On February 24, 2022, Russian forces invaded several Ukrainian villages with missile attacks extending east to west, mostly targeting Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, exclaimed that he invaded Ukrainian territory to “demilitarize and denazify” the country. Putin used propaganda to explain to Russian citizens that by invading and creating Russian attacks on Ukraine, he is protecting them from more years of Ukranian bullying and genocide. Almost immediately, Ukraine began to fight back, rounding up the Armed Forces.
The Situation
Currently, statistics show 70,000 Ukrainians have died and 120,000 have become wounded since the attack on Ukraine in February. Officials estimate 120,000 Russian soldiers have died and 170,000 have been wounded since the invasion. Casualties on both sides round up to around 500,000.
At the beginning of the war in March of 2022, Russian attacks on Ukraine were able to take over five parts of Ukraine; Sumy, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Mariupol. Later, in November 2022, Ukraine regained control of all regions and almost kicked Russia out of its borders. However, since June 2023, Russia has been able to regain control of Kherson, as well as Bakhmut, keeping the world on its toes as it continues to watch the back-and-forth battle between Russia versus Ukraine.
During an interview with ABC News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained that he will not agree to give Russia any territory that was not initially theirs in February 2022. He will continue to counterattack Russian forces until justice is served.
How the Attacks in Ukraine are Affecting Citizens
As Zelenskyy continues to fight back for Ukrainian territory, many citizens of Ukraine are struggling to stay safe. As of early summer, 8.2 million Ukrainians ventured out of their borders to seek refuge somewhere more secure. Many have settled in bordering countries such as Poland, Romania and Hungary.
In big cities such as Krakow, several Ukrainian children and mothers flood train stations, hotels and apartments looking for somewhere to settle down. One of these mothers is Oksana, a Ukrainian engineer and a young mother of two.
Oksana did not intend to leave her home in Ukraine, but after hearing news stories about potential radiation leaks as well as seeing military vehicles pass her by each day, she decided it was time to find a safer place to raise kids. After a long and stressful trip to Krakow, she settled down with an acquaintance to house her children.
“I’m doing what I need to do,” Oksana said, “and I’m okay with it. Thousands of women like me were forced to leave Ukraine and now must find ways to feed their families. It’s not a problem for me. It’s the next step. We’ll see what comes later.” Oksana spoke to City Journal journalist, Tamar Jacoby.
How Polish People are Helping
Some are urging Polish citizens to help Ukrainian refugees by passing out food, water and other vital supplies. One woman in particular, Ula Kryszuk, is doing all she can at the Warsaw train station to help women and children get back on their feet.
Monika Kryszuk, Ula’s daughter, explained in an interview with The Borgen Project how her mother started helping at the station a month or two after the war started. She was in charge of giving Ukrainians directions to connecting transportation systems.
“As far as I know, people that she met were quite scared and shocked,” Kryszuk said. Meanwhile, citizens at home are struggling to find peace and safety in the comfort of their own cities due to
The Impact of Russian Attacks on Ukraine
Yulia Garbunova is a journalist for the Human Rights Watch association. Garbunova was able to interview Ukrainians still living at home and get inside information about what it was like living in Ukraine during the war.
One woman stated, “There is not a single family in Mariupol [Ukrainian city] who didn’t bury someone, or doesn’t know someone who did.” Others explain how many Russian attacks have broken into houses and beaten or raped family members.
“I lost everything,” another Ukrainian said.
While circumstances differ for every Ukrainian, most situations need similar aid. Nonprofits such as Razom for Ukraine are sponsoring Ukrainians at home and abroad with supplies such as food, clothes and medical aid. Founded in 2014, the organization delivered $62 million in aid in 2022.
One of its projects called Razom Relief focuses on helping NGOs in Ukraine that work directly with civilians and “supply aid to vulnerable communities.” In 2022, Razom provided $5 million in grants to 123 volunteer organizations in Ukraine, helping them to continue supporting the most vulnerable communities in the country.
Support for Ukraine is worldwide, and it continues to grow stronger as the war progresses. Supporting Ukrainian citizens and refugees in particular is a top priority for many people worldwide. Ukrainians continue to struggle with the atrocities the war has created for them and need as much awareness and support as they can get. Charities and allies are advocating for a stop to the violence between the two countries and a fair resolution.
– Nina Donlin
Photo: Flickr
El Niño’s Impact on Honduras
The Impact of El Niño in Honduras
Honduras and most of Central America expect around 3.5 million people to require humanitarian assistance because of El Niño. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), El Niño’s impact on Honduras is causing about 1.6 million people to require moderate to severe assistance with food because of the scarcity.
El Niño’s impact on Honduras causes severe drought compared to how it impacts other countries. Rural parts of the country that rely on importing goods or agriculture are affected the most by the severe drought and erratic weather the phenomenon presents. According to UNICEF, the lack of crops presents a constrained agricultural production, which leads to borderline famine and food scarcity.
