A bottom-up approach to tackling poverty, which stems from colonial endeavors, is crucial when addressing poverty, as seen in these three successful examples of bottom-up organizations within Haiti.
About Poverty in Haiti
While Haiti experiences multiple forms of poverty, such as from their encounters with tropical storms, the root of Haitian poverty is undoubtedly European colonialism. While Haiti is now an independent country, its trauma is still severe as “European countries had colonized Haiti in the late nineteenth century, instituting a system of economic exploitation in which Haitian raw materials, particularly cash crops and minerals, were expropriated and exported to the sole benefit of the colonizing power where they built their Empire at the expense of Haiti.”
The statistics are harrowing: “In Haiti, nearly 59% of the population lives below the poverty line, with limited access to basic services. Haiti ranks 163 out of 191 countries on the 2021 Human Development Index, and is affected by political turmoil; cholera; poverty; institutional and socioeconomic crises; and natural disasters.”
It is critical to understand the significant benefits of bottom-up organizations within Haiti to battle these statistics and realities for many while subverting colonial behavior. Here are three bottom-up organizations within Haiti that are making a real difference.
1. Peasant Movement of Papaye/Mouvman Peyizan Papay
As mentioned, European colonialists stripped Haiti of much of its natural resources and natural resources. This environmental degradation plays a considerable role in poverty, making it harder to grow crops and crucial natural resources. Peasant Movement of Papaye/Mouvman Peyizan Papay (MPP), founded in 1973, seeks to undo the damage to their land and prevent further degradation.
One of the main symptoms of poverty is hunger, and MPP targets this symptom. In August 2023, the MPP brought together 1,500 delegates from across Haiti to ratify a five-year strategic plan revolving around agrarian support and advocacy for inclusion.
Also, in 2023, it was the International Winner of the Food Sovereignty Prize, which the U.S. Food Sovereignty Alliance awarded it with. It celebrated 50 years of using collective food production and commercialization, technical assistance, advocacy, litigation, direct action and more to achieve food sovereignty.
2. Haiti Food Systems Alliance
Similarly to MPP, the Haiti Food Systems Alliance seeks to end hunger in Haiti. Founded and run by Haitians, their mission is to generate enduring and foundational economic change for Haiti’s rural families and communities.
The Haiti Food System Alliance supports 34,000 Haitian farmers and, as of 2023, has provided 13 million locally sourced meals to Haiti’s most vulnerable regions and demographics.
In June 2023, the Haiti Food Systems Alliance partnered with other local organizations to feed hundreds of students peanut butter and cassava.
3. Groupe D’Appui Aux Rapatriés Et Réfugiés
Groupe d’Appui aux Rapatriés et Réfugiés (GARR) is a bottom-up organization that helps some of the most impoverished people of Haiti: refugees and internally displaced people. Not only do they provide important resources such as food and shelter, but they also provide legal assistance and rehabilitation programs.
GARR also helps prioritize women and girls who are especially vulnerable to violence. According to the Haitian times, “In 2022, GARR recorded 161,986 repatriated Haitians, 30% of whom are women and girls.”
In August 2017, GARR worked together with representatives of the Dominican Republic to prevent further xenophobia among Haitian refugees and immigrants in the Dominican Republic. GARR has worked to dismantle current tensions and prevent further tensions from being established, all while cultivating a culture of peace.
Concluding Thoughts
All three of these bottom-up organizations within Haiti provide critical assistance to the impoverished communities within Haiti. Not only do they provide agency and sustainable practices to alleviate poverty, but they subvert the colonial foundations from which so much poverty stems.
In Haiti’s poverty, these organizations provide a beacon of hope. They not only address immediate issues such as hunger, agriculture and the safety of displaced peoples but provide an unwavering commitment to dismantling the persistent symptoms of colonial exploitation.
– Piper Jenkins
Photo: Pixabay
10 Facts About Hunger in Latin America
Hunger affects 43.2 million in Latin America and the Caribbean. While this figure represents 0.5% over a previous measurement, hunger in the region is still 0.9% above the 2019 records before COVID-19. Here are 10 facts about Hunger in Latin America:
10 Facts About Hunger in Latin America
Looking Ahead
While there is still work to be done to eliminate hunger in Latin America, the efforts of the above organizations spurs hope for a better future.
