Though similar to malaria in its mode of transmission, dengue fever is its own monster. With up to 400 million people infected every year, dengue has been a leading cause of illness and death worldwide since the 1950s. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.5 billion people around the world are at risk of contracting dengue fever.
Dengue is spread through the bite of a female Aedes aegypti mosquito, a species that seeks out prey during the daytime. The mosquito has recently spread to areas in North America and Europe, though it typically resides in tropical areas. Its presence in tourist destinations like Puerto Rico have caused a global spread, and put more people at risk.
Upon contracting dengue, symptoms present in a manner similar to the flu with high fever, headache, aches and pains and vomiting. The secondary symptoms require immediate treatment to ensure that dengue runs its course without escalation.
However, in developing countries where adequate medical care is unavailable, dengue fever escalates to dengue hemorrhagic fever, which is characterized by more extreme symptoms including hemorrhaging. This can then lead to dengue shock syndrome, and in 50 percent of shock cases there is a fatality.
There is no vaccine or treatment for dengue fever, but there are many preventative measures that can be taken to minimize infection. Insecticide can prevent transmission of the virus, as can mosquito nets and clothing that covers exposed skin. Additionally, proper disposal of waste and trash can cut down on mosquitoes.
While in developed countries dengue fever is very survivable, usually lasting between two and seven days, this virus hits the developing world much harder. Not only is there a higher prevalence in many impoverished tropical areas, they are also least equipped to prevent and handle dengue fever when it occurs.
The presence of such a debilitating and sometimes fatal disease worsens the poverty conditions in a country, in which a community needs resources and money to better protect themselves from the disease. Before that can happen, they need to be able to establish a healthy community to begin the transition out of poverty. This vicious cycle is difficult to overcome, making organizations like the World Health Organization instrumental in keeping these countries afloat.
The WHO assists in minimizing the burden of dengue fever by supporting “countries in the confirmation of outbreaks through its collaborating network of laboratories,” providing “technical support and guidance to countries for the effective management of dengue outbreaks,” and a slew of other helpful measures.
Raising awareness about the causes of dengue fever, as well as how to prevent it in the first place, is the first and most important step toward minimizing outbreaks, especially in the developing world. With the assistance of humanitarian organizations and the training of medical professionals to better respond to the virus, dengue fever will become a more manageable virus with fewer fatalities.
— Maggie Wagner
Sources: CDC, WHO, MedicineNet.com, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
Photo: NY Times
5 Ways to Fight Poverty with Your Wedding
It’s summer. That means wedding season and wedding season means thousands of couples will be getting married across the country. If you, like them, are in love and about to walk down the aisle, here are five ways you can fight poverty with your wedding:
1. Forgo traditional gifts.
Use your big day to fight poverty by asking guests to donate money to advocacy organizations such as The Borgen Project. Follow these instructions on how to set up a page to donate your wedding.
2. Register with fair trade companies.
If you are financially unable to forgo gifts, then make a fair trade registry and make sure your gifts have a purpose and are ethical. Companies such as Amani ya Juu, Serrv and Ten Thousand Villages offer registries you can use to support impoverished workers from Kenya to Guatemala to Vietnam.
3. Have a dollar dance.
In many cultures, the bride and groom traditionally have a dollar dance where they tell guests they can pay a dollar or two to dance briefly with the bride or groom. Pick a few fun songs and set up baskets on both sides of the dancefloor. Donate the money from your dance to your cause of choice.
4. Take a responsible, eco-friendly honeymoon.
Every time you travel, you have the opportunity to help the people around you. Take a honeymoon that not only makes memories for you and your spouse but also creates a better place for locals to live. Use websites, like Responsible Travel,to make sure you support conservationism and human rights while you “travel like a local.” Companies, like Tribes, plant trees on your behalf and guarantee living-wage incomes to local employees.
5. Give to charities instead of favors.
Instead of giving your guests personalized candles or bags of coffee, make donations in their names to The Borgen Project or nonprofits like it. Through Heifer International, you can donate shares of larger animals for $10 to $85 or flocks of chicks for $20. Your wedding could provide eggs from hundreds of chickens to impoverished families across the world.
