Albinism is a genetic medical condition diagnosed at birth, characterized by lack of pigment in the skin, eyes, and hair. The rare condition is found in 1 in 20,000 people worldwide. Albinism is more common in Africa than other parts of the world. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, uneducated communities often react to Albinism in severely discriminatory ways.
Strangers and families alike reject the Albino populations in these regions. Oftentimes, mothers feel extreme humiliation when giving birth to an Albino child, and are mocked. Albino children oftentimes don’t feel loved by their own families. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Albinos struggle to find work, access adequate health care, find marriage partners, and enroll in education programs.
Beyond discrimination toward Albinos, many uneducated Congolese and Tanzanian inhabitants believe strongly in several superstitions about the Albino population. To some of these inhabitants, people living with Albanism need to be hunted down by witch doctors, for their body parts are considered to bring luck and wealth on the battlefield. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, many of the attacks lead to “dismembering (of) people, including children, while they are still alive.”
One child, in particular, has managed to flee with the help of his supportive family. According to a press release on October 14, 2013, Father and Mother, Anaclet and Solange, are deeply concerned for their son Jeff, a child with Albinism.
For the most part, the family lived a peaceful life. When Jeff was five years old, a member of the Mai Mai militia group broke into the family home, knocked him unconscious and stuffed him into a bag. His father awoke, and with the neighbors help, they were able to get Jeff back. After this attack, the Mai Mai demanded Jeff be given back, or pay 10,000 dollars. If they failed to respond, they would all be killed.
After the initial attack, the family fled, staying with reletives, in North Kivu, but ultimately were forced back to South Kivu to escape fighting between Congalese government and members of the M23 rebel group. They decided to head to Burundi, where they were secure for a while. On August 6, 2013, a grenade was thrown at the family home. At this point, the family reached out for help from the UNHCR, as well as the local government’s National Commission for the Protection for refugee and Stateless People. The family is protected at this time, while officials are figuring out permanent solutions.
The UNHCR has teamed up with a local group called Albinos San Fronières and launched a campaign in Burundi to raise awareness about Albinism. Catherine Huck, UNHCR’s representative in Burundi, hopes, “the partnership will contribute to a greater respect of the rights of people living with Albinism.” Additionally, the aforementioned UNDP, and the Association for the Protection and Development of Albino People in Orientale Province are organizing workshops, which seek to promote the issue among international organizations, and appeal for funding.
– Laura Reinacher
Sources: UNHCR, UN.org, Womennewsnetwork
Photo: NY Daily News
Imprisoned for Miscarrying?
Last month in El Salvador, a judge sentenced 19 year-old Glenda Xiomara Cruz to prison for 10 years. Her crime? Miscarrying.
In October of 2012, Xiomara, experiencing excruciating abdominal pain and bleeding, sought medical treatment at a public hospital. Unaware that she was even pregnant, as she’d experienced no weight gain and a pregnancy test had come back negative, doctors told her she’d lost a baby. Four days later, the teenager had been reported by the hospital to the police for suspected abortion and charged with aggravated murder. A year later, she’s been sentenced to ten years in prison by a judge who told her “she should have saved her baby’s life.”
Xiomara’s unfortunate fate is the result of El Salvador’s strict abortion law. The law is so strict, in fact, that since 1998 abortions have been completely banned without any exception, even in cases of rape, fetal deformity, or if the mother’s life is at risk.
Twenty-eight year-old Maria Teresa Rivera’s story parallels Xiomara’s and further illustrates the tragic consequences of such a harsh law. Last year, she too sought medical treatment for bleeding and abdominal pain and was reported to authorities by the hospital after suffering a miscarriage. Teresa was sentenced to 40 years in prison for aggravated murder. A textile worker and her family’s main provider, going to jail meant leaving her eight year-old son in extreme poverty.
A study done by the Citizens’ Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion supports the statement that this law overwhelmingly affects those living in poverty. The study found that, since 2000, more than 200 women have been reported to the police on abortion charges — the vast majority of these women were poor, unmarried and with little education. Comparatively, not a single woman has been reported from the richer private healthcare sector — where abortions are believed to be performed regularly.
More than unfairly imprisoning women and tearing apart families, the law also has devastating consequences for women’s health. Bessy Ramirez of San Salvador enunciates one of the numerous harmful effects of the law: “I would be terrified to go a public hospital as there is no benefit of doubt given to young women, we are presumed guilty and jailed.” For poor women, however, public hospitals represent their only medical treatment option.
