The economic situation of Nauru is unique in many ways. As a Commonwealth country, the small state receives a great amount of foreign aid. In 2021, the World Bank declared Nauru a high-income country. The GDP growth of the country was 3.3% that year, a large increase compared to previous years. For example, in 2017 the GDP growth was -6.5%. Despite this, poverty in Nauru remains prevalent.
Due to its small size, as the smallest Commonwealth State, the country has a limited supply of natural resources. According to the United Nations, one in four civilians live below the poverty line in the country. Nauru has a shorter life expectancy than all other Pacific Islands, which was 64 years as of 2021. The average life expectancy for the region is 74.2 years, so Nauru falls 10 years below the expected levels.
Nauru once possessed a much more positive economic standing. Due to the phosphate extraction industry, the country’s economy was booming during the 1970s and 1980s. The country’s GDP per capita reflects this. In 1972, it was $2,882. Yet, in 1980, it was $5,489. However, this has ravaged almost 80% of the island’s land. This threatens the county’s agriculture, which experts have predicted will only worsen as temperatures increase.
Food Poverty
During the 2021 United Nations Food System Summit, the U.N. highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated poverty in Nauru. Food security and nutrition remain focal points regarding poverty in Nauru. In 2021, the United Nations noted that Nauru imports more than 90% of its food. However, these goods have low nutritional value, with high levels of fat and salt.
The 2021 United Nations Food System Summit aimed for all Nauru people to reach food security by 2030. The U.N. plans to implement this by improving the agricultural sector of the country. Rehabilitation of Nauruan land will allow for more nutritious food to be grown within the country. Currently, the country relies on imported goods with low nutritional value.
Health Care
As for food nutrition, Nauru has a high obesity rate. The country has the highest rate of type 2 diabetes globally. According to Diabetes.co.uk, roughly 40% of civilians have the condition. The community page also cites that 71% of the Nauruan population is overweight.
According to UNICEF, anemia is also a cause for concern within the country’s health care system. This condition affects 51% of children under 5 years old. This disproportionately affects women, with 51% of pregnant women and 32% of non-pregnant women having the condition.
This links to a wider issue concerning Nauru health care. The Global Health Security Index ranks Nauru in the last out of 16 Oceanic countries. The country’s health care capacity is below average, ranking 93rd out of 195.
Improving Nauru’s Health Care System
However, Australia is funding projects to strengthen Nauru’s health care system through the Nauru Intergenerational Trust Fund. From 2023 to 2024, Australia has a $25.9 million budget to support this scheme. The Australian Government notes: “We invest in Nauru’s health system to strengthen health preparedness through community-based health clinics and targeted technical assistance whilst addressing infectious disease outbreaks and non-communicable diseases (SDG 3).”
However, this aid extends beyond government bodies. For example, Hesperian Health Guides. a nonprofit founded in the U.S. in 1973, tackles poverty in Nauru by helping “all people take greater control over their health and work to eliminate the underlying causes of poor health.” The nonprofit generates educational health resources and it prides itself in translating these in more than 85 languages.
Currently, a clear cause and effect has resulted in poverty in Nauru. Phosphate mining destroyed Nauran agriculture, contributing to food insecurity in the country. Thus, the population relies on non-nutritional, imported goods. This has heightened obesity rates, which in turn has further strained Nauruan health care. However, due to the small state’s status as a Commonwealth country, Naura has received increased humanitarian aid to tackle this domino effect.
– Bethany Brown
Photo: Flickr
How the US Federal Budget is Helping Reduce Global Poverty
The U.S. federal budget for the fiscal year 2024 focuses on the high stakes of global poverty. In light of the unprecedented humanitarian crises around the world, the budget seeks more than $10.5 billion in humanitarian assistance, with $6.5 billion allocated through USAID-administered channels. This funding aims to address an average of 75 crises each year, spanning more than 65 nations and encompassing regions like Ukraine and Syria.
