Morocco has made impressive strides in poverty reduction since the beginning of the century. Organizations such as the High Atlas Foundation are at the forefront of tackling poverty in rural areas, pushing the country closer to achieving its goals.
High Atlas Foundation
“During my time as a Peace Corps volunteer, I gained a great overview of the potential of agriculture in Morocco, how it could multiply the incomes of rural farming families.”
In 1995, Yossef Ben-Meir envisioned a promising future for development in Morocco. In the first decade of the 21st century, 1.7 million Moroccans lifted themselves out of poverty. The poverty rate substantially dropped from 16.3% in 1998 to 8.9% in 2007. However, the impressive poverty reduction rate of more than 40% did not erase the drastic inequality between the urban and rural populations. By 2014, 40% of the population lived in rural areas, yet accounted for 79.4% of the poor and 62.1% of the vulnerable.
Ben-Meir also witnessed first-hand the lack of access to clean water and the consequent high infant mortality in rural Morocco. Moved by the dire need and the vast potential in the same region, he returned to Morocco a handful of times, taking on roles as a project builder, researcher and Peace Corps director. Eventually, he founded the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) as a nonprofit organization in 2000.
For 22 years, HAF has dedicated itself to developing agriculture and reducing poverty in Morocco. HAF has established organic fruit tree nurseries across seven provinces in Morocco, helping farmers gain agricultural skills. Additionally, HAF offers women literacy courses and professional training, while also linking marginalized communities to governmental and international agencies.
Combating Poverty with Tree Nurseries
In an interview with The Borgen Project, Ben-Meir affirms that the whole agricultural process begins with tree nurseries. Ecosia, a German eco-driven enterprise, primarily funds HAF’s nurseries, which have a total capacity of 2.44 million seeds through 2021. The nurseries grow a rich variety of fruits and nuts, as well as aromatic and medicinal plants. Traditionally, farmers have grown staples like barley and corn, covering 70% of the agricultural land but only yielding 15% of income. Transitioning to these lucrative products effectively improves farmers’ livelihoods and the environment, creating a sustainable outlook for poverty reduction in Morocco.
Ben-Meir told The Borgen Project, “Our tree planting program has 25 formal partnerships. Planting trees is the present and future of HAF’s financial sustainability.”
Women’s Empowerment
HAF is known for its participatory development strategies. The organization fully dedicates its revenue and donations to community projects. With a special focus on women’s rights, HAF mobilizes university students and rural women to run regular “Imagine” workshops, empowering women to find their voice, understand their needs and take action.
Another workshop, “Moudawana” family code, informs rural women of their legal rights according to the national landmark reform in 2004 that equalizes men and women in regard to marriage and children.
Ben-Meir articulated, “The participatory approach is embedded in government programs, constitutions, municipal charters and even the family code, enabling incredible fulfillment in community planning, as well as the ability to decide their own future and development. Yet, Morocco’s problem is the lack of that fulfillment.” Upon being asked why the participatory approach is so important to poverty reduction in Morocco.
He added, “We need to train people to be facilitators of community planning, finance the projects, train empowerment trainers and ensure that women are voicing with confidence what they seek in their lives and know what it is.”
Implementing Domestic Policies
As Ben-Meir mentioned, the Moroccan government has provided ample frameworks and strategies in recent years to target regional poverty and promote decentralization. HAF is among the local councils and NGOs striving to implement these policies and fulfill the government’s intent.
Ben-Meir emphasized, “A participatory development organization has only one assurance and that rests upon the people: the projects are what they decided and in their interests.”
So far, HAF has conducted “Imagine” workshops in more than 25 provinces with more than 2,500 women, engaged more than 3,000 university students and impacted more than 50,000 people through its tree program projects, as well as thousands of farmers through capacity-building programs.
Multicultural and Interreligious Development
In 2021, HAF undertook the operation of the USAID Dakira Program, which strengthens multicultural preservation. The objective of the program is to capture the stories of communities’ intercultural past—Jewish, Moroccan and Christian—to take ownership of the revitalization of their own histories.
In a world of increasing migration, intolerance and conflicts, enhancing interreligious and inter-ethnic solidarity in Morocco’s diverse social landscape could prove vital. Since 2012, HAF’s project “House of Light” has united local religious communities through the relationship between land and farming.