– Sara Agosto
Photo: Flickr
The prevention of malnutrition and IDA in the Philippines
The Impact of Cost
Fortification provides a better solution to IDA and other nutrient deficiencies than supplementation or treatment and would be effective in treating malnutrition in the Philippines. However, many individuals from lower-income backgrounds experience IDA or malnutrition because most nutrient-rich foods are not affordable.
Infants and Children
Infants aged 6-11 months have the highest prevalence of nutrient deficiency in the Philippines, with approximately 56.5% suffering from IDA. This is followed by approximately 41% of children aged 12-23 months also suffering from IDA. Increasing iron uptake would improve overall health and provide a positive impact on both physical and cognitive ability. As a result, these infants and children could grow up to have a more positive contribution to society, both socially and economically, a step toward ending malnutrition in the Philippines.
Women
An additional group of individuals who benefit from food fortification is women of reproductive age. IDA can be caused by an increased demand for iron in the body, as a result of menstruation or pregnancy. Consuming enough iron to prevent IDA is much easier than curing it during pregnancy. Iron needs to be readily available, alongside education that promotes the necessity of an iron-rich diet.
The Philippines Multisectoral Nutrition Project
In 2022, the government of the Philippines launched the Philippines Multisectoral Nutrition Project, “To increase the utilization of a package of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions and improve key behaviors and practices known to reduce stunting in targeted local government units.” Financed by the World Bank, the plan aims to significantly reduce malnutrition in the Philippines within four years, thereby increasing the number of the population able to contribute to the country’s financial success.
One goal is to increase the amount of pregnant women receiving prescribed antenatal care and iron-folic supplementation for IDA by 50%. It also aims to increase the number of infants aged 6-23 months who are consuming an age-appropriate adequate diet by more than 50%. It additionally aims to introduce nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions to help educate communities on the importance of a balanced diet and nutrients such as iron.
This program targets 235 towns in the Philippines, with the aim of providing children and pregnant women with nutritional support and essential health care. Strategies that are part of the plan include providing fortified food and access to clean sanitation to families with infants and young children, and providing supplements and health care support to pregnant women suffering from IDA and other nutrient deficiencies.
Looking Ahead
The Philippines is making great efforts toward reducing and preventing malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies among poorer communities. Using supplementation to provide support for those already suffering, especially vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women, alongside making fortified foods accessible to the poorer communities, provides great hope for a healthier, more productive country.
– Charlotte Campion
Photo: Flickr
Movement to Decriminalize FGM in Gambia
Gambia stands at a crucial crossroads of tradition, human rights and progress, navigating the delicate path of decriminalizing FGM. Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM), also referred to as female circumcision, is a harmful and invasive but very traditional practice of the partial or complete removal of a woman’s external genitalia for non-medical reasons. FGM is performed as a tradition and social norm as a symbol that a girl is ready for marriage. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), at least 200 million women and girls today have undergone the process of FGM. FGM is harmful due to immediate risks such as pain, trauma and infection, as well as long-term consequences including childbirth complications, chronic pain and psychological trauma. This practice violates human rights, infringing on autonomy and contributing to stigmatization and gender inequalities.
Movement to Decriminalize FGM
In August 2023, the conviction of three women in Gambia for FGM reignited a contentious debate surrounding the existing ban on FGM. The women had to pay either 15,000 dalasis (around $1,000 USD) or serve up to a year in jail. The three women received charges under the reasons of the country’s Women’s Amendment Act of 2015.
In a National Assembly session in September 2023, support arose for Sulayman Saho, a National Assembly Member advocating for the repeal of the 2015 law banning FGM. This support was backed by many political and religious leaders actively working for the decriminalization of FGM, with Parliament and the Supreme Islamic Council in Gambia openly supporting the practice. Saho’s remarks coincided with tensions between Islamic leaders, led by Imam Abdoulie Fatty. Saho emphasized the need to examine both the legal and cultural aspects surrounding FGM. Political figures such as Saho and many others believe FGM decriminalization in Gambia preserves cultural and traditional practices that infringe on their rights of personal choice.
