Malnutrition in Benin, like in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, is currently widespread. However, some experts have suggested the malnutrition rate can decrease if nutrition programs focus on education and community empowerment.
Malnutrition and Stunting
Malnutrition is defined by the World Food Programme as “a state in which the physical function of an individual is impaired to the point where he or she can no longer maintain adequate bodily performance process such as growth, pregnancy, lactation, physical work and resisting and recovering from disease.” Globally, it contributes to more than 50 percent of children’s deaths.
Researchers measure chronic malnutrition in terms of “stunting,” or low height for age. Other aspects of malnutrition include the presence or absence of edema, which is dependent upon the relationship between total calorie intake and protein intake. In addition, micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in iodine and vitamin A, characterize malnutrition, leading to growth problems in children.
Malnutrition in Benin
In Benin, roughly 4 in 10 children are chronically malnourished, according to the World Bank. In the north of the country, one UNICEF representative set the rate of severe malnutrition, which often requires immediate hospitalization, at 34.6 percent.
Thus, the problem is severe and threatens the lives of children each and every day. However, the task of reducing malnutrition in Benin faces many obstacles.
For one, 50 different languages are spoken throughout the country, limiting the scope that nutrition programs can realistically aim for in most cases. Also, many entrenched cultural beliefs induce malnutrition inadvertently, so medical personnel have expressed a need to replace myth with other forms of knowledge.
“The main cause of malnutrition is ignorance,” one nurse in North Benin said.
One myth holds that children who eat eggs become thieves. Moreover, it is culturally acceptable for a man to eat first and to leave whatever remains of his share for his wife and children.
The weapon against ignorance is education, which some experts argue must be community-driven in order to work around the country’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
Educational Programs in Benin
One such educational program is the Community Nutrition Education Project launched in 2012. Through this program, 12,607 grandmothers in various communities were taught how to promote the health of pregnant women and children. As important figures in their communities, these grandmothers are in prime positions to educate village members.
The lessons are not complicated. Village members are being taught how to use readily available foods to improve the nutrition of meals. For example, instead of feeding a child only millet, a mother could enrich the dish with soya, moringa or other local foods.
Organizations are working on a broader scale as well, but education remains a key aspect of their work. In 2013, the World Bank approved a payment of $28 million to secure nutrition services for hundreds of thousands of children and training for about 75,000 pregnant mothers and adolescents.
Focus on Cultural Factors
Certainly, structural factors are currently acting to keep malnutrition a problem in Benin. General food insecurity is high, with nearly 12% of food produced going to waste, and, as previously mentioned, the country’s diversity complicates the process of reform.
However, addressing the cultural factors leading to malnourishment can effectively reduce malnutrition in Benin, structural hindrances notwithstanding.
– Ryan Yanke
Sources: UNICEF, World Bank 1, World Bank 2, Panapress, Sci Dev Net, University of Michigan
Photo: VECO
Rwanda’s Female Entrepreneurs Make Progress
The U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) has made it possible for women to have their own businesses, which has led to a chain reaction of employment and economic opportunity. USADF works with small holder farmers, youth, women and girls and recovering communities to empower them and assist them in programs to become part of Africa’s growth.
Joy Ndungutse and Janet Nkubana are sisters and went to USADF as experienced artisans needing to grow their business. After getting orders from Macy’s and other U.S. buyers, these women knew that they couldn’t fulfill these orders alone. With USADF, the sisters were able to build their business up and in the process of that, change the lives of five thousand women within their community.
Another example of women exercising their power is from Eastern Burkina Faso, where a woman named Madame Henriette saw an opportunity just by sitting in the shade one day. Shea trees produce fruit that are high in antioxidants and moisturizers, but collecting the shea would be very labor intensive and difficult for one woman. So in 1998, Henriette started the Association Ragussi, where she used the help of local women to help her collect the shea and turn it into something that would bring them profits.
USADF helped Henriette with Association Ragussi to where it is, growing on a large scale, and they brought in simple training while also improving the work environment for the women. Association Ragussi continued its growth when it got a contract with L’Occitane of France, which uses shea in their toiletries sold all over the world. Following this, Henriette started producing her own line of cosmetics that primarily sells in Ouagadougo, the capital of Burkina Faso. In the three years that Ragussi has been an association, it has doubled its revenues, thanks to the 1,259 members that helped it along the way.
Rwanda and Burkina Faso are showing impactful changes for women who empower the community with opportunities to grow. Thanks to these local opportunities and the USADF, the women and everyone involved in helping them are able to pay school fees, save money and build assets for the future.