– Sally Nelson
Sources: The Borgen Project, Amani, Serrv, Ten Thousand Villages, Responsible Travel, Tribes, Heifer International
Photo: Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Sentences Activist
On July 6, Judge Yusuf bin Gorm Allah Al-Ghamdi of the specialized terrorism court in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia sentenced human rights activist, Waleed Abu al-Khair to 15 years in prison following his remarks on social media and to the press.
Having convicted the well-known lawyer of six counts including “seeking to disarm the state legitimacy,” the Court also imposed a 15-year international travel ban post-release and ordered Abulkhair to disband his Monitor for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia and to pay the equivalent of a U.S.$53,000 fine. The activist refuses to sign or appeal the verdict as he will not recognize the legitimacy of the Court.
The Monitor – an organization he founded – issued a statement saying, “Waleed Abulkhair insists the illegitimacy of the court and assures this judge is not impartial. The Monitor for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia confirms that this is the price Abualkhais was expecting as a result of his defense of human rights and standing with the oppressed.” The Saudi Government has not registered the group nor licensed Abulkhair as a lawyer.
The U.S. State Department joined human rights groups in saying, “The United States is troubled…” with the verdict and that “We urge the Saudi government to respect international human rights norms…”
The Court convicted Abulkhair under the Laws for the Crimes of Terrorism and its Financing that came into force earlier this year, likely out of fear of the spread of the Arab Spring. Although King Abdullah continues to introduce civil law in his kingdom, critics suggest little has changed except now the monarchy has another tool with which to pursue its own interests. The monarchy has also sought to curb the threat of social media as a new outlet for dissent.
In 2011, the government jailed three Saudis for two weeks after they posted a video online showcasing poverty in Saudi Arabia. The oil-rich country closely regulates the figures on poverty and inequality within its borders, but an estimated two to four million of the country’s 28 million people live under the Saudi Arabian poverty line, and an estimated quarter of all Saudis meet the definition of “poor.”
While the government has invested in programs for the Saudi poor, the monarchy pockets millions of dollars each year. Saudi Arabia ranks 57 out of 187 on the Human Development Index, and its Gross National Income has decreased by 34 percent since 1980.
Abulkhair’s wife, Samar Badawi, told Amnesty International she was “honored to be the wife of this free and noble defender” who has been detained since April.
– Erica Lignell
Sources: Monitor for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, U.S. Department of State, Human Rights Watch, New York Times, UNDP, The Guardian, Amnesty International
Photo: Alkhabar Now
Luis CdeBaca: Trafficking Progress
During a recent Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on forced labor and modern-day slavery, Luis CdeBaca affirmed that countries in East Asia and the Pacific have made progress combatting human trafficking.
“Are we making progress?” asked Sen. Benjamin Cardin.
Luis CdeBaca, ambassador-at-large for the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, responded that improvements were clear despite some discouraging facts highlighted by the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report.
The first half of the hearing focused on this report, which was released in June. The report assigns tier rankings to countries based on their meeting or failing to meet set standards to stop trafficking. During the hearing, Sen. Cardin expressed his concern that, according to the report, 10 countries remained tier 2, perhaps indicating a lack of progress. CdeBaca noted that progress still occurred in these countries, but it was not significant enough to warrant an upgrade yet. He likened this progress to the difference between a “B that is an 80 and a B that is an 89,” in terms of the grading system of American schools.
CdeBaca’s testimony lauded in particular the Republic of Korea, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands for legislation passed to improve their legal capacity to fight human trafficking. China, Burma and Thailand saw improvements as well, but these were counterpoised and perhaps overshadowed by other shortcomings. Timor-Leste, Malaysia and North Korea were each singled out as countries severely hindering efforts to eliminate trafficking.
Tuesday’s hearing comes nearly one month after the Guardian reported fishing boats off Thailand were using slave labor to produce prawns sold in the U.S. and UK. CdeBaca pointed out that Thailand has been downgraded in its tier ranking mostly because of labor trafficking, rather than sex trafficking, issues—emphasizing to the Thai government the need to aggressively address forced labor.
Other witnesses at the hearing also commented on issues related to the forced labor crisis in Thailand. Both Jesse Eaves, the Senior Policy Advisor for Child Protection at World Vision, and Neha Misra, the Senior Specialist for Migration and Human Trafficking at the Solidarity Center, spoke of forced labor generally as a system in which men, women and children are led into slavery through the deception of employment agencies hired by (potentially American) companies. Misra also discussed in depth the supply chain issues that lead U.S. consumers to inadvertently support forced labor in foreign countries.
