As of 2011, there are an estimated 450,000 disabled persons living in Sierra Leone. This number includes the blind, the Deaf, people living with polio, individuals who are war wounded and amputees.
The Sierra Leone Civil War of the 1990s left 1,600 amputees alone. As of yet, the Sierra Leone government has not offered any assistance to these members of society.
With 8,973 probable, confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola and a recorded 4,484 deaths across Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the outbreak of Ebola has put these individuals at high risk of infection. Those who are blind and Deaf and often use their sense of touch to navigate and communicate, consequently increasing their chances of infection.
Handicap International’s health coordinator, Adam Huebner said “It was inconceivable that Ebola would use up so much energy and so many available resources. All of our teams in Liberia and Sierra Leone are now focusing their efforts on controlling this virus.”
Sierra Leone and Liberia officials, as well as the CDC are both trying to control the spread of Ebola. However, volunteer health workers who are combating the outbreak through awareness and other preventative measures have been met with violence.
The paranoia of the epidemic has translated into a discrimination not just against Ebola victims but also the disabled. Kamara is a woman living on one of the Polio compounds in Makeni. She has been isolated from the outbreak physically and economically. She used to make necklaces with others on the compound to generate income.
Kamara says, “I sell them [necklaces] at the price of 20,000 but since the Ebola crisis, I don’t have customers. People marginalize us because of our disability.” Because of this most disabled are left clueless to the dangers of Ebola.
Organizations like UNDP and Handicap International have begun to reach out to disabled persons offering information and counseling about the epidemic ravaging their countries. Huebner says, “At our own level, we’re trying to open up discussions with local people so that they can ask about anything that might be worrying them and get information about what can be done to limit the number of new cases. We’re also addressing questions related to the indirect consequences of the virus.”
The UNDP has been delivering information directly to the front doors’ of quarantined individuals. In addition, UNDP officials have been handing out pamphlets in braille and informative picture brochures for those that can’t read.
These face to face encounters with UNDP officials and the members of Handicap International have afforded those in the dark to ask questions. Information is power, especially during a crisis. These groups are bringing a sense of peace to people living with disabilities. They are empowering a group of people, who very much want to be a part of the process, with their own voices.
– Frederick Wood II
Sources: UNDP, Handicap-International, WHO, Journalists for Human Rights
Photo: Handicap International
Childhood Mortality Rate Gap Narrows
Reducing child mortality rates is part of the Millennium Development Goals that were presented in the UN Millennium Declaration in 2000. Childhood mortality in developing regions is caused by a number of factors, including pneumonia, malaria, sepsis and prematurity.
The study at Stanford, published in Pediatrics, shows a correlation between the countries that had a narrowing gap between poor and wealthy child mortality rates and the quality of governance of the country. It states that countries that were governed poorly often saw a widening gap, while countries with good governance saw a narrowing gap. Governance was measured by government effectiveness, rule of law, control of corruption and regulatory quality.
The study compared almost one million households in 54 developing countries. Households were classified based on a holistic, not monetary, approach to more accurately portray the gap. The categories for households were poorest, middle and wealthiest.
One particular finding of this study could have repercussions for foreign aid in developing regions. It shows that aid is effective in reducing the under-five mortality rate for countries with good governance and that the aid is reaching the right people; according to Davidson Gwatkin, “[The study] makes a persuasive case that these improvements [in child health] have often begun to benefit the poor even more than the better-off.”
However, in countries with poor governance, aid has not made the necessary impact. Eran Bendavid, the researcher on the study, says that even with the development of technology and infrastructure that helps reduce under-five mortality, bad governance can create too high a barrier for foreign aid to jump.
The study might also have implications for policy makers in public health. Health equality could become a priority and stipulation for foreign aid going towards public health efforts in developing regions. Bendavid says that an increase in health inequality as countries grow has “been a signature of our time” and is of concern to nations of all levels of development.
– Caitlin Huber
Sources: World Bank, Stanford University, Medical News Toda
Photo: Pexels
Compassion in Community Service
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama made a recent visit to Princeton University to discuss the second half of the school’s informal motto “…in the service of all nations” a motto coined by former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. During the Dalai Lama’s talk, he centered on the idea that there is a universal need for compassion. He believes that at the center of both service and scholarship is compassion. The compass to your life, he urged, can be guided and the answers will always appear clear when “your intentions matter, develop your heart, be honest with yourself, work very hard at these things, and let them direct your efforts.” He stressed these points to Princeton University students and faculty as they were looking for ways to increase their community service in the area. The Dalai Lama believes that any action of compassion has to be preceded with an external action of service for it to be sincere and maintainable.
