On Sunday, May 25, a record 10,000 participants came together in Toronto for the 30th annual World Partnership Walk, raising around $1.7 million.
Toronto was one of ten cities across Canada to host the walk. Vancouver and Victoria also held events on May 25, while walks in Montreal, Ottawa, and Regina occurred the following Sunday on June 1. Upcoming Partnership Walks will be held in Calgary, Edmonton, London and Kitchener-Waterloo.
The primary 5K event began at Metro Hall in Toronto. Activities for children and seniors, team games and global education programs were also offered.
The World Partnership Walk is an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation. The first walk was held in 1985 by a small group of women in Vancouver. They had immigrated from Africa and Asia and were looking for a way to support those they left behind. The first Partnership Walk included just over 1,000 walkers and raised $55,000.
Last year, nearly 40,000 walkers from 10 cities across the country raised more than $7 million for the cause. Toronto alone raised roughly $2 million and had 9,000 participants.
Today, the walk is considered the most successful event of its kind in Canada. In the last 30 years, participants and supporters have raised more than $82 million for global development programs. All of the money raised goes directly to development programs sponsored by the Aga Khan Foundation.
In 1995, the Partnership Walk expanded to the United States, and is now held in ten U.S. cities: Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, Orlando, San Antonio and San Francisco. Many of these cities will be hosting events in September and October of this year. In 2007, the Partnership Golf event was launched, and is now held in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Seattle.
The Aga Khan Development Network is a private, non-denominational international organization. It supports programs that aim to improve the quality of life in the developing world, with a focus on Asia and Africa. The Aga Khan Development Network employs roughly 80,000 people to work in 30 developing countries around the world. In 2010, their budget for development activities was $625 million.
The Aga Khan Development Network is a system of agencies working together to achieve international development. Initiatives such as Health Services, Education Services, The Fund for Economic Development, and The Trust for Culture pursue their own development goals while supporting the primary framework of the The Aga Khan Development Network.
Funding for these development programs is obtained through national governments, institutions and private partners. Global partners include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Citigroup Foundation, European Commission, MasterCard Foundation, OXFAM, People in Need, Scotiabank, Smithsonian Institution, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO. Funding also comes from donations and fundraising events such as the Partnership Walks and the Partnership Golf Tournaments held in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The founder and chairman of the The Aga Khan Development Network is the Aga Khan, who became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims on July 11, 1957. Despite his religious affiliations, the Aga Khan is committed to international development for all global citizens, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. He has maintained a strong commitment to the The Aga Khan Development Network for more than 50 years.
– Kristen Bezner
Sources: The Aga Khan Development Network, Brampton Guardian, CNW, Partnerships in Action, World Partnership Walk
Photo: Active
No Ordinary Novel: The Drinkable Book
In the age of tablets and e-books, there is one book everyone should have a hard copy of.
It doesn’t matter where you live or who you are, millions of people die each year from drinking contaminated water. That’s why the humanitarian organization WaterIsLife has partnered up with the advertising agency DDB to develop The Drinkable Book.
The Drinkable Book looks normal on the outside and is just a few inches thick with about 20 printed pages, but on the inside the book contains the gift of fresh water.
The book not only contains step-by-step instructions on how to purify drinking water, including simple things like washing hands and not leaving trash near a water source, but its pages are also filters to help purify water around the world.
“One of WaterisLife’s biggest challenges (beyond providing clean water) is teaching proper sanitation/hygiene, so this was a perfect opportunity to not only introduce the new filters, but also to do it in a way that meaningfully addresses both problems,” said Brian Gartside, the senior designer of The Drinkable Book in an interview with Slate.
Each page of The Drinkable Book is coated in bacteria-killing silver nanoparticles and can be torn out and used as a water filter. The pages kill the bacteria that cause cholera, E.coli and typhoid, among other diseases and can last up to a month each time they are used.
“A lot of water issues aren’t just because people don’t have the right technology, but also because they aren’t informed why they need to treat water to begin with,” says Theresa Dankovich, the chemist who developed the filter paper.
