Being one of the last remaining colonies of the once expansive Spanish Empire, Equatorial Guinea became independent in 1968 during the rule of Spanish General Francisco Franco. This West African nation is very interesting in many aspects. Its capital is located on an island faraway from the mainland, it is the only Hispanophone country in West Africa—barring the territory of West Sahara—and it also has the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa.
However, in this relatively prosperous country, approximately two-thirds of the population lives in extreme poverty.
Despite the discovery of oil and other natural resources that the countries of West Africa have been bequeathed with by their geographical locations and an extremely small population of less than a million people, it is rather paradoxical that the richest country in Sub-Saharan Africa and the region’s third-largest oil producer whose size is roughly the same as Massachusetts allows more than half of its people to fall into abject poverty.
In neighboring Cameroon, where the GDP per capital is only a tenth of that of Equatorial Guinea, for example, much less than two-thirds of the entire population lives in extreme poverty. To put it in comparison, Equatorial Guinea’s GDP per capita is greater than those of Italy, South Korea or Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, other statistics regarding the country’s standard of living are also equally — if not more — frustrating. Only about half of the country’s population has access to clean drinking water, overcrowded living condition is—surprisingly given the country’s low population density—rampant and very few children enjoy the advantages of urban life such as education, medical services and recreational facilities.
Despite the grinding poverty suffered by hundreds of thousands, Equatorial Guinea seems to often escape the radar of global attention due to the highly distorted numerical means, which shows the country in good standing in terms of GDP per capita. However, in reality, there is a flagrant discrepancy that is indicative of a rather stark disparity between the have and the have-not.
To make this inequity even more unsettlingly palpable and conspicuous, the country is also building a brand new and expensive capital city on the mainland, hundreds of miles away from where the majority of the already sparsely populated country lives. Currently, Malabo, situated on an island to the far northern reaches of the country, is the capital, while Bata, an Atlantic seaport, serves as the country’s largest city.
However, Oyala—under construction—will serve as Equatorial Guinea’s President (and Africa’s longest-ruling dictator) Teodoro Obiang’s new capital. What is his supporting rationale? His government’s and his own safety and security. This project is expected to cost billions of dollars before it finishes in a country where over 60 percent of the population is struggling to live on less than $1 per day.
It is clear where at least some of the immense amount of wealth of this nation goes. In 2012, the French police sent out an arrest warrant of Teodorín Obiang, the son of the Equatoguinean president who had to escape Paris back to his own country. Upon investigation, they found evidence of an obscene accumulation of wealth. Teodoro Obiang—his father and the country’s leader—is also leading an extremely corrupt government. A criminal investigation launched in Spain revealed that there are 11 families with close ties to the Obiang family who are amassing most of the country’s wealth.
Equatorial Guinea is a tragic archetype of a country that could have been highly developed and whose citizens could have enjoyed a very high standard of living. However, the lack of democracy has allowed only a handful of individuals to accumulate most of the country’s vast wealth.
– Peewara Sapsuwan
Sources: Europa Press, International Business Times, IEACH, Open Society Foundations
Photo: World Rainforest Movement
Human Rights Council Fights for Advocacy Rights
The Human Rights Council has recently called for its 25th meeting, which will run in Geneva, Switzerland until March 28. The specific focus of this meeting is cited to be the protection of human rights advocates themselves, as a pursuit of rights for those members of civil society who pursue justice.
This uniquely focused meeting seems to be motivated by current events and will include commissions of inquiry on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. It is especially pertinent considering the current violent situations in the Ukraine and Venezuela, which have both separately seen similar human rights abuses against advocates.
More general presentations on topics such as genocide and corporal punishment are also expected.
Citing the United Nations’ responsibility to support those who contribute to its work, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon stated at the opening that, “No one should have to risk their life standing up and speaking out on violations of human rights and international law.”
The Human Rights Council is a subset of the U.N. and an amalgamation of 47 member states, created in 2006 as a means to exercise the full extent of the U.N.’s movement to protect people globally against tyrannical and abusive governance. Its meetings are known for their thematic organization around various timely issues as well as a complain procedure allowing individuals and organizations to bring attention to various situations of abuse.
