According to a report from the National Center on Family Homelessness, in 2010 there were more than 1.6 million homeless children across the span of the U.S.
Lacking any sort of permanent residency, these children often stay on the streets, in shelters, motels, cars and abandoned buildings.
At the age of five, a young boy by the name of Nicholas Lowinger visited a homeless shelter with his mother. His excitement to show his new light-up sneakers to the other children was apparent, but his mother advised him not to do so.
After interacting with the children at the shelter, Nicholas soon realized that they were living under conditions quite different from his own. Lowinger recalls seeing children whose shoes were tattered, worn, and falling apart. Or there were the extremely unfortunate individuals who had no shoes at all.
Now the age of 15, Nicholas says, “I have been very fortunate to grow up in a family that is able to provide me with whatever I need. A lot of kids here in the U.S don’t have the same opportunities.”
Following this visit Nicholas began to donate his older shoes to local shelters. Although he made an effort, he soon realized that his donations were not as helpful as he had hoped.
Due to the lasting impression that his first visit to a homeless shelter left and his desire to make a difference, at the age of 12, Nicholas began a program that donates new shoes to children who are homeless.
“Homeless children shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll be accepted or how they’ll fit in,” Nicholas said. “They shouldn’t have to worry about not being able to play sports or go to school because they don’t have a pair of shoes.”
Initially, the program began as a part of a community service project, building up to his bar mitzvah. Noticing the difference that was being made, though, Nicholas wanted to ensure that the program would go on even after his bar mitzvah ceremony ended.
With the assistance of his parents, Nicholas began the Gotta Have Sole Foundation. Since it’s start-up, this organization has provided more than 10,000 children with new footwear, in over 21 states.
“New shoes can make a child feel good about him or herself. They gain confidence; they’re able to do better in school,” Nicholas said.
In the Lowinger family garage, one would find an abundance of new shoes that have been donated by footwear companies, stores, and individuals. Any size or style that they do not already have is acquired through the organizations monetary donations.
Over 1,000 volunteers help with this organization, and Nicholas himself works 15 hours a week on it. Nicholas thoroughly encourages young individuals to not allow their age to get in the way of achieving their dreams.
– Samaria Garrett
Sources: CNN, Gotta Have Sole
Photo: 100k Homes
Human Rights Abuses in West Papua
The region of West Papua does not make the news often; in fact, it rarely merits a news blurb in most Western headlines. However, West Papua is arguably one of the most under-reported cases of exploitation an indigenous groups in the 21st century.
Since 1969, the people of West Papua have been in conflict with the government of Indonesia in one way or another. The University of Sydney’s Center for Peace and Conflict Studies put out a report stating that for the better part of 40 years, the people of West Papua have been under the boot heel of the Indonesian Security forces.
The report goes on to state that due to wide scale incursions by Indonesia’s armed forces, West Papua has seen over 100,000 of its citizens die and much of its national resources depleted.
A report by The Guardian also notes the devastating effect that Indonesian resource extraction is having on the people of West Papua. It notes the case of the Mooi people, who are one of the 250 indigenous tribes that are having their way of life destroyed due to the deforestation of their lands by timber and palm oil companies.
The oceans off the coasts of West Papua are also being devastated due to nickel mining in the area, which is flooding the bountiful coral reefs with polluted sediment.
It is not only the eco-system of West Papua that is being destroyed. Even though it has been close to 45 years, the Indonesian military is still cracking down severely on people who are part of the Free Western Papua Movement.
Last year, the Free Western Papua Movement’s Facebook published the photo of a dead Papuan named Edward Apaseray, who was reportedly tortured and killed by the Indonesian Special Police Forces for being a “separatist.” The Diplomat, a current affairs magazine for the Asian-Pacific region, published a report in which a recent study noted that in West Papua, an incident of torture occurred every six weeks for the past half-century.
The human rights organization Tapol that monitors human rights abuses in West Papua published the story of Yawan Wayeni. He was a tribal leader and formal political prisoner who was tortured and killed by Indonesian security forces in brutal fashion.