Impact of Decriminalization of FGM in Gambia
Those who oppose the decriminalization of FGM in Gambia, such as the Civil Society and NGO Coalition, emphasized the Gambian government’s legal obligation to protect the rights and health of women and girls. In a statement, they strongly condemned those exploiting social and religious beliefs for personal agendas, highlighting the lasting impact on the lives of affected women. Despite some pushback, women in Gambia are at risk of becoming victims of FGM.
Resistance to the Decriminalization of FGM
Despite efforts toward the decriminalization of FGM in Gambia, significant opposition has emerged. Established in 1984 as a nonprofit organization, the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP), operating in Bakau, Gambia, is at the forefront of this initiative.
GAMCOTRAP formed in 1984 as a nonprofit at the International Seminar on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children in Senegal with help from the World Health Organization (WHO). The seminar brought together 28 African countries discuss issues impacting the health of girls and women, including traditional practices such as FGM.
GAMCOTRAP focuses on addressing the adverse effects of traditional practices on women and girls, with a particular emphasis on combating FGM and considering the gender dimensions of HIV/AIDS. Employing a strategic approach, GAMCOTRAP has engaged in a critical campaign against harmful traditional practices. This comprehensive effort includes community-based programs, collaboration with other nonprofit organizations, educational initiatives, and advocacy campaigns.
GAMCOTRAP partners with prominent entities such as UNICEF, U.N. Women and the Global Fund for Women. Together, these groups work to eradicate FGM, employing a multifaceted strategy encompassing awareness-raising, community engagement, and collaboration with internal and international organizations.
The UNFPA provided support to GAMCOTRAP to start the ‘“dropping of the knife” initiative, “an effort that engages circumcisers and custodians of FGM in their families and communities to enhance their understanding of the negative implications of the practice, thus influencing voluntary abandonment.”
Since the beginning of the program, more than 1,000 circumcisers in Gambia have stopped the practice of FGM and are igniting community action to end FGM in Gambia entirely. On October 2, 2021, GAMCOTRAP hosted its sixth “dropping of the knife” ceremony for 27 circumcisers from 25 communities across Gambia.
The Power of Education
Banning FGM has shown positive outcomes — as evidenced by the 2019-20 Gambia demographic and health survey. The survey revealed a decline in the belief that FGM should continue, dropping from 65% in 2013 to 46% in 2019-20. Notably, this decrease was most significant among women who had undergone FGM. This data underscores the significance of national bans and educational initiatives in preventing FGM.
In navigating this complex landscape, Gambia faces profound decisions at the intersection of tradition, human rights and progress, with the influence of education emerging as a strong force in reshaping perceptions and fostering societal change.
– Bella Oliver-Steinberg
Photo: Flickr
Think Pacific’s Work Supporting Developing Communities
Think Pacific is a volunteer enterprise that caters to university students and young adults in the U.K., encouraging them to participate in educational and community outreach projects in the Fijian Isles. It intends to expand its reach by launching similar programs in Bali, Indonesia. This expansion aims to further the opportunities for Balinese youth through funding and resource creation to be redistributed to increase opportunities locally. Such opportunities will aim to reduce poverty across developing communities in the Bali province and the wider nation in the long term.
History of Think Pacific
Headquartered in Leeds, U.K., Think Pacific can trace its origins to the experiences of its co-founders Harry Hunter and Simon Darker. Following their respective tenures as volunteers in the Fiji Isles and integrating with the local culture, they established Think Pacific in 2009 to provide young adults from the U.K. the chance to engage in cultural exchanges in Fiji. The purpose of this project is to enhance the futures of Fijian youths and villagers with limited opportunities by implementing the core values of Think Pacific. These values include partnerships, learning and local design. Such values translate into volunteer projects encompassing community building, youth empowerment/education, mental health awareness and sports development.
