Make Poverty History (MPH) is staging a worldwide campaign. Its mission statement matches its name as it aims to raise awareness about global poverty and make concrete policy changes in various nations’ governments and in intergovernmental organizations.
The various national Make Poverty History campaigns are part of a larger international campaign called Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a worldwide alliance committed to making world leaders live up to their promises and ending global poverty.
The Admirable Aims of Make Poverty History
In comparison to other aid organizations that may struggle trying to apply single, cure-all strategies on a universal scale, MPH has experienced such widespread success because each participating country can focus its national campaign on different issues within the broader topic of alleviating global poverty.
Despite these slight variations, however, all countries generally focus on issues such as aid, trade, and justice that are relevant to the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals. Besides alleviating global poverty, MPH also aims to reduce the corruption that plagues many developing countries’ governments and prevents foreign aid from reaching the poorest members of society.
For example, the British MPH campaign is a coalition of charities, religious organizations, trade unions, and celebrities whose campaign slogans include “trade justice,” “drop the debt,” and “more and better aid.”
The call for “trade justice” demands a global trade system that does not allow half of the world’s population to live on less than $2 USD per day. This aspect of the campaign seeks to prevent the wealthiest countries and individuals from reaping all of the trade benefits at the expense of the impoverished.
Meanwhile, the “drop the debt” aspect of the campaign suggests canceling unpayable debt of the world’s poorest countries without cutting these countries off to the prospect of future aid. This includes creating a fair and transparent international process to ensure that human needs take priority over debt repayments .
Finally, the “more and better aid” component notes that increasing the proportion of national budgets allocated to foreign development aid will not make much of a difference unless nations can also change the way in which they deliver their aid. MPH believes that targeting aid specifically to basic health care and education, rather than giving money to governments for further allocation, is the best way to avoid corruption and address the underserved people’s true needs.
Meanwhile, Australia’s MPH campaign focuses on increasing Australia’s effective foreign development aid to 0.7% of its gross national income, tackling global climate change issues, and addressing chronic hunger problems across the globe.
While both the MPG and its parent campaign were originally created as a one-time-only campaign in 2005, the dual campaigns’ continued success have spurred leaders to extend the campaigning alliance until at least 2015. MPH is now considered the biggest, most widespread anti-poverty movement in history.
The leaders of MPH acknowledge that, despite its many successes, the fight against poverty continues on. Through campaigning, fundraising, and fighting to make their voices heard by politicians and policy makers around the globe, MPH can ensure that the fire it has ignited in the hearts of its followers never dies.
– Alexandra Bruschi
Sources: Make Poverty History, The Guardian, Oxfam Australia, Millennium Development Goals,
Photo: The Guardian
Refugees in Ethiopia Receive Monetary Relief
Somali refugees continue to arrive in Ethiopia in large droves due to poor growing conditions, food shortages, and continued conflict. While the situation is slowly improving, John Ging, Director of Operations in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, urges continued attention to the crisis and says, “I call on the international community to invest now to build the resilience of Somalis and stop the cycle of crisis they have endured far too long.”
To that end, The United Nations World Food Program, UNHCR, European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, and the government of Ethiopia have partnered to launch an aid project that provides Somali refugees with monthly cash installments in addition to food aid. Currently, 12,000 refugees are receiving monetary relief and the project plans to extend cash aid to 13,000 more by October.
Monetary relief allows Somali refugees to round out their diet with fresh produce, proteins, and dairy from the local market, providing an important supplement to the basic grains and non-perishables received from aid agencies. It also gives the refugees an opportunity to inject money into the local economy. This economic boost is helpful to the communities supporting the large number of refugee settlements.
Currently the refugees who are part of the pilot cash program receive 100 Ethiopian Birr per month, or about $5.00. The organizations backing this program are optimistic that these cash transfers will greatly alleviate the most acute suffering and make the refugee situation less of a burden. Between Ethiopia, Kenya, and Yemen, there are over 1 million Somali refugees. The cash relief program gives refugees an opportunity to regain a little agency and make decisions about what groceries to purchase while also offering much needed hunger relief.