Humanitarian Assistance in the Fiscal Budget
The Ukraine-Russian conflict has done serious damage to the already devastated issue of global poverty. The economic woes of developing countries have increased, while sustainable development has become stagnant. Calls for humanitarian assistance have peaked at 360 million people. More than 110 million individuals have been displaced from their homes, while an alarming 260 million people grapple with severe food insecurity, with some teetering on the brink of famine.
It is no surprise that the U.S. economy is a vital and almost dominating part of the world’s financial structure. The U.S. federal budget for the fiscal year 2024 realizes the crisis that beholds the world and is doing its part to lower the impact.
The Impact of International Assistance
The United States Agency for International Development is responsible for administering foreign aid and development assistance. The U.S. federal budget has equipped USAID with $32 billion for foreign assistance. More than $1.1 billion will go toward Feed the Future programs that focus on the food crisis, which the Ukraine and Russian war and changing weather patterns have affected.
The budget also allocates funding for “Bright Spot” countries that have recently shown promising democratic developments. Further, as the U.S. promotes itself as the champion of democracy, it has dedicated $2.8 billion to flourishing democracy, meanwhile objecting to corruption as outlined in the Summit for Democracy and the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal.
Global development is heavily dependent on private sectors and capital growth. The Budget request of $60 million emphasizes empowering new enterprises that will lead to stronger economic resilience. For global health, $4.1 billion will be directed toward combatting contagious diseases, reducing child and maternal mortality rates, strengthening nutrition programs, addressing the HIV/AIDS crisis and expanding the global healthcare workforce, in alignment with the President’s Global Health Worker Initiative. Furthermore, $745 million was requested to be put toward preventing and responding to threats of future infectious diseases.
The aspect of gender equality and women’s security also has a place in the budget. An amount of $200 million was requested for the State and USAID to promote gender equality and ensure the economic security of women.
Looking Ahead
The U.S. federal budget for 2024 aims at providing humanitarian assistance to those in need. The records show that people across the globe are in desperate need of aid. The budget’s targets—if met—will surely help in uplifting those who need assistance.
– Asra Mairaj
Photo: Flickr
The Steps Toward Malawi Debt Restructuring
Malawi is a country located in Southeast Africa. Boasting natural beauty and a rich culture, Malawi has a diverse landscape. The nation has been incredibly resilient in recent years, continuing to grow and persevere through economic challenges. Malawi has had a complex debt situation for decades. To try and support its development goals, Malawi borrowed money. The country now faces an extreme debt burden, putting the citizens in unsafe, vulnerable positions. This debt halts Malawi’s economic and social development.
Debt History
In 1964, Malawi gained its independence from Britain. The country’s debt journey began soon after that, in the 1970s, when it started borrowing money to fund social programs and new infrastructure projects. The first loans to the country came from Western banks and numerous government programs.
Malawi’s economic stability relies heavily on agricultural exports. So, when interest rates started to rise, and the price of exports dropped, debt began to build up quickly. In the 1980s and 1990s, about $100 million of debt payments departed from Malawi each year. As the debt kept adding up, Malawi was scrambling to find solutions. The economy started to decline significantly, prompting their decades of struggle with debt.
To combat this, the IMF and World Bank started the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative to help developing countries with debt. This initiative allows governments to regain 100% debt relief from the African Development Fund, World Bank and IMF. In 2006, the HIPC initiative authorized Malawi to get $2.3 billion of debt canceled. Annual debt repayment improved, and the conditions for citizens did, too. Now, Malawi could focus money on social programs instead of repaying debt.
Current State
The struggle with debt began again around 2015. As export prices decreased, Malawi looked to borrow money to support themselves. Malawi has few options for increasing revenue besides agriculture, so as droughts rose and sustainability declined, the country ran into trouble. Malawi was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, too. Restrictions and lockdowns furthered the economic burdens. Most agricultural movements stopped, and many citizens lost their jobs. Extreme poverty rose, as did food insecurity. To bounce back from the pandemic, Malawi reached out for help.