In addition to deterring women from seeking medical treatment, the law likely also has a role in boosting the occurrences of suicide. Health Ministry figures from 2011 identify suicide as the most common cause of death for 10-19 year-old girls; half of these girls were pregnant. Further, because it is illegal for women to terminate pregnancies even in cases where the mother’s health is threatened, the inability to treat pregnancy complications is the third most common cause of maternal mortality.
Amnesty International’s El Salvador expert Esther Major calls the abortion law “cruel and discriminatory” saying that “women and girls end up in prison for being unwilling, or simply tragically unable, to carry the pregnancy to term. It makes seeking hospital treatment for complications during pregnancy, including a miscarriage, a dangerous lottery.” Unfortunately, as in innumerable other instances, it’s a lottery women in poverty are most likely to lose.
– Kelley Calkins
Sources: BCC, Slate
Photo: Vice
Nigeria Poverty Rising Despite Economic Growth
In the last several years, Nigeria has seen an increase in its economic state. However, Nigeria is a country that follows the profile of African countries: a land rich in natural resources, yet much of its population remains in poverty. Despite the economic growth due to its oil revenue, Nigeria has been hindered by other problems for many years. An unstable government, a lack of cultivated land and the lack of progress made in rural areas all attribute to Nigeria’s high poverty rates.
Nigeria’s government has come under heavy criticism. The country relies primarily on its oil revenue to strengthen the economy, thereby eliminating the need for taxpayers to maintain the government officials’ salaries. The salaries of these high ranking officials often exceed $100,000, while the average family survives on $1.25 per meal. The large discrepancy between the working people and the government officials is no secret; the government corruption occurring in Nigeria is one of the worst on the planet.
The agricultural sector of the country employs roughly two-thirds of the working population. Nigeria is a world leader in production of cassava, yam and cowpea. Nigeria is also a major player in the fish industry. But the country still struggles with starvation levels, and Nigeria relies on large imports of grains, livestock products and other food products.
However, Nigeria has a huge agricultural base that offers great potential for growth and improvement. The agricultural sector has shown progressive improvements over the years, growing by 7 percent from 2003 to 2007. However, the large percentage of potentially cultivated land remains untapped.
Of an estimated 71 million hectares of potentially cultivated land, only about half is under production. There is a lack of productive irrigation methods prevailing over the land. Of the potential workable land, only about 7 percent is being properly irrigated. With an enhanced emphasis on irrigation and other land cultivation techniques, the substantial natural resources of Nigeria could be put to better use.
Urban areas in Nigeria have shown an increase in well-being over the past years. However, much of the rural areas in the country are mired in extreme poverty, living on scraps and from meal to meal. The people who work the fields in the rural areas are practically living off the food they produce, then they sell anything they can to mass production.
Nigeria is a nation that has extraordinary natural resources. However, the nation is held back by its various national issues. With a significant amount of corruption running throughout the government, the head of the country is in dismay. Without a solid government, the backbone of the country is crippled. Having great natural resources is only a positive factor when they are employed to their full potential. By not cultivating the majority of the usable land, Nigeria is limiting itself. Lastly, the lack of development in rural areas hurts the economy as a whole, not only the people residing in those rural areas. Better conditions could help the food production, which in turn would help cultivate the land more effectively. Nigeria has enormous potential, yet the proper leadership and productivity is lacking.
– Zachary Wright
Sources: Punchng, Rural Poverty Portal, BBC News, Daily Mail UK
Pictures: Daily Mail UK
3 Things That Will Help End Poverty
When on the search for a solution to global poverty, activists and politicians come up with various elaborate plans, incentives and government legislations. Often these solutions are built with three very simple ideas that create substantial change to those living in poverty:
1. Education
Constant and good education can change lives. While those in the developing world take it for granted, there are people who live in poverty due to their lack of education. This lack of education is normally a result of the lack of the opportunity or circumstances that require them to work rather than study. The cycle of poverty is such that living in poverty requires the next generation to work to help support the family. The younger children are rarely given a chance to complete their education. The connection between education and poverty, or rather the ability to rise out of poverty, is extremely evident. An education guarantees a job that is better paying, allowing the next generation to continue to be educated instead of working. This breaks the cycle of poverty that rears its ugly head in so many parts of the world.
