In today’s diverse business landscape, startups come in all shapes and sizes, each with a unique mission and purpose. From pet product subscription services to innovative drone delivery solutions and user-generated content gaming platforms, startups exemplify creativity and innovation.
However, beyond pets, drones and gaming, what if startups could go further and support marginalized communities? What if they could directly combat poverty and its adverse effects on society? There is ample opportunity for startups with social impact.
Significance of Startups
Before diving into this topic, it’s essential to understand the significance of startups and how they function. Startups are entrepreneurial ventures primarily focused on bringing a product or service to the market. The ventures often lack a fully developed business model or adequate capital to proceed to the next stage. Typically, startups are funded by their founders and later investors.
The growth of startups relies on public interest, trust and support for the product or service. The importance of startups lies in filling gaps in the business landscape by identifying unmet needs or underserved markets. Startups with the potential to disrupt the status quo are created by transformational entrepreneurs who aim to establish vibrant companies, generate employment and offer new goods or services to previously neglected markets.
Identifying unmet needs and targeting underserved demographics naturally lends itself to providing a product or service for those in need, including the working poor, people living in poverty and marginalized communities. This identification creates space for startups with social impact.
Opportunity in Underserved Communities
Marginalized communities can be found in various settings across countries, industries and communities. Some examples of underserved communities include:
Low-income individuals depend heavily on public transportation, especially in cities where car ownership is expensive and impractical for many. Relying on public transportation can be unreliable and complicated, affecting workers, commuters, school children and more.
Rural laborers in developing economies, who mainly operate in the informal economy, lack access to essential protections like maternity leave, trade unions and compliance with labor laws. Work deficits are prevalent in rural areas, leading to employment challenges and insufficient social protection, resulting in the exploitation of low-income workers, child laborers, pregnant women and mothers and migrants.
Workers face gender disparity in job opportunities and wages, especially in developing countries. With approximately 2.4 billion women facing unequal economic opportunities, many countries still do not guarantee equal pay for equal work. Women face job restrictions in various forms, including formal training, job opportunities, representation in specific industries, compensation and proper health and maternity benefits. Specifically, women in Latin America and the Caribbean have less than three-quarters of the legal rights in the workplace than men.
Individuals lack financial literacy and participation, specifically in developing economies. Financial literacy plays a crucial role in poverty reduction. People struggle to make informed financial decisions without a basic understanding of financial concepts. Financial ignorance results in higher transaction fees, larger debts and higher interest rates on loans. It also prevents individuals from investing, saving for retirement and making the most of their money. For marginalized individuals with limited resources, this lack of financial literacy exacerbates the challenges they face, making it difficult to meet basic living needs on top of low and unstable incomes.
Venturing Beyond the Norm
To address the needs of marginalized communities and underserved markets, several startups with social impact have emerged as pillars of change. The startups below are taking proactive steps to combat poverty and provide equitable opportunities to the very issues previously examined.
Treepz
Treepz is a TransitTech solution modernizing public transit in Nigeria and expanding throughout Uganda, Ghana and other African countries. Treepz makes transportation more equitable and reliable and improves accessibility for underserved communities. In Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, Treepz is building strong communities, addressing transit deserts and enhancing the quality of life. Treepz CEO is quoted saying, “We wanted to give people a better way to commute with predictability, where they can know when the bus will get here, the certainty that they will have a seat on the vehicle, that it’s a decent vehicle and a safe one.”
Karya
By providing ethical digital work opportunities to rural Indians and sharing profits with the workers, Karya seeks to lift rural communities in India out of poverty while emphasizing fairness and equitable compensation. India has 230 million people living in poverty, with no clear path out. Karya has now provided more than 30,000 rural workers in India with fair compensation for data collection.
Laboratoria
An initiative empowering women to pursue careers in technology and bridging the gender gap in the Latin American tech industry, ensuring that more women have access to opportunities in this sector. Laboratoria was started in Peru, as women comprise less than 10% of the technology industry. Laboratoria has helped more than 3,300 women in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru; about 85% of those have landed jobs in the past two years.
Pluang
An app designed to help Indonesians diversify their investments and increase financial literacy, providing first-time investors access to financial education and asset class diversification. Indonesians scored only 38% in the latest financial literacy assessment, and less than half have formal savings accounts. Now, Pluang has more than 3.5 million users and is working to remedy these financial limitations.