To use the book, you rip one of the pages in half and slide it into the filter box — which doubles as a cover for the book — and pour contaminated water through. After a few minutes, the bacteria in the water is reduced by 99.9% and is comparable U.S. tap water.
“Our main goal is to reduce the spread of diarrheal diseases, which result from drinking water that’s been contaminated with things like E. coli and cholera and typhoid,” Dankovich says in the interview. “And we think we can help prevent some of these illnesses from even happening.”
Trying to prevent diseases caused by contaminated water truly aids in the fight against global poverty. Helping those people without access to a clean water source fight contaminants and battle disease means the people who would have previously been ill have a chance to live.
This chance could mean they have the opportunity to work, to open a new business, to expand to new markets or even visit other countries, and have more resources to make life better for themselves and the place they grew up in.
WaterIsLife printed an initial run of 100 copies in English and Swahili to be sent to Kenya and distributed among the impoverished people there, but the brand also plans to distribute The Drinkable Book around the world.
– Cara Morgan
Sources: HuffPost, NPR, Slate, TheGistOfWater
Photo: Design Boom
Partnership Walk Raises $1.7 Million to Fight Global Poverty
On Sunday, May 25, a record 10,000 participants came together in Toronto for the 30th annual World Partnership Walk, raising around $1.7 million.
Toronto was one of ten cities across Canada to host the walk. Vancouver and Victoria also held events on May 25, while walks in Montreal, Ottawa, and Regina occurred the following Sunday on June 1. Upcoming Partnership Walks will be held in Calgary, Edmonton, London and Kitchener-Waterloo.
The primary 5K event began at Metro Hall in Toronto. Activities for children and seniors, team games and global education programs were also offered.
The World Partnership Walk is an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation. The first walk was held in 1985 by a small group of women in Vancouver. They had immigrated from Africa and Asia and were looking for a way to support those they left behind. The first Partnership Walk included just over 1,000 walkers and raised $55,000.
Last year, nearly 40,000 walkers from 10 cities across the country raised more than $7 million for the cause. Toronto alone raised roughly $2 million and had 9,000 participants.
Today, the walk is considered the most successful event of its kind in Canada. In the last 30 years, participants and supporters have raised more than $82 million for global development programs. All of the money raised goes directly to development programs sponsored by the Aga Khan Foundation.
In 1995, the Partnership Walk expanded to the United States, and is now held in ten U.S. cities: Atlanta, Birmingham, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, Orlando, San Antonio and San Francisco. Many of these cities will be hosting events in September and October of this year. In 2007, the Partnership Golf event was launched, and is now held in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Seattle.
The Aga Khan Development Network is a private, non-denominational international organization. It supports programs that aim to improve the quality of life in the developing world, with a focus on Asia and Africa. The Aga Khan Development Network employs roughly 80,000 people to work in 30 developing countries around the world. In 2010, their budget for development activities was $625 million.
The Aga Khan Development Network is a system of agencies working together to achieve international development. Initiatives such as Health Services, Education Services, The Fund for Economic Development, and The Trust for Culture pursue their own development goals while supporting the primary framework of the The Aga Khan Development Network.
Funding for these development programs is obtained through national governments, institutions and private partners. Global partners include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Citigroup Foundation, European Commission, MasterCard Foundation, OXFAM, People in Need, Scotiabank, Smithsonian Institution, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO. Funding also comes from donations and fundraising events such as the Partnership Walks and the Partnership Golf Tournaments held in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The founder and chairman of the The Aga Khan Development Network is the Aga Khan, who became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims on July 11, 1957. Despite his religious affiliations, the Aga Khan is committed to international development for all global citizens, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. He has maintained a strong commitment to the The Aga Khan Development Network for more than 50 years.
– Kristen Bezner
Sources: The Aga Khan Development Network, Brampton Guardian, CNW, Partnerships in Action, World Partnership Walk
Photo: Active
Prescribing Better Handwriting in Indian Hospitals
Doctors are notorious for having some of the worst handwriting on the planet. Often the butt of jokes, physician scribble is taken lightly with the assumption that pharmacists and other medical professionals have safeguarded the system of dosing out medication. The handwriting in Indian hospitals is no exception to this rule.