Compassion, the Dalai Lama pointed out, must be coupled with hard work. During his talk he recognizes that he did not easily become the 14th Dalai Lama easily. As a testament to his self-discipline, he wakes up every morning 3 a.m. and begins his rituals, including three hours of meditation. Although his rituals seem extreme, he pointed out that people should not be commanded to service, forced against their will into spiritual discipline or compassionate acts. True compassion arises from a sincere affection for the other.
Another element that he focused on was the real mover of all things is love. The Dalai Lama often says that American universities are adroit in developing the mind, but not the heart. How often do people do service work intentionally and focused on developing the capacity for love? There must be a correlation, he stressed, drawn between academic excellence and kindheartedness in order for schools to be more compassionate in their actions.
Speaking through his interpreter, the Dalai Lama said: “When we talk about human connection and compassion, the focus is the person, not their culture… the primary emotion at a basic human level is that of love; the secondary level is differences; that’s where complex emotions like jealousy and competitiveness arise.” Anything that you project outward once began and came from inward. In order to give compassion you must cultivate it within yourself. Doing community service is not robot work, it takes real thoughtful actions, care and connections. Just like Newton’s law for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction, the source of compassionate action must be love.
The Dalai Lama encouraged the students at Princeton to make the world a much more peaceful place by aligning their positive energies and having a deep commitment to service.
– Charisma Thapa
Sources: Huffington Post, Princeton University
Photo: Flickr
Girl Rising: A Campaign to Educate Our Girls
Breaking the cycle of poverty and creating the cycle of education, empowerment and uplifting out of poverty. “Girl Rising,” a feature-length documentary centers on these ideas, shining light on the importance of educating our girls around the world. Millions of girls across the globe are seen useful for one thing: reproduction. Girl Rising focuses on educating girls enabling them to use their voice that they were given to stand up for their rights, wait till they are stable to have their own family and educate their children, families and communities. By breaking those obstacles that girls face from the day that they are born.
Girl Rising focuses on removing those barriers that limit these girls such as young marriage, gender-based discrimination and violence, domestic slavery and sex trafficking. Removing these barriers will not only lead to stronger, healthier, safer and more vibrant girls, it will improve the outlook of the world as a whole.
Girl Rising, created in 2013, has since turned into a global movement and has been viewed by millions across the world in campuses, neighborhoods, communities and cities across the world in order to raise awareness and funds. You can bring Girl Rising to your classroom, campus, organization and community. There are so many opportunities to raise awareness. Join the community, host a screening, facilitate a fundraiser and invest in girls education. The options are limitless.
Girl Rising is also in partnership with USAID working on the Girl Rising’s Empowering Next Generations to Advance Girls Education (ENGAGE) project. Launched in 2014, the project focuses on teaching communities to value girls by understanding their worth and the benefits of educating and empowering them. Currently, the project works in India, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, with hopes to grow and give all girls a chance to go and stay in school, and become healthy, functioning members of their communities and society as a whole.
The Girl Rising ENGAGE campaign works to create a better world for girls by:
Girl Rising has a teaching opportunity for educators to utilize the free Girl Rising Educator’s Edition and the Girl Rising curriculum. This can lead to engaging students in meaningful discussion and lessons that encourage them to think critically about the importance of educating girls.
The Girl Rising movement is on its way of establishing a name from its beginnings as a documentary to a force that is changing the educational climate for girls across the world. CNN International was so enraptured by the Girl Rising phenomena that the network continues to celebrate the world of girls in the series new “A Girl’s World.” The series chronicles the story of seven girls in seven different countries all writing unique stories of their own. Following their ambitions, dreams, adversaries, the seven girls may all be different but they can come together with their newfound voices. “Girl Rising” and “A Girl’s World” are reminders to value and honor your grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters and the girls of the world.
To become an advocate and learn more about Girl Rising follow here.
– Charisma Thapa
Sources: Girl Rising 1, Girl Rising 2, CNN
Photo: Scarlet Called Scout
Samaanta Provides Education in Nepal
Living in a desolate village in Nepal, an education does not come easily. A village that is less than convenient to find, overlooking the Kathmandu Valley is where some students have received an opportunity of a lifetime. The village of Koth Gaun, Nepal is the home to Jeny Shrestha and Jayanta Tamang, two 18-year old Nepali neighbors.
Earning an education in Nepal can be a struggle. The two would go to any length to attend school, trekking 30-minutes to Bishwamitra Ganesh secondary school. The school only offers few children the prospect to complete high school and go on to higher education, which is very rare.
