1. Poor Countries Will Remain Poor
“Poor countries are not doomed to stay poor,” Bill Gates says, “By 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world. Almost all countries will be what we now call lower-middle income or richer”
Botswana, Cape Verde and the Maldive Islands graduated from the UN’s Least Developed Countries (LDC) list in 1994, 2007 and 2011, respectively. Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh have included graduation from LDC status as a strategic objective in their National Development Plans.
While many poor countries have enjoyed advancements in technology, health and education, there is still a long way to go. The evidence that some developing countries have already developed is enough to prove this myth wrong.
2. Foreign Aid is a Waste of Money
“I worry about the myth that aid doesn’t work,” Gates says. “It gives political leaders an excuse to try to cut back on it—and that would mean fewer lives are saved, and more time before countries can become self-sufficient.”
The U.S. spends less than one percent of its budget on foreign aid – that’s about $30 billion a year. Of that, about $11 billion is spent on health, with the remainder going to education and infrastructure.
If children are healthy, they can go to school and eventually work and even give back to their society, making their country more self-sufficient.
The myth that “aid fosters dependence” can be quickly put to rest by examining the countries who formerly received aid but have grown so much that they hardly receive aid today: Botswana, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Thailand, Mauritius, Singapore and Malaysia. In his letter, Gates also states that even in Sub-Saharan Africa, the share of the economy that comes from aid a third lower now than it was 20 years ago.
“Broadly speaking, aid is a fantastic investment, and we should be doing more,” Gates says. “It saves and improves lives very effectively, laying the groundwork for long-term economic progress.”
3. Saving Lives Leads to Overpopulation
Gates argues that as child mortality rates decline, so does birth rate. When children survive in higher numbers, families decide to have smaller families. If mothers are not sure whether their children will live, they tend to have more children. However, when children are well-nourished, fully vaccinated and treated for diseases, their future becomes more predictable and parents begin to make decisions based on the assumption that their child will live.
“We all have the chance to create a world where extreme poverty is the exception rather than the rule, and where all children have the same chance to thrive, no matter where they’re born. For those of us who believe in the value of every human life, there isn’t any more inspiring work under way in the world today.”
– Haley Sklut
Sources: Gates Foundation, The UN
Photo: Gates Foundation
Poverty in Uruguay: A Success Story
The number of Uruguayan citizens living below the poverty line of less than $1.25 a day has halved since 1990. This drastic reduction in poverty in Uruguay means the South American country has successfully achieved the first of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.
In 2012, the rate of poverty in Uruguay, defined as those earning less than $1.25 a day, decreased to 12.4 percent of the overall population. Uruguay’s Minister of Social Development, Daniel Olesker, points to labor and health reforms to explain these achievements.
Ever since the 2002 economic collapse of its neighbor, Argentina, Uruguay has slowly struggled its way out of indigence. In 2004, the poverty rate hit a high of 39.9 percent and has steadily decreased since due to efforts on behalf of the government to provide more funds for social inclusion programs.
In early 2005, the then-President of Uruguay, Dr. Tabaré Vasquez, revealed a two-year Emergency Social Program to aid the most vulnerable members of Uruguayan society. The program addressed pressing issues such as food, shelter, health, work and education for the most destitute in Uruguay.
Other programs aimed at reducing poverty in Uruguay include a family allowance program wherein “vulnerable” families are given a subsidy of around 700 pesos per month, a sum equal to about $31. Families in more extreme conditions may receive up to double that amount.
As a result of these reforms, the number of homeless people living in Uruguay fell to .5 percent of the population. Despite the success of these public policies, it continues to elude the segment of the population in the lowest rung of the income distribution.
The current President of Uruguay, José Mujica, is known as a champion of the poor and sets an example for citizens of Uruguay by living modestly. He donates 90 percent of his income as president to charities working on housing for the poor and lives on a small farm outside Montevideo instead of the presidential palace.
– Jeff Meyer
Sources: Presidencia, The Guardian, El Mundo, Xinhuanet, La Republica
Photo: IPS
Lumos Foundation: J.K. Rowling’s Magical Venture
J.K. Rowling may be most famous for her adventurous and classic tales of witchcraft and wizardry, but the author of the Harry Potter franchise has much more up her sleeve. The Lumos Foundation, Rowling’s charitable organization, has bettered the lives of millions.