The council is responsible for the “Rights Up Front” campaign, launched to ensure the status of human rights as the U.N.’s top priority. Additionally, the uniquely internal focus of the current meeting is hoped to set the stage for the new international development agenda, following the approach of the Millennium Development Goal’s 2015 deadline.
According to an official statement made at the 4th meeting in 2007, the council is founded around the philosophy that “All victims of human rights abuses should be able to look to the Human Rights Council as a forum and a springboard for action.”
In addition to the rights of political activists, the Council hopes to discuss impunity against perpetrators, and the marginalized voices of those who live in poverty. Members hope that these will be essential tools in attaining the rights of advocates, who often operate under oppressive fear and silence within civil society.
U.N. High Commissioner of Human Rights Navi Pillay stressed the importance of advocacy as a public force to ensure security, expressing that, “We need to work together to ensure the space, voice, and knowledge of civil society is nurtured in all countries.”
– Stefanie Doucette
Sources: Women’s News Network, OHCHR, Washington Post
Photo: ISN Blog
Sustainable Irrigation and Development in India
Experiencing a period of drought on a normal basis before the rainy season, the farmers of India often find themselves at the mercy of nature as well as heavily relying on diesel oil in order to irrigate their farms. Not only that, it is estimated that only 32% of India’s farms are irrigated.
For this reason, over the next five years, the government of India is aiming to reduce this reliance by installing solar energy pumps in rural India. This project is also expected to protect the level of groundwater in the Subcontinent.
The investment needed to initiate this clean and sustainable alternative will cost around $1.6 billion, which will be channeled into replacing non-solar pumps with 26 million solar powered ones to provide access to sufficient electricity to farmers in certain areas of the country wherein electricity resource is still insufficient.
If this project proves to be a success, it will enable India to save $6 billion annually in energy subsidies handed out to farmers, a sum that could go a long way in terms of rural development.
This will also allow farmers—many of whom are poor—to be able to water their plants with no operation cost at all. Thus, this project will not only help the state to save, it will also expand the profit margin of rural farmers of the world’s second most populous country. In certain states, such as Punjab, the state authorities are already helping farmers to acquire necessary materials for the installment of drip-irrigation watering system via subsidization.
The drip-irrigation method, also known as the micro-irrigation method, is an agricultural technique used in order to curb both the use of fertilizer as well as water by trickling water in a very small amount directly to the roots of the plants. Thus, in addition to the solar pump the investment of which will be disseminated countrywide, in the southern state of Kerala, another $62 million is going to be spent to put in place drip-irrigation infrastructure.
Once complete, it will allow more people access to water on their farms regardless of where they are, as water will be dispensed equally throughout a larger area.
With the agricultural sector commanding 51% of India’s total workforce but nevertheless providing India with only 15.7% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). This indicates a huge disparity when more than half of the country is in a sector that earns less than a fourth of the total GDP. Thus, with the expanded profit margin and more government’s attention in the sector India and its dynamic economic growth will—in the foreseeable future—be able to lift more people out of poverty.
– Peewara Sapsuwan
Sources: We Demain, Bloomberg, India Text, Irrigation Direct, Bloomberg Sustainability, World Bank
Photo: Ingetje Tadros
February Brings Dry Spell to Singapore
February 2014 was the driest month in Singapore since 1869. Only seven brief sprinkles fell, giving the area an underwhelming .2 mm of rain. Malaysia has also felt the drought’s impact, as the state of Selangor and the country’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, have begun water rationing.
Singapore relies heavily on Malaysia for its water supply, importing nearly 60% of its water from the region. Under a 1962 water agreement, Singapore imports most of its water from the Malay state of Johore. The agreement has caused tension between the two countries in the past, and Singapore has decided not to pursue a renewal of the agreement past its 2061 expiration.
Therefore, Singapore has increasingly focused on improving its water self-sufficiency. Currently, Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources estimates that Singapore could potentially provide up to 55% of the country’s water needs. The government has increasingly emphasized building up desalination and recycled water technology while also pushing to increase the country’s water catchment area.
