How much should I donate? It’s a common question. Even if you have sworn off Facebook and eschew trendy news sites, you have most likely heard about or even witnessed the Ice Bucket Challenge, a social media craze that has resulted in more than $10 million being raised for the ALS Association. The nonprofit, which devotes its time and money to resolving amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (otherwise called Lou Gherig’s Disease), is benefiting from a challenge that tasks participants with donating $100 to ALS or pouring a bucket of ice water on themselves.
While people may simply relish vaguely altruistic deeds or experience a rush from partaking in the same event as Bill Gates and Kermit the Frog, contributing to the Ice Bucket Challenge can accomplish both an admirable goal and leave you better off financially at the end of the year.
The ALS Association’s designation as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization enables people to write off their monetary contributions on their tax forms. While there are numerous rules dictating how much you can donate, as long as the donations are made to the right organization, you can receive a significant tax break.
Let’s say you make $30,000 for your Adjusted Gross Income, or AGI, or net income. If you make a $15,000 monetary donation to the ALS, you can deduct $15,000 from your taxable income/AGI.
Still not clear? Let’s delve a little further. Your AGI is separated into different brackets. The amount you are taxed depends on your marital status, whether you are filing jointly and if you are the head of the household. For our purposes, you are single and making $30,000, slightly greater than the per capita average income from 2008-2012 in the U.S.. Using the tax percentages from 2011, you would pay 10 percent of the first $8,500 and 15 percent for the next $21,500. That means you owe $4,075 in taxes this year.
If you included a $15,000 cash donation to an eligible charity, the greatest amount possible, you would decrease your AGI to $15,000. Overall you would now owe $1,825 in taxes. While you don’t receive a 1:1 tax reduction for charitable donations, Trent Hamm from The Simple Dollar calculates that donations lead to a 25 percent return.
While donating fifty percent of your income to a charity may be a reach, keeping track of all your small donations throughout the year can add up. If you have ever donated old clothes to Goodwill, books to a library or money to a church, you can write them off as charitable contributions so long as you provide documentation.
There are many, many rules to tax-deductible charitable donations, the most important of which is determining a charity’s eligibility. Generally churches, nonprofits and any organization bearing a 501(c)(3) designation qualify as recipients. If you are still unsure, the IRS provides a search tool that documents which organizations are eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.
There are also rules about how much you can donate. As discussed previously, cash donations to public organizations may reach up to 50 percent of your AGI. Any additional donations can carry forward for up to five years. Private organizations have different rules and may only constitute 30 percent of your AGI.
For non-cash donations, the IRS permits goods in “good condition or better” to be deducted at their fair market value or the price at which both the buyer and seller agree.
Documentation is needed in these instances as well. Even if you give money, stocks or used goods to a qualified organization, you must provide an itemized list of the donations, proof that the transaction occurred and acknowledgement from the receiving organization if the price of the item exceeds more than $250. Items in excess of $500 must file form IRS Form 8283. Donations in excess of $5,000 may require a qualified professional to appraise their value.
Finally, motive plays a factor. Forbes journalist Tony Nitti wrote an article that examines donor intent and tax breaks. He assures readers that as long as the amount you deduct from your taxes does not exceed the benefits received from donating in the first place you are fine. For example, if you donated $100 to a charity dinner, but the dinner itself was worth $50, then the most you could deduct would be $50, not $100.
Donations to charities may seem like a desirable but imprudent decision to many people. However, if executed wisely and documented clearly, donations can benefit both the donor and the recipient. In short, you can donate however much you would like to charities, but do your research first if you want to guarantee a return on your taxes.
– Emily Bajet
Sources: ALS Association, How Stuff Works, IRS 1, IRS 2, Charity Navigator, TurboTax, MoneyChimp, The Simple Dollar, U.S. Census, Forbes, About Money
Photo: which country?