2. Small Local Businesses
Opportunities for jobs increase with the support and growth of small local businesses. Local businesses don’t only create opportunities; they also bring supplies and resources into a community that would greatly benefit from it. These small businesses range from medical supplies or care facilities to agricultural and technological support. Additionally, such businesses continue to beget more businesses, making the economy flourish and the citizens of the community thrive and follow by example.
3. Technology
Technology can substantially help improve the conditions of the poor. For those working in agrarian communities, advanced technology can yield better crops; technology can help improve education. Internet access can change the face of communications, and mobile phones greatly reduce the damages of natural disasters due to the immediate news they can provide. Access to electricity or any kind of power, would also help bring amenities to those living in poverty that many people take for granted. Finally, technology will significantly improve health care standards in places where it is scarce. The Posner Center for International Development does just this: various organizations come together, come up with ideas that will benefit developing areas in the world, and help bring about these additions that will significantly improve living conditions.
– Aalekhya Malladi
Sources: NY Times, Denver Post
Photo: Foreign Policy
Google Search Terms Reveal Today’s Sexism
With the advent of the Internet, education, science, and advanced technologies never before-imagined by the forefathers of the contemporary world, one issue remains devastatingly current–women are still viewed as the inferior species in society.
UN Women, one of the branches of the United Nations, teamed up with artist Christopher Hunt of Oglivy & Mather to produce an ad campaign to address the pervasiveness and current predominance of the deprecating attitudes towards women.
The graphics feature bleakly lit photographic portraits of women of different races and backgrounds. Superimposed over their mouths like a tied gag is the iconic Google search bar with a drop-down of popular search terms about women. The highly searched queries, done in September 2013, echo archaic sentiments from far beyond the Victorian ages: “women shouldn’t vote,” “women need to be controlled,” and “women need to be disciplined.”
The popular queries reveal the Internet age’s view on sexism in the stark black text, while corrective and forward-thinking sentiments such as “women cannot accept the way things are” are printed almost illegibly in white beneath each woman’s chin. The black, inhibiting text easily overweighs the white restorative text printed on the ads.
The Google search ads reveal a disturbing and bleak truth about the world’s progress in attitude, or lack thereof. In terms of global development, especially with the empowerment of women as one of the MDGs, the question begs to be asked: is enough being done by today’s leading international institutions to advocate the importance of women in the common interest of pluralism and peace?
– Malika Gumpangkum
Sources: Adweek, Design Taxi, Newsfeed
Photo: Times
UNHCR Assists Young Congolese Albinos
Albinism is a genetic medical condition diagnosed at birth, characterized by lack of pigment in the skin, eyes, and hair. The rare condition is found in 1 in 20,000 people worldwide. Albinism is more common in Africa than other parts of the world. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, uneducated communities often react to Albinism in severely discriminatory ways.
Strangers and families alike reject the Albino populations in these regions. Oftentimes, mothers feel extreme humiliation when giving birth to an Albino child, and are mocked. Albino children oftentimes don’t feel loved by their own families. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Albinos struggle to find work, access adequate health care, find marriage partners, and enroll in education programs.
Beyond discrimination toward Albinos, many uneducated Congolese and Tanzanian inhabitants believe strongly in several superstitions about the Albino population. To some of these inhabitants, people living with Albanism need to be hunted down by witch doctors, for their body parts are considered to bring luck and wealth on the battlefield. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Navi Pillay, many of the attacks lead to “dismembering (of) people, including children, while they are still alive.”
One child, in particular, has managed to flee with the help of his supportive family. According to a press release on October 14, 2013, Father and Mother, Anaclet and Solange, are deeply concerned for their son Jeff, a child with Albinism.
For the most part, the family lived a peaceful life. When Jeff was five years old, a member of the Mai Mai militia group broke into the family home, knocked him unconscious and stuffed him into a bag. His father awoke, and with the neighbors help, they were able to get Jeff back. After this attack, the Mai Mai demanded Jeff be given back, or pay 10,000 dollars. If they failed to respond, they would all be killed.