The Permanent Commission of Contingencies (COPECO) declared that Honduras is on an indefinite Red Alert for 140 municipalities from rural areas to major cities. Aside from food scarcity, consumable and usable water is also becoming difficult to access. Water is now competing for agricultural use and human consumption, resulting in families in rural areas sacrificing water use for healthy hygiene. Since water is being used primarily for agriculture, there is an increase in water contamination, which affects children under five years the hardest.
Poverty in Honduras
While Honduras remains one of the poorest countries in the world, it is a remarkable and durable nation that emerged from a collapsing economy after the 2020 pandemic and two hurricanes. According to the World Bank, in 2020, more than half of the population lived under the poverty line but the country managed to recover with an increase in the labor market and an inflow of remittances.
Honduras’ economy will likely slow to 3.2% because of a slower growth of exports. El Niño’s impact on the country is a massive contributor to the halting of the economy because of the droughts it is causing. Without many crops or agricultural production, exporting goods significantly stunts the economy’s growth. The World Bank states in the report that another factor contributing to Honduras’ halting economy is low private investment and weak budget execution.
According to a report, the National Centers for Environmental Information estimates that the drought linked with El Niño is expected to cut into the region’s harvest. The drought is also impacting Honduras’ hydroelectric plants and beginning to ration electricity. Representative of The International Monetary Fund (IMF), Mr. Ricardo Llaudes, the mission’s leader to Honduras, states, “Honduras remains one of the world’s most vulnerable countries” to natural disasters, “with sizable adaptation investment needs.”
Action Against Hunger’s Efforts
Adaptation is the game’s name when dealing with El Niño and its random weather outbursts. Countries cannot prevent the phenomenon because of how long it has been around. But there are strategies, aids and plans that can be implemented to help Honduras surge forward.
Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization that provides food assistance to rural areas with minor nutrition and works to improve clean water access, safe sanitation and healthy hygiene. As of 2022, Action Against Hunger helped 227,971 people in the country in hopes of reducing the impact of El Niño.
But a growing concern in the country is the mass amount of migration from Honduran nationals and other countries in South America, including Ecuador, Cuba, Venezuela and many more. What Action Against Hunger is doing in response is providing humanitarian support to inside and outside migration shelters alongside prioritizing children’s malnourishment.
How USAID is Helping
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced a new humanitarian funding package of $42.5 million. The package will support El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, the most impacted by El Niño. According to USAID, the support will help reduce food insecurity and provide drinking water. The U.S. is providing a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
Ways to adapt and deal with El Niño include helping farmers grow different crops that require less water. A good example is the sorghum plant. The dragon fruit cactus is a great alternative fruit tree that can survive in severe drought. U.N. agencies are helping farmers create vegetable gardens that efficiently conserve water by having a small irrigation system.
While El Niño is here to stay, there are ways to reduce its impact. Planting alternative plants that can still provide nutrition to help reduce food scarcity. New farming methods focus on conserving as much water as possible and using aid packages to develop a reliable source of consumable water and food.
– Sebastian Llerena
Photo: Flickr
How the Internet of Things Can Help Fight Global Poverty
Through this network, devices can exchange information, analyze it, and perform tasks to enhance productivity, reduce waste and improve overall quality of life. Globally, computing costs have plummeted over the last few decades due to constant innovation, allowing technology to drive solutions for people experiencing poverty. For example, the cost of a gigaflop of processing power has fallen from $1 trillion to $0.03 since 1960. As a result, the Internet of Things has a variety of potential impacts that can help fight global poverty.
IoT Applications in Agriculture
Particularly in developing nations, agriculture and farming make up a significant portion of the impoverished’s livelihoods. But while such tasks aren’t typically associated with technology and innovative progress, IoT can help fight global poverty through several agricultural applications. For example, IoT-enabled sensors can monitor soil conditions, weather patterns and crop health in real time. As a result, farmers can have regular access to actionable insights for the improvement of yields and reduction of losses. Automated irrigation systems can be activated based on data collected by these sensors, ensuring efficient water usage and cost-effectiveness. Some estimates indicate that IoT helps save up to $50 per acre, which adds up to significant savings that can be greatly beneficial for impoverished people in developing countries.
Combining technologies and the Internet of Things can facilitate huge improvements in farming techniques. Drones equipped with sensors can monitor large areas of farmland, identify areas of concern and help farmers make informed decisions about their crops. The increased profits from this precision farming can go a long way in providing these farmers a way out of poverty. Already, developing countries including Vietnam and India have invested in IoT technology in agriculture, enabling precision farming through hardware devices.
Improved Access to Services
Access to essential services such as health care, education and financial transactions is often limited in impoverished areas. IoT has the potential to bridge this gap by enabling more accessible and more efficient access to these services. For instance, telemedicine powered by IoT can connect remote communities with health care professionals, allowing timely consultations and diagnoses. South Africa is just one of many countries investing in innovative health care facilities and research supports the hypothesis that these facilities increase efficiency greatly. For example, smart health care buildings use IoT to improve service delivery and data collection and to expedite processes. In the past, the health sector has also greatly benefited from easily collected data via mobile devices. This can lead to improved health outcomes and reduced health care costs for individuals and communities.