Championing Change
These startups address marginalized communities and play a vital role in combating poverty and offering equitable opportunities for all. As noted, these startups would not be as successful without widespread need, public interest and support. Dedication to positive social impact is becoming increasingly important. Founders and investors are backing up words with actions by creating and supporting these conscious business ventures and startups with social impact. While there are various needs that startups can fill, from pet products and gaming to affordable nutrition and increasing financial literacy, it’s exciting to see transformational entrepreneurs making efforts toward social good.
–Kailey Schwinghammer
Photo: Flickr
Tigray: Two Years Under A De Facto Blockade
By the start of 2020, the national elections that Ahmed promised experienced indefinite delay. In June, his term as prime minister received an extension without an election, causing backlash from the TPLF for their failure to uphold democracy. Ahmed attacked those suggesting a transitional government should take power. At the same time, elections were delayed due to COVID-19, threatening, “we will be forced to take action against those who attempt to hold fake elections.” Despite this warning, regional elections took place in Tigray in September 2020, where more than 2.7 million Tigrayans voted for the TPLF to represent them as their regional government.
In November 2020, the TPLF forces launched an assault on a federal military base in Tigray, describing it as a preemptive move against federal forces that were reportedly gearing up to attack from a nearby region. Within hours, Ahmed ordered a military operation against the TPLF, tainting his previous association with peace and igniting the civil war.
Humanitarian Crisis
Since the civil war began at the end of 2020, 90% of Tigrayans are in need of aid. Over the last two years, Tigray has been under a de facto blockade as the Ethiopian Government has cut electricity, fuel and telecommunication to the region, even restricting humanitarian assistance. Within only a few months, by Jan 2021, the EU High Representative criticized Ethiopia as they received “consistent reports of ethnic-targeted violence, killings, massive looting, rapes, forceful returns of refugees and possible war crimes.”
Despite international pressure from the EU and the U.S. Secretary of State, who also accused the government of ethnic cleansing, Ahmed declared total war on the TPLF on July 18, 2021. The conflict, and specifically being under a de facto blockade, continues to deeply impact the lives of Tigrayans as they struggle to operate with no electricity, banks, hospitals, medicine, vaccinations and insecure supplies of food or water. According to the WHO’s Incident Management System and Emergencies Operation team leader Ilham Abdelhai Nour, 89% of Tigrayans are food insecure and almost 30% of those under five years old are acutely malnourished. Not only do these malnourished children need urgent and almost constant care, but diseases such as malaria, measles and acute respiratory tract infections are also on the rise, all while only 3% of health facilities in Tigray are fully functioning.
The Effects on Health Care Services
As a result, maternal health services have completely collapsed, causing high maternal mortality rates across Tigray as 55% of pregnant and breastfeeding women are severely malnourished and incapable of eating for one, let alone two. Meanwhile, vaccination programs and access to preventative medicine for diseases such as HIV, diabetes and malaria have been stalled, increasing the risk of disease and death.
Unfortunately, there have been reports of all sides committing war crimes, as the TPLF, Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and Eritrean Defense Force (EDF) have engaged in sexual violence against women as they participate in gang rapes. The EDF’s crimes have been marked with extreme brutality as they target Tigrayan women, using them as sex slaves.
Humanitarian Response
The International community has stood by Tigray as they condemn ethnic cleansing and the war crimes committed against civilians. In September 2021, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Ethiopia and Eritrea before providing $313 million in humanitarian assistance in April 2022. This funding helps to deliver emergency food and nutrition for almost 7 million people while rebuilding local health facilities and mobile health teams to combat disease and deliver aid to remote regions. Child protection and psychosocial services for survivors of gender-based violence and those suffering from trauma have also been provided by the U.S.
Furthermore, in February 2022, the Pan-African Lawyer Union and Legal Action Worldwide filed a complaint to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights against Ethiopia for mass human rights violations against Tigrayan civilians. They argue Ethiopia is in violation of multiple human rights under the African Charter as they participate in military targeting of civilians and civilian structures, mass murders, sexual violence against women and enforced information blackouts.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Efforts
The World Health Organization (WHO) and its 23 partners are also on the ground, supplying emergency medical support whenever possible while attempting to strengthen prevention and preparation as disease outbreaks continue to rise. Being under a de facto blockade limits humanitarian access into Tigray. Between January and September 2022, WHO and its partners assisted 3 million people with health care services. Finally, the EU Commission dedicated €4 million to support displaced Ethiopians, as by the end of November 2020, 29,000 Ethiopian refugees had already fled to Sudan.
It is imperative that the international community continues to support the people of Tigray who are struggling to survive under a de facto blockade by demanding an end to the de facto blockade and providing aid whenever possible.
