In 2005, Clay Castrission took a trip to a remote Indian village. His trip, in combination with his study of law at the University of Sydney, inspired him to combat poverty in developing countries. As Castrission has said, he left the village by making “a very, very vague promise to build them a school.” Five years later, Castrission fulfilled his promise and more by starting the 40K Group.
The cost of building the vaguely promised school would have been $40,000. Thus, the name of Castrission’s humanitarian project became “40K.” By raising 10 times his original goal in just five years, Castrission’s efforts have helped increase enrollment levels and effectiveness of primary education in India.
The 40K Group is a compilation of three initiatives, each based in Australia, seeking to provide relief in developing areas of India. The first sector of the 40K Group is the 40K Foundation. The Foundation organizes after-school programs called “40K PLUS” for primary school-aged children.
All 40K PLUS programs are supplied with tablets that have educational math and reading programs. The children use the tablets during the after-school programs to supplement their in-school education. Through the reinforced learning, the students become more successful in school. Successful students are less likely to drop-out of school, which is good news for the Indian educational system which currently has one of the highest drop-out rates for primary school-aged children (42 percent).
40K PLUS is also good news for students in rural India, where only 2.2 percent of children have access to computers in school. The 40K Foundation exposes children to technology while supplementing the lessons that they are learning in school already.
The best news of all: the families of children enrolled in 40K PLUS pay one dollar per month for complete use of the Foundation’s services. Therefore, most families can afford to send their children to the after-school programs.
Of course, one dollar a month per enrolled child is not enough to sustain all of the “pod” centers for 40K PLUS in India. For this reason, many of the programs are supported by donations from the 40K Group’s other two sectors: 40K Globe and 40K Consulting.
40K Globe runs a program that sends students from Australian universities and other young Australians to India for one month at a time to experience life as an intern in the field of social business. The hope of 40K Globe is that participants will learn more about why helping developing nations is so important, and that the skills they learn in India will allow them to combine future business endeavors with philanthropy.
40K Consulting is a program that teaches pre-existing Australian businesses to use their products and wealth to help in India. Similar to the skills taught by 40K Globe, the consulting program teaches big business leaders how to integrate social missions into their business’s goals.
In the coming five years, the 40K Group hopes to educate 6,000 Indian children through its various programs. The 40K Foundation is currently in the process of comparing students’ test results from 2013 with those of 2014 to determine the success of the after-school programs in India. If success rates are high, the 40K Group may expand their outreach to one or two more developing countries that are struggling to provide primary education to children.
— Emily Walthouse
Sources: 40RTYK, Pro Bono Australia, 40RTYK Globe, UNICEF
Effects of Hunger on Education
Increased funding for education in developing countries is a chief concern of foreign aid efforts. Providing a child with an appropriate education gives him or her the tools to be more successful later in life and, consequently, the potential for economic mobility. Unfortunately, enrolling children in formal schooling does not guarantee that they are retaining the information from lessons. What is one of the most prominent obstacles hindering the child’s learning process? Hunger. The effects of hunger on education are startling.
Chronic hunger can prevent students from making the most of a formal education, no matter how hard they try to ignore its effects. The sad truth is that hunger can have physical and psychological effects on young people that make learning substantially difficult.
The Crippling Effects of Hunger on Education
Food is the fuel necessary to get through a normal day. Calories in food provide energy to carry out regular day-to-day activities. Without an adequate amount of this energy, students may fall asleep in school or lack the energy to pay attention to an entire day of classes.
The brain, like the lungs, heart, arms and legs, is a part of the human body. It requires energy to function properly. Children experiencing hunger are more likely to have problems with memory and concentration because they do not have the energy to carry out these functions. Malnutrition can tamper with sleeping patterns as well, making a child too tired to get anything out of a full day of school.
Additionally, the brain develops rapidly at a young age. Without the right nutrients, the brain cannot develop properly, resulting in long term effects on learning abilities.