A unique opportunity to attend higher education was presented to the school, however, when the Samaanta Foundation, a small grassroots non-governmental organization that was started in 2012, saw the need in the village and reacted accordingly. Because of the organization the two will not only finish high school in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, but be able to start their university studies shortly as well.
One of the students, Mr. Tamang will be studying computer programming at the prestigious school, St. Xavier’s college in the coming month. Ms. Shrestha will be starting her bachelor’s degree in business administration and is also moving to Nepal to do so. They are both so overwhelmed but excited about the possibilities that accompany an education.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world, therefore, an opportunity to receive an education is very slim, especially in rural village areas of Nepal. Passing the S.L.C., the entrance exam to secondary school, is just the first barrier. The total passing of this exam is currently 43.9 percent, of which 78 percent of those that passed come from private schools in the capitol city.
Those that do not pass usually stay in the village and follow family lineage traditions. The Higher Secondary Board in Nepal requires the colleges to leave open spaces for those from rural areas;however, those living in rural areas who do pass do not have the funding to move to a new city.
This is where the idea to found the Samaanta Foundation was born. Shrochis Karki, founder and executive director, wanted those young adults who had the knowledge to be given an opportunity. When education prospects do not work, usually due to lack of funding, an estimated 1,500 Nepalese leave the country every day in search of employment.
Karki knew that this needed to change. Karki had previously worked for the NGO Federation of Nepal in the past and was able to receive some funding from them. Utilizing that money and fundraising from friends, Karki was able to fund six students to enroll into high school with the promise of being able to attend college.
Due to the commute, Samaanta has also helped with access to dormitories to stay at while the students attend school. The Samaanta Foundation is giving those who did not think they would ever have access to an education a chance to enact change and become educated. Read more about education in Nepal.
– Charisma Thapa
Sources: New York Times, Samaanta Foundation
Photo: Flickr
Encouraging Empathy Through Education
The subject matter is not science or history, but human empathy. The class is conducted by an adult teacher who is assisted by a young infant. The teacher helps the students process the growth of the child, among other experiences, in order to establish a greater sense and understanding of empathy.
Children between the ages five and twelve are taking classes on empathy. The first program started in Canada in 1996 with a mission “to build caring, peaceful and civil societies through the development of empathy in children and adults.” Founder and educator Mary Gordon is the brainchild of the program.
The classes have proven to result in increased emotional intelligence, understanding and direct empathy toward classmates. This has resulted in securing foundations against bullying, discrimination and aggression that is commonly found in schools today.
The goal of the program is to increase human empathy. The classes serve as a unique personal journey for each student. Many students may not have stable lives at home so being given the chance to speak their minds, understand their feelings and empathize with their classmates consequently establishes real human connections.
For eighteen years the program has been extremely successful. It has spread across the world from North America to New Zealand and Ireland.
Comparative research has shown that the program has positive effects on bullying, neuroscience, acts of kindness and cognitive skills within the children. Almost 80 percent of Roots of Empathy students worldwide have ‘increased peer acceptance.’ According to the Healthcare Quarterly these effects last up to three years after the student has been enrolled in the program.
Scotland is the first country to provide Roots for Empathy in every council. This has become a phenomenon that has drastically increased empathy and decreased aggression in Scotland’s youth.
During Roots of Empathy one of the major themes is ‘love grows brains.’ Students are actively taught to think about why a baby in the classroom would be crying, or why someone would feel a certain way. Rather than ignore these feelings they are taught to process them, talk about them and release them in a loving manner.
The students incorporate neuroscience into their studies as they watch a child grow from two to four months old at the start of their school year. This is so the children can watch a child grow at their greatest learning period of a person’s lifespan.
Focusing on empathy has proven to reduce bullying, increase cognitive skills and the ability to understand others feelings in order to create a more cohesive world.
– Charisma Thapa
Sources: Positive News Roots of Empathy
Photo: Flickr
Assisting the Disabled in Sierra Leone
As of 2011, there are an estimated 450,000 disabled persons living in Sierra Leone. This number includes the blind, the Deaf, people living with polio, individuals who are war wounded and amputees.
The Sierra Leone Civil War of the 1990s left 1,600 amputees alone. As of yet, the Sierra Leone government has not offered any assistance to these members of society.
With 8,973 probable, confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola and a recorded 4,484 deaths across Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, the outbreak of Ebola has put these individuals at high risk of infection. Those who are blind and Deaf and often use their sense of touch to navigate and communicate, consequently increasing their chances of infection.
Handicap International’s health coordinator, Adam Huebner said “It was inconceivable that Ebola would use up so much energy and so many available resources. All of our teams in Liberia and Sierra Leone are now focusing their efforts on controlling this virus.”