– Alice Isola
Photo: Flickr
The Work of Advocates for International Development
A4ID supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that were agreed by 193 countries at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. The 17 SDGs include no poverty, zero hunger, quality education and gender equality for all.
Land Rights in Uganda
A case study that demonstrates the aid that Advocates for International Development provides is called “The Right to Land and Livelihood in Uganda” (October 2016). The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization states that “rural landlessness is often the best predictor of poverty and hunger,” which the fact that 75% of those living on less than $1 a day live in rural areas reflects. By ensuring equal access to land, they can provide livelihoods and economic security and therefore help reduce poverty.
The Ugandan government has tried to help by issuing more than 25,000 certificates of ownership (CCOs) providing customary landholders evidence of their tenure and land ownership and in 2013 committed to recognizing tenure rights of minorities in ancestral lands. The government’s aim was to reduce land conflicts and improve the financial security of families living in rural Uganda. However, the local conflicts within these rural communities, with issues such as the theft of live cattle, have made it difficult to continue to protect land rights.
Training and Education
A4ID aided Sugur Development Agency (SDA) by facilitating legal assistance from Lawyer Clifford Chance to alleviate the conflicted land rights in the Teso Sub-region of Uganda. Chance analyzed the relevant local and international law on land rights. The SDA used this research in its advocacy, communications material and training to inform the local community about their land rights. This will help protect their livelihoods and economic security and alleviate the poverty in the Teso Sub-region of Uganda.
Clifford Chance was able to support a local community in Uganda due to the training and education A4ID provides, which can then help inform and uplift those in poverty. By providing local communities with the tools to support themselves and defend their rights, they help break the cycle of poverty. This case study also demonstrates the connection between human, civil and political rights. If the government ensures equitable access to land, it supports the economic growth of the community and ensures equal rights.
Looking Ahead
Advocates for International Development is a pro bono, nonprofit organization. Its mission is simply to provide a voice for the world’s poorest citizens. With a network of more than 50,000 legal experts and having provided more than £30 million worth of free legal advice for more than 700 development organizations, A4ID plays a critical role in helping the global fight against poverty.
– Anjini Snape
Photo: Flickr
Start-Ups with a Social Impact
However, beyond pets, drones and gaming, what if startups could go further and support marginalized communities? What if they could directly combat poverty and its adverse effects on society? There is ample opportunity for startups with social impact.
Significance of Startups
Before diving into this topic, it’s essential to understand the significance of startups and how they function. Startups are entrepreneurial ventures primarily focused on bringing a product or service to the market. The ventures often lack a fully developed business model or adequate capital to proceed to the next stage. Typically, startups are funded by their founders and later investors.
The growth of startups relies on public interest, trust and support for the product or service. The importance of startups lies in filling gaps in the business landscape by identifying unmet needs or underserved markets. Startups with the potential to disrupt the status quo are created by transformational entrepreneurs who aim to establish vibrant companies, generate employment and offer new goods or services to previously neglected markets.
Identifying unmet needs and targeting underserved demographics naturally lends itself to providing a product or service for those in need, including the working poor, people living in poverty and marginalized communities. This identification creates space for startups with social impact.
Opportunity in Underserved Communities
Marginalized communities can be found in various settings across countries, industries and communities. Some examples of underserved communities include:
Low-income individuals depend heavily on public transportation, especially in cities where car ownership is expensive and impractical for many. Relying on public transportation can be unreliable and complicated, affecting workers, commuters, school children and more.
Rural laborers in developing economies, who mainly operate in the informal economy, lack access to essential protections like maternity leave, trade unions and compliance with labor laws. Work deficits are prevalent in rural areas, leading to employment challenges and insufficient social protection, resulting in the exploitation of low-income workers, child laborers, pregnant women and mothers and migrants.
Workers face gender disparity in job opportunities and wages, especially in developing countries. With approximately 2.4 billion women facing unequal economic opportunities, many countries still do not guarantee equal pay for equal work. Women face job restrictions in various forms, including formal training, job opportunities, representation in specific industries, compensation and proper health and maternity benefits. Specifically, women in Latin America and the Caribbean have less than three-quarters of the legal rights in the workplace than men.
Individuals lack financial literacy and participation, specifically in developing economies. Financial literacy plays a crucial role in poverty reduction. People struggle to make informed financial decisions without a basic understanding of financial concepts. Financial ignorance results in higher transaction fees, larger debts and higher interest rates on loans. It also prevents individuals from investing, saving for retirement and making the most of their money. For marginalized individuals with limited resources, this lack of financial literacy exacerbates the challenges they face, making it difficult to meet basic living needs on top of low and unstable incomes.