Anti-Malaria Group Rallies on World Mosquito Day
Since 1897, August 20 has been a particularly important date for those in the developing world. On this day, British scientist Sir Ronald Ross made the breakthrough discovery that malaria, the deadly disease that kills 600,000 to one million people each year, was not caused by “bad air,” but rather by the female anopheles mosquito. His findings became the foundation for all scientific research and efforts to eradicate the widespread pandemic. And while institutions commemorate and celebrate Ross’s discovery with World Mosquito Day, anti-malaria groups perceive August 20 as a yearly reminder that the battle against mosquitoes continues.
Flash forward 117 years from 1897 and people are still dying from mosquitoes, with 3.4 billion people, or nearly half of the world’s population, at risk of malaria. According to the World Health Organization, there have been about 207 million malaria cases and an estimated 627,000 malaria-related deaths, particularly in poor countries in Africa. While virtually all of these deaths could be prevented by mosquito control and early treatment, malaria remains the fifth-leading cause of death from infectious diseases globally.
But since Ross’ discovery, increased malaria prevention and control measures have dramatically reduced the disease’s burden in many regions. Malaria mortality rates have fallen by 42 percent globally since 2000 and 49 percent in Africa, where 90 percent of the world’s malaria deaths occur. Cures and solutions such as artemisnin-based combination therapy drugs, insecticidal protection nets and indoor residual sprays have contributed to these decreased rates.
While people have been talking less about “malaria control” and more about “eradication,” it is clear that we are still far off from completely ridding the world of malaria parasites. But on World Mosquito Day, anti-malaria groups are organizing rallies to draw attention to the fight against malaria and empower those most at-risk to participate and take action.
In Cameroon, the NGO Malaria No More sent junior ambassadors to the country’s capital city to lead a raucous World Mosquito Day street rally. While some ambassadors dig out sewage trenches to prevent mosquitoes from breeding, others promote music, dancing and speeches to produce a celebratory atmosphere. Children are quizzed about malaria and given mosquito nets in exchange for right answers.
This is only a small part of Malaria No More’s efforts to diminish malaria outbreaks in Cameroon. In 2011, the organization launched NightWatch, a program that reminds Cameroonians to sleep under their mosquito nets through nightly television and radio advertisements, billboards featuring Cameroon’s celebrities and two hit songs about malaria by popular musicians.
Malaria No More also established a system to ensure that clinics are always supplied with malaria tests and treatments, known as SMS For Life. The initiative allows health workers to report stock levels of life-saving malaria medications before they run out to reduce the frequent shortages through simple cell phones.
A crucial role in Malaria No More’s mission to save lives from malaria in Cameroon and other African countries is advocacy. With cost-effective malaria interventions contributing to a 48 percent global decline in malaria deaths, the organization seeks to raise awareness and galvanize support among policymakers and businesses leaders for funding and policies needed to end the fight.
For Malaria No More, August 20 is another opportunity to increase recognition of the persistent disease and the millions that suffer from it. Olivia Ngou of Malaria No More claims that “maybe giving mosquitos as much publicity as the diseases they cause will help,” while encouraging other organizations and anti-malaria projects to draw attention to World Mosquito Day.
While we can celebrate how much progress we have made in the global battle with malaria, it is important to remember that mosquitoes will not become extinct any time soon.
– Abby Bauer
Sources: Global Post, Malaria No More, WHO
Photo: Blogspot
How Much Should I Donate?
How much should I donate? It’s a common question. Even if you have sworn off Facebook and eschew trendy news sites, you have most likely heard about or even witnessed the Ice Bucket Challenge, a social media craze that has resulted in more than $10 million being raised for the ALS Association. The nonprofit, which devotes its time and money to resolving amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (otherwise called Lou Gherig’s Disease), is benefiting from a challenge that tasks participants with donating $100 to ALS or pouring a bucket of ice water on themselves.
While people may simply relish vaguely altruistic deeds or experience a rush from partaking in the same event as Bill Gates and Kermit the Frog, contributing to the Ice Bucket Challenge can accomplish both an admirable goal and leave you better off financially at the end of the year.