– Brooke Smith
Sources: ONE, ADF
Photo: Flickr
Malnutrition in Benin
Malnutrition in Benin, like in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, is currently widespread. However, some experts have suggested the malnutrition rate can decrease if nutrition programs focus on education and community empowerment.
Malnutrition and Stunting
Malnutrition is defined by the World Food Programme as “a state in which the physical function of an individual is impaired to the point where he or she can no longer maintain adequate bodily performance process such as growth, pregnancy, lactation, physical work and resisting and recovering from disease.” Globally, it contributes to more than 50 percent of children’s deaths.
Researchers measure chronic malnutrition in terms of “stunting,” or low height for age. Other aspects of malnutrition include the presence or absence of edema, which is dependent upon the relationship between total calorie intake and protein intake. In addition, micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in iodine and vitamin A, characterize malnutrition, leading to growth problems in children.
Malnutrition in Benin
In Benin, roughly 4 in 10 children are chronically malnourished, according to the World Bank. In the north of the country, one UNICEF representative set the rate of severe malnutrition, which often requires immediate hospitalization, at 34.6 percent.
Thus, the problem is severe and threatens the lives of children each and every day. However, the task of reducing malnutrition in Benin faces many obstacles.
For one, 50 different languages are spoken throughout the country, limiting the scope that nutrition programs can realistically aim for in most cases. Also, many entrenched cultural beliefs induce malnutrition inadvertently, so medical personnel have expressed a need to replace myth with other forms of knowledge.
“The main cause of malnutrition is ignorance,” one nurse in North Benin said.
One myth holds that children who eat eggs become thieves. Moreover, it is culturally acceptable for a man to eat first and to leave whatever remains of his share for his wife and children.
The weapon against ignorance is education, which some experts argue must be community-driven in order to work around the country’s linguistic and cultural diversity.
Educational Programs in Benin
One such educational program is the Community Nutrition Education Project launched in 2012. Through this program, 12,607 grandmothers in various communities were taught how to promote the health of pregnant women and children. As important figures in their communities, these grandmothers are in prime positions to educate village members.
The lessons are not complicated. Village members are being taught how to use readily available foods to improve the nutrition of meals. For example, instead of feeding a child only millet, a mother could enrich the dish with soya, moringa or other local foods.
Organizations are working on a broader scale as well, but education remains a key aspect of their work. In 2013, the World Bank approved a payment of $28 million to secure nutrition services for hundreds of thousands of children and training for about 75,000 pregnant mothers and adolescents.
Focus on Cultural Factors
Certainly, structural factors are currently acting to keep malnutrition a problem in Benin. General food insecurity is high, with nearly 12% of food produced going to waste, and, as previously mentioned, the country’s diversity complicates the process of reform.
However, addressing the cultural factors leading to malnourishment can effectively reduce malnutrition in Benin, structural hindrances notwithstanding.
– Ryan Yanke
Sources: UNICEF, World Bank 1, World Bank 2, Panapress, Sci Dev Net, University of Michigan
Photo: VECO
Three Best World Hunger Nonprofits
It might be hard to believe that hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. Roughly 800 million people in the world are chronically malnourished, with the majority living in developing countries. Here is a look at three nonprofit organizations that are fighting to end world hunger:
Action Against Hunger
This global humanitarian organization works not only towards ending global hunger, but also in creating long-term strategies that capitalize on self-sufficient workers. Malnutrition claims the lives of over a million children, although the disease is preventable and treatable. Most of Action Against Hunger’s funding goes directly to these life-saving programs. For every $1 they raise, $0.91 is spent on program activities. Charity Navigator has given the organization the highest four-star rating seven years in a row.
Stop Hunger Now
For the last 15 years, Stop Hunger Now has coordinated the distribution of food and other needed aid to children all over the world. They target vulnerable populations and aim to involve the global community in mobilizing the necessary resources. In 2005, the organization created the meal packaging program, which combines rice, beans, vegetables and the essential nutrients and vitamins all into one small package. With each meal costing roughly $0.29, SHN is able to ship and distribute the meals all over the world. In fact, one SHN packaging event can result in more than 1,000,000 meals.
CARE
A humanitarian organization that is fighting to end global poverty, CARE staff has worked in a multitude of countries serving some of the poorest communities and populations. Since it sent the first CARE package in 1946, the organization has been addressing the issues of food insecurity all over the globe. CARE often focuses on hunger caused by natural disasters and conflict. In countries such as Chad, Lesotho, Niger and South Sudan, CARE’s programs have helped reduce the risk of disasters and food insecurity by promoting environmental sustainability and empowering people economically.