“U.S. companies have not done enough to prove to consumers that their supply chains are not tainted with forced labor,” Misra stated in her testimony.
— Ryan Yanke
Sources: Foreign Relations 1, Foreign Relations 2, The Guardian
Photo: Irrawaddy
Drought Increases Malnutrition in Kenya
Out of the 8.5 million people facing crisis and emergency food security conditions in East Africa, more than 1.3 million live in Kenya, reported the World Food Programme. These crisis conditions are expected to worsen as the drought in the country continues, exacerbating current hunger and malnutrition in Kenya.
This June, the European Union (EU) granted Kenya $6.5 million for drought crisis preparedness, in an attempt to push back against further crisis and famine from severe droughts across East Africa. “It is designed to deliver a quick response from the Agency to Counties in the lead up to and in the event of an official drought being declared in order to mitigate its destructive effects,” the EU said in a press release. This emergency money will be used to dig new and rehabilitate existing wells, build food storage and educate Kenyans against starvation-driven conflict.
“Drought and the impact on food supply is a real and increasing problem for hundreds of thousands living in the arid areas of Kenya,” said Erik Habers, Head of Development at the European Union in Kenya, in the release. Hunger in parts of Kenya, especially amongst the pastoral tribes, will likely reach a crisis-point before September, as crops grown before the drought begin to run out. “Well below average March to May long rains in the southeastern and coastal marginal lowlands are likely to lead to a below average maize harvest,” reads a report by Famine Early Warning Systems Network.
As the food crisis escalates, Kenyan deaths and illness associated with malnutrition will likely increase. Recent pre-crisis numbers, reported in the Star, indicate that 41 percent of children in urban areas and 35 percent of children in rural areas experience stunted growth from malnutrition. “The nutritional status of children in urban areas in Kenya is worse than that of rural areas,” said Elizabeth Kimani, a public health specialist with the Africa Population Health Research Centre.
These escalating food shortages not only impact Kenyan impoverished people, but also paint a bleak future for the thousands of South Sudanese refugees fleeing from violence and starvation into the Turkana region of northern Kenya.
Drought-stricken Kakuma, Kenya, is facing further crisis, now, as 20,000 Sudanese refugees have joined then 110,000 residents of a refugee camp already thousands past official capacity, local health official Robert Ewoi told NBC News. “The hunger situation has been growing from bad to worse as water pans have dried up, relief supplies diminished and local residents left to fend for themselves,” said Ewoi. Even areas without a constant stream of refugees remain in a fragile, near-crisis state. “What you are seeing is that people are being knocked off their feet by one shock and not quite able to get back on their feet before the next one hits”, said Nicholas Cox, of the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, to The Lancet.
Because the original vulnerability that left those people in famine remains ignored, Cox said, they fall into crisis with the next shock, be it famine, war or political instability.
-Sally Nelson
Sources: StarAfrica, The Lancet, The Star, United Nations Children’s Fund, World Food Programme
Photo: EarthTimes
MDGs Still Need Improvement
As the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals quickly approaches, the UN is encouraging governments around the world to intensify their efforts on the goals that have seen little or no progress since 2000. The main goals that still require significant attention are reducing maternal and child deaths and increasing access to improved sanitation facilities.
There have been several successes in these areas so far. In the past 20 years, the number of children dying before the age of five has dropped by nearly 50 percent. The global maternal mortality ratio has dropped by about 45 percent. It is estimated that 3.3 million deaths due to malaria have been prevented. Additionally, the goal of improving access to safe water globally has been met.
The 2014 report put out by the UN, which is based on data from 2010 to 2014, claims that many other goals are still attainable if current trends and efforts continue.
However, there are some goals that do not seem feasible any longer. Only half of pregnant women in developing countries are getting the appropriate number of prenatal checkups. Diarrhea and pneumonia are still prevalent in many countries and are the main causes of death in children under five. In the past four years, 162 million children were not receiving proper nutrition. Finally, sanitation facilities are not as available as they should be, even in middle-income countries; more than one billion people are still required to resort to open defecation.
Andy Haines, a public health expert and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom, said that the results of these goals are a “mixed picture of major advances towards some goals and worrying shortfalls in progress in the case of others.”