With the help of partnerships, HAF identified saints’ burial sites and cemeteries as free-loaned land for the benefit of neighboring farming communities. In the process of clearing, planting and restoring the land, HAF facilitates conversations between local Muslims, Jews and Christians, raising awareness of their history of unity and diversity.
Speaking proudly of their impact, Ben-Meir said, “When trees live 200 years bearing fruit and women’s empowerment has generational impact, only so much of it is quantifiable.”
Due to its unique location and diverse history, Morocco serves as a meeting point for various cultures and identities. As the High Atlas Foundation grows into one of the leading development organizations in the area, its achievements in agricultural work, women’s empowerment and interreligious efforts can serve as an inspirational story for other human development projects on the African continent and among Islamic countries.
– Shixin Zhao
Photo: Unsplash
House of Hope Helping Internally Displaced Ukrainians
Helping Food-Insecure IDPs
One in three families who are internally displaced in Ukraine do not have enough food to eat. To make matters worse, food prices have increased by 50% since 2022.
To help solve this food crisis, House of Hope has provided 40 tons of food in more than 120 trucks, to internally displaced Ukrainians in refugee shelters and active war zones. To ensure the food reaches its destination, House of Hope uses bullet-proof cars. They also distribute 25,000 loaves of bread every day to IDPs. They have also donated more than 15,000 ovens to them. House of Hope operates in Lviv, Ukraine. Currently, 350 shelters for internally displaced Ukrainians are located in Lviv.
Helping Internally Displaced Ukrainians Get Access to Medicine
Health care has been sabotaged over 1,000 times in Ukraine since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
Studies reveal that one in three internally displaced people in Ukraine who reside in places that are occupied by the Russians or locations that are in active combat struggle to get medicine and health care services.
There are 12.1 million people in Ukraine who require treatment for issues caused by injuries they got from living in a war zone, as well as chronic health issues that treatment for has been neglected because of the war. To provide assistance to the people in Ukraine, House of Hope has provided 40 tons of medicine that are carried in more than 120 trucks to internally displaced people living in refugee shelters and places that are active war zones. They use bullet-proof cars to bring this medicine to those in need, every day.
Evacuating Ukrainians
House of Hope’s center of operations located in Lviv Ukraine, is on Poland’s border, as it is 80 kilometers from Poland. House of Hope has a total of 60 buses, ambulances and vans that are used to evacuate children and families. They have evacuated around 35,000 people. About 1.6 million refugees escaped Ukraine to reside in Poland, since May 9, 2023. Over 1.1 million Ukrainian children who are refugees have fled to Poland. Poland is home to 60% of the Ukrainian refugees. The main route that refugees in Ukraine evacuate on is a railroad that is in the small town of Pokrovsk, Ukraine, that travels to Dnipro and Lviv Ukraine. From either Dnipro or Lviv, refugees travel to Poland.
Equipment Donated to Internally Displaced Ukrainians
House of Hope has delivered 40 tons of equipment carried in more than 120 trucks, for internally displaced Ukrainians living in refugee shelters and places suffering from active war zones. They have also collaborated with Lviv’s governor to build a green corridor between Lviv and Poland. This green corridor ensures that aid can directly come into Ukraine. Lviv receives 80% of supplies used to help the Ukrainian people in need. These supplies are distributed all throughout Ukraine.
Looking Ahead
House of Hope will continue to provide food, medicine and equipment to internally displaced Ukrainians in active war zones and refugee shelters. They will also keep evacuating refugees out of Ukraine to safer countries. It is extremely critical House of Hope continues helping internally displaced Ukrainians because an estimated 17.6 million internally displaced people desperately need humanitarian assistance, as of 2023.
– Rachael Weiser
Photo: Flickr
Renewable Energy in Yemen
Energy Crisis
In 2020, Yemen’s big cities experienced up to 20 hours of blackouts per day while the poorest and most rural Yemenis suffered even more. Renewable energy in Yemen has not become widespread enough to entirely make up for oil and diesel-based energy, resulting in reduced agricultural productivity. Businesses struggle to operate without reliable power, hindering the country’s economic recovery.