– Leeda Jewayni
Sources: World Food Program, Action Against Hunger, Stop Hunger Now, CARE
Photo: Wesley-Luther
Bring Back Our Girls: A Possible Return Home?
The “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign drew international attention after terrorist group Boko Haram abducted 276 Nigerian girls in April. After six months, the effort is no longer a trending hashtag on Twitter, the international outrage has cooled, and not one girl had been rescued. At least that was the case until October 17, when Nigeria’s military reportedly reached a deal with Boko Haram, signaling a possible release.
Of the abducted, 57 escaped as they were being taken or shortly after. The whereabouts of the rest remain unknown. Nigerians continued to echo what was once a global cry, with daily protests in the Nigerian capital, calling for their return home.
In the Wake of Tragedy
The tragedy may spark positive changes for schoolgirls in Nigeria. After the abduction, thousands of Nigerian schoolgirls stopped attending class out of fear. In response, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, along with Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, spearheaded reform in their Safe Schools Initiative.
The plan seeks to provide better protection for students and implement better communication between Nigerian schools. The initiative has already raised $25 million from donor support. Activists hope that this will lead to broader school reform in Nigeria, especially for female students.
In the meantime, Newsweek’s African correspondent Alex Perry remains skeptical that all girls will be safely returned. “All intelligence suggests that the girls are no longer in one group–some were married off and some dispersed around the country,” he said. “It would be miraculous if they got them all back together again.”
Terrorism in Nigeria
Boko Haram abducted the girls to be used as ransom for detained fighters. The group, whose name roughly translates to “western education is forbidden,” has worked to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria over the last five years. Despite the damage inflicted upon the Nigerian community, the group reportedly only has about one thousand members across four African countries.
President Jonathan refused the exchange with the terrorist organization, and was accused by activists of remaining silent on the situation. The specifics of the most recent negotiations remain unclear.
– Ellie Sennett
Sources: Al Jazeera, Reuters, Newsweek, Huffington Post
Photo: PRI
Denmark: The Happiest Country in the World
Denmark has been ranked as the happiest country in the world. This ranking is based on a multitude of factors ranging from healthcare to riding a bike. According to a Huffington Post article, Denmark ranks as the leader of the happiest countries for six key reasons. Here is a list:
According to DailyFinance, Denmark ranks as the happiest country in the world for more black and white reasons as well. For example, the country has one of the lowest percentages of long workdays and a life expectancy of almost 80 years old.
Denmark’s happiness sheds light on the positive effects a stable economy can have on the overall wellbeing of a country’s citizens.
– Kathleen Lee
Sources: Huffington Post, Daily Finance
Photo: Flickr
Pacific Islanders Block Australian Coal Terminal
A group of Pacific Islanders has joined environmentalists in protesting climate change in Australia by blockading the Newcastle coal port, the world’s largest coal export terminal, with canoes, surfboards and kayaks. The members of island nations have come together in protest to attract scrutiny over Australia’s commitment to coal and its ultimate effect on the island nations.
The Pacific Climate Warriors’ Blockade
The activist group, the Pacific Climate Warriors, is comprised of members from a variety of island nations, including the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tokelau, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Although there has been an annual environmental blockade of the Newcastle coal port for many years now, this is the first time the blockade has been strengthened with a Pacific Islander activist group.
The blockade only acts as a minor delay for the ships, which are headed by police escorts. The ships are still capable of leaving the massive port that sees more than 4,000 ship movements annually. Demonstrating the serious consequences of climate change that has resulted in the imminent loss of their island homes, the protesters have chosen not to passively wait as their nations become submerged. Instead, they have decided to fight against climate change.
The evidence of climate change is already apparent to the islanders through coastal erosion and the rising sea level, forcing the relocation of whole villages and threatening the very existence of the Pacific Islands and especially the atolls that encircle the seaboards.
Natural Disasters and Protests
Earlier in the year, massive floods during the seasonal tides hit the Marshall Islands, engulfing the capital, Majuro, and forcing the island’s president, Chris Loeak, to declare a state of emergency. In addition to increasingly severe weather, the sea level is expected to rice seven feet by the end of the century, due to a melting ice sheet in Western Antarctica.
The protest follows the recent role the Pacific Islanders took at the United Nations Climate Summit in New York in September, demonstrating to the many nations present at the summit the actions the island states were taking to combat climate change.
The protests have targeted Australia in particular due to its contribution to climate change. As the second largest coal exporter with the highest carbon emissions per capita in the world, Australia is heavily reliant on coal-fired power stations that employ tens of thousands of workers, causing whole towns to be reliant upon the mines for their livelihoods.
