The Truth Behind Poverty in Japan

Poverty in Japan
According to The Economist, poverty in Japan is rarely visible. There is little begging and little evidence that the homeless exist. The poor are quietly hidden in shadows away from what appears of economic homogeneity in Japan. They are hidden from sight and very difficult to measure.

However, the truth of the matter is that poverty is increasing at alarming rates in Japan. After years of economic stagnation, now statistics show that nearly one in six Japanese lived in poverty in 2007. This accounts for nearly 20 million people within the population.

 

Poverty in Japan

 

Yet the popular perception of Japan is one of a nation of prosperity and centenarians. Even many Japanese themselves were horrified to find out that Japan’s poverty rate was in recent years as high as 15.7%, nearly as high as the figure for the United States. The Japanese government has admitted that it had been keeping poverty statistics hidden since 1998. Aya Abe, a researcher at the National Institute of Population and Social Security in Tokyo has stated, “it is very unpopular for the Japanese media to say anything about Japanese poverty.” By denying the existence of increasing poverty, Japan has failed to support its growing impoverished population.

The results of this lack of support are visible in the plight of single parents in Japan. The poverty rate of single parents is now the highest of the all of the nations that are part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Furthermore, statistics show that now one in seven children in Japan lives in poverty. According to Japan Times, more and more children are now unable to afford schoolbooks and basic materials for education.

Despite these grim facts, few impoverished Japanese are even willing to admit that they are poor. Poverty experts in Japan say that 80% of the poor in Japan are “working poor.” That is to say that these poor may be working temporary jobs with few benefits but they unable to or even unwilling to reveal the true condition of their financial or living situation.

Furthermore, years of deregulated labor and competition with China have created a wide market of low paying jobs. For a nation that is accustomed to lifetime jobs, there are few social safety nets for the unemployed. Thus, while the poor in Japan may fair considerably better than those in developing nations, they face a social taboo that attempts to cover up poverty. Thus the climb upwards is a difficult and lonely challenge.

– Grace Zhao 

Sources: New York Times, Japan Times, The Economist

How is Farming in Developing Countries Different?

Farming in Developing Countries
The story of farming in the developing world is a completely different one. In the US, agricultural workers make up a very small portion of the population, but agriculture employs anywhere between 50 percent and 90 percent of the population for farming in developing countries. Of this percentage, small farmers are the most prevalent form of producers, making up 70-90 percent of those working in agriculture. According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s website “Three-quarters of the world’s poorest people get their food and income by farming small plots of land about the size of a football field.”

 

Improving Farming in Developing Countries

 

As such, helping these small farmers in developing countries increase production and sell more crops is the best way to combat global hunger and poverty. The difficulties in increasing production for these farmers include unproductive soil, plant diseases, pests, and drought. In many cases these small farmers trek miles to the nearest water source and are only able to bring enough water back to produce small amounts of crops. Lack of access to improved seeds or fertilizers and pesticides further add to their hardships, in addition to a lack of reliable markets and little available pricing information.

One important aspect of furthering agricultural production in developing countries is pushing for empowerment and equality of women in these nations. In Asia, women produce 60 percent of agricultural products, and in Africa that figure is 80 percent. However, these same women also are not given equal access to credit which could enable them to afford quality seeds, fertilzers, and water pumps, increasing their production and providing more food to their communities. If women farmers were given equal access to resources, developing countries would see significant increases in agricultural productivity.

Other ways to aid these small farmers include investment in technological innovations, such as cheap solar-powered water pumps, and giving farmers better access to information about the markets they are selling to. Thanks to new information technologies, farming knowledge can now be transferred across regions through radio, internet, and mobile phones.

The important thing to note about farming in developing countries is that such a large portion—up to 90 percent—of the economy is made up of agriculture workers. If innovations and policies can improve their standard of living then the majority of the poor in many developing countries would be lifted out of poverty. Out of their rise from poverty comes new consumers and contributors to the global economy, benefitting not just developing countries, but developed ones as well.