Alarmingly, however, the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine (IOM) reported in 2006 that 7,000 deaths occur per year as a result of sloppy handwriting.
Erroneously prescribing medication due to illegible doctor’s notes on prescriptions has become increasingly problematic in India. The issue is currently at the center of national discussion in India after light was shed on its widespread effects.
In a recent broadcast of “Health Check” from BBC, Claudia Hammons cites a study taken in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu that “only one in five [general practitioners] in rural areas wrote legible prescriptions.” Another study concluded that only half of Indian doctors actually sign their prescriptions at all.
One case discussed a tuberculosis patient who brought his prescription to a pharmacist who could not read it. The patient’s brother recounted the pharmacist’s confusion over the writing, which resembled both the names of two very different drugs. The patient ended up taking home a sedative rather than a medicine for treating chest pain. The mistaken drug actually worsened his condition from which he wasn’t able to recover.
Reports of such cases have prompted the Indian government and the Medical Council of India to step in. They’ve proposed a few simple regulations to remedy the issue, most notably the practice of writing in all capital letters. If widely adopted, this switch alone would have a major impact on the health of India’s patients.
Other regulations include writing prescriptions in the language most familiar to the patient and listing instructions for drug use.
BBC Urdu’s Suhail Haleem is enthusiastic about the changes and the potential they carry. However, there is concern that mass integration will be a slow process since there is no way to regulate the new practices. Some resistance to the move may come from certain practitioners as well.
What makes doctor handwriting so poor in the first place? One Indian doctor said it begins in medical school when students are taught to write names of prescriptions in code and carry the habit with them. Others claim pharmacies are often staffed with unqualified personnel.
Another more pressing side says that Indian hospitals have too many patients, stealing the practitioners’ time away from handwriting finesse. Poor physician handwriting is a symptom of a bigger problem in India, but it is reassuring that the problems it causes can be remedied with one simple fix.
— Edward Heinrich
Sources: BBC, Emirates, Indian Express
Bolivian Income Gap Causes Extreme Poverty
Bolivia is the poorest country in South America. It possesses the largest ratio of indigenous people, who make up 62 percent of the population. Most of these indigenous groups suffer from poverty—over 74 percent are poor. The indigenous groups also make up most of the rural areas, where the greatest amount of poverty in the region is found. The unemployment rate remains high, with 8 percent of the population without jobs, increasing poverty in rural areas.
Bolivia’s income distribution is one of the most uneven in the world, ranking second in unequal income distribution. The land is rich in minerals and resources, but the elite Spanish ancestry dominates the economic system. Most Bolivians are low income farmers and traders. There has been long running tension over the rich natural gas resources by exploitation and export, which continues to strengthen the Bolivian income gap.
Social unrest in Bolivia is growing with the tax reform. The inflation rate is controlled by the tax reform and causes more tension within Bolivia’s economy. These issues in the economic system are creating poverty that affects groups like the indigenous people. Poverty can lead to inequality, which limits human rights and mobility through different strata of class, causing a separation of income.
Throughout history, indigenous people have been the poorest and most excluded from social economic growth. Access to basic health care and necessities is limited due to isolation. The high fertility rate among the indigenous people of Bolivia has increased their population to over 5 million people. The increase is so drastic because of the lack of access to education and health care needs.
Bolivia sees the highest rate of child malnutrition, particularly among indigenous cultures. World Vision estimates that over a quarter of the children under the age of five are malnourished and do not have access to proper health care.
Recent organizations, like World Vision, have formed local centers in Bolivia to help monitor the well-being of these children. This includes the implementation of training for local health care workers to bring awareness to kids to stay safe from different forms of child maltreatment.
Most of the women living in rural areas have limited education or training for employment. There is also a lack of health services and education in the health sector for women. This restricts the growth of the economy by preventing these women from bettering their futures and the economy.
The rural areas continue to suffer from poverty. With the deficiency of natural resource management and limited approach to technology in rural areas, infrastructures such as roads will be neglected. Without the proper road system, isolation of indigenous groups will increase, causing lack of job opportunities and access to education.