– Zoe Meroney
Sources: World Food Program, United Nations, All Africa
Photo: UNHCR
Make Poverty History
Make Poverty History (MPH) is staging a worldwide campaign. Its mission statement matches its name as it aims to raise awareness about global poverty and make concrete policy changes in various nations’ governments and in intergovernmental organizations.
The various national Make Poverty History campaigns are part of a larger international campaign called Global Call to Action Against Poverty, a worldwide alliance committed to making world leaders live up to their promises and ending global poverty.
The Admirable Aims of Make Poverty History
In comparison to other aid organizations that may struggle trying to apply single, cure-all strategies on a universal scale, MPH has experienced such widespread success because each participating country can focus its national campaign on different issues within the broader topic of alleviating global poverty.
Despite these slight variations, however, all countries generally focus on issues such as aid, trade, and justice that are relevant to the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals. Besides alleviating global poverty, MPH also aims to reduce the corruption that plagues many developing countries’ governments and prevents foreign aid from reaching the poorest members of society.
For example, the British MPH campaign is a coalition of charities, religious organizations, trade unions, and celebrities whose campaign slogans include “trade justice,” “drop the debt,” and “more and better aid.”
The call for “trade justice” demands a global trade system that does not allow half of the world’s population to live on less than $2 USD per day. This aspect of the campaign seeks to prevent the wealthiest countries and individuals from reaping all of the trade benefits at the expense of the impoverished.
Meanwhile, the “drop the debt” aspect of the campaign suggests canceling unpayable debt of the world’s poorest countries without cutting these countries off to the prospect of future aid. This includes creating a fair and transparent international process to ensure that human needs take priority over debt repayments .
Finally, the “more and better aid” component notes that increasing the proportion of national budgets allocated to foreign development aid will not make much of a difference unless nations can also change the way in which they deliver their aid. MPH believes that targeting aid specifically to basic health care and education, rather than giving money to governments for further allocation, is the best way to avoid corruption and address the underserved people’s true needs.
Meanwhile, Australia’s MPH campaign focuses on increasing Australia’s effective foreign development aid to 0.7% of its gross national income, tackling global climate change issues, and addressing chronic hunger problems across the globe.
While both the MPG and its parent campaign were originally created as a one-time-only campaign in 2005, the dual campaigns’ continued success have spurred leaders to extend the campaigning alliance until at least 2015. MPH is now considered the biggest, most widespread anti-poverty movement in history.
The leaders of MPH acknowledge that, despite its many successes, the fight against poverty continues on. Through campaigning, fundraising, and fighting to make their voices heard by politicians and policy makers around the globe, MPH can ensure that the fire it has ignited in the hearts of its followers never dies.
– Alexandra Bruschi
Sources: Make Poverty History, The Guardian, Oxfam Australia, Millennium Development Goals,
Photo: The Guardian
Jim Yong Kim on Reducing Poverty
At the USGLC (US Global Leader Coalition) 2013 Conference, June 26-28, Jim Yong Kim president of the World Bank spoke of the importance of poverty reduction. Kim believes that “for the first time in human history, we have an opportunity [to eradicate poverty]”.
The first of Kim’s goals is to end poverty by 2030. By reducing poverty rates to below 3 percent, we can “bend the arc of history”, Kim told the USGLC. With consistent growth rates, the 2030 projected poverty rate is between six and nine percent. But lowering the poverty rate down below three percent will virtually remove all poverty and leave only frictional poverty, according to Kim.
Kim defined frictional poverty as the poverty resulting from circumstances difficult to control. Situations that have to be responded to on a case by case basis, like famine or other natural disasters, will be the only poverty left after levels are reduced to below three percent worldwide.