Additionally, IoT can facilitate mobile payments and banking services, providing financial inclusion to those who previously had limited access to traditional banking systems. Access to mobile-based financial transactions can enable secure and convenient transactions, empowering low-income people to participate in the formal economy and manage their finances effectively.
Disaster Response and Readiness
Natural disasters can have hugely debilitating effects on developing nations, which tend to struggle with resilient infrastructure. It is estimated that 26 million people are forced into poverty every year due to such disasters. IoT and other technological solutions, such as machine learning applications, can help with disaster response and resilience by providing real-time data on environmental conditions and early warnings for imminent threats.
Furthermore, IoT can aid post-disaster recovery efforts by tracking and managing relief supplies, ensuring efficient distribution to affected areas. This can significantly enhance the effectiveness of the humanitarian response, ultimately assisting in reducing the impact of disasters on communities and their path to recovery. As the World Bank estimates, disasters cause losses of approximately $520 billion each year and applications of the Internet of Things can help save billions of dollars that can instead be used to aid those in poverty.
Conclusion
The Internet of Things holds immense potential to mitigate global poverty by enhancing connectivity and enabling smart solutions across various sectors. As the world moves toward further digitization, data collection is becoming increasingly simple. IoT provides a method to harness the power of interconnected devices worldwide, using them as a catalyst for positive change. As communities are uplifted and individuals are empowered, collaboration among organizations can work toward bridging the poverty gap and fostering a brighter future for all.
– Namit Agrawal
Photo: Wikimedia
To a Healthier Future: USAID Programs in Zambia
Agriculture and Malnutrition
In December 2022, USAID began its partnership with African companies to build more eco-friendly facilities and improve market circulation in Zambia. Surplus crops, specifically maize, are a major issue in the country, and reducing food loss reduces regional hunger and further maximizes the economic potential of the country.
These projects coincide with USAID’s Scaling Up Nutrition Technical Assistance (SUN TA) program. According to USAID, 35% of Zambian children under age 5 suffer from malnutrition and stunted growth. This drastically affects their ability to learn and develop into the adolescents and adults of the future of Zambia. SUN TA works with mothers to provide household assistance and nutritious meals to children.
In a late March update, USAID announced grants totaling about $1 million to local Zambian companies to promote more environmentally friendly technology in the country and begin downsizing residential charcoal usage. Reducing deforestation and carbon emissions creates a healthier country that is less reliant on natural resources.
Charcoal and Environmentalism
Charcoal is by far the most dominant fuel source in the country. Ongoing USAID programs in Zambia also include the Alternatives to Charcoal (A2C) project. Charcoal is overwhelmingly the primary fuel source for cooking, with over 75% of households using charcoal regularly. High demand requires high supply to meet it. Because charcoal is made from wood (not coal), Zambia has one of the highest deforestation rates in the world — 180,000 to 250,000 hectares are cut down yearly. To reduce both deforestation and charcoal-produced carbon emissions, the A2C project aims to establish new fuel sources and technology in the country that are more efficient than charcoal, such as electrical appliances and gasifier stoves. Due to their higher efficiency at a reduced cost, Zambians can lower their cost of living and save more for the future.
Health
Zambia is one of the most HIV-prevalent places in the world, with the population of HIV-positive individuals at about 11%. This is cited as a primary reason why over 30% of Zambian households have at least one orphaned child. To tackle this combination of issues, USAID is currently implementing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) plan and the Adolescents and Children, HIV Incidence Reduction, Empowerment and Virus Elimination (ACHIEVE) project.
By investing 57% of its annual budget into continuously improving nationwide clinical HIV services. PEPFAR is designed to reduce disease through prevention and treatment programs in the country. While HIV is the main target of PEPFAR, similar programs exist for malaria, tuberculosis and other various diseases. PEPFAR also oversees family planning to reduce the rate of congenital (present from birth) HIV. As a result of the past decade of effort, the infection rate for children born to HIV-infected mothers has dropped to under 5%.
The ACHIEVE Project is the developmental plan for Zambia’s government infrastructure to better serve at-risk minors. By improving the country’s case management systems, Zambia will be able to better track and care for children across the country, further increasing household assistance and family planning.
Other Business
The Prosper Africa Initiative has recently partnered with EG Capital to target a goal of $100 million to spread among African businesses and entrepreneurs across East Africa and Zambia. The goal is to invest in regional growth sectors such as food, climate, technology, health and education while reducing the poverty line and specifically benefiting women with employment and children for a healthier future.
In the post-COVID world, USAID programs in Zambia, among others, are growing the country to be more efficient with its food, infrastructure and manpower. More efficient use of resources not only establishes a better economy but makes a difference in the lives of the many children who live below the poverty line. Reducing diseases and better oversight of millions of households allows the next generation of citizens to grow healthier and stronger to take on the challenges of the future. With these programs, Zambia is both capable and expected to grow soon into a country with a significantly better quality of life for its average citizens than in previous years.