A well-known advocate for international human rights, Rowling spent time volunteering for Amnesty International prior to her breakout success. Rowling cites her time with the organization for teaching her about the kind of impact she wishes to have for humanity. In the wake of her celebrity status, Rowling became the 12th richest woman in the world. With her wealth, Rowling decided to donate half of it to charitable causes, taking a pledge alongside other billionaires and initiated by Bill Gates.
The Lumos Foundation
Rowling’s shining charitable achievement, however, is the Lumos Foundation. The Lumos Foundation is an organization committed to providing basic human rights services for over eight million children living in institutions. The organization seeks to provide community-based services such as primary education and healthcare as replacements for institutions that often neglect these basic needs.
While the Lumos Foundation is globally minded, it focuses most specifically on Eastern European nations. Moldova, for example, has one of the highest institutionalization rates among children of any nation. “Most of these vulnerable young people are not orphans and poverty has separated them from their parents,” says Lumos, concerning orphanages in Moldova. Furthermore, many of these children are placed in institutions due to gaps in the education system. Children with disabilities are especially at a disadvantage and have a high chance of being institutionalized.
“Lumos works on every level, with every actor, to transform an outdated and harmful system into one which supports and protects children and enables them to have a positive future.” Founding the Lumos Foundation and supporting the development of the world’s most vulnerable citizens, children, shows how dedicated Rowling is to advocacy (even without Hogwart’s training.)
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: Lumos, The Borgen Project
Photo: Mirror
Why We Must Fight for Disabled Children in Africa
93 million children around the globe have a moderate or severe disability. Many of these children live in developing nations that do not have the financial or social tools to make necessary accommodations for special needs children. Even more disturbing is the discrimination against children with special needs, making children who need our support the most feel abandoned.
This is where Able Child Africa (ACA) steps in. ACA was founded in the wake of the Ugandan Civil War in 1984 with a vision of helping children with disabilities realize a future of equality and inclusion in society.
The organization seeks to break down the social barriers that demean special needs people. These barriers are broken down into three categories: physical and environmental barriers that prevent access to buildings, transportation and the like as well as institutional barriers such as governmental policy that fails to recognize the equality of disabled people and negative popular attitudes about disability.
ACA works locally with communities in order to help create a sustainable culture of change for special needs children. For example, ACA is partnered with the Ugandan Society for Disabled Children. Together, the two organizations oversee support groups for parents of special needs children and run training programs to teach elementary and secondary school teachers how to be more inclusive. ACA also runs two centers in Kenya and Tanzania, respectively.
Although 63 percent of children in African countries are now completing a primary education, only two percent of children with disabilities complete this stage. In 2006, the United Nations held the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which requires all member nations to be inclusive for disabled persons in all levels of education. With such a gap between traditional and special needs students, much work must be done. ACA is willing to take up the fight.
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: UNICEF, Able Child Africa
Photo: The Guardian
The Vow of Poverty and the Vow of Devotion
In an age where the acquisition of wealth and all of its shiny, glossy and overpriced accompaniments dominates the American dream, groups of individuals around the world elect to relinquish their worldly possessions, embracing a life of material destitution. Individuals who take the formal vow of poverty typically belong to a religious order, specifically, the Catholic faith.
The vow of poverty is often accompanied by the vow of chastity and the vow of obedience. Together, these three vows comprise the evangelical counsels. When an individual takes the vow of poverty, he or she chooses to renounce personal worldly possessions and instead engage in communal sharing of resources.
However, there is variation in the vow of poverty. For instance, the vow may abide by the vow for an extended or a limited amount of time. The vow may also apply to different classes of property rather than property as a whole. Additionally, the vow may apply to goods available in the present or goods expected in the future. Oftentimes, the vow entails the loss of rights over one’s personal industry. For instance, in certain cases, the vow of poverty rebukes the acceptance of any personal material profit, such as profits from labor.
In the Catholic faith, men and women have attempted to devote their lives to God through partaking in the evangelical counsels. In doing so, these individuals follow in the path of Jesus, whose life was defined by detachment from earthly possessions and earthly pleasures. Symbolically, the evangelical counsels represent an individual’s determination to resist, what religious organizations often view as, the temptations and perils of modern society.
Although individuals who take the vow of poverty renounce their non-sacred material possessions, they elect to secure spiritual, reputational, and humanitarian wealth instead. Furthermore, these individuals profess that God is the source of all wealth and therefore materialism distracts people from focusing on God.
Furthermore, another perspective motivating people to take the vow of poverty is the sheer inequality in the world. Rather than simply acknowledging the existence of poverty, individuals who take the vow gain first-hand experience, an experience that may better equip them to aid the poor in the future.