Kim’s second goal is to boost the incomes of the bottom 40 percent. Kim emphasized that without an all-inclusive economy, societies will become increasingly unstable.
The World Bank president also placed critical importance on foreign assistance. Today, total development assistance is about $125 billion. Although influential, the amount of assistance needs to increase, Kim said. Funding for Africa infrastructure is $95 billion alone. Kim also emphasized the importance of private sector investment in eliminating poverty.
“Change will not happen,” Kim concluded, unless everyone “decides that the ultimate goal is more important than raising the flag for our single organizations.”
– Danielle Doedens
Sources: USGLC, YouTube
Photo: Merco Press
Pledges to Raise Health Standards in Uganda
In Uganda, nearly one in every four newly born child dies. The mortality rates of children under five remain high. The life expectancy of an average Ugandan is only 54 years. These prominent conflicts the people of Uganda face make it clear that a need for higher health standards and public health need to be raised significantly in order to improve the quality of life for the average citizen, as well as to save lives.
Health Child is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising these standards and impacting the people of Uganda in a positive way. HC’s main objectives are decreasing mortality rates in women and children, lowering poverty rates of local communities, and empowering those without a voice or a strong social status. Education, civic duty, and participation are all ideals that are valued in the HC organization and are represented through the programs they host.
One of the most important ways that HC holds the fabric of the organization together is through the implementation of Information and Communication Technologies, otherwise known as ICTs. Giving out mobile phones allows professionals to remind mothers and children of important health appointments, as well as inform them of tips and tools they can implement to make healthy decisions.
The child protection programs of HC go about ensuring public health of Ugandan children in many ways. First, drama and theater programs funded by HC educate local communities on the issues facing children. In addition, HC funds school education and debates on child’s rights. Finally, the organization ensures that religious institutions are places where families can gather and discuss community issues.
Health Child, with the help of the Ugandan Government, generous donors and sponsors, and other organizations, brings hope to the people of Uganda that a better quality of life is attainable. Helping to raise the health standards of those most vulnerable, HC soon hopes to eradicate the issues most pressing to Uganda.
– William Norris
Sources: Health Child, UNICEF
Photo: The Guardian
Venezuela’s Crime Rates Rise Due to Poverty
Venezuela is a beautiful country known for its striking natural beauty and urbanized culture. Venezuela is also home to some of the world’s largest oil deposits, and houses large quantities of coal, iron, ore, bauxite, and gold. The country has experienced great wealth and prosperity as a result of its natural resources.
However, economic growth in Venezuela had disproportionately benefited some people more than others. A majority of Venezuela’s citizens live in impoverished areas and have not benefited from the oil wealth. Over 60% of the households in Venezuela are poor families, and the unemployment rate has only been increasing over the last few years. Sewage flows into the once beautiful Guaire River, which has led to its declining safety and toxicity. Streets are covered in trash, and citizens to not have enough clean water to bathe in regularly.
Venezuela has also been experiencing an increasing crime rates. Families such as the Olivero family, live in fear of the violence, for gangs and increasing violent crimes are growing in their home town of Caracas. Every night around six, the family gathers together in their home and locks the main entrance to their house. Their homes are not the most secure protection from the violence outside, for Mr. Olivero has stated to the Huffington Post that their neighbor’s roof was penetrated by a stray bullet recently.
For the Olivero family and many others, the violence does not seem to end. Venezuela’s homicide rate is the fifth highest homicide rate in the world and is 20 times higher than that of the United States. Unfortunately, RFI explains, crime within Venezuela continues as a result of the high poverty and lack of impunity, and will not come to an end until the country’s economy improves.
Venezuelan cities are also undergoing current food shortages, for store owners are unable to fill their shelves with basic goods. Anglys Bericote, a local, explains how private businesses hold on to the supplies and goods. Bericote also stated to the Huffington Post that her town has been so low on supplies, that she was unable to buy toothpaste or toilet paper for herself and her family.