Yemen’s electric grid is dependent upon expensive, imported oil that the country sources unreliably. For example, in September 2022, a Saudi refusal to allow oil tankers to enter Yemen’s Hodeidah port resulted in a severe energy crisis. Prices of electricity, foodstuffs and transportation soared, while economic activity ground to a halt. Rural farmers who relied on diesel to run their water pumps and irrigate their fields suffered greatly as the price of 20 liters of diesel rose from $4 in 2015 to $35 in 2022.
For those who do not want to rely on the public electricity grid, alternatives include subscribing to a private diesel-powered grid or using kerosene lamps, diesel generators, or personal solar panels to fill the gaps. But these systems are expensive and cheaper, low-quality versions often break down after just a few months, according to the World Bank.
Innovative Solutions
New innovations demonstrate the potential for addressing Yemen’s urgent need for more reliable and affordable energy. Yemen has access to a vast, untapped power source that can solve both of these problems: solar energy.
A significant portion of Yemen’s population has already adopted solar energy and its potential for further expansion is substantial. According to a 2018 analysis by the World Economic Forum, Yemen possesses the highest average solar energy potential among water-stressed countries due to the strength and concentration of sunlight.
International organizations like the World Bank have invested millions of dollars to finance the sustainable expansion of solar power.
The United Nations project “Enhanced Rural Resilience in Yemen” developed an innovative, affordable solar microgrid and funded its installation in three communities in 2020. As reported by the United Nations Development Programme, these microgrids significantly reduced the cost of energy, from 42 cents an hour to two cents an hour.
Solar microgrid projects have empowered young Yemeni women to set up infrastructure in their communities and increased school enrollment through solar-powered schools. Farmers have used solar power to pump water to keep their plants alive and health centers to power refrigerators.
The U.N. program also provided training to women and youth, allowing them to establish and maintain microgrid businesses to provide for their families, which had the added benefit of elevating their social status in their communities.
Broader Implications
This project is an example of development aid, which, in contrast to cash aid, builds sustainable self-reliance. It proves renewable energy in Yemen is a practical, important solution to many of Yemen’s electricity problems and shows how other countries and communities can follow in their footsteps.
Beyond benefiting the people of Yemen, more affordable renewable energy also contributes positively to the environment. As of August 2021, renewable energy in Yemen has already prevented 26,203 tons of carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the atmosphere and this figure continues to grow.
– Mitra Nourbakhsh
Photo: Flickr
4 Charities Operating in Panama
4 Charities Operating in Panama
These four prominent charities operating in Panama profoundly impact individuals and communities confronted with various challenges.
– Elizabeth Antenucci
Photo: Flickr
Poverty Reduction in Morocco
High Atlas Foundation
“During my time as a Peace Corps volunteer, I gained a great overview of the potential of agriculture in Morocco, how it could multiply the incomes of rural farming families.”
In 1995, Yossef Ben-Meir envisioned a promising future for development in Morocco. In the first decade of the 21st century, 1.7 million Moroccans lifted themselves out of poverty. The poverty rate substantially dropped from 16.3% in 1998 to 8.9% in 2007. However, the impressive poverty reduction rate of more than 40% did not erase the drastic inequality between the urban and rural populations. By 2014, 40% of the population lived in rural areas, yet accounted for 79.4% of the poor and 62.1% of the vulnerable.
Ben-Meir also witnessed first-hand the lack of access to clean water and the consequent high infant mortality in rural Morocco. Moved by the dire need and the vast potential in the same region, he returned to Morocco a handful of times, taking on roles as a project builder, researcher and Peace Corps director. Eventually, he founded the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) as a nonprofit organization in 2000.
For 22 years, HAF has dedicated itself to developing agriculture and reducing poverty in Morocco. HAF has established organic fruit tree nurseries across seven provinces in Morocco, helping farmers gain agricultural skills. Additionally, HAF offers women literacy courses and professional training, while also linking marginalized communities to governmental and international agencies.
Combating Poverty with Tree Nurseries
In an interview with The Borgen Project, Ben-Meir affirms that the whole agricultural process begins with tree nurseries. Ecosia, a German eco-driven enterprise, primarily funds HAF’s nurseries, which have a total capacity of 2.44 million seeds through 2021. The nurseries grow a rich variety of fruits and nuts, as well as aromatic and medicinal plants. Traditionally, farmers have grown staples like barley and corn, covering 70% of the agricultural land but only yielding 15% of income. Transitioning to these lucrative products effectively improves farmers’ livelihoods and the environment, creating a sustainable outlook for poverty reduction in Morocco.