– Martin Drake

Sources: Gates Foundation, Canadian Federation of Agriculture
Photo: World Crunch

Keith Klugman Named Director of Gates Foundation Pneumonia Program

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Worldwide, pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children under five. In 2011 alone, pneumonia caused the deaths of 1.3 million children and accounted for 18% of child deaths – mostly in developing regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

According to the Gates Foundation, “if properly diagnosed, childhood pneumonia can be effectively treated in a three-day course of antibiotics at a cost of only .21 to .42 US cents.” The Gates Foundation Pneumonia Program’s priority is “to promote full-scale delivery of currently available pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines” in order to save 2.9 million children and prevent 52 million cases of pneumonia.

On July 11, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation named Keith Klugman as Director of the Gates Foundation Pneumonia Program beginning August 5.

As an accomplished professor and researcher, Klugman’s resume is very impressive. Formerly the William H. Foege’s Chair and Professor in the Hubert Department of Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta, Klugman’s research has centered around “antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, and vaccines for bacterial pathogens – particularly the pneumococci.”

Klugman was also the Co-Director of the Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit of the University of Witwatersrand, the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in Johannesburg, South Africa, according to the American Society for Microbiology. After assuming his new leadership position at the Gates Foundation, he will remain an Honorary Professor in the Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit.

During the course of his career, “Klugman has chaired or served on numerous expert committees for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, the Wellcome Trust in London, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
He is also the Chair of the International Board of the American Society for Microbiology, “the largest single life science Society with over 40,000 members worldwide”, and the Treasurer of the Executive Committee of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

Trained in South Africa and a postdoctoral graduate of the Rockefeller University in New York, Klugman stands out as one of the leading figures in the field of Microbiology.

– Lauren Yeh

Sources: The Gates Foundation, mBio, The Gates Foundation
Photo: Emory University

Wheelchairs & The Developing World

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The earliest depiction of a wheelchair can be found on an ancient Chinese engraving from 535 A.D. However wheelbarrow like chairs were used as early as the third century. These early wheelchairs were often used tote around people who were too rich or important to walk on their own. One of the most famous early wheelchair users was Philip II of Spain who suffered from gout, other wise known as the “rich man’s disease.” The wheelchair began to take on its modern form in the 18th century. Belgium-born inventor John Joseph Merlin, inventor of roller skates, created a maneuverable, sedan-like wheelchair for people with gout.

Improvements were made upon the sedan wheelchair and the predecessor of modern upright, self-propelled chair came to be. This early modern wheelchair was known as the Bath Chair. It was invented by John Dawson of Bath, England. The chair was constructed with two large wheels and one small one. The chair was used to move immobile people to spa waters. This wheel chair was much more maneuverable and outsold all other models even into the early 19th century.

Yet despite the progress that the Bath chair made, it was still not very comfortable for people to sit in for many hours, and it was still extremely large and bulky. In 1869, a patent was developed for wheelchairs with rear push wheels and small front casters. During this time, hollow rubber wheels were added to metal rims on the chairs. By 1881, pushrims were invented so that users of wheelchairs could push themselves. By 1916, a motorized wheel chair had already been invented. By then, the wheelchair was much more compact with the lightweight models weighing only 58 pounds.

In 1933, Herbert A. Everest, a paraplegic, sought a wheelchair that could be placed in a car. Everest’s friend and engineer Harry Jennings would work to design the first metal foldable wheelchair. Furthermore, Jennings and Everest would go on to found Everest & Jennings, a wheelchair company that would dominate the market for many years. The wheelchair would undergo many modifications during the course of history. The rise of the automobile led to the creation of compact wheelchairs. Improved medical services and better understanding of disabilities would also prompt further innovation.

Most importantly the wheelchair would develop from a rich man’s luxury to a vital device for countless people with disabilities. Today the wheelchair is one of the most commonly used devices for aiding in personal mobility. According to the World Health Organization, 1% of the world’s population requires the use of a wheelchair. However those needing wheelchairs in developing countries are often unable to obtain wheelchairs due to the lack of production facilities. Furthermore, wheelchairs donated are often insufficiently equipped or ill fitting for the poor in developing nations. Thus today the wheelchair still needs significant innovation to reach the poor. Improvements can be made upon the structure and material so that the wheelchair can be easily built in developing nations. By providing better mobility, the wheelchair can open up doors to better education, work and social lives for people in developing nations.