Think Pacific maintains a partnership with several U.K.-based universities, including Cardiff, Glasgow, Nottingham and others, offering incentives to students through each institution’s respective careers center. These include scholarships and bursaries to make such a mission a reality.
Over the 15 years since its establishment, the charity’s progress has included providing more than 500 community projects for rural communities, investing more than $15 million into the Fijian economy and utilizing $8.2 million to facilitate the training skills and development of Fijian youths. Think Pacific has recently received an award for best study abroad and global exchange program by professionals in international education at the 2023 PIEoneer Awards. Such progress extends towards pupil engagement in class, where 98% of Fijian teachers agree that Think Pacific’s programs have led to increased pupil engagement within classes and improved literacy rates among children (through testing pupils pre and post-project). These education programs have also led to the development of 83+ work-based training placements organized for unemployed Fijian youths.
Think Bali
In October 2023, Think Pacific confirmed its plans to extend its values and core beliefs to Indonesia, engaging in outreach projects beginning with Bali in 2024.
Like its operations in Fiji, Think Pacific intends to assist the development of Bali’s youth and wider community through the efforts of volunteers from the U.K. and through funding and resource generation to redistribute to the local populace who possess limited financial resources.
Furthermore, Think Pacific’s outreach scheme in Bali will prioritize promoting ‘‘positive mental health’’ for communities lacking the same avenues of support available within the Western world. Such activities will consist of sessions focusing on therapeutic exercises and community ventures for school children and elderly residents, respectively.
Through enabling cultural immersion by housing volunteers within Balinese villages like volunteers participating in the Fijian programs, Think Pacific intends for this program to impart knowledge of local customs to volunteers while simultaneously encouraging the growth of developing communities within Bali.
Bali Overview
Statistics reveal that the poverty rate within Indonesia overall stands at 9.7% as of September 2021, with the country’s GDP revealing a growth of 5.1% in 2022. One can attribute an increase in community exports and an accommodative fiscal policy to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to this level of growth.
The most recent study from the World Bank reveals that Indonesia’s literacy rate is 96%. Think Pacific is now looking to expand upon this progress in the Bali province by addressing literacy and poverty. Through this outreach scheme, Think Pacific seeks to develop personal transferable skills for volunteers to showcase to employers and expand the opportunities accessible to Balinese youth from developing communities.
Think Global
Think Pacific and Think Asia will become part of a more prominent family of locally registered organizations, Think Global, according to a spokesperson from Think Pacific.
The organization’s expansion into Indonesia reflects its intention to establish a global exchange between volunteers and developing communities within regions across the globe. As with Fiji and Indonesia, the goal will remain to achieve student engagement and educational support and maintain support for communities from humble origins with fewer avenues of support available to them.
– Thomas Perry
Photo: Flickr
Oprah Winfrey Supports Education in Developing Countries
Oprah’s Angel Network
Oprah established a public charity called Oprah’s Angel Network in 1998. During its 12-year history, the charity garnered more than $80 million in donations, all of which went toward supporting charitable causes across the world. According to the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation website, Oprah’s Angel Network dedicated funds towards bettering the lives of people around the world, including helping establish 60 schools in 13 countries, creating scholarships, supporting women’s shelters, and building youth centers and homes.
The Angel Network concluded in 2010 after distributing $1 million in donations to six charter schools to support the improvement of quality public education for children.
Seven Foundations Primary School
In 2007, Oprah’s Angel Network provided funding for the Seven Fountains Primary School located in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Situated in a poor, rural community, the initial school building had no electricity, limited water access, few sanitation facilities, and stood in a dilapidated state. Donations from the network allowed for the construction of an entirely new and sustainably built school building with proper facilities for both learning and recreation. An approximate 1,000 students were provided with educational resources that they and their instructors had previously not had access to, including computers and SMART Boards.
Designed to impact the whole community, the school also granted adults access to use its facilities to further their education or host workshops. Amenities made available to them consisted of a night school, the computer lab, and the library.