Ben-Meir told The Borgen Project, “Our tree planting program has 25 formal partnerships. Planting trees is the present and future of HAF’s financial sustainability.”
Women’s Empowerment
HAF is known for its participatory development strategies. The organization fully dedicates its revenue and donations to community projects. With a special focus on women’s rights, HAF mobilizes university students and rural women to run regular “Imagine” workshops, empowering women to find their voice, understand their needs and take action.
Another workshop, “Moudawana” family code, informs rural women of their legal rights according to the national landmark reform in 2004 that equalizes men and women in regard to marriage and children.
Ben-Meir articulated, “The participatory approach is embedded in government programs, constitutions, municipal charters and even the family code, enabling incredible fulfillment in community planning, as well as the ability to decide their own future and development. Yet, Morocco’s problem is the lack of that fulfillment.” Upon being asked why the participatory approach is so important to poverty reduction in Morocco.
He added, “We need to train people to be facilitators of community planning, finance the projects, train empowerment trainers and ensure that women are voicing with confidence what they seek in their lives and know what it is.”
Implementing Domestic Policies
As Ben-Meir mentioned, the Moroccan government has provided ample frameworks and strategies in recent years to target regional poverty and promote decentralization. HAF is among the local councils and NGOs striving to implement these policies and fulfill the government’s intent.
Ben-Meir emphasized, “A participatory development organization has only one assurance and that rests upon the people: the projects are what they decided and in their interests.”
So far, HAF has conducted “Imagine” workshops in more than 25 provinces with more than 2,500 women, engaged more than 3,000 university students and impacted more than 50,000 people through its tree program projects, as well as thousands of farmers through capacity-building programs.
Multicultural and Interreligious Development
In 2021, HAF undertook the operation of the USAID Dakira Program, which strengthens multicultural preservation. The objective of the program is to capture the stories of communities’ intercultural past—Jewish, Moroccan and Christian—to take ownership of the revitalization of their own histories.
In a world of increasing migration, intolerance and conflicts, enhancing interreligious and inter-ethnic solidarity in Morocco’s diverse social landscape could prove vital. Since 2012, HAF’s project “House of Light” has united local religious communities through the relationship between land and farming.
With the help of partnerships, HAF identified saints’ burial sites and cemeteries as free-loaned land for the benefit of neighboring farming communities. In the process of clearing, planting and restoring the land, HAF facilitates conversations between local Muslims, Jews and Christians, raising awareness of their history of unity and diversity.
Speaking proudly of their impact, Ben-Meir said, “When trees live 200 years bearing fruit and women’s empowerment has generational impact, only so much of it is quantifiable.”
Due to its unique location and diverse history, Morocco serves as a meeting point for various cultures and identities. As the High Atlas Foundation grows into one of the leading development organizations in the area, its achievements in agricultural work, women’s empowerment and interreligious efforts can serve as an inspirational story for other human development projects on the African continent and among Islamic countries.
– Shixin Zhao
Photo: Unsplash
Child Soldiers in Iran
Martyrdom
After the 680 CE Battle of Karbala, the glorification of martyrs within the Shiite religion (the official religion of Iran) started. The Sunni Caliph Yazid killed Hussain ibn Ali, the third Shiite Imam and grandson of Muhammad, along with his fellow fighters (including children) during this battle. Due to the praise that martyrs receive, the Iranian government commonly recruits child soldiers by promising them martyrdom.
In 1979, Iranian ayatollahs (Shiite religious leaders) introduced child martyrdom into school curricula throughout Iran. They promised children as young as 9 years old that dying as martyrs against the Iraqi enemy would lead them straight to heaven. This teaching continues to be part of the curriculum, as a 2021-22 interim update report on Iran’s radical education revealed that authorities teach students to seek suicide or death in battle even when not required.
Common Duties for Child Soldiers in Iran
Clearing minefields is one of the common duties assigned to child soldiers in Iran. Former New York Times foreign correspondent, Terrence Smith, brought attention to the mine-clearing process that young boys were involved in during the Iraq-Iran war. Many boys between the ages of 12 and 17 would wear red headbands with inscriptions like “Sar Allah” or “Warrior of God” and carry small metal keys around their necks, symbolizing their “keys to heaven” as they prepared for battle.