Venturing Beyond the Norm
To address the needs of marginalized communities and underserved markets, several startups with social impact have emerged as pillars of change. The startups below are taking proactive steps to combat poverty and provide equitable opportunities to the very issues previously examined.
Treepz
Treepz is a TransitTech solution modernizing public transit in Nigeria and expanding throughout Uganda, Ghana and other African countries. Treepz makes transportation more equitable and reliable and improves accessibility for underserved communities. In Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, Treepz is building strong communities, addressing transit deserts and enhancing the quality of life. Treepz CEO is quoted saying, “We wanted to give people a better way to commute with predictability, where they can know when the bus will get here, the certainty that they will have a seat on the vehicle, that it’s a decent vehicle and a safe one.”
Karya
By providing ethical digital work opportunities to rural Indians and sharing profits with the workers, Karya seeks to lift rural communities in India out of poverty while emphasizing fairness and equitable compensation. India has 230 million people living in poverty, with no clear path out. Karya has now provided more than 30,000 rural workers in India with fair compensation for data collection.
Laboratoria
An initiative empowering women to pursue careers in technology and bridging the gender gap in the Latin American tech industry, ensuring that more women have access to opportunities in this sector. Laboratoria was started in Peru, as women comprise less than 10% of the technology industry. Laboratoria has helped more than 3,300 women in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru; about 85% of those have landed jobs in the past two years.
Pluang
An app designed to help Indonesians diversify their investments and increase financial literacy, providing first-time investors access to financial education and asset class diversification. Indonesians scored only 38% in the latest financial literacy assessment, and less than half have formal savings accounts. Now, Pluang has more than 3.5 million users and is working to remedy these financial limitations.
Championing Change
These startups address marginalized communities and play a vital role in combating poverty and offering equitable opportunities for all. As noted, these startups would not be as successful without widespread need, public interest and support. Dedication to positive social impact is becoming increasingly important. Founders and investors are backing up words with actions by creating and supporting these conscious business ventures and startups with social impact. While there are various needs that startups can fill, from pet products and gaming to affordable nutrition and increasing financial literacy, it’s exciting to see transformational entrepreneurs making efforts toward social good.
–Kailey Schwinghammer
Photo: Flickr
Digital Wages in Bangladesh are Empowering its Female Workforce
The Situation
At the same time, historic gender roles mean women often do not directly benefit from the results of their work. In Bangladesh, where female textile factories dominate, women are expected to turn their wages over to their husbands or fathers. There are even accounts of long lines of men waiting outside the factories on payday, ready for this handover.
This wage settlement means female workers are denied proper control over their finances. For those women already living in poverty, this leaves them trapped. Despite undertaking paid employment, they cannot access the financial resources required to escape their current position. While this is a complex problem, some simple solutions can go a long way to removing the barriers women face. BSR’s HERProject has looked to do exactly that. HERProject has supported the growing trend of introducing digital wages for factory workers in Bangladesh. It helps teach employees how to use digital banking systems to ensure successful implementation.
The Benefits of Digital Wages in Bangladesh
Digital wages in Bangladesh have transformed women’s lives in the key areas where they were previously disempowered. Now, it is easier for workers to plan and save. They only withdraw the money they need to spend, while the rest is stored securely in a bank account.
World Bank researchers found that digital banking increases the likelihood of workers saving money by 25%. At the same time, women have more control over their money. Instead of receiving pay in person, their wages are transferred directly to an account that belongs to them. This prevents husbands or fathers immediately confiscating women’s wages.
One can see these benefits in the popularity of digital wages in Bangladesh. According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, pollsters found that after an H&M factory adopted digital wages, the number of workers who preferred the system jumped from 4% to 81%. A crucial part of the message of HERProject is the benefits factories themselves will stand to make from schemes such as digital wages. According to the organization, empowered women become agents of change, making businesses “more ethical and more productive.”
The Formation of RISE
On International Women’s Day 2023, HERProject joined Gap Inc. PACE, CARE International and Better Work (all organizations fighting for gender equality in supply chains) to form RISE. This new organization, standing for ‘Reimagining Industry to Support Equality,’ will look to fight for gender equality on an even larger scale. Its founders already support more than five million workers in over 20 countries. By sharing their resources, they can bring transformative ideas like HERProject’s digital wages to more of the developing world. The success of digital wages in Bangladesh is one example of how technology can be applied in the developing world to give workers greater control over their finances and the means to escape poverty. Its continued application will help reshape industries across developing countries for decades.