These regions of Bolivia are facing obstacles in the economic development in many of the indigenous groups. The advancement of these obstacles relies on policies to protect the economic growth in the rural regions, where indigenous groups reside, and to help increase labor productivity.
— Rachel Cannon
Sources: BBC, UNICEF, Georgetown University, World Vision
Photo: Next Starfish
Let Them Eat Domino’s: Pizza in Africa
After looking at other, more crowded markets, Domino’s brand pizza has decided to open a franchise in South Africa, saying it is a brand new and lucrative market.
Domino’s Pizza, which recently opened a chain in Nigeria, is now planning to produce more pizza in Africa by opening chains in South Africa. Taste Holdings has now entered into a 30-year agreement to open stores in South Africa, as well as Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana and potentially Zambia and Malawi.
Domino’s is one of the largest pizza delivery brands in the world. It has nearly 11,000 outlets and has stores in 70 different countries, and now those countries will include South Africa.
More and more businesses are opening places in South Africa, including Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King and Cold Stone Creamery.
“We are looking at opening five or six stores [for Domino’s Pizza] this year,” said Jean-Claude Meyer, Domino’s Pizza CEO, in an interview with How We Made it in Africa.
However, the expansion of their brand is spreading a lot slower than KFC, with only four stores in the market so far.
“Let’s face it, KFC has gone much faster than we have. I don’t believe we will be at 23-25 stores after three and a half years, but that is not our goal. KFC is selling chicken and chicken is an obvious seller in Africa. But pizza is not the same and we are still in the process of educating people a year and a half after rolling out[…]” Meyer said in an interview with How We Made it in Africa.
Domino’s Pizza will be partnering with pizza brands in South Africa that are already established and remodeling some of their stores. However, even though they are buying out some of the Scooters and St. Elmo’s Pizza stores, they plan to keep the local favorites.
“We’re very excited to be working alongside our new partners in establishing Domino’s as the preeminent pizza brand in South Africa and in the other markets where Taste Holdings is already established,” said Ritch Allison, Domino’s Pizza executive vice president of international in an interview with Yahoo! Finance.
In addition to keeping the favorite pizzas of the previous brands from South Africa, Domino’s plans to “Nigerianize” its products and create a special menu geared towards the tastes of their new customers.
“We have been able to roll out a couple of pizzas, for example the Chicken Suya pizza, which is a good seller and accepted very well in the market here,” Meyer said in an interview with How We Made it in Africa. Domino’s is also offering Jollof rice, a popular West African dish, as a pizza topping.
Domino’s decision to enter the market of pizza in Africa will be beneficial to both the company and the people of South Africa.
“We looked at markets around the world, and there are very few markets…where the number one or two positions isn’t occupied by Domino’s or Pizza Hut…We would certainly rather be trading under a global brand, than a local brand,” Meyer said.
Domino’s decision to open its franchises in many different African countries will bring more jobs to the country and aid in diminishing global poverty over the next 30 or more years. Their decision also helps them become better known in a market where they have previously been unheard of; it also helps them spread their brand globally.
– Cara Morgan
Sources: How We Made it in Africa 1, How We Made it in Africa 2, Yahoo Finance
Photo: CNN
Slavery in Qatar Prevails, but Will Justice?
When many people think about the term “slavery,” they may reflect on it as a historical institution of the imperial powers of the West. They may even erroneously deem slavery as a decrepit artifact of the past. However, although many history textbooks tend to portray slavery as strictly a practice of the colonial and imperial past, this horrendous institution remains extant throughout many parts of the modern world, Qatar being one of them.
The very same countries that are thought of as exotic vacation hot-spots may also be teeming with covert slave trades. After all, since only a handful of nations are as developed and as advanced as the Western world, some of these less-developed nations rely on slave networks to buttress their nascent economies. For instance, the blistering topic of an emerging controversy unveiled by an investigation by The Guardian, slavery in Qatar has captured media attention because Qatar has purportedly used slave labor in its endeavors to prepare for World Cup 2022.