Another local, Yaneth Solano, said she does not believe that the government will help the citizens of Venezuela with these current issues of violence or poverty. She believes that nothing can or will change Venezuela, for only God could help them now. As crime, food shortages, and littering continue within Venezuela, its citizens will not see improvement until the government places more focus on helping the impoverished improve their standard of living.
– Grace Elizabeth Beal
Sources: The Huffington Post, BBC, RFI
Improving Access to Reproductive Health Services
Improving access to reproductive health services in the developing world is critical to poverty alleviation. Pregnancy and childbirth-related complications are a leading cause of death of girls, aged 15 to 19, in developing countries. An estimated 7.3 million girls under age 18 give birth each year, and a great percentage of births occur in Africa. To counter this, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has announced it will partner with eight African countries to improve access to reproductive health services for millions of girls. The programs will span over the next three years, and will hopefully make a difference in lives of millions of young people.
“We are working specifically to ensure that the continent’s adolescent girls, between the ages of 15 and 19 – some 45 million of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa – get a good education, are able to decide whether and when to marry and have children, are protected from HIV, remain safe from violence, and have their fair share of opportunities to work and contribute to the economic development of their countries,” said UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin.
UNFPA will partner with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Tunisia. The programs will deliver comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services for young people. The hope is to reach disadvantaged and impoverished girls who are most at risk for poor sexual and reproductive health, violence and exploitation.
UNFPA programs will ensure young people have access to age-appropriate sex education, whether they are in school or out, to prepare them for adult life. The programs will bring together governments, young people, the private sector and other stakeholders to access the needs of young people.
UNFPA is the lead United Nations agency that promotes sexual and reproductive health services. They are at work in 150 countries, ensuring that young people have the information, services, and supplies they need to make safe and healthy decisions.
“Over the next three years, in partnership with governments and young people themselves, we will commit to making a tangible difference in the lives of millions of young people right across the continent. It is their rights we must uphold and it is they who are our best hope for a prosperous and peaceful Africa,” said Dr. Osotimehin.
– Catherine Ulrich
Sources: UNFPA, UN News
Photo: Join Tokyo
HIV/AIDS and Poverty in South Africa
For South Africa, HIV/AIDS is a disease specific to poverty. In 2009, over half the country’s population lived in poverty. As of 2011, almost 6 million South Africans were living with HIV/AIDS, the highest number of affected in a single country in the world. Despite these daunting figures, this year?s scientific breakthrough in antiretroviral drugs brings hope.
Samantha Oliver, 23 and a Michigan State University graduate, spent August through December in 2011 interning in Cape Town, South Africa. While working with an organization to promote HIV/AIDS research and best practices, she saw the effects of the disease. “HIV/AIDS spreads poverty and poverty spreads HIV/AIDS,” she said. Though which came first is harder to determine. Oliver went on to explain that the disease “attacks what should be the most productive sector of an economy.” People between the ages of 15-49 are most likely to contract HIV/AIDS and they are also the people making most of the contributions to the economy. When a family member becomes sick from the disease, they are unable to work and another family member must stay home to help care for them. As of 2011, about one fifth of South African women in their reproductive ages had HIV, thus continuing the problem of mother-infant transmission of HIV/AIDS.
The United Nations reported that in a national South African survey, 66 percent of people asked reported a drop in the amount of income per household due to “HIV-related illness, including the direct loss of earners.”
Despite the cyclical nature of the relationship between HIV/AIDS and poverty in South Africa, progress has clearly been made throughout the past decade. While in Cape Town, Oliver saw something a lot of people watching the news or reading online reports do not see. She was able to see the work being done by South Africans for South Africans. “A lot of people think that over in Africa in particular, people are sitting around waiting for foreign aid to happen… All I saw was local doctors, nurses and pharmacists going way above and beyond their jobs to try to come up with solutions,” Oliver said. “It was creative problem solving… I think that people would be a lot more supportive of different types of aid programs if they could see that local people on the ground are already starting the kinds of projects that the funding would be needed for.” Oliver’s stay in Cape Town in 2011 was her sixth visit to South Africa.