– Grace Zhao

Sources: History Extra, Inventors, Wheelchair Net, World Health Organization

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New Vaccine Protects Against Multiple Strains of Malaria

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A team of international researchers has recently developed a new vaccine that demonstrates great progress made in the fight against malaria. The vaccine effectively protects against multiple strains of the deadly disease, creating better protection for the immunized.

The investigators have not yet started trials of the newly developed vaccine in humans, but research on how the vaccine works in the red blood cells of mice is promising. Vaccinated mice that were exposed to malaria showed low levels of parasites in their blood. Researchers even say that the vaccine was so effective that “some of the mice had so few parasites that we were unable to see them when we looked at the blood under a microscope.”

The investigators also found that their vaccine was effective in protecting against malaria regardless of the specific strain of the disease that the mice were exposed to. They stated that, “even though mice were immunized with only one strain of malaria and infected with a different strain, they were also protected by our vaccine. That means that our vaccine protects against all strains of malaria.”

The new vaccine was developed after researchers considered modifying the way that previous malaria vaccines were made. In previous research, investigators used low doses of the dead parasite in vaccines, which proved effective in protecting against malaria. In development of the new vaccine, researchers decided to use whole parasites to immunize against the disease. To produce the vaccine, the malaria parasite is treated with a drug that “binds to the parasite’s DNA and prevents it from multiplying.” After immunization, the vaccine works by turning on an immune response in white blood cells, which can recognize proteins hidden in the malaria parasite. Researchers believe that immune recognition of hidden proteins in the various strains of malaria may be what is making the vaccine effective across all strains of the disease.

Each year, malaria infects nearly 250 million people across the globe and is responsible for one million deaths. The developers of the new vaccine hope that their new findings will help reduce the suffering that is caused by the disease in the future. In the next few months, the team will begin trial testing of their vaccine in humans. If the vaccine proves to be as effective as anticipated, use of the vaccine will be expanded to areas where malaria is present.

– Jordan Kline

Sources: The Conversation, Journal of Clinical Investigation

Malnutrition Killing Children in Cameroon

Cameroon_Children_Malnutrition
A growing number of children in Cameroon are falling victim to malnutrition. A hospital in Garoua confirmed that in June alone, thirty-one cases of childhood malnutrition came through and six died.

Cameroon conducted a study in 2011 to gauge malnutrition levels within in the country. The study found that of children under five years old, thirty three percent of them suffered from chronic malnutrition and fourteen percent of them were severely malnourished.

There are several theories as to why Cameroon experiences such high malnutrition rates. Cameroon’s ministry of public health believes that malnutrition is linked to Cameroon’s complex climate. They cite certain regions with dry, semi-arid climates having higher rates of nutritional deterioration in children than in other regions. Additionally, it is believed that the influx of refugees from Chad and the Central African Republic has added an increased strain to Cameroon.

The northern and far northern regions of Cameroon experience the highest rates of childhood malnutrition. Unfortunately, however, malnutrition exists throughout the entire country and not just in the north. This is believed to be due to the lack of food in certain seasons, and in certain regions as previously explained. Cameroon also has a lack of food variety, creating a deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals in many children’s diets.

However, Cameroon’s problem is not food insecurity. The country is capable and does produce enough food to sustain its population, and does not need to import food. Unfortunately, however, poverty is a severe roadblock to battling malnutrition. Poverty keeps a large portion of Cameroon from having access to a varied and balanced diet.

UNICEF has estimated that 57,616 children under the age of five are at risk of severe acute malnutrition in the North and Far North regions of Cameroon. Additionally, UNICEF believes 145,000 children under the age of five will experience stunted growth. Very few children in Cameroon are breastfed after birth, which leads to such inflated statistics.

UNICEF has partnered with the government of Cameroon to increase prevention efforts. They have increased their presence at nineteen feeding centers in the country to prevent complications associated with malnutrition. They are working to educate mothers to recognize the signs of malnutrition and to seek medical help when they are noticed. Despite limited medical staff in many regions in Cameroon, it is hoped that the increased effort in prevention programs will work to effectively decrease malnutrition and death rates in the country.