One may find it ironic that intense mistreatment can exist in a country whose population is composed primarily of migrant workers, however, it is an undeniable reality for many laborers in Qatar. Among Qatar’s two million residents, a paltry 225,000 are natural citizens with the rest of the populace primarily comprised of South Asian migrant workers. These workers hail from less-developed nations such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Qatari officials view the World Cup 2022 as a ceremony in which not only the classic sport of soccer is honored, but also in which cultural relations can be repaired. To prepare for the ceremony, Qatar is investing a reported $100 billion on infrastructure in addition to another $20 billion toward renovating roads and constructing new roads and stadiums. However, behind the glimmering windows and cascading high-rises lurks the masked scandal of slave labor.
According to the International Trade Union Confederation, approximately 4,000 South Asian workers will perish before the festivities of the World Cup 2022 even begin. Furthermore, an investigation by The Guardian unearthed shocking maltreatment of Nepalese laborers who have to endure conditions such as lack of water, food, payment and legal identification. With such horrific conditions, one may wonder how these laborers would ever agree to work for such exploitative employers. However, these unsuspecting migrant workers, eager to earn money and support their starving families, are often tricked into signing false contracts. For instance, workers are given one contract before arriving to Qatar, but upon arrival, they are given a second, demeaning contract. When news broke of the slave-like treatment of migrant workers, there was subsequent backlash.
In order to mitigate subsequent backlash, Qatar officials stated that they would replace the present kafala system with a more democratic system. The kafala system is a sponsorship system in which workers are bound to an all-powerful and oftentimes boundless employer. In a statement issued by the human rights director of the Qatari interior ministry, Colonel Abdullah Saqr al-Mohannadi, the Colonel professes that “We are going to abolish the kafala system and it will move to the legislative institutions… It will be replaced by a contractual relationship between employer and employee.”
Colonel Abdullah Saqr al-Mohannadi also proposes to modify this system by facilitating workers’ ability to obtain exit visas in order to leave their sponsor in the event of mistreatment or simply just a desire to seek other employment. A substantial portion of these reforms are based on advice from DLA Piper, a London law firm that had been mandated with the task of reviewing the implementation of revised labor laws in Qatar. For instance, DLA Piper proposed that a sponsor would be required to show substantial and viable proof supporting his or her objection to permitting a worker to terminate their labor services. Other reform proposals include implementing sanctions against inadequate employers and engendering a more closely-working relationship between the workers’ home countries and their host country.
Although the proposals by DLA may point to an easy resolution, the chances of Qatar following through on these orders is a topic of question and doubt. One major concern from Amnesty International is that although Qatar proposes modifications to the kafala system, all reforms must ultimately be verified and approved by the shura, or advisory council, that legislates many Emirate nations. According to Amnesty International, the shura is expected to strongly oppose the aforementioned proposed changes to the long-standing kafala system due to feared economic consequences.
For instance, Nicholas McGeehan, an activist from Human Rights Watch, voiced his concern by blatantly stating, “The notion that the kafala system can be abolished by no longer referring to a sponsor but an employer-employee relationship is utterly preposterous.” McGeehan’s statement captures the concern that many proponents of reform in Qatar face.
Is the government going to implement adequate change or attempt to shroud the issue with a simple name change?
– Phoebe Pradhan
Sources:New York Times, The Guardian
Photo: The Guardian
Chinese Investment Provides Billions for Africa
It is no secret that Africa is one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world today. Among the countries vying for a spot in the foreign direct investment space is China – a country who has been Africa’s largest trading partner since 2009.
Chinese foreign direct investment went from $500 million in 2003 to almost $15 billion by 2012, and this year China has promised to triple Africa’s line of credit from $10 billion to $30 billion.
So where is all of the money going?
China, a beacon of infrastructure achievement itself, is investing largely in roads, rail and aviation networks around the continent.
China recently signed on to give $3.8 billion to help build the “Lunatic Line”—a rail line that will run from Nairobi to Mombasa and eventually link Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and South Sudan. This line, which was first built in the late 19th century, has been decaying for decades due to conflict, corruption and general neglect.
China also pledged $12 billion in energy and infrastructure projects in Nigeria as well as an additional $2 billion for the China-Africa Development Fund.