– Jack Arrowsmith
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
How Tobacco Production Impacts Food Security
How Tobacco Production Affects Farmers
Unfortunately, tobacco not only causes death and diseases to those who are smokers or breathe secondhand smoke. Dr. Ruediger Krech, Director of Health Promotion at WHO, points out that tobacco production causes illnesses to farmers, as they are “exposed to chemical pesticides, tobacco smoke and as much nicotine as found in 50 cigarettes.” Furthermore, it is estimated that more than 1 million children work in tobacco farms, being deprived of education.
The countries with more need to produce food are paradoxically those that produce the most tobacco. Nine of the 10 nations with the highest tobacco cultivation rates are low- and middle-income nations, according to WHO.
How Tobacco Production Impacts Food Security
Also, because tobacco production takes up fertile land, it exacerbates the food security issues in these countries. As a result of the crop’s growth-induced deforestation, water source contamination and soil deterioration, the environment and the populations that depend on it also suffer.
A record 349 million people experience extreme food insecurity across 79 countries. Many of them are in more than 30 African nations where tobacco growing has expanded by 15% over the past 10 years, according to the agency’s new report “Grow food, not tobacco.”
Transitioning Tobacco Farming to Food Crops
More than 124 countries cultivate tobacco, occupying 3.2 million hectares of arable land that farmers could use for food production. In order to shift this situation, WHO, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) have partnered to back the Tobacco Free Farms initiative. Through this plan, more than 5,000 farmers in Kenya and Zambia will receive assistance in switching from tobacco to sustainable food crops.
There are other examples of countries that have found a new way to end global hunger by switching from tobacco farming to food crops. In Bulgaria, despite European Union subsidies for tobacco production, many farmers have effectively transitioned to cultivating nuts, berries or engaging in animal husbandry. This shift has marginalized the role of tobacco in Bulgarian agriculture, leading to significant economic growth and improved living standards in major villages within established tobacco regions.
Similarly, Indonesia has seen success in transitioning tobacco farmers to alternative crops like cashews, sweet potatoes, corn and green vegetables, resulting in increased profits.
Progress in China and Malaysia
In regions like China’s Yunnan province, there has been a notable reduction in tobacco cultivation since 2012. Thousands of farmers have embraced the shift toward growing vegetables and fruits, experiencing higher net incomes due to initiatives promoting tobacco crop substitution.
Malaysia’s government has supported tobacco farmers in transitioning to cultivating kenaf, a plant used for high-quality paper, biocomposites and bioplastics. This transition has shown promising returns on investment with minimal expenditure of time, money and labor.
Transition to Food Crops in New Zealand and Sri Lanka
Similarly, in New Zealand’s Motueka region, government incentives for tobacco farming have been removed, allowing farmers to successfully transition to cultivating hops, kiwis and apples. These examples illustrate that viable alternatives to tobacco farming are not only possible but are already underway in various regions around the world.
In 2021, the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol in Sri Lanka launched a pilot project in the Anuradhapura and Monaragala districts aimed at encouraging the cultivation of alternative crops instead of tobacco. This initiative yielded significant results, with a remarkable 91% reduction in tobacco cultivation observed in Anuradhapura and a 57% reduction in Monaragala.
In Anuradhapura, 30% of farmers transitioned to cultivating vegetables while 16% turned to paddy cultivation. Conversely, in Monaragala, the majority of farmers opted to grow crops like peanuts, sesame and cowpeas. The success of this pilot project underscores the potential of sustainable agricultural practices in fostering economically viable alternatives to tobacco farming and addressing how tobacco production impacts food security.
Looking Ahead
It is important and at the same time gratifying that in the face of a situation such as that presented by tobacco cultivation and its negative influences on farmers and consumers alternatives are established throughout the world. These not only imply tobacco’s progressive disappearance but also reverse the situation, finding a new way to end global hunger by making the means and efforts to serve food production and helping those most in need.
– Christian Teruel
Photo: Flickr
Vocational Education Training Centers in Brazil
For years, Brazil has grappled with grievances about unfair wealth distribution. In 2021, according to World Bank statistics, Brazil’s poverty rate and Gini coefficient were 5.8% and a staggering 53.4, respectively, indicating a high level of disparity and that 12.5 million of the population were still under the international poverty line. The UN says one in four youth are unemployed. There is no silver bullet for the issue, but now vocational education training centers in Brazil offer an opportunity to change this narrative.