In March of this year, the Center for Strategic and International Studies reported that the transition from United States-led policy to South African-led policy that began in October of 2010 was going well. The U.S. is no longer “a lead role in the provision of lifesaving services” and has moved “to an approach focused increasingly on technical support.” The good news continues this July as the UN noted that South Africa has the second largest antiretroviral program in the world and their continued battle against the spread of HIV/AIDS is showing progress. The UN also estimated that in South Africa, the rate of infection is between 17 and 32 percent lower than if the treatment were not being provided.
While attending Michigan State University, Samantha Oliver double majored in International Relations and Comparative Politics with a specialization in International Development. Of her experiences while in Cape Town, Oliver said, “If people could see what community-based organizations are doing [in South Africa], I think they would be really moved.” She also recommended that if someone were interested in learning more that they look into South Africa-based aid organizations as well as international organizations.
– Jordan Bradley
Sources: The Center for Strategic and International Studies SouthAfrica.info United Nations Development Programme Times Live UNAIDS UN Chronicle
Photo: The Telegraph
Poverty in Mexico
This July, Coneval, the Mexican government social development agency, reported that while the national poverty rate declined a measly .6 percent, an increase in the population meant a half million increase in the number of people living at or below the poverty line. The report revealed that 45.5 percent of Mexico’s citizens live in poverty. Coneval defines poverty as living on 2,329 pesos, the equivalent of $183, per month in the city and 1,490 pesos, or $117, in rural areas. It defines extreme poverty in the city at $88 per month and $62 per month in rural settings. As of 2012, almost 10 percent of the population of Mexico lives in extreme poverty, totaling 11.5 million people.
After the Coneval data was published, Mexican Finance Minister Luis Videgaray said, “The only feasible, permanent answer to reducing poverty in Mexico is through economic growth.”
President Enrique Peña Nieto echoed a similar sentiment, promising plans for modernizing existing assistance programs and creating new programs. While Mexico’s current government assistance program Oportunidades has been internationally recognized for its success, the program mainly offers monetary support and lacks focus in policies concerning income growth.
The National Bureau of Economic Research found suggestive evidence of a connection between globalization and poverty in Mexico. Because the country was so aggressive when they opened their economy completely in 1985, Mexico’s GDP has almost tripled. In 1980, five years before tariffs were cut and other trade restrictions removed, eleven percent of the GDP was from international trade. In 2002, it reached 32 percent.
A majority of Mexico’s poorest states are in the southern region of the country. The four poorest in the nation are Chiapas with 74 percent of its population living in poverty, Guerrero at 69 percent, Puebla at 64 percent and Oaxaca at 61 percent. All four states sit well above the national poverty percentage of 45.5 percent. In Oaxaca, Chiapas and Guerrero, 50 percent of the population lives on $62 or less a month.
Rural areas in Mexico are the areas that see the least amount of economic growth and development. This is also where 61 percent of the indigenous population lives in extreme poverty. Oportunidades focuses 99 percent of its services on rural or semi-urban areas. They are currently assisting 6.5 million families in a number of ways. Most benefits come in the form of cash deposits for the people who qualify for the program. A section of the program called Youth with Oportunidades gives economic incentives to students who graduate high school before they turn 22 years old. Because women head eight of every ten single-parent household in Mexico, Oportunidades also gives cash transfers to help pay for high-quality food for children.
The assistance that Oportunidades is offering those living in poverty benefits lives in the short run, but the global community hopes it will be a launching pad for greater economic growth in Mexico.
– Jordan Bradley
Sources: The Latin Times, World Bank, The National Bureau of Economic Research, Rural Poverty Portal, Mexidata Reuters
Photo: Allison Orthner
Video Games Boosting Africa’s Economy?