In 2023, Malawi currently has $1.2 billion owed in external debt. The country owes $495 million to the African Export-Import Bank and $337 million to the Trade and Development Bank. These two make up the bulk of money Malawi owes. The others include the Export-Import Bank of China and the Export-Import Bank of India. For a developing country, this is a large amount of debt to repay. However, Malawi is optimistic about the restructuring of this debt.
Future Plans
Malawi has a plan for taking care of its debt. The Malawi finance minister announced on September 5, 2023, that he was optimistic about Malawi’s debt restructuring. The country seeks a new IMF loan by the end of the year. The African Export-Import Bank and the Trade & Development Bank have already signed the restructuring. Malawi still needs the India and China Export-Import banks to sign to guarantee the IMF loan.
The minister stressed the resilience Malawi has built these last few years and the difficulties they have overcome. The country continues to break through despite unforgiving conditions. The main setback that Malawi faces now is a need for more foreign currency.
The IMF has tirelessly supported Malawi and sent a team to work with the government. The IMF has implemented new programs for debt restructuring in Malawi. One strategy that the IMF proposed was adopting market reforms. Doing this would stabilize their debts and allow economic growth.
Malawi is gaining momentum with restructuring the debt and is hopeful it will continue. Malawi’s debt-to-GDP ratio currently stands at 73%. By adopting new strategies and gaining support from international organizations, Malawi could restructure its debt sustainably and efficiently.
– Madison Rogers
Photo: Flickr
How El Niño Affects the Impoverished
El Niño is a climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean that affects weather worldwide. While it only occurs every two to seven years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center announced the arrival of El Niño in June 2023. Experts say the typical weather patterns involve trade winds that blow West along the equator, which takes warm water from South America towards Asia. El Niño disrupts that pattern.
“During El Niño, trade winds weaken. Warm water is pushed back east, toward the west coast of the Americas,” says the National Ocean Service. “El Niño can affect our weather significantly. The warmer waters cause the Pacific jet stream to move south of its neutral position. With this shift, areas in the northern U.S. and Canada are dryer and warmer than usual. But in the U.S. Gulf Coast and Southeast, these periods are wetter than usual and have increased flooding.” Here is more about El Niño and how it affects the impoverished.
What Does It Do?
Experts say that the warmer-than-average water temperatures that El Niño creates can affect hurricane season. According to Meteorologist Brooke Silverang via ABC 25 News, “During the hurricane season which continues through the end of November, El Nino tends to increase wind shear across the Atlantic Basin. This helps suppress the development of tropical activity in the Atlantic. On the other hand, it can also lead to stronger hurricanes in the Pacific.” Experts say that El Niño typically peaks in late fall and winter, so it will be harsher during those times.
According to Jonathan Erdman via Weather.com, “The classic El Niño winter is rather warm from Alaska into western and central Canada and then into the northern tier of states from the Pacific Northwest to the western Great Lakes. It tends to be colder and wetter than average through much of the southern U.S., particularly from Texas to the Carolinas. We found that some cities in the Southwest, Southern Plains and mid-Atlantic have their snowiest winters during El Niño.”
El Niño can last around nine to 12 months, sometimes a few years. Experts say the current El Niño will likely continue through early 2024.
The Way El Niño Affects the Impoverished
These drastic weather patterns can have life-altering effects on people living in poverty. A study even found that disease outbreaks became 2.5%-28% more intense during the 2015-2016 El Niño event. Studies have shown that El Niño affects the impoverished the most.
According to U.K.-based charity Save the Children, regions already experiencing multiple crises will feel the effects of El Niño the most. It revealed the forecasts of below-average rainfall in El Salvador and Guatemala, increased risk of landslides and flooding in Haiti and risk of flooding and food shortages in the Horn of Africa.
During previous El Niños, dramatically changing weather patterns have affected impoverished people the most. However, there are ways the more fortunate can help.
Solutions
Save the Children has already compiled a list of what others can do to help impoverished families through this event. On the charity’s page discussing this issue, something brought up often is how international governments can assist these families during this time. A suggestion is that they can increase funding for early action, local and national responders, and commit to new climate finance.