Bridging the Skill Gap
Brazil is now struggling with a significant skills gap. Companies, especially those in the technical and specialist industries, struggle to find employees with the right skills. A survey of employers by Fortune 500 corporation Manpower Group has revealed candidates in technology, logistics and marketing are now much sought after by the industries, while other estimates put vacant IT positions in the South American country at up to 400,000.
That is when vocational education training centers step in. By offering accredited and tailored courses, they help upskill Brazil’s next generation and, in a labor force that barely more than 10% receive tertiary education, provide an alternative for many.
Localized Solutions
Perhaps what sets vocational education centers in Brazil apart from other countries is their increasingly localized approach. Understanding the unique challenges of each community, government-operated institutes and corporate training programs are crafting courses that cater to local industries. In a report, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said: “Ideally, national/regional prerogatives are combined with local freedom whereby schools can often adapt the content to the local labor markets.”
SENAI, a network of secondary-level professional schools maintained by the Brazilian Confederation of Industry, has designed the Industry Work Map for its regional bodies to decide what vocational education training programs should be offered. Specific and targeted education helps ensure students have higher chances of employment upon graduation, directly alleviating poverty within a community. However, scholars have suggested there needs to be increased communication between vocational education training centers and employers to help identify market trends in demand for skills.
Empowering Women and Marginalized Groups
A spiral of racism, poverty and exploitation has historically left women and marginalized communities facing barriers to accessing quality education and employment. Vocational education training centers are arguably the key to change.
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), women earn on average 22% less than men. OECD has found women are more likely than men to pursue a vocational track in Brazil and are overrepresented in upper secondary education, contrary to the case in most member countries of the organization. The Thousand Women Program, which started by providing 1,000 disadvantaged women in the country’s north access to vocational education, was successful and expanded in 2009. Estimates have indicated that 100,000 women have benefited from the program by 2014.
With vocational training education centers actively encouraging female enrolment and offering courses in sectors traditionally dominated by men, Brazil is tackling poverty for all.
Supporting Entrepreneurial Endeavors
Not all graduates of vocational education training centers seek traditional employment. Recognizing the potential of Brazil’s entrepreneurial spirit, many centers offer courses in business management, financial literacy and start-up development. These skills are crucial in a country where small businesses contribute to over 27% of the GDP, according to the Brazilian Service of Support for Micro and Small Enterprises (SEBRAE). Through entrepreneurship, these centers are not only creating employment opportunities for graduates but also helping stimulate local economies, fostering innovation and driving forward Brazil’s global economic position.
Fostering a Culture of Lifelong Learning
Perhaps one of the most significant impacts of the vocational education initiative is the cultural shift toward valuing education. As more success stories emerge, there is a growing realization that education is a sustainable way out of poverty. This change in mindset is critical. With a focus on continuous learning, Brazilians are better equipped to adapt to the ever-evolving job market, ensuring long-term economic stability for themselves and their communities.
The Future
As Brazil advances towards what many hope will be a more equitable and prosperous future, the role of vocational education training centers cannot be understated. These institutions, with their pragmatic approach to education and employment, are not only addressing immediate economic concerns but also cementing the country’s resilience and tenacity in the long run.
Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire once said: “Education does not transform the world. Education changes people. People change the world.” By promoting vocational education, Brazil will stand as a living testament to this ethos, reflecting the power of focused, skill-based training to help the impoverished break glass ceilings — and, ultimately, to succeed.
– Reagan Yip
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Child Labor in Bangladesh
Reasons
The leading cause of Bangladesh’s high child labor rate is poverty. In a study by Sylhet Agricultural University, poverty ranked as the number one cause of child labor. A child may be sent to factories to earn money for their parents and siblings. One child worker, Nuri, explained the pressure of her work, “I cannot stop working for a second, I get BDT 50 (57 US cents) for every sack of pebbles I produce. I can barely make two sacks a day. How do you expect me to eat?”
One can attribute they way children find work so easily to employers wanting to hire children instead of adults. Employers believe children are more effective workers, and children do not have to receive as much pay as adults, with their salary typically being around $2. The laborers know they can abuse the obedience and fear they instill in children, meaning they do not need to worry about high pay. Even if adults were wanted, this group has a high unemployment rate among this group due to urban migration.
Many adults seek jobs that are more accommodating of their skills, leaving positions open and leading to a labor shortage in rural areas, with desperate children hoping to earn money being the only ones willing to take the position.