Sierra Leone and Liberia officials, as well as the CDC are both trying to control the spread of Ebola. However, volunteer health workers who are combating the outbreak through awareness and other preventative measures have been met with violence.
The paranoia of the epidemic has translated into a discrimination not just against Ebola victims but also the disabled. Kamara is a woman living on one of the Polio compounds in Makeni. She has been isolated from the outbreak physically and economically. She used to make necklaces with others on the compound to generate income.
Kamara says, “I sell them [necklaces] at the price of 20,000 but since the Ebola crisis, I don’t have customers. People marginalize us because of our disability.” Because of this most disabled are left clueless to the dangers of Ebola.
Organizations like UNDP and Handicap International have begun to reach out to disabled persons offering information and counseling about the epidemic ravaging their countries. Huebner says, “At our own level, we’re trying to open up discussions with local people so that they can ask about anything that might be worrying them and get information about what can be done to limit the number of new cases. We’re also addressing questions related to the indirect consequences of the virus.”
The UNDP has been delivering information directly to the front doors’ of quarantined individuals. In addition, UNDP officials have been handing out pamphlets in braille and informative picture brochures for those that can’t read.
These face to face encounters with UNDP officials and the members of Handicap International have afforded those in the dark to ask questions. Information is power, especially during a crisis. These groups are bringing a sense of peace to people living with disabilities. They are empowering a group of people, who very much want to be a part of the process, with their own voices.
– Frederick Wood II
Sources: UNDP, Handicap-International, WHO, Journalists for Human Rights
Photo: Handicap International
Survey Brings Attention to Education in South Korea
In South Korea, the annual college entrance exam weighs heavily on the shoulders of young people who see it as more than a rite of passage — it’s a make-or-break moment that defines whether they’ll have a successful life or not.
Korea has one of the best education systems in the world with high attendance and completion rates, but with that also comes a high psychological cost for students.
Earlier this month, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim spoke at a news conference in Seoul on the hyper-stressed, competitive levels characteristic of the South Korean education system that leaves students feeling worn and unhappy.
His advice? Cut down on private tutoring.
Dr. Kim sees private tutoring as a widespread and common practice that should be modified to improve education, especially since it could deepen inequality by creating an uneven playing field for the less wealthy.
According to The Wall Street Journal, South Korean parents paid $18 billion for private education last year to advance their children ahead in the college entrance exam.
More tutoring. More expectations. More pressure.
At the news conference, Dr. Kim pressed the issue of the psychological burden placed on students, suggesting that schools find a way to reduce the demands for tutoring and daylong study hours — even extending to private after-school institutions — to change the way parents and students approach education.
The pressure to succeed at school sets an unrealistic expectation that has pushed South Korean students to be at the top of global rankings for academic achievement.
A new global survey suggests that this academic pressure attributes to their low levels of happiness, ranking 75th out of 135 countries in wellbeing, which includes sense of purpose, social relationships and health.
According to BBC News, the most common form of death for those under 40 in South Korea is suicide. And while few would deem the country’s education system flawless, change is met with resistance.
The government is also aware of this pressing issue and is working to redress the balance.
“We still have a long way to go but we are doing some soul-searching in our society,” says the Education Minister Nam Soo Suh, “and our goals now are how to make our people happier.”
– Chelsee Yee
Sources: The Diplomat, BBC, Wall Street Journal 1, Wall Street Journal 2
Photo: SCMP
Poverty in Colombia: Stratification, Urbanization Aid
Poverty in Colombia remains an issue but progress has been made. In the 1980s, the capital city of Colombia, Bogota, started to implement a program of economic stratification of urban populations. The city ranked populations from one to six, one being the most poor and six being the wealthiest. Essentially, the stratification was supposed to direct city officials where to charge more for basic services like water and sanitation, and where to charge less. This program was officially codified into law in 1994.
Proponents of the program, like former Bogota mayor Enrique Peñalusa, say that the stratification only helps the government to serve the poor better by focusing infrastructure projects and providing cheaper services. Opponents, however, say that it makes mobility for the poor more difficult by legally separating them out, as well as increasing stigma around poverty.
When mapped out by strata, it is clear to see the physical separation of economic classes in the capital city. The wealthiest populations are clumped together in the northern part of the city while the poorest are in the south and along the outer edges. The distribution of wealth in the city is compartmentalized, depreciating an already underserved population.
Armed conflict in Colombia has been persistent for this century and half of the last. Due to this, Colombia has one of the highest rates of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the world, reaching over five million in 2013. Many of these IDPs move to cities, especially Bogota. This shift has led to a large population without housing or resources, creating slums and shantytowns in and around the city.