– Eddie Dale
Photo: Unsplash
Mobile Libraries in Afghanistan Are Empowering Youth
The Plight of Education in Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s educational infrastructure has faced considerable challenges over the past few decades. War, political unrest and cultural norms have limited access to quality education for many, especially girls. According to UNICEF, by 2018, around 3.7 million children were out of school in Afghanistan, with girls making up 60% of this figure due to factors like traditional norms and the Taliban takeover affecting girls’ education.
The Taliban Takeover and Its Impact on Education
The Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021 has had a significant impact on education, especially for girls. Following the takeover, the Taliban implemented several restrictions, including barring girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade. This move, among other restrictive measures, targeted the education and employment opportunities for women and girls in Afghanistan.
According to UNESCO, more than 2.5 million, nearly 80% of school-aged Afghan girls and young women, have been out of school since 2021. The Taliban’s restriction tightened in 2022, barring girls from attending secondary school and university, making Afghanistan one of the most restrictive countries globally concerning women’s education.
Charmaghz, a Kabul-based non-profit organization, has provided educational resources to children amid these challenging circumstances. The organization repurposes old public buses into mobile libraries, offering a space for children to read, think and ask questions. Although they had to halt operations temporarily due to the Taliban’s takeover, the dire need for educational support for children propelled them to continue their mission.
Charmaghz: Wheels of Knowledge Amidst Adversity
The Charmaghz Mobile Library was launched in 2018 in Kabul, Afghanistan, by Freshta Karim. The name “Charmaghz” is derived from Farsi, where “chahar” means four and “maghz” means brain. This reflects the foundation’s philosophy of work, which is to create opportunities for critical thinking.
With the mission to provide spaces for critical thinking and children’s imagination in areas heavily affected by conflict, they offer mobile library services across Kabul and have various activities to encourage children to express themselves. Each mobile library is stocked with about 400 books in Dari, Pashto and English, covering topics ranging from science to history and has five active mobile libraries in Kabul, namely Khairkhana, Karte Naw, West Kabul, Khoshalkhan and Baghe Bala with about 1,000 visitors per day.
Three of the five libraries under the Charmaghz initiative received funding throughout 2021 with support from the Afghan private sector, indicating local support for such initiatives.
Positive Impacts of Mobile Libraries in Afghanistan
These mobile libraries are doing more than just spreading the joy of reading. They’re creating safe spaces where children, especially girls, can gather, share ideas and cultivate a love for learning. Regular reading sessions, storytelling events and discussions are organized, fostering a sense of community and shared learning.
By providing access to books and creating spaces for learning, mobile libraries contribute to bridging the educational gap in regions where regular schooling might be inaccessible or inadequate. The outreach to schools, parks, orphanages and communities, coupled with providing a wide range of books, extends educational resources to those who might otherwise have limited access.
The Road Ahead
The success of initiatives like Charmaghz is a testament to the resilience and determination of the Afghan people. There are efforts to promote reading among children, such as creating community libraries in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Kabul in 2021.
The Afghan government, with support from international NGOs, is recognizing the potential of these mobile libraries and is considering plans to support and expand these programs. The hope is that, soon, mobile libraries will not just be limited to Kabul but will be found across the country, bringing education and hope to every corner of Afghanistan.
The work of organizations like Charmaghz is a beacon of hope amidst the bleak educational landscape for girls in Afghanistan. Highlighting the operations of such organizations helps to ensure that the international community does not overlook the plight of girls and women in Afghanistan amidst other unfolding global crises.
– Laeticia Mbangue
Photo: Flickr
Marginalization and Health Care Inequity: A Pressing Issue
The Problem Marginalization Poses
It is evident that marginalization excludes populations from more than just society — but it is not clear how it relates to health care. In reality, there is a domino effect of causes that marginalization can have that lead to an enormous disparity of health care between rich and poor populations. To understand this, it is important to acknowledge the history behind inequity in socioeconomic statuses.
The Past
Impoverished populations have long been treated unfairly for centuries across the world. Caste systems in place in multiple countries have forced people into poverty based on their lineage. War, colonization and natural disasters have also been prominent causes of poverty — but societally, discrimination reigns as one of the largest injustices that impoverished populations face.
Poorer groups are generally forced into cheaper, more rural neighborhoods. This results in a very obvious marginalization because adequate resources are not provided to them because they cannot pay for the upkeep of necessities. Furthermore, advanced hospitals and vital health care sources usually exist where there are more people, typically in urban areas.
According to the Center for Global Development, some developing countries can pay up to 30 times more than others for basic everyday medicines. Broken medication markets limit the effective distribution of drugs for the enormous populations in need in several countries across the globe.
Lack of Health Care Professionals
Because of the lack of education in marginalized poverty-stricken populations, it is extremely difficult to find native health care professionals, especially in the poorest countries. Additionally, with the lack of income equity to adequately pay these health care professionals, those with education often treat people elsewhere.
With so many grave factors fighting against poor populations, poor health and poverty can become a vicious cycle. When workers have poor health, it is nearly impossible to work properly — especially in the case of workers in agriculture. This results in high rates of unemployment that constantly plague marginalized populations.
