Every non-profit has an honorable start to their missions, but Robert C. Macauley, founder of AmeriCares, has a particular focus. On April 4, 1975, a United States jet carrying 243 Vietnamese orphans crashed in the jungle outside of Tan Son Nhut. The U.S. was unable to reach them within 10 days, and when Macauley heard this news, he did what any good-hearted American would dream of doing. He chartered a plane and brought them to the U.S. within 48 hours.
Macauley was a paper broker in Connecticut at the time, he and his wife took out a mortgage on their house to pay for the $10,000 down payment for the Boeing 747. His dislike of bureaucratic red tape cost him his home, but gave him a calling.
Macauley’s calling gave rise to one of the largest non-profits in the world, AmeriCares. Currently, the organization works in over 90 countries and has supplied over $10 billion in aid, both foreign and domestic. Here are just three examples of their impact:
1. Relief Aid in Poland – 1981
Before AmeriCares, official conception, Robert Macauley had donated his time and money to a number of causes, but his action in Vietnam brought good media. News spread quickly of Macauley’s actions and in 1981, Pope John Paul II asked for his assistance. At the time, Poland was under martial law and in desperate need of medical supplies. By 1982, Macauley had gently wrestled $1.5 million in medical supplies from over a dozen companies. March of that year, he was able to airlift the supplies to Poland. This was the first official act of AmeriCares and an impressive one at that.
2. The Darfur/Sudan Conflict – 2011
In 2004, AmeriCares began a long-term relief effort in Sudan by delivering medical aid in order to support health services for the survivors on the Sudan conflict. With South Sudan’s independence in 2011 came a rush of refugees and native South Sudanese returning to their homes. Most were in need of shelter and medical assistance.
AmeriCares began supporting the efforts of Relief International in their health outposts and camps. In Renk, funds were used to rehabilitate three health clinics and installations of emergency medical modules. This helped with treatment of diarrheal diseases, medical waste management, sanitation and health education. The health clinics also saw installations of exam tables and benches in waiting rooms. These clinics served 14,000 survivors at Renk and another 13,000 in the Gendrassa camp. AmeriCares replenished low stocks of first aid supplies in Gendrassa.
3. Hurricane Sandy Relief – 2012
The most recent natural disaster seen in the United States was Hurricane Sandy in October of 2012. More than 80,000 residences were damaged and 8.5 million people were left without shelter or power. AmeriCares has provided over $6 million in aid that has benefited more than 465,000 people. Skilled in crisis relief, AmeriCares has supplied medicine, insulin and vaccines, enough bottled water for $75,000 people, diapers for 17,000 and much more for those in need. $2.5 million went to fund programs that provide displaced citizens with emergency warmth, disaster clean up and mental health counseling in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.
Currently, AmeriCares is looking for grant proposals from groups who are starting projects to help with the health needs of Sandy survivors. On July 14, New Jersey was awarded $200,000 in grants to help the elderly, disabled and low-income residents recover.
– Jordan Bradley
Sources: AmeriCares, The NY Times, Darien News, Queens Chronicle
Photo: Forbes
Malala Yousafzai Visits the UN
Malala Yousafzai rose to international recognition when she and her classmates were shot by the Taliban when they attempted to go to school in Pakistan. She has been voted one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People by Time Magazine and now she is going to visit the UN on Friday, July 12th to tell her story and raise awareness of global education.
Yousafzai was only 15 when members of the Taliban shot her and her friends while they were taking the bus to school after all schools for girls were shut down in Pakistan. They wanted to teach her a lesson and show everyone else what would happen if they dared to stand up for themselves. The gunmen targeterd her because she was not just a school girl, she was also the voice of her generation as a blogger about the injustices they suffered under the hand of the Taliban.
Since the incident, Yousafzai has returned to school and has even been reunited with some of her old friends. She was the first to sign the UN Special Envoy for Education petition urging immediate action to make sure every child receives an education, and for her actions she was awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize. November 10th is known as Malala Day and it is clear that she is not only one of the most well-known students in the world, but one of the most potent as well.