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (“OWLAG”) was established by Oprah in 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Inspired by former South African president Nelson Mandela and his passion for education, Oprah made a promise back in 2002 to provide the best possible education opportunities for marginalized women in South Africa. The OWLAG, a result of that pledge, is active to this day.
Entry criteria for the academy requires that the applicant has had to overcome childhood poverty and trauma, yet also possesses a resilience, courage and spirit that establishes them as a leader among their peers. With features such as 21 state-of-the-art classrooms, six labs, and a 10,000 volume library, the OWLAG provides chosen girls with access to world-class resources dedicated towards improving their education and supporting them to seek out substantial careers.
As of 2023, 528 girls have graduated from the academy. Out of this number, 90% have pursued college education, some attending top universities around the world.
Improving Education: Looking Ahead
Through Oprah’s charitable work over the years, even the most disadvantaged communities have been able to receive an education that will allow them to gain the skills and knowledge needed to break the cycle of poverty.
In October 2023, Oprah pledged $2.5 million to the U.S. Dream Academy to assist in their efforts to provide after-school and mentoring programs to children with incarcerated parents. With youth education being a priority for her philanthropic deeds, she hopes to continue to provide marginalized groups with the resources they need to be able to shape a better future for themselves.
– Ella Bushell
Photo: Flickr
The Delivery of Foreign Aid to Sudan
The delivery of foreign aid to Sudan has been facing major challenges and obstacles, due to local authorities imposing bureaucratic security restrictions.
The Situation
After the recent violence between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country is in dire need of basic human assistance, including food, water, shelter and health services. According to Clementine Nkweta-Salami, Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, more than 6 million people have fled the ongoing civil war and are displaced in Sudan or in neighboring countries.
This civil war puts Sudan on the verge of a humanitarian disaster and a refugee crisis, with 25 million people in need of assistance and protection. On July 19, 2023, the United Nations (U.N.) sponsored an event raising nearly $1.5 billion from international donors to fund life-saving relief efforts in the region, calling on parties in Sudan to immediately end the fighting.
US Aid to Sudan
In 2023, the United States provided more than $700 million in foreign aid to Sudan and neighboring countries experiencing the impacts of the ongoing crisis, including Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia and the Central African Republic.
At a briefing last month, Nkweta-Salami expressed that the country is facing many challenges in receiving foreign aid. Bureaucratic security restrictions have hindered delivering aid and granting visas to humanitarian workers, as well as preventing those seeking safety from fleeing the country. Since early September, Sudanese authorities have banned the transportation of surgical supplies to hospitals in Khartoum, which is under RSF control. As a result, Khartoum citizens cannot receive life-saving treatment and some hospitals have suspended operations.
The prolonged conflict in Sudan has led to a huge increase of people experiencing food insecurity. More than 20 million people are facing hunger, with 6.3 million being one step away from famine. Additionally, 30% of the Sudanese population is unable to afford local food and the prices of food have increased by nearly 50% since the start of the conflict in April. Many children and pregnant or nursing women suffer from malnutrition, but the conflict has closed 80% of hospitals.
Aid from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) set up a cash assistance distribution point in Khartoum, utilizing funding from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund to help alleviate the crisis in that region. The cash is usable for non-food items and emergency shelter. The NRC cited this method as “more effective, faster, and easier to control and meet people’s needs.” About 210,300 people have received emergency shelter and non-food items through the U.N. and other humanitarian partners.
The Importance of Humanitarian Aid Access
Nkweta-Salami stressed the importance of improving humanitarian aid access. Thus far, Sudan has received only one-third of the $2.6 billion needed to alleviate the worst of the crisis. “If we don’t act now, Sudan risks becoming a protracted crisis where there is little hope and fewer dreams,” said Nkweta-Salami.
Aside from the $1.5 billion raised in July, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths announced an additional $22 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund. According to the U.N., more than $3 billion are needed to allocate life-saving multisectoral assistance and protection services to the millions of people displaced and seeking refuge. It urges donors to continue contributing to the Humanitarian Response Plan and the Refugee Response Plan.
Looking Ahead
On the brink of famine, facing nationwide food insecurity and a lack of health services, with millions displaced, Sudan needs foreign aid now more than ever. International agencies can also help by putting pressure on the Sudanese government to lessen the restrictions currently keeping aid from reaching the population.