Dealing with Health Care Inequity
Several organizations across the world advocate and fundraise to eradicate health care inequities in developing countries.
A significant organization tirelessly working for marginalized populations is The World Economic Forum, or WEF. Acknowledging the enormous losses of life and well-being due to a lack of health care, the Global Health Equity Network of the WEF aims to increase advocacy and awareness of health inequities across the globe. Through the network’s longstanding efforts, over 40 organizations in several countries have pledged to bridge the inequity gap by offering affordable health care and have inspired thousands of people to speak up.
Looking Ahead
With many people uniting as one for the cause, it is more than possible to speak up for marginalized populations that lack access to what they need, as well as to resources that will amplify their own voices. Marginalization cannot disappear in one day — it will involve a team effort of people who wish to spread awareness of the situation. With organizations such as the World Economic Forum working tirelessly to diffuse this crucial perspective, marginalization will gradually release its grip on innocent populations, and a brighter future will be in store for them.
– Divya Shankar
Photo: Pixabay
Transforming Generosity: One Day’s Wages, Endless Impact
The Process
One Day’s Wages’ mission centers around recognizing that local organizations often encounter resource limitations and constrained fundraising capabilities. To tackle this challenge, One Day’s Wages utilizes a rigorous vetting process to identify suitable organizations and furnishes them with essential funding to advance their ongoing work. Through this collaborative approach, One Day’s Wages has invested almost $10 million in over 280 projects with various organizations worldwide.
A notable facet of the organization is its emphasis on individual contributions. It encourages individuals to dedicate their birthdays or significant life events, such as weddings, as opportunities to rally their networks to donate to One Day’s Wages instead of traditional gifts. This collaborative endeavor underscores the organization’s fundamental message: that collective action can bring about substantial change in global poverty.
A pivotal element of One Day’s Wages model is the direct allocation of 100% of funds to its partner organizations. This approach ensures that every donated dollar directly aids communities in need. To cover operational costs, One Day’s Wages hosts an annual gala in Seattle, with the funds raised exclusively designated for administrative expenses. This mechanism guarantees that all other fundraising initiatives throughout the year contribute directly to the projects.
The Principles of One Day’s Wages
The Cho family’s steadfast belief in the prospect of eradicating extreme global poverty forms the bedrock of One Day’s Wages’ mission. They assert that while money is essential, it is not a standalone solution. “The greatest resources are people,” writes One Day’s Wages. “Our voices matter. Our donations do make an impact when invested properly through organizations that are transparent, efficient, and strategic in not creating dependency but rather, creating opportunities and empowerment.”
One Day’s Wages’ approach has significantly evolved with the inclusion of accepting Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) for matching grants. These grants support locally-led, community-based organizations that do not have a Western-based branch, board, or network of donors. Partners must raise a portion of the grant funds and One Day’s Wages matches these contributions dollar for dollar, primarily through a 1:1 matching system. This approach ensures that local organizations are recipients of support while they actively contribute to their projects.
One Day’s Wages has significantly impacted, investing around $9,781,234 in collaboration with grassroots partners to implement 285 projects to alleviate poverty. These initiatives have directly benefited 1,239,704 individuals through their partnerships.
Some of Their Projects
One Day’s Wages has joined hands with Heartline Ministries to support a holistic maternal and infant care model in Haiti. This project addresses the unique challenges faced by vulnerable Haitian women who often lack access to quality health care. The program’s features, such as weekly prenatal care, breastfeeding support, postpartum care, medical screenings and family planning services, have made a remarkable impact. Through this partnership, Haitian women have received increased quality health care while they are empowered to make informed choices about their families and pregnancies.
In Afghanistan, maternal and infant mortality rates are alarmingly high, primarily due to the lack of access to health care facilities and a shortage of female medical personnel. One Day’s Wages, in collaboration with Action for Development (AfD), has taken a significant step towards addressing this issue. By training midwives in Kabul, Logar, Wardak and Badakhshan provinces, the project nequips these health care professionals while also fostering community-based sustainability. The “skills-gap protocol” has proven to be an effective, cost-efficient and sustainable approach that empowers local midwives to play a pivotal role in preventing maternal and infant mortality and enhancing women’s participation in the workforce.
In Zambia, where a significant portion of the population lives below the international poverty line and faces issues like malnutrition and gender-based violence, One Day’s Wages, in collaboration with Alliance for Children Everywhere, has initiated the “Graduation Approach.” This comprehensive program provides coaching and mentorship while facilitating integration into Village Savings and Loan Associations, asset transfers for income-generating activities and referrals to support services. The results have been remarkable, with many women starting businesses and achieving financial independence, significantly improving food security and empowering vulnerable families.
Conclusion
One Day’s Wages is an organization that brings a fresh and innovative approach to addressing global poverty. By directing resources straight to grassroots organizations and promoting individual contributions, they highlight the potential of collective efforts and strategic investments to make a meaningful impact. The Chos’ unwavering belief in the fight against extreme global poverty, along with their transparent, efficient and empowering model, serves as a testament to the possibility of positive change on a worldwide scale.