– Caitlin Zusy

Sources: Inter Press Service, All Africa
Photo: Healthcare Volunteer

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Fighting Hunger With Hunger: The Fast-a-Thon

fighting_hunger
Hundreds of organizations around the world work to raise awareness of world hunger. “Nearly 870 million people, or one in eight people in the world, were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2010-2012.” Statistics such as this, along with photographs and true stories of the world’s hungry have found their way to people who can help. But what these figures and images cannot do to a person is allow them to know what hunger really is—to move one beyond sympathy and allow them to possess real comprehension of what hunger feels like. This is the premise upon which the “Fast-a-Thon” was laid.

For years, college campuses across the U.S. and Canada have held annual “Fast-a-Thons” in an effort to fight hunger, both locally and internationally. The idea was coined by the Muslim Students Association (MSA) at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and has since been taken on by hundreds of college campuses, charity organizations, and businesses across continental America.

Here’s how it works: a group of students, community members, co-workers, etc. pledge to fast for a day (some for 24 hours, some from morning to evening). For each pledge, a business sponsor donates a certain amount of money to a charity of the group’s choosing. At the end of the day, Fast-a-Thon participants come together to share a meal to break their fast. In solidarity with those in hunger and in support of alleviating their pain, Fast-a-Thon participants have raised hundreds to thousands of dollars to feed the hungry.

Interested in hosting a Fast-a-Thon in your community? Follow this easy step-by-step guide:

1. Find the beneficiary to whom all donations will go towards. This could be a local soup kitchen or an umbrella organization fighting hunger.

2. Find businesses that will sponsor your Fast-a-Thon or, in other words, agree to donate a certain amount of money to your chosen beneficiary for every Fast-a-Thon pledge made.

3. Spread the word and encourage everyone to pledge and participate!

4. Host a dinner where participants can break their fasts together.

– Lina Saud

Sources: World Hunger, MSA Texas
Photo: Stephen Leahy

Do You Know the Definition of Poverty?

Definition_Poverty
Although poverty is an international issue, there is no internationally agreed-upon definition of poverty.

The most common definition of poverty is the World Bank’s threshold:  living at $2 a day, and its definition of extreme poverty at $1.25 a day. This figure that was created by averaging the poverty line in the world’s 15 poorest countries. These are definitions of absolute poverty, in which a certain amount of income is set, and anyone making below that income is considered poor. Under these definitions, around 3 billion people live in poverty, and 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty.

However, poverty can also be defined in relative terms. In many countries, poverty is simply defined by the threshold of income for the bottom 10 percent of the population, or taking into account cost of living into account when setting a poverty line.

Both of these definitions, however, deal almost exclusively with income and consumption, and ignore the social and political aspects of poverty. The United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) contends that there are three perspectives which need to be taken into account when conceptualizing poverty: the income perspective indicates that a person is poor only if his or her income is below the country’s poverty line; the basic needs includes the need for the provision by a community of the basic social services necessary to prevent individuals from falling into poverty; and finally, the empowerment perspective suggests that poverty signify a lack of some basic capability to function.

Something to consider is that although the global definition of extreme poverty is $1.25 dollars a day, the US sets its poverty line at $11,490 of income per year, which comes out to roughly $30 a day. If we held the whole world to that standard, almost everyone would be in poverty; 80 percent of the world’s population lives on less than $10 a day.

Poverty undermines basic political, economic, social, and cultural rights. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Poverty is the worst form of violence.” As a country with the economic capabilities to lift everyone in the world out of extreme poverty (it would cost around $30 billion), the United States should be the leaders in poverty eradication efforts. Not only this, but it is important to remember how much lower the standard o poverty is set for the rest of the world, and how most in the developed world could never consider living on $1.25 a day.

– Martin Drake

Sources: UNESCO, DoSomething.org, The Economist
Photo: WordPress

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Helping Hand for Relief and Development

Helping_Hand_Relief_Development
There are few organizations with as many different programs dedicated to helping impoverished people around the world as Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD). Although this group is relatively young (founded in 2005), its staff and volunteers have wasted no time making a huge impact on the world. This Islamic organization sticks to its vision of “strengthening the bond of humanity” by providing humanitarian relief and development assistance to all types of people, no matter their ethnicity or background.