– Phoebe Pradhan
Sources: Children of Priests, Holy Cross Vocations, New Advent
Photo: Breaking in the Habit
What $10 Buys in World’s 10 Poorest Countries
Often, the assumption is that the world’s poorest countries must have a low cost of living; unfortunately, the average annual income (GNI) in poor countries is often too low to purchase many of the things Western Civilization considers basic necessities of life. With this discrepancy, it is possible to see how so many people are going without food and an education. Below is a list of what you can buy with $10 in the World’s 10 poorest countries.
Afghanistan (GNI = $426): $10 buys 35 pounds of Pakistani sugar, or 17 pounds of rice
Madagascar (GNI = $450): $10 buys five dozen eggs, five liters of domestic draft beer or two seats for an international film release at the cinema
Malawi (GNI = $900): $10 buys 22 pounds of rice
Niger (GNI = $3,716): $10 buys 20 cigarettes
Central African Republic (GNI = $800): $10 buys four and a half pounds of apples, or 11 pounds of potatoes
Eritrea (GNI – $403): $10 buys ten liters of gasoline
Liberia (GNI = $436): $10 buys 15 liters of mineral water
Burundi (GNI = $160): $10 buys five and a half pounds of rice, or one combo meal at a local fast food joint
Zimbabwe (GNI = $150): $10 buys a meal in an inexpensive restaurant, or five cappuccinos
Democratic Republic of the Congo (GNI = $120): $10 buys financial literacy training material for one woman
This list demonstrates how important it is to provide the means rather than the product; shipping water across the ocean rings up an endless bill, but digging a well could save hundreds and is a one-time labor. A small loan is all it takes to provide a woman with the knowledge to later provide for herself and her children.
The cost of food skyrockets when there is a shortage and evaporates when there is abundance, so rather than a single meal, they often need support for their agricultural systems to provide a cushion for farmers. Our money would be well served providing farmers with the knowledge and equipment to maintain a reliable price on their product. This would not only allow farmers to feed and care for their families, but keep food available and affordable for the masses.
– Lydia Caswell
Sources: Asia Times, FINCA, Global Giving, International Women’s Rights Action Watch, Maps of World, The Richest, The Washington Post, The World Bank, World Vision
Photo: Vando Nascimento
Protecting the Rights of Syrian Children
On January 22, the Geneva II Middle East Peace Conference opened in Montreux, Switzerland. One of the major focuses of the conference is an attempt to curb the civil war in Syria.
Since the beginning of Syria’s civil war in spring 2011, over 100,000 people have been killed. The Oxford Research Group posted an independent study estimating that 11,420 of civilian casualties, over 10 percent have been children.
While the majority of casualties have resulted from explosive weapons or Syrian army assaults on civilian neighborhoods, there have also been targeted attacks on children, with 112 recorded cases of torture leading to death.The situation for Syrian children is dire. In many cases, the children are forced to flee Syria as refugees. As refugees, the situation is not much better, with limited access to food and water.
World Vision has released its January report on the crisis in Syria focusing on bringing the conditions of the regions children to light. The report, “Stand With Me – Children’s Rights, Wronged” emphasizes the conditions in which Syrian children live and outlines what is needed to support them.
The report discusses the violations against Syrian children’s basic human rights. Affected children in Syria endure child labor at as young as 4 years old, with 10 percent of refugees replacing education with work.
This inability to access education is emphasized as one of the greatest misfortunes of the war. World Vision’s report explains how important it is to keep Syrian children in school not just to educate them, but also to keep them safe from dangerous situations on the streets and in the workplace.
Additionally, many Syrian children are being exploited to smuggle goods, perform sexual acts and to work and fight on the front lines of the civil war.
In addition to highlighting the conditions that Syrian children face, World Vision calls for three demands regarding the safety of these children to be met:
1. “All parties to the conflict to cease hostilities and come together to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict, with support from the international community.
2. All parties to do everything within their power to respect and ensure the protection of children and their rights by immediately ceasing all violence, exploitation, and abuse against children.
3. Donors to meet the $1 billion call to fund education and child protection programming for children affected by the crisis…”
In light of the Geneva II Middle East Peace Conference, World Vision’s January report calls for action on the part of the global community in order to curtail further violence against the children of Syria.