Save the Children is also actively working to prepare for the effects of El Niño. On top of monitoring potential risks across regions, it is “building and strengthening social protection systems to mitigate the worst socio-economic knock-on effects,” according to its website.
– Brianna Leonard
Photo: Flickr
Snakebite Deaths in India: What You Need To Know
The Possibly Underreported Statistics
Most of the statistics available about these snakebite deaths are estimates. In one study of a smaller region, it was found that only 23% of the deaths had occurred at the hospital. Many Indians who suffer snakebites seek traditional healing from local spiritual leaders instead of gaining admission to a hospital, and when they die as a result of the envenomated bite, the cause of death is not correctly recorded. Indians living in poor, rural areas who do seek medical attention may encounter hospitals that lack the proper antivenin (or antivenom) to treat the wound, or doctors unable to identify the snakebite in time, especially if the patient was bitten while asleep.
The Impoverished Are Most at Risk
One reason that snakebite deaths in India have been improperly addressed by the government is that it is seen as a “poor man’s disease” in a society with a rigid class structure. Though much of the population is condensed into large cities like Mumbai and Delhi, 97% of snakebite deaths in India occur in rural areas, often victimizing farmers and even child laborers. Many of these snakebites occur from farmers accidentally stepping on the snakes as they walk through their fields barefoot, or snakes chasing rats into rural homes and becoming trapped and defensive. Many poor families cannot afford the trip to a hospital that actually carries antivenin, causing them to seek ineffectual alternatives that usually lead to death.
Snakebites Are Preventable
There are many easy steps that Indians can take to avoid deadly snakebites. Around 92% of these bites occur when people are walking through fields barefoot and step on a snake they didn’t even see. The Humane Society International location in India is helping to combat this by distributing thick rubber boots to protect against the snakes’ weak fangs. It also provides lights so that anyone walking through dark fields can avoid stepping on dangerous reptiles. Prevention of snakebites during sleep can be accomplished with a net surrounding the bed, which costs very little and is highly effective. On a broader scale, improvement of hospital resources is imperative, as only 3% of properly treated snakebite cases result in fatality.
While the Indian government requires that available antivenin be administered free of charge, most hospitals, especially in rural areas where snakebites occur, do not have the antivenin on hand or lack doctors with training to identify and administer treatment for snakebites. The Indian Snakebite Initiative is a foundation that focuses on education and legislation aimed at reducing snakebite fatalities and improving prevention and treatment options.
– Cheyenne Astarita
Photo: Wikimedia
The Digital Divide: How Tech Can Bridge the Gap in Latin America
An estimated 45% of Latin Americans lack access to the internet. Access to technology is a fundamental factor that determines a region’s socioeconomic growth and development. The gap between those with access to digital technologies and those without is a significant challenge in Latin America. This article will delve into ways technology can help bridge the gap.
The Digital Divide and Human Rights
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for high-speed internet across the globe. While being separated from each other in quarantine, people became even more aware of their need for connection, a feeling that was even deeper for people stuck at home without internet access.
People who lack access to broadband are disadvantaged socially, politically and economically. Activists around the world can engage in activities that promote policies and programs that address the digital divide.
Challenges of the Digital Divide
Many Latin American adults are not computer literate. Only around 5% of Latin American and Caribbean students have access to internet technology in the classroom. The disparity between those who have internet access and those who don’t is even greater: 80% of students from wealthy backgrounds have internet access while only 14% of those from impoverished backgrounds have access. Women are also vastly underrepresented in internet and communications technology careers in Latin America.
Benefits of Bridging the Digital Divide in Latin America
Bridging the digital divide in Latin America could result in the following benefits:
Possible Tech Solutions For Bridging The Gap
Latin America can help bridge the digital divide by investing in and expanding broadband infrastructure in underserved areas. Community Wi-Fi networks and improved cellular coverage can bring access to remote regions.
Latin America can also pass public policies that provide opportunities for digital education and skill development. There could also be an investment in training for teachers to help them incorporate digital devices into their classrooms. Governments can leverage technology to provide essential services online such as online payment systems, digital identification and government resources. Tech companies can work on developing cost-effective devices that are suitable for the needs of individuals in developing regions. This includes smartphones with basic internet capabilities and durable hardware that can withstand local conditions.