Malnutrition makes children more susceptible to illnesses. Certain vitamins and minerals are needed to maintain a strong immune system, but, many times, poverty cuts off an individual’s access to these nutrients. Starving children get sick and cannot attend school. Because their immune systems are weak already, they cannot return to a healthier state for a while. Children cannot learn from an in-school education when they are absent for an extended period of time.
Studies from the American Psychological Association reveal the psychological effects of hunger on education. Hunger has been observed to cause depression, anxiety and withdrawal, all of which are obstructions to a child trying to focus on education.
Hunger can also cause behavioral problems. In a classroom setting, a single child’s behavior can affect the rest of the students, the teacher’s attention and the overall learning atmosphere. In this case, hunger not only disturbs the affected child’s learning, but the learning of others as well.
Food, more specifically nutrient-rich food, is necessary for a school-aged child to make the most of a formal education. Though foreign aid efforts to increase funding for educational programs are extremely important, their effects may not have a significant impact if the problem of hunger is not addressed first.
– Emily Walthouse
Sources: The Food Effect, Livestrong(1), Livestrong(2), Livestrong(3), Imagine Learning
Photo: CBC
Agriculture Appropriations Bill Bolsters US Food Aid
The House of Representatives recently passed an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Bill which will improve the United States’ international food aid. The amendment, authored by U.S. Representative and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce (R-CA), provides funds for the Local and Regional Purchase Program. This program allows the U.S. to buy food closer to afflicted areas and reduce transit time and costs as a result. Representative Royce’s amendment provides $10 million for the program and reduces fundraising for the Agricultural Marketing Services which utilizes taxpayer money to administer food advertising campaigns. In a statement about the amendment’s passage, Royce stated, “It is crucial that the United States has the tools to respond to humanitarian crises while stretching our food aid dollars further.”
It is estimated that 925 million people globally suffer from malnutrition and hunger. That number is roughly three times the size of the U.S. population and a strong indication that hunger is a global health risk. The World Bank estimates that 44 million people have been impoverished since mid-2010 due to recent increases in food prices. This estimation coincides with shrinking foreign aid budgets among developed countries — a result of both fiscal conservatism and slow recovery from the 2008 financial crisis.
Goal one of the eight United Nations Millennium Development Goals established in 2000 is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. This goal came after the Food Aid Convention of 1999 which served as a formal agreement among donor countries to contribute to world food security. It also established minimum annual commitments among member countries. The U.S., with an annual commitment of 2,500,000 metric tons, has the largest commitment.
In fiscal year 2009 alone the U.S. provided $2.9 billion in food assistance to developing countries, which included approximately 2.8 million metric tons of food which reached 70 million people.
The recently-passed amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Bill is a strong indicator that many of the leading political figures in the U.S. are willing to maintain this level of international support. However, as the global economy continues its slow recovery, foreign aid will continue to be a source of contentious debate both at home and abroad.
– Taylor Dow
Sources: House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Food Aid, Bread.org, USAID
Photo: Newsela
Aid Impact of Religious Organizations
For a long time faith-based organizations have played an important role in foreign aid. One of the great advantages brought by these organizations is their ability to connect their congregations in developing countries with their counterparts in industrialized nations. But is there really a difference between the contributions of secular versus religious organizations with regard to foreign aid?
Partnerships with faith-based organizations based in countries affected by poverty, natural disasters and other crises has been key in providing access for development agencies and NGOs in these countries. Some would even argue that without faith-based organizations the flow of aid would be halted to a minimum. This argument is supported by the notion that religious individuals or groups find it much easier to translate compassion into action.
However, this argument loses some of its strength if we consider aid not as a charity, but as an investment. What is more, there are certainly large secular organizations such as Doctors without Borders or Oxfam that have made a huge impact on poverty alleviation.
There is certainly a premise within religious indoctrination that drives to donate for charitable causes. It is even specifically included in the various religious customs and traditions. However, this does not necessarily mean that there would be no aid without faith-based organization.
According to Fiona Fox, founding director of the independent press office Science Media Centre, to improve people’s lives is as much the mission of science as it is of religion. There are countless individuals and groups who do not abide by any religion, and who work arduously to fight hunger and poverty.