Unfortunately, Singapore’s current water supply does not stack up to the potential effects of the current drought. The National Environment Agency predicts the dry spell will continue into early March. With the poor weather set to continue in both Singapore and Malaysia, water consumption in the area must decrease accordingly.
Resultantly, the Singaporean government has started a public campaign urging water conservation. It has encouraged citizens to cut down on washing cars, irrigating plants and to be more conscious about switching off water faucets and fountains in between use.
Through increasing the water consciousness of its citizenry, Singapore hopes to effectively combat its water shortage.
As of yet, the drought in Singapore has not had a profound effect on the lives of Singaporeans. However, it has reaffirmed Singapore’s vulnerability to water shortages and droughts and demonstrated the need for water conservation initiatives within the city-state. If Singapore will achieve water-self sufficiency it must prepare itself to withstand episodes such as the current drought.
–Martin Levy
Sources: Today Online, BBC News, NEA, Singapore Infopedia
Photo: Brohenson Files
Poverty and Pollution in Bulgaria
As recent events in the Ukraine have shown, former soviet satellites continue to struggle for self-determination and modernization. Often torn between ties to the European Union and Russia, the former Eastern Bloc lags behind the rest of the continent in major areas of development—and none more so than Bulgaria.
Even though Bulgaria is now a member of the E.U., the nation still struggles with high rates of unemployment and catastrophic pollution. As of 2013, the European Environment Agency reports that four of the top six most polluted cites in Europe are in Bulgaria. The tremendous amount of air and water pollution is particularly damning for Bulgaria’s most vulnerable citizens, who are forced to brave the environment in order to scrape by.
In fact, it seems that poverty itself is fueling pollution, creating a perpetual cycle. Old, fuel-inefficient cars, outmoded factories and desperate fuels sources for warmth in the winter (such as raw coal and tires) make Bulgaria’s air the most polluted in Europe.
Beyond environmental factors, the transition to free markets has had troubling societal impacts that often break along ethnic lines. Corruption and organized crime have a firm grasp in the cities, Britain’s Daily Express reports, while the Roma minority lives on the outskirts in abject poverty. The scenes described in the Express from outside the capital city of Sofia bring to mind the most abysmal realities of poverty from across the globe.
The Roma, an ethnic minority, have long been persecuted on the continent, and their living conditions in Bulgaria attest to just how much the country struggles to keep up with the times.
Unemployment in Bulgaria is reported at 12 percent. The BBC suggests, however, that it may be much higher than that. A number of sources claim that governmental corruption is so pervasive that very little of state provided data can be trusted.
In response to the depressed economic conditions, a rash of self-immolations were reported. Several men of varying ages are said to have lit themselves on fire in protest of their living conditions.
For the E.U., these catastrophes hit close to home. The fact that the E.U. has now incorporated Bulgaria has turned Europe’s attention to the humanitarian crisis on their doorstep. With major Western news outlets now reporting on Bulgaria’s woes, perhaps international support will be able to generate some relief for the ailing nation.
– Chase Colton
Sources: Express, Daily Times, BBC
Photo: Plastic Pollution Coalitio
Poverty in Iraq Dangerous for Pregnant Women
A recent report called Iraq “one of the worst places for children in the MENA region.” The past few decades in Iraq have been marked by warfare and human rights violations. Currently, 3.5 million Iraqi children are living in poverty and over 1.5 million are considered malnourished. Iraq is also a dangerous place for pregnant women and infants, with approximately 100 infants dying per day, according to a Global Research report.
Dozens of pregnant Iraqi women are being admitted to the hospital with life threatening conditions every month. According to UNICEF, maternal mortality rates in the war torn country have increased by 65 percent since 1989, a number that is much higher than neighboring countries. Until political conditions improve and pregnant women have more access to healthcare and basic necessities, doctors in the region fear the problem will get worse.
Dr. Mayada Youssif, a gynecologist in Baghdad, attributed the increasing mortality rate to ‘insecurity and poverty that Iraqis live with due to conflict.’
“Insecurity has forced pregnant women to stay at home during their whole period of pregnancy,” Youssif says, “and they look for a doctor only when they are feeling really ill or feel, near to delivery time, that conditions have become too dangerous.”