Conclusion
Latin America’s digital divide is a multifaceted challenge that needs to be addressed via collaboration between governments, the private sector and civil society. Investments in infrastructure and digital literacy can potentially bridge the gap. This will allow Latin American regions with a technological gap to experience the transformative power of technology. Bridging the digital divide could unlock new opportunities for individual advancement and contribute to the economic growth and development of Latin America. Above all, narrowing this gap appears to be necessary for creating a more inclusive and equitable society.
– Joy Loving
Photo: Flickr
How Digital ID Systems Like MOSIP Are Reducing Poverty
The World Bank estimates that globally, approximately 850 million people lack any form of official legal identification. Data indicates that a majority of these people are members of marginalized groups and live primarily in low-income economies like those in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Reasons for lacking an ID include the costs, documentation and geographic distance involved in acquiring it. These issues are even more prevalent for women, minorities and other vulnerable groups.
Without an ID, people struggle to fully participate in the economy and report difficulty in accessing employment, education, government programs and financial services. As such, they can quickly fall into poverty and struggle to escape it without any way of gaining a sizable income. In addition, not all ID systems are equally useful — a good ID must be verifiable and inclusive. However, this situation is quickly changing with the advent of digital ID systems like Modular Open Source Identity Platforms (MOSIP).
Background
Digital ID systems have existed for years, with many governments adopting such ideas to expedite legal identification. For example, the inspiration for MOSIP came from India’s Aadhaar system, which transformed countless lives after its launch in 2009. Millions of Indians began to fully participate in the economy, being able to own bank accounts and make a living for themselves.
By connecting the country’s people in a much more effective way than earlier, Aadhaar helped India develop economically and helped reduce poverty significantly. In a 15-year period closely coinciding with the years since Aadhaar was launched, 415 million people left poverty — while a variety of factors must have contributed to the improvement, the digital ID system undoubtedly played a vital role.
The Creation of MOSIP
But while Aadhaar and similar systems offered hope to the millions of people lacking legal identification, the problem was not solved just yet. The multitude of countries requiring their own IDs could not simply use the existing systems, because they belonged to their respective governments. Because each country’s exact needs varied, they had to choose between creating their own systems from scratch or binding themselves to commercial vendors.
Inspired by Aadhaar, a team from the International Institute of Information Technology Bangalore (IIIT-Bangalore) set out in 2018 to create a digital ID system that any nation could fit to its specific needs. As an open-source system, MOSIP is made so that anyone can use the software and adapt it any way they want. The MOSIP platform serves as the core technology layer to an ID, upon which a system integrator and use case layer is built. Already, nearly 95 million people have taken advantage of MOSIP-based systems, and this number will only continue to grow as more countries start to adopt the platform.
Successes
MOSIP has found success as a flexible and inclusive platform that can be adapted to any country’s needs. This success comes as a result of its modular nature, with each feature being an individual service and its use of open APIs. Without the need to meet business objectives, the IIIT-Bangalore team prioritized privacy and security as well as user feedback while creating the platform. Working with country-specific vendors, MOSIP has helped each of its partner countries develop their digital ID systems, adapting to resolve deployment issues like problems with biometric data and internet connectivity.
As the Modular Open Source Identity Platform grows, it will continue to empower millions of people to escape poverty through educational and financial opportunities. There is still much room to improve, and global collaboration to enhance the technology can help MOSIP expand as quickly as possible. Over the next 10 years, the team hopes to provide more than a billion people with legal identification.
– Namit Agrawal
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Addressing Poverty in Nauru: A Domino Effect
The economic situation of Nauru is unique in many ways. As a Commonwealth country, the small state receives a great amount of foreign aid. In 2021, the World Bank declared Nauru a high-income country. The GDP growth of the country was 3.3% that year, a large increase compared to previous years. For example, in 2017 the GDP growth was -6.5%. Despite this, poverty in Nauru remains prevalent.