In fact, an expanded definition of aid which includes the work of institutes such a the Welcome Trust and the Medical Research Centre dedicated to finding solutions to many health problems in the developing world shows that faith-based organizations do not stand alone in fighting the human plight.
It is difficult to support the idea that there would be no aid without religious organizations. However, it would also be unfair to assume that these organizations do not do their fair share of the work. In the end, it should not matter how much is contributed by a faith-based versus a secular organization, but taking note of the real impact and what kind of results are being generated by both.
– Sahar Abi Hassan
Sources: Center for American Progress, The Guardian 1, The Guardian 2
Photo: opbronx
InterAction: A Voice for Global Change
InterAction is a coalition of U.S.-based international non-governmental organizations dedicated to improving the lives of the world’s poor and most vulnerable. It has 190 members working in every developing country to expand opportunities and support gender equality in the areas of health care, education, agriculture and small business, among others.
Their membership is wide and inclusive, including faith-based groups, secular groups, advocacy-focused groups, or groups focused on public education and other media education related to international issues. While different, all work toward common goals.
All members of InterAction share a set of common values that drive their work: to “foster economic and social development, provide relief to those affected by disaster and war, assist refugees and internally displaced persons, advance human rights, support gender equity, protect the environment, address population concerns, and press for more equitable, just and effective public policies.”
In 2013, in alliance with FedEx, InterAction launched “The FedEx Award for Innovations in Disaster Preparedness,” aimed at promoting and sharing ideas about preparedness and emergency relief. The award will recognize innovative strategy in preparing for vulnerabilities and dealing with emergency situations.
Moreover, as the largest coalition of its kind, InterAction hosts a wide array of educational and training events, development related research and disaster data all available on its website. In recent years, InterAction has published over 5000 documents with findings and policy recommendations about the successes of various development strategies in developing countries and disaster relief measures.
InterAction’s work has been sub-divided into four main categories: international development, accountability and learning, humanitarian action, and policy and advocacy. This makes its work wide-ranging, going from the goal to improve social and economic conditions for the worlds poorest, to relief activities to alleviate suffering during critical moments.
– Sahar Abi Hassan
Sources: InterAction, PreventionWeb
What 40K Means for Education in India
In 2005, Clay Castrission took a trip to a remote Indian village. His trip, in combination with his study of law at the University of Sydney, inspired him to combat poverty in developing countries. As Castrission has said, he left the village by making “a very, very vague promise to build them a school.” Five years later, Castrission fulfilled his promise and more by starting the 40K Group.
The cost of building the vaguely promised school would have been $40,000. Thus, the name of Castrission’s humanitarian project became “40K.” By raising 10 times his original goal in just five years, Castrission’s efforts have helped increase enrollment levels and effectiveness of primary education in India.
The 40K Group is a compilation of three initiatives, each based in Australia, seeking to provide relief in developing areas of India. The first sector of the 40K Group is the 40K Foundation. The Foundation organizes after-school programs called “40K PLUS” for primary school-aged children.
All 40K PLUS programs are supplied with tablets that have educational math and reading programs. The children use the tablets during the after-school programs to supplement their in-school education. Through the reinforced learning, the students become more successful in school. Successful students are less likely to drop-out of school, which is good news for the Indian educational system which currently has one of the highest drop-out rates for primary school-aged children (42 percent).
40K PLUS is also good news for students in rural India, where only 2.2 percent of children have access to computers in school. The 40K Foundation exposes children to technology while supplementing the lessons that they are learning in school already.
The best news of all: the families of children enrolled in 40K PLUS pay one dollar per month for complete use of the Foundation’s services. Therefore, most families can afford to send their children to the after-school programs.
Of course, one dollar a month per enrolled child is not enough to sustain all of the “pod” centers for 40K PLUS in India. For this reason, many of the programs are supported by donations from the 40K Group’s other two sectors: 40K Globe and 40K Consulting.