Scale
More than 2 million children from the ages of 5–17 are a part of child labor in Bangladesh. Approximately 47.5% of children had to seek work despite having two individuals in their household working paid jobs. Many children cannot receive an education because they must earn money to feed their families. About 32.5% of child laborers do not attend school and spend their days working. This can harm the future lives of families, as children who are pulled out of school never have the chance to receive proper education and perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Without an education, they often struggle to find a job that pays enough, forcing them to send their children to grueling workplaces to earn additional money for the family. The Sylhet Agricultural University found poor education in parents to cause child labor, ranking fourth among the causes.
Hazards
Several dangers come with child labor in Bangladesh. The most common are dangerous chemicals, such as formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide and sulphuric acid. These chemicals are found in the materials used for leather and clothing and can shorten the lifespan of child workers. Other physical side effects can include musculoskeletal pain among child laborers, a result of severe physical burden. Nearly 60.14% of children in child labor have reported facing hazardous working conditions.
Not many child laborers even get assistance in their recovery if injured, with 75% of children lacking medical attention at their jobs. These concerns over physical safety do not include the verbal abuse that comes with the jobs, as employers often scold children for being unable to keep up with their demands.
Industries
Agriculture is an industry that heavily relies on child labor, with a reported 1.08 million child laborers. With many people depending on agriculture, employers depend on workers to fill that need. Since agriculture takes place in rural areas, where children are looking for employment, it has led to many child laborers.
The second most prominent industry for child labor is leather. This is an unregulated industry, as the places of operations are small and often hidden. Children are essential to these operations, with 96% of the process for producing leather in Bangladesh involving child laborers. The businesses ignore the abuse of the children and instead focus on the money, as the leather industry alone made up 3.5% of Bangladesh’s global exports. Given the large amount of money it produces, industries will always see child labor as essential.
The Future
Several efforts have emerged to stop child labor in Bangladesh. One major attempt was the Minimum Age Convention which the Government of Bangladesh ratified to increase the threshold for the age at which a child can begin work. This is just one of the many steps the country is taking to eradicate child labor by 2025, a goal cited as a matter of national policy.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) has been working with the Bangladesh government since 1994 to spread awareness on the issue and ensure laws are up to national standards. The ILO pushed for policies such as not allowing children under 14 to face harsh working conditions and has also promised to eradicate child labor in Bangladesh altogether. With efforts like this, there may be hope for improving the lives of millions of children who deserve better.
– Uzair Khan
Photo: Flickr
Addressing Period Poverty in Niger
Causes of Period Poverty
One can attribute period poverty to many factors, from social to economic; however, UNICEF explained that one of the leading causes of its presence in Niger is the “long tradition of viewing menstruation as impure.” This long-standing belief, along with cultural taboos, lack of sex education and poverty, created a stigmatization of this menstruation cycle, causing people to ignore and overlook the issue.
Another contributing factor is that period products, such as tampons and pads, are expensive to buy, especially for girls in developing countries such as Niger. In Niger and other less-privileged areas, girls and boys begin working and supporting their families at a young age to survive, often earning just enough money for the bare necessities of food, water, clothing and shelter. In these circumstances, period products almost seem a frivolous need.
Statistics and Physical Impacts of Period Poverty in Niger
United Nations Women of Africa conducted a study on menstrual hygiene in Niger in February of 2018. The results exemplified the results of a severe lack of period products, with 31% of women taking breaks from their occupation during their cycle or even quitting to avoid the embarrassment of bleeding out. One in 10 school girls was also reported to have stayed home during their cycle.
Period poverty also has a vast impact on females physically. Due to the lack of proper sanitation products, women often opt for less safe and healthy ways to manage their hygiene during their cycles. For example, Niger women frequently stuffed unclean cloth strips or foams in their undergarments rather than pads.
These poor hygiene methods, explained by the National Library of Medicine, often cause health concerns such as “reproductive and urinary tract infections, thrush, and others.” Other diseases include pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which leads to blood loss and, eventually, anemia. These infections can easily worsen, especially without access to proper medicine.
Mental Impacts of Period Poverty
Not only does period poverty have a physical impact on females, but it also has a mental effect, as women who were subject to poverty had a significantly higher chance of developing depressive symptoms and anxiety. These feelings are also accompanied by lowered mental health, low self-esteem and lowered self-perception. The shame and stigma associated with menstruation may cause girls to feel a sense of embarrassment and a lack of self-empowerment, negatively affecting their ability to lead an enjoyable life. Period poverty especially challenges females in the workplace and at school, as they are often overwhelmed with extreme anxiety and fear.