Military authorities took measures to prevent desertion by binding the child soldiers with ropes. Despite facing withering machine gun fire, these brave children fearlessly hurled themselves on barbed wire or marched into Iraqi minefields to clear the way for Iranian tanks. Their courage and sacrifice in performing such dangerous tasks highlight the unfortunate reality of child soldiers in Iran.
Iran’s authorities exploit child soldiers as propaganda tools, showcasing them in pro-regime media with placards that glorify Iran’s involvement in various wars. Additionally, there are repeated mentions of children in speeches at parades commemorating the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Sadly, this practice of involving children in warfare only exacerbates the poverty Iran confronts.
Connection to Poverty
Approximately 60% of Iranians are grappling with poverty and among them, 20 to 30 million are living in absolute poverty. The use of child soldiers in Iran contributes to this distressing cycle. In their quest to join the war efforts, many child soldiers fall for incentives that particularly appeal to impoverished families.
In 2022, the Iranian government employed young boys to suppress anti-government street protests. Disturbing images of children and young men donning military uniforms and holding batons circulated on social media. Reports from more than 500 supporters of the Imam Ali Society, a local charity in Iran, indicated that authorities recruit these children from impoverished families, offering them a meager exchange of “a few bags of food.”
Moreover, poor families exploit their children’s “martyr status” for benefits. They receive monetary compensation per child involved in conflicts and a martyr card granting them access to food and other privileges. This exploitation of children as both tools of suppression and sources of financial gain further exacerbates the challenges of poverty faced by many Iranian families.
Solutions
The use of children as soldiers has long been a concern of the United Nations (U.N), but there are currently no reported Iran-specific initiatives to prevent this troubling practice. A governmental pattern of recruiting child soldiers persisted as recently as March 2022.
However, UNICEF has been diligently working to support children in Iran for nearly seven decades. Its efforts include providing essential services such as health care, immunization, proper nutrition, access to education and protection. Additionally, UNICEF maintains regular communication with Iranian authorities to safeguard children’s rights.
Globally, UNICEF has taken action to end the use of children as soldiers through its impactful 2014 Children, Not Soldiers campaign. This initiative, in collaboration with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, aimed to garner international support to halt the recruitment of children in conflicts. The campaign focused on countries like Afghanistan, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen. Member states, the U.N., NGO partners, regional partners and the general public promptly rallied behind this vital cause, culminating in the campaign’s success in 2016.
Regrettably, Iran persists in using children as tools of war. But sustaining awareness about this critical issue and receiving support from organizations like UNICEF could play a pivotal role in ultimately ending the use of child soldiers in Iran, once and for all.
– Taylor Barbadora
Photo: Flickr
5 Facts About the Gender Wage Gap in Armenia
5 Facts about the Gender Wage Gap in Armenia
Potential Solutions
According to the World Bank, there are three possible solutions for closing the gender wage gap in Armenia:
Organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are working to achieve these goals. For example, the UNDP implemented the Gender Equality in Public Administration of Armenia project (GEPAA) to advocate for more women to hold positions of power in the Armenian government. Since its implementation, GEPAA has resulted in more than 20 government officials learning about a UNDP methodology that can help advance the development of gender equality in government institutions and ongoing research across the country to examine existing attitudes toward women entering public office and any barriers that may stand in their way.
Looking Ahead
GEPAA, alongside other organizations, continues to make efforts to provide Armenian women with more opportunities. Even so, the country still faces substantial challenges highlighted by the gender wage gap and unequal economic participation. However, initiatives like the United Nations Development Programme’s efforts to promote gender equality in public administration show promise in addressing these disparities. By prioritizing skill development, expanding care services and advocating for increased women’s representation in decision-making roles, Armenia can make significant strides toward narrowing the gender wage gap and fostering a more equitable society.
– Nicole Alexander
Photo: Flickr
The Impact of Textile Waste in Ghana
The Source of the Crisis
The crisis originates largely from Western nations, with the fast fashion industry exacerbating the problem. According to the Australian broadcasting company, people in developed countries are buying 60% more clothes than they did 15 years ago, leading to an estimated 85% of all textiles ending up in dumps annually.