– Noura Dakka
Photo: Flickr
3 Bottom-Up Organizations Within Haiti Battling Poverty
About Poverty in Haiti
While Haiti experiences multiple forms of poverty, such as from their encounters with tropical storms, the root of Haitian poverty is undoubtedly European colonialism. While Haiti is now an independent country, its trauma is still severe as “European countries had colonized Haiti in the late nineteenth century, instituting a system of economic exploitation in which Haitian raw materials, particularly cash crops and minerals, were expropriated and exported to the sole benefit of the colonizing power where they built their Empire at the expense of Haiti.”
The statistics are harrowing: “In Haiti, nearly 59% of the population lives below the poverty line, with limited access to basic services. Haiti ranks 163 out of 191 countries on the 2021 Human Development Index, and is affected by political turmoil; cholera; poverty; institutional and socioeconomic crises; and natural disasters.”
It is critical to understand the significant benefits of bottom-up organizations within Haiti to battle these statistics and realities for many while subverting colonial behavior. Here are three bottom-up organizations within Haiti that are making a real difference.
1. Peasant Movement of Papaye/Mouvman Peyizan Papay
As mentioned, European colonialists stripped Haiti of much of its natural resources and natural resources. This environmental degradation plays a considerable role in poverty, making it harder to grow crops and crucial natural resources. Peasant Movement of Papaye/Mouvman Peyizan Papay (MPP), founded in 1973, seeks to undo the damage to their land and prevent further degradation.
One of the main symptoms of poverty is hunger, and MPP targets this symptom. In August 2023, the MPP brought together 1,500 delegates from across Haiti to ratify a five-year strategic plan revolving around agrarian support and advocacy for inclusion.
Also, in 2023, it was the International Winner of the Food Sovereignty Prize, which the U.S. Food Sovereignty Alliance awarded it with. It celebrated 50 years of using collective food production and commercialization, technical assistance, advocacy, litigation, direct action and more to achieve food sovereignty.
2. Haiti Food Systems Alliance
Similarly to MPP, the Haiti Food Systems Alliance seeks to end hunger in Haiti. Founded and run by Haitians, their mission is to generate enduring and foundational economic change for Haiti’s rural families and communities.
The Haiti Food System Alliance supports 34,000 Haitian farmers and, as of 2023, has provided 13 million locally sourced meals to Haiti’s most vulnerable regions and demographics.
In June 2023, the Haiti Food Systems Alliance partnered with other local organizations to feed hundreds of students peanut butter and cassava.
3. Groupe D’Appui Aux Rapatriés Et Réfugiés
Groupe d’Appui aux Rapatriés et Réfugiés (GARR) is a bottom-up organization that helps some of the most impoverished people of Haiti: refugees and internally displaced people. Not only do they provide important resources such as food and shelter, but they also provide legal assistance and rehabilitation programs.
GARR also helps prioritize women and girls who are especially vulnerable to violence. According to the Haitian times, “In 2022, GARR recorded 161,986 repatriated Haitians, 30% of whom are women and girls.”
In August 2017, GARR worked together with representatives of the Dominican Republic to prevent further xenophobia among Haitian refugees and immigrants in the Dominican Republic. GARR has worked to dismantle current tensions and prevent further tensions from being established, all while cultivating a culture of peace.
Concluding Thoughts
All three of these bottom-up organizations within Haiti provide critical assistance to the impoverished communities within Haiti. Not only do they provide agency and sustainable practices to alleviate poverty, but they subvert the colonial foundations from which so much poverty stems.
In Haiti’s poverty, these organizations provide a beacon of hope. They not only address immediate issues such as hunger, agriculture and the safety of displaced peoples but provide an unwavering commitment to dismantling the persistent symptoms of colonial exploitation.
