One of the many effects of climate change concerns the rising of the world’s oceans. As both climate scientists and one country’s president realize, Kiribati, a low-lying nation in the Pacific Ocean, will likely become non-existent within the upcoming decades.
Kiribati is home to some 100,000 people. Located in the Pacific Ocean between Australia and Hawaii, it consists of 33 small islands and atolls scattered over an area the size of India.
On average, the nation loses 3.7 millimeters of land a year due to rising water. President Anote Tong said the country could be completely uninhabitable within less than 60 years.
In fact, the county has already purchased nearly 6,000 acres of land in Fiji to address economic and food security issues. The government said in a May press release that the land is “an investment by the government to explore options of commercial, industrial and agricultural undertakings.”
Since 1880, global sea levels have risen nearly 10 inches. By the end of the century, scientists believe the seas could rise nearly three feet.
One of the islands in the country is Tarawa, known by most of the world as a World War II battle site among the Japanese and Americans. Because so much of the population lives on top of the island’s main water lens, where fresh drinking water lies, it is difficult for the island’s inhabitants to find a place to defecate. Health officials estimate that nearly 60 percent of Tarawa residents defecate outdoors.
Since the nation may soon be completely submerged, the government has found it difficult to find any substantial investors. In fact, the U.S. does not have an ambassador for the country. Instead, the U.S. ambassador of Fiji also serves Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Moreover, for the Kiribati residents who may choose to evacuate the country in the coming years, the situation may become difficult.
In the past, New Zealand permitted 75 Kiribati citizens into the country each year so long as they met the necessary visa requirements. However, the country recently ruled against a Kiribati man who requested to become a refugee in the country on the grounds of climate change.
Yet, much of the country is increasingly skeptic of climate change due to religious purposes. In a census several years ago accounting for over 90,000 Kiribati citizens, only 23 stated they did not follow a religious practice.
In an interview conducted with Businessweek, Tong said the Western world has not focused enough attention on effects of rising oceans and climate change.
“Ecoterrorism is equal to terrorism,” he said. “This is a kind of terrorism that is more dangerous in one way, because it is treated as legitimate and acceptable. Maybe 10 years ago, they didn’t know what they were doing. But it’s not an excuse any longer.”
– Ethan Safran
Sources: Net Nebraska, Business Week, NPR, NY Times, Kiribati Climate Change
Photo: Net Nebraska
Alcohol Abuse in Uganda
Alcohol abuse is a global phenomenon. Alcoholic preferences vary across the globe — vodka is widely considered Russia’s drink of choice, while beer tends to be America’s favorite — but there is something most nations have in common, save many countries in the Middle East where alcohol is strictly forbidden. That is the existence of alcohol related disorders. One of the countries with the highest prevalence is Uganda.
On average, according to data based on official records and representative surveys accumulated in the World Health Organization’s 2014 Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health, Ugandan drinkers drink 23.7 liters of pure alcohol a year per capita. Males typically consume 25.6 liters while females drink 19.6 liters. American drinkers, in comparison, drink 13.3 liters. As a consequence of what’s often excessive drinking in Uganda, 10 percent of males and 1.5 percent of females have an alcohol related disorder. That’s about three in every 50 people.
The high statistics are in part due to alcoholic beverages particular to the region. Many African countries produce their alcohol locally from sorghum, millet and other agricultural products. The alcoholic beverages industrialized countries are fond of, such as beer and vodka, may be scarce in Uganda, but this is no remedy for abuse.
The consequences of alcohol abuse are relentless and strongly correlate with poverty. One must factor not only the money spent on alcohol, but also the low wages and lost employment opportunities due to missed work and decreased efficiency, and the high medical expenses following alcohol-inspired illness — that is, if one is lucky enough to receive legitimate treatment at all. Otherwise, death is the harsh but likely consequence.
Many of the worst alcohol-related illnesses are neurological. One common neurological disease, called Central pontine myelinolysis (also called Osmotic demyelination syndrome,) is characterized by severe damage to the myelin sheath, a protective insulator coating nerve cells that is essential for the nervous system to function properly. This results in difficulty moving (paralysis,) swallowing (dysphagia) and speaking (dysarthria.)