40K Globe runs a program that sends students from Australian universities and other young Australians to India for one month at a time to experience life as an intern in the field of social business. The hope of 40K Globe is that participants will learn more about why helping developing nations is so important, and that the skills they learn in India will allow them to combine future business endeavors with philanthropy.
40K Consulting is a program that teaches pre-existing Australian businesses to use their products and wealth to help in India. Similar to the skills taught by 40K Globe, the consulting program teaches big business leaders how to integrate social missions into their business’s goals.
In the coming five years, the 40K Group hopes to educate 6,000 Indian children through its various programs. The 40K Foundation is currently in the process of comparing students’ test results from 2013 with those of 2014 to determine the success of the after-school programs in India. If success rates are high, the 40K Group may expand their outreach to one or two more developing countries that are struggling to provide primary education to children.
— Emily Walthouse
Sources: 40RTYK, Pro Bono Australia, 40RTYK Globe, UNICEF
New Restrictions for Chinese Journalists
The Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television sent out a circular to news outlets stating that it had passed new restrictions on journalists. It is now against the law for journalists to write reports from outside their beats or regions. If they want to write a “critical report,” they have to get permission from their employer. Furthermore, journalists are forbidden to set up their own websites.
The authorities claim the new rules were a direct result of recent scandals involving a few journalists participating in extortion and bribery. However, the cases were only related to small local news outlets. Journalists are worried that the government is using these scandals to create more far-reaching restrictions than to simply protect against bribery.
For example, if a journalist writes a report that is outside their region and it involves exposing government corruption or simply makes the government look bad, the authorities can arrest said journalist based on the new rules.
The circular stated, “journalists who break the law must be handed over to judicial authorities and [they] will be stripped of their license to report.” The new rules make it easier to imprison journalists who speak out against the government because journalists often have to write reports using sources from outside their regions.
A Hong Kong-based journalist named Ji Shuoming said that “aggressive investigative journalists will find it hard to write articles without venturing outside their beats or regions.”
These new restrictions are yet another attack on freedom of the press in China. Since the country is already ranked 173 out of 179 countries by Reporters without Borders, this new development further exacerbates an already dire situation. There have been other restrictive rules enacted recently as well.
In 2013, Chinese journalists had to follow rules restricting reports on “rumors.” This means that it is illegal to post any false rumor that is read 5,000 times or shared on social media more than 500 times. Of course, a rumor could be anything the government decides it does not like. The most recent use of this rule occurred this past April, when a Chinese blogger was sentenced to three years for posting a story related to corruption in the government.
Some Chinese journalists remain optimistic though. Despite recent restrictions, many journalists have been able to report on scandalous stories. For example, the magazines Southern Weekend and Caixin have still been able to report on stories that follow the money trail of government officials. They break stories of corruption and other serious issues in Chinese society such as climate change and inequality.
The worry now is whether or not the most recent set of rules will hurt investigative reporting. The following months will show how far the government is willing to go in order to silence journalists and abuse these rules for their own agenda.
– Eleni Lentz-Marino
Sources: New York Times, Foreign Policy, LA Times, Reporters without Borders, Reuters
Photo: Worldcrunch
Libyan Detention Centers Accused of Torture
Flagellation, beating and electric shock are among the injustices migrants and refugees have allegedly suffered in several Libyan detention centers, according to testimonies gathered in a Human Rights Watch investigation carried out in April. These detention centers, which are operated by the Libyan government, are home to as many as 6,000 people, most of whom are captured either while trying to flee to Europe via the Mediterranean Sea or attempting to illegally enter Libya.
Though the government has been unsuccessful in catching the majority of those illegally entering or exiting the country–approximately three million illegal immigrants reside in Libya, while over half a million individuals are estimated to have their sights set on Europe–these detention centers remain extremely overcrowded and those detained are subject to poor sanitation conditions. In addition, the detainees are denied not only proper medical care, but also legal representation and trial prior to entering the detention facilities.