UNICEF recommends three basic needs that should be available for pregnant women and their babies: good nutrition, access to antenatal care and access to emergency care if a problem were to arise. All of these services are impeded in Iraq because of limitations such as curfews and a fear of being subject to violence. What often results is that help isn’t sought out until it is too late.
That is exactly the situation in which Salah Hussein found himself when his wife died during childbirth. The doctors attributed her death to a combination of malnutrition and the effects of constant stress from living in a war-torn country. Now Hussein faces having to raise his child alone with the help of his extended family. Malnutrition is still a problem, as he cannot afford formula for his child.
Even if Iraqi women can get to a doctor, many hospitals are ill-equipped to deal with common pregnancy issues such as anemia. There is a rising call to increase investment in the health department to combat rising mortality rates. The main issue is the lack of specialized care that is available to all pregnant women. Some live in areas where they cannot physically get to a doctor, or worse, there is not even a doctor in the area.
Global Research says that the problem will not be fixed until governments that are actively and militarily involved in the country use their resources to address the problem. Until action is taken to improve women’s health in Iraq, we will continue to see the same problems. Global Research has recommended that this issue be taken up by the international community in order to work together to find a solution.
– Colleen Eckvahl
Sources: IRIN News, Centre for Research on Globalization
Photo: Articlesbase
5 Reasons To Go Volunteer
Volunteers are a major part of many different organizations. In some cases, they are what keep an organizations running. Volunteering can be a very rewarding way to use your spare time or it can be used to strengthen your resume. If you are on the fence about volunteering, here are five reasons to get out and help make a difference.
1. Volunteers help save resources – Those who donate their time allow organizations to use the resources they save and apply them elsewhere. Volunteering can be a great way to help out an organization you support.
2. Connect with the community– Volunteering allows you to meet other people who share the same interests and passions as you. Volunteering can also help you help your community. Volunteering with mentoring, tutoring or elderly care programs allows you the opportunity to give back and can improve the overall quality of resources and facilities where you live.
3. An opportunity to gain professional experience– If you are looking to gain relevant work experience, volunteering is a good way to improve your resume. Volunteering is also a way to help you decide where you want to take your career. Volunteering in different places in high school and college can help you narrow down your interests while gaining valuable life skills and work experience.
4. You will be surprised by what you learn– You may go in with expectations when you start volunteering, but often times you will be surprised about what you will learn about where you work and even yourself. Depending on where you volunteer, you can learn a lot about how that particular place works. Maybe you work as a receptionist answering phones at a nonprofit, but by the end, you will have an inside look at how nonprofits generally work.
5. You can make a difference– Volunteering is one of the best ways to make a difference in an area you are passionate about. One of the most important things to know is that every person counts, so get up, donate your time, and help change the world.
– Colleen Eckvahl
Sources: UCSD, The Lean Green Been, Volunteer Match
Photo: Wallpaperseek
Equatorial Guinea Poverty
Being one of the last remaining colonies of the once expansive Spanish Empire, Equatorial Guinea became independent in 1968 during the rule of Spanish General Francisco Franco. This West African nation is very interesting in many aspects. Its capital is located on an island faraway from the mainland, it is the only Hispanophone country in West Africa—barring the territory of West Sahara—and it also has the highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa.
However, in this relatively prosperous country, approximately two-thirds of the population lives in extreme poverty.
Despite the discovery of oil and other natural resources that the countries of West Africa have been bequeathed with by their geographical locations and an extremely small population of less than a million people, it is rather paradoxical that the richest country in Sub-Saharan Africa and the region’s third-largest oil producer whose size is roughly the same as Massachusetts allows more than half of its people to fall into abject poverty.
In neighboring Cameroon, where the GDP per capital is only a tenth of that of Equatorial Guinea, for example, much less than two-thirds of the entire population lives in extreme poverty. To put it in comparison, Equatorial Guinea’s GDP per capita is greater than those of Italy, South Korea or Saudi Arabia.