Another area of the brain that is seriously affected by Central pontine myelinolysis is the pons, a small (about 2.5 centimeters) part of the brain stem. Its job is to relay messages from the forebrain, including the cerebral cortex and the limbic system, to the cerebellum. It is also associated with autonomic functions such as with sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions, facial sensation and posture.
Damage to the pons affects these automatic functions, making them more difficult for your body to control and produce. This severe consequence of alcohol abuse effectively renders the drinker useless in a developing society. He or she requires medical assistance and constant attention, which drains resources that may not be readily available in places like rural Uganda. Excessive drinking, in this way, is a neurologic roadblock to poverty reduction.
Alcohol, however, not only prolongs poverty but is also promoted by it. Impoverished people without hope for an economic upturn are more likely to spend their money on whimsical, instant pleasures like alcohol and drugs than on investments for a future they don’t think exists. This is why education and hope-giving humanitarian projects are so crucial to long-term development.
– Adam Kaminski
Sources: WHO, MedlinePlus
Photo: The Promota
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Launched in 2007 through a merger between the Peninsula Community Foundation and the Community Foundation Silicon Valley, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has developed a new approach for giving. The organization’s overall aim is to maximize the impact each donation will have for any given cause.
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation, led by CEO Emmett D. Carson, operates by working to “simplify giving so donors can focus on their charitable passions, partner with the most effective organizations to create change, and advance innovative philanthropic solutions to challenging problems.” Moreover, its five basic strategies (economic security, education, immigrant integration, regional planning and a community opportunity fund) help ensure the foundation’s success.
In order to achieve maximum outreach, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation collaborates with other foundations and initiatives. Many of these foundations target early childhood education and community leadership projects focused on “strengthening organizations serving low-income and communities of color.”
Initiatives that have recently been completed include the Fostering the Future initiative, which took place over a six year period (2005-2011). Its objective was to provide a better life for youth that are subjected to abuse from either their biological families or foster families, as well as for children who have become too old for foster care. The Envision Bay Area initiative, that took place from 2010-2012, aimed to build a community of both leaders and constituents that made daily decisions based on what would be best for the environment. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation made use of YouChoose Bay Area in order to make this initiative successful. The work from this initiative ultimately “convinced the local planning agencies to set higher greenhouse gas emissions than their staff had initially recommended.”
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation is currently responsible for $2.9 million in assets and has over 1,600 philanthropic funds.
– Jordyn Horowitz
Sources: The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Photo: Future Partners
Chinese Foreign Aid: Setting a Good Example
China is considered a developing country. Interestingly, it also has the second-largest economy in the world. This paradox may seem impossible. In reality, however, this paradox has taught the country’s economic leaders valuable lessons about how to most successfully engage in the global economy. By aiding other developing countries, China’s economic strategy has become one of the most effective in the world.
In 2000, China began a mission lending aid to countries with underdeveloped economies. Chinese government officials recognized their own economic stability and began to implement assistance initiatives in developing countries with which China had connections through trade. The initiatives, which are still in existence today, improve education, sustainability, medical facilities and other aspects of daily life in these countries.
Many of these countries export more goods to China than to any other place in the world. Therefore, Chinese consumers are crucial to the growth of the economies of these African and Asian countries. In response, the Chinese government recently has lifted tariffs on some imports from these developing countries.
China’s decisions to help other developing countries are more than acts of goodwill; they are intelligent business initiatives. In providing assistance and allowing developing countries’ markets to flourish, China is building trusting relationships with valuable trade partners.
Establishing trade relationships is vital in the global economy. China and its partners know that they can count on each other for fair trade and support.
China and many other developing countries engage in relationships through the South-South Cooperation. The South-South Cooperation allows developing countries to collaborate to form strong trade relationships and share strategies that may help other countries escape the barriers of poverty. China has been an active member of the cooperation for many years.
By helping to lift developing countries out of poverty, China can expect a great return of help from them in the future. As previously stated, China is a developing country itself. While it provides assistance to many places outside of its borders, poverty still exists within the country.