The media have long overlooked the plight of the people of West Papua. It has only recently begun to receive real traction in Western media. The International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP) is a group of politicians around the world who support the right self-determination for the people of West Papua.
One of its members, Benny Wenda, an exile from West Papua, recently had an article published in which he decried the recent statement of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot, who stated that things in West Papua are “better and not worse.”
West Papua is one of the forgotten atrocities of the 21st century; the responsibility making sure that it does not continue to be rests with us and our elected officials. The Arab Spring occurred with the help of Facebook and a determined populace. The plight of West Papua needs the same type of support from those who have the ability to stand up to the Indonesian government.
– Arthur Fuller
Sources: Amnesty International, The Guardian, Tapol, The Diplomat, The University Of Sydney, Tapol, CNN, The Guardian, Tempo, Australia News Network
Photo: London Mining Network
Education in India Suffers from Income Inequality
India is known for having one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Currently, the growth for GDP within India rests at 4.9 percent, but this is far below its potential.
Similarly to the United States, India is another one of the world’s largest democracies. However, they both also have some of the worst cases of income inequality. In the past 15 years, the net worth of India’s top billionaires have increased 12 times, enough to eliminate poverty in India twice.
The public infrastructure of India is developing at a decent pace, but there are problems that are often left unaccounted for by the Indian government. For example, education in India is a system in dire need of improvement.
According to UNESCO’s Education For All global monitoring report, “At 287 million, India has 37 percent of the total population of illiterate adults across the world.” The report also asserts that the poorest of India will not expect to receive universal education until around the year 2080.
In regards to the specific problems that India faces with education, access and quality are two of the greatest concerns. Much of it is tied to the proper functioning and funding of Indian government, which may not be reliable in certain instances.
90% of people do not continue to college in India, 58% do not finish primary school and 4% never even have the opportunity to start.
The extensive lack of universal education in India also goes on to provide problems for India’s human capital in general. Out of 122 total countries released by the World Economic Forum’s Human Capital Index, India is ranked a measly 78.th The problems India faces may require the nation to make steps toward realizing more inclusive growth and development.
Income inequality ought to be addressed in India for their human capital to rise.
This means core public services including basic healthcare, education and power or water supply must be established by Indian government at multiple levels. Investment in people has proven a successful method to national development. In other words, India still has a ways to go in realizing its full potential.
– Jugal Patel
Sources: World Bank, India Times, Teach For India, Live Mint, Outlook India
Photo: The New York Times
Poverty in Ecuador: Plans for Development and Growth
The Republic of Ecuador was part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquered it in 1533. Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost a lot of territory in a series of conflicts with its northern and southern neighbors. In 1995, there was a war between Peru and Ecuador over the borders, but the war ended in 1999.
Ecuador has now had 40 years of civilian governance, but since 2004, there has been political instability with protests breaking out in Quito against the past four presidents. Near the end of 2008, the country’s adopted its 20th new constitution. In early 2013, Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa was re-elected. Correa has been promising a social revolution to benefit the poor during the entirety of his presidency.
Despite the 1970’s oil boom that led to extraordinary growth, poverty in Ecuador is still very prevalent in the country. The distribution of wealth is incredibly skewed; roughly 35 percent of the population (4 million Ecuadorians) living in poverty and about 17 percent more citizens are in danger of entering poverty. Additionally, there are 1.5 million Ecuadorians living in extreme poverty; even if they only spend their money on food, they still are not able to meet their daily nutritional requirements.
Rural poverty in Ecuador is ultimately caused by lack of education, lack of employment, a low amount of market integration and little access to land. There are many indigenous people who live in the rural highlands and the Amazon region that are in poverty and the amount of impoverished indigenous is much higher than those that are not indigenous. These people show extremely high levels of child mortality and malnutrition and they are much less educated than the non-indigenous Ecuadorian population.