According to The Guardian, Ghana holds the title of the world’s largest importer of secondhand clothing, with approximately 15 million items imported each week, amounting to $214 million (£171 million) worth of used clothes imported solely in 2021. Within an average bale of secondhand clothing, around 40% is classified as waste, resulting in the daily disposal of 100 tonnes of unsellable clothes. Although the city manages to eliminate 30% of this textile waste, the remaining 70% is illegally dumped, inflicting severe environmental damage upon rivers and seas.
The Effects on The Ghanaian People
These dumps are causing havoc not only to the local economy but also to the people of the region’s food supply. Fisherman Kofi Sarpong, speaking to Forbes Africa explained how the textile waste is ruining local economies like fishing stating, “We cannot survive”.
Speaking at the ChangeNOW conference in May 2023, Solomon Noi, director of waste management for Accra metropolitan assembly, made a plea for action, describing the plight of Ghanaians in the region, many of whom rely on fishing for both their livelihoods and food supply.
According to a report by the Bank of Ghana, around 10% of the Ghanaian population relies on fishing for their livelihood and the average Ghanaian receives 60% of their protein intake from fish.
Alongside polluting the rivers and damaging nets, the size of the dumps is beginning to make it impossible for fishermen to even reach the water, wreaking havoc on the Ghanaian people’s ability to sustain themselves and pushing people deeper into poverty. It is not merely the ability to fish that is being affected, but the supply of edible fish itself.
In April 2021, a shocking incident occurred in the region, leading to mass deaths of fish. The government’s response to the situation was conflicting, with some suggesting it was a mere coincidence, but also warning people against consuming the affected fish. The University of Ghana’s Ecological Lab took the initiative to conduct studies, revealing alarming levels of cobalt, copper and cadmium in the fish. The OR Foundation’s report on the matter indicates that while the data doesn’t point to a specific origin of the underlying conditions, it does suggest the presence of a hostile aquatic environment.
Ongoing Efforts
Change is indeed on the horizon, as a collective effort is underway to address the pressing issue of “fashion’s waste crisis,” as highlighted by The Or Foundation.
The EU took a significant step in March 2022 by launching the ‘Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles.’ This forward-thinking initiative aims to combat over-consumption and over-production by promoting resource-efficient manufacturing processes and circular business models. The ultimate goal is to prevent the projected surge in textile waste by 2030, resulting from increased textile production.
In Ghana, the Kantamanto traders took an active role in seeking a solution. In May of this year, they submitted a proposal to the European Environment Bureau (EEB) urging clothing producers to contribute 44p per item to the EEB. A significant portion of the raised funds, at least 10%, would be directed toward resolving the damage caused by the industry. Alongside this, on May 16, 2023, campaigner Yvette Tetteh finished swimming the length of the Volta River in Ghana to raise awareness of the pollution in its waters and the damage textile waste in Ghana is causing to communities in the region.
Looking Ahead
While removing fast fashion entirely from modern Western culture may seem like an insurmountable challenge, the focus on avoiding fast fashion brands offers hope for change. By championing policies like the one suggested by Kantamanto retailers to the EEB and the EU’s continued commitment to reducing textile waste, there is a chance of controlling the destructive footprint of this industry. This, in turn, can improve the living conditions of millions of people worldwide and make a positive impact on the planet.
– Henry Tuppens
Photo: Flickr
How Remittances to Yemen is Making a Difference
In short, remittance to Yemen refers to money transfers sent home by Yemenis who are working overseas, usually from the Gulf states, the U.S. and the U.K. More than 200 million migrants worldwide send remittances home to their families every year.
The World Bank estimates that, as of 2023, 24.1 million people in Yemen were at risk of hunger and disease. A further 14 million required acute assistance. It is these statistics that set the precedent for the importance of remittance for alleviating the country’s humanitarian emergency. Here is an overview of just some of the ways that remittance to Yemen is making a difference.
Preventing Hunger and Starvation
The World Bank has declared that vast numbers of Yemenis are living on the verge of famine. “My daughter had malnutrition due to our harsh living conditions and lack of income”, Waleed Al-Ahdal told UNICEF. Al-Ahdal’s story is one of many. With countless others surfacing, it is unsurprising that UNICEF has warned that “no place in Yemen is safe for children.”
However, without the security of remittance payments, the situation would be even more grave. Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director, Muhsin Siddiquey, has warned that Yemenis would have to rely on international aid “without the safety net of remittances.” With one in 10 people in Yemen relying solely on money transfers to meet their basic needs, the cruciality of remittance to Yemeni survival becomes clear.