– Cameron Barney
Sources: World Vision, NBC News, NPR, NPR, BBC
Photo: The Big Story
Portrayals of Poverty in Film and Television
Global issues such as homelessness, hunger and addiction have long inspired captivating portrayals of poverty in film and television characters.
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins depicts an alternate universe in which 12 districts are controlled by a single malevolent leader. Each year all twelve districts must offer up tributes to compete in the annual Hunger Games.
Most of the districts live in poverty with barely enough to eat while the rich citizens of the ‘capitol’ live in luxury and wealth. Hunger, desperation and violent leadership all contribute to the ultimate uprising of the districts in order to overthrow the capitol and evil President Snow.
It is not far- fetched to relate this alternate reality to that of a dictatorship or corrupt government of some foreign nation. There are leaders and factions that use violence to rule among citizens struggling with poverty and trying to make ends meet on less than two dollars a day.
Political scandals and power struggles invite more violence and instability to any group of people, and The Hunger Games is an example of a worst-case scenario when people living in poverty do not have good leadership, education and a stable economy.
“Bubbles,” The Wire
Another great example of fictional poverty on screen is the character “Bubbles” from the HBO drama series, The Wire. Bubbles is introduced to audiences as a homeless heroin addict. His story depicts how drug addiction can run rampant without help and ruin the lives and relationships of people around them.
The plotline of Bubbles ranges from problems with family to a cautious truce with the police as an informant. HBO uses Bubble’s charm and intelligence to challenge common poverty stereotypes like laziness and lack of motivation. The plot instead points to unforeseeable circumstances, like fighting a disease, rather than indulging in drugs for fun.
Stereotypes of the homeless, poor, addicted and other unfortunate souls, have persisted for many years. Such misperceptions of those struggling with poverty lead others to make unfair assumptions about the value and potential of these people. The more money one has, the more respect one gains and vice versa.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, famous all over the world for its magical universe and equally magical characters, shows how the stigma of poverty can affect even a wizarding family. The Weasley’s are known for having a large family but less money than most, and many of the children are often made fun of in school — even the adults are looked down on by their employers at the Ministry of Magic.
Film and television storylines and characters like these do more than just entertain; they send a message and encourage people to think more compassionately about one another. Addressing these issues makes audiences and critics alike re-think the way they see the the poor, the homeless and the addicted.
– Kaitlin Sutherby
Sources: Flavorwire, Scholastic, The Hunger Games
Photo: joshuaongys
3 Poverty Myths Addressed in Gates Annual Letter
1. Poor Countries Will Remain Poor
“Poor countries are not doomed to stay poor,” Bill Gates says, “By 2035, there will be almost no poor countries left in the world. Almost all countries will be what we now call lower-middle income or richer”
Botswana, Cape Verde and the Maldive Islands graduated from the UN’s Least Developed Countries (LDC) list in 1994, 2007 and 2011, respectively. Cambodia, Laos and Bangladesh have included graduation from LDC status as a strategic objective in their National Development Plans.
While many poor countries have enjoyed advancements in technology, health and education, there is still a long way to go. The evidence that some developing countries have already developed is enough to prove this myth wrong.
2. Foreign Aid is a Waste of Money
“I worry about the myth that aid doesn’t work,” Gates says. “It gives political leaders an excuse to try to cut back on it—and that would mean fewer lives are saved, and more time before countries can become self-sufficient.”
The U.S. spends less than one percent of its budget on foreign aid – that’s about $30 billion a year. Of that, about $11 billion is spent on health, with the remainder going to education and infrastructure.
If children are healthy, they can go to school and eventually work and even give back to their society, making their country more self-sufficient.
The myth that “aid fosters dependence” can be quickly put to rest by examining the countries who formerly received aid but have grown so much that they hardly receive aid today: Botswana, Morocco, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, Peru, Thailand, Mauritius, Singapore and Malaysia. In his letter, Gates also states that even in Sub-Saharan Africa, the share of the economy that comes from aid a third lower now than it was 20 years ago.
“Broadly speaking, aid is a fantastic investment, and we should be doing more,” Gates says. “It saves and improves lives very effectively, laying the groundwork for long-term economic progress.”
3. Saving Lives Leads to Overpopulation
Gates argues that as child mortality rates decline, so does birth rate. When children survive in higher numbers, families decide to have smaller families. If mothers are not sure whether their children will live, they tend to have more children. However, when children are well-nourished, fully vaccinated and treated for diseases, their future becomes more predictable and parents begin to make decisions based on the assumption that their child will live.