The United Nations will be holding a youth assembly dubbed Malala Day this Friday, giving young people the chance to run the UN for the day. Yousafzai will be joined by hundreds of other students from over 80 countries for this event. Each one will tell their story and try to bring international attention to the pressing need of education. There are around 57 million children missing out on a primary education, as well as over 120 million teens and young adults without basic reading and writing skills. Without an education, these children will be incapable of getting jobs into today’s changing world market when they become adults. Therefore they will continue to live in poverty and feed the cycle of poverty.
The Secretary-general of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, has started the Global Education First Initiative. The main goals of the initiative are to get every child in school, provide a safe learning environment for students, and improve the quality of education. In a op-ed piece about Malala’s impending visit with Huffington Post he stated, “We must do all we can to ensure that schools are safe and secure learning spaces. Nowhere in the world should it be an act of bravery for an adult to teach or a girl to go to school.” He believes that in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals and prepare for their deadline in 2015, we must focus on the importance of a good education.
The youth assembly will hopefully bring attention to the fact that education is a fundamental right that should be awarded to everyone. Opportunity and lifestyle will only begin to be equal once every woman, man, and child has the same access to learning, and therefore the same access to jobs.
– Chelsea Evans
Source: Huffington Post, UN News Center, Time Magazine, Global Education First Initiative
Photo: SCMP
The Truth About Ending Poverty
Over the past two decades, sweeping statements about our ability to end poverty have been common. Lyndon Johnson declared it in 1964. Thabo Mbeki in 2002. Tony Blair in 2005. More recently, Obama and U2 frontman Bono have attempted to inspire action by reiterating our capacity to make an impact and in April press conference, Jim Yong Kim wrote “2030” on a piece of paper, held it up and stated emphatically that this was the deadline to end global poverty.
More common than our leaders’ public displays of confidence, however, is our general inaction towards capitalizing on our ability to use it. This is not necessarily a reflection of the stinginess of those in power; the international response after disasters and during successful charity drives is a testament to the existing desire to aid those in need. Rather, we are grappling with a problem of mismanagement and misconception.
Ending poverty is achievable in the way winning an Olympic medal is achievable. It will take energy, time, luck, effort, money and above all, indomitable will to ensure its success. It has to be properly managed and directed. Currently, what we have is akin to having a potential star athlete without a trainer or equipment.
The Washington Post estimates that if countries were to donate 50 cents of every $100 earned in income, it would drastically decrease poverty – if properly funneled. The cost to end poverty is not, in and of itself, exorbitantly high, especially in comparison to budgets for other programs. Yet the money already used is too often misused – charity, while noble, is often a misguided venture which temporarily alleviates rather than solves problems and too little is directed towards programs that could help because of fear of corruption or siphoning by dishonest governments.
The Millennium Project has released a report Investing in Development which outlines the numerous ways a small amount can have a huge impact. Malaria nets in sub-Saharan Africa, for example, are magic bullets: eliminating disease, potentially lowering birth rates and allowing greater productivity. The provision of obstetric care could save hundreds of lives, while using local healthy foods to provide nutritious school lunches could increase revenues for farmers and improve child health and performance in schools.
Too often, people think of poverty as an unconquerable single problem. In reality, poverty is the result of a confluence of factors, all of which have structural solutions. Although it is complicated and requires long-term planning, a fatalistic view of poverty is solely an excuse for not trying. Estimates put the total cost of the US contribution around 60 billion – a fraction of what the nation spends annually. With so much potential benefit in terms of emerging markets and sound international security, the cost to end poverty seems almost a bargain price.
– Farahnaz Mohammed
Source: The Economist, Washington Post
Photot: Middlesbourgh Diocese
UN Forum Aims to Strengthen Disabled Employment
Around the world, more than one billion people live with disabilities. Of these one billion people, roughly 800 million are of working age but encounter physical, social, and economic restraints from accessing education, employment, and ways to develop skills.
Roughly 54 million Americans have a disability and this number continues to grow. Much like the rest of the world, Americans with disabilities face greater financial difficulties than those without. Those with a disability double their likelihood of living with an annual household income of $15,000 or less.
In an attempt to alleviate the stresses of the disabled and empower them with equal opportunities the United Nations began a three day meeting. Beginning on July 17th, they aimed at improving the lives of the globally disabled, both occupationally and by strengthening the standard of living.
A background paper for the 6th Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) states that the disabled face a higher likelihood of living in poverty than those that are not disabled. The paper also found that the economic status of a country had little impact on the placement of the disabled in society.