Efforts to Combat Period Poverty in Niger
Social Voices reported that activism campaigns recognized that the main obstacle to addressing period poverty in developing countries such as Nigeria and Niger is affordability. Campaigns such as One Voice Initiative for Women and Children Emancipation (OVIWCE) and Reaching Minds Foundation have created and distributed reusable sanitary pads. These pads are made up of environmentally friendly fabrics and are durable. Women can reuse these pads month after month, cutting back the costly price of usual disposable pads.
OVIWCE has been distributing these reusable pads since 2016, and between 2020 and 2021, it claimed that they had reached nearly 5,000 people, 3,000 of them being schoolgirls. The organization also worked on teaching communities how to create reusable pads. Joseph Adebajo, the founder of OVIWCE, explained, “We had twenty staff and volunteers who had the knowledge and embarked on training people in communities we had distributed pads to in the past on how to make the pads.” Pad Up, a company in Nigeria, became one of the first African companies dedicated to creating these types of pads.
Looking Ahead
Period poverty in Niger, though not an uncommon issue, results in a plethora of consequences for young girls and women. They create diseases from unsanitary practices which are potentially deadly. Furthermore, it also has an impact on mental health, decreasing female empowerment and increasing the stigmatization of menstrual cycles. However, NGOs such as OVIWCE, among others, are currently creating and distributing reusable pads to make period poverty an issue of the past.
– Emma Luu
Photo: Flickr
5 Charities Operating in Nicaragua
5 Charities Operating in Nicaragua
Looking Ahead
The efforts of these five charities operating in Nicaragua over the past 10 years have helped improve the Nicaraguan economy, but more work needs to occur. Each of these five charities working in Nicaragua focuses on distinct paths to improving the standard of living across the country, including addressing poverty, development, medicine and education. These organizations continue their efforts with the support of donors.
– Brandon Murphy
Photo: Flickr
How the UNGA is Responding to Global Health Challenges
As we approach the midway point of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set for 2030, the 78th UNGA session has emphasized rebuilding strong international agreements to address global safety, health and peace concerns. Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, declared the UNGA will work toward “rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity: accelerating action on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.” Here is how the UNGA is responding to global health challenges.
UNGA’s Response to Global Health Challenges
The World Health Organization (WHO) urged leaders and members of the UNGA to prioritize global health as an urgent topic requiring immediate attention. UNGA scheduled three high-level meetings on global health: Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR), Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the fight against tuberculosis (TB).
Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR)
Under the overarching theme of “Making the World Safer,” the PPPR, buoyed by the momentum from the COVID-19 pandemic, has been met with greater urgency and prominence. UNGA structured the discussion of PPPR in two distinct panels: one focused on governance and accountability, ensuring all stakeholders, both public and private, uphold their commitments to PPPR; the other centered on building capacity and securing innovative and sustainable equity in the PPPR process. These themes address different facets of the broader PPPR framework, contributing to a holistic and equitable recovery strategy. The outcome of this meeting was a declaration mobilizing political commitment at local and international levels to address pandemic risks and responses.
Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
The document outlining the UNGA agenda covered health outcomes, primary health care–oriented systems and essential public health functions. It renewed the declaration of 2019: “Universal health coverage: moving together to build a healthier world.” The existing agreements to further UHC have made huge impacts — between 2013 and 2020, health care workers increased by 29% globally. The 2023 meeting identified steps toward meeting the goal of universal health coverage by 2030.
The Fight Against Tuberculosis (TB)
UNGA holds this meeting with the goal of “advancing science, finance, and innovation and their benefits to urgently end the global tuberculosis epidemic, in particular, by ensuring equitable access to prevention, testing, treatment, and care.” The UNGA revisited the 2018 tuberculosis target declaration of the first General Assembly high-level meeting. Attendees brought forward plans to advance and end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030. With 1.6 million deaths annually, the discussion highlights the need for stronger integration of affordable access to TB services.
Health as an Investment
The World Health Organization advanced the principle that “health is an investment, not a cost.” Embracing this notion carries profound implications, especially for those living in poverty. The 78th UNGA addressing global health equity represents a change within the global agenda. By recognizing health as an investment, global governance takes a more holistic approach to discussing global health equity, contributing to broader health goals and addressing global health challenges. A healthy population can participate in education, employment and community — fostering economic growth. Commitment to this principle is vital to navigate the path toward a healthier future for all.
– Bella Oliver-Steinberg
Photo: Flickr