China’s economic strategy sets a positive example for other global economic leaders. It has used foreign assistance as a successful way to ensure strong trade relationships, return investments and hope for future repayment. China’s economy is proof that foreign assistance offers more help than harm to a country’s own financial status.
– Emily Walthouse
Sources: Global Post, RAND Corporation, United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation
Photo: China Daily Mail
Nicaragua’s Ongoing Food Crisis
Some of the Pacific Ocean is warmer than usual – a seemingly innocuous fact, but it actually explains the devastating drought afflicting one of the world’s poorest countries. Because of El Niño, the name for the sporadic increase in temperature in this band of ocean water near the Pacific coast of South America, some regions in Nicaragua have seen little rain during the past several months and the May harvest has failed, resulting in a food crisis. The citizenry is now calling on President Daniel Ortega to implement policies to compensate for rising food prices.
As El Niño develops from June to August and the waters of the equatorial Pacific warm, the Nicaraguan climate becomes warm and dry. This year, the country’s western and central areas have been extremely dry. According to the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies, rainfall in some of these areas has been as much as 88 percent lower than average. One farmer described the amount of rain he has seen over the past few months as “not enough to really even wet the earth.”
As a result, both the bean and maize crops failed in May. Approximately eight out of every ten rural inhabitants depend on these crops for their livelihoods, according to New Agriculturist. Many are asking how Nicaragua, where roughly 1.2 million people were undernourished in 2012, will find a way to feed the second poorest population in Latin America, especially with food prices on the rise.
Dairy and beef producers have warned the government that their production could fall by 50 percent if the drought continues into September. Livestock owners have adjusted by purchasing expensive feed and medicine that they hope will save as many cattle as possible. They pass their increased costs of production on to consumers. And despite these measures, cattle are still dying in droves. More than one thousand cattle have starved to death, according to one agricultural union.
Nicaraguans facing this food crisis are demanding President Ortega act to mitigate it. Thus far, his administration has met with farmers to discuss their options, has expanded a government program that provides meals to thousands of families and has ordered the importation of millions of kilograms of beans and white maize, which will hopefully keep food prices from skyrocketing until the September harvest. In addition, millions of schoolchildren receive free meals consisting of “rice, beans, fortified cereals, wheat flour and vegetable oil” from the U.N. World Food Programme.
However, if the September harvest also fails, the country could face a famine. Farmers used their profits from last year to buy seed for May’s harvest, but now they must borrow money to buy the seed for September’s. If Nicaragua’s drought continues past September, many farmers fear they will have nothing left.
In June, the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reported that there would be a 90 percent chance of El Niño occurring this summer. However, the Nicaraguan government could do little with that information because the ECMWF lacks the means to predict the phenomenon’s intensity.
It is also worth noting that El Niño’s effects have varied from country to country. Some farmers in other countries, such as mango farmers in Brazil, expect to benefit from the rains that El Niño brings to those regions. This one weather phenomenon brings prosperity to some and destitution to others.
– Ryan Yanke
Sources: New Agriculturist, IPS, World Food Programme, NOAA 1, NOAA 2, World Bank, Time, Fresh Fruit Portal
Photo: OrganicConsumers
Planning Refugee Settlements
Innovative new technologies are changing the way commissioners design shelters for refugees. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has partnered with Stanford University and Ennead, a prominent firm of U.S. architects, to create a new way of designing refugee settlements. This new method accomplishes design prep work in advance, allowing settlements to be mapped out to specifically cater to the region’s needs.
The UNHCR estimated that in 2011, 42 million people were displaced from their homes, 10.5 million of which were refugees who lived in camps. Three years later, that number has topped 50 million. On average, refugees spend 17 years in asylum and camps are increasingly becoming long-term places of residence.
Because of the growing number of refugees and the changing nature of the settlements, the UNHCR decided to “look critically at the process of planning and designing camps.”
UNHCR met with architects from Ennead Laboratories at Stanford University, and this collaboration has turned into a three-year venture with innovative results. The project lead to the creation of an innovative settlement mapping toolkit.