– Caleb Picone
Photo: Flickr
How Semiconductor Manufacturing in Kenya Reduces Poverty
Semiconductor Technologies Limited
Although most semiconductors are made in the United States, China and other heavily industrialized nations, Kenya is beginning to enter the semiconductor manufacturing sphere through the startup company Semiconductor Technologies Limited.
Semiconductor Technologies Limited, or STL, is succeeding in its mission to be the leading organization for semiconductor manufacturing in Kenya. The company was founded by Anthony Githinji, who started work on semiconductors in the United States in 1997 before bringing his knowledge back to Kenya. Githinji also strives to integrate technology into his local community. For instance, he helped to establish a computer lab in a village near Mount Kenya in hopes that it would educate children and help their families.
STL also strives to promote the female workforce in semiconductor manufacturing in Kenya. Of the roughly 100 engineers employed at STL, 70% are women. The company inspires women in the STEM field, thanks partly to the STL’s strong human resource development program. STL hopes to cultivate new talent by encouraging internships and by collaborating with other universities in Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda in the future.
What Are Semiconductors?
Semiconductors are small materials that conduct electricity and are often found on circuit boards in electronics. As the “brain” of the electronic system, they are a necessary component in most electronic devices and related products. Semiconductors can be found in many consumer products, such as refrigerators, microwaves, laptops, mobile phones and video game consoles. Manufacturing semiconductors is in high demand, as the products made with those chips are near-essential in everyday modern life.
What Is Silicon Savannah?
Konza Technopolis, also known as “Africa’s Silicon Savannah,” is Kenya’s hub for technological innovation and development, located 60 miles southeast of Nairobi. Much like San Francisco’s Silicon Valley, the Kenyan government strives to use the Konza Technopolis project to make the country a technological powerhouse on the level of other industrialized nations. Semiconductor Technologies Limited is one of many successful projects in Silicon Savannah, but the company is especially unique in its potential role in fighting Kenyan poverty.
STL’s Impact on Poverty
Significant evidence is that semiconductor manufacturing in Kenya may impact the nation’s poverty level. Between 2011 and 2012, Kenyan Internet bandwidth per user increased from 4500 megabits per second to 24000 megabits per second. The African mobile phone boom of the 2010s resulted in more families having access to functioning mobile phones than clean water or electricity. This opportunity allowed development researchers such as the International Centre for Tax and Development to use mobile phone software for development in the country. In particular, several of Kenya’s impoverished communities benefited from convenient phone applications for texting, health care and banking. In 2014, 66% of non-cash-based transactions in Kenya were done through mobile money payment systems.
By manufacturing semiconductors in Africa, Semiconductor Technologies Limited has a golden opportunity to help develop Kenya and fight against poverty. Technology is proven to assist in developing impoverished communities in the country, and therefore, the investment in additional technological efforts can only lead to a brighter future for Kenya.
– Liam Kahan
Photo: Unsplash
3 US Initiatives Fighting Global Hunger
Despite the challenges posed by the Russo-Ukrainian war and the growing wave of nationalism, the United States continues to take initiatives aimed at reducing global hunger and improving food systems and nutrition security on a global scale.
What is the Global Hunger Index?
The Global Hunger Index (GHI) is responsible for calculating and tracking hunger at regional, national levels and global levels. GHI evaluation is done on the values of four component indicators: undernourishment, insufficient availability of food, shortfalls in the nutritional status of children and child mortality. The GHI score is measured on a 100-point scale reflecting the severity of hunger, where zero is the best score, indicating no hunger, and 100 is the worst.
According to the report, there are currently 46 countries experiencing “serious” or “alarming” levels of hunger. Unfortunately, without significant changes, both the global situation and approximately 46 specific countries are not expected to attain even a minimal level of hunger reduction, as the Global Hunger Index (GHI) measured, by the year 2030.
Some have said the reason to be the Russo-Ukrainian War, which has disturbed the supply chain. Before that, the COVID-19 pandemic worsened economic crises. Further climate change and civil disputes have increased the scale of global hunger. This has caused the need for the urgent scaling up of humanitarian and resilience-building responses.
The US Initiatives for Reducing Global Hunger
The U.S. is responding to these worrying details with three initiatives. The U.S. dollar has relatively high purchasing power, and the country is trying to contribute its fair share to end global hunger.
The following three initiatives have extended humanitarian assistance to the people who are facing hunger.
1. Feed the Future
The foundation of this initiative was laid down in 2010 by Barack Obama. The program has helped in the technological advancement of 9 million farmers and improved the diets of nearly 18 million children across the globe by working in a variety of sectors to reduce hunger and promote self-resilience. It is active in 19 countries including Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, etc.
The program focuses on the promotion of agriculture. For example, the program has helped farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to learn new techniques upon high prices of fertilizers. The Feed the Future DRC Fall Armyworm Activity program works with farmers to make them aware of new technology and methods of mitigating the Armyworm, an infectious pest.