A representative from HRW who reported accounts of male guards inappropriately strip-searching women and girls noted that the unstable political situation in Libya is no excuse for the “torture and other deplorable violence” occurring in detention centers run by the government. Other testimonies detailed incidents in which guards violently attacked men and boys, digitally raped women and girls, and hung individuals from trees in order to beat them.
HRW has instructed Italy and the countries comprising the European Union to withhold international aid to the detention centers until the abuses cease. In the next four years, those countries were to invest a combined 12 million euros (roughly $16.4 million) into rehabilitating these centers. Now, most of that money will be invested into Libyan NGOs. A small amount will be still committed to rehabilitating several of the detention centers violating Libya’s international obligation to protect all on its soil, including those in detention centers.
Should the abuses stop, Italy and the EU are to convene with the Libyan Interior Ministry on how to best use aid to bring all detention centers up to international human rights standards.
These reports of torture come at a crucial time, as the numbers of migrants and refugees in Libya is not only at a record high but expected to continue to grow within the next few years, especially if the political uncertainty currently plaguing Libya persists. Those who have already experienced torture in these detention centers are at increased of risk of poverty upon their release, as the psychological and physical stress they have endured may prevent them from seeking or sustaining employment.
Ending torture, wherever it occurs in the world, should be at the forefront of international aid agendas not just because it endangers those who currently suffer from it but also because it will affect their lives negatively thereafter as well.
– Elise L. Riley
Sources: The Guardian, IRCT, Human Rights Watch
Photo: The Guardian
Israeli Boys Found Dead
Naftali Frankel and Eyal Yifrach, 16, and Gilad Shaar, 19, were three Israeli boys found dead more than two weeks after being abducted on their way home from school in the West Bank in Israel. Since their abduction, the boys’ mothers were incredibly vocal about the return of their boys; Mrs. Frankel even addressed the U.N. to bring international attention to the issue. Now upon news of their death, those from Israel — and around the world — are looking for answers.
According to the Israeli military, the boys’ bodies were found on Monday afternoon in a field a few miles south of where they were last seen. The three boys were buried together on Thursday, and candlelight vigils honoring the boys lit up the sky in areas of the country. The discovery, which brought a tragic end to the search for the three boys, has laid further questions regarding Israel’s response.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly blamed the abductions and deaths on Hamas, the militant Islamist group. Upon hearing of the boys’ deaths, Netanyahu called an emergency meeting of summoned senior ministers to address further action. “They were kidnapped and murdered in cold blood,” he said. “Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay.”
Yet fault may not be so clearly placed on Hamas. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, an Egyptian group responsible for an alarmingly high number of bombings and attacks, came forward this week saying it killed the three boys. The claim, which was published on the Jihadist Media Platform, came the day after the group pledged allegiance to ISIS, the violent radical group which has conquered vast amounts of Syria and Iraq. Yet terrorist groups often make false claims, and many officials believe this could be a ploy to divert attention away from Hamas, with whom the Egyptian group has ties.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu ensures that the Israeli military will find those responsible for the boys’ deaths. “Whoever was involved in the kidnapping and the murder will bear the consequences,” he said. “We will neither rest nor slacken until we reach the last of them.” These actions are already well underway. More than hundreds of Hamas activists have been arrested; dozens of homes and institutions in Gaza have been destroyed, and the Israeli army has launched 34 strikes targeting terror infrastructure. While none of this can bring back the boys, many hope it will prevent future abductions. As Israel continues the investigation, many countries — including the United States — have voiced support against these horrific crimes.
– Nick Magnanti
Sources: CNN, Vocativ, TIME, CNN
Photo: Time
You Are What You Eat: Nutrients for All
The world is presently facing a nutritional crisis. Over 2 billion people across the globe are malnourished. Both poor and rich countries alike are suffering from a nutrient crisis. Over a third of the United States population is suffering from obesity. Nutrients for All is an initiative to help repair this nutritional problem by carrying out a design called the nutrient value chain, which is the link between soil, farm, food and people.