When refugees are pouring over borders, desperately seeking asylum, there isn’t time to labor over designing a refugee encampment. The toolkit developed by Ennead labs gives governments the ability to make a smart choice about where to set up refugee camps.
According to UNHCR’s Monica Noro, “The tool aims to provide more information about whether those sites being proposed are viable or not, and whether or not another option eventually could have a better impact, not just on the life of the refugees but also on the life of the local population.”
Using data maps, Google Earth topography and 3-D printers, proposed camps can be presented in a tangible, easy-to-visualize manner.
The New York Times described the change in camp mapping as “a basic civilizing push toward urbanization that clearly happens even in desperate places –people leaving their stamp wherever they live, making space they occupy their own.”
The Zatari Refugee Camp in Jordan is an example of such a space. Just miles from the border of war-torn Syria, this camp was designed as an informal city, complete with neighborhoods and a growing economy.
Zatari even boasts its own pizza delivery service and a travel agency with pickup service at the airport.
When refugees are living in camps, they are more likely to make a smoother transition from extreme poverty into their new lives.
Smarter planning of settlements assures that refugees are not a burden on the host country, but rather a well-planned asset.
– Grace Flaherty
Sources: IRIN News, NY Times
Kiribati Expected to Sink in Coming Years
One of the many effects of climate change concerns the rising of the world’s oceans. As both climate scientists and one country’s president realize, Kiribati, a low-lying nation in the Pacific Ocean, will likely become non-existent within the upcoming decades.
Kiribati is home to some 100,000 people. Located in the Pacific Ocean between Australia and Hawaii, it consists of 33 small islands and atolls scattered over an area the size of India.
On average, the nation loses 3.7 millimeters of land a year due to rising water. President Anote Tong said the country could be completely uninhabitable within less than 60 years.
In fact, the county has already purchased nearly 6,000 acres of land in Fiji to address economic and food security issues. The government said in a May press release that the land is “an investment by the government to explore options of commercial, industrial and agricultural undertakings.”
Since 1880, global sea levels have risen nearly 10 inches. By the end of the century, scientists believe the seas could rise nearly three feet.
One of the islands in the country is Tarawa, known by most of the world as a World War II battle site among the Japanese and Americans. Because so much of the population lives on top of the island’s main water lens, where fresh drinking water lies, it is difficult for the island’s inhabitants to find a place to defecate. Health officials estimate that nearly 60 percent of Tarawa residents defecate outdoors.
Since the nation may soon be completely submerged, the government has found it difficult to find any substantial investors. In fact, the U.S. does not have an ambassador for the country. Instead, the U.S. ambassador of Fiji also serves Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Moreover, for the Kiribati residents who may choose to evacuate the country in the coming years, the situation may become difficult.
In the past, New Zealand permitted 75 Kiribati citizens into the country each year so long as they met the necessary visa requirements. However, the country recently ruled against a Kiribati man who requested to become a refugee in the country on the grounds of climate change.
Yet, much of the country is increasingly skeptic of climate change due to religious purposes. In a census several years ago accounting for over 90,000 Kiribati citizens, only 23 stated they did not follow a religious practice.
In an interview conducted with Businessweek, Tong said the Western world has not focused enough attention on effects of rising oceans and climate change.
“Ecoterrorism is equal to terrorism,” he said. “This is a kind of terrorism that is more dangerous in one way, because it is treated as legitimate and acceptable. Maybe 10 years ago, they didn’t know what they were doing. But it’s not an excuse any longer.”
– Ethan Safran
Sources: Net Nebraska, Business Week, NPR, NY Times, Kiribati Climate Change
Photo: Net Nebraska
Malaria Vaccine Underway
On Thursday July 24, GlaxoSmithKline asked European Medicine’s Authority to approve RTS,S, its malaria resistant vaccine, for global use. According to scientists, it is the first vaccine to show promising signs of protecting children from malaria.