The population living in poverty in urban areas is estimated at around 1.5 million. Even though they live in somewhat more developed areas, they still lack fundamental things such as a functioning water supply or sewage system. They, like those living in rural poverty, are also dealing with low education levels, troubles with employment and very low rates of labor.
In Ecuador, certain indigenous communities follow the tradition of the minga, which is where the entire community comes together to work for the benefit of everyone. An organization called Free The Children has been working with this communal unification to provide educations to people in the Ecuadorian province of Chimborazo and to people in the Amazon region. More than 300,000 children in Ecuador are working as child laborers, 25.8 percent of the population suffers from chronic malnutrition and 55 percent of the indigenous population lives in poverty.
Free The Children is working to lower these numbers significantly. They are also trying to provide aid for the thousands of indigenous from the Amazon that are most vulnerable due to limited authority over labor opportunities, land use, and health care. Organizations like these are essential for helping the natives of Ecuador to be able to acclimate to the changing world around them and progress out of poverty.
– Kenneth W. Kliesner
Sources: Free the Children, CIA Factbook, The World Bank
Photo: Contemporary Society
Shining Brightly: The Diamond Empowerment Fund
Africa is home to some of the world’s largest diamond mines, with 11 countries throughout the continent engaging in diamond extraction industry. The diamond industry has been a major source of wealth for nations like Botswana, South Africa and Angola. Approximately $8.5 billion of the $13 billion in rough diamonds are produced in Africa, while global diamond jewelry sales total $72 billion per year. In recent decades, the industry has been under intense scrutiny for some of the barbaric conditions in which the diamond mines operate.
To gain control of diamond mines, rebel groups, governments, and corporations, have battled each other often engaging in war-like tactics to extract the coveted resource. The Hollywood film “Blood Diamonds” has featured this conflict and helped raise awareness for the millions of Africans who have been killed, injured or displaced throughout the years.
In 2007, in response to this struggle, Hip Hop legend Russell Simmons and leaders of the Diamond and Jewelry industry created the Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF.) The DEF hopes to transform and empower individuals and societies within the diamond producing countries through education. To accomplish this mission, the Diamond Empowerment Fund will work with partners in the industry to create innovative product designs where sales help support education initiatives.
DEF partners include Dalumi Group, Malca-Amit, Leo Schachter, Exelco Group, and Tiffany & Co. These partners offer diamond jewelry and other products that give customers the satisfaction of contributing to Diamond Empowerment Fund education initiatives.
Three major organizations that serve as beneficiaries for the DEF include CIDA City Campus, the African Leadership Academy (ALA) and Botswana Top Achievers. The DEF has been able to empower 1,800 students through its three beneficiary organizations.
In 2009, the Diamond Empowerment Fund made its first grant available to students at the ALA. The $4.2 million grant funds the DEF Scholars Scholarship Program. 28 students throughout the continent were able to attend universities such as Harvard, Yale, Cornell and Duke, among others. On the Diamond Empowerment Fund website, one can read stories from individual students that have benefited from the charity of the DEF and its partners.
The DEF also sponsors the GOOD Awards, which recognizes individuals and corporations that exemplify outstanding leadership in promoting sustainable development, good corporate citizenship and economic opportunity within Africa. In its third year, the GOOD Awards featured dozens of celebrities and diamond industry executives to raise money in support of the DEF.
As the Diamond Empowerment Fund continues to grow, thousands of children across Africa will get the opportunity to transform into future leaders and help their countries prosper.
– Sunny Bhatt
Sources: World Diamond Council, GOOD Awards, Diamond Empowerment Fund
Photo: DW
Climate Change: A New Corporate Interest
In the past year, 131 climate change bills were introduced in the 113th United States Congress. This total exceeds the number of climate change bills introduced in the entire 112th Congress with another full year still to go. There is a renewed sense of confidence in the fight against climate change and now it seems the corporate world is beginning to react.
