programme is also working to reduce diseases caused by poor oral health care. The focus is not only on proper tooth brushing but also on proper diet, the reduction of tobacco and excessive alcohol use. All areas need to be looked at to help prevent tooth loss, gum disease and some forms of oral cancers.
Much still needs to be done to help maintain proper oral health, especially for those people living in poverty. Access to proper dental care when cavities or oral infections do occur is still lacking.
Thankfully there are programs in place that are thriving, such as the ones in the Philippine schools that are proving to be successful. Hopefully, their model will be used in other regions so that oral health care will improve the world over.
– Megan Ivy
Sources: Mouth Healthy, National Center for Biotechnology Information, UNICEF, WHO 1, WHO 2, WHO 3
Photo: Projects Abroad
Climate Change in Bangladesh
This is especially true for a country where a quarter of the land area is less than 7 feet above sea level. Bangladeshi scientists have estimated that by 2050, 17 percent of the country area will have been submerged. This would displace roughly 18 million people and, in turn, significantly cut the country’s food supply.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated and underdeveloped countries in the world. The country has roughly a fifth of the land area of France and contains a population of about 166 Million. This has resulted in an incredibly high population density at 755 persons per km. This set of circumstances poses a serious problem for almost all current climate projections and estimates.
The overpopulation has also caused a great strain upon the country’s remaining fertile lands. Bangladesh lies in the Ganges River Delta which is made up of over 230 rivers and streams. Approximately 55 percent of the country’s low lying geography is arable land, making agriculture one of Bangladesh’s biggest industries. Currently, 45 percent of the country’s workforce lives in and relies upon a suddenly shrinking agriculture industry.
As flooding increases and sea levels rise, there is simply not enough arable land to sustain a country of over 160 million people. The country’s economy is mostly agrarian-based and many residents are subsistence farmers. The floods have completely destroyed many of the county’s rice crops which are a staple of the Bangladeshi diet and crucial for many farmers’ livelihoods.
Historical data shows that floods have increased in frequency, intensity and duration since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. This past summer, flooding in Northern Bangladesh left half a million people displaced and homeless. The two main rivers of Bangladesh, the Meghna and the Brahmaputra, rose to dangerous levels and completely flooded 14 of the country’s 64 districts. Being displaced from their homes, people sought refuge in makeshift shelters, and in some cases, schools.
In response to these conditions, Bangladesh has initiated a National Plan of Action and National Climate Change Strategy. The programs have begun a process of dredging rivers, raising levees and pumping water to compensate for increased flood conditions. The programs have also focused on creating early warning systems and have built over 2,500 concrete storm shelters. Almost 6,000 km of embankments have been constructed in efforts to combat heightened flood conditions. Additionally, 200 flood shelters have been built as well as almost 5,000 km of drainage channels meant to redirect the flow of floods.
These measures have made a significant impact on short term disaster safety. In 1970, before any sort of emergency response infrastructure, Cyclone Bhola killed an estimated 550,000 Bangladeshis. This stands in comparison to 200 casualties during Cyclone Aila in 2009. While the latter was still a disaster of immense proportions, the disaster preparedness and response measures were clearly evident and effective in terms of saving lives.
In 2013, emergency measures were once again tested when tropical storm Mahasen broke Bangladeshi shores. An estimated one million people from 13 coastal districts were evacuated north to shelters and fortified locations. This was accomplished through a procedure of government alerts, notifications and by collaboration of thousands of volunteers.
A statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs read, “While tropical storm Mahasen reached the coastline of Bangladesh on Thursday weaker than anticipated, the preparedness work undertaken by the Government and humanitarian partners saved countless lives.” This provides further evidence that the disaster mitigation protocols have been effective.
However, being a developing nation in an increasingly dangerous climate, Bangladesh is still relying upon developed countries and NGOs to jointly make changes in both emissions standards and practices. Acute response tactics can certainly provide temporary solutions for saving lives and crops, but measures with a long term focus are necessary for a solution to a much greater global issue.
– The Borgen Project
Sources: BBC, New York Times, United Nations Environmental Programme, Science Direct
Photo: Oxfam
Health Crisis in Yemen Escalates
On June 15, 2015, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged the international community to work towards brokering lasting peace in Yemen, a country caught in a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Mr. Ban told reporters, “The region simply cannot sustain another open wound like Syria and Libya. We must find a way to end the suffering and begin the long road to peace.” The conflict has ravaged the poorest gulf nation and displaced more than one million people. The U.N. relief arm has therefore called for over US $1B in aid to support the country from completely collapsing.
One of the side effects of the devastating civil war in Yemen is the escalating health crisis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 15 million Yemenis are in dire need of health services. Those services become even harder to provide due to at least 53 health facilities being damaged – including 17 hospitals, as well as the Operations Room of the Ministry of Health in Sana’a, which manages all the emergency operations in Yemen.
The lack of adequate medical treatment, combined with terrified fleeing civilians leaving behind uncovered drinking water, has led to outbreaks of many diseases including malaria, pneumonia, diarrheal diseases, and dengue fever. Al-Khedhar Nasser Laswar, director of the Aden province’s Ministry of Health Office, stated that since the start of the conflict, over 4000 people have contracted dengue fever and over 140 people have died.
Dengue fever is endemic with annual spikes in the summer months. According to the latest WHO situation report of Yemen, last year’s dengue fever trended 55 cases by week 20. This year, over 300 cases had been reported in the same time frame. As the political situation worsens, those numbers have significantly increased with 38 new cases in week 24 (June 2015) of this year alone.
Unfortunately, providing adequate treatment is not the most daunting challenge health workers face. Aref Ahmed Ali, a coordinator of Yemen’s malaria control program said, “We do not know whether these fevers are coronavirus or something else.” The lack of medical equipment has made proper disease diagnosis currently unmanageable.
As patients enter the hospital, the inability to properly diagnose them has led to cases where some individuals have died within 24 hours of contracting acute fevers. This is on top of those suffering from dengue fever and typhoid. Such has caused alarming concern to spread among healthcare workers and patients alike.
The current health crisis in Yemen is a disaster and will continue to decline unless more aid is sent. Healthcare workers are in urgent need of trauma kits, vaccines, medical and surgical supplies, and fuel to run hospitals. The main concern of these workers is the well-being of their patients, who are also suffering from acute food shortages, crippling their natural ability to fight diseases.
Currently, WHO has revised its humanitarian response plan for June 2015 and requested a total of US $152M to meet the needs of the 15 million Yemenis they hope to serve. WHO’s response to the health crisis in Yemen has been supported by the governments of Japan, Russia, Finland and the Central Emergency Response Fund.
The United States must also answer the call and send foreign aid to help fight the escalating health crisis in Yemen. If the U.S. does not respond, the international community will have to be ready to deal with another full blown humanitarian crisis, perhaps worse than Syria and Libya as Mr. Ban has warned.
– Adnan Khalid
Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, UN 1, UN 2, World Health Organization 1, World Health Organization 2
Photo: Malaysian insider