Due to its small size, as the smallest Commonwealth State, the country has a limited supply of natural resources. According to the United Nations, one in four civilians live below the poverty line in the country. Nauru has a shorter life expectancy than all other Pacific Islands, which was 64 years as of 2021. The average life expectancy for the region is 74.2 years, so Nauru falls 10 years below the expected levels.
Nauru once possessed a much more positive economic standing. Due to the phosphate extraction industry, the country’s economy was booming during the 1970s and 1980s. The country’s GDP per capita reflects this. In 1972, it was $2,882. Yet, in 1980, it was $5,489. However, this has ravaged almost 80% of the island’s land. This threatens the county’s agriculture, which experts have predicted will only worsen as temperatures increase.
Food Poverty
During the 2021 United Nations Food System Summit, the U.N. highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated poverty in Nauru. Food security and nutrition remain focal points regarding poverty in Nauru. In 2021, the United Nations noted that Nauru imports more than 90% of its food. However, these goods have low nutritional value, with high levels of fat and salt.
The 2021 United Nations Food System Summit aimed for all Nauru people to reach food security by 2030. The U.N. plans to implement this by improving the agricultural sector of the country. Rehabilitation of Nauruan land will allow for more nutritious food to be grown within the country. Currently, the country relies on imported goods with low nutritional value.
Health Care
As for food nutrition, Nauru has a high obesity rate. The country has the highest rate of type 2 diabetes globally. According to Diabetes.co.uk, roughly 40% of civilians have the condition. The community page also cites that 71% of the Nauruan population is overweight.
According to UNICEF, anemia is also a cause for concern within the country’s health care system. This condition affects 51% of children under 5 years old. This disproportionately affects women, with 51% of pregnant women and 32% of non-pregnant women having the condition.
This links to a wider issue concerning Nauru health care. The Global Health Security Index ranks Nauru in the last out of 16 Oceanic countries. The country’s health care capacity is below average, ranking 93rd out of 195.
Improving Nauru’s Health Care System
However, Australia is funding projects to strengthen Nauru’s health care system through the Nauru Intergenerational Trust Fund. From 2023 to 2024, Australia has a $25.9 million budget to support this scheme. The Australian Government notes: “We invest in Nauru’s health system to strengthen health preparedness through community-based health clinics and targeted technical assistance whilst addressing infectious disease outbreaks and non-communicable diseases (SDG 3).”
However, this aid extends beyond government bodies. For example, Hesperian Health Guides. a nonprofit founded in the U.S. in 1973, tackles poverty in Nauru by helping “all people take greater control over their health and work to eliminate the underlying causes of poor health.” The nonprofit generates educational health resources and it prides itself in translating these in more than 85 languages.
Currently, a clear cause and effect has resulted in poverty in Nauru. Phosphate mining destroyed Nauran agriculture, contributing to food insecurity in the country. Thus, the population relies on non-nutritional, imported goods. This has heightened obesity rates, which in turn has further strained Nauruan health care. However, due to the small state’s status as a Commonwealth country, Naura has received increased humanitarian aid to tackle this domino effect.
– Bethany Brown
Photo: Flickr
5 NGOs Fighting Poverty in Laos
5 NGOs Fighting Poverty in Laos
These five NGOs in Laos are significantly impacting the fight against poverty. Through their diverse approaches, they are addressing various dimensions of this complex issue and improving the lives of countless individuals.
– Jake Marks
Photo: Flickr
NGO Mareena Helps Ukrainian Refugees in Slovakia Survive
As of May 2023, there are 5.1 million people displaced within Ukraine, and the U.N. recognizes 6.2 million Ukrainian refugees globally. War exacerbates human struggle — heartache and loss run rampant through Ukraine and surrounding states as people fight to survive; yet, one NGO based out of Slovakia continues to provide hope and healing.
Background on Mareena’s Work
Mareena is an NGO and UNICEF partner that works to make Slovakia a welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds. Acceptance of diversity is (like in most countries) a looming issue in Slovakian society, and Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia are increasingly facing the consequences.