The ALS Association’s designation as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization enables people to write off their monetary contributions on their tax forms. While there are numerous rules dictating how much you can donate, as long as the donations are made to the right organization, you can receive a significant tax break.
Let’s say you make $30,000 for your Adjusted Gross Income, or AGI, or net income. If you make a $15,000 monetary donation to the ALS, you can deduct $15,000 from your taxable income/AGI.
Still not clear? Let’s delve a little further. Your AGI is separated into different brackets. The amount you are taxed depends on your marital status, whether you are filing jointly and if you are the head of the household. For our purposes, you are single and making $30,000, slightly greater than the per capita average income from 2008-2012 in the U.S.. Using the tax percentages from 2011, you would pay 10 percent of the first $8,500 and 15 percent for the next $21,500. That means you owe $4,075 in taxes this year.
If you included a $15,000 cash donation to an eligible charity, the greatest amount possible, you would decrease your AGI to $15,000. Overall you would now owe $1,825 in taxes. While you don’t receive a 1:1 tax reduction for charitable donations, Trent Hamm from The Simple Dollar calculates that donations lead to a 25 percent return.
While donating fifty percent of your income to a charity may be a reach, keeping track of all your small donations throughout the year can add up. If you have ever donated old clothes to Goodwill, books to a library or money to a church, you can write them off as charitable contributions so long as you provide documentation.
There are many, many rules to tax-deductible charitable donations, the most important of which is determining a charity’s eligibility. Generally churches, nonprofits and any organization bearing a 501(c)(3) designation qualify as recipients. If you are still unsure, the IRS provides a search tool that documents which organizations are eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions.
There are also rules about how much you can donate. As discussed previously, cash donations to public organizations may reach up to 50 percent of your AGI. Any additional donations can carry forward for up to five years. Private organizations have different rules and may only constitute 30 percent of your AGI.
For non-cash donations, the IRS permits goods in “good condition or better” to be deducted at their fair market value or the price at which both the buyer and seller agree.
Documentation is needed in these instances as well. Even if you give money, stocks or used goods to a qualified organization, you must provide an itemized list of the donations, proof that the transaction occurred and acknowledgement from the receiving organization if the price of the item exceeds more than $250. Items in excess of $500 must file form IRS Form 8283. Donations in excess of $5,000 may require a qualified professional to appraise their value.
Finally, motive plays a factor. Forbes journalist Tony Nitti wrote an article that examines donor intent and tax breaks. He assures readers that as long as the amount you deduct from your taxes does not exceed the benefits received from donating in the first place you are fine. For example, if you donated $100 to a charity dinner, but the dinner itself was worth $50, then the most you could deduct would be $50, not $100.
Donations to charities may seem like a desirable but imprudent decision to many people. However, if executed wisely and documented clearly, donations can benefit both the donor and the recipient. In short, you can donate however much you would like to charities, but do your research first if you want to guarantee a return on your taxes.
– Emily Bajet
Sources: ALS Association, How Stuff Works, IRS 1, IRS 2, Charity Navigator, TurboTax, MoneyChimp, The Simple Dollar, U.S. Census, Forbes, About Money
Photo: which country?
Nepal’s Health Care: A Growing Concern
Nepal is ranked 157 on the World Health Organization’s 2013 Human Development Index. It is one of the toughest countries in the world to provide health care access. This is due in part to geography as Nepal is situated in the Himalayas and hosts eight of the ten tallest mountains in the world and to the inability of the government to provide adequate services.
With a 25 percent poverty rate to contend with, and a 10-year-long insurgency which spread instability throughout the country and exacerbated poverty, the people of Nepal have had to rely on international aid and community resources for health care.
One nonprofit in particular is working to improve Nepal’s health care and harnesses the inherent reliance the people have on each other. Mark Arnoldy is the 27-year-old founder of Possible Health, an organization that works to provide health care to people in the most challenging of environments.
“We want to work through a network of partners to build a health care model such that the poor around the world can really have high quality low-cost health care regardless of where they were born,” Arnoldy explains.