Obesity is linked to diabetes and heart disease, which are growing problems. Recent studies show that there is a link between pregnant women suffering from malnourishment, which may cause obesity later in life. Access to the foods needed for proper nourishment has become a global problem. Many developing countries are living on nutrient-less subsidized diets.
Bill Drayton, founder of Ashoka, is working with Nutrients for All to help fight major social, environmental and economic concerns. Ashoka is a global network that whose goal is to bring these innovative ideas around the world.
Ashoka and other organization leaders from around the world are putting unconventional agricultural and management techniques to the test to help fight the global need for proper nutrients. These organizations implement plans that enrich soils in ways that nourish both crops and local ecological systems. This helps nourish communities and produce the right foods to farm. There are many factors that Ashoka and Nutrients for All entails for success.
The Nutrients for All soil plan includes reducing topsoil erosion, providing nutrient-rich food for local, regional and global supply chains, stabilizing and increasing recharge of groundwater and watersheds and reducing pollution and sanitation problems from industrial and residential sources.
These factors create a better understanding of soil management, and are used to help strengthen developing countries‘ economies and the well-being of those people.
The transformations of the economy provides proof that the Nutrients for All is a successful and innovative plan. Communities are more prepared for weather and natural disasters. Human vitality increases and communities share a lack of diseases across the board. More economic and food choices are brought to each community where Nutrients for All has been placed.
Nutrients for All wants to engage women farmers to produce not only for their household, but as a means to increases household income. A study performed by Ashoka staff shows that for a household with female farmers, the income and well-being increases 11 times.
One way we can take action to help get Nutrients for All’s message out is to empower others with new information. Either by being a consumer or practitioner, providing this information about nutrient conscious decisions for not only yourself, but for those around you, benefits everyone.
Help from sources like Nutrients for All can help change not only the way we eat, but the way we live. The evidence of the link between health and food is shown in the rising rates of cardiovascular disease and even cancer.
– Rachel Cannon
Sources: Nutrients for All, Nutrients for Life
The Effects of Hunger
Everyone knows the feeling of an uncomfortable stomachache. If a person misses a single meal for one reason or another, he or she can feel the effect it has on mood, ability to concentrate and sometimes ability to even think straight. Thus, people try to avoid this feeling as much as possible, but what if one had no other choice but to be hungry?
Unfortunately, this is the reality that millions of people live with every day of their lives. According to the U.N., about 870 million people suffer from hunger, meaning one in eight people are hungry globally. Hunger has serious effects on the entire body, and extreme hunger only serves to continue the cycle of poverty.
Although hunger is normally a feeling associated with the stomach, hunger also directly affects the brain in several ways. Due to the lack of essential nutrients, vitamins, protein and minerals, severe and continuous hunger can inhibit the brain from developing cognitively, socially and emotionally, all of which affect an individual’s ability to read, concentrate, memorize and even speak.
Other key organs are also directly affected by hunger. Impaired vision and other eyesight issues result from a lack of Vitamin A, and the gums and teeth can become damaged due to calcium deficiency. Possibly even worse is the effect that extreme hunger has on the immune system. If the immune system lacks basic vitamins, nutrients and minerals, then it cannot properly defend the body against disease, which is why developing countries are constantly battling a variety of diseases.
As mentioned above, hunger can make it difficult to study and learn, which is why extreme poverty and hunger are often related to a lack of proper education. Especially in developing countries, children who experience hunger from a very young age tend to struggle academically and have a lower IQ when compared to the academic performance of well-nourished children.
Although all children should have access to nourishment, it is critical that newborns and infants receive the necessary nutrients. According to 30 Hour Famine, 70 percent of the brain develops during the first two years of life alone. If young children experience malnourishment, especially during that time frame, the brain could become damaged forever.
The effects of hunger and malnutrition are not only damaging, but can also be irreparable. Aside from a lack of comfort, hunger also causes serious health issues, which is why ensuring that everyone, especially those in developing countries, has access to the necessary nutrients they need to live a long and healthy life is such a critical issue.
– Meghan Orner
Sources: UN, 30 Hour Famine, The 40-Hour Famine
Photo: Poverty Around the World