– Piper Jenkins
Photo: Pixabay
Wheels of Change: Motivation’s Wheelchair Initiative
The Stats
The WHO’s Global Report on Assistive Technology states, “Access to assistive technology is a human right and a precondition for equal opportunities and participation.” Around the world today, more than 75 million people need appropriate wheelchairs and services to enable mobility and unleash their full potential in society. Four in five people live in developing countries, and sadly, less than 10% have access to the support they are entitled to, preventing millions of people from contributing to society. Furthermore, without AT, disabled people and their families encounter restricted opportunities for education and employment, leading to diminished health and well-being, as well as heightened rates of poverty.
Poverty and disability exist in a vicious cycle, with poverty leading to disability and disability worsening poverty. Delivering wheelchair services to those who need them can, therefore, help break the link between poverty and disability as well as a long list of societal benefits. The majority of the world’s disabled people live in the Global South, and only 0.5% of international aid emphasizes disability inclusion. This is where Motivation’s wheelchair initiative comes in.
Motivation
Motivation, registered as a U.K. charity in 1992, launched several projects last year in Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and India. They implement a “user-focused and user-led” approach to their programs and products. It has a long and successful history of providing appropriate wheelchairs, their most widespread AT product. Appropriate wheelchairs suit the user’s needs and their living environment. A one-size-fits-all approach using the cheapest wheelchair can cause secondary injuries or disabilities and be discarded quickly. Motivation, therefore, designs and supplies wheelchairs that fit correctly are safe, durable and affordable. It also hires physiotherapists, clinicians and professionals for mobility training and maintenance so users can modify and repair their chairs.
Motivation had an incredibly impactful 2022. More than 1,300 disabled people received wheelchairs that fit their needs, along with mobility and life skills training. The absence of AT for children with disabilities results in lower school completion and poverty later in life. Motivation’s efforts saw more than 430 disabled children regularly attend primary school, develop improved eating habits, and become more included in their families and communities. Disability is rarely just a burden for one person; families, dependents, schools and local government are also affected. Therefore, on a grand scale, Motivation impacted at least 99,000 lives last year — a testament to the power of assistive technology and Motivation’s wheelchair initiative in developing countries.
Why Motivation’s Wheelchair Initiative Matters
Motivation’s wheelchair provision unleashes human potential. Through assistive technology, countless individuals gain the ability to actively contribute to the workforce, unlocking untapped potential and broadening the talent pool. Proving appropriate wheelchairs can also foster more significant social and political stability. By reducing the association between disability and poverty, people’s economic conditions improve, leading to greater social harmony. Additionally, empowering individuals to lead independent lives alleviates stress on strained health care and welfare systems in developing countries.
Fighting poverty creates jobs and market expansion, and Motivation’s vision is no different. Access to wheelchairs drives market activity for products and services, fostering job growth in the technology sector and its affiliated industries. This cycle generates economic advantages and is pivotal in global economic development. It improves cooperation among nations, promoting global trade in the disability needs sector.
– Sam Waterkeyn
Photo: Flickr
2 Organizations Helping Women in India
These statistics reflect an increasing number of Indian women leaving formal employment, even as the economy grows. Major factors that contribute to these statistics include:
MasterG Class
Launched in 2015, MasterG is India’s first all-women garment design and skill development organization. Its founder, Gayatri Jolly, studied fashion design at Parsons in the United States, then returned to India to advance the training of women in fashion. Fashion design in India is a male-dominated industry, socially excluding women from garment manufacturing.
In an interview with Global Connections Television in 2015, Jolly defined fashion as a way to empower and sustain women, and help impoverished people all over the world. MasterG has an entrepreneurship program that aims to train those living in urban slums in a way that makes them immediately employable. It teaches six months of garment construction skills and ends with the gift of a sewing machine to each trainee.
After working with big labels such as Doodlage and NorBlack NorWhite, MasterG launched an independent label called Heimat — the German word for belonging. This in-house label changes the organization from charity-driven to market-driven, increasing trainee skills beyond design and construction to include marketing and sales.
MasterG also launched digital learning programs in regional languages through Coursera, to widen its reach in the country. Upon program completion, trainees have a variety of employment paths, including working in design or export houses, opening small tailoring and garment shops and becoming teachers. They acquire skills in using smartphones for education and leverage platforms like Instagram for showcasing and selling their garments online.