One of the ways HHRD provides aid is through its program “Islamic Interest Free Microfinance,” a microenterprise development concept, which is an interest-free loan that helps alleviate poverty. Someone participating in this program could use it to purchase something like seeds or fertilizer.

Other ways HHRD provides sustainable growth in poverty-ridden communities is through programs like Orphan Support Program (sponsor a child for $1 a day), Education Support (student scholarships), Health Care, Infrastructure Development (rebuilding homes and schools), Physical Rehabilitation (provides new limbs for those hurt in disasters), Skill Development (focuses on empowering women), Youth Empowerment (internships) and Public Advocacy and Social Justice (raising awareness of global issues, like climate change and social injustices).

Water for Life and Emergency Appeals are two other important programs the Helping Hand for Relief and Development organizations provides. Water sanitation is a major issue for many people in developing countries. HHRD sets up wells, hand pumps and devices for filtering water so that people can finally have access to clean drinking water. The Emergency Appeals program works is also vital for those in the third world who do not have access to basic medicines, food, mosquito nets, tools for rebuilding shelters or even clothes. This program provides these necessities and more for those living in disaster areas.

Different areas of the world have different needs and Helping Hand for Relief and Development has a program for each of these issues. By focuses on a wide range of problems, HHRD is able to reach out and help more and more impoverished people.

– Mary Penn

Sources: Helping Hand Relief and Development Charity Navigator Rating
Photo: Blogspot

What is the NCBA?

NCBA_Non_Profit
One of the most intriguing business ideas is that of a co-op.  It can be like a corporation, only it’s governing body is chosen democratically by it’s members, not shareholders.  From a business standpoint, the co-op isn’t profit motivated but exists to serve it’s members.  When a surplus is realized by the co-op, the excess is divided among members by individual use of the organization and not by how much was initially invested.  Members can be essentially anyone, from sole proprietors to nonprofit organizations.

Among the many benefits of co-op membership, knowledge may be the most important.  Nowhere is this more evident than in the developing world, specifically in the nations of Senegal, Zambia, and Mozambique. In their efforts to alleviate poverty, increase income and food production, and provide a higher standard of living for their people, farmers there have partnered with the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA) in the United States.

Initially founded in 1916, the NCBA has existed as the soundboard for all co-ops in the U.S., touting the benefits and successes of this business framework.  Known today as NCBA CLUSA International, their focus also includes advocacy, cross-sector support and education, and co-op community advancement in a total of 15 different nations.

NCBA CLUSA International maintains a strong presence in Senegal and Zambia through the USAID’s “Farmer-to-Farmer” initiative.  The co-op organization calls on it’s extensive volunteer base, culling professionals from the agricultural, development, technological, and even financial fields.  However, most volunteers for the program are American farmers and agribusiness people who are directly involved with teaching and sharing techniques with farmers in Zambia and Senegal.  Everything from business development, soil fertility, and crop processing is all covered.  NCBA CLUSA International provides transportation, logistical support, and translators for its volunteers.

Recently, USAID acknowledged the NCBA’s efforts in Niger.  Backed by USAID funding, the group’s volunteers have been working with farmers and people in the nation for several years teaching them the best way to grow highly nutritious moringa.  Areas of southwest Niger have transformed from drought-stricken to fields of lush vegetation suited for the climate.

In Mozambique, the NCBA has been granted a contract worth $14 million by Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  In a press release dated in December 2012, the NCBA reports their mission is to:

“…boost agriculture production by 20% and increase household resilience by 30%, helping these small farmers progress from the subsistence level, to income generation… This program will train 54,000 farmers and 50 emerging commercial farmers in proven Conservation Agriculture (CA) techniques and nutrition, benefitting more than 140,000 individuals. The practice of Conservation Agriculture is a method of farming that, when adhered to, achieves high and sustained production levels, while concurrently conserving the environment.”

An empowering facet of the program is that half of those 54,000 farmers are women.  This move no doubt increases community capacity and women’s efficacy as they are literally equal partners.

The NCBA is living proof that the co-op model can be successful in myriad ways and is especially helpful in the developing world.  By connecting impoverished farmers and communities with learned volunteers, they’re fostering inclusive, sustainable and economically robust communities.

– David Smith

Sources: NCBA, USAID Frontlines
Photo: TechnoServe