A Display of Solidarity
As well as combatting starvation, overseas Yemenis supporting their families to fend for themselves shows solidarity. The International Day of Family Remittances falls on June 16 every year and is a universally-recognized observance. This symbolic day celebrates migrant workers’ dedication to the well-being of their loved ones.
Just 20 years ago, remittances were unaccounted for in international statistics — as were the sacrifices of migrant workers. Acknowledging remittance to Yemen as a powerful tool of poverty prevention is setting the precedence for the international community to follow suit and take humanitarian action.
Setting the Precedence for Foreign Aid
The necessity for overseas money transfers to meet basic needs has put Yemen’s humanitarian crisis on the international radar. When allied with remittance payments, global action is having a real impact on the ground.
For example, The Yemen Social Fund for Development’s Cash for Nutrition program targets pregnant women and women with children less than 5 years old, teaching them about child nutrition and providing them with money for food. The World Bank estimates that 165,000 pregnant or lactating women and 175,000 children have been reached by the project so far.
An Economic Investment
Gilbert Houngbo, chief of IFAD, has described remittances sent by migrant workers as a “win-win solution”. He explains that remittance payments are positive for the workers’ countries of origin as well as the host countries. Houngbo estimates that 15% of each salary earned by overseas migrants in a host country is sent home in the form of remittance. The significance here is that this leaves an average of 85% of migrant income circulating in the host country, contributing to the national GDP.
Of course, the humanitarian necessity of remittance is more pressing, but the economic benefits play a key part in encouraging states and service providers to facilitate the money transfers of migrants into and out of their countries. Economically speaking, remittance is a mutually beneficial enterprise.
More Needs To Be Done
Remittance payments have their drawbacks. They do not target the root causes of extreme poverty in Yemen. Instead, they merely counteract the devastating impact war has had on the population’s basic needs.
Moreover, the flow of remittance into Yemen is an unstable source of aid. One remittance service provider in Sa’ada saw a reduction in migrant money transfers of 96% between January 2020 and April of the same year. Likely a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global crisis exposed the insecurity of remittance with devastating consequences.
“I purchase food on credit from the grocery and have two months overdue rent,” Abu Ameer told Oxfam. Ameer’s plight worsened when his son stopped working due to the lockdown. As a result, Ameer’s son ceased payments to his father from Saudi Arabia. Ameer’s reliance on his son’s income laid bare the fragility of remittance as a method of reducing extreme poverty.
While remittance to Yemen has evidently not ended the civil war, nor has it eradicated extreme poverty in the country, it remains a symbol of unity and a provider of aid for those most in need.
– Imogen Townsend
Photo: Flickr
What The News Does Not Tell You – 3 Poverty Reduction Stories
Poverty Reduction in Japan
Established in the year 2000 after the Asian financial crisis, The Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) provides “direct grant assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable groups in developing member countries (DMCs) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).” Furthermore, the JFPR works to encourage socioeconomic development for the long-term future.
Targeting poverty reduction initiatives, the ADB’s mission is to turn Asia and the Pacific region into a poverty-free place. It strives to “help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people.” Home to 66% of the world’s poorest population, 1.7 billion people in this area live on less than $2 a day. The main objectives the ADB occupies for supporting its developing member countries, including Japan, are “policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance.” As of March 2013, The JFPR received $615.4 million in contributions from Japan — sustaining project grants and technical assistance. Also, the JFPR encourages the participation of non-government organizations and other stakeholders — assisting the most vulnerable groups in Asia.
Poverty Reduction in Kenya
Good News Network revealed that the use of a mobile money system in Kenya “has lifted 200,000 Kenyan Families Out of Poverty” — especially households with a female-dominant demographic. M-PESA is a text message-based payment system used in Kenya. Good News Network reports that a study published in Science shows that this production raised “2% of households in the country” above the poverty line.
Research highlights that, in 2007, this invention reached 96% of houses in Kenya. Using an SMS messaging service, sending money or withdrawing or depositing cash does not require complicated bank infrastructures — reaching remote rural areas, too. When discussing the project, Annie Duflo, the Executive Director of Innovations for Poverty Action, said that she hopes “these results will inform and encourage the targeted scaling of mobile money services in other countries. While many other countries have a system, too few have the kind of nationwide infrastructure that now exists in Kenya.”