After the initial attack, the family fled, staying with reletives, in North Kivu, but ultimately were forced back to South Kivu to escape fighting between Congalese government and members of the M23 rebel group. They decided to head to Burundi, where they were secure for a while. On August 6, 2013, a grenade was thrown at the family home. At this point, the family reached out for help from the UNHCR, as well as the local government’s National Commission for the Protection for refugee and Stateless People. The family is protected at this time, while officials are figuring out permanent solutions.
The UNHCR has teamed up with a local group called Albinos San Fronières and launched a campaign in Burundi to raise awareness about Albinism. Catherine Huck, UNHCR’s representative in Burundi, hopes, “the partnership will contribute to a greater respect of the rights of people living with Albinism.” Additionally, the aforementioned UNDP, and the Association for the Protection and Development of Albino People in Orientale Province are organizing workshops, which seek to promote the issue among international organizations, and appeal for funding.
– Laura Reinacher
Sources: UNHCR, UN.org, Womennewsnetwork
Photo: NY Daily News
5 Best Humanitarian Jobs
For those individuals interested in the humanitarian work force, there are endless career possibilities. With over thousands of nonprofits and organizations to work with in virtually all countries across the globe, a wide variety of jobs are in abundance. But which jobs are the best? While everyone has their own preferences, these are the positions that seem to be most predominantly agreed upon as the best humanitarian jobs.
1. Volunteer
The most versatile and perhaps the most rewarding humanitarian job out there goes by the simple title of volunteer. Volunteers rarely make any money, but most all workers start at this position and are content with the opportunity to change lives.
2. Intern
A large number of nonprofits now offer internship programs, some paid and some unpaid. Depending on the organization, intern jobs can range from anything such as office work to traveling and even manual labor. Internships are a great starting place for people seeking careers in humanitarian work, as many internships feed directly into job opportunities.
3. Consultant
Nearly all humanitarian organizations are made up of several consultants—those who keep communication with important contacts and other outside individuals while answering any questions or concerns that the public might have. These positions are often paid.
4. Program Coordinator
Program coordinators play a vital role in nonprofits, as they are directly responsible for planning and executing specialized tasks for sub-organizations, events, etc. Depending on the organization at hand, these can be paid or unpaid positions.
5. Communications Specialist/Journalist
These jobs are often paid and include a number of important tasks ranging from making contact with other organizations to writing press releases for special functions, providing public relations tactics, and even publishing news as a journalist. This position typically allows for travel opportunities, as well.
– Meagan Hurley
Sources: Devex, Aid Worker Daily, Workforce Humanity
Photo: Cross-Cultural Solutions
Shidhulai Brings Education by Boat
Five months of monsoon season in Bangladesh brings with it at least two floods a year. In riverside areas, these floods make many roads impassable, preventing travel, school attendance and access to resources for long periods of time every year. To overcome this ecological obstacle, a local nonprofit organization, Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha, is implementing an innovative solution.
Shidhulai runs a fleet of boats that bring education, libraries, waste management, computer education, internet access and information on sustainable agriculture and healthcare to the Chalanbeel region of northwest Bangladesh.
Shidhulai operates by building and converting boats, equipping them with books and technology, powering the boats using solar energy and bringing these resources to communities through waterways.
Shidhulai has 88 boats, with 42 currently operating as boat schools, mobile internet-education units and healthcare clinics. The remaining 46 boats are being converted into housing options for climate refugees and flood victims called “Climate Shelters.”
Each boat is equipped with solar panels on its roof, which generate the electricity needed for the boat’s operations. Surplus energy is distributed between local families through solar lamps. The boats are fitted with multi-layered waterproof roofs, windows for ventilation and flat plank floors, all made in the region using locally available materials.
In addition to their fleet of boats, the organization has developed a Central Library, Technology Center and Regional Headquarters in their Shidhulai complex, which is easily accessible by waterways. All of its services are free of cost, with the exception of its mobile phone calls and bicycle pumps.
Since its inception in 1998, Shidhulai has served 70,000 students, and hopes to reach 100,000 more in the next five years. By turning the region’s waterways into pathways for education, information and technology, this grassroots organization has brought new life to northwestern Bangladesh.
– Tara Young
Sources: Shidhulai, Jolkona, Washington Post
Photo: Architcture as Auesthetics
WADI: The New Portable Clean Water Method
Throughout the world, there have been several innovations to generate new portable clean water in developing nations. The latest of these innovations is WADI, a water purification system started by the Australian corporation Helioz.