Malaria plagues 3.4 billion people – in other words – half of the world’s population. It is responsible for 800,000 deaths per year – the majority in children under 5 who live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Until now, no vaccine has been effective enough to quell the endemic. In past trials, the effects of the vaccine are ultimately weakened over time to the point where they are virtually futile. RTS,S, however, is showing promising longevity. It is the first malaria vaccine to reach the regulatory approval.
In the most advanced trial to date, 1,500 infants and children from several African countries were given the RTS,S vaccine. Eighteen months after the last injections, researchers re-examined the young vaccinated children. They found that the vaccine nearly halved the number of cases of malaria. For infants, the drug reduced incidences of malaria by a quarter.
In Kenya, for example, malaria is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Out of a population of 34 million, 25 million are at risk for the disease. For every 1000 children who received the RTS,S clinical drug, 2000 clinical cases were prevented.
Researchers predict that the vaccine has the ability to provide up to 46 percent protection against malaria when given to children between 5-17 months old. The vaccine, coupled with other preventative measures, including insecticide-treated bed nets and anti-malarial drugs, could have a considerable impact on malaria-plagued populations.
GSK is now developing RTS,S in conjunction with the nonprofit PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative with funding support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The goal of PATH MVI is to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines and catalyze timely access in afflicted countries.
Scientists and researchers are hopeful that the vaccine will be approved as early as 2015. Although the drug is still not 100-proof, a licensed malaria vaccine would have profound results. It could dramatically halt the prevalence of this persistent and stubborn disease. For years scientists have experienced a vicious cycle of trial and error when it comes to the malaria vaccine; time and time, they have been forced to come back to the drawing board. This time they are optimistic, and eager to see the billions of lives that will be saved.
– Samantha Scheetz
Sources: WHO, BBC, Gavi Alliance, Kemri.org
Photo: BBC
Yellow Fever in the Developing World
Despite increased understanding of the mosquito-transmitted disease since it presented in the 15th century, yellow fever in the developing world continues to have a widespread effect. The World Health Organize estimates that there are 200,000 cases of yellow fever every year, with 30,000 deaths, 90 percent of which occur in Africa. In Africa and Latin America, 900 million people are at risk of infection as the disease spreads without a cure.
When a mosquito bites a person and transmits yellow fever, there are two paths the disease can take. It will either present as flu like symptoms with fever, aching and nausea, before going away in three to four days. However, 15 percent of patients take the second path. Symptoms worsen rapidly, as the patient develops jaundice, bleeding and increased vomiting. Half of these patients die within 14 days, and those who survive suffer from severe organ damage.
The fight against yellow fever is challenging for a few reasons. For starters, in the early stages, it is difficult to diagnose the disease, as its symptoms are similar to diseases like malaria, viral hepatitis and poisoning. Once the disease can be identified, it is often too far along to effectively control.
Additionally, yellow fever has no treatment. Though it can be prevented, there is no vaccine to cure it. Patients are often treated for secondary conditions that result from yellow fever, which can be effective in helping the patient survive the disease.
Despite the lack of treatment, there are myriad methods to prevent yellow fever. The GAVI Alliance, which has brought together the efforts of the WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and various other governmental agencies, has been successful in administering preventative vaccines worldwide. Since GAVI got involved, an estimated 64 million children have had the vaccine, and 17 of the 33 countries at risk have received routine vaccinations.
In addition to vaccination, protection from mosquitoes can be effective in preventing yellow fever, whether it be insecticide treated nets, clothing that covers as much skin as possible or remaining indoors at night when the mosquitoes are in abundance.
The WHO has been involved beyond its participation in the GAVI Alliance, acting as Secretariat for the International Coordinating Group for Yellow Fever Vaccine Provision. The ICG is adamant about maintaining a stockpile of yellow fever vaccinations in case of a sudden outbreak. Additionally, the WHO along with UNICEF and national governments has led the Yellow Fever Initiative which focuses its vaccination efforts in Africa, targets infants younger than nine months and works to monitor outbreaks to minimize damage.
Preventing yellow fever is very much dependent on efficient healthcare and sanitation, things that are difficult to achieve in impoverished areas. The efforts of GAVI, as well as the individual organizations, are crucial to control the number of yellow fever cases every year.
