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
Tuberculosis Crisis Bridges North Korea and U.S. Hostility
Despite the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea’s penchant for holding Americans hostage and despising the United States on principle, the country has nonetheless reached out to a Stanford University-led research team to help solve its mounting tuberculosis (TB) crisis.
North Korean doctors first approached Stanford Medical School and California-based tuberculosis experts in 2008. Since that time, the North Korean government has invited members from the Stanford Medical School to address the state of TB in the country, the worst in the world outside of sub-Saharan Africa.
Tuberculosis affected 8.6 million people in 2012 and claimed 1.3 million lives. While it is largely eradicated in industrialized societies, the respiratory disease still affects developing countries located in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Western Pacific.
North Korea’s problems with TB arose in the 1990’s, when the country was wracked with floods, droughts and ultimately wide-spread famine after the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1990. Without aid from their former Communist ally, widespread malnutrition overwhelmed the country’s inhabitants, resulting in upwards of 2.5 million starvation related deaths.
Improper nutrition coupled with few medical supplies led to a resurgence of TB in the country. In 1998, the Ministry of Public Health began implementing Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course, a repetitive and now defunct method of TB treatment.
Unlike other regions that evolved their treatment methods (like sub-Saharan Africa,) North Korea continued use of DOTS resulted in Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB,) particularly virulent strains of the disease that do not respond to basic antibiotic therapy.
Although North Korea does not keep drug-resistance records, a report by Eugene Bell, an NGO specializing in patient relapse, revealed large numbers of TB relapse in North Korea, signifying particularly high levels of MDR TB.
“We had anecdotal information from North Korean doctors, who were right on this one. They weren’t able to diagnose drug resistance, but they could see what happens when they treated people with drugs and they came back,” says K.J. Seung, a Eugene Bell doctor and author of the MDR TB report in the Public Library of Science. “Now we have original scientific data that clearly documents drug resistance.”
The notoriously xenophobic regime’s plea for help has resulted in the 2013 installation of North Korea’s first diagnostic laboratory to test drug-resistant MDR TB. In collaboration with the TB Consortium and the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a nonprofit working to strengthen global security, the team is dedicated to improving North Korea’s treatment facilities and teaching North Korean doctors modern methods of controlling the disease.
The invitees must remain apolitical and are constantly monitored by minders, government-appointed tour guides that ‘mind’ what one sees and does in the hosting country. Despite these constrictions, researchers have continued their efforts to bolster MDR TB resistance efforts, noting the health of North Korea and the world depends on their efforts.
– Emily Bajet
Sources: Global Post DDN News, Stanford, Stanford, Stanford Medical School, North Korea Now, Mother Board, World Health Organization
Photo: Vice
World Hunger Relief and Christina Aguilera
In 2007, Yum! Brands Inc., the world’s largest fast food restaurant, created the World Hunger Relief program. Using its nearly 40,000 stores and 1.5 million employees, Yum! Brands Inc. leads the most expansive private sector hunger relief effort. The World Hunger Relief and international superstar Christina Aguilera are teaming up to help save the nearly 1 billion people around the world who are hungry.
Consisting of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell restaurant chains, the company uses its network to raise awareness and funds in order to benefit the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) that reaches more than 90 million people worldwide. Since its inception, the World Hunger Relief program has raised over $150 million for the WFP and other hunger relief organizations, breaking their annual donation record every year. Every one-dollar that’s donated provides four meals for hungry children at school.
In 2012, the World Hunger Relief provided 132 million meals in more than 45 countries. This was attributed to the record-breaking $33 million raised by the program.
The World Hunger Relief takes advantage of Yum! Brands Inc.’s huge employee base that enlists friends and family to volunteer for hunger relief efforts. Together, they have logged millions of volunteer hours in communities around the world.
The aid provided to emergency operations conducted by the WFP has helped thousands of men, women, and children. Other achievements of the World Hunger Relief include:
• Directed $1.5 million to relief funds in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan
• Providing assistance so that a school feeding program in Ethiopia, reaching 438,000 primary school age children, can continue for one year
• Those affected by floods in Bolivia were given fortified meals for one month
• Those affected by civil conflict in Somalia were provided fortified meals for one month
• Provided 132,000 people affected by floods with fortified meals for one month
• After a major earthquake in Peru, 80,000 survivors were provided with rice for one month
• Following Cyclone Sidr, victims in Bangladesh were provided with fortified meals for one month
– Sunny Bhatt
Sources: Hunger to Hope, Business Wire, World Food Programme
Photo: BGR
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