The Millennium Development Goals that are furthest from completion are the ones relating to women: gender equality and reducing maternal and child deaths. Last year, UNICEF claimed that at the current rate, the goal of reducing maternal and child deaths by two-thirds will not be achieved until 2028.
Seven out of the nine regions throughout the world that are participating in the MDG have not reached the goal of reducing maternal and child deaths. Three of them, Oceania, Southern Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, are not expected to achieve this particular goal, and others may fall short as 2015 approaches.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recognizes the progress made thus far, but also the need for continued efforts. He said, “The concerted efforts of national governments, the international community, civil society and the private sector have helped expand hope and opportunity for people around the world. But more needs to be done to accelerate progress. We need bolder and focused action where significant gaps and disparities exist.”
By learning from the flaws of the Millennium Development Goals, the UN and fellow organizations have already begun work on the next set of goals called the Sustainable Development Goals. These goals will incorporate a wider span of topics that were not in the MDG, such as economic and environmental issues.
– Hannah Cleveland
Sources: The Guardian, Science Development Network
Photo: Unicef
USAID Invests in Ugandan Private Sector
USAID attempts to artificially prop up Uganda’s floundering public health care system have fallen flat, largely due to Uganda’s unwillingness to accept foreign aid. USAID has responded by investing in the Ugandan private sector instead.
After signing the internationally condemned anti-homosexuality bill into law, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni declared that, “Uganda is a rich country that does not need aid, because aid is in itself a problem.”
However, it is President Musevni’s mishandling — and at times flat-out denial — of foreign aid funds that has proven to be the more menacing problem. About three quarters of Uganda’s public health spending comes directly from foreign aid, but that money has largely been squandered.
A recent World Bank survey revealed that the majority of all Ugandan public sector health workers were not showing up for work, and life-saving drugs were frequently out of stock.
Currently, only two percent of the population has health insurance. As such, health care is a major expense to Ugandans, who spend an average of 22 percent of their incomes on health care. The situation is even more dire for the poorest members of the population who are often forced to sell their assets in order to pay their medical bills.
While public health care must certainly play a central role in the future of Uganda’s health system, the private sector represents a promising alternative. Given the misuse of USAID’s previous investment in the public sector, the organization is now looking for a better way to improve the quality of health care in Uganda.
With an investment of only $315,000 from USAID, the organization has worked with local banks to open $10 million in private lending earmarked for the Ugandan health sector. Through a process of risk-mitigation and direct loans to local medical centers, USAID has managed to significantly bolster the Ugandan private health sector over the course of a mere three years.
One of the loans — amounting to about $25,000 — was given to Rhona Medical Center. The Medical Center used the loan to purchase new, state-of-the-art equipment as well as to hire additional personnel. As a result, the revenue for the facility doubled and the amount of patients receiving higher quality service increased fourfold.
Success stories like that are cropping up all across Uganda. In time, greater competition and a renewed faith from local banks mean that private health care will become a more viable option to the lower class of Uganda.
USAID already has plans to use a similar private partnership to guarantee loans for young girls’ school fees, and future USAID projects in Uganda will likely take cues from the early successes investing in the private sector.
Given Uganda’s unwillingness to accept foreign aid, circumventing the Ugandan government entirely may prove to be the most effective method to support Ugandan development. It appears that the success of USAID’s investment in the private sector of Ugandan health care may signify a paradigm shift in the international community’s approach towards aid in Uganda.
— Sam Hillestad
Sources: USAID Blog, Health Market Innovations
Photo: Hydro World
Refugees Attempt Entry into EU
Thousands of refugees attempt entry into the European Union by crossing the Mediterranean Sea using unstable equipment, driven by their desperate seeking of asylum. Within the first months of 2014, over 500 refugees have died on this trek, a number that enrages many leaders within the EU.
Few of the 28 states that comprise the EU allow more than a few thousand refugees. Some countries demonstrate extreme generosity, however, “Today around half of the (EU) countries have said that they would engage in resettlement from Syria. I think all 28 (EU member states) should,” says an EU official.
To date, Europe has accepted a mere 100,000 refugees from the three-year-long civil war conflict in Syria in comparison to Syria’s neighbors where over three million displaced people have found safety and solace.
