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
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 openings@borgenproject.org.
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 hr@borgenproject.org 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 hr@borgenproject.org 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 hr@borgenproject.org 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
Ukraine Elections Shift Toward West
In a groundbreaking decision in the nation’s post-Soviet history, the Ukraine elections resulted in their first majority pro-European parliament. For the greater part of the last 300 years, Ukraine has operated under Russian or Soviet ruling; the results of the election tilt the country’s diplomatic affairs further away from Russia.
Many attribute the dramatic switch to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s elimination of Crimea and Donbas from elections. Those two regions historically have provided a solid pro-Russian vote. However, Crimea remains annexed and Donetsk insurgent controlled, stripping pro-Russian parties of their voting base.
Crimea’s annexation didn’t just remove pro-Russians from the voting process, it changed public opinion of eligible voters, as well. According to a poll by the International Republican Institute, in September 59 percent of Ukrainians favored membership in the EU and only 17 percent in the Customs union of Russia. Just a year ago, those figures were 42 percent and 37 percent, respectively.
Exit polls indicated that many voters cast their ballots out of concern that the current parliament was corrupt and incompetent.
This monumental shift creates an opportune climate for relations with the EU and the U.S., while presenting great challenges for the Ukraine.
According to Daniel Runde of Forbes Magazine, Ukraine will need new trading partners. Twenty-five percent of Ukraine’s energy comes from Russian oil. Russia is now demanding Ukraine pay back its $3.1 billion debts and prepay for future oil supplies. It appears the EU will administer two loans to the tune of $965 million to help cover these costs. This makes clear that Ukraine will need to start exploring alternative sources of energy.
Despite the fact that the country still remains very culturally woven to Russia, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko says he hopes to join the EU within six years. Many Europeans argue a ten-year timeline is more realistic.
Runde argues that more successful ties between western Europe and the Ukraine will require more than political efforts. Culturally mirroring the political shift toward western Europe requires Peace Corps involvement in the Ukraine, more student exchanges between the regions and more western teachers working in the country.
– Gabrielle Sennett
Sources: The Guardian, Forbes, Washington Post, WSJ
Photo: NBC News
Church World Service
For about 66 years, the Church World Service (CWS) has been feeding the hungry and helping the most vulnerable populations in the world. The organization came about after World War II, with the churches of the United States realizing the dire need for humanitarian assistance and providing billions of pounds of food, clothing and medical supplies to war-stricken areas of Europe and Asia.
CWS consists of over 35 Christian denominations and communions that target areas ranging from agriculture, health, disaster relief, refugee resettlement, food production and water sanitation. The overarching goal of the organization is to eradicate hunger and poverty by collaborating with many local partners to create a sustainable environment.
Today, the work of CWS can be seen all over Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa. The organization strongly believes that development begins at the grassroots and that the citizens of the world must be empowered and self-sufficient.
In Indonesia, CWS worked with Two Degrees Food, among other organizations, to create a food security and nutrition program for local farmers. The project introduced sustainable agricultural methods to Indonesian farmworkers called Permaculture, also known as Permanent Agriculture. Some training involved making their own fertilizer and pesticides so crops could be protected properly and efficiently.
Consequently, food supply has seen a dramatic increase. Yance Banunaek, a female farmer, explains that the newly implemented program has allowed her family to eat a variety of vegetables. Banunaek states, “Before the assistance, sometimes my family would have no vegetables with our meal or only one type of vegetable, but the program has now helped my family to eat more nutritious foods.” She also says that she is able to sell her leftover vegetables in the markets, generating more income to feed her family and send her children to school.
– Leeda Jewayni
Sources: Church World Service, ActAlliance
Photo: Church World Service Harrisonburg
Tanzania’s Generation Z Sets Global Goals
Malinzanga Village’s primary school educates the countries future leaders. How do we know this? Within minutes of asking 14-year-old children what their priorities of their families and communities were, they had named many key elements of new development goals. The key elements described by these children of Generation Z were things like access to more food, more community support to end poverty and better healthcare. All these issues are current topics that many representatives of every nation in the world are discussing right now.
With the help of Happy, a local youth activist from Restless Development, ONE co-founder Jamie Drummond spoke to 15 teenagers about what they would like to see happen for their country. Restless Development started in 1985 and its main mission is to help the younger generation take a leadership role in speaking up about important issues that face their countries and the world. Happy’s background with Restless Development proved to be helpful in motivating these kids to act on their ideas. Not only did these children give great suggestions on improving certain issues but they also have inspired Malala, Desmond Tutu to take these suggestions and put them in their open letter to world leaders.
With the recent Ebola outbreak, it has only reminded Generation Z that the impoverished health systems of Africa are fragile and often are the site where most of the tropical pandemics take place. The Ebola epidemic has led to a great deal of anxiety, but this crisis fuels the flames of desire to address the issues that are needing attention and these teenagers see the future optimistically.
As the year 2014 comes to an end, the coming new year holds a lot of promise for ending poverty entirely or at least getting close. With the letter sent out to the world leaders warning them about making the right decisions for 2015, ONE and the kids from Malinzanga Village primary school gave their suggestions and hopefully, these get taken into account and change can finally take place.
– Brooke Smith
Sources: ONE, Restless Development
Reviving Mozambique’s Coconut Groves
A little over three years ago, the trees in Mozambique’s coconut groves began to develop brown spots. The leaves would then turn yellow and the coconuts would prematurely drop to the ground. At the end of three to six months, the top half of the tree would break off and fall to the ground.
Coconut Lethal Yellowing Disease
Coconut Lethal Yellowing Disease has been the cause of the trees’ deaths. The disease is spread by the rhinoceros beetle, who buries its larva into the fallen trees and saplings. Now, just three years later an estimated half of Mozambique’s coconut trees have been destroyed. With the bark stripped, the groves now look like matchsticks sticking out of the ground. The only known cures are to plant resistant varieties of palm.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organization Mozambique was the largest producer of dried coconut meat in 2011, producing over 62,000 tons yearly. All of which are either exported, turned into coconut oil or consumed locally. It is estimated that Zambézia province, alone, has losses of over $4 million in exports each year.
Some measures have been taken to halt the spread of this disease. This past year the U.S. has aided 277,000 farmers through the Millennium Challenge Account financing the Farmer Income Support Project. This measure cleared 600,000 acres of infected trees and replaced them with 780,000 seedlings.
Concern Worldwide
Even with aid, the coconuts that are being harvested are nowhere near the sustainable quantities of the past, nor are they the same size. Due to the young age of many of the trees, the coconuts are noticeably smaller.
While everything is being done to save the current coconut economy, many are urging the country to start looking for new cash crops, so the country is not overly reliant on one crop. Concern Worldwide, a nonprofit organization, is providing seeds, tools and training throughout Zambezia Province to cultivate tomatoes, sweet potatoes and lettuce as well as staple crops like sorghum and rice.
All of these plants have thrived in Africa’s climate, but Barbara Hladka, an agronomist working for Concern, believes that the plant with the biggest potential to replace the lost income from coconut sales is sesame seeds. “We are seeing buyers coming to some of the most remote communities in Zambezia to purchase sesame directly from growers for as much as 40 meticais ($1.30) per kilo,” said Hladka. “This is much higher than what farmers used to sell coconuts for.”
This new wave of agro-economics, or the process of growing different crops to bring to market, has caught on fast to help many afford the opportunity to work their way out of poverty. It is a successful worldwide trend endorsed by many of the NGOs working in Africa, India and China.
– Frederick Wood II
Sources: InterAction, Macau Hub All Africa
Photo: Huffington Post