– Maggie Wagner
Sources: Gavi Alliance, NCBI, WHO
Photo: Gavi Alliance
The Charitable Efforts of AmeriCares
Currently very active in the global health community, AmeriCares is a nonprofit organization that provides medical and humanitarian aid in response to crises all over the world. The organization was started in 1982 by Bob Macauley after witnessing the impact of delivering medical supplies to Poland while it was under martial law in 1981, and has worked to make a difference ever since. AmeriCares strives to help anyone they can without discrimination, hoping to provide people with the resources and help they lack.
AmeriCares works in over 90 countries, with a long history of involvement in emergency response and resource distribution. In the past, the organization has lent a hand in the conflict between Darfur and Sudan in 2004, the 2008 earthquake in China and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The response consisted mainly of delivering medical supplies pertinent to the crisis at hand.
AmeriCares is currently involved in a slew of emergency relief efforts, working to save lives around the world. Recently the organization has been working in South Sudan in response to the Cholera that has infected over 1,800 people.
After sending an emergency shipment of medical supplies to Sudanese refugees in Uganda, AmeriCares has been working to distribute the supplies and get people the help they need. They will be sending a second shipment with enough supplies to support 20,000 people to another organization leading relief efforts in South Sudan. The organization has also provided medical assistance for cholera outbreaks in the past in areas like Haiti, Kenya, Somalia and Sierra Leone.
AmeriCares has also had its hand in supporting those in danger by sending $800,000 worth of medical aid to people in North Korea. The country has been subjected to food shortages and natural disasters, as well as isolation that keeps them from acquiring the resources they need in order to survive.
The organization works domestically as well, assisting with relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy and the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010. With a large base of donors and partner organizations with similar goals, AmeriCares is able to reach out to people at home and abroad.
– Maggie Wagner
Sources: AmeriCares, Stamford Daily Voice, Yonhap News Agency
Photo: Charity Navigator
Blurred Lines: Humanitarian vs. Military Aid
Since the end of World War II and the success of the Marshall Plan in bringing European countries back from the rubble, the United States has lead humanitarian efforts worldwide. When violence and suffering has broken out in various countries, the U.S. has played a central role in addressing the situation.
However, in many instances, the line that divides humanitarian and military responses to crises around the world has been blurred. As the global relief system emerged from a response to post-war years, it is understandable that the military plays an important role in delivering aid to countries facing political struggles or natural disasters.
In 1955, the humanitarian aid system began to expand in response to liberation struggles in new nations. Large groups of people facing displacement required immediate responses from powerful nations to survive. Militaries had the necessary training, discipline and self-supporting manpower to respond to these various disasters.
However, military responses to humanitarian crises can sometimes have unintended results. Transferring modes and doctrines used in post-war Europe to conflict and natural disasters in the third world has proven to be inappropriate or even counterproductive.
“Provision of tents to victims of an earthquake or hurricane often delayed reconstruction and failed to address critical land issues. Construction of refugee camps for famine victims drew people away from their land, making agricultural recovery nearly impossible and creating an even larger relief requirement. Massive inoculations were not only inappropriate but, when applied incompletely, they often broke down the people’s natural immunities, actually increasing their risk to disease.”
Beside these secondary effects, the use of military in humanitarian aid operation leads to a more complex issue: the lack of sufficient funding for humanitarian assistance. Militaries are usually the most accessible for providing emergency relief. However, this does not mean they are the most cost effective. In some instances, these expenses are compensated for by decreasing funding for the actual civilian humanitarian operations.
A common belief is that the cost of military intervention in humanitarian aid is borne by the military itself. But usually, the military is reimbursed by the country’s department or ministry in charge of foreign aid operations. This means that funding is taken away from civilian lead humanitarian aid. It also turn out that the cost of humanitarian operations increases when the military is involved in relief efforts.
Today, more than ever, the military remains involved in humanitarian aid. While this kind of intervention is vital in some instances, it carries hidden costs and produces unintended, harmful consequences in most cases.
– Sahar Abi Hassan
Sources: PBS, USA Today
Photo: USA Today