Should the EU provide faster approval and more open regulations for refugees, events such as the discovery of 30 deceased refugees in the middle of the Mediterranean could be prevented. This horrific finding left much of the EU dismayed. Prior to the finding, many were unaware of the need.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom spoke openly about the increasing number of people in need, announced at a news conference that the “European Asylum Support Office (EASO), which said the number of people applying for asylum in the EU rose 30 percent to 435,760 in 2013, the highest figure since the EU began collecting data in 2008,” drawing attention to the problem many EU officials have slid under the rug for many years. The rapid increase demonstrates the necessity for EU members to alter their refugee application processing procedures.
Malmstrom goes on to acknowledge, “we have in our immediate neighborhood a very worrying situation, in Syria of course, Iraq, Ukraine and several parts of North Africa.” He voices concern for areas of conflict that the EU could potentially intervene in should refugee applications be accepted.
Countries like Syria and Russia sit atop the list with the highest entry requests to the EU, Syria sending in 50,495 applications and Russia with around 41,000 pleas for help. Both countries experience severe demonstrations of lack of human rights, Syrians and Russians are among many who search for the same open door.
By the end of 2013, there were over 352,000 people awaiting answers from the EU regarding entry. In order to tackle the human rights violations occurring in multiple areas, the EU must attend to these people and offer them the safety they cannot find elsewhere.
— Elena Lopez
Sources: Reuters, Euractiv 1, Euractiv 2, Kuwait News Agency
Photo: UN News Centre
All About Dengue Fever
Though similar to malaria in its mode of transmission, dengue fever is its own monster. With up to 400 million people infected every year, dengue has been a leading cause of illness and death worldwide since the 1950s. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.5 billion people around the world are at risk of contracting dengue fever.
Dengue is spread through the bite of a female Aedes aegypti mosquito, a species that seeks out prey during the daytime. The mosquito has recently spread to areas in North America and Europe, though it typically resides in tropical areas. Its presence in tourist destinations like Puerto Rico have caused a global spread, and put more people at risk.
Upon contracting dengue, symptoms present in a manner similar to the flu with high fever, headache, aches and pains and vomiting. The secondary symptoms require immediate treatment to ensure that dengue runs its course without escalation.
However, in developing countries where adequate medical care is unavailable, dengue fever escalates to dengue hemorrhagic fever, which is characterized by more extreme symptoms including hemorrhaging. This can then lead to dengue shock syndrome, and in 50 percent of shock cases there is a fatality.
There is no vaccine or treatment for dengue fever, but there are many preventative measures that can be taken to minimize infection. Insecticide can prevent transmission of the virus, as can mosquito nets and clothing that covers exposed skin. Additionally, proper disposal of waste and trash can cut down on mosquitoes.
While in developed countries dengue fever is very survivable, usually lasting between two and seven days, this virus hits the developing world much harder. Not only is there a higher prevalence in many impoverished tropical areas, they are also least equipped to prevent and handle dengue fever when it occurs.
The presence of such a debilitating and sometimes fatal disease worsens the poverty conditions in a country, in which a community needs resources and money to better protect themselves from the disease. Before that can happen, they need to be able to establish a healthy community to begin the transition out of poverty. This vicious cycle is difficult to overcome, making organizations like the World Health Organization instrumental in keeping these countries afloat.
The WHO assists in minimizing the burden of dengue fever by supporting “countries in the confirmation of outbreaks through its collaborating network of laboratories,” providing “technical support and guidance to countries for the effective management of dengue outbreaks,” and a slew of other helpful measures.
Raising awareness about the causes of dengue fever, as well as how to prevent it in the first place, is the first and most important step toward minimizing outbreaks, especially in the developing world. With the assistance of humanitarian organizations and the training of medical professionals to better respond to the virus, dengue fever will become a more manageable virus with fewer fatalities.
— Maggie Wagner
Sources: CDC, WHO, MedicineNet.com, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease
Photo: NY Times
New Fish Drying Method Feeds Burundi
A new fish drying method pioneered by a tiny U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization project in Burundi has had tremendous results. Instead of laying the sardine-like ngagala in the hot sand, raised racks were implemented to dry the fish. This simple strategy has cut fish waste by half, created employment for hundreds of Burundians and caused a boost in the economic prospects of fishing.