Furthermore, Feed the Future catalyzes research in various fields. As an illustration, in 2023, Esther Achola conducted research aimed at combating groundnut rosette disease (GRD). This disease is especially harmful to peanut crops as it results in plant discoloration, stunting and distortion, leading to total loss of the crop. In April 2023, a five-year, USAID promised a $15 million investment in the Peanut Innovation Lab. This contribution will strengthen global food security and will prove a boon for farmers.
2. Food For Peace
Almost 60 years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower found a solution to the agricultural surplus going to waste in America. He signed the Agricultural Trade Development Assistance Act into law. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy expanded the program, naming it Food For Peace (FFP). The new program came under the purview of foreign policy and worked to provide food to people in need.
Through its emergency programs, the program can reach people in acute shortage of food, who natural disasters affect. The program also has a development-focused aspect which equips people to be less dependent on foreign assistance.
Yemen has the most concerning situation in terms of food security. FFP provided more than $361 million in life-saving emergency food assistance to Yemen in 2018.
In Guatemala, FFP trains people to farm in a way that helps the environment and makes more food at home. In the area where the project happened, more farmers started using good farming methods. These methods include using better seeds, taking care of the soil, using natural fertilizers, growing gardens at home, looking after fruit trees and growing local herbs. In 2013, only 50.1% of farmers used these methods, but by 2018, it went up to 63.8%.
3. The Global Food Security Act
The Global Food Security Act of 2016 was aimed at extending the U.S. commitment to eliminate global hunger. The success of the Feed the Future program prompted the passing of this act. On October 11, 2018, President Trump signed a law that reauthorized the Global Food Security Act and added five years to achieve better results. It emphasized reducing global hunger and poverty with attention to solving the problem of malnutrition in developing countries. Sustainable development aims to achieve the reduction.
The Global Food Security Act of 2016, or GFSA, made official the methods that Feed the Future uses to combat global hunger. It is a commitment to keep fighting hunger and making sure everyone knows about it. Through GFSA, the United States made Feed the Future even stronger by improving how it tracks progress and making different parts of the government work together.
Looking Ahead
Addressing global hunger is imperative for a more equitable and sustainable future. Despite the challenges that conflicts pose, such as pandemics and changing weather patterns, the United States is actively engaged in combating global hunger through initiatives like Feed the Future, Food For Peace and the Global Food Security Act. These efforts exemplify the nation’s commitment to making a positive impact on the global food security landscape, emphasizing the urgency of collective global action to achieve meaningful progress.
– Asra Mairaj
Photo: Flickr
How the Attacks on Ukraine Are Affecting Citizens
The Situation
Currently, statistics show 70,000 Ukrainians have died and 120,000 have become wounded since the attack on Ukraine in February. Officials estimate 120,000 Russian soldiers have died and 170,000 have been wounded since the invasion. Casualties on both sides round up to around 500,000.
At the beginning of the war in March of 2022, Russian attacks on Ukraine were able to take over five parts of Ukraine; Sumy, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson and Mariupol. Later, in November 2022, Ukraine regained control of all regions and almost kicked Russia out of its borders. However, since June 2023, Russia has been able to regain control of Kherson, as well as Bakhmut, keeping the world on its toes as it continues to watch the back-and-forth battle between Russia versus Ukraine.
During an interview with ABC News, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained that he will not agree to give Russia any territory that was not initially theirs in February 2022. He will continue to counterattack Russian forces until justice is served.
How the Attacks in Ukraine are Affecting Citizens
As Zelenskyy continues to fight back for Ukrainian territory, many citizens of Ukraine are struggling to stay safe. As of early summer, 8.2 million Ukrainians ventured out of their borders to seek refuge somewhere more secure. Many have settled in bordering countries such as Poland, Romania and Hungary.
In big cities such as Krakow, several Ukrainian children and mothers flood train stations, hotels and apartments looking for somewhere to settle down. One of these mothers is Oksana, a Ukrainian engineer and a young mother of two.
Oksana did not intend to leave her home in Ukraine, but after hearing news stories about potential radiation leaks as well as seeing military vehicles pass her by each day, she decided it was time to find a safer place to raise kids. After a long and stressful trip to Krakow, she settled down with an acquaintance to house her children.
“I’m doing what I need to do,” Oksana said, “and I’m okay with it. Thousands of women like me were forced to leave Ukraine and now must find ways to feed their families. It’s not a problem for me. It’s the next step. We’ll see what comes later.” Oksana spoke to City Journal journalist, Tamar Jacoby.
How Polish People are Helping
Some are urging Polish citizens to help Ukrainian refugees by passing out food, water and other vital supplies. One woman in particular, Ula Kryszuk, is doing all she can at the Warsaw train station to help women and children get back on their feet.
Monika Kryszuk, Ula’s daughter, explained in an interview with The Borgen Project how her mother started helping at the station a month or two after the war started. She was in charge of giving Ukrainians directions to connecting transportation systems.
“As far as I know, people that she met were quite scared and shocked,” Kryszuk said. Meanwhile, citizens at home are struggling to find peace and safety in the comfort of their own cities due to
The Impact of Russian Attacks on Ukraine
Yulia Garbunova is a journalist for the Human Rights Watch association. Garbunova was able to interview Ukrainians still living at home and get inside information about what it was like living in Ukraine during the war.