Over half of Slovakian people view the influx of Ukrainian refugees as burdening Slovakian economics — a view Mareena wants to change. Public opinion surveys report that support for refugee help has slowly decreased as economic struggle continues globally. Yet, Mareena members are banding together to provide a better integration process for people migrating into Slovakia — specifically Ukrainian refugees. They aim to foster an environment that betters locals’ and immigrants’ health and well-being as collaboratively as possible.
More Challenges for Refugees in Slovakia
Of the million Ukrainians that have arrived at the Slovakian border seeking asylum, 100,000 have applied for refugee status in Slovakia. It is a slow process to bring about systemic change that will revitalize positive public opinion. However, NGO Mareena’s front-line action still makes a tangible impact on protecting the people.
Refugees arriving at the border of another country can often face inhumane treatment, and NGOs like Mareena drive most of the kindness and support on the Slovakian border. Mareena partners with international organizations like UNICEF to advocate long-term help for Ukraine while working first-hand with the people needing immediate help. The Mareena volunteers — many of them women — offer safety and survival resources to refugees at the border, providing a safe and welcoming space amid hardship.
The U.S. Embassy in Slovakia recognized the women banding together on the border during International Women’s Day, commending their bravery in providing medical assistance and helpful survival information to the refugees. Their recognition noted that one of the Mareena volunteers, Katarina, expressed to the U.S. Embassy in Slovakia that helping people in general, and especially in acculturating into Slovakia, is how she feels “helpful, fulfilled and useful.”
Final Thoughts
War persists until humanity is stripped from the area. Those caught in the struggle are more often civilians than otherwise, and Mareena recognizes this challenge. With support from volunteers, some international partnerships and donations, Mareena can help provide educational, psychosocial and social inclusion support for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia.
Because of Mareena, there is a ray of hope for Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia who have to rebuild their lives from scratch.
– Eden Ambrovich
Photo: Pixabay
Sightsavers Help Eliminate Trachoma in Benin
What is Trachoma?
Trachoma is a preventable Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) that can blind people if it is left untreated. It is caused by infection of the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and spreads through personal contact. It can be easily cured with medical care and antibiotics, but its unrecognized state has made it a public health concern in 42 countries and the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide.
Because it has been neglected in the past, it has been responsible for the blindness or visual impairment of about 1.9 million people. People living in endemic areas often get the infection many times. The repetition leads to severe scarring on the eyelid, which causes it to cave in and rub against the surface of the eye. This causes damage to the cornea and can eventually lead to blindness. Once trachoma causes blindness, it is irreversible. In June 2022, 125 million people lived in trachoma-endemic areas and were at great risk of blindness.
Trachoma is extremely common among impoverished communities. This is not shocking, as the environmental factors associated with its transmission include inadequate access to hygienic supplies, water and satisfactory housing. It is hyperendemic in many of the poorest rural areas of Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Australia and the Middle East, with Africa being the most affected continent. Trachoma greatly reduces the quality of life for people who already live in poverty.
How Sightsavers Helped Eliminate Trachoma
The official elimination of trachoma would not have been possible without the work of Sightsavers. This humanitarian organization, led by chief executive Dr. Caroline Harper, has treated millions of people while advocating for reform policies around the globe. Here are four ways they made the elimination of trachoma possible.
The Achievements
In 2023, Benin officially joined six other African countries in their achievement of successfully eliminating trachoma. Due to the work of Sightsavers and other organizations, more than 14 million people across 14 countries are no longer at risk of painfully losing their eyesight.
The success of Sightsavers and the Accelerate Program has the potential to inspire more collaborators from the water, sanitation and hygiene sectors to support the elimination of trachoma. The TT Tracker smartphone app for widespread drug administration and coverage monitoring used by the organization is now being used by other countries in the successful tracking of diseases other than trachoma. The elimination of trachoma in Benin can inspire the leadership of other countries to take the necessary steps to eliminate trachoma as well. While the organizations involved celebrate their successes, they plan to continue their elimination of trachoma, along with other neglected diseases worldwide.
– Sophia Holub
Photo: Flickr