Moreover, other statistics regarding the country’s standard of living are also equally — if not more — frustrating. Only about half of the country’s population has access to clean drinking water, overcrowded living condition is—surprisingly given the country’s low population density—rampant and very few children enjoy the advantages of urban life such as education, medical services and recreational facilities.
Despite the grinding poverty suffered by hundreds of thousands, Equatorial Guinea seems to often escape the radar of global attention due to the highly distorted numerical means, which shows the country in good standing in terms of GDP per capita. However, in reality, there is a flagrant discrepancy that is indicative of a rather stark disparity between the have and the have-not.
To make this inequity even more unsettlingly palpable and conspicuous, the country is also building a brand new and expensive capital city on the mainland, hundreds of miles away from where the majority of the already sparsely populated country lives. Currently, Malabo, situated on an island to the far northern reaches of the country, is the capital, while Bata, an Atlantic seaport, serves as the country’s largest city.
However, Oyala—under construction—will serve as Equatorial Guinea’s President (and Africa’s longest-ruling dictator) Teodoro Obiang’s new capital. What is his supporting rationale? His government’s and his own safety and security. This project is expected to cost billions of dollars before it finishes in a country where over 60 percent of the population is struggling to live on less than $1 per day.
It is clear where at least some of the immense amount of wealth of this nation goes. In 2012, the French police sent out an arrest warrant of Teodorín Obiang, the son of the Equatoguinean president who had to escape Paris back to his own country. Upon investigation, they found evidence of an obscene accumulation of wealth. Teodoro Obiang—his father and the country’s leader—is also leading an extremely corrupt government. A criminal investigation launched in Spain revealed that there are 11 families with close ties to the Obiang family who are amassing most of the country’s wealth.
Equatorial Guinea is a tragic archetype of a country that could have been highly developed and whose citizens could have enjoyed a very high standard of living. However, the lack of democracy has allowed only a handful of individuals to accumulate most of the country’s vast wealth.
– Peewara Sapsuwan
Sources: Europa Press, International Business Times, IEACH, Open Society Foundations
Photo: World Rainforest Movement
School Lunch Program in Thailand Targets Malnutrition
Thailand is known for having one of the best nutritional programs in Asia. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), Thailand has successfully dropped child malnutrition from 36% to approximately 8.42% within 30 years.
Thailand’s success stemmed from an in-depth look at growth rates, nutritional education, supplementation of iron and vitamins, as well as a focus on health coverage. It was also one of the primary countries to reach out to the community as a basis for promoting an end to malnutrition – specifically in children.
One method for reducing malnutrition in Thailand among school-aged children is the School Lunch Program, which supplies lunch at no cost to children struggling to maintain a healthy weight, or students who are unable to afford lunch. These lunches also aim to “educate students about desirable eating habits, values, and social manners.”
Students from rural areas have specifically been the victims of malnutrition in Thailand. Although rice is a staple food, the large amount of production does not necessarily correlate with balanced meals or eating a satisfactory amount required for healthy growth, both physically and mentally. Since diet is mainly based on rice, a lack of protein in diets are a large contributor to malnutrition in Thailand; also among the nutrients lacking in diets are iron, iodine and vitamin A.
SLP is currently providing all kindergarten and elementary public schools, reaching about 30,000 schools and 700,000 preschoolers. School Lunch Program currently provides meals for students for 200 days during the school year. The program started off by focusing merely on the amount of meals that were able to reach students. Now the meals are geared around the nutritional value.
With the help from the School Lunch Program many students whose diets are lacking in balance, or worse nonexistent, now receive meals at school that they may not have been able to receive at home.
The meals that Thailand is able to provide to children not only helps their struggle with malnutrition, but also helps with their ability to focus, gain weight, and grow cognitively.
– Rebecca Felcon
Sources: Rappler, Right To Food Campaign, World Food
Photo: IIRR
Africa’s 3 Formidable Female Presidents
1. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia
In 2006, Sirleaf became the first elected female head in Africa. As the new Liberian president, she had inherited a war-torn country that was desperate for peace after 13 years of civil war and violence. Her administration rebuilt Liberia’s economy, strengthened its infrastructure, erased the enormous national debt and tackled problems like corruption, security, education and women’s rights.