One woman stated, “There is not a single family in Mariupol [Ukrainian city] who didn’t bury someone, or doesn’t know someone who did.” Others explain how many Russian attacks have broken into houses and beaten or raped family members.
“I lost everything,” another Ukrainian said.
While circumstances differ for every Ukrainian, most situations need similar aid. Nonprofits such as Razom for Ukraine are sponsoring Ukrainians at home and abroad with supplies such as food, clothes and medical aid. Founded in 2014, the organization delivered $62 million in aid in 2022.
One of its projects called Razom Relief focuses on helping NGOs in Ukraine that work directly with civilians and “supply aid to vulnerable communities.” In 2022, Razom provided $5 million in grants to 123 volunteer organizations in Ukraine, helping them to continue supporting the most vulnerable communities in the country.
Support for Ukraine is worldwide, and it continues to grow stronger as the war progresses. Supporting Ukrainian citizens and refugees in particular is a top priority for many people worldwide. Ukrainians continue to struggle with the atrocities the war has created for them and need as much awareness and support as they can get. Charities and allies are advocating for a stop to the violence between the two countries and a fair resolution.
– Nina Donlin
Photo: Flickr
Flash Flood in India
India’s Recent History of Natural Disasters
India experiences earthquakes frequently, being on a fault line along the Himalayas. However, of the 2.5 million internal displacements in India reported in 2022, most were displaced because of water-based natural disasters, like floods and cyclones. India reported 2,227 deaths due to extreme weather in 2022, which has devastatingly increased since 2020, when there were only 1,338 deaths reported. Natural disasters both cause poverty and also impact the impoverished more than any other group.
India loses about 2% of their GDP every year due to natural disasters. On top of socio-economic issues in most of India, almost every area in the country is in a hazard zone. It is challenging to assist communities after disasters in rural areas, where, as of 2012, only 37% of homes had inpatient facilities within a five-kilometer distance, and only 68% had access to outpatient facilities. It has been proposed that “the more rustic (rural) one’s existence… the greater are the odds of disease, malnourishment, weakness, and premature death” in India.
Sikkim sees many floods, but few are as extreme as this flood in India. Many have been worried about this flood in India since a dam was built six years ago. The area has many glacial lakes, and as the weather has been getting more extreme yearly, activists have been experiencing growing concern about the hydraulic power plant sitting high up the river. In 2019, Lhonak Lake was described in a government report as “highly vulnerable” to flooding. They stated that the flooding could breach dams and cause incredible damage to the area.
The Flood
The flood happened Wednesday morning, October 4, and was caused by a glacial outburst, when the water in a glacial lake rises too high or too much of the surrounding ice and land melt or fall away, causing the lake to “burst.” In this case, Lhonak lost 60% of its water content when it burst, which broke the dam downstream and came crashing into town with only 10 minutes of warning to the town Rangpo.
Despite many warnings about the risks Lhonak posed to the surrounding communities, it seems like scientists were ignored, and little was done to build preventative infrastructure in the area. In Rangpo, a Sikkim town, the mud is 15 feet high, covering entire houses. The flood carried tons of debris across cars and buildings, and with 101 people still missing, it is unclear how long it will take them to be found and how far away they could have been carried from their homes by the flood waters. This disaster has displaced so many and destroyed so much, with multiple universities and factories being impacted. It is difficult to know how Rangpo will bounce back from this and how many will face poverty. In the face of this calamity, the community has come together to create shelter spaces with food and water, and the army has come in to assist as well.
Prevention Measures
In April of 2023, there was a workshop in New Delhi organized by the Indian Water Partnership and the World Bank. The workshop was on the EPIC (Enable, Plan, Invest, Control) response framework, an idea published partially by the World Bank. This strategy states that floods and droughts do not have to be disasters but could be addressed so that they will cause minimal damage if approached thoughtfully. The preventative measures look like increased and more reliable drainage, more thought in building and a consciousness of the greenery of an area.
As of October 19, more than 2,000 citizens in the flooded area were moved to safer ground by the Indian Air Force, and 132,805 kg of relief materials were transported to Sikkim. The Indian Air Force and the state government were able to act quickly and in sync in reaction to this sudden disaster, which saved many lives.
In Sikkim, the government has a heavy focus on addressing poverty, with an initiative to make Sikkim completely poverty-free. This mission includes providing shelter and food to those who need it, focusing on those in rural areas, as rural poverty in India is much higher than urban poverty. This promise has led to Sikkim having one of the lowest poverty rates of any state in India at just below 4%.
India is still a country where many are struggling or displaced, but the government has worked hard to stabilize and gain wealth. In 2005, more than 50% of India was estimated to be experiencing poverty, whereas now, in less than twenty years, that number has dropped to only 16% of Indians. This flash flood in India displaced many families. It increased poverty in this community severely, but the World Bank seems confident that this could eventually be a thing of the past, and India seems to be more than capable of supporting those who were impacted by the flood.
– Ren Pratt
Photo: Flickr