Yet, according to a pilot study conducted by the UN International Labour Organziation (ILO), it is not advisable to exclude the disabled minority. Performed in ten low and middle income countries, the ILO found that when those with disabilities were rejected from the labor market there was an estimated loss of 3-7% of the country’s GDP. By not educating and tapping into this handicapped minority, many countries are losing out on a pool of skilled workers.
Meeting annually, these States Parties come together for the CRPD to discuss experiences and ways in which to protect disabled rights. However, it is acknowledged that the convention is a stepping stone for the national protection of disabled persons. As Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary General for Human Rights, stated, “The obligations of the Convention must be implemented at the national level to take real effect in the lives of persons with disabilities. Changes in law, policies and programs are required. But even more importantly, attitudes must change.”
– Michael Carney
Sources: All Africa, Disability Funder’s Network, UN News Centre
Photo: Facebook
3 Outstanding Instances of Aid by AmeriCares
Every non-profit has an honorable start to their missions, but Robert C. Macauley, founder of AmeriCares, has a particular focus. On April 4, 1975, a United States jet carrying 243 Vietnamese orphans crashed in the jungle outside of Tan Son Nhut. The U.S. was unable to reach them within 10 days, and when Macauley heard this news, he did what any good-hearted American would dream of doing. He chartered a plane and brought them to the U.S. within 48 hours.
Macauley was a paper broker in Connecticut at the time, he and his wife took out a mortgage on their house to pay for the $10,000 down payment for the Boeing 747. His dislike of bureaucratic red tape cost him his home, but gave him a calling.
Macauley’s calling gave rise to one of the largest non-profits in the world, AmeriCares. Currently, the organization works in over 90 countries and has supplied over $10 billion in aid, both foreign and domestic. Here are just three examples of their impact:
1. Relief Aid in Poland – 1981
Before AmeriCares, official conception, Robert Macauley had donated his time and money to a number of causes, but his action in Vietnam brought good media. News spread quickly of Macauley’s actions and in 1981, Pope John Paul II asked for his assistance. At the time, Poland was under martial law and in desperate need of medical supplies. By 1982, Macauley had gently wrestled $1.5 million in medical supplies from over a dozen companies. March of that year, he was able to airlift the supplies to Poland. This was the first official act of AmeriCares and an impressive one at that.
2. The Darfur/Sudan Conflict – 2011
In 2004, AmeriCares began a long-term relief effort in Sudan by delivering medical aid in order to support health services for the survivors on the Sudan conflict. With South Sudan’s independence in 2011 came a rush of refugees and native South Sudanese returning to their homes. Most were in need of shelter and medical assistance.
AmeriCares began supporting the efforts of Relief International in their health outposts and camps. In Renk, funds were used to rehabilitate three health clinics and installations of emergency medical modules. This helped with treatment of diarrheal diseases, medical waste management, sanitation and health education. The health clinics also saw installations of exam tables and benches in waiting rooms. These clinics served 14,000 survivors at Renk and another 13,000 in the Gendrassa camp. AmeriCares replenished low stocks of first aid supplies in Gendrassa.
3. Hurricane Sandy Relief – 2012
The most recent natural disaster seen in the United States was Hurricane Sandy in October of 2012. More than 80,000 residences were damaged and 8.5 million people were left without shelter or power. AmeriCares has provided over $6 million in aid that has benefited more than 465,000 people. Skilled in crisis relief, AmeriCares has supplied medicine, insulin and vaccines, enough bottled water for $75,000 people, diapers for 17,000 and much more for those in need. $2.5 million went to fund programs that provide displaced citizens with emergency warmth, disaster clean up and mental health counseling in Staten Island, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.
Currently, AmeriCares is looking for grant proposals from groups who are starting projects to help with the health needs of Sandy survivors. On July 14, New Jersey was awarded $200,000 in grants to help the elderly, disabled and low-income residents recover.
– Jordan Bradley
Sources: AmeriCares, The NY Times, Darien News, Queens Chronicle
Photo: Forbes
Top Three Charities in the World
Ever wonder how large charities can get and how much they can impact the world we live in? Charity Navigator has provided a glimpse into the top ten enormous charitable organizations that operate today. The ranking scale they use is out of 70. Here is a look at the top three.