Hope and Politicians
In July, the conservative government, led by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, repealed a carbon tax on approximately 350 of the country’s largest polluters, depriving the government of an expected $7 billion over the next four years and requiring a new plan to reduce emissions that has yet to be seen.
Furthermore, a $16.5 billion project was approved over the summer to create what could possibly be the world’s largest coal mine. Despite the blockade’s physical ineffectiveness, the Pacific Islanders hope to amend the world’s apparent indifference to climate change.
– William Ying
Sources: The Guardian 1, The Guardian 2, Al Jazeera 1, Al Jazeera 2, Huffington Post
Photo: Credo Action
ISIS Luring Girls Worldwide into Ranks
Social media can be used for so much good in the world: it connects loved ones who lives in different countries, it can spread messages of good works and can easily inform users of the current events and issues happening not only in their community, state and nation, but in the world as well.
With all of the good content that can exist on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, bad content can be posted just as easily with specific target audiences in mind. One of the most recent groups to use social media sites with the intention of spreading their beliefs is ISIS, who is targeting teenage girls, as young as 14 years old, and young women. The videos produced by ISIS are “slick [and] well-produced … targeting impressionable teenagers often feeling they don’t quite fit in with the society around them,” CBS News reports.
Reports first began coming in of girls from European countries such as Austria, France and then England of girls leaving their homes and families, fleeing to Syria to join ISIS, with hopes to either become a militant themselves or dreaming of marrying a jihadist, an Islamic militant. It is believed many are being roped in by videos and messages, which say becoming a jihad is “a way of giving meaning to their lives,” while “looking for excitement [and] looking for adventure,” CBS News reports. In both cases, it’s believed the girls are going willingly to Syria to live out a “jihad fantasy.” Most recently, three girls from Colorado have left home, getting all the way to Frankfurt before being caught and brought back to the United States.
“Some of these girls are very young and naive, they don’t understand the conflict or their faith, and they are easily manipulated. Some of them are taking young children with them; some may believe they are taking part in a humanitarian mission,” spokeswoman of the UK Muslim Women’s Network Shaista Gohir said.
While the exact number of girls who have joined ISIS is unclear, reports indicate up to 50 British, at least 40 German, 14 Austrian and 63 French girls and women have joined. Hundreds of females are leaving the safety of their homes to fight for the Islamic Extremists.
– Kori Withers
Sources: Yahoo Screen,, The New York Times,, The Guardian,, CBS News
Photo: CNN
Tacoma Internships at The Borgen Project
Looking for a Tacoma internship? The Borgen Project offers telecommuting internships in Tacoma. There are also internships available at The Borgen Project’s headquarters in Seattle. View details on current telecommute internship openings.
Tacoma Internship Openings
Political Affairs Internship
This is a part-time 14-hours per week telecommuting internship in Tacoma. The internship is 4-months and responsible for leading public and political outreach in the state and district assigned to. Must be available Monday’s 4:30-6:00 PM PST for The Borgen Project’s national conference call.
– Meet with members of Congress and/or Congressional staffers in your State and District.
– Represent The Borgen Project at various business, political and community events.
– Assist with fundraising. Create a personal fundraising campaign and meet targets.
– Mobilize individuals to contact their members of Congress in support of key poverty-reduction legislation.
– As needed, speak to groups, classes and organizations.
– Write letters of support for key programs to political leaders, media and other groups.
Qualifications:
– Outstanding writing skills.
– Self-starter who can produce great results with limited supervision.
– Strong oral communication skills and ability to lead meetings and give speeches.
To Apply: Please email your resume to [email protected].
Journalism Internship
This is a 12-week, part-time internship. The selected candidate will be able to work from home and set their own schedule, but must meet weekly deadlines. Articles submitted will appear on BORGEN Magazine or The Borgen Project Blog.
– Interview sources and research topics in-depth.
– Write 3 well-researched articles per week.
– Communicate with editors and supervisors.
– Assist with fundraising. Create a personal fundraising campaign and meet targets.
– Attend national conference call every Monday at 5PM PST.
Qualifications: Strong journalism writing skills. Must be able to work independently and meet deadlines with very little supervision. Experience writing for newspapers is helpful, but not required.
To Apply: Email your resume and 2 writing samples to [email protected] with “Journalism Internship” in the subject line.
PR/Visual Editor Internship
The Borgen Project’s out-of-state PR (Public Relations) Intern is part of the content team. In this capacity, you will focus on creating photos for BORGEN Magazine and The Borgen Project Blog.
– Find images. Format, tint and resize images to meet website criteria (90% of internship).