Why is Chinese investment in infrastructure so important?
In a continent where only a third of Africans living in rural areas have access to an all-season road, investment in roads and rail lines allow people the freedom to travel more easily for jobs as well as for educational and health reasons. The access the infrastructure facilitates helps decrease poverty levels because people are able to access and participate in their country’s economy more easily.
Another attractive characteristic of Chinese investment for many African countries is the promise of non-interference in local politics. While loans from the International Monetary Fund or other Western nations often come with prerequisite guidelines and reforms to be met before aid or investment is received, China requires none of these. As Chinese Premier Li Keqiang aptly put, “We will not interfere in the local politics of any African country, or ask Africa for things which are impossible to observe or do.”
China, who reduced their own poverty levels by 55.7 percent from 1990 to 1997 alone, may be able to provide just what Africa needs to overcome barriers to creating a robust and thriving infrastructure and economy.
– Andrea Blinkhorn
Sources: Business Day 1, Business Day 2, Daily Mail, Heritage Foundation, Wall Street Journal
Photo: Oil and Energy Daily
Marketplaces Connected to Global Artisans
Etsy is an online marketplace for consumers to purchase art and handmade crafts from global artisans. It is also a Certified B Corporation, meaning that the company operates as more than a profit-seeking business; it is a company that uses its power to solve social and environmental problems.
Etsy is not the only company focused on improving the lives of global artists. GlobeIn launched in 2013 to help connect local artisans to the global economy. Many artists featured on GlobeIn’s online marketplace may not even be familiar with the idea of the Internet, but they now have a way to expand sales of their crafts.
GlobeIn focuses its efforts in nine countries with regional managers, who oversee shipping and money transfers to the artisans. The website presents the story of the artists along with their products. The artisans decide the price of the items and they receive the full amount. GlobeIn’s local infrastructures are managed by regional directors, who help artists get their product listed on the online marketplace.
In contrast, Etsy users rely on the online marketplace to sell their crafts. Etsy was established in 2005 and continues to grow. The website hosts 875,000 sellers from all over the world, and the company is working on creating more international websites that operate in more languages to reflect the 147 countries of the sellers.
GlobeIn is a newer company—it was established in 2013—and caters to those who may not be able to use Etsy because of language barriers or lack of access to the Internet. Both companies are fighting global poverty by giving access to those who otherwise would not have access to the global online marketplace.
Both companies share a mission to connect local artists to the global community through an online marketplace. By giving these artists a platform on which to sell their crafts and goods, Etsy and GlobeIn help bring income to the artists and to make their stories known.
– Haley Sklut
Sources: Etsy, GlobeIn, Mashable, Venture Beat
Photo: WordPress
Stillmotion: Movies with Meaning
In 2013, nine-year-old California native Vivienne Harr discovered that there are 29.8 million people in slavery today, many of them children. Harr was determined to do something, and quickly started her own lemonade stand with the slogan, “Make a Stand Lemonade.” Harr originally had the goal of freeing 500 enslaved children, but has since touched countless lives and continues to raise money today through her mission.
Pretty endearing story, right? A group of upcoming and passionate filmmakers thought so, too. In February 2014, Stillmotion Productions released their first feature-length, independent documentary, #standwithme, a film telling Harr’s story and winning the hearts of viewers everywhere.
Since the premiere of #standwithme, Stillmotion has gone on to produce their second film, Old Skool Cafe, which tells the story of a San Francisco supper club run by troubled youth. The Old Skool Café gives youth who were never believed in the chance to serve others in meaningful ways. The supper club is equipped with live entertainment, gourmet meals and quality service by youth who once resorted to robbery, drug dealing and gangs for a sense of belonging and direction.
Founder Teresa Goines spent years as a corrections officer, witnessing the “revolving door” of youth turning in the wrong direction without the proper resources. Today, Goines runs the supper club but offers any position, business- or service-related, to the youth, standing by as their mentor and apprentice.
All she wants is for them to know that “we see the gold in [them] and we want other people to see the gold in [them],” Goines shared in her Old Skool Café interview for the Stillmotion team.