It is interesting to view just how large the top three charities are and the immense impact that these charities have. Without the amount of money they raise and the support they provide, it would be a very different world we live in today.
– William Norris
Sources: Charity Navigator United Nations Foundation The Conservation Fund Direct Relief
Photo: Direct Relief
Girl Rising Spotlights Education
“I feel as though I have power.” These are the powerful words of one of nine girls whose stories are documented in the critically acclaimed film “Girl Rising.” Released this year and featured on CNN recently, the documentary follows the struggles of nine girls in nine countries all striving to achieve the same goal: an education. The obstacles they faced were daunting. From forced marriage to war, from bondage to orphanhood, these girls were able to climb out of the depths of despair with a perseverance that has already inspired millions.
The film’s Academy Award nominated director, Richard Robbins, describes his film project’s founding goals as, “Change minds. Change lives. Change policy.” His vision has since led to the 10X10 organization, a campaign that strives to educate girls around the world. Centered around the film, 10X10 has spread its roots through partnerships with companies like Intel that run programs to educate the world’s women, and through networks like CNN that promote women’s education via featured programs and documentaries.
Among the inspiring stories told in the film are those of Sokha and Azmera. Sokha, an orphan from Cambodia, struggled for most of her life to find enough food to eat. And Azmera, one of two children in her Ethiopian family, was nearly married off at the young age of 13. But for each girl a guiding light, a “series of miracles” in Sokha’s case, and an incredibly supportive brother in Azmera’s case, helped them get to school. Sokha and Azmera’s narratives are shared by those of their counterparts in the film originating from Egypt, India, Nepal, Peru, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Sierra Leone.
These girls have found fans in some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Selena Gomez, Kerry Washington, Salma Hayak, Cate Blanchett, Frieda Pinto, Liam Neeson, Priyanka Chopra, Chloe Moretz, and Alicia Keys have all joined the campaign and are featured in the film. In Meryl Streep’s own words, “If to see it is to know it, this film delivers hope; reasonable, measurable, tangible hope that the world can be healed and helped to a better future.”
– Lina Saud
Sources: 10 By 10 Act, Girl Rising, CNN
Photo: WWeek
Syrian Refugee Camps: Escape or Endangerment?
For many females in the Syrian refugee camps, the fear of death that propelled them from their home is now replaced by the fear of sexual assault in what is supposed to be their area of sanctuary. Rape and sexual assault have become major issues in the Syrian civil war, especially in the Zataari refugee camp in Jordan, where the problem has become more concentrated and centralized.
Because there is such a harsh stigma surrounding rape and the blame often lies on the victim rather than the assailant, most women do not report any incidence. The female victims often remain silent in fear of retribution from the perpetrators as well as the shame and anger that would fall on their family members.
In response to this problem, many women have entered into unwanted marriages for protection. These marriages are called “sutra” marriages and are becoming increasingly common as the Zaataari camp continues to be flooded with new refugees from across the border. This is often orchestrated by the male members of the family who, feeling they cannot offer their daughters adequate protection, marry them off to someone they believe can.
One Syrian American Medical Society volunteer estimates that the instances of child marriage in Syrian refugee camps are 60% higher than in Syria. Sexual exploitation in the Zaatari camp is so prevalent that a number of refugees have created monitoring groups that have uncovered several “marriage brokers” who infiltrated the camp posing as workers. These individuals are merely escorted off the camp if reported.
CNN recently published an article sharing numerous experiences of women inside the camp. One woman, named Ruwaida, who was a wedding dress designer back in Syria, now designs dresses for girls as young as 13. She says that girls rarely got married that young in Syria, but that it has become commonplace in their new temporary home.
“I feel like I have a child between my hands and she is having to take on a responsibility that’s bigger than she is,” Ruwaida says. “I feel her life is over, her life is ending early.” Another encounter documented was with 14-year-old Eman, who married at 13 and became a mother before her body was even fully developed. She said, “I wouldn’t have gotten married, it’s because of the situation.”
– Kathryn Cassibry
Sources: CNN, Standpoint Magazine
Photo: PressTV
What Does Hunger Cost Swaziland?