Poverty Reduction in Tanzania
Ecologi, a climate action community, has a mission to “inspire and empower businesses to accelerate global climate action.” During a project in Tanzania, it installed 500,000 fuel-efficient cookstoves. Unsustainable deforestation is increasing due to many countries worldwide using non-renewable biomass as a source of cooking. Ecologi reports that, in Tanzania, “the primary fuel source for over 90% of the population of around 48 million people is biomass.”
As well as avoiding the production of 18.8 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions during the course of 10 years, it reduces the time and energy spent gathering this fuel — which is a task children and women are most likely to complete. Also, Ecologi mentions that this project in Tanzania “brings several benefits for local people, including freeing up of time and money for other income-generating activities, health benefits due to reducing exposure to air pollution in the home and increased food security due to nutrient retention with decreased cook time.” It coincides with multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including to “end poverty in all its forms everywhere.”
Poverty Throughout the World
These stories suggest that poverty is on the decline. However, with 719 million people living in extreme poverty around the world (9.2% of the entire population), there is still a need for more efforts in the fight against global poverty. The U.N. has 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the first being to “End poverty in all its forms everywhere.” One of the ways it plans to achieve this is to “eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere” by 2030. This includes ensuring “significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources” and building “the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations.”
– Katerina Petrou
Photo: Pixabay
Child Soldiers in Scotland
Legality
There are currently four main rules in place for child soldiers in Scotland:
Activists argue the first six months of service are often only enough to include training and preparation and therefore, do not provide the young recruits with sufficient experience to determine whether they want to continue. Furthermore, requiring child soldiers to remain in the army until they are 22 means that they are required to stay in the armed forces for five and sometimes six years — significantly longer than the requirement for adult recruits.
Negative Effects
Child soldiers in Scotland face several associated negative risks both during and after their service. For example, MP Carol Monaghan of the SNP has expressed concern over the increased risk of sexual assault for females under 18 in the military. Approximately one out of every 75 females under the age of 18 has reported sexual assault, and experts believe there are many more unreported cases of sexual assault for female soldiers under the age of 18.
Besides the increased risk of sexual assault, one of the major problems of child soldiers is that those who enlist as minors are much more likely to experience mental health problems after they have finished service, including an increased risk of suicide.
Additionally, child recruitment overwhelmingly targets children from low-income families in Scottish society. Military briefs in 2018-2019 revealed that children from families with an average income of £10,000 were the main targets of child military recruitment in the UK, which is well below the national average of £32,000.
Education levels are one way that the effects of targeted recruitment of kids from low-income families reveal themselves. For instance, the U.K. Ministry of Defense found that around half of recruits possessed a reading level less than or equal to an 11-year-old. This is particularly troublesome as it raises questions about new recruits’ awareness of the terms and conditions of their enlistment. This is illustrated by the fact that the Enlistment Paper, which outlines the terms of service for child soldiers, is quite technical, and therefore, makes it difficult for child recruits with below-average reading skills to fully grasp the terms and conditions of their enlistment. In fact, data reveals that most child soldiers are unaware of their enlistment requirements when they enlist.
Good News
Although the enlistment of child soldiers in Scotland remains legal, hope is emerging that it will soon be a thing of the past. First, as noted previously, the SNP, which holds a majority in the Scottish Parliament, does not support the legalization of child soldiers and therefore may be able to use its majority position in Westminster to express support for raising the minimum age of recruitment to 18 and, if Scotland gains independence from the U.K., Scotland could eliminate the use of child soldiers.
Furthermore, multiple international organizations, such as Amnesty International U.K. and the U.N. Committee on the Rights of Child, have actively recommended that the U.K. government raise the minimum age of recruitment to 18. Such continued public pressure by well-known and respected international organizations could go a long way in helping convince members of the U.K. parliament to limit and eventually eliminate the use of child soldiers in Scotland and the U.K.
Looking Ahead
The enlistment of child soldiers in Scotland and the wider U.K. remains a problem, especially for children of low-income families. However, with the SNP taking a greater role in advocating for the termination of child soldiers and mounting pressure from human rights groups putting more pressure on the U.K. to raise the minimum age enlistment age to 18, there is some hope for the elimination of child soldiers in Scotland.
– Athan Yanos
Photo: Flickr