– Promote articles via social media. Assist with fundraising.
– Create a personal fundraising campaign and meet targets.
– Attend national conference call every Monday at 5PM PST.
– Potential for Public Relations tasks.
Details: This internship is 260-hours. Hours can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Minimum of 4-days per week and 15-hours per week. The Borgen Project is located in Seattle and this position will operate remotely from home. This is an unpaid internship. Must be available Monday’s 5:00 – 6:00PM PST for The Borgen Project’s national conference call.
To Apply: Email your resume to [email protected] with “PR/Visual Editor Intern” in the subject line.
Writer Internship (Tacoma, WA)
This is a 12-week, part-time Tacoma internship. The selected candidate will be able to work from home and pick their own schedule, but must meet weekly deadlines. Articles submitted will appear on BORGEN Magazine or The Borgen Project Blog.
– Write 3 articles per week.
– Research topics.
– Assist with advocacy efforts.
– Assist with fundraising. Create a personal fundraising campaign and meet targets.
– Attend national conference call every Monday at 5PM PST.
Qualifications: Strong research and writing skills. Must be able to work independently and meet deadlines with very little supervision. Experience writing SEO friendly content is helpful, but not required.
To Apply: Email your resume and 2 writing samples to [email protected] with “Writer Intern” in the subject line.
Snapshot: Education in Ecuador
Despite ongoing debates, the education system in Ecuador has shown improvement. Education of children who live in rural regions and promoting a bilingual education system are some of the greatest concerns moving forward. Currently, the predominant language in the schools is Spanish; however, there is an interest from governments to teach different languages and popularize them.
Education in Ecuador started to become a focus of the government in the 1980s when the literacy rate and accessibility in rural areas was very low. Since then, there has been a decrease in the illiteracy rates for both rural and urban areas. In addition there has also been an increase in the number of children enrolling for secondary and higher education. For children ages six to 14, Ecuador has made school more attainable by offering free and compulsory education, making it easier on the parents as well.
Another improvement has been the standard at which teachers are being recruited. The increased enrollment in secondary and higher education shows that now people are interested in furthering their education. With an increase in higher education, teaching candidates are coming out of teaching programs from universities, giving schools a wide variety of skills to choose from.
Although the enrollment rates in higher education has increased, according to the ministry of Education in Ecuador, only 10 percent of children attend schools in rural areas.
There have been big changes made for Ecuador in the past 30 years or so, but there are still areas of opportunity to improve upon. The recent improvements have assisted the country in training future professionals to make them educated employees and to contribute to the overall improvement of the country.
– Brooke Smith
Sources: Ecuador.com, Maps of World
Photo: Compassion
Livestock Production Brings Revenue for Women
Ethiopia is oftentimes seen as a place of extreme poverty and famine with no opportunities for the locals to improve their business. The situation is especially difficult for women, whose potential is limited by cultural and legal inequalities. However, there is an opportunity that is considered which could provide many women with a stable source of income. That opportunity is livestock. Although women still are not fully capable of making financial decisions in Ethiopia, the dairy sector is monopolized by small business farmers and processing the milk is mainly a women’s job.
This traditional role for women in the past could have been seen as disempowering, however recently there has been a fresh view and women are turning dairy into an economic opportunity for themselves and their families. With the help of training and financial assistance from USAID, these women are able to obtain the skills needed to empower themselves in spite of their obstacles. The main industries that employ women are livestock fattening and dairy production, however there are still areas in Ethiopia that women do not have access to the training and knowledge that others take for granted.
The USAID Agricultural Growth Program, Livestock Market Development, project is a part of the U.S. Government’s Feed the Future Initiative and it aims to improve nutrition and increase revenue for women. The way it plans on doing this is through training and investments in dairy, meat and live animals. Both men and women will benefit from this project but there will be special attention given to helping women become entrepreneurs with training designed specifically for their empowerment.
Strengthening Ethiopian organizations to build effective partnerships is one of the main objectives for the project as well. USAID funding is helping meet these needs with an advanced cattle cross-breeding program to create offspring that is 10 times more productive than the current cow. The project has a five year execution plan and so far there are significant results from it. About 100 women were able to receive training on entrepreneurship and leadership in one session in 2013. The same women now act as business role models within their own livestock market.
Although extreme poverty is still a major issue throughout Ethiopia, programs like this are making it easier for everyone, especially women to break the cycle and make their own business successful. Women finding success is something new to Ethiopia and this program looks to continue to empower them and help the whole country work itself out of poverty.
– Brooke Smith
Sources: USAID Feed the Future
Photo: Flickr