The study draws on data from 2009 that measures several different long-term effects of hunger. The first economic impact is stunting. Stunting results when children are denied nutrition and vitamins necessary for developing their bodies. Around 40% of Swaziland workers suffer from stunting. People who suffer from stunting are more likely to get sick, fair poorly in school, are less productive at work, and have shorter lives.
Treating hunger-related problems such as diarrhea, anemia, and respiratory infections have cost Swaziland around $6 million a year. The report estimated that 37 million working hours were lost in 2009 to hunger-related deaths, which cost the economy 1.4% of GDP.
The study reported that by reducing the rate of stunting from 40 percent to 10 percent by 2025, Swaziland could reduce its losses to the economy by $60 million per year.
“The Cost of Hunger in Africa” report is conducting research in a total of 12 African countries. Currently, four studies have been released including Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt and Swaziland. Ethiopia reported a loss of 16.5% of its GDP to hunger, which is around the US $4.7 billion per year. Later this year the study will release reports on Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, and Rwanda.
– Catherine Ulrich
Sources: World Food Programme, African Union Commission
Photo: Flickr
Australian Foodbank Increases Efforts
Food charities around the world, particularly those in Australia, are struggling to meet the increasing demands of their recipient base.
In supplying 90% of Australia’s food welfare, the organization Foodbank provides welfare recipients with over 25 million kg of food each year. Foodbank general manager Greg Warren claims that his fleet of 20 trucks that supply the equivalent of 32 million meals a year is less than half of what Australia needs to fully address its food security problems.
Food charity organizations formerly relied on collecting leftovers from restaurants and just-expired foods from grocery stores as their main source of supplies. However, these organizations are now finding that the yields from these resources are inadequate for meeting the ever-increasing demand of the world’s poor and homeless.
Nearly 25% of people that collect from welfare agencies around the world are neither homeless nor living in developing countries. Rather, they are newly unemployed people trying to make ends meet, or those accepting pay cuts at work as the cost of living climbs. These people begin struggling to support a family and turn to food charities like Foodbank for help acquiring certain staples like milk and bread on a consistent basis.
Warren insists, however, that Foodbank’s foremost concern is with not sacrificing quality as the group seeks to increase quantity and welfare access points. Warren claims that the utmost goal is for food to be “safe and delivered in a safe manner.”
Foodbank currently accepts supplies from the Australian Red Cross’s Good Start Breakfast Club, Kellogg’s, Arnotts-Campbells, and Kraft, among others. Foodbank has also begun to expand to working directly with farmers and wholesalers for increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables. This initiative corresponds with Warren’s stipulation about maintaining high quality.
According to Warren, it’s all a matter of logistics, in transporting food from areas of surplus to areas of scarcity. Food charities around the world should seek to mimic the Australian Foodbank in their efforts to end chronic hunger across socioeconomic lines through careful planning and practical connections.
– Alexandra Bruschi
Sources: The Daily Telegraph, Foodbank
Photo: American Aid Foundation
How the Government of Lithuania is Bettering the Lives of its Poor
Lithuania’s seemingly instantaneous recovery from the recession is amazing, especially considering the extremity of the economic downturn in the Baltic states. Her ability to exploit chief exports such as textiles, plastics, and heavy machinery has given the country the diversified type of income that facilitates longterm budgetary growth. What truly sets Lithuania apart though is the shocking rise in the minimum wage that took place last year. In 2012, the monthly minimum wage was raised almost 25% from around 850 litai ($850 US dollars) in January to 1000 litai ($372 US dollars) in December. This has significantly raised the status of the poor in Lithuania, where a measly 4% of the population is now living below the poverty line. Prior to 2009, a little over 20% of Lithuanians were on or below the poverty line, unable to meet basic daily needs.
This change illustrates the way in which a government, faced with insurmountable challenges, can institute economic policies that positively impact the well-being of the working poor. When compared to its neighbor Latvia, where the monthly salary from a minimum wage job does not fulfill minimum subsistence level requirements, Lithuania is doing significantly better. Lithuania did not allow the economic crisis to distract from the problem of the minimum wage, implementing sound laws to raise the status of the poor. In the wake of the global recession, other Baltic countries should follow the example of Lithuania and raise the minimum wage. The poor will be much better off for it.
– Josh Forgét
Sources: The Baltic Course, Bloomberg, CIA World Factbook
Photo: Flickr