“We all have the chance to create a world where extreme poverty is the exception rather than the rule, and where all children have the same chance to thrive, no matter where they’re born. For those of us who believe in the value of every human life, there isn’t any more inspiring work under way in the world today.”
– Haley Sklut
Sources: Gates Foundation, The UN
Photo: Gates Foundation
10 Statistics on Slavery Today
“Elementary students across America are taught that slavery ended in the 19th Century. But, sadly, nearly 150 years later, the fight to end this global scourge is far from over.”
Hillary Clinton wrote these words in an op-ed she penned as Secretary of State. Her words were calling the world’s attention to the hideous prevalence of modern slavery. Slave owners often hide the practice behind words and phrases such as “bonded labor,” “human trafficking” and “forced labor,” yet nothing changes the fact that human beings are being enslaved.
Calling for people, organizations and governments to “redouble our efforts to fight modern slavery,” Secretary Clinton advocated for using “every available tool” to set the international community on a course toward the eradication of modern slavery.
Slavery Statistics
1. An estimated 29.8 million people live in modern slavery today
2. Slavery generates $32 billion for traffickers globally each year
3. Approximately 78% of victims are enslaved for labor, 22% of victims are enslaved for sex
4. 55% of slavery victims are women and girls
5. 26% of slaves today are children under the age of 18
6. An estimated 60,000 victims of slavery are enslaved in the United States.
7. Iceland, Ireland and the United Kingdom tied for the ranking of 160 in the 2013 Global Slavery Index. However, even with the top ranking in the survey, these countries are not free from slavery. In the United Kingdom alone, there are an estimated 4,200 to 4,600 victims of slavery.
8. The country with the highest percentage of of its population in slavery is Mauritania with approximately 4% of the total population enslaved. This amounts to roughly 140,000 to 160,000 people enslaved — Mauritania’s total population is only a mere 3.8 million.
9. India has the largest number of slavery victims at a horrifying 14 million.
10. The top 10 per-capita slavery hot spots are:
Mauritania
Haiti
Pakistan
India
Nepal
Moldova
Benin
Cote d’Ivoire
Gambia
Gabon
– Kelley Calkins
Sources: Free the Slaves, Walk Free Foundation, US State Department
Photo: Exposing the Truth
Guinea Worm Almost Gone
There were only 148 cases of Guinea Worm infestations reported worldwide last year, which is a leap forward compared to the 3.5 million cases less than two decades ago. This disease is known to many as “dracunculiasis” which means, “affliction with little dragons,” due to the pain the worm causes on the skin. Hope remains for the few countries left on the Guinea worm-endemic list as complete eradication of the parasite may come at a faster rate than that of the polio virus.
The number of countries on the Guinea worm endemic list dropped from 21 to four. Ethiopia, Chad, Mali and South Sudan remain on the list, but there are now less than 200 cases compared to the millions that reported in 1986. South Sudan currently has the highest number of cases due to a resurgence that occurred last month when health workers were removed from the main eradication center due to fighting in the villages.
People acquire the worm by drinking contaminated water. When individuals drink the contaminated water, the pathogen enters the body where it remains for almost a month. During this time it matures into a worm that can grow up to 3 feet long. When it is ready, the Guinea worm exits from a blister on the individual’s skin inch by inch. In most cases, the exiting worm has contact with water, where it releases its larvae and the pathogen is able to spread to several people if they continue to drink from these shallow ponds. This microscopic parasite usually appears in isolated villages marked by these shallow water ponds.
Family economies also suffer as victims are unable to work or farm. The process is painful and as it emerges it cripples a person for several weeks. Young children who acquire the worm also miss school for several weeks.
Wiping out the Guinea worm has been quite the obstacle since there is no vaccine or medicine against the parasite. Health advocates usually visit various villages to educate families about the dangers of drinking contaminated water. They also explain how the water becomes contaminated when villagers place their infected limbs in shallow water ponds.
So far efforts to eliminate the Guinea Worm have cost around $350 million since 1986. This amount has almost solved the problem, while fighting off polio will cost upwards of $5.5 billion. Health workers note that eradication efforts are low-tech but can be easily implemented since the only strategy is to drink clean water and keep infections monitored. Officials from the Carter Center, the main operation center against Guinea Worm cases, are confident about eliminating the parasite if they continue their same efficient methods.
– Maybelline Martez
Sources: NY Times, NPR, Guinea Worms, NPR, Slaying Dragons
Photo: TrialX