In 2011, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in promoting democracy and gender equality. Nicknamed the “Iron Lady,” Sirleaf continues to promote increased education and opportunity for women to gain skills and become more competitive in the world. She showed the world that women could no longer be excluded from African politics.
She is currently serving her second term as president after winning re-election in 2011.
“The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them. If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.”- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
2. President Joyce Banda of Malawi
In 2012, after the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika, his vice president became the first female president of Malawi and the second female head of an African state.
As the first two female presidents of African nations, Banda and Sirleaf share a common background. Both women escaped abusive marriages and overcame single motherhood and poverty to become leaders of African nations. Both women are strong supporters of women’s rights, women’s education and reproductive rights. After taking office, Banda launched the Presidential Initiative for Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood. In Liberia, Sirleaf founded the Reach Every Pregnant Woman program to ensure medical care for pregnant women.
“Most African women are taught to endure abusive marriages. They say endurance means a good wife but most women endure abusive relationship because they are not empowered economically” – Joyce Banda
3. President Catherine Samba-Panza in the Central African Republic
In January, Catherine Samba-Panza defeated seven other candidates to be elected as the Central African Republic’s (CAR) interim president. Due to months of violence and killings, the CAR has collapsed politically and economically. She has the colossal task of leading the state safely into elections next year, rebuilding the CAR’s government and economy, and repairing the hostile relationship between the Muslim Seleka fighters and the Christian anti-balaka militias.
Called “Mother Courage,” Samba-Panza continues to promote women’s rights in a country where men dominate. She cites Sirleaf as her political inspiration and vows to find a solution to her country’s problems.
“The majority of my sisters and daughters in the Central African Republic don’t know their rights so they can’t defend them. But we who know our rights can help them. We must always help them: the battle is always to promote and protect the rights of women. When they are victims of violence, notably sexual violence, in the area of my activities in civil society, it was a battle I always led.” – Catherine Samba-Panza
– Sarah Yan
Sources: The Root, The Guardian, BBC
Seattle Foundations
The city of Seattle is the headquarters of many great philanthropic organizations and nonprofits. With Seattle foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to our very own The Borgen Project, the city offers countless ways to get involved in the community or make an impact on a state, national or global level.
To help you in your quest to become an active citizen of the world around you, here are some Seattle foundations and non-governmental organizations to consider:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Led by Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, the Foundation’s mission is to help people live healthy, productive lives and uplift those in battling extreme poverty and hunger. With an endowment of $40.2 billion, the Foundation is in the best position to provide dozens of grants to for initiatives such as childhood immunization, polio eradication and agricultural technologies.
Alliance for Education
Alliance for Education works to provide all children in the Seattle area with the tools they need to be successful in college while building a good career and happy life. The organization has a three-pronged attack focusing on fundraising, advocacy and community engagement. Raising $131 million since 1995, Alliance for Education invests in effective public school system-wide leadership, teacher effectiveness and academic rigor.
PATH
PATH has its headquarters in Seattle. However, it has offices in over 40 cities in 22 countries. Its goal is to ensure every person leads a healthy life by advancing technologies, improving health systems and promoting healthy behaviors. PATH takes on challenges in areas like maternal and child health, reproductive health, vaccines and immunization and emerging and epidemic diseases. PATH engages communities by speaking their language, going to where they live to spread information to promote healthy living.
Agros International
Agros targets areas dealing with significant poverty to provide them with the facilities they need to build a hard-working fulfilled life. Argos purchases land to support up to 200 families, dividing the land between them so they can build homes, establish a garden and cultivate cash groups. They establish a community with a democratically elected governing structure and provide them with financial tools to build and sustain their businesses. To promote proper nutrition, hygiene, basic healthcare and female empowerment, Argos provides educational programs to all families in the community.
These Seattle foundations offer many career and volunteer opportunities for those seeking to get involved in the non-profit sector. Alternatively, if you are just seeking to donate, you can be sure that your money will go to a great organization that helps people around the globe climb out the depths of poverty and poor health. To serve, visit their respective websites.
– Sunny Bhatt
Sources: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Alliance for Education, PATH, Agros International
Photo: Cospick