SEWA Foundation
Established in 1972, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is the largest Central Trade Union in India, with membership exceeding 2.5 million people as of 2023.
Its founder, Ela Bhatt, studied law and spent her early career working with the Textile Laborer’s Association. This experience inspired her to focus on organization and coordination as a way to uplift the poor in a sustainable way. In the 1970s, 90% of India’s workforce were unprotected laborers, most of them women in domestic or agricultural labor at home, or selling products at markets. SEWA originated to redefine employment beyond an employer-employee relationship and provide basic protections for these women.
Through decentralized and affordable approaches, SEWA makes essential services easily accessible, ensuring the financial sustainability of support systems. These include SEWA Bank, health services, national insurance, managing school, a center for training and research and the Mahila Housing Trust.
In 2021, SEWA orchestrated Women, Work, and Food Systems: Voices from Grassroots. This national dialogue provided a platform for informal sector women workers in India to share their issues, challenges and solutions, integrating them into the United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) workstreams. The dialogue focused on enhancing the visibility, identity, and livelihood of female workers in the food industry.
Among its achievements, SEWA formed RUDI, an agribusiness enterprise fully owned and managed by the female farmers of Gujarat. SEWA also organized 600 women in the Jammu Kashmir Valley and taught them new agricultural techniques and technology, communications, marketing, leadership and management skills. This enabled them to sell their products directly to markets, even during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusion
An Indian Express report suggests that women’s increased participation in entrepreneurship could elevate India’s GDP by $700 billion by 2025. By creating and managing businesses, female entrepreneurs not only provide job opportunities for fellow women but also serve as inspiration for others to join the workforce, contributing to substantial economic growth. With organizations that bring value and recognition to women’s labor, as well as skills training, women from all sections of society gain a better future.
– Asra Mairaj
Photo: Pexels
Addressing Elderly Poverty in Guatemala
Additionally, extreme weather events have reversed gains in human capital, destroyed infrastructure, reduced agricultural output, intensified food insecurity, spread diseases and disrupted services. Guatemala’s poverty and inequality rates are among the highest in Latin America and the Caribbean. Poverty is rampant in Guatemala, but some organizations are tackling this problem and aiding those in need.
MAAN Association
This organization supports elderly adults who do not have access to shelters or protection from the environment. MAAN partners with nursing homes to give the elderly in poverty a safe place to live and access to care they may need. The self-supporting group offers custom-sized wheelchairs to seniors with mobility issues. It also connects the elderly with basic resources, such as medicine, medical consultations and donated food.
MAAN also offers legal support to seniors who are experiencing elder abuse or neglect. This includes seniors whose children kick them out, mortgage their homes without consent or steal their pensions.
International Volunteer HQ
International Volunteer HQ is a volunteer-abroad company with a program focusing on elder care in Guatemala. It pairs international volunteers of all ages with elders, providing one-on-one recreation and socialization, house cleaning and food services, bolstering the physical and mental health of the elderly in poverty. By receiving inexpensive care from these volunteers, the elderly are more able to engage in productive activities. This can help lift them out of poverty. Additionally, this organization provides connections that most of these citizens have not experienced before, including exposure to other cultures and languages.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is addressing elderly poverty in Guatemala by helping senior citizens take control of their health. The organization leads a “take control of your health” program that aims at encouraging self-care among Guatemala’s elderly population living with noncommunicable diseases. This six-week educational program includes tips to control blood pressure and diabetes, complete more physical activity, eat smaller portions, stay hydrated, interpret food labeling and take medication on time. By giving these citizens access to better health care information, PAHO is alleviating the cycle of elderly poverty in Guatemala and enabling the elderly to participate in productive economic opportunities.
Looking Forward
In Guatemala, the MAAN Association, International Volunteer HQ and PAHO are working to alleviate elderly poverty by improving health care, fostering social connections and promoting economic participation. With increased focus on reducing elderly poverty, Guatemala can become a more resilient and productive country.
– Sara Agosto
Photo: Pixabay