According to Helioz’ research team, WADI is an easy to use, cost effective UV measurement device for solar water disinfection (SODIS). In short, WADI is a solar powered water disinfection system that operates “without the use of chemicals, batteries or filters”. Because of its pure use, WADI guarantees its users with safe, chemical-free drinking water.
The WADI device is simple and easy to use. A user simply fills in a PET bottle with water from any source, puts the WADI device on instead of the regular bottle cap, and exposes the bottle to sunlight and UV rays until the water in the bottle registers as clean on the device. If the water is still contaminated, the device will show a sad face to the user.
If the water has been purified, the device will register a smiley face on it’s small LCD screen. However, the device does face some challenges. Although the device shows serious advancement towards clean water around the world, it also has setbacks in areas where water sources and sunlight are scarce.
In areas where sunlight is scarce, the cleaning process might take up anywhere from 45 minutes to two days longer than normal. As a result people who are in desperate need for water resort to drinking contaminated, more accessible water, researchers say.
However, the self sufficient water purification system promises to take the world by storm. The project is expected to launch in developing nations in January 2014. Currently, Helioz is working on a funding campaign for the device.
The campaign will allow the company to create a further study on the effects the device has on remote villages such as Odisha, India. The study will also help the company customize their product depending on the area it is being used in.
Projects such as WADI show great promise towards completing worldwide water purification. However, only time, and user responses will tell if the project is a success.
– Stephanie Olaya
Sources: Tree Hugger, Helioz
Photo: INiTS
How Technology can Alleviate Poverty
Politicians everywhere are starting to learn the relation between technology and poverty. They are starting to realize that in the growing demand for new innovations in technology plays a part in the solution to poverty. Technology makes not only global communication and information access easier, it also creates infrastructure and development in developing nations, helps discover and get access to alternative resources, and along with all this, helps create many jobs and stimulates the economy.
In Practice: Technology Eradicating Poverty
Chile’s president, Sebastian Pinera, sees the importance of technology and how it can alleviate poverty. The Chilean government has almost doubled their investment in technology. Pinera hopes this will help Chile rise out of poverty by the end of the decade. Various programs in Chile encourage innovation and development of technology. From organizations that give grants to entrepreneurs to organizations that support travel abroad (such as Silicon Valley in California) to see and learn how the hub of technology works, there is a lot of encouragement of creativity and innovation in Chile. Such dedication to eliminating poverty helps not just those living in poverty, but also the national economy, and the world with the possible technological innovations.
Organizations like Practical Action focus on helping those living in extreme poverty with the help of technology. Their concept of technology justice, that technology should be aimed at helping humanity rather than just focused on pleasing the consumers who can afford technology, is something that will greatly benefit those in need. By bringing those living in poverty access to technologies such as electricity, technology that ensures clean water, technology that improves agricultural yield, and preparation for natural disasters, Practical Action gives them opportunities that bring not only financial stability and good health, but also the opportunity to rise out of poverty.
– Aalekhya Malladi
Sources: Bloomberg, Practical Action
Photo: Twisted Sifter
Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation
The Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation is a private foundation stationed out of New York, NY. Started in 1951, the Abrons Foundation provides gifts, grants, and loans to other organizations in need. Today, its assets range roughly from $10,000,000 to $50,000, 000.
From schools like New York University (NYU) and Wilberforce University to institutions like the Metropolitan Opera House and Henry Street Settlement, the foundation has donated to all types of causes. Most recipients of the Abrons Foundation hail from areas like the District of Columbia, Illinois, Ohio and New York, though funding is not limited to these areas.
Richard Abrons, acting President of the Abrons Foundation, wishes to keep the majority of foundation spending near the home office in New York. “As the president of the Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation, I have overseen grants to more than 200 nonprofits… Most benefit our city (New York), which is our emphasis,” he said in an interview with The Huffington Post.
Richard Abrons is also a well-known playwright in the New York and Los Angeles communities. He is extremely well educated, receiving his BA from Yale, his MBA from Columbia and his MFA from NYU. In addition to the Abrons Foundation, Richard Abrons is Managing Director of First Manhattan Co., an investment management company, and Vice Chairman and former President of the Henry Street Settlement. He is also the director of GrowNYC.
–Meagan Hurley
Sources: Huffington Post, Idiologic, GuideStar, FAQs
Photo: Henry Street