The video game industry is huge – worth about $78 billion in 2012 – the size of the movie and music industry combined. Yet almost all games are produced in the developed world. The limitations on producing games in the global south are manifold – technological, education, and financial. So how can game creators in these areas grow?
Even in relatively wealthy South Africa game consoles are years behind industry leaders. Support from game publishers outside their core territories is minimal. On top of that, hurdles to creating games on the current platforms are high: access to the specialized hardware and licenses provided by the console manufacturers are expensive and not given easily.
The most common platform for gaming in Africa and Asia is the mobile phone. In Africa, of the 650 million mobile phones, Nokia Series 40 and BlackBerry 7 are still the dominant platforms. Adam Oxford of htxt.co.za explains that, “Mxit and BiNu are really big social networks geared up for feature phones, with massive followings in South Africa and Nigeria. There are loads of games on both platforms.”
Although there are not many local game makers in the developing world, Africa has a handful scattered in countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa. Nana Kwabena Owusu of Ghana’s Leti Games thinks this shortage of talent is an education problem. “There are good creators, but retraining them to think in terms of game development, merging technical and creative thinking, is tough.” This is not a problem restricted to Africa – the education system in the U.K. has only just been restructured to encourage good programmers, and game design is still mostly learned though experience in studios.
By giving the opportunity of learning how to develop games and programs in Africa, a new market could be tapped. Even though the most common electronics in Africa are outdated in comparison to East Asian, American, and European products, there is still the opportunity for new developers to sell to American markets. Developing games on the Android and iPhone markets is an easy way to insert African developers into a market that has much potential to grow. This increase in developers in Africa could in turn boost the strength and diversity of many African nations’ economies.
– Matthew Jackoski
Sources: The Guardian, MCV
Photo: Wonder How To
The Microfinance Revolution
Microcredit, microfinance, micro-insurance… There is a microfinance revolution occurring around the world, and it is changing the perceptions of what can be done for those living in poverty.
Empowerment is an important focus of aid and development work. A family that, instead of being given rice and feed for a season, is educated and provided with tools to grow rice and feed themselves, can become self-sustaining. However, providing this kind of empowerment assistance can be difficult. How can organizations provide loans or credit to people who do not have bank accounts? How can they insure farmers when the value of their crops does not reach the minimum premiums? How can they make health insurance available to families living in poverty?
There is a market available for all of these services, but it is taking a revolutionary approach to provide it. Insurance has typically been the domain of the middle and upper classes. Insurance providers have always targeted those with significant investments to protect, as that is where the money lies. But for small-scale farmers, with fewer assets, the dependence on the success of their investments is greater than that of the wealthy. It is these people at the bottom of the economic scale who need insurance the most, as they are the ones without a safety net.
Recognizing this, the international foundation Syngenta has begun offering an insurance program for small farmers. The project originated in Kenya, and offers insurance for farms as small as half an acre, charging them a rate of $5.25 a season. The project is run remotely, with local supply stores acting as purchasing points for insurance and weather stations used to calculate damages due to climate effects, resulting in minimal overhead costs. Operating in Kenya and Rwanda, the scheme has already sold more than 64,000 insurance policies, largely to farmers who have never before had the option of buying insurance.
Similar programs are being developed around the world, with some focusing on micro-credit while others provide insurance at a fraction of the cost of traditional insurers. Furthermore, as the field develops, larger insurance companies are also embracing the model. In 2005, micro-insurance was offered by only 15% of the largest insurance companies. Today, two thirds of those companies are offering with micro-insurance. Some estimates place the potential market of micro-insurance to be between 2 and 3 billion potential policies.
Small-scale farmers with insurance are better able to provide for their families, even in the event of crop failure. This minimizes the potential for famine and also decreases the need for foreign assistance to provide for people in the event of crop failure.
– David M Wilson
Sources: The New York Times, Syngenta
Photo: Dowser