Ndagala have been a staple of the Burundian diet for centuries. With some 60 percent of Burundians currently lacking the essential amount of protein in their diets, the nutrients from ndagala are a precious commodity.
However, before the FAO project, the ndagala drying process was wasteful, inefficient and extremely physically taxing.
The old method of drying the fish took place on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi. Women laborers would lay the ndagala on the sand to dry in the sun, where they were easy targets for animals and ran the risk of being trampled and contaminated.
According to the FAO, around 15 percent of the fish catch was lost or spoiled during the drying process.
But 10 years ago, with the help of Burundi’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, FAO launched a project in a village called Mvugo. This project installed 48 cheap wire-mesh racks suspended a meter above the ground, offered training and distributed leaflets on how to build the racks.
The benefits of this tiny project were almost immediately apparent.
This new method reduced drying time from three days, to only eight hours. The racks protect the fish from animals, and can be covered from the rain to prevent spoilage. Workers need not bend over to spread and turn the fish, reducing the physical toll of the labor.
The overall quality of the fish improved. According to rack owner Domitien Ndabaneze, “Our fishes are of a good quality without small gravel or stones and they are dried in hygienic conditions. With our products, customers are no longer concerned with eating sandy fish.”
The price of fish has more than doubled, from 4,000 Burundian francs in 2004 ($2.5/kg), to 9000 ($6/kg) in 2013. The increasingly lucrative trade has attracted more men workers, and the total acreage dedicated to fishing on the shores of Lake Tanganyika has expanded dramatically.
Manufacturers of the racks have sprung up on the coastline, and thanks to the increased shelf life of the fish they can be transported inland to feed other Burundi villages.
This impactful project is an example of how small-scale solutions can have large-scale benefits. The FAO plans to continually promote and strengthen the use of drying racks in countries such as Kenya, Uganda and Zambia, in hopes that more villagers will experience the life-improving benefits of this simple invention.
–Grace Flaherty
Sources: FAO, UN
Photo: UN
Hunger in Tajikistan
Hunger in Tajikistan is a major challenge. The World Food Programme reports one third of the country is affected by food insecurity, while the World Bank casts Tajikistan as the poorest former Soviet country in the Central Asian region. Only seven percent of the land in Tajikistan is capable of producing food, and that number is reduced by consistently harsh winters. Low-income combined with reduced access to food means thousands in Tajikistan go hungry.
After achieving independence from the Soviet Union, Tajikistan fell into civil war in the 1990s and the result was high levels of hunger and poverty that permeate the country to this day. AnneMarie van den Berg is the Deputy Country Director in Tajikistan for the WFP. She explains the WFP sponsored school feeding programs which combat hunger in Tajikistan.
“Tajikistan is a landlocked country and a net importer of food, which means that the country has been particularly hard hit by the high food and fuel prices,” AnneMarie describes why Tajikistan is suffering.
The WFP program provides hot meals for primary school children in the areas hardest hit by the food crisis. Beginning in 1999, 5,000 school children were served meals. By the 2007-2008 academic year, that number had increased to 265,000 primary school children. Another program was also implemented which rewards attendance for secondary school girls with food to take home to their families, 105,000 girls were able to take advantage of that in the 2007-2008 school year.
The effect has not only been higher nourishment levels among the children, but also higher concentration and school performance. Many children come to school without having had anything to eat, and find it difficult to maintain focus throughout the day. Both teachers and parents agree the hot meals provided by the WFP improve the children’s education quality.
The school feeding program directly impacts the lives of children such as Matona, age 10, and her brother Hofiz, age 9. Matona and Hofiz live in Kalai-Sheikh, a village in eastern Tajikistan. On March 21 the children, with the rest of the country, celebrate Navruz, the Central Asian New Year. They are particularly excited about the traditional Navruz dish, Sumalak. In school, Matona and Hofiz water wheat seeds on metal plates and watch as they grow into green shoots.
“The greatest joy of all for Mastona and Hofiz on this holiday is the return of their father, Firuz Bekov, from Moskow. Firuz is one of the half-million Tajik migrants in Russia working as laborers to send money home to their families,” writes the WFP.
— Julianne O’Connor
Sources: The Examiner, World Food Programme 1, World Food Programme 2, Global Voices
Photo: The Feed