Especially significant when looking at urbanization in Bogota is the development of a much poorer, extremely marginalized class on the outer edges of the city, where slums have grown significantly. Two of the largest slums, Altos de Cazuca and Ciudad Bolivar, house hundreds of thousands of people and are host to a myriad of social problems, most notably violent crime and poor access to essential resources like clean water, health care and education.
Conflict in the country has caused and contributed to countless problems, not in the least a robust drug trafficking industry. While peace talks with armed guerilla groups and narcotraficantes are ongoing, the outcome and impact for the urban and displaced poor that have been affected but not directly involved in the operations of these groups is not clear.
Levels of poverty have declined overall in Colombia in the last decade. Even more promising is the dramatic decrease in urban poverty in the two biggest cities in the country: Bogota and Medellin. While the legal stratification of urban citizens and rapid rates of urbanization have contributed to poverty in Bogota, the progress made against urban poverty is substantial. From the years 2005 to 2012, poverty has only fallen 7.6 percent in small cities in Colombia, but in Bogota and Medellin the rate has fallen 23.3 percent.
– Caitlin Huber
Sources: UNHCR, UCL, ABColombia, Business Insider, World Bank, IFHP
Photo: Pasion y Vida
Being Human Festival to Highlight Humanities
From November 15th to the 23rd, the U.K. is hosting the Being Human festival. The first-annual event is focused on engaging people in the humanities. The festival has a wide-range of workshops and activities that all focus on the universal theme of ‘being human.’
The entire festival is organized by the University of London’s School of Advanced Study and is in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Academy and the British Academy. Over 60 universities and 120 partner organizations across the U.K. will host more than 150 free to attend public events.
The event gathers together leading artists, scientists, scholars, authors, artists, poets and writers together. The mission of the festival is to create a national forum to engage the public in the discussion of humanities. The festival aims to:
The activities collectively seek to demonstrate the importance of the humanities through a cultural, intellectual, political, social and optimistic viewpoint.
Some of the events include working with The Joking Computer, a group that builds billions of jokes in a matter of minutes. The festival also features an evening improvisation group and the discussion of the importance of laughter in the world.
The Being Human festival is an event to learn more about human life and the way we function in the world.
– Charisma Thapa
Sources: Optimist World, Being Human Festival
Photo: Vimeo
Russia Looks to Weather Economic Sanctions
The Russian economy is suffering due to sanctions enacted by the United States and the European Union. Inflation has risen dramatically and with the ruble teetering back and forth, the safety of their currency is uncertain.
During the annexation of Crimea and Russian military movement in the Ukraine, the U.S. and E.U. increased trade restrictions on Russia and wealthy businessmen regarded as being close to Vladimir Putin. As the Russian economy shifts focus toward a stronger economic development and trade with the Asian countries, Russia’s reliance on the dollar decreases.
One of the ways in which Russia is attempting to achieve this is by trading in domestic currency rather than relying on the U.S. dollar. Russia’s dependence on Asia in general and China in particular hints at Putin’s larger goal for the Russian economy to be less involved in U.S. and Europe. Among of the most important deals Russia has made is the Agreement on Cooperation which was signed by Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping. The $25 billion deal will allow Russia and China to trade in domestic currencies rather than the dollar.
Another significant deal is the $400 billion trade deal that will increase oil exports from Russia to China. It includes a proposal for a new pipeline that will send oil directly from Western Siberia to China. Underlying Putin’s unease with the U.S. is the desire to begin limiting U.S. economic hegemony. However, the dollar is so prevalent in the foreign economy it seems unlikely that a dramatic shift will occur in the near future. Russia’s largest market is currently the E.U. and sanctions have reduced the amount Russia is able to export.
Economic sanctions enforced by President Barack Obama seek to undercut Russian oil exports which make up half of Russia’s economic revenue. Putin announced recently at a G-20 Summit that the West needs to lift sanctions. He states, “This is harmful, and of course is doing us some damage, but it’s harmful for them as well because, in essence, it’s undermining the entire system of international economic relations.”
If Russia is less dependent on the U.S. market, sanctions will mean little to Putin and the Russian economy. Eventually there will be little to deter him from further military involvement in the Ukraine or elsewhere. It will be more difficult for the U.S. to influence Putin’s perceived aggression.
Russia is not the only country who wants to decrease dependence on the U.S. market. Other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries are looking to do the same. For the meantime, Russia may be forced to cope with the low price of oil. American economists predict that the prices should level out at about $83 a barrel and stay there for a while to come.
– Maxine Gordon
Sources: International Business Times, Reuters, New York Times, The Guardian
Photo: Newsweek