Due to increased droughts, flooding and generally unpredictable weather patterns, major corporations are feelings the impact of climate change. The Coca-Cola Company, which relies on sugar cane, sugar beets and other agricultural products from Asia and South America, has had to adjust their strategy and recognize the economic cost of climate change.
Nike Inc., another corporate giant with hundreds of factories around the world, has been forced to adjust to lower cotton yields and commodity price volatility. Many of Nike’s factories are located in South East Asia, a region particularly vulnerable to climate change phenomena.
In 2008, due to floods, Nike had to shut down four factories.
This year, the 2014 World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland has climate change on its agenda.
A meeting of corporate leaders and politicians from around the world has designated a full day to guest panels and talks regarding climate change and promoting their respective economic interests. The aim is to build resilience and foster sustainable development through public-private partnerships.
The economic disruption affects companies in various major sectors, from agriculture to energy to manufacturing. During the 2014 WEF meeting, the World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim declared this year as “the year of action on climate change.” President Kim expressed the urgency of putting a price on carbon while increasing the market for green bonds, a financial tool that seeks to stimulate and coordinate public and private sector activity to combat climate change.
Despite the added support of some corporate leaders, a significant amount of work still remains. Even with this support, it is clear that government action needs to be the main pillar beneath this movement. Climate change denial in politics must be dealt with and American’s will have their opportunity to do so through the November elections.
Just ahead of the elections, the UN will host a meeting of world leaders in New York to discuss climate change in hopes to make progress before the planned 2015 summit in Paris where leaders hope to strike an international deal on cutting carbon emissions. Past meetings and summits have come up empty but the new year brings much needed hope and optimism for everyone fighting for climate change solutions.
– Sunny Bhatt
Sources: New York Times, World Bank Group, The Guardian
Photo: Green Packs
Ethiopia Takes Stand for Education
In September 2012, Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon launched the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI.) Operating under the principle that access to education is the number one factor for promoting global development, the Initiative strives to represent the 250 million children worldwide who struggle with some form of illiteracy. The initiative fights for three priorities: placing every child in school, improving the quality of learning and fostering global citizenship.
A key component of achieving these initiatives is appointing “Champion Countries” to spearhead global education. And, on January 29, the GEFI welcomed its newest Champion Country: Ethiopia.
Ethiopia’s progress in promoting education is tremendous. In 1994, roughly three million children were enrolled in primary school throughout the country. By 2009, that number had risen to an astounding 15.5 million. And, as of 2011, 87 percent of children were enrolled in school.
Crucial to the impressive strides made for education is the nation’s financial investment in schooling. Over the past decade, the Ethiopian government has doubled the allotted funds for education in the budget while allowing for more local control over school administration. This combination of financial stability and autonomy has also increased educational opportunities for young girls. As of 2009, 90 percent of school-age girls were enrolled in school.
“The movement to get more children into school is unstoppable,” says Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia. “Now our big challenge is to give those children the best teaching possible.” With governmental support of education at an all time high in Ethiopia, incentives for teaching are increasing. Although there are still roadblocks to hurdle, Ethiopia’s role as a Champion Country ensures education will continue to be a priority for the nation.
– Taylor Diamond
Sources: ONE, Global Education First
Photo: nationsencyclopedia
Food Crisis in South Sudan
On July 9, 2011, the Republic of South Sudan gained independence from Sudan. Since then, the newly formed nation has been engulfed in internal conflicts, claiming the lives of up to 10,000 people. The violence has caused over 870,000 South Sudanese to flea their homes, of which over 140,000 have escaped to neighboring countries.
The displacement has disrupted the nations already unstable agriculture sector. Markets have been disrupted as the food supply chain is broken and foreign investors try to avoid the conflict. According to United Nations estimates, 3.7 million people were already facing food insecurity, but the new wave of violence that erupted in December of 2013 has raised this figure to almost 7 million. There is a major food crisis in South Sudan.