It’s inspiring stories like these that capture the hearts and attention of Stillmotion members. “We’re a small collection of curious, loud, trouble-making souls who believe that powerful stories can change the world,” the Stillmotion team shares on their website.
In response to such amazing stories, all I want to do is share them with the world. Although I have tried, rallying large quantities of people around my small, unimpressive TV to watch these documentaries with me, however, has been largely unsuccessful.
That is where Tugg comes in. Working in collaboration with filmmakers like Stillmotion, Tugg offers a resource for individuals interested in having an independent film played at one of their local theaters. Once contacted, Tugg sets up the entire event, an event page, promotional tools and plenty of guidance along the way. In addition, Tugg allows the host to choose a cause of their choice for a portion of ticket sale proceeds to go toward.
Thanks to Tugg, I will be hosting a showing of #standwithme at a local theater. Through Tugg support, I have been able to sell 93 tickets for the film and hope to host many events in the future.
– Heather Klosterman
Sources: #standwithme, Stillmotion, Tugg 1, Tugg 2
Photo: NBC Bay Area
Seven Myths About Immigration
Immigration reform has been a heated issue for the past century, as lawmakers argue over the impact immigration has on American society and the best way to handle it. The myths about immigration that surround the topic have existed for nearly as long. Here are the top myths that seem to follow the discussion of immigration and prevent progress from being made toward positive change.
Myth 1: “Undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes but still get benefits.”
It is estimated that in 2010, undocumented immigrants paid $10.6 billion in taxes. Like every American consumer, immigrants pay sales tax and property taxes on any apartment or home bought or rented. More than half pay federal, state, Social Security and Medicare taxes. Despite this, they are not actually eligible to receive any of these benefits. Even legal immigrants often find it difficult to obtain Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and food stamps.
Myth 2: “Immigrants have a negative impact on the U.S. economy.”
Due to the 77 million Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, a smaller number of workers will have to support an increasing number of retirees. A growing immigrant population will help account for the decrease in the workforce. It is also estimated that undocumented immigrants contribute to economic growth by $36 billion a year.
Myth 3: “Most immigrants are undocumented.”
In reality, roughly two-thirds of immigrants live in the U.S. legally as naturalized citizens or permanent residents. Additionally, about 40 percent of the 10.8 million immigrants currently residing here illegally arrived in the country through legal channels but overstayed their visas.
Myth 4: “Immigrants don’t want to learn English.”
According to Forbes, roughly 40 percent of immigrants speak reasonable English when they enter the country. There is also a clear three-generation pattern, in which the first generation may speak limited English, the second generation is bilingual and the third generation speaks only English.
Myth 5: “It’s easy to enter the U.S. legally.”
Actually, many people trying to enter the U.S. legally have been waiting nearly 20 years to do so. Much of this is due to backlogs and annual limits on immigration that do not match the demand for entry. Often, access to the country is limited to those who are trained in skills that are in short supply, seeking political asylum or joining immediate family.
Myth 6: “Immigrants take jobs from Americans.”
Due to differences in education level, whether in the country they live or which occupations they work in, immigrants and native-born American workers often do not compete for the same jobs. In addition to this, immigrants contribute to job creation as both entrepreneurs and consumers.
Myth 7: “Undocumented immigrants bring crime.”
Randel K. Johnson, Senior Vice President of Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently cited research that shows quite the opposite: “Between 1990 and 2010, the foreign-born share of the U.S. population grew from 7.9[percent] to 12.9[percent] and the number of unauthorized immigrants tripled from 3.5 million to 11.2 million. During the same period, FBI data indicates that the violent crime rate declined 45[percent] and the property crime rate fell 42[percent].”
America is a nation of immigrants. As clichéd as it is, it’s true. But this fact is often conveniently forgotten in the discussion of positive immigration reform, reform that has the potential to grow the economy and create jobs. Overall, reforming the system to allow for easier legal access to the U.S. has the potential for substantial positive impact across the country.
— Kristen Bezner
Sources: American Civil Liberties Union, American Immigration Council, Forbes, Teaching Tolerance, Upworthy, US Chamber of Commerce, Washington Post 1, Washington Post 2
Photo: AEI