Located primarily in Nepal’s rural regions, the organization has connected 173,469 Nepalese people to health care since 2008.
USAID is also working in Nepal through programs created exclusively for the country. For example, the Program for the Enhancement of Emergency Response, or PEER, helps reduce health risks after natural disasters.
Himalayan Healthcare is another nonprofit which seeks to fill in the gaps left by unstaffed and undersupplied government programs. President of the Himalayan Healthcare Board, Dr. Robert McKersie, understands the importance of community support in Nepal.
A community center is successful, explains Dr. McKersie by “having input from the local stakeholders from day number one.”
This is a philosophy that Dr. McKersie believes the U.S. could learn from as well in its debate over government involvement in health care.
Himalayan Healthcare’s co-founder, Anil Parajuli, summarizes the situation in Nepal: “Rural Nepal, almost universally, has mostly rudimentary health care services which are inadequate but still go a long way if caring village health providers are available.”
— Julianne O’Connor
Sources: World Bank 1, World Bank 2, Forbes, Business Fights Poverty
British Jihadists in Syria
A recent video showing ISIS extremists beheading American journalist James Foley has caused global disturbance, not only because of the brutal act but also because the executioner was speaking with a British accent.
The Islamic State—deemed by several experts to be more fanatical than al-Qaeda—has been recruiting British-born militants, and it is estimated that between 400 and 500 British jihadists have traveled to Syria to fight. While dozens have been killed during conflict, half are believed to have returned to Britain.
A video released by ISIS entitled “There is No Life Without Jihad” includes testimonies by three British members. One said, “The cure for depression is jihad…. Feel the honor we are feeling, feel the happiness we are feeling.” Another maintains that jihad is an Islamic duty, and a common thread among militants is a sense of devotion to the “call of duty.” Briton Nasser Muthana elaborated on this devotion to ISIS, saying, “We will even go to Lebanon and Jordan with no problems, wherever our Sheikh (ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi) wants to send us.”
Even within the United Kingdom, sentiment for jihad is strong in certain communities and across social media. One British Muslim man admitted to the BBC he was planning to fight with ISIS to fulfill a religious obligation: “God has commanded for the Muslims to go and fight jihad.” He added that to die as a martyr would be a blessing and a victory, and that it would guarantee the “highest paradise.”
But there has been backlash by a majority of the British Muslim community against extremists. Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, said Muslims condemned the actions of ISIS. He added that terrorists have distorted the tenets of Islam to justify their gratuitous violence. The Muslim Council of Britain proclaimed similar sentiments.
But how are British jihadists traveling to Syria and Iraq, and why can’t the British government prevent it? The BBC reports that most fly to Turkey and cross over the inadequately protected border into Syria and Iraq. Britons evade suspicion by claiming they are vacationing abroad or participating in humanitarian work, when in fact bogus aid agencies serve as a front to transport funds, resources and fighters in and out of Syria.
Once in the country, Britons can also meet up with organized jihadist networks that have the capacity to transport new militants to fighting zones. Traveling to Iraq and Syria remains legal, but if a British citizen is found to have joined ISIS and participated in violence he can be prosecuted and sentenced to life in prison.
A large proportion of Western jihadists report traveling to the Middle East to join more moderate Islamic groups, but then being coaxed into joining ISIS by well-funded recruiters. Extremist social media also reinforces propaganda of adventure, brotherhood, faith and a fight against injustice. In addition, once involved in a terrorist group such as ISIS, it becomes difficult to extricate oneself physically and psychologically.
Jason Burke, journalist for The Guardian, said, “The environment of a group such as Islamic State, created around a cult of extreme violence and a worldview that dehumanizes all outside the organization, can quickly turn an individual from a misguided insurgent into a pitiless terrorist killer, more than happy to execute a defenseless hostage with a knife, on camera.”