The timing of the conflict could not have been worse as local farmers are gearing up to plant their crops for the incoming season. Constant relocation is forcing millions to rely on scarce food aid. In some cities like Malakal, desperate populations have begun raiding aid supply stored in warehouses. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that if farmers miss the planting season, it would compound food insecurity issues for this year and 2015.
Farmers that remain tied to their land are facing a shortage of agriculture inputs such as seeds and tools to cultivate their crops. The FAO is seeking $77 million to assist the Republic of South Sudan in implementing an emergency response plan. Their aim is to deliver farming tools, seeds and fishing equipment to 545,000 households in some of the more war-torn states of the country. The FAO has collected just 6 percent of its total donation goal.
To complicate matters further, migrant animal herds are now intermingling with displaced human populations and their livestock. These unvaccinated animals have potential to transmit disease and cause further complications for public health and food safety initiatives. To combat the collapse of the vaccine supply chain, the FAO is working to build capacity within local communities and deliver basic health support.
The UN mission in South Sudan is increasing its support with 266 peacekeepers being flown in on February 4, 2014. In total, the UN has over 12,500 peacekeepers and 1,323 police on the ground. The UN through the FAO and the World Food Program have teamed up with ACTED, OXFAM, Save the Children, Concern Worldwide, Mercy Corps, and Joint Aid Management to provide much needed assistance throughout the country.
For anyone seeking to get involved in the food crisis in South Sudan, through volunteering and donations, please visit the World Food Program.
– Sunny Bhat
Sources: New York Times, UN News Center, BBC
Photo: WFT
Poverty in South America
Poverty in South America is considered living on $4 per day.
The northern tip of the continent (the countries closest to Panama) are the countries with the largest headcount of impoverished people in South America; they range from 20 percent to 40 percent of the population. Guyana and Suriname range between 46 percent and 53 percent of the continent’s population living on $4 per day; some live on less than that amount.
The southern half of South America has a much lower percentile of the population living below the poverty line, excluding Bolivia, which is at a steep 48 percent. Chile and Uruguay are at 11 percent and Argentina is at 7 percent.
Poverty in South America has declined within the last two decades. In 1990, 12.2 percent of the population was living on $1.25 per day; that number has dropped to 5.5 percent despite the population’s rising from 422.3 million in 1990 to approximately 581.4 million.
The main target of poverty in South America is the rural population and this is due to the increasingly warm temperatures and global warming’s affect on agricultural areas. 20 million people living in Brazil live in the barren parts of the country. The poorest people in South America are the native people of Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru who live in the mountainous Andes regions.
Many people have moved to large cities in search of employment, but 35 percent of the region’s poorest still live in the rough climate of the Andes Mountains.
Rural poverty is caused not only by the drastic changes brought on by global warming, but also because of the “lack of access to and unequal distribution of productive land, and inadequate access to information and productive assets for smallholder farmers.” Geographically, many living in rural areas have very little access to other people, which can make selling food and obtaining agricultural necessities difficult.
During recent years, governments have adopted policies that have led to a decline in interest and investments for rural farmers, which has been a factor in the increase of rural poverty in South America and the decrease of housing, health providers and education available to smallholder farmers.
– Rebecca Felcon
Sources: Rural Poverty Portal, World Bank
Photo: Merco Press
Poverty in Honduras Taking an Extreme Toll
Poverty in Honduras remains an issue. Honduras is the second-poorest country in Central America. With a population of approximately eight million people, poverty in Honduras affects roughly 60 percent of these individuals.
Out of 187 countries, Honduras ranked 121 on the United Nations Development Programs 2011 Human Development Index. This index is a “comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standards of living for countries worldwide.”
Majority of the poverty in Honduras is reserved for the more rural areas. With 36 percent of the population living under conditions of extreme poverty overall, 50 percent of rural individuals live under these terms.
Over 64 percent of Hondurans live below the poverty level of $2 per day, according to Proyecto Mirador, a website that highlights the poverty in Honduras and what can be done about it.