– Mari LeGagnoux
Sources: The Independent, The Week
Iraqi Christian Refugees in France
ISIS continues to spread terror in Iraq and Syria as the Islamic extremist group targets non-jihadist Muslims, Christians and all ethnic and religious others who do not agree with the creation of an Islamic state. Millions of Iraqis have been murdered or displaced, many of them seeking asylum in European countries.
Last week, France welcomed 40 Iraqi Christian refugees whose lives were in immediate danger in their home country. The refugees in France flew from Arbil, the capitol of the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Several hundred more Christians living in the Levant – a region including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, the island of Cyprus and part of southern Turkey – are expected to find shelter in France within the next month.
The Islamic extremists have been demanding that everyone convert to jihadist Islam. The alternative is torture or death. An estimated 1.2 million people in Iraq alone, not including the once-residents of contested territory in Syria, have moved from their homes and livelihoods in search of security.
In a recently uploaded Youtube video, an Iraqi man and woman who were transferred to a safer country spoke in anonymity about their fears.
“This is the last chance for us, because we don’t have anything,” the woman said. “We don’t have houses. We don’t have work. I have lost everything. I have lost my job. I was a teacher and now I am nothing.”
The man followed by confessing loss at ISIS’s egregious tactics and mission, then hope for a future in which his family is not plagued with perpetual anxiety.
“They [ISIS] rape women and girls and kidnap people,” he said. “We have Muslim friends who are very nice, but we don’t know why the jihadists are doing this. We’re just Christians is all. We’ll start from scratch. It’s going to be hard for us, but it’s going to be better for us than living under threatened security, always cautious, everywhere in Iraq.”
Shuttling everyone at imminent risk to a haven in France is a priority, but Iraqis who have an ongoing relationship with Europe are being favored by French officials. Iraqis who have relatives in France or who have been to France before will be given preferential treatment.
The planes that bring refugees to Europe have been carrying humanitarian aid items such as foodstuffs and medical supplies to Iraq on their way there. The planes utilize proactive round trips in Europe’s struggle against ISIS; and the round trips will likely continue.
Laurent Fabius, the Foreign Minister of France, said that the total number of refugees in France could reach “several thousand” by the time ISIS has stopped accumulating territory.
This marks the increasingly active role Europe and the developed world has taken to quell ISIS and end its reign of terror.
– Adam Kaminski
Sources: YouTube, BBC
Photo: GDE-FON
Limiting Post-Harvest Loss in Supply Chain
“Over 30 percent of all food produced in the world human consumption every year—which amounts to a staggering 1.3 billion tons of food—gets lost or wasted,” writes Jessica Ernst, of the Initiative for Global Development.
Consumers and producers at all levels are responsible for the waste. Citizens of higher income countries routinely buy more food than they can eat, while developing countries lose food due to harvest, storage and cooling issues as well as poor infrastructure.
One-fourth of the food lost every year would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people.
Dutch Agricultural Development & Trading Company is one company that is harnessing its power to contribute to a more effective use of crops.
Cassava is a root that is native to South America, but has existed in Africa for centuries. One of the issues in producing cassava is that once harvested, it has a limited amount of time to be processed and “split” before it spoils.
DADTCO introduced a technology called the Autonomous Mobile Processing Unit which travels to villages in sub-Saharan Africa during their harvest season so cassava can be processed on sight. DADTCO’s long term goal is to see cassava being used by national and international consumer and industrial products instead of other higher-priced materials.
Another private sector initiative is financed by the Rockefeller Foundation. The Initiative for Global Development received a grant from the Foundation to investigate the issue of post-harvest loss in agriculture supply chains, specifically in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria.
Helen Mant, vice president of the Initiative for Global Development, explains her initiative, “We hope to identify market-driven solutions as well as opportunities for private sector partnerships that have the potential to significantly reduce post-harvest loss.”
As the world population grows, and demand for food rises, it is not production rates that need to go up. Companies are realizing that more effective ways of processing, distributing and consuming food need to be established, and the private sector is in a unique position to do so.
– Julianne O’Connor
Sources: Business Fights Poverty, Initiative for Global Development
Photo: CNN
Poverty in Film: Kombit
The film was produced in response to a Sundance Film Institute’s challenge to filmmakers. The institute had partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and was looking for short films that showed people overcoming poverty.
Directors Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman traveled to Port-au-Prince and unearthed a story about one community’s successful project in the post-earthquake context.
Of Cité Soleil, one of the film’s interviewees says the common perception is that the area is “hell,” but this perception ignores how people struggling to live there manage to get by. For example, in this “hell” people have developed a community garden, called Jaden Tap Tap, that has “considerably changed the view that nothing can work in Cité Soleil,” according to the aforementioned interviewee.
Initially, some denizens of Cité Soleil had started a soccer club to foster amity in the community, but many young people said they were too hungry to play soccer. Tactics were changed then, and Jaden Tap Tap was started.
First, some community members appropriated a spot that criminals had been using to covertly execute people, clearing the area to make it suitable for gardening. That was in 2006; now, Jaden Tap Tap is the largest urban garden in Haiti.
The garden has become a recourse for those in need. People can notify the garden manager, Blan, of their needs and stop by to harvest greens, carrots, olives or other produce. One interviewee said, “Thanks to the plants in the garden, like the olive tree, we fight malnutrition.”
“Look at my baby,” he continued. “He’s healthy.”
Jaden Tap Tap has inspired many Haitian families to begin growing their own food—thereby improving their food security and reducing malnutrition in a country where malnutrition is the leading cause of death for children five and younger. Even the smallest gardens, which are grown in car tires, help alleviate some of the burden of poverty.
– Ryan Yanke
Sources: Youtube, The Celebrity Cafe, Time, Partners in Health
Photo: Flickr
Barbara Bush Advocates for Africa
While many recognize Barbara Pierce Bush for her legacy as the child and grandchild of two United States Presidents, the Yale graduate is carving a name for herself in the global health advocacy community. Having traveled several times to Africa in her adolescence, former first lady Barbara Bush was inspired by the trips and has dedicated her post-collegiate career to helping solve the global health crises on the continent.
Upon having seen the devastation of AIDS and malaria in Africa, Bush has followed a philanthropic path to help raise awareness and treat patients. Upon noting the large demand for medicines that were easily accessible and affordable in the U.S., Bush saw an opening for young professionals to be trained and to assist others.
As the CEO and co-founder of Global Health Corps, Bush has mobilized a series of health professionals to address global health inequalities. In conjunction with non-governmental organizations as well as national government health departments, Global Health Corps is addressing the challenges that poverty creates in addressing some of Africa’s most preeminent health crises.
All of the Global Health Corps Fellows are under the age of 30, and Bush is investing in and training a new generation of global health advocates. In the past five years alone, nearly 500 fellows have participated in the Global Health Corps as they partnered with local medical facilities in over 12 countries.
Though there are many medically trained professionals to assist in the field, Bush sees policy making to be another field of possible improvement. Though the Global Health Corps aligns with national governments, there is still room for improvement in terms of resource allocation and public assistance. A large percentage of the fellows work in various African nations, some are allied with partner organizations in the U.S. to help influence access to healthcare and change abroad.
— Kristin Ronzi
Sources: AARP, KTEP, Global Health Corps
Photo: Kansas City Public Media
GlobeIn: Helping Artists in Developing Countries
Qiyas Ergashev, a carpenter in Arslanbob, Kyrgyzstan, builds houses for a living. In his spare time, he crafts wooden gifts—nut crackers, containers, cups, etc.—for foreigners who visit his city. He aspires to make more money from his woodcraft, but he lacks the means to market his products to a larger audience.
A San Francisco startup called GlobeIn has solved Qiyas’s problem.
GlobeIn is an online marketplace that allows users to buy goods that were handmade by people in remote parts of the world. Chief Executive Vladimir Ermakov has said that his business aims to “bring local artisans to the global market.” GlobeIn’s website has been described as “Etsy with a decidedly international feel to it.”
Site users can search for artisans by region, country or craft medium. Artists from over forty countries are represented on the site, selling a panoply of items that range from musical instruments to jewelry to furniture and more.
GlobeIn’s method is simple but effective. The company employs “Artisan Helpers” who travel to the artisans’ locations. During their meeting with a helper, an artistan gets their photograph taken, tells the helper about him or herself (for marketing purposes) and learns how to use any required technologies.
Afterward, the artisan’s work is posted on the website, immediately introducing him or her into the global marketplace. GlobeIn profits by marking prices up anywhere from 5 percent to 25 percent—a form of commission.
In 2013, the company raised more than $1 million in order to develop new platforms, like its newly launched iOS app, which allows users to quickly search for and purchase crafts from around the world.
Investors included former IBM executive Doug Maine, as well as renowned author and physician Deepak Chopra. This latter investor also convinced Ermakov to shift his company’s marketing strategy away from a more traditional approach toward a storytelling approach. Now, each artisan’s website profile includes both his or her work and a short biography.
Chopra said he chose to invest in GlobeIn partly because of the company’s potential to “eradicate poverty.”
Indeed, GlobeIn seems uniquely capable of improving the standard of living for a traditionally impoverished group in developing countries—the craftspeople.
For example, the poorest denizens of the Indian state of Bihar rely on their “traditional cultural industries” for their livelihood. If these people could access the resources needed to market their cultural products to a global audience, their income could increase substantially. GlobeIn is actively providing these sorts of populations with the requisite resources.
Thus, as GlobeIn’s website suggests, the world is now open for business.
– Ryan Yanke
Sources: GlobeIn, A G & CO, Tech Crunch, Forbes , World Bank
Photo: Barjeel Art Foundation
Food Insecurity Among Syrian Refugees
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees recently reported that around 74 percent of Syrian families who have fled into Lebanon face food insecurity. With the refugee population in Lebanon expected to increase about 36 percent by next January, aid organizations are moving quickly to secure enough food for each Syrian family.
Conflict in Syria is the problem’s driving force. Heavy bombardments in Syria force refugees into Lebanon out of fear for their safety.
The influx of refugees strains Lebanese host communities, many of which lacked educational and economic resources even prior to the sudden population increase. Since the onset of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, Lebanon’s CPI has increased from values in the sixties to the current level of 100.61 Index Points—a reflection of the strain placed on Lebanese consumers. The influx creates challenges for farmers in Lebanon as well, as demonstrated by 2012‘s shortfall of 55,000 mt of cereal.
Despite all of this, the Lebanese government has not broken its commitment to 1951’s Geneva Convention: its borders have remained open. In Lebanon, Syrians can access education and health services, and 70 percent of those families who register with the UNHCR can obtain food vouchers regularly.
But assistance has on the whole been inadequate to ensure Syrians meet their physical needs. Syrians have struggled to make up the difference themselves. Nearly 20 percent of refugees lack jobs, and the average daily income of families has hovered around U.S. $15 per day. It has been estimated that families need $300 a week to meet their needs, so average incomes are far from sufficient at this point.
Food vouchers provide some relief, but rising food prices have reduced their efficacy.
However, even though the food security situation in Lebanon needs improvement, one must recognize the even worse situation in Syria. Speaking of her life in Syria, one woman from Yabroud said, “We couldn’t afford to buy anything, my children were living on bread.” She added, “They used to cry a lot from hunger.”
With such a powerful driving force as hunger, refugees will surely continue to pour into Lebanon from Syria. Since Syrians will rely primarily on organizations other than the Lebanese government for aid relief, now is perhaps an especially effective time to donate to aid organizations working in Lebanon. Organizations to consider are Doctors Without Borders, World Vision, CARE, the UNHCR and UNICEF—along with many others.
– Ryan Yanke
Sources: Trading Economics, World Food Programme, ShanghaiDaily, UNHCR, CNN
Photo: flickr