Under- and unemployment rates in Honduras reside at 36 percent. The majority of families lack access to clean water and access to medical care or electricity is slim to none.
Rural Poverty in Honduras
Around 75 percent of the rural population lives in the central hillside areas in the interior highlands; this is also where majority of poverty in Honduras is the most prevalent.
An extremely evident force behind the country’s high level of emigration is the lack of employment opportunities in rural Honduras. With 28 percent of the country being agricultural land, 39 percent of the population is employed by the agricultural sector. However, the terrain in Honduras is extremely susceptible to erosion, causing much of the land to have come eroded over time. As a result of this, productivity has decreased immensely.
Natural disasters, such as hurricanes and floods, also plague Honduras. In 1998, Honduras was the victim of Hurricane Mitch, which destroyed much of the economic and social infrastructure in the country. This set back the economic advancement of Honduras for quite some time.
Subsistence farmers make up 70 percent of farming families. With extremely restricted access to land, these farmers depend on finding off-farm employment or remittances from other family members to support themselves.
Small-scale farmers “have access to more land and generally produce basic food crops, but many are forces to seek off-farm work in order to survive.”
Honduras stands as the country with the most unequal distribution of income in the region, according to the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research. The majority of the wealth in Honduras is controlled by few families and national assets are treated as personal patrimony.
Aside from the extreme poverty that hinders Honduras’s growth, a surge in violence in recent years has resulted in the killings of politicians, human rights advocates, labor activists, journalists, and others. The road to improvement for Honduras is a long and enduring one, but the most important step will begin with socioeconomic equality.
– Samaria Garrett
Sources: Rural Poverty, Proyecto Mirador, LA Times
Photo: Pulitzer
Shoes for the Homeless: Putting Their Best Foot Forward
According to a report from the National Center on Family Homelessness, in 2010 there were more than 1.6 million homeless children across the span of the U.S.
Lacking any sort of permanent residency, these children often stay on the streets, in shelters, motels, cars and abandoned buildings.
At the age of five, a young boy by the name of Nicholas Lowinger visited a homeless shelter with his mother. His excitement to show his new light-up sneakers to the other children was apparent, but his mother advised him not to do so.
After interacting with the children at the shelter, Nicholas soon realized that they were living under conditions quite different from his own. Lowinger recalls seeing children whose shoes were tattered, worn, and falling apart. Or there were the extremely unfortunate individuals who had no shoes at all.
Now the age of 15, Nicholas says, “I have been very fortunate to grow up in a family that is able to provide me with whatever I need. A lot of kids here in the U.S don’t have the same opportunities.”
Following this visit Nicholas began to donate his older shoes to local shelters. Although he made an effort, he soon realized that his donations were not as helpful as he had hoped.
Due to the lasting impression that his first visit to a homeless shelter left and his desire to make a difference, at the age of 12, Nicholas began a program that donates new shoes to children who are homeless.
“Homeless children shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll be accepted or how they’ll fit in,” Nicholas said. “They shouldn’t have to worry about not being able to play sports or go to school because they don’t have a pair of shoes.”
Initially, the program began as a part of a community service project, building up to his bar mitzvah. Noticing the difference that was being made, though, Nicholas wanted to ensure that the program would go on even after his bar mitzvah ceremony ended.
With the assistance of his parents, Nicholas began the Gotta Have Sole Foundation. Since it’s start-up, this organization has provided more than 10,000 children with new footwear, in over 21 states.
“New shoes can make a child feel good about him or herself. They gain confidence; they’re able to do better in school,” Nicholas said.
In the Lowinger family garage, one would find an abundance of new shoes that have been donated by footwear companies, stores, and individuals. Any size or style that they do not already have is acquired through the organizations monetary donations.
Over 1,000 volunteers help with this organization, and Nicholas himself works 15 hours a week on it. Nicholas thoroughly encourages young individuals to not allow their age to get in the way of achieving their dreams.
– Samaria Garrett
Sources: CNN